Greetings, Young Master!
Sea Treasure Pavilion.
Hearing Zhou Hao agree and promise to help him nurture the Cold Fiend in the future, Xia Jie was even more excited.
He wanted revenge.
I really want to!
Even with the accelerated method of cultivating the God-Devil Body Refining Technique <Blood Demon Indestructible Body>, which allowed one to advance from Post-Heaven Acquired to the Xiantian Lifeform in just eighty-one days, one would still need to endure at least three years of the torment of Netherfire Body Refining to advance from the Xiantian Lifeform to the Purple Mansion.
He was not afraid of pain or torment.
He himself will improve, and his enemies Shang Clan father and son, will not stand still, waiting for him to take revenge.
Therefore, the idea of seeking revenge through external forces had been brewing in his mind for a long time.
Xia Jie's original target was True Person Muxuan, the city lord of Jade Dragon City, but he dared not gamble.
Such a rare treasure as the Earth Fire Vein is too tempting for cultivators. He is just a lowly Xiantian Lifeform. What if the other party learns of the Earth Fire Vein and decides to kill him?
As for the others in Jade Dragon City, in Xia Jie's view, only Zhou Hao, who had destroyed the Black Hand Tribe and killed the leader of the Fire Worship Sect Cult's branch, had the power to help him take revenge.
Most importantly, Zhou Hao not only saved his life, but Xia Jie also believed that Zhou Hao was trustworthy based on his treatment of the Iron Ox Tribe.
"Xia Jie, do you know what kind of Earth Fire that Earth Fire Vein is?" Zhou Hao asked.
"Frostbite" and "Earth Fire" are both general terms.
Heavenly Fire, and even the 'true fire' that immortals fear, can be divided into many kinds, let alone Earth Fire.
Such things as ' Yinflame Earth Fire ' and ' Blood Baleful Earth Fire ' are flames, but they are cold and corrosive. Even though Xia Jie cultivates the <Blood Demon Indestructible Body>, he can still absorb and collect them.
Zhou Hao needs to collect the five elements of evil energy to cultivate the Great Five Elements Extinction Divine Light. He must condense and nurture it according to the principle of mutual generation and restraint of the five elements. At the same time, he must also consider whether the collected evil energy can complement each other in his body, and the grade and potential of the energy cannot be too different.
The Profound Yin Cold Baleful Intent he nurtured was of extremely high quality and was perfectly suited to the Power of Taiyin absorbed through cultivating the Chiming Nine Heavens Map.
If the Earth Fire Vein that Xia Jie mentioned is not of a high enough grade, or if it is a cold and corrosive Earth Fire like the ' Yinflame Earth Fire Blood Baleful Earth Fire ', then Zhou Hao is not suitable to nurture it.
"I don't know what kind of Earth Fire it is." Xia Jie shook his head. "My grandfather only said that the Earth Fire Earth Fire Vein was golden, pure and dazzling, and that there were golden flame spirits appearing within it, making it extremely spiritual."
"A fire spirit? It's the Flame Soul Earth Fire." Zhou Hao's face lit up with joy upon hearing this.
Because the secret techniques left behind by the Loose Immortal Hongchen require the collection of five kinds of evil energy, the Ou Huang naturally knew the common knowledge of various evil energy Earth Fire, and had mentioned them to Zhou Hao before.
The Flame Soul Earth Fire is a high-quality Earth Fire with potential no less than the Profound Yin Cold Baleful Intent, and it can be nurtured to the first grade of the Earth rank in the future.
Moreover, the Flame Soul Earth Fire is known for its 'spirituality' and is compatible with other types of evil energy. This will make it easier for him to absorb and nurture other evil energies in his Purple Mansion Origin Sea in the future.
"So that Earth Fire Vein was called the Flame Soul Earth Fire." Xia Jie nodded. "Back then, there was an eruption of Earth Fire in the sea near Xiama Island. My grandfather and the Purple Mansion Cultivator in the family joined forces to stop a disaster. Afterwards, they accidentally discovered that an Earth Fire Vein had formed on the seabed there."
"Because there are no Myriad Phenomena True Person in the family, they are unable to absorb the Earth Fire. So Grandpa and the others simply set up an array to hide the Earth Fire Vein, intending to collect and nurture the Earth Fire when a Myriad Phenomena True Person appears in the family in the future."
"But that old scoundrel Shang Youde somehow got hold of the information about the Earth Fire Vein, and during his birthday banquet, he secretly poisoned my grandfather, father..."
At this point, Xia Jie's eyes were already red, as if the scene of his family's tragic deaths was replaying in his mind.
"This is the tragedy of the weak," Zhou Hao sighed.
What was supposed to be a stroke of luck turned into the catalyst for the annihilation of his own family.
Zhou Hao didn't leave any of the previous Vassal Token or Origin Liquid for the Iron Ox Tribe, precisely because he was worried about this.
Those whose virtue does not match their position will surely suffer calamity!
The two chatted for most of the hour inside the Sea Treasure Pavilion, while Shen Nan, Iron Ox, and the others came in from outside after they had finished selecting their cultivation manuals.
Although they were all ordinary Qi cultivation and body-refining techniques, and some sword and saber manuals that could guide one to the 'unity of Unity of Heaven and Man ' realm, it was enough for the Iron Ox Tribe.
With these cultivation techniques and secret manuals, it is entirely possible to gradually accumulate and cultivate a group of Xiantian Lifeform.
As for the stronger cultivation techniques after reaching the Innate Realm, the Xiantian Lifeform of the Iron Ox Tribe can join the Jade Dragon Army and obtain them from within the military camp.
After doing all this, Zhou Hao had another gathering with Cao Rong, Yang Yun, Zhao Hu, Yang Qiong and other acquaintances, and then left Jade Dragon City alone amidst their reluctant gazes.
As for the Earth Fire Vein that Xia Jie mentioned, it is located in the sea near Twin Horse Island, which is on his route to the Upper Sect.
Therefore, Zhou Hao left a Signal Talisman for Xia Jie, planning to return to the Red Dust Immortal Mansion first, and then go to Twin Horse Island.
East Sea, Twin Horse Island.
Outside the Shang Clan Fort, a large crowd had gathered.
Each of them possessed a powerful aura, the weakest being Xiantian Lifeform, and the leader was an elderly man wearing a tall crown, who appeared to have an extraordinary bearing.
"Father, it's just the fifth son coming back, is there any need for such a fuss?" A tall, thin man muttered lazily to the old man in the tall hat in front of him, as if he had just woken up.
"Shut up!" the tall, crowned elder snapped coldly. "If it weren't for Xiao Wu's tireless efforts for the family, could any of you have reached the Purple Mansion so quickly? Xiao Wu didn't come back alone this time; a very important person came with him. Remember to be respectful and don't speak recklessly."
Seeing that the tall, thin man, though outwardly respectful, still harbored utter disdain after being reprimanded, the old man with the tall hat sneered, "I'm not dead yet, and the Shang Clan is none of your business!"
She then ignored him.
The elderly man with the tall hat was Shang Youde, the current patriarch of the Shang Clan on Shangma Island, and the tall, thin man was his second son, Shang Yi.
Shang Youde had five sons. After the eldest and third sons died tragically while chasing the remnants of the Xia Clan, the second son, Shang Yi, often referred to himself as the young patriarch of the Shang Clan. Especially after obtaining the Xia Clan's thousand-year legacy, Shang Yi had advanced from the early stage of the Purple Mansion realm to the late stage of the Purple Mansion realm in the past six months, becoming the second most powerful expert in the family after his father. As a result, he became increasingly arrogant.
"Xiao Wu, Xiao Wu, you keep talking about Xiao Wu all the time!"
Seeing his father's anger, Shang Yi dared not say anything more, but he grumbled inwardly.
"So what if you're someone's servant or lackey? What's so great about that?"
At this time--
"They've arrived."
"They've arrived."
The waiting crowd's eyes lit up as they saw a majestic and expansive warship on the distant horizon, cutting through the air currents and flying in with great momentum.
On the warship were soldiers clad in crimson armor, each with a gleaming gaze and an imposing presence.
The Xiantian Lifeform in the Shang Clan secretly held their breath upon sensing the aura emanating from those armored warriors.
These armored warriors were all Xiantian Lifeform, and the armor they wore with flame patterns made their auras blend together as one, as if they were a single person.
"It's a Dao Soldier! A Dao Soldier of the Xiantian Lifeform level!" someone exclaimed in a low voice.
"Such power, even the Jade Dragon Army of Jade Dragon City is no match for this." Shang Youde's eyes burned with fervor. After the warship was stabilized, he told his clansmen to wait where they were, while he flew towards the warship with Shang Yi.
Intimidated by the imposing presence of the warship, Shang Yi obediently followed behind his father, Shang Youde, not daring to make a move.
As soon as the two boarded the warship, a man also dressed in crimson armor came to greet them.
"Father, Second Brother."
Looking at his appearance, he bears a seven or eight-tenths resemblance to Shang Yi, only younger.
"Little Five," Shang Youde said with a smile.
"Fifth brother," Shang Yi forced a smile.
This young man was Shang Youde Shang Xin Youde.
"Father, Second Brother. The reason I accompanied you to the Great Wild Plains this time is to rebuild the Great Wild Branch."
The Shang Xin.
"I have already spoken to you, young master, saying that my father is willing to make Twin Horse Island the seat of the Pope's branch altar, and the entire Shang Clan clan will be at your disposal. You will summon my father to meet me shortly."
"Well done, Xiao Wu." Shang Youde nodded.
Upon hearing his father's offer to hand over their family's island, Shang Yi's expression changed drastically. He immediately asked telepathically, "Father, Fifth Brother, who is this young master you're talking about?"
As for his fifth brother, Shang Xin, Shang Yi only knew that he had always served as an attendant to a direct descendant of a powerful family in Guangling Prefecture.
But which family it was, the father kept secret, even from his own son.
Shang Xin glanced at his second brother, Shang Yi, and transmitted his voice, "Young Master's name is Yu Zichi, and he is the only bloodline successor of ' Divine Camel Daoist ' of the Guangling Prefecture headquarters of the Fire Worship Sect."
The Divine Camel Daoist is Primordial Spirit Daoist within the sect, second only to the Grand Master. He holds a prestigious position in the Fire Worship Sect. When you see the young master later, you must not offend him.
"The only bloodline of the Primordial Spirit Daoist?"
Shang Yi held his breath.
Primordial Spirit Daoist!
To the Purple Mansion Cultivator, such beings were practically immortals.
Moreover, he was a Primordial Spirit Daoist from a powerful force like the Fire Worship Sect.
"So it turns out that the fifth brother has been at the Fire Worship Sect Main Altar all along."
Only then did Shang Yi realize the truth.
"We didn't tell you that Xiao Wu was in the Fire Worship Sect before because Shangma Island is within the Jade Dragon Sect's sphere of influence." Shang Youde glanced at his son. "Although the Fire Worship Sect is strong, their Great Wild Branch Altar is still weaker than Jade Dragon City."
"Then why should we join Fire Worship Sect now?" Shang Yi still didn't understand.
"Your eldest brother and third brother both died at the hands of the Jade Dragon Army, and the remnants of the Xia Clan are now hiding in Jade Dragon City. If I don't find a backer soon, what if the Jade Dragon City army comes to attack one day?" Shang Youde said irritably through telepathy.
His most favored son, Xiao Wu, didn't value the Shang Clan's legacy, and his eldest son, who was the most talented, had died, so he could only raise his second son Shang Yi.
Therefore, he patiently explained:
"Now that Young Master Yu has been sent to rebuild the Great Wild Branch Altar, we need manpower right now. If we wait until he has enough power in the future, will he even look at our Shang Clan's meager strength?"
Shang Yi seemed to be deep in thought.
At this moment, a maidservant emerged from the tall pavilion on the warship's deck, bowed to Shang Xin, and said, "Commander Shang, the young master invites you in."
Shang Xin nodded and said to his father and second brother, "Let's go."
Led by a maid, the three walked inside, up the stairs, and ascended to the hall on the second floor of the deck.
The hall was very spacious. A boy dressed in black fine clothes, who looked to be only thirteen or fourteen years old, sat in the main seat, with two maids standing on either side of him to serve him.
In the seat below the boy sat a burly man with bluish skin.
"That young man is Yu Zichi, and the burly man beside him is named Ren Jiu, a disciple of the Divine Camel Daoist, a powerful cultivator at the Myriad Phenomena Manifestations Realm who God-Devil Body Refining," Shang Xin secretly transmitted.
"Father, I asked you to prepare a substantial gift for the young master. Have you made any? Don't bring out ordinary Earth-Grade Dharma Treasure."
"Don't worry," Shang Youde said confidently, "I will definitely satisfy you, young master."
The father and son secretly communicated telepathically, without showing any outward expression, and walked to the center of the hall.
"Greetings, young master." Shang Youde bowed first.
Shang Xin and Shang Yi followed suit, bowing respectfully.
The next update will be around 6 PM; I should be able to finish writing it by then.
I don't have any drafts saved up, so the timing won't be very consistent. I'll do my best, please forgive me.
If I encounter a writer's block, I'll discuss it separately.