Chapter 146

It was only then that Zhou Qing keenly sensed Lu Yaoyao's cultivation level and couldn't help but ask in surprise, "You've broken through to the mid-Jin Dan realm? Amazing!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Yaoyao immediately mimicked Zhou Qing's humble manner from earlier, spread her hands, and said, "That was just luck! It's nothing special."

Watching her cute and mischievous demeanor, Zhou Qing couldn't help but smile, feeling genuinely happy for her from the bottom of his heart.

Seeing Zhou Qing open the door, Lu Yaoyao hurriedly picked up the old hen from the ground and followed him inside.

"When I came back, I heard that Sima Yaoji, one of the five great prodigies of the Cangyan Dao Palace, has declared that she will kill you with her own hands to avenge Meng Xing and Song Yuan. You'll have to be careful from now on!"

After sitting down, Lu Yaoyao stroked the old hen while saying to Zhou Qing with concern.

Hearing this name, killing intent instantly filled Zhou Qing's eyes.

It was this woman who had cruelly murdered Yuan Shijie Luo Xue and severely wounded Senior Brother Du Kui.

Kill me with her own hands?

Once he was sufficiently prepared, he would go to find her himself, and at that time, blood debts would be paid in blood.

Afterwards, Zhou Qing told her about Yuan Shijie Luo Xue. Lu Yaoyao stood up abruptly, her eyes wide, her face full of disbelief.

Back when they were searching for the missing disciples of the Qingyu Immortal Sect, she and Zhou Shixiong had been severely wounded by Yin Xiao. At that critical moment, it was Du Kui and Yuan Shijie Luo Xue who arrived in time to save their lives.

But now, Yuan Shijie Luo Xue was actually...

"I originally wanted to go see Senior Brother Du Kui. I heard he's been particularly despondent, but I couldn't find a suitable time, so I didn't dare to disturb him," Zhou Qing sighed.

Lu Yaoyao fell silent, seemingly still unable to believe that someone she knew well was suddenly gone forever; she felt a sense of emptiness in her heart.

"The Cangyan Dao Palace is currently blinded by bloodlust. If you go out, remember to be careful!" Zhou Qing specifically and solemnly warned.

Lu Yaoyao nodded with reddened eyes and said, "Mm, I know, Zhou Shixiong, you must be careful too."

"Since you're back, go see Yuan Shijie Shi Zhen while you're at it. She was also severely wounded this time, and I don't know if she has recovered yet," Zhou Qing suggested.

After all, within the sect, the two of them were quite close friends.

"Yuan Shijie Shi Zhen was also injured?" Lu Yaoyao was shocked once again.

Zhou Qing simply told her about the incident in the karst cave that day.

Lu Yaoyao only knew that Zhou Qing had killed Song Yuan in Youhuang City and had recorded the inhumane things the other party had done, but she didn't know that Yuan Shijie Shi Zhen had also been captured at the time.

Those images from that day were bound to be made public, and in order to protect Yuan Shijie Shi Zhen's reputation, Zhou Qing naturally did not include her in the recording.

After chatting briefly with Zhou Qing, Lu Yaoyao left in a hurry, heading straight for Yuqing Peak.

Having calmed his mood, Zhou Qing began to fully practice the fourth form of the "Cang Lei Sword Art."

Only by constantly improving his strength could he survive in this volatile situation.

…………

Two days later, Lu Yaoyao and Shi Zhen came together.

Shi Zhen even brought some gifts to express her gratitude, and the tag above her head, which had changed in the cave to 【Junior Brother Zhou to be repaid for the rest of my life】, had long since been replaced by 【The rising star, Junior Brother Zhou】.

Zhou Qing really couldn't decline, so he had no choice but to accept them.

Of course, she had also prepared a portion for the Third Senior Brother. Just after seeing them off, a familiar figure appeared outside.

Looking at the embarrassed Supreme Elder Duanmu Shu, a bad feeling suddenly welled up in Zhou Qing's heart.

"Greetings, Supreme Elder!" Zhou Qing bowed respectfully.

Supreme Elder Duanmu Shu looked a bit sheepish and said, "Zhou Qing, first of all, I must congratulate you on your recovered cultivation. Um, I wonder if you are free today? Sigh, it's just that there's really no other way, I had no choice but to come to you."

"With the five-sect war going on, if we can obtain some good things from the cave heaven, it could provide some assistance to our sect, couldn't it?"

Zhou Qing was still very grateful to the Supreme Elder.

Not to mention anything else, just last time, after she learned that he had begun body refining, she took the initiative to open the No. 2 Flame Spirit Blood Pool, allowing him to soak in it and use the power of the blood pool to help him cultivate.

It was precisely because of that rare opportunity that he discovered the Flame Spirit Blood Paste and the secret passage dug by the Second Grandfather under the blood pool, which gave him enough spiritual power to break through to the Nascent Soul realm and achieve the Four Flower Gathering at the Crown.

And then there were the "Silver Dragon Hand" and the "Cang Lei Sword Art" that had become his trump cards.

Zhou Qing immediately bowed and said, "This disciple will do his best!"

He did not refuse; if he were ignored by the wandering souls, he would simply help the Supreme Elder open the gravity zone, and the Master should have already told them that they needed to use the method of crossing the river with dead crows.

If there were wandering souls, a full-strength strike of the "Jin Wu Burning Sky Canon" would be enough for him to retreat.

After that, he assumed the Supreme Elder would not come looking for him again.

Everything depended on Heaven's will!

Hearing Zhou Qing's agreement, Supreme Elder Duanmu Shu was immediately moved, her face full of relief and gratitude.

Zhou Qing was now in the late Jin Dan realm, so the crisis he would face from wandering souls should be even greater.

Under such circumstances, for Zhou Qing to still agree to help so readily, he truly was a kind-hearted child who kept the big picture in mind.

Not long after, when Zhou Qing arrived at the cave heaven again, there were seven Supreme Elders standing behind him.

Now that they finally had a chance to enter, they didn't want to miss such an opportunity, and one by one they stared at Zhou Qing with eager eyes, full of anticipation.

"Be careful!" the Supreme Elders warned with concern.

Zhou Qing nodded, then let out a long sigh. After entering the bronze gate and stepping into the gravity zone for only a short while, that hair-raising feeling of being watched appeared instantly, and a familiar howling sound came from ahead.

Zhou Qing sighed.

After all, in the simulated environment, he hadn't even lasted through the second wave before being torn apart by the many Nascent Soul wandering souls.

Boom!

When he saw twenty Nascent Soul wandering souls rushing over with roars, Zhou Qing did not dare to hesitate, his hands quickly forming seals, his mouth chanting incantations.

In an instant, a Jin Wu radiating dazzling golden flames charged straight forward.

Immediately, roaring and screams intertwined, echoing throughout the entire gravity zone.

Zhou Qing, having consumed a massive amount of energy, turned pale, and taking this opportunity, he turned around and ran for his life.

When he stumbled out and met everyone's gaze, Zhou Qing bowed with a face full of guilt: "Supreme Elders, this disciple has disappointed you!"

…………

Back at Little Spirit Peak, Zhou Qing was a bit conflicted for a moment.

He could actually tell the Supreme Elder about the passage, including the manipulation techniques for the five-colored altar.

At worst, he could push it all onto the Second Grandfather; in any case, those messages in the passage were left by the Second Grandfather for the Supreme Elders to discover.

But the problem was, the six coffins in that passage were fraught with danger; even the Second Grandfather didn't dare to open them easily, and had even gone away to further his studies in formations.

Take the third coffin, for example; it sealed a Soul Severance realm Crocodile King inside. Who did they think could handle that?

Once it was accidentally released, the consequences would be unimaginable, and the entire Taiqingmen would likely cease to exist under its rampage.

If the Supreme Elders rushed in, they would simply be throwing themselves into the tiger's den.

As for the other five coffins, there was no need to even think about them; one didn't have to guess to know the level of danger inside was definitely not low.

Moreover, at this critical juncture of the five-sect war, every Supreme Elder was a spiritual pillar for everyone in the entire sect and could not afford to be lost.

If any Supreme Elder met with misfortune because of this passage, he would die of guilt.

Taking a step back, even if the Supreme Elders discovered the passage that bypassed the gravity zone and led directly to the forbidden area, what did they think they would do first?

They would certainly erase the memories of anyone who knew this secret, as this matter was far too significant to take any chances.

Especially since such a confidential matter was known to a "Jin Dan realm" disciple.

And this "Jin Dan realm" disciple was now on the Cangyan Dao Palace's kill list.

Once captured, torture and soul-searching were inevitable, and the consequences would be unimaginable.

Of course, looking at it from a better perspective, even if the Supreme Elders only took the five-colored altar, that wouldn't be a good thing for him either.

He still wanted to use the Shenxu Tiangong simulation to go in more often and find good things in the forbidden area.

And besides, when the Second Grandfather returned from his studies and suddenly found the altar missing, wouldn't he be confused?

After all, the two of them got along quite well now, like teacher and friend, and usually, if there were any benefits, the Second Grandfather would bring him along.

When he ate meat, he could drink the soup behind him.

Just like the supreme-grade fire-attribute spirit stone and the "Jin Wu Burning Sky Canon" he had obtained this time, those were the best proof.

After clarifying these pros and cons, the guilt in Zhou Qing's heart finally lightened a little, and he then settled his mind and began to focus on studying the fourth form of the "Cang Lei Sword Art."

…………

Not long after, urgent messages flew rapidly into the three major alliances.

The large number of humanoid puppets owned by the Cangyan Dao Palace were frantically launching raids on the various mines of the three sects.

The personnel stationed at the mines were unable to resist for a time and suffered heavy casualties, with urgent calls for help coming in from all over; the situation was extremely critical.

Upon receiving the sect's orders, disciple after disciple did not dare to delay in the slightest and immediately rushed to the scenes to provide support.

And the three sects, after communicating with each other, also began a reciprocal counterattack, organizing personnel to raid the mines where the Cangyan Dao Palace was located.

For a time, the war between the five sects escalated across the board, and the entire Eastern Region was shrouded in this tense situation.

After a few days passed like this, in the dead of night, Yan Xiaohu stood quietly not far away, his gaze fixed on Mo Xingjian's residence, a look of determination on his face, and after kowtowing, he left quietly.

What he was going to do this time would definitely make the name of Blade Tyrant Yan Xiaohu resound throughout the entire Eastern Region.

The next day, when Zhou Qing received the news from Mo Xingjian, he was stunned and hurriedly sent a message to the Third Senior Brother.

But because of the distance, he couldn't receive a response at all.

"He's already at the Nascent Soul realm, how can he still act like a child!" Zhou Qing frowned, full of helplessness.

Even if he wanted to chase after him now, he didn't know which direction to go, so he could only worry in vain.

"Don't worry, don't let your Third Senior Brother's blockheaded appearance fool you; he's actually quite meticulous when he really does things, so there shouldn't be any major problems," Mo Xingjian comforted him.

He knew Yan Xiaohu quite well and knew that although this kid looked reckless, he was actually quite reliable at times.

Zhou Qing agreed with this point quite a bit, and now he could only hope that his trip would be safe and smooth.

"Don't run around lately; the latest news is that quite a few rogue Nascent Soul realm guys are preparing to use you to make money," Mo Xingjian warned with a serious face.

Zhou Qing understood that until he had thoroughly mastered the fourth form of the "Cang Lei Sword Art," he would not risk going out.

But to everyone's surprise, a month later, Yan Xiaohu really became famous.

This blockhead had actually dug up the ancestral grave of the Cangyan Dao Palace!!!

The Cangyan Dao Palace had an ancestral land located in Yanyang Valley, thousands of miles away from the sect.

That should have been considered their true sect, but because of the depletion of underground fire-attribute spiritual energy, it could no longer meet the sect's daily cultivation and development needs, so the sect had to relocate.

In order not to disturb the rest of their ancestors, the cemetery in the ancestral land was not changed much and remained in its original state, and they had specifically arranged for three Nascent Soul realm and several Jin Dan realm disciples to guard it there.

In any case, it wasn't too far from the sect, and if there were any emergencies, they could rush back in time.

However, as time slowly passed, a new cemetery was built within the sect, and after that, successive Palace Masters or Elders were buried in the new location after passing away, so very few people went to the ancestral land anymore.

And this time, seeing the situation of the five-sect war constantly escalating, the three Nascent Soul realm guards of the ancestral land felt it was too boring, and seeing the fighting outside so lively, they were itching to join in.

So they secretly left the ancestral land and ran off to hunt disciples of the three alliances, taking the opportunity to reap some benefits.

But they never expected that just after they left, they would have their home stolen by Yan Xiaohu, who had been lurking for a long time.

【I can't beat the living, but don't I have a way with the dead? Seniors of the Cangyan Dao Palace, this junior is truly helpless. Today, I dug you out just to let you see what kind of heaven-defying, outrageous things these descendants of yours are doing.】

【But then again, I feel cold for you; the burial items have almost all been looted by this group of unfilial descendants, leaving only a lonely tombstone stuck in the desolate grave mound.】

【You bastards, polish your dog eyes and watch clearly: the grave digger is none other than Blade Tyrant Yan Xiaohu!】

This was Yan Xiaohu's message, and all around, the image stones from the karst cave were constantly playing.

In an instant, the Cangyan Dao Palace was completely enraged, and they shockingly dispatched Divine Transformation realm experts to hunt him down, with the Tianji Sect assisting from the side.

And the kill list was updated that very day, with Yan Xiaohu of Little Spirit Peak ranked directly at eighth, with a bounty of four supreme-grade spirit stones, and they specifically demanded him alive!

"The blockhead, he's a total blockhead!" After Mo Xingjian learned of this news, he was so angry he cursed, and without a second word, he left the sect in a hurry to provide support.

Zhou Qing took a long time to come to his senses and was about to follow him out when a message from Mo Xingjian came through his identity token.

【Stay at home, don't run around!】

Zhou Qing looked at this message, and although he was ten thousand times unwilling, he was afraid that if he went out, he would make his Master even more worried, so he had no choice but to grit his teeth and agree, silently praying that his Third Senior Brother would be safe and sound.

Now, Little Spirit Peak of Taiqingmen was truly famous.

In the top ten of the kill list, Taiqingmen occupied half of them.

And among this half, besides Li Daoxuan who was ranked ninth, the first, second, eighth, and tenth were all disciples of Mo Xingjian.

And Zhou Qing, while waiting anxiously, constantly deduced the fourth form of the "Cang Lei Sword Art," and from time to time entered the Shenxu Tiangong to use those wandering souls as sparring partners, making rapid progress.

Just like that, another month passed, and Yan Xiaohu actually returned in rags.

"You're amazing, you're truly amazing!" Just as he arrived at the mountain gate, Elder Wu Zhu couldn't help but give a thumbs up in admiration and praise him.

After all, having witnessed the inhumane scenes caused by those people from the Cangyan Dao Palace in the karst cave, no one had any good feelings for them in their hearts, and it could even be said they were extremely disgusted.

It could be said that Yan Xiaohu had done something everyone wanted to do but didn't dare to; although it was a bit immoral, it was indeed necessary to let those ancestors see what the Cangyan Dao Palace had turned into.

It was simply conscience-less!

Facing Elder Wu Zhu's praise and the worshipful gazes of the surrounding disciples, Yan Xiaohu put his hands on his hips, his face full of pride, and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

However, he still pretended to be humble and waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "It's a small matter, all a small matter; you don't need to worship your brother, your brother is just a legend, hahahaha~~"

"By the way, where is your Master?" Soon, Elder Wu Zhu looked around and asked in confusion.

Only then did Yan Xiaohu know that his Master had gone out to look for him.

"Since I dared to do this, I must have planned all the escape routes; if the Divine Transformation realm wants to make a move against me, do you think I'd give them the chance?" Yan Xiaohu said confidently.

Currently, the Divine Transformation realm had not yet entered the fray, and he couldn't let people of that level come in first because of him.

Otherwise, the disciples on the alliance side would likely suffer massive casualties.

After saying this, he excitedly plunged into the mountain gate.

When he saw the message from his Third Senior Brother, the hanging heart in Zhou Qing's chest was finally put to rest.

He hurried towards the Jade Dining Hall...

At this moment, Yan Xiaohu stood his big blade beside the table, his whole body exuding a strong aura of killing intent, and he was ordering food with a serious face, focused, as if everything around him had nothing to do with him.

But even though there were empty private rooms, he didn't go in and just sat at the table in the center of the main hall, not saying a word.

Such an eye-catching scene soon attracted the attention of many people.

"Am I seeing things, is that Yan Xiaohu from Little Spirit Peak?"

"That's right, it really is him; it looks like he just got back."

"Amazing, truly amazing; digging up someone's ancestral grave, the damage isn't great, but the insult is extremely strong. Fortunately, our Taiqingmen's ancestral graves are inside the sect, so we don't have to worry about someone doing the same to us."

"However, with dark agents running rampant now, I heard that to prevent the other side from reciprocating, our ancestral graves have already been specially reinforced with manpower by the Sect Master."

"This Senior Brother Yan is a good one; he finally vented our anger for us."

…………

Everyone whispered, and Yan Xiaohu suppressed the excitement in his heart, feigning a calm appearance, just drinking his wine in silence.

Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river; last time I came, you only had eyes for the Fourth Junior Brother. How about it, I, Yan Xiaohu, am not weak either.

"Third Senior Brother—" Just then, Zhou Qing rushed over and hurriedly sat in the opposite seat.

Looking at his blood-stained body, Zhou Qing felt a pang of heartache; he really couldn't imagine what kind of encirclement and interception his Third Senior Brother had experienced during this month to successfully return to the sect.

"Why did you have to do this!" Zhou Qing sighed.

Yan Xiaohu, however, seemed not to care at all, grinned, picked up the wine pot, poured a cup for Zhou Qing, and laughed heartily: "No choice, it's just this personality, cheers!"

As he spoke, he raised his wine cup, signaled to Zhou Qing, and then drank it all in one gulp.

Zhou Qing was helpless and could only toast to his safe return; he just didn't know where his Master was wandering around right now.

Soon, the food was brought up, and as expected, it was all on the house.

Yan Xiaohu looked at the disciple serving the food and couldn't help but ask: "Didn't the Hall Master say anything about an autograph or something?"

"Replying to Senior Brother Yan, the Hall Master is not here; he went out to find ingredients a few days ago, but he specifically instructed that anyone who can make it into the top twenty of the Cangyan Dao Palace's kill list will be exempt from the bill for the first time!" the disciple said respectfully.

Yan Xiaohu: "..."

Damn!

Forget it, it's free anyway, might as well eat first.

At the same time, another figure covered in blood was flying on a sword, holding a square box tightly in his arms, his eyes showing a hint of urgency and exhaustion.

When he saw the familiar outline of Taiqingmen, a smile of relief finally appeared on his face.

"Core disciple of Jinyang Peak, Tan Qiang, because my storage bag was lost, I have no identity token, I ask Elder Wu Zhu to open the door of convenience!"

After the man landed, he was already extremely weak and hurriedly shouted loudly to Elder Wu Zhu, who was guarding the sect.

To prevent people from passing themselves off as others, almost all returning disciples needed to pass multiple verifications before they could enter the sect.

Hearing the man's voice, Elder Wu Zhu slowly stepped out, and just as he was about to say something, his expression suddenly changed.

And the man named Tan Qiang saw the smile on his face gradually stiffen, and then his whole body trembled uncontrollably, and then blood began to flow from his seven orifices.

His eyes were full of disbelief, he reached out his hand, his lips trembling, and he struggled to spit out a few words: "Save, save me..."

Before he could finish speaking, he fell straight down, and even his Nascent Soul didn't have time to escape before he lost his breath.

Elder Wu Zhu was shocked and subconsciously wanted to step forward, but quickly thought of something, stopped in time, and then hurriedly contacted the Sect Master and the Jinyang Peak Master, Gao Xuan.

Not long after, two figures flew over rapidly.

Cao Zhengyang was full of anger, his face so gloomy it seemed like water could drip from it; this was clearly a naked provocation.

Giving this child hope, and then letting him die in such despair at the sect gate, the person who did this was clearly vicious.

And Gao Xuan looked at his fourth disciple lying on the ground, a flash of heartache in his eyes, and hurriedly stepped forward, crouched down, and reached out a hand to place it on Tan Qiang's pulse.

Soon, his brows furrowed...

(End of chapter)