Cultivation Begins From The Desert
Chapter 217 - 215: Forge Glory Together

Chapter 217: Chapter 215: Forge Glory Together

After the news of the Gao Family’s massacre spread, it indeed caused a great commotion in the Baisha River Cultivation Realm, just as Zhouyang had expected.

Aside from the previous demon chaos, it had been a hundred or two hundred years since a Foundation Establishment Clan was wiped out by a loose cultivator in the Baisha River Cultivation Realm.

A stately Foundation Establishment Clan being annihilated by a lone loose cultivator who stormed in and slaughtered the clan’s upper echelon was both a disgraceful matter for the various cultivation clans and a cause for internal anxiety.

These cultivation clans, passed down for hundreds of years, have all done some unsavory things in secrecy over the years.

Even the Zhou Family must have done such things!

The Gao Family’s extermination was due to the Zhou Family’s influence behind the scenes, but more importantly, it was because they were careless, leaving a flaw that Zhou Minghan exploited.

So, at this point, while each clan was nervous, they were also conducting major internal investigations to see if their own dirty affairs over the years had left any potential flaws that enemies might exploit, or if they had provoked any potential foes they shouldn’t have.

As for avenging the Gao Family, throughout the Baisha River Oasis Cultivation Realm, only the Chen Family Ancestor couldn’t let it go and declared that if Zhong Ziming appeared in the Baisha River Oasis, he would surely take his life to mourn the Gao Family’s dozens of deaths.

Then the matter was dropped.

In the cultivation realm, avenging friends is considered a commendable act of justice. Zhong Ziming killed dozens of the Gao Family, and the Chen Family Ancestor could use the excuse of indiscriminate killing to hunt him, but he couldn’t really blame him for acting wrongly.

This is a matter of principle.

And the Chen Family Ancestor’s attitude of preserving his reputation clearly chilled those clans who initially intended to side with the Chen Family.

Different stances lead to different perspectives.

In the eyes of the Chen Family, the Zhou Family, although possessing some power threatening the Chen Family’s status, it is a joke to attempt to wrestle with them.

Even without any familial aid, they still possess the power to easily suppress the Zhou Family, definitely not worth ruining their reputation for the sake of one Gao Family, causing the Chen Family to lose credibility in the eyes of numerous loose cultivators.

At most, they would remember this account against the Zhou Family.

But in the eyes of those clans intent on helping the Chen Family suppress the Zhou Family, if the Chen Family wasn’t willing to fully protect even the first clan that sided with them, the Gao Family, how could they be sure that after aligning with the Chen Family, they would be protected against Zhou Family’s attacks?

Although they wish to follow the Chen Family and share the spoils when the Zhou Family falls, they fear becoming the next Gao Family.

So, after the Gao Family’s extermination, the Zhou Family’s "killing the chicken to warn the monkey" was indeed effective.

Until the situation became clear, and the Chen Family and Zhou Family hadn’t truly exposed their enmity, no other clan dared to rush to align under the Chen Family like the Gao Family did, and as for those who would align with the Zhou Family, there were none.

Zhouyang didn’t care whether anyone sided with the Zhou Family, as long as no one sided with the Chen Family, it was a victory for the Zhou Family.

He was happy about this for quite some time.

Moreover, after the Gao Family’s extermination, it seemed like the Zhou Family’s luck had turned, as Zhouyang soon received two good news reports.

The first good news was that Zhou Yuanpeng, a "Yuan"-generation cultivator from the Zhou Family on an expedition, discovered a type of grain crop, "White Sand Taro," capable of being planted on sandy soil, during his travels in a mortal village on a small oasis.

This "White Sand Taro" can also be cultivated in the sandy soil at the junction between the oasis and desert, with its surface part small like ordinary desert plants like "aloes," and its underground part being an edible tuber.

Zhouyang also tasted it, found the flavor slightly bland and astringent, but its nutritional value was decent, suitable for planting as grains.

The Yuquan Lake Oasis, though large, struggled to support even twenty thousand people because of the limited arable land for planting grain crops, with only several dozens of miles near Yuquan Lake available for cultivation, while the rest were shrub lands only suitable for light grazing to provide essential meat for mortals on the oasis.

Now with this "White Sand Taro," those sandy lands could be converted into grain crop fields, allowing at least tens of thousands more mortals to be supported.

Hence, after investigating and confirming the yield of the "White Sand Taro," Zhouyang directly represented the clan in rewarding the discoverer Zhou Yuanpeng with 1000 special contribution points.

This is because although "White Sand Taro" can be planted on sandy soil, it cannot be densely cultivated due to its high water demand for fast growth, and shortage of water is always a problem faced by every desert oasis.

The second good news is that Xiao Ying, following Zhouyang’s advice, crossbred the Zhou Family mortals’ main grain crops and finally cultivated a hybrid crop with yields twenty percent higher than the original.

This hybrid crop not only truly alleviated the Zhou Family mortal’s food crisis but also inspired Xiao Ying to progress towards becoming a Tier Three Spirit Plant Cultivator, achieving dual success.

As the Zhou Family Patriarch, Zhouyang also, according to the established rules, rewarded Xiao Ying with 1000 points of special family contribution points.

Following the examples set by Zhou Yuanpeng and Xiao Ying, the Qi Cultivation Stage cultivators of the Zhou Family were inspired to venture out eagerly, with someone submitting an application to the family for adventure and travel every month.

Zhouyang naturally welcomed this occurrence, even issuing a new decree, stating that any family member willing to go out for training and adventure would receive a free Tier Two High-Grade Spirit Talisman from his personal savings for protection, applicable only to their first outing.

A Tier Two High-Grade Spirit Talisman is worth thirty to forty spirit stones, which may not mean much to Zhouyang now, but for those Zhou Family cultivators in their twenties or thirties, with cultivation only at the mid and late stages of Qi Cultivation, it is nearly equivalent to their annual welfare stipend.

If Zhouyang did not provide a free one, some novice Zhou Family cultivators, after exchanging for protective magical artifacts, might not be able or willing to exchange for such consumable treasures.

Time slowly passed, and in the blink of an eye, two to three years had gone by.

Zhou Minghan’s injuries finally fully recovered after two to three years of rest, and Zhou Guangxiang had long completed the transition of his cultivation technique.

Additionally, after several years of cultivation, Xiao Ying’s cultivation naturally advanced to the Third-Layer Foundation Establishment Stage.

At this time, Zhouyang took the opportunity of celebrating Zhou Guangxiang’s successful Foundation Establishment and summoned all Zhou Family cultivators who were traveling or posted outside back to Jade Spring Peak.

"Clan Leader, all traveling cultivators of the Zhou Family have returned except for two who did not return on time," the new Grand Elder of the Zhou Family, Zhou Xuanhe, respectfully reported the current whereabouts of the Zhou Family members to Zhouyang.

Approximately five or six years had passed since Zhouyang returned from the Liuyun Continent Cultivation Realm, and the older elders of the Zhou Family, such as Zhou Xuan Kun, Zhou Xuanchen, Zhou Xuanying, and Chen Ting, had all passed away due to the end of their lifespan.

Currently, the Zhou Family has only five Ninth-Layer Qi Cultivation elders, including two external elder in-laws, Han Yushu and Tan Qiu, fewer than even the Foundation Establishment cultivators.

However, this situation is only temporary because several young Zhou Family cultivators already have cultivation at the Eighth-Layer and Seventh-Layer Qi Cultivation. Once their cultivation improves, the number of elders in the Zhou Family will exceed ten.

"Record the names of those who have not returned. When they eventually return, they will be penalized with a five-year salary deduction. If they don’t return, let it be!"

Zhouyang, after a brief pause, coldly stated his decision.

Being late is typically not a major issue, but Zhou Family cultivators are always informed to return a month in advance before setting out for training.

Now that more than a month has passed without their return, regardless of their reasons, they have disregarded family laws and must be punished.

After dealing with this small matter, Zhouyang, along with Zhou Xuanhe, proceeded to the ancestral shrine of the Zhou Family.

Outside the ancestral shrine, over a hundred Zhou Family cultivators, including some toddlers who had just learned to walk but possessed spiritual roots, had all gathered there.

When Zhouyang approached, all cultivators, except for those Supreme Elders in the Foundation Establishment Stage, respectfully bowed and greeted, "Greetings to the Clan Leader."

"Greetings, fellow clansmen,"

Zhouyang waved his hand and solemnly looked at all the clansmen, saying in a loud voice, "Today, I have summoned everyone here to announce a matter crucial to the prosperity and decline of our Zhou Family!"

He paused deliberately, waiting for all clan members to be drawn in by his words before continuing, "This critical matter is that after years of searching, our Zhou Family has finally found another Tier Three Spiritual Vein suitable for creating an oasis!"

"Therefore, gathering everyone here today is to fulfill the promise I made in the family meeting, to lead you in eliminating the demon beasts occupying the spiritual vein, and establish the spiritual vein as our Zhou Family’s third Tier Three Spirit Mountain!"

After saying this, and seeing the excited expressions on the clan members’ faces due to his words, he roared loudly, "Now, on behalf of the family, I ask you, are you willing to use your magical artifacts, your lives, to shed blood for the prosperity and strength of the family?"

"Willing!"

Over a hundred Zhou Family cultivators shouted loudly in unison in response to Zhouyang’s speech.

Educated from a young age and through personal experiences on their paths of growth, these Zhou Family cultivators understood a simple truth: only when the family is strong can their own paths of cultivation be smoother, and their descendants can live better lives.

Now that an opportunity to make the family stronger was right in front of them, as family cultivators, how could they cower from hardship, exhaustion, or death?

"Very well, on behalf of the family, I thank all of you for your support,"

Zhouyang nodded with satisfaction, solemnly clasped his hands in a salute to all the clan members, and then waved his hand large, saying, "Now, all cultivators with a cultivation at Mid-Stage Qi Cultivation or above, step forward, for you will fight alongside me and the Supreme Elders of the family, to pave and blaze a glorious path for the family!"