Clan Cultivation: Starting from Beast Taming

Upon hearing this, many of the Zhou Family Cultivators present revealed an "as expected" expression, clearly having already guessed which Family Elder had perished.

Some cultivators who had once received kindness from Zhou Jiahe could not help but darken their expressions, revealing sorrow and distress, and some even involuntarily shed tears.

Zhou Chun paused for a moment, allowing the clan members present to process the news, then spoke again, "Elder Zhou Jiahe died for the family, for the entire Tianling Region. Although we cannot retrieve her body, we must hold a grand funeral to honor her contributions to the family."

At this point, Zhou Chun's expression suddenly changed, becoming solemn as he firmly said, "I now command as Clan Leader that all Zhou Family members who receive tasks related to Elder Zhou Jiahe's funeral must unconditionally accept. Additionally, all members shall wear white and hemp for one month in mourning for the spirit of Elder Zhou Jiahe in heaven!"

Upon hearing his words, all the Zhou Family Cultivators present promptly responded to the command.

Then, Zhou Chun first instructed everyone to disperse, keeping only Zhou Jiarui and a few other Foundation Establishment cultivators to discuss the funeral arrangements for Elder Zhou Jiahe.

Originally, given Zhou Jiahe's status in the Zhou Family, her funeral would definitely have been an elaborate affair, inviting various friendly families to send representatives to attend the grand funeral.

However, with the ongoing war in the Cultivation World, such a high-profile event was now inappropriate.

Especially since other families also had important members conscripted to the front lines who had died. If the Zhou Family were to make a grand affair of it, it would only cause trouble for the leaders of those families.

If the other families didn't follow the Zhou Family's example, it would appear that they did not value these meritorious clansmen, but matching the Zhou Family's practice would not only consume considerable manpower and resources, but it would also be very awkward if not many invited guests attended.

Thus, after discussing with Zhou Mingde, Zhou Chun decided it was best only to hold the funeral with the highest standards within the family and not to invite other families to the mourning.

Of course, some close friends of Zhou Jiahe from her lifetime would still be informed, and whether or not they attended the funeral would be left to their personal discretion.

After arranging a series of matters, within a few days, Zhou Daoyi had also hurried over from Jiufeng Ridge.

Then the three high-ranking Zhou Family members gathered in Zhou Chun's cave residence to discuss the aftermath of Zhou Jiahe's death.

"Alas, Jiahe really is a great loss. She would have honorably retired in just another five years. I didn't expect she wouldn't make it until then!" Zhou Daoyi was the first to speak, sighing as he mentioned the misfortune of Zhou Jiahe.

"Jiahe's death is undoubtedly a huge disaster and loss for the family, but what's more troublesome is that the family now needs to send another person to continue her military service," said Zhou Mingde with tightly furrowed brows, his tone heavy.

As he brought this up, both Zhou Daoyi and Zhou Chun also furrowed their brows, finding themselves at a loss for words.

The regulations of the Heavenly Spirit Legion in this regard were undoubtedly very reprehensible!

For personnel who die in service, if they did not withdraw their earned rewards from slaying enemies beforehand, these assets could only be retrieved by having a family member serve in the legion, even excluding those of the same family already serving.

Thus, even just to prevent these accumulations from being taken back by the Heavenly Spirit Legion, families would mostly need to send someone to serve and inherit.

Faced with such distasteful rules, a Cultivator Family like the Zhou Family had no power to oppose.

Therefore, after a long silence, Clan Leader Zhou Chun slowly said, "Let's let the younger generation decide on this matter themselves. Whoever dares to serve in the Heavenly Spirit Legion can keep all of Elder Five's rewards and Battle Merits as a form of the family's support and compensation."

"That's a good approach. To gain benefits, one must pay the price, and it's indeed time for these youngsters to contribute to the family!" Zhou Mingde nodded slightly, agreeing with Zhou Chun's resolution.

Immediately after, Zhou Chun furrowed his brows again and said, "What I am even more worried about now are the Third Elder and the Sixth Elder. They also have only five years left until their retirement, but heaven forbid they follow in Elder Five's footsteps!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Daoyi quickly responded, "Yes, we really need to find a way to help them. The fighters on the battlefield are now killing frenziedly in their quest for fame and profit; the intensity on the battlefield is nothing like what it was ten years ago!"

"Should I send the Burden Turtle to the Third Elder for protection? With the Burden Turtle with him, even if he encounters one of those from 'Yuan Mo Seven Fiends', he should have a good chance to escape!"

After a moment's hesitation, Zhou Chun voiced his thought.

He had sent the Golden Armor Turtle Bearer to save Zhou Daoquan from a powerful demon cultivator ten years ago, who later had briefly become one of the 'Yuan Mo Seven Fiends,' only to be replaced by someone more formidable later.