Chapter 56: Chapter 56: Spirit Eye Spring, Head-On Confrontation

Beneath Wild Wolf Ridge, there lay a hidden Spirit Eye Spring!

Once this secret was exposed, it immediately shocked all the cultivators from the five great cultivation families who were present.

That was a Spirit Eye Spring!

Such a cultivation treasure land could increase the meditation and cultivation speed of a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator by twenty to thirty percent out of thin air.

Even Golden Core Stage cultivators could benefit from it.

All five great cultivation families had been passed down for hundreds or even thousands of years, yet none of them possessed such a cultivation treasure land.

This was simply not a treasure that any one of them was qualified to possess!

Therefore, once the secret was discovered, Zhou Daoyi made a swift decision and immediately had the Sky Azure Cloud Python take himself and others to quickly withdraw to the gate of the Mu Family on Biyun Mountain, letting the Fire Divine Jackal cover the rear.

Zhang Zixuan indeed wanted to kill to guard the secret, but he had to have the capability to do so!

Therefore, seeing Zhou Daoyi and others leave, he knew that lingering would be meaningless, so he did not pursue the withdrawing Fire Divine Jackal. Instead, he hurried back to the Qiyun Alliance headquarters to report the matter.

As for that Spirit Eye Spring, if one’s cultivation level was below the Purple Mansion Phase, they couldn’t even destroy it.

Trying to relocate it would require a tremendous effort even for an ordinary Golden Core Stage cultivator.

So right now, there was no need to worry about the spring being claimed by someone else.

It wasn’t until five days later that Zhou Chun, who was in the marketplace, heard of the battle at Wild Wolf Ridge.

“There’s actually a Spirit Eye Spring hidden underneath Wild Wolf Ridge; no wonder the Mu Family was so easily slain by the Qiyun Alliance back then!”

Zhou Chun recalled how he and the cultivators from the Mu Family had gone to Wild Wolf Ridge, only to be pursued and attacked by cultivators of the Qiyun Alliance, immediately unraveling a question that had troubled him for years.

It was likely that the Qiyun Alliance had just discovered the Spirit Eye Spring themselves at that time, and had not yet had time to conceal it with formations. That’s why they had been worried about cultivators entering Wild Wolf Ridge and discovering the secret, so they dealt a harsh hand to the Mu Family’s cultivators.

But Zhou Chun remembered that Mu Xuanfeng, the Clan Leader of the Mu Family, had also captured a Qi Refinement Stage cultivator from the Qiyun Alliance. Could it be that this person was not privy to the insider details?

It was probably the case!

Otherwise, if the Mu Family had known about the existence of the Spirit Eye Spring early on, even if they couldn’t obtain it with their own power, they could have offered this news to a Golden Core Stage cultivator from Green Lotus Temple in exchange for rewards.

But now that the news has leaked, the Spirit Eye Spring will most likely still end up in the hands of Green Lotus Temple!

Thinking of this, Zhou Chun couldn’t help but feel a sense of envy.

Cultivation sects like Green Lotus Temple were truly the most comfortable.

They hardly had to manage the various minor sects and families below them, leaving them to compete and battle each other, and intervene only if certain boundaries were crossed.

But as soon as these lesser sects and families discovered any valuable treasures, sects like Green Lotus Temple could rightfully and effortlessly bring them into their fold.

And with the Qiyun Alliance suffering a setback this time, would they let it go so easily?

Zhou Chun’s brow furrowed again, and he couldn’t help but worry about his fellow clan members far away at Jiufeng Ridge.

At this very moment, Zhou Daoyi, the Clan Leader of the Zhou Family, had also returned to the gates of Zhou Family Mountain on Jiufeng Ridge.

Several Elders and the Supreme Elder, Zhou Mingde, were gathered together, speculating about the Qiyun Alliance’s reaction.

“The news of the Spirit Eye Spring has been reported to Green Lotus Temple by the Mu Family as quickly as possible. In this regard, the four great families have an advantage. It is expected that Green Lotus Temple won’t favor the Qiyun Alliance over this matter.”

“But Green Lotus Temple has always refrained from intervening in the disputes between various cultivation families and Loose Cultivators. Moreover, it seems that the Qiyun Alliance has other backers, so it’s unlikely that this alone will compel Green Lotus Temple to strike at them.”

“Since its establishment, the Qiyun Alliance has never faced a setback or suffered any loss, but this time they’ve taken a fall at our hands. They will definitely not let this go easily!”

“Next, they will certainly select a location as the target for their counterattack, and it’s very likely that it would be our Zhou Family!”

In the “Central Peace Hall,” Zhou Daoyi spoke solemnly, conveying related intelligence and his own conjectures as he was the first to speak.

Upon hearing his words, several Zhou Family Foundation Establishment cultivators in the hall could not help but nod in agreement.

Great Elder Zhou Mingshan, with a hoarse voice, said, “Among the five great cultivation families, only our Zhou Family originated from outside, having no Clan Member rise to prominence within Green Lotus Temple. Jiufeng Ridge was also seized from the hands of Loose Cultivators. If the Qiyun Alliance seeks revenge, our Zhou Family is indeed the most suitable target!”

“But our Zhou Family is not a pushover. Under my control, the Mountain Protection Array of Jiufeng Ridge, with the cooperation of our Clan Members, can withstand attacks from an enemy several times our size!”

“If the Qiyun Alliance truly sets their sights on our Zhou Family for their revenge, they will have to fully mobilize to have any chance of victory!”

The speaker, the Second Elder Zhou Chongshan, was a short, somewhat ugly-looking old man.

But his words, full of confidence, were unable to alleviate the worries of the others at the moment.

Clan Leader Zhou Daoyi cast a glance at him and said with a deep tone, “It is said that the Alliance Hierarch of the Qiyun Alliance possesses a cultivation level of the late Purple Mansion Phase!”

This statement caused Zhou Chongshan’s face to change dramatically, and he fell silent.

Reaching the Purple Mansion Phase in cultivation, even a minor realm difference could mean an enormous disparity in strength.

Along with his Spirit Pet, the Fire Divine Jackal, Zhou Mingde, the Supreme Elder of the Zhou Family, could barely match a mid-Purple Mansion Phase cultivator.

But he couldn’t withstand a late Purple Mansion Phase cultivator.

And just one late Purple Mansion Phase cultivator going all out was enough to push the Zhou Family’s Mountain Protection Array to its maximum capacity.

“Then let’s prepare for a counter-attack against the Qiyun Alliance’s forces at Jiufeng Ridge first; this old man will temporarily leave the family!”

With a wave of his hand, Zhou Mingde, the Supreme Elder of the Zhou Family, made the final judgment.

“Yes.”

A few Zhou Family Foundation Establishment cultivators exchanged looks with one another and silently agreed to the order.

Soon, all the cultivators of the Zhou Family at Jiufeng Ridge were mobilized, and talismans were taken out from the Family Treasure Vault and distributed to every Zhou Family cultivator.

If a great battle were to truly break out outside of Jiufeng Ridge, even Zhou Family cultivators who had just stepped onto the path of cultivation would have to use their feeble mana to activate talismans for combat.

Days later, a Golden Core Stage cultivator from Green Lotus Temple, having received the news, indeed arrived directly at Wild Wolf Ridge with several disciples skilled in formations to begin the relocation and arrangement around the Spirit Eye Spring.

After remaining silent for a few days, the Qiyun Alliance indeed quickly organized a large number of cultivators to leave their headquarters.

However, these cultivators did not head to attack the Zhou Family at Jiufeng Ridge but went straight for the Red Shine Iron Mine, seemingly preparing to take possession of it.

This situation caused the Zhou Family’s upper echelons both joy and worry.

They were glad that Zhou Family Mountain would not suffer the devastation of war again, but they were concerned that the loss of the Red Shine Iron Mine would also cause great damage to the Zhou Family.

Thus, the high-level members of the five major cultivation families quickly gathered again to discuss countermeasures.

In the end, the five major cultivation families came to a unanimous decision: they would each send clan members to support the mine and face the Qiyun Alliance at the Red Shine Iron Mine in a head-on, tough battle!

After agreeing on the plan, each family began selecting their elite members to rush to the Sun Family at Golden Maple Ridge.

The Zhou Family directly dispatched a team of thirty-five members, the lowest cultivation level among them being the sixth layer of Qi Refinement, and they also brought along some Demon Beasts that the Zhou Family had tamed for battle.

The other families also sent varying numbers of clan members, depending on their total population.

When the teams from the five major cultivation families had finally assembled at the Sun Family Mountain gate at Golden Maple Ridge, the number of participants had reached one hundred and seventy-three, among which there were as many as fifteen Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators!

In addition, there were three Purple Mansion Phase cultivators in the group, from the Zhou Family, the Wang Family, and the Sun Family respectively.

The Purple Mansion Phase cultivator from the Sun Family was also a core disciple of the Green Lotus Temple, a clan member who had entered Green Lotus Temple to cultivate more than three hundred years ago, and had now reached the mid-Purple Mansion Phase.

To persuade this person to join the battle, all five major cultivation families had paid a price.

“Report, to inform all the predecessors, the people from the Qiyun Alliance have appeared a hundred miles away,” a Qi Refinement Stage cultivator of the Zhou Family responsible for scouting information hurried into the hall and reported respectfully to the high-level members of the five major cultivation families gathered there.

Upon hearing this, everyone in the hall looked towards the senior in green Taoist robes who sat at the highest position.

“Continue scouting, report again after thirty miles!”

Confronted with everyone’s gazes, the middle-aged Taoist with a pale face barely moved his mouth to respond.

“Yes.”

The scouting Zhou Family cultivator respectfully acknowledged and quickly withdrew backward from the hall.

After dismissing the scout, the pale-faced middle-aged Taoist rose up tall and glanced over the cultivators in the hall, saying, “Dear fellow Daoists, the thieves have traveled a long distance and have not had a place to sit in meditation and recuperate. The advantages of time and location are both in our hands; we are sure to win this battle!”

“We are sure to win this battle!”

All the cultivators responded in a deep voice, their eyes already filled with the will to fight.

Pleased with their response, the middle-aged Daoist nodded with satisfaction, then flicked his dust whisk and ordered with a deep voice, “Depart!”

After speaking, he confidently led the way out of the hall.

Quickly, the one hundred and seventy-three cultivators from the five major cultivation families left the Sun Family Mountain gate at Golden Maple Ridge and advanced towards the Qiyun Alliance cultivator teams tens of miles away to face the battle.