The head master has a new female apprentice

Chapter 339 Sikong Yan? Lin Jin? No, no, there's a big problem... (6k)

Hearing Mo Tianheng's words, Zhou Qing was shocked.

This purple-gold token, bearing a special mark, is even more important than the enshrined tablet.

The resource mobilization authority of the 35th branch means that no matter where he goes in the dynasty, he can get the strong support of the Duobao Chamber of Commerce.

What alarmed him even more was the deeper meaning behind Mo Tianheng's words.

The dynasty only has seventeen Spirit Slayer experts on the surface, but what about in secret?

Judging from the appearance, the actual number of people in the Imperial Dynasty at the Spirit Severing Realm is far more than seventeen.

Indeed, just like Second Uncle and the Lu sisters, few people knew that they had advanced to the Spirit Slaying stage.

There's also the Xuanyuan family, who possess the secret formula for advancing to the Spirit Slaying Realm!
"Senior, this..."

Mo Tianheng waved his hand to interrupt: "No need to refuse. I admire your character, this token is just a convenient thing to do."

"Let's make a good connection today. Who knows, one day my Duobao Merchant Guild might need your help."

Seeing Mo Tianheng's resolute attitude, Zhou Qing took a deep breath and solemnly accepted the gift: "In that case, I am unworthy to accept it."

The two chatted briefly before Zhou Qing clasped his hands in a fist salute and left.

Mo Tianheng's smile only slowly faded after watching Zhou Qing's figure disappear.

"This child is determined and resolute; he is destined for greatness and will surely achieve great things in the future..."

He had just finished speaking when his expression changed slightly, and with a swift movement, he vanished from his spot.

……

After Zhou Qing left the Duobao Chamber of Commerce, he was still somewhat dazed.

But looking at the pile of wood-attribute spirit stones in the storage bag, Zhou Qing dared to be sure that he was not dreaming.

Including the ones that fell from Xuan Yuan Yi Chen, he now has a total of sixty-five wood-attribute spirit stones on him.

I can't even imagine how many spiritual seals he can comprehend through this.

Thinking of this, Zhou Qing felt a surge of heat rising from his dantian, and his breathing became more rapid.

In any case, we now owe the Duobao Chamber of Commerce a favor.

Just as Zhou Qing was about to take out the jade slip to ask where his senior brother and second senior sister were waiting for him, a sudden sense of alarm struck him.

"boom--"

A deafening roar, like a muffled thunderclap, exploded from high above, shaking the air along the entire long street!
Zhou Qing suddenly looked up, his pupils shrinking sharply—

A dark shadow fell from the clouds and crashed heavily into the middle of the street!
"boom!"

The bluestone floor was cracked inch by inch, and dust was rising everywhere.

Once the dust had settled, Zhou Qing finally saw the man's attire clearly—a purple-gold python robe and a jade belt with python patterns. It was none other than the Grand Eunuch Gao Xianzong!
However, before anyone could cry out in alarm, a white figure descended from the sky like a ghost!

The black-patterned cloud boots slammed down, and Gao Xianzong's head exploded like a ripe watermelon, with red and white matter splattering everywhere, gleaming a dazzling scarlet in the sunlight.

The overwhelming pressure of the Spirit Severing Realm descended with a deafening roar!

In an instant, the air on the entire street seemed to freeze.

Everyone felt as if they had fallen into an ice cave; their legs went weak, and even breathing became difficult.

The man in white was shrouded in a hazy spiritual mist, his face indistinct, but his cold eyes swept over everyone like icy blades.

Gao Xianzong's primordial spirit fled in panic, but before it could escape even three zhang (approximately 10 meters), it was flicked by the white-robed man's finger—

"laugh!"

A flash of silver light, and the primordial spirit was instantly annihilated!

The man in white stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze sharp as lightning, sweeping over the crowd.

On the street, everyone was silent, even their breathing was frozen, for fear of attracting the attention of this powerful being who had slain spirits.

Only Zhou Qing's eyes, hidden behind the mask, were filled with disbelief.

Because at this moment, a golden label was floating above the white-robed man's head—[Evil-level Fish]!
What's going on here?

A storm raged in Zhou Qing's heart.

He had never been bound to this person, let alone the fact that the other party was a powerful expert in the Spirit Severing Realm!
The next moment——

"Hey!"

The man in white raised his hand and ripped the void apart like a piece of cloth, the pitch-black spatial rift suddenly opening and swallowing all light.

He stepped inside and vanished without a trace in an instant.

Only when the oppressive force completely dissipated did the entire street breathe a sigh of relief, filled with rapid, labored breathing.

"call……"

"Who...who was it that dared to kill the Emperor's most favored Grand Eunuch!"

"Look at what you're saying. Does someone at the Spirit Severing Realm need a reason to kill?"

"Exactly, maybe the other party is brainless and doesn't know where they offended this powerful figure."

……

Amid the clamor of discussion, Zhou Qing stood frozen in place, his mind a complete blank.

Soon, he seemed to realize something, and a chill suddenly rose up his spine, sending shivers down his spine.

He had never seen such a strange label before, but when broken down, it was all too familiar.

Because Lin Jin's nickname for him was "evil spirit level weirdness".

Sikong Yan, on the other hand, is a fish.

The two combined constitute—[a fish of malevolent power!]

Thinking of this, Zhou Qing felt his hair stand on end.

He remembered the last time he saw Lin Jin, the other man’s calm yet eerie words: “I’m going to die.”

At the time, he didn't think much of it, simply taking it as some kind of metaphor.

After all, although Lin Jin never revealed his true appearance, he sounded like he was only middle-aged.

Moreover, she had a past with Consort Chen, and by no means does she seem like someone whose lifespan is about to end.

Even more bizarrely, Lin Jin had a close relationship with Sikong Yan, and they even joined forces to kill the Fifth Prince Xuanyuan Fengtai and several guardians who were at the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul stage.

Later, Lin Jin also used his connections with the Qingyu Immortal Sect to get the [Bad Luck Scroll] from him and used it on Gao Xianzong.

This forced the Taiqing Sect to take them in for a period of time to "change their luck"...

Now, even though they are two separate individuals, why have their names for each other been merged into one?

Could it be that the two people have become one?
Zhou Qing felt a tightness in his throat and a tingling sensation on his scalp.

What's the matter?

Refining? Devouring? Possessing?

No, that's not right!

If Sikong Yan wasn't lying, then he had already possessed the body of the former Palace Master of the Cangyan Dao Palace.

A cultivator can only possess another body once in their lifetime, after which they will suffer divine retribution.

Could it be that Lin Jin possessed Sikong Yan's body?
That's even more impossible; Lin Jin clearly said he was going to die.

Zhou Qing felt his mind was in a mess, and his temples were throbbing.

Suddenly, he remembered the reminder that his senior brother Gao Xuan had given him when he went to Baiyu Taixu Temple.

“Sikong Yan is in the academy, in fact… he has always been there.”

The next moment, a crazy idea suddenly pierced my mind—

"Could Lin Jin... be an incarnation of Sikong Yan?"

The two separate their spirit-slaying techniques to increase the success rate. Once they merge into one, they can directly break through to the Spirit-Slaying Realm.

But in an instant, he overturned this conjecture.

Sikong Yan's madness is unpredictable. As the seventh figure in the Divine Ruins Heavenly Palace, he controls a strange forbidden zone that belongs only to him.

Lin Jin, dressed in white, remained calm and composed, and his speech was always delivered with a unique inverted sentence structure.

These are clearly two people with completely different personalities, how could they be clones of the same person?

If it were a clone, it should be obvious with just [Mind's Eye], so how could it be bound twice?
Zhou Qing felt like his head was about to explode as he thought about it, but a voice in his heart told him that the person just now was Sikong Yan!

"Spirit Severing Realm!" After a long while, Zhou Qing exhaled a long breath, staring at the direction where the spatial rift had disappeared, his heart heavy.

The fact that the other party had already broken through to the Spirit Severing Realm and still specially invited him to the capital to help him shows just how big his scheme was.

Should I help him or not?
After a brief deliberation, Zhou Qing stopped trying to figure things out and instead sent a message to his eldest brother, Gui Ao, and second sister. After the three of them met up, they sped off towards the outer city.

……

Are you sure you don't need a protector?

After Zhou Qing placed fifteen wood-attribute spirit stones on the Enlightenment Ancient Tea Tree, Ghost Mastiff confirmed it again.

Zhou Qing smiled and shook his head. The ethereal energy would take more than a month to develop, and each of his moments of enlightenment could not exceed one hour.

Otherwise, an inextinguishable "Dao-eroding moss" will grow on your body, corroding your cultivation and physical body.

This kind of intermittent practice does not require the protection of others.

Moreover, he needs to continue nourishing the ancient tea tree with top-grade spirit stones, so he can't keep dragging his senior brothers and sisters down.

Don't forget why they came to the capital.

"There are three dangerous places 100,000 miles outside the outer city."

Ghost Mastiff finally relented, pointing to the jade slip map and saying, "Rotten Scale Forest, Howling Wind Cliff, and Ancient Beast Wilderness are all places where ferocious beasts roam, but they also hide countless opportunities."

“Since you don’t need our protection, you must have your own reasons. We’ll wisely leave you alone and plan to go there for training.”

Zhou Qing's eyes lit up; he hadn't expected there to be such a wonderful place near the capital.

Moreover, both the eldest brother's Blood Battle Dao Intent and the second sister's Survival Dao Intent truly require trials of life and death.

"In that case, I'll go with you. Anyway, I won't be in seclusion for another month, and if we're closer, I can come to your rescue in time if we encounter any danger!"

Zhou Qing immediately made the decision.

The two of them naturally agreed.

……

A dozen days later, as the flying boat pierced through the clouds, the three quickly arrived at the Ancient Beast Wilderness.

After confirming that the communication jade slips were working properly, they each chose a direction and left.

Zhou Qing carried the old hen into the temporary cave. When the first wisp of ethereal energy finally appeared, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"I know this restriction won't hold you back, but don't run around. Be careful someone catches you and stews you!" Zhou Qing warned the old hen.

His response was a series of dissatisfied "cooing" sounds.

Afterwards, Zhou Qing held the Enlightenment Ancient Tea in his arms and began to copy and comprehend it.

Three months passed like flowing water. When he opened his eyes again, six thousand spiritual seals were floating around him, shining like a galaxy.

"These fifteen top-grade wood-attribute spirit stones are almost not enough, and it's taking longer and longer!"

Zhou Qing rubbed his temples and murmured.

Although he knew that it would become increasingly difficult to condense inscription-level divine abilities and spiritual seals, he still felt he had gained a lot from looking at the dense array of spiritual seals around him.

"This is already a huge shortcut; one shouldn't be greedy," he chuckled to himself.

His gaze swept over the sleeping hen beside him, and after confirming that his senior brother and second senior sister were unharmed, he gritted his teeth and threw in twenty top-grade wood-attribute spirit stones.

He then waited there and relied on his own comprehension to comprehend "The Blood Curtain of a Hundred Tribulations".

Half a year has passed in the blink of an eye.

Seven thousand spirit seals swirled around him like stars. Eight months later, when Zhou Qing opened his eyes again, eight thousand spirit seals were already floating around him, shining brightly.

All the wood-attribute spirit stones have been exhausted.

"Based on this calculation, if we want to condense nine thousand spirit seals next time, we will need at least forty wood-attribute spirit stones, which will take a year."

Zhou Qing shook his head and smiled wryly, "It's simply burning money!"

After counting the remaining items, only about five hundred ordinary top-grade spirit stones remained.

To break through to the Spirit Severing Realm, you need at least a thousand, and of course, the more the better.

After a brief moment of thought, he took out the Divine Ruins Heavenly Palace token. Recently, Number Four and Number Five had been online.

In contrast, there was no news of Shen Hanyi (number six) and Sikong Yan (number seven).

Unfortunately, the favor number six was doing seemed to involve privacy, and he refused to disclose it, so I couldn't help him.

As for Sikong Yan...

Zhou Qi glanced at the [Friend's Message] again. If he could complete his task, he would receive fifty top-grade wood-attribute spirit stones and one hundred ordinary top-grade spirit stones.

With the resources he dropped, condensing nine thousand spirit seals is within easy reach, bringing him just one step away from becoming a level four array master.

but--

The other party has already reached the Spirit Severing Realm; cooperating with them is tantamount to seeking help from a tiger.

"One must be strong to forge iron." Zhou Qing's gaze darkened. "If I truly decide to help him, I must first improve my strength. Otherwise, that madman will definitely abandon me when danger arises!"

After thinking it through, Zhou Qing contacted his eldest brother and second sister again, and then, carrying the old hen, went to search for her...

……

On the outskirts of the ancient beast wilderness, dark clouds hung low, and the air was filled with a fishy stench.

This clearly demonstrates just how many ferocious beasts live in this terrifying and dangerous place.

Are you sure this is the place?

At this moment, an old man in a gray robe stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes as sharp as a hawk's, staring at the dense forest that stretched as far as the eye could see.

Beside him stood a middle-aged monk with a fawning expression, bowing and reporting.

“Absolutely true! A month ago, I personally witnessed that the Ghost Mastiff fighting with a demon king-level beast in this place.”

"I didn't take it seriously at first, thinking that I would wait until they were both exhausted and then I would reap the benefits. But I didn't expect that his mask would be knocked off by accident, and that's when I saw that it was the face of that Ghost Mastiff."

The old man snorted and casually tossed out a heavy storage bag.

"This is the deposit. The other half will be paid after everything is confirmed to be correct."

His tone was indifferent, yet it exuded an undeniable authority: "The Nangong family never breaks its word."

The middle-aged cultivator hurriedly caught it, not daring to even glance at it, and simply said with a forced smile, "Yes, yes, everyone knows the reputation of the Nangong family."

The old man ignored him and turned to look behind him.

There, eighteen cultivators at the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul Realm stood solemnly like pine trees, their spiritual power condensed but not released, yet faintly forming a suffocating pressure.

At the front of the crowd stood a young man dressed in a dark gold robe, with a cold and stern face and a sharp, murderous aura between his brows.

He didn't deliberately release any pressure, but just standing there, he was like a sharp sword drawn from its sheath, its edge fully revealed!
Nangong Lu, the current Daoist of the Nangong family, is the direct disciple secretly trained by the ancestor of the Spirit Slaying Realm!
Despite his young age, he has already reached the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul Realm, and has an astonishing record of fighting five cultivators of the same level alone and killing them all.

The Nangong family suffered a great humiliation and became a laughing stock. The patriarch originally wanted to take action personally, but was stopped by Nangong Lu.

"A person of the same realm who can kill nine people at once? Whether true or false, they can serve as a stepping stone for me to make a name for myself."

These are the words Nangong Lu said to his master when he set off!

For this trip, his master not only bestowed many precious treasures upon him, but also allocated most of the Great Perfection Nascent Soul Realm members of the Nangong family to him.

If a full twenty Nascent Soul Grand Perfection cultivators couldn't even defeat a "Chicken Prince," wouldn't that be a joke?

“I’m very curious,” Nangong Lu’s voice was as cold as the depths of hell, “what kind of face is hidden beneath this mask?”

He stretched his neck. "However, I prefer a whetstone like you."

Then, he turned to look at the crowd behind him and coldly ordered, "Remember, Ghost Mastiff must be alive. As for that Chicken Prince..."

A bloodthirsty glint flashed in his eyes, "I want to remove his mask with my own hands."

"As ordered!"

The group bowed and then quickly entered the Ancient Beast Wilderness.

The middle-aged cultivator behind him watched this scene with a click of his tongue.

The Nangong family's resources are truly terrifying; even after losing six Great Perfection cultivators, they can still send out such a lineup.

"This young master is courting death, daring to linger nearby after offending the Nangong family."

He muttered to himself, then suddenly felt a chill down his back.

"Aren't you going to lead the way?"

The gray-robed old man's sinister voice rang in my ears, "Don't you want the rest of the reward?"

The middle-aged cultivator trembled and quickly followed.

……

"Junior brother, let's go quickly!"

Just as Zhou Qing was rushing to the location marked by his senior brother, the jade slip in his hand suddenly lit up with a dazzling red light.

He was taken aback at first, then his expression changed drastically. Before he could ask anything, his second senior sister's message arrived in quick succession:

"Little Qing, I'm just kidding. We're planning to go deeper into the world for training, so don't come! Having you around will only make us dependent on you, which isn't good for honing our skills!"

The seemingly casual tone in his words caused Zhou Qing's pupils to shrink sharply.

He stared intently at the two messages—his senior brother was always sparing with words, and his second senior sister would never explain anything to him without reason.

"Okay, then be careful!" Zhou Qing replied to the two of them with the same message, but no one answered at all.

"problem occurs!"

He was absolutely certain when the golden light exploded, and his figure instantly transformed into a golden-winged roc that blotted out the sky.

The enormous, gilded wings sliced ​​through the sky, heading straight for their destination.

……

After two hours of extreme flight, Zhou Qing, transformed into a golden-winged roc, tore through the clouds and finally approached the location marked by his senior brother.

Before he even arrived, he saw a scarlet sky—it wasn't a sunset, but the manifestation of his senior brother's Blood Battle Dao intent burning to its extreme!

The entire sky seemed to be soaked in blood, and even the air was filled with a rusty, bloody smell.

"Our senior brother has actually been forced to this extent?!"

Zhou Qing's heart pounded wildly. The Golden-Winged Roc's sharp gaze pierced through the blood-red mist, finally revealing the scene at the center of the battlefield.

Ghost Mastiff knelt on one knee, its black-scaled spear deeply embedded in the ground, the shaft soaked in blood.

His back was still straight, but his spiritual energy was nearly exhausted, and every muscle was trembling.

Behind him, Luo Lingling was protected by a blood-red light shield as thin as a cicada's wing, with blood-red plum blossoms blooming on her white clothes and blood constantly spilling from the corners of her lips.

What's most alarming is the encirclement—a full twenty cultivators at the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul Realm!

Several of the elderly men had ferocious dragon patterns embroidered on their robes, which allowed Zhou Qing to instantly confirm their identities.

The Nangong family!

"No wonder my senior brother and second senior sister wouldn't let me come; they'd rather die than implicate me."

Seeing this, Zhou Qing's eyes flashed with a cold light.

This is really never going to end, is it?

At this moment, the Daoist of the Nangong family stood with his hands behind his back, his dark gold robe spotless, a cold smile playing on his lips, as if he were watching a trapped beast struggle.

"Do you know why I haven't killed you yet?" Nangong Lu said calmly.

Ghost Mastiff did not answer, but simply gripped the Black Scale Spear tightly, the tip of the spear trembling slightly and emitting a low hum.

He has reached his limit!

The Blood Battle Dao realm is inherently a path of slaughter that sustains itself through battle and grows increasingly ferocious with each battle. However, once its spiritual energy is exhausted, it will backfire on the user.

Now, his meridians have begun to rupture, blood seeps from between his fingers, drips onto the ground, and turns into scarlet mist, constantly merging into the crumbling celestial canopy.

“Normally, I should search your soul, but I imagine that with your caution, you have sealed away your memories and information in this regard. If I were to search your soul, it would probably be a waste of time.”

He took a step forward with his hands behind his back, his black robes fluttering even without wind.

"Let's be straightforward. You call that Mr. Chicken over, and I'll discuss the rest with him."

"After all, you only killed that good-for-nothing Nangong Xiao. I can handle the rest. I'll let bygones be bygones. How about it?"

In response to Nangong Lu's words, Gui'ao spat a mouthful of blood onto the ground.

He slowly raised his head, his eyes bloodshot, but a sinister smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

"The Nangong family's dog... talks too much nonsense."

The Black Scale Spear hummed and vibrated, its tip pointing directly at the palace to slay the throat!
"Kill me if you want, torture me if you want. If I even flinch, I'm not a Ghost Mastiff!"

Nangong Lu narrowed his eyes, and the smile on his face gradually turned cold.

"If you don't eat the toast, you will be punished with a drink."

He gently raised his hand, a wisp of black flame flickering at his fingertips. The surrounding temperature suddenly dropped, and even the blood-red mist in the air began to condense into ice crystals.

The more you do this, the more I'll do the opposite of what you want!

Nangong Lu suddenly chuckled, his gaze passing over the Ghost Hound and landing on the figure behind him.

"Interesting. The more they try to protect her, the more suspicious it is. Judging from the way she's lying down, the one wearing the mask should be a woman, right? Is she your lover?"

"I'm your father's mistress, son, call me 'mother' and let me hear it!" Luo Lingling suddenly stood up, wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth as she provocatively spoke.

Nangong Lu's killing intent instantly turned cold.

"Very well, very well indeed. In that case, let me see whether your savior or your lover is more important!"

Before he finished speaking, he flicked his finger, and black flames shot out like venomous snakes, heading straight for Luo Lingling.

The Ghost Hound gritted its teeth, its Black Scale Spear blocking the attack. Blood flames surged from the spear, forcefully holding back the black flames!
"boom--!"

As the two forces collided, Ghost Mastiff grunted, his knee slamming into the ground, his arm muscles tearing apart inch by inch, and blood flowing down the gun barrel.

But he didn't back down!

"Blood Battle Path - Burning Soul!"

He let out a low roar, and the blood flames around him suddenly turned dark red, his aura rising once again!
"Using the soul as fuel?"

Nangong Lu raised an eyebrow slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. "That's ruthless enough."

Ghost Hound grinned maliciously, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, his eyes filled with madness: "The scum of the Nangong family... even if I die today, I'll take a few of them down with me!"

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly sprang up, his black-scaled spear like an angry dragon emerging from the sea, its force tearing through the air, aimed straight at Nangong Lu's throat!
Nangong Lu remained calm, even a cold smile playing on his lips.

"sucker Punch."

He raised his hand and waved it, black flames condensing at his fingertips, transforming into a dark longsword, which he casually met with the spearhead of the Ghost Mastiff!

"boom--!"

Guns and swords clashed, creating shockwaves that cracked the ground inch by inch!
However, Nangong Lu's brows suddenly furrowed—because his sword had pierced straight through the Ghost Hound's body!
"Ok?"

He looked closely and saw that the ghost mastiff's figure was rapidly fading, its color disappearing, and finally it turned into a light paper figure that slowly floated to the ground.

"This is... a paper doll? When did this happen...?"

Nangong Lu's pupils contracted sharply, and he abruptly turned his head to look in the direction of the masked woman.

But then they saw that the figure that had been on the verge of death was now beginning to become transparent.

"A bunch of idiots!" The masked woman raised a middle finger at the crowd.

(End of this chapter)