The Mysterious Figure Reappears

Great Xia World, Donghai Commandery.

Whoosh!

Accompanied by a ripple in the air, Zhou Yu's figure appeared above the ancestral grounds of the Zhou Clan in the Donghai Commandery.

"Back at last. This operation went relatively smoothly." A faint smile appeared on Zhou Yu's face.

Of course, the reason it went smoothly was that he had achieved a breakthrough in his cultivation realm, making his strength far greater than before.

Had that not been the case, encountering a supreme Celestial Immortal would have made his survival a matter of pure chance.

Given the number of people present at the time, it would have been a miracle if even half of them had managed to escape.

Without dwelling on it, Zhou Yu quickly flew into the Zhou Clan tribe. He hadn't told anyone about his departure, so his return was equally silent.

However, not long after returning, Zhou Yu summoned the current patriarch of the Zhou Clan.

This was a Primordial Spirit Daoist named "Han Yu."

"Greetings, Ancestor."

Daoist Han Yu bowed, filled with excitement. To him, Zhou Yu was a legend.

In this era, there were only three Earth Immortals or Loose Immortals in the entire clan, and while the other two were fairly standard immortals, Zhou Yu was the very foundation of the Zhou Clan. The status of the Zhou Clan in the Donghai Commandery relied entirely on Zhou Yu's reputation alone.

A Loose Immortal who had lived for over three million years—his name alone was enough to strike fear into others.

Since beginning his cultivation, Daoist Han Yu had only seen Zhou Yu once, during his own inauguration ceremony as patriarch. Being summoned personally by Zhou Yu now truly left him quite stirred.

"Mm, no need for formalities." Zhou Yu inquired, "Have there been any major events within or outside the tribe recently?"

"Major events?"

Daoist Han Yu was puzzled, but after some thought, he relayed the few matters that could barely be considered worth noting to Zhou Yu.

These included, but were not limited to, the clan discovering a mineral vein in a certain location, the fall of a clan Primordial Spirit Daoist while abroad, and a clan Purple Mansion cultivator joining a certain immortal sect.

"Mm." Zhou Yu nodded; these were all normal occurrences.

"Remember, keep the clansmen in check. If I discover anyone committing acts that damage the clan's merit and fortune, you, as patriarch, will not be spared." Zhou Yu spoke coldly.

Hearing this, Daoist Han Yu felt a shiver run through his heart.

Merit and fortune.

These were principles written into the clan rules when the Zhou Clan first rose to power, and Zhou Yu placed extreme importance on them.

In truth, most tribes—even large ones—rarely paid much attention to such things.

But Zhou Yu had understood from the very beginning that merit and fortune were tied to the survival of the tribe. Even ancient feudal lords and the Great Xia Dynasty itself actively sought to accumulate merit.

For instance, the Great Xia Dynasty established the Yinglong Guard not only to guard the realm but also to eliminate those who committed great sins.

Slaying those with great sins naturally yielded merit, and once merit was high, fortune would gather.

Zhou Yu's requirements for the Zhou Clan were the same: those who eliminated demons and accumulated merit were rewarded, while those who acted wickedly and squandered merit were, at best, expelled from the clan, and at worst, executed on the spot.

Through generations of such accumulation, the Zhou Clan's merit had remained relatively high.

Now that the Great Tribulation was approaching, these matters were even more critical.

"Please rest assured, Ancestor. Since I took charge of the tribe, there has never been a single person who committed a great sin, and there never will be!" Daoist Han Yu quickly promised.

"Mm."

Zhou Yu nodded and waved his hand, causing a porcelain bottle to appear.

"This contains two million jin of elemental liquid. You may use it to cultivate until your Primordial Spirit is perfected; take the remainder to nurture the younger generation," Zhou Yu said.

"Two million jin of elemental liquid?" Daoist Han Yu was stunned, his heart racing with disbelief.

As expected of the Ancestor, to casually produce such a vast amount of elemental liquid—this could likely purchase a decent immortal-grade magic treasure!

If it were a reincarnated immortal, they could easily save ten thousand years of cultivation time with this much liquid and return to the Earth Immortal level.

"Ancestor, why would nurturing the younger generation require so much elemental liquid?" Daoist Han Yu ventured to ask.

For him to cultivate to the perfection of the Primordial Spirit, he would only need eighty or ninety thousand jin; the remainder was far too much.

He didn't dare to embezzle it, however.

"Then nurture more of them. As long as their aptitude is decent, bestow resources upon them," Zhou Yu replied.

This was an era of rising winds and surging clouds; perhaps a true genius would rise from the Zhou Clan.

"Understood." Daoist Han Yu nodded.

Since the Ancestor had spoken, he would naturally comply.

After Daoist Han Yu left, Zhou Yu summoned the only other Earth Immortal in the tribe and gifted him many treasures as well.

Truth be told, in Zhou Yu's eyes, the chances of this descendant successfully passing the tribulation to become an immortal were practically non-existent, but in this current era, who could say for sure? What if?

Mostly, it was because Zhou Yu had just obtained the treasures of Celestial Huoyun and his personal wealth had suddenly become substantial; he was not stingy about spending resources to cultivate his descendants.

While Zhou Yu was planning the cultivation of his clansmen, outside the Zhou ancestral grounds, a figure draped in a black robe appeared, though no one knew when they had arrived.

The black-robed figure leaked a trace of his aura, and Zhou Yu, who was within the tribe, sensed it immediately.

His expression tightened, but without hesitation, he took a single step and arrived outside the tribe.

"A Celestial immortal, indeed."

Zhou Yu looked at the black-robed figure, who smiled at him in return, causing Zhou Yu to freeze for a moment.

"So it was you?" Zhou Yu looked at him and said, "The Heavenly Dao oath I swore has already been fulfilled, and you yourself said we would have no further dealings. What is it? Do you still have business with me?"

This black-robed figure was none other than the mysterious person who had previously contacted Zhou Yu using the Tortoise Shell Magic Treasure.

"Fellow Daoist Ganyu, I did say those words, but I have since changed my mind," the black-robed figure smiled. "Your realm of cultivation must be nearing the pinnacle of a Celestial immortal by now, right?"

Zhou Yu remained silent.

A typical million-year Loose Immortal is already comparable to a top-tier Celestial immortal in terms of realm, and he had been significantly stronger than the average million-year Loose Immortal even before.

Now that he had created the even more powerful Nine Absolutes Universe Array, this technique was indeed close to the pinnacle of a Celestial immortal in terms of realm.

If not for this, his formation would not have been able to withstand the Celestial immortal for three breaths back then.

"Remarkable, truly remarkable!" the black-robed figure sighed. "To reach such a high level of enlightenment with the soul of a Loose Immortal—you could easily live for ten million years."

Ten-million-year Loose Immortals did exist, but they were so rare that they were practically legendary.

"It was merely luck," Zhou Yu said calmly. "Is that all you came here to say?"

"I came to invite Fellow Daoist Ganyu to truly join us," the black-robed figure laughed. "With your realm, we can assist you in reincarnation, guarantee your success, and even help you survive the Heavenly Tribulation!"

"Help me survive the Heavenly Tribulation?"

Zhou Yu asked deliberately, "The Heavenly Tribulation is perilous; how could you possibly help?"

"You will know once you join."

"What would I need to do after joining?" Zhou Yu asked again.

"There will be some tasks, but they all come with rewards," the black-robed figure tempted him. "Fellow Daoist Ganyu, with your talent, if you had sufficient resources, you would have every hope of becoming a Pure Yang True Immortal. At that point, everything would be different."

"I will consider it," Zhou Yu replied.

"Times have changed, and you do not have much time left," the black-robed figure said. "Besides, do not forget that the Celestial immortal is currently hunting for you."

"Are you threatening me?" Zhou Yu's expression turned cold.

"I wouldn't call it a threat, merely a reminder," the black-robed figure laughed. "I have brought some gifts for our meeting, so I shall bestow them upon you, Fellow Daoist."

With that, the black-robed figure waved his hand, and two bamboo tubes flew out, landing in Zhou Yu's grasp.

Zhou Yu took the two tubes and swept his divine sense into them, discovering that they were yet another two Pure Yang-level secret manuals. He would be able to see their full contents as long as he swore a Heavenly Dao oath not to spread them.

A stick in one hand and a carrot in the other. An ordinary Loose Immortal, unaware of the depths of this scheme, would likely have agreed on the spot, Zhou Yu sighed inwardly.

"Hahaha, take your time to consider, Fellow Daoist. I shall visit again in a few days," the black-robed figure laughed heartily before vanishing into thin air.