Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension
Chapter 809 - 474: As If Blessed by Divine Assistance

Chapter 809: Chapter 474: As If Blessed by Divine Assistance

Two days later, Earth Valley

Ouyang Boxian, with a nervous expression, passed through two long corridors consecutively and arrived at a cave mansion on the second underground level.

At the head of the cave mansion’s living room stood a tall man.

The man’s demeanor was imposing and stern, rarely showing any expression. Behind him appeared a massive, dazzling vortex, its edges glittering brightly, emanating an intense pressure.

"Ouyang, greetings to Master Zhao." Ouyang Boxian’s eyes flickered, and he immediately bowed and greeted.

This tall man was named Zhao Hongcen, also from the Southern Sky Zhao Family. He joined the Beast Taming Sect in his early years and later achieved the Golden Core stage.

Decades ago, when the Qiong Tian Ancestor from his family came to Gu God Peak as a "guest," Zhao Hongcen took the initiative to come over.

Since then, he was taken in by the Qiong Tian Ancestor, responsible for managing miscellaneous tasks and personnel assignments, saving Zhao Sheng a lot of effort.

To outsiders, Zhao Hongcen’s status is that of Qiong Tian Ancestor’s "trusted confidant and close kin," also serving as the "head steward," a position of great authority and boundless prospects.

"Oh, so it is Nephew Ouyang. What brings you to me?" Seeing that Ouyang Boxian was quite perceptive, Zhao Hongcen slightly nodded and asked directly without exchanging pleasantries.

"It’s nothing major; it’s just that your nephew just entered Earth Valley and has nothing to do at hand for the moment, feeling a bit idle, so I thought to ask the True Immortal for a duty to undertake!" Ouyang Boxian said ingratiatingly.

"No problem, Nephew. Since you just achieved a Great Merit, there’s no rush to start right away. Take your time to get familiar with the environment first," Zhao Hongcen said with a gentle smile, reassuring him.

Hearing this, Ouyang Boxian gave an embarrassed smile and tentatively asked, "True Immortal, may I ask about the... reward bounty...?"

"Oh, I see. You can go to the Great Merit Hall of Earth Valley to receive your reward," Zhao Hongcen’s eyes flickered as he said this.

Seeing this, Ouyang Boxian quickly bent over to express his gratitude: "Thank you, True Immortal, for the guidance! If you ever need anything, your nephew is willing to serve tirelessly."

"Haha, nephew, there’s no need for such formality. In the future, as long as you diligently work for the Ancestor and complete the assigned tasks beautifully, I won’t treat you unfairly. Here is your identity token, take it! Go without worry." Zhao Hongcen smiled, patting Ouyang Boxian’s shoulder while handing him a silver-white rune token.

"Thank you for the guidance, True Immortal. Your nephew takes his leave." Ouyang Boxian respectfully took the token, bowed, and then retreated from the living room.

Watching his departing figure, Zhao Hongcen shook his head quietly yet committed him to memory.

Ouyang Boxian returned to the surface, immediately summoning a red-eyed white crane to fly towards the Great Merit Hall.

Soon, the white crane landed on a foggy hillside.

At the top of this slope, there were a few palace-like high-rise buildings with gleaming spirit light rising from their eaves, forming a vaguely visible light wall that enveloped the entire wooden building.

After disembarking from the white crane, Ouyang Boxian casually walked towards the Great Merit Hall.

Passing through the Floating Light Barrier, he arrived in front of a palace-like building at the front, glanced up, and then stepped across the threshold.

The interior was quite simple, with rows of shelves on either side filled with various sizes of Jade Boxes and some Storage Bags of different colors.

A massive Jade Wall stood at the center of the great hall, with lines of spirit light runes continuously appearing and disappearing on its surface.

At that moment, nearly a hundred people were seated below the Jade Wall, a mix of old and young, male and female. Their eyes were fixated on the spirit texts of the Jade Wall, filled with fascination and fervor.

Ouyang Boxian’s gaze swept across the crowd and immediately noticed that one-third of them wore the same style of Jade Pendant at their waist.

"Sigh, with so many people from the Southern Sky Zhao Family here, when will it be my turn to stand out?" Ouyang Boxian muttered to himself despondently as he walked past the Jade Wall towards the Jade Table deep within the hall.

Behind the Jade Table sat a young child with hair tied in a round bun, looking quite naive. Holding a bamboo tube in his hands, he was engrossed in watching the inside, from which came a series of cricket chirps.

For a moment, Ouyang Boxian couldn’t figure out the situation, nor did he dare to rashly speak, so he coughed gently and asked in a lowered voice, "Cough, may I ask..."

An hour later, Ouyang Boxian left the Great Merit Hall with a dazed expression. Besides a Storage Bag tucked in his bosom, he also held a book tightly in his hand. Through his fingers, the blurry words "Blood... Soul" could vaguely be seen on the cover.

Several months later,

On this day, in front of the Great Merit Hall of Earth Valley, a crowd gathered as disciples of the Beast Taming Sect gazed fervently at Ouyang Boxian standing on a high platform.

Compared to before, Ouyang Boxian now looked spirited and radiant, as if he was a completely different person.

"Ahem, everyone, please line up, one by one! As long as you can produce eligible Gu Worms, I, Ouyang Boxian, guarantee you’ll leave satisfied."

"Brother Ouyang, you’ve made it big today. Don’t forget your fellow brothers! Perhaps let those from Baiyu Peak exchange first!" someone called from the crowd.

No sooner had the words been spoken that someone immediately rebuked: "Hey, why should those from Baiyu Peak exchange first? We from Gu God Peak are the experts with Gu; we should exchange first."

"Yes, yes, this is a matter for us Gu Cultivators, and has nothing to do with you lot obsessed with beasts."

These words were like kicking a hornet’s nest, and the disciples of the other four factions of the Beast Taming Sect were immediately incensed and ready to confront the Gu Cultivators!