The head master has a new female apprentice

Chapter 391 The Divine Beast That Fell from the Forbidden Wasteland (6k)

A month passed quietly.

Faced with Su Minghe's imposing presence as an inspector, everyone held their breath and behaved with a sense of awe, afraid of disturbing this important figure.

Lu Yaoyao woke up twice during this period, and each time Zhou Qing gently knocked her unconscious.

"Fellow Daoist, I apologize for my previous offense. I truly mistook you for someone else." Zhao Muye's voice suddenly rang in Zhou Qing's ears.

Zhou Qing glanced at him indifferently and nodded slightly.

"Brother, you're so generous!" Seeing that Zhou Qing didn't hold a grudge, Zhao Muye immediately beamed and changed his address from "fellow Daoist" to "brother".

"It seems your Daoist companion isn't used to teleportation? There are still over five months of travel left; constantly knocking her unconscious might not be advisable. I have a calming pill here; after taking it, she'll surely fall into a peaceful sleep."

As Zhao Muyi was about to take out a medicine bottle from his storage bag, before he could even get up, Zhou Qing resolutely refused: "No need."

Zhao Muyi was taken aback and was about to speak again when Yu Yan, who was standing to the side, seemed to sense something and quickly grabbed his sleeve to dissuade him telepathically.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Muyi glared angrily at Yanluo, who was resting with his eyes closed, and reluctantly put away the medicine bottle.

He closed his eyes and transmitted his voice, saying, "Brother, please forgive me. I didn't think things through and almost brought trouble upon you."

Indeed, the brother in front of him was only at the early stage of the Spirit Severing Realm, and his Daoist partner was only at the Nascent Soul Realm.

However, Yama was notoriously narrow-minded. It would be a real sin if he let such a petty person hold a grudge against them because of his good intentions.

Zhou Qing turned his gaze slightly to the swift.

This woman not only possesses a unique artistic conception, but also acts with meticulous care.

If she were always by his side, Zhao Muye would avoid a lot of trouble.

However, this presents an opportunity.

"It's alright. By the way, what is the background of this senior?" Zhou Qing asked casually.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Muyi immediately perked up. He first glanced at Su Minghe, then transmitted his voice, saying, "The Imperial Alliance and the Cultivation Alliance have each dispatched three inspectors to the Heavenly Fortune Holy Dynasty."

With Zhao Muye's explanation, Zhou Qing finally understood Su Minghe's background.

It turns out he was a direct member of the Imperial Alliance; no wonder he had such an extraordinary demeanor.

He suddenly remembered that when he had talked to Sikong Yan about this, the other party mentioned that the Imperial Alliance was founded by several peerless experts from seventh-level cultivation countries.

Its members are at least powerful figures from a sixth-level cultivation country.

When the old emperor Xuanyuan Chong broke through to the Spirit Severing Realm, an envoy from the Imperial Dynasty Alliance descended upon him.

The Holy Martial Dynasty placed all the surrounding third-level cultivation countries under its jurisdiction and ordered them not to invade.

So, does that mean the person in front of me is from the legendary sixth-level cultivation country?
Seeing Zhou Qing deep in thought, Zhao Muye understood: this brother was definitely not from the Heavenly Fortune Holy Dynasty.

If they were cultivators at the Spirit Severing Realm from a fifth-level cultivation country, they should already know these secrets.

"What is his cultivation level? And where is the Starry Sky Battlefield?" Zhou Qing asked after a slight hesitation.

Zhao Muye lowered his voice: "Heavenly Sovereign! All the inspectors are Heavenly Sovereigns in cultivation."

"The Supreme Being of Heaven?" Zhou Qing was taken aback.

“That’s right,” Zhao Muye explained, “If someone in the Spirit Severing Realm can overcome the Supreme Tribulation, they can advance to the Supreme Realm. And after the Supreme Realm, there are Earth Supreme Realm and Heaven Supreme Realm.”

"However, with each minor advancement in realm after becoming a Supreme Being, one must undergo an increasingly terrifying Heavenly Tribulation."

"Countless geniuses and powerful figures have perished under these tribulation lightning bolts. Therefore, those who can safely cultivate to the Heavenly Supreme level are truly awe-inspiring."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qing's gaze sharpened slightly.

Limited by the perspective of a fourth-level cultivation nation, he had indeed never heard of these secrets about the Supreme Being.

Moreover, he had experienced the Supreme Heavenly Tribulation when he advanced to the Spirit Slaying stage.

At that time, the phenomenon of "Four Flowers Gathering at the Top" protected his body, not only blocking all the tribulation lightning, but also tempering his physical body, making his control over the power of lightning even more proficient.

However, Shen Hanyi later told him that the Supreme Tribulation he experienced was less than one percent as powerful as an ordinary Supreme Tribulation, and was already an extremely weakened result.

Even more strangely, there is no record in classical books of the Supreme Heavenly Tribulation being triggered when advancing from the Nascent Soul Realm to the Spirit Slaying Realm.

Even the legendary Three Flowers Gathering at the Top are no exception.

Seeing Zhou Qing's interest, Zhao Muye continued, "The strongest in a fifth-level cultivation country is none other than an Earthly Sovereign."

"If the dynasty can produce three Heavenly Sovereigns, or the local forces can produce ten Heavenly Sovereigns, after being inspected by the Imperial Dynasty Alliance or the Cultivation Alliance, they can be promoted to a sixth-level cultivation nation and be granted a wider territory and supreme resources."

Hearing this, Zhou Qing already had a basic understanding.

It seems that the advancement conditions vary among cultivation kingdoms of different levels.

Back then, when the old emperor broke through to the Spirit Severing Realm, the Holy Martial Dynasty was promoted to a fourth-level cultivation nation.

"If one could be taken under the wing of an unparalleled expert like Elder Su, the resources and connections one would gain would be imaginable."

Zhao Muyi's eyes gleamed with longing, "Like the Starry Sky Battlefield I just mentioned, I've heard it's full of opportunities. If I could take a stroll there, wow..."

"Where exactly is the Starry Sky Battlefield?" Zhou Qing pressed.

Zhao Muye shook his head: "I don't know about that. But ordinary people can't get in at all. Without a star gate, don't even think about it."

Zhou Qing breathed a sigh of relief, wondering if this Inspector Su knew General Zhongli Bo and Senior Xuan Qingzi.

"By the way, my name is Zhao Muye. May I ask your name, brother?" Zhao Muye suddenly remembered something and asked via telepathy.

Just as Zhou Qing was about to answer, the entire passageway suddenly began to shake violently!

"Boom——"

A deafening roar exploded in the void, and several jagged cracks appeared on the outer wall of the passage.

A suffocatingly terrifying aura instantly enveloped everyone, making it difficult to even breathe.

"These...these are Void Beasts?!" Zhao Muye's face turned deathly pale, and his voice trembled. "How is this possible! They can actually keep up with the speed of the six-colored teleportation array?"

Outside the passage, several blurry black shadows could be vaguely seen darting past at an astonishing speed, emitting chilling roars.

The shapes of those dark figures were indistinguishable; all that could be felt was their violent aura, as if they were about to tear the entire void apart.

Zhou Qing's heart tightened suddenly, and he scanned his surroundings warily.

This was the first time in his life that he had encountered a Void Beast. It was said that there were many kinds of these monsters, each with a different shape.

He caught a glimpse of the white jade elephant demon king beside Zhao Muye, who was also feeling uneasy.

This demon king, possessing the talent for the void, must be the one who can best sense the terror of those void beasts.

Chaos had broken out inside the teleportation array. Several cultivators jumped up in panic, drawing their weapons.

But soon, they seemed to realize something and all turned their gaze to the figure who remained seated.

Yes, they had completely forgotten that there was an inspector in charge of this trip!

Just then, Su Minghe, who had been resting with his eyes closed, slowly opened them.

Those eyes seemed to hold a galaxy hanging upside down, and an immense, abyss-like pressure instantly swept across the entire teleportation array.

"Beast!"

A soft shout, yet it resounded like a thunderclap.

With a flick of his sleeve, Su Minghe unleashed a dazzling golden light that pierced through the passage's barrier and shot directly towards the dark figures.

"Ow—"

Suddenly, a shrill scream came from outside, a sound that seemed to tear apart the soul and made everyone's scalp tingle.

This was followed by the dull thud of a heavy object falling, and the dying cry of the Void Beast.

The passageway returned to normal, and the suffocating pressure receded like the tide.

Su Minghe withdrew his hand, closed his eyes again with a normal expression, as if he had just casually swatted a fly.

Everyone stared in stunned silence at the scene, not daring to utter a sound.

Zhao Muyi swallowed hard, his voice hoarse: "Is this the power of a Heavenly Sovereign?"

Zhou Qing didn't answer, but subconsciously hugged the girl in his arms tighter, his heart churning with turmoil.

In that instant, he truly felt what a real powerhouse was—before such an existence, those at the Spirit Severing Realm were nothing more than ants!
No, to be more precise, the terrifying pressure emanating from those void beasts had clearly reached the Supreme Realm, which is equivalent to the level of a Demon Emperor.

Even such a powerful monster was reduced to ashes in the blink of an eye in front of Su Minghe.

As the roar of the Void Beast completely dissipated into the void turbulence, everyone finally awoke from their daze, breathed a sigh of relief, and bowed deeply to Su Minghe.

"Sit down, everyone."

Su Minghe's calm voice broke the silence.

Everyone quickly returned to their positions, moving so fast it was as if they were afraid of being even a fraction too slow.

The passageway quickly returned to calm, but a lingering sense of unease remained deep in everyone's eyes.

The scene of vanishing into thin air in the blink of an eye has been deeply etched into the souls of everyone.

This is the power of the Heavenly Sovereigns; this is the insurmountable barrier that stands between them and the truly strong.

"What's your name?" Su Minghe suddenly looked at the white-clad man standing next to Zhao Muye.

The man was clearly taken aback and subconsciously looked at Zhao Muye and Yuyan.

Everyone cast surprised glances at him—this senior hadn't spoken for over a month, and now he was asking this demon king, could it be that he had taken a liking to him?

"Replying to Senior, my name is Bai Xia." Bai Yuxiang quickly stood up and bowed.

"What a waste?" Su Minghe frowned slightly.

Zhao Muyi quickly explained, "Senior, you are wise. He originally had no name; this is a name I gave him. 'Bai Xia' is a homophone for 'white elephant,' which is quite fitting. We usually call him 'Old Bai.'"

Su Minghe was both amused and exasperated: "Your naming skills are quite something."

Before he could finish speaking, he shook his head and began to examine the white jade elephant closely: "A half-pureblooded branch of the Primordial Dragon Elephant, a natural space-type spirit beast. Your Void Crystal Core was taken out?"

Upon hearing this, Bai Yuxiang visibly swayed. He lowered his head and said in a low voice, "Reporting to Senior, it was taken away back when I was still in the Demon King Realm."

The passage suddenly fell silent, with only the hum of the teleportation array operating.

Zhou Qing noticed that Zhao Muye's fist clenched quietly.

"To have survived until now, one must be incredibly lucky," Su Minghe said calmly, his gaze lingering thoughtfully on the white jade elephant for a moment.

"It was all thanks to my brother Zhao Muyi who saved me, and now I follow him," Bai Yuxiang said, a hint of gratitude flashing in his eyes.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Muyi immediately straightened his back and a smug look appeared on his face.

But when his gaze swept over Yama, his face darkened again.

Yama, however, pretended not to see and maintained a respectful listening posture.

Su Minghe took in everything, a barely perceptible smile playing on his lips, and continued, "When one advances from the Great Perfection of the Spirit Severing Realm to the Supreme Realm, one must undergo the Supreme Heavenly Tribulation, a life-or-death ordeal." He paused deliberately at this point.

Everyone unconsciously held their breath, and even the sleepy old hen wobbled up and raised its head.

“Once you cross over, the world will be vast and boundless,” Su Minghe’s voice suddenly became solemn. “If you don’t cross over, you will die and perish.”

"To increase the success rate of tribulation crossing," Su Minghe continued, "In ancient times, a fifth-level array master and a weapon-refining master worked together to create the 'Tribulation Transformation Diagram,' a supreme treasure for tribulation crossing."

At this point, he suddenly turned to look at the turbulent void rushing past outside the passage, as if recalling something.

No one dared to disturb them, and could only wait quietly.

After a moment, Su Minghe withdrew his gaze: "However, to refine the Tribulation Transformation Diagram, not only is it necessary to imprint a five-colored array on it, but the required materials are also extremely rare and hard to find."

His gaze returned to the white jade elephant. "One of its main ingredients is the Void Crystal Core—a treasure that can only be condensed within the bodies of a few Void Beasts."

The white jade elephant remained silent, its body trembling slightly, as if recalling that unbearable past.

Zhao Muyi's eyes burned with rage as he stared intently at Yan Luo, who was also listening attentively.

This despicable villain plotted to severely injure Lao Bai because he suspected that the Void Crystal Core might have re-condensed within him and wanted to dig it out and take it for himself, didn't he?

Zhao Muye will remember this blood feud!
When Yanluo noticed Zhao Muye's gaze, he was not annoyed at all; instead, a meaningful smile appeared on his lips.

They then resumed their attentive listening posture, even though they already knew about the matter, without considering who was speaking.

Zhou Qingze seemed to be deep in thought, and developed a strong interest in the "Transformation of Calamity Diagram".

Su Minghe continued, "The Tribulation Transformation Diagram can increase the probability of transcending tribulation by 30%, which is quite astonishing. But it is precisely because of this that you demon races who contain the bloodline of Void Beasts have suffered a catastrophic disaster."

Bai Yuxiang smiled bitterly and said nothing more.

"However, now that you've lost the Void Crystal Core, it's a blessing in disguise. At least you don't have to worry about it anymore," Su Minghe said calmly.

"Thank you for your guidance, senior." Bai Yuxiang bowed respectfully.

Su Minghe turned his gaze to Zhao Muye: "Your surname is Zhao? A member of the Zhao family of Nanhuang Prefecture?"

Zhao Muyi quickly bowed again: "Indeed, I am from the Zhao family."

"Do you know about the forbidden lands of Nanhuang Prefecture where a divine beast seems to have fallen a few years ago?" Su Minghe asked.

Just as Zhao Muyi was about to speak, Yan Luo stood up first and presented an image stone with both hands: "Reporting to senior, this junior is Yan Luo of the Yan family of Nanhuang Prefecture."

"Our Yan family has conducted extensive research on that divine beast and has even preserved detailed images. Please take a look, senior."

"Oh?" Su Minghe looked at Yan Luo with slight surprise, not expecting to encounter the scions of the two major families in Tongzhou on this trip.

Seeing Yama fawning over him like this, Zhao Muye clenched his fists so hard they cracked.

He knew this guy wouldn't miss any opportunity to show off, and he didn't expect him to actually get one.

Zhou Qing kept a low profile throughout and did not try to show off in front of the inspector.

After all, in this kind of situation, who wouldn't want to leave a good impression on this important person?
"The Forbidden Zone... must be the name of the forbidden zone that Shen Hanyi conjured up in the Divine Ruins Heavenly Palace!" Zhou Qing pondered to himself.

As Su Minghe activated the image stone, a series of images appeared before his eyes.

Zhou Qing's pupils contracted slightly—these images were exactly the same as what Shen Hanyi had shown him in the Divine Ruins Heavenly Palace, all recorded by his second uncle from a first-person perspective.

I wonder what kind of agreement my second uncle reached with that mythical beast.
Thinking of his second uncle, Zhou Qing felt a surge of longing.

The two were truly teacher and friend, and to this day he still doesn't know what his second uncle looks like.

However, due to the amplification of his nascent soul, he was well-liked and popular wherever he went, and even the divine beast treated him differently.

Previously, when he was comprehending the realm of intent in the Vast Expanse Palace, he relied on the dirty secrets he collected to force the sect leaders and elders to take action, which allowed him to quickly perfect his realm of intent.

However, soon, the images on the image stone in Su Minghe's hand began to change continuously, revealing more scenes.

It seems that the Yan family has indeed put a lot of effort into investigating the divine beast, but ultimately it's only scratching the surface and there's no substantial key information.

Zhou Qing shook his head inwardly.

You should know that when he and Shen Hanyi were deep in the wilderness in the simulated environment, they encountered the already deceased Master Kudi, and then faced many more dangers.

In the end, without the help of the [Eightfold Scroll], it would have been impossible to see the Second Uncle and the divine beast in the third level.

“Interesting.” Su Minghe chuckled, a knowing glint in his eyes. “Judging from the outline, I roughly know who it is. I didn’t expect them to escape to this place.”

After saying that, he tossed the image stone back to Yama and said calmly, "Thank you."

Yama hurriedly accepted the gift with both hands, his face full of flattery: "Senior, you flatter me. It is my honor to serve you!"

Seeing this, Zhao Muyi was so anxious that he scratched his head and cheeks. He was also bad at speaking, and after a long time, he suddenly blurted out: "Senior, it has been many years since the divine beast fell. Have you not come to Nanhuang Prefecture to investigate?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, Swift knew in her heart that something was wrong.

As expected, Su Minghe merely glanced at him indifferently and did not reply.

With over thirty prefectures in the entire Heavenly Fortune Holy Dynasty, the Imperial Alliance only had three inspectors stationed there. Their affairs were extremely complicated, so how could they possibly know every detail of what happened in each place every day?
Also, do you need to report your whereabouts to your senior?

Yu Yan quickly tugged at Zhao Muye's sleeve.

Zhao Muyi then realized what was happening, and awkwardly bowed before retreating.

Seeing this, Yama bowed and stepped back gracefully, sitting cross-legged.

He glanced at Zhao Muye, who was still scratching his head, and sneered inwardly: "A simple-minded, muscle-bound idiot who doesn't even know how to be polite."

He then closed his eyes to rest.

Silence returned to the teleportation array, with only the howling of the void turbulence outside the barrier remaining incessant.

Zhou Qing looked at Lu Yaoyao, who was fast asleep in his arms, and then at the others who were resting with their eyes closed, and continued to integrate the information he had just obtained.

It seems that once we reach the Heavenly Fortune Holy Dynasty, we'll need to systematically learn about the relevant information.

【Ignore point +1】

Just as he was about to continue being a nobody, a long-lost notification sound suddenly rang in his ears.

Zhou Qing was taken aback at first, then his eyes flashed with wild joy.

After so many years, the talent skill [Reduce Presence] has finally been refreshed.

Looking around carefully, the environment perfectly matches the trigger conditions—a tense and exciting multiplayer environment.

Of the fifteen people inside the teleportation array, nine were at the Spirit Severing Realm and five at the Divine Transformation Realm, plus Su Minghe, the Inspector, as well as the turbulent spatial currents and the void beasts that could appear at any moment outside.

Even Lu Yaoyao, who was in a deep sleep, could be considered an "observer" who knew of his existence.

Simply perfect!
"Excellent!" Zhou Qing was secretly delighted, then quickly brought up the system panel:

[Name: Zhou Qing]

Age: 60

[Cultivation Level: Early Stage of the Spirit Severing Realm]

[Heart Method: Yin-Yang Secret]

[Talent Skills: Daily Review]

[Random Post] (Friend's Post)
[Mind's Vision——LV5 (201/500)]

[Reduced Presence——LV6 (2/100)]

[Skill Fragments: 0/3 (Unobtainable)]

Looking at the age column, Zhou Qing suddenly felt a little dazed.

Before I knew it, I was already over sixty.

In my previous life, I would probably be holding my grandchildren by now.

But in this world, at his age, he's still incredibly young and inexperienced in the cultivation world.

After breaking through to the Spirit Severing Realm, his lifespan increased by six thousand years, and now he hasn't even lived a fraction of that.

As Zhou Qing glanced at the people around him, he inexplicably felt a sense of superiority.

However, in the Record of Strange Scrolls, the only one missing from the list of "Friends' Scrolls" is Shen Hanyi.

This made him, who has a slight obsessive-compulsive disorder, feel quite uncomfortable.

I hope that when I get to Nanhuang Prefecture this time, I can do my best to help her. I don't even need the wood-attribute spirit stones. I just hope that the new posts can be refreshed smoothly afterward.

"Hmm?" Just as he inadvertently looked down, he suddenly noticed that Lu Yaoyao's right little finger flickered strangely and became transparent.

Zhou Qing blinked, confirming that it wasn't a hallucination.

That little finger did indeed shift between real and virtual.

Just as he was about to reach out and touch it, the transparent state returned to normal.

"What happened?" Zhou Qing frowned and quickly checked Lu Yaoyao's condition. After confirming that everything was normal, he was even more puzzled. "Could it be that she was knocked unconscious too many times?"

Fortunately, everything went smoothly afterward, and Zhou Qing gradually felt relieved.

It's likely that this was a special effect caused by the rapid movement of the six-colored teleportation array.

Unfortunately, after that one point was refreshed, not a single point was refreshed for the next few months.

However, Zhou Qing also understood that the probability of becoming invisible under the Heavenly Sovereign's nose was extremely low.

It's already an incredible coincidence that it was overlooked even once.

Fortunately, with such a powerful figure in charge, the rest of the journey went smoothly.

Until this day, a dazzling halo of light finally appeared at the end of the teleportation channel.

Everyone felt a blur before their eyes, and the surrounding turbulent void instantly disappeared, replaced by a vast open space.

This is a remote mountain area, where an ancient teleportation array is nestled in the valley.

Several guards stood around the array platform, led by a middle-aged man wearing black iron armor.

He was lazily yawning when he saw Su Minghe walking out of the teleportation array. He was startled and quickly ran forward to greet him.

"Greetings, Your Excellency the Inspector!" the middle-aged man said respectfully.

He never expected that such an important person would come to his post today.

Su Minghe simply gave a faint "hmm" and glanced around.

Zhou Qing followed the group out of the teleportation array, calmly surveying his surroundings.

This is a valley surrounded by mountains. The teleportation array is built on a stone platform, and the surrounding area is covered with complex array patterns.

A faint spiritual aura permeated the air, much stronger than that of the Holy Martial Dynasty.

"So this means we've reached a level five cultivation kingdom?" Zhou Qing felt a surge of excitement.

(End of this chapter)