Chapter 153: Brother-in-law, is it really you? Your second sister dumped me

Zhou Qing smiled without a word. He stopped in his tracks and stood where he was, looking at the three-story wooden building ahead.

The next moment, the previously clear sky was suddenly covered in dark clouds, and a violent gale whipped up.

The spiritual power within his body boiled frantically, and the broken sword in his hand was instantly wrapped in a layer of deep blue thunder.

As the thunderous light flickered, it seemed as if the surrounding space itself was being distorted.

The ground beneath his feet actually began to crack, with fissures spreading out like a spiderweb, and arcs of electricity jumped and flickered within the cracks from time to time.

Roar!

A roaring thunder dragon manifested from the clouds, and soon transformed into a terrifying sword of thunder, aiming directly at the wooden house below.

"Zhou Qing, I didn't expect you to dare throw yourself into the net. Today, your head..."

"Canglei Sword Art, Fourth Form: Execution!"

Zhou Qing interrupted Tian Xiong directly, then brought his sword down.

The sword of thunder in the air transformed back into a thunder dragon, carrying an earth-shattering momentum as it surged directly toward the figure that had just burst out.

Wherever it passed, space was forcibly torn into black fissures, and even the air was instantly ignited, emitting crackling explosions.

This was the first time he had unleashed it since mastering the fourth form of the *Canglei Sword Art*.

Upon seeing this, Tian Xiong was so terrified that the hair on his body stood on end; with a look of horror, he turned and ran.

Boom!

The entire Blood Rock Mine shook violently, and a terrifying shockwave, like a surging tsunami, swept in all directions, blowing countless people away.

Lu Yaoyao, who had been lying outside and keeping a constant watch on the situation inside, immediately scrambled up in excitement upon seeing this. After shouting "Kill!", she rushed inside without the slightest hesitation...

The battle ended quickly; it didn't take long at all for the newly appointed Tian Xiong to be slain by Zhou Qing.

Through soul-searching, he learned that while he and Lu Yaoyao were in seclusion, Sima Yaoji, who had killed Yuan Shijie Luo Xue, had also appeared here.

It was she who had discovered the Thunder Sound Golden Toad, but as a peak Nascent Soul stage cultivator, she hadn't thought much of it and had left.

She had even continued to make threats, vowing to personally behead Zhou Qing to avenge Meng Xing and Song Yuan.

Zhou Qing firmly etched her appearance into his mind. Now that he had mastered the art of forbidden barriers, as long as he was given time, their next meeting would be the time for revenge.

No, he would bring her back alive and hand her over to Zhou Shixiong Du Kui to be executed by his own hand, to comfort the soul of Yuan Shijie Luo Xue in heaven.

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

From the moment Lu Yaoyao entered the battlefield, Zhou Qing had never intended to help her; even when he saw her being besieged by multiple Jin Dan stage cultivators and struggling to cope, he had suppressed the urge to step in.

Some things could only be truly grown from if she experienced them herself.

Otherwise, it would be a disservice to the wisp of Heavenly Dao Qi she possessed.

At this moment, Lu Yaoyao was covered in blood, but her eyes were filled with excitement. After all, this was her first time experiencing such intense slaughter, and she found it both thrilling and novel.

Hearing Zhou Qing's question, she nodded hurriedly and said, "It's over. All the storage bags have been collected. As for those mine slaves, they were poor people captured from various small sects by the Cangyan Dao Palace, so I let them all go."

Zhou Qing nodded in satisfaction and said, "Let's go, I'll find a river for you to wash up first."

Not long after, upon learning what Yan Xiaohu had done, the two were left stunned.

Zhou Qing, in particular, took a long time to recover.

No, when they left, hadn't he asked the Third Zhou Shixiong to help take care of the old hen? When did he get out?

And he had dug up people's ancestral graves three times in a row. "Things shouldn't happen more than three times"—one didn't need to think to know how furious the other party must be.

He had even jumped to fifth place on the Cangyan Dao Palace's kill list.

"Yan Shixiong is truly fierce!" After washing up and becoming delicate and pretty again, Lu Yaoyao sighed.

What else could Zhou Qing say? This could no longer be described as fierce; it was a textbook act of courting death.

"The Tiger-Catching Squad has even come out. I hope the Third Zhou Shixiong can escape safely!" Zhou Qing prayed.

After all, apart from him and the Third Zhou Shixiong, everyone else in the top ten of the kill list was a peak Nascent Soul stage cultivator, and many had already begun to comprehend their own realm of understanding. Only the two of them did things so uniquely, standing out on the list like sore thumbs.

"Do we need to go and meet Yan Shixiong?" Lu Yaoyao thought for a moment and asked.

Zhou Qing shook his head.

The world was vast; where would they go to meet him?

Last time, when Master rushed out in a panic, the other party had actually returned first.

"This place is relatively close to the Beimang Mine. I still lack some materials to gather enough for setting up the array!" Zhou Qing thought and said.

Upon hearing this, Lu Yaoyao immediately perked up and said, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

Afterward, the two did not delay and headed straight for the Beimang Mine.

On the way, Lu Yaoyao learned from Zhou Qing that last time they went to Lingyun Prefecture, he and Yan Xiaohu had killed the Nascent Soul stage Peng Si at this mine and obtained a piece of Chaos Xuanjin.

They had sold it to the Wan Xiang Auction House and obtained some funds, but they hadn't expected it to arouse greed in Qian Dafu, who then contacted the Ghost Daoist to launch a surprise attack, causing his Jin Dan to shatter.

No wonder Zhang Wanbao, Xiao Cancan, and the others had come that time; so that was how they knew each other.

Two days later, the two who were traveling suddenly heard the sounds of fighting ahead and immediately hid.

Appearing in front of them was a mid-stage Nascent Soul man from the Tianji Sect, along with two humanoid puppets exuding early-stage auras.

And the one fighting them was none other than an old acquaintance, Yuan Ya.

"It seems to be someone from the Qingyu Qingshu Qingshu Xian Zong. Should we save her?" Lu Yaoyao asked in a low voice.

Now that the three families were allies, they should save her; Lu Yaoyao was just worried that Zhou Qing had other concerns.

After a brief thought, Zhou Qing said, "Save her. You go first!"

"Ah?" Lu Yaoyao was taken aback.

But she didn't ask any more questions. With her current cultivation, even if she couldn't deal with a Nascent Soul stage cultivator, she could at least manage to pin one down.

"Yuan Shijie, a disciple of the Taiqingmen is here to help!" Lu Yaoyao shouted, then rushed directly toward one of the black-clad puppets.

Seeing this, Yuan Ya's face lit up with joy; with Lu Yaoyao's help, her pressure would be much reduced.

"Many thanks, Lu Shimei! Stay safe!" After saying this, Yuan Ya began to free up her hands to deal with the other two.

Lu Yaoyao, dealing with a black-clad puppet for the first time, was shocked upon clashing: the other party was clearly only an early-stage Nascent Soul puppet, yet its combat power was extraordinary, and the force and speed of its attacks far exceeded her imagination.

It was almost a suicidal fighting style, with every move and stance carrying a ruthless edge, giving her no chance to catch her breath.

Caught off guard, Lu Yaoyao was forced to retreat repeatedly, becoming flustered for a moment.

But she soon calmed down, no longer blindly trading blows, but adopting a tactic of extreme maneuvering.

While dodging the other party's attacks, she constantly searched for their weaknesses, attempting to counter.

After all, a puppet was a puppet; no matter how agile, there were times when it couldn't react.

Meanwhile, Zhou Qing below just watched quietly, not rushing to act.

Engaging with a Nascent Soul stage cultivator was a rare training opportunity for Lu Yaoyao, and the amplification of the Heavenly Dao Qi was no joke.

Of course, it was mainly because he hadn't figured out how to explain things to Yuan Ya.

After all, the last time they met was when they saved Senior Lu Shimei Zhen in Youhuang City, and he and the Third Zhou Shixiong had claimed without blushing that they had come to avenge Li Si.

They had said it so righteously, as if it were actually true.

But then he immediately ended up on the kill list, with the reason being that he had killed Meng Xing and Song Yuan.

Logically, it should be fine, but Yuan Ya seemed to have other thoughts about "Li Si," which made him feel a bit embarrassed.

Especially since he had a "matchmaker" like Lu Yaoyao with him who liked to play cupid.

Time passed quickly. Seeing the two sides locked in a stalemate, the Tianji Sect disciple revealed a ruthless look and immediately ordered the other puppet to attack Lu Yaoyao.

He intended to get rid of this annoying mouse first, then cooperate to completely suppress and kill Yuan Ya here.

Lu Yaoyao was immediately put on the defensive, retreating repeatedly, and was even injured in the blink of an eye.

But her eyes were full of persistence; knowing Zhou Qing was below, she stubbornly refused to call for help.

Seeing this, Yuan Ya wanted to help, but was tightly entangled by the opponent.

"You hurry and leave!" Yuan Ya was forced to shout.

Seeing Lu Yaoyao suffer more wounds, Zhou Qing had no choice but to act.

"Move!" Zhou Qing transmitted his voice.

Lu Yaoyao understood immediately and ducked, dodging quickly.

The two puppets were about to pursue, but suddenly, a Jin Wu burning with golden flames hissed from below, rushing up with endless fiery might.

The two puppets couldn't dodge in time and were immediately ignited. They tried to extinguish the flames, only to find that they were like maggots on a bone, burning brighter and brighter.

In just a moment, they were burned to nothing, then fell straight down from the air, emitting the smell of roasted meat and twitching constantly.

Not far away, Lu Yaoyao looked on with admiration; when would she be able to have such means?

Seeing this, the Tianji Sect man was terrified. He no longer wanted to fight, quickly forming seals with both hands, and a layer of deep blue light instantly appeared around him, turning him into a streak of light as he fled.

Zhou Qing stood in the air, snorted coldly, and slowly raised the broken sword in his hand.

A thick bolt of lightning carrying sharp sword energy tore through the sky like a brilliant silver snake, slashing toward the other party's back with lightning speed.

The man's face changed drastically; he immediately grabbed a talisman and began chanting.

The talisman burned, and in an instant, a black and white light screen manifested before him. Runes flickered on the screen, and the power of stars flowed within it.

The next moment, the lightning energy arrived. A huge roar resounded through heaven and earth, accompanied by a scream. The man widened his eyes in horror, but before he could make any further evasive moves, he was sliced in two by the lightning sword energy.

However, his Nascent Soul escaped his physical body at the last critical moment, fleeing desperately into the distance.

Seeing this, Yuan Ya didn't say a word and immediately gave chase. After only a moment, she returned with the man's begging Nascent Soul.

"Junior Zhou Shixiong, we meet again!" Yuan Ya looked at Zhou Qing; besides gratitude, there was more shock.

According to the Cangyan Dao Palace's kill list, Zhou Qing only had late-stage Jin Dan cultivation, but possessed a secret technique that could briefly raise his cultivation to the Nascent Soul stage.

But was this secret technique too powerful? Three Nascent Soul stage cultivators had been wiped out in the blink of an eye.

And at this moment, Zhou Qing exerted great pressure on her; compared to last time, he seemed to have become even stronger.

Zhou Qing also smiled and cupped his hands: "Yuan Shijie Yuan Ya, long time no see!"

Yuan Ya seemed to think of something quickly, a blush appearing on her face: "You really kept me in the dark, Junior Brother Li Si?"

Zhou Qing couldn't help but feel a bit awkward; after all, he was fourth in the Little Spirit Peak, and the Third Zhou Shixiong had just blurted it out that day.

"Li Si?" Lu Yaoyao looked at Yuan Ya's shy appearance and couldn't help but feel puzzled.

Yuan Ya looked at Lu Yaoyao, her face full of gratitude, and bowed slightly: "I forgot to ask just now, who is this Lu Shimei?"

"Lu Yaoyao of the Taiqingmen Shenyue Peak!" Lu Yaoyao returned the salute and answered gracefully.

Yuan Ya realized: "So you are Lu Yaoyao. I heard the Sect Master mention inadvertently that she has a close friend in the Taiqingmen, and the two call each other sisters; their relationship is very good."

Lu Yaoyao scratched her head, feeling a bit embarrassed.

Since the Great War of the Five Sects, she hadn't seen Sister Xuanyou for a long time, and she didn't know how she was doing now.

"By the way, Yuan Shijie, between you and Zhou Shixiong..."

Lu Yaoyao immediately became gossipy, her eyes sparkling, and she looked carefully at Yuan Ya's hair color, asking curiously.

Seeing her like this, Zhou Qing felt something was wrong and quickly interrupted: "It's all trivial. By the way, Yuan Shijie, why are you here?"

Yuan Ya had to explain that her current identity was mainly that of a spy, responsible for collecting relevant intelligence and reporting it back to the sect.

Just like last time in Youhuang City, when she discovered the Cangyan Dao Palace's stronghold and the arriving Song Yuan, she immediately notified more powerful senior brothers or sisters to come and help.

And this time, she didn't expect to be targeted by people from the Tianji Sect, fleeing all the way here, and was forced to counterattack.

Zhou Qing understood after hearing this.

Seeing Lu Yaoyao still eager to say something, Zhou Qing immediately said: "This is not a place to stay long. Yuan Shijie, we have some business, so we'll be going first!"

Yuan Ya hurriedly stopped them and handed over the storage bag of the Tianji Sect man.

"His Nascent Soul is still of great use to me, and this storage bag is what you deserve. Zhou Shixiong, Lu Shimei Lu, I, Yuan Ya, owe you a life!" Saying this, she bowed solemnly again.

Zhou Qing had to accept it and said: "Take care on your journey!"

"You two must be careful too!" Yuan Ya also said.

Afterward, the two sides bid farewell and left in different directions.

…………

"No spark, and it doesn't feel very intimate; you two probably won't make it!" On the flying sword, Lu Yaoyao couldn't help but say.

Zhou Qing: "..."

"I still think Sister Xuanyou and that Ninth Princess are a better match. One is a late-stage Divine Transformation powerhouse and a sect leader; the other has the backing of the imperial family, with a huge family and business..."

Lu Yaoyao continued to talk to herself, getting more and more excited, her little mouth chattering non-stop.

"Stop, focus on the road!" Before Lu Yaoyao could finish, Zhou Qing quickly stopped her.

Lu Yaoyao pouted, looking unconvinced, and her little mouth continued to mutter something.

"Brother-in-law, is it really you?"

A day later, just as the two were continuing their journey, a surprised voice suddenly came from ahead, and the two immediately became alert.

Afterward, they saw a man in tattered clothes with a simple and honest face flying rapidly toward them.

One eye-catching point was that his eyebrows were very thick, like two caterpillars lying above his eyes.

"Bai He?" Zhou Qing was stunned.

Hadn't he left with the Second Yuan Shijie?

Why would he suddenly appear here?

Hearing Zhou Qing call out the other party's name, Lu Yaoyao felt it sounded familiar and soon remembered.

Wasn't this the Fourth Prince who set up a tent at the foot of the sect mountain?

Seeing that it was indeed Zhou Qing, Bai He was full of surprise, then looked left and right as if searching for something, and then hurriedly asked: "Isn't your Second Yuan Shijie with you?"

Zhou Qing shook his head and also asked suspiciously: "Isn't my Second Yuan Shijie with you?"

Seeing that Zhou Qing seemed truly unaware, Bai He sighed and said with a sad face: "She dumped me!"

Zhou Qing: "..."

"You also know that in recent days, she has reached the second position on the Cangyan Dao Palace's kill list, and her situation is extremely dangerous."

"I was originally following her in secret to protect her, but I didn't expect to discover a few days ago that the person I had been following was actually a paper doll."

Bai He was full of self-reproach for his carelessness, and his two caterpillar-like thick eyebrows also furrowed.

Zhou Qing was stunned.

The Second Yuan Shijie did indeed seem to like using paper dolls.

But looking at Bai He's current regretful appearance, Zhou Qing frowned slightly, subconsciously thinking of the three paintings sent by the Ninth Prince, Xuan Yuan Yichen.

He was even more cautious, not daring to say too much, guessing that there might be a shadow of the Imperial Capital behind the Cangyan Dao Palace.

Now, this Fourth Prince was pursuing the Second Yuan Shijie in an almost shameless manner; did this person have any other motives?

Thinking of this, Zhou Qing couldn't help but worry whether the Second Yuan Shijie was really missing? And how was she doing now?

After all, the sect's soul lamp tower no longer had their soul lamps; if something really happened, no one would know.

Fortunately, the talent skill 【Heart-Mirror Vision】 still had two slots, so Zhou Qing immediately bound it to the Bai He in front of him.

Soon, the 【???】 above his head began to be replaced by three golden notes—【Brother-in-law】.

Seeing this, Zhou Qing finally felt a little relieved.

Since he had no malice toward him, the Second Yuan Shijie should be fine.

"By the way, where are you going?" Seeing Zhou Qing silent, Bai He asked.

Zhou Qing said: "We're just wandering around."

"Alright, then you two stay safe and return to the sect as soon as possible. I'll go look for your Second Yuan Shijie again!"

Bai He's face was full of worry. After speaking, he chose a direction at random and left in a hurry.

Zhou Qing watched his back and couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

Facing people like the Zhou Shixiong, the Second Yuan Shijie, and even Lei Lie, he could clearly feel that layer of marvelous charm on them, a sign that they were about to step into the Soul Formation realm.

But facing Bai He, with his current vision, it was like looking at an ordinary mortal, without the slightest trace of cultivation aura.

"Could it be that he already reached Divine Transformation?" Zhou Qing couldn't help but be secretly shocked.

Lu Yaoyao spoke at this time: "I actually think he looks quite kind. With Yuan Shijie Luo's personality, she should be fine."

Zhou Qing didn't say anything more, but took Lu Yaoyao to continue their journey.

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

Revisiting an old place, he felt a thousand emotions.

"If we could get another piece of Chaos Xuanjin, that would be even better!" Zhou Qing looked at the mine in front of him, a look of anticipation on his face.

Lu Yaoyao was also very excited.

This mine was considered remote, basically close to the main road to Lingyun Prefecture, so the people guarding it shouldn't be very strong.

After all, she had tasted quite a bit of sweetness at the Blood Rock Mine this time.

"Careful!"

Just then, Zhou Qing's expression suddenly changed. He grabbed Lu Yaoyao and quickly ducked down.

At the entrance of the mine not far away, an old man with sparse gray hair and a hunched figure appeared out of nowhere, his mouth full of yellow teeth, stretching his muscles and bones.

In his deep-set eye sockets, a pair of blood-red eyes flickered with sinister light.

"Old Ghost Elder Xuegu, why is he here?" Looking at the other party's figure, Zhou Qing frowned, his heart full of doubt and vigilance.

Last time in Youhuang City, the other party had managed to escape from the siege of several people.

Afterward, Chu Binli and Deng Rui of the Qingyu Qingshu Qingshu Xian Zong went to pursue him, but couldn't catch up.

"Could it be because of his carelessness that Song Yuan died miserably, and the Cangyan Dao Palace demoted him here?" Zhou Qing wondered.

That shouldn't be right either; the other party was a peak Nascent Soul stage cultivator with rich combat experience. Even if it was a mistake, he should be making up for it with merit. How could he be staying in such a remote place?

"Things have changed, retreat first!"

Zhou Qing's face was solemn as he pulled Lu Yaoyao away quietly.

In a mountain hollow not far away, Zhou Qing explained the other party's background to Lu Yaoyao, so she would have a bottom line.

"So he was the one who reported that you were cunning and good at using poison!" Lu Yaoyao's little face puffed up in anger, feeling indignant.

Zhou Qing was speechless; was her focus a bit off?

"The other party is not an ordinary peak Nascent Soul stage cultivator; his experience is extremely seasoned. Fortunately, he hasn't comprehended a realm of understanding yet!" Zhou Qing analyzed.

Lu Yaoyao worried: "How about we leave? There's no need to go head-to-head with him. If he sees you, he might spare no cost to keep you here to make up for his crimes."

Zhou Qing wasn't too worried about this; he always felt that this person appearing here definitely had other motives.

"Don't be in a hurry. Tonight, I'll sneak in and grab a tongue first!" A hint of determination flashed in Zhou Qing's eyes.

Since they were already here, returning empty-handed felt unsatisfying.

Seeing this, Lu Yaoyao couldn't say anything more.

Afterward, Zhou Qing looked at the distant mine, cold light flickering in his eyes.

If he could comprehend the Suanni's bloodline inheritance technique, *Thunderstorm Star Meteor Kill*, to minor completion, and then combine it with the *Jin Wu Burning Sky Canon* for a strike, the superimposed power would definitely cause significant damage to the other party.

Moreover, the blood energy and spiritual power in the four-colored flower could timely replenish his consumption, allowing him to maintain a certain level of combat power.

Finally, using the fourth form of the *Canglei Sword Art* to deliver a fatal blow—with such a combo, he felt he was fully capable of slaying Old Ghost Elder Xuegu here.

Of course, if Po Shang Feng could scratch the other party like it did with Song Yuan last time, the chances would be even greater.

Even if he were exhausted, wasn't Lu Yaoyao still by his side?

Don't look at her as only being at the peak of the Jin Dan stage; with the amplification of the Heavenly Dao Qi, her combat power was comparable to an ordinary early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 154 =====