The head master has a new female apprentice

Chapter 323 No, how did the old hen get in there? (6k)

Under Zhou Qing's gaze, the face of the second doll gradually became clear.

She was a silver-haired woman wearing a veil, with a cool and aloof demeanor.

[Shen Hanyi: Helping a friend resolve their current predicament will likely result in a drop of fifteen top-grade wood-attribute spirit stones and forty ordinary top-grade spirit stones.]

With the appearance of the second message, Zhou Qing roughly understood how this [Friends' Request] worked.

It will proactively filter out high-quality individuals in its social circle who can currently provide wood-attribute spirit stones.

"Number Six's cultivation is among the best I know, yet he's only ranked second?" Zhou Qing couldn't help but wonder, "Then who's number one?"

As the face of the last doll gradually appeared, Zhou Qing's pupils contracted sharply, and he rubbed his eyes in disbelief.

[Sikong Yan: Helping a friend resolve their current predicament will likely result in a drop of fifty top-grade wood-attribute spirit stones and one hundred ordinary top-grade spirit stones.]

"Fifty, fifty?" Zhou Qing's voice changed.

You should know that those are rare wood-attribute spirit stones; even Xuan Yuan Yi Chen and Number Six combined don't have that many!
After confirming it several times, Zhou Qing gasped.

He ultimately underestimated this madman.

"Could it be that it was dug out from that forbidden area of ​​his again?" Zhou Qing muttered to himself.

After careful consideration, if he could help all three of them, he would receive a total of seventy-three wood-attribute spirit stones and one hundred and seventy top-grade spirit stones.

These resources are enough to increase the number of his spirit seals to seven thousand!
"Seven thousand!" Zhou Qing's heart raced. "I'm only three thousand short of the ten thousand spirit seals needed to become a level four formation master!"

If he could advance to the fourth level of a formation master, the treasures in the coffins within the forbidden zone alone would be more than enough for him to enjoy.

"I just don't know exactly how to 'help'..." Zhou Qingqiang suppressed his excitement and fell into deep thought.

Xuan Yuan Yichen and Si Kong Yan were fine, but Shen Hanyi, number six, was far away in a level five cultivation country, so the two could only meet at the Divine Ruins Heavenly Palace.

Thinking of this, Zhou Qing took out the token and found that no one had been online during this time, and he wondered what everyone was doing.

"Sikong Yan's busy schedule..." he sighed softly, "is probably because of that invitation I received to go to the capital last time. Although it was dangerous, the reward was just too tempting."

Among the five elemental stones, the wood attribute is the rarest.

Even though he is now a level three array master and can refine three-color arrays, if he were to trade wood-attribute spirit stones, I'm afraid even the Myriad Elephants Auction House wouldn't be able to raise a specific amount.

No amount of ordinary top-grade spirit stones could buy such a rare item.

“Right now, the easiest one is probably Xuan Yuan Yi Chen.” Zhou Qing rubbed his temples.

"I wonder what trouble this seventh prince has encountered recently. If I were to appraise some ancient artifacts from a fifth-level cultivation country, that would be quite a good idea."

The talent skill "Daily Reflection" is definitely useful.

That guy, after representing the current emperor and accompanying Xuanyuan Shuo and others to express his gratitude with gifts, has not shown his face since.

Finding him is really not easy.

He had almost no connections in the capital, so the most direct way was to go to Haomiao Prefecture and ask Xuanyuan Shuo for information.

But the thought of dealing with that person made Zhou Qing instinctively resist.

"The only way is to go to the capital in person. His residence is there, as is the Ninth Princess, Xuan Yuan Mu Qian. It should be much easier to find him there."

"By the way, we can also talk to our senior brother. If Sikong Yan's matter is simple, we can take care of it together!"

After thinking it over, Zhou Qing gave a wry smile. It seemed that he had no choice but to go to the capital.

Otherwise, it would take forever to accumulate so many wood-attribute spirit stones on your own.

Afterwards, Zhou Qing put away the ancient tea tree and looked around, suddenly realizing that something was missing.

Where did the old hen go?

He searched everywhere, but couldn't find even a single chicken feather.

He scratched his head, then thought about it and felt relieved.

The ancient tea tree can only achieve enlightenment for a maximum of one hour each time; otherwise, an inextinguishable "Dao-eroding moss" will grow on its body, corroding its cultivation and physical body.

Therefore, he worked on copying the spirit seal intermittently.

Thinking back carefully, it seems that I haven't seen the old hen for the past two days. Usually, she's always sleeping soundly in her coop.

"He's probably gone out to have fun again!" Zhou Qing shook his head helplessly.

Not to mention its own meditation room, it now ignores the entire Taiqing Sect's three-colored protective array, which cannot contain it at all.

Immediately afterwards, he looked down at the token in his hand and took out a high-grade spirit stone and pressed it on it.

He wanted to see if he could help Number Six across domains; if so, some things would become incredibly simple.

Moreover, every time I enter the Divine Ruins, Number Six always appears very quickly.

This is also a good opportunity to find out about the Yan family's current situation.

As spiritual energy filled the token, it suddenly emitted a bright light, instantly drawing Zhou Qing's consciousness into it.

When I opened my eyes again, I was already in that familiar, quiet space.

Looking at the screen in his restricted area, he didn't rush in, but waited quietly.

Two hours passed without anyone logging on, which made Zhou Qing a little bored.

"What are you all busy with?"

Zhou Qing muttered to himself, turning his gaze to the distorted vortex in the center and the five light screens surrounding it.

I remember the fourth green ball saying that there are a total of nine tokens in the Divine Ruins Heavenly Palace. If you can collect six of them, you can unlock the second level.

Now, I am the number one red ball, the scheming number four green ball, the opportunistic number five cyan ball, the number six blue ball who already knows a lot about me, and the mentally unstable number seven purple ball.

Now we only need one more thing to unlock the second level.

"What secrets are hidden on the second level? Who will be the next lucky one?"

A sense of anticipation welled up in Zhou Qing's heart.

If you collect all nine, you can directly participate in the offline gathering and unlock the third level of the Divine Ruins Heavenly Palace.

The real opportunity is hidden in the third layer.

"I'm afraid we'll have to wait until the end of time!" He shook his head self-deprecatingly, looking around the empty Divine Ruins space.

Since no one is online, that's fine. We can't just come here for nothing.

"Since we're already here," Zhou Qing chuckled, his figure transforming into a streak of red light and disappearing into the restricted area.

In an instant, a terrifying gravity descended, the ground cracked open, and the mummified corpse of the first sect leader, Guo Guiqi, burst forth from the earth, letting out a mournful roar.

"Junior Zhou Qing, please forgive me!" Zhou Qing clasped his hands in a salute, and his figure shot forward like an arrow.
The battle ended half an incense stick later.

Since breaking through to the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul Realm, this puppet leader who guards the last line of defense of the sect can no longer withstand more than a few rounds in his hands.

If it weren't for the terrifying gravity here suppressing his strength, the battle would have ended even faster.

"Let's take a look at the third coffin this time. The first one was previously managed by the previous sect leader, Master Canglong, and the third one has been almost completely looted by Second Uncle, except for a Flame Crocodile King..."

Zhou Qing muttered to himself, and just as he reached the entrance of the passage, he suddenly stopped.

The black heart on that withered tree still beats, but the six coffins that once surrounded it are now tightly entangled by countless gnarled tree roots.

Wisps of gray energy flowed slowly along the tree roots, being swallowed by the withered tree like living things, filling the entire space with an eerie and ominous atmosphere.

"What happened?" Zhou Qing frowned. "These six coffins... have become its nourishment?"

How could things have turned out like this after not being here for several years?
Just as Zhou Qing stuck his head out, wanting to get a closer look, he caught a glimpse of the Blood River out of the corner of his eye and was once again shocked, his mouth agape in disbelief.

Above the river of blood, countless dead crows floated like mist.

In the crimson river, a plump old hen was leisurely paddling, occasionally spitting out a breath of eerie blue flame, snatching a dead crow into its mouth, and chewing it with a crunching sound.

"No, how could it be here?!" Zhou Qing was so shocked he almost lost his voice.

He knew that the Supreme Elder and the other peak masters had joined forces to seal off the entire forbidden zone of the cave, mainly to prevent the Lu sisters from entering.

After all, this is a treasure passed down exclusively by the Taiqing Sect.

but--

Zhou Qing felt a bit confused. Although he knew that the old hen was undergoing its third mutation, he thought it couldn't be this outrageous.

Even more bizarrely, the three enormous carrion crows on the opposite bank of the river did not react at all, but simply lay quietly in the darkness, as if they were oblivious to the intruder.

"Is it because of... that layer of flames?" Zhou Qing stared at the eerie blue flames swirling around the old hen, and a vague answer began to form in his mind.

Back in the Primordial Dojo, it absorbed the blue flames from the earth's ley lines for more than half a year.

Now it seems that the flames not only helped it accelerate its transformation, but also became its talisman for running rampant in the restricted area!
Watching the old hen devour its food with gusto, Zhou Qing felt both amused and worried.

He tried to call out, but they were in different dimensions, and their voices could not travel.

At this moment, the hen, having eaten and drunk her fill, shook off her wet feathers and swam deeper into the river of blood with her head held high and chest puffed out.

Its plump rear end wiggled back and forth, and it would even occasionally lower its head to peck at a dead crow floating on the river, as if it were being picky about its food.

Zhou Qing frowned.

He himself did not know where the River of Blood flowed to.

Previously, the Supreme Elders did not know how to cross to the other side of the Blood River, since both spiritual power and mental power would be rendered useless when facing the Blood River.

If you swim halfway and three carrion crows come out, you'll really be a sitting duck.

Only the Second Uncle figured out that placing three Blood River Dead Crows on one's shoulder and head could temporarily delay the attack.

However, if they cannot enter the coffin in time after reaching the shore, the alabaster crows will still rush out, and then another deadly battle will be inevitable.

Therefore, all they could do was search for opportunities along the riverbank.
Later, after he told the elders about seeing his second uncle carrying a dead crow on his shoulder, they never set foot on the other side again.

After all, each of the six coffins contained beings at the Spirit Severing Realm, and recklessly entering would be tantamount to courting death.

At this moment, the old hen's figure gradually disappeared into the mist at the end of the blood river.

Zhou Qing gritted his teeth and rushed out, intending to follow and see what was going on.

……

On both sides of the Blood River, jagged rocks intertwine, and the air is filled with the stench of decay and blood.

Zhou Qing held his breath and focused his gaze on the vaguely visible, plump figure in front of him.

The old hen swam leisurely, occasionally flapping her wings and splashing up a spray of scarlet water.

In just a few breaths, he suddenly felt his hair stand on end, as two chilling auras attacked him from behind.

As Zhou Qing turned his head, he saw two enormous alabaster crows slowly emerging from the darkness.

Their outstretched wings were covered in a dark yellow adipocere, and each feather looked as if it had been sewn together with dead skin.

Two ghostly green flames flickered in his eye sockets.

"Two?" Zhou Qing's expression changed slightly.

This was the first time he had faced two alabaster crows at the same time.

Unlike before in the Blood River, where they used dead crows as cover, this time they discovered their own existence much earlier than usual.

Zhou Qing dared not be careless in the slightest, after all, these guys had dared to compete with three powerful experts in the Spirit Slaying Realm, namely Xuan Yuan Shuo, Peng Huang, and Shen Han Yi, for the existence of the old Peng King's physical body in the Canglan Mountain Abyss.

In the dimension where the old hen resided, the three acanthus crows were still in darkness, so it was completely unaffected.

Zhou Qing glanced at the old hen that had already swum far away, sighed softly, and with a wave of his hand, a rusty tetanus shot appeared directly in his hand.

"Very well, let me see just how strong I am now!"

Before he finished speaking, Zhou Qing had already transformed into a blur and rushed towards the crow on the left.
Suddenly, a blinding blue light erupted from the broken sword, and countless sword energies poured down like a silver river, enveloping the crow. "Caw—"

The crows let out piercing cries, and the adipocere on their wings melted, turning into countless distorted human faces that blocked their way.

The sword energy collided with the human face, unleashing a deafening roar.

The crow on the right seized the opportunity, its sharp beak carrying a foul stench as it pierced Zhou Qing's back.

Zhou Qing felt a chill run down his spine, but he didn't even turn his head. His left hand formed a hand seal like lightning, and the "Thunderstorm Starfall Kill" was activated instantly.

Several bolts of azure lightning struck down like divine punishment, forcing it back dozens of feet.

"At least at the level of a prefect!" In the brief exchange, Zhou Qing had already figured out their strength.

No wonder the Supreme Elders could only advance a little each time they came in before being forced to retreat injured.

As a result, this restricted area remained largely unexplored for generations.

But at this moment, instead of being afraid, he felt a long-lost excitement.

The frustration of being arbitrarily shot in the head by them in the past can finally be overcome today!
"Much stronger than those people from the Hunyuan Sect!" Zhou Qing roared, his broken sword humming and trembling.

Suddenly, the two crows flapped their wings at the same time, and a putrid hurricane swept up the blood river water, with thousands of blood arrows shooting towards them with a strange, corrosive aura.

The spiritual energy shield shattered like paper, and Zhou Qing's left shoulder was instantly pierced, with blood gushing out like a fountain.

"Crack!"

As the golden light swirled, the Demon-Subduing Golden Bone technique operated on its own.

The shattered shoulder bone reformed as if time had reversed, leaving no trace of the injury.

Such regenerative power would likely put even pure-blooded demon beasts to shame.

The battle became more intense.

Zhou Qing also became more courageous with each setback, constantly seeking out his shortcomings in battle.

During this period, he even used all the supernatural abilities he currently possessed here.

These two carrion crows, though seemingly devoid of any life and rather dull, coordinated with remarkable harmony.

In a short time, he was caught off guard and unable to cope.

"boom!"

After another violent collision, Zhou Qing was thrown dozens of feet away and crashed heavily into the rock wall.

Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and his right arm hung limply at his sides, clearly fractured, but it recovered completely in the blink of an eye.

The two carrion crows were in no better condition; one had a broken wing, and the other had a cracked beak.

Just as Zhou Qing drew his sword to fight again, a sudden change occurred!

One of the carrion crows suddenly grew larger and then opened its blood-red maw, swallowing the other one whole!
Its body then swelled again, and the adipocere on its wings melted and solidified, eventually turning into a dark golden metallic luster.

The will-o'-the-wisp in its eyes had now turned blood red.

"This aura is... from the Spirit Severing Realm?"

Zhou Qing's heart tightened.

Because at this moment, the crow's aura had reached the true Spirit Severing Realm level.

This sense of oppression was even comparable to that of the Peng Emperor and the Jiao Emperor.

"You can do that?" Zhou Qing was horrified, knowing there was another one in the darkness.

Once, when facing my second uncle, all three of them appeared at once, scaring him so much that he quickly pushed open the coffin and jumped down.

The ensuing battle was completely one-sided.

Despite Zhou Qing's best efforts, all his moves seemed pale and powerless in the face of such an absolute difference in strength.

His sword energy was easily shattered, his lightning was blocked by his wings, and even his strongest inscription-level divine power, "Hundred Tribulations Blood Curtain," only managed to push it back a few feet.

After his meridian spiritual energy was depleted, the crow's sharp claws pierced directly through his chest.

Then, black feathers rained down, and the familiar headshot experience returned...

"You can do it like that?" Zhou Qing, who had transformed back into a red ball of light, was filled with shock.

However, it also made him truly realize the gap between himself and the Spirit Severing Realm.

"try again!"

After his energy and spirit were reset, Zhou Qing's eyes burned with excitement, and he rushed back in without hesitation.

However, even in his second form as the Golden Roc, he still couldn't catch up with the old hen despite his speed in searching for her.

"She looks chubby, how come she swims so fast!"

Zhou Qing had no choice but to stop, and turned to face the two persistent, lingering, amber-covered crows.

After a fierce battle, the outcome remained the same.

"Forget it, even if I catch up with the old hen, I won't dare go in and bring it out. Let's see if we can open those coffins!"

Entering the restricted area for the third time, Zhou Qing had a clear objective.

He quickly crossed the river of blood and arrived at the second coffin.

The once simple coffin is now entangled by dense tree roots, resembling prey being strangled by a giant python.

"open!"

Zhou Qing placed his hands on the coffin, unleashing his full spiritual power as a Nascent Soul cultivator at the Great Perfection stage.

The coffin lid remained perfectly still, and even the entwined tree roots did not loosen in the slightest.

He then took out his rusty tetanus knife and hacked at the tree roots, but didn't even leave a white mark.

"I almost forgot that tetanus only works on flesh and blood!"

Zhou Qing hurriedly took out a gleaming spirit sword from his storage bag. Just as the sword was about to touch the tree roots, a chilling sensation suddenly shot up his spine and up his neck.

The feeling of being gazed upon by some being was exactly the same as when I was digging for spiritual soil under this withered tree in order to revive the ancient tea tree!
"This tree... it really is sentient!" Zhou Qing's sword-wielding hand froze in mid-air, cold sweat instantly soaking his back.

Then, he slowly put down the long sword in his hand, turned around, looked at the withered tree, and chuckled.

"Junior...Junior was just joking with you...No, I'm in simulation mode right now, what's there to be afraid of!"

Zhou Qing grinned, suddenly realizing what was happening.

He grinned maliciously and raised his longsword again: "Whether you're alive or dead, I'll cut you down first!"

"Shh-"

Just as he was about to exert his strength, suddenly, a thick tree root lashed out like a whip!

"boom!"

Before Zhou Qing could even react, he was sent flying by a tremendous force, traversing the Blood River and crashing heavily onto the rock wall on the opposite bank!

He clearly heard the crisp sound of his ribs breaking.

A searing pain spread from his spine throughout his body, making his vision blur and his mouth twitch uncontrollably.

"Hiss—are you serious?!"

He gasped for breath and struggled to slide down the rock face.

As soon as the "Demon-Subduing Golden Bone" finished operating, two alabaster crows slowly emerged from the darkness before him, their eerie green flames locking onto him...

……

Inside the room, Zhou Qing's consciousness returned to his body, but he still couldn't help but gasp.

Even though it was just a simulation, the burning pain in my back was exceptionally clear.

"What exactly is that withered tree?" he murmured to himself.

According to the second uncle, the value of the few remaining tender leaves on the tree far exceeds that of the transformative elixir.

Not to mention that it was also nourishing that eerie black heart.

"If this tree were to take human form, it would definitely be a vengeful old man!" Zhou Qing muttered, rubbing his aching back.

Then, just as he was about to put the token away, he noticed a blue dot of light flickering on the back.

"Finally here!" Zhou Qing's eyes lit up, and he quickly took out a spirit stone to charge it.

As spiritual energy was injected, his consciousness was once again drawn into the Divine Ruins Heavenly Palace.

"Senior!" As soon as they entered, before Zhou Qing could even speak, Shen Hanyi's delighted voice came from the number six basketball.

Zhou Qingqiang suppressed his excitement and said in a nonchalant tone, "You've come too."

Shen Hanyi nodded repeatedly and said, "This junior just finished comprehending the inscription-level divine power given to me by the senior, and happened to catch a glimpse of the senior logging on."

Her voice suddenly lowered a few decibels, "I thought you had already left."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qing breathed a sigh of relief, but remained nonchalant on the surface: "Oh, so how's your cultivation going?"

“It’s still a wisp of Phoenix Dao pattern, but this second one…” Shen Hanyi’s voice was tinged with distress, “is more than ten times more difficult than the first one.”

Zhou Qing sighed inwardly after hearing this.

He cheated by relying on the ancient tea tree of enlightenment, and has only cultivated five strands so far.

He then said slowly and deliberately, "Encountering obstacles in cultivation is common. Would you like me to give you some pointers?"

"Really? Is it really possible?" Shen Hanyi's voice became noticeably more excited upon hearing Zhou Qing's words.

Zhou Qing suppressed a laugh and said, "Why not? The 'Hundred Tribulations Blood Curtain' was originally a gift from me, so it should be covered by after-sales service."

"After-sales service?" Shen Hanyi repeated the unfamiliar term in confusion.

"It's not convenient for me over there, let's talk in detail over there," Zhou Qing coughed lightly and quickly changed the subject.

Shen Hanyi nodded repeatedly, and then invited Zhou Qing inside.

As the light and shadow shifted, the two found themselves standing beneath that familiar crooked tree.

Shen Hanyi looked at Zhou Qing, who was in a daze, and took a deep breath: "Please give me your guidance, senior, and see if my first phoenix pattern is still appropriate."

Zhou Qing nodded slightly and stood with his hands behind his back.

With a flick of her wrist, Shen Hanyi unleashed a burst of crimson light that shot into the sky.

Immediately afterwards, a blood-red phoenix with a wingspan of three zhang (approximately 10 meters) spread its wings behind her, each feather engraved with ancient Daoist patterns.

The most striking feature was the crimson feather at its heart, the power of law flowing within it causing the surrounding space to distort slightly.

"fall!"

As she lightly tapped her sword, crimson feathers transformed into a stream of light and disappeared into her fingertips.

In an instant, the entire restricted area shook violently!

In the distance, rows of black ships were moving forward silently.

As the blood phoenix roared to the sky, terrifying sound waves transformed into tangible ripples that swept outwards.

The dozen or so black boats at the front were struck as if by lightning, their hulls rocking violently and veering off course.

Three of them exploded completely, scattering debris everywhere!

Seeing this, Zhou Qing's pupils shrank sharply.

The same divine power, when used by someone at the late stage of the Spirit Severing Realm, is simply terrifying!
(End of this chapter)