The head master has a new female apprentice

Chapter 444 Did I let you leave? (6k)

Looking at the scene before her, Deng Nianyue felt as if she were in a dream, and everything seemed so unreal.

It should be noted that in the vast Holy Martial Dynasty, there are only seventeen experts at the Spirit Severing Realm.

Which of these beings isn't a legendary figure, high above and rarely seen?
Who could have imagined that Deng Nianyue would one day encounter such a powerful and influential person, let alone be saved by him?

Thinking of this, she quickly forced herself to sit up, not bothering to straighten her disheveled clothes, and respectfully knelt on the ground: "Junior Deng Nianyue kowtows to thank Senior for saving my life!"

Zhou Qing's gaze swept lightly over Deng Nianyue, his voice calm yet unquestionable: "Take me to that black ship you mentioned."

"Yes, senior!" Deng Nianyue replied respectfully, a hint of relief at surviving a disaster flashing in her eyes.

……

The two piloted their flying boat through the clouds and mist, and after about half an incense stick's time, a vast mountain range came into view.

In the heart of the mountains, a giant, jet-black flying ship hovered silently, like a lurking beast.

The flying boat was about a hundred feet long, and its surface was covered with strange dark red patterns that gleamed with a blood-red luster in the sunlight.

Dozens of thick chains extend from both sides of the ship, hanging down to the ground like tentacles.

The entire ship was completely silent, eerily so.

Just then, a whooshing sound came from afar.

Five Nascent Soul cultivators arrived on swords, dragging a cage made of refined iron in the middle.

A dozen pregnant women were huddled in the cage, ranging in cultivation level from the lowest Golden Core stage to the strongest Nascent Soul stage. At this moment, they were all dressed in rags, covered in blood, and trembling.

Some people clutched their swollen bellies and sobbed softly, while others stared blankly out of the cage.

"Hurry up!" the leading Nascent Soul cultivator urged sharply.

As he made a hand seal, a crack suddenly appeared on the side of the flying boat, and the heavy chain door slowly drooped down.

Several monks roughly pulled on the chains, and the cage rose toward the hatch with a piercing creak.

Through the crack of the closing door, one could vaguely see the scattered iron cages inside the cabin, and more blurry figures inside the cages.

"Senior, this is the place!" Deng Nianyue covered her swollen belly with one hand and pointed tremblingly at the sinister black flying boat with the other.

Her pale face was filled with fear, and her voice trembled slightly.

Zhou Qing nodded slightly, turned around and gently placed Xiao Yaoyao on the deck of the flying boat.

Then he took out the Soul Nourishing Jade where Han Yi was and placed it beside him, and set up a protective array around it.

The formation immediately emitted a soft light, enveloping Xiao Yaoyao within it.

"Yaoyao, be good and play here for a while." Zhou Qing gently pinched his daughter's little nose, making little Yaoyao giggle. "Daddy will be back soon."

The moment he turned around, the gentle smile on his face vanished.

Instead, there was a chilling, murderous intent.

“Look after my daughter for me!” Zhou Qing said coldly.

Deng Nianyue nodded quickly: "Senior, rest assured! This junior will protect you with my life!"

Zhou Qing nodded slightly and took a step forward—

"call out!"

His figure appeared instantly above the black flying boat, his robes fluttering in the wind.

In an instant, someone inside the flying boat sensed this undisguised aura, and hundreds of figures rushed out as if swarming out!

In the blink of an eye, Zhou Qing was surrounded.

The five black-robed leaders were all at the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul Realm, while the remaining people were thirty percent Nascent Soul Realm cultivators and the rest were all Nascent Soul Realm cultivators.

Even the Taiqing Sect back then would have had to give way to such a large-scale arrest team.

Looking across the entire Holy Martial Dynasty, apart from those dozen or so elusive Spirit Slaying Realm experts, who else would dare to provoke them easily?

After all, as long as they don't encounter someone at the Spirit Severing Realm, this team can practically run rampant.

Furthermore, the probability of encountering someone at the Spirit Severing Realm is incredibly low.

Moreover, almost all the Spirit Severing Realm experts in the Holy Martial Dynasty today have broken through thanks to the secret medicine of the Xuanyuan royal family.

Even if they do encounter each other, as long as they reveal their royal identity, most of those powerful beings at the Spirit Severing Realm will turn a blind eye.

Given this background, what else do they have to worry about?
However, in that split second, the five Nascent Soul Realm cultivators at the forefront suddenly trembled.

Their spiritual senses keenly detected the terrifying aura emanating from Zhou Qing—a pressure that only a Spirit Severing Realm expert could possess!
The five men's expressions changed drastically, and they quickly bowed respectfully: "We don't know what brings you here, senior? Is there anything we can do to help you?"

Zhou Qing coldly stared at the person who was speaking at the head of the group, and slowly raised his hand to point out.

"come over."

The cultivator at the peak of the Nascent Soul realm had no time to react before he was uncontrollably lifted into the air and instantly appeared in front of Zhou Qing.

He stared wide-eyed in terror, and before he could even beg for mercy, Zhou Qing's slender fingers were already touching his brow.

"what--!!!"

The shrill screams pierced the sky.

The cultivator at the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul Realm convulsed violently, his eyes rolled back, and blood continuously seeped from his seven orifices.

Zhou Qing's divine sense pierced directly into his sea of ​​consciousness like a sharp blade, ruthlessly flipping through all his memories.

"This..." Upon seeing this, the other four Great Perfection Nascent Soul Realm cultivators' expressions changed drastically, and they immediately stepped forward in unison: "Senior, do you know us?"

"Noisy!"

Zhou Qing let out a cold shout, and the pressure of the Spirit Severing Realm erupted.

In an instant, the world changed color, and the spiritual energy within a radius of hundreds of miles was stagnant.

Hundreds of cultivators groaned simultaneously, as if crushed by an invisible mountain, all kneeling on one knee in the void, unable to move.

Some people tried to struggle, but found that their spiritual energy was completely stagnant.

Someone tried to unleash a magical weapon, only to find that they couldn't even move their fingers.

At this moment, they finally truly understood what it meant to be "below the spirit, all are but ants"!
A moment later, Zhou Qing completed the soul search.

His eyes flashed even colder, just as he had expected—these people had been secretly capturing pregnant female cultivators for nearly a hundred years.

Because of their secretive actions and the backing of the royal family, almost no one noticed.

The pregnant women who were arrested were eventually sent to a secret location in the capital.

Each time they transported the pregnant women, they simply placed the cages in the designated location and left. They never inquired about where the pregnant women ended up or what happened to them.

The royals would pay them a generous reward afterward.

In addition, the Xuanyuan royal family also provided them with specially made tokens.

If, unfortunately, one encounters a Spirit Severing Realm expert who tries to obstruct them, simply revealing this decree will cause those Spirit Severing Realm experts who have benefited from the royal family to tacitly choose to turn a blind eye.

What's alarming is that there were as many as 36 such arrest teams!
They were scattered across the eight prefectures and seventy-two counties of the Holy Martial Dynasty, secretly carrying out this inhumane hunt.
"Hmph!" Lightning flashed in Zhou Qing's eyes, and the old man who had just had his soul searched convulsed.

When he met Zhou Qing's murderous gaze hidden behind his mask, he was terrified and cried out, "Senior, please spare me!"

"boom!"

Before he could finish speaking, the old man's body exploded as if by a thunderous roar, his flesh and blood flying everywhere, and even his soul was pulverized by the purple lightning!

Upon seeing this, the other cultivators who were imprisoned by the oppressive force immediately turned ashen-faced.

How could this be a Spirit Slaying Realm that benefits from the royal family?
He's clearly an unruly and wicked star!
"Senior, you are wise!" A Nascent Soul cultivator at the peak of his cultivation gritted his teeth and tried to pull out his token. "We are nothing but lackeys who do things for money!"

"If you have grievances against the royal family, you can go directly to the capital to find the person in charge. Why take your anger out on us ants?"

"Don't worry." Zhou Qing's voice was chillingly cold. "I'll find that old dog, Xuan Yuan Chong, myself. As for you—"

He slowly raised his right hand, his palm crackling with lightning. "Let him go and scout the way to the Yellow Springs first!"

"boom--!!!"

A torrential downpour of purple-gold lightning filled the sky, each arc striking a cultivator precisely on the head.

In an instant, screams rose and fell, and hundreds of Nascent Soul and Deity Transformation cultivators were reduced to ashes under the overwhelming power of heaven without even a chance to resist!

On the distant airship, Deng Nianyue watched this earth-shattering scene, tears blurring her vision.

The joy of avenging her husband and the grief of losing him intertwined, causing her to kneel on the deck and weep uncontrollably.

After killing the man, Zhou Qing coldly swept his gaze toward the sinister black flying boat.

He raised his hand and waved it, and in an instant, thousands of purple-gold lightning snakes surged out, enveloping the entire flying ship like divine punishment.

"Rumble--"

Amidst a deafening roar of thunder, the outer shell of the black airship shattered inch by inch.

With the final layer of restrictions torn apart by lightning, the interior of the flying boat was completely exposed to the light of day.

Hundreds of iron cages were neatly arranged, each containing several ragged and haggard pregnant women.

The blinding sunlight suddenly shone into the dark cabin, and the women instinctively raised their hands to shield their eyes, their faces filled with confusion and fear.

The lowest cultivation level among them was only Golden Core, while the highest had even reached the late Nascent Soul stage, yet they were all as weak as mortals at this moment.

Zhou Qing pointed his fingers like a sword and pointed it in mid-air.

"Shh-"

The sealing talismans on all the cages shattered instantly, and the iron locks broke apart.

The women only snapped out of their daze when the cage door opened by itself with a loud clang.

"We're saved?" A woman in a blue dress touched the open cage door with trembling hands, tears instantly welling up in her eyes.

"It was that senior who saved us!"

In an instant, cries and screams rose and fell.

Nearly a thousand pregnant women stumbled and crawled out of the cages; some knelt down and wept, while others embraced and wept together.

When they saw the figure standing in mid-air, they all knelt down without prior agreement, their foreheads slamming heavily against the deck.
"Thank you, senior, for saving your life!"

"Waaaah, my esteemed senior, you have shown me such great kindness and virtue!"

……

Zhou Qingjing stood in the void, his eyes flickering slightly beneath the mask. He then said nothing more and returned directly to the flying boat.

"You can go now." Zhou Qing gently picked up Xiao Yaoyao, who was holding the Soul-Nourishing Jade, his voice indifferent.

Deng Nianyue's eyes were red, and suddenly, as if she had made up her mind, she wiped away her tears and knelt on the deck: "Senior, I am about to give birth and, as a mother myself, I know best how to care for an infant."

Her voice trembled, "This junior dares to be so bold as to beg you, senior, for a chance..."

Before she could finish speaking, a gentle yet irresistible force lifted her up and carried her directly outside the airship.

"What?" Zhou Qing's voice, hidden behind his mask, suddenly turned cold. "Do you think my child doesn't have a mother?"

Deng Nianyue's face turned deathly pale, and she hurriedly knelt in mid-air, stammering, "No, no! This junior had absolutely no such intention! It's just..."

She explained incoherently, but the flying boat had already turned into a streak of light and disappeared into the horizon.

Watching the receding black dot, Deng Nianyue covered her mouth in regret.

Just now on the airship, the lingering scent of milk and diapers was clearly the kind of aroma one develops from raising an infant for a long time. If you were just taking a child out for a short trip, the smell wouldn't be so strong.

This powerful being who had slain spirits was indeed raising a young girl all by himself.
She had originally hoped to take advantage of this opportunity to secure a future for herself and her unborn child.

After all, being able to follow such a powerful figure not only ensures safety and security, but also guarantees a limitless future for the child.

However, his cleverness backfired, and he angered the other party instead.

"I will never forget your great kindness, senior," she said, bowing solemnly towards the sky. "May you and your daughter be safe and happy."

……

Deep within the clouds, a cyan flying boat pierced the sky, speeding towards the northwest.

According to the information obtained from the soul search, this place belongs to the Moon Concealment Prefecture, one of the seventy-two prefectures of the Holy Martial Dynasty. In the central area of ​​the Moon Concealment Prefecture, there is a teleportation array that leads to other prefectures.

However, Zhou Qing did not intend to use these conventional teleportation arrays—they took too long.

It was far slower than the [Hidden Dragon Path] that he had previously cracked with the help of Sikong Yan.

This is a secret teleportation channel exclusively for the imperial capital. As long as he gets close to a specific area, he can sense and activate it with the token in his hand, thereby instantly traversing thousands of miles.

At most three months, we will be able to return to the Eastern Region!
Thinking of this, Zhou Qing felt a warmth in his heart, and his gaze fell on the Soul-Nourishing Jade that Yao Yao was tightly holding in her arms.

Han Yi's illusory figure slept peacefully within, her face lifelike, and the gentleness of her former self still faintly visible in her eyes.

During his journey over the past two years, he not only completed the crafting of the Four-Colored Spirit Gathering Array, but also gradually refined the Xuanming Cold Crystal obtained from the forbidden creature mine into the Soul Nourishing Jade.

Sure enough, this supreme treasure of the cold element greatly benefited Han Yi's soul recovery!
For a fleeting moment, he even clearly sensed a faint spiritual fluctuation emanating from the Soul-Nourishing Jade… Unfortunately, Han Yi soon fell back into a deep sleep.

Even so, Zhou Qing was overjoyed.

On ordinary days, he would give the Soul-Nourishing Jade to Yao Yao to carry with her, so that she would know from a young age that her mother had always been with her as she grew up.

Yao Yao once said that she had never seen her mother's face, nor had she ever seen her father's smile.

This time, we will not let her have any regrets.

He wanted his daughter to know—

She has a mother who loves her deeply, and a father who is willing to accompany her as she grows up.

Once he returned to the Eastern Region and settled things at the Taiqing Sect, he planned to temporarily entrust Yao Yao to the care of his master and senior brothers and sisters.

Then--

I return to Nanhuang Prefecture alone!
Blood debts must be repaid in blood!
Once everything is settled, he will return to find the best Heavenly Qi, accompany Yao Yao in her cultivation, and help her establish her foundation and form her core...

May her life be complete.

Afterwards, the father and daughter went together to find the Blood Phoenix Essence Blood to revive Han Yi.

"Ok?"

Two days later, Zhou Qing suddenly sensed something, and a glint flashed in his eyes.

He scooped Yao Yao up in his arms, waved his hand to create a protective barrier, and then suddenly tore open the space in front of him—

"Buzz!"

A crack appeared in the space, and Zhou Qing took out the [Hidden Dragon Path] token without hesitation and stepped inside!
……

Three months later!

Holding Yao Yao in his arms, Zhou Qinghuai headed straight for the Eastern Region with great anticipation.

In another hour, he will be able to see his master, senior brother, and senior sister.

It would be a lie to say I wasn't excited.

however--

An hour later, as he stood before an endless abyss, the smile on his face suddenly froze.

His pupils contracted slightly, his gaze swept around, and he even wondered if he had gone to the wrong place.

But soon, a chill ran up his spine and up to his head, and his face turned deathly pale!

"No...impossible..."

He suddenly rushed towards the edge of the abyss, his immense divine sense sweeping out like a tidal wave—

"Master!! Senior Brother!! Senior Sister!!"

No one responded.

He then quickly took out his sect token and frantically channeled his spiritual power, trying to contact anyone—

Still no response!

Zhou Qing rushed into the abyss like a madman, meticulously probing every inch of the land with his divine sense, only to discover—

The entire Taiqing Sect has vanished!
There were no building ruins, no signs of battle, and not even a single corpse.

In some areas, the rock walls are even as smooth as a mirror, as if they were cut off by some unimaginable force!

"Who...who could do something like this?!"

Zhou Qing's heart was pounding, and his breathing became rapid.

For some reason, he suddenly remembered that when he had just broken through to the Spirit Severing Realm and was briefly staying at the sect, a giant hand that blotted out the sky reached out from the void, trying to grab the entire Taiqing Sect!

And now, even the forbidden area of ​​the cave is gone!

That ancient tree, imbued with innate spirit, possesses intelligence. If faced with the threat of annihilation, it would never sit idly by and wait for its demise!
Not to mention, beneath the tree lay six coffins, each containing the slumbering spirit-slaying realm expert—

Like the Flame Crocodile King, and the Ghost King who was transformed from the former sect leader, the Azure Dragon True Man...

In addition to the three-colored protective array he personally crafted, the Lu sisters, and the three corpse wax crows that could reach the mid-stage of the Spirit Severing Realm after devouring each other...

Even if the entire Xuanyuan royal family were to come out, it would be impossible for them to destroy the Taiqing Sect so quietly!

unless--

It is the owner of that giant hand!

Zhou Qing suddenly looked up, his eyes flashing with cold light.

"Right, let's go to the other major sects!" In the next instant, he suddenly woke up, picked up Yao Yao, leaped onto the flying boat, and transformed into a streak of light, speeding away.

Taiqing Sect, now the main sect, has several teleportation arrays on its back mountain that it acquired from the Wanxiang Auction House, which directly connect to other sects.

They must know what happened.

Not long after, when Zhou Qing appeared at the Qingyu Immortal Sect with Yao Yao, he froze in mid-air as if struck by lightning.

The once magnificent Qingyu Immortal Sect has now been reduced to scorched earth.

The protective array of the mountain was shattered, and all the peaks inside and outside collapsed. Among the broken walls and ruins, there were still unextinguished spiritual flames.

Thick smoke obscured the sky, even turning the setting sun blood red.

The air was filled with the pungent smell of blood, mixed with the stench of burning.

The ground was littered with shattered fragments of magical artifacts and charred corpses, some of which were instantly killed while still in their fleeing postures.

"How is this possible?" Zhou Qing's voice trembled as he rushed deeper into the sect, carrying Yao Yao in his arms.

Unlike the mysterious disappearance of Taiqing Sect, this place was truly and utterly bloodied!

He landed on a collapsed main peak, his feet surrounded by shattered magical artifacts and charred corpses.

Suddenly, his pupils contracted, and he stared intently ahead—

Mysterious Fairy!

The sect leader of Qingyu Immortal Sect, who had almost forced himself to cultivate with him, was now impaled on the broken sect jade tablet by five jet-black longswords.

Her body was already cold, her face was pale, but her eyes were still wide open, revealing resentment and horror.

Black blood soaked through her blue feather robe, flowing down the jade tablet and congealing into shocking streaks of blood.

Zhou Qing approached step by step, his throat tightening: "Who...who did this?!"

Just then, he suddenly turned around and scanned a pile of ruins with his divine sense!
"boom!"

With a loud bang, the collapsed palace ruins were blown away by an invisible force.

Beneath the ruins, a dying figure lay in a pool of blood.

"Senior Sister Yuan Ya!" Upon seeing the person's appearance, Zhou Qing rushed over instantly, knelt down on one knee, and helped her up.

Yuan Ya's nascent soul was nearly destroyed, her meridians were broken, and her sea of ​​consciousness was depleted.

She struggled to open her eyes, and upon seeing Zhou Qing's face, a glimmer of light suddenly appeared in her dim eyes: "Zhou... Zhou Qing..."

Without saying a word, Zhou Qing immediately poured in spiritual power, only to discover in despair that her nascent soul had already been shattered into pieces and her life force was rapidly slipping away.

"Don't speak, take this pill first!" He quickly took out a pill, but Yuan Ya shook her head slightly and said with a bitter smile, "It's no use... I... can't hold on much longer..."

Then she stared intently at the familiar face before her, tears welling in her dim eyes: "It's so good to see you before I die."

Before she could finish speaking, she suddenly coughed violently, and black blood spilled from the corner of her mouth.

Zhou Qing quickly took out the entire bottle of pills to feed her, but she weakly pushed it away: "No need. It's a waste."

"Don't be willful!" Zhou Qing looked at the scar on her face that had always served as a warning to him, and forcibly stuffed the pill into her mouth.

As the medicine took effect, a faint blush finally appeared on Yuan Ya's pale face, but it quickly faded back to ashen.

Zhou Qing's heart was breaking, but she had no choice but to press for answers: "Senior Sister Yuan Ya, what exactly happened? Who did it? Where is the Taiqing Sect?"

With the support of the pills, Yuan Ya's breathing became slightly more stable, and her speech was no longer intermittent.

"Three months ago, the three peak masters and core disciples stationed here suddenly received an urgent order from the Taiqing Sect and hurriedly returned to the sect."

She struggled to sit up and continued, "But I've heard the sect leader analyze that the Taiqing Sect has been in a difficult situation these past few years."

"It seems to be because of a secret technique you used in the capital back then, which helped someone kill a powerful expert at the Great Perfection of the Spirit Severing Realm."

"The Xuanyuan royal family has always coveted this secret technique, and over the years they have continuously sent people to infiltrate the Taiqing Sect to secretly investigate it."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qing's pupils suddenly contracted, and an overwhelming killing intent erupted instantly!
A violent surge of spiritual energy swept outwards from him, and the ruins and debris within a radius of dozens of feet were pulverized under this pressure, turning into dust that scattered in all directions.

"Xuanyuan Chong, he dares—!"

Back then, the Blood Pact Pavilion's number 47 silver-ranked assassin came to capture Shen Yunzhou in order to lure Han Yi into a trap.

However, upon leaving, he discovered Yao Yao, who also had silver hair, and mistakenly thought she was Han Yi's closed-door disciple.

In desperation, he had no choice but to use the "Five-Five Calligraphy" to fight back, and finally killed him with the help of Han Yi and Zhao Muye.

That so-called secret technique was nothing more than a pretense he made up on the spot!

“I never expected,” Zhou Qing’s voice was icy cold, “that after all these years, the Xuanyuan family would dare to extend their reach into the Taiqing Sect!”

He suppressed his anger and asked in a deep voice, "And then?"

Yuan Ya's pupils dilated slightly, and her voice suddenly became clear: "After that, we didn't see anyone from the Taiqing Sect for half a month. Although we found it strange, we thought it was probably because the sect was busy with affairs."

She suddenly gasped for breath, her chest heaving violently: "Until...until three months ago"

Her voice suddenly turned shrill: "A figure dressed in a dragon robe, leading a black flying boat that blots out the sky, descended upon the Azure Feather Immortal Sect!"

(End of this chapter)