Yuan Zun's Scheme [Please Subscribe]

Chapter 844 Yuan Zun's Scheme [Please Subscribe]

Kunwu Peak.

Time flies, and fifteen years have passed since Zhou Chun returned from the Yuanmo Realm.

Over the years, he has not gone anywhere but has been cultivating in seclusion in his cave, occasionally listening to information about the conquest of the Yuanmo territory.

Fifteen years have passed, and the demon-slaying army has conquered two-thirds of the Yuanmo territory, killing nearly 200,000 demon cultivators of all ranks.

Behind such a great victory, the demon-slaying army itself also suffered considerable losses.

The Zhou family dispatched more than 2,500 of its own cultivators for this battle, accounting for one-third of the entire clan.

But in just over a decade, more than 500 people have perished, and more than 1,000 spirit pets have died in battle!

This was only because Zhou Chun sent Lu Yuanjun over. Basically, as long as it wasn't a serious injury that resulted in immediate death in battle, it could be saved later. Otherwise, the losses would have been even greater!

Among these fallen cultivators and demonic beasts, there were also Golden Core cultivators and fourth-order demonic beasts!

Even Zhou Zhiying suffered some internal injuries when he killed a Nascent Soul stage old demon!

This shows how much money the Zhou family has spent this time.

Of course, from Zhou Chun's perspective, all these sacrifices were worthwhile.

The number of demonic cultivators who died at the hands of the Zhou family cultivators was ten times their casualties.

On the merit list of the demon-slaying army, the Zhou family cultivators are among the top in every realm!

After news of the casualties and battle achievements reached the various countries of the human cultivation world, the Zhou family's reputation did indeed receive positive reviews.

At this point, discussions about the Zhou family, such as them only seeking profit under the protection of Nascent Soul stage cultivators, have largely disappeared.

Those Zhou family cultivators who fell in battle earned a dignified reputation for the Zhou family with their own blood and merits!

At the same time, the effect of weeding out the bad and retaining the good will also become apparent after this war. When those Zhou family cultivators who joined the demon-slaying army return, many of them will surely become the backbone of the Zhou family in the future, and many Golden Core stage cultivators and even Nascent Soul stage cultivators will emerge!

On this day, Zhou Chun received a message from the God Tai Geng, inviting him to visit his cave.

After reading the message, he did not hesitate and quickly set off for the cave of the Tai Geng God.

"Greetings, Senior Tai Geng. May I ask what brings you here to invite me?"

Inside the cave, Zhou Chun, upon meeting Tai Geng, respectfully inquired about the purpose of the invitation.

Among Nascent Soul stage cultivators, a formal invitation usually indicates that there is a serious matter at hand.

If it is a meeting like visiting a friend or seeking the Way, one should take the initiative to seek out the person, and there is no reason to invite them over.

Upon hearing his words, Tai Geng Divine Venerable shook his head repeatedly and said, "Fellow Daoist Zhou, there's no need to be so polite. We are fellow Daoists. There's no need for such formalities; it's too much of an honor for me!"

Even so, he immediately revealed his true intention.

"Does Fellow Daoist Zhou still remember when you handed over the Tai Xuan Sword Sect's inheritance to me? Now, among the seedlings I've cultivated, one of them has finally succeeded in forming the Core Formation and Nascent Soul, and can rebuild the Tai Xuan Sword Sect. Therefore, I wanted him to come and meet Fellow Daoist Zhou, and also to ask for your experience and insights in rebuilding the sect."

Hearing this, Zhou Chun was slightly taken aback.

If it weren't for the fact that Tai Geng Divine Venerable brought this up at this moment, Zhou Chun would have completely forgotten about it.

After a slight pause, Zhou Chun nodded gently and said, "I see, I understand. Please, Senior Tai Geng, summon them."

Seeing that he had agreed, the God Tai Geng immediately used his voice to summon the person over.

The Nascent Soul stage sword cultivator who was about to reopen the Tai Xuan Sword Sect turned out to be a rare female sword cultivator.

The woman was dressed in white and had an ordinary appearance, but the pure sword intent emanating from her made Zhou Chun nod in approval and acknowledge her identity.

Upon entering the room, the female sword cultivator immediately and meticulously bowed deeply to the two Nascent Soul Venerables, saying, "Junior Qi Suzhen greets Senior Tai Geng and Senior Chun Jun."

Tai Geng Divine Venerable nodded slightly and said, "Su Zhen, I have already told you about the situation of the Tai Xuan Sword Sect. Your Tai Xuan Sword Sect has a deep connection with Fellow Daoist Zhou, and he happens to have rich experience in rebuilding sects. You should learn from him well and not disappoint me or him!"

Upon hearing this, Qi Suzhen immediately replied in a solemn voice, "Suzhen understands. Suzhen will certainly not let you two seniors down!"

Zhou Chun smiled slightly and said, "Fellow Daoist Su Zhen, rest assured. With Senior Tai Geng and I supporting your Tai Xuan Sword Sect, rebuilding the Tai Xuan Sword Sect will not be difficult."

After meeting Qi Suzhen, Zhou Chun gave her a token and told her to bring her own people to the Zhou family to wait for him.

Afterwards, Zhou Chun exchanged cultivation experiences with Tai Geng Divine Venerable, and even asked him some questions and doubts about swordsmanship.

After the two had been exchanging ideas for several days, Tai Geng Divine Venerable suddenly asked, "Senior Changchun, have you been in contact with Fellow Daoist Zhou all these years?"

"No, why?"

Zhou Chun's eyes flashed, and he looked at Tai Geng God Venerable with some surprise.

"It's nothing much, it's just that since he said before that he didn't have much time to waste, he should be preparing to ascend to the upper realm soon."

"If that's the case, isn't it a bit unusual that he hasn't summoned us yet to explain things after his ascension?"

As Tai Geng Shen Zun spoke, his face was filled with doubt.

After hearing his words, Zhou Chun also fell into deep thought.

After some contemplation, Zhou Chun nodded and said, "Indeed, after listening to Senior Tai Geng's analysis, this matter does seem somewhat unusual. What is Senior Changchun thinking?"

"There's something I wonder if Fellow Daoist Zhou has noticed?"

"Our ancient human ancestor, who is said to have been in a deep slumber, has yet to send any news of him. This is rather unusual!"

"I suspect that Senior Changchun's act of collecting the corpses of those sixth-tier alien races might not have been his original intention!"

Tai Geng looked at Zhou Chun and suddenly said these words.

Zhou Chun's expression changed immediately.

"Senior Tai Geng, what do you mean by this? Do you suspect...?"

Zhou Chun stared at Tai Geng God with a look of astonishment, his tone also full of surprise.

But then Tai Geng, the Divine Venerable, gently shook his head and sighed, "I don't know either. I just feel that although the cultivation world seems calm on the surface, there might actually be some turbulent waves brewing behind the scenes!"

"Although we are at the pinnacle of the cultivation world, precisely because of this, when the sky falls, there is nowhere for us to hide!"

A Nascent Soul cultivator wouldn't speak without reason; if Divine Venerable Tai Geng said that, he must have some information.

Zhou Chun was aware of this and understood that the other party was indirectly reminding him to be careful.

Therefore, he did not press the other party for details, but nodded solemnly and said, "This junior understands. Thank you for the reminder, Senior Tai Geng. This junior will be more careful."

"Yes, you can contact me if you need anything."

Tai Geng God Venerable nodded slightly and said nothing more.

Not long after, Zhou Chun returned to his Kunwu Peak.

At this moment, Qi Suzhen, the female sword cultivator, had already arrived at the Zhou family with four Golden Core stage junior brothers, waiting for his arrangements.

Since Zhou Chun had promised Tai Geng Divine Venerable that he would help Tai Xuan Sword Sect establish its own sect, he couldn't slack off. So he immediately called everyone over for a talk.

"The Tai Xuan Sword Sect is a sword cultivation sect. Sword cultivation sects have always valued quality over quantity when recruiting disciples, especially newly established sects like yours. You must be even more careful in your selection process and not tarnish your reputation!"

"I will designate a piece of land on the Tianman Plain for your Taixuan Sword Sect as your mountain gate, and have the Zhou family help you spread your fame and even recruit disciples for you."

At this point, Zhou Chun seemed to have thought of something else and suddenly looked at the group and asked, "By the way, do any of you have experience teaching disciples?"

The five people who had been listening attentively were taken aback by his question. Then Qi Suzhen spoke up and said, "That's not true, but we have all been trained and guided by Senior Tai Geng in his avatars, and we have also visited sword sects such as the Nine Yuan Sword Sect for exchanges. We generally know how those sword sects teach their disciples!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chun immediately shook his head and said, "That's different. Although I haven't looked into how those sword sects teach their disciples, I know that they have sect instructors and senior disciples to guide and teach new disciples who have no foundation. Those people may not be as skilled as you, but at least they have experience and know how to teach!"

At this point, he looked at the group meaningfully and said, "You should know that sometimes, a Golden Core cultivator teaching a Qi Refining cultivator might not be as effective as a Foundation Establishment cultivator!"

A person who is good at reading may not necessarily be a good teacher; this is a very simple principle.

The fact that Qi Suzhen and the other four were chosen by the Tai Geng Divine Venerable to become the successors of the Tai Xuan Sword Sect speaks volumes about their talent in cultivation and swordsmanship.

However, whether they have the talent to teach others cultivation is something that cannot be determined at a glance.

Therefore, under Zhou Chun's arrangement, the five of them stayed in the Zhou family as instructors, responsible for teaching the Zhou family members the art of sword control and observing how the Zhou family's instructors did it.

Good things come to those who wait. It's not too late for them to start their own schools after they've gained experience in teaching spiritual practice.

Prior to this, Zhou Chun had instructed the Zhou family to keep an eye out for those reputable independent cultivators and immortal cultivation families outside, to see if there were any promising sword cultivators. If so, they could be recruited into the Zhou family for initial training, and later directly converted into disciples of the Tai Xuan Sword Sect.

Even those members of the Zhou family clan who wish to join the Tai Xuan Sword Cultivation sect can be allowed to do so.

After arranging the five members of the Tai Xuan Sword Sect, including Qi Suzhen, Zhou Chun frowned as he recalled his previous conversation with Tai Geng Divine Venerable.

Tai Geng's words seemed somewhat nonsensical, but they made the most straightforward point clear.

With the current trend of the human race unifying the world, if any earth-shattering changes were to occur, these Nascent Soul stage cultivators would certainly be unable to avoid them.

The complete absence of any news about Venerable Changchun, a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, is indeed somewhat abnormal.

Even knowing this, neither Zhou Chun nor Tai Geng Divine Venerable could ask what Venerable Changchun was planning; they could only be more vigilant themselves.

Three years later, something happened that Zhou Chun found somewhat regrettable.

Zhou Yuanxin, who had been in seclusion to form his Nascent Soul, actually perished in the "Inner Demon Tribulation"!

Even with the help of "Purple Flower Demon-Subduing Light" and "Purifying Holy Water," he still perished in the "Heart Demon Tribulation," which shows that he must have a flaw in his mind and some weakness.

That's how "Inner Demon Tribulation" works. Once there's a flaw in one's mental state or some weaknesses, its power will be greatly enhanced, and no amount of auxiliary spiritual objects will be of any use!

Zhou Yuanxin previously held immense power in the Zhou family, and his influence was unparalleled. The people and events he experienced were beyond the reach of ordinary cultivators.

What exactly did he do that made it so difficult for him to overcome the "inner demon tribulation"? With his passing, we will probably never find the answer!

This incident also served as a warning to other Zhou family cultivators: even though they now have the backing of the Zhou family and can obtain excellent resources for Nascent Soul formation, they still have no chance of successfully forming their Nascent Soul if they are not strong enough themselves.

Especially for powerful figures like Zhou Rongjiu, who wield considerable authority, it is even more important to consider whether their actions will affect their future path.

Some things may be able to deceive the world, but they cannot be hidden from oneself, nor from one's "inner demons"!

Two years later, the demon-slaying army that had been on an expedition to the Yuanmo territory finally broke through the last stronghold of the demon cultivators and eliminated all the demon cultivator strongholds that were visible in the entire Yuanmo territory!

From then on, no demonic cultivator dared to openly establish a sect or teach demonic arts.

Upon learning of this, Zhou Chun was overjoyed and immediately issued a decree to commend the army and ordered all nations in the cultivation world to contribute resources to reward the demon-slaying army.

Following his decree, the demon-slaying army continued to penetrate deeper into the Giant Rock Highlands to sweep away the demonic cultivators and giant race aliens who had fled there, determined to eradicate evil completely!

At the same time, a second batch of demon-suppressing troops was formed and sent to the conquered Yuanmo territory to oversee various areas, eliminate the remaining demon cultivators, purify those Yin Sha lands, and completely sever the foundation of demon cultivators!

This is just a suppression and elimination of the remaining demonic cultivators, so it's not very dangerous. However, quite a few cultivators have signed up.

The main influence comes from propaganda. Some rare resources useful to cultivators in the Yuanmo Realm, such as Soul Nourishing Wood, Soul Heart Fruit, and Resurrection Grass, are advertised as having extremely high yields, making them seem easy to obtain.

This naturally attracts many cultivators who want to go on adventures.

Another year passed, and the Venerable Guanghan visited the Zhou family.

She didn't come alone; she brought a young man and woman who looked quite similar.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, these two siblings are the disciples I have taken in. I will need your help in the future."

Inside the cave, while introducing the young man and woman to Zhou Chun, the Venerable Guanghan said to them, "Shuangxue, Shuangyue, why don't you quickly pay your respects to Uncle Chun Jun!"

Upon hearing his words, the young man and woman immediately bowed deeply to Zhou Chun and said, "Disciples Shuangxue and Shuangyue greet Uncle Chun Jun!"

Upon seeing this, Zhou Chun immediately smiled and waved his hand, saying, "No need for formalities. If you encounter any difficulties in your cultivation in the future, you can come to the Zhou family to find your uncle."

"You all heard that, right? From now on, unless it's something really important, don't bother your Uncle Chun Jun."

The Venerable Guanghan also gave instructions from the side.

After meeting Zhou Chun and receiving the token bestowed by him, Venerable Guanghan instructed his two disciples to wait outside.

Then, she looked at Zhou Chun, hesitated for a moment, and then said in a low voice, "I probably have more than ten years of life left. Before I pass away, I will send a message to Fellow Daoist Zhou, hoping that you will come in time to collect the treasures I leave behind!"

"Of course, I, Zhou, will certainly go in person to see Senior Guanghan off!"

Zhou Chun nodded in agreement without hesitation.

At this moment, Venerable Guanghan appeared somewhat hesitant and conflicted. After a long pause with a troubled expression, she sighed softly and said, "There's something I don't know how to say. A few months ago, Fellow Daoist Changchun sent me a message, inquiring about my lifespan. At that time, I said I still had twenty or thirty years to live!"

At this point, he looked at Zhou Chun with a serious expression and said, "Fellow Daoist Zhou, as you know, Fellow Daoist Changchun is determined to ascend to immortality. His sudden question to me about this matter has indeed puzzled and unsettled me, so I dare not tell the truth!"

After hearing her words, Zhou Chun's expression changed slightly, and he followed her words, saying, "That is indeed a bit strange. Senior Changchun, it is indeed a bit presumptuous of you to ask such a question."

"Isn't that right? Ever since Fellow Daoist Changchun broke through to the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm, his behavior has become somewhat strange, incomprehensible, and worrying!"

The Venerable Guanghan said with a face full of emotion, then whispered, "Therefore, before I came to Fellow Daoist Zhou, I had already gone to Fellow Daoist Taigeng's place. We have already discussed it, and before I pass away, I will directly choose to dissolve into the Dao of Heaven and Earth, leaving no remains in the world!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chun immediately understood her meaning and quickly replied, "I understand. I will certainly follow Senior Tai Geng to attend the farewell ceremony for Senior Guanghan!"

Hearing this, Venerable Guanghan breathed a sigh of relief and said, "With Fellow Daoist Zhou's words, I am relieved!"

Having said what he wanted to say, Venerable Guanghan did not linger and quickly left the Zhou family with his two disciples.

After she left, Zhou Chun looked towards the direction of Changchun Valley with a slightly somber expression.

"Senior Changchun, what exactly are you planning? Is our human race about to descend into internal strife?"

As he murmured these words to himself, Zhou Chun's mood grew somewhat heavy.

Several months later, Zhou Chun left Zhou Family Kunwu Peak under the pretext of inspection and went to Xuanfeng Island on the Duolan Grassland to take charge.

He was also worried about something; he didn't want to stay inside the family's mountain gate, lest it bring harm to his clansmen.

At this moment, Venerable Changchun once again arrived at the bottom of the deep ravine in the Demon Spirit Canyon.

He looked at the two stone doors that remained tightly shut before him and said in a deep voice, "Senior Yuanzun, the tide of spiritual energy in heaven and earth is about to dissipate. Could you give me a definite answer as to when you will emerge from seclusion and lead me to ascension? I have already squandered a considerable amount of my lifespan in this realm, and I dare not continue to waste it in vain!"

"Soon. If you can send me two more sixth-tier corpses, I will be able to complete my seclusion within a few years!"

The mysterious voice of "Yuan Zun" rang out leisurely, showing no haste or impatience.

Venerable Changchun replied in a low voice, "It's not that I don't want to help Senior Yuanzun, but now that all the alien races on all sides have been pacified, there are simply no more sixth-tier alien races left to hunt!"

Unexpectedly, the mysterious "Yuan Zun" calmly replied, "If there are no sixth-tier alien races, then Nascent Soul stage cultivators will do. There should be quite a few Nascent Soul stage cultivators among the human race with limited lifespans. Why don't you try persuading them to sacrifice themselves for your ascension?"

Upon hearing this, Venerable Changchun's expression changed drastically.

He immediately blurted out, "This is unacceptable! This is absolutely unacceptable!"

After speaking, he looked solemnly at the two stone doors and said, "Senior Yuanzun, I will pretend I didn't hear what you just said, but I must tell you something: the reason why our human race was able to sweep away the alien races from all sides and unify this world is because we are united as one!"

At this point, he stated firmly, "Changchun would rather never ascend to immortality than do anything to betray the human race!"

After these words were spoken, a long silence fell over the area.

After a long silence, the mysterious "Yuan Zun" finally spoke again: "Not bad, not bad. Your ability to become the Guardian of Secrets and cultivate to the late Nascent Soul stage shows you truly possess the fortune of humanity, no less than those ancient sages!"

"However, in that case, let's wait another hundred years. A hundred years should be enough time for me to emerge from seclusion!"

Another hundred years to go?

Venerable Changchun's expression suddenly changed, and his look immediately became extremely ugly.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end he said nothing.

After remaining silent for an unknown period of time, he finally sighed and said, "This junior understands. Then this junior will think of another way. There are still two Demon Saints on the demon race's side. If we can hunt them down, we should be able to gather enough for Senior Yuanzun's needs!"

"That's your problem; I can't interfere!"

The mysterious "Yuan Zun" replied indifferently and then fell silent.

Upon seeing this, Venerable Changchun left the place with a heavy expression.

Soon after, all the human Nascent Soul stage Venerables, including Zhou Chun, received an invitation from Venerable Changchun to go to Changchun Valley for a meeting.