The treasure used by the Cangyuan Wanderer as a betrothal gift is naturally not an ordinary item. It is a token used to control the Mountain Protection Array. "Fellow Daoist Zhou fought and won three consecutive battles in the Death Duel Arena, and now has taken Elder Guo as his master. He is certainly not lacking in Core Formation treasures. Moreover, such treasures, even if I have some in stock, I must plan for the future of my young ones." "As for the magical artifact spirit talismans, Fellow Daoist Zhou probably wouldn’t value ordinary ones. As for those of Tier Five and above, I have few left in my hands, and I must save some for the younger generation of the clan." "So, after thinking it over, the only suitable betrothal gift that could assist Fellow Daoist Zhou would be a fitting cultivation hideout!" "This array token is the control token for the array of the Chiyuan Villa, located 2700 miles southwest of Cangyuan Immortal City. The Chiyuan Villa was originally established as a cultivation villa by a Golden Core Stage cultivator over three thousand years ago. Because a lost special Spirit Gathering Array was set up inside the villa, although the villa is situated on a Tier Three Top Grade Spiritual Vein, its cultivation environment is not much inferior to a Tier Five Cave Mansion." "I no longer have use for this villa, so I’ll give it to you, Fellow Daoist Zhou, as a cultivation hideout!" The Cangyuan Wanderer stuffed the token into Zhouyang’s hand, smilingly explaining the origin of the token. A cave mansion with a cultivation environment not inferior to a Tier Five Cave Mansion, this betrothal gift is much heavier than the Tier Five Lower Grade Healing Spirit Pill, the Life-Restoring Pill, that Zhouyang gifted. However, considering that the Cangyuan Wanderer currently requires top-grade spirit pills to recover from injuries, and the Chiyuan Villa no longer holds much use for him, this exchange of gifts can be seen as mutual convenience. Therefore, Zhouyang did not refuse the Cangyuan Wanderer’s gift but thanked him and accepted the Cave Mansion control token. In fact, when the Cangyuan Wanderer mentioned the situation of the Chiyuan Villa, Zhouyang had some thoughts. He knew he had a Tier Five Middle-grade Array Master with him. If Xu Song could thoroughly research the special Spirit Gathering Array within the Chiyuan Villa, its value would be immense. To create a Tier Five Cave Mansion on a Tier Three High-Grade Spiritual Vein, although it means channeling the spiritual qi of the entire vein into one Cave Mansion, is also very practical. Afterward, Zhouyang consulted with the Cangyuan Wanderer about some Core Formation experiences and then left his cave mansion. During this meeting, both sides tacitly avoided mentioning the issue of the future ownership of Cangyuan Immortal City, as if unaware of the undercurrents within the city. Zhouyang could understand the Cangyuan Wanderer’s thinking since he still had over a hundred years of lifespan, and even if he needed to consider future matters, he had plenty of time. His current priority is to quickly form his Golden Core. Once he succeeds in forming the Golden Core, even if Cangyuan Immortal City eventually falls into Geng Zhong’s hands, he will have enough room to maneuver and lay plans. A month later, the wedding of Zhou Guangxiang and Li Mubai was officially held. Zhouyang and the Cangyuan Wanderer, as the elders of both parties, attended the wedding, offering blessings to the newlyweds and presenting a gift on the spot. After the lively wedding, Zhou Guangxiang officially moved to live and cultivate with Li Mubai in his cave mansion. After the wedding, Zhouyang had his Dao Companion Xiao Ying watch over Qin Yue’Er in the cave mansion while he took the time to visit the Chiyuan Villa. The Chiyuan Villa is located within an ordinary mountain that seems devoid of spiritual qi. Because the unique Spirit Gathering Array within the villa locks all the spiritual qi of the entire spiritual vein inside, even if a Golden Core Stage cultivator passed by, without discovering the cave mansion inside the mountain, they would see no traces of the spiritual vein’s existence. With the control token for the cave mansion array and the map provided by the Cangyuan Wanderer, Zhouyang was able to locate the cave mansion accurately within the mountain’s interior and use the array control token to enter it. Since it is not a typical Tier Five Cave Mansion, the Chiyuan Villa cannot compare in size to those on normal Tier Five Spiritual Veins. Besides a cultivation chamber, a bedroom, an Earth Fire Chamber, and a Storage Chamber, there are no other functional stone chambers, not even a guest reception hall. This shows that the original owner of the cave mansion intended it as a secluded retreat rather than a permanent residence. Such caves exist quite a bit in the Cultivation Realm, and most cave mansions discovered by junior cultivators are of this type. Due to the nature of such caves, their defensive capabilities typically cannot compare to the strongholds painstakingly built by Golden Core Stage cultivators, making them easier for lower-realm cultivators to discover and invade. In the Chiyuan Villa, the main defensive array is notably a Tier Four High-Grade Illusion Array focused on concealing and transforming, along with the peculiar Spirit Gathering Array and a Sealing Spiritual Qi Array. With such defensive capabilities, even if Zhouyang did not have the cave mansion control token, he could easily break through the array if he found the mansion’s location. "Elder Xu, this is the cave mansion. You should study this Spirit Gathering Array within this cave mansion. If you can replicate it, I will immediately arrange for someone to take you to the Fallen Demon Valley for secluded cultivation." Inside the Chiyuan Villa, after familiarizing himself with the cave mansion, Zhouyang released Xu Song from the "Spiritual Treasure Token" he had been in for a long time, looked at him with a smile, and stated his conditions. Upon hearing these words, Xu Song let out a cold snort with a grim face and said, "Humph, you kid truly treat this old man as a slave. Whenever you need something, you remember me and let me out to help, but when you don’t, you keep me cooped up without a moment to breathe. What do you take this old man for?" Zhouyang heard the words and thought it over carefully, realizing it seemed true. He awkwardly coughed a few times and laughed self-deprecatingly: "Cough, cough, Elder, how can you say that? I have always respected you. The reason I didn’t let you out before was because I was in Haoyang Immortal City, under the watch of Nascent Soul Stage cultivators. I was afraid something might happen!" "Now, you see, I’ve come to Cangyuan Immortal City and escaped the surveillance of Nascent Soul Stage cultivators. Haven’t I let you out right away?" Of course, what he said was false. No matter how much Zhouyang needed Xu Song, as a cultivator, he inherently rejected demon cultivators. He wouldn’t be willing to live in the same cave mansion with a demon cultivator unless absolutely necessary. The situation with Xu Song is different from that of his foster mother Zhou Xuan Yu. Xu Song’s ghost body gives off a chilling ghostly aura whenever he appears before cultivators. Even Qi Cultivation Stage cultivators can easily sense this eerie aura on him, which is hard to conceal. Especially since Zhouyang possessed the "Qianyang Treasure Body," the ultimate supreme yang body. By nature, he was very sensitive to this eerie ghostly aura, and he wouldn’t want to spend any unnecessary time in the same room with Xu Song’s ghost body. Xu Song knew this well. He didn’t truly have any major resentment; he just didn’t want Zhouyang to think of him as a disposable tool, used once and then discarded. Seeing Zhouyang understood his intentions, lowered his stance, and explained cordially, Xu Song didn’t press further. His expression softened, and he waved his hand: "Forget it, let’s let this matter go. Is what you said earlier true? Don’t find other excuses to shirk the issue once I’ve completed what you requested!" "Of course, it’s true. If you don’t believe me, Elder, I can swear an oath!" Zhouyang replied earnestly. "No need for an oath. I’ll trust you once more, but make sure not to squander your credibility!" Xu Song looked at him deeply, nodded slightly, and agreed to the matter. "Then I’ll leave it to you, Elder!" Zhouyang cupped his hands in respect and then took his leave, departing the cave mansion and returning to Cangyuan Immortal City. On the way back to Cangyuan Immortal City, after some thought, Zhouyang couldn’t resist secretly visiting the Zhou family’s new home. Thanks to the set of magical artifacts he refined back then, Zhou Family Patriarch Zhou Tongyue not only survived the war but also made significant contributions. Upon his return, he was rewarded with a Lower Grade Tier Three Spirit Mountain as the clan’s residence. The previous owner of that Lower Grade Tier Three Spirit Mountain had fallen in battle, leaving their clan without Foundation Establishment cultivator protection. Thus, they surrendered the Spirit Mountain and moved to the estate where the Zhou family originally resided. Owning a Tier Three Spirit Mountain and having a female clan member taken as a disciple by the now prominent figure in Cangyuan Immortal City, Zhou Guangxiang, the Zhou family had gained some reputation in Cangyuan Immortal City. Moreover, after decades of prosperity, the Zhou family’s cultivator population had grown to nearly a hundred, with over ten thousand ordinary clan members. The Zhou family’s rapid development had naturally attracted suspicion and investigation from some cultivators. However, all investigations could only trace back to the couple Li Hong and Zhou Fuyun. The information intentionally spread within the Zhou family to those unaware was that this couple had found a relic of a Purple Mansion Stage cultivator on their travels and, by selling the treasure, obtained abundant Spirit Stone resources. Since the sold treasures were all traded within Cangyuan Immortal City, the transactions were traceable. Unless a Golden Core Stage cultivator dared to capture those in the know for soul searching, no one could uncover the truth. Obviously, such a small Zhou family wasn’t worth the attention from Golden Core Stage cultivators, who wouldn’t risk using soul searching skills to investigate the Zhou family without reason. Zhouyang hid and observed the Zhou family’s Spirit Mountain for a while, feeling quite pleased with the clan’s development here. With the Zhou family’s current growth rate and support from Zhou Guangxiang, there might be a chance to produce a Purple Mansion cultivator within a century. By then, the Zhou family would truly be established in the Land of the Far West. Zhouyang knew that the rapid development of the Zhou family in such a short time was not entirely due to Zhou Tongyue the clan leader or the resources he provided but largely due to the contributions of Li Hong, the external clan elder. Zhou Tongyue, of the Zhou Family’s Battle Hall, was adequate in magical combat but only average in managing the clan. It was actually Li Hong who had been formulating strategies and governing the clan behind the scenes all these years. "Li Hong is indeed a talent, but unfortunately, his spiritual root talent isn’t at the genius level. Plus, he has traveled far and wide for the Zhou family over the years, expending a lot of energy, which delayed his cultivation. Even if I am willing to support him, the chances of opening the Purple Mansion are slim." "However, rewarding merit is the fundamental principle for the Zhou family to establish itself, and this achievement should be bestowed on his descendants!" "I’ll find an opportunity to discuss with Tongyue, the next generation’s Zhou Family Patriarch in Cangyuan Immortal City should be appointed from among him and Fuyun’s second son. This will be compensation for their contributions over the years!" After these thoughts turned in his mind, Zhouyang soon quietly left the Zhou family, returning to his cave mansion in Cangyuan Immortal City. Check latest chapters at 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡•𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢•𝕟𝕖𝕥