Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension

Three days later, Zhao Shuo hid behind a pile of rubble, carefully observing the activities below the mountain and in the sky.

After a flock of demon beasts flew over from Lush Peach Mountain towards the north, he patted the dust off his body, stood up, and was about to turn towards the stone cave.

At that moment, a black dot suddenly appeared on the horizon.

Zhao Sheng stopped in his tracks and looked towards it.

The dot grew larger and quickly became a white Cloud Boat.

Seeing the Cloud Boat rapidly approaching Lush Peach Mountain, Zhao Shuo's expression became very vigilant, and he immediately leapt into the stone cave to alert the elders.

After Zhao Sheng and several clansmen emerged from the stone cave, the Cloud Boat just happened to fly over Lush Peach Mountain and deftly landed on the ground.

Then, two elders in Crimson Robes jumped down from the Cloud Boat.

One was tall and thin, the other had a round face, both unabashedly radiating the aura of the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Zhao Sheng, Zhao Jijian, and Zhao Keru exchanged glances and simultaneously released the aura of the Foundation Establishment Realm.

At the same time, Zhao Sheng stepped forward and said with a smile, "So it turns out to be friends from the Elixir Cauldron Sect. May I ask what brings the two of you to Lush Peach Mountain?"

The two men scrutinized Zhao Sheng and the others, then looked up at the ruins of the mountaintop, their expressions strange.

"Lush Peach Mountain? Might as well call it Rotten Mound Mountain."

Then, the tall thin elder spoke, "Hmm, we had thought that this place had already been destroyed by the beast tide. It seems we were mistaken. Farewell!"

"Please wait a moment!"

Just as the two turned to leave, Zhao Sheng hastily stopped them and asked, "May I ask, my friends, how are conditions outside now? We've been trapped on Lush Peach Mountain and haven't had contact with the outside world for quite some time."

The tall, thin elder turned around and said, "The largest wave of the beast tide passed two days ago, but the repercussions are far from over. As for when the beast tide will end, we do not know either. But it will take at least a month. I hope you can hold out until the beast tide is over. Otherwise, this place belongs to someone else! Farewell!"

As they watched the two leave on the Cloud Boat, Zhao Sheng and the others discussed and decided to temporarily not rebuild Lush Peach Mountain.

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Lie low, everything else could wait until after the beast tide.

...

One month later,

Having seen no large-scale beast herds for three consecutive days, everyone from the Zhao family realized that the beast tide had finally passed.

That day, laughter finally resounded over Lush Peach Mountain once again.

The next day, under Zhao Jijian's command, the Cloud Boat roared towards Nine Tripods Square.

Meanwhile, Zhao Sheng led his clansmen in beginning the reconstruction of Lush Peach Mountain.

Three months later, Lush Peach Mountain boasted a brand-new set of buildings, and the spirit fields below the mountain were redeveloped.

Seeing Lush Peach Mountain back on track, Zhao Sheng slowly shifted his focus to cultivation.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Simultaneously, Zhao Xuanjing secretly returned to Geng Gold Mine, commencing an eight-year long miner's career.

One year later, the Desolate Domain was initially pacified.

Yuye Ancestor reappeared in the world, announcing to various major sects that Pig Emperor Ridge was renamed Golden Jade Valley.

That same year, Yuye Ancestor and his spouse broke away from the Ge Family and established the Wu Family in Jade Leaf Valley, with an influence spanning seven thousand miles of the Desolate Domain.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, eight years had passed.

That afternoon, Zhao Xuanjing rushed to the Alchemy Hall to deliver the last batch of Geng Metal to Zhao Sheng.

In the Alchemy Hall, Zhao Sheng looked at the small amount of Geng Metal in his palm, a trace of melancholy on his face.

"Is that all?"

"Really, that's it! I searched for half a month and only found this bit. In the last few days, I didn't dig up a single piece," Zhao Sheng replied.

"Well, if it's gone, it's gone. By the way, is the mine taken care of?" Zhao Sheng asked as he stowed away the Geng Metal.

"Uncle, the entire mine has been filled and sealed. I assure you no outsider can find even a trace," replied Zhao Xuanjing.

At this time, Zhao Xuanjing, who was over forty, had bushy eyebrows and a square face that clearly bore the marks of age.

With his giant-like robust stature, he appeared very imposing and dignified.

Zhao Sheng nodded, then suddenly asked, "Xuanjing, which do you think is better, Lush Peach Mountain or Taifu Mountain?"

Zhao Xuanjing, upon hearing the question, wore a bitter expression and scratched his head, pretending to be dumb and dazed, "Uncle Qi, such an important decision about choosing spirit land should be made by the elders. It's better for a junior like me to just follow orders."

After hearing this, Zhao Sheng laughed and scolded him, "You're getting slicker by the day. Not a word of truth, just talking circles to bamboozle me. Come on, what do you really think?"

Hehe!

Zhao Xuanjing, feeling a bit embarrassed, laughed and then couldn't help but speak his truth, "If you ask me, both Taifu Mountain and Lush Peach Mountain have their own merits. Taifu Mountain is better in terms of peace and stability, while Lush Peach Mountain holds great potential for development with superior geographical conditions. Plus, with the Yuye Ancestor having just upgraded to Nascent Soul, as long as no accidents occur, we could have at least two thousand years of stable development here."

Although Zhao Xuanjing didn't explicitly say so, his words clearly favored the future of Lush Peach Mountain.

His thoughts aligned with Zhao Sheng, but most of the Zhao family members were completely leaning toward Taifu Mountain.

This was especially true for Zhao Xuan'an's opinion, which was very firm, and he had even convinced Zhao Jijian.

As for Zhao Keru, he was impartial, staying in the middle.

Since Zhao Xuan'an was the Family Head of the Zhao family, once he insisted on choosing Taifu Mountain, it was hard for Zhao Sheng to object.

Seeing Uncle Qi deep in thought, Zhao Xuanjing wanted to slip away quietly but was unexpectedly stopped again.

"How are things going at Flame Ridge?"

Zhao Xuanjing quickly responded, "The Earth Fire Chamber has already been built. The Ge family has reserved two rooms especially for our family."

Zhao Sheng nodded silently, very satisfied with the Ge family's generosity in his heart.

The Zhao family didn't have the capacity to occupy two spirit lands simultaneously.

Thus, three years ago, he had instructed Zhao Xuan'an to give Flame Ridge to the Elixir Saint Ge Family.

Even though Zhao Sheng hadn't asked for anything in return, it was clear the Ge family had no intention of taking advantage unduly.

These two Earth Fire Chambers were their greatest form of repayment to the Zhao family.

Aside from family use, if rented out to others,

One Earth Fire Chamber could bring in a rental income of at least a couple of thousand Spirit Stones each year.

While it wasn't much, it added up over time.

"Uncle Qi, if there's nothing else, I'll head out first."

"Wait, there's one more thing. You've advanced to the Qi Refining Ninth Layer, haven't you?" Zhao Sheng said, his gaze intensely focused on him.

Zhao Xuanjing, smiling naively, nodded, "Nothing can escape Uncle Qi's eyes. I just advanced two days ago."

"Good, Xuanjing, you've really given me a big surprise. I thought I'd have to wait another two years, but now it seems we can't delay any further," Zhao Sheng stood up, walked around his nephew in a circle, and exclaimed in admiration.

"Uncle Qi, do you mean... returning to Heavenly Pillar Mountain?" Zhao Xuanjing asked, seemingly enlightened.

"Yes, the environment of the secret mansion is more suitable for you. Staying in Lush Peach Mountain any longer would greatly slow down your cultivation progress. You know, the sooner you attempt Foundation Establishment, the better it is not only for you but also for the family,"

Zhao Sheng felt more and more that he was right as he spoke.

Right after, he immediately instructed Zhao Xuanjing to pack up and return to Heavenly Pillar Mountain as soon as possible.

When Zhao Xuanjing heard that Uncle Qi was also leaving, he asked in surprise, "You're not going to take care of things here?"

"I'm letting it go. Let Xuan'an worry about it. Children have their own good fortune. I can manage it for a lifetime, but I can't manage it forever,"

After saying this, Zhao Sheng felt as if he had lifted a great weight off his shoulders, his entire demeanor much more relaxed.

Zhao Xuanjing didn't quite understand the meaning behind Zhao Sheng's words, but he clearly heard an intention to let go.

"If that's the case, I'll go back and prepare right away, and also say goodbye to my mother,"

Seeing that Zhao Sheng had made up his mind, Zhao Xuanjing didn't say anything more.

He was pure-hearted, without the heavy desire for power that Zhao Xuan'an possessed.

Though he preferred Lush Peach Mountain, if the family ultimately chose Taifu Mountain, he had no complaints.

After all, he held a special identity as the leader of Zhao's Secret Department.

According to the ancestral teachings, the Dark Department should not interfere in family affairs.