176: Chapter 176 Zhou Rulong

The super powers of the Central Continent did not want to conflict with Dongxuan, and the people of Dongxuan felt the same. Moreover, Lin Qing's side had suffered no actual losses, so Yun Feng gave them this Face.

The two from the Zhou Family silently breathed a sigh of relief. In truth, once they realized both opponents were at the Tenth Rank, they had already lost the will to fight. They had even secretly sent voice transmissions to Yun Feng to show weakness, but Yun Feng had simply ignored them.

After the battle was called off, Yun Feng returned directly to the Li Family residence, and the two from the Zhou Family also departed immediately; it was clear they would no longer interfere with the subsequent compensation matters.

Inside the Li Family's main hall, Lin Qing sat high in the seat of honor, with Fei Luo sitting to the side to attend to him. She did not know Lin Qing's true strength and feared he might be ambushed by the other party.

In her view, although Lin Qing possessed Grand Aunt-Master Qing Yao's Divine Thought imprint, in many situations, when facing a powerhouse far exceeding one's own level, the Divine Thought imprint would not be activated in time.

Just like Zhou Yichen; he also possessed a Divine Thought imprint, but in front of Lin Qing, he had no time to use it.

Although Zhou Fentian was also in the God Realm, he could only stand humiliated in the hall, without even a seat. After all, who told him to be on the losing side?

Although the matter had started because of the Li Family, it was clear that they had no right to negotiate terms at this moment; all the benefits this time belonged to the people of Dongxuan.

In the end, the Zhou Family handed over their entire set of Cultivation Techniques. The Mortal Realm portion was of little value, but the God Realm Cultivation Technique was highly valuable. Even the Chuyun Immortal Sect only possessed one Tenth Rank Cultivation Technique. Although it was more profound than the Zhou Family's, this still served to expand the Chuyun Immortal Sect's library of techniques.

Although the Zhou Family's Cultivation Techniques were not particularly profound, they were relatively complete, containing both Ninth Rank and Tenth Rank portions, and all three Sects received a copy.

Lin Qing also received his first Ninth Rank Cultivation Technique, the "Xunmo Gushen Jue".

Once a Mortal Realm Cultivator Cultivates a Primordial Spirit—that is, after reaching Soul Transformation—they can officially begin Ninth Rank cultivation, and the Ninth Rank is known as the Spirit Refining Realm.

Both Ninth Rank Cultivation Techniques and Visualization Methods are for enhancing Divine Thought. The difference is that a Visualization Method only requires observation and comprehension, whereas a Ninth Rank Cultivation Technique involves various types of tempering of the Divine Thought; some involve constructing a grinding stone in the Sea of Consciousness to crush it, while others involve manifesting hammer-shaped Magical Artifacts to forge it.

Different methods of cultivating Divine Thought also represent different focuses of improvement.

Visualization Methods enhance the breadth of Divine Thought, most intuitively seen in the increase of its coverage range. Meanwhile, tempering methods enhance the quality of Divine Thought and the degree of fine control.

For example, when previously in Suijin City, although Lin Qing's Divine Thought could easily cover the entire city, it was very difficult to quickly identify the Demon Court Cultivator hiding within.

If he had practiced a Ninth Rank Cultivation Technique and tempered his Divine Thought, that sort of thing would have become very simple.

Just as Zhou Fentian was negotiating compensation matters at the Li Family, the Zhou Family's eldest Young Master, Zhou Rulong, had already returned home.

"Eldest Young Master, you have returned?"

After returning, Zhou Rulong headed straight for the small courtyard where Zhou Yichen was staying, and the maids along the way bowed respectfully upon seeing him.

Unlike Zhou Yichen's handsome appearance, Zhou Rulong's Face looked as if it had been carved by a knife and axe, exuding a sense of masculinity. Facing the bows of these maids, Zhou Rulong turned a blind eye.

Soon, he arrived at Zhou Yichen's room.

Only a day had passed since Zhou Yichen was beaten. Although his cultivation had been crippled, he was actually capable of moving freely, yet he still chose to lie in bed to recover; for one, his body was truly uncomfortable, and for another, he did not know how to Face outsiders.

Zhou Yichen, lying on the bed, saw Zhou Rulong push the door open, and his eyes could not help but moisten.

"Big Brother!"

Zhou Rulong was over a hundred years older than Zhou Yichen. When Zhou Yichen had just begun to Cultivate, Zhou Rulong was already a widely renowned Prodigy.

Until Zhou Yichen married, he had always regarded Zhou Rulong as his idol. Now, after being tortured by Lin Qing and seeing Zhou Rulong again, Zhou Yichen could no longer hide the grievances in his heart, and tears gushed from his eyes.

"Second Brother."

Seeing his younger brother's aggrieved appearance, Zhou Rulong could not help but feel a pang of heartache.

Zhou Yichen scrambled up from the bed, fell to his knees in front of Zhou Rulong with a thud, and buried his head deeply.

"Big Brother, help me kill Lin Qing. I want to cut him into a thousand pieces."

Zhou Rulong half-knelt on the ground, placed his hands on Zhou Yichen's shoulders, and lifted his upper body up.

The two locked eyes in a display of deep brotherly affection, but Zhou Rulong's next sentence made Zhou Yichen feel as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.

"Second Brother, rest assured, I will definitely make that Lin Qing accompany you in death!"

Zhou Yichen collapsed to the ground, scrambling backward with his hands and feet, looking at Zhou Rulong with an expression of disbelief as his voice began to tremble.

"Bi... Big Brother, wha... what do you mean?"

Zhou Rulong slowly stood up and then walked step by step toward Zhou Yichen. A look of pain appeared on his Face, yet his voice grew increasingly cold.

"Second Brother, your affairs can no longer be hidden; soon, everyone will know."

"Now, only by refusing to suffer this humiliation and ending your own life can you barely preserve the reputation of our Zhou Family."

Zhou Yichen shouted while retreating.

"No, Big Brother, I don't want to die yet."

"Someone, come quickly."

Unfortunately, Zhou Yichen, who was now merely in the Mortal Realm, had no qualifications to resist in front of the God Realm Zhou Rulong; he could not even make a sound.

As the eldest son of the Zhou Family, Zhou Rulong had been raised as the Family heir since childhood, and the concept of Family supremacy had long been deeply rooted in his heart.

At this moment, when choosing between his beloved younger brother and the Family's reputation, he chose the latter.

A moment later, Zhou Rulong's mournful wails echoed through the Zhou Family residence.

"Second Brother!"

Soon, clansmen rushed over and gathered in Zhou Yichen's courtyard.

Zhou Rulong pushed open the door, tear stains still remaining on his Face. He scanned the clansmen in the courtyard and then looked at Xiaer.

"Second Brother, unwilling to suffer this humiliation, has taken his own life!"

Sounds of surprise or sorrow rose from the clansmen in the courtyard, and the maids and servants also bowed their heads and began to sob; whether they were truly sad or just putting on a show was unknown.

After Xiaer entered the room to examine the scene, she came out and looked deeply at Zhou Rulong without saying much. In fact, she could not detect any clues regarding Zhou Rulong's actions, but she knew what kind of person Zhou Yichen was.

However, she and Zhou Yichen had never been on good terms; the two had been married for several years and had never consummated their marriage. Therefore, although the matter was suspicious, Xiaer did not want to cause trouble.

In the evening, Zhou Fentian returned to the Zhou Family with his people. Looking at the coffin in the main hall, he let out a deep sigh, his body becoming hunched, and he seemed to age several decades in an instant.

Zhou Rulong approached him, looked into his eyes, and said:

"Father, please step down!"

Subsequently, an Aura that only a Tenth Rank Cultivator could possess radiated from his body.