Longevity: Starting with an infant's innate growth potential

Chapter 308 Haoyang Bird Demon Core and Taming the Golden Horned Beast

After the meeting, Zhou Ling and the others returned to their respective residences.

The Nascent Soul cultivators also came over one after another to thank him.

This group of Nascent Soul cultivators, who were usually aloof and arrogant, showed Zhou Ling the utmost respect, addressing him as brothers and chatting intimately.

Moreover, to Zhou Ling's delight, many of these Nascent Soul cultivators brought demon cores and were willing to sell them to him at half the market price.

Zhou Ling was also helpless about this, as fourth-tier demon cores were valuable items.

The reason these Nascent Soul cultivators sold their items was to express their gratitude and to cultivate a good relationship with Zhou Ling.

Generally speaking, no one would be willing to sell a fourth-tier demon core.

Each one is very valuable.

Zhou Ling currently possesses two fourth-tier demon cores, the Silver-Patterned Flood Dragon and the Thunder Flood Dragon, which is sufficient for his needs.

Therefore, Zhou Ling did not exchange for them. The items were good, but unfortunately, they all required military merits.

He had a use for all these military achievements and couldn't afford to waste them.

After all, such a large-scale beast tide only occurs once every few decades.

Of course, Zhou Ling didn't waste the opportunity and also promoted his own workshop to everyone.

With his status as a fourth-tier weapon refiner and the head of the Heavenly Crafts Bureau, coupled with the aura of this great victory, other Nascent Soul cultivators naturally wanted to cooperate with him.

So things are progressing very smoothly.

Of course, specific details of the cooperation will have to wait until the beast tide completely recedes before we can discuss them.

However, in the evening, two more Nascent Soul cultivators came to visit.

A man and a woman, the man at the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm and the woman at the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm, were a married couple, Nascent Soul cultivators from the Cheng family of Anyang Immortal City.

The man's name is Cheng Yuan, and the woman's name is Wang Shuirou.

Cheng Yuan has regular features, thick eyebrows and big eyes, and a masculine air about him.

The woman was petite and delicate, with skin as clear as snow and a pretty and elegant appearance.

The two also look very much like a married couple.

Upon entering the hall, Cheng Yuan cupped his hands and said to Zhou Ling, "We were able to defeat the demon beast this time thanks to Zhou Zhizheng!"

"You're too kind, Senior Cheng!"

Zhou Ling said with a smile, his tone familiar.

The two sat down to the left of Zhou Ling.

Zhou Ling poured spiritual tea for the two of them.

“Zhou Zhizheng, although I am much older than you, in the cultivation world, strength determines cultivation level. You don’t need to call me senior. Just call me Brother Cheng!”

Cheng Yuan laughed heartily.

Don't even mention that Zhou Lingzhi's status is no lower than theirs as Nascent Soul cultivators.

In terms of strength, Zhou Ling was able to kill two fourth-tier demonic beasts on his own, and no matter what methods he used, his combat power was obviously not much worse than theirs.

"this?"

Zhou Ling was taken aback. In his opinion, there was nothing wrong with addressing a Nascent Soul cultivator as a senior.

Generally speaking, to reach the Nascent Soul stage, one must be over a hundred years old.

Some of them may even be three or five hundred years old.

However, seeing Cheng Yuan's serious expression, he didn't elaborate on the form of address.

"Zhou Zhizheng, have a taste. This is a kiwifruit grown by my Cheng family."

With a flick of his sleeve, Cheng Yuan placed a plate of fresh spirit peaches onto the wooden table next to Zhou Ling.

"A third-tier spirit peach, a good thing!"

Zhou Ling said with a smile.

This kind of spiritual peach is not only delicious, but also contains abundant spiritual power. It generally takes more than a hundred years to reach the third level.

Each one is worth over a thousand spirit stones.

Zhou Ling didn't stand on ceremony. He took a peach, examined it in his hand, and started eating.

Juicy and sweet.

Zhou Ling couldn't help but offer a few words of praise, and then said with a smile, "Since Brother Cheng is so polite, then just call me brother."

"Alright, then it'll be Brother Zhou!"

Cheng Yuan laughed heartily.

The atmosphere became even more cordial.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, the two sides...

Soon, Cheng Yuan explained the reason for his visit.

So it turns out they were also exchanging it for a demon core.

"Brother Zhou, I would like to exchange the demon core in my hand for military merits with you."

“My son Cheng Dong is now at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage, and I want to exchange it for a Jade Ring Golden Pill for him.”

Cheng Yuan cupped his hands to Zhou Ling, his tone warm and friendly.

Seeing the couple's expectant expressions, Zhou Ling couldn't refuse directly, so he asked, "What kind of demon core does Brother Cheng have?"

"I wonder how many military merits he'll need to earn?"

Hearing Zhou Ling's words, Cheng Yuan smiled and said, "My wife and I were dealing with a black eagle this time, but it was too fast, and in the end it escaped."

"As for this demon core, it was from a Haoyang Bird at the peak of the third tier that my husband and I killed before."

"Although its demon core is not yet at the fourth level, it is only one step away."

He also learned that Zhou Ling had not exchanged military merits with anyone else, so he added, "We are only three hundred military merits short now, so we will exchange this demon core for three hundred military merits!"

"This is also to thank Zhizheng for his help this time."

"If Brother Zhou can exchange it, then my Cheng family will owe Zhizheng a favor."

It's clear that Cheng Yuan has a rugged appearance, but he is a very meticulous person.

These words were truly impossible for Zhou Ling to refuse.

Three hundred military merits may be a lot, but exchanging them for a peak third-tier demon core, especially from a high-level demon beast like the Haoyang Bird, is definitely not a bad deal.

"The Haoyang Bird?"

Zhou Ling had no idea that Cheng Yuan actually possessed the demon core of the Haoyang Bird.

He could do without other demon cores, but he absolutely had to get this Haoyang Bird demon core.

After all, the Haoyang Bird Demon Core would be of great help to Beast Flame.

Beast Flame is already at the third rank. If he could absorb a demon core from a peak third-rank Haoyang Bird, he might be able to break through to the fourth rank.

In that case, I would have two fourth-grade spirit flames in my hands, which would greatly enhance my ability to fight enemies in the future.

"Okay, it's settled then!"

Zhou Ling nodded.

Three hundred military merits—Cheng Yuan clearly wanted to thank me, otherwise he wouldn't have exchanged the Haoyang Bird Demon Pill for them.

After all, while three hundred military merits are not easy to earn, it shouldn't be difficult for the couple with their abilities.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Brother Zhou. Here's the Haoyang Bird Demon Core. As for the military merits, just transfer them to my name!"

Cheng Yuan smiled and took out a jade box, then gently stroked it.

The jade box then opened, revealing a burst of red light inside.

Inside the jade box was a fist-sized, jet-black demon core that shone with intense light.

A faint flame rose from the demon core, seemingly coalescing into the form of a Haoyang bird, releasing a scorching aura.

"It really is the Haoyang Bird Demon Core!"

Looking at the jade box, Zhou Ling's face lit up with joy.

“Brother Zhou, this Haoyang Bird Demon Pill can be used to refine fire attribute techniques and also to improve one’s own fire attribute cultivation.”

"However, most of the cultivators in my Cheng family are of the water and earth attributes, so this demon core is useless to them!"

Cheng Yuan, fearing that Zhou Ling might not understand the value of the Haoyang Bird Demon Core, spoke up to explain.

Don't even mention that Zhou Ling has the Beast Flame and knows everything about the Haoyang Bird Demon Core.

Through [Intermediate Observation], he also understood the function of the demon core.

"Then thank you very much, Brother Cheng! This Haoyang Bird Demon Pill will be useful to me."

Zhou Ling bowed and thanked him.

Through [Intermediate Observation], he knew that this demon core contained abundant fire power, which was perfectly compatible with beast flames.

The original demon core fused with the beast flame was at the early stage of the third rank and was in a dormant state, which also resulted in the limited growth potential of the beast flame.

Let's see if we can improve after incorporating this new Haoyang Bird Demon Core.

"Brother Zhou, the Haoyang Bird Demon Core contains powerful fire attributes. When you fuse and refine it, you must not be too hasty," Cheng Yuan instructed Zhou Ling after the transaction was completed.

The Haoyang Bird Demon Core contains powerful flame energy and has absorbed the essence of the Haoyang Bird, making its power not to be underestimated.

The couple managed to kill the Haoyang Bird only by working together.

Even a Nascent Soul cultivator with a fire attribute might not be able to fuse with this demon core.

"Thank you for the reminder, Brother Cheng!"

Zhou Ling planned to let the beast flames fuse and absorb the demon core, so he would not be in any danger.

But Cheng Yuan kindly reminded him, and he naturally wanted to thank him.

"Furthermore, when we killed this Haoyang Bird, the flame divine power it condensed was the Haoyang Sword Domain. This might also be helpful for Brother Zhou's comprehension of the fire attribute sword path!"

Cheng Yuan spoke again.

"Haoyang Sword Domain!"

Zhou Ling was somewhat surprised by this.

After all, even if the bloodlines of demonic beasts are the same, the bloodline supernatural powers they can unleash are not the same.

The fact that the Haoyang Bird could condense the Haoyang Sword Domain divine power surprised him quite a bit.

I plan to do some research first before fusing the beast flame.

Then Cheng Yuan and his wife took their leave.

Of course, before leaving, Zhou Ling mentioned the workshop collaboration to them again.

They all agreed.

After seeing Cheng Yuan and his wife off, Zhou Ling sat on a wooden chair, eating peaches and pondering what to do next.

Although after this battle, the monsters will not pose a significant threat in the short term.

But no one knows whether there are other demon kings in the depths of the wilderness.

Therefore, we still need to improve our strength as soon as possible.

However, Zhou Ling also has several areas for improvement.

First, Dean Gong touched the threshold of the Heaven and Earth Sword and planned to go back and discuss the sword intent with him.

He will definitely gain something from this.

Secondly, there is Chen Zhenglei's Thunder Dragon Demon Core, which contains two thunder-attribute divine abilities.

By fusing the Thunder Dragon Demon Core, one can not only greatly enhance their body refinement cultivation, but also potentially comprehend these two thunder-attribute divine abilities.

In addition, there's the Haoyang Bird Demon Core that I just obtained.

Although I intend to fuse it with the Beast Flame, since it possesses the Haoyang Sword Domain divine power, I should study it carefully.

However, all of this will have to wait until we return to Qingyun Immortal City.

After all, fusing a demon core is no easy task.

Although Anyang Immortal City has won a great victory, the demonic beasts have not completely retreated, and we still need to be on guard.

Only when reinforcements arrive, if the monsters have not retreated by then, will we charge straight in and wipe them out completely.

Eliminate the great threat of Anyang Immortal City.

However, these three days should not be wasted.

After more than a day of rest, his magical power had recovered by more than half, but others did not recover so quickly.

People like Dean Gong would find it difficult to recover in less than three to five days.

Some even take longer.

This is also why City Lord Qi did not continue to pursue the demonic beasts; most of the cultivators had exhausted their energy.

"Let's see if we can suppress the Golden Horned Beast!"

Zhou Ling thought to himself.

If we can successfully subdue the Golden Horned Beast, we will have another mid-stage Tier 4 fighter, which will be a powerful trump card.

It can also ensure the safety of the family.

This golden-horned beast is perfect for guarding the house!

Now, under the attack of the beast flames, most of the Golden Horned Beast's demonic consciousness has been erased.

Although still alive, its intelligence is only equivalent to that of a human child.

Therefore, if we use [Beast Pressure] again, it should be much easier to suppress it.

Of course, Zhou Ling didn't dare to be careless, since the five spiritual flames of Qianyang True Fire were all recovering.

So if anything unexpected happens, it will be a big problem.

······.

The next day, early in the morning.

In the distance, the sky was ablaze with crimson clouds, and a newly risen sun shone exceptionally brightly.

The morning glow scattered and shone in the courtyard.

In the spacious courtyard, a huge monster lay prone, but its breath was still very weak.

The golden horned beast has not yet recovered.

Of course, this was Zhou Ling's deliberate act; only by subduing it could he restore it.

A giant golden horn on its forehead shone brightly in the sunlight, making it appear incredibly divine.

Zhou Ling stood in front of the golden horned beast.

At this moment, he was using [Beast Suppression] to suppress the Golden Horned Beast.

[You have intimidated the Golden Horned Beast, Beast Intimidation +1, Golden Horned Beast has condensed a Divine Soul Imprint +1]

As the [Beast's Aura] continued to be cast, Zhou Ling could sense that the connection between the Golden Horned Beast and him was becoming increasingly close.

Gradually, the aura of the golden horned beast began to appear, and it showed a sense of familiarity towards Zhou Ling.

At this moment, Zhou Ling let out a light breath and continued to cast [Beast Pressure].

[You have intimidated the Golden Horned Beast, Beast Intimidation +1, Golden Horned Beast has condensed a Divine Soul Imprint +1]

It wasn't until the afternoon that the divine soul imprint within the Golden Horned Beast was fully formed.

As Zhou Ling observed the golden-horned beast that resembled a giant bull, he could clearly sense a new energy emanating from it within his sea of ​​consciousness.

"As expected of a fourth-tier demonic beast!"

Zhou Ling took a deep breath and then exhaled gently.

Even though the Golden Horned Beast was in such a weakened state, it still took Zhou Ling nearly three hours to successfully imprint the soul mark.

If a fourth-tier demon beast is at its peak condition, it simply cannot do that.

"I haven't gone into the mountains to collect herbs much in recent years, so the improvement of [Monster Pressure] is limited."

Zhou Ling thought to himself.

If the demonic beast's pressure reached the fourth level, it wouldn't be so difficult.

But all things considered, it was a success.

Looking at the Golden Horned Beast, which had opened its eyes and seemed somewhat confused, Zhou Ling took out a third-tier Golden Sun Ginseng from his storage ring and tossed it to it.

The third-tier Golden Yang Ginseng is quite valuable, containing abundant metallic blood energy, which is perfect for the Golden Horned Beast's recovery.

"Roar!"

With a domineering roar, the golden-horned beast opened its massive mouth and sucked the golden ginseng directly into its mouth and swallowed it.

"Golden Horn, stay here and recover from your injuries. Don't go anywhere else."

Zhou Ling relayed the order to the golden horned beast.

"Yes, Master!"

The golden-horned beast nodded its horse-like head and spoke in a human-like voice.

Although the Golden Horned Beast's demonic consciousness was destroyed, its intelligence and instincts still remained.

Therefore, they are also able to speak human language.

Zhou Ling nodded in satisfaction.

He felt much relieved. Once the Golden Horned Beast recovered, with such a high-level fighter around, he could rest assured about his safety.

Then I felt my stomach rumble.

He hasn't had a drop of water since early this morning, and he's been quite hungry for a while now.

Everyone is recovering today, and no one has come to disturb him.

Of course, he also set up a barrier while suppressing the golden-horned beast.

He then went to the kitchen to find something to eat.

(End of this chapter)