I established the Eternal Immortal Clan by taming beasts.

In the blink of an eye, most of the demonic beasts that had been entrenched in the ruins of the Thousand Water Beast Taming Sect had been cleared away by the cultivators who had poured in.

However, when everyone eagerly searched for the priceless herb garden they had envisioned, they were greatly disappointed.

Because the ruins array was destroyed, the spirit herb garden had long since become a den of monsters. The spirit herbs that were a little older had long been devoured, and what remained were mostly worthless poisonous herbs or young seedlings.

Left with no other option, the group turned their attention to places like the Alchemy Hall and the Weapon Forging Hall, where finished products might be stored.

Of course, the largest number of people still planned to go to the Gongfa Hall, which carries the inheritance of the Taoist tradition.

Compared to those elixirs that may have lost their effectiveness, and talismans, the jade slips of inheritance here are clearly more valuable.

When the Zhao family cultivators, whose faces were already gloomy from their earlier encounter, saw that a group of people had arrived at the Cultivation Hall before them, their faces became even more somber.

They had painstakingly planned for a long time, but not only did they fail to seize the initiative, many of their clansmen were also tainted by the strange curse when they were forced to kill monsters along the way.

Looking back now, if we had known this would happen, we would have been better off hardening our hearts to get rid of the monsters and then slowly figuring out how to solve the curse problem!

Just as Zhao Wenyuan, who had led the team to the scene, was about to shout to dismiss these rogue cultivators, his gaze swept across the crowd and caught sight of a figure he absolutely did not want to see at this moment—Zhou Wanhai of the Zhou family!

This made his already bad mood even worse.

Zhou Wanhai, however, seemed completely oblivious to Zhao Wenyuan's dark expression, and greeted him with a beaming smile, saying warmly, "So it's Brother Wenyuan! You've come so quickly."

"Perfect timing! This formation is tricky. If our two families join forces, we can quickly break it and share the inheritance!"

It turned out that, apart from a few who were sent to search other places, almost all of the Zhou family cultivators had gathered here.

They had intended to rush into the cultivation hall, but found that a protective array on the second floor was still in operation. Their attempts to break it were slow, so they had to stop.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Wenyuan's expression softened slightly, but when his gaze swept over the messy, clearly ransacked first floor and then looked at the intact formation on the second floor, his expression instantly turned completely gloomy.

This week, Fatty is clearly using the Zhao family as free laborers!

While the Zhou family members were in a state of chaos due to the monster attack and the curse, the Zhou family seemed to be unharmed and took the benefits of the first floor first. Now they want them to help break the formation.

Zhao Wenyuan could no longer maintain his composure, and with a stiff expression, he sneered, "Heh, heh! Fatty Zhou, do you think I, Zhao Wenyuan, am a fool?"

Why should my Zhao family be the one to do this work for your Zhou family? Once the formation is broken, can't we retrieve what's inside ourselves?

Zhou Wanhai was unaware of what the Zhao family had encountered on the way. He assumed that his family's early arrival had caused the other party's dissatisfaction, so he still smiled and said, "Brother Wenyuan, why are you angry?"

Everyone knows that the Zhao family's array formations are highly skilled; you are the only one capable of breaking this array.

Besides, our two families are allies, so isn't it only natural for us to help each other?

With the rebellion of independent cultivators imminent, our priority should be to obtain the inheritance as soon as possible!

Upon hearing this, Zhao Wenyuan was so angry that he laughed: "Allies? Isn't your Zhou family's beast-taming technique supposed to be superb? Have you ever been seen to take action when clearing out demonic beasts?"

Cooperation? Where has the cooperation gone?!

He grew angrier and angrier as he spoke, even suspecting that the monsters that had precisely attacked their hideout along the way were the work of the Zhou family, intended to weaken the Zhao family's strength.

"Don't even dream about it!" Zhao Wenyuan's face was cold and resolute. "Either you find a way to break this formation yourselves, or you can forget about getting your hands on even a fraction of the inheritance here!"

Hearing such resolute words, Zhou Wanhai's smile finally vanished, and his tone turned somber: "Brother Wenyuan, is the alliance between our two families so easily broken?"

Must we really fight here today? Why escalate things to this point!

Upon hearing this, the two groups of cultivators immediately became extremely tense, ready to draw their swords.

Just as Zhao Wenyuan was about to retort, two powerful auras approached from afar, instantly shattering the tense atmosphere.

Clan Chief Zhao Wenxuan and Zhou Clan Chief Zhou Wanhong arrived on their swords, their figures gracefully landing in the center of the confrontation.

"Enough!" Zhao Wenxuan's expression was solemn, and his low shout contained an unquestionable authority, immediately suppressing the agitation of both sides.

"What kind of behavior is this, arguing like this? The cooperation between the two families is a preordained agreement!" He heard the argument from afar and, sensing something was wrong, rushed over to stop it.

Seeing this, Zhao Wenyuan was eager to step forward and explain his experience and speculations, but was stopped by a sharp look from Zhao Wenxuan, and the words were stuck in his throat.

"The most important thing right now is to obtain the inheritance within the Cultivation Technique Hall as soon as possible!" Zhao Wenxuan said in a deep voice.

He could easily guess that there might be other hidden reasons, but with the arrival of rogue cultivators, breaking ties with the Zhou family at this moment would only make the situation more chaotic and would be a loss.

Of course, this was because he was unaware of the specific circumstances of Zhao Wenyuan and the others' encounter, as well as the speculation about the Zhou family attracting the monster; otherwise, his reaction would probably not have been so calm.

Zhou Wanhong, who was standing to the side, immediately put on his usual smooth smile and smoothed things over: "Brother Wenxuan is absolutely right. Harmony is the key to making money."

How about this: we'll still trouble the Zhao family with breaking the formation.

Intercepting other independent cultivators will be the responsibility of my Zhou family.

Once we obtain the inheritance within the temple, we will each have half of the spells and secret manuals, with no interference between our families.

As for the core techniques and inheritance, each of us should make a copy. What do you think, Brother Wenxuan?

"Alright. I'll do as you say." Zhao Wenxuan pondered for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

The dispute was temporarily suspended, and both parties immediately acted in accordance with the agreement.

The Zhao family cultivators quickly gathered at the entrance to the second floor of the Cultivation Hall and began to study how to break the remaining protective array.

At Zhou Wanhong's signal, the members of the Zhou family summoned their spirit beasts.

In an instant, roars of beasts filled the air, and flashes of spiritual light appeared.

The Zhou family cultivators, along with their contracted spirit beasts, quickly formed a defensive line around the cultivation hall.

Among these spirit beasts, two leopard-shaped spirit beasts are the most eye-catching. They are Zhou Wanhai and Zhou Wanhong's natal spirit beasts - Iron Bone Ferocious!

This Iron-Bone Ferocious Beast is a metallic beast with a second-tier superior bloodline. Its eyes are dark gold, its body is as agile as a leopard, and a 30-centimeter-long spiral horn on its forehead gleams coldly.

Its entire body is covered in dark gray metallic fur, providing amazing defense.

Its most peculiar feature is its long tail, which splits into five incredibly tough metal segments, each ending in a sharp, spear-like point—one of its most fearsome primary weapons.

This beast is a core inherited spirit beast that the Zhou family will not sell to outsiders; only core members of the family are qualified to form a contract with it.

They are fierce and bloodthirsty by nature. Only by raising them from a young age and defeating them head-on with strength when they are young can you gain their recognition and obedience.

The Zhou family cultivators, along with these various spirit beasts of different shapes and fierce auras, instantly formed an insurmountable barrier, blocking all the rogue cultivators who rushed over upon hearing the news from outside the cultivation hall.

Zhou Wanhong strolled to the front of the crowd, a kind smile on his round face.

His voice, however, carried the imposing aura of a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator, clearly resounding throughout the entire area: "Fellow Daoists, this place has already been occupied by my Zhou family and the Zhao family. Please do us the favor and seek your opportunities elsewhere."

Although his tone was polite, the undisguised pressure of his Foundation Establishment cultivation, the fierce glint in the eyes of the Iron-Bone Ferocious Beast beside him, and the slightly swaying sharp bony tail all exuded a silent threat.

The remaining members of the Zhou family, like earth-shaking rhinoceroses, let out a deep roar, their massive bodies poised to charge.

The red-maned Wind Chaser bared its gleaming white fangs, a low growl rumbling in its throat;

The Rending Cloud Eagle hovering in mid-air also slightly folded its wings, its sharp eyes locked on the ground below, and it assumed a diving attack stance.

Given the Zhou family's formidable strength, and the fact that opportunities could still be found in other parts of the ruins, it would be extremely unwise to engage in a direct confrontation with the elite forces of these two powerful families.

The independent cultivators looked at each other, most of them chose to remain silent, and then turned around and dispersed to other areas.

……

On the other side, Zhao Wenyuan, who was on the second floor of the Cultivation Hall, finally found an opportunity to tell the family head Zhao Wenxuan in a low voice about the attack he had just suffered and his speculations about the Zhou family.

As Zhao Wenxuan listened, his face darkened visibly, especially when his gaze swept over the two imposing Iron-Bone Ferocious Beasts outside the hall, his eyes flashing with cold light.

Your guess... is not without merit.

His voice was low and deep, tinged with suppressed anger: "But the bigger picture is more important right now. Obtaining the core inheritance of this place is the top priority! Everything else can wait until we get the cultivation technique."

Before long, the formation inside the building was finally broken thanks to the efforts of the Zhao family cultivators.

Zhou Wanhai immediately led several members of the Zhou family forward to hand over the responsibilities to Zhao Wenxuan.

Zhao Wenxuan's face had returned to calm, as if nothing had happened. In accordance with the agreement, the two sides quickly demarcated their respective areas for receiving jade slips.

In the midst of this orderly allocation process, unnoticed by anyone, a figure appeared quietly beside a row of bookshelves that had been assigned to the Zhou family, like an invisible breeze.

Using his Absolute Concealment Divine Power, Lin Che perfectly concealed himself and secretly slipped a jade slip he had prepared into the Zhou family's territory.

This jade slip looks exactly like the other jade slips in the hall, but the information it contains is a carefully crafted lure.

The content is concise and clearly states that there is a secret cultivation site for spiritual plants in the southern part of the sect, where a top-grade third-tier spiritual plant—the Myriad Poison Blood Dragon Vine—grows.

To ensure the Zhou family fully recognized its value, Lin Che also "thoughtfully" added a note about its miraculous effects.

The Blood Dragon Fruit of Ten Thousand Poisons is the absolute main ingredient in refining the "Dragon Transformation Nascent Soul Pill," which aids in the process of cultivating and forming a Nascent Soul through poison.

After doing all this, Lin Che maintained his supernatural powers and quietly retreated to the side. At the same time, he took a Rejuvenating Spirit Fruit to recover his depleted mana, and leisurely prepared to watch the good show he had personally directed.

Sure enough, not long after, Zhou Wanhai, who was searching the area, discovered this "extra" jade slip.

The moment he probed the contents with his divine sense, his eyes widened suddenly, and his breathing became heavy and rapid uncontrollably!

He suppressed the turmoil in his heart, quickly looked around, and after confirming that no one had noticed his loss of composure, he immediately put the jade slip into his pocket at lightning speed.

He took a few deep breaths, trying to adjust his facial expression to make sure that the Zhao family members who were standing nearby would not notice anything amiss, before calmly and slowly retreating from the Gongfa Hall.

As soon as he stepped out of the palace, he couldn't wait to inform the clan leader, Zhou Wanhong, of this momentous discovery via telepathy.

Even with Zhou Wanhong's composure, the warm smile on his face almost crumbled the moment he received the telepathic message.

He suppressed his excitement and confirmed again via telepathy, "Third brother! Are you sure you didn't see wrong? This thing really is a treasure capable of refining Nascent Soul Pills?"

His heart began to pound wildly. Even though the Zhou family patriarch was still working hard to form his core, obtaining this item would mean that the family might even reach the Nascent Soul stage in the future!

This is an opportunity that would drive any cultivation family mad!

After receiving confirmation from Zhou Wanhai once again, Zhou Wanhong felt his breathing become somewhat disordered.

But he had served as the clan chief for many years and managed to suppress all the abnormalities on his face through sheer willpower.

He immediately transmitted his instructions in a deep voice, his tone carrying an unquestionable decisiveness: "Stay calm! Do not reveal any flaws!"

Once the core techniques here have been copied, we will immediately find an excuse to part ways with the Zhao family!

We must find that place before the Zhao family and get our hands on the Myriad Poison Blood Dragon Fruit!

The Zhou family is determined to obtain this top-grade third-tier spiritual object!