The head master has a new female apprentice

Chapter 304 Look at this, it's better to arrive at the right time than to arrive early (6k)

Liu Hansong trembled all over, a bitter smile appearing on his face, which was covered in bulging veins: "Come on, this poison is too painful, I feel like..."

Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly arched his back in pain, his fingernails growing three inches longer as he fiercely scratched his chest.

Without further hesitation, Liu Xuanfeng sent three Dragon-Locking Nails flying into the air.

He bit his tongue, spitting a mouthful of blood onto the nail, and the dragon pattern instantly came to life, swimming in the air like a real dragon.

"One nail seals the heavens!"

The first golden nail pierced the air and precisely entered Liu Hansong's Baihui acupoint.

He trembled violently and let out a heart-wrenching scream.

The moment the nail pierced through, a wisp of black energy was forced out, only to be locked back by the dragon pattern.

"Two nails to suppress the chest cavity!"

The second gold nail was aimed directly at the vital acupoint on the heart.

Black blood gushed from Liu Hansong's seven orifices at the same time, but the madness in his eyes subsided somewhat.

The dragon patterns on the nail seemed to come alive, starting to travel along his veins.

"Three nails lock the dantian!"

The last golden nail, with a piercing whistling sound, sank deep into Liu Hansong's abdomen.

With the three nails forming an array, countless golden chain phantoms appeared around his body, forcefully pressing the bulging bluish-black blood vessels back under his skin.

"seal up!"

As Liu Xuanfeng formed hand seals, the Fourth Elder Liu Hansong's face aged visibly, his temples instantly turned gray, and fine wrinkles crept into the corners of his eyes.

Even more terrifying, a decaying aura emanated from his body, a sign that he was about to face the five signs of decay.

"Ugh..."

Liu Hansong finally stopped struggling and collapsed on the deck, panting heavily.

"How are you feeling?" Everyone rushed forward to ask.

Liu Hansong shook his head weakly, forcing a smile that looked more like a grimace: "I feel... about to die... at most, I have ten years left!"

The deck fell into a deathly silence.

Ten years of lifespan may not be a short time for mortals, but for cultivators at the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul stage, it is merely a fleeting moment.

If Liu Hansong were to perish, it would be a heavy blow to the Liu family.

Elder Liu Xuanfeng's hands clenched unconsciously.

After resting for a while, Liu Hansong forced himself to recount the details of the attack.

"The Golden Thunder Sect is truly courting death!" Liu Youtai roared, and the Green Edge Sword on his back rang out.

Consort Ying then spoke up: "Could it be that someone wants to use another person to do their dirty work? Like the Taiqing Sect, or perhaps..."

A sharp glint flashed in her beautiful eyes, "The power behind the Seventh Prince?"

Everyone was taken aback by what they heard and looked at each other in bewilderment.

Liu Xuanfeng pondered and said, "We can't rule out that possibility, but right now, we're in an unfamiliar place, and we don't have time to investigate further."

Because this Dragon-Locking Nail can only seal for three days.

If the antidote cannot be found in three days, given what just happened, the fourth brother will surely die!

"This is definitely their revenge!" Liu Hansong staggered to his feet, angrily saying, "The one who tied the knot must untie it. We're going to the Golden Thunder Sect now and they must pay the price!"

The group exchanged glances and could only nod in agreement.

Then, the gilded flying boat roared into the air and headed straight for the Golden Thunder Sect...

Unexpectedly, about an hour later, the two figures reappeared silently above the canyon.

It was none other than the First Elder Liu Xuanfeng and the Second Elder Liu Youtai, who were originally supposed to leave.

The two people's immense divine senses swept across the canyon and every inch of the surrounding land like a tidal wave, not even missing the smallest insects.

"No one's following us..." Liu Xuanfeng frowned, his voice tinged with surprise, "Could it be that I've been overthinking things?"

Liu Youtai stroked his beard and sneered, "Logically speaking, those who secretly orchestrated this should come and see their masterpiece."

His gaze swept across the surroundings with a sinister intensity. "To witness one's enemy succumb to poison and die, to savor the prey's death throes... how could I possibly miss such a thrilling experience?"

After searching carefully for a while and confirming that no one was following them, Liu Xuanfeng suddenly raised his hand and waved.

Suddenly, a few wisps of black smoke appeared on the canyon wall and quietly disappeared into his sleeve.

"Could it really be the Golden Thunder Sect, and not the force behind the Seventh Prince?"

After Liu Xuanfeng muttered to himself, the two quickly chased after him.

Another hour passed, and then, from behind a cliff in the distance, three figures cautiously peeked out.

Gao Xuan and Mo Xingjian looked at Cao Zhengyang simultaneously, their eyes filled with admiration.

"Senior brother, how did you know they would come back?" Mo Xingjian asked in a low voice.

A smug smile appeared on Cao Zhengyang's lips.

"We've all lived for almost two thousand years and have experienced too many conspiracies and schemes. If I put myself in your shoes, I would do the same!"

He gazed intently in the direction Liu Xuanfeng and the other man had left: "In their view, the ambush by the Golden Thunder Sect was too sudden; they should be wary."

"If there really was someone who orchestrated this, they would definitely reappear at the scene and let out a cacophony of laughter to satisfy their own psychological pleasure."

"If we could catch someone already in the act, maybe the poison could be neutralized, and they wouldn't have been used as pawns."

After listening to Cao Zhengyang's analysis, the two nodded repeatedly.

But Gao Xuan hesitated briefly before saying, "But when they left earlier, you almost stood up, but then quickly squatted down again."

Cao Zhengyang's smile froze, and he said awkwardly, "No, you must have seen wrong."

Gao Xuan shook his head: "I can see it clearly. It must be your premonition that's working, right?"

Upon hearing this, Mo Xingjian, who was standing to the side, suddenly realized what was going on.

When the headmaster reached the Nascent Soul stage, he comprehended the early warning concept that allowed him to sense life-or-death crises two to three breaths in advance.

This unique atmosphere had helped him escape death multiple times.
Cao Zhengyang coughed lightly and said, "Nonsense, this is clearly my experience."

Then, his expression suddenly turned serious. He looked at the incense in his hand and extinguished it.

"Even a Nascent Soul cultivator at the Great Perfection stage can only last five hours after being bitten!"

Cao Zhengyang turned to look in the direction of the Golden Thunder Sect, his tone grim: "Before the situation escalates, we must eliminate this hidden danger, the Golden Thunder Sect!"

Mo Xingjian nodded in agreement: "Indeed, the Corpse Yin Sect probably never imagined that a place they accidentally left behind to raise corpses could, after the passage of time, actually poison a Nascent Soul expert."

"That's what you call fate playing tricks on people. The strongest person in the Corpse Yin Sect back then was probably only at the Nascent Soul stage," Gao Xuan sighed.

Cao Zhengyang let out a long breath and said, "Let's go, take a shortcut and catch up with them."

"Now that the Liu family's sword has been drawn, it must draw blood before it can be sheathed. And we... only need to make sure that the blood is splattered where it's supposed to be splattered."

The three exchanged a glance, each seeing a tacit understanding in the other's eyes, and then, in a flash, they sped off in another direction...

……

On the gilded flying boat, the Fourth Elder Liu Hansong was in a very bad state, because at this moment, the tail of the Dragon-Locking Nail had begun to turn faintly black.

"This poison is truly terrifying!" Elder Liu Xuanfeng, who had just returned, bent down to examine the poison, his voice filled with undisguised shock.

Consort Ying stepped forward gracefully, her eyes filled with guilt: "Fourth Uncle, I'm sorry, it's all because of me that you've been implicated."

Liu Hansong shook his head bitterly and said, "There's nothing to apologize for. I was just too careless. Anyway, I won't be able to break through to the Spirit Severing Realm in this lifetime. At most, I'll just live three hundred years less."

He straightened his hunched back with difficulty, a resolute glint in his cloudy eyes: "If I can eliminate some hidden dangers for the Liu family before I die, then I can consider myself..."

He paused abruptly, as if unable to find the right words, and finally uttered only two words, "Worth it."

Upon hearing this, everyone sighed softly, and a brief silence fell on the deck.

Just as Liu Hansong was about to say something more, he suddenly trembled violently!

Those cloudy eyes suddenly widened, their pupils shrinking to the size of pinpoints.

He scratched his chest in agony, looking extremely uncomfortable.

"There... there!"

He suddenly raised his hand and pointed to a spot in the southeast. His fingernails, which had already returned to normal, turned bluish-black at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The group was greatly alarmed upon seeing this.

Based on the speed of the royal airship, it should still be a day's journey to the Golden Thunder Sect, but judging from the fourth brother's reaction...

"Quick! Turn in that direction!" Liu Xuanfeng made a decisive decision, and the flying boat turned sharply, heading straight for that direction.

Cao Zhengyang and the others, who had just caught up by taking a shortcut, looked at the huge flying boat that had suddenly changed direction with puzzled expressions.

Could it be that you've changed your mind?

After a brief hesitation, the three of them followed again...

……

At noon, the sun blazed down, casting its intense rays upon a desolate mountain range.

This should have been the busiest time for morning meditation at the Qiling Sect, but now it was shrouded by a two-colored magic array that blotted out the sky.

The outer layer displays intense golden lightning, while the inner layer is a strange dark red blood mist. The two intertwine to form an impenetrable barrier.

Meanwhile, in the mountains outside, Lei Lie stood with his hands behind his back, his face cold and stern, but his eyes were flashing with a struggling light.

Beside him, five supreme elders stood silently like withered pine trees.

Everyone looked solemn, their eyes fixed on the inside of the magic array, but no one dared to step inside.

“We used to operate at night, but now we do it during the day…” A senior elder grinned sinisterly, revealing uneven, yellow teeth. “Who would have thought we would dare to be so blatant?”

Another elder stroked his beard and nodded: "Yes, the Taiqing Sect is already investigating, but as long as they don't touch the sects they're protecting..."

He paused meaningfully, "I suppose they'll turn a blind eye."

Several people nodded.

Another person calculated the time: "The Weeping Spirit Sect has over 40,000 members. At the sect leader's current rate of absorption..."

A glint of light flashed in his cloudy eyes. "It will be done in two hours at most."

"Everyone, be alert!" the head elder suddenly shouted sternly. "After the sect leader finishes his practice, make sure to clean it up completely. We must not let any living creature escape!"

The Fourth Elder chuckled strangely upon hearing this: "We've dealt with over a dozen sects in the past two years, and we've never made a mistake. Don't worry!"

At this moment, Lei Lie suddenly clenched his fists, his face filled with hesitation, and said, "Grandmaster! Aren't we afraid of retribution for doing this?"

His voice trembled, "In the past two years, more than a million people have been fed to Master and those hundred-odd mummies. We used to look down on the Azure Flame Dao Palace, but now, what we're doing is the same as what they are doing—"

"Foolish!" the elder roared, his withered hand crackling with lightning.

"Lei Lie! As the sect leader's chief disciple, you've already reached the Nascent Soul stage at such a young age, how can you be so soft-hearted!" The Third Elder shouted sternly, "Those who achieve great things don't concern themselves with trifles!" "As long as it helps the sect leader break through to the Spirit Severing Realm, what does it matter if it costs millions or even tens of millions of lives?"

The Fifth Elder also said quietly from the side, "Countless ants die in this world every day. Rather than letting them turn into dust meaninglessly, we might as well let them become our stepping stones."

"Heaven is merciless, and the strong prey on the weak; this is an eternal truth."

Lei Lie remained silent, not uttering a single word.

Seeing this, the Grand Elder's tone suddenly turned low and seductive: "The entire Holy Martial Dynasty has only a dozen or so people at the Spirit Severing Realm. Once the Sect Master breaks through..."

A fanatical light suddenly flashed in his cloudy eyes, “Just like that old emperor back then, who used the Nine Nether Demon Lotus to open up a unique path to advancement and used it to manipulate so many people.”

"When that time comes, we will be able to advance to the Spirit Slayer realm, and so will you, and even... the entire Holy Martial Dynasty will become ours!"

As they spoke, a morbid fervor burned in their eyes, and even their breathing became heavy.

At that time, the Holy Martial Dynasty will be renamed the Golden Thunder Dynasty, the Kingdom of Corpses.

Those who should have been nearing the end of their lives were able to live longer and ascend to the rank of Corpse Emperor.

It's something to look forward to.

A flicker of hesitation crossed Lei Lie's eyes.

At this moment, the Second Elder suddenly patted his shoulder and said meaningfully, "Don't forget, it was you who suggested using an array to shield the small sects."

"I, I was just..." Lei Lie's Adam's apple bobbed, but he didn't know how to defend himself.

He thought 10,000 or 20,000 people would be enough, but he never expected it to grow to this scale.

“We all know that,” the First Elder interrupted coldly, “but you must understand that the Golden Thunder Sect is currently struggling to survive in the cracks.”

He pointed into the distance, “The Taiqing Sect has already swallowed up the Qingyu Immortal Sect and the Tianji Sect, and the Cangyan Dao Palace is eyeing us covetously... We are doing this simply to survive.”

Lei Lie fell silent for a long time before finally speaking with difficulty: "What about Lei Luo?"

The elders exchanged a knowing glance.

The Third Elder coughed lightly and said earnestly, "Lie'er, you should understand your younger brother's temperament. This child has lived in the shadow of his genius older brother since he was a child."

"During the Five Sects War, didn't he go with Yan Xiaohu of the Taiqing Sect to dig up people's ancestral graves? Wasn't he trying to prove himself?"

The First Elder stroked his beard, his tone softening slightly: "Now that you are the acting sect leader, that child naturally wants to make a name for himself even more."

He patted Lei Lie on the shoulder, "That's why we specially arranged for him to carry out a secret mission. When he returns successfully, you brothers will be reunited."

Lei Lie frowned slightly, but could only nod slowly.

"Watch out!" the Second Elder suddenly shouted, his aura abruptly receding.

Everyone instantly concealed their presence, their gazes all turning towards the sky.

A gilded flying boat suddenly appeared, breaking through the clouds. The dragon-patterned flag at its bow fluttered in the wind and gleamed dazzlingly in the sunlight.

"The Liu family's flying boat?" The Fourth Elder's voice tightened. "Could it be just passing by?"

Before the words were even finished, the flying boat began to slow down and finally came to a steady stop directly above the gate of the Qiling Sect.

Seeing this, everyone's hearts sank.

"Oops!"

……

Meanwhile, on the deck of the airship.

The Dragon-Locking Nails on Liu Hansong's body suddenly trembled violently, and the black energy at the ends of the nails surged.

He suddenly looked up, his scarlet eyes fixed on the mountain gate in front of him.

“I can feel it, it’s inside, they’re all inside!” Liu Hansong said, trembling all over.

Consort Ying frowned and quickly asked, "What's inside? And who are they?"

“The same scent as the dried-up corpses that bit me…” Liu Hansong gasped for breath, “and there were so many of them!”

When everyone heard this, their expressions suddenly changed.

Liu Xuanfeng's gaze was sharp as lightning. He lingered for a moment on Liu Hansong's pained and distorted face, and suddenly he had an epiphany.

The other side probably didn't expect that they had a magical artifact like the Dragon-Locking Nail.

Otherwise, normally, the fourth brother should have died from the poison by now.

How could they possibly perceive them in reverse because of this?

"It seems they have the same idea as us, using a small sect as a cover!" Second Elder Liu Youtai sneered.

Just then, a series of whooshing sounds came from the horizon.

More than ten sword lights approached from afar, and they were the disciples of the Qiling Sect returning from their outings.

They stared in awe and curiosity at the gilded flying boat hovering above the mountain gate.

Could it be that our sect has received distinguished guests?

Liu Xuanfeng snorted coldly and waved his sleeve.

The dozen or so Foundation Establishment cultivators were instantly pulled into the air like kites with broken strings, and slammed heavily onto the deck.

Feeling the terrifying pressure from these Nascent Soul cultivators, the disciples turned ashen-faced and kowtowed repeatedly.

"S-Senior, please spare us! We are just disciples returning from training..."

Before they could finish speaking, the group reached out and grabbed their skulls, their palms glowing with an eerie light as they forcibly searched their souls!

A moment later, they released each other.

These disciples, on the other hand, seemed to have been drained of all their energy and spirit, collapsing to the ground, foaming at the mouth, and black blood seeping from their seven orifices.

“There is no trace of outsiders entering in their memories,” Liu Xuanfeng said coldly, flicking the bloodstains from his sleeve. “Even if there were, such low-level disciples would not know.”

Second Elder Liu Youtai suddenly pointed to the formation and added, "Moreover, they have never seen such a large formation in their own sect before, so it must have been set up in the last few days!"

Liu Xuanfeng then used the soul-searching technique on the remaining few trembling disciples, but the result was the same.

A cold glint flashed in his eyes: "We've made such a grand entrance here; the other side must have already noticed."

"In that case, let's go and see who dares to lay a hand on my Liu family!"

The others also stepped forward one after another.

Seeing this tense scene, the Shadow Guard commander stepped forward and clasped his hands in greeting.

"Esteemed seniors, we are royal guards, and our duty is only to protect Consort Ying. It is inappropriate for us to interfere in sect affairs. If we were to take action forcibly, it would represent the royal family's position, which would be inappropriate."

Liu Xuanfeng glanced at him indifferently, but understood the implications. He could only say, "In that case, you shall wait here. Consort Ying shall also stay."

He turned to look at Consort Ying, his tone softening slightly, "This journey is dangerous; you should not get involved."

After a brief hesitation, Consort Ying nodded.

After all, as long as she lives, the Liu family still has a way out.

After calming Liu Hansong down, the four headed towards the mountain gate.

In front of the mountain gate, Liu Xuanfeng tried to activate the magic array using the tokens of the unconscious disciples, but there was no response.

"Although the two-color magic array is difficult to break, it is still possible to open a small entrance!"

Liu Xuanfeng snorted coldly, exchanged glances with the other three, and his spiritual energy surged around him.

Without further hesitation, he unleashed a powerful palm strike!
"boom--"

The violent spiritual energy crashed onto the magic array, creating a violent ripple.

A sudden flash of inspiration caused the surrounding rocks to shatter!

……

On a distant mountaintop, three figures stood silently watching.

"This sect seems to be the Weeping Spirit Sect, on the same level as the Hundred Refinement Hall. Why would they suddenly change direction and come here to break down the gate?"

Mo Xingjian squinted his eyes and asked in confusion.

Gao Xuan's eyes were sharp: "What we should be wondering about now is not why they did this, but why this small Qiling Sect has a two-colored array, which, although not a sect-protecting array, covers the entire sect."

A glint flashed in Mo Xingjian's eyes, and he said, "Unless—"

Cao Zhengyang finally realized what was happening and exclaimed in surprise, "Unless Lei Wuji is inside right now? They are currently annihilating this sect."

The three exchanged a glance, and each saw the same excitement in the other's eyes.

It is true that it is better to arrive at the right time than to arrive early.

Mo Xingjian and Gao Xuan simultaneously activated their spiritual eyes, their eyes glowing with a faint blue light as they searched for something.

A moment later, Gao Xuan suddenly pointed into the distance: "Look over there."

Following his finger, one could see several furtive figures peeking out anxiously from the distant woods.

Who else could it be but Lei Lie and his group?
"It really is the Golden Thunder Sect!" Cao Zhengyang clapped his hands and chuckled. "Truly, heaven is on my side!"

Their original plan was to lure the Liu family and others to the Golden Thunder Sect, and then use them as a tool to kill them.

If they were to add fuel to the fire now that we've met here, it would truly be a case of mud falling into your pants, turning something that isn't even shit into shit.

"Leave it to me!" Gao Xuan winked at the two of them, then vanished from the spot in a flash.

……

At this moment, Lei Lie and the others hid in the forest, watching helplessly as four Nascent Soul Grand Perfection experts, whose combat power was comparable to that of a prefect, fiercely attacked the magic array, their hearts burning with anxiety.

I don't know why they came here to cause trouble for no reason.

Isn't this a bad thing?

One of the elders had a livid face.

"Going out now is suicide. Not only are we no match for these four, but there are also dozens of Nascent Soul cultivators guarding that flying boat, and Consort Ying and another elder from the Liu family are also there to oversee things..."

“There’s absolutely no chance of winning,” another person replied dejectedly, his voice hoarse. “If we mess this up, it might implicate the sect.”

"Don't panic!" the Grand Elder suddenly lowered his voice. "With the Sect Master in such a state, even if they saw him, they wouldn't recognize him."

The crowd calmed down slightly upon hearing this.

Indeed, Lei Wuji was now completely unrecognizable, his body shrouded in a terrifying aura of death.

Who could possibly connect him with the sect leaders of the five major sects... no, I should say the four major sects who cultivate lightning-based divine abilities?

The others nodded in agreement.

With the sect leader's current strength, if he wants to escape, they may not be able to catch up.

"The most important thing now is that we don't expose ourselves, lest we be implicated in the recent destruction of the sect..." Before the Grand Elder could finish speaking, his expression suddenly changed drastically, "Be careful!"

A beam of azure light suddenly appeared in front of them, and the group immediately dodged away without a second thought.

(End of this chapter)