The head master has a new female apprentice

Chapter 457 The murderer is Zhou Qing! (6k)

In response to Zhou Qing's question, Xiao Tianze suddenly grinned maliciously.

"As expected, he's a remnant of the Shen family! Capturing a late-stage Spirit Severing Realm remnant and handing him over to the Yan or Liu family would be a great achievement!"

"Do it!"

With Xiao Tianze's command, Elder Xiao Yuanshan and Elder Xiao Yunhai, who had been attacking from both sides, simultaneously unleashed their spiritual power.

A jet-black "Mysterious Netherworld Heavy Ruler" appeared in Xiao Yuanshan's hand, its body wreathed in ghostly blue flames. With a single step, the ground instantly cracked.

"Nine Nether Soul Suppressor!" The heavy ruler swept across, and nine streams of Netherfire transformed into ferocious fire pythons, roaring as they pounced on Zhou Qing.

The Second Elder, Xiao Yunhai, held a "Blood Fiend Twin Rings" in each hand. The rings were sharp as the moon and covered with blood-red runes. When he swung them, they brought with them gusts of bloody wind.

"Blood Moon Slash!" With a roar, two scarlet moon blades crossed and slashed, cutting fine cracks in the space wherever they passed.

Faced with the combined attack of two late-stage Spirit Severing Realm experts, a cold glint flashed in Zhou Qing's eyes.

Suddenly, countless spiritual seals appeared around his body—a total of thirty thousand spiritual seals surrounded him like stars, each radiating a heart-palpitating aura.

"Condense!" Zhou Qing shouted, and the thirty thousand spirit seals instantly converged, perfectly merging with the purple-gold lightning arcs around him.

Amidst the dazzling lightning, a long spear, entirely purple-gold in color, slowly took shape—its shaft coiled with raging lightning snakes, and its tip gleaming with a cold light that seemed capable of piercing the heavens.

"Break!" Zhou Qing gripped his spear and swept it horizontally.

A crescent-shaped arc of purple-gold lightning swept out, colliding fiercely with the Nine Nether Fire Python and the Blood Moon Slash.

"boom--!"

Amidst the deafening explosion, the entire hall shook violently, and the roof was mostly blown off by the violent aftershocks of energy.

Amidst the billowing smoke and dust, the patriarch Xiao Tianze suddenly widened his eyes, staring intently at the purple-gold thunder spear, as if a rumor had suddenly popped into his mind.

"Purple-Gold Thunder Spear, Thirty Thousand Spirit Seals, you are Zhou Qing!" Xiao Tianze's voice trembled with excitement, and the killing intent in his eyes was instantly replaced by greed.

This is a target who possesses two inscription-level divine abilities!
Unexpectedly, he didn't stay in the desolate forbidden area, but instead killed everyone and made a surprise return, appearing in the Fifth Tail area instead.

Zhou Qing sneered, raised his hand and removed his mask, revealing a face that made the three men's expressions change drastically: "It is indeed me, Zhou."

His gaze was like a knife, sweeping over the three horrified faces. "Your Xiao family is not yet qualified to occupy this fifth tail territory. Today, let's start by taking advantage of the lackeys of the Liu and Yan families to collect some interest!"

"Arrogant!" Xiao Yuanshan roared, raising the Xuanming Heavy Ruler once more. "So what if you possess inscription-level divine abilities? Today, I'll show you the true strength of the Xiao family!"

"Activate the formation!" Xiao Yuanshan and Xiao Yunhai simultaneously formed hand seals, and the weapons in their hands suddenly burst forth with dazzling light.

Complex array patterns appeared on the floor of the main hall, and countless dark blue chains shot out from the void, wrapping around Zhou Qing.

Zhou Qing snorted coldly, and his purple-gold lightning spear danced like a dragon, severing all the incoming chains.

But the broken chains transformed into even more tiny runes, which clung to them like a persistent, insidious infection.

"Interesting." Zhou Qing's fighting spirit intensified, and the Purple-Gold Thunder Spear suddenly flew out of his hand, splitting into nine in the air, transforming into nine thunder dragons that circled around him.

Each thunder dragon was lifelike, with clearly defined scales and claws, and emitted a deafening roar.

Immediately afterwards, the nine thunder dragons pounced out simultaneously, colliding fiercely with the azure chains and unleashing a series of explosions.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Zhou Qing flashed and instantly appeared in front of Xiao Yunhai, throwing a punch.

"Bang!" Xiao Yunhai hastily used his Blood Fiend Twin Rings to block, but was blasted backward by the punch, crashing into several stone pillars before barely managing to steady himself, a trace of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

"Second brother!" Xiao Yuanshan's eyes widened in fury, and he slammed the Xuanming Heavy Ruler into the ground. "Soul-Suppressing Melody!"

The ground array patterns suddenly changed, and countless ghostly blue hands emerged from the ground, grabbing at Zhou Qing's legs.

At the same time, a series of mournful soul sounds exploded in Zhou Qing's mind, attempting to disturb his soul.

Zhou Qing frowned slightly, and lightning flashed beneath his feet, shattering the ghost hand completely.

But those soul sounds were like a persistent, malignant infection, causing him to pause slightly.

"A good opportunity!" A glint flashed in Xiao Tianze's eyes, and he suddenly threw out the Heaven-Burning Flame Dragon Spear.

The spear transformed into a hundred-foot-long fire dragon, baring its fangs and claws as it lunged at Zhou Qing.

Faced with an attack from three sides, Zhou Qing remained calm and quickly formed hand seals.

The next moment, countless fine lightning patterns spread from his body, forming an impenetrable lightning net around him.

The fire dragon crashed into the lightning net, unleashing a deafening explosion, but it couldn't break through even an inch.

Amidst the smoke and dust, Zhou Qing's cold voice rang out: "With such meager skills, you dare to claim the title of the Fifth Tail?"

He took a step forward, his figure appearing before Xiao Yuanshan like a ghost, his purple-gold lightning spear aimed straight for Xiao's throat.

Xiao Yuanshan hastily used the Xuanming Heavy Ruler to block, but the force of the blow caused his tiger's mouth to split open, and the heavy ruler slipped from his hand.

"Big Brother!" Xiao Yunhai roared as he charged forward, his Blood Fiend Twin Rings slashing towards Zhou Qing's back.

Without turning his head, Zhou Qing unleashed a thunderous palm strike, knocking Xiao Yunhai back once again.

"Pfft—" Xiao Yunhai spat out a mouthful of blood, his face as pale as paper.

He stared intently at Zhou Qing, gritting his teeth, and said, "You...you're not just an ordinary late-stage Spirit Severing Realm cultivator!"

Zhou Qing sneered and twirled the purple-gold thunder spear in his hand, but suddenly, a blazing wave of fire attacked from the side.

Holding the Blazing Dragon Spear, with nine fire dragons coiled around its shaft, Xiao Tianze thrust it straight at Zhou Qing's temple with the force of thunder!
The shot was swift and deadly, with nine fire dragons intertwined and emitting a deafening roar.

Wherever the spear tip passed, the space itself was scorched and distorted.

A glint flashed in Zhou Qing's eyes. Instead of retreating, he advanced, his purple-gold lightning spear drawing a perfect arc as it clashed fiercely with the Heaven-Burning Flame Dragon Spear.

"clang--!"

The sound of metal clashing resounded through the sky, and a dazzling light burst forth from where the two divine spears struck.

The golden lightning arcs and the blazing flames devoured each other, and the resulting shockwaves shattered all the remaining pillars in the hall, causing the roof to collapse with a deafening roar.

Amidst the billowing smoke and dust, two figures were simultaneously sent flying backward.

Zhou Qing flipped in mid-air and landed steadily, the purple-gold lightning spear carving a deep trench in the ground.

Xiao Tianze staggered back more than ten steps before barely managing to steady himself. His right hand, which was gripping the gun, split open, and blood dripped down the gun barrel.

"Patriarch!" Xiao Yuanshan exclaimed, enduring his injuries as he rushed forward again.

He formed hand seals, and the Xuanming Heavy Ruler floated in the air, transforming into a black stream of light that shot towards Zhou Qing's back.

Zhou Qing didn't turn his head back. He waved his left hand behind him, and a purple-gold lightning shield instantly formed.

With a muffled thud, the Xuanming Heavy Ruler was bounced away by the lightning shield, and the Netherfire on the ruler dimmed a bit.

"Your opponent is me."

Xiao Tianze wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and the nine fire dragons on the Burning Heaven Flame Dragon Spear roared again, "Second brother, go and activate the clan's protective formation!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yunhai immediately withdrew and sped towards the back of the main hall.

Zhou Qing's gaze turned cold: "Trying to leave?"

With a flick of his left hand, three purple-gold lightning spears instantly coalesced and shot towards Xiao Yunhai in a triangular formation.

"Don't even think about it!" Xiao Tianze roared, sweeping his Heavenly Flame Dragon Spear horizontally. Nine fire dragons shot out from the spear, weaving into a fire net in the air, intercepting all three lightning spears.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

After three loud explosions, the fire dragon and the thunder spear were annihilated simultaneously.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Xiao Tianze pressed forward, his spear flashing like a dragon, each strike carrying the force to scorch the heavens and boil the seas.

Zhou Qing calmly responded, using his Purple-Gold Thunder Spear to deflect and sweep away the attacks one by one.

The two fought faster and faster, and in the blink of an eye, they had exchanged more than a hundred blows.

Gunfire and lightning intertwined, and the entire hall had long since been reduced to ruins.

The First Elder, Xiao Yuanshan, watched in horror—he had never seen the patriarch forced to such a state.

With another violent collision, a terrifying shockwave swept in all directions, leveling all the buildings within a radius of a thousand feet.

Amidst the smoke and dust, Xiao Tianze suddenly attacked from the side, his Blazing Dragon Spear aimed straight for Zhou Qing's throat.

As if he had anticipated this, Zhou Qing shifted his body to the side, his right hand forming a claw as he gripped the gun.

The two immediately engaged in a struggle, their guns crackling with lightning and emitting a sickening "sizzling" sound.

"Patriarch Xiao, is this all the strength you have?" Zhou Qing sneered, his left hand quickly forming a hand seal.

A pillar of purple-gold lightning, as thick as a water bucket, descended from the sky and struck Xiao Tianze squarely on the top of his head.

Xiao Tianze's expression changed drastically. He hastily released his spear and retreated rapidly.

Even so, the aftershock of the lightning bolt still struck his left shoulder, instantly turning it into a bloody mess.

"Patriarch!" Xiao Yuanshan rushed forward anxiously.

He bit his tongue and spat a mouthful of blood onto the Xuanming Heavy Ruler, which immediately shone with a brilliant black light.

The heavy ruler transformed into a black lightning bolt and shot towards Zhou Qing's back, its speed almost breaking through spatial limitations.

Zhou Qing snorted coldly, his figure suddenly blurred, leaving a residual image in place.

The Xuanming Heavy Ruler pierced through the afterimage and slammed heavily onto the ground, causing the earth to shake violently.

"Watch out!" Xiao Tianze shouted immediately.

But it was too late.

Zhou Qing's figure appeared behind Xiao Yuanshan like a ghost, and the purple-gold lightning spear pierced into his heart without mercy.

"Pfft-"

The spear tip pierced through his chest, drawing a spray of blood.

Xiao Yuanshan stared wide-eyed at the purple-gold spear tip protruding from his chest in disbelief.

The arcs of lightning crackling on the gun burned his flesh, making a sizzling sound.

His lips trembled as he tried to say something, but he only coughed up a mouthful of blood mixed with fragments of internal organs.

Zhou Qing's eyes were icy cold. Suddenly, his left hand glowed with black and white light, and he grabbed Xiao Yuanshan's crown: "Seize!"

A seven-colored primordial spirit with the same appearance as Xiao Yuanshan was forcibly pulled out of his body.

The primordial spirit struggled violently, its face filled with terror.

Zhou Qing mercilessly unleashed several sealing spells, completely imprisoning the primordial spirit, and then put it into his storage bag along with the corpse.

"Elder!" Xiao Tianze's eyes widened in fury, and the flames on his Heaven-Burning Flame Dragon Spear surged several times over. "Zhou Qing, I'll make you pay with your life!"

Zhou Qing flicked the blood off the Purple-Gold Thunder Spear and said coldly, "You think you can beat me?"

Just as the two were about to clash again, the entire Xiao family mansion suddenly trembled violently.

"Rumble--"

The ground undulated like waves, and beams of four-colored light shot into the sky from all parts of the Xiao family.

The four colors of light—cyan, red, white, and orange—intertwined, outlining a magnificent array in the night sky.

Each beam of light contained terrifying spiritual energy fluctuations, distorting even space itself.

"What an idiot! Doesn't he even remember how I got in here?" Zhou Qing sneered inwardly.

As the great formation took shape, a vast suppressive force descended from the sky.

Zhou Qing suddenly felt as if a mountain was pressing down on him, and his movements became somewhat sluggish. Even the circulation of spiritual energy within his body began to become sluggish.

"Hahaha!" Xiao Yunhai appeared on a distant platform, a sinister grin on his face.

"Zhou Qing, we know you're a level four formation master, but breaking a formation takes time. Do you think we'll give you that time? Today, we'll make sure you can't escape!"

Upon seeing this, Xiao Tianze finally showed a look of joy on his face.

Holding the Blazing Dragon Spear, he stood at the center of the formation, his aura rising steadily: "Zhou Qing, it's not too late to surrender! Hand over your inscribed-level divine abilities, and I might give you a quick death!"

Zhou Qing looked up and surveyed the four-colored array, a hint of disdain flashing in his eyes: "Your Xiao family's protective array is far inferior to the Shen family's previous five-colored array."

With a thought, 30,000 spiritual seals burst forth from his body, swirling around him like a galaxy.

Each spirit seal shimmered with brilliant light, containing profound and mysterious array principles.

"The so-called magic array and restriction are nothing more than using spiritual power as ink and heaven and earth as paper to outline the patterns of the Great Dao."

Zhou Qing's voice was cold and calm, yet carried an undeniable authority: "It seems mysterious, but in reality it is nothing more than a simple resonance between spiritual power and runes."

His gaze swept across their uneasy faces like lightning: "Of course, you don't understand, and I'm too lazy to explain to you."

As he spoke, the 30,000 spirit seals suddenly transformed into streams of light, weaving together in the air to form a massive array. "Breaking this array will only take an instant. Open your dog eyes and watch closely!"

Before he finished speaking, 30,000 spirit seals shot out simultaneously, accurately striking every key node of the great formation.

Those spiritual seals were not destroyed by brute force, but rather integrated into the spiritual energy circulation trajectory of the great formation in a mysterious way.

Like throwing countless tiny pebbles into a rushing river, it instantly changes the entire flow of spiritual energy.

"Click——"

A crisp cracking sound echoed through the sky.

The four-colored array collapsed instantly, like shattered glass.

The pillar of light shattered inch by inch, the array patterns collapsed one after another, and the spiritual power of the entire array was completely disintegrated in the blink of an eye.

"This...this is impossible!" Xiao Yunhai's face turned ashen, and he staggered back several steps. "How could my Xiao family's protective formation be..."

Xiao Tianze was struck dumb, and even the flames on his Blazing Dragon Spear dimmed slightly: "Breaking the formation with a single thought... This... This is the legendary 'Formation Mind Clarity' realm, which is about to reach the fifth level of a formation master?!"

Before he finished speaking, Zhou Qing's figure suddenly disappeared from the spot, leaving only a purple-gold afterimage in the air.

"Second brother, be careful!" Xiao Tianze's pupils shrank, and he hurriedly warned.

But it's too late.

Xiao Yunhai felt a blur before his eyes, and a long, strong hand had already gripped his throat.

The hand that was casually clasped his hands instantly froze all his spiritual energy, rendering him unable to move even a single finger.

Xiao Yunhai's eyes were filled with terror as he squeezed out a few broken syllables.

Zhou Qing's eyes were icy, and his fingers tightened slightly.

In an instant, countless fine sword energies burst forth from his palm, surging wildly into Xiao Yunhai's throat meridians.

The sword energy raged through his body like living things, mercilessly shredding every meridian and acupoint.

"Ugh—!" Xiao Yunhai's face was contorted, blood seeping from all seven orifices, yet he couldn't even let out a complete scream.

Xiao Tianze's eyes widened in fury, and the flames on his Heaven-Burning Flame Dragon Spear surged once more: "Stop!"

Zhou Qing ignored him, his left hand glowing with black and white light as he slammed his palm onto Xiao Yunhai's crown: "Seize!"

"Shoot-"

Xiao Yunhai's seven-colored primordial spirit was immediately forcibly pulled out.

The primordial spirit twisted in agony, its face filled with terror and despair.

With a light tap of his fingertip, several sealing runes wrapped around the struggling primordial spirit like chains, completely imprisoning it.

"Zhou Qing! I will tear you to pieces!" Xiao Tianze's eyes were bloodshot, and veins bulged on his forehead.

The Blazing Dragon Spear unleashed unprecedented ferocity in his hands.

The fire dragon patterns on the gun body lit up at the same time, and once again condensed into nine lifelike crimson flame dragons in the void, each carrying a terrifying aura that could scorch the heavens and boil the seas.

Zhou Qing remained expressionless, and with a gentle wave of his right hand, he put the sealed primordial spirit and Xiao Yunhai's limp corpse into his storage bag.

"You still have a long way to go in terms of skill."

Zhou Qing formed a sword shape with his right hand fingers together, and a wisp of purple-gold light, as thin as a hair, suddenly burst forth from his fingertips.

The light, though seemingly faint, caused the air within a hundred feet to freeze.

The nine fiery dragons that had rushed forward immediately slowed down, as if they were sinking into an invisible swamp.

"break!"

With a single, casually uttered word, the purple-gold sword light suddenly surged.

Without a deafening collision or a sweeping shockwave, the nine dragons vanished silently.

The patterns on the Blazing Dragon Spear dimmed instantly, and the spear made a "crackling" sound as it struggled under the strain.

Xiao Tianze staggered backward, his right sleeve, which was holding a gun, torn inch by inch, revealing an arm covered with burn marks.

He stared at Zhou Qing in disbelief, his heart filled with turmoil.

You must know that I am at the Great Perfection of the Spirit Severing Realm, which is a realm higher than Zhou Qing's.

But now, those who don't know the situation might think Zhou Qing is a level above him.

"I'm not playing with you anymore, I have other things to do!" Zhou Qing's eyes turned cold, and his hands formed hand seals at lightning speed.

In an instant, the color of the world changed!

The entire sky was suddenly torn apart by blinding golden light.

A gigantic golden seal appeared out of thin air, blotting out the sky.

The seal was covered with dense, mysterious inscriptions, each rune seemingly containing the ultimate truths of heaven and earth.

"This...this is..." Xiao Tianze's hair stood on end.

"Suppression!"

With a cold shout from Zhou Qing, the golden seal crashed down.

Xiao Tianze was horrified to discover that the space around him had completely solidified!
He desperately tried to channel his spiritual power, but he couldn't even move a single finger.

They could only watch helplessly as the golden seal slowly pressed down, the shadow of death drawing ever closer.

"No!" Xiao Tianze roared like a wild beast, using all his strength to lift the Burning Heaven Flame Dragon Spear.

The remaining flames on the gun burned wildly; this was his last struggle.

"Click——"

With a crisp sound, his natal magic weapon, which had accompanied him for thousands of years, finally succumbed to the pressure and shattered inch by inch under the suppression of the golden seal.

Xiao Tianze trembled violently, and blood flowed from all seven orifices at the same time.

His proud Spirit Severing Realm physical body began to collapse, spiderweb-like cracks appeared on his skin, and blood gushed out like a spring.

"Ah—!" Xiao Tianze let out a heart-wrenching scream.
The pain came not only from the physical body, but also from the tearing sensation in the soul. "Zhou Qing! My Xiao family patriarch will not let you get away with this..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhou Qing appeared in front of him instantly.

A slender finger gently touched his brow, and arcs of purple-gold lightning spread across his entire body, choking back his final harsh words.

"I'm waiting for him." Zhou Qing's voice was icy cold, his eyes devoid of any warmth.

Then, with a wave of his right hand, two beams of spiritual light flew out of the storage bag and landed on the ground, turning into two corpses—the First Elder Xiao Yuanshan and the Second Elder Xiao Yunhai.

Above the corpse, two primordial spirits, bound by seven-colored runes, floated and continued to struggle.

Zhou Qing formed hand seals, and suddenly a pair of huge, blood-red phantom wings appeared behind him.

Without further ado, it completely enveloped the three of them.

"Bloodwing Phantom - Refinement!"

With a low shout from Zhou Qing, the crimson wings quickly closed.

Inside the wings, countless fine, blood-red runes moved like living things, wrapping around the corpse and the primordial spirit.

"Chichi-"

A chilling sound came from inside the wings.

Just six breaths later, the crimson wings unfolded again, replaced by five crimson crystals the size of eggs.

Zhou Qing waved his hand and put the five Blood Phoenix Tribulation Crystals into a specially made jade box.

Then, his immense divine sense swept out like a tidal wave, instantly covering the entire Xiao family mansion.

Those members of the Xiao family who had been secretly observing were struck dumb, their faces turning pale as they collapsed to the ground.

"The murderer is Zhou Qing." His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears. "Tell the Yan family and the Liu family that if they want revenge, they can come to me."

As the last word fell, Zhou Qing's figure transformed into a streak of purple-gold light, heading straight for the dungeon behind the mountain.

Wherever it went, the Xiao family cultivators who tried to stop it didn't even have time to scream before they all exploded and died.

Their flesh and blood exploded in the air, turning into clouds of blood mist, which were then drawn by an invisible force and merged into the blood-red wings behind Zhou Qing.

The entire Xiao family mansion was now deathly silent, followed by the pervasive stench of blood.

……

The back mountain of the Xiao family!

This is a black stone prison embedded in the mountain, with dark red runes pasted on its heavy iron gate.

Each rune shimmered with a cold light, writhing like a living creature.

The air was thick with the stench of decay and blood, and faint groans could be heard coming from inside.

The Nascent Soul Realm elders who were supposed to be guarding the place had long since been terrified by the deaths of Xiao Tianze and the others, and had fled without a trace.

Zhou Qing's eyes turned cold, and he raised his hand and waved it.

The purple-gold lightning bolt shot out like a serpent, instantly tearing apart all the runes on the gate.

With a loud "boom," the heavy iron gate was forcefully blasted open.

Blinding sunlight poured in, illuminating the dark and damp interior of the dungeon.

What comes into view is a scene of hell on earth—

Hundreds of ragged figures huddled in a small cage, each bound by black chains engraved with imprisoning runes.

Some people were already on their deathbeds, emaciated and skin and bones.

Some people have missing limbs, and their wounds are still oozing pus and blood.

Even worse, only a weakened primordial spirit remains, imprisoned in a specially made soul bottle, while the physical body has ceased to exist.

The sudden sunlight made everyone squint.

They looked up blankly at the backlit figure standing in the doorway...

(End of this chapter)