The head master has a new female apprentice

Chapter 421 No, who exactly is your wife and child? (6k)

"go with!"

The lightning spear shot out, its speed so fast that even the divine sense of a Spirit Severing Realm cultivator could hardly detect it.

Shen Yunlan hastily summoned the Nine Yin Soul Devouring Ring to defend himself, the blood-red runes on the bone ring flashing wildly.

"boom!"

The moment the lightning spear collided with the bone ring, the entire space trembled.

Subsequently, spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the surface of the Nine Yin Soul Devouring Ring!
"Pfft!"

The lightning spear pierced through the bone ring defense and went straight through Shen Yunlan's abdomen.

A violent burst of lightning power exploded within his body, instantly causing severe damage to his internal organs.

"what!"

Shen Yunlan let out a shrill scream, and her body flew backward again, crashing heavily into the mountain wall a hundred feet away.

"Boom——"

Rocks collapsed, and dust billowed everywhere.

As the dust settled, a large, bowl-sized hole appeared on Shen Yunlan's chest, its edges charred black, with purple-gold lightning constantly flickering inside.

Each flash caused him to convulse and let out a painful groan.

Second Uncle raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

He looked at Zhou Qing with great interest, his gaze lingering for a moment on the still-lingering thunderous spear, a playful smile gradually spreading across his lips.

--interesting!
He never expected that the power of thunder and the array's spiritual seal could be so perfectly integrated.

It should be noted that although he himself had only condensed five thousand thunder seals, he was cultivating the "Nine Tribulations Thunder Talisman Scripture".

This is an inscription-level divine ability of the Thunder Path, and it is pure black annihilation thunder.

Zhou Qing's purple-gold lightning, however, was unique, possessing both fierce power and the mysterious variations of the spiritual seal.

"Once this matter is resolved, I will definitely ponder it carefully."

The second uncle pondered in his heart, his eyes gleaming.

"This guy's got a tough life. Let me check how well you've mastered your inscription-level divine abilities!"

The second uncle crossed his arms and took several steps back, completely handing the battlefield over to Zhou Qing.

For Zhou Qing, the life-or-death battle against a Great Perfection of the Spirit Severing Realm was a rare opportunity for tempering.

Every use of supernatural powers and every circulation of spiritual energy accumulates valuable combat experience.

—If he encounters such a formidable enemy again in the future, he will be prepared.

Where is the opponent's defensive limit?

How much combat strength can be retained after being injured?
Should I retreat immediately, or press my advantage?
All these questions will be answered in today's battle!
Zhou Qing took a deep breath and nodded.

With a thought, the blood and spiritual energy stored in the golden petals surged like a river, flowing into his limbs and bones.

"boom!"

The previously somewhat listless aura surged back to its peak!

At this moment, Shen Yunlan had just escaped from the collapsed mountain wall, covered in blood and breathing erratically.

When he heard what his second uncle said, his face turned deathly pale!
"An inscription-level divine ability?!"

He suddenly looked up, staring intently at Zhou Qing, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Zhou Qing's eyes were icy cold, filled with murderous intent: "Anyone who harms my wife and children shall die!"

Shen Yunlan's heart pounded wildly, and he hurriedly shouted, "Who is your wife and children? I don't know them at all! Fellow Daoist, is there some misunderstanding between us?"

He was genuinely panicked!
Zhou Qing stopped talking and slowly raised his right hand.

"Om-"

The void trembled, and an ancient and ferocious aura suddenly descended!

Behind him, a huge phantom of a blood phoenix slowly emerged, roaring to the sky!

The blood phoenix was entirely crimson, its wings were like blades, and its body was surrounded by dense, ancient runes.
Each one resonated with heaven and earth, radiating a suffocating pressure!

On the Blood Phoenix's chest, five bright red feathers seemed to contain profound Dao patterns.

At this moment, these feathers transformed into streaks of blood-red light, all converging at the tip of Zhou Qing's outstretched index finger!

Uncle Er watched from the side, nodding repeatedly, his eyes full of admiration.

"Who exactly are your wife and children?! Even if I'm to die, I should at least know the truth!"

Shen Yunlan screamed in terror, her voice distorted.

Zhou Qing still didn't answer, only coldly uttering a single word:

"Destroy."

"boom--"

With a flick of the finger, the world loses its color!

A streak of blood-red light streaked across the sky like a meteor, causing space to collapse and everything to be annihilated in its wake!
The crimson light seemed to contain endless calamities; even the aftershocks it emitted turned the rocks within a thousand feet into dust!

"No!"

Shen Yunlan's eyes widened in fury, and in a panic, he pulled something out of his storage bag—

"Mysterious Yin Substitute Death Talisman!"

This was obtained from an ancient ruin, refined with the souls of a million living beings, and is said to be able to save its master from a certain death!
The moment the talisman exploded, it transformed into a pitch-black ghostly figure, spreading its arms to meet the blood-red light!
"Shoot-"

The blood-red light collided with the ghostly figure, tearing it apart instantly like a hot knife cutting through oil!
"puff!"

The still-powerful crimson light pierced through Shen Yunlan's chest, sending him flying thousands of feet away!
"what--"

Amidst a piercing scream, Shen Yunlan's body was mangled, with a bowl-sized hole in his abdomen. Blood-red tribulation power lingered at the wound, constantly eroding his life force!

Zhou Qing's face turned pale, and his body swayed slightly.

Without hesitation, he took out two top-grade wood-attribute spirit stones from his storage ring and quickly replenished his depleted energy.

Seeing Shen Yunlan coughing up blood, he had to admit that the vitality of a Great Perfection of the Spirit Slaying Realm was truly extraordinary.

"Take a break," Uncle Er suddenly grinned, revealing a mouthful of gleaming white teeth. "Leave the rest to me!"

He walked forward slowly, and with each step he took, a jet-black thunder lotus bloomed beneath his feet.

The spiritual energy between heaven and earth began to surge wildly, as if it were afraid of something.

"Rumble--"

A deep rumble of thunder suddenly echoed through the heavens and earth, as if an ancient thunder god were awakening.

The second uncle's hair stood on end, his robes fluttered in the wind, and his hands slowly formed a hand seal, with streaks of jet-black lightning gathering around him.

Inscription-level Thunder Dao Divine Power - "Nine Tribulations Thunder Talisman Scripture"!
As the second uncle formed a hand seal, fourteen lightning runes appeared in the void, each twisting and pulsating like a living thing, exuding a destructive aura.

These inscriptions intertwined and formed a huge thunder talisman above the Second Uncle's head, blotting out the sky!
"Fourteen lightning runes..."

Shen Yunlan's pupils shrank suddenly, and his face turned ashen.

—How rare are inscription-level supernatural powers?
But these two people in front of me each control one!
"No! I can't die here!"

Shen Yunlan bit her tongue hard, spitting out a mouthful of blood, and frantically made hand seals!

"A sacrifice of ten thousand souls to the heavens, using lifespan as a catalyst!"

He directly sacrificed all the remaining lifespan in his body, his hair turned gray at a visible speed, and his face became deeply wrinkled, but his aura increased several times over!
"boom!"

A crimson beam of light shot into the sky, condensing into a giant shield engraved with ghost faces in front of him.

Countless vengeful ghosts wailed on the shield's surface, as if connecting to the deepest hell!

"go with!"

The second uncle let out a cold shout, and the thunder talisman above his head crashed down!

"boom--"

The moment the lightning talisman collided with the blood shield, the entire world fell silent!
Immediately afterwards——

"Crack!"

Spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the surface of the blood shield, and countless vengeful spirits were reduced to ashes in the lightning!
"Do not--"

Shen Yunlan let out a shrill scream as she was blasted into the ground by the aftershock of the lightning talisman!
"Boom!"

A massive crater, thousands of feet in diameter, was blasted open in the ground. Amidst the billowing smoke and dust, Shen Yunlan lay at the bottom of the crater, his body mangled and barely breathing.

His body was charred black, his chest was sunken, and he no longer had the strength to struggle.

Zhou Qing watched with a pounding heart.

This is the true power of an inscription-level divine ability!
Taking advantage of his illness, the second uncle appeared at the top of the giant pit in a flash, looking down at the dying Shen Yunlan.

"Crash-"

He raised his hand and waved it, and the lightning around him suddenly transformed into several pitch-black chains, which darted into the bottom of the pit like venomous snakes and instantly wrapped around Shen Yunlan's broken body.

"what!"

A shrill scream rang out, and the chains were suddenly yanked, forcibly pulling a seven-colored primordial spirit out of Shen Yunlan's body!
The primordial spirit was listless and dim, bound tightly by chains of lightning, unable to move.

"Spare me! Fellow Daoists, spare me!"

Shen Yunlan's primordial spirit begged for mercy in terror, its voice trembling.

The second uncle ignored him, turned to look at Zhou Qing, and grinned: "Kid, I remember the 'Blood Wing Phantom' at the end of 'Hundred Tribulations Blood Curtain' can purify Blood Phoenix Tribulation Crystals, right?"

Zhou Qing nodded, a hint of understanding flashing in his eyes.

"Although this guy's physical body is damaged, it should still be able to condense a decent Tribulation Crystal."

Second Uncle smiled slightly.

Zhou Qing said no more, and suddenly a pair of huge blood-red wings unfolded behind him. Each feather was as sharp as a blade and exuded a strong bloody aura.

"Shh!"

The blood wings suddenly closed, completely enveloping Shen Yunlan's battered body.

"Zizzi-"

The sound of flesh being refined rang out, and a chilling writhing sound came from within the blood wings.

Before long, the blood wings slowly unfolded, and a fist-sized blood-red crystal floated in mid-air, crystal clear.

Inside, flames seemed to flow, radiating a chilling energy fluctuation.

The second uncle then reached out and summoned the Tribulation Crystal into his palm; it was even slightly warm to the touch.

"nice one!"

This was the first time the second uncle had ever seen such a crystal. He chuckled, his eyes full of satisfaction, and then casually tossed it to Zhou Qing.

Upon witnessing this scene, Shen Yunlan's primordial spirit was utterly filled with despair and let out a mournful wail:
"Do not--!"

"Kakaka-"

Just then, the second uncle's body suddenly began to writhe strangely, his bones twisted, his muscles swelled, and in the blink of an eye, he transformed into the appearance of a burly man.

With thick eyebrows and fierce eyes, a rugged face, and an aura of ferocity, he exuded a menacing presence.

He grinned, revealing his gleaming white teeth, and stared at Shen Yunlan's primordial spirit, saying:
"Do you still know me?"

Shen Yunlan's primordial spirit trembled violently, its seven-colored light fluctuating wildly, as if it had seen some extremely terrifying being, and screamed, "It's you—!"

"Surprised? Unexpected?" The second uncle laughed heartily, but a cold killing intent flashed in his eyes.

Just as Shen Yunlan was shaken, his second uncle suddenly pointed a finger at his brow, about to forcibly search his soul!
"Om-"

However, just as his fingertips were about to touch the primordial spirit, Shen Yunlan's seven-colored primordial spirit suddenly twisted violently, and an extremely terrifying aura suddenly erupted!
"not good!"

Zhou Qing and his second uncle's expressions changed drastically at the same time!

Furthermore, an aged yet majestic voice emanated from the primordial spirit: "I am Shen Canghai. I wonder how my son has offended you..."

"boom!"

Before he finished speaking, the second uncle's eyes flashed with ferocity, and black lightning erupted from his fingertips, instantly shattering the seven-colored primordial spirit into dust!
"Crack!"

The primordial spirit shattered, and the voice abruptly ceased!

Immediately afterwards——

The sky and the earth suddenly darkened!
The moment Shen Yunlan fell, a dense, inky negative emotion erupted from his shattered primordial spirit, transforming into billowing black mist that instantly enveloped the entire mountain forest!
Within the black mist, it seemed as if countless vengeful ghosts were wailing, mixed with Shen Yunlan's despair and resentment before his death.

"call--"

The second uncle breathed a sigh of relief, still shaken, and said, "I almost forgot, this guy has a father who's breaking through to the Great Perfection of the Supreme Realm, and he has a mark on him! Luckily we acted quickly, preventing the mark from seeing us—"

Zhou Qing also felt a wave of fear, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

—If one were to be targeted by a being at the Great Perfection of the Supreme Realm, the consequences would be unimaginable!
For safety's sake, his pupils suddenly split, transforming into a pair of blood-red double pupils, scanning his surroundings.

Only after ensuring that Shen Yunlan had no other backup plans did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.

The second uncle then used one hand to grab Shen Yunlan's storage bag below. With a thought, the array plates and flags scattered around flew back and were collected by him.

"Go quickly!"

Without hesitation, he tore open a spatial rift, and Zhou Qing quickly followed.

"Shh!"

The crack closed, and the two figures vanished completely, leaving behind only a scene of devastation...

……

The Shen family, a beacon of the soul.

Inside the dimly lit tower, hundreds of soul lamps burned silently, each representing the life of an important figure in the Shen family.

The lights, some bright and some dim, reflected on the ancient stone walls all around, creating an eerie atmosphere.

The guardian of the Soul Lighthouse was an elderly man with white hair and a gray robe, who was sitting cross-legged on a futon with his eyes closed, resting.

Sudden--

"laugh!"

A soul lamp high up suddenly swayed, its flame abruptly dimming as if suppressed by an invisible force, threatening to go out at any moment!
The gray-robed elder suddenly opened his eyes, and the soul lamp was reflected in his cloudy pupils. His expression changed drastically in an instant!

"How, how is this possible?!"

He stood up tremblingly, staring intently at the soul lamp—the words "Shen Yunlan" were clearly engraved on the lamp base!

Immediately afterwards, the light of the soul lamp grew weaker and weaker, and the flame at the wick flickered like a candle in the wind.

Cold sweat beaded on the gray-robed elder's forehead, his lips trembling as he stammered, "No, it can't be..."

Finally, to the gray-robed elder's horrified gaze, the faint flame flickered slightly—

"puff!"

Completely extinguished!

Inside the lamp, the last wisp of smoke rose and dissipated into the air.

—When the soul lamp goes out, the person dies and their spirit dissipates!
The gray-robed elder trembled and staggered back two steps. Then, as if he had been awakened, he frantically rushed out of the Soul Beacon and ran wildly towards the core area of ​​the Shen family!

"Something's happened! Something terrible has happened!!"

Shortly after--

"Dang! Dang! Dang!"

The urgent and heavy tolling of the bells resounded throughout the Shen family compound, each chime more urgent than the last...

……

In a private room of an inn in the Fifth Tail Region.

Sunlight streamed through the carved window lattice, casting dappled shadows on the sandalwood table.

Several large pots of stewed meat were placed on the table—chunks of dark reddish-brown meat soaking in a thick broth, still steaming.

Several plates of roasted animal legs were charred and fragrant, with grease dripping onto the bottom of the plates.

Zhao Muyi sat there with an air of nonchalance, his face bearing several fresh bruises, but it did not affect his appetite in the slightest.

His thick, muscular arms grabbed the entire beast leg and began to tear it apart.

His other hand wasn't idle either; he would occasionally grab the wine jug and take a swig, his Adam's apple bobbing as he made a series of smacking noises.

It's obvious that he's quite carefree.

Bai Xiang, also a burly man, slowly and deliberately picked up his food, a stark contrast to Zhao Muye.

For a moment, it was impossible to tell who was human and who was demon.

Yu Yan sat upright opposite, her slender fingers holding a celadon teacup, sipping the spiritual tea in small sips.

Today she wore a light blue long dress, with only a white magnolia hairpin in her hair, which made her temperament even more elegant.

Seeing her cousin's appearance, she shook her head helplessly.

—If she hadn't stopped him in time, given his impulsive nature, he would probably have suffered an even greater loss at the hands of the King of Hell.

She sighed softly, about to speak, when suddenly her brows furrowed slightly, as if she had sensed something.

She then put down her teacup, flipped her slender hand, and took out an exquisite two-colored jade slip.

This is a unique communication tool of the Rain Clan, its entire body interwoven with emerald green and translucent white, as warm and smooth as jade.

As spiritual energy was infused, ripples appeared on the surface of the jade slip, and a message filled with elation slowly emerged:

"Sister Yan'er! Do you still remember the savior I often told you about?"

"That handsome young man who descended from the sky and annihilated the forbidden object with a single sword when I encountered danger during my training outside the Forbidden Zone many years ago!"

"We've kept in touch all these years. Although he doesn't reply often, every reply makes my heart race. Today, he finally took the initiative to ask me to meet up!"

"My dear sister, you always have the best eye for talent. Come and tell me what kind of person he is. If he's really as good as I think, maybe you'll be calling him brother-in-law soon!"

"Remember! This is a private conversation between us sisters. Don't tell anyone else, especially those old fogies in the clan! And don't bring any men with you, lest you scare them!"

After reading the rapid-fire messages, Swift couldn't help but sigh and rub her forehead.

—Yuzhu, the apple of her third uncle's eye, a love-struck girl spoiled by her family.

Ever since that "hero saves the beauty" incident many years ago, this cousin has been completely immersed in the romantic fantasies she has created.

Although the two exchanged communication jade slips, over the years it has been mostly Yuzhu sending messages unilaterally, and the other party almost never replies.

She would spend more than half a month carefully studying each brief, polite phrase, even if it was just a few words.

—The more aloof she seemed, the more deeply her cousin fell for her.

"Ugh……"

Yu Yan sighed softly, but the communication distance of the Yu Clan's communication jade slips was limited, and her cousin should be in the Fifth Tail Central Region at the moment.

"When did she arrive? Could she also be here on orders from her family to recruit that array master from the Shen family?"

However, she herself did not receive any instructions from her family.

After a brief moment of thought, she tapped the jade slip with her fingertip and replied, "Okay, cousin, where are you right now?"

Soon, the jade slip flashed, and an address was transmitted.

Swift put away the jade slip, looked up at Zhao Muyi who was engrossed in eating, and said softly, "Cousin, I have something to attend to and need to leave for a while."

Zhao Muye waved his greasy hand: "Alright, alright, be careful. I won't wait for you then?"

“No need to wait.” Yuyan gracefully wiped her mouth, stood up and straightened her skirt. “I’ll go home with Sister Yuzhu then.”

"Yuzhu is here too?" Zhao Muye was taken aback, then a look of disdain appeared on his oily face.

"You say she's your sister, but she's still stuck at the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul Realm. Instead of cultivating properly, she just runs around aimlessly. She's not even as good as you."

Swift glanced at him speechlessly: "Don't talk about others yet. If you encounter Yama again, you must not act impulsively."

"I know, I know!" Zhao Muye waved his hand impatiently, then suddenly rubbed the back of his head as if he remembered something. "It's good that you're gone. How many times have you hit the back of my head these past few days!"

The swift gently shook its head and turned to the white elephant, who was quietly eating: "Old White, come out, I need to talk to you about something."

Bai Xiang silently put down the piece of meat in his hand and followed Yu Yan out of the private room under Zhao Muye's questioning gaze.

Upon reaching the corridor outside the inn, Yu Yan glanced back at Zhao Muyi, who was inside the window, grabbing a beast leg and gnawing on it. With a flick of her finger, she set up a soundproof barrier.

“You should know,” she lowered her voice, “who saved my cousin back in the Nine Li Dynasty, right?”

Bai Xiang nodded steadily: "I know, Zhou Qing of the Taiqing Sect of the Holy Martial Dynasty. He is also the 'Master Qingzhou' who is currently in the Shen family."

A hint of seriousness flashed in Yu Yan's eyes: "You'd better not tell him about Master Zhou's current situation with the Shen family. He's not very bright; don't let him ruin Master Zhou's plans."

“Of course I know that.” A rare caution appeared on Bai Xiang’s rugged face. “So after discovering that Master Qingzhou was Master Zhou Qing, I told you first.”

"That's good." Yu Yan relaxed a little. "I need to go find my cousin Yu Zhu. She needs my help."

“You are relatively more stable. You know my cousin, he is stubborn and impulsive. You must stop him if necessary.”

The white elephant patted its chest: "Don't worry, I'm here!"

The swift gave a few more detailed instructions before turning and leaving.

When Bai Xiang returned to the private room, Zhao Muye was wiping the grease from his mouth with his sleeve and asked indistinctly, "What did Yanzi say to you, acting so suspiciously?"

White Elephant sat down without changing his expression: "It's nothing, I was just praising your handsome appearance."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Muyi's face lit up with a smile, and he rubbed his greasy hands on his clothes again: "This Yanzi has good taste, but she loves to hit people. And don't be fooled by her refined upbringing, she doesn't know when to strike and shows no mercy to anyone."

The white elephant silently picked up a piece of meat and stopped talking.

……

Meanwhile, in a dark cave.

The luminous pearls embedded in the stone wall emitted a dim light, illuminating a rough stone bed.

Yu Zhu leaned against the stone bed, her fair skin faintly visible through the thin veil.

She rested her chin on her hand, her eyes filled with infatuation as she stared intently at the man opposite her.

The man was shirtless, his muscles clearly defined, but covered with hideous scars.

He was slowly wiping a long, jet-black sword with a cloth soaked in a black liquid.

The blade gleamed coldly, seemingly capable of swallowing light, exuding a chilling killing intent.

"Yan Lang~"

Yuzhu's voice was sweet and cloying, with a hint of coquetry.

"You said you were wearing a mask when you saved me back then, and you've always been mysterious. I never imagined you would be one of the four prodigies of the Yan family!"

Yama paused slightly in his hand, turned his head slightly, revealing a sharply defined profile.

A half-smile played on his lips, but his eyes were cold and ruthless.

(End of this chapter)