Cultivation Begins From The Desert
Chapter 77: A Clear Conscience (Part 1)

Chapter 77: Chapter 77: A Clear Conscience (Part 1)

Boundless Desert Sea, beneath a nameless sand dune.

Zhouyang was hiding under the sand dune to recuperate, completely unaware of the great worry his absence was causing his family.

There were no spirit veins here, so to restore his magical power, he could only hold spirit stones and absorb the spiritual power within to refine it into magical power; this speed was naturally incomparable to being on a Tier Three Spiritual Vein.

If he were on a Tier Three Spiritual Vein, he could restore his full magical power in just one day, but absorbing low-grade spirit stones would take at least a day or two.

However, restoring magical power was a minor issue, and taking some extra time was of no real concern.

For Zhouyang, the most troublesome issue was the inability to recover his depleted essence blood.

Using the "Blood Escape Technique" to flee had consumed over twenty percent of his essence blood, while taking the "Purple Jade Heart Supplement Pill" had replenished less than ten percent.

Now, the over ten percent of depleted essence blood had become the source of his suffering.

It must be known that essence blood is the foundation of a cultivator, and its loss affects many aspects.

The most direct manifestation is that Zhouyang, originally handsome and radiant, now appeared pale and feeble like a sickly scholar due to excessive essence blood loss, making his frailty apparent to anyone at a glance.

As long as this depleted essence blood wasn’t replenished, his cultivation couldn’t progress an inch, nor could he engage in intense or prolonged magical combat, and it was best not to do anything that consumed magical power.

Otherwise, if excessive magical power consumption aggravated his injuries, depleting his primordial Qi, it would be even harder to recover, possibly leaving lifelong injuries that could never be healed.

In such a situation, the best course of action would be to return to his grotto, close it, and go into seclusion for a few years to slowly regain his primordial Qi.

Unfortunately, for him now, this option was simply unrealistic.

The dune had no spirit veins and wasn’t a place for recuperation, nor did he dare go into deep seclusion in such an unprotected area.

Therefore, he originally planned to stay for two days to restore his magical power and, once restored, return to the Baisha River Oasis to find a recovery solution.

However, he never expected that Chen Pingzhi, whom he had abandoned to flee, would ultimately fail to escape death, perishing in the vast desert sea.

So when the Chen Family Ancestor used the "Heaven- and Earth-Shaking Reunion Spell" and brought Zhou Xuanhao to the sky above his hiding dune, he was startled by the immense aura of the Purple Mansion Stage cultivator, mistakenly thinking it was the Purple Mansion expert among the sand bandits tracking him, causing his already pale face to blanch further, eyes filled with despair.

Then, just as he prepared to risk everything in desperation and use the "Blood Escape Technique" to flee again, his father’s voice reached his ears in time.

"Where is my son Zhouyang? I have come to find you, come out quickly and meet me!"

Is that father’s voice?

In the underground chamber, Zhouyang’s hands trembled as he was casting spells, nearly believing he was hallucinating due to essence blood loss.

It wasn’t until he heard Zhou Xuanhao’s continuous calls that he was sure he hadn’t misheard, feeling a mix of surprise and joy as he hurriedly emerged from the underground chamber to the surface.

Once on the surface, seeing the Chen Family Ancestor and his father Zhou Xuanhao floating in the sky by sword control, Zhouyang finally let go of the heart he had been holding.

"Junior Zhouyang greets Elder Chen."

The Chen Family Ancestor’s cultivation and status spoke for themselves; Zhouyang didn’t dare be disrespectful and had to bow with cupped hands in greeting before addressing his father Zhou Xuanhao with excitement written all over his face, "Your son greets father."

His etiquette was impeccable, so even though the Chen Family Ancestor was in a foul mood, he couldn’t show it directly, only maintaining a stern face as he asked, "Forget the formalities. I ask you, you and Pingzhi went on an expedition together, why are you the only one here now? What happened on this expedition?"

Zhou Xuanhao, upon hearing this question, moved his lips as if wanting to convey something secretly, but a powerful divine sense directly isolated him.

Without a doubt, this was the Chen Family Ancestor intervening to prevent any collusion between him and Zhouyang.

This occurrence on a divine sense level was not something Zhouyang, not being directly affected, could detect, especially since, from his perspective, there was no reason not to answer the Chen Family Ancestor’s question.

Moreover, he harbored resentment towards Chen Pingzhi for abandoning him to escape alone, and now that the Chen Family Ancestor asked, he had no reason not to report.

He immediately began recounting from when they discovered the "Thousand Machines Grotto Heaven," detailing how they fought the puppet beast, allocated the grotto’s resources, and how Chen Pingzhi, after being ambushed, sought his help before fleeing without so much as a word, leaving nothing out.

He believed he had done nothing wrong to Chen Pingzhi on this expedition, so when recounting these matters, there was no hesitation or reluctance, flowing smoothly without any deceit.

However, he only spoke up to the point where Chen Pingzhi fled, not mentioning how he battled two sand bandits afterward or used the "Blood Escape Technique" to escape.

The Chen Family Ancestor listened to his account with no change in his expression, only a slight movement of his eyes and a flash of anger when Zhouyang mentioned Chen Pingzhi fleeing alone.

When Zhouyang finished speaking, before he could say anything, Zhou Xuanhao, who had also listened to Zhouyang’s account, anxiously shouted loudly for his son, "Elder Chen, you’ve heard it all. Yang’Er absolutely did not do anything to wrong Elder Pingzhi. The matter of Elder Pingzhi’s demise has nothing to do with him!"

Chen Pingzhi is dead!

Zhouyang’s face froze, finally realizing why the Chen Family Ancestor would appear here, and then his expression turned ugly instantly.

If Chen Pingzhi were still alive, his previous words would have been enough to provide an explanation to the Chen Family.

But Chen Pingzhi is dead!

With Chen Pingzhi’s death, even if the Chen Family Ancestor believes there was no falsehood in his previous words, he certainly wouldn’t let it go just like that.

Sure enough, hearing Zhou Xuanhao pleading for Zhouyang, the Chen Family Ancestor glared at him fiercely and said coldly, "This old man’s ears aren’t deaf; I can still hear clearly. No need for a youngster like you to tell this old man how to do things!"

Being glared at like this, Zhou Xuanhao shuddered in fright, hurriedly descended his Flying Sword and bowed deeply, saying, "Junior dares not, it was reckless of me to offend you just now, please forgive my impudence."

Zhouyang, seeing this, was also shocked in his heart, and couldn’t help but blurt out loudly, "Elder Chen, a person should bear the responsibility for their own actions, this has nothing to do with my father. If you want to investigate the matter of Elder Pingzhi’s demise, this junior is willing to fully cooperate, please don’t implicate my family."

"Ha, you father and son are truly deeply bonded; saying it like this makes it seem as if this old man is unreasonable and bullying the weak!" The Chen Family Ancestor sneered coldly, a hint of anger already in his words.

What now?

They lose a Foundation Establishment Cultivator from the Chen Family, and it becomes unreasonable?

"Junior dares not!"

The hearts of father and son Zhou Xuanhao and Zhouyang both skipped a beat as they hung their heads low, not daring to say another word.

The wrath of a Purple Mansion Stage Cultivator is not something two First-Layer Foundation Establishment Cultivators can withstand. If they truly angered the Chen Family Ancestor, there would be no good outcome for them.

Fortunately, the Chen Family Ancestor, having a late-stage Purple Mansion cultivation, and having cultivated for centuries, still had some self-control.

Seeing the two admit their mistake and submit, he didn’t pursue their disrespect any further, but instead looked sharply at Zhouyang and sternly asked, "Zhou Family boy, this old man asks you, you said Chen Pingzhi abandoned you and fled alone, do you have any proof? And why didn’t you finish your sentence earlier? Why did you conceal your escape?"

Proof?

Who can provide proof?

The sand bandits?

Zhouyang’s face was bitter; he couldn’t answer the Chen Family Ancestor’s question.

In fact, both the Chen Family Ancestor and he knew that such a matter was unlikely to have witnesses. The purpose of the Chen Family Ancestor’s question was not truly to have him produce a witness but for another reason.

However, if the matter was brought up by the Chen Family Ancestor, it would be tantamount to confirming what he previously said, implying bullying the weak. So the other party used this method to imply that he should bring it up himself.

But for him, once he raised the issue, it would mean his privacy and secrets might be exposed to others, which he found extremely hard to accept. And few cultivators could accept that.

He didn’t want to answer, but the Chen Family Ancestor wouldn’t watch him stall like this and instead pressed, "What? Are you unwilling to answer this old man, or were your previous words completely fabricated?"

"Ancestor..." Zhou Xuanhao, watching the silent Zhouyang, couldn’t help but try to defend his son. Unfortunately, as soon as he spoke, he was stifled back by the overwhelming aura exuding from the Chen Family Ancestor’s body.

"Did I give you permission to speak?"

The Chen Family Ancestor cast a sharp glance at him, the warning clear.

Zhou Xuanhao, a dignified Foundation Establishment Cultivator, at this moment dared not even breathe heavily; he could only lower his head dejectedly, not daring to say another word.

Zhouyang witnessing this, was filled with both shock and anger; how could he bear to see his father humiliated on his behalf?

His face flushed red as he raised his head to meet the Chen Family Ancestor’s gaze directly, and resolutely said, "Ancestor, why be so aggressive? You want this junior to provide witnesses and evidence, which I cannot do. However, I am willing to return to the Baisha River Oasis with you and accept questioning by the Heart Inquiry Skill before the elders of the Yellow Sand Sect, to prove every word I say is true and with a clear conscience!"

"Good, this is what you said yourself, don’t regret it later!"

The Chen Family Ancestor gave him a deep look, but this time didn’t mind his verbal offense.

After pushing him so far, could he still not allow him a bit of emotion?

As long as he could achieve his goal, a minor detail like this was of little concern.