The head master has a new female apprentice

Chapter 372 The Imitation Ultimate Weapon from the Yan Family (6k)

"Ok?"

A short while later, Zhou Qing, who was speeding towards Wuxiang Mountain above the clouds, suddenly changed his expression slightly.

Because the storage pouch at my waist started shaking violently without warning.

He quickly tore off the storage bag and cautiously probed it with his divine sense.

The three "Blood Spirit Severing Dao Pills" that had just been obtained were now flashing with strange markings.

Furthermore, black mist swirled and rose, with faint rustling whispers emanating from it.

Zhou Qing immediately took out the three pills and threw them a short distance away.

He took several steps back with a grim expression, staring intently at the mark on the pill.

Several months ago at the border, after he and the six-armed monster were both severely injured, Nangong Xiongba appeared.

He once tore open his chest and said that Xuanyuan Shuo had planted a special mark in his body while healing him.

This meant that he was not only being monitored, but also unable to leave the border area.

Now, these three pills are flashing with the exact same mark!

"I was careless!" Zhou Qing gritted his teeth. "I should have realized it sooner. Given the Xuanyuan family's tendency to think three steps ahead, how could they not have tampered with such an important pill?"

This mark is clearly a special tracking method, and once it exceeds a certain range, the elixir begins to show signs of instability.

What's more troublesome is that today's "Daily Insight" has already been used on that cauldron, making it impossible to find a way to break the curse.

Moreover, the wisps of black energy on the pills now seem to represent a kind of resentment.

It's somewhat similar to the obsessive emotions that form after those who fall from the Spirit Severing Realm.

“It’s the resentment of those who failed to slay their spirits,” Zhou Qing murmured to himself, a bitter smile appearing on his lips. “This is something that even the Xuanyuan family probably didn’t expect.”

He stared at the increasingly dense black aura on the pill, and suddenly sighed, "It seems that Master and the others are not fortunate enough to enjoy this human blood bun."

Although he couldn't help feeling regret, strangely enough, deep down he felt a sense of inexplicable relief.

The Xuanyuan family might have a way to gradually resolve these grievances, but he no longer has time to wait.

The Spirit Severing Realm can tear through space, covering tens of thousands of miles in an instant. With these newly activated marks, they will soon be able to lock onto this location, and every moment of delay is extremely dangerous.

"That being the case——"

A cold glint flashed in his eyes, and his body suddenly erupted with dazzling lightning.

What if we lose this evil thing?

He could find another way to help his master and the others find a proper method to sever the spirit.

"I, Zhou Qing, don't need this!"

"boom--"

The sky suddenly shattered, and a bolt of purple lightning, like a sword of divine punishment, crashed down.

Zhou Qing joined two fingers together like a sword, and his body burst forth with dazzling lightning, his robes fluttering wildly in the raging spiritual energy.

Three blood pills floated in mid-air, their surfaces churning with black energy that coalesced into thousands of distorted, pained human faces.

"You...should be free now!"

With a clear shout, the lightning instantly transformed into thousands of electric snakes, completely engulfing the pill.

The face within the black mist first roared ferociously, then suddenly calmed down—

Their faces relaxed, and they all looked at Zhou Qing, their lips slightly parted as if to express their gratitude silently.

In the end, all the figures turned into wisps of smoke, gradually dissipating in the afterglow of the thunder and returning to nothingness.

Zhou Qingjing stood still for a moment, his expression complex.

He then quickly waved his hand to erase the last trace of lightning, and carefully examined the marks on the ground.

After confirming that no clues had been left behind, he flashed away, transforming into a streak of light and heading straight for Wuxiang Mountain.

However, in less than a quarter of an hour—

"Hey!"

Suddenly, the void was torn apart by two sharp beams of light, and Xuan Yuanhao and Xuan Yuansha stepped out side by side.

Xuanyuan Sha held a bronze mirror in his hand, its surface covered with cracks and now gleaming with an eerie blood-red light.

"The mark has disappeared?" Xuan Yuan Sha's voice was cold as he continuously poured spiritual power into the ancient mirror, but there was no further reaction.

Emperor Xuanyuan Hao's face turned ashen.

When he arrived earlier, Xuanyuan Sha had already suffered a great loss of spiritual power due to over-activating the "Nine Dragons Locking the Sky Seal".

Meanwhile, the purple-clad spirit-slaying warrior seized the opportunity to create distance between them and tore through space to escape.

At this moment, Xuan Yuan Sha remembered that when those three pills were formed, the prince had left a special mark on them as a precaution, and paired them with this ancient perception mirror.

He had simply forgotten about it because he had never used it for so many years.

Only when he remembered did he hurriedly activate the ancient mirror to catch up.

But now——

The cracks spread across the bronze mirror, indicating that the other party had not only discovered the mark but also completely destroyed the elixir.

"Two thousand years of painstaking effort," Xuan Yuan Sha's voice trembled, filled with guilt and self-reproach, "and it's all ruined!"

Xuanyuan Hao stood with his hands behind his back, coldly surveying his surroundings. Wherever his gaze passed, even the air seemed to condense into tiny ice crystals.

"very good."

His voice was deep, and every word seemed to carry a tangible killing intent.

"No matter who you are, I will personally capture you and make you wish you were dead!"

……

The Wuxiang Mountains, like a blood-stained dragon, are coiled in the northwest of the imperial capital.

This mountain range, stretching for thousands of miles, has witnessed countless earth-shattering battles against spirits over the past three thousand years.

Of the 406 main peaks that once soared into the clouds, only three remain stubbornly piercing the sky; the rest have been reduced to dust in the fierce battle.

The entire mountain range was an eerie dark red, and its surface was covered with crisscrossing cracks, as if it had been torn apart by some terrifying force.

The sun has long since set in this place.

Thick, dark clouds, like a leaden-gray curtain, pressed heavily over the mountains, seemingly within reach.

Upon closer inspection, one would discover that these were not ordinary dark clouds at all, but rather "resentful spirits" formed from the materialized emotions of obsession, resentment, and unwillingness of many powerful cultivators who had fallen from the Spirit Severing Realm.

These dark clouds surged endlessly, sometimes twisting into blurry human faces, roaring silently, and then dissipating in an instant.

Under the dark clouds, the light was completely swallowed up, leaving only a suffocating gloom, where even the shadows seemed sticky and murky.

However, today, the outskirts of this forbidden land of death are bustling with activity.

The dark mass of people spread like a tide, stretching from the foot of the mountain all the way to the wilderness several miles away.

The cultivators either rode their magical artifacts and floated in mid-air, or stood on high places craning their necks to look into the depths of the mountains. Many more crowded on the ground, craning their necks to look into the depths of the mountains.

The air was thick with tension and excitement.

"Look, the sixth main peak!"

A loud shout made everyone turn their heads at once.

Above the half-collapsed mountain peak, a dazzling golden light was fiercely entangled with crimson flames.

Each collision caused the heavens and earth to tremble. Even from dozens of miles away, the terrifying spiritual pressure still made people feel a tightness in their chests, as if they had been hit hard by a giant hammer.

"It's the old emperor's 'Heavenly Righteous Qi'!" An old man with white hair was so excited that his beard trembled. "I was fortunate enough to witness it four hundred years ago, and I never thought I would see it again in my lifetime!"

The young cultivator beside him stared intently at the battlefield: "Who is fighting against the old emperor? He looks so young, yet he can contend with him to this extent?"

Unfortunately, no one could answer his question.

After all, battles at the Spirit Severing Realm are beyond the comprehension of ordinary cultivators.

All the people could see were blurry lights and shadows moving through the dark clouds.

Occasionally, the aftershocks of the eruptions would tear a hole in the miasma of the entire mountain, revealing twisted spatial rifts within.

"boom--!"

Suddenly, a loud bang was heard, and several figures were sent flying from the battle, turning into dust in mid-air.

The onlookers shook their heads and sighed.

Over the years, there have always been people who have tried to venture deep into Wuxiang Mountain in an attempt to obtain the inheritance or fragments of magical artifacts from the fallen Spirit Slayer Realm.

But little did they know that this place did not contain just one Spirit Severing Realm expert, but several!

The obsession left behind by each fallen Spirit Severing Realm cultivator is enough to drive an ordinary cultivator to madness.

As we've seen now, he overestimated his abilities and ended up as a gravedigger.

Some people subconsciously looked towards the edge of the area, where they saw a densely packed group of tomb keepers in tattered clothes.

They were shrouded in a grayish-white miasma of obsession, and their eyes gleamed with an eerie blackness.

It roared inhumanly at the crowd on the outside, but strangely did not rush out.

"Who do you think will win this time?" someone whispered.

"It's hard to say. That young man doesn't look simple. He's probably a peerless genius from another cultivation country."

"That's right. The old emperor usually holds back against people with this kind of background. After all, if you beat up the younger ones, the older ones will come along, which is the most troublesome thing."

"Wait!" someone suddenly whispered, "Have you forgotten about the giant elephant and the burly young man who broke in later? Why haven't we made a sound?"

Everyone looked at each other.

Indeed, so far, all that has been seen is the old emperor fighting with the man wielding the black blade; the two Spirit Severing Realm cultivators seem to have vanished into thin air.

"Maybe they're waiting for someone else to reap the benefits."

……

Amid the clamor of conversation, no one noticed a figure quietly slipping into the crowd.

They quickly found the young man with a full head of blond hair who was standing in a prominent position, holding an image stone.

"How's the fight going?"

The sudden voice startled Shen Yunzhou, but his eyes lit up when he saw who it was: "You've finished your business?"

Zhou Qing nodded slightly, his gaze piercing through the crowd as he looked into the distance.

Unfortunately, the dark clouds were too thick, and even with his [Double Pupils], he could only vaguely see two streaks of light, one gold and one red, colliding fiercely.

Shen Yunzhou clicked his tongue: "This Yama is indeed formidable, but the old emperor is no pushover either. The two have been fighting for so long and the battle is still undecided."

He lowered his voice, "After Zhao Muyi took that giant elephant inside, there's been no movement. Shall we go in and take a look?"

Zhou Qing shook his head slightly.

Although his obsession with the mountains couldn't affect him, let's not forget why he rushed here without stopping.

Then, he raised his hand, removed his mask, and gently patted the shoulder of a cultivator beside him: "Fellow Daoist, is this you now?"

"Master Zhou!" The moment Zhang Geng turned around, the expression on his face instantly changed from doubt to ecstatic joy.

His voice was so loud that everyone around him turned around.

The crowd immediately exploded.

"Master Zhou, it really is Master Zhou!"

"Master Zhou, you're still in the capital! We thought you had already left."

The surrounding crowd immediately stirred, and tens of thousands of image stones simultaneously lit up with spiritual light. "Make way! Let me be in the same frame as Master Zhou!"

"With a fourth-tier array master in front of you, please observe proper etiquette!"

"So young! Even more handsome than the Dharma Image I saw in the sky back then!"

……

Upon learning that Zhou Qing had also come to watch the battle, countless cultivators rushed over.

Some people held up the image stone to take a picture, while others were so excited that they were incoherent.

Zhou Qing waved his hand awkwardly, his clear voice standing out amidst the noise: "Fellow Daoists, you flatter me. I am but an ordinary cultivator with a smattering of array formations, and I do not deserve such hospitality."

"Today's battle to slay spirits is a once-in-a-millennium event; you should all pay close attention to the situation at the front."

Immediately afterwards, the dozen or so cultivators at the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul Realm closest to Zhou Qing stepped forward and spontaneously took on the role of protectors.

They released their spiritual energy, creating a quiet space ten feet in diameter amidst the noisy crowd. Their spiritual pressure was so tangible that it forced the surrounding cultivators back several steps.

"Silence!" A white-bearded old man's voice boomed like a bell, his sleeves fluttering even without wind. "Master Zhou is comprehending the profound mystery of the Spirit Severing Technique; how dare you all make such a racket!"

“Exactly!” another red-faced cultivator echoed, his gaze fixed intently on the distant battlefield.

"Look at that foreign Spirit Slayer, so young yet possessing such cultivation. If our Holy Martial Dynasty wishes to revive, it needs a prodigy like Master Zhou!"

The crowd fell silent, except for a few young cultivators who stood on tiptoe, eager to catch a glimpse of Master Zhou.

Zhou Qing stood in the center, his lips twitching slightly, barely managing to maintain a gentle smile.

"Master Zhou and I have a life-or-death bond!" Shen Yunzhou shouted, jumping up and down on the edge of the crowd. "Don't push me! We're all on the same side."

A Nascent Soul cultivator at the Great Perfection stage waved his sleeve without turning his head: "Who here doesn't want to befriend Master Zhou? Go cool off somewhere else!"

Amidst the shockwave of spiritual energy, Shen Yunzhou was pushed even further away, which enraged him so much that he cursed loudly.

He hurriedly sent a telepathic message, only to find that Zhou Qing was intently staring at the two intersecting beams of light and shadow in the distant clouds.

His brow was furrowed, and he seemed oblivious to everything around him.

……

At this moment, Zhou Qing was somewhat confused, wondering what Yama was planning.

He was already a powerful being at the Spirit Severing Realm, so he didn't need any Spirit Severing Secret Formula at all.

Was it a spur-of-the-moment decision, or was there another motive?
but--

As his thoughts raced, a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

If only the old emperor would perish here today.

Before dying, the other party will definitely erase the memory of the secret recipe from their mind.

At that time, only I will know the whereabouts of that thing.

When the time comes, as long as we find an opportunity to re-enter the royal treasury and completely destroy that secret formula, there will never be such a vicious thing in the world again.

The method of refining the forty-sixth secret medicine, the Seven Emotions Soul-Severing Grass, is simply outrageous.

If this method were to spread...
At this thought, Zhou Qing seemed to see countless pregnant women being cut open to remove their babies, and hear the pitiful cries of infants everywhere.

Especially those Nascent Soul cultivators nearing the end of their lifespan, who knows how frantically they will collect "medicinal herbs".

At that time, it is likely that all levels of cultivation kingdoms will be engulfed in a bloody and inhumane storm.

Of course, if Yama himself were to perish here, it would be killing two birds with one stone.

"How did you end up here?" Just as Zhou Qing was pondering, a familiar voice suddenly rang out.

Immediately afterwards, ripples appeared in the void around him, and Prince Xuanyuan Shuo stepped out from them with his hands behind his back, his sharp gaze seemingly piercing through Zhou Qing.

Zhou Qing's heart tightened, and he sighed inwardly, "He really is back."

This means that the old emperor will most likely escape this calamity today.

He showed no emotion on his face, and respectfully cupped his hands, saying, "Greetings, Senior Xuanyuan. This junior has been watching the battle from here."

Upon seeing Xuan Yuanshuo, the border war god, appear, the surrounding cultivators quickly made way for a larger open space.

Everyone looked at the two of them, their eyes filled with awe and envy.

"You should know what I'm asking," Xuan Yuanshuo said, his hands behind his back, his voice cold and stern.

Zhou Qing sighed softly, "It was that senior who bestowed upon me this life-saving item, which allowed me to escape from the six-armed monster. What a pity for the Seventh Prince..."

A look of understanding flashed in Xuanyuan Shuo's eyes: "So that's how it is. No wonder Nangong Xiongba perished at the border, while you were unharmed."

Zhou Qing's pupils suddenly contracted, and a look of shock appeared on his face at just the right moment, with a hint of pleasure flashing in his eyes: "Nangong Xiong Ba is dead?"

Xuan Yuanshuo's gaze was sharp as a knife, staring intently into Zhou Qing's eyes, trying to find a flaw in them.

However, those eyes were crystal clear, showing no sign of anything amiss.

He could only nod slightly: "Dead."

"He should have died by my hand!" Zhou Qing gritted his teeth, his eyes burning with rage. "He got off too easily! How did he die?"

Xuanyuan Shuo stood with his hands behind his back and said calmly, "I killed him."

Zhou Qing: "."

Xuanyuan Shuo said without changing his expression, "The soul-protecting mark left by the Emperor in Yichen's body witnessed your confrontation with that six-armed monster."

"Upon seeing Yichen's soul lamp extinguish in an instant, the Emperor was filled with grief, knowing that there was no way to save him, but he was also worried about your safety, so he ordered me to rush back immediately."

He shook his head, feigning heartache: "I rushed to the border day and night, but couldn't find you. Instead, I unexpectedly ran into Nangong Xiong Ba."

At this point, a flash of anger crossed his eyes.

"That fellow vanished without a trace after being severely injured by the three Spirit Slayers of your Taiqing Sect, and my Xuanyuan family has been searching for him ever since. Now, you and he are locked in a life-or-death struggle."

At this point, Xuanyuan Shuo suddenly changed the subject, his tone becoming somewhat intimate.

"Considering our friendship, and also because of my relationship with Second Uncle, I originally intended to capture him alive and hand him over to you for disposal. Who knew that scoundrel would launch a counterattack before his death and I couldn't stop myself in time."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qing cursed inwardly.

You shameless old scoundrel, you really have no shame at all, don't you?

I was the one who killed Nangong Xiongba, but now it's your credit.

Do you think that a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator can't kill you high and mighty Spirit Severing Realm cultivators?

I'm not afraid to tell you, including Nangong Xiong Ba, three Spirit Severing Realm cultivators have already fallen at my hands.

However, Zhou Qing still had to bow respectfully and say, "Thank you for your righteous help, senior."

Then the tone shifted: "That six-armed monster..."

“Didn’t find it,” Xuanyuan Shuo shook his head. “It’s probably escaped. I never expected that Yichen would still have such a terrifying remnant soul hidden in his body.”

Zhou Qing nodded silently.

Xuan Yuan Shuo stared intently at him: "I've already heard about it from Mu Qian and Commander Wu. I never imagined that it was Yi Chen who leaked your identity to Nangong Xiong Ba, almost implicating the Taiqing Sect."

Xuanyuan Shuo was immediately filled with righteous indignation, looking at him with a look of utter disappointment: "This kind of wicked child who has disgraced the royal family deserves to die!"

Looking at Xuan Yuanshuo's pretentious act, Zhou Qing couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow for Xuan Yuan Yichen.

These royals are truly heartless and callous.

Even after people are dead, they are still exploited for their last bit of value, just like the corpses of those geniuses in the ancestral land of the Xuanyuan family, all for the sake of maximizing their profits.

It seems that this was nothing more than an attempt to win over a level four array master like myself.

“It’s alright,” Zhou Qing said calmly. “Actually, I was just testing the waters. I didn’t expect it to be him.”

Now is not the time to tear off all pretenses.

Before the Spirit Transformation Realm, even those at the Nascent Soul Realm are ultimately like ants.

Xuanyuan Shuo nodded slightly.

He had already inquired about this matter in detail with Wu Zhenyue and Mu Qian.

At the time, Zhou Qing bluntly stated that Nangong Xiongba had told him the truth, but that was simply impossible.

After being rescued by him, Nangong Xiong Ba had been recuperating at the border. How could he have sent a message?

Moreover, the two of them never actually met even once from beginning to end!

I was worried that Zhou Qing might know something, but now it seems I was overthinking it.

Seeing that Xuan Yuanshuo's expression had softened slightly, Zhou Qing casually asked, "It was quite unexpected, actually the corpse we found in Penghuang Cave was an old friend of that senior."

Xuanyuan Shuo sighed deeply, his face showing remorse: "This matter is indeed my fault. We agreed to take it back and give it a proper burial, but I was overcome by greed. Let's not talk about it anymore."

Xuanyuan Shuo waved his hand, seemingly unwilling to say anything more.

“In that case, it will be inconvenient for me to go to the border to impersonate the Peng Emperor again,” Zhou Qing said casually.

Xuanyuan Shuo shook his head and smiled bitterly: "The entire Taiyao Mountain was destroyed by that silver-haired woman, so it would be too fake to pretend again."

He changed the subject, "By the way, did you meet her on your trip to the border?"

Zhou Qing shook his head frankly: "Years ago, I only helped her with a small favor, and she gave me a little trinket in return."

"After being promoted to a fourth-level array master, I heard that she went to the border, so I wanted to go and visit her."

Zhou Qing's tone carried a hint of regret as he spoke.

"Unfortunately, I couldn't find him, so I changed my route to find Jiang Pojun and the others to catch up. But I didn't expect to run into the Seventh Prince. You know what happened after that, senior."

In desperation, I had no choice but to flee back to heal my wounds.

Xuanyuan Shuo nodded thoughtfully: "I see. I have already told her about Peng Huang being killed by Second Uncle. I think she will ask you for confirmation in the future."

Zhou Qing said sincerely, "Wu Zhenyue has already informed me of this matter. Please rest assured, senior, I will tell you the truth when the time comes."

Xuanyuan Shuo said with satisfaction, "In that case, thank you very much."

Then, the two suddenly fell silent and looked at Wuxiang Mountain in the distance.

But the next moment, Zhou Qing's eyes narrowed, and even the ultimate weapon in his storage bag—the Infernal Blaze Mirror—trembled slightly.

Immediately afterwards, the dark clouds over Wuxiang Mountain surged violently, and a huge, gray-white lamp-like phantom suddenly appeared in the sea of ​​clouds.

The lamp was a hundred feet tall, and its entire body gleamed with an eerie bronze luster.

The pale flame flickered at the wick, casting an eerie and terrifying light across the entire sky.

"What is that?!" Xuan Yuanshuo exclaimed in shock, his face filled with horror.

Even he felt a chilling aura emanating from the lamp, as if his very soul was about to be frozen.

The lamp's illusory shadow swayed gently, and countless gray-white threads shot out from the flames, rushing towards the side of the dark clouds.

The next moment, a deafening dragon roar suddenly erupted from the depths of the dark clouds.

Nine golden dragons, each a thousand feet long, burst forth from the clouds, their scales and claws gleaming with golden light.

The dragon's roar shook the surrounding area, even dispersing some of the dark clouds within a hundred miles.

"It's the dynasty's destiny!" An elderly man in the crowd exclaimed excitedly, his beard trembling. "The old emperor actually summoned the dynasty's destiny!"

Zhou Qing stared intently at the lamp, his brows furrowed.

The aura and oppressive force emanating from this lamp were somewhat similar to those of the Mirror of Infernal Karma.

Could it also be some kind of extreme weapon?

No, it feels much weaker; it must be a counterfeit.

It seems that the Yan family of Nanhuang Prefecture has a much deeper foundation than I imagined.

(End of this chapter)