The head master has a new female apprentice

Chapter 452 Master Zhou, you've arrived just in time! (6k)

Zhou Qing gazed at Yao Yao, who was fast asleep in his arms, and his voice deepened: "Not many people know about Yao Yao's existence yet."

"If anyone issues a warrant for my arrest, especially the Demon Emperor, you must take good care of Yao Yao for me."

Upon hearing this, Yu Yan's expression immediately changed, and she became even more nervous.

"Don't worry," Zhou Qing's tone softened a bit, "This is just my assumption. Even if we are really hunted down, as long as I can get away, I will definitely find time to come back and visit you."

He looked down at Yao Yao's peaceful sleeping face, a bitter look flashing in his eyes, "I'm afraid that by then, this little girl won't even recognize me as her father."

Yu Yan gently bit her lower lip, but she knew Zhou Qing's personality—once he made a decision, there was no room for negotiation.

“Alright,” she finally nodded solemnly, her voice resolute, “I’ll say it again, I will protect you with my life. But you must be careful in everything you do.”

Zhou Qing smiled faintly: "Don't worry, even if the Supreme One himself comes, I am quite confident that I can kill him."

After hearing this, Yu Yan assumed that Zhou Qing was comforting her.

A Spirit Slayer Realm cultivator slaying a Supreme Being?

This is simply a fantasy!

It should be noted that among the eight generations of the one palace, two temples, three sects, four clans, and one family in Nanhuang Prefecture, apart from the Heavenly Phoenix Palace which has one Earthly Sovereign, the strongest members of all the other families are only at the Sovereign level.

Which of those old monsters didn't rely on the Tribulation Transformation Diagram to survive the Supreme Tribulation and thus stand strong to this day?
If the Supreme Being could be so easily killed, how could he be worthy of the title "Supreme Being"?
"Where do we go now?" Swift asked in a low voice.

Zhou Qing's gaze was heavy: "Haomiao Prefecture. Since the Yan family was able to find this place, the Heavenly Phoenix Palace's spies must be nearby as well. Lingyun Prefecture, we can't stay any longer."

"Understood," Swift readily agreed.

Without another word, the two summoned their flying boat, transforming into streaks of light as they sped towards the teleportation array of Lingyun Mansion.
……

Two months later!

Behind Baiyu Taixu Temple.

The autumn wind swirled withered leaves among the ruins, and Zhou Qing stood before a solitary grave half-hidden by wild grass.

The three characters "Lin Daochen" on the bluestone tombstone were already faded and unclear. He reached out and brushed away the accumulated dust, feeling a deep sadness in his heart.

Three sticks of incense were placed in front of the grave, and wisps of smoke rose into the air.

Zhou Qing took three steps back and solemnly performed three bows.

The mountain wind suddenly picked up, making his robes flutter loudly, and in a daze, it seemed as if an old friend was sighing.

"Master and the others." Gazing at the swaying weeds on the grave, he thought of the people who had been taken away by the innate spirit.

If they cannot break through to the Spirit Severing Realm, with their remaining lifespans, they probably won't last many more years.

After a long silence, he took out a broom, swept it across the blue bricks, and cleaned every inch of the graveyard by hand.

When the sacred fruits were placed on the table and the mud seal of the wine jar was broken, the rich aroma of the wine mingled with the mountain mist and spread out.

Then, Zhou Qing turned to Yu Yan and said, "You and Yao Yao should stay here for the time being. This place is deserted and rarely visited."

Swift nodded, her gaze sweeping over the dilapidated buildings around her: "Did you ever study here? This place looks like an academy to me."

"Hmm." A hint of reminiscence flashed in Zhou Qing's eyes. "I stayed here for a while. It was here that I broke through to the Nascent Soul stage, and I also got to know the two sisters from the Lu family."

A wave of emotion washed over him.

Back then, this place was bustling with activity, and young prodigies from more than a dozen powerful sects in the southwest region, comparable to the Taiqing Sect, studied here.

Third Senior Brother Yan Xiaohu, Senior Brother Li Daoxuan of Shenyue Peak, the quirky and clever Lu Yaoyao, as well as Second Uncle, Old Hen, Old Weng, and White-Clad Lin Jin.
Now everything has changed, and only this lonely grave remains to bear witness to the past.

"Let's go, I'll take you to my old cave." Zhou Qing picked up the sleeping Yao Yao and said to Yu Yan, "We should be able to stay here for a while after tidying up."

The three of them walked through the overgrown courtyard and arrived at a cave dwelling in the inner courtyard.

As the long-sealed stone door slowly opened, the furnishings inside the cave remained exactly as they were back then, only covered with the dust of time.

Zhou Qing casually tossed out a few purification talismans, which burned out in the air, turning into countless tiny specks of light that drifted away.

The dust inside the cave was instantly swept away, and even the accumulated ash in the crevices of the rocks was cleaned up.

For safety reasons, he also took out a four-color array plate and array flags and set them up, and taught Swift how to operate it.

"By the way, Miss Yuyan," Zhou Qing suddenly stopped what he was doing, hesitated for a moment, and asked, "Have you ever heard of the name Weng Yunqi?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Yan was taken aback. After a moment of thought, she nodded and said, "I have indeed heard of it; it is a dean of an academy."

"The White Jade Taixu Academy?" Zhou Qing turned around abruptly, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

“No, that’s not it.” Yu Yan shook her head. “I can’t remember which academy it was, but he’s not from Nanhuang Prefecture.”

Zhou Qing frowned slightly: "Then how do you know this person?"

“The elders in the clan once mentioned it,” Yu Yan recalled. “It is said that his academy has taken in an exceptional genius who possesses the talent of the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top.”

"Later, for some unknown reason, the news leaked out, and powerful figures from all sides flocked to the scene, all wanting to forcibly take that disciple as their apprentice."

Zhou Qing's heart skipped a beat, and the image of the three-flowered mummy in the desolate forbidden area immediately appeared in his mind.

"What happened next?" he asked eagerly.

Swift sighed: "The details are not very clear. All I know is that he was eventually struck into the void by several Supreme Realm experts and perished there."

Zhou Qing remained silent for a long time, realizing that this was how it was.

In that case, it corroborates the fact that he saw him fighting a Supreme Realm enemy in the Desolate Forbidden Zone.

He must have escaped from the void just like I did back then, and hid in the Vast Expanse to heal his wounds.

Then... he disbanded the White Jade Taixu Academy and went back to fight!
"What about Master Ji Yunluo?" Zhou Qing asked again.

This time, Yu Yan answered decisively: "She is Weng Yunqi's confidante, and like you, she is a level four array master."

She paused, a hint of admiration in her eyes. "I heard that she never believed that Weng Yunqi had perished, and has been searching for him in various states all these years. She is truly a devoted woman and is regarded as a role model of love by many women."

Zhou Qing nodded slightly; at this moment, he finally understood the relationship between the two of them.

After thoroughly inspecting every part of the cave, Zhou Qing bent down and gently kissed Xiao Yaoyao's forehead.

As he stood up, he solemnly clasped his hands in a fist salute to Yuyan and said, "I'm entrusting the rest to you."

Swift pursed her lips, a look of worry flashing in her eyes: "You must come back safely."

Zhou Qing smiled slightly and said, "Don't worry, I have a daughter now, so I will think twice before I act."

After giving a few more brief instructions, Zhou Qing took one last look at his daughter's peaceful sleeping face.

Then he turned and transformed into a streak of azure light, disappearing into the twilight and heading straight for the Wuzu Mountain Range...

……

When Zhou Qing arrived at the Wuzu Mountain Range alone, the sight before him made his eyes narrow instantly.

The familiar scenery of the past has been completely changed, replaced by two majestic and precipitous peaks shaped like dragon horns, piercing the clouds.

Between the two peaks, a dark blue void rift twisted and writhed, emitting chilling spatial fluctuations—it was the entrance to the Primordial Secret Realm.

At this moment, the rift was trembling violently, with small fragments of space constantly breaking off at its edges, clearly on the verge of collapse.

"Open it for me!"

A loud shout echoed through the valley, and a burly man in a gray robe stood in mid-air, with seven dazzling halos slowly rotating behind him, each rotation causing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to vibrate violently.

His palms flew, each strike seemingly tearing the heavens and earth apart, and a violent storm of spiritual energy continuously bombarded the entrance to the secret realm.

“Tuoba Ye!” Zhou Qing’s pupils contracted slightly as he recognized the man.

A glance around revealed seven figures sitting cross-legged, each occupying a position in their own formation.

Although these people were slightly out of breath and their robes were torn, the oppressive aura they exuded was still terrifying.

What surprised Zhou Qing even more was that he had seen many of them before—such as the patriarch of the Zhuge family, the pale-faced scholar of the Wang family, the purple-robed elder of the Sun family, and the one-armed swordsman of the Heavenly Sword Pavilion…

Recalling the scene of the nine great spirit slayers gathering and inviting each other on the shore of the Bibo Tianhu Lake in the capital back then, it feels like yesterday.

"If we include Xuan Yuanshuo, who rushed back and was killed by me, wouldn't that mean nine Spirit Severing Realm cultivators were attacking this entrance, and it took them over a hundred years!" Zhou Qing was secretly shocked.

Gazing at the crumbling entrance, a flash of realization crossed Zhou Qing's eyes: "This seems to be the 'Formless Six Harmonies Mysterious Gate Formation' mentioned in Senior Xuan Qingzi's memories? No wonder."

Since this formation is named "Formless", it naturally does not show any trace of restrictions, and outsiders cannot even guess its rank.

However, it is a genuine high-level restriction among level five restrictions.

Zhou Qing secretly rejoiced that he and his second senior sister had left in time, otherwise they might have been trapped there to their deaths.

"If we want to find the Blood Phoenix's remains," he said, his eyes flashing as he looked at the Spirit Severing Realm experts who were meditating, "we can only use them to distract the Demon Emperors in the secret realm..."

Moreover, as the only entrance, he couldn't sneak in unnoticed, avoiding these people.

Thinking of this, Zhou Qing no longer hesitated and immediately used [Daily Insight] on the twisted entrance.

[The Formless Six Harmonies Mysterious Gate Array: This is a five-colored restriction that can be forcibly opened in another ten years.]

[Among them, the five key points of the formation—the Heavenly Pivot Mysterious Fire Position, the Earthly Fiend Cold Water Pivot, the Human Element Azure Wood Seal, the Sun's Golden Light Realm, and the Moon's Jade Void Platform—have long since deviated from their original positions.]

If all five key points of the formation can be destroyed simultaneously, a corner of this formation should be breached.

Upon seeing the feedback from the appraisal, a glint of light flashed in Zhou Qing's eyes.

It's true that timing is everything!

……

boom!
Tuoba Ye delivered another heavy blow to the barrier, then cursed as he wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Falling from mid-air: "Could this damned restriction be the legendary five- or even six-colored level? It's been fighting for so many years and it still hasn't budgeed an inch!"

The pale-faced scholar from the Wang family slowly opened his eyes and gently shook his folding fan: "Ten years ago, this entrance was already in a precarious state, and it remains so ten years later."

"If this continues, I'm afraid there might be a second or third decade."

"What? Did I delay your cultivation, Fellow Daoist Wang?" Ancestor Zhuge waved his feather fan lightly, his words laced with sarcasm. "Then you can go back and go into seclusion to see if you can break through to the mid-stage of the Spirit Severing Realm."

The pale-faced scholar from the Wang family frowned, his expression ashen: "Zhuge Yu, you've gone too far!"

He stopped himself from speaking, glancing around warily, and ultimately did not continue.

Zhuge Yu slowly stood up, gently waving his feather fan: "Don't worry, you saw how Xuanyuan Shuo left in such a hurry that day. He definitely won't be back for a while."

He glanced at everyone present and lowered his voice, "Besides, everyone knows perfectly well what's going on with that secret medicine."

"The Xuanyuan family also knows that we have noticed something amiss, and we have all tacitly maintained a facade of harmony."

The old woman from the Ji family stood up shakily, leaning on her dragon-headed cane, and slammed the cane heavily on the ground: "Old Zhuge is right."

A resolute glint flashed across her wrinkled face. "Since I chose this path back then, I have never regretted it. But..." Her voice trailed off, "...it's as difficult as climbing to heaven to obtain the antidote from the Xuanyuan family. This Primordial Secret Realm may be our last chance."

The broadsword on the back of the one-armed swordsman of the Heavenly Sword Pavilion suddenly rang out, and he stood up abruptly: "There's no point in saying more! Now that Xuanyuan Shuo is not here, this is a golden opportunity."

He rested his single arm on the hilt of his sword, his gaze intense. "If we can break the seal now, we can seize the initiative!"

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded solemnly in agreement.

However, the restrictions at the entrance to this secret realm were far too stubborn.

What worries everyone even more is that Xuanyuan Shuo has been gone for half a year.

When that demon king, who was in the mid-stage of the Spirit Severing Realm, fled in panic a few days ago and was killed by them in a joint effort, he must have also noticed that the restriction was about to be broken.

They're probably already on their way back.

"Gentlemen, give it your all! Who will we be next?" Before the burly man with the bushy beard from the Tuoba family could finish speaking, he suddenly turned around alertly.

Eight sharp divine senses instantly locked onto the person who had arrived.

When they saw the figure with white hair walking slowly towards them, the eight experts at the Spirit Severing Realm were stunned at the same time, and then their faces lit up with joy.

"Master Zhou?!"

"Why is Fellow Daoist Zhou here?"

"It's only been a little over a hundred years, how did Fellow Daoist Zhou become like this?"

……

Immediately, everyone greeted them warmly, their eyes brimming with excitement.

You should know that the person in front of you is the first level four formation master in the history of the Holy Martial Dynasty to condense ten thousand spirit seals.

With his help, breaking the restriction will be much easier.

Unfortunately, when everyone extended their warm invitations, he declined, citing seclusion as the reason.

Unexpectedly, they came uninvited today, which was truly unexpected for everyone.

Zhou Qing calmly suppressed his cultivation to the early stage of the Spirit Severing Realm, concealing his aura perfectly.

If these "seniors" were to realize that he was the one with the highest cultivation level among them, it would likely immediately attract unnecessary suspicion and targeting.

After all, in the minds of these old monsters, they were already high-ranking experts at the Spirit Severing Realm before he was even born, ruling over a region for over a thousand years.

If they were to discover that this rising star not only surpasses others in the world in his mastery of formations, but also in cultivation level, he would be a formidable opponent.

For these "veterans" who were permanently stuck in the early stages due to taking the secret medicine, this was undoubtedly the greatest humiliation and blow.

"Fellow Daoist Zhuge, Fellow Daoist Murong, Fellow Daoist Tuoba." Zhou Qing greeted everyone with a gentle smile and cupped his hands in greeting.

The posture is humble and measured, neither impolite nor overly humble.

He looked around at everyone with a smile on his lips: "When I broke through to the Spirit Severing Realm last time, I was very grateful for the generous gifts from all of you fellow Daoists. I originally wanted to thank you in person, but I happened to have an epiphany about the Dao of Formations, so I took the opportunity to go into seclusion to study it."

His tone carried a hint of melancholy: "I never imagined that this seclusion would last for over a hundred years. Now that I've emerged, I truly feel a sense of things having changed."

"Haha, Fellow Daoist Zhou is joking." Zhuge Yu lightly shook his folding fan, his laughter hearty. "A mere hundred years is nothing more than the time it takes for us at the Spirit Severing Realm to take a nap."

“That’s true.” Zhou Qing agreed with a smile, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes.

He secretly observed the expressions of the crowd and understood—these people were focused on breaking the ban and seemed completely unaware of the changes at Taiqing Sect.

That's good, it saves a lot of trouble.

"After I left the pass, I heard that you were still here, so I thought I'd come and see if there was anything I could do to help," Zhou Qing said sincerely.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, you've come at just the right time! We really need this!" Tuoba Ye was the first to step forward, his face beaming with joy.

The others echoed their sentiments, their eyes brimming with excitement.

In their eyes, although Zhou Qing had the lowest cultivation level among them, no one could match his mastery of formations.

With his help, they might actually be able to break the barrier before Xuanyuan Shuo returns.

"Since you all are so kind as to offer your help, then I will make a fool of myself." Zhou Qing cupped his hands and smiled.

"Please, Master!" The eight people tacitly made way for him.

But only Ancestor Murong secretly turned around and looked back, his heart filled with suspicion.

You should know that the Taiqing Sect, including Zhou Qing, has a total of four Spirit Slayers. Why is only Zhou Qing here today?
He breathed a sigh of relief only after confirming that no one else was following him.

After all, the opportunities in the secret realm are limited. There are already eight Spirit Slayers present, and adding four more would make it even more difficult to find enough opportunities.

Zhou Qing walked unhurriedly to the barrier, and under the intense gazes of everyone, his eyes suddenly flashed with a strange, blood-red light.

His pupils split in two like a lotus flower blooming, then overlapped, transforming into a pair of eerie, blood-red double pupils.

Through these discerning eyes, the previously blurry barrier instantly became crystal clear—

Countless streaks of multicolored light flowed endlessly across the surface of the barrier, like agile dragons.

Moreover, it is identical to the one identified in the "Daily Appraisal" report, with the crimson spiritual pattern on the Tian Shu Xuan Huo position showing obvious breakage.

The dark blue light band of the Earthly Fiend Cold Water Pivot should have been connected end to end, but at this moment it was twisted into an irregular spiral.

The emerald green array patterns on the Human Yuan Green Wood Seal looked like vines that had been forcibly torn off, hanging limply.

Deeper inside, the light from the two array eyes, the Golden Light Realm of the Sun and the Jade Void Platform of the Moon, flickered, creating a clear repulsion between them and the other three array eyes.

The spiritual energy flow within the entire barrier was chaotic and disordered, like a tangled thread, full of knots and flaws.

After seeing through the mystery, a glint of light flashed in Zhou Qing's eyes.

He channeled spiritual energy through his fingertips, drawing five golden light patterns in mid-air and precisely placing them at five key locations on the barrier.

Under the suspicious gazes of the eight people, Zhou Qing turned around, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said in a clear voice, "Fellow Daoists, if we attack these five nodes at the same time, this barrier should be able to be broken."

One stone caused a thousand waves!

Upon hearing this, the eight experts at the Spirit Severing Realm exchanged bewildered glances, their faces filled with absurdity and shock.

The restriction that they had been unable to break for a century was actually so easy to break?
After a brief moment of astonishment, ecstasy spread across everyone's faces.

"Is Master Zhou's statement true?" Zhuge Laozu's white eyebrows trembled.

Zhou Qing stood with his hands behind his back, a slight smile playing on his lips: "We'll know once we try."

The eight figures instantly became energetic, their eyes blazing with intense light.

Five people were quickly selected, and each of them stood in a spot within the circle of light.

With a command from Tuoba Ye, five streams of spiritual energy of different attributes simultaneously bombarded the barrier—

hum!
A clear, resonant tremor echoed through the sky, and ripples spread across the surface of the barrier.

Five golden points of light spun rapidly as if they were alive, shooting out thousands of golden threads that intertwined into a mysterious star map at the center of the barrier.

"Crack!"

The crisp cracking sound was like a thunderclap.

The center of the barrier suddenly collapsed into a black hole the size of a pinhead, which then cracked outwards like a spider web.

In the blink of an eye, it expanded into a twisted passageway that could only allow one person to pass sideways.

Through the passageway where the light flowed, one could vaguely see the spiritual energy surging like a tide in the secret realm, and the outline of ancient mountains in the distance appeared and disappeared in the spiritual mist.

"opened!"

The eyes of the eight experts at the Spirit Severing Realm flashed with a terrifying light. Before they could even exchange pleasantries, they transformed into eight streaks of light and rushed straight towards the passage.

Taking advantage of his position, Tuoba Ye was the first to disappear into the distorted light curtain.

Zhou Qing stood still, watching the constantly fluctuating spatial power in the passage, a profound meaning flashing in his eyes.

"Not even a word of thanks," Zhou Qing shook his head helplessly.

But for safety's sake, he set up several layers of subtle restrictions around the entrance before slowly stepping into the passage...

……

Stepping into the secret realm once again, familiar scenes come rushing towards me.

The sky remained an eerie bluish-gray, with three blood-red setting suns hanging high in the sky, dyeing the entire world crimson.

On the ground, countless eerie blue flames erupted from bottomless cracks, illuminating the rugged landscape.

Zhou Qing tried to sense it, and sure enough, even though he was now at the Spirit Severing Realm, the anti-air law still existed here.

As soon as someone dares to take to the air, the three setting suns will immediately descend to attack, greatly restricting their movement.

Only demons can roam freely here.

Boom boom boom!
Just then, eight deafening explosions suddenly came from afar.

A crimson beam of light descended from the sky, striking eight different locations with pinpoint accuracy, followed by a chorus of screams.

Zhou Qing's lips curled up slightly—these newly arrived Spirit Severing Realm experts were clearly unaware of the taboos of this place.

The last time he entered this place, he was disguised as Su Lishan.

Lu Yaoyao, posing as "Dou Niwan," a direct disciple of the Hunyuan Sect, deceived numerous Nascent Soul cultivators in the Southwest Region.

The purpose at that time was simply to find the long-lost second senior sister and the white crane.
Thinking of these past events, Zhou Qing couldn't help but feel emotional.

After confirming that no one was around, he took a deep breath, and a huge phantom of a blood phoenix suddenly appeared behind him.

The phantom was incredibly lifelike, and every feather exuded an ancient and powerful aura.

Zhou Qing closed his eyes and carefully sensed every fluctuation in the secret realm through the phantom of the Blood Phoenix.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the phantom of the Blood Phoenix suddenly trembled violently, spread its wings wide, and let out a silent cry.

Its phoenix eyes were fixed on the deepest part of the secret realm, as if it had discovered something of vital importance.

Zhou Qing suddenly opened his eyes, his face filled with undisguised surprise: "It actually exists!"

Disregarding everything else, he immediately activated the "Imperial Scripture," and his body instantly transformed into a golden-winged roc.

Just like last time, it successfully fooled the three setting suns in the sky.

With a flap of its enormous golden wings, it sped towards the core area of ​​the secret realm...

(End of this chapter)