The head master has a new female apprentice

Chapter 366 Congratulations, fellow Daoist! Congratulations! (6k)

"Commander Wu, what do you mean by this? Let us through immediately!"

"If anything happens to the Seventh Prince, not only us, but you will also be held responsible!"

Chen Xuanming and the other four protectors were surrounded by Wu Zhenyue and his group who had retreated, preventing them from approaching.

The deafening roar coming from afar made them extremely anxious.

Wu Yuanshan's scars were contorted in agony as he took a step forward: "The border troops guard the demon race, we protect the prince! Get out of the way! Otherwise, don't blame the swords for being merciless!"

Wu Zhenyue's gaze was calm, and he raised his hand to signal his subordinates to remain calm.

"His Highness the Seventh Prince is afflicted by evil spirits, and Master Zhou is currently treating him. If you all go now, it will not only be of no use, but you will also lose your lives."

"Absurd!" Chen Xuanming shouted angrily, "Zhou Qing attacked all of us earlier. He wanted to harm the Seventh Prince, so how can you talk about saving him?!"

Just as tensions were running high, the distant roar intensified.

Wu Zhenyue glanced at the four men who were ready to attack at any moment, a hint of struggle flashing in his eyes. He finally stepped aside to make way for them: "In that case, please proceed."

The commanders looked at each other, their eyes filled with surprise and uncertainty.

It should be noted that some of the faster ones had recently witnessed the Seventh Prince surrounded by a strange black mist.

A chilling roar could be faintly heard from within the fog, a sound that could not possibly be made by a human.

Perhaps, as the leader said, Master Zhou went to such great lengths to save the Seventh Prince from the evil spirits?
Despite their doubts, military orders were paramount.

At Wu Zhenyue's command, the crowd that had been blocking the way immediately made way.

Chen Xuanming and his three companions snorted coldly and transformed into four streaks of light, speeding away.

Wu Zhenyue frowned, his gaze fixed on the distance, his mind filled with a myriad of thoughts.

Others may not know, but he personally witnessed the horrific scene of the Seventh Prince being devoured alive by that six-armed demon.

The sounds of fighting coming from ahead are no longer a duel between Zhou Qing and the Seventh Prince, but a battle against some indescribable evil entity.

Recalling everything that had happened in the main hall, Wu Zhenyue understood.

The Seventh Prince was indeed at fault, but what alarmed him even more was how a prince could possess such an evil object.

"These intricate details of court politics," he shook his head.

As a general who had guarded the border for many years, he had always disdained to participate in those treacherous power games.

But now the prince's death is a foregone conclusion, and the situation is clear.

Thinking of this, a resolute glint flashed in Wu Zhenyue's eyes.

Rather than offending a level four array master who is being courted by various forces, it's better to state our position as soon as possible.

After all, if the Seven Star Demon-Binding Array at the border were to encounter further problems, they would still be counting on Zhou Qing to lend a hand.

Moreover, the Emperor's protective soul mark witnessed the entire process.
"Master Zhou, you must hold on!" he prayed silently in his heart.

Suddenly, a whooshing sound came from behind.

Wu Zhenyue suddenly turned around and saw eight dazzling streaks of light cutting through the sky, rushing toward this place.

Upon seeing who it was, the iron-willed general's tense face finally relaxed, and he let out a long sigh of relief.

"Finally here," he murmured, a look of relief flashing in his eyes.

……

As Chen Xuanming and his three companions rapidly approached the heart of the battlefield, the scene before them sent chills down their spines.

The earth cracked open, revealing countless abyss-like ravines, and the air was filled with suffocating, violent spiritual energy, making even breathing painful.

The entire space was deathly silent.

"Could it be... already over?" Chen Xuanming's Adam's apple bobbed, his voice dry.

The four looked at each other, each seeing a deep unease in the other's eyes.

It should be noted that Zhou Qing is a peerless genius capable of taking on twenty opponents of the same level single-handedly. Compared to him, Your Highness's cultivation level is far inferior.
The moment they released their divine senses to search, the four people's expressions changed drastically!

"Not good! Retreat quickly—" Chen Xuanming roared, but it was too late.

Above the sky, a gigantic palm of spiritual energy, obscuring the sun and sky, crashed down.

The palm lines were clearly visible, each line containing destructive power of law.

Space twisted and shattered beneath his palm, and time seemed to freeze.

"Insects." Nangong Xiong Ba's icy voice echoed from the heavens, "Since you're so eager to die, let's all go together!"

Before the giant hand even arrived, the terrifying pressure already made the bones in the four people's bodies crack and pop.

Chen Xuanming and the other three desperately unleashed their natal magic weapons, but they turned to dust the moment they came into contact with the palm wind.

"Do not--!"

The desperate cries came to an abrupt end.

When the giant hand landed, the entire mountain range trembled.

When the smoke and dust cleared, only four bottomless palm prints remained on the spot, without even a trace of ash.

Nangong Xiong Ba then casually picked at his ear, his gaze mocking as he looked at Zhou Qing, who was still struggling: "Now, it's quiet. Let's continue, it'll be over soon."

After saying that, his seven-colored primordial spirit separated from his body once again.

Under Zhou Qing's bloodshot gaze, the dazzling primordial spirit shot straight at his brow like a sharp arrow, breaking into the depths of his sea of ​​consciousness with unstoppable force.

The instant his primordial spirit left his body, Zhou Qing's angry expression suddenly changed, and a strange smile slowly appeared on his lips...

……

Nangong Xiongba's seven-colored primordial spirit entered Zhou Qing's sea of ​​consciousness without any hindrance.

The moment he entered, he was so shocked by the sight before him that his very soul trembled.

This sea of ​​consciousness is vast and boundless, with spiritual waves surging endlessly like a raging sea, its grandeur far exceeding that of ordinary cultivators at the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul stage.

"No wonder." The seven-colored primordial spirit trembled and emitted spiritual fluctuations. "To be able to withstand a half-step Spirit Severing cultivator with only the Nascent Soul stage, I really don't know how they cultivated."

After his initial reflection, he quickly focused his attention on the center of his mind.

There, Zhou Qing's primordial spirit floated listlessly, its light dim.

Compared to the vast sea of ​​consciousness, this primordial spirit appears so small and fragile.

"Hahaha!" Nangong Xiongba's maniacal laughter stirred up waves in his mind. "So what if he's a genius who's famous throughout the capital? Now he's nothing more than a lamb to the slaughter!"

The seven-colored primordial spirit swelled excitedly, radiating a greedy aura, "After I devour you and take your place..."

Before the words were even finished, a chilling feeling suddenly washed over me.

Gong Xiongba suddenly stopped and looked around warily.

Soon, he saw a strange four-colored flower slowly emerging behind Zhou Qingyuan's spirit.

The four petals—silver, red, blue, and gold—rotated independently, emanating distinctly different Daoist rhythms.

The four colors of light intertwined, forming an insurmountable barrier around the primordial spirit.

Even more terrifying was the golden Dao seed suspended at the flower's stamen; its mere aura caused Nangong Xiong Ba's seven-colored primordial spirit to tremble instinctively.

"This is..." The seven-colored primordial spirit trembled violently, its mental fluctuations filled with astonishment and doubt.

He instinctively took a few steps back, observing the strange flower from a distance.

The more I looked, the more alarmed I became, and a strange sense of familiarity welled up inside me.

Soon, he seemed to realize something, his pupils suddenly contracted, and his eyes were filled with disbelief.

Decades ago, the earth-shattering phenomenon of the Four Flowers Gathering at the Top occurred in the eastern region of Lingyun Prefecture!
At that time, the entire prefecture was enveloped in a sky full of rosy light, and four-colored lotus flowers bloomed in the clouds, attracting countless people to flock there.

Many people still keep the images and watch them from time to time.

"Four Flowers Gather at the Top!" Nangong Xiong Ba's primordial spirit trembled violently, his mental fluctuations filled with disbelief. "How is this possible?!"

In the history of the Holy Martial Dynasty, even the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top only existed in ancient records, let alone the unheard-of Four Flowers Gathering at the Top.

Which of the current Spirit Severing experts in the imperial dynasty didn't break through by force using secret medicine?

Its potential has long been exhausted.

However, the starting point for the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top is the Spirit Severing Realm, let alone the Four Flowers.

This incident caused quite a stir at the time. Not only did all the Spirit Slaying cultivators within the imperial dynasty come out in droves, but even the powerful figures and several demon emperors from the neighboring Nine Li Dynasty came to investigate.

Unfortunately, they ultimately gained nothing. The dynasty could only claim that a foreign cultivator had broken through there in order to divert attention, and the matter was dropped.

But he never expected that after so many years, he would see this strange flower with his own eyes.

Even more unexpectedly, Zhou Qing turned out to be the one who had gathered all four flowers at the top.

"So that's how it is!" Nangong Xiongba's primordial spirit burst into wild laughter, its seven-colored light shining brightly. "No wonder you could withstand a half-step Spirit Slayer with your Nascent Soul cultivation, no wonder you could create so many miracles!"

He gazed greedily at the four-colored flower, then at Zhou Qing's withered spirit.

His mind was filled with frenzied joy: "Hahaha! Heaven has been kind to me! Today is the day I deserve this good fortune!"

Just as he was overjoyed, Zhou Qing's primordial spirit suddenly opened its eyes, a strange smile curling at the corner of its mouth.

Seeing that chilling smile, Nangong Xiong Ba frowned.

Just as he was about to question it, the four-colored flower suddenly burst into a dazzling light—

"Buzz!"

The silver petals struck first, instantly radiating a cool moonlight. The bright light spilled like mercury, instantly enveloping the entire sea of ​​consciousness.

Nangong Xiongba was horrified to discover that his primordial spirit was trapped in a quagmire, and his movements became extremely sluggish.

"What is this thing?!" he exclaimed in shock.

Before the words were finished, the red petals exploded with a bang, turning into a torrent of lava that gushed out.

Amidst the blazing flames, countless chains burning with crimson Dao flames tore through the air, each chain containing terrifying refining power.

"No!" The seven-colored primordial spirit struggled frantically, but saw the blue petals swaying gently, and the phantom of a vast ocean appeared at the flower's stamen.

A colossal wave swept in, each drop of water containing the power to dissolve the primordial spirit.

The most terrifying thing was the golden petals, which slowly unfurled and shone with dazzling golden light.

Nangong Xiongba discovered in despair that his accumulated blood energy and spiritual power over a thousand years were being frantically devoured by the golden petals!

“No, no, no—”

He frantically activated his primordial spirit power, causing a surge of seven-colored light as he attempted to break free from his restraints.

However, the silver moonlight firmly imprisoned his primordial spirit in place.

Every struggle felt like sinking into quagmire; the harder you tried, the deeper you sank.

"Break!" he roared hysterically, cracks appearing on the surface of his primordial spirit, as if he were about to self-destruct part of his primordial spirit to gain a chance to escape.

Then the blue petals swayed gently, accelerating the rapid melting of his primordial spirit.

"Stop! I surrender! I was wrong!"

He waved his primordial spirit arm in vain, trying to grab onto something, but could only watch helplessly as his power was drained away little by little.

"No, this shouldn't be happening," his mental fluctuations grew weaker and weaker. "I'm a powerful cultivator who has severed ties with the Spirit Realm. How could this be?"

The final struggle was futile.

The four colors of Daoist energy intertwined into a net, shattering his primordial spirit into pieces.

Each fragment was being refined by four forces simultaneously, making even self-destruction a pipe dream. Seeing this, Zhou Qing's primordial spirit breathed a sigh of relief and carefully checked his sea of ​​consciousness to confirm that there were no further abnormalities.

Suddenly, a series of profound insights flooded into my mind.

"Is this... Nangong Xiong Ba's insight after breaking through to the Spirit Severing Realm?"

Zhou Qing's eyes lit up, and he immediately sat cross-legged to begin comprehending the precious memories extracted from the four-colored flowers.

After an unknown amount of time, Zhou Qing slowly opened his eyes, a cold smile appearing on his lips.

He got up and walked to Nangong Xiongba's corpse, then raised his hand and delivered a resounding slap.

"Snapped!"

"Weren't you talkative? Didn't you want to possess me? Come on, why are you suddenly silent?"

Zhou Qing sneered, and then slapped him again, his eyes flashing with the pleasure of revenge.

"It's so fucking exciting!"

After venting his anger, Zhou Qing's gaze gradually became intense.

If the complete corpse of the Spirit Severing Realm cultivator before us were refined using the Blood Phoenix Wings phantom...
But as soon as he circulated his spiritual energy, he felt a wave of emptiness within his body, forcing him to abandon this tempting idea.

"Never mind." He shook his head and bent down to take the storage bag from Nangong Xiong Ba's waist.

He easily probed with his divine sense and confirmed once again that the old monster was indeed dead.

Zhou Qing didn't examine the other parts too much; instead, he took out the sealed black light first.

The black ball of light slowly rotated in my palm, with strange patterns flashing across its surface from time to time.

"Congratulations, fellow Daoist! Congratulations!" The black light immediately emitted a fawning spiritual fluctuation, "You have successfully seized this body. You will surely reach the pinnacle and achieve the supreme Dao in the future!"

Zhou Qing sneered, "Oh? Too bad you won't have the chance."

"Look at what you're saying!" Black Light hurriedly replied, his mental fluctuations carrying a hint of ingratiation.

"Who am I? If I don't have a chance, I don't have a chance. Actually, we can coexist peacefully and benefit each other!"

"How do we plan to get along?" Zhou Qing squinted.

Seeing that there was hope, the black light immediately launched into a long speech: "Although I am a spirit formed from a corpse, as long as you give me time, I will definitely be able to recall many memories of my original body."

"You won't find much useful information by searching my soul now; in fact, it will only damage my memory."

Zhou Qing nodded thoughtfully.

Seeing that Zhou Qing seemed to be interested, Hei Mang immediately raised his stakes: "Fellow Daoist, you are wise! Now that Xuan Yuan Yichen has been devoured by me, only I know the location of the treasures of my original body."

"If you're kind enough, I can give you all of those things."

It paused deliberately, its mental fluctuations carrying a hint of seduction: "Or... now that you have possessed a new body, why not lend me this form temporarily?"

"I will definitely divert attention from all sides so that you can cultivate in peace."

"Heh." Zhou Qing suddenly let out a meaningful, cold laugh.

This evil creature has a clever plan; it actually wants to get something for nothing by tricking him into handing over a body at the Spirit Severing Realm.

Seeing that Zhou Qing's expression was off, Hei Mang quickly changed his mind: "How about you place a life-and-death curse mark on me? Or you can find me any body to inhabit."

"I can't stay in this state for long, but I'll definitely be of great use to you in the future!"

A hint of hesitation flashed in Zhou Qing's eyes as he stared at the surging black light in the cage. Suddenly, he shook his head slightly, and a glimmer of clarity appeared in his eyes.

"That was close!" He secretly gasped, cold sweat already seeping from his back.

This black light came from a fifth-level cultivation country, and the supernatural powers and secret techniques it possessed were beyond his comprehension.

Even now, with its fragmented memories, it can still bewitch people. If it remembers its true form and supernatural powers in the future, how will I be able to suppress it?
This is practically a poison pill that could set itself on fire at any moment; the slightest misstep could lead to his utter ruin.

To cooperate with such evil beings is tantamount to seeking help from a tiger; one day it will turn on you.

Moreover, with the fall of Nangong Xiongba, the seal formed by the spiritual power of the Spirit Severing Realm is rapidly weakening, and the struggle of the black light within the cage is becoming increasingly violent.

Thinking of this, a murderous glint appeared in Zhou Qing's eyes.

The black light seemed to sense the killing intent and suddenly surged violently: "Fellow Daoist, wait! I know the location of an ancient medicine garden, which must contain divine herbs of the Transformation level, and also..."

"Boom——!"

A bolt of purple lightning suddenly shot out from Zhou Qing's hand, the blinding light carrying pure destructive power as it rushed directly towards it.

The black light's pleas for mercy abruptly ceased, replaced by a piercing scream: "No—!"

The purple lightning struck the black light within the cage with pinpoint accuracy, and the raging lightning engulfed it like a giant wave.

The black light twisted and struggled wildly, trying to gather its scattered form, but Zhou Qing expressionlessly raised his hand again—

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Three bolts of purple lightning struck down in succession, each more ferocious than the last.

The final strike shattered the cage to pieces, and the remaining lightning carved a scorched trench several meters long into the ground.

The shrieking sound of the black light grew weaker and weaker until it was finally completely extinguished by the raging lightning.

Zhou Qing's face turned deathly pale again, and he stumbled and almost fell.

After confirming that the black light had been completely extinguished, Zhou Qing quickly took out two vibrant green wood-attribute spirit stones and sat cross-legged to regulate his breathing.

As his spiritual energy slowly recovered, his pale complexion finally improved.

"We had already prepared for the worst, but we never expected that Xuan Yuan Yi Chen would have such an evil object hidden inside his body, and that Xuan Yuan Hao would even see it..."

In this way, the death of the Seventh Prince would no longer be related to him.

"This place is not safe to stay any longer." Zhou Qing looked around and decisively put away Nangong Xiong Ba's corpse.

Although his spiritual energy had not fully recovered, he forced himself to get up and quickly left as a streak of light.

Anyway, if the emperor asks about it later, he can simply say that he escaped by using a formation or secret technique.

As for what happened afterward?
How could a mere array master who "luckily escaped" know this?

Nangong Xiongba was imprisoned at the border by you, so perhaps he knows something.

Where this powerful spirit-slaying expert went is for you to find out.

About an hour later, Wu Zhenyue, who could no longer wait, finally led eight legion commanders and carefully approached the battlefield with image stones in hand.

Looking at the terrifying battlefield, the nine people exchanged bewildered glances.

"What about people?"

……

Two months later, in the territory of the Flood Dragon Emperor Xuanqiu.

Ever since the Spider King Ye Luo perished here, this area has been shrouded in a strong aura of obsession.

The withdrawal of border warriors, coupled with the fact that low-level monsters dared not approach, made this place an excellent place for healing.

Deep within the mountains, Zhou Qing slowly opened his eyes, his spiritual energy surging like a tide.

He let out a soft breath, a satisfied smile curving his lips: "Finally, I've fully recovered!"

After getting up and stretching his limbs, he took out Nangong Xiongba's corpse and examined it carefully.

"Judging by the timeline, since Xuanyuan Hao witnessed that scene with his own eyes, he must have already notified his uncle, Xuanyuan Shuo, to come and investigate."

Zhou Qing's gaze darkened slightly. "Nangong Xiongba said that Xuanyuan Shuo once used the opportunity of healing to plant a mark in his body."

He reached out and gently stroked the corpse, lost in thought: "The mark must be planted on this body. Otherwise, even if I successfully possessed him, I wouldn't be able to escape his control."

With that thought in mind, Zhou Qing no longer hesitated.

His hands quickly formed a hand seal, and a pair of blood-red phantoms suddenly unfolded behind him—the phantoms resembled phoenixes spreading their wings, but exuded a somewhat sinister aura.

"Refining!"

With a roar, Zhou Qing's blood-red winged phantom suddenly expanded, transforming into a towering blood curtain that completely enveloped Nangong Xiong Ba's corpse.

Within the crimson light curtain, countless runes moved like living things, emitting chilling hissing sounds.

He formed hand seals, and his spiritual energy poured out wildly, his forehead quickly covered with fine beads of sweat.

Unlike Yan Sen, who was ravaged by the [Misfortune Scroll] during his initial refinement and whose life force was reduced to less than one-tenth, this was different.

At this moment, this body, which is at the Spirit Severing Realm, is full of blood and energy, and every inch of its flesh contains astonishing power.

"puff--"

The light screen shook violently, and a trickle of blood spilled from the corner of Zhou Qing's mouth, but he still gritted his teeth and persevered.

Half an hour later, the crimson light curtain finally faded away and reformed into a blood-winged phantom behind him.

Three crimson crystals, each the size of an egg, floated in mid-air, emanating a suffocating aura of blood energy—these were Blood Phoenix Tribulation Crystals, of far superior quality to any of the previous ones!
"Such pure blood energy!" Zhou Qing reached out and caught the crystal, his eyes gleaming.

Compared to the Blood Crystal obtained when refining Yan Sen, the energy contained in these three Calamity Crystals is worlds apart.

Then, he stared blankly at the three blood-red tribulation crystals in his palm, an irresistible impulse surging in his heart.

Now he possesses a large number of Five Elements Spirit Stones, two thousand top-grade Spirit Stones, the "Subduing Demon Golden Bone" secret technique, an ancient tea tree for enlightenment, and the Four Flowers Gathering at the Top Dao Foundation.

Furthermore, there is the assistance of the Lu sisters, the nine insights into spirit severing from the Azure Lake, and Nangong Xiong Ba's insights into spirit severing.
With these three Blood Phoenix Tribulation Crystals, brimming with vital energy, the success rate of breaking through to the Spirit Severing stage is at least 70%.

But he quickly forced himself to calm down: "No, that's not enough."

He desperately condensed ten thousand spirit seals to advance to the fourth level of array master, all for the sake of being able to set up the "Nine Revolutions Spirit Condensation Array" that was of great benefit to spirit slaying, which was inherited from Xuan Qingzi's memories.

This formation can stabilize the primordial spirit and harmonize yin and yang.

With the support of this formation, his chances of breaking through can increase to over 90%.

“Duobao Chamber of Commerce.” A glint flashed in Zhou Qing’s eyes.

Those rare materials could probably only be gathered in a short time by the Duobao Merchant Guild in the capital.

At that time, you can use the Hidden Dragon Path to return directly to the Taiqing Sect, where you can both go into seclusion to slay your spirit and visit the old hen along the way.

As for what I promised Sikong Yan, it shouldn't be too late in a little while.

Having made up his mind, Zhou Qing put away the Blood Phoenix Tribulation Crystal and left the territory of the Flood Dragon Emperor.

He then took out the cyan token and carefully sensed the spatial node from when he first arrived at the border.

"found it!"

As the spatial jade talisman bestowed by Elder Mo was activated, a dazzling spatial rift slowly unfolded before them.

Zhou Qing took a deep breath and stepped inside without hesitation.
……

More than three months later, in the inner city of the imperial capital.

Zhou Qing's figure quietly appeared on the bustling street.

Instead of taking immediate action, he first contacted his senior brother and second senior sister.

"What? Shen Yunzhou's sister hasn't returned yet?" Zhou Qing frowned upon receiving the reply.

Based on the timeline, Xuan Yuanshuo should have made two round trips to the border by now. With Shen Hanyi's cultivation at the late stage of the Spirit Severing Realm, plus her incredibly fast flying boat, she should have arrived in the capital long ago.

"Could something have gone wrong?" Zhou Qing felt a growing unease.

He took out the token from the Divine Ruins Heavenly Palace to check and found that only the number four green ball and the number five cyan ball were online.

Maybe something got in the way.

"Alright, let's take care of business first." Zhou Qing put away the token, turned around, and sped off towards the Duobao Chamber of Commerce...

(End of this chapter)