Chapter 45: Chapter 45: The Search for a Wife

The map of “Nine Heavens” is enormously vast, reflecting the setting where the human territory is boundless, with endless sprawling mountain ranges, yet many are inhabited by fierce demon beasts.

Apart from the many cities established by Great Xia that gather numerous humans, there are also many cultivation families and sect powers that have set up their gates and human gathering places in the wilderness, wherever spirit veins are found.

Zi Yang Mountain Range, a mountain range that is not very large.

It is located more than a hundred miles north of Zhenjiang City.

Within the Zi Yang Mountain Range are many small-scale spirit veins, which make the concentration of spiritual energy nearby denser than usual, and thus it provides a slight benefit to cultivators’ cultivation.

Nourished by these small-scale spirit veins, there are also many unharvested spiritual medicines within the Zi Yang Mountain Range.

These small-scale spirit veins are disregarded by large sects with significant resources, but for loose cultivators and some small cultivation families, the Zi Yang Mountain Range is like a geomantic treasure land.

Therefore, many lower grade Qi Refining Cultivators have gradually gathered around the Zi Yang Mountain Range.

And Ziyang Town is a small town established with the support of the Zi Yang Mountain Range.

Since it is built in the midst of ancient mountains and the mountain roads that connect it to the outside world are full of wild beasts and birds of prey…

Ziyang Town does not have a large population, just three or four thousand people, and most of them are cultivators; there are very few ordinary people.

Today, the peace of Ziyang Town was disturbed.

A cry rang through the sky, a terrifyingly penetrating sound that made the ears of the people of Ziyang Town ache.

The cultivators of Ziyang Town all looked up.

High in the sky, where the wind howled, a giant bird appeared in everyone’s line of sight.

Five or six meters long, with wings that stretched eleven or twelve meters when unfolded, its body covered in black feathers that shone with a metallic luster, and its hooked beak, black and sharp, was intimidating to behold.

“Ah… No!”

Someone exclaimed in terror.

Because after circling in the sky, the giant bird dove straight towards Ziyang Town.

Its momentum was frightening!

Although Ziyang Town had many cultivators, they were all lower grade cultivators. Among the thousands, there was not even one Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

And the aura emitted by this demon beast was definitely that of a Second Grade demon beast.

A Second Grade demon beast – that was the equivalent of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator among the human race.

With the demon beast’s strong body, if this giant bird targeted Ziyang Town, no cultivator would have the power to resist.

What’s more terrifying was that this demon beast was a giant avian.

If it saw the situation turning unfavorable, it could just spread its massive wings and leave.

Flight through the air – that was an ability only Foundation Establishment Cultivators could master.

That is to say, even if the entire town’s cultivators joined forces, they might have no way to deal with this demon beast.

“How could such a terrifying demon beast appear in the Zi Yang Mountain Range?” the people of Ziyang Town all felt a chill in their hearts.

Boom–

A loud booming sound, like a meteorite crashing, the giant bird violently landed in the middle of Ziyang Town, stirring up a whirlwind and raising a cloud of dust.

As the dust settled and the specific scene became visible…

The people of Ziyang Town couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief.

For atop the giant bird’s immense body sat an aged cultivator with a head full of white hair and a young man.

This giant bird was not a ferocious demon beast but a tamed demonic pet!

The people of Ziyang Town were bewildered.

Although the resources within the Ziyang Mountain Range were still considered abundant, they were only low-grade spiritual medicines, which were treasured only by destitute loose cultivators like them. Any cultivator with a bit of background would not deign to pay attention to such trifles.

And yet, the person before them had tamed a Second Grade demon beast, which meant he must be at least at the Foundation Establishment Realm. Why would he come to a small place like Ziyang Town?

“Is this the place?” the elderly cultivator asked.

It was none other than Cai Heng, the steward, and the youth accompanying him was naturally Lu Qingshan.

Lu Qingshan took a look around the surroundings and nodded.

Ziyang Town was where the steward’s Dao Companion had chosen to seclude herself.

Only such a remote place could have eluded the steward’s search for so many years without result.

An urgent look in the steward’s eyes, Cai Heng glanced at the cultivators of Ziyang Town, who were as silent as cicadas in winter, and asked in a deep voice, “Is there someone named Cai Xingchao in your town?”

— Ziyang Town, Cai Xingchao. That was the final result of the mission posted by that Sword Cultivator player on the forum in his previous life.

The cultivators of Ziyang Town looked at each other, and no one dared to respond.

The steward’s brow furrowed, seeing the fear on the faces of Ziyang Town’s cultivators, he understood something. Cai Heng thought for a moment, then took out a Third Grade spirit stone from his storage ring and said loudly.

“Whoever provides me with information first will get this Third Grade spirit stone.”

To these loose cultivators, a Third Grade spirit stone was equivalent to their entire net worth.

And now, they only needed to provide a piece of information to get a Third Grade spirit stone.

Wealth moves the heart.

So even though they feared attracting trouble, a bold loose cultivator in yellow clothing quickly stepped forward and said, “Senior, I know there is a small cultivator named Cai Xingchao in the town, but I’m not sure if he is the person you are looking for?”

The steward’s gaze turned sharp: “Lead the way!”

…

Under the guidance of the loose cultivator in yellow clothing, a dilapidated small courtyard came into view.

“This is Cai Xingchao’s home,” the yellow-clothed loose cultivator said cautiously.

Cai Heng looked at the small courtyard shrouded in gloom and felt a sense of heaviness in his heart.

“Tell me more about the master of this place,” Cai Heng said in a low voice.

The yellow-clothed loose cultivator glanced at Cai Heng, unable to grasp the exact relationship between the steward and the owner of the place. He had to carefully compose his words: “The master of this place is quite a tragic figure. The residence was originally inhabited by a couple and their son, a family of three, all cultivators…”

Upon hearing “a family of three,” Cai Heng’s eyes twitched slightly.

“But three years ago, the couple ventured deep into the Ziyang Mountains to gather spiritual medicines, where they encountered the demon beast, Vermilion Bead Snake. Although they managed to slay the Vermilion Bead Snake in the end, both husband and wife were seriously injured.

Upon returning, the husband died from his grave injuries after just two days, while his wife was poisoned by the snake and has been bedridden for three years, relying on their Qi Refinement third-layer son, Cai Xingchao, who repeatedly risks his life to venture deep into the Ziyang Mountains to collect spiritual medicines in exchange for the medicine to sustain his mother’s life…”

The voice of the yellow-clothed loose cultivator grew quieter.

That was because he noticed that as he narrated, the expression of the powerful cultivator in front of him gradually turned pale, his lips quivering uncontrollably.

Seeing that Cai Heng’s complexion was off, the yellow-clothed loose cultivator was worried that he might have misspoken and panicked, not daring to say more.

“Yun’er, why did you need to endure so much!” Cai Heng nearly burst into tears, and finally unable to hold back, he pushed open the gates of the courtyard and went inside.

The yellow-clothed loose cultivator stood there dumbfounded, unsure of what to do.

Seeing this, Lu Qingshan took out a Third Grade spirit stone from his storage ring and handed it to the yellow-clothed loose cultivator.

“This is your reward. There’s nothing here for you now; you may leave.”

The eyes of the yellow-clothed loose cultivator lit up, and he excitedly took the Third Grade spirit stone, repeatedly expressing his thanks: “Thank you, noble sir! Thank you, noble sir!”

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