The head master has a new female apprentice

Chapter 363 Zhou Qing, I told you to step back, did you hear me! (6k)

Upon hearing Xuan Yuan Yichen's admission, Zhou Qing's eyes flashed with a cold light, and his killing intent condensed around him as if it were a tangible substance.

"You should know what the Taiqing Sect means to me, yet you sent someone from the Spirit Slaying Realm to seek revenge—you deserve to die!"

As Zhou Qing finished speaking, he suddenly stood up, his robes fluttering even without wind.

Wu Zhenyue finally understood the whole story and the deeper meaning behind Zhou Qing's words earlier.

The commander of the Dragon Cavalry sighed and resolutely stood in front of Xuan Yuan Yichen, then cast an apologetic glance at Zhou Qing.

As a general of the imperial court, protecting the princes is his duty. Even if the princes commit heinous crimes, he must stand up to protect them.

however--

Even in this remote border region, he had heard of the infamous reputation of "Chicken Prince" Zhou Qing.

He single-handedly fought against twenty cultivators of the same level and managed to kill them all.

Such a record is something even he, a veteran of countless battles, would find unparalleled.

But so what?
Even now, he still had to stand in front of the Seventh Prince.

This is not a contest of victory or defeat, but a soldier's duty!
"You think you can get away with this?"

Seeing this scene, Zhou Qing had already anticipated it. He looked past Wu Zhenyue and stared directly at Xuan Yuan Yichen.

Xuan Yuan Yichen smiled calmly: "Brother Zhou's combat prowess is indeed unparalleled, but this is, after all, a military camp. Taking my life won't be so easy."

Zhou Qing's lips curled into a chilling smirk: "Is that so?"

Xuanyuan Yichen nodded and said, "I know you've had a smooth journey, but in this border military camp..."

He paused meaningfully, "Even the smoothest sailing ship can be hit by hidden reefs."

Seeing Zhou Qing remain silent, Xuan Yuan Yichen sighed softly: "Fine, since you are unwilling to reveal who leaked the information, I will not ask any further. After all, it is pointless now."

Then, he looked at Wu Zhenyue and said, "Thank you for your trouble, Commander Wu. Mu Qian, let's go."

As he spoke, he grabbed Xuan Yuan Muqian, whose eyes were red-rimmed, and turned to leave.

The girl looked conflicted, but he still pulled her outside.

It looks like they're preparing to take the teleportation array back.

Just then, a flash of mysterious light appeared in Wu Zhenyue's hand, and a nine-foot-long dragon-patterned heavy spear materialized out of thin air, its tip pointing directly at Zhou Qing, its cold light emanating from it.

Upon seeing this, Zhou Qing suddenly burst out laughing: "Interesting. Your Xuanyuan family has gone to such lengths just to make me work for you, hasn't that been all?"

“Your father invited me three times at Bibo Tianhu, but I declined each time.”

He abruptly changed the subject, his voice turning cold: "But at this moment, I am actually somewhat tempted—however, guess what my conditions would be?"

Xuan Yuan Yichen abruptly stopped, turned around, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

Zhou Qing met his gaze and said, word by word, "Tell me, between a fourth-level array master, three powerful beings at the Spirit Severing Realm, and a mere prince at the early Nascent Soul stage, what choice would your father make?"

Xuan Yuan Yi Chen stared at Zhou Qing, his eyes filled with an unprecedentedly intense killing intent, as if he wanted to devour him alive.

"It seems you're not very confident in your standing with the Emperor."

Zhou Qing sneered, "Everyone says that the imperial family is the most ruthless, and today it seems that this is indeed true."

Before she could finish speaking, Xuan Yuan Muqian was already in tears.

She rushed forward and knelt down in front of Zhou Qing: "Brother Zhou, Seventh Brother must have been confused for a moment to do such a thing. We are willing to apologize and compensate you. We will do our best to satisfy whatever you want."

"Besides, isn't Taiqing Sect alright? Consider it cutting our losses in time. Please, spare Seventh Brother." She pleaded, tears streaming down her face.

Zhou Qing looked at her and suddenly pointed a finger at her brow.

Just as Wu Zhenyue was about to make a move, he realized that the Ninth Princess had only fainted and was not injured, which relieved him.

Withdrawing his hand, Zhou Qing coldly looked at Xuan Yuan Yichen.

The latter also understood Zhou Qing's determination and knew that today's matter was a fight to the death.

"Brother Zhou, do you remember those things I asked you to appraise?"

Xuan Yuan Yichen suddenly spoke, his voice hoarse yet carrying a strange composure.

Seeing Zhou Qing remain silent, he continued, "You probably never imagine their true value. To tell you the truth, even if you are a level four array master, you are no match for these things."

“I can even tell my father, and my two grandfathers, that many people in the Taiqing Sect have seen those things. What do you think they will do?”

He suddenly chuckled, "Let me think. To maintain secrecy, they'll probably take action themselves. Three Spirit Severing Realm cultivators should be easy to wipe out."

Zhou Qing's eyes remained calm.

That is precisely the reason for his trip.

He currently lacks the strength to directly confront the Xuanyuan royal family, but Xuanyuan Yichen's initiative to contact Nangong Xiong Ba to target the Taiqing Sect has led him to this single conclusion.

Because he saw Shen Yunzhou, he should have recognized him.

When Shen Yunzhou returned last time, he casually snatched something from him.

Furthermore, since Shen Hanyi was with them, he was worried that his possessions related to the fifth-level cultivation kingdom would be exposed.

That's why they took a risky move—or rather, to kill multiple birds with one stone!
After all, although many peak masters of the Taiqing Sect had seen the things he brought back then, they had not been able to figure out their true origin.

On the other hand, the three Spirit Slaying Realm experts hidden by the Taiqing Sect were a secret.

Xuanyuan Shuo's personal presence at the scene clearly indicated his intention to intervene at the last moment, thereby bestowing favor upon him and forcing him to submit to the dynasty.

However, man proposes, God disposes. The sudden appearance of the Lu sisters and the Ghost Emperor Master completely disrupted Nangong Xiong Ba's plans.

Seeing the situation was not good, Xuan Yuanshuo, who was hiding in the shadows, decisively rescued Nangong Xiongba's primordial spirit and made other plans.

That is why Zhou Qing wanted to take advantage of the fact that Xuan Yuan Yichen was still at the border to completely eliminate this threat.

The verbal exchange just now was actually a test to see if the other party had already told their elders the secret of the fifth-level cultivation country's artifacts.

It seems that Xuanyuan Yichen has not yet revealed this matter, which makes Zhou Qing secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

After all, the art of soul searching has many limitations, and the memories obtained can be erroneous due to the practitioner's misunderstanding.

Like the blind men and the elephant, they could not see the whole picture.

That's why Zhou Qing had to probe with words for so long, rather than directly using the soul-searching technique.

After all, given Xuan Yuan Yi Chen's cunning and shrewdness, he must have laid down many layers of protection within his primordial spirit.

Moreover, Sikong Yan had mentioned to him that each prince had a soul-protecting mark personally planted by the emperor within his body.

Back when he and Lin Jin joined forces to kill the Fifth Prince Xuanyuan Fengtai, they went to great lengths to avoid being tracked down.

This further increases the difficulty of soul searching and the amount of information obtained.

"Very good!" Zhou Qing shouted, and a rusty broken sword appeared out of thin air in his palm.

Wu Zhenyue was inwardly groaning.

Although he couldn't understand the subtle jabs in their words, he knew that Xuan Yuan Yi Chen was playing with fire and getting burned!
Why do you keep provoking him?

Do you really think I can stop him?
"How about we make a bet and see who's faster!" Before Xuan Yuan Yi Chen finished speaking, a pair of jet-black bone wings suddenly unfurled from his back.

Those bone wings resembled the remains of a demon from the abyss, each bone spike entwined with twisted black mist, and with the spread of its wings, even the space itself seemed to tremble slightly!

Zhou Qing's expression changed slightly.

It seems he has managed to unlock some items from a level-five cultivation kingdom.

At this moment, he dared not be careless and immediately transformed into the second form of the Golden-Winged Roc, his golden wings radiating brilliant divine light as he flapped his wings to chase after it.

"clang--!"

Wu Zhenyue's heavy iron spear slashed down from the sky, sparks flew, and the air waves exploded!

However, in just a moment, Zhou Qing's sword trembled, and the vast spiritual power, like a raging sea, directly blasted the Dragon Soaring Legion Commander away!
Wu Zhenyue felt an incomparable force strike him, and the heavy iron spear in his hand trembled violently, his tiger's mouth splitting open instantly.

He was sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily into three pillars before barely managing to regain his balance.

"puff--"

Wu Zhenyue was horrified when he spat out a mouthful of blood.

Is this the terrifying strength that is rumored to be able to fight twenty people of the same level alone?
Zhou Qing's figure didn't stop, his golden wings cutting through the sky. Just as he rushed out of the main hall, four figures blocked the four directions like ghosts.

"We swear to protect His Highness with our lives!"

The leading protector, Chen Xuanming, had a mark flashing between his eyebrows, and his hands quickly formed hand seals.

Suddenly, countless vines surged up from the ground. These vines were pitch black and covered with barbs; they were the rare "Spirit-Eating Demon Vines".

Once entangled, not only will one's movements be restricted, but one's spiritual energy will also be continuously devoured.

Wu Yuanshan, whose left cheek was scarred, made his move at the same time. A bronze mirror floated in the air, its surface rippling with strange patterns.

Wherever the mirror light shone, the space seemed to be compressed by an invisible force, and even the air became viscous like syrup, causing Zhou Qing's golden wings to freeze for a moment.

The two protectors on the right worked in perfect harmony, with one of them unleashing thirty-six throwing knives, their blades shrouded in a hazy, bewitching smoke.

The other person played a short bone flute, and the sound waves transformed into physical chains that struck Zhou Qing's vital points.

Four deadly moves, sealing the heavens and locking the earth!

Zhou Qing's eyes flashed with golden light, and he did not dodge or evade the overwhelming attack.

Suddenly, a golden ripple spread out around him, and wherever the ripple passed, the Soul-Devouring Vine snapped inch by inch.

The ripples on the bronze mirror were violently dispersed, the bewitching smoke melted away like snow meeting the blazing sun, and the sonic chains snapped with a "crack".

What's even more terrifying is that with each breakthrough in the realm of intent, the golden light on Zhou Qing's body becomes more solid, as if he is constantly absorbing the essence of others' intents in battle to perfect himself!
The four of them were so badly affected by the backlash from the artistic conception that they vomited blood and staggered backward.

Wu Zhenyue, enduring the pain, staggered out of the main hall, blood still trickling from the corner of his mouth.

Leaning on his heavy iron spear with one hand, he shouted sternly at the elite Longxiang Army soldiers who were still observing from afar: "What are you all standing there for? Come and help us!"

This loud shout was like a thunderclap, and the Dragon Soaring Army cultivators who were still hesitating were suddenly awakened from their daze.

Dozens of figures flew in from all directions, each one an elite Nascent Soul Realm warrior from the Dragon Soaring Army.

They were dressed in black iron armor, the dragon patterns on their chests gleaming coldly in the sunlight, and in the blink of an eye they surrounded Zhou Qing.

"A thousand mountains fall!"

A commander suddenly pressed down with both palms, and dozens of illusory mountain shadows suddenly appeared in the void. Each one was as heavy as ten thousand pounds and crushed down on Zhou Qing with a thunderous roar.

"Binding Spirit Silk!"

A female cultivator in plain clothes waved her wide sleeves lightly, and countless silver threads poured down like a torrential rain. Each thread shimmered with an eerie light that sealed spiritual power, and they wrapped around Zhou Qing.

The old man with white hair and beard took out a bronze seal, which swelled in the wind and grew to a size of a hundred feet in the blink of an eye.

The character "镇" (zhen, meaning "to suppress") on the bottom of the seal shone with golden light, and with an imposing aura that suppressed heaven and earth, it crashed down.

The shirtless, burly man slammed his fists into the ground, causing countless sharp stone spikes to burst forth from the cracked earth. Each spike gleamed with a cold, eerie blue light, clearly coated with deadly poison.

……

These elite Longxiang Army soldiers coordinated perfectly, and in the blink of an eye, they unleashed their strongest artistic skills.

Although they were individually weaker than Zhou Qing, they had the advantage of numbers and had fought for many years, so they cooperated seamlessly with each other.

Various magical artifacts and spells intertwined to form a net, firmly trapping Zhou Qing in the center.

On a distant mountain peak, Xuan Yuan Yi Chen stood with his hands behind his back, his jet-black bone wings trembling slightly behind him.

He coldly stared at Zhou Qing below, who was sealed off by countless layers of spiritual energy, a cruel smile curving his lips. "Those things were supposed to be my last trump card to ascend to the throne," he muttered to himself, his voice chilling.

"My father is still in his prime and has not thought about abdicating. As for those favored brothers, I have already laid my hands on them, just waiting for the right time."

The black mist on his bone wings suddenly surged violently, making his handsome face appear particularly ferocious: "But it seems that I have no choice but to offer the things ahead of schedule."

He stared intently at the golden figure in the center of the battlefield, his eyes filled with a murderous intent that was almost tangible: "Zhou Qing, you have disrupted all my plans and strategies, you deserve to die!"

The last two words were practically squeezed out through gritted teeth.

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly turned around, his jet-black bone wings slicing through the sky: "And your Taiqing Sect, this time we will leave no one alive!"

With a piercing shriek from his bone wings, he vanished into the horizon in the blink of an eye.

At this moment, Zhou Qing simply stood quietly in place, his eyes slightly closed.

His second form as the Golden-Winged Roc radiated a dazzling golden light, allowing countless attacks to bombard his body.

"Dang! Dang! Dang!"

The sounds of metal clashing were incessant, and sparks flew everywhere.

Although those fierce attacks could briefly tear apart Zhou Qing's Golden Roc body, revealing the bones inside that flowed with dazzling golden light.

Yet, amidst the gentle chanting of Sanskrit, it healed completely at a speed visible to the naked eye.

With each whisper of the Buddha, the golden light at the wound solidified a little more.

Even more alarming was that layers of golden ripples were quietly seeping into everyone's mind, like invisible tentacles, dissecting their Daoist essence.

"break."

Zhou Qing suddenly opened his eyes and uttered a single word.

"boom--!"

The mental states of all the attackers shattered instantly, and the backlash surged back like a tidal wave.

Dozens of Nascent Soul cultivators coughed up blood and flew backward, while those with weaker cultivation levels fainted directly.

Wu Zhenyue knelt on one knee, leaning on his heavy black iron spear, his eyes filled with horror.

Zhou Qing's gaze pierced through the void, firmly locking onto the dark figure fleeing in panic on the horizon.

Even before the confrontation took place in the main hall, he had already secretly planted the Soul-Chasing Mark on Xuan Yuan Yi Chen.

After all, this is a military camp, and he has to consider every possibility.

"Run?" Zhou Qing sneered, his golden wings suddenly unfurling. "Do you think you can escape?"

Before he finished speaking, he transformed into a golden lightning bolt and shot away.

Wu Zhenyue wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and spiritual energy surged between his fingers, causing a jade token to appear out of thin air.

He gripped the token tightly with his five fingers, muttering to himself.

Instantly, the token's blue light surged, transforming into eight streams of light that shot towards other sections of the Great Wall.

"Chase!"

He then gave a stern order and was the first to transform into a beam of light and soar into the sky.

Many elite members of the Dragon Cavalry Army immediately transformed into various colored streaks of light and gave chase to Zhou Qing...

……

At this moment, Zhou Qing frowned deeply.

Because Xuan Yuan Yi Chen's speed far exceeded expectations, those black bone wings were obviously from the relics of the fifth-level cultivation country he had discovered, and he had completely refined them.

However, the opponent was only at the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm, and could not sustain such a drain for long.

If I'm not mistaken, the royal teleportation array, the Hidden Dragon Path, should be somewhere ahead.

When I first met Consort Chen during the time I was repairing the level four magic array with Master Lin, that magnificent flying boat came breaking through the clouds from this direction.

I just don't know why it wasn't set up in a military camp; I suppose it has something to do with spatial orientation.

"Leave me alone!"

Zhou Qing's spiritual power surged wildly, increasing his speed by another 30%. A golden streak of light streaked across the sky, rapidly closing the distance between him and the dark figure ahead.

Xuan Yuan Yichen's expression changed drastically; he never expected Zhou Qing to escape so quickly.

In desperation, he bit his tongue hard, spitting out a mouthful of blood that condensed into a blood-red talisman in the air.

"go with!"

The talisman exploded, transforming into countless blood-red blades that attacked Zhou Qing.

But then Zhou Qing's hand suddenly blazed with lightning and rage, transforming into a hundred-foot-long giant sword that swept across the area.

Where the thunder passed, all the blood-stained blades were annihilated.

"puff--"

Xuanyuan Yichen coughed up another mouthful of blood, his body staggering unsteadily.

The eerie light on the pair of dark bone wings dimmed rapidly, and their speed decreased sharply.

"This is outrageous!" He suddenly stopped in mid-air, a ferocious glint in his eyes.

"This prince may not be as talented as you, but in terms of luck, I believe I am second to none!"

He raised his hand and flipped it over, revealing a yellow talisman paper with an ancient aura in his palm. Faint blood-red runes flowed on the paper, exuding a sinister aura.

"Zhou Qing, do you still remember this?" Xuan Yuan Yichen asked coldly.

Zhou Qing's pupils suddenly contracted, and his golden wings paused slightly in the air, his figure hovering.

Of course he recognizes it.

When Xuanyuan Yichen first arrived at Taiqing Sect, he brought three evil items with him. After being identified by the system, they were identified as the Four Ghosts Bowing to the Gate, the Ghost Stitching Needle, and the Yellow Official Paper.

These three items all originated from a certain level-five cultivation country, and each one is extremely sinister!

For example, the Four Ghosts Bowing Gate can forcibly strip away the soul of a cultivator in the Spirit Severing Realm and drag it into their body to search for and refine the soul.

Even if the soul is restricted, it can be gradually eroded and broken until all secrets are obtained.

The Ghost Stitch can mend wounds to the soul, even if the soul is shattered into dust, it can be forcibly pieced back together and restored.

But the price is—the lifespan of the person who stitched the needle!

At this moment, Xuan Yuan Yi Chen held the third evil artifact—the Yellow Official Paper!

This item is also known as "life-buying paper". If you write the target's name with the matching yellow official pen and then burn any items that the target has come into contact with, you can reduce the target's lifespan by half!

However, if the writer's luck is not as good as the other party's, they may suffer a backlash, which would deplete their own lifespan.

"Thanks to your 'guidance' back then," Xuan Yuan Yichen grinned maliciously, slowly unfolding his right hand, "I finally found it—the Yellow Official Brush!"

A calligraphy brush, its entire body gleaming with an eerie yellow light, appeared in the palm of the hand.

Nine blood-red lines were wrapped around the pen, slowly wriggling like a living thing.

The bristles on the pen tip were made from the hair of some unknown creature, exuding a chilling and eerie aura.

“I admit you have extraordinary talent,” Xuan Yuan Yichen grinned maliciously, the yellow official brush in his hand gleaming with an eerie blood-red light.

“But talent is talent, and luck is luck! If I didn’t have extraordinary luck, how could I have found such an ancient treasure? Not to mention that I am blessed with royal fortune, how could you possibly compare to me?”

He suddenly pulled out a carved wooden chair and sneered, "Do you remember this chair you sat in when you came to my mansion to look for your senior brother? You were in direct contact with it, and I've preserved it very well."

"So, step back now, or else..."

Zhou Qing narrowed his eyes slightly, a chill running through him.

I never imagined that this guy had already been secretly plotting this since then; he's truly a man of deep cunning.

This scheming is truly chilling.

Seeing that Zhou Qing remained unmoved, Xuan Yuan Yichen's eyes flashed with a fierce light, and he wrote the two characters "Zhou Qing" fiercely on the paper with his yellow brush.

In an instant, a strange power of law enveloped the heavens and the earth, even distorting space itself.

"Final warning, retreat!"

Zhou Qing took a step forward, his golden wings radiating dazzling light as he stared coldly at him.

He hates being threatened more than anything in his life.

Such an evil object as the Yellow Official Paper might have some deterrent effect on someone whose lifespan is nearing its end, but it is useless to him.

A Nascent Soul cultivator possesses a lifespan of two thousand years, while he has only been cultivating for a little over fifty years. Even if he loses half of that lifespan, he will still have a thousand years left.

With his talent and comprehension, these years would be enough for him to break through to the Spirit Severing Realm and continue for another four thousand years.

A cold glint flashed in Zhou Qing's eyes; his killing intent was resolute.

If we don't kill Xuan Yuan Yichen today, with his deep scheming and ruthless methods, he will likely bring immeasurable disaster to our sect in the future.

Thinking of this, the spiritual energy around him surged even more violently.

"Wow—"

A clear and melodious cry resounded through the sky, and a golden crow appeared behind Zhou Qing, its blazing solar fire scorching the heavens and boiling the seas!

Xuan Yuan Yichen's expression changed drastically, and a ghostly blue flame rose from his palm, instantly igniting the wooden chair.

"Your fire is too slow, let me help you!" Zhou Qing shouted, and the Golden Crow Fire transformed into a torrent that crashed towards Xuan Yuan Yi Chen!

"Damn it!" Xuan Yuan Yichen's bone wings vibrated wildly as he fled in a sorry state through the sea of ​​fire.

He bit his tongue, spitting a mouthful of blood onto the burning wooden chair, causing the flames to flare up instantly.

"boom!"

Although he barely managed to dodge the direct impact of the Golden Crow Fire, the aftershocks still sent him flying backward, coughing up blood.

But by then, the wooden chair had been completely burned to ashes.
"Hahaha?!"

Xuan Yuan Yichen's maniacal laughter abruptly stopped, because he suddenly felt an indescribable, terrifying power descending from the darkness.

His body suddenly stiffened, as if bound by invisible shackles.

His once spirited face instantly contorted, and a piercing pain erupted from the depths of his bone marrow, as if a million ants were gnawing at the very source of his life.

"This is this"

He stared in horror as his hands withered and turned brown spots at a visible rate.

The once smooth skin quickly became covered with wrinkles and cracked like withered tree bark.

A strand of silvery-white hair fell from his forehead, followed by a second, then a third.
In the blink of an eye, his full head of black hair turned completely white.

"No, this is impossible!" Xuan Yuan Yichen roared in anguish, "I am imbued with the royal dragon's aura and blessed with good fortune. How could your fortune be stronger than mine?"

"Pfft—" A mouthful of dark red blood spurted out, and Xuan Yuan Yichen trembled violently. His originally upright body became even more hunched over like a shrimp.

The next moment, the yellow official paper in his hand spontaneously combusted and dissipated into a wisp of green smoke.

The yellow official brush also snapped with a "crack".

The blood-red patterns on the pen barrel twisted and struggled like living things, finally turning into a pool of foul-smelling blood that dripped from between his fingers.

(End of this chapter)