Aunt's Request

Liang Zhaohuang did not know much about the Beast Taming Sect; most of it was the sort of thing widely circulated.

It was said that when the Great Jin Immortal Dynasty was first established, it occupied only six provinces. The nineteen provinces it held now had all been slowly conquered later.

And back then, the Beast Taming Sect had been the greatest obstacle to the Great Jin Immortal Dynasty's southward expansion.

The Beast Taming Sect commanded myriad demon beasts, sweeping across the battlefield, fearless of death and injury, killing until the Great Jin Immortal Dynasty was unable to expand southward for nearly a thousand years.

However, the Beast Taming Sect's wanton capture and command of demon beasts enraged the Demon Race.

At the time, while the Beast Taming Sect and the Great Jin Immortal Dynasty were locked in a fierce standoff and bitter fighting, the Demon Race suddenly came north from the southern Demon Country, catching the Beast Taming Sect completely off guard. They suffered a crushing defeat, and the Demon Race destroyed the Beast Taming Sect in one stroke.

The several provinces ruled by the Beast Taming Sect thus fell beneath the claws of the Demon Race. The humans living there became blood food for the Demon Race, suffering grievous casualties, nearly to the point of extermination.

At that moment, the Royal Army of the Great Jin Immortal Dynasty descended south from the north, repelled the Demon Race, rescued the common people from hanging upside down, and seized the several southern provinces in one stroke.

Of course, most of the information circulating in the market was about "the Royal Army descending south to rescue the common people from hanging upside down," with great emphasis on the Great Jin Immortal Dynasty's magnificent achievements and virtue in saving the people. There were even biographies, storytelling scripts, and the like that had been passed down ever since.

As for the first half of the story—the war with the Beast Taming Sect, as well as introductions to the Beast Taming Sect and so on—it was basically glossed over, without any detailed information.

Liang Zhaohuang had not expected that the Demon Race's destruction of the Beast Taming Sect back then would still have an effect now. Nor had he expected that behind the Sun Family's use of the Black Wind Bandits to destroy the Humble Gate lay such hidden circumstances.

As for whether there were other hidden circumstances behind the Sun Family's destruction?

During the chaos of the night before, why had the city-protecting grand array, which had clearly already been activated, been withdrawn again?

Liang Zhaohuang truly found it difficult to see through what was really going on inside it all.

He shook his head and pressed down all these doubts and confusions.

No matter what, the Sun Family had already been destroyed. As for how many schemes and how much inside information lay behind it, those could only sink into the night with the passage of time.

Liang Zhaohuang also had no intention of continuing the investigation. Who knew what great crocodile was hidden behind it all? If he probed rashly and got swallowed, there would be nowhere to seek justice.

What he cared about more at this moment was the matter of the Spirit Cauldron Secret Realm's clan-rank evaluation.

Temporarily setting this jade slip aside, Liang Zhaohuang continued examining the other jade slips and materials, searching for the Sun Family's records concerning the Spirit Cauldron Secret Realm.

In the next several dozen jade slips, Liang Zhaohuang saw many secrets and inheritance records related to the Sun Family, even including the Sun Family's inherited classic, the Hundred Beasts Canon, as well as the cultivation method for the Life-Bound Beast Soul.

According to the records within, Sun Family children studied the Hundred Beasts Canon from a young age. Once they awakened a beast-aspect Spirit Light, they could choose a demon beast to form a contract with as their tamed beast, and in the Qi Refining stage, they could command demon beasts in battle.

When a Sun Family child completed Qi Refining cultivation and was about to advance to Foundation Establishment, they would use a unique method to blood-sacrifice this tamed beast, seize its beast soul, and refine it into a Life-Bound Beast Soul. By relying on this power, they could open the Sea of Consciousness and advance to the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Even the tamed beast's corpse left after the beast soul was seized could have its hide stripped and bones drawn out, to be refined into spiritual artifacts.

Spiritual artifacts refined in this way matched extremely well with the Sun Family Foundation Establishment cultivator who had refined the corresponding Life-Bound Beast Soul, and often could unleash the greatest power.

When Liang Zhaohuang saw these records, he was also shocked speechless. He did not know whether he should praise the Sun Family ancestors' "wild flights of fancy," or be astonished at their heartlessness.

A tamed beast that had accompanied them for many years was used to the absolute limit like this. From fur, skin, sinews, and bones to its beast soul, nothing was spared.

No wonder the beast souls he had seen from the Sun Family were all so vicious and savage, so violent, almost without spiritual intelligence.

No wonder Sun Family Foundation Establishment cultivators were often affected and assaulted by their Life-Bound Beast Souls.

"Such a secret art may be somewhat dazzling, but it has already entered the demonic path!" Liang Zhaohuang shook his head. "It is not to be taken."

He decided to withhold this Life-Bound Beast Soul method and not hand it over to the family, lest it harm the family's younger generations in the future.

He examined jade slip after jade slip—cultivation methods, secret arts, spiritual techniques, inheritances, secrets, crafts... and so on. Liang Zhaohuang's gains grew greater and greater, but he still did not find the information he wanted concerning the Spirit Cauldron Secret Realm.

Instead, his Spiritual Sense was gradually more than half depleted.

He had no choice but to stop temporarily, sit quietly, and silently recite the Peacock King Mantra to restore the Five-Colored Buddha Light in his Sea of Consciousness and recover his Spiritual Sense.

Over these past three years, Liang Zhaohuang had spent almost all his energy on cultivation and Foundation Establishment, and had instead spent less on cultivating the Peacock King Mantra.

As a result, within the Halo behind his soul's head in his Sea of Consciousness, the Five-Colored Buddha Light had never been cultivated to the number of one yuan.

Even now, he was still short by more than twenty thousand strands.

Reciting and upholding the Peacock King Mantra, he gradually restored the Five-Colored Buddha Light and recovered his Spiritual Sense.

Liang Zhaohuang continued looking through the materials, searching for the Sun Family's records concerning the Spirit Cauldron Secret Realm.

Time gradually passed. In the blink of an eye, three days went by.

Liang Zhaohuang still had not found the Sun Family's records related to the Spirit Cauldron Secret Realm.

And at this time, Five Talisman Hall unexpectedly welcomed guests.

It was actually the clan chief, Liang Xuelin, arriving with his aunt Liang Xuemiao and his cousin Wang Hui!

One had to know that when his aunt Liang Xuemiao had been married off by his grandfather's decision to become a concubine in the Crimson Cauldron Wang Family, she had developed resentment toward the family. For decades, she had never returned home, and had not even returned to Ludong County.

And now, the other party had actually sought out the clan chief, Liang Xuelin, and rushed to the county city's Five Talisman Hall together!

This was probably the first time in all these years that she had returned to the Liang Family's door.

No wonder Liang Zhaohuang saw the smile on the clan chief's face could hardly be concealed.

"Zhaohuang, did you really reach Foundation Establishment?"

After the few of them entered the rear hall, before they had even taken their seats, his aunt Liang Xuemiao looked at Liang Zhaohuang somewhat excitedly and asked.

"I did reach Foundation Establishment." Liang Zhaohuang was somewhat puzzled, but he still nodded and replied.

"Is the Liang Family entering Ludong County's Spirit Cauldron Secret Realm one month from now to take part in the clan-rank evaluation?"

His aunt was clearly even more agitated as she asked.

"Yes." Liang Zhaohuang still nodded in reply.

"That's wonderful!" His aunt, Liang Xuemiao, beamed and looked at Liang Zhaohuang as she said, "Zhaohuang, Auntie has one thing to ask of you. You must help me!"

"Auntie, what is it?" Liang Zhaohuang asked in confusion.

"One month from now, when you enter the Spirit Cauldron Secret Realm, help me pluck a spirit fruit from the secret realm and bring it out to me!"

His aunt said this somewhat excitedly.

"A spirit fruit?" Liang Zhaohuang was puzzled.

"Yes!" At this moment, his aunt's eyes shone, filled with hope. "A Millennium Sacred Heart Fruit!"

Liang Zhaohuang did not know what kind of spirit fruit the Sacred Heart Fruit was. What he thought of just then was another question:

"There are spirit fruits in the Spirit Cauldron Secret Realm too?"

Liang Zhaohuang did not know much about the Spirit Cauldron Secret Realm. The Spirit Demons, Spirit Source Ore, and the aristocratic clan assessment were all things he had heard others introduce before.

He had been searching for the Sun Family's records regarding the Spirit Cauldron Secret Realm, but had never found them.

He had not expected that there were actually spirit fruits in the Spirit Cauldron Secret Realm as well.

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