The head master has a new female apprentice

Chapter 458 Brother-in-law, brother-in-law—(6k)

These days, every time the prison doors open, it means someone else has been taken out, only to be subjected to various forms of torture and return covered in wounds.

Some were dismembered and had their bones removed, some had their souls refined and their spirits burned, and some were used as test subjects, living a life worse than death.

But so what?
From the moment they decided to avenge the Shen family, they had long anticipated this day.

In this life, there must be some things worth protecting with one's life.

Family honor, the continuation of bloodline, and the deep-seated hatred—these are all more important than a life of ignominy.

"Kill me or torture me, it's all up to you!" a middle-aged man with a blood-stained face shouted hoarsely. "We, the sons of the Shen family, would rather die standing than live on our knees!"

"Yes! If you have the guts, give us a quick death!" The others shouted in unison, their voices weak but filled with a resolute determination to die for their cause.

Zhou Qing's gaze swept over the emaciated members of the Shen family, his brows furrowing.

He sighed softly, raised his right hand slightly, and countless tiny specks of spiritual energy flew out like fireflies, disappearing into each person's body.

"This is..." The middle-aged man suddenly widened his eyes. He felt a warm current flowing through his body, and his broken meridians began to slowly heal.

Everyone else also wore expressions of disbelief.

Some people tried to move their fingers, while others struggled to move their legs. Although the movements were still difficult, they were indeed much more agile than before.

"Those who can move, get out of here quickly," Zhou Qing's voice was hoarse. "The Xiao family is wiped out."

He paused and did not continue.

A brief silence fell over the dungeon, followed by a burst of suppressed sobs.

The middle-aged man was the first to react. He struggled to kneel up and kowtowed three times, saying, "We will never forget your great kindness!"

Others also knelt down in worship, some wept with joy, some roared to the sky, and some even clung to their heads and wept bitterly.

The humiliation and pain accumulated over the years were finally released at this moment.

Amidst the chaotic sounds of gratitude, the deepest part of the dungeon suddenly echoed with the sound of chains being dragged.

A figure, so thin it was almost unrecognizable, staggered out.

His left leg was severed at the knee and was supported only by a wooden stick. His right eye was just a bloody hole, and his exposed skin was covered with hideous scars.

"You...you are..." The man's voice was so hoarse it was almost inaudible, but his one remaining eye was fixed on Zhou Qing. "Brother-in-law? No...not Senior Zhou?"

Zhou Qing was startled and turned his head sharply to look.

When he saw the disfigured face clearly, his pupils contracted sharply.

"Do you know me?" Zhou Qing asked in a deep voice.

The man nodded repeatedly, but then cautiously asked, "Before I answer your question, may I ask one first?"

Zhou Qing's gaze sharpened slightly: "Go on."

The man took a deep breath, as if this question was extremely important to him: "Shen Yunzhou, the fourth son of the Shen family, used the ruins of which sect to break through from the late stage of the Nascent Soul Realm to the Great Perfection Realm?"

Upon hearing this, a strange light flashed in Zhou Qing's eyes.

Looking into the expectant eyes of the other person, he already guessed what was going on, and slowly said, "Eastern Region, Corpse Yin Sect!"

Because of the corpse water there and the plans of the Tianji Sect, the Jinlei Sect Master Lei Wuji was transformed into that inhuman, ghostly state.

He even destroyed several sects, and it was only by using the massive amount of corpse energy and stench that Shen Yunzhou was able to break through to the Great Perfection realm in one fell swoop.

Apart from him and the Taiqing Sect members, almost no one knew about this matter.

Upon hearing this answer, the person was so moved that tears welled up in their eyes.

With his only remaining leg, he knelt down with a thud, his voice choked with emotion: "Young Master Yun is right, you will definitely escape alive!"

Zhou Qing flashed and appeared in front of him instantly, helping him up: "Young Master Yun? Shen Yunzhou?"

The man nodded repeatedly, wiping the tears from his single eye with his dirty sleeve: "I am Shen Hai. For the past two years, I have been following Young Master Yun in our revenge, specifically destroying the Liu family's mines."

"When we chat occasionally, Young Master Yun talks about you the most, and he has great respect for Senior Zhou's many deeds."

"Six months ago, we were caught in a carefully laid trap. We barely escaped, and Young Master Yun was seriously injured in the process. Afterwards, the Xiao family, along with the Liu family, came after us."

Shen Hai's voice lowered, "In order to avoid the serious injury of Young Master Yun being discovered, I deliberately exposed my whereabouts and lured them away."

At this point, a resolute glint flashed in Shen Hai's remaining single eye: "For the past six months, they have tortured me in every way, searching my soul several times, all in an attempt to find out where Young Master Yun is."

"But don't even think about it! I've completely blocked all my memories of that!"

Looking at the man in front of him, who was covered in wounds yet remained stubborn, Zhou Qing felt an unprecedented sense of respect and emotion.

He patted Shen Hai on the shoulder and said in a deep voice, "Take me to him!"

"Okay!" Shen Hai nodded emphatically, his eyes filled with excitement.

Then, Zhou Qing turned to the other members of the Shen family, his voice low and powerful: "Let's go!"

……

Three days later!
Two streaks of light silently pierced the sky and landed quietly in a desolate mountain range.

This place is less than 100 miles away from an important mine of the Liu family.

At this moment, Shen Hai was hunched over, his single remaining eye gleaming with tension and anticipation.

His rough fingers trembled slightly as he pointed to a distant mountain shrouded in mist, his voice low and menacing: "That's it."

Zhou Qing looked in the direction he was pointing, a cold smile playing on his lips.

The Liu family probably never dreamed that Shen Yunzhou, whom they were hunting down, was hiding right under their own mine.

That's a brilliant move, putting the cart before the horse.

"I wonder if Young Master Yun is still around?" Shen Hai's voice trembled slightly; the torment he had endured for half a year had made him hesitant to hold out much hope.

Zhou Qing did not answer, but slowly closed his eyes.

A silver rune quietly appeared between his brows, and his divine sense spread towards the mountain peak like a tide.

Three breaths later, he suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze flashing with a sharp light: "Still here!"

With a swift movement of his feet, he instantly appeared in the center of the mountainside.

Zhou Qing's eyes flashed like lightning as he scanned his surroundings.

To ordinary people, this place is just a typical mountain wall and rocks, but to this array master, he could clearly see a four-colored light curtain enveloping the entire mountain.

The four spiritual energies—cyan, green, red, and white—flowed like living things, weaving together in the void to form an impenetrable net.

Each strand of spiritual energy contained intricate array patterns, completely isolating the energy within the mountain's interior.

The formation was set up in an extremely ingenious way; it must have been something Han Yi left for Shen Yunzhou to protect his life.

Therefore, unless one is a high-level array master, an ordinary cultivator would not be able to detect anything even if they were standing right in front of them.

"It doesn't seem to be here." Shen Hai staggered over, looking around in confusion.

Zhou Qing smiled slightly and said loudly to the empty mountain wall, "Brother-in-law, will you open it voluntarily, or should I break through the formation to enter?"

As soon as he finished speaking, ripples suddenly appeared on the mountain wall in front of him.

The four-colored light curtain slowly parted to both sides, like a curtain being lifted.

The originally hard rock surface gradually became transparent, eventually revealing a deep cave entrance.

"Whoa-!"

A disheveled, blond figure burst out of the cave like a cannonball.

The man was dressed in rags and exuded a strange odor.

But with astonishing speed, she grabbed Zhou Qing and clung to him like a koala, bursting into tears.

Zhou Qing was knocked back half a step, looked down at the man in her arms who was crying so unceremoniously, and felt a pang of sadness.

He could feel Shen Yunzhou's thin, bony body trembling violently, and his heart-wrenching cries contained so much grievance and pain.

He gently patted the other person's back, his voice unusually gentle: "It's okay, everything will be alright."

Shen Yunzhou cried so hard that tears and snot streamed down Zhou Qing's shoulder.

After a long while, when he raised his head, a huge snot bubble was still hanging from the tip of his nose.

With a "pop," the bubble suddenly burst, and the sticky liquid splashed directly onto Zhou Qing's face.

Zhou Qing: "..."

No, you're always so disgusting!
Shen Yunzhou, however, was completely unaware, gripping Zhou Qing's shoulders tightly with both hands.

His bloodshot eyes stared intently at Zhou Qing, his voice hoarse: "Brother-in-law, Bai Fengyin, the deputy palace master of Tianhuang Palace, said that he killed my sister. Is that true?"

The air suddenly solidified.

The temperature in Zhou Qing's eyes instantly dropped to freezing point, and his spiritual power surged out uncontrollably, shattering the surrounding rocks.

He spoke each word slowly and deliberately, his voice as cold as the deepest hell: "Bai, Feng, Yin, I, will, kill, her!"

Upon hearing Zhou Qing's words, Shen Yunzhou trembled and froze on the spot as if struck by lightning.

His bloodshot eyes widened in disbelief, his lips trembled violently, and his last glimmer of hope was utterly shattered.

"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

A heart-wrenching wail suddenly erupted as Shen Yunzhou looked up to the sky and cried out, his face streaked with tears and snot: "Sister! My dear sister—"

……

After a while, inside the cave!
Shen Yunzhou carefully held the warm and smooth Soul-Nourishing Jade, his eyes fixed on the sleeping primordial spirit inside.

The familiar fluctuations in his soul brought tears to his eyes once again.

His previously mournful face suddenly broke into a smile, like a child laughing through his tears.

"Okay, okay, okay!" His voice trembled with excitement as he looked up at Zhou Qing, his eyes filled with hope. "How can my sister wake up? What rare and precious herbs does she need? I'll go right now."

Zhou Qing gently accepted the Soul-Nourishing Jade, handling it with the utmost care as if it were the most precious treasure in the world.

He carefully put the Soul-Nourishing Jade away from his body before speaking, "I'll take care of your sister's affairs; you don't need to worry about it."

The search for the Blood Phoenix Essence was extremely difficult, even he found it troublesome, let alone his brother-in-law who always acted unconventionally.

Shen Yunzhou raised his hand to wipe his eyes and let out a long sigh. The shadow of his family's destruction and the tragic deaths of his relatives over the past few years was finally dispelled somewhat with the prospect of his sister's resurrection.

He suddenly took out two bottles of pills and three top-grade spirit stones from his storage bag and handed them to Shen Hai, who was standing next to him: "As long as your primordial spirit is not destroyed, your physical injuries will heal quickly in the Nascent Soul stage. You should hurry up and heal your injuries."

Shen Hai accepted it knowingly and said respectfully, "Yes, young master!"

After saying that, he leaned on his crutch and limped deeper into the cave.

After Shen Hai had walked away, Shen Yunzhou suddenly turned around and asked urgently in a low voice, "Where's Lu Meizi?"

Zhou Qing's eyes dimmed: "She went back, back to her own timeline."

Shen Yunzhou's heart sank, and he hurriedly asked, "What about Yao Yao in this timeline?"

Zhou Qing took a deep breath, his chest heaving violently, as if he were about to expel the pain that had been building up for years.

Then he slowly closed his eyes and began to recount the events of that day in a hoarse voice.

As Zhou Qing narrated, the air inside the cave seemed to freeze.

When Shen Yunzhou heard that his older sister had resolutely lured Bai Fengyin away to protect Zhou Qing and the child, this usually jovial and sarcastic young man could no longer hold back.

"Sister—!" Shen Yunzhou burst into a heart-wrenching wail, collapsing to her knees with her forehead pressed against the cold stone surface.

Tears fell in large drops to the ground: "Are you stupid?"

Zhou Qing's eyes also reddened.

He crouched down and gently placed his broad, calloused hand on Shen Yunzhou's trembling shoulder.

The two remained silent, with only Shen Yunzhou's suppressed sobs echoing in the cave.

After a long while, Shen Yunzhou gradually stopped crying.

Seeing that his emotions had stabilized considerably, Zhou Qing finally asked the question that had been lingering in his mind for a long time.

"Since Bai Fengyin used the Bloodline Tracing Technique that day and was able to track you all the way here, how could she let you go? What exactly happened that day?"

Shen Yunzhou wiped his red and swollen eyes with his sleeve, his hands unconsciously clenching tightly, making a crisp "crackling" sound.

He calmed himself down for a moment before slowly speaking: "Didn't the Liu family use some kind of formation to seal off the space around the Shen family that day? Even a Spirit Severing Realm cultivator couldn't tear through space to escape."

"You and my older sister told me to take the direct descendants and hide in the ancestral forbidden area first."

Zhou Qing nodded. He clearly remembered that Shen Yunzhou had hurriedly taken away the twin sons of Liu Rushuang, the matriarch of the third branch of the Shen family—Shen Heng and Shen Li.

The two are not only the best of the younger generation in the Shen family, but also Shen Yunzhou's cousins.

Their mother had already been killed by their father-in-law, Shen Juefeng, and the five-colored restriction on the Shen family was also completely destroyed by that bastard's last resort.

This allowed Liu Xuancang, the patriarch of the Liu family, to easily step inside.

“Many of us have taken refuge in the restricted area.” Shen Yunzhou’s voice lowered, tinged with self-reproach.

"But the sounds of fighting outside are getting closer and closer, and the aftershocks of the collision of spiritual energy are even shaking the forbidden zone."

“I am, after all, the second person in the younger generation of the Shen family to advance to the Spirit Severing Realm after my sister. It would be unreasonable to just hide like this.”

He gritted his teeth, a resolute glint in his eyes: "So I sneaked out, and that's what I saw."

Shen Yunzhou's voice suddenly choked up: "I saw Dad open the spatial rift and push you and my older sister out."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qing felt as if he had been struck in the chest by a heavy hammer.

The scene from that day involuntarily came to mind.

He had only met his father-in-law once, and hadn't even seen his face clearly.

But on that day, in the face of life and death, the other party unhesitatingly gave him and Hanyi the hope of survival.

He owes his father-in-law a life!
Shen Yunzhou's voice interrupted Zhou Qing's thoughts, "I originally wanted to rush up and help in the battle."

"But those who attacked were all experts in the mid-to-late stage of the Spirit Severing Realm, or even the Great Perfection Realm, with several Supreme Realm experts also present. If I rashly made a move, I would only become a burden to my father."

Shen Yunzhou's knuckles turned white from clenching his fists: "So I decided to first find a way to destroy the outer array and create an opportunity for my people to escape."

"Unexpectedly, a member of the Yan family at the Spirit Severing Realm discovered me and immediately attacked me. In the critical moment, fortunately, an elder of my Shen family broke away from the battle and came to my rescue."

Zhou Qing nodded slightly.

He remembered that the first to arrive was Liu Xuancang, the patriarch of the Liu family, followed by the fifth, seventh, and ninth ancestors of the Yan family, who led twelve experts at the Spirit Slaying Realm.

At that time, apart from Shen Yunzhou and Han Yi, there were only seven people in the Shen family who remained in the clan at the Spirit Severing Realm—the seven fellow Daoists who had helped him perfect his Intent.

The third-generation master, Shen Lieyang, led seven people in a fight to the death. Despite being at a huge disadvantage, he still managed to spare one person to rescue Shen Yunzhou. This loyalty and righteousness is truly touching.

Shen Yunzhou's eyes suddenly turned bloodshot: "Then I watched helplessly as my third uncle was surrounded and killed by the Yan family's spirit-slaying members, my eldest uncle was killed by the combined forces of the seventh and ninth ancestors of the Yan family, my grandfather was seriously injured and fled, and finally, my father..."

At this point, he choked up and could no longer speak.

A cold glint flashed in Zhou Qing's eyes.

When he and Han Yi were hastily trying to repair the Five-Colored Magic Array, Bai Fengyin, the deputy palace master of the Heavenly Phoenix Palace, suddenly attacked. It was Shen Canghai, the patriarch of the Shen family, who repelled the attacker and saved their lives.

Shen Yunzhou wiped away the blood and tears from the corners of his eyes: "At that time, the entire Shen family was shrouded in the resentment of the fallen spirit-slaying, and I was also seriously injured by the Yan family's spirit-slaying."

"Seeing my loved ones fall one after another, I completely lost it. I just wanted to rush up and blow myself up, to take everyone down with me."

Zhou Qing fully understood that kind of despair—especially when she discovered that her father, who had been misunderstood for many years, had actually been secretly protecting her and her brother all along.

Before she could even apologize, her loved one perished at Bai Fengyin's hands; the pain was utterly heart-wrenching.

“Just then,” Shen Yunzhou said in a hoarse voice, “Da Congming suddenly rushed over and swallowed me whole in the chaos. When I woke up again, the Shen family had been wiped out for more than half a month.”

After listening to Shen Yunzhou's account, Zhou Qing finally pieced together the cause and effect of the matter.

He had seen the stone monster called Da Congming before, and it was probably its unique ability that blocked Bai Fengyin's bloodline tracking technique, allowing Shen Yunzhou to escape by chance.

"I've heard that the Liu family's mines have been frequently attacked in recent years. Is that your doing?" Zhou Qing suddenly remembered something and asked with a slightly narrowed gaze.

Shen Yunzhou nodded first, then shook his head: "I did do some of it, but most of it was not my doing."

"It must be other surviving members of the Shen family secretly seeking revenge."

Indeed, the Shen family, as a top-tier family of the fifth rank, has influence throughout the inner, middle, and outer regions, making it a very powerful and influential family.

Even though the core forces have been destroyed, there are still many loyal and righteous people who are determined to avenge their family's blood debts.

"So how many people are left in the Shen family now?" Zhou Qing asked in a low voice, his eyes filled with seriousness.

Shen Yunzhou sighed deeply, his expression somber: "I have no idea of ​​the exact number either."

"However, these revenges are ultimately just a drop in the ocean, since almost all the Spirit Severing Realm experts in the family perished in that battle."

He paused, then continued, "Of the remaining few, some were forced to seek refuge with the Liu and Yan families, while others, disheartened, left for distant lands."

"You can't blame them for that. After all, 'people strive for higher positions, and water flows downhill,' it's just the way things are in the world."

As Shen Yunzhou spoke, a bitter smile appeared on his lips.

Zhou Qing fell into deep thought, and after a moment he spoke: "Later, I carried Yao Yao back to the Shen family and met a few old acquaintances on the outskirts."

"Who is it?" Shen Yunzhou looked up abruptly, his eyes flashing with urgency.

"Second wife Su Yurou".

Shen Yunzhou's eyes lit up, as if he had thought of something, and he said excitedly, "That's right! When we returned to the Shen family from the villa that day, we happened to see Second Aunt having a secret meeting with a woman named Yun Jiumei. That person was actually her clone."

Zhou Qing nodded slightly: "That's true. We returned to the Shen family before her; she came back shortly after."

"It's good to be alive, it's good to be alive," Shen Yunzhou murmured softly, tears welling up in his eyes.

My mother's tragic death was inextricably linked to the three main houses.

Now that my second uncle Shen Yunlan has been killed by my brother-in-law, and my father has seriously injured my third uncle Shen Lieyang, and also killed my eldest aunt Lin Jingtang and my third aunt Liu Rushuang, the revenge that needed to be taken has been taken.

With almost all of his relatives dead, hearing that some people had survived, Shen Yunzhou felt a surge of warmth in his heart.

"Could it be that the attack on the Liu family's mine was carried out by my second aunt?" Shen Yunzhou suddenly thought of this possibility.

After all, almost all of the direct descendants of the Shen family perished in that catastrophe, including the cousins ​​who fled to their ancestral homeland—among them were the two children of the second aunt.

Although Second Aunt is a woman, she appears charming and alluring on the surface, but in reality, she is a ruthless and vicious character.

Zhou Qing said thoughtfully, "That's very likely. However, there's still one more person."

"There are still people?" Shen Yunzhou was excited, his eyes shining with hope.

Zhou Qing slowly uttered the name: "Your third uncle, Shen Lieyang."

Shen Yunzhou was shocked, his pupils suddenly contracting: "This is impossible! I watched with my own eyes as the Yan family joined forces to kill my third uncle, they didn't even spare his primordial spirit..."

“I know, but you may not know that your third uncle has already cultivated a second Nascent Soul!” Zhou Qing interrupted him.

"A second Nascent Soul?" Shen Yunzhou's voice suddenly rose, his face full of shock and confusion.

Zhou Qing nodded slowly, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.

This is a secret that Han Yi discovered through years of covert investigation.

Back then, Shen Lieyang was indeed bewitched by the imagery of the eldest wife, Lin Jingtang, and hired someone to rob the storage bag.

But his initial intention was only to cause trouble for his parents-in-law's business; he never intended to harm anyone.

But who would have thought that the bandits not only took his money, but also secretly accepted the commission from Shen Yunlan, the second wife.

The second wife, Su Yurou, gradually saw through her Daoist partner's true colors and ultimately chose to record the truth in the image stone, secretly entrusting it to Han Yi.

Having been kept in the dark, Shen Lieyang was shocked and furious when he learned of his younger brother and sister-in-law's murder. He did not hesitate to use his second Nascent Soul to kill all the bandits.

Unexpectedly, Su Yurou had already sent her clone, Yun Jiumei, to secretly follow them and record everything with an image stone, keeping it as a backup plan.

Over the years, both Han Yi and her father-in-law Shen Juefeng deliberately concealed these things from Shen Yunzhou.

Just as Han Yi said, knowing too early would only increase his inner demons and affect his future breakthrough to the Spirit Severing Realm.

They would rather Shen Yunzhou live a carefree life than be tormented by these dark memories.

Now that the Shen family has been destroyed, all the past grudges and affections have vanished with the wind.

The once intricate family feuds became meaningless in the face of the annihilation of the clan.

All that remains are the three blood feuds to be avenged: the Liu family, the Yan family, and the Heavenly Phoenix Palace.

(End of this chapter)