The head master has a new female apprentice

Chapter 443 Where is the sect? I'm asking you, where is such a large sect? (6k)

Half a month later, a gilded flying boat broke through the clouds and landed quietly among the mountains.

On the deck, a majestic man in a nine-dragon robe stood with his hands behind his back; he was none other than the current emperor, Xuanyuan Hao.

He turned his head slightly to look at the cabin, his voice authoritative despite his calm demeanor: "What are you all standing there for? Don't you want to see your eldest and second sisters?"

A slight movement occurred at the hatch, and Lu Yuanchen, dressed in a moon-white white gown, gracefully emerged, his face even paler than his clothes.

As soon as she stepped out of the cabin, an invisible force pulled her in front of Xuan Yuanhao.

"Back then, when you brought the Nine Netherworld Demon Lotus into the palace, I suppose your initial goal was to obtain that secret formula, right?"

Xuan Yuanhao gripped her jade-like neck with his five fingers like iron clamps. "You dare to covet something whose whereabouts even I do not know?"

Lu Yuanchen was having difficulty breathing, but he still stubbornly tilted his head back.

Xuanyuan Hao sneered: "I have sent people to investigate for many years, only to find out that the two newly promoted Spirit Severing Realm experts of Taiqing Sect are actually my beloved concubine's two elder sisters."

He suddenly leaned down, his sharp gaze piercing Lu Yuanchen's eyes, and said, word by word, "At this moment... what are your thoughts?"

Consort Chen's pupils trembled slightly, and her fingers clenched tightly under her sleeves.

"Back then, you went to great lengths, bringing a fake secret formula to the White Jade Taixu Academy, all to help the two of them break through to the Spirit Severing Realm." Xuan Yuanhao sneered.

"But what about now? They've already reached the level of the Spirit Slayer, yet they ignore you completely, not even bothering to send you a single message—"

His voice suddenly lowered as he looked at Consort Chen: "Don't you think you're pathetic in this outcome?"

Lu Yuanchen's throat bobbed slightly, his voice barely audible: "That's because...they're afraid...of implicating me..."

"Afraid of implicating you?" Xuan Yuanhao sneered, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. "It's nothing but selfishness! They're afraid I'll use you to keep them in check!"

Lu Yuanchen looked up at him directly, a sad smile appearing on his lips: "Isn't that... the case?"

Xuan Yuanhao laughed loudly: "That's true, so they are smart people. Of course, you are too. Since you are smart, you know what you should and shouldn't do. Don't forget Mu Qian."

Lu Yuanchen's expression changed drastically, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes: "Even tigers don't eat their cubs! You are truly ruthless, willing to use any means to achieve your goals. That's your own daughter!"

"My daughter is naturally my own flesh and blood," Xuan Yuanhao said casually. "However, with the blessing of the dynasty's fortune, my lifespan at the Spirit Severing Realm is very long. I can have as many offspring as I want, it's not like I can't have children."

Lu Yuanchen looked at Xuan Yuanhao and felt an unprecedented sense of estrangement: "They say the most ruthless are those from the imperial family, Xuan Yuanhao, but you are truly this vicious!!"

Xuanyuan Hao suddenly burst into laughter, his laughter carrying a chilling coldness: "Yes, I am indeed ruthless. But what about you? What is the consequence of being so loyal and righteous?"

He grabbed Lu Yuanchen's chin, forcing her to look up: "Have your two beloved older sisters ever thought of you? The daughter you risked your life to protect has now become my bargaining chip."

Xuanyuan Hao stared into the despair in her eyes and let out a low, cold laugh: "The most ridiculous thing in this world is taking certain things too seriously."

What you consider a precious friendship is nothing more than a burden that can be easily discarded in the eyes of others; what you believe to be a vow to protect to the death is nothing more than a self-humiliating joke in the face of fate.

His fingers slowly tightened. "The most ironic truth in this world is that the deeper your attachment, the more you will be hurt."

Lu Yuanchen's eyelashes trembled violently, but he ultimately did not utter a word in defense.

Because she knew that everyone has something they are persistent about, and sometimes they would endure all the humiliation and pain, even if it meant being covered in wounds.

At this moment, Xuan Yuanhao released her neck and said coldly, "Because of the constraints of the Imperial Alliance and the Cultivation Alliance, it is indeed inconvenient for our dynasty to launch a direct attack on a sect that possesses four Spirit Slayers and a Level 4 Array Master."

He turned to look at the distant mountains: "But that secret technique that can allow one to go directly from the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul stage to the Great Perfection of the Spirit Severing stage—my Xuanyuan family is determined to obtain it."

Xuan Yuanhao suddenly turned around and stared at Lu Yuanchen, "And your two older sisters are the best key."

"Once you have the secret formula," he suddenly broke into a fake smile, "I will remove the poison from Mu Qian's body, cancel the unwanted marriage she was promised, and give you your freedom. How about it?"

Lu Yuanchen glared at him fiercely, then said, "I hope you keep your word."

“Of course.” Xuan Yuanhao stood with his hands behind his back. “But I also want you to convey this message—although the imperial court is not in a position to intervene, competition between sects and aristocratic families is all too common.”

His tone was chilling: "Those dozen or so Spirit Severing Realm experts of the Holy Martial Dynasty, which one of them didn't break through thanks to my Xuanyuan family? This favor should be repaid."

Lu Yuanchen rubbed his reddened neck, said nothing more, and walked away into the distance.

Xuanyuan Hao gazed at the departing white rainbow, a smug, confident smile playing on his lips.

He then turned and leaned against the gilded railing, whereupon he waited.

But less than half a cup of tea's time had passed when he received a message from Lu Yuanchen.

But when he glanced at the contents of the jade slip, he seemed a little confused.

He frowned quickly, and with a whoosh, Xuan Yuanhao disappeared from the spot.

When he reappeared, he was struck by lightning and froze on the spot upon seeing the scene before him.

Where is the Taiqing Sect now?
What should have been a blessed land surrounded by towering peaks has now turned into a boundless abyss of clouds and mist.

The edge of the sheer cliff was as smooth as a mirror, as if it had been instantly flattened by some terrifying force.

No, is this something a human could do?

Xuanyuan Hao subconsciously rubbed his eyes, thinking he was seeing things. He even took out the map jade slip and looked at it carefully to confirm that he hadn't come to the wrong place.

"No, what about the sect?"

……

Boom!

Just then, the sky suddenly tore open, and a pitch-black spatial rift stretched for dozens of miles. Amidst the raging void turbulence, a black flying ship that blotted out the sky descended fiercely!

The terrifying pressure poured down like a celestial river, and Xuan Yuanhao, who was still in a daze, had his bones cracking and creaking, and was actually forced to shrink by three points.

His pupils contracted sharply, and before he could even look up, three figures stood silently before him—

The three men exuded an overwhelming aura. The purple-robed elder in the center stood in mid-air, with nine jet-black chains moving around him as if they were alive.

With each step the burly man on the left took, the void trembled, and the blood-red giant axe he carried on his back seemed to be covered with scabs that would never dry.

The malevolent aura surrounding it subtly transformed into countless illusory ghosts.

On the right was a handsome young man, dressed in white, playing with a blood-red jade pendant in his hand.

But what flowed in those peach blossom eyes was a chilling sense of desolation.

Xuan Yuanhao felt his breath catch in his throat and quickly bowed to Lu Yuanchen, saying, "Xuan Yuanhao, Emperor of the Holy Martial Dynasty, pays respects to the three seniors!"

Before the words were finished, a whooshing sound suddenly rang out.

Fifteen figures darted out of the flying boat like lightning, their combined aura of the Spirit Severing Realm causing the space within a hundred miles to distort.

The old man in purple robes at the front stepped forward, his face sinister, with a blood-red vertical line between his eyebrows standing out prominently.

"Are you the Human Emperor of this cultivation kingdom?" The Fifth Ancestor Yan Wuming's voice was icy, each word like a heavy hammer striking the heart.

Xuan Yuanhao suppressed the metallic taste in his throat and stood up straight.

Although he trembled slightly under the other party's oppressive aura, he had no choice but to maintain the composure of a national emperor: "Indeed. May I ask what your honorific title is, senior?"

Yan Wuming ignored Xuan Yuanhao's question.

With a flick of his withered fingers, an image stone floated up, projecting a clear picture.

The image depicts a portrait of a handsome young man.

The young man had sharp, sword-like eyebrows and a faint smile playing on his lips, exuding an indescribable ethereal charm.

"Is this person affiliated with your Holy Martial Dynasty?" Yan Wuming's voice suddenly turned cold, and the nine chains moved at a noticeably faster speed, emitting a piercing clang.

Xuan Yuanhao's pupils contracted slightly as he recognized Zhou Qing of the Taiqing Sect at a glance.

But his mind raced, and he suppressed his surprise and doubt, not answering immediately.

"This person."

boom!
A terrifying pressure suddenly descended, causing Xuan Yuanhao's back bones to crack and his knees to buckle, almost causing him to kneel on the ground.

"Yes or no?" Yan Wuming's voice was filled with chilling killing intent.

"I'll get to know him!" Cold sweat beaded on Xuan Yuanhao's forehead. "This man is Zhou Qing of the Taiqing Sect, but I have no connection with him."

Yan Wuming's brow furrowed slightly, and his imposing aura lessened: "Just as I thought."

He turned and looked into the distance. "Lead the way to Taiqing Gate."

Xuanyuan Hao wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, his hand trembling as he pointed ahead: "That's where the Taiqing Sect is located."

Yan Wuming looked in the direction he pointed and saw an endless abyss of clouds and mist. He immediately frowned: "Here?"

"It's just..." Xuan Yuanhao's voice was weak, "...it seems...he just suddenly disappeared."

"Gone?" Yan Wuming laughed in fury, and the nine chains instantly straightened.

He took a step forward, and black ice crystals condensed in the void beneath his feet, instantly placing him above the abyss.

Yan Wuming's sinister gaze swept over the eerie emptiness, and his expression grew increasingly grim.

As soon as they entered the border of the Holy Martial Dynasty, some cultivators recognized the person in the portrait as Zhou Qing, the youngest Spirit Slaying Realm cultivator of the Taiqing Sect.

Following the directions, we headed east and were supposed to find a top-tier sect that dominated the Eastern Region.

But now?

As instructed by their elder brother before they came, they were supposed to massacre the Taiqing Sect, capture those connected to Zhou Qing, and use them as leverage to force him to show himself.

But now you're telling me that a sect that was a hegemon in the Eastern Region has disappeared?
"You two come here!" The Seventh Ancestor Yan Wutian was a burly man with a blood-red giant axe on his back that gleamed with a cold light. He pointed at the two men with his thick fingers.

Xuanyuan Hao and Lu Yuanchen exchanged a glance and then followed.

The group stood suspended in mid-air, with eerie gray mist churning in the abyss below.

The Fifth Ancestor Yan Wuming closed his eyes tightly, the blood lines between his brows flickering between light and dark, and his boundless divine sense swept across every inch of land like a tidal wave.

After a while, he suddenly opened his eyes, a look of surprise flashing in them.

"Are you sure this is the Taiqing Sect?" Yan Wuming stared intently at Xuan Yuanhao. "Is there no other sect with the same name in the Eastern Region?"

Cold sweat beaded on Xuan Yuanhao's forehead: "Reporting to Senior, it's absolutely true. This is indeed the Taiqing Sect where Zhou Qing is..."

"Heh," Yan Wuming suddenly sneered, "Then tell me, where did such a large sect go?"

"This one..." Xuan Yuanhao's Adam's apple bobbed, his voice trembling.

The main problem is that he's still a bit dazed; he genuinely doesn't know!

Yan Wuming narrowed his eyes slightly, and the blood-red vertical lines on his face gleamed with a dark light.

He slowly turned his head, his gaze falling on Consort Chen, whose face was deathly pale.

"Is this your beloved concubine?" Yan Wuming's voice was eerily calm.

Xuanyuan Hao nodded with difficulty.

Yan Wuming's lips slowly curled into a strange smile, and his withered right hand slowly rose.

A wisp of light gathered at my fingertips, and I gently pointed forward—

"boom!"

With a muffled thud, Consort Chen's palace attire suddenly expanded and exploded. Her body shattered like fragile porcelain, each piece of flesh turning into a bloody mist in the air.

Before he could even let out a scream, his soul was torn to pieces by an invisible force.

Finally, even the dissipating blood mist was completely shredded by the nine chains surrounding him, leaving not a trace.

"I'll give you one last chance," Yan Wuming said, withdrawing his fingers as the chains slowly moved around his body.

"Although the Soul-Searching Emperor will suffer some backlash from his luck," he suddenly revealed his gleaming white teeth, "I can still afford this price."

Xuan Yuanhao stared at the blood mist that had just dissipated where Consort Chen had stood, his face turning pale and then red.

He simply couldn't understand what Zhou Qing had done to attract such a terrifying being.

Seeing Yan Wuming closing in step by step, the chains clanging, Xuan Yuanhao hurriedly said, "Three seniors, please be wise! I truly do not know the whereabouts of the Taiqing Sect! I am willing to swear an oath to the Heavenly Dao as proof!"

As he spoke, he pointed three fingers together at the sky: "I, Xuanyuan Hao, swear on the throne of the Human Emperor that if I know the whereabouts of the Taiqing Sect but conceal it, I will gladly accept divine punishment and have my soul and body destroyed!"

"Boom!"

A bolt of purple lightning tore through the clouds, seemingly witnessing this vow.

Upon seeing this, Yan Wuming narrowed his eyes slightly: "I can trust you, but I only want the result."

The sharp ends of the chains binding him suddenly pressed against Xuan Yuanhao's throat. "Understand?"

"This junior understands!" Xuan Yuanhao nodded repeatedly, then suddenly thought of something and said, "By the way, perhaps there are a few places that might know the whereabouts of the Taiqing Sect members."

"Oh, tell me!" Yan Wuming raised an eyebrow and pulled the chain back a little.

Xuan Yuanhao spoke rapidly: "Qingyu Immortal Sect, Jinlei Sect, Tianji Sect, and Cangyan Dao Palace, they are actually one family."

"Lead the way!" Yan Wuming immediately ordered.

“Yes, this way please, seniors!” Xuan Yuanhao immediately bowed and led the way.

……

"Om-"

At the same time, a blue flying boat broke through the clouds and finally arrived at the border of the Holy Martial Dynasty.

Looking down at the familiar mountain and water outlines, Zhou Qing took a deep breath, feeling as if even the wind carried a long-lost fragrance.

He turned to look at the deck—a little girl, about two years old, was crawling around with her bottom sticking out, her chubby little hands patting the deck and giggling.

Noticing Zhou Qing's gaze, she suddenly raised her little face, her dark grape-like eyes lit up, and she opened her arms while babbling.

"Come here, let Daddy hug you!" Zhou Qing smiled and pulled her into his arms.

He gently rubbed her drool-covered chin with his fingertips. "We'll be home soon. When you see your advisors later, you'd better be good and accept their gifts, understand?"

Little Yao Yao was gnawing on her fingers, making a muffled "ah-woo" sound, which smeared his sleeve with drool.

Zhou Qing gently stroked her delicate nose with a loving gesture, then gazed at the distant, layered mountains and sighed softly.

After two years of travel, I have finally set foot on my homeland.

I wonder how my master and the others are doing.

We agreed that we would return in a few decades at most, but we never expected to be trapped in the void for so many years due to an accident.

"The Holy Martial Dynasty has eight prefectures and seventy-two counties. I wonder which prefecture we are in now? And where is the nearest teleportation array?"

He muttered to himself, casually made a hand seal to turn the flying boat around, and prepared to ask someone first.

……

An hour later, the airship was moving steadily forward when a sharp whooshing sound suddenly came from ahead.

A pregnant woman with a protruding belly staggered over, her plain white dress mostly soaked in blood, her hair disheveled, and her face filled with terror.

As she fled in panic, she kept looking back, clearly on the verge of exhaustion.

A hundred feet behind her, two cultivators dressed in black robes and wearing bamboo hats were in hot pursuit.

The half of his face visible beneath the bamboo hat was as cold as ice, and his body emanated a powerful spiritual pressure reminiscent of the early Nascent Soul stage.

Each of them held a short blade that gleamed with a cold light, the tips of which were still dripping with undried blood.

"Senior, save me—" The pregnant woman's eyes lit up with a desperate glint when she saw the flying boat.

He immediately turned around and sped towards them, his voice trembling with tears, "Please, senior, have mercy!"

Zhou Qing frowned slightly.

In the cultivation world, the strong prey on the weak, and murder and robbery are commonplace. He was already used to it and didn't want to get involved, nor could he possibly manage it.

But out of the corner of his eye, he saw Yao Yao in his arms staring curiously at the pregnant woman's bulging belly with her big, round eyes.

Looking again at the woman's pale face and blood-stained body, he finally sighed softly, holding Yao Yao in his left arm and making a grasping motion in the air with his right—

"Whoosh!"

The woman felt a gentle yet irresistible force instantly envelop her, and in a flash, she landed steadily on the deck of the airship.

She trembled violently, ignoring the cold sweat on her forehead, and hurriedly knelt down to pay her respects: "This humble servant, Deng Nianyue, kowtows to thank you for saving my life, senior!"

Little Yao Yao perched on Zhou Qing's shoulder, blinking her big eyes as she looked at the disheveled stranger with a face full of curiosity.

"Huh! Huh!"

The sound of something cutting through the air suddenly drew closer, and two pursuers hovered in front of the flying boat on their flying swords.

Beneath their straw hats, the two men's eyes were sinister. When they saw the silver-patterned mask on Zhou Qing's face that gleamed with a cold light, they visibly froze.

Those who possess flying boats of this quality are no ordinary cultivators.

What alarmed them even more was that no matter how they investigated, they could not sense any fluctuations in this person's cultivation level.

The black-clad cultivator's sinister eyes flashed, but he finally clasped his hands in a salute: "Fellow Daoist, if you meddle in other people's business, it may bring you death. I advise you not to interfere in other people's affairs."

Zhou Qing frowned slightly, too lazy to even lift his eyelids. With a change of hand seals, the flying boat's spiritual patterns swirled, and it was about to turn and leave.

"Insolence!" The two men in black were furious when they saw this, and their storage bags at their waists lit up with a blood-red light, blocking the way from the left and right.

At this critical moment——

"Fellow Daoist—"

A cold, aged laugh suddenly echoed through the heavens and earth.

Where the sound waves passed, the clouds froze, and the airship's protective shield trembled slightly.

"boom!"

As the void trembled, a hunched figure stepped through the air.

The old man was dressed in a gray-white linen robe, and his withered, slender fingers resembled eagle claws, with his nails displaying an eerie bluish-black hue.

His face was crisscrossed with wrinkles, but the most terrifying thing was his eyes—they had no pupils, only a murky gray-white, which rotated eerily slowly in their sockets.

As the old man approached, a suffocating pressure descended upon him.

Deng Nianyue trembled violently, her legs gave way and she collapsed to the ground, her lips trembling as she squeezed out a few words: "A...a Nascent Soul Realm old monster."

She looked at Zhou Qing in horror, only to see her savior still calmly standing in the same spot, his eyes beneath the silver mask undisturbed.

Even the little girl in his arms was curiously reaching out to grab the drifting clouds, completely unaffected by the oppressive force.

Deng Nianyue felt much more at ease. It seemed that this senior was at least at the Nascent Soul stage!
She fought back her fear and pleaded in a trembling voice, "Senior... please don't hand me over."

Zhou Qing lowered his gaze slightly, glanced indifferently at the old man, and then turned to Deng Nianyue: "Why did they arrest you?"

Deng Nianyue's face turned deathly pale, and she shook her head tremblingly: "I truly don't know. But they've captured many pregnant women like me."

Her voice choked with emotion, "If my husband hadn't self-destructed his Nascent Soul to buy me a chance to live, I would probably be imprisoned on that black ship right now."

Before he could finish speaking, a cold glint flashed in Zhou Qing's eyes, and he immediately realized something.

He remembered the secret formula for the Spirit Severing Realm that the old emperor Xuanyuan Chong possessed, and the forty-sixth secret herb was the [Seven Emotions Soul-Severing Grass].

This herb needs to be planted in the womb of a pregnant woman when she is about to give birth, so that it can grow by taking advantage of the newborn baby's innate energy.

After seven years of gestation and nurturing, and experiencing seven extreme emotions—joy, anger, worry, contemplation, grief, fear, and shock—the heart is extracted to refine this medicinal ingredient.

Could it be——

Just as Zhou Qing was pondering, the gray-robed old man spoke in a sinister tone: "Fellow Daoist, cultivation is not easy. Don't offend someone you can't afford to offend for the sake of some ants."

A cold glint flashed in Zhou Qing's eyes: "Is the person behind you from the royal family?"

The old man's cloudy, grayish-white pupils suddenly contracted, and his brows furrowed even more: "Who exactly are you?"

Seeing the old man's reaction, Zhou Qing understood.

As expected, it was that old scoundrel Xuanyuan Chong again, collecting materials to refine the Seven Emotions Soul-Severing Grass.

He had previously guessed that Yuan Chong would secretly keep some ordinary women.

After all, this kind of thing can't be done in the open, so keeping them in captivity and controlling them is the safest option.

Unexpectedly, this old fellow has become so unscrupulous that he actually sent people out to capture female cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage.

It seems that it's not just about acquiring more materials, but more likely an attempt to improve the formula and increase the success rate?
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but hug Yao Yao tighter, his eyes filled with a chilling light.

"You..." Zhou Qing's voice suddenly calmed down, a calmness that sent chills down one's spine, "You all deserve to die."

Before the words were even finished, the previously clear sky suddenly changed color.

Thick, dark clouds gathered at a visible speed, obscuring the sun in the blink of an eye.

In the clouds, streaks of purple-gold lightning darted through like dragons, emitting a chilling crackling sound.

The entire world trembled under this terrifying pressure.

The three old men turned deathly pale instantly, and the two black-clad cultivators' legs went weak, almost unable to stand.

"One thought can influence celestial phenomena?!" The old man's voice trembled violently, his gray pupils contracted sharply, "You...you are a powerful expert at the Spirit Severing Realm?!"

He trembled violently and immediately knelt in mid-air, kowtowing heavily to the ground: "Junior Wang Muchen was blind and had no intention of offending Senior. Please forgive me!"

Zhou Qing snorted coldly, a glint of cold light flashing in his eyes: "To act as an accomplice to evil deserves death!"

"boom!!!"

A deafening thunderclap exploded.

Nine bolts of purple-gold lightning, each as thick as a water bucket, struck simultaneously, their blinding light illuminating an area of ​​hundreds of miles around.

The three old men didn't even have time to scream before they were reduced to ashes in the lightning.

Their physical bodies, magical artifacts, and even their souls were all reduced to ashes by this attack, completely disappearing into the world.

Deng Nianyue stared blankly at the scene, her lips trembling, but she couldn't utter a sound.

The high and mighty Nascent Soul stage monster... just like that, he died?
And the person in front of us is actually a legendary expert at the Spirit Severing Realm?
(End of this chapter)