The head master has a new female apprentice

Chapter 292 Sister, let me explain, things aren't really as you think (6k)

"Alright, be careful on the road. Once you reach the border, don't get too close to those royals like Xuanyuan Shuo!" Mo Xingjian instructed.

Zhou Qing nodded and quickly asked, "Hasn't my senior uncle returned yet?"

Mo Xingjian shook his head and said, "Lingyun Prefecture is a long way away, and it will take at least half a year to travel back and forth."

"If anything is missing from your list, it will probably take even longer."

"But don't worry, I already sent your Martial Uncle Tong Min to Lingyun Prefecture to meet me a few days ago."

"The sect has a lot of things to do next, and it would be really inappropriate for him to continue to linger there."

Before the words were finished, two streaks of light shot through the air.

Ling Yuexiao, the peak master of Hundred Battles Peak, and Ruan Mingxiu, the peak master of Cloud Hidden Peak, landed with anxious expressions.

Mo Xingjian frowned and asked, "What's wrong?"

Ling Yuexiao immediately took out an image stone. After activating it, the scene showed corpses strewn all over the ground, with severed limbs scattered everywhere.

The manner of its death was exactly the same as that of the mummified corpse driven away by the Tianji Sect.

However, judging from the deceased's clothing, he should belong to one of the major or minor sects.

"Was it the Golden Thunder Sect's doing?" Mo Xingjian's pupils shrank sharply.

Ling Yuexiao said in a hoarse voice, "In just five days, six sects have been wiped out, leaving no one alive."

"Among them is the Yi Yang Sect, which was formerly affiliated with the Tianji Sect and is now offering us a top-grade fire-attribute spirit stone in exchange for protection."

Ruan Mingxiu added, "Senior Brother Wang, who stayed behind at Tianji Sect, went out to scout around and found that all the sects that were destroyed had traces of arrays set up around their gates."

Zhou Qing's expression was cold and stern as he said in a deep voice, "In other words, they were trapped in the formation and slaughtered like turtles in a jar."

The two nodded simultaneously and said, "Just as we guessed, Senior Brother Mo, what do we do now?"

Mo Xingjian stroked his chin, pondered for a long time, and then slowly spoke.

"When we went to war with the Tianji Sect, we claimed that it was because they manipulated mummies to massacre our mine disciples and even tried to cover up the truth."

"Such a reason is far-fetched and has been questioned by many outsiders, but the situation was urgent at the time and we had no time to explain further."

"But the Golden Thunder Sect moved the coffin in the middle of the night, and there are also the image stone evidence left by Tian Shuzi and Ling Xuzi. We have not yet formally confronted them."

Mo Xingjian's eyes were sharp. "In other words, Lei Wuji and the others did not know that we already knew about the Gobi caves."

"Even when Shen Yunzhou accidentally stumbled in, he failed to penetrate the core. And the self-destruct formation left behind by the Golden Thunder Sect when they retreated almost buried us all alive."

Ling Yuexiao frowned, his voice filled with worry: "That's right, what Junior Brother is worried about right now is that the mummified corpse from the Tianji Sect is currently locked up with Ling Xuzi and the others, and is being guarded by several senior uncles."

“But we also surveyed that cave. There were fifteen octagonal altars in total, each with the imprints of eight coffins on it.”

"Aside from the one that escaped, that means the Golden Thunder Sect possesses at least one hundred and nineteen mummies!"

Ruan Mingxiu nodded in agreement, his expression serious: "Although these mummies are ancient and have evolved at an astonishing speed, based on our research on that one, their strength ceiling is no more than the Nascent Soul Realm."

"If it were just a hundred mindless Nascent Soul stage mummies, it would be nothing more than a few slaps to us."

"But what we're worried about is, what if they weren't the culprits behind the destruction of these sects!"

Mo Xingjian remained silent, but in his mind he recalled the terrifying image of Lei Wuji that Tian Hong had brought when he feigned surrender and left in the image stone.

Even more disturbing is that, according to Ling Xuzi and Tian Shuzi, the Corpse Refining Manual left by the Corpse Yin Sect in that cave had been altered by them.

He twisted a dangerous secret technique into a "shortcut" to breaking through to the Spirit Severing Realm, successfully misleading Lei Wuji into going astray.

“Lei Wuji is probably still deeply convinced of that flawed method, which is why he's ended up in that terrible state.” Ling Yuexiao’s tone was full of apprehension.

Ruan Mingxiu's face was gloomy, and his tone was solemn: "To be able to set up such a meticulous formation, completely surrounding the destroyed sect, and then clean up all traces afterwards, the Golden Thunder Sect is definitely involved. They are clearly aiding and abetting evil!"

He paused and sighed.

"Although it hasn't affected us yet, rumors have already spread. Everyone is saying that we're breaking our promises and will settle scores with the sects that were once affiliated with Tianji Sect."

“Those small sects are in a state of panic. Many have already handed over five elemental spirit stones, and some have even brought more generous gifts, just hoping that we can let them go.”

Hearing what the two were saying, Mo Xingjian's expression became somewhat serious.

Was this Jin Leizong's action intentional or accidental?

But after a brief moment of thought, he immediately came up with a solution.

"There are only a dozen or so sects that have paid top-grade spirit stones for protection. The rest are still hoping to avoid punishing the majority and are hiding in the shadows watching."

Mo Xingjian tapped the image stone lightly with his fingertips. "As for these rumors, they are most likely spread by these people on purpose, trying to stir up the situation that has finally calmed down."

Upon hearing Mo Xingjian's analysis, the two men's faces lit up with excitement.

"Senior Brother Mo, what do you mean?"

The two looked at Mo Xingjian.

"The Taiqing Sect has always valued keeping its word." Mo Xingjian snorted coldly and suddenly flicked his sleeve.

"Since we've collected protection money, we naturally have to ensure their safety. As for those who are hoping to get away with it, they're just clowns who can't cause any trouble."

As he spoke, he took out a map and examined it carefully, saying, "It seems that just as I guessed, the Golden Thunder Sect was secretly carrying out a sect-annihilation operation, but it just happened to run into the Yang Sect, and thus became an innocent bystander."

"They should also know that now is not the time to confront us head-on, so they are trying to avoid it as much as possible."

Mo Xingjian checked the locations of the major sects that had been destroyed and analyzed them.

“Junior brothers, please compile a list of the sects that have paid spirit stones, and send twenty disciples from each sect to these sects.”

"But do not enter the sect. Just set up camp outside the mountain gate and plant my Taiqing Sect flag."

“If the Golden Thunder Sect knew what was good for them, they would realize that these places are now under the protection of my Taiqing Sect.”

"If they continue to ignore the situation, don't blame us for taking drastic measures!"

Upon hearing Mo Xingjian's order, the two of them answered in unison.

This strategy was a triple win: it both intimidated the Golden Thunder Sect and solidified the allegiance of smaller sects, and it also dispelled the rumors.

It might even attract more forces to vie for tribute.

The two quickly boarded the teleportation array and headed straight for Tianji Gate.

Then, Mo Xingjian turned his gaze to Zhou Qing, who had remained silent: "Judging from your hesitant expression, do you have some doubts?"

“This disciple is indeed puzzled.” Zhou Qing stepped forward, his expression solemn. “Those sects that were destroyed had anywhere from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of disciples. It is clear that this was not the work of mummified corpses.”

"With such a massive amount of essence and blood being absorbed, I'm worried about Lei Wuji—"

Upon hearing Zhou Qing's words, Mo Xingjian nodded with a grave expression.

"Although Lei Wuji was eliminated, he did take this opportunity to break through to the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul Realm."

"Now that the Golden Thunder Sect is helping him slaughter innocent people, I'm worried that they might have stumbled upon some shortcut by accident."

At this point, Mo Xingjian's gaze suddenly turned icy: "For now, we can keep to ourselves, but if this continues, the fire will eventually reach the Taiqing Sect."

Zhou Qingshen agreed.

Although there are still countless cities, most of them are inhabited by ordinary people.

Moreover, the Golden Thunder Sect dared not touch the foundation of the dynasty, otherwise the subsequent trouble would be enormous.

Only sects far from prosperity became their targets for wanton slaughter.

"Forget it, you don't need to worry about these things. We'll discuss it further when your senior uncle returns." Mo Xingjian patted Zhou Qing on the shoulder.

After pondering for a moment, Zhou Qing asked his master for the names of the destroyed sects and then went to find Shen Huangmao.

During Zhou Qing's seclusion, Shen Huangmao went to the Gobi Cave again, hoping to see if there was any remaining corpse fluid, but unfortunately he found nothing.

Zhou Qing actually felt a little guilty about this.

After all, he was able to become the Buddha's father because of his help.

In addition, I was able to comprehend the third strand of Phoenix Dao Pattern thanks to the wood-attribute spirit stones that he had brought from afar.

Upon arriving at the VIP accommodation area, they discovered that Lu Yaoyao's clear laughter could be heard coming from inside.

Zhou Qing paused, a sense of doubt rising in his heart.

When did these two become so familiar with each other?

Upon entering, they saw Shen Yunzhou gesturing vividly in the pavilion in the middle of the lake, while Lu Yaoyao laughed so hard she couldn't stand up straight, tears welling up in her eyes.

"My older sister has a lot more embarrassing stories to tell, you wouldn't believe it. Once I sneaked over to my grandpa's place, originally intending to... Oh, Brother Zhou—"

Upon seeing Zhou Qing appear, Shen Yunzhou waved enthusiastically.

Lu Yaoyao also hurriedly stood up, tears of laughter still glistening in the corners of her eyes: "Senior Brother Zhou, come here quickly! You would never believe that Sister Shen was so funny when she was little!"

Zhou Qing looked helplessly at Shen Huangmao. "You've really exposed all of your sister's secrets. Be careful, one day she might find out and hang you up and lock you in a dark room."

But soon, his expression suddenly turned serious. He immediately looked behind the two of them, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Senior Shen Hanyi, when did you arrive? You didn't even give me a heads-up."

Upon hearing this, Shen Huangmao's smile froze instantly. His Adam's apple bobbed violently, and he stiffly turned his head, his legs trembling uncontrollably.

"Sis, let me explain...it's not what you think..."

When he turned around, he found there wasn't a single hair behind him.

Zhou Qing couldn't help but burst into laughter, pointing a trembling finger at Shen Yunzhou: "Brother Shen! With your guts, you dare to talk badly about your sister behind her back?"

Lu Yaoyao chuckled, but then felt that this behavior was not quite right.

After all, it was she who took the initiative to inquire about Third Mother, so she quickly covered her mouth, but her shoulders still trembled slightly as she tried to suppress her laughter.

Shen Yunzhou's face flushed red with embarrassment. He immediately put his hands on his hips, straightened his back, and let out a heavy snort.

"How could I not know whether my sister came or not? I was just teasing Lu Meimei on purpose."

Shen Yunzhou forced himself to explain, but his eyes darted around as he spoke, avoiding Zhou Qing's ambiguous gaze.

"Who am I? I am the Emperor of Shit, the one who suppresses all enemies!"

"I couldn't beat my sister when we were kids, but now you try to make her suppress her cultivation to the Nascent Soul Realm!"

Shen Yunzhou roared, his face flushed!
Zhou Qing said, "I believe that. I see your sister likes to wear white. When you unleash your magic, just throw a few drops of yellow on her, and she'll definitely run away in panic."

Upon hearing this, Shen Yunzhou couldn't help but shudder.

Because he actually tried it. But he was almost crippled as a result, and was even locked up in a dark room for a full two years.

Seeing Shen Yunzhou's face turn bright red, almost steaming, Zhou Qing coughed lightly and changed the subject: "Alright, alright, stop standing there, come with me somewhere!"

"Where are we going?" Shen Yunzhou asked instinctively, still caught off guard by his embarrassment.

Zhou Qing tossed him the image stone, saying, "Six sects were wiped out in total. This might be helpful to you!"

Shen Yunzhou quickly scanned the screen, his pupils contracted sharply, and his eyes immediately filled with excitement.

He then raised an eyebrow suspiciously: "Could it be that you used that mummified corpse to do it?"

"Brother Shen, you flatter me." Zhou Qing's expression turned serious, and a cold glint appeared in his eyes. "How could the Taiqing Sect do something that would incur the wrath of both heaven and man?"

Shen Yunzhou scratched his head sheepishly: "That's true... Could it really be the Golden Thunder Sect's doing? These people are too ruthless!"

"Let's go quickly, I'll go check it out on the way too!" Zhou Qing turned and left.

Shen Yunzhou hurriedly followed, and Lu Yaoyao also jogged behind. The three of them boarded the flying boat and sped towards the Yiyang Sect.

……

The sects slaughtered by the Golden Thunder Sect this time were distributed in a fan shape, leaving the surrounding area of ​​hundreds of miles in complete silence.

The rogue cultivators who used to take advantage of the chaos were now all too afraid to approach, demonstrating the shocking power of this bloody incident.

When Zhou Qing and his two companions landed, only a small number of Taiqing Sect disciples were conducting an investigation.

"Little Sect Leader! Senior Sister Lu!" Dozens of disciples immediately gathered around and bowed in unison.

Zhou Qing nodded slightly, and with a quick glance, he immediately noticed a dozen or so figures in the crowd with three white circles embroidered on their cuffs.

Zhou Qing remembered his master saying that most of the disciples of Tianji Sect had chosen to submit, but they were still in the assessment stage.

Whether he can be promoted to a permanent position depends on his subsequent performance.

For example, when these people saw Zhou Qing, their eyes were full of fear and trepidation, but one person had a sinister and resentful look flash across his face as he lowered his head.

Although it was fleeting, how could such a gaze escape Zhou Qing's notice? To do so would be to greatly underestimate the spiritual perception of a Nascent Soul cultivator.

Zhou Qing glanced at him indifferently, pointed at him, and said coldly, "You, come here!"

The Golden Core disciple trembled involuntarily, then quickly stepped forward: "Greetings, Senior Brother Zhou!"

Snapped!
No sooner had he finished speaking than a disciple of the Taiqing Sect slapped him on the back of the head.

"How dare you call me Senior Brother Zhou? That's rude! Call me Junior Sect Leader!"

The man staggered and nearly fell, but dared not show the slightest resentment, and bowed again in greeting.

This time, he deliberately softened his voice: "Please forgive me, Junior Sect Leader! I misspoke. I hope you will forgive my rudeness."

Zhou Qing suddenly revealed a gentle smile, but it sent a chill down one's spine: "Don't be nervous."

He stepped forward and patted the other man on the shoulder. "It would be perfect if you could show us around. You must know this place very well, right?"

The man was momentarily stunned upon hearing this, but quickly recovered and hurriedly replied, "Yes, Junior Sect Leader!"

Zhou Qing then looked at the others and instructed them, "You don't need to go in, so as not to destroy some clues."

"Yes!" The crowd bowed in unison.

The Golden Core cultivator quickly stepped aside, forcing a fawning smile, and said, "Young Master, please!"

"I can't take it anymore, this stench is too addictive, I'm going in first!"

After Shen Yunzhou finished speaking, he took out his dung beetle pet and rushed in without waiting.

Lu Yaoyao looked at Zhou Qing with some confusion in her eyes, but in the end she didn't say anything, only wrinkled her nose slightly.

As the two entered, a strong, nauseating stench filled the air, making it almost impossible to breathe.

Everywhere you look, there are mutilated corpses lying haphazardly on the ground, their blood already congealed, and the air is filled with the stench of death.

Strangely, the buildings were almost completely intact, with no obvious signs of damage, and there were no traces of lightning strikes on the bodies.

It seems that the Golden Thunder Sect has done an impeccable job in handling the aftermath, and their meticulous planning is chilling.

"Young sect leader, be careful. According to the clues we've gathered so far, the sect leader of the One Yang Sect is only at the early stage of the Nascent Soul Realm, and the rest are just a few elders at the Core Formation Realm..."

At this moment, the Golden Core Realm man leading the way had a smile on his face and began to give a warm introduction.

Zhou Qing covered her mouth and nose, her eyes cold, but suddenly said, "You... hate me, don't you?"

"W-what?" The man who was making the introduction trembled involuntarily, his smile froze, and his body trembled slightly.

Zhou Qing suddenly laughed, a hint of mockery in his smile, and said, "From your perspective, I can understand. Although I don't like indiscriminate killing, but—"

Before he could finish speaking, a flash of lightning pierced through his brow.

The man didn't even have time to react; his eyes were wide open, and his face was filled with terror, before he fell straight down.

"I don't want to leave any hidden dangers for myself or the entire Taiqing Sect!" Zhou Qing said calmly, without a trace of emotion in his eyes.

He believed there were many more people with such malicious intentions.

I didn't take action outside just now because I was worried about putting psychological pressure on those people, since some of them have genuinely chosen to submit.

If they misunderstand something, it could potentially cause some turmoil and unrest in the entire sect.

Some things can only be gradually adjusted over time, allowing them to develop a sense of belonging and harmony.

All he could do was use absolute power to intimidate those with ill intentions and use swift and decisive measures to eradicate the cancer.

Lu Yaoyao was only slightly surprised as she watched Zhou Qing walk forward with his hands behind his back.

A complex emotion flashed in his eyes, but he didn't ask any more questions. He simply quickened his pace, covered his nose, and followed.

Once they entered the depths of the sect, they noticed Shen Yunzhou standing in mid-air, surrounded by a nauseating aura.

At this moment, the huge, yellowish-brown sky behind him was churning violently, with countless sticky filth twisting and entwining like living creatures.

The foul-smelling liquid overflowing from the corpses scattered everywhere continuously turned into wisps of gray mist, rushing into the sky.

This made Shen Yunzhou look quite pleased.

Seeing this, the two felt nauseous and quickly left.

"By the way, have you decided what kind of artistic conception you want to comprehend next?"

Once outside, Zhou Qing was panting heavily, looking at Lu Yaoyao with a hint of exhaustion in his eyes.

Lu Yaoyao's face was also pale, and her stomach was still churning. She then wiped the sour liquid from the corner of her mouth.

"Anyway, I won't come to understand a disgusting state of mind like my uncle... Brother Shen."

Zhou Qing nodded slightly and said helplessly, "That's good. After sparring with him a few times, Senior Brother Li has developed a severe psychological trauma. He's been pretending to be in seclusion and refuses to meet him no matter what."

Lu Yaoyao nodded slightly, then her gaze fell on the corpses scattered on the ground. Her eyebrows furrowed, and she asked with a face full of doubt.

"Senior Brother Zhou, do you really think the Golden Thunder Sect did this? Aren't they afraid of divine retribution?"

Zhou Qing's eyes were complicated, and he said in a deep voice, "He will be punished by the heavens? The battle at Canglan Mountain almost dragged all the strong people in the Eastern Region into the abyss. If Sikong Yan were to be punished by the heavens, he would have died hundreds of times over."

Despite saying this, Zhou Qing's eyes were full of worry.

……

Meanwhile, somewhere along the Great Wall on the border!
Yan Sen was pointing his finger at Jiang Pojun's brow, the black energy swirling around his fingertips emitting a piercing clang.

Jiang Pojun's pupils contracted, his eyes rolled back, and his whole body convulsed.

A few breaths later, Yan Sen suddenly released his grip, and Jiang Pojun fell limply from the air like a lump of mud.

With a loud thud, it crashed onto the corpses of a group of Longxiang Army soldiers, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Yan Sen licked his lips, his eyes gleaming with excitement, like a wolf that had caught the scent of its prey.

"I imagine that when Shen Hanyi led them across the border to that island, someone would have noticed. I never expected Zhou Qing to be so famous."

Yan Sen muttered to himself, a glint of greed flashing in his eyes.

"We can get relevant clues just by randomly grabbing someone. Lingyun Prefecture, Eastern Region, Taiqing Sect, good, good, good!"

Yan Sen said "good" three times in a row, a smug smile on his face.

He glanced briefly at the void to his side, then quickly took out a flying boat, flashed into view, boarded the flying boat, and instantly disappeared into the distance.

A few breaths later, Xuanyuan Shuo walked slowly out of the void with his hands behind his back.

His eyes were like an eagle's, fixed on the direction Yan Sen had left, his brows furrowed, his face full of solemnity.

"A mid-stage Spirit Severing Realm cultivator should be considered an outsider. Right now, I am focused on refining that Tiger King and have no time to fight such a person again!"

Xuanyuan Shuo muttered to himself, a hint of helplessness in his voice.

Then, he glanced at Jiang Pojun below, whose fate was unknown, and waved his hand gently.

A chain of spiritual energy shot out like a serpent, precisely wrapping around Jiang Pojun's ankle, and then suddenly pulled him up into the air, hovering him in front of them.

Looking at Jiang Pojun's distorted face, with saliva mixed with blood dripping from the corner of his mouth, Xuan Yuanshuo sighed softly.

A hint of pity flashed in his eyes: "Having your soul searched so brutally by a Spirit Severing Realm expert, your life is probably completely ruined."

"I hope there's still hope!" Xuan Yuanshuo muttered to himself.

Having said that, he turned and entered the void with Jiang Pojun's body, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

……

Zhou Qing and Lu Yaoyao waited at Yiyang Sect for two whole days before Shen Yunzhou finally emerged from the stench-filled depths of the sect, licking his lips.

A faint, lingering stench of foulness still surrounded him.

"Are you full?" Zhou Qing asked, raising an eyebrow.

Shen Yunzhou first nodded heavily, then hurriedly shook his head and retorted, "What you've been saying is 'I'm full'! This is called 'comprehending the artistic conception'!"

"Alright, alright, get into the feeling." Zhou Qing was too lazy to argue with him and urged, "Hurry up and move on to the next one, I have other things to do!"

As Zhou Qing spoke, he led Shen Yunzhou and Lu Yaoyao to the next crime scene.

……

(End of this chapter)