Clan Cultivation: Starting from Beast Taming

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He thought about the words Zhou Chun had once said to him, and now, whether he believed them before or not, he believed them.

According to Xu Fu and others, just by exploring a hundred-mile radius, they had discovered dozens of types of wild Spiritual Medicine resources.

In Lanzhou, even 70 to 80-year-old Mountain Ginseng and Yellow Essence would be dug up by Loose Cultivators to exchange for Spirit Coins.

But in this Wasteland Territory, it was quite common to see Hundred-Year Yellow Essence and Hundred-Year Ganoderma.

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On the map in Zhou Zhengyong's hand, a mountain was specially marked, and in the notes, it was stated that this mountain was home to a large number of wild Yellow Essence, including over a dozen plants of Hundred-Year Yellow Essence.

And the only Demon Beast occupying this mountain was a first-grade premium Wind Fang Tiger.

Such a thing would be absolutely unimaginable within the borders of Lanzhou.

Furthermore, there were many wild Spirit Woods in this Wasteland Territory, some of their ages easily reaching over a thousand years.

These Spirit Woods, once cut down, could be used as construction material or in Artifact Refining and formation setups, proving their diverse uses.

Now such a natural treasury lay before them, free for the Zhou Family to utilize as they wished.

Thinking of this, Zhou Zhengyong could hardly wait to lead a team out to hunt Demon Beasts and gather herbs personally.

Just as Zhou Zhengyong was stretching his muscles and leading people to collect various Spiritual Objects from the Wasteland Territory, Zhou Chun encountered another matter.

One day, a Loose Cultivator came to Jiufeng Ridge, claiming to be entrusted by a Foundation Establishment-stage senior to deliver a letter to the hands of the Clan Leader of the Zhou Family.

Waiting for Zhou Chun to receive the jade slip and check the information inside, his face immediately changed.

Then he hurriedly went to the cave dwelling at the top of the mountain to see Zhou Mingde.

"You're saying that Zhou Yu, that traitor, sent someone to deliver a letter to you, proposing to sell the Black Jade Toad that they stole back then to the family?" Zhou Mingde's expression turned to one of disbelief after hearing Zhou Chun's purpose for coming.

"She did indeed say so in the letter, claiming that as long as the family gives her a Foundation Establishment Pill, she would hand over the Black Jade Toad to the family," Zhou Chun nodded slightly and spoke the contents of the jade slip with a heavy tone.

It turned out that the owner of the jade slip was Zhou Yu, a cultivator from the Spirit Beast Manor who fled from the Zhou Family over ten years ago.

Now, for reasons unknown, she suddenly desired to use the Black Jade Toad that she had stolen as a bargaining chip to exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill from the Zhou Family.

Because the matter involved a troublesome person like Zhou Yu, as well as treasures like the Black Jade Toad and Foundation Establishment Pill, Zhou Chun naturally did not dare to make a decision on his own and could only seek Zhou Mingde's counsel.

"The value of a Black Jade Toad is, of course, incomparable to a Foundation Establishment Pill. But the question is, how credible can the words of Zhou Yu, who first betrayed our Zhou Family and then betrayed the Spirit Beast Manor, be?" Zhou Mingde furrowed his brow, full of doubt regarding the letter from Zhou Yu.

It was no wonder, while others might not know the use of the Black Jade Toad, both he and Zhou Chun were aware.

The Black Jade Toad was a pair of strange beasts brought back from a foreign country by an ancestor of the Zhou Family, a Purple Mansion Phase Cultivator, centuries ago. The strange beasts themselves were weak creatures, easily killed by many first-grade premium Demon Beasts.

But they possessed an exceedingly long life span, having been with the Zhou Family for over four hundred years now.

If it were just that, it would not be anything special—there are many long-lived creatures in the world, and they are not considered rare.

However, the Toad Cream produced by the Black Jade Toad was of great use.

This Toad Cream contained potent toxins, capable of killing Qi Refinement Realm cultivators.

But when combined with certain Spiritual Medicines to create Spirit Spice, it became a rare Spiritual Object that could greatly strengthen the Divine Souls of Purple Mansion Phase Cultivators.

In the past, if any member of the Zhou Family successfully opened their Purple Mansion during the Foundation Establishment Stage, they would be rewarded with a small box of this Spirit Spice by the family.

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Because the production of Toad Cream from the Black Jade Toad was limited and had to be kept secret, this Spirit Spice hardly ever made it outside, to the extent that even within the Zhou Family, there weren't many cultivators who knew about it.

It was only after the Zhou Family was forced to split that Yu Jinghua, in an effort to win over other Purple Mansion Phase Cultivators, started using this Spirit Spice as a bargaining chip to share with Purple Mansion Cultivators like Xiao Lingyan.

The Black Jade Toad, with such a significant use, really surpassed even the Spiritual Objects used by Zhou Daoyi and Zhou Daoquan when they opened their Purple Mansion in terms of value.

Yet now, Zhou Yu was merely using it to trade for a single Foundation Establishment Pill, how could this be trustworthy?

Not to mention Zhou Mingde's disbelief, Zhou Chun also found it hard to believe in his heart.

Nevertheless, he still said, "Regardless of how credible this matter might be, I think we should adopt an attitude of being willing to believe it's possible. After all, the Black Jade Toad is an inheritance left to us by our ancestors!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Mingde's eyes sharpened, and then he nodded and said, "Indeed, Zhengchun, you make sense. Whether it's true or not, as long as there's a glimmer of hope, we should fully strive for it."

After speaking, he looked at Zhou Chun and asked, "Did she mention how to carry out the trade? And where would it take place?"

Zhou Chun upon hearing this, immediately replied, "She stated in her letter that if we agree to this trade, we are to bring the goods to the Underground Treasure Exchange Convention at Jinchang Marketplace in Fengguo."

"Oh, so she managed to escape back to Fengguo over the years?"

Zhou Mingde's expression shifted, revealing a look of sudden realization.

Previously, when Zhou Yu and others defected from Spirit Beast Manor, their whereabouts were unknown. Both the Spirit Beast Manor and the Zhou Family had publicly offered a large reward for their capture, but there had been no news.

It seems now that they had chosen to flee back to Fengguo to avoid this pursuit.

At that moment, he couldn't help but sneer, "They are indeed not stupid, knowing that the Zhou Family and people from Spirit Beast Manor would hardly dare to show their faces in Fengguo!"

Having spoken, he nodded to Zhou Chun and said, "In that case, I shall personally take a trip to Jinchang Marketplace!"

To his surprise, Zhou Chun responded with a bitter smile and a shake of his head, "I'm afraid that won't be possible. She specified in the letter that she will only deal with Elder Five, and if any Purple Mansion Phase Cultivators from the Zhou Family show up, she will cancel the trade!"

Zhou Jiahe was the Fifth Elder of the Zhou Family. It was she who had been indebted to Zhou Yu and consequently had to take Zhou Chun to meet him.

Now that Zhou Yu had specified a deal with her, it was obvious he believed dealing with Zhou Jiahe would be more familiar and therefore safer.

"Hmph, she sure has a lot of conditions!"

Zhou Mingde harrumphed in dissatisfaction, then said, "Then I will personally take Jiahe to Jinchang Marketplace; I want to see what kind of tricks she is playing!"

Unexpectedly, Zhou Chun shook his head again, "If the Supreme Elder goes personally, it would certainly be safer, but it might scare her off and make her too afraid to show up."

"In my opinion, it's better if I accompany Elder Five on this trip. Even if she spots me, she is unlikely to be as wary as she would with you."

"Moreover, I can use this opportunity to track her using the Blue Moon Butterfly, which might lead us to her hiding place."

When Zhou Chun initially chose to contract and cultivate the "Blue Moon Butterfly" Demon Insect, he valued not only its ability to create illusions but also the tracking effect of its butterfly powder.

The powder from a mature male "Blue Moon Butterfly," once detached from its wings, would transform into an invisible and odorless particle. If these particles stuck to an object, the female "Blue Moon Butterfly" could smell it from over a dozen miles away.

Therefore, after reading Zhou Yu's letter, Zhou Chun immediately thought of this strategy.

He didn't want to gamble on whether Zhou Yu would actually trade the Black Jade Toad for a Foundation Establishment Pill; he just wanted to find an opportunity to capture Zhou Yu.

This way, both the Black Jade Toad and the Foundation Establishment Pill would end up in his hands.

Upon hearing Zhou Chun's plan, Zhou Mingde merely pondered briefly before nodding lightly and saying, "Since you intend to do this, Zhengchun, let's go together. I won't go into the marketplace then, just wait outside. This way no one will notice us, and I can also protect you two from the shadows in case of any foul play."

After all, he was still worried about Zhou Chun's safety and insisted on accompanying him personally.

Of course, Zhou Chun would not refuse the covert protection of a Purple Mansion Phase Cultivator, and promptly replied respectfully, "Yes, I shall obey."