Chapter 153

Zhou Qing smiled without speaking, stopped walking, and stood still, gazing at the three-story wooden building ahead.

The next moment, the clear sky suddenly darkened with storm clouds, and fierce winds erupted.

The spiritual energy within him surged wildly, and the broken sword in his hand was instantly wrapped in a layer of deep-blue lightning.

As lightning flared, the surrounding space seemed to warp.

The ground beneath his feet cracked outward in a spiderweb pattern centered on him, with occasional sparks of electricity leaping through the fissures.

Roar!

A roaring thunder dragon coalesced from the clouds, then transformed instantly into a terrifying thunder blade, directly targeting the wooden house below.

"Zhou Qing, I never expected you'd dare walk into our trap—today, your head…"

"Cang Lei Sword Art, Fourth Form: Execution!"

Zhou Qing cut off Tian Xiong's words and brought his sword down.

The lightning blade in the air transformed once more into a thunder dragon, surging forward with a destructive aura, directly charging at the figure that had just shot out.

Where it passed, space was torn open by black fissures, and the air itself ignited instantly, crackling with explosive pops.

This was the first time he had used the fourth form of the Cang Lei Sword Art since mastering it.

Upon seeing this, Tian Xiong was instantly terrified, every hair on his body standing on end, his face pale with fear—he turned and fled.

Boom!

The entire Blood Rock Mine shook violently; a terrifying shockwave surged outward like a tidal wave, hurling countless people into the air.

Lu Yaoyao, who had been crouching outside and watching the scene closely, leapt up at once, excitedly shouting "Kill!" before charging straight inside…

The battle ended quickly—barely any time passed before the newly appointed Tian Xiong was slain by Zhou Qing.

Through soul-searching, he learned that during his and Lu Yaoyao's seclusion, Sima Yaoji, the one who had killed Sister Luo Xue, had also appeared here.

She had discovered the Thunder Sound Golden Toad, but as a Nascent Soul realm peak cultivator, she had deemed it beneath her and left.

She had even threatened to personally kill Zhou Qing to avenge Meng Xing and Song Yuan.

Zhou Qing memorized her appearance well; now that he had mastered sealing techniques, given enough time, their next meeting would be his revenge.

No—he would bring her back alive, to be executed by Du Kui's own hands, to soothe Sister Luo Xue's spirit.

"Is it over?" Seeing Lu Yaoyao return, Zhou Qing looked at her disheveled yet exhilarated expression and asked.

From the moment Lu Yaoyao entered the battlefield, Zhou Qing had no intention of helping her—even when he saw her overwhelmed by multiple Jin Dan cultivators, struggling desperately, he forced himself not to rush forward.

Some things, only she could truly grow from by experiencing them herself.

Otherwise, it would be a betrayal of the Heavenly Dao energy within her.

Now covered in blood, Lu Yaoyao's eyes glowed with intense excitement—this was her first time enduring such fierce combat, both thrilling and novel.

Upon hearing Zhou Qing's question, she nodded quickly: "It's over. I've collected all the storage bags. As for the mine slaves—they're all pitiful people captured by Cangyan Dao Palace from small sects. I let them all go."

Zhou Qing nodded in satisfaction: "Let's go find a river for you to wash up."

Not long after, upon learning what Yan Xiao had done, the two froze in stunned silence.

Zhou Qing remained speechless for a long while.

Wait—didn't I ask Third Senior Brother to look after the old hen when we left? When did he even get out?

And he dug up their ancestral graves three times in a row—three's enough, no need to guess how furious they must be.

His name had shot up to fifth place on the Cangyan Dao Palace's Wanted List.

"Senior Brother Yan is truly fierce!" After washing up and regaining her neat appearance, Lu Yaoyao sighed in admiration.

What could Zhou Qing say? This wasn't just fierce—it was outright suicide.

"The Tiger Hunting Squad has been deployed—I hope Third Senior Brother escapes safely!" Zhou Qing prayed.

After all, among the top ten on the Wanted List, everyone except him and Third Senior Brother was Nascent Soul peak, many even beginning to comprehend the Dao's essence—only they two did things so bizarre they stood out like glaring targets.

"Should we go assist Senior Brother Yan?" Lu Yaoyao considered and asked.

Zhou Qing shook his head.

The world is vast—where would we even look?

Last time Master rushed out in a panic, the other person returned first.

"This place is close to Beimang Mine. I still need some materials to complete the array's components!" Zhou Qing mused.

Hearing this, Lu Yaoyao immediately perked up: "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

Without further delay, the two set off directly toward Beimang Mine.

Along the way, Lu Yaoyao learned from Zhou Qing that during their previous visit to Lingyun Mansion, he and Yan Xiao had slain the Nascent Soul cultivator Peng Si at this very mine and obtained a piece of Chaos Xuan Gold.

They had sold it to the Wanxiang Auction House for funds, only to attract the greed of Qian Dafu, who conspired with the Ghost Daoist to ambush them, shattering Zhou Qing's Golden Core.

No wonder Zhang Wanbao, Xiao Cancan, and others had shown up back then—they'd met through this.

Two days later, the two suddenly heard fighting ahead and immediately concealed themselves.

Before them stood a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator from Tianji Men, accompanied by two humanoid puppets radiating early-stage aura.

The one fighting them was none other than their old acquaintance Yuan Ya.

"Looks like Qingyu Immortal Sect—should we help?" Lu Yaoyao whispered.

As allies, they ought to assist—but Lu Yaoyao worried Zhou Qing had other concerns.

After brief thought, Zhou Qing said: "Help. You go first."

"Huh?" Lu Yaoyao blinked.

But she didn't ask further—her current cultivation level might not defeat a Nascent Soul, but holding one off was still possible.

"Sister! Taiqingmen disciple comes to assist!" Lu Yaoyao shouted, then charged straight at the black-robed puppet.

Seeing this, Yuan Ya's face lit up—Lu Yaoyao's aid would ease her pressure significantly.

"Thank you, Sister! Watch your safety!" Yuan Ya said, then turned her full attention to the other two.

For the first time facing the black-robed puppet, Lu Yaoyao realized—though it was only early-stage Nascent Soul, its combat power was extraordinary, its strikes far exceeding her expectations in speed and force.

It fought like a man possessed—every move carried ruthless intent, giving her no chance to breathe.

Caught off guard, Lu Yaoyao was forced into constant retreat, flustered and overwhelmed.

But she quickly calmed down, abandoning brute force and adopting a tactic of extreme evasion.

She dodged its attacks while constantly searching for weaknesses, seeking to counter.

After all, puppets were puppets—no matter how agile, they had blind spots.

Below, Zhou Qing merely observed quietly, not acting hastily.

Combat with a Nascent Soul cultivator was a rare training opportunity for Lu Yaoyao—the Heavenly Dao energy's boost was no joke.

More importantly, he hadn't yet decided how to lie to Yuan Ya.

The last time they met was when he and Third Senior Brother rescued Sister Shi Zhen in Youhuang City—he'd claimed they came to avenge Li Si, speaking with such righteous conviction it sounded genuine.

But then he'd appeared on the Wanted List, accused of killing Meng Xing and Song Yuan.

Logically, it shouldn't matter—but Yuan Ya seemed to have… other feelings about "Li Si," making him feel awkward.

Especially now, with Lu Yaoyao, the matchmaker who kept trying to set him up, by his side.

Time passed quickly; as the battle reached a stalemate, the Tianji Men disciple's face hardened—he ordered the second puppet to attack Lu Yaoyao.

He planned to eliminate this annoying pest first, then finish off Yuan Ya together.

Lu Yaoyao was immediately on the defensive, retreating rapidly, even sustaining injuries within moments.

Yet her eyes burned with determination—she knew Zhou Qing was below, yet refused to call for help.

Yuan Ya, wanting to assist, was pinned down by her opponent.

"You run!" Yuan Ya shouted helplessly.

Seeing Lu Yaoyao's wounds multiply, Zhou Qing had no choice but to act.

"Move!" Zhou Qing transmitted his voice.

Lu Yaoyao understood instantly, ducking low and dodging away swiftly.

The two puppets lunged after her—but suddenly, from below, a golden flame-wreathed Jin Wu screeched and surged upward with boundless heat.

The puppets couldn't dodge in time—they ignited instantly. When they tried to extinguish the flames, they found them clinging like parasitic leeches, burning fiercer by the second.

Within moments, they were reduced to ash, then fell lifelessly from the sky, smoking and twitching with the smell of roasted meat.

Lu Yaoyao, watching from afar, gazed in awe—when would she ever wield such power?

The Tianji Men disciple, horrified, abandoned the fight immediately—he rapidly formed hand seals, and a deep-blue aura enveloped him, transforming him into a streak of light as he fled.

Zhou Qing stood mid-air, sneering, slowly raising his broken sword.

A thick bolt of lightning, laced with piercing sword qi, sliced through the sky like a brilliant silver serpent, striking the fleeing figure with lightning speed.

The man's face turned ashen—he clutched a talisman, muttering incantations.

The talisman burned, and instantly, a black-and-white barrier materialized before him, its runes glowing, faint starlight swirling within.

The lightning struck—thunder cracked across heaven and earth, accompanied by a scream. The man's eyes widened in terror, unable to dodge further—he was split cleanly in two by the lightning sword qi.

Yet his Nascent Soul escaped his body at the last instant, desperately fleeing into the distance.

Yuan Ya, without hesitation, gave chase—and soon returned, dragging back the whimpering Nascent Soul.

"Senior Brother Zhou, we meet again!" Yuan Ya looked at Zhou Qing, gratitude mixed with shock.

According to the Cangyan Dao Palace's Wanted List, Zhou Qing was merely late-stage Jin Dan, possessing a secret technique to temporarily boost his cultivation to Nascent Soul.

But was this secret technique too powerful? Three Nascent Soul cultivators, obliterated in the blink of an eye.

And right now, Zhou Qing's presence pressed heavily upon her—compared to last time, he had grown even stronger.

Zhou Qing smiled and bowed: "Senior Sister Yuan Ya, long time no see!"

Zhou Qing also smiled and bowed his hands: "Senior Sister Yuan Ya, long time no see!"

Yuan Ya seemed to recall something else, her face flushed as she said, "You've kept this from me so well, Brother Li Si?"

Zhou Qing felt slightly embarrassed—after all, he was the fourth-ranked disciple on Little Spirit Peak, and Third Senior Brother had blurted it out that day.

"Li Si?" Lu Yaoyao, watching Yuan Ya's shy expression, looked puzzled.

Yuan Ya turned to Lu Yaoyao, her face filled with gratitude, bowing slightly, "I forgot to ask earlier—who is this junior sister?"

"Lu Yaoyao, from Shen Yue Peak, Taiqingmen!" Lu Yaoyao returned the bow, answering with calm confidence.

Yuan Ya realized, "So you're Lu Yaoyao? I heard the Sect Master mention you casually—he said you have a close friend from Taiqingmen, someone you call sister, and you're very close."

Lu Yaoyao immediately felt a little embarrassed and scratched her head.

Since the Five Sects War, she hadn't seen Sister Xuan You in a long time—she didn't even know how she was doing now.

"By the way, what's going on between you and Brother Zhou?"

Lu Yaoyao's curiosity flared instantly, her eyes sparkling as she carefully studied Yuan Ya's hair color, asking with eager interest.

Seeing her expression, Zhou Qing silently cursed and quickly interrupted, "It's nothing important. By the way, Senior Sister, why are you here?"

Yuan Ya had no choice but to explain: her current role was primarily that of a spy, gathering intelligence and reporting back to the sect.

Like last time in Youhuang City, when she discovered the Cangyan Dao Palace's outpost and saw Song Yuan arrive, she immediately notified stronger senior brothers or sisters to come assist.

This time, however, she'd been tracked by Tianji Men's people and had fled all the way here, forced to fight back out of necessity.

Zhou Qing finally understood.

Seeing Lu Yaoyao still eager to ask more, Zhou Qing cut in, "This place isn't safe to linger. Senior Sister, we have matters to attend to—we're leaving now!"

Yuan Ya quickly called out to stop them and handed over the dead Tianji Men man's storage bag.

"His Nascent Soul is still vital to me. This storage bag rightfully belongs to you—Brother Zhou, Junior Sister Lu. I, Yuan Ya, owe you both my life!" She bowed deeply again, solemnly.

Zhou Qing reluctantly accepted it. "Take care on your way."

"You two be careful too!" Yuan Ya replied.

Then the two parties parted ways, heading in opposite directions.

………

"No chemistry, no warm feeling—you two won't work out!" On the flying sword, Lu Yaoyao couldn't help speaking up.

Zhou Qing: "……"

"I still think Sister Xuan You and that Ninth Princess suit each other better—one's a late-stage Soul Transformation powerhouse and Sect Master; the other's backed by the imperial family, with vast wealth and influence…"

Lu Yaoyao kept talking to herself, growing more animated, her mouth chattering nonstop.

"Enough! Focus on flying!" Zhou Qing cut her off before she finished.

Lu Yaoyao pouted, her face stubborn, still muttering under her breath.

"Little Brother-in-Law—is it really you?"

A day later, as the two continued traveling, a delighted voice suddenly rang out ahead—they immediately went on guard.

Soon, a man in tattered clothes, with a kind, earnest face, rushed toward them.

Most striking was his thick eyebrows—like two caterpillars resting above his eyes.

"Bai He?" Zhou Qing froze.

Wasn't he supposed to have left with Second Senior Sister?

How could he suddenly appear here?

Hearing Zhou Qing call out his name, Lu Yaoyao felt a flicker of familiarity—then she remembered.

Wasn't this the Fourth Imperial Prince who'd pitched a tent at the sect's foothills?

Upon seeing it was truly Zhou Qing, Bai He's face lit up with joy, then he glanced around as if searching for someone, quickly asking, "Isn't your Second Senior Sister with you?"

Zhou Qing shook his head, equally puzzled. "Isn't she with you?"

Seeing Zhou Qing was genuinely unaware, Bai He sighed heavily, frowning in distress. "She ditched me!"

Zhou Qing: "……"

"You know, these past days she's been ranked second on Cangyan Dao Palace's kill list—her situation's been extremely dangerous."

"I've been secretly following her all along to protect her, but only a few days ago did I realize the person I was trailing was just a paper doll."

Bai He looked utterly ashamed, his caterpillar-like eyebrows furrowing in regret.

Zhou Qing was stunned.

Second Senior Sister did indeed favor using paper dolls.

But seeing Bai He's remorseful expression, Zhou Qing frowned slightly, recalling the three paintings sent by Ninth Imperial Prince Xuan Yuan Yichen.

He grew cautious, refraining from speaking further—he suspected the Cangyan Dao Palace might have ties to the imperial capital.

Now, this Fourth Prince was practically chasing after Second Senior Sister with relentless persistence—was he hiding some other agenda?

Thinking of this, Zhou Qing couldn't help worrying: was Second Senior Sister truly missing? And how was she faring now?

After all, their soul lamps in the sect's Soul Lamp Tower had long gone dark—if anything had happened, no one would know.

Fortunately, his innate skill 【Heart-Reflecting Vision】 still had two slots available—he immediately bound it to the current Bai He.

Soon, the 【？？？】 above his head was replaced by three golden annotations—【Little Brother-in-Law】.

Seeing this, Zhou Qing felt slightly reassured.

If he meant no harm to me, then Second Senior Sister should be fine.

"By the way, where are you headed?" Bai He asked, noticing Zhou Qing's silence.

Zhou Qing replied, "We're just wandering."

"Alright, then stay safe and return to the sect soon—I'll keep searching for your Second Senior Sister!"

Bai He's face was filled with worry; after speaking, he chose a direction at random and hurried off.

Zhou Qing watched his retreating figure, lost in thought.

Facing Senior Brother Da, Second Senior Sister, or even Lei Lie, he could clearly sense the subtle aura around them—the sign of imminent Soul Transformation.

But with Bai He, from his current perspective, he looked like an ordinary mortal—no cultivation aura at all.

"Could he have already reached Soul Transformation?" Zhou Qing was secretly startled.

Lu Yaoyao spoke up: "I think he seems genuinely kind. With Sister Luo's personality, she should be fine."

Zhou Qing said nothing more, and continued traveling with Lu Yaoyao.

Finally, three days later, they arrived again at the Beimang Mine.

Returning to this familiar place, he felt a flood of emotions.

"If only we could find another piece of Chaos Xuan Gold, that'd be perfect!" Zhou Qing gazed at the mine, a hopeful smile on his face.

Lu Yaoyao was equally excited.

This mine was remote, near the main road to Lingyun Prefecture—the guards stationed here were likely weak.

After all, she'd reaped plenty of rewards from the Xueyan Mine last time.

"Watch out!"

Suddenly, Zhou Qing's expression changed—he grabbed Lu Yaoyao and pulled her low to the ground.

In the mine entrance not far off, an old man with thin, white hair and a hunched back had appeared—his mouth full of yellow teeth, stretching his limbs.

Deep-set eyes glowed with a sinister crimson light.

"Bloodbone Old Ghost—why is he here?" Zhou Qing frowned, filled with confusion and wariness.

Last time in Youhuang City, he'd escaped their ambush.

Afterward, Qingyu Immortal Sect's Chu Binli and Deng Rui had chased him—but failed to catch him.

"Could it be because his carelessness led to Song Yuan's death, and Cangyan Dao Palace exiled him here?" Zhou Qing wondered.

But that didn't make sense—he was a Nascent Soul peak cultivator with vast experience. Even if he'd made a mistake, he should've been given a chance to redeem himself—why would he be stuck in such a remote place?

"Something's off—let's retreat!"

Zhou Qing's face grew grim; he pulled Lu Yaoyao away quietly.

At a nearby mountain hollow, Zhou Qing explained the old man's background to Lu Yaoyao, so she'd understand the danger.

"So it's him who reported you as deceitful and poison-wielding!" Lu Yaoyao's cheeks puffed up in anger.

Zhou Qing was speechless—was that really the point she was focusing on?

"He's no ordinary Nascent Soul peak—he's extremely experienced. Luckily, he hasn't yet grasped any realm's artistic conception!" Zhou Qing analyzed.

Lu Yaoyao worried, "Shouldn't we just leave? No need to confront him directly—if he spots you, he might risk everything to capture you and redeem himself."

Zhou Qing wasn't overly concerned—he felt this man's presence here was no accident.

"Let's wait. Tonight, I'll sneak in and capture a prisoner for information!" Zhou Qing's eyes flashed with resolve.

Since they'd come this far, leaving empty-handed felt wrong.

Seeing his determination, Lu Yaoyao said nothing more.

Zhou Qing gazed at the distant mine, his eyes glinting with cold light.

If he could master the Bloodline Transmission Technique "Thunderstorm Starfall Slash" to even a minor level, and combine it with a strike from the "Jin Wu Flame Void Scripture," the combined power would inflict serious damage.

Plus, the blood and spiritual energy from the four-colored flowers could replenish his reserves, maintaining his combat strength.

Finally, he'd deliver the killing blow with the fourth technique of the "Cang Lei Sword Art"—if he executed this combo perfectly, he believed he could slay Bloodbone Old Ghost here.

Of course, if he could replicate his previous trick with Song Yuan—slashing the enemy first with Po Shang Feng—the odds would be even better.

Even if he exhausted himself, Lu Yaoyao was still beside him.

Though she was only at Golden Core peak, with the Heavenly Dao Qi's enhancement, her combat power was comparable to a standard Nascent Soul beginner.

(End of Chapter)