Chapter 174: Li Hanshan, If You

Zhou Qing did not answer Sikong Yan's question; instead, his mind rapidly formulated a response plan.

If things turned critical, he would shatter the jade tablet and unleash the full force of a Zhan Ling realm strike—enough to kill or at least severely wound the opponent.

Then, he would activate the Golden Peng True Form and flee at maximum speed with his Third Master and Lu Yaoyao.

The odds were slim, but it was the only option—who could have expected the Lord of Cangyan Dao Palace to appear in such a remote place?

One of them had slain the opponent's four top disciples; the other had dug up their ancestral graves three times—the consequences were obvious.

Watching the three on guard, Sikong Yan remained calm and spoke slowly: "Master Xuanji predicted that Li Hanshan and Yu Ziqi would face a calamity in the coming years—if they survive, they may reach Soul Transformation; if not, they may perish and lose their Dao."

"I didn't believe it before, but now the situation is clear—I've begun to trust his other prophecy."

At this, Sikong Yan suddenly drew a deep breath.

"That old man is always mysterious, dropping cryptic words out of nowhere—you can't help but believe him. Guess what his other prophecy was?"

Sikong Yan's tone was calm, like chatting with juniors, yet his demeanor sent a chill down Zhou Qing's spine, stirring an inexplicable dread.

After all, this man before them was the root of the chaos now ravaging the Eastern Region.

Seeing their tension, Sikong Yan smiled and continued: "He told me not to act lightly in the coming years, or I'd risk my life—he warned me repeatedly. Just look at how much he's nagged me—I've been uneasy ever since."

Hearing this, Zhou Qing made up his mind, stepped forward, and forced a smile: "Senior, maybe he was lying. Why not test it now? Try attacking us—see if it's truly as he said. Frankly, I'm suddenly curious myself."

Seeing Zhou Qing wasn't joking, Sikong Yan shook his head, a faint, unreadable smile on his face.

"Unfazed, unshaken—you're impressive. Clearly, you have a way to deal with me. For that alone, I'm suddenly impressed by that old man."

"Of course, you might be pretending—trying to make me think what I think, bluffing."

"But you killed my sect's four top disciples. That can't be overlooked. And you—digging up ancestral graves? That's a vile act. If I do nothing, people won't swallow this insult, right?"

As he spoke, Sikong Yan glanced at Zhou Qing and Yan Xiao Hu, his eyes sharp with scrutiny.

Yan Xiao Hu opened his mouth but dared not retort.

Sikong Yan then turned to Li Hanshan and spoke slowly: "The Soul Transformation realm hasn't intervened yet. As Lord of this palace, I shouldn't break that rule. Besides, elders fighting juniors—word would spread poorly, making me look like a bully."

With that, Sikong Yan vanished in a flash, reappearing atop the city wall.

Feng Cheng and Hu Xuantang shuddered.

Sikong Yan looked down at them all and said: "I arrived late—I didn't see how Yu Ziqi died. If you two have time, tell me the details."

His tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable pressure that brooked no refusal.

…………

With the Lord's presence, Li Hanshan's confidence surged. He pointed his black halberd at Zhou Qing: "As a sign of respect, I'll make your death quick."

Zhou Qing glanced at Sikong Yan atop the wall, his expression grave. He quietly transmitted to the two: "Leave it to me—but don't get too far. Don't give him leverage."

Lu Yaoyao looked anxious; Yan Xiao Hu nodded, warning Zhou Qing to be careful. Between them, they'd only be a burden to the Fourth.

Seeing his Third Master and Lu Yaoyao retreat, Zhou Qing's pupils turned gold. He was about to activate the Emperor's Radiance Scripture and transform into the Golden Peng True Form to fight Li Hanshan to the death—when a familiar voice echoed across the heavens.

"Li Hanshan, you've lost all shame! All these years of cultivation went to the dogs? Bullying my junior? If you've got guts, fight me yourself!"

As the voice fell, wind and clouds twisted, lightning cracked, thunder roared.

A dark shadow stepped forth as if from the Nine Heavens of Hell, radiating overwhelming pressure and murderous aura, appearing instantly between Zhou Qing and Li Hanshan—its might forcing even the strongest to tremble.

Seeing the man with wild hair and eyes sharp as a hawk's, Li Hanshan's face changed—he felt a surge of intense danger.

He stepped back instantly, creating distance.

"D—Big Brother?" Zhou Qing stared, disbelieving.

Gui Ao gripped his black spear, slowly turning. His gaze, once fierce and wild, softened the moment it met Zhou Qing's.

A warm smile spread across his face: "Fourth, don't worry—I'm here."

Zhou Qing still felt dazed, his mind chaotic—Master hadn't said you went to the Sacred Martial Empire?

"Big Brother!" Yan Xiao Hu cried out, thrilled.

Hearing him, Gui Ao glanced at him with exasperation: "Shut up. As an elder, you let your junior stand in front of you? How embarrassing!"

Yan Xiao Hu's smile froze. He flushed, embarrassed, muttering: "What could I do? I can't even catch up to him."

Lu Yaoyao was equally excited, feeling Gui Ao looked like a celestial god descending—utterly awesome.

Gui Ao's gaze fell on Yu Ziqi's corpse at Zhou Qing's feet. He blinked in shock: "You did this?"

Zhou Qing snapped out of it and grinned, scratching his head: "All three of us."

"Impressive! My junior indeed!" Gui Ao gave a thumbs-up.

Then he turned to Li Hanshan, whose face had turned ashen. His eyes turned icy, laced with mockery and disdain.

"Li Hanshan, you've gotten mighty bold. Last time we sparred, I held back to spare your face—you actually thought we were evenly matched? Hmph. Now you're bullying my junior while I'm gone? How shameless!"

Gui Ao cursed without restraint.

Li Hanshan's face flushed red and white. He gripped his black halberd tightly, veins bulging on his knuckles—furious. He instinctively glanced toward Sikong Yan atop the wall.

Seeing this, Gui Ao sneered: "What? You're this old and still can't make your own decisions? Need someone to nod and tell you what to do? Are you a puppet?"

Shiiii!

Five figures shot in swiftly and landed atop the surrounding tree canopies.

The leader bore a broadsword with a simple, ancient scabbard, engraved with mysterious runes, radiating an aura of ancient antiquity.

He stood with arms crossed, exuding powerful masculine energy.

Beside him, a woman stood on the branch—her beauty ethereal, like a celestial immortal descending.

She carried an intricately carved longbow, standing still like a frost-flower in a cold night—cold, elegant, radiating a unique grace.

The third was a slender youth holding twin short blades, a black fox perched on his shoulder—its eyes bright, cunning, brimming with wit.

The fourth was a towering, muscular giant, broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, muscles like hills, beard like steel needles, hefting a massive spiked club.

His gaze swept the scene, then he grinned, revealing white teeth—his smile honest and hearty.

Behind him stood a gentle woman, cradling a jade qin, radiating an aura of distant aloofness—like a high-mountain flower, beautiful but untouchable.

Their only common trait: extreme youth, and all radiating the aura of Soul Transformation.

"Ao, need help?" the leader shouted, voice booming with concern—clearly close to Gui Ao.

Gui Ao waved his hand: "Minor matter. No need to trouble you guys—I've got this."

Then he turned toward the wall, raising his voice: "Senior Sikong… no, now I should call you Brother Sikong. Your puppet's waiting for your orders. If you really can't decide, let's fight."

Gui Ao's eyes blazed as he shouted directly at Sikong Yan.

This scene sent waves of excitement through Zhou Qing and the others.

No wonder he was Big Brother—he dared challenge a sect lord outright. And how long had he been gone? Already made friends with this whole group of Soul Transformation peers.

Sikong Yan watched Gui Ao calmly, a faint smile touching his lips.

That smile held hidden meaning—unfathomable.

Then, without a word, he moved and vanished into the sky.

Li Hanshan snorted, reluctantly following.

Seeing them leave, Yan Xiao Hu and Lu Yaoyao burst into cheers, faces alight with relief and joy.

Gui Ao clapped Zhou Qing on the shoulder, transmitting urgently: "Old Mo told me everything. I never expected the Four Flowers at the Crown was you—impressive! Truly impressive!"

Zhou Qing looked embarrassed.

"After sparring with Xuan Yuan Yichen, you left. Back then you were only Foundation Establishment. Now you're Nascent Soul? That Four Flowers at the Crown is terrifying."

Gui Ao studied Zhou Qing, eyes filled with awe.

"Now you've slain Yu Ziqi. With your growth rate, you'll reach Soul Transformation in no time. So I won't touch Li Hanshan—he'll be your perfect whetstone!" Gui Ao said seriously.

Zhou Qing nodded. Honestly, after killing Yu Ziqi, his fear of Li Hanshan had lessened.

Not to mention he still had the Zhan Ling realm's jade tablet.

"Brothers, meet my junior—Zhou Qing!" Gui Ao sheathed his spear and laughed heartily.

The five leapt down from the trees, walking over with broad smiles.

On the wall, Feng Cheng and the others sighed in relief—the crisis was over.

…………

"So you're not going back?" In Qingmu City, Zhou Qing asked Gui Ao, puzzled.

Gui Ao nodded: "Yes. Originally, I planned to visit the imperial capital to see why they're extending their reach here. But I ran into them halfway."

"We hit it off. We're waiting for Yu Mei—that archer. So we've been delayed till now. This meeting was pure chance."

Yan Xiao Hu couldn't help asking: "Aren't you afraid Sikong Yan will ambush us on the way?"

Gui Ao sighed: "If he wanted to hurt you, he'd have acted long before now. Don't worry. Besides, I can escort you once—can I escort you twice or thrice? Relying on others is never as good as relying on yourself."

Zhou Qing nodded. He couldn't let his group delay their plans.

"Can you trust them?" Zhou Qing whispered.

Gui Ao slapped his chest confidently: "The brothers and sisters I've claimed as kin? One hundred percent reliable. Don't worry—I've got a good eye for people."

Then they drank and chatted, falling suddenly silent.

"The Five Sects War won't end soon. Second Sister's already reached Soul Transformation. You've grown this fast in this war—and Lu Shi Mei too!"

Gui Ao looked at Lu Yaoyao, who sat quietly beside them, his eyes filled with emotion.

When he emerged from his seclusion, he learned Master had taken on a new sixth disciple—then only Qi Condensation. Now? She'd reached Nascent Soul.

He didn't know whether to thank the war for giving everyone growth—or curse it for bringing so much danger and chaos.

Lu Yaoyao met his gaze and smiled gently.

"By the way, one thing—I was heading to Lingyun Prefecture to use the giant teleportation array when I ran into several groups from Qingyu Immortal Sect. They kept asking about you. What's going on?"

Gui Ao suddenly seemed to realize something and asked, puzzled.

Before Zhou Qing could answer, Yan Xiao Hu grinned, winking repeatedly.

Because Lu Yaoyao was present, he could only transmit his voice mentally.

After hearing this, the Ghost Mastiff suddenly understood, then grinned and patted Zhou Qing on the shoulder.

"So it was you who caused this trouble, and now you're making me take the blame!" the Ghost Mastiff teased.

Zhou Qing smiled: "Who else but you is tall and strong, and cultivates so fiercely?"

"No, no—when I was your age, I'd barely reached Golden Core. Compared to you, I'm far behind!" the Ghost Mastiff waved his hand and laughed.

Soon after, the group discussed the mysterious black-robed puppets, the murdered Luo Xue, and other events that had transpired; for a while, they were filled with deep emotion, their hearts a tangle of mixed feelings.

After a night's rest, Zhou Qing and the others stood atop the city wall, silently watching the receding figures of the six Ghost Mastiffs, a sudden sense of loss rising within them.

"If only I could be as carefree as they are!" Yan Xiao Hu said, his eyes brimming with envy.

Soul Transformation realm, solitary and free—traveling the world with like-minded brothers, exploring distant lands, upholding justice—just thinking of it made one yearn for it.

Yet so far, the farthest place they'd ever reached was Lingyun Prefecture.

The entire Shengwu Imperial Dynasty spans eight commanderies and seventy-two prefectures.

"Let's go—we should be on our way!" Zhou Qing turned to look at Feng Cheng and Hu Xuantang.

"Take care," Zhou Qing said.

The two bowed quickly, and the three of them departed.

More than ten days later, the group finally returned safely to Taiqingmen. As soon as they entered, Sect Master Cao Zhengyang personally came to greet them, followed by other Peak Masters, each face filled with excitement.

"Impressive, truly impressive! Bring me the corpse!" Cao Zhengyang urged eagerly.

Zhou Qing was stunned—had the news spread this fast already?

There was no time for further explanation; he pulled out Yu Ziqi's corpse and said, "Unfortunately, his Nascent Soul tried to escape, and under those circumstances, I had no choice but to kill him."

Seeing Yu Ziqi's corpse, everyone sighed.

Cao Zhengyang looked at Zhou Qing with a complex expression—this was a prodigy who had barely grasped the realm of Yi, and yet you actually slew him.

Had it not been for the updated Kill List of Cangyan Dao Palace, they would never have known Zhou Qing had accomplished such a feat!

"Mo Xingjian will be proud of you!" Cao Zhengyang said sincerely, his tone brimming with satisfaction.

The other Peak Masters nodded with smiles, clearly approving of Zhou Qing's performance.

Facing the praise from his senior uncles and aunts, Zhou Qing quickly bowed humbly: "I didn't kill Yu Ziqi alone—my third senior brother and Lu Yaoyao helped me."

Cao Zhengyang turned to Yan Xiao Hu and Lu Yaoyao and praised them as well.

They probably hadn't seen the Kill List yet—Zhou Qing now ranked second, just below Luo Lingling.

Even Lei Lie of Jin Leizong and Zhu He of Qingyu Immortal Sect were pushed down; both had barely grasped the realm of Yi, showing just how seriously Cangyan Dao Palace took Zhou Qing.

But this also meant Zhou Qing's future would likely grow even more dangerous.

Moreover, the listing claimed Zhou Qing had slain Yu Ziqi alone, and offered a substantial bounty.

"Good, rest now—don't wander off for a while!" Cao Zhengyang warned.

Zhou Qing and the others bowed and left.

Fortunately, during their return journey, they had already divided the contents of the enemy's storage pouch—they'd made a fortune.

Moreover, Zhou Qing had previously worried about explaining his combat power, but now he didn't need to speak at all; everyone speculated which type of Heavenly Dao Qi he had absorbed.

At this point, if Zhou Qing claimed he had achieved Foundation Establishment through Human Dao, no one would believe him.

Back in his room, after feeding the old hen, Zhou Qing suddenly felt a sense of relief.

Honestly, if he had revealed his Golden Peng True Form before Sikong Yan, he might have invited trouble.

The matter of the Old Peng King of Canglan Mountain had caused a major stir—multiple Spirit Severing experts had appeared.

While everyone else found nothing, he just happened to have been there—and afterward, he used the Golden Peng Divine Art. Could you possibly think that a coincidence?

If the elder with Golden Peng bloodline, or Prince Xuan Yuan Shuo, found out, what would they think? What would they do?

"I didn't think this through. Though the Emperor's Radiance Scripture has never been used in battle, it's already at Minor Completion—and it's already dozens of times stronger than the Jin Wu and Su Ni Divine Arts. The stronger the cultivator, the greater the power it unleashes!"

"From now on, if I use it, the battle must already be to the death—I must ensure no more witnesses see it!"

Zhou Qing murmured to himself, making his decision.

He then took out the Divine Ruins Tiangong token, staring at a tiny blue dot on the back, as if understanding something.

No wonder when I first entered, all three of them rushed in—they must have seen it on this.

I never studied it closely before—so now, the sixth blue sphere has "come online."

Zhou Qing placed a high-grade spirit stone atop it, exhaled deeply, and stepped inside.

As expected, the screens for the fourth and fifth spheres were blank; only the sixth was filled with blue, obscuring everything.

Zhou Qing waited quietly. After about an hour, a blue sphere emerged from the screen.

"One, you're here!" the sixth sphere greeted warmly.

Zhou Qing nodded: "Just arrived. Looks like you failed again."

The sixth sphere laughed; a voice, indistinguishable in gender or age, came from within: "No choice—sect zones recognized by the Divine Ruins Tiangong are hard to breach. Want to take a look together?"

The sixth sphere invited.

That was exactly what Zhou Qing had been waiting for. After brief thought, he said: "Fine. My own sect zone is impossible to break through anyway—I might as well pay you a visit."

Such a stark contrast—I'd like to see if you're that silver-haired woman.

Zhou Qing's sudden acceptance caught the sixth sphere off guard.

This new arrival, Number One, had always been aloof—no matter who invited them or tried to enter their sect zone, every single request had been refused.

This unexpected acceptance surprised her, but quickly turned to elation.

After all, both Number Four and Five had visited her sect zone, yet even together they'd failed—perhaps Number One might offer a different perspective.

"What, can't you?" Zhou Qing watched the sixth sphere freeze, then smiled teasingly.

The sixth sphere hurried to reply: "No, no! Don't worry—even when entering another's sect zone, everyone appears only as a blurred humanoid silhouette; the Divine Ruins Tiangong has designed privacy with exquisite care."

Zhou Qing nodded—he'd guessed his true face wouldn't be revealed, which was why he dared to risk it.

Otherwise, they'd have exposed each other long ago—why keep probing through conversation each time?

Besides verifying his suspicion, he also wanted to see what others' sect zones looked like.

He wouldn't act—worst case, he'd waste thirty mid-grade spirit stones. After all, Yu Ziqi's storage pouch had filled his coffers nicely.

"After you!" As the sixth sphere focused her spirit, her screen rippled. Zhou Qing didn't hesitate—he plunged straight in…

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(End of Chapter)