Chapter 148: Can I Call You Dad? (6k)

Zhou Qing fell silent after hearing this.

"Male preference? What century are we in? In my view, whether son or daughter, they're both your children and deserve equal love."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yaoyao's face instantly lit up with a smile, and she asked, "Back to the point—why haven't you ever told her who her mother is?"

Zhou Qing sat up, thought for a moment, then said, "Since it's hypothetical, there are countless possibilities—maybe her mother is a sacred maiden of a major sect, a princess of a cultivation state, or maybe she died outright, leaving me to raise our daughter alone with no way to tell her… Pfft, what ridiculous assumptions!"

"If I ever take a Dao partner and have a daughter, I'll protect them both fiercely—no one will ever dare to harm them," Zhou Qing said suddenly, his expression serious.

Hearing this, Lu Yaoyao's eyes immediately glistened with tears, her face glowing with happiness.

【Heart Mirror +9】

The next moment, her original note 【So Awesome】 instantly changed to 【Good Man】.

After a brief hesitation, she bit her lip, gazing at Zhou Qing's dreamy expression, as if summoning all her courage, she blurted out, "Zhou Shixiong… can I… call you Dad?"

Thud—

Zhou Qing, caught off guard, tumbled straight off the tree.

He groaned "Ow!" as leaves rustled around him, then crawled out of the grass, gritting his teeth and staring at Lu Yaoyao with a twitching face, laughing and crying at once: "Stop joking!"

Lu Yaoyao burst into laughter at once, then flopped onto a tree branch, waving her hand: "I was just teasing you—look at you, so tense!"

Zhou Qing let out a long breath. Modern girls were truly unpredictable, their thoughts utterly wild.

Not even Master Sect Leader, but even Li Daoxuan and his five muscular giants would storm over and beat him to a pulp if they heard this.

Forget it—after this is over, I'll stay far away from this girl. One random sentence like that nearly gave me a heart attack.

…………

Linggu Mountain lies southwest of the Cangyan Dao Palace's Xueyan Mine, its body composed of strange black rock riddled with countless tiny holes.

Its shape is jagged and treacherous, with sharp peaks piercing the clouds like giant white bone spikes, filling one with dread.

Moreover, a permanent layer of gray-white mist clings to its mid-slope, mildly toxic—those who enter without strong spiritual sense easily lose their way.

Strangely, countless animals, sensing their lifespan nearing its end, travel thousands of miles to come here, find a spot, look skyward and roar, completing their final journey.

This has left the mountain littered with white bones and flickering ghost fires, hence its name: Linggu Mountain.

Cangyan Dao Palace once sent teams to investigate this strange phenomenon, but each time they returned empty-handed; likely, the mountain's shape has led these unintelligent beasts to regard it as a sacred site.

Shiiii!

Dozens of figures clad in Cangyan Dao Palace robes descended from their swords, landing silently.

The leader radiated the aura of Nascent Soul early stage; the rest were all Jin Dan, their expressions tense yet excited.

"Brother Li, it seems the beast hasn't arrived yet," one Jin Dan disciple said, barely concealing his excitement as he addressed the Nascent Soul Li Hong.

Li Hong, equally stirred, sneered: "Never thought a Jin Dan mid-stage Thunder Sound Toad could speak human speech—and now, with its lifespan ending, it still believes in this nonsense like an unintelligent beast. How laughable!"

All others nodded in agreement, fully endorsing his words.

For years, they had kept this neighbor of the Xueyan Mine under surveillance and caution, and peace had held.

But in recent years, its life began to weaken; once reported, a Nascent Soul late-stage Elder rushed over, thrilled.

Unexpectedly, the Thunder Sound Toad feigned weakness, using its innate talent to severely wound the Nascent Soul late-stage Elder.

Afterward, it stormed into the Xueyan Mine, killing many slaves and disciples, and left a warning.

Yet Li Hong always felt something was off, and kept a watchful eye.

In truth, he'd guessed right—the Thunder Sound Toad's lifespan truly was ending; that battle had merely been a final flash of dying light.

Only now did his subordinate report that the Thunder Sound Toad had quietly left its cave at midnight, its path clearly leading to Linggu Mountain.

Due to proximity, they arrived early.

"Don't move yet. Maintain position—this beast's final lunge will be terrifying!"

After issuing the order, Li Hong led his team into instant concealment.

None noticed that behind a nearby mound, Zhou Qing and Lu Yaoyao cautiously poked their heads out.

Lu Yaoyao's face was filled with worry as she whispered: "Terrible luck—this place should be deserted! What do we do now?"

After all, both she and Zhou Shixiong were Jin Dan; even if he excelled in poison arts, facing so many would make it hard to act, especially so close to the Cangyan Dao Palace mine.

But Zhou Qing's eyes gleamed.

A Thunder Sound Toad on the verge of transcendence—every part of it was priceless.

The only problem: too few Nascent Souls—hard to generate many ignore points.

"Get closer!" Zhou Qing whispered mentally.

Lu Yaoyao froze in shock. Shouldn't we sneak away and circle around to find the forbidden seal inheritance?

Was he planning to let the mantis catch the cicada while the oriole waits behind?

Lu Yaoyao seemed to realize something, stopped asking, and silently followed Zhou Qing as he crept forward.

"Did you memorize where those people hid?" Zhou Qing whispered.

Lu Yaoyao nodded rapidly, whispering back: "Memorized."

"Good. Now clear your mind. Keep your eyes locked on them. I'm making preparations—pretend I'm not here." Zhou Qing murmured.

Lu Yaoyao immediately patted her chest, giving him a reassuring look.

Then she carefully leaned forward, eyes fixed on the key positions ahead.

Zhou Qing's lips curled into a faint, knowing smile.

He just didn't know how to explain his Nascent Soul cultivation base later.

Whatever—better conceal it with the Void Realm Manifestation Technique.

Then he pulled out a straw hat, placed it over his face, and lay down sideways, preparing to nap.

Lu Yaoyao never turned back, never wondered what he was preparing—her gaze remained locked ahead, fully focused on surveillance.

【Ignore Point +3】

About half an hour later, the long-awaited prompt echoed in his ear.

Zhou Qing's face broke into a smile—his plan was working.

If only they were all Nascent Soul—then the points would be enormous.

【Ignore Point +4】

Another incense stick passed, and the prompt came again.

Time slowly passed until night fell, darkness complete. After Zhou Qing had accumulated twenty ignore points, the ground suddenly trembled faintly.

Lu Yaoyao rubbed her sore eyes, turned back quickly, and whispered: "Zhou Shixiong, wake up… Huh? Sleeping?"

Zhou Qing removed his hat, raised a finger to his lips, and whispered: "Suppress your aura."

Then he quietly rose.

Ahead, Li Hong and the others were equally tense, holding their breath, eyes locked forward.

Under the night sky, the ground continued trembling. Soon, a colossal figure, like a slowly moving hill, emerged into view.

It was a toad with a deep, dark green body, its broad back covered in slightly raised golden bumps.

Strangely, silver-blue lightning arcs flickered across these golden bumps, casting eerie glows around it.

Its two lantern-sized eyes were half-lidded, the pupils clouded.

From it radiated a fading vitality—a heavy, exhausted aura, yet stubbornly clinging to life, like a candle burning its last drop of oil, barely flickering.

Arriving at the foot of Linggu Mountain, the Thunder Sound Toad ceased leaping, slowly lifting its head toward the peak.

"Unwilling!" it uttered a hoarse human voice, then began crawling upward, inch by inch.

"Go!" Li Hong and the others' eyes blazed with excitement; they lowered their bodies and stealthily followed.

Zhou Qing checked the time—half an hour until midnight, when the 【Daily Mirror】 would refresh.

Gazing at the Thunder Sound Toad, whose life was nearing its end, Zhou Qing felt an inexplicable unease.

Perhaps it was the overwhelming visual impact of its massive form, or perhaps it was the first time he'd encountered a Nascent Soul beast that spoke human speech—he unconsciously activated the 【Daily Mirror】 on the retreating back of the Thunder Sound Toad.

【Dying Beast: This is a Thunder Sound Toad whose life will end within three days. But it refuses to accept death—this journey to Linggu Mountain is to find the Suanni remains. If assimilated, it will break through to the late Nascent Soul stage and extend its lifespan. Though it has come countless times, this is its final chance—but the full moon has not yet arrived.】

Zhou Qing stared at the feedback, disbelief flooding his eyes.

Suanni remains—so there truly are Suanni remains here!

The Suanni, like the Flame Crocodile and the Three-Legged Golden Crow, carried ancient bloodlines—legendary, immensely powerful beasts.

Lu Yaoyao wasn't lying—so does that mean this place also holds the inheritance of the master who created the Five-Color Forbidden Array?

And the system just mentioned "unfortunately, not yet the full moon"—what did that mean?

Could it be—

Zhou Qing suddenly looked up at the crescent moon in the sky, a realization dawning—his heart began pounding uncontrollably.

"Zhou Shixiong, what do we do now?" Lu Yaoyao suddenly sounded excited.

Being the oriole felt thrilling.

Zhou Qing snapped out of his thoughts, calm and composed: "Don't rush. Wait. See if any other orioles show up."

After all, this Thunder Sound Toad still has three days left. According to the system's feedback, it's nearly at Nascent Soul late-stage.

And beasts differ from humans—their bodies are stronger, lifespans longer, few cultivation bottlenecks, just slower progress. This is the exact opposite of humans.

So Heaven is fair!

As that Nascent Soul just said—if this beast makes a final lunge, no one can withstand it.

Lu Yaoyao gazed at Zhou Qing with pure admiration.

Live and learn!

Thus, the two waited patiently for a long while; once they confirmed no other suspicious figures nearby, they swiftly followed the footprints up the mountain.

At mid-slope, thick gray-white mist now enveloped the area.

Amid the mist, eerie blue phosphorescent flames flickered intermittently, sometimes merging and blending, sometimes dispersing and drifting, faintly shaping twisted, monstrous forms as if demons danced wildly, filling one with dread.

Occasional gusts of cold wind blew, causing the bones scattered across the ground to clatter together with a chilling "crack-crack" sound.

Lu Yaoyao closely followed behind Zhou Qing, lips tightly sealed, silent and tense, her expression grave.

Until Zhou Qing suddenly grabbed her, and both crouched low, eyes fixed ahead with wary caution.

There, Li Hong and the others lay perfectly still on the ground, motionless.

Through the hazy mist, they could see the Thunder-Sound Golden Toad slowly shifting its sluggish, massive body.

The golden bumps on its back continuously emitted dazzling streaks of lightning; its mouth opened and closed as if striving to sense something.

"Just lie down anywhere—it's such a pain in the ass to wait!" Li Hong fumed inwardly, growing impatient.

After all, you'll sell all your treasures for gold later—why bother with such details?

Zhou Qing seemed to realize something.

The Suanni was a thunder-affinity beast, and this Thunder-Sound Golden Toad also wielded partial lightning power—so it was trying to sense the remains of the Suanni's bones.

The bones here piled like mountains, mostly ordinary animals or low-grade beasts; their mysterious arrival proved the Suanni's bones truly existed.

Then why did such a powerful beast perish here, unknown to all?

In other words, what exactly in this place drew it here?

Zhou Qing's eyes grew brighter—he realized that to uncover the truth, he must wait for the full moon night and investigate.

Soon, the Thunder-Sound Golden Toad limped toward another direction; after a brief wait, Li Hong and the others quietly followed.

Without Zhou Qing needing to explain, Lu Yaoyao understood instantly, remaining perfectly still in silent coordination—what if there were other "yellow birds" watching from other directions?

But instead of the so-called "yellow birds," they encountered the Nascent Soul cultivator who had turned back.

Li Hong's powerful spiritual sense quietly spread outward, meticulously scanning the surroundings; only after confirming no one else was near did he quietly exhale in relief.

For some reason, he felt an inexplicable unease tonight, thinking someone might be hiding, waiting to reap the benefits of others' efforts.

Now it seemed he had overthought it.

Watching Li Hong's figure vanish again into the thick mist, Lu Yaoyao gazed at Zhou Qing with renewed admiration.

That was close—he turned back on us like a surprise strike.

Zhou Qing sneered, then led Lu Yaoyao onward, reminding her to stay alert to any movement around them.

This man is so cautious—he might have placed warning talismans nearby; stepping on one would be a serious trouble.

In fact, Zhou Qing was right: soon, sharp-eyed Lu Yaoyao spotted several white talismans, quietly stuck onto the scattered bones at different positions.

Had the two rushed into this area, they might have triggered them and exposed their location.

Clearly, anyone who reached the Nascent Soul realm was no fool.

Lingku Mountain was vast; the Thunder-Sound Golden Toad continuously released lightning to sense its surroundings, and eventually, all could clearly feel its growing exhaustion.

Slowly, its lightning power became intermittent, like a candle flickering in the wind, ready to be snuffed out at any moment.

Gua—

As night passed, the Thunder-Sound Golden Toad gazed at the red sun slowly rising in the east, let out a frustrated roar, then its massive body collapsed with a crash, its breath gone.

"Boss, it's dead—finally dead!" a Jin Dan disciple could barely contain his excitement.

Li Hong was equally thrilled, yet he did not act rashly—he continued waiting patiently.

He had precedent: he'd heard the last Nascent Soul elder, severely wounded, still hadn't recovered.

This beast excels at feigning weakness—just like Zhou Qing, ranked tenth on the Assassination List, it's cunning as hell.

Especially with Song Yuan—he'd cultivated some rapport with him, sending him countless beautiful women and innumerable rare treasures to pave the way.

He'd dreamed of becoming a loyal retainer, yet who could've guessed he'd be betrayed and killed by a mere Jin Dan cultivator?

All his years of planning washed away—where could he even complain?

Time passed slowly until nightfall; the Thunder-Sound Golden Toad remained motionless, even beginning to emit a faint stench of decay.

Seeing this, Li Hong's face lit up with joy. He quickly ordered the two Jin Dan disciples beside him: "Go check it out."

The two Jin Dan disciples instantly paled, looking reluctant.

"Hurry up!" Li Hong repeated, his tone sharper.

Reluctantly, they rose, swallowed hard, and crept cautiously toward the corpse of the Thunder-Sound Golden Toad.

Nearby, Zhou Qing slightly shook his head.

Cleverness backfiring—how could a Nascent Soul beast dead less than a day already stink of decay?

Clearly, it was faking death to lure you in—and you, foolishly, lost your patience.

A little clever, but not enough.

According to the system's feedback, this Thunder-Sound Golden Toad still had nearly two days of life left.

"Fall back!" Zhou Qing pulled Lu Yaoyao backward quietly.

Lu Yaoyao was puzzled: if the Thunder-Sound Golden Toad was dead, why not rush out now while they weren't looking? Why retreat?

But seeing Zhou Qing's grave expression, she didn't press further—she obediently followed, inching backward slowly.

Meanwhile, the two Jin Dan disciples had drawn near the massive corpse; one gritted his teeth and slashed hard with his sword, piercing deep—there was a wet tearing sound.

Yet the corpse showed no reaction, lifeless as stone.

The other, seeing this, added several more slashes; still no movement—his face lit up with delight.

Seeing this, Li Hong sighed in relief and quickly signaled everyone to rush forward.

"Watch out for the poison sacs—don't puncture them! These are priceless medicinal ingredients…"

Li Hong shouted loudly while instinctively shielding his nose. After all this effort, it was finally dead—and he'd ended up getting the prize.

Suddenly, the stench grew stronger; Li Hong snapped back to reality, his face turning pale—he instantly retreated.

In the next instant, the golden bumps on the Thunder-Sound Golden Toad's back erupted with a series of dull "puff-puff-puff" sounds, and thick streams of emerald-green poison violently spewed toward the crowd.

The Jin Dan disciples who had just rushed forward, still smiling with excitement, had no time to react—they were instantly engulfed.

In an instant, piercing screams pierced the night sky; within mere breaths, all the Jin Dan disciples were dissolved into foul-smelling pools of pus by the corrosive poison.

Only tattered clothing and storage pouches remained, proof they had ever existed.

The Thunder-Sound Golden Toad suddenly opened its eyes, cold and ruthless, fixed on Li Hong as he fled in panic.

Its previously lifeless aura exploded fully—there was no trace of a dying beast.

"You truly thought I didn't know you've been watching me all along?" The Thunder-Sound Golden Toad spoke in human voice, dripping with mockery.

Then it leapt high, its massive body hurtling toward Li Hong with such speed it tore the air.

Instantly, it opened its gaping maw—a powerful sonic attack surged forth like a raging tidal wave, twisting the air itself as it passed.

Li Hong, caught off-guard while fleeing, was blasted backward by the sonic wave.

His face turned deathly pale, eyes wide with horror—he desperately channeled his spiritual power to resist.

A blazing flame rapidly coalesced before him, forming a massive, snarling fire serpent that lunged toward the Thunder-Sound Golden Toad…

(End of Chapter)