132: Three-way stand

Zhou Leren was anxious, speeding along the entire way, even casting aside the careful prudence the Clan usually taught him.

Along the way, any Cultivators who encountered his sword light quickly avoided it, clearly not wanting to cause trouble for themselves.

Outside Jade Moon Peak.

The sword light Zhou Leren rode stopped. Looking at the mountain protecting grand array, which seemed much stronger than before, his heart settled, his body relaxed, and he let out a long breath.

Afterwards, he tidied himself up slightly, wiping away the disheveled appearance from the continuous journey, and only then did he gracefully fly into Jade Moon Peak.

Returning to the Zhou Family, Zhou Leren first went to see Zhou Licheng and his wife. Seeing that they were safe, he was delighted and briefly recounted the events he encountered during his trip outside, including the interception and assassination by the Elders of the He and Ming families.

Zhou Leren was completely unconcerned, but Yang Linxi was pale with lingering fear. A mother worries when her child travels far. Since Zhou Leren's trip took several months, her worries were naturally considerable.

Fortunately, he had returned safely, and the stone in Yang Linxi's heart finally dropped to the ground.

At this point, Zhou Leren learned everything that had happened in the family. It turned out that the family had indeed undergone a change, no wonder the people from those two families dared to be so audacious as to intercept and assassinate him.

Zhou Leren's thoughts were manifold. After talking with Zhou Licheng and his wife for a while, he took out the Storage Pouches he obtained from the two people from the He and Ming families and handed them to Zhou Licheng, keeping only the silk handkerchief of plain silk.

"This silk handkerchief of plain silk can be used perfectly by Third Aunt."

Zhou Leren mused internally. Afterwards, he headed toward the Feiyue Peak Summit to find Zhou Liyue.

In the secret room at the summit, Zhou Leren took out his two Spiritual Artifacts, the guizheng pagoda and the luan fa sword, as well as the technique for controlling objects to fly that he had bought at the auction, and asked Zhou Liyue to look them over.

Seeing the luan fa sword, which was similar to the cheng fa sword, Zhou Liyue's calm heart experienced a slight ripple.

She summoned the luan fa sword into her hand, examined it carefully for a long time, and only then did she come back to her senses, sighing before handing the luan fa sword back.

"It is a good Spiritual Artifact. Use it well."

Zhou Liyue instructed softly. Then she looked at the guizheng pagoda. Although she was slightly surprised by this high-grade Tier 2 Spiritual Artifact, she accepted it upon remembering that the main material used was Tier 3 Yao Beast bone.

"In the future, we might be able to cooperate more with this Artifact Refining Pavilion..."

Zhou Liyue thought internally.

The Zhou Family does not have an Artifact Refining Legacy. Judging from this transaction, the Artifact Refining Pavilion is quite good, and cooperation can gradually be deepened.

As for the technique for controlling objects to fly, after Zhou Liyue handed the guizheng pagoda back to Zhou Leren, she took the technique into her hand and carefully looked through it.

"This Daoist Magic will stay with me for now. I will hand it over to your father in a few days to be placed in the Cultivation Manual Tower."

Zhou Liyue looked at it for a moment and said this to Zhou Leren.

Zhou Leren nodded. This was also Zhou Licheng's intention; Zhou Licheng and his wife knew about the Spell.

"Aunt, this is a gift for you."

Seeing Zhou Liyue temporarily put away the technique for controlling objects to fly, Zhou Leren rotated his hand, and a pinkish-white handkerchief embroidered with flowers, birds, mountains, and water appeared. Circulating his spiritual power, the silk handkerchief of plain silk floated towards Zhou Liyue.

"Oh?"

Zhou Liyue chuckled softly and took the handkerchief into her hand.

"Little Le Ren actually knows how to give Aunt a gift now. Not bad, not bad."

Zhou Liyue examined it for a long time, quite fond of it, and teased Zhou Leren.

"You didn't let your parents know about this, did you?"

Zhou Liyue's expression suddenly changed. She lowered her voice, looking extremely nervous.

"Ah, this..."

Zhou Leren looked greatly embarrassed.

"You knew to bring a gift for your Aunt, but you didn't prepare anything for your eldest brother and sister-in-law. Tsk tsk, it proves my affection for you since you were little wasn't wasted."

Zhou Liyue's expression changed rapidly, instantly shifting from nervous to slightly smug.

"Was that affection? Since childhood, I was the one you bullied the most..."

Zhou Leren looked helpless and complained internally.

"Having those two Storage Pouches should count as a gift, right..."

Zhou Leren felt a little uneasy.

He really hadn't considered this angle.

"Alright, I won't tease you anymore."

"Was this handkerchief also bought at that auction?"

Zhou Liyue's expression became serious, and she stopped joking with him.

Hearing this, Zhou Leren recounted the matter concerning the two people from the He and Ming families.

After a moment of silence, Zhou Liyue spoke seriously:

"In the future, you must still prioritize caution, making self-preservation the primary objective."

Zhou Leren nodded.

After staying at the summit for a little longer, Zhou Leren got up and left. After hesitating for a moment, he still chose not to go to Qingyuan Lake to disturb Mo Xuan.

Afterwards, he descended the summit to look for his younger siblings.

As the eldest brother, he naturally had to go and check on his injured siblings... Several months passed.

The He Family was destroyed, and the Ming Family retreated.

The Xuanqing Sect spent a considerable amount of time incorporating the territories of the two families back into its domain.

Among them, there were quite a few Cultivators who tried to take advantage or put up stubborn resistance.

But now that their two major backers were gone, these small fry naturally couldn't cause any trouble.

However, the two Towns where the Zhou Family was located, Qingyuan and Hanyan, saw no change.

The Xuanqing Sect's sudden move left the two families powerless to resist, and the Xuanqing Sect's prestige was restored.

The Zhou Family, being on good terms with the Xuanqing Sect, was minimally affected.

The situation in Huichuan Prefecture was stabilized once again.

With one Sect and one Family reigning supreme, below them were Foundation Establishment Stage powers like the Heavenly Star Sect.

Although the Heavenly Star Sect lost four Foundation Establishment Stage Elders during the Yao Beast siege, including the newly promoted Late Foundation Establishment Stage Sect Head Xin and Ji Changyue, and suffered heavy casualties among Disciples above Mid-stage Qi Refining, its strength was greatly reduced.

However, the Heavenly Star Sect still had three Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators, and with the Heavenly Star Sect Grand Elder, who had long since advanced to the Late Foundation Establishment Stage, holding the fort, no major changes occurred, and its Legacy remained stable.

Several more months passed.

True Lord Herun of the Xuanqing Sect ventured alone deep into the Tianshui Mountain Range, crossing the boundary between the two domains, and consecutively killed three Golden Core Stage Demon Kings, until he drew out an Early Nascent Soul Stage Demon Emperor to strike.

One person and one demon fought fiercely. True Lord Herun, having only recently advanced, was ultimately defeated by the Demon Emperor and retreated after being injured.

True Lord Herun returned stained with blood, but his Aura was unprecedentedly powerful.

After this day.

The prestige of the Xuanqing Sect greatly increased. With a Nascent Soul True Lord holding the fort, it completely surpassed the Golden Core Level Powers of the surrounding prefectures and stood alongside the Jiang Family of Qingzhou.

Following True Lord Herun's actions, the Lingxu Branch Sect stationed in Qingzhou also had its Disciples descend the mountain to travel and propagate the prestige of the Spirit Void Sect.

Although the plan to scheme for Huichuan Prefecture was shattered, with the support of the Lingxu Main Sect in the Litian Domain and True Monarch Tianya, the Lingxu Branch Sect also initially gained a stable foothold in Qingzhou.

For a time, Qingzhou presented a three-way standoff.

The Xuanqing Sect had the shallowest foundation, relying solely on True Lord Herun for support.

Furthermore, there was only one Golden Core Stage Immortal Master, True Person Qingmu, which was far behind the other two powers.

Therefore, they only held fast to Huichuan Prefecture, trying their best to avoid conflict with the Spirit Void Sect and the Jiang Family.

This was quite similar to the Zhou Family, where there was a gap in strength levels.

At the Zhou Family, Zhou Leren once again left Jade Moon Peak.

However, the direction he headed this time was toward Tianshui City.

The Xuanqing Sect, now controlling several Towns, had a shortage of manpower.

Zhou Leren accepted the Xuanqing Sect's invitation and went to Tianshui City to hold the fort.

One reason was to hone his Daoist Magic skills, and the second was that the Zhou Family had received a Tier 2 Yao Beast Taming technique gifted by True Person Qingmu.

However, the family had not yet cultivated a Foundation Establishment Stage Yao Beast, so Zhou Leren could only rely on himself to find one.

Zhou Liyue continued to hold the fort at Jade Moon Peak, guarding the Zhou Family.

The other Disciples of the Le generation, besides Cultivating, also took on various tasks.

They either tended to the family's spiritual fields, the Hundred Beasts Garden, and the Ten Thousand Snakes Pool, or they studied Formation and refined explosive flame bombs.

Each had tasks to perform, collectively strengthening the Zhou Family's foundation and power.