Chapter 381: Chapter 366: Preparing for a Big Fight [2nd Update!]
Zhou Yuanchen arrived at Red Tiger Mountain on the fifth day after Zhouyang’s return.
Ever since Zhouyang became famous after a battle, as a cultivator of the Yellow Sand Sect from the Zhou family, Zhou Yuanchen has served as the liaison between the two parties. Matters that Zhang Yunpeng and Zhouyang found inconvenient to discuss directly were mediated by him.
Benefiting from this unique position, over the years, he also profited on both sides, and after seventeen years, his cultivation reached the Seventh-Layer Foundation Establishment, becoming a Late-Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator.
But he was fated to remain at this level; his hope of opening the Purple Mansion was slim. The most he could achieve was to become like the old clan leader of the Zhou family, Zhou Minghan, who reached the Ninth-Layer Foundation Establishment at over two hundred years old and then awaited his life’s end in despair.
Zhou Yuanchen was self-aware and didn’t push on this front any further, instead focusing most of his efforts on nurturing his son, Zhou Guangde.
Although his son Zhou Guangde only had Middle-grade Spiritual Root Talent, with his care, plus the Zhou family now being stronger than ever, achieving Foundation Establishment seemed almost certain for him in the future.
Deep down, Zhou Yuanchen hoped that with his support and care, his son could succeed in Foundation Establishment between thirty and forty years old, just like Zhouyang did, thereby having a much greater chance of pursuing the Purple Mansion than he did.
Coming with Zhang Yunpeng’s instructions, Zhou Yuanchen felt quite conflicted.
Zhang Yunpeng sent him over, naturally having revealed the plan and told him about the commission for Zhouyang to purchase the "Purple Heart Jade Marrow."
He also hinted at and promised that if Zhou Yuanchen could bring back the "Purple Heart Jade Marrow," he would be awarded a considerable amount of Sect Merit Points.
On one side was his birth family, and on the other, the sect where he spent most of his life; Zhou Yuanchen was at a loss about how to choose.
"I’m sorry to disappoint Sect Leader Zhang. This time, although I gained quite a few treasures, the [Purple Heart Jade Marrow] that Sect Leader Zhang commissioned me to buy was nowhere to be found at the auction and exchange meetings. I ask Brother Yuanchen to help return these spirit stones to Sect Leader Zhang."
On Red Tiger Mountain, Zhouyang met with the visiting Zhou Yuanchen and directly denied having the "Purple Heart Jade Marrow" after learning of his intentions.
He did obtain a piece of "Purple Heart Jade Marrow" from Zhong Chuming’s Storage Ring, but it was gained at the risk of his life.
There was no way Zhouyang would sell a treasure earned with his life for twenty thousand spirit stones.
Especially considering he was currently wanted by the Beast Taming Sect, he couldn’t risk entering the Liuyun Continent Cultivation Realm for the next few decades or even a hundred years.
Thus, the piece of "Purple Heart Jade Marrow" in his possession was extremely valuable.
Zhou Guangxiang’s cultivation had already reached the Seventh-Layer Foundation Establishment, and he could attempt to open the Purple Mansion in at most twenty years.
The "Purple Heart Jade Marrow" in Zhouyang’s hand was meant for cultivating the Zhou family’s own Purple Mansion Stage Cultivator.
Seemingly not expecting Zhouyang to be so straightforward with his denial, Zhou Yuanchen felt a slight relief despite his disappointment.
Accepting the Storage Bag containing the spirit stones handed over by Zhouyang, he said, "I naturally trust Ninth Brother. I will truthfully explain the situation to the sect leader upon my return, and I believe he will understand."
"I also ask Brother Yuanchen to relay a few words to Sect Leader Zhang, telling them that five years later, we invite them and their spouse to come to my Red Tiger Mountain Oasis, where I have important matters to discuss with them."
With a slight nod, Zhouyang instructed Zhou Yuanchen to convey a message to Zhang Yunpeng and his wife Jiang Yuyan, inviting them to join him for a gathering.
This time, upon returning to the Boundless Sea of Sand Cultivation Realm, Zhouyang planned to undertake significant actions.
To make substantial moves in the Boundless Sea of Sand Cultivation Realm, the Yellow Sand Sect was an unavoidable obstacle.
Thus, Zhou Yuanchen only stayed at Red Tiger Mountain for two days, spent some time with his son Zhou Guangde who was cultivating on the mountain, and then hurriedly returned to the Yellow Sand Sect to report to Zhang Yunpeng.
For the following half month, Zhouyang stayed put at Red Tiger Mountain Oasis, listening to his father, Zhou Xuanhao, recount the significant events that had occurred over the years.
This task should have been carried out by Zhou Guangxiang and others, but Zhou Xuanhao, being old and prone to chatting, took charge of this task himself, and Zhouyang naturally preferred to hear it from his father.
"Our Zhou family is quite remarkable now; when the family cultivators travel, they earn great respect from others. Both Chen family and Nie family disciples now must greet and salute our family’s disciples.
"The Yellow Sand Sect has also been quite active over the years, eliminating many of the rebellious families from before, accumulating considerable wealth, and following Yang Xiong, another new Purple Mansion Cultivator has appeared in the sect."
"Do you still remember the Lu family on Red Fox Ridge? They really had good fortune. The Lu family boy from back then, now the Lu family patriarch, had a daughter with an Ice Attribute Top-grade Spiritual Root despite being over ninety years old—they are bound to prosper!"
...
After all, Zhou Xuanhao has aged, and the news he conveys is somewhat sporadic and lacks a systematic structure. Zhouyang has to consider and organize this acquired information by himself.
While pondering and organizing the obtained information, he looked at his father Zhou Xuanhao and asked, "Father, all these years, have you still not received any news about sister Yao’er and our foster mother?"
Back then, Zhou Xuan Yu and Zhou Yuanyao, the mother and daughter, left the Zhou Family to travel, and they have been missing for decades with no news whatsoever. Zhouyang has always been concerned about this matter.
"No, all these years, none of the disciples of the Zhou Family traveling outside have given up on searching for any trace of Yao’er. Guangxiang has also spread Yao’er’s portrait and related information to various major oases, offering a hefty reward for any clue of her whereabouts, but to this day, nothing has been found!"
"If it weren’t for the fact that the soul token left by the third sister in the clan is still intact, we’d have to wonder if they both hadn’t long encountered misfortune!"
Zhou Xuanhao’s expression darkened as he spoke the results in a low voice.
Searching for the missing Zhou Xuan Yu and Zhou Yuanyao was the last wish of Zhou Minghan, the old clan leader. Deeply indebted to the old clan leader Zhou Minghan, Zhouyang and his father have always wanted to fulfill this wish.
However, after decades, there has been no progress, causing both father and son to feel a bit disheartened.
"Don’t worry, Father. Once I finish handling matters with our clan, I will personally traverse every oasis to find them. I refuse to believe that I can’t find traces of the mother and daughter even after searching through hundreds of oases in the Boundless Sea of Sand Cultivation Realm!"
Zhouyang gritted his teeth and resolutely stated his decision.
He is already a Purple Mansion Stage Cultivator and is fully capable of taking the descendants of the seventh sister Zhou Yuanchun to employ the "Heaven- and Earth-Shaking Reunion Spell" to locate the mother and daughter with a close blood relation to Zhou Yuanyao.
However, Zhou Xuanhao repeatedly shook his head upon hearing this, saying, "No, this will delay your cultivation. Even if the old clan leader were still alive, he definitely wouldn’t wish for you to do this."
"It’s fine, a few years of delay won’t matter much. Compared to fulfilling the old clan leader’s last wish, a mere few years is something I can afford," Zhouyang smiled, dismissively saying.
He didn’t want to tell his father Zhou Xuanhao about the presence of Xu Song, to avoid causing him worry.
With Xu Song, a legitimate Golden Core Stage Ghost Cultivator’s presence, finding someone would not be that difficult.
Simultaneously, he couldn’t help but wonder what reasons or circumstances could cause his foster mother Zhou Xuan Yu and foster sister Zhou Yuanyao to not make contact with the family for decades.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Xuanhao opened his mouth to speak but ultimately refrained from voicing his advice.
A month’s time swiftly passed by.
After a month’s preparation, the Zhou Family’s clan meeting was held as scheduled in the Council Hall on Red Tiger Mountain.
As Zhouyang looked around from the highest seat in the Council Hall, he saw that the once spacious meeting hall was now filled with no fewer than three hundred people.
Among those people, he had some impression of most, but there were also many young faces he didn’t recognize.
He knew that those young faces he didn’t recognize were the new generation of Zhou Family members born and raised during his absence over the years.
Then his gaze shifted to the front row, where apart from Zhou Xuanhao and other Foundation Establishment cultivators, several positions of the seven Zhou Family Deacon Elders had changed.
Currently, the seven Deacon Elders were Preaching Elder Zhou Yuanfang, Internal Affairs Elder Zhou Guangheng, Household Affairs Elder Zhou Guangxin, Finance Elder Zhou Guangyun, Law Enforcement Elder Zhou Guangkun, Security Elder Zhou Guangzhong, and Foreign Affairs Elder Luo Qiang.
Although Zhou Yuanfang belonged to the same "Yuan" generation as Zhouyang, her actual age was younger than that of the "Guang" generation cultivator Zhou Guangxiang, as she was the offspring born when the deceased "Xuan" generation cultivator Zhou Xuanzhao was in his eighties, having just reached a hundred years old this year.
Currently, among the Zhou Family’s "Yuan" generation cultivators, apart from Zhouyang and Zhou Yuanchen, seven or eight others shared similar circumstances with her.
"Eighteenth Sister, as the Preaching Elder, why don’t you start first?"
Retracting his gaze from the people in the hall, Zhouyang nodded slightly to Zhou Yuanfang below, smiling as he allowed her to speak first.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yuanfang, now with a head full of silver hair, immediately stood up and bowed to him, then said in a loud voice, "Honorable Supreme Elder, our Zhou Family currently consists of 312 cultivators within the family, including 1 from the Xuan generation, 10 from the Yuan generation, 184 from the Guang generation, and 117 from the Tong generation."
"Among these cultivators, there is 1 Purple Mansion Stage cultivator, 5 Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators, 32 Ninth-Layer Qi Cultivation cultivators, 75 Late-Stage Qi Cultivation cultivators, 94 Mid-Stage Qi Cultivation cultivators, 63 Early-Stage Qi Cultivation cultivators, with the remaining 42 being Innate Realm children and uninitiated infants."
"Additionally, our Zhou Family has 146 foreign relative cultivators, including 37 male in-laws and 119 female relatives married into the family, among whom there is 1 Purple Mansion Stage cultivator, 8 Ninth-Layer Qi Cultivation cultivators, 52 Late-Stage Qi Cultivation cultivators, 40 Mid-Stage Qi Cultivation cultivators, and 45 Early-Stage Qi Cultivation cultivators."
"Lastly, concerning the number of mortal population, the current number of mortals with Zhou Family blood is estimated to be around 870,000, and other surnamed mortals amount to about 280,000. Among these mortals, seventy percent live in Red Tiger Mountain Oasis, with the remaining thirty percent distributed across our other various oases of the Zhou Family."