141: Chapter 141 Returning to Dragon Vein Mountain!

"Training Dao Soldiers is extremely difficult."

"First, one must have the Secret Art for training them. Such Secret Arts have always been monopolized by the Three Great Sects and Golden Core Families, and are not easily passed on to outsiders. Even if Loose Cultivators or small families are lucky enough to obtain one, it's often an incomplete fragment, making it difficult to train a structured unit of Dao Soldiers."

"Second, one must have massive amounts of resources. Whether it's the training, feeding, or advancing of Dao Soldiers, which of these doesn't require Spirit Stones, Medicinal Pills, and Heaven And Earth Treasures? An ordinary Foundation Establishment Family would struggle to support a squad of ten Dao Soldiers, let alone hundreds or thousands."

The old man spoke as he took another sip of tea.

Ye Changge also picked up his teacup and took a light sip.

As the tea entered his throat, a surge of warm and mellow Spiritual Qi instantly dissolved in his body, flowing slowly through his Meridians, leaving his entire body feeling comfortable.

His heart stirred slightly.

This tea... was indeed no ordinary product.

The old man continued,

"In the Zhao State, there is only one cultivation Family that possesses Dao Soldiers."

Ye Changge's gaze sharpened. "Oh?"

"It is the head of the five Golden Core Families under the Lingxiao Sect—the Beast-Taming Zhao Family."

The old man's voice carried a hint of emotion.

"The Zhao Family has studied the Dao of beast taming for generations and keeps several types of rare birds and exotic beasts, including two structured units of Dao Soldiers."

"One is called the 'Green-Scaled Wolf Cavalry.' They use the Second-tier Demonic Beast, the Green-Scaled Wolf, as mounts, paired with the Zhao Family's secret 'Green Wolf Moon-Howling Art.' With wolf and rider as one, their combat power is astonishing. It is said that the Zhao Family's Green-Scaled Wolf Cavalry numbers five hundred."

"The other is called the 'Iron-Feathered Eagle Guards.' They use the Second-tier Demonic Beast, the Iron-Feathered Eagle, as mounts. They can patrol, scout, and launch surprise attacks from high altitudes, coming and going like the wind, making them impossible to guard against. This unit of eagle guards also numbers five hundred."

"It is precisely by relying on these two units of Dao Soldiers that the Beast-Taming Zhao Family has been able to suppress the other four Golden Core Families and hold the position of the head of the five Golden Core Families for centuries."

Ye Changge nodded slowly upon hearing this.

Five hundred Green-Scaled Wolf Cavalry, five hundred Iron-Feathered Eagle Guards...

Is this the foundation of a Golden Core Family?

The old man spoke again.

"Besides that, the Three Great Sects of the Zhao State each have their own research into Dao Soldiers."

"The Qingshui Sword Sect does not value Dao Soldiers. They believe in the principle of 'one sword breaks ten thousand laws,' holding that a Sword Cultivator only needs the sword in their hand to slay all enemies in the world. Thus, despite their strength, the Qingshui Sword Sect has no structured Dao Soldiers."

"The Spirit Taming Sect is the exact opposite. They are a Sect specifically dedicated to the study of beast taming and spirit taming, and they possess a vast variety and large number of Dao Soldiers."

"But as for truly structured, mature Dao Soldiers capable of being used in Sect wars, the Spirit Taming Sect only has one unit—the 'Golden-Armored Spirit Apes.' It's said they number eight hundred, each possessing immense strength and clad in golden armor that makes them invulnerable to blades and spears."

"As for the Lingxiao Sect..." The old man paused. "The Lingxiao Sect has deep foundations and also possesses Dao Soldier Legacies, but as for the specific details, outsiders have no way of knowing."

Ye Changge silently committed this to memory.

The old man continued,

"The final unit of Dao Soldiers is found in one of the three great immortal cities of the Zhao State—Ningbing Immortal City."

"The City Lord of Ningbing Immortal City, Master Ningbing, Fairy Bai Ningbing, is the number one Loose Cultivator in the Zhao State. Her cultivation is unfathomable, and she is said to have reached the Late Stage of Core Formation. She commands a unit of Dao Soldiers called the 'Frost Wyrms,' numbering exactly eight hundred."

"Frost Wyrms?"

Why did that sound so similar to his own black flood dragon dao soldierss?

Ye Changge pondered to himself.

At the same time, he noted the name Bai Ningbing. For a woman to be able to establish such a massive immortal city as a Loose Cultivator...

Establishing such a grand immortal city,

in Ye Changge's view, was no easy feat.

"It is precisely by relying on these Frost Wyrms that Bai Ningbing, as a Loose Cultivator, was able to establish an immortal city in this Zhao State of many experts and stand firm."

The old man continued to speak leisurely.

After listening, Ye Changge finally had a general understanding of the Dao Soldier landscape in the Zhao State's Cultivation World.

The Beast-Taming Zhao Family with their Green-Scaled Wolf Cavalry and Iron-Feathered Eagle Guards.

The Spirit Taming Sect with their Golden-Armored Spirit Apes.

Ningbing Immortal City with their Frost Wyrms.

And the unknown depth of the Lingxiao Sect's foundations...

He picked up his teacup and took another sip.

It seemed that after returning, he could not reveal the matter of the Dao Soldiers too quickly.

The black flood dragon dao soldierss were still in the training phase; their numbers were few, and their grade was not yet high enough.

Bean Soldiers could be matured quickly, but that 'yuanlian bean general' was, after all, a third-tier exotic treasure.

Once exposed, it would inevitably attract greed.

However...

If he could train the Dao Soldiers to a certain scale, it might not be impossible for the Ye Family to become a Golden Core Family in the future.

After all, he was a man with a System.

Ye Changge set down his teacup and cupped his hands toward the old man.

"Thank you for your guidance, elder."

The old man smiled and waved his hand.

"You're too kind, young friend. Paying for tea is only natural. If you have anything else to ask, you can come by anytime."

Ye Changge nodded and stood up to leave.

...

A few days later.

In front of the Pill Workshop.

Ye Changge and Xiao Caiyue stood side by side, while Xiao Yurou and Xiao Zhi stood to the side with several packed Storage Pouches.

Today, Xiao Yurou wore a pale green dress, making her look even more elegant and lovely.

She looked at the shop where she had stayed for several years, a hint of reluctance flashing in her eyes, though she quickly suppressed it.

Xiao Zhi, on the other hand, was so excited her face was flushed, and she chattered incessantly.

"We're finally leaving with Senior! This is great! What is Longmai Mountain like?"

Ye Changge walked to the middle of the street and looked up at the sky.

The sky was clear for ten thousand miles, and the breeze was gentle.

It was a good day for a journey.

The group arrived outside the immortal city.

With a thought, he sent out a Divine Thought from his Sea of Consciousness.

In the next moment—

A clear and cloud-piercing cry suddenly resounded through the sky!

Everyone looked up to see a massive golden figure breaking through the clouds and diving down!

Its wingspan was seven or eight zhang wide, its golden feathers shimmering brilliantly in the sunlight with a faint metallic luster at the edges, and its sharp eyes were as soul-stirring as lightning.

It was the Wuji Heavenly Eagle, Little Gold.

During Ye Changge's time in the immortal city,

he had let Little Gold hunt for food on its own in a remote area outside the city,

also allowing it to gain some combat skills.

Now, it had grown quite a bit more.

Xiao Zhi's eyes widened, and her mouth formed an 'O' shape.

"What... what a big eagle!"

Xiao Yurou was also full of shock and subconsciously took a step back.

Little Gold dived down and landed steadily in front of Ye Changge, bringing with it a gust of wind.

It affectionately lowered its head and rubbed against Ye Changge's palm, letting out a pleasant low trill.

Ye Changge smiled and stroked its head, then turned to look at Xiao Caiyue and the other two.

"Let's go."

Xiao Caiyue nodded slightly and was the first to leap onto the eagle's back.

Xiao Yurou took a deep breath and followed.

Xiao Zhi jumped up and down with excitement and was pulled onto the eagle's back by Xiao Yurou.

Ye Changge was the last to leap onto the eagle's back, standing at the very front.

Little Gold flapped its wings, stirring up a gale, and turned into a golden stream of light, soaring straight into the sky!

Below, Qingxuan Immortal City gradually shrank, eventually turning into a faint speck that vanished into the sea of clouds.