The head master has a new female apprentice

Chapter 299 What kind of seclusion is this? We're all going to die without a burial place! (6k)

Beneath Shenyue Peak, the cold prison was filled with the stench of decay.

When Gao Xuan stepped into the stone chamber, he saw Cao Zhengyang placing one hand on Ling Xuzi's primordial spirit, with spiritual light flowing between his five fingers, as he was conducting a soul search.

Ling Xuzi's primordial spirit twisted and struggled in mid-air, but to no avail.

Mo Xingjian and the others stood aside and nodded slightly to Gao Xuan when he arrived.

Gao Xuan stopped speaking and silently looked at Ling Xuzi's current appearance, feeling a pang of sorrow.

However, the cultivation world is inherently a dog-eat-dog world. If the Taiqing Sect members become prisoners, their fate will likely be even more tragic.

"They actually erased the relevant memories!"

As Cao Zhengyang released his grip, Ling Xuzi's primordial spirit fell like a puppet with its strings cut, his eyes rolled back, and he completely lost consciousness.

They had previously claimed to possess eight drops of Sikong Yan's heart's blood, and indeed, they later found it in their storage bags.

However, the authenticity of the claim is unknown, and they also said that, in order to keep the remaining four drops of blood essence a secret, they had all erased their memories of the relevant information.

This was solely to deter Sikong Yan from making any rash moves.

If necessary, it will be awakened in a special way at the appropriate time.

But just now, through soul searching, I learned that this guy doesn't seem to be lying, but the method to awaken memories is only known to Yuhengzi.

As for Yuhengzi, he had already been killed by Zhou Qing, so how could he know about it now?
“After Zhou Qing’s soul search last time, he said he didn’t want these two to live.”

Duanmu Shu's cold voice suddenly rang out.

Cao Zhengyang's gaze darkened, and he slowly nodded.

He never intended to leave any survivors, and now he knows everything he needs to know.

"Then kill him!"

Before he finished speaking, a cold glint flashed in Cao Zhengyang's eyes, and a blinding light suddenly burst forth from his palm.

Ling Xuzi's primordial spirit melted away like ice and snow in the golden light. Before he could even scream, it turned into specks of spiritual light and dissipated into the world.

A supreme elder of a sect has fallen!

"Here you go!" After doing all this, Cao Zhengyang clapped his hands and handed Gao Xuan a photo of Ling Xuzi and Tian Shuzi kneeling and begging for mercy at Tianji Sect.

Of course, what he really wanted Gao Xuan to see was the story of the two of them sharing Sikong Yan's heartfelt blood.

After all, so far, only Zhou Qing, Mo Xingjian, and he know that Gao Xuan has actually been replaced.

The rest of the people, including the Supreme Elder, were completely unaware of the situation.

Prejudice in people's hearts is a mountain; even if others know the truth, they will inevitably feel a sense of distance.

It would be better to let everyone accept Go Hyun as he is now, without really understanding the situation.

"Let's go, it's time to see the last old friend." Cao Zhengyang took the lead and led the group through the dark passageway.

As the third bronze cell door was slowly pushed open, a hunched figure was seen curled up on the stone bed in the dappled light.

Tian Shuzi's white hair was disheveled like withered grass; he was emaciated and his eyes had long lost their sparkle.

His face remained expressionless as he watched the crowd enter.

These days, he had come to realize that the Taiqing Sect had never intended to let them go.

The so-called separate interrogations and detentions are nothing more than a cat-and-mouse game.

The Tianji Sect has long been defunct in name only, so why would the other party really support them to continue in charge?

He admitted that people are actually more afraid of death as they get older, but there are some things that you can't escape just by being afraid.

"If I am not mistaken, Senior Brother Lingxuzi has already taken his leave, hasn't he?" Tian Shuzi said calmly.

Cao Zhengyang nodded frankly: "That's right. Is there anything else you'd like to say?"

Tian Shuzi struggled to sit up.

Now that his spiritual power is completely sealed, even self-destruction has become a luxury.

Looking at the restrictive runes flashing outside the cage, he suddenly twitched the corner of his mouth and revealed a bitter smile.

“The victor is king, the loser is villain, I accept that, but I still want to know, will there still be a Tianji Sect in the Eastern Region?” Tian Shuzi asked in a hoarse voice.

Cao Zhengyang remained silent for a moment, then slowly shook his head.

Tian Shuzi's body trembled violently, and two streams of turbid tears suddenly welled up in his eyes.

He turned around with difficulty, facing the mottled prison wall—the wall was densely covered with the names of the successive leaders of the Tianji Sect.

"This disciple is ashamed."

He slammed his knees heavily onto the cold stone ground and bowed deeply to the names of the patriarchs of all generations.

His gray hair fell to the ground, his hunched back trembled violently, but he could no longer utter a complete sentence.

The crowd stood in silence, their gazes fixed on their former nemesis with complex emotions.

Each generation has its own tasks, and today is the mission that this generation must accomplish.

Then, Cao Zhengyang stepped forward, slowly raised his hand, and his palm emitted spiritual light.

I'm sorry—

……

Soon after, the group went to the next cage, where the mummified corpse that had slaughtered many of the Taiqing Sect's mines was imprisoned.

Gao Xuan also finished digesting the information in the image stone at this time, and felt it was somewhat unbelievable.

He was completely unaware of anything concerning his heart's blood.

"Roar--"

As the heavy prison door was pushed open, a shrill scream suddenly rang out.

The mummified corpse was currently bound to the stone wall by dozens of rune chains.

Its withered body struggled violently, and eerie green flames flickered in its empty eye sockets.

The corpse sensed the presence of a living person and struggled even more frantically, causing the chains to rattle loudly.

"In just a few months, it can evolve to the Nascent Soul Realm simply by absorbing the essence and blood of cultivators. This kind of strange dried corpse is truly terrifying!" a Supreme Elder said in a deep voice.

The crowd stared at the howling, desiccated corpse in the cage. Its veins were bulging, and dark red blood vessels could be faintly seen writhing beneath its rotting muscles.

All I can say is that the Corpse Yin Sect was a sect with considerable potential in the past.

Although the reason is unknown, it was buried in the long river of history.

However, the place where they raised corpses has undergone a strange transformation over the years.

"If the Corpse Yin Sect had been able to cultivate such a large army of Nascent Soul mummies back then, the current situation in the Eastern Region would probably be very different," another Supreme Elder sighed, stroking his beard.

Cao Zhengyang's gaze was gloomy: "Lei Wuji still has 119 such mummified corpses in his hands. However, a Nascent Soul is still a Nascent Soul, and is not worth fearing in front of a Divine Transformation cultivator."

He paused, his voice suddenly turning cold: "What I'm worried about is something else entirely."

As they were talking, Tong Min, the peak master of Yuqing Peak, had already carried two unconscious Tianji Sect disciples into the prison cell.

Judging from their aura, they are all at the Golden Core stage.

"Master, the people have been brought!" Tong Min threw the two directly in front of the mummified corpse.

Seeing the presence of a living person so close at hand, the mummified corpse became even more agitated. Its rotting mouth stretched to its ears, revealing its fangs, and it emitted a hungry "ha-ha" sound from its throat.

Although most of the Tianji Sect disciples chose to submit, some still lurked in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity to act.

The two people in front of them were the "Anti-Qing and Restorationists" who had killed more than 30 disciples of the Taiqing Sect during this period.

Several peak masters went to great lengths to set a trap to lure the two venomous snakes out of their hole.

“All of our disciples who guarded the mine in the past died tragically, with almost no one surviving. This gave me a vague idea.”

As Cao Zhengyang spoke, his gaze grew cold.

"Perhaps, the Tianji Sect, which was driving them away, deliberately killed those who could escape to prevent them from exposing any secrets."

"Unfortunately, no relevant information was found when searching the souls of Lingxuzi and Tianshuzi."

Cao Zhengyang frowned and continued, "But the indescribable stench of corpses emanating from all the disciples who died tragically was something that only Shen Yunzhou was obsessed with getting close to."

He took a deep breath, a hint of worry flashing in his eyes: "I hope... I'm just overthinking it."

After Cao Zhengyang finished speaking, he raised his hand and pointed, and two streams of spiritual energy pierced into the foreheads of the two Tianji Sect disciples like needles.

The two shuddered and suddenly woke up, their eyes still showing the terror they had felt before losing consciousness.

"Where...where is this?!" One of them struggled to sit up, and his face turned deathly pale after he saw his surroundings.

The other man stared intently at the chained, desiccated corpse, a trembling sob escaping his throat: "What...what do you want to do?!"

The mummified corpse struggled even more frantically, drool dripping from its mouth and emitting low growls.

Cao Zhengyang remained expressionless, and with another flick of his finger, the rune chains on the mummified corpse loosened for a moment.

"Roar--!"

The mummified corpse instantly broke free of its restraints and pounced on the two Golden Core cultivators like a hungry wolf.

Before the two could react, the mummified corpse grabbed them and pinned them down, its sharp nails digging deep into their flesh, and its foul-smelling fangs biting down hard!
"what--!"

A piercing scream echoed in the cage as the mummified corpse greedily tore at the flesh of the two men.

However, after only a few bites, Cao Zhengyang snorted coldly, waved his sleeve, and the runic chains wrapped around the corpse again, forcefully pulling it back to the stone wall and imprisoning it once more.

The mummified corpse roared in resentment, with bits of flesh and blood still clinging to its mouth, and ghostly fire flickering wildly in its eyes.

The two bitten cultivators writhed on the ground in pain, cursing under their breath.

Everyone looked at Cao Zhengyang in confusion, only to see his face suddenly turn ugly.

Soon, the two people who had been struggling and screaming in the cage became eerily quiet.

Unlike the disciples who died tragically before them, their internal organs were dug out by the mummified corpses and they were torn into pieces.

The two now only have some bite marks on their necks and shoulders.

But their wounds stopped bleeding; instead, thick black liquid seeped out, and their skin turned ashen at a visible speed, with bluish-black lines spreading like a spider web along their veins.

"Ho...ho..."

The two men let out hoarse gasps, their bodies began to twitch unnaturally, the whites of their eyes were quickly eroded by black, and their mouths stretched uncontrollably open, with saliva mixed with black blood dripping down.

“As expected…” Cao Zhengyang’s gaze turned serious.

In just a few breaths, the aura emanating from the two of them completely changed.

A putrid stench emanated from their bodies, as if their flesh was rotting from the inside out.

Their fingernails began to grow long, the tips turning black, and a low, beast-like growl rumbled in their throats. "What potent corpse poison! It's contagious, and so fast!"

Seeing this, all eight Supreme Elders looked grim.

Putting aside whether there are any antidotes, even if there were, they probably wouldn't have had a chance to be refined before they turned into one of these mummies.

“Look at that mummified corpse—” Tong Min suddenly pointed to the mummified corpse locked on the wall.

At this moment, it stopped roaring at the two men and instead turned its bloodthirsty gaze back to them.

Clearly, these two Golden Core cultivators have become members it has recognized.

Cao Zhengyang let out a heavy sigh: "The worst has still happened."

He looked around at everyone and said in a low voice, "What if Lei Wuji personally bites you? Or... has he already trained tens of thousands of such zombie armies?"

Upon hearing this, the entire cage fell into a deathly silence.

Only the two mutated cultivators were making murky roars, their fingernails scratching the ground with a teeth-grinding scraping sound.

“If that’s really the case…” one of the elders said, his voice trembling slightly, “Once the corpse poison spreads, not only the Taiqing Sect, but the entire Eastern Region will probably become a corpse domain!”

A heavy feeling settled over everyone.

The mummified corpse's rate of infection far exceeds expectations. If Lei Wuji still retains his mind and can fully control it, a single surprise attack could sweep across the entire Eastern Region like a plague.

“Perhaps…” Mo Xingjian suddenly spoke, a strange light flashing in his eyes.

"The scheme set up by Yuhengzi and the other two back then, by some twist of fate, led him to open up a wicked path, just like our master did."

Everyone turned to look at Mo Xingjian.

As the previous sect leader, Master Canglong had not even broken through to the late stage of the Nascent Soul Realm. He passed away after his lifespan was exhausted, and they personally buried him.

But the result?

He actually appeared in the first coffin and broke through to the Spirit Severing Realm, becoming a Ghost Emperor.

Then why can't Lei Wuji continue down this evil path and become the Corpse Emperor?
Thinking of this, everyone felt their hair stand on end!

Cao Zhengyang's gaze was cold and stern, and he remained silent.

Instead, he raised his hand and waved it, and a burst of spiritual fire suddenly ignited, enveloping the two mutated cultivators.

In the flames, their bodies twisted violently, black blood steamed, and a stench filled the air, eventually turning into two charred remains.

"Since those six sects were destroyed, no other sects have suffered the same fate."

Cao Zhengyang slowly turned around, his gaze sweeping over everyone present like a knife: "What do you think Lei Wuji is secretly plotting?"

Everyone was silent.

"Such terrifying infectiousness, yet it stopped at just the right time, there can only be one explanation." Duanmu Shu suddenly spoke, her voice as cold as frost.

Seeing everyone looking at her, she continued, "He cannot fully control those mutated mummies yet, so he can only take it one step at a time."

This deduction drew nods of agreement from everyone.

Indeed, if it cannot be controlled, it will likely only backfire.

Mo Xingjian added thoughtfully, "It is worth noting that the number of people in the destroyed sects, from top to bottom, is almost the same as the recorded number."

A glint flashed in his eyes. "In other words, I think that Lei Wuji is the one who did it so far, and he's not ready to start a large-scale infection yet."

“A person’s divine sense is ultimately limited,” Mo Xingjian continued his analysis. “If I were him, I would first control several Nascent Soul cultivators, then have the Nascent Soul cultivators control the Golden Core cultivators.”

Mo Xingjian made a progressive gesture, "Just like the border guards, forming a tight control system."

After hearing this, everyone largely agreed with this guess.

Cao Zhengyang immediately made a decision: "Issue the order! From today onwards, no one outside the Nascent Soul realm may go out in groups of three, those outside the Core Formation realm must travel in groups of ten, and those below the Golden Core realm are strictly prohibited from acting alone!"

His gaze was sharp as lightning. "If what Junior Brother Mo said is true, Lei Wuji would never easily use his own Nascent Soul Realm expert. Instead, he would first infect the outer sect experts."

"Furthermore," Cao Zhengyang turned to Tong Min, "have the Qingyu Immortal Sect use its spies planted in the Jinlei Sect to check for any clues!"

"Yes!" Tong Min and Mo Xingjian responded in unison.

Cao Zhengyang suddenly remembered something and frowned: "We also need to pay attention to Sikong Yan. He probably knows about the matter of the heart's blood."

“But ever since Tian Shuzi and Ling Xuzi were imprisoned here, I gave him another chance, but he hasn’t made a move. Is he not worried about anything at all, or does he have something else in mind?”

After Gao Xuan came out of the dungeon, he looked at Cao Zhengyang and Mo Xingjian beside him, and hesitated to speak.

He wanted to know what exactly was recorded in the image stone that Wu Sha had Qi Sheng bring.

However, the sect has various urgent matters pressing at the moment, and they have not brought this matter up with them.

"I still need to go to the Azure Feather Immortal Sect myself!" Cao Zhengyang glanced at Gao Xuan without leaving a trace, then turned and disappeared into a streak of light.

After a brief hesitation, Gao Xuan looked at Mo Xingjian.

Mo Xingjian suddenly slapped his thigh: "Look at my brain, how could I forget such an important thing? I have to go to Tianji Sect right away."

Before he finished speaking, the man had disappeared from the spot.

Only Gao Xuan was left standing there.

No, if you're not going to say anything, then why did you call me here?
Is it simply about knowing about Sikong Yan's heart's blood?

……

border!

Taiyao Mountain, outside Black Feather Peak!

The dragon emperor Xuanqiu paced back and forth anxiously, he was really panicking.

I used to think that those who had reached the Spirit Severing Realm were the very elite, and that almost no one could truly threaten their lives.

Moreover, they all tacitly adhere to an unwritten rule: unless there is a deep-seated hatred, they will not easily fight to the death.

Even when they do spar, they usually stop short of engaging in combat.

Just like when they fought for the Spider King's territory a few days ago, the demon kings tested each other and eventually gave way.

Even with his old rival Xuanyuan Shuo, the two sides have always maintained a delicate balance, keeping to themselves and not interfering with each other.

But now, this balance is being broken, and in a way that terrifies him.

Spider King Ye Luo was killed by that silver-haired woman with a single finger right in front of him. The overwhelming negative emotions forced him to abandon his old lair, which he had built up over many years, and choose to move away.

And then there's the Crimson Tiger Lord, who came to join the fun a while ago.

After being wounded by Peng Huang and forced to leave, he unexpectedly perished in a mountain range tens of thousands of miles away from the Thousand Illusion Cave.

What's even more terrifying is that no one noticed the whole process until his men discovered the strange phenomenon in that area, at which point he belatedly rushed to investigate.

All the traces left at the scene pointed to Xuanyuan Shuo!

"That treacherous villain!" Xuan Qiu gritted his teeth, his heart burning with rage.

No wonder Xuanyuan Shuo never showed up during the battle for the Spider King's territory.

Instead, he had Peng Huang act on his behalf, ultimately handing over his territory to human cultivators for training.

It turns out this guy had been hiding in the shadows, waiting for his chance to strike, ready to kick someone when they're down!
However, what chilled him to the bone the most was that another Spirit Slayer Realm cultivator had recently fallen in the territory of the Bell and Gong Beast.

But who exactly fell? No one knows!
Even the bell-shaped beast itself couldn't explain it!
Although it's unclear whether he's telling the truth or not, in a short period of time, three powerful experts at the Spirit Severing Realm have fallen around him one after another.

This gave him an unprecedented sense of crisis.

Who did it?
"Could I be next...?" An even more terrifying thought suddenly surfaced.

"Could it be the Roc King who perished in the territory of the Bell and Gong Beast?" Xuanqiu's golden vertical pupils contracted sharply.

After all, he hadn't seen the other party since they last appeared to uphold justice for him.

"This junior greets the Dragon King!"

Just as his mind was in chaos, the old ape leaning on a dragon-patterned wooden staff slowly walked out from Black Feather Peak, his wrinkled face revealing nothing.

"Where is Brother Feng? Is he in seclusion again?" Xuanqiu asked impatiently.

The old ape nodded slightly: "May I ask what brings you here, senior? Please wait until my emperor emerges from seclusion."

"When will we get there? This matter is extremely urgent. It's possible that it was Xuanyuan Shuo of the human race who joined forces with others to do this. Right now, the only one in our area who has broken through to the mid-stage of the Spirit Slaying Realm is Brother Feng."

After the Dragon King finished speaking, he quickly took out a blank jade slip and imprinted the recent events into it with his divine sense.

"Please deliver this to Brother Feng as quickly as possible. Tell him that if he continues his seclusion, we will all die without a burial place!"

The old ape took the jade slip, his face showing reluctance.

"I understand, but the Black Feather Peak where my Emperor is in seclusion is protected by a five-colored restriction. Even I am powerless to help!"

Jiaohuang: "..."

Dry!
He now desperately wanted to forcefully attack and awaken the Roc Emperor.

But there was already a precedent. After the Spider King attacked, what happened? The Roc King directly joined forces with the silver-haired, veiled woman and killed her.

"Never mind, as long as he's still in the peak, I still have something to rely on!"

After the Flood Dragon King finished speaking, he hurriedly left to find the Weilun Demon. The two of them would then go to the territory of the Bell and Gong Beast to see who had perished there.

Only after watching the Flood Dragon King leave did the old ape's tense back relax slightly.

A look of worry, which he could not hide, finally appeared on his wrinkled face.

Since Penghuang left last time, he has never returned, and no one knows where he went.
As the strategist of Taiyao Mountain, all he can do now is maintain the stability of the demons.

Left with no other choice, they had to lie to the outside world and tell the Emperor that he was still in seclusion.

Looking down at the jade slip in his hand, he hesitated briefly before placing it on his forehead to examine it. Soon, the worry in his eyes deepened.

"Please, please don't let it be my emperor," the old ape prayed.

……

Golden Thunder Sect!
At the mountaintop, Lei Lie's blue robe fluttered in the wind.

At this moment, he gazed in the direction of Leichi, his brows furrowed.

The sounds of wild, beast-like roars echoed from there, accompanied by a nauseating stench that made his stomach churn, even from miles away.

"Is this path really feasible...?" Lei Lie clenched his fist, his nails digging deep into his palm.

If the cultivation techniques left behind by the Corpse Yin Sect in that Gobi cave can allow people to sever their spirits, then this region should have already been promoted to a fourth-level cultivation country.

How could it be that after countless years, I've never even heard of this sect?

"One must cultivate the Thunder Technique to its fullest extent to subdue the evil spirit of the corpse. Then, one must use the Corpse Scripture to devour and refine it, using poison to fight poison, and severing all attachments before one can sever the spirit!"

These are the words recorded on the first page of the "Corpse Scripture," and they look exactly like a cultivation technique tailor-made for the Golden Thunder Sect!
There was something eerie about it, but you couldn't quite put your finger on what was wrong!
(End of this chapter)