Chapter 305: Chapter 292: Dan Yun’s Enlightenment
The most precious demon core of the Tree Demon was given by Zhouyang to his Dao companion Xiao Ying, but Zhouyang stored away the Tree Demon’s roots that still held life.
These roots contain rich vitality, and their sap is an important material for refining some Tier Three and Tier Four Healing Spirit Pills, as well as a good material for refining Tier Four Wood Element Spiritual Artifacts.
Moreover, after vanquishing the Tree Demon, Zhouyang and his companion found a number of mature Tier Three and Tier Two Spirit Elixirs on the mountain, and also discovered several Tier Two and Tier Three Spirit Fruit Trees bearing mystical fruits, as well as a variety of Tier Two and Tier Three Spirit Woods.
These items were naturally all gathered by Zhouyang and stored in his Storage Ring, to be used as reserve materials for future alchemy and artifact refining.
After sweeping through the entire Spirit Mountain, Zhouyang first set up a portable Tier Three Illusion Array around the "Yuan Condensing Fruit" tree to hide the fruit tree, and then meditated on the mountain for a day to recover some magical power, before continuing on their journey with his Dao companion.
The following journey went smoothly, and after flying for another two or three days, the towering walls of Zhenyue Immortal City appeared in their sights.
Gazing at the city walls he once fought on, and the city he once battled in, Zhouyang’s eyes rarely showed a flicker of excitement.
"I wonder how Dong Jianping is doing? Has he established his own Dong Family yet?"
"Moreover, I wonder if Senior Jia Yunzhen is still in Zhenyue Immortal City, has he found the follow-up cultivation technique for the ’Great Derivation Sword Technique’?"
"And that Purple Star Sect Purple Mansion Cultivator Zhu Ziyu, who nearly killed me back then; if he’s still in Zhenyue Immortal City, I must find an opportunity to make him pay dearly for his past actions!"
Reflecting on his past experiences in Zhenyue Immortal City, the friends and enemies he made, Zhouyang’s emotions fluctuated wildly, causing his flying sword to accelerate.
About half an hour later, Zhouyang and Xiao Ying, having completed the procedures for temporary identification, entered the city.
Once inside the Immortal City, Zhouyang attempted to send a Communication Flying Sword to Dong Jianping, but unsurprisingly, it failed as Dong Jianping was not in the city.
As for Jia Yunzhen, although Zhouyang had been taught the sword technique by him, he had no means of contact and couldn’t send a Communication Flying Sword.
However, this didn’t stump him. Being somewhat of a "celebrity" known in the outskirts of six Immortal Cities around the Broken Cloud Mountain Range, Jia Yunzhen’s whereabouts weren’t difficult to inquire about.
By casually asking in a shop managed by a Purple Mansion Stage Cultivator, he learned that Jia Yunzhen hadn’t returned to Zhenyue Immortal City since the last Beast Tide, nor had there been news of him appearing in any of the other five Immortal Cities.
Then, seizing the opportunity, he also inquired about the whereabouts of Zhu Ziyu, learning that this person had gone to a Purple Star Pavilion branch in a city called Seven-Colored Immortal City to oversee it.
"Purple Star Pavilion" is a chain store opened by the Purple Star Sect, with branches in many Immortal Cities; both the Zhenyue Immortal City branch and the Seven-Colored Immortal City branch are among them.
Through inquiries, Zhouyang found out that the Seven-Colored Immortal City, located in Yunxia Country, was over a million miles from Zhenyue Immortal City, covering a path through about a dozen countries in the Liuyun Continent Cultivation Realm.
This forced him to temporarily suppress his desire for revenge, planning to craft his flying sword first before seeking retribution against this person later.
Zhenyue Immortal City is situated within the Broken Cloud Mountain Range, a place known for its abundant Demon Beast materials and spirit elixirs, yet the various Spiritual Gold needed to craft his flying sword were difficult to procure here.
Thus, Zhouyang only stayed in the city for a few days with Xiao Ying, collecting and purchasing some auxiliary materials for refining Foundation Establishment Pills and Purple Cloud Pills, and spending twenty-four thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones to buy two Top-Grade Spirit Beast Bags before heading to the Liuyun Continent Cultivation Realm in the rear.
Zhouyang’s target was, of course, Immortal Sun City, where he planned to purchase the spiritual pills needed for cultivation and materials for refining flying swords, and hoped to find an opportunity to meet with Master Cyan Yang to deliver the items entrusted to him by Zhang Yunpeng.
At the same time, if possible, he also wanted to inquire about the refining materials for his Lifebound Spiritual Artifacts from either Master Cyan Yang or cultivators of the Profound Sun Immortal Sect, to see if he could gain any insights.
However, before that, he needed to accompany Xiao Ying to spend some time living on Dan Yun Peak, the Spirit Mountain she grew up on, to soothe her homesickness.
The two of them flew out of Zhenyue Immortal City, and within less than two days, they arrived at Dan Yun Peak, where Xiao Ying had lived and cultivated for several decades.
As Zhouyang had anticipated, after several decades, the Tier Three Spirit Mountain had indeed been occupied by other cultivators.
Fortunately, the cultivators who took over the Spirit Mountain appeared to be kind by nature. Although they had broken the Mountain Protection Array, they hadn’t occupied Xiao Ying’s sealed cave dwelling and instead created a new one elsewhere on the mountain for residence and cultivation.
Seeing this situation, Zhouyang immediately abandoned the idea of brutally driving them away, and instead discussed with his Dao companion before deciding to negotiate with the Spirit Mountain’s owner to let them reside there temporarily for three months.
The cultivators occupying Dan Yun Peak were also a pair of cultivator Dao companions, both being Foundation Establishment Loose Cultivators. The man possessed a Sixth-Layer Foundation Establishment Cultivation, while the woman only had a Third-Layer Foundation Establishment Cultivation. This pair, along with a dozen or so descendants, were cultivating here, seemingly treating Dan Yun Peak as the foundation of their clan.
Zhouyang, being a Purple Mansion Stage Cultivator, suddenly descending upon them, naturally caused a great fright among the family on the mountain.
Especially upon learning that Dan Yun Peak was originally the cultivation site of Zhouyang’s Dao companion Xiao Ying, the loose cultivator couple were so frightened that they immediately knelt on the ground begging Zhouyang to forgive them for their unintentional trespass, and even offered up their Storage Bags to atone with their entire wealth.
"Arise, please. The so-called ’those who know not are not guilty,’ and besides, we originally abandoned Dan Yun Peak of our own accord, so it’s understandable that you occupied the Spirit Mountain without knowing the background."
"Moreover, our return this time is merely to soothe my wife’s homesickness; we have no intention of reclaiming the Spirit Mountain for long-term residence!"
Zhouyang waved his hand, and a powerful force lifted the kneeling loose cultivator couple from the ground. With a calm demeanor, he stated his purpose for coming.
Without giving the loose cultivator couple a chance to express gratitude, he straightforwardly gestured for them to leave: "Alright, you and your descendants should now leave Spirit Mountain to reside elsewhere for three months. After that, we will naturally depart, allowing you to return here to continue cultivating!"
His blunt and direct attitude, rather than gentle words, reassured the loose cultivator couple, making them realize he truly harbored no malicious intent.
Following a series of grateful thanks, the couple didn’t even consider returning to their cave residence to pack their belongings. They simply left Dan Yun Peak with their scared descendants, heading to some unknown destination.
Zhouyang paid no mind to this. After the loose cultivator family departed, he and Xiao Ying began cleaning and tidying the sealed cave residence, moving in afterwards.
Over the next three months, Zhouyang spent most of his time accompanying Xiao Ying on walks exploring the mountain and its surroundings, reminiscing about her life experiences there. They cooked meals together, watching the sunrise and sunset.
During this period, the two almost completely forgot about cultivation, living as ordinary mortal couples, even sharing the same bed at night.
Despite this, they held back, not taking the final step, avoiding any impulsive acts that might hinder their future path.
Three months passed when one morning Zhouyang awoke to see Xiao Ying meditating in cultivation nearby, alongside the Tree Demon Heart Core he gifted her.
Witnessing this, he was slightly stunned, as if realizing something, and a comforting smile appeared on his face.
He waited for Xiao Ying to awaken from her meditation, then embraced his beloved wife, speaking with a tone full of admiration in her ear: "Ying’Er, you’re even smarter than I imagined. Originally, I planned to find an opportunity to enlighten you in the coming days, but unexpectedly you realized it yourself!"
Previously, such intimate gestures always made Xiao Ying’s face flush with embarrassment.
But this time, Xiao Ying felt no discomfort at all, softly whispering: "I still need to thank you, husband, for your careful care these past months, helping me truly understand the essence of cultivation!"
"Life is fleeting, scarcely a century. If we don’t strive in cultivation, even overwhelming love now will ultimately end as mere dust, leaving countless regrets!"
"Furthermore, my husband is now a Purple Mansion Cultivator with a lifespan of five hundred years. If I don’t strive to catch up with his cultivation, later when I grow old and die, he could remain unchanged, living hundreds or even thousands of years. Wouldn’t that be cruel to both of us?"
"So please, rest assured, husband, I will certainly work hard in cultivation to keep pace with you, never becoming a burden blocking your cultivation journey!"
To seek longevity through cultivation, with ardor to roam freely, riding lotus to cleanse sword spirit, wielding the void to shape the saint’s soul!
The process of cultivation is not only for acquiring a longer lifespan but also for better exploring and understanding this world.
A longer lifespan is merely a prerequisite for the strong to explore the world and pursue the truth of the great path.
Likewise, if one possesses a long lifespan, without deliberate effort, the deepening relationship between two individuals will naturally grow ever deeper and more steadfast over the ages.
If two hearts are eternally united, why should they care for day-night intimacy?
For Zhouyang and Xiao Ying, a pair of exceptionally gifted cultivator Dao companions, this proverb is particularly apt.
Zhouyang’s face lit up with genuine happiness upon hearing Xiao Ying’s words.
Nobody understands his Dao companion better than him. Xiao Ying was taken into the mountains by her master since young, not experiencing worldly hardships, nor witnessing the common cycle of birth, aging, illness, and death, leading her to lack firm belief and goals in cultivation, often cultivating for the sake of cultivating.
Before meeting Zhouyang, she cultivated to earn her master’s praise, and after meeting Zhouyang, she cultivated to assist him, yet never pondered cultivating for her own sake, nor considered the meaning of cultivation.
This was not much of an issue below the Purple Mansion Stage. As an Upper Grade Spiritual Root talent cultivator, she never lacked cultivation resources. Even without deep dedication, she achieved a cultivation speed far surpassing ordinary Middle-grade Spiritual Root cultivators.
However, should she seek to open the Purple Mansion or condense a Golden Core, such aimless and uncommitted mentality would certainly lead to failure.
Zhouyang recognized this long ago, yet he had not found the right opportunity to help his Dao companion change this aspect.
Until this time, living with Xiao Ying at Dan Yun Peak as a mortal, the thought suddenly flashed in his mind, finding a way.
Unexpectedly, before he got the chance to enlighten Xiao Ying using his method, she herself, through months of ordinary life, realized the essence of cultivation, bringing him great joy.
In his joy, he couldn’t resist planting a kiss on Xiao Ying’s lovely face and shouted, "Well said! Let us, as husband and wife, walk hand in hand, forming a Golden Core, transforming into Nascent Souls, living as immortal lovers, youthful and carefree!"