The head master has a new female apprentice

Chapter 415 I'm coming clean, I also have ultimate weapons! (6k)

Zhou Qing had planned to go to the third courtyard today to sound out what was going on, but as soon as he arrived at the door, he heard a commotion outside.

A flash of blood-red pupils appeared in his eyes, and his gaze pierced through the palace gate, instantly spotting Zhao Muyi and his group.

In just a moment, he understood the purpose of their visit.

Shen Tianhong is really thick-skinned. Yesterday, he went to great lengths to brainwash him, trying to make him feel a sense of belonging to the Shen family.

But today, things have gotten even worse; they've brought people from other prominent families to our door.

Aren't you afraid he'll abandon the project halfway through?
but--

Zhou Qing's gaze involuntarily fell on the white elephant demon king.

After saving Zhao Muye in the Jiuli Dynasty, they traveled together to the Tianyun Holy Dynasty via an ancient teleportation array.

During the six months that he was teleporting with Su Minghe, the inspector, this demon emperor with an exceptionally keen sense of smell was able to detect his presence.

The Swift Girl directly revealed through telepathy that it was he who saved her cousin, and also thanked him.

He could recognize his second uncle by relying on his "Mind's Eye," but this Demon Emperor possessed the bloodline of a spatial beast, was exceptionally gifted, and had a nose more sensitive than a dog's.

I wonder if the disguise my second uncle gave him will be able to fool him.

But then I thought, it wouldn't hurt to meet them. Maybe I could use this identity to get some useful information from them later.

After a moment's hesitation, he first sent a message to his second uncle who lived nearby, then pushed open the palace door and met everyone's gaze.

"Master!" Shen Tianhong greeted him with a smile as he walked out looking radiant.

Zhou Qing nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the people behind him, feigning confusion: "Who are these people—"

"I am Yama, the King of the Yan family. I have come to pay my respects to the Master on the orders of my elders!"

Before Shen Tianhong could speak, Yan Luo stepped forward, bowing with a beaming smile and handing over a storage bag.

"This is just a small gift, please accept it as a token of my appreciation!"

Shen Tianhong frowned, cursing inwardly.

Just now they said they came from the forbidden wilderness, but now they've changed their story and are acting on the orders of their elders?

Moreover, the gift has changed; instead of the four-colored jade slips with restrictive properties shown before, it has been replaced with a storage bag.

Wow, you've prepared quite thoroughly!
However, since he dared to bring people along, he must have anticipated this.

Zhou Qing looked at the storage bag that Yan Luo handed over and chuckled inwardly.

Second Uncle said last night that since we've come to the Shen family with this face, we shouldn't be polite and should accept all the gifts that are due.

Anyway, why not take it? He didn't force them to give it to him. Once he goes back to his original form, who will recognize him?
Moreover, he wouldn't hesitate to take anything from the Yan family.

"The Yan family?" Zhou Qing feigned surprise. "The Yan family, ranked third among the eight great families?"

A hint of joy flashed in Yan Luo's eyes: "Master, you know about my Yan family?"

Zhou Qing nodded and said, "I've only recently heard about it; I didn't really know much about the power in Nanhuang Prefecture before."

Yama suddenly realized and tentatively asked, "If I may ask, may I ask which state you come from, Master?"

Zhou Qing waved his hand: "This is a rural area, not worth mentioning."

Seeing that Zhou Qing was unwilling to say more, Yan Luo did not force him. With a burst of spiritual power, the storage bag floated lightly towards Zhou Qing.

Zhou Qing took the storage bag and glanced at Shen Tianhong.

Shen Tianhong wore a smile, revealing no emotion whatsoever.

Zhou Qing readily accepted it, smiling and saying, "Since it is the kind gesture of the Yan family elders, it would be pretentious to refuse. I will definitely pay a visit another day."

Seeing Zhou Qing accept the offer so readily, Yan Luo was taken aback at first, then a smile flashed in his eyes.

Accepting gifts in front of the host shows that this master is an unscrupulous and greedy person.

It's easy to deal with people if they have weaknesses; the real problem is when they're completely unyielding.

Just then, a rustling sound came from the side hall, and the twins Chaolu and Xishuang hurriedly tidied their disheveled clothes and ran out, standing obediently behind Zhou Qing.

Upon seeing this, Yama's lips curled up slightly.

Greedy for money and lustful, this makes things even easier.

Seeing that Zhou Qing had accepted the gifts from the Yan family, Zhao Muyi quickly stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "I am Zhao Muyi of the Zhao family. I have come to visit you, Master, on the orders of my elders."

“So it’s the young master of the Zhao family,” Zhou Qing said, feigning surprise. “The Zhao family, ranked second among the eight great families. My apologies for not recognizing you.”

"You're too kind, Master." Zhao Muye laughed heartily.

For a moment, the room fell silent.

Zhou Qing looked at him, and Yan Luo and Shen Tianhong also turned to look at him.

The atmosphere suddenly became awkward.

"Where are the gifts your Zhao family prepared?" Yama couldn't help but ask.

Zhao Muye glanced at him, snorted coldly, then straightened his chest and said with righteous indignation, "I, Zhao Muye, have come with sincerity."

Everyone: "..."

Good heavens, this is a pie in the sky without even a bowl!

Even Zhou Qing couldn't help but twitch his lips, but he was secretly overjoyed.

Yuyan stared wide-eyed at her cousin in disbelief—didn't you say you brought a gift and that's why I came along?
All you brought was a sincere heart?!

Noticing the strange looks from the crowd, Zhao Muyi patted his chest and assured them, "Since you know about the Zhao family, you should know that the Zhao family has always been honest and straightforward in its dealings."

"I will never refuse to do what I can, and I will never boast about what I cannot do. Moreover—"

He paused, then said proudly, "Our Zhao family has the most experts at the Spirit Severing Realm among the eight great families, and we are the most protective of our own."

"As long as the master is willing to join, the Zhao family will do its utmost to satisfy his every wish!"

Seeing Zhao Muye's serious expression, Zhou Qing almost burst out laughing.

He had dealt with this guy before and had also learned about the Zhao family's ways from Shen Yunzhou, so he knew that what this simpleton said was the truth.

Before Zhou Qing could speak, Shen Tianhong interrupted with a smile, "Nephew of the Zhao family, isn't it a bit unethical of you to try and poach my Shen family's talent right in front of me?"

Zhao Muyi scratched his head and bowed somewhat embarrassedly, saying, "Since Uncle has brought his nephew here, he must have guessed something."

"However, the Yan family is trying to lure me with profit, while I am treating them with sincerity. I was a bit blunt, so please forgive me."

Shen Tianhong shook his head helplessly, but a hint of admiration flashed in his eyes.

The White Elephant Demon King, who had remained silent throughout, was now staring intently at Zhou Qing, his eyes filled with confusion, doubt, and even shock.

Noticing the other person's gaze, Zhou Qing smiled slightly and nodded at him.

The White Elephant Demon King then seemed to wake from a dream and hurriedly returned the greeting.

Judging from his expression, Zhou Qing knew that this guy had definitely smelled something.

It's true that everyone has their own expertise!
Second Uncle's illusion technique could fool even those at the Spirit Severing Realm, and even a Supreme Being like Shen Tianhong couldn't see through it, yet it was exposed in front of this exceptionally talented Demon Emperor.

However, given his shrewdness and experience of having his void core extracted, he will likely act more cautiously and not be as reckless as Zhao Muyi.

“I’ll consider it,” Zhou Qing suddenly said.

These words were clearly meant for Shen Tianhong.

To investigate the Shen family's background, the head of the family must be made to feel a sense of crisis, so as not to be restricted in every way.

As expected, Shen Tianhong's smile froze slightly, then he said cheerfully, "Master, please consider it."

"My Shen family has always respected talent and will never hinder your future. But if you are willing to stay, feel free to name your terms!"

Zhou Qing smiled and said nothing.

He then warmly invited, “My nephews and nieces have come from afar. How can I, as the host, neglect them? Master, how about we have a simple meal together?”

Zhou Qing readily agreed and also called out his second uncle.

The second uncle, wearing a tiger-head hat and pretending to be sleepy, strolled out of the side hall. After a brief greeting, he followed the others to the banquet.

……

"I must say, life is pretty good." After the banquet, Yan Luo and the others were settled in.

Uncle Er picked his teeth and sighed, "All they do all day is eat and sleep, and every meal is a feast of delicacies."

Zhou Qing frowned and said, "It's a pity that I subtly inquired about Shen Hanyi's situation during the meal, but they were completely unaware of it."

"Don't worry," the second uncle squinted his eyes, "What could possibly happen to someone at the Great Perfection of the Spirit Severing Realm? Right now, the Yan family and the Zhao family are both here to snatch him away, so the Shen family definitely won't sit still."

He then lowered his voice and said, "I bet they're about to pull off something big. Didn't you notice that none of the second or third wives showed up today?"

Zhou Qing sneered: "It's nothing but acting again, trying to get me more involved so I'll feel more like I belong. Now that I think about it, playing along with their act is disgusting."

Upon hearing this, the second uncle burst into laughter.

But he immediately put away his smile and said seriously, "Since Miss Shen has made it clear that it was her third aunt who did the poisoning, and she is too weak to take revenge, why don't you solve this problem for her directly?"

A cold glint flashed in Zhou Qing's eyes: "You mean to secretly get rid of Liu Rushuang?"

The second uncle squinted his eyes and slowly nodded: "Exactly. What do you think?"

Zhou Qing frowned and paced back and forth in the room.

A moment later, he suddenly stopped, his eyes filled with murderous intent: "Fine! Rather than wasting time and effort investigating in secret, it would be much more efficient to just search the soul!"

"When the time comes, we'll know exactly what shady things she's done."

The second uncle nodded slightly: "But there's no rush. The Yan family and the Zhao family have both sent people today, and in a few days other prominent families might come knocking. We shouldn't refuse these benefits that come our way."

Zhou Qing understood and took out the storage bag given to him by Yan Luo.

As soon as he opened it, a glint of light flashed in his eyes.

The second uncle also came over for a look, and his eyes widened immediately: "Good heavens! So many array materials, and even jade slips with restrictions! Wait, why are they all incomplete?"

"The Yan family is really cunning; they want to win people over while keeping a watchful eye on them at the same time."

Zhou Qing sneered: "The Yan family has always acted this way. They appear generous on the surface, but they are scheming at every turn."

He suddenly remembered something and lowered his voice, "By the way, Second Uncle, that Yama has a lamp-shaped magic weapon on him, it seems to be a replica of an ultimate weapon!" "What?!" Second Uncle looked up sharply, his eyes flashing with a sharp light, "Are you sure?"

Zhou Qing nodded solemnly, and then recounted in detail the situation when Yanluo fought against the old emperor Xuanyuan Chong in the Holy Martial Dynasty.

After hearing this, the second uncle's eyes flashed with greed, and he paced back and forth with his hands behind his back: "A replica of an ultimate weapon? Doesn't that mean the Yan family might be hiding a real ultimate weapon?"

Zhou Qing nodded and said, "That's what I thought too, but something still feels off."

"What's strange?" Uncle Er stopped in his tracks.

Zhou Qing pondered and said, "You often say that inscription-level divine abilities are extremely precious. Many cultivators in the Spirit Severing Realm never get to see one in their entire lives, let alone cultivate it."

Even if one is fortunate enough to acquire it, it would be an immense stroke of luck to master a single supernatural power within one's lifetime.

The second uncle nodded: "Indeed. Just consider that 'Hundred Tribulations Blood Curtain,' if your primordial yang is still intact..."

He paused abruptly, coughed lightly, and changed his words, saying, "Being able to condense three thousand phoenix patterns is already considered an unparalleled genius."

Zhou Qing nodded silently.

After all, with Second Uncle's talent, he has only managed to comprehend fourteen of the thirty-six thunder inscriptions in the Nine Tribulations Thunder Talisman Scripture after cultivating it for so long.

Even after obtaining the rare and powerful "Great Luo Demon Sealing Seal," he chose to pass it on to himself, so that he could focus on perfecting one technique.

He then continued, "But you also said that ultimate weapons are manifestations of the origin of the universe, and each one contains the power to destroy the world."

"Even if you gather all the materials, you might not be able to successfully forge it. Even if you have a hundred inscribed divine abilities, you still can't exchange them for a supreme weapon, right?"

After listening, the second uncle pondered and said, "Although this is a bit of an exaggeration, from my perspective as a cultivator at the Great Perfection of the Spirit Severing Realm, the value of an ultimate weapon is indeed as described."

Zhou Qing's gaze narrowed slightly as he continued his analysis: "The Heavenly Fortune Holy Dynasty is merely a fifth-level cultivation nation, with its strongest being no more than an Earthly Sovereign."

"To advance to the sixth level, three Heavenly Sovereigns must be born, or ten Heavenly Sovereigns must appear in the local forces, and the process must be verified by the Imperial Alliance or the Cultivation Alliance Inspector."

"As for the Yan family?" Zhou Qing's lips curled into a sneer. "They are merely the power of one state out of the thirty-six major states of the Heavenly Fortune Holy Dynasty."

"In the structure of 'one palace, two temples, three sects, four clans, and eight families' in Nanhuang Prefecture, the Yan family is only a power at the bottom. It is unlikely that such a family could produce a supreme being."

"Even if we assume there really is a supreme being in charge, would they dare to secretly possess ultimate weapons?"

Zhou Qing sneered, "They've probably been wiped out long ago, haven't they?"

The second uncle remained silent for a long time after hearing this, a hint of reminiscence flashing in his eyes, before slowly nodding and saying, "Absolutely. To tell you the truth, the older brother I met in the Desolate Forbidden Zone was so badly injured because of a fragment of an ultimate weapon."

His voice lowered slightly: "According to what the elder brother said, that battle was extremely fierce, resulting in the death of a Heavenly Sovereign and several Earthly Sovereigns. In the end, no one knows who got the fragment."

"But the Heavenly Sovereign Inspector of the Heavenly Fortune Holy Dynasty believed it was his, and even appeared in the third level of the Desolate Forbidden Zone, launching a robbery and pursuit. I had no choice but to come out."

As the second uncle spoke, he smiled wryly and touched his storage bag, saying, "During that time, I was on tenterhooks every day, afraid that the aura of the ultimate weapon on my body would be detected by the eldest brother."

"After all, never use this thing to test a person's desires."

After hearing this, Zhou Qing finally understood why Su Minghe had suddenly started fighting the divine beast when he and Shen Hanyi used the Eight Times Scroll.

It turns out it was all just for a fragment.

This demonstrates the immense importance of extreme weapons.

"If that's the case, if the Yan family really possessed an ultimate weapon, would they dare to replicate it and have Yan Luo carry it with him?" Zhou Qing frowned. "Aren't they afraid of getting burned?"

Uncle Er narrowed his eyes and held up two fingers: "There are only two possibilities. First, they don't know its value at all and just think it's a powerful magic weapon."

"Just like many Spirit Severing Realm cultivators who have never even seen an Inscription-level Divine Ability, ignorance is bliss."

"Secondly," the second uncle gave Zhou Qing a meaningful look, "you've made a mistake."

Zhou Qing shook his head firmly: "I will never admit my mistake."

He looked directly at the second uncle and said, word by word, "Because I possess an ultimate weapon!"

Second Uncle was startled and was about to speak when he saw Zhou Qing pat his storage bag, and an ancient bronze mirror frame appeared out of thin air.

Although the mirror was missing, Uncle Er immediately recognized it as an ultimate weapon, albeit incomplete.

"This...this..." The second uncle was so shocked that he was incoherent, and he took the frame of glasses with trembling hands.

He immediately waved his hand and set up several protective barriers, fearing that his aura might leak out.

Zhou Qing looked calm.

He trusted his second uncle completely, and was willing to give him anything even if the other party wanted it.

The second uncle carefully examined the frame of the mirror, and couldn't help but send out a wisp of his divine sense to investigate.

No sooner had his divine sense entered the mirror frame than he was burned by the eerie karmic fire within, letting out a scream.

"Where did you get this?" Uncle Er asked, still in shock.

“Tianji Sect,” Zhou Qing replied, then recounted the events of the great battle between the five sects of the Eastern Region, including the origin and effects of the [Mirror of Infernal Karma].

Uncle Erda smiled wryly after hearing this.

He had only stayed at Taiqing Sect and Qingyu Immortal Sect back then, never expecting that the other three sects would hide such a treasure, and even less expecting that it would end up benefiting Zhou Qing.

"Have you searched the soul and found the whereabouts of the mirror?" the second uncle asked anxiously.

Zhou Qing shook his head and said, "We've searched it. They obtained it by chance from a corpse-raising site of the Yin Corpse Sect, which had long been wiped out. It was already incomplete when they got it."

"What a pity! What a real pity!" The second uncle sighed heavily, his eyes filled with regret. "If it were a complete ultimate weapon, its power would be unimaginable!"

As he spoke, he suddenly slapped his storage bag, and a completely black bell appeared out of thin air.

In an instant, the temperature in the entire hall plummeted, as if it had plunged into an ice cave.

A terrifying, suffocating pressure swept over, making it hard to breathe.

Although it wasn't the first time Zhou Qing had seen this bell, he still felt a chill run down his spine.

The bell was covered with countless eerie runes, like a pair of eyes from the abyss, staring intently at him in the darkness, making his blood freeze.

Even more terrifying, the surrounding space began to distort and deform, and wisps of black mist seeped out from the bell, seemingly trying to devour all life.

This is a genuine and complete ultimate weapon.

At this moment, a sudden change occurred!
The two ultimate weapons trembled simultaneously, and blood-red patterns appeared out of thin air between the frames and the bell, intertwining like blood vessels.

The space of the entire hall began to distort violently, and the black mist transformed into countless hideous ghost faces, emitting silent roars.

"Oh no!" The second uncle's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly put the bell back into his storage bag.

As the bell disappeared, the blood-red patterns gradually faded away, and the space returned to calm.

He immediately released his divine sense to scan outside the hall. After confirming that no one had noticed, he breathed a sigh of relief, his forehead already covered in fine beads of sweat.

"The quality of this Mirror of Infernal Karma is actually no lower than that of my bell!" The Second Uncle's voice trembled slightly.

Zhou Qing was secretly delighted, and then said, "However, Junior Sister Lu once said that she had seen a record of this mirror in a book at a street stall, and that the mirror might be in a black snow mountain."

"A black snow mountain?!" The second uncle's pupils shrank, and his voice suddenly rose, "Are you sure it's a black snow mountain?"

Seeing Zhou Qing nod solemnly, the second uncle jumped up excitedly: "Could it be...could it be that place?"

"When I came out of the third level of the desolate forbidden area, I saw a black snow mountain in the distance, right on the second level!" Uncle Er's voice tightened.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qing's eyes flashed with a sharp light.

This is like finding a needle in a haystack!
It was actually in the desolate forbidden area.

"But this girl is too lucky, isn't she?" Uncle Er suddenly frowned, a mature expression on his youthful face that didn't match his age.

"You can find clues to extreme weapons just by flipping through a book at a street stall? That's outrageous!"

Zhou Qing pondered, "Perhaps this mirror was a clue left by its previous owner on his deathbed."

The second uncle crossed his arms and nodded: "That's the only explanation for now."

A sudden glint of excitement flashed in his eyes: "Once this is over, let's go to the Forbidden Wasteland. If we can collect all the mirrors, it will definitely become your ultimate weapon!"

As he spoke, he handed the frame back to Zhou Qing.

Zhou Qing did not take it immediately, but said seriously, "Second Uncle, if you need it..."

"Snapped!"

Before he could finish speaking, his second uncle gave him a sharp rap on the forehead.

"Ouch!" Zhou Qing gasped in pain, clutching her instantly reddened forehead and jumping up and down.

This blow was harder than usual, and it hurt so much that he almost cried.

Uncle Er stood with his hands on his hips, his eyes blazing with anger: "You brat! What do you take me for?"

"I...that's not what I meant," Zhou Qing said, rubbing her forehead with a pitiful expression. "I just thought you might need it more than I do."

Seeing Zhou Qing's sincere eyes, the second uncle's expression softened.

Then he patted him on the shoulder: "Silly boy, one is enough for me. Keep this frame safe, and remember not to let anyone else know about it. Otherwise, the disaster that will result is beyond your imagination."

Zhou Qing nodded solemnly and carefully put the picture frame back into the storage bag.

Then the second uncle said with his hands behind his back, "Going back to the topic we were just discussing, since we have all recognized the ultimate weapons as our masters, we are naturally much more sensitive to this kind of aura than others."

"It seems that Yama does indeed possess a counterfeit." His gaze was deep. "There are still two possibilities."

“Firstly,” the second uncle sneered, “the Yan family truly possesses an ultimate weapon, yet they are unaware of it.”

“But that possibility,” he shook his head, “is extremely slim. With their resources, they simply cannot replicate it, let alone allow a junior to carry it around and use it so openly.”

"Secondly," the second uncle squinted, "that replica was made by a powerful figure, but it was obtained by Yama by chance."

Zhou Qing nodded in agreement.

Judging from Yama's flamboyant demeanor, even he himself probably doesn't know what kind of treasure it is.

If anyone in the Yan family truly recognized its value, they would have already put away this hot potato; why would they allow a junior to carry it around?
If discovered by an inspector like Su Minghe, it would certainly raise suspicions about whether the Yan family possesses genuine ultimate weapons.

At that time, with the cultivation of a Heavenly Sovereign, destroying a family that doesn't even have an Earthly Sovereign would be as easy as turning one's hand.

A cold glint flashed in the second uncle's eyes, and he said in a deep voice, "I want that replica."

Zhou Qing understood, and a meaningful smile appeared on his lips: "I'll think of a way."

(End of this chapter)