The head master has a new female apprentice

Chapter 446 Zhou Qing, how could it be you? (6k)

The first pregnant women imprisoned here exchanged glances.

Having witnessed the arrival and death of two groups of escorts, they vaguely understood that this person was waiting for them to come to them.

This realization completely extinguished the flame of hope that had just been ignited in their eyes.

"It's the Spirit Severing Realm."

Someone murmured softly, their voice filled with despair.

The fact that they could easily kill beings at the Nascent Soul stage, yet showed no intention of letting them leave, can only mean one thing: they were all to be eliminated alive.

The female cultivators in the iron cage immediately curled up, some of them beginning to sob silently.

They simply couldn't understand who they had offended.
What kind of conspiracy did they get caught up in to end up like this?

Three days later, the familiar roar came from outside the mountains again.

The restrictive runes on the stone gate lit up one by one, emitting an eerie red glow in the darkness.

With a muffled thud as the mechanism turned, the heavy stone door began to move slowly.
……

Until one month later!
Zhou Qing, who had been sitting cross-legged in the dark corner, suddenly opened his eyes, a cold glint flashing in them.

Just then, faint footsteps came from the passage outside the stone gate.

Unlike the arrogance of Nascent Soul cultivators in the past, these footsteps were as light as a feather, yet carried a certain rhythm that made one's heart tremble.

He stood up slowly.

Meanwhile, inside the dark cave, the number of iron cages had surged to over five hundred, imprisoning more than three thousand pregnant women.

They all looked at Zhou Qing almost simultaneously.

Over the past month, they have witnessed this silent man slaughter wave after wave of escorts.

Initially, I thought he was an assassin sent to silence me, but now a new expectation has arisen within me—

Perhaps they misjudged his identity from the beginning; he might actually have saved them.

After all, even they didn't know that such a huge force was operating behind the scenes.

Every few days, a new flying boat would arrive, each time led by a new Nascent Soul cultivator at the Great Perfection stage.

This is something that no small force could accomplish.

The reason for not letting people leave is to avoid alerting the enemy.

He was waiting, waiting for the real mastermind to show up.

But at this moment, seeing the other party's unusually solemn expression, all the pregnant women felt a tremor in their hearts.

They all held their breath in unison, and the entire cave fell into a deathly silence.

The sound of footsteps, "tap, tap, tap," grew louder as it approached, but then eerily stopped in front of the stone gate.

Zhou Qing frowned slightly, his right hand unconsciously touching the hilt of the tetanus sword.

"woo"

Just then, a pregnant woman in the iron cage suddenly covered her mouth and let out a barely audible sob.

Seeing this, the other pregnant women immediately realized what was happening and also started crying.

Yes, it's too quiet, almost unnaturally quiet.

In an instant, cries echoed through the cave as more than three thousand pregnant women spontaneously participated in this unexpected "performance."

Seeing this, Zhou Qing gave a bitter smile.

These pregnant female cultivators, though acting out of good intentions, have made things worse—one moment they were completely silent, and the next they are all weeping, which would arouse suspicion in anyone.

The saying "pregnancy makes you stupid for three years" seems to apply even to the cultivation world.

The next instant, Zhou Qing's pupils split into blood-red double pupils, his gaze piercing the stone door like a sharp arrow.

When he saw the figure outside the door, a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

"Xuanyuan Sha—"

He had seen this person before, and had even been hunted down by him.

Besides the former emperor Xuanyuan Chong, the current emperor Xuanyuan Hao, and Prince Xuanyuan Shuo, he is the fourth and last hidden Spirit Severing Realm expert of the Xuanyuan royal family.

Back when Sikong Yan led him to infiltrate the abandoned royal ancestral land in search of the secret formula for slaying spirits, he saw the corpses of geniuses from past generations who had failed to break through despite taking the formula in that gloomy underground palace.

The corpses were collected and refined, solely to extract three "Blood Spirit Dao-Slaying Pills" from their remaining medicinal properties.

That was an evil pill that condensed the life essence of two thousand geniuses. Taking it would give one a 40% success rate in breaking through to the Spirit Severing Realm, and there was no risk of the body exploding.

At that time, it was Xuanyuan Sha who first discovered Sikong Yan. While the two were locked in fierce combat, he took the opportunity to sneak into the medicine cauldron and steal the three pills.

Unfortunately, Emperor Xuanyuan Hao arrived in time, and with the two powerful figures joining forces, they had no choice but to flee in panic.

What's more troublesome is that the pill had already been marked with a tracking mark, and he ultimately had to detonate it in order to escape using the [Hidden Dragon Path] teleportation channel.

At this moment, through the vision of his double pupils, Zhou Qing could clearly see that Xuan Yuan Sha frowned after hearing the crying.

He cautiously took three steps back, and a golden halberd suddenly appeared in his hand.

The halberd is simple and unadorned, yet it exudes a solemn and austere aura accumulated over the years.

Xuanyuan Sha's posture in holding the halberd was extremely unique. He held the handle with his left hand and held it loosely with his right. As he turned his wrist slightly, the tip of the halberd suddenly burst out with dazzling golden light.

Especially on the Gobi Desert, countless dancing runes appeared—these were the "Golden Edict Runes" exclusively belonging to the royal family.

"Zheng——"

The blade trembled, emitting a clear, resonant sound.

The sound seemed to carry a special rhythm, causing the fetuses in the wombs of the three thousand pregnant women inside the cave to stir simultaneously.

Zhou Qing's gaze turned cold, and he no longer hesitated.

"boom--"

Suddenly, purple-gold lightning arcs surged around him, and the thunder exploded violently. His figure broke through the black stone gate like a bolt of lightning.

The moment the stone gate shattered, before the rubble even hit the ground, Xuan Yuan Sha's eyes were already firmly locked onto Zhou Qing's figure.

"Fellow Daoist, you shouldn't have come here!"

Xuanyuan Sha's voice was as cold as iron, and he suddenly raised the Xingtian Halberd in his hand!
The dark red bloodstains on the halberd suddenly lit up, revealing countless tiny golden runes that wrapped around the halberd like moving chains, radiating an imperial aura that suppressed the eight wastelands!

Zhou Qing's expression was cold and stern. He didn't say a word, but suddenly clenched his right hand, and purple-gold lightning surged from his palm!

"Thorn--!"

A lightning spear instantly materialized, its body crackling with electric snakes, and the space at its tip distorted, emitting a piercing tearing sound!
The next instant, the lightning spear pierced the air!

Extremely fast!

So fast that it didn't even leave an afterimage!

"Thorn-"

The lightning spear was extremely fast, arriving almost instantly.

Xuanyuan Sha merely turned slightly to the side and gently swung the Xingtian Halberd in his hand.

"clang!!!"

The clash of weapons was deafening, and the thunderous spears exploded, transforming into countless lightning bolts that scattered across the sky.

However, the scattered lightning did not dissipate. Instead, it suddenly turned in mid-air and reformed like a living thing, transforming into nine purple-gold lightning dragons that roared and pounced on Xuanyuan Sha!
"Thunder magic taking human form?" Xuan Yuan Sha frowned, and his battle halberd trembled violently.

The runes on the halberd suddenly burst forth with golden light, forming a golden barrier around him.

"Boom! Boom boom boom!"

The thunder dragon repeatedly struck the barrier, creating deafening explosions.

Although Xuanyuan Sha's defenses were not breached, the ground beneath his feet had cracked, and his figure shifted back slightly by half an inch.

In that instant of vulnerability, Zhou Qing closed in, a broken sword suddenly appearing in his hand!
"Om-"

The broken sword sliced ​​through the air without making a sound; only the space itself slightly distorted where the sword's edge passed.

Xuanyuan Sha's pupils contracted sharply, and he almost instinctively raised his spear to block.

"when!!!"

Swords clashed, sparks flew!
Xuanyuan Sha felt an indescribable sharpness pass through the halberd, as if it could cut through everything, which made the tiger's mouth holding the halberd go numb slightly!

"Who exactly are you?" Xuan Yuan Sha roared, a hint of seriousness in his eyes.

"The one who will kill you!" Zhou Qing said coldly, his hands suddenly forming a hand seal.

"Om-"

Suddenly, obscure array patterns lit up beneath their feet. Xuan Yuan Sha's pupils shrank sharply, and he tried to pull away, but it was too late!
"Shh!"

Space distorted, and in the next instant, the two had vanished from their original spot.

-

"boom!!!"

Xuanyuan Sha's feet touched the ground, and the scene before him suddenly changed!

It was no longer a dark cave, but a desolate canyon!
The four walls are towering, the rock peaks are like swords, and the sky is blocked by a distorted barrier of light, forming a natural arena!
"Teleportation array?!" Xuan Yuan Sha's expression darkened. He suddenly looked around, his spiritual energy surging, and he was on high alert.

However, before he could react—

“Crack—!”

The entire canyon suddenly trembled!

Immediately afterwards, four-colored runes lit up on the ground, rock walls, and sky at the same time!
Four beams of restrictive light—cyan, red, white, and black—soared into the sky, weaving together to form a vast net that completely sealed off the entire canyon!
Zhou Qing's figure slowly emerged from mid-air, his body wrapped in purple-gold lightning, his eyes as cold as blades.

At this moment, Xuanyuan Sha finally saw the figure in the air and looked on in disbelief.

"Zhou Qing? How could it be you?"

"Why not me?" Zhou Qing replied indifferently.

Xuan Yuan Sha's expression changed, and he quickly said, "Master Zhou, is there some misunderstanding between us?"

Zhou Qing disappeared for over 170 years after advancing to the fourth level of array master in the capital, causing a celestial phenomenon.

I never expected to meet you here today, and to kill you the moment we meet.

“There’s no misunderstanding.” Zhou Qing’s voice was terrifyingly calm. “I’m here today to kill you.”

Upon hearing this, Xuan Yuan Sha's eyes flashed with cold light: "Zhou Qing! Although you have also advanced to the Spirit Slaying Realm, one should not be too arrogant!"

"Don't think that just because I call you a master, you'll actually take yourself seriously!"

Zhou Qing remained silent. This array was a four-colored magic array that he had found in Han Yi's storage bag.

To be precise, it was the magic array carried by the silver-ranked assassin number 47 from the Blood Pact Pavilion back then.

The other side captured Shen Yunzhou and Lu Yaoyao in order to coerce Shen Hanyi into joining their ranks.

This formation has similarities to the Five-Colored Forbidden Formation that Second Uncle used to imprison Shen Yunlan back then.

In other words, its greatest mystery lies in its ability to dissipate the aftershocks of combat and block escape routes through the void.

This is the imperial capital. Zhou Qing already knows that the mastermind behind all this is Xuan Yuanchong, a Spirit Slayer Realm expert.

Therefore, no matter who the person is, he intends to defeat them by dividing and conquering them, and never give them a chance to send a message for help.

Seeing that Zhou Qing remained unmoved, Xuan Yuan Sha immediately retreated several feet and quickly took out a communication jade slip.

But in the blink of an eye, his expression turned extremely ugly—the jade slip could not be activated!
"You should know my other identity!" Zhou Qing stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes flashing with purple-gold lightning. "Within this formation, I am the master!"

Xuanyuan Sha refused to believe it and immediately tried to escape by using his spatial power, but found that the surrounding space seemed to be frozen, and he could not tear open even the slightest gap.

"Good! Very good!" Xuanyuan Sha laughed in extreme anger, and the golden light on Xingtian Halberd surged. "Once I kill you, this formation will break on its own!"

Before he finished speaking, his figure had already transformed into a golden streak of light, and Xing Tian Ge, with its earth-shattering power, went straight for Zhou Qing's throat!

Zhou Qing's gaze sharpened, and he suddenly raised the broken sword in his hand.

Although the sword was damaged, it still unleashed an astonishing sword intent!
"clang--!"

Swords clashed, and spiritual pressure exploded!
A terrifying shockwave swept across the canyon, causing the rock walls on both sides to collapse with a deafening roar!
Before the pebbles even hit the ground, they were pulverized into dust by the barrier of light!
Xuanyuan Sha's attacks continued relentlessly, his battle spear gleaming like a dragon. Each strike contained the secret power of the royal family, and wherever the golden light reached, mountains crumbled!

Zhou Qing met the attack head-on with his broken sword. Purple-gold lightning coiled around the sword's edge, and the lightning and golden light collided continuously, exploding into dazzling light!

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The two figures flashed, exchanging hundreds of blows in an instant!
Each collision caused the canyon to tremble and the protective light barrier to fluctuate violently! Xuan Yuan Sha grew increasingly alarmed as the battle progressed.

He discovered that Zhou Qing had perfectly anticipated every attack he made, and that seemingly rusty but broken sword carried a chilling sharpness with every strike.

"Zhou Qing, no matter how well you've prepared, you're still far from being able to kill me!"

Xuanyuan Sha roared, his Xingtian Halberd flashing with golden light, and with a sweeping strike, he aimed straight for Zhou Qing's waist and abdomen.

Zhou Qing frowned slightly and suddenly retreated several feet.

This unusual action startled Xuan Yuan Sha.

In that split second—

"Crack!"

Zhou Qing made a hand seal with his left hand, and a purple lightning pattern suddenly appeared between his eyebrows.

A violent burst of purple-gold lightning erupted from the top of Xuanyuan Sha's head, instantly transforming into hundreds of lightning needles as thin as cow hair, which poured down on Xuanyuan Sha like a torrential rain!

"Little tricks!"

Xuanyuan Sha snorted coldly and suddenly spun the Xingtian Halberd in his hand.

Where the blade sliced ​​through, a solid golden arc of light condensed in the air, instantly transforming into a huge circular golden shield.

"Ding Ding Ding-"

The dense lightning rods struck the golden shield, producing a piercing metallic clang.

Despite their impressive display of power, they were unable to break through the Golden Shield's defenses.

However, at the very moment the last wave of lightning exploded, Xuan Yuan Sha's pupils suddenly contracted—Zhou Qing's figure had vanished!

"Shh-"

A chilling sword aura suddenly attacked from behind!
Fast! Extremely fast!

This sword strike transcends mere speed; it incorporates the laws of space, arriving instantly without giving the opponent any time to react!
"Humph!"

Although Xuanyuan Sha was startled, he remained calm and his body did not move an inch. However, the Xingtian Halberd in his hand suddenly plunged into the ground!
"Boom!"

The earth trembled violently, and nine golden dragon-shaped phantoms soared into the sky from the ground, swirling and coiling around Xuanyuan Sha, forming an impregnable defensive barrier.

"clang!!!"

The broken sword struck the barrier with a deafening roar.

The barrier surface rippled violently, yet it remained unbroken.

Upon seeing this, Zhou Qing's blood-red double pupils suddenly contracted, and he instantly retreated.

"Zhou Qing, you haven't been in the Spirit Severing Realm for long. You're still far from being good enough for combat at this level!"

Xuanyuan Sha grinned maliciously, and the Xingtian Halberd in his hand suddenly burst forth with dazzling golden light, "Imperial Halberd - Breaking Army!"

"Shh-"

Xingtian Halberd swept across suddenly, and a golden halberd beam slashed out like a crescent moon, splitting the ground, rock walls, and air in two wherever it passed!
Zhou Qing's pupils contracted sharply. He blocked with his broken sword, and at the same time, he formed a lightning seal with his left hand, and purple-gold lightning condensed into a lightning shield in front of him.

"boom!!!"

As Gomang slashed down, the lightning shield shattered, and Zhou Qing was blasted back dozens of feet, leaving two deep furrows in the ground beneath his feet.

A trickle of blood escaped from the corner of his mouth, but the fighting spirit in his eyes burned even brighter.

“I’m waiting for your artistic conception!” Zhou Qing said bluntly, the blood still on his lips, his eyes fixed intently on Xuan Yuan Sha.

Xuanyuan Sha was taken aback at first, then burst into laughter, his laughter full of disdain: "You? You dare to challenge me? Beat me first!"

Seeing his expression, Zhou Qing shook her head slightly, looking regretful: "In that case, I won't waste my time with you."

Before he finished speaking, his aura suddenly changed dramatically!

"boom--!"

An ancient and ferocious aura erupted from Zhou Qing's body. Behind him, the void twisted, and a blood phoenix phantom that blotted out the sky suddenly appeared!
This Blood Phoenix was entirely crimson, with wingspans reaching a hundred feet. Each feather was covered in ancient, dark gold inscriptions, radiating a chilling aura.

What is most striking are the five blood-red, crystal-clear feathers on its chest, so bright and eerie!

Xuan Yuan Sha's pupils suddenly contracted, and for the first time, a look of horror appeared on his face: "This is...?!"

“With your limited knowledge, you wouldn’t recognize him!” Zhou Qing said coldly, then slowly raised his right hand.

The five blood-red feathers instantly detached from the Blood Phoenix, transforming into five crimson streaks of light that entered his fingertips.

His entire right hand suddenly became as clear as jade, yet it also exuded a chilling blood-red color.

"die."

As the word was uttered, Zhou Qing lightly tapped his fingertip.

"Wow—!"

A streak of blood-red light shot out from his fingertips, growing longer in the wind and transforming in the blink of an eye into a miniature blood phoenix, charging towards Xuan Yuan Sha with earth-shattering force!
Wherever it passed, five pitch-black cracks were burned into the space, as if even this space could not withstand this power!
Xuanyuan Sha was terrified. In his haste, he held Xing Tian Ge across his chest, bit his tongue, and spat out a mouthful of blood, creating seven golden light barriers in front of him, which were secret techniques of the royal family.

"Puff puff puff!"

The Blood Phoenix surged forward with unstoppable force, piercing through seven barriers in succession, and finally crashing heavily into the Xing Tian Halberd!

"Crack!"

A crack has appeared on this royal treasure!
"No—!!" Xuan Yuan Sha was shocked and furious. Before he could react, the Blood Phoenix had already passed right through his body!

His upper body remained in the posture of holding a spear, but his lower body had already exploded into a bloody mist!

"Ah!" Xuan Yuan Sha looked down at his mutilated body, and fear finally appeared on his face.

He suddenly crushed a jade talisman at his waist, and his mangled body was immediately enveloped in a golden light, attempting to forcibly tear through space and escape.

"Trying to escape?" Zhou Qing sneered, his hands quickly forming hand seals. "Great Luo Demon Sealing Seal - Demon Suppression!"

"boom!"

The spiritual energy of heaven and earth converged wildly, and a golden seal appeared out of thin air.

The seal was covered with profound inscriptions and surrounded by strange Dao principles. It crashed down with the force to suppress all demons!

"No! Zhou Qing! Listen to me! I am willing to submit to you!" Xuan Yuan Sha's seven-colored primordial spirit fled hastily from his mangled body, uttering a pitiful plea for mercy.

Zhou Qing's eyes were icy cold. He clenched his right hand, and purple-gold lightning poured down like a celestial river, instantly engulfing that primordial spirit!

"what--!!"

Amidst a piercing scream, Xuanyuan Sha's primordial spirit was torn to pieces by lightning, eventually dissipating into specks of light between heaven and earth.

next moment--

"woooooo"

A cold wind suddenly arose, and a thick gray fog seeped from the void, instantly enveloping the entire mountain range.

The mist was filled with the lingering obsessions and resentment of the fallen experts at the Spirit Severing Realm, and distorted faces could be vaguely seen emerging from it, emitting mournful howls.

Zhou Qing stood beneath the phantom of the Blood Phoenix, his black robe fluttering in the cold wind.

He coldly surveyed the mountain range eroded by negative emotions, and with a wave of his hand, the storage bag left behind by Xuan Yuan Sha flew into his palm.

Then, in a flash, he returned to the cave entrance.

Inside the cave, three thousand pregnant women huddled in iron cages, a deathly silence reigned.

After Zhou Qing left, they maintained an eerie silence, even deliberately keeping their breathing soft, for fear of disturbing anything.

This is the first time in a long time that senior has been away for so long.

Everyone understood that only a terrifying being at the same Spirit Severing Realm could command that senior's personal intervention.

A suffocating tension filled the air.

Everyone gripped the iron bars tightly, all staring at the broken opening.

Will that senior ever return?

"Who is that enemy outside who is at the Spirit Severing Realm?"

"Will we get implicated?"

Countless anxious thoughts swirled in the minds of pregnant women.

at this time--

"Crack!"

Several streaks of purple-gold lightning suddenly shot into the cave, precisely shattering the spirit-sealing talismans on each iron cage.

The iron gate opened automatically amidst the electric arc, emitting a dull metallic clanging sound.

"Hurry up and leave." Zhou Qing's cold voice came from outside the cave.

The pregnant women were stunned at first, then burst into tears that they had been suppressing for a long time.

They staggered out of the iron cage and knelt down facing the entrance of the cave:

"Thank you, senior, for saving your life!"

"I will never forget your great kindness and generosity."

Please accept our bow.

Zhou Qing never appeared.

The pregnant women dared not delay, and despite their weakened bodies, they transformed into streaks of light and scattered to escape.

Before leaving, someone glanced back and saw gray mist churning outside the cave, with a tall figure vaguely visible standing in the mist, his black robes fluttering in the wind, like a demon god descended to earth.

After the last pregnant woman left, Zhou Qing raised his hand and waved it, causing the entire cave to collapse with a roar.

He gazed at the scattered points of light on the distant horizon, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes, but it quickly returned to its indifference.

"Time to move on to the next one."

……

Meanwhile, deep within the imperial capital.

Deep within the nine-tiered palace, a wisp of smoke rises from a gilded incense burner.

An elderly man in a simple gray robe sat cross-legged, his face weathered, his eyes slightly closed, and his aura vast and unfathomable.

Around him, the imperial fortune transformed into nine illusory golden dragons that slowly swam, and the entire hall was shrouded in profound Daoist charm.

Sudden--

"Father!!!"

A panicked shout broke the silence.

Wearing a dragon robe, Xuanyuan Hao stumbled into the hall, his face pale and his forehead covered in cold sweat.

Xuanyuan Chong slowly opened his eyes, a hint of displeasure flashing in them: "Ever since you returned from the Eastern Region of Lingyun Prefecture, you've been so easily startled, where is the slightest bit of the majesty of a human emperor?"

"Father, no!" Xuan Yuanhao's voice trembled, "Third Imperial Uncle... Third Imperial Uncle's soul lamp... has gone out!"

"what?!"

Xuanyuan Chong suddenly stood up, his robes fluttering without wind, and a vast pressure erupted, shaking the entire hall!
-

Not long after, Xuanyuan Chong stood high in the sky, looking down at the gray mist that shrouded the entire mountain range, his face extremely gloomy.

You should know that he should be able to detect any battle fluctuations at the Spirit Severing Realm level anywhere in the capital immediately.

However, the death of the third brother, Xuanyuan Sha, was completely silent, and not even a cry for help could be heard!

It was obvious that the other side was well prepared.

What shocked him even more was that after a brief survey of the battlefield, he discovered that Xuanyuan Sha was completely crushed before he could even unleash his full power!

“This is definitely not something an ordinary Spirit Severing Realm cultivator would do…” Xuan Yuanchong felt a chill in his heart.

"Father!"

Just then, Xuanyuan Hao rushed over with a solemn expression: "The cave has collapsed, and all the pregnant women inside are gone. There are also some obvious signs of a fight outside, which should be the scene of the incident."

Xuan Yuanchong's gaze darkened: "Are you sure those three Supreme Realm experts who captured you back then have left the Holy Martial Dynasty?"

"Your subject saw with his own eyes that they have indeed left," Xuanyuan Hao hurriedly replied.

(End of this chapter)