Chapter 4: The Cruelty of the Cultivation World

Sanjue Sect is gone, but the Zhou Family remains!

The Green Lotus Temple, a major cultivation sect of Jingguo Country, dismantled the Sanjue Sect, but they did not completely annihilate its legacy.

The divided Sanjue Sect became four powers: Elixir Li Family, Talisman You Family, Spirit Beast Manor, and Spirit Beast Zhou Family.

Among them, the Li Family and You Family were originally part of the Sanjue Sect; they both became cultivating families within Jingguo Country, with many disciples within their clans preparing to join the Green Lotus Temple, a major sect of Jingguo Country.

Spirit Beast Manor was founded by Zhou Jinghua, a Golden Core Stage Cultivator who had been with the Zhou Family and whose disciples were primarily the external disciples of the former Sanjue Sect.

Of course, this once son-in-law of the Zhou Family had since reverted to his original name and would now be known as Yu Jinghua.

And the Spirit Beast Zhou Family consisted mostly of Zhou Clan Members from within the former Sanjue Sect.

The reason it was "mostly" is because many people from the Zhou Family had been drawn in by Yu Jinghua, the Golden Core Stage Cultivator, to join what is called the Spirit Beast Manor.

At the same time, because they lost Yu Jinghua, a cultivator in the Golden Core Stage, the Spirit Beast Zhou Family, with only one Purple Mansion Phase Cultivator at its core, also became the weakest among the four forces after the disbandment of Sanjue Sect.

Therefore, Zhou Chun now actually had two options: one was to go to the so-called Spirit Beast Manor and become one of its members; the other was to return to the Zhou Family and walk the Cultivation World as a clan member of the Zhou Family, a cultivating family.

With such a clear distinction between the two choices, Zhou Chun hardly needed to think much about it.

If Yu Jinghua has abandoned the Zhou Family to establish something like the Spirit Beast Manor, it's clear that he wants to completely erase his ties with the Zhou Family.

Zhou Chun, a direct descendant of the Traditional Zhou Family, going to join the Spirit Beast Manor, would definitely face difficulties in being trusted and valued.

While the Spirit Beast Zhou Family, being established by the legitimate descendants of the Zhou Family, would welcome Zhou Chun back with open arms. As long as he proved his strength and capability, gaining the family's recognition wouldn't be difficult.

With such an obvious difference between the choices, there's no need for much contemplation.

With this in mind, Zhou Chun waited for the group of loose cultivators at his table to scatter before leaving the teahouse himself. He then intercepted the mustachioed man halfway and inquired about the whereabouts of the Spirit Beast Zhou Family.

However, to his disappointment, the man with the mustache only heard of the news that the Sanjue Sect was split into four forces and did not know the specifics of where these four forces were now based.

Still, Zhou Chun managed to learn from him the address of the cultivators' marketplace within Lanzhou's territory and planned to go there to further probe for information.

Thus, Zhou Chun quickly reclaimed the three Spirit Coins deposit and left "Qingyun Valley".

Not long after leaving "Qingyun Valley," Zhou Chun's brows furrowed, and his eyes suddenly darkened.

He raised his hand, and a fist-sized bird with a sharply pointed beak landed on his wrist, chirping noisily.

Known as the "Red-Beaked Sparrow," this bird was extremely intelligent and had exceptional eyesight. It was also small and a common bird, not something that cultivators would usually pay much attention to.

Therefore, it is often tamed by low-level cultivators skilled in Beast Taming Techniques to act as scouts for tracking and vigilance.

While Zhou Chun was recuperating in Cangyun City, he chanced upon this "Red-Beaked Sparrow" caught by a hunter for sale at the city's bird market during a casual stroll and bought it to tame.

Now, under the Beast Taming Technique he learned from his memories, this little bird had grown quite close to him, capable of keeping watch for him.

Zhou Chun had discovered the loose cultivator who led him in Yunlan Mountain also because this little bird spotted the person first.

And just a moment ago, this little bird, flying overhead to keep watch for him, suddenly told him that someone was following him, and there wasn't just one person either.

Who could be tracking him?

Zhou Chun quickly ran through his experiences in "Qingyun Valley" in his mind and soon had a rough idea of the target.

As to whether his guess was correct, he would soon find out.

Immediately, Zhou Chun ducked into a nearby clump of grass, formed hand seals to cast a spell, and used a first-grade middle-tier spell, "Wood Concealment Technique," which allowed him to merge with the essence of plants to conceal his presence and form.

After a while, a man in yellow robes and a young man in black walked into Zhou Chun's line of sight.

It was him!

Zhou Chun, upon seeing the yellow-robed man who sported a mustache, immediately confirmed his suspicion.

The young man in black beside the man in yellow robes was also the loose cultivator Zhou Chun had seen earlier in the teahouse.

Clearly, the man in the yellow robe was very cautious, even with malintent towards him, he feared he might not be able to overpower him alone, so he specially found the young man in black as an assistant.

"Where is he? Where did that boy disappear to? How could he vanish without a trace all of a sudden?"

In the woods, the man in the yellow robe looked around with a shocked and puzzled expression, speaking quickly and urgently, filled with an intense sense of anxiety.

The young man in black was also looking around vigilantly, saying in a deep voice, "He must have noticed that we were tailing him. These cultivators from the sects and families always have some spells that we ordinary loose cultivators can hardly learn!"

There was a tone of envy and resentment in his words.

Zhou Chun, hearing their conversation, immediately understood why they had come.

It was his eagerness to inquire about the Zhou Family situation that had aroused the suspicions of the man in the yellow robe and thus brought this danger upon himself.

However, this had also given him a direct experience of the perilous nature of the cultivation world.

Just because he tried to find out a piece of information, he would attract jealousy and murderous attacks. Was this the brutality of the cultivation world?

Zhou Chun's eyes were dark as he watched the two men in the forest, and he couldn't help but feel a surge of anger in his heart.

If you want to kill me, then let's see who ends up killing whom!

With malicious intentions, the will to kill arises spontaneously.

Zhou Chun reached into his sleeve, and a black iron spike was pulled out from the pocket within.

Then, he targeted his mark and threw it with a flick of his wrist.

In an instant, a streak of dark light flew from his hand, piercing straight through a large tree and striking the chest of the young man in black, who just happened to be blocked from sight by the tree.

"You little thief!"

A roar of anger came from the man in the yellow robe as he hurriedly slapped a talisman onto his body, forming a circular earthy yellow protective barrier around himself.

He then slapped his storage pouch on his waist, and immediately called forth a purple-red copper hammer magic artifact, smashing it towards where Zhou Chun was hiding.

But since Zhou Chun had chosen to strike first, he had naturally left the spot swiftly after making his move.

By the time the copper hammer magic artifact hit the empty space, he had already used another pale golden flying knife magic artifact to slit the throat of the severely injured young man in black, who had fallen to the ground.

Having taken the initiative and eliminated one enemy, Zhou Chun looked at the man in the yellow robe, who was now panicking in the woods, and couldn't help but reveal a cold smile.

He said, smiling coldly, "Isn't this Taoist Friend Dai? If you follow Zhou in secret, could it be that you wish to invite me for tea?"

While speaking, Zhou Chun had already started forming hand seals and had retrieved the two magic artifacts that had killed the young man in black.

Seeing this, the man in the yellow robe became even more panicked.

He sneakily glanced at the lifeless corpse of the young man in black, his eyelids twitched slightly, and he quickly called out to Zhou Chun, "Let's speak nicely, Taoist Friend Zhou. It was a moment of folly on my part that led me to harbor ill will against you. Now that I have come to my senses, I hope Taoist Friend Zhou can grant me a chance at redemption!"

Zhou Chun, upon hearing this, spoke coldly, "There's no need for redemption. After all, death extinguishes all wrongs. No matter how grievous your faults, death resolves all!"

With that, he formed spells with his hands and launched a fierce assault on the man in the yellow robe with his two magic artifacts.

In terms of cultivation level, the man in the yellow robe was in the seventh layer of the Qi Refinement Realm, just one level higher than Zhou Chun.

But in terms of the quality and number of magic artifacts, Zhou Chun, who had acquired the relics of Li Han, completely outclassed him.

Moreover, having lost his nerve before the fight, he had already lost his courage, which naturally made it difficult for him to exert his full strength in the battle.

After an intense struggle, Zhou Chun finally broke the man's protective spell barrier before running out of mana and pierced his brow with the pale golden flying knife magic artifact.

"The law of the jungle, survival of the fittest — this is the cultivation world!"

Looking at the dead body of the man in the yellow robe on the ground, Zhou Chun murmured softly to himself, raised his hand to retrieve the flying knife artifact, and then quickly cleared up the battlefield.

Half an hour later, Zhou Chun, having scavenged both bodies, set fire to the corpses, turning them to ashes, and then swiftly left the scene with his spoils.