The head master has a new female apprentice

Chapter 369 The Corpse in the Ancestral Palace (6k)

Beneath the gray, overcast sky, a desolate mausoleum area was shrouded in a thick aura of death.

Occasionally, a cold wind would sweep by, stirring up a deathly aura.

The faint outlines of the dilapidated stone tablets and collapsed palaces inside are visible, resembling a ghostly kingdom forgotten by time.

At the entrance to the ancestral land, five royal guards dressed in dark gold armor leaned lazily against a mottled stone tablet.

Their standard-issue halberds were casually stuck into the cracked ground, their blades already covered with a fine layer of dust.

They were chatting idly at the moment.

"This damn job, I've been doing it for decades and haven't seen a single ghost."

The guard surnamed Liu, with a full beard, spat out a mouthful of spittle and kicked a piece of bluish-gray gravel far away.

"Shh!" The older guard, surnamed Sun, lowered his voice, a hint of wariness flashing in his cloudy eyes.

"After all, it's the ancestral land of the royal family. Isn't it just as good that no one comes? This is a secure job, both leisurely and undisturbed."

The lean guard surnamed Li grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth: "Old Sun is right. I think this place is quite nice. The monthly salary is paid on time, and I don't have to worry about being interrupted while cultivating."

"It's true that no one's bothering us," the youngest guard, surnamed Wang, sighed, "but no one's guiding us either. At this rate, when will we ever break through to the Nascent Soul stage?"

……

As the group chatted, none of them noticed that the deathly aura at the edge of the ancestral land suddenly twisted eerily for a moment.

"Shh-"

Two figures silently emerged from the void, landing like ghosts behind a broken wall.

Zhou Qing looked at the scene before him, his brows furrowing deeply behind his mask: "Where is this place?"

Sikong Yan took a deep breath, his eyes behind the mask gleaming with a morbid ecstasy: "What a familiar aura. I'm finally back."

Seeing Zhou Qing's questioning gaze, he had no choice but to explain in a low voice, "This place is just like the ancestral land of the Cangyan Dao Palace that your third senior brother Yan Xiaohu dug up during the Five Sects War."

"Let's get down to business," Zhou Qing interrupted coldly.

Sikong Yan chuckled: "You're quite protective of your own. Alright, although this place is in the inner city, it was the royal mausoleum when the Holy Martial Dynasty was still a third-level cultivation country."

"More than three thousand years ago, after Xuanyuan Chong broke through to the Spirit Severing Realm, the envoy of the Imperial Alliance came in person, and everything here was moved to a better feng shui treasure land."

“So.” Zhou Qing’s gaze sharpened.

"So this place may seem dilapidated, but it actually hides a secret." Sikong Yan looked meaningfully into Zhou Qing's eyes.

“When I last cracked the Nangong family's inner treasury, I noticed that your blood-red double pupils were quite unusual. Now, why not use them to examine the depths of this deathly aura?”

Zhou Qing remained silent, only giving him a cold glance.

Then, his gaze turned forward, and his originally dark pupils instantly split, transforming into a pair of eerie, blood-red double pupils.

Piercing through layers of deathly aura, one is astonished to discover that deep within, four colors of malevolent energy—black, white, red, and blue—are intertwined and quietly hidden.

"A four-color formation?" Zhou Qing's pupils contracted slightly.

A glint flashed in Sikong Yan's eyes: "You can actually see through it? Your eyes..."

He leaned closer with great interest. "Is it a supernatural power cultivated, or was it dug up from some ancient tomb?"

Zhou Qing glanced at him coldly, his expression behind the mask growing increasingly wary.

Throughout this assistance, he remained wary of this madman.

He would never have gotten involved in this mess if it weren't for the need to keep refreshing the [random posts].

After all, the old emperor's secret recipe for slaying spirits wasn't here at all.

What you call "certainty" is nothing more than wishful thinking on your part.

The Xuanyuan family has always been cunning, like a rabbit with three burrows.

This ancestral land before us is undoubtedly just another carefully laid bait by the other side.

Once I break your formation and complete the [Friendship Request], I will immediately leave.

At this moment, under Zhou Qing's displeased gaze, Sikong Yan grinned and said, "I was just kidding."

He quickly changed the subject, "This formation is indeed a four-color formation, which Xuanyuan Chong acquired from the Jiuli Dynasty at auction."

"It appears to be lifeless and harmless on the surface, but in reality it has the ability to devour essence, energy and spirit. It is especially bloodthirsty. Even a Spirit Severing Realm cultivator could be drained dry if this continues for a long time."

As he spoke, Sikong Yan flicked his sleeves, and two dark green cloaks gleaming with a bluish light appeared out of thin air.

The fine wood spirit patterns on the cloak's surface flow like water ripples, exuding a rich vitality.

"Do you remember when you asked me about the Wood Spirit Stone? I pretended to refuse, but then deliberately took you to both the Nangong family's inner treasury and the royal treasury."

He then handed over one of the cloaks, saying, "The wood-attribute spirit stones I left behind are precisely for today's situation."

Zhou Qing took the cloak and felt a cool, vibrant energy rush from his palm to his mind, instantly invigorating him.

"I've refined all the wood-attribute spirit stones I had into it, and I still have a few left. I originally intended to save them for you to use when you break the formation, but..."

He glanced meaningfully at the storage pouch at Zhou Qing's waist: "Last time in the royal treasury, I didn't take a single one of those wood spirit stones. Considering the time that has passed, you should still have quite a few on you, right?"

Zhou Qing's eye twitched, and her heart ached slightly.

Those were supposed to be his payment!

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and silently weighed the gains and losses.

Fifty wood spirit stones were a considerable sum, but what Sikong Yan and he obtained from looting the Nangong family's treasury and the royal treasury far exceeded that number.

Thinking this, a bitter smile involuntarily appeared on the corner of his mouth beneath the mask.

This deal wasn't exactly a loss.

Sikong Yan raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes: "What's wrong?"

"It's alright." Zhou Qing slowly opened his eyes. "Tell me the specific plan?"

Sikong Yan gently stroked the flowing wood spirit patterns on the cloak and said in a low voice, "Both of these cloaks are woven from thousand-year-old green silkworm silk and have been smelted with dozens of top-grade wood attribute spirit stones."

"Enough to provide a massive amount of life force in a short period of time, feeding the devouring power of the four-colored magic array."

He looked intently at Zhou Qing, "Therefore, we need you to break through an opening as soon as possible."

Zhou Qing's eyes narrowed slightly at this moment: "There are only a few Golden Core guards outside. With your Spirit Severing Realm cultivation, you can slowly search for a way to break the formation."

"Moreover, there is plenty of time to use these two cloaks in rotation."

His voice suddenly turned cold. "Why do you have to drag me into this? I want to hear the truth."

Looking at Zhou Qing's wary expression, Si Kongyan suddenly grinned, revealing his gleaming white teeth: "Your caution reminds me of an old friend from back then."

He waved his hand, "Fine, I'll tell you the truth—"

He held up three fingers: "First, this formation is a four-colored array; even with my Spirit Severing cultivation, it will be difficult to find a flaw in it in a short time. Second..."

He pointed around, "This is the inner city. Any disturbance here will alert the two emperors."

At this point, a hint of apprehension flashed in his eyes, "Thirdly, and most importantly, there is a high probability that a Spirit Severing Realm expert is guarding the formation."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qing frowned immediately, a hint of seriousness flashing in his eyes.

"Don't panic." Sikong Yan took out a cyan token from his pocket. "As long as you break through the gap silently, I'll handle the people inside the formation."

"The old emperor is currently being held back by that person. Even if Emperor Xuanyuan Hao were to arrive in person," he said with a sinister smile, "with my power, plus this key that can open the [Hidden Dragon Path], I can more than guarantee your safe retreat."

Zhou Qing remained silent for a long time, his expression shifting uncertainly.

"What, regretting it?" Sikong Yan suddenly chuckled. "I've already taken my pants off, you're not going to back out now, are you?"

He looked at Zhou Qing meaningfully, "Don't forget, I have already stepped into the Spirit Severing Realm. What I did this time was so that all cultivators in the world could have the opportunity to reach the Spirit Severing Realm."

"Including your master, uncles and senior brothers, and those senior brothers and sisters."

Zhou Qing gave him a deep look before finally speaking slowly: "Once the formation is broken, I will leave immediately, and I will not concern myself with anything after that."

"Don't worry." Sikong Yan smiled with satisfaction. "The original plan was for you to gather five thousand spirit seals to cooperate with me. Now that you are a level four array master, our chances of winning are much greater."

He looked up at the sky and said, "Let's go. If we delay any longer, things might get complicated."

After Sikong Yan finished speaking, he unfurled his dark green cloak, and the spiritual energy of the green wood poured down like flowing water.

With a flick of his wrist, the cloak wrapped around his body as if it were alive.

As his robes fluttered, he seemed to merge with the deathly aura around him, leaving only a blurry blue afterimage.

Seeing this, Zhou Qing also unfolded the cloak in his hand.

With a light step, his figure instantly became elusive, and even his breathing was swallowed up by the runes flowing on his cloak.

"That's a good thing. Could it have been 'opened' from that restricted area?" Zhou Qing thought to himself, and quickly followed.

The two of them dived into the depths of the deathly aura, one after the other.

As they went deeper, the edges of the cloak were constantly being torn and peeled away by the death energy, only to be replaced by new life in the next second.

This forced the two to quicken their pace.

When Zhou Qing finally arrived in front of the four-colored magic array, he couldn't help but gasp.

The surface of the great formation before them was as calm as water, and not even a trace of spiritual energy fluctuation could be sensed on the gray barrier.

However, under the [Double Pupil], countless intricate runes can be clearly seen flowing within the array.

These runes intertwine and overlap, constructing a vast and boundless galaxy of spiritual energy within the array space.

"This is an array that only a master who has condensed at least 20,000 spirit seals could have crafted!"

Zhou Qing sighed.

Because each of these runes is exquisitely crafted, and there is not a single flaw to be found in their interconnectedness.

Only then did he truly realize just how profound the foundation of an old-established fourth-level cultivation nation was.

"Hurry up, don't panic," Sikong Yan said in a low voice. "I will protect you."

Zhou Qing took a deep breath, his pupils darting rapidly.

In the vision of these penetrating eyes, the entire formation is like a precisely operating furnace of heaven and earth, where the slightest carelessness could trigger a devastating backlash.

He slowly closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

The spiritual energy within the body begins to circulate along specific meridians, forming a miniature spiritual energy vortex in the dantian.

"let's start."

Zhou Qing swiftly formed hand seals in front of his chest, each gesture precise and imbued with a mysterious rhythm.

“Buzz—” The next moment, the void trembled, and a full ten thousand crystal-clear spirit seals burst forth from his body and floated around him.

Sikong Yan was filled with admiration at this scene, but he didn't dare to be careless and cautiously observed his surroundings.

With the blessing of Zhou Qing's [Double Pupils], each spirit seal transformed into tiny specks of light and began to fly towards different locations of the great formation.

Then, these spirit seals cautiously approached the edge of the formation like scouts, stopping three inches from the barrier.

These spiritual seals began to release fine threads of spiritual energy, gently touching the surface of the array like tentacles.

"Fuck-"

The moment the spiritual energy threads came into contact with the array, tiny sparks immediately flew out.

Zhou Qing frowned slightly, and the runes in his pupils suddenly began to rotate faster.

He precisely controlled the strength and angle of each spiritual energy thread, making them vibrate at a specific frequency, trying to find the rhythm of the array's operation.

An hour later, the dark green cloaks worn by the two had become dull and lifeless.

The original flowing spiritual energy of the green wood was completely devoured by the great formation, and the runes on the cloak gradually disintegrated, turning into specks of spiritual light and dissipating.

Worse still, the deathly aura around them began to erode their protective spiritual power, and Zhou Qing could even feel the blood energy within his body stirring slightly.

As if drawn by some invisible force, it almost burst out of its body.

"Is it still not enough?" Sikong Yan's voice was deep, and his body was surrounded by blood-red light as he forcefully suppressed the erosion of death energy.

Zhou Qing did not respond, his mind completely absorbed in analyzing the formation.

Suddenly, his pupils contracted—at a node in the southeast corner of the formation, the flow of runes showed an extremely subtle delay.

This delay is not a defect in the formation itself, but rather because the flow of spiritual energy here is too large, causing a momentary gap in the connection between the runes!
"right here!"

He flashed and quickly moved to the southeast corner.

At the same time, his mind raced, and the ten thousand spirit seals suddenly broke away from their original trajectory, converging on his fingertips like a torrent.

These spiritual seals arranged themselves in mid-air, eventually forming a sharp cone-shaped array.

At the tip of the array, the spirit seals rotate at high speed, each one precisely embedded in the gap of the trajectory of the previous one.

This makes the entire cone-shaped structure seamless and without any flaws.

As Zhou Qing thought this, the array began to advance slowly, its tip pointing directly at the sluggish node.

"Om-"

The moment the spirit seal made contact with the array, the void trembled.

The formation seemed to sense the threat, and the runes flashed wildly, trying to repair the gap.

However, Zhou Qing's spirit seal array was like the most precise key, rotating and penetrating at just the right frequency, forcefully blocking the rhythm of the array's operation!
"Effective!" A glint flashed in Sikong Yan's eyes, and he immediately increased his spiritual power output.

A special blood curtain was formed around Zhou Qing to buy as much time as possible.

Zhou Qing was completely focused and dared not relax for a moment.

Every inch the Spirit Seal Array advances requires thousands of adjustments to its angle and force; the slightest deviation will render all previous efforts futile.

Sweat trickled down Zhou Qing's temples, soaking his clothes, but his eyes grew sharper and calmer.

And so, another half incense stick's time passed.

"Click——"

A faint cracking sound suddenly rang out in the deathly silent space. Although the sound was as faint as a mosquito's buzz, it caused Zhou Qing and Sikong Yan's pupils to shrink simultaneously.

The two exchanged a glance, both seeing suppressed ecstasy in each other's eyes.

Zhou Qing's fingertips trembled slightly as he felt the feedback from the spirit seal array.

Under the gaze of his discerning eyes, it was clear that the tip of the array had completely pierced through the sluggish node.

The once seamless flow of spiritual energy within the grand formation is now like a stuck gear, its rhythm of operation clearly disrupted.

"It's done!" Sikong Yan exclaimed softly, his voice filled with barely suppressed excitement.

The tiny crack spread across the array barrier like a spider web, making a teeth-grinding "crackling" sound.

The crack's edge flickered with an unstable aura, sometimes expanding, sometimes contracting, as if struggling to repair itself.

However, as Zhou Qing continued to activate the spiritual seal, the crack eventually expanded steadily to a width of about three feet.

"go!"

Zhou Qing acted decisively, his figure moving like a fish as he was the first to pass through the crack.

Sikong Yan followed closely behind, and as he passed through, he didn't forget to unleash a crimson spiritual light, temporarily slowing down the closing speed of the crack.

The moment Zhou Qing passed through the crack, he felt the pressure around him decrease dramatically.

He immediately turned around, his ten fingers flying like butterflies, and dozens of special positioning spirit seals shot out from his sleeves, accurately embedding themselves into the array structure around the crack.

These spiritual imprints shimmered with a faint blue light, forming a temporary channel of spiritual energy at the edge of the crack.

Then, the two of them cautiously looked at the scene inside the formation.

What appeared before the two of them was a huge underground cemetery.

The dome soared into the darkness, and the four walls were covered with ancient runes that emitted a faint blue light, making the entire space look like a ghostly realm.

But what's most chilling is that the ground wasn't paved with stone slabs, but rather made up of countless corpses!

These corpses were dressed in various luxurious clothes. Some had turned into bare bones, while others still retained their appearance before death, with skin as pale as paper and eyes wide open.

More often, they turned into shriveled, dried-up corpses, their empty eye sockets seemingly still staring at the newcomers.

"This is..." Zhou Qing's pupils contracted sharply, and his throat tightened involuntarily.

Sikong Yan crouched down and carefully examined the nearest corpse.

The body was relatively well preserved, and the face was still vaguely discernible; it belonged to a middle-aged man with a resolute appearance.

Sikong Yan's brows furrowed more and more, and suddenly his expression changed drastically: "This person... seems to be Pei Xunji, the cave master of Xuan Yin Cave, who was among the first group of geniuses to take that secret medicine three thousand years ago!"

Zhou Qing was taken aback: "A figure from three thousand years ago? You know him?"

“I wasn’t even born then.” Sikong Yan shook his head solemnly, his fingers gently brushing over a broken jade pendant at the corpse’s waist.

“But I’ve seen a record of it in a book in the royal treasury. Look at the patterns on this jade plaque; they’re the markings of the Xuan Yin Cave.”

As he spoke, he turned to another well-preserved female corpse.

The corpse was dressed in a plain white dress. Although it was already desiccated, it was still clear that she was a stunning beauty in life.

After a careful examination, Sikong Yan's voice became even more somber: "That's right, this is Lin Qingshuang, the 'Fairy of Cold Moon' who failed to break through two thousand five hundred years ago by taking the same secret medicine. She was the personal disciple of the sect leader of Cold Moon Valley back then."

Zhou Qing keenly noticed the problem: "This is different from what you saw last time you came?"

Sikong Yan stood up, shook his head slightly, and then looked around at the densely packed corpses, his brows almost forming a knot.

He pondered for a moment, then suddenly realized: "I understand! These corpses must be people who failed to break through to higher realms after taking the secret elixir!"

Zhou Qing was deeply shaken upon hearing this.

Of course he knew what that meant.

Currently, the Holy Martial Dynasty openly possesses seventeen experts at the Spirit Severing Realm, but these individuals are all lucky ones who survived and broke through from among dozens of veteran prodigies who took the secret medicine together.

What's even more alarming is that these are just the publicly available figures.

Those batches that were completely wiped out and none of them succeeded have probably been deliberately buried in the dust of history.

And what's right in front of us?
Zhou Qing's gaze swept across the entire underground palace, and he roughly estimated that there were at least two thousand corpses!

In other words, two thousand geniuses at the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul Realm are buried here.

Each of them would have been a powerful figure who could have founded a sect and dominated the world, but now they are all cold corpses, quietly collected here by the Xuanyuan family.

What's most chilling is that these corpses weren't just piled up randomly, but arranged according to some kind of mysterious formation.

A blood-red talisman nail was driven into the forehead of each corpse. The nails were covered with intricate incantations that were constantly drawing away the remaining spiritual energy from the corpses.

Strands of spiritual light emanated from the thousand corpses, like countless luminous threads, all converging towards the eerie altar in the center of the underground palace.

Above the altar, a huge bronze cauldron floated in mid-air, its body engraved with ferocious beast-face patterns.

Inside the cauldron, a viscous, scarlet liquid churned, emitting a strange medicinal fragrance mixed with a nauseating stench.

Sikong Yan suddenly made a shushing gesture and quietly moved to the side.

Zhou Qing felt a chill run down his back, and the hairs on his body stood on end.

He stood still, but asked via telepathy, "I think I've fulfilled my promise to help you, haven't I?"

Sikong Yan stopped and looked Zhou Qing up and down meaningfully. Suddenly, he grinned and said, "Of course, after all, the reason I asked you for help is to get in here smoothly."

As soon as he finished speaking, a crisp sound of spirit stones colliding rang in Zhou Qing's ears.

The corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up.

The money has arrived!

He focused his mind on the storage bag and saw that thirteen top-grade wood-attribute spirit stones with a bluish glow and forty-six ordinary top-grade spirit stones had appeared out of nowhere in the corner.

Although it was less than expected, it's still better than making a wasted trip!
"Don't you want to go in and take a look?" Sikong Yan couldn't help but ask when he saw that Zhou Qing didn't move.

He simply couldn't understand how this young man could so restrain his curiosity.

Zhou Qing shook his head, his tone firm: "You said it yourself, there might be a Spirit Severing Realm expert inside. I'm most afraid of dying, so it's safer for me to stay here."

Upon hearing this, Sikong Yan smiled helplessly and shook his head, saying, "Very well, you may wait here."

Having said that, he floated forward like a ghost, his steps so light that he made no sound, and in the blink of an eye he disappeared into the dim depths of the underground palace.

Zhou Qing watched his figure disappear before looking at the [Friend's Post] in the Record of Strange Posts.

Two-thirds of the once vibrant page has faded, and the top-ranked character "Sikong Yan" has turned completely gray.

"Finally, it's done..." Zhou Qing breathed a sigh of relief, his tense nerves relaxing slightly.

The true purpose of our visit has now been achieved.

Then, his gaze returned to the gloomy underground palace, especially to the bronze cauldron on the altar.

After a moment's thought, Zhou Qing directly performed the "Daily Assessment" on it.

Soon, a message came back...

(End of this chapter)