The head master has a new female apprentice

Chapter 453 The Primordial Master, the Golden-Winged Roc, and the Empress (6k)

Beneath the bluish-gray sky, a golden-winged roc cuts through the halo of the blood-red setting sun, its wings whipping up clouds as it flies past.

Suddenly, a deafening roar came from below, and the violent fluctuations of spiritual energy caused the roc that Zhou Qing had transformed into to shrink in the pupils.

Looking down, one could see that Zhuge Laozu's clothes were stained with blood, and he was engaged in a fierce battle with a handsome man dressed in a dark green robe.

At first glance, the man appeared no different from a human, but his every move exuded a hint of demonic energy.

The occasional glimpse of his vertical pupils at the corner of his eyes, and the faint scales visible on the tips of his hair, all proclaimed his identity as a demon emperor.

“Strange.” Zhou Qing frowned.

It should be noted that only the Demon King retains some of the original characteristics, while the demon race that truly enters the realm of Demon Emperor is almost indistinguishable from the human race after transforming into human form.

Moreover, this demon king's spiritual energy was restless and its moves were full of savagery, which was completely different from the calm and experienced demon kings on the border.

"This Demon Emperor seems to have been forcibly brought into existence," Zhou Qing muttered to himself, his gaze darkening slightly.

The restless and unstable fluctuations of demonic power, and the out-of-control and violent aura, all seemed to be the product of forced growth rather than the result of natural cultivation.

When he first entered this place, the mountains were upside down and the rivers flowed upstream.

The second senior sister and the white crane were hiding beside a waterfall, using the oppressive aura of a Nascent Soul stage demon beast inside to play a trick of hiding in the dark.

At that time, when was there ever any trace of the Demon Emperor in the entire secret realm?
Moreover, according to Xuanyuan Shuo's memories, they have killed seven demon emperors here in the past hundred years, and there seem to be more lurking deep in the secret realm.

This is clearly abnormal!
Throughout the entire Holy Martial Dynasty's three thousand years of history, there have only been seventeen individuals at the Spirit Severing Realm.

And this secret realm before us, in such a short time, has actually grown from nothing to give birth to such a large number of demon emperors.
Could there really be a method to forcibly accelerate the growth of a demon emperor?
That's the Spirit Severing Realm, which requires severing all attachments.

Zhou Qing couldn't understand it.

Then, ignoring it, they continued deeper into the area.

……

About half an hour later, the golden wings of the Golden-Winged Roc pierced the blood-red sky and slowly landed in front of a strange region.

The entire mountain range seemed to have been turned upside down by the hand of a god, with its peaks piercing the earth and its base eerily suspended in the sky.

Meanwhile, the rivers on the ground flow upstream, rushing straight to the top of the upside-down mountain range.

At the foot of the mountain, five figures exuding a terrifying aura sat cross-legged.

Although these five people largely maintained their human form, they retained certain characteristics of their original forms, just like the demon emperor Zhou Qing had seen before.

The man in the center wore a purple robe, had a handsome face, and a single silver horn on his forehead.

The woman on the left has skin as white as snow, but her hair is adorned with a few wisps of seven-colored feathers.

The burly man on the right has a rugged face, and golden hair can be faintly seen on his neck.

The two on the outermost sides look like twins, but they reveal fine serrations when they breathe.

Zhou Qing was shocked – the aura emanating from these five people was actually at the level of a Demon Emperor!
Especially the purple-robed man, whose surging demonic power had clearly reached the late stage of the Spirit Severing Realm!
Even more chilling was the sight of over forty enormous beasts of various shapes crawling on the ground.

Each of them exuded an aura that had reached the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul Realm, and they were looking up at the Upside-Down Mountain Range with a devout gaze and an almost fanatical expectation in their eyes.

"How could this be?" Zhou Qing's breath hitched.

You should know that when Lu Yaoyao and I came here back then, although there were many monsters in this place, there were definitely not this many terrifying high-level beings.

These monstrous beasts gathered here, as if awaiting some divine blessing.

Suddenly, the purple-robed demon emperor opened his eyes, his vertical pupils shooting straight at Zhou Qing.

The moment their eyes met, Zhou Qing's muscles tensed, and he immediately prepared for battle.

Unexpectedly, there was no murderous intent in the demon emperor's eyes; instead, a hint of surprise flashed across them.

He hesitated for a moment, then raised his hand and pointed to the seat closest to him.

The three exceptionally powerful demonic beasts that had been entrenched there immediately retreated respectfully upon seeing this.

Zhou Qing's eyes flickered slightly, and he vaguely understood.

The other party had no intention of killing and voluntarily relinquished their position of honor.
He immediately flapped his wings and landed cautiously in front of the spot that the three high-level demonic beasts had given up.

"Fortunately, I managed to suppress my aura to the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul stage," Zhou Qing thought to himself with relief.

By a twist of fate, he was mistaken for a superior being among the monsters.

Judging from the awe-inspiring attitude of the surrounding demons, his status was clearly not low.

At the same time, the purple-robed demon emperor took out an ancient jade slip, examined it carefully against Zhou Qing for a moment, and nodded slightly.

Then he took out a bronze disc covered with strange patterns, frowned as he examined it, and whispered a few words to the two demon emperors beside him.

The two demon emperors immediately transformed into streaks of light and sped off in different directions, seemingly to support other battlefields.

Zhou Qing observed discreetly. With two opponents gone, only three demon emperors remained to guard the area, which significantly reduced the pressure.

If other Spirit Severing Realm cultivators could fight their way here and help him share the burden, that would be even better...

While he was pondering, the purple-robed demon emperor had already closed his eyes and was recuperating again.

Zhou Qing's eyes flickered as he constantly assessed the surrounding situation—what were the chances of severely injuring this late-stage Spirit Severing expert if he were to launch a sudden attack at this moment?
After weighing the options carefully, he still shook his head inwardly.

In his previous perception, the remains possessing the aura of the Blood Phoenix were located within the inverted mountain range behind this group of demon emperors.

These demon emperors are clearly guarding this pass. He hasn't yet figured out the anomalies in this place, so it's best to be cautious.

Making a hasty move might just benefit someone else.

Just as Zhou Qing was secretly making plans, the ground suddenly shook violently.

"Gulu——"

Accompanied by a chilling churning sound of slime, a monster covered in foul-smelling slime, its skin not yet fully solidified, burst out of the ground.

It resembles a lizard but has six legs, and its newly grown scales still gleam with a moist sheen, yet the aura it exudes has already reached the Great Perfection of the Divine Transformation Realm!

Almost simultaneously, a piercing shriek came from the sky.

A giant eagle with a wingspan of nearly ten zhang tore through the clouds and swooped down. Its feathers gleamed with a metallic sheen, and its claws were like those forged from refined gold. When it landed, it stirred up gusts of wind.

The purple-robed demon emperor opened his eyes and casually pointed to two empty seats.

The two newly arrived monsters immediately bowed their heads obediently and crawled to the designated spot.

This scene shocked Zhou Qing—his prediction was indeed correct!
There must be some mysterious place in this secret realm that can mass-produce demonic beasts at the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul stage.

Their gathering here is clearly an indication that they are waiting for a second evolution.
"If that's really the case." Zhou Qing's breathing became slightly sluggish.

If even ordinary demonic beasts can be cultivated, is the legendary Golden-Winged Roc also being conceived?

This might be why they mistook themselves for someone else!
Thinking of this, Zhou Qing's heart suddenly raced.

If the real Golden-Winged Roc hatches, wouldn't the imposter be exposed on the spot?

Even more frightening is-

His gaze swept over the dense horde of demonic beasts behind him, then looked at the inverted mountain range, a chill creeping into his heart.

If all these demonic beasts were to evolve into demon emperors, who in the entire Holy Martial Dynasty could stop them?

Not long after he, Lu Yaoyao, and his second senior sister escaped from the secret realm, a three-headed demon emperor awoke there.

These three creatures alone devoured more than ten top sects in the southwest region of the Vast Expanse Prefecture, and reduced thousands of mortal cities to ashes in just a few days.

If Xuanyuan Shuo hadn't gathered several Spirit Severing Realm experts to join forces and besiege him for months before finally killing him, the calamity would likely have continued to spread.
Now, if all forty-odd Nascent Soul stage demonic beasts before us successfully evolve...
The entire Holy Martial Dynasty will inevitably become a hunting ground for demonic beasts, and hundreds of millions of living beings will become food for them!
Thinking of this, Zhou Qing's eyes flashed with murderous intent.

Although there is no one he cares about here anymore, this is still the land that gave him birth and nurtured him.

He may find a thousand faults about this place, but he will never allow any foreign tribes to set foot here!

"You, go inside—"

Just then, the purple-robed demon emperor, who was in the late stage of the Spirit Severing Realm, suddenly opened his eyes, raised his hand and pointed directly at Zhou Qing, who was standing at the front, and then pointed to the inverted mountains behind him.

Zhou Qing quickly concealed his murderous intent, his eyes suddenly lighting up.

It seems that standing at the front of the line does have its advantages.

In that case, I won't stand on ceremony!
Then, Zhou Qing, who had transformed into a golden-winged roc, suddenly flapped his wings and flew towards the upside-down mountain.

As he got closer, he could see that the surface of the mountain was covered with a dense network of holes, crisscrossing like a honeycomb.

Each hole glowed with an eerie crimson light, and countless tiny, vein-like patterns could be vaguely seen pulsating within the mountain.

This was completely different from the upside-down mountains he had seen many years ago.

As we passed through the crimson light curtain surrounding the mountain, a pungent, nauseating stench of blood assaulted our senses.

Zhou Qing forced himself to endure the discomfort and continued deeper into the room, but the sight before him made him squint.

Inside the mountain was a huge spherical space, with a blood pool hundreds of feet in diameter suspended in the center.

The blood in the pool was not ordinary blood, but a viscous liquid that shimmered with iridescent colors.

Within the bubbles that constantly rise and burst on the surface, the distorted phantoms of monsters can be vaguely seen struggling and roaring.

Twelve blood-red platforms floated around the blood pool, and on each platform lay a demon beast at the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul stage.

They were bound by blood-red chains, their bodies riddled with transparent tubes that continuously channeled some kind of essence into the central blood pool.

Most chillingly, a mutilated golden skeleton floated above the pool of blood, its outline suggesting it was some kind of bird.

The seven-colored crystal heart that floats above the skeleton's heart is beating with an eerie rhythm.

Each pulsation causes the entire interior of the mountain to tremble.

The transparent tubes inserted into the monster's body also contracted and writhed, as if transmitting something in sync with the frequency of its heartbeat.

This familiar scene instantly reminded Zhou Qing of the black heart inside the forbidden area of ​​the Taiqing Sect.

However, that heart has long since merged into the old hen's body and continues to awaken.

It's a pity that I've already used the "Daily Appraisal" feature today, otherwise I could have done an appraisal.

"Wait, that's—"

His gaze suddenly froze on the semi-transparent phantom beneath the skeleton.

It was a phantom image of a middle-aged cultivator with an ancient and simple appearance, but a pair of golden feathered crowns grew on his head, and the outline of a pair of drooping golden wings could be vaguely seen behind him. Most eye-catching was a golden Dao pattern on the phantom's chest, which actually caused the "Emperor's Scripture" within his body to resonate.

The Dao pattern emanated an ancient aura, as if it contained the supreme secrets of the Golden-Winged Roc clan.

Zhou Qing's heart trembled violently, and he suddenly looked up at the golden skeleton again.

As he circulated the "Imperial Scripture," layers of golden light immediately appeared on the surface of his skeleton, and dense, mysterious patterns emerged on each bone.

"This is the skeleton of a Golden-Winged Roc?!" Zhou Qing stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

The oppressive aura emanating from the skeleton before him far surpassed that of the old Peng King's remains he had seen in Canglan Mountain.

The identity of that semi-transparent, middle-aged cultivator's phantom is already quite obvious—

It was none other than the Primordial Master who created this secret realm!

Moreover, his true form is also a Golden-Winged Roc!

What an incredible coincidence!

Back then, Peng Huang Feng Xuanling of Taiyao Mountain searched through ancient books and fragments in order to improve his bloodline.

After overcoming numerous hardships, they finally found the burial place of the ancient Peng King deep in the Canglan Mountain of Lingyun Prefecture.

Unexpectedly, Xuanyuan Shuo had been secretly following them and launched an attack when they broke the barrier.

Then Han Yi and the Corpse Wax Crow appeared one after another, and a chaotic battle ensued.

In the end, Xuanyuan Shuo even used the royal family's secret talisman, which attracted the old emperor Xuanyuan Chong's earth-shattering finger strike, directly blasting the old Peng King, whose corpse had become a spirit, into ashes.
Just as everyone was scrambling for the golden feather, a wisp of remnant soul that had escaped rushed straight at Zhou Qing, who was only at the Nascent Soul stage at the time.

With the Four Flowers Gathering at the Top, how could the other party possibly succeed in possessing him? They even inadvertently obtained the bloodline inheritance of the Golden-Winged Roc clan—the "Emperor's Scripture."

However, this supreme technique is extremely demanding to cultivate, requiring genuine Golden Roc blood as a guide.

Needless to say, he lit three incense sticks and bowed to the stone platform, then broke the restriction.

Han Yi gave him her essence blood, taking only the map and pills of the Kunpeng Palace for herself.

But who could have imagined that today, deep within this secret realm, we would encounter the remains of an even more ancient and powerful Golden-Winged Roc!
As someone who only possessed a portion of his ancestral bloodline, Old Peng King spent his entire life cultivating to the Great Perfection of the Spirit Severing Realm, leaving behind only a mere three drops of true blood as his legacy.

The aura emanating from the remains of the Primordial Immortal before them far surpassed that of the Supreme Realm—

“At least at the Earthly Sovereign level.” Zhou Qingxin’s head tightened.

Just as his thoughts were racing, the phantom beneath the golden skeleton slowly opened its captivating golden vertical pupils.

When his gaze fell on Zhou Qing, a hint of surprise appeared on his face.

"It's even better than I expected!" The phantom's voice echoed in the enclosed space like the tolling of an ancient bell.

"This Saint?" Zhou Qing's heart trembled violently.

In the demon race system, the Demon Emperor is at the Spirit Slaying Realm, the Supreme Realm is at the Demon Emperor, and the Earth Supreme is the true Demon Saint!
Was this Primordial Immortal truly a supreme being in his previous life?

He immediately adopted a respectful and submissive demeanor, bowing his head.

It makes sense now, everything makes sense now.

A being at the Earthly Sovereign level is fully capable of summoning numerous Demon Kings, and even Demon Emperors, to serve him.
It seems that, just as I guessed, I'm about to completely piss off the other party.

That's why he issued the kill order!
"Since they have awakened ahead of schedule, that's fine too." The illusory figure of the Primordial Venerable slowly floated up. "I don't have much time left to begin with, and these damned rats are really annoying!"

He suddenly pointed to the entrance: "Zihuang, let them all in!"

Zhou Qing maintained a submissive posture, secretly pushing the "Emperor's Scripture" to its limit, carefully mimicking the unique aura fluctuations of the Golden-Winged Roc clan.

A supreme being should have incredibly sharp divine sense; they shouldn't have been so blind.

But it seems that the Primordial Master truly mistook him for one of his own kind, which can only mean that—

“There’s something wrong with him!” Zhou Qing’s eyes lit up.

Upon closer inspection, although the phantom was imposing, a hint of turbidity occasionally flashed in its eyes, and its tone of voice sometimes paused, like an oil lamp that was about to go out.

"It seems that this old monster is not fully awake, but is in some special state," Zhou Qing thought to himself.

It is very likely that the recovery process went wrong because it was disturbed by external factors beforehand.

In addition, he possessed the complete inheritance of the "Emperor's Scripture" and deliberately concealed his human aura, which allowed him to get away with it.

But what concerned Zhou Qing even more was Tai Chu Shangren's words, "I don't have much time left."

Looking at the unusual blood pool before him, Zhou Qing immediately understood that his opponent was racing against time to recover their strength!

Soon, the purple-robed demon emperor stepped in first, followed by dozens of demonic beasts at the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul Realm.

They stood in neat rows, their eyes gleaming with fervent devotion.

"Go down!"

At the command of the Supreme Lord Taichu, the pupils of those demon kings suddenly turned deathly white, as if they were being controlled by some invisible force.

They lined up and leaped one after another into the boiling pool of seven-colored blood.

"Hiss—roar—"

The shrill screams came one after another.

The surface of the blood pool instantly surged with towering waves of blood, and the flesh and blood of the monsters that jumped in began to dissolve rapidly the moment they came into contact with the water.

Bones, meridians, demon core, primordial spirit—everything was being decomposed and purified at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Zhou Qing suppressed his heart palpitations and watched helplessly as more than forty demonic beasts at the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul Realm were completely refined without a sound.

The liquid in the blood pool became increasingly viscous, and the seven-colored light became even more dazzling.

Suddenly, Zhou Qing's pupils contracted—

Amidst the churning waves of blood, a massive, crimson leg bone suddenly appeared!
The naturally formed patterns on the bones resemble a phoenix spreading its wings, exuding an ancient aura that resonates with "The Blood Curtain of a Hundred Calamities".

"Blood Phoenix Bone!" Zhou Qing's heart pounded wildly.

It seems that the Primordial Immortal deliberately used the Blood Phoenix Bone, which has the effect of Nirvana, as the main material of the Blood Pool Essence.

Hopefully, there's still some essence and blood left inside such a large leg bone.

"Purple Radiance!"

Master Taichu spoke again.

The purple-robed demon emperor and the other two demon emperors at the Spirit Severing Realm immediately knelt on one knee.

"Guard the gate for me, and don't let those rats disturb us." The illusory figure of the Primordial Immortal stared at the blood pool, a hint of fanaticism flashing in his golden vertical pupils.

"Once this perfect body is fully cultivated, I, the Saint, will seize the opportunity and return to the Demon Saint realm in one fell swoop!"

"We will obey your command!" Zi Huang bowed respectfully, then led the other two demon emperors out of the mountain and stood guard at the entrance.

Zhou Qing froze upon hearing this, his heart filled with turmoil:
He's trying to possess me?!

No wonder Master Taichu said he was "even better than expected".
No wonder there was no doubt about his identity.
It turns out that from the very beginning, the Golden-Winged Roc he was cultivating, which was not yet born, was the perfect vessel for possession!

At this moment, the phantom of the Primordial Master slowly floated out from under the golden skeleton and came to Zhou Qing's side like a ghost.

Those translucent hands gently stroked the feathers of the golden-winged roc that Zhou Qing had transformed into, their fingertips tracing over each golden feather, their eyes revealing an undisguised ecstasy.

"Good, good!" The voice of the Primordial Venerable trembled. "A perfect body, truly beyond my expectations!"

Zhou Qing suppressed the urge to stand on end, and pushed the "Emperor's Scripture" within his body to its limit, perfectly concealing his killing intent.

Out of the corner of his eye, he kept his eyes fixed on the blood pool—the crimson, jade-like leg bone had now completely sunk to the bottom of the boiling blood pool, appearing and disappearing amidst the colorful light.

As a powerful figure among the ancient bird race, if the Primordial Immortal discovered that his target was this Blood Phoenix Bone, he would most likely take it away without hesitation.

In this way, the loss will outweigh the gain.

He forced himself to relax his tense feathers and put on a docile appearance.

The safest course of action right now is to remain patient and wait.

If we can find an opportunity to retreat unscathed, that would be the best course of action. At the very least, we should wait until those Spirit Severing Realm cultivators outside attack—then we can take advantage of the chaos to extract the bones, which would be the best strategy.

The state of the Supreme Master Taichu at this moment is clearly extremely unstable.

Just as the other party stroked his wings, the already transparent figure suddenly flickered violently, like a candle flickering in the wind.

"You think—" Tai Chu Shangren suddenly turned around and roared at the golden skeleton, "that you can trap this Saint by branding the power of the curse onto my body and soul?!"

The phantom was twisted with rage, its voice filled with madness: "I don't want it anymore! This cursed skeleton, this corrupted cultivation, I don't want it all!"

"I have been asleep for so long, you must be convinced that I have completely perished, right?"

The illusory figure of the Primordial Master let out a chilling laugh, "But I insist on abandoning everything and starting anew. When I return to the Heavenly Fortune Holy Dynasty, I will surely take your life!"

Zhou Qing was shocked upon hearing this—the Heavenly Fortune Holy Dynasty?
"You deceived me into believing you were the guardian divine bird of the nation," the phantom continued through gritted teeth. "I was truly blinded by your sweet words! Empress, you just wait!"

Before he finished speaking, the phantom of the Primordial Master suddenly sprang up, his right hand forming a sword-like gesture, and pointed sharply at the golden skeleton.

His translucent hands instantly formed hundreds of complex hand seals, each seal accompanied by a deafening roc's cry.

"open!"

With a sharp shout, the silent golden skeleton suddenly trembled violently.

The surface of the skeleton was covered with dense cracks, from which a dazzling golden light seeped out.

Zhou Qing could see it clearly; the cracks actually formed a complete ancient array.

"Tick-tock-"

The first drop of golden essence blood seeped from the sternum of the skeleton, hovering in the air, radiating the purest and most powerful bloodline pressure.

Then came the second drop, the third drop.
One hundred and thirty-six drops of Golden Roc True Blood gushed out one after another, forming a mysterious star map in the void.

Each drop of true blood contained astonishing energy fluctuations, causing even the surrounding air to distort and deform.

Zhou Qing's Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily, and the "Emperor's Scripture" within his body continued to circulate on its own.

The purity and quantity of this true blood far exceeded what he obtained in Canglan Mountain back then; even a single drop would be enough to trigger a bloodbath in the outside world.

(End of this chapter)