The head master has a new female apprentice

Chapter 390 Senior Brother Zhou, can you knock me out? (6k)

The majestic mountains act as a natural barrier, tightly protecting this basin.

In the very center of the basin, a massive ancient teleportation array stands silently, exuding an aura of antiquity.

The teleportation array was made entirely of an unknown dark gold metal, its surface engraved with intricate ancient runes, shimmering faintly in the sunlight.

Six towering bronze pillars, each hundreds of feet tall, surround the area, each adorned with lifelike dragon reliefs.

A fist-sized spirit crystal was embedded in the dragon's eye, radiating a heart-palpitating energy fluctuation.

"This reminds me of that time in the Qinluo Beast Island area, when you and Sister Shen opened that six-colored teleportation array!"

Lu Yaoyao lowered her voice unconsciously, afraid of disturbing the solemnity.

Zhou Qing scanned the area around the teleportation array with a serious expression.

Centered on the teleportation array, six straight spiritual runes stretched into the distance like a spider web.

Each one shimmered with a different color of light before disappearing into the mountains.

Above the teleportation array, dozens of cultivators dressed in uniform cyan robes stood in mid-air, some with their eyes closed in meditation, others vigilantly patrolling, their bodies radiating powerful spiritual energy fluctuations.

"Six-color teleportation array—" Zhou Qing murmured to himself.

According to the jade slip left by Shen Yunzhou, the Imperial Dynasty Alliance would grant important dynasties that had maintained a stable rule for more than 30,000 years the qualification to build the Six-Colored Ancient Teleportation Array based on a comprehensive consideration of their strategic position, territorial scale, and other factors.

These teleportation arrays are directly guarded by personnel dispatched by the Alliance, who collect teleportation fees.

Although the Jiuli Dynasty was comparable in strength to several surrounding fourth-level cultivation countries, it was ultimately favored by the alliance because of its strategic location in the "Tianyuan Corridor".

Back then, Shen Yunzhou and her siblings, as well as powerful figures like Yan Luo and Zhao Muye, all used this formation to travel to various places.

"Let's go!" Zhou Qing led Lu Yaoyao toward the teleportation array.

As the distance closed, even though it hadn't been activated in the slightest, the pressure emanating from the teleportation array grew stronger, as if a tremendous force was pressing down on its shoulders.

Five cultivators sat scattered in front of the formation. When they saw the two people approaching wearing masks, they merely glanced at them briefly before looking away.

"Pay here!"

In the center of the formation, an old man with white hair and beard lazily lay on a vermilion wine gourd that was about ten feet tall.

The old man had a gaunt face, but his eyes were bright and piercing. He exuded a faint but terrifying aura, which made Zhou Qing's heart skip a beat.

This is probably a legendary Supreme Realm expert!
The two of them quickly bowed respectfully.

"This formation leads directly to the Heavenly Fortune Holy Dynasty, a journey of half a year." The old man yawned. "Each person will receive ten top-grade spirit stones, plus one for this chicken, for a total of twenty-one."

Zhou Qing was taken aback upon hearing this and hurriedly checked his storage bag, only to realize that he had used up all the top-grade spirit stones when he advanced to the Spirit Slaying stage.

Lu Yaoyao, holding the old hen, saw her father's embarrassed look and immediately realized what was going on. She quickly pulled out an embroidered pouch from her waist: "I have money!"

The old man squinted, his gaze lingering on Lu Yaoyao's silver hair for a moment, before suddenly letting out a soft "Eh."

The girl's appearance does bear some resemblance to that junior who frequently visits this place.

"A gigolo." The old man deliberately dragged out his words, his gaze sweeping over Zhou Qing with a mocking look.

Zhou Qing scratched his head awkwardly after hearing this.

After all, I hadn't worried about spirit stones for quite some time, mainly because I had genuinely forgotten about them.

"You've misunderstood!" Lu Yaoyao quickly said when she heard the person in front of her mocking her father. "These spirit stones were originally entrusted to me by my senior brother for safekeeping. He's not a freeloader."

Zhou Qing smiled wryly and cupped his hands in greeting: "Please forgive me, senior. I was just a child and didn't know any better."

The old man snorted and casually put away the spirit stones: "Go wait over there. Once we have fifteen people, we'll activate the formation."

Zhou Qing bowed in thanks and quickly pulled Lu Yaoyao to sit down.

The little girl pouted angrily, drawing circles on the ground with her finger: "I just don't like it when people talk about you like that."

"Let them say what they want." Zhou Qing ruffled her hair and laughed, "It's not like you'll lose a piece of your flesh."

Lu Yaoyao snorted softly, but still glared at the old man a few times.

Zhou Qing looked around. Including them, there were only seven people. They were still eight cultivators short of teleportation time.

Now, Junior Sister Lu probably has very little savings left. Once she arrives at the Heavenly Fortune Holy Dynasty, her first priority will be to find a way to earn spirit stones.

……

After waiting for two more days, three figures suddenly appeared from the sky.

Upon landing, it was revealed to be Zhao Muye, Yu Yan, and the white jade elephant demon king.

Zhao Muye's face was ashen, and his breathing was erratic, clearly indicating that his injury to his core had not yet healed.

Although the demon emperor had transformed into human form, a hideous crack remained between his brows, through which one could vaguely see the white bones, a truly horrifying sight.

It seems that the demon king was seriously injured by Yama that day, which is why Zhao Muye went to chase after it in a fit of rage.

Then, he was tricked and hunted down by four Spirit Slayer Realm experts from the Jiuli Dynasty.

"It's Sister Yuyan!"

Lu Yaoyao's eyes lit up, and she subconsciously tugged at Zhou Qing's sleeve.

After all, she still finds it hard to believe the "big scoop" her father revealed on the way here.

She was actually Zhao Muye's cousin?
"Don't stare." Zhou Qing patted the back of her hand and whispered, "Be careful she doesn't misunderstand that we're following you."

Lu Yaoyao nodded obediently, but still couldn't help stealing glances.

She naturally understood her father's concerns. Saving people but pretending to be strangers was all for the safety of the Taiqing Sect.

The waters of Nanhuang Prefecture are too deep; none of the eight great families are easy to deal with.

Putting aside everything else, despite being a direct descendant of the Shen family, possessing the cultivation of the Great Perfection of the Spirit Slaying Realm, and the expertise of a Level 4 Array Master, Sister Shen still acts with extreme caution.

Even her own family members had to hire assassins from the Blood Pact Pavilion to take her life.

Such a family ranks only fifth among the eight great families.

The Yan family ranked third, and the Zhao family ranked even higher in second place, which shows how profound their foundation was.

Just as she was pondering this, she saw Zhao Muye and the transformed demon emperor helping each other to move aside to rest, while Yu Yan went alone to pay the teleportation fee.

"Two more gigolos!" the old man sneered, his voice particularly jarring in front of the empty teleportation array.

Swift remained expressionless, merely bowed slightly in greeting, and then turned to leave.

Just then, her peripheral vision inadvertently swept over the waiting area, and that familiar silver hair made her pupils suddenly contract.

"Oh no, my hair!" Lu Yaoyao's heart tightened, and her fingers unconsciously twisted the hem of her clothes.

Zhou Qing secretly groaned, mainly because he hadn't expected them to come. He could only send a telepathic message: "Don't panic, you're not the only silver-haired person in the world."

Lu Yaoyao immediately closed her eyes tightly, her long eyelashes trembling slightly.

Swift had already come straight over, her icy face clearly showing displeasure: "I already said last time, if you follow me again, don't blame me for being impolite."

Beneath the mask, Lu Yaoyao gritted her teeth, suddenly looked up, and deliberately lowered her voice: "Who are you? Are you sick?"

The sudden chill emanating from her body seemed to freeze the air.

Swift paused slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes: "Sorry, I mistook you for someone else."

"Hmph!" Lu Yaoyao turned her face away, but her fingers, hidden in her sleeve, quietly curled up.

Zhou Qing almost lost his composure—this gentle junior sister could actually swear quite skillfully.

As Zhao Muyi and Bai Xiang sat down, he caught a glimpse of that familiar silver-haired figure out of the corner of his eye.

He frowned slightly, his gaze lingering on Lu Yaoyao for a moment.

The more I look at her figure, the more she resembles the woman he ate with Shen Yunzhou and the others back then.

I think her name is Lu Yaoyao?
If that's the case, then the person next to them...
"Brother Zhou?" He approached tentatively, his gaze shifting between the two men.

"Zhou my ass! Are you two sick?" Zhou Qing interrupted gruffly, his tone full of disgust.

Zhao Muyi smiled awkwardly and quickly cupped his hands in apology, saying, "Sorry, I mistook you for someone else."

Just as I was about to turn around, a piercing sound suddenly came from the sky.

A black streak of light crashed to the ground, and a figure carrying a long sword appeared in the dust.

"Yama!" Zhao Muye's pupils shrank sharply, and his spiritual power instantly surged.

Yan Luo dusted off his sleeves and looked at Zhao Muyi, somewhat surprised, then laughed: "Oh dear, are you scared after being beaten and planning to go home and call your master?"

"Fuck you, you despicable scoundrel! If you've got the guts, fight me fair and square!" Zhao Muye's Spirit Severing Realm aura erupted.

Just as tensions were about to rise, a terrifying, suffocating pressure suddenly descended, and everyone involuntarily bent over.

The old man, who was lying on the wine gourd, didn't even lift his eyelids and said indifferently, "If you want to fight, go somewhere else. If you dare to disrupt the stability of this space, I will skin you alive."

Yama immediately bowed respectfully, saying, "This junior dares not!"

Zhao Muyi also forced a bow, suppressing his anger, and then gritted his teeth and said, "Let's go, let's fight somewhere far away!"

To everyone's surprise, Yan Luo walked straight to the teleportation array, paid the fee, and turned to look at Zhao Muye provocatively: "You think you can just fight like that? I'm not going to. If you're so capable, try touching one of my fingers right now!"

Zhao Muyi was so angry that his eyes turned red, his fists clenched so tightly that they cracked, and his chest heaved violently.

Swift quickly grabbed his arm: "Cousin, don't fall for his tricks! We've already paid for the teleportation array, and we're almost ready to go. Besides, after each teleportation, we won't be able to open it again for another year."

The white jade elephant demon king also came over and advised, "Miss Tingyu, don't be impulsive. A gentleman takes revenge even after ten years."

Zhao Muyi snorted and glared fiercely at Yan Luo.

Yama arrogantly raised his middle finger, his face full of contempt.

Zhao Muyi could not bear this insult and took a step forward.

"Snapped!"

Suddenly, Yu Yan raised her hand and slapped Zhao Muye on the back of the neck: "How many more times do you want him to use someone else to do your dirty work? Can't you learn your lesson?!"

This slap stunned Zhao Muyi.

He glanced at the old man on the wine gourd, and finally could only let out a heavy "humph" before reluctantly returning to his seat.

Lu Yaoyao secretly breathed a sigh of relief and transmitted her voice, "Senior Brother Zhou, it's a good thing we didn't acknowledge Zhao Muyi and the others, otherwise we would definitely be hated by Yama. You were too farsighted."

Zhou Qing remained silent.

Because of the affair involving Yan Sen and his nephew, he had no good feelings towards the Yan family.

Especially this Yama, he practically has the word "insidious" written all over his face.

Yan Sen, that smiling tiger, at least put on an act, but this Yama was openly wicked.

What's even more troublesome is that Yama is also carrying a replica of an ultimate weapon. Who knows what other hidden trump cards he has?

We must be wary of people like this.

As for the other cultivators waiting to be teleported, most of them were indifferent to the conflict.

After all, the Heavenly Fortune Holy Dynasty has a vast territory, and this teleportation array is just a transit station.

It's even uncertain whether these people are actually from the Heavenly Fortune Holy Dynasty.

At this moment, Yama slowly and deliberately stuck his long sword into the ground, and the blade made a clear "clang" sound.

A playful smile played on his lips: "Brother Zhao, why be angry? You've survived a great calamity, and good fortune is just around the corner. Your best days are yet to come."

Zhao Muyi's eyes widened, and the muscles on his face twitched uncontrollably.

Yama calmly took out an image stone from his robes, and as spiritual power was injected, a screen of light unfolded in the air.

The scene clearly shows Zhao Muye being besieged by four powerful experts from the Nine Li Dynasty at the Spirit Slaying Realm.

"Tsk tsk, the footage of a battle between cultivators at the Spirit Severing Realm is a rare opportunity for cultivators at the Nascent Soul Realm."

Yan Luo deliberately raised his voice, "When we get back to Nanhuang Prefecture, this video will definitely fetch a good price!" Zhao Muyi's eyes were practically spitting fire, and his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

Zhou Qing shook his head silently to himself.

The provocation of Yama was far too obvious; he was clearly trying to provoke Zhao Muye into taking action so that he could use that Supreme Realm senior to suppress him.

"Clap clap clap!"

A crisp slapping sound suddenly rang out.

Zhao Muyi clutched the back of his neck, looking at Yu Yan with a bewildered expression: "What are you doing? I know he's provoking me, but I can hold back!"

Swift blushed slightly and whispered, "I'm afraid you'll act impulsively. It's always better to stay calm."

"So many people are watching," Zhao Muyi complained in a low voice, "I'm at least a late-stage Spirit Severing Realm cultivator, give me some face!"

The swift fell silent and closed its eyes to meditate.

This sudden contrast almost made Zhou Qing burst out laughing—who would have thought that this seemingly gentle and refined lady would have such a fierce side?

……

Time flies, and several days have passed in the blink of an eye.

With the arrival of the last three cultivators, the teleportation array was just one person away from activation.

Zhou Qing and Lu Yaoyao exchanged a glance, both seeing expectation in each other's eyes.

Until this day—

"Crack!"

Suddenly, a dark crack appeared in the void, and a terrifying pressure poured out like a tidal wave.

Everyone involuntarily bent over, and even the Supreme Realm elder who was lying on the wine gourd suddenly opened his eyes.

A figure slowly emerged from the crack.

He was an old man dressed in a black robe, with white hair and beard, but his face was as rosy as a baby's.

With each step he took, ripples spread through the void, as if the void could not bear his weight.

"Inspector Su Su!" The old man with the wine gourd hurriedly rolled off the gourd, staggered to his feet, clasped his hands in a fist and bowed.

The monks waiting there immediately became agitated.

Yan Luo and Zhao Muye changed color almost simultaneously, and both bowed deeply, their posture more than ten times more respectful than usual.

Although Zhou Qing did not recognize the person, seeing that even a Supreme Realm expert was so terrified, he immediately realized that the person in front of him was no ordinary person.

He quickly tugged at Lu Yaoyao, who was still in a daze, and the two of them bowed in unison.

Su Minghe is one of the three inspectors sent by the Imperial Dynasty Alliance to the fifth-level cultivation country, and holds a prestigious position.

Its responsibilities extend beyond coordinating numerous matters between the imperial dynasty and the cultivation alliance.

More importantly, it is to recruit talents from all sides for the Imperial Alliance and replenish fresh blood to deal with many important tasks such as the Star Battlefield.

His gaze swept across everyone present with lightning speed.

That gaze seemed to see through all pretense, and Zhou Qing felt a chill run down his spine, as if he had been seen through completely.

"No need for formalities," Su Minghe said calmly, his voice not loud, but everyone could hear him clearly.

Only then did everyone dare to straighten up, but they still maintained a respectful posture, even breathing very softly.

"I have some business to attend to and need to return to the Heavenly Fortune Holy Dynasty. How long until everything is ready here?" Su Minghe asked calmly, his gaze sweeping over the teleportation array.

The old man with the gourd hurried forward: "Reporting to the Inspector, the teleportation array is ready and can be activated at any time! This way, please!"

He quickly made a gesture of invitation.

Su Minghe nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over everyone: "The number of people is just right, let's go together, so as not to wait another year."

Upon hearing this, the cultivators present immediately showed expressions of surprise and delight.

Yama was the first to react, bowing deeply: "Thank you for your kindness, Inspector!"

The others followed suit and bowed.

The old man with the gourd dared not be negligent and respectfully led Inspector Su toward the center of the teleportation array.

The others followed in turn, walking cautiously, afraid of disturbing this important figure.

Then, the old man with the gourd quickly ran back and forth around the teleportation array, carefully examining each array pattern.

After confirming that the six-colored spiritual light was flowing correctly, he wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked at Su Minghe with a questioning gaze.

"Let's begin." Su Minghe stood with his hands behind his back, at the very center of the teleportation array.

The old man with the gourd took a deep breath, made a hand seal, and chanted incantations.

As he cast his final spell, the six-colored spiritual patterns on the teleportation array suddenly lit up, intertwining and entwining as if they were alive.

Suddenly, a strong wind arose outside, and space began to distort and deform, emitting a teeth-grinding "creaking" sound.

"Stand still!" the old man with the gourd shouted.

In an instant, a blinding light shot into the sky, enveloping everyone in it.

Zhou Qing felt a lightness under his feet, and the world before his eyes began to fade rapidly.

He subconsciously gripped Lu Yaoyao's hand tightly, feeling her grip returning the grip.

In the void passage, countless starlight streaked past him like shooting stars.

The raging spatial turbulence howled like ghosts and wolves, making people's eardrums ache.

Zhou Qing and Lu Yaoyao's protective spiritual light flickered under the pressure, forcing them to exert all their strength to maintain it.

Only Su Minghe stood with his hands behind his back, his robes remaining completely still in the void.

He exuded a faint aura of power, and wherever he passed, even the most violent spatial turbulence subsided.

The group relaxed slightly, but still dared not be careless in the slightest, for fear that they might be swept into the void turbulence if they were not careful.

"So this is the six-colored teleportation array—" Zhou Qing stared at the rapidly receding streaks of light and shadow around him, utterly shocked.

This speed is more than a hundred times faster than a four-color teleportation array like the [Hidden Dragon Path].

Even more astonishing is that it only takes six months to reach the Heavenly Fortune Holy Dynasty.

You should know that even when he took a ride on the Hidden Dragon Path, it still took him several months just to get from the capital to a place that was still several months away from Taiqing Gate.

This long journey, spanning several fourth-level cultivation countries, will now only take half a year.

The difference between the two is like heaven and earth.

"Giggle-"

Just then, a rapid crowing of a rooster pulled Zhou Qing back to reality.

He turned his head and saw Lu Yaoyao gripping his sleeve tightly with one hand and holding the old hen tightly with the other.

The poor old hen was strangled so badly that its eyes rolled back in its head. Zhou Qing quickly channeled a stream of spiritual energy into the hen's body.

"What's wrong?" Zhou Qing asked with concern.

In fact, she looked like this the last time she traveled from the capital back to Taiqing Gate on the Hidden Dragon Path, but it wasn't this serious.

Lu Yaoyao almost buried her entire head in his arms, her voice barely a whisper: "I...I'm fine."

Zhou Qing looked around and then noticed that the light inside the teleportation channel was starting to dim.

The surroundings seemed to be shrouded in a thick black mist, with only occasional flashes of spatial turbulence bringing a sliver of light.

This confined environment instantly reminded him of the time when he was still in the Foundation Establishment stage.

At that time, the Supreme Elder Duanmu Shu had instructed these core disciples who were at the Qi Refining or Foundation Establishment stages to go to the gravity zone to activate the mechanism.

Because the entrance to the cave was hidden, the disciples had to be transported in a large cauldron each time.

He clearly remembered that whenever they were inside the cauldron, Lu Yaoyao would cling tightly to his arm, her eyes closed, her whole body trembling, just like she was now.

At the time, he suspected that the girl might have experienced some unknown trauma in her childhood, which led to her claustrophobia symptoms.

In retrospect, there seems to be no other explanation.

Thinking of this, he suddenly felt a pang of pain in his heart.

But ever since this girl was taken in as a disciple by her master, she has been very secretive about her past.

Despite their deep concern, their fellow disciples couldn't find a single reason to comfort them.

Thinking of this, Zhou Qing gently stroked her silver hair and softly comforted her, "Don't be afraid, I'm here. Just a little longer and we'll be there."

Lu Yaoyao buried her face in his shoulder and mumbled an "Mmm".

The taut fingers finally loosened a bit, allowing the poor old hen to catch her breath.

"Senior Brother Zhou," she suddenly raised her head, revealing a pair of reddened eyes beneath her mask.

“I’m here,” Zhou Qing replied immediately.

"Could you knock me out?" Her voice was so soft it was almost inaudible, tinged with embarrassment.

Zhou Qing was slightly taken aback, then understood: "Okay."

He pointed his fingers like a sword and gently tapped the back of Lu Yaoyao's neck.

The girl's body went limp instantly, and her silver hair cascaded down like a waterfall.

Zhou Qing quickly put his arm around her waist and carefully let her rest her head on his lap to make her as comfortable as possible.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, the old hen flapped its wings and escaped, jumping onto Zhou Qing's shoulder, its bulging eyes fixed on Su Minghe, who was standing in the center.

Within the void passage, the starlight continued to recede rapidly.

Zhou Qing sighed softly, pulled her closer into his arms, and flicked his sleeve to shield her from the occasional spatial turbulence.

This heartwarming scene was witnessed by the swift.

She pursed her lips and turned her gaze to her cousin, who was sitting cross-legged. She saw Zhao Muye staring fervently at Su Minghe's back, his eyes burning with fierce fighting spirit.

She immediately understood what her belligerent cousin was thinking.

“Cousin,” Yu Yan whispered, “Normally, even if we were to pledge allegiance, we should choose the Cultivation Alliance, not the Imperial Dynasty Alliance.”

Without turning his head, Zhao Muye transmitted his voice with suppressed excitement: "Who cares about alliances! Whoever can take me to the Starry Sky Battlefield, I'll follow them!"

The swift shook its head helplessly.

This cousin of mine gets all fired up whenever he talks about war.

"The Heavenly Fortune Holy Dynasty has a vast territory, and the Cultivation Alliance and the Imperial Dynasty Alliance each only send three inspectors. Getting their attention is as difficult as ascending to heaven."

"That's why I've been constantly challenging all sorts of geniuses over the years!" Zhao Muye clenched his fist, "both to hone my skills and to make a name for myself!"

"Make a name for yourself?" Yu Yan said helplessly, "Let alone the entire Southern Phoenix Prefecture, even those few retainers of the Nine Li Dynasty, have they ever heard of your name, Zhao Muye? Look at how badly they beat you up!"

Zhao Muyi scratched his head awkwardly: "I'll take it one step at a time! One day, my name, Zhao Muyi, will surely resound throughout the Heavenly Fortune Holy Dynasty! Who else but me will be the new generation of war god of the Zhao family!"

Swift said no more and turned her gaze to Yama on the other side.

Although the man had his eyes closed and was resting, there was a faint smile on his lips.

With his cunning, how could he possibly let go of such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?

Normally, many powerful figures would try to get an audience with these three elusive inspectors but would be unable to do so.

This time, they actually had the opportunity to travel together for half a year.

(End of this chapter)