Cultivation Begins From The Desert

"Indeed, very strong!"

"If I hadn't known that you, Elder Xu, were here, there's no way I wouldn't have been in trouble. Just now, I was almost scared enough to pull out my trump card."

Zhouyang leapt out from within the cave wall, looking displeased as he glanced at Xu Song. He wore a forced smile as he chuckled, implying something.

"Ah, hahaha, what Fellow Daoist Zhou says is absolutely true. Absolutely true. Xu relies on you for my future in the Dao, why would I ever harm a fellow Daoist?"

A flash of black light, and Xu Song's ghostly body flew out from the underground ruins, landing in front of the bone clone. He forced a laugh at Zhouyang, taking the initiative to introduce Zhouyang to his bone clone.

Xu Song's bone clone was much more impressive than Zhouyang had anticipated.

This bone clone, refined from the remains of a cultivator at the Fake Infant stage, not only boasted a hardness equivalent to a Tier Five Spiritual Artifact but could also be used as a puppet with immense strength, capable of driving a powerful White Bone Demon Flame divine technique to attack enemies.

With cultivation at the First-Layer Golden Core and being a Ghost Cultivator, Xu Song's combat ability was initially inferior to that of other Golden Core Stage cultivators of the same tier.

However, after refining this bone clone, even an ordinary Third-Layer Golden Core cultivator could suffer serious injuries from him if not careful.

The Demon Dao is such that when there is an opportunity to acquire suitable materials, one's power can soar dramatically.

For instance, if a Demon Dao Golden Core cultivator could obtain a complete Nascent Soul Stage cultivator's remains and refine it into a demon corpse, they would not find a match at the same tier unless they encountered an enemy with special demon-exterminating divine techniques.

Hence, the Corpse Demon Dao cultivators constantly think about how to steal the remains of passmasters who passed away within major cultivation sects and clans, or excavate the graves of ancient cultivators, hoping to unearth powerful ancient cultivator corpses.

Sometimes, major sects use this as bait to lure Corpse Demon Dao cultivators out for a comprehensive sweep.

Despite this, nothing stops Corpse Demon Dao cultivators from their passion for grave robbing, and news of the remains of a sect's ancestors and the ancestral tombs of families being stolen regularly circulates in the cultivation realm.

Nine times out of ten, such acts are committed by Corpse Demon Dao cultivators.

"Elder Xu, after so many years of researching teleportation arrays, have you come up with anything?"

Zhouyang did not want to discuss matters involving Demon Dao cultivators with Xu Song. He shifted the topic, focusing on Xu Song's research achievements.

In the Boundless Desert Sea Cultivation Realm, the oases are so distantly separated that travel is extremely inconvenient. If Xu Song could develop a medium-to-short-range teleportation array with low usage requirements that connects large oases, it would greatly benefit the entire cultivation realm's development.

"Difficult, difficult!"

"Without specific array formation methods, trying to reverse-engineer how a teleportation array is set up from just researching a final product is as hard as climbing the heavens!"

"Moreover, to activate this teleportation array, you need to implant the corresponding space waymark into the Profound Crystal Stone. According to my estimation, only Nascent Soul Stage cultivators who have begun comprehending the space law can implant a space waymark into the Profound Crystal Stone."

"So even if I actually mastered the method for setting up a teleportation array, and you can gather such a spiritual object as the Profound Crystal Stone, without help from a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator, don't even think about setting up a teleportation array!"

Xu Song shook his head, sighing helplessly as he shared the research outcomes.

Hearing his words, Zhouyang realized how ridiculous his previous ideas had been and instantly dismissed such thoughts.

After all, if the teleportation array wasn't so restricted, why are there only rumors that major sects, which have Nascent Soul Stage cultivators, can hold onto them?

There are smarter and more ambitious people in this world than just him!

"However, I haven't truly gained nothing from my years of studying the teleportation array!"

"Based on my research, the teleportation array on the other side is indeed intact and ready for activation at any time."

"As long as you slot thirty-six pieces of top-grade spirit stones into the spirit stone grooves of this teleportation array and place the Profound Crystal Stone back into place, it can teleport you over at any time."

Seeing Zhouyang's dissatisfaction, Xu Song paused, then coughed slightly before admitting what he'd found out.

With years of cunning, he understood what Zhouyang had in mind regarding this large-scale remote teleportation array. His words, chosen carefully to cater to Zhouyang's interests, immediately worked.

"Really? That's indeed good news."

Zhouyang's expression softened, a gleam of excitement in his eyes.

Even though he had long decided not to use this large-scale remote teleportation array in the near future, ensuring it was operational was still very important.

Of course, amidst his joy, he did not forget the purpose of his visit.

So he looked at Xu Song and asked, "Decades have passed; it's time to formally implement that plan of mine. Elder Xu, are you prepared for battle?"

Hearing this, Xu Song confidently assured, "Rest assured, though I've mainly focused my energy on array study these years, I've not neglected my divine techniques. Dealing with just one Tier Five Lower Grade demon beast is no problem."

Zhouyang, seeing this, felt a bit relieved and nodded, saying, "In that case, let's set off now!"

Immediately, Xu Song arranged a Tier Four Array that Zhouyang carried with him outside the ruins to prevent it from being intruded and destroyed by cultivators or demon beasts, and then the two, one man and one ghost, left the underground ruins.

After bringing Xu Song back to the clan, Zhouyang issued a command, and the entire Zhou Family began to bustle with activity.

This expedition to Rhino Horn Continent will not only involve these high-tier cultivators, but also those Foundation Establishment and Qi Cultivation cultivators will have tasks to perform.

Once they have cleared the high-tier demon beasts on Rhino Horn Continent, they will immediately transport and deploy these middle-to-low tier cultivators to develop the oases there.

Moreover, the second new oasis construction team, which has already been contacted, will start working from the other end to create a new oasis, striving to open up the "Path of Life" as quickly as possible.

At the same time, Zhouyang personally went to the Yellow Sand Sect to invite Jiang Yuyan to their rendezvous, and he also rented a Tier Four Top Grade Puppet Beast "Thunder Burst Ape" from the Yellow Sand Sect at the cost of two top-grade spirit stones as rent.

After his trip to the Liuyun Continent Cultivation Realm, the number of top-grade spirit stones Zhouyang had nearly reached twenty pieces, and later he found as many as fifty-four top-grade spirit stones among the relics of a Great Brightness Immortal Palace cultivator.

As a result, the number of top-grade spirit stones he now possesses far exceeds that of a sect like the Yellow Sand Sect.

However, he needs to reserve thirty-six pieces for activating that large remote teleportation array, so the actual number of top-grade spirit stones he can use isn't that many.

If it weren't for the determination to succeed in one move, he wouldn't be willing to use top-grade spirit stones as rent to hire a Tier Four Puppet Beast from the Yellow Sand Sect.

After preparing for more than half a year, everything was ready, and Zhouyang finally led the team to depart.

To win, Zhouyang even took his Dao Companion Xiao Ying along for this journey, so the lineup this time is as follows.

Ghost cultivator Xu Song with First-Layer Golden Core cultivation, whose combat strength rivals ordinary Third-Layer Golden Core cultivators after refining a bone clone.

Jiang Yuyan, who possesses the combat strength of a Golden Core cultivator after refining the "Outer Dao Golden Core."

Zhouyang, with Sixth-Layer Purple Mansion cultivation, whose actual combat strength exceeds that of Ninth-Layer Purple Mansion cultivators.

Xiao Ying, with Third-Layer Purple Mansion cultivation, and the newly promoted Purple Mansion cultivator Zhou Guangxiang.

Tier Four Lower Grade Demon Beasts, the Golden-winged Thunder Eagle and the Eagle Lion Beast.

One Golden Core cultivator, one "Fake Golden Core" cultivator, plus three Purple Mansion cultivators, and two Tier Four demon beasts.

With such a lineup, sweeping through the entire Boundless Desert Sea Cultivation Realm posed no problems.

As they were all high-tier cultivators and had the Golden-winged Thunder Eagle and Eagle Lion Beast, two Tier Four Lower Grade flying demon beasts, taking turns to fly, Zhouyang and his party managed to reach outside Rhino Horn Continent in just over a fortnight after departing from Red Tiger Mountain.

The cultivators here today, aside from Zhouyang, had not participated in the previous Rhino Horn Continent battle, so when they saw the scenery of the Rhino Horn Continent, they viewed it with a sense of curiosity.

But Zhouyang was different.

He vividly remembered, the last time he came with Cao Wenjin, the Rhino Horn Continent was teeming with herds of rhinos, and various kinds of rhinoceros demon beasts were everywhere to be seen, with few other types of demon beasts in sight.

But now, while Rhino Horn Continent remained lush and verdant as before, rhinos and rhinoceros demon beasts had become rare species.

Replacing them on the oasis were various types of demon wolves, and besides the wolves, the oasis was also home to large herds of cattle, sheep, horses, and deer, as well as packs of monkeys climbing trees to pick fruit, some of which Zhouyang saw.

"Master Cyan Yang said that the Tier Six Demon King from the Broken Cloud Mountain Range and the Great Brightness Immortal Palace signed a contract tens of thousands of years ago not to interfere in the conflicts of the Boundless Desert Sea Cultivation Realm or step onto its land."

"However, the monstrous rats and monkey-type demon beasts digging for spirit stones at the spirit stone mine back then clearly couldn't have been orchestrated by a Tier Five demon beast—there must have been a demon king manipulating things behind the scenes!"

"Fortunately, that spirit stone mine has been exhausted, so the demon king probably no longer covets this oasis, let alone concerns himself with the lives and deaths of the demon beasts here!"

On the back of the Golden-winged Thunder Eagle, Zhouyang's eyes flickered briefly as he watched the ongoing chase and escape games played by demon beasts and wild beasts on the oasis.

Daring to have designs on Rhino Horn Continent, he naturally considered all aspects of the situation thoroughly.

When he visited Master Cyan Yang in the Liuyun Continent Cultivation Realm and mentioned that Cao Wenjin was being chased by a Tier Five Top Grade Golden-winged Thunder Eagle, Master Cyan Yang found it strange, stating that a Tier Six Demon King shouldn't meddle in matters of the Rhino Horn Continent.

Lately, after seeing the broken horn of a Tier Six Demon King that Cao Wenjin entrusted to him, Master Cyan Yang figured out the underlying truth and specifically reassured him not to worry about Tier Five demon beasts emerging from the Broken Cloud Mountain Range to attack the oases of the Boundless Desert Sea Cultivation Realm.

At that time, he even specifically asked Master Cyan Yang if the Zhou family could occupy Rhino Horn Continent as their clan's new foundation once they developed to a level capable of holding it.

Master Cyan Yang also assured him then that as long as they didn't kill direct descendants cherished by the demon king or fundamentally threaten the demon king's interests, the demon king would definitely not interfere in the matters of the Boundless Desert Sea Cultivation Realm.

Thus, today's journey came to be.