Chapter 175: The Mysterious Forbidden Zone of Blue Ball No.6: A Duet of Love Songs

As Zhou Qing landed, he felt a chill run down his back—even with his current cultivation base, he couldn't suppress a shiver.

The sky here was unnaturally dark; in the gloom, even the air seemed dyed black, radiating a creeping cold that made every breath feel oppressive.

Gazing far into the distance, he faintly saw massive ancient ships, as if sailing from primordial times, moving silently across the sandy ground.

Twisting around them were strange black mists, occasionally flickering with faint green lights, and shadowy figures seemed to move upon their decks.

This was the furthest extent of what he could see.

"Every time you enter, these ghost ships change. To cross to the ancient mine on the other side, you must fight your way through!"

The voice of Six-Number Blue Ball echoed beside him.

Zhou Qing turned his head and was startled to find her shrouded in a hazy veil—he could not make out her form, nor sense even a trace of her cultivation base.

He himself was the same.

Too bad he didn't know her name; otherwise, he could have bonded with her, since his talent skill 【Heart-Reflecting Sight】 was about to reach Level Five.

"What's this?"

Only then did Zhou Qing notice they stood beneath a crooked jujube tree, its branches littered with pale white paper money and hung with an ancient peachwood sword, its surface worn and scarred.

Six-Number explained: "This is the most basic safe zone. If injured, you can come here for brief rest—even the ill-omened entities cannot approach this place."

"There are four such places in total—at least, I've only discovered four."

Zhou Qing nodded, intrigued. Since he couldn't break through those ghost ships anyway and couldn't reveal his cultivation, he might as well observe what made this place special.

He immediately activated his appraisal ability.

Soon, a stream of information returned.

【Remnant Jujube Wood: This is the remnant of a strange spirit that perished long before antiquity; she spent her entire life waiting for the young Taoist priest who carried the peachwood sword to come for her.】

【If a man and woman sing a love song beneath this tree, an unexpected guidance may appear.】

Zhou Qing stared at the appraisal, stunned.

It seemed that countless eons ago, a faithless lover had deceived a naive, pure-hearted spirit.

Seeing Zhou Qing fixated on the tree, Six-Number couldn't help warning: "Don't touch anything here. Of course, you couldn't move it anyway—anything existing within this forbidden zone has its own reason."

Zhou Qing nodded in agreement, then shifted tone and smiled at Six-Number: "By the way, Six-Number, can you sing a love song?"

Six-Number Blue Ball froze, clearly confused.

Zhou Qing hurried to explain: "Don't misunderstand—I think I read about this in an ancient text. It described a jujube tree just like this one. If a man and woman sing beneath it, fortune might appear."

Six-Number Blue Ball let out a dry chuckle.

Zhou Qing understood her skepticism—hell, he thought it absurd too.

But since he couldn't act, he might as well play the mysterious elder to impress her.

After all, he'd always called himself "Old Man"—he needed to maintain that aura.

Yet his words gave her an idea. Gazing at the scattered paper money, she suddenly slapped her storage bag and pulled out three incense sticks, lighting them.

Then she bowed deeply, her posture reverent.

Zhou Qing's face twitched—was there even a need to verify further?

It had to be that silver-haired woman!

Back in the cave opened by Old Peng Wang, the five-colored forbidden array on the stone platform—he'd broken it using exactly this method: lighting incense and bowing.

You're learning and applying this too fast!

But watching her earnest expression, Zhou Qing suddenly found her oddly endearing.

Believes in fate, cold outside but warm inside, terrifying cultivation at the Soul-Cutting Realm—just what in the world is your origin?

Wait—Zhou Qing snapped back to himself, heart pounding. He'd just thought a Soul-Cutting Realm elder was endearing?

Oh no!

Yet after a moment's hesitation, he couldn't help asking: "What are you doing?"

"Nothing much—just showing gratitude. I've hidden here several times to escape danger."

Seeing no unusual reaction, Six-Number rose and explained.

So even a Soul-Cutting Realm cultivator faces danger here—this forbidden zone must be far more perilous than mine.

"Let's go!"

Six-Number gazed ahead at the ghost ships, her eyes heavy with gravity.

The entities aboard were extremely dangerous; if luck ran out, you'd lose all three chances here.

Because she couldn't guarantee success, she'd never dared attempt it in reality—even though two treasure relics had already been found in the ancient mine beyond the sand sea.

Seeing this, Zhou Qing quickly said: "Six-Number, I'm serious. There's no rush. Why not try? You might get an unexpected reward."

Six-Number paused, staring at the three incense sticks planted in the ground. After a brief hesitation, she asked: "Did Five-Number tell you I'm female?"

Zhou Qing blinked, then laughed: "You think I'm hitting on you? None of us know each other's gender or age. If you feel that way, I'll leave—no need for misunderstandings."

He turned as if to walk away.

Six-Number immediately reached out to stop him: "That's not what I meant—I just don't know how to sing love songs."

First time inviting Number One—this would be a bad start if it ended badly.

Zhou Qing said: "Oh, so that's it. Then we're both stuck—I don't know either. Wait—"

Suddenly, Zhou Qing remembered something and frantically rummaged through his storage bag. He'd seen a manual in Yu Ziqi's bag—likely meant for Sima Yaoji.

"Found it—really?" Zhou Qing flipped through it, then frowned.

Too explicit—Six-Number would be furious.

"Forget it." He put it away.

The two stared at each other. Zhou Qing gritted his teeth, pulled out paper and pen, and began composing on the spot.

It was a remnant—likely bound by lingering attachment. As long as the sentiment was close enough, it should work.

Soon, he handed her the written note.

Six-Number took it, glanced, and frowned: "How do you even sing this?"

Zhou Qing grinned: "I'll teach you. Just follow my tune."

He cleared his throat, and his clear voice drifted out: "Oh gods, can you let me feel something—since we both can't let go, even a breeze, a falling leaf, a single glance would do!"

Beneath the haze Zhou Qing couldn't see, Six-Number stared at the lyrics, listening to his singing, her beautiful eyes shimmering.

It was… surprisingly beautiful.

After finishing, Zhou Qing felt slightly embarrassed—thankfully, he only remembered these few lines; the rest had slipped his mind.

"How was that?" he asked.

Six-Number nodded: "Didn't catch it. Sing it again."

Zhou Qing: "..."

Soon, they sat beneath the jujube tree, singing to each other.

As the final line faded, the paper money beneath them stirred without wind, swirling into tiny vortices.

Six-Number, who'd never witnessed this, leapt to her feet, eyes wide with disbelief.

How many years had this place been a sanctuary—never once had such a phenomenon occurred.

Because they sang?

Zhou Qing also stared curiously. Though he didn't know where this forbidden zone was, he was gaining valuable experience.

Hum—

The next moment, a path of paper money appeared before them, stretching endlessly toward one of the ghost ships.

Until a candle flame ignited upon that ship.

"Impossible!" Six-Number gasped.

Zhou Qing asked: "What's so special about it?"

Six-Number took a moment to recover, then hurriedly explained: "Didn't I tell you these ghost ships are terrifying? To pass, you must fight your way through."

"If luck runs out, you lose all three chances—even have to retreat here to heal. And every time you enter, the passage token randomly appears on one of these ships—but they're nearly identical."

Zhou Qing finally understood.

"Like setting up a formation—this jujube tree just showed us the path!" he said.

Six-Number nodded vigorously, but she still needed to verify it.

"Hurry—the ship's about to vanish!" she urged.

After all, the ghost ships in the sand sea were constantly drifting.

The two rushed forward.

Soon, they passed an oasis. Zhou Qing glanced inside by instinct—and his hair stood on end, a chilling dread flooding his heart.

In the water's reflection, a pale-faced child clung to their necks, squeezing tightly.

No wonder he'd felt suffocated and his shoulders ached so badly.

Six-Number said: "This place is full of horrors. If we can't cross the sand sea and reach the mine, these things will strangle our sense of direction until we lose our minds—and become one of them aboard the ships."

With that, she pointed sharply at the oasis—the water surged upward, forming a bridge of ice crystals stretching straight to the candle-lit ship.

Seeing this, Zhou Qing already knew the answer. He suddenly said: "I've encountered an issue—go ahead. We'll cooperate another time."

With that, his figure vanished.

The sudden move stunned her!

But she understood—when their spiritual senses entered, any anomaly in the physical body triggered immediate warning, forcing rapid withdrawal.

She then turned and sped toward the ghost ship.

If this truly was the path, then Number One's insight was far beyond her comprehension.

Compared to his old brute force and luck-based approach, Number One had pinpointed the most direct path with surgical precision.

Perhaps he has a way forward for the rest of the journey too.

Thinking of this, Number Six accelerated again, landing steadily on the ghost ship and staring at the token on the table, his heart surging with joy.

"It's real!"

…………

In the room, Zhou Qing slowly opened his eyes, a cryptic smile tugging at his lips.

Looks like a man's intuition can sometimes be surprisingly accurate—I never expected it was really her.

In reality, my cultivation base can't match yours, so I'm meek and submissive—but in the Divine Ruins Tiangong, I've already quietly planted a mysterious seed in your heart.

Perfect!

Thus, Zhou Qing waited until Number Six "logged off," then went to the gravity zone, bulldozing through it with the Golden Peng True Body, passing through the corridor without crossing the Blood River, instead heading straight into the darkness.

He picked up the moonstone and shone it around—three massive corpse-wax ravens stood motionless.

"So you're back? What good stuff did you pull out of the abyss?" Zhou Qing glanced left and right, unable to tell which one had gone out that day.

All they brought back was the stench of corpses—not even a single feather from a Golden Peng.

Day after day, you're useless at real work, but you're damn good at smashing my head.

Fortunately, when I first entered the Divine Ruins of Tiangong and projected the imagery of the Forbidden Zone, the corpse-wax ravens didn't emerge—otherwise, just the journey to Canglan Mountain would've alerted the silver-haired woman.

As Zhou Qing muttered to himself, that familiar sensation returned—and without mercy, his head exploded.

He hadn't even fully reformed into the red orb when Number Six was already waiting, excitedly.

Almost forgot—I can see her log off, but she can see me log on too.

"Number One, I'm so grateful!" Number Six exclaimed.

Zhou Qing knew at once that the ghost ship was the true path forward, and replied casually, "What's there to thank me for? It was nothing."

You gave me a jade tablet too.

Soon, Number Six asked, "Do you have time now?"

Zhou Qing immediately shook his head. "No time."

"Then when will you have time?" Number Six pressed right after.

Zhou Qing felt awkward—this whole thing, what if she keeps showing up here to ambush me?

But I can't reveal my true cultivation base, and the Forbidden Zone is perilous. Even if I barely manage to identify something, I only get one chance per day—one mistake and I'm exposed.

For now, I can only say: "I'm focusing all my efforts on my side. You should team up with Number Four and Five."

"I don't like them!" Number Six said after a pause, her tone dripping with clear disdain.

Zhou Qing couldn't help but smile. "You don't like them—so you like me?"

The moment the words left his mouth, he realized his mistake and hurriedly added, "Uh, don't misunderstand—I was just joking."

Number Six smiled faintly, as if unconcerned. "It's fine. Do you need my help here? If I finish early, maybe I can come over."

Zhou Qing, embarrassed, said, "Not yet. Oh no, something's happening—I've got to go!"

Zhou Qing finished speaking and quickly withdrew.

Watching the red orb vanish, Number Six sighed.

She had a feeling that the Forbidden Zone, which had plagued her for so many years, might finally be penetrable—if this man helped her, she might truly reach its depths and obtain that object.

……

In the room, Zhou Qing stared at the blue orb that had logged off with Number Six, feeling he'd dug himself a hole.

Shaking his head, he pulled out the flag of the Fotu Array—this thing had been badly damaged by Li Hanshan; he'd need time to repair it properly.

His next task was to continue cultivating the Emperor's Radiance Scripture—this would be his true trump card, known only to his Third Senior Brother, and he must cultivate it well to maximize its power.

He was just about to head to Shenyue Peak to see if there were materials suitable for repairing the array flags when He Han arrived.

"Greetings, Senior Brother He!" Zhou Qing bowed.

As the Second Disciple of the Sect Master, He Han now looked at Zhou Qing with a complex expression.

He had built his Foundation Establishment with Heavenly Dao energy, yet showed not a trace of arrogance, always laughing and joking with them as usual.

He had silently formed his Golden Core, only to have it shattered—most would have been utterly broken by such a blow, yet he calmly began body refinement instead.

Lucky enough to obtain relic elixirs, he restored his cultivation and silently formed his Nascent Soul.

He had slain four of the five prodigies of Cangyan Dao Palace.

Just his mental fortitude alone was beyond He Han's comparison.

Now he was merely at the late Nascent Soul realm, while even Senior Brother Li Daoxuan had left to seek his own realm of understanding—but this man had already slain Yu Ziqi, who had barely begun to comprehend his realm, all by himself.

Looking at Zhou Qing now, a deep sense of reverence arose within him.

He Han returned the bow. "I didn't want to disturb you, but someone specifically requested to meet you."

"Who wants to see me?" Zhou Qing asked, puzzled.

He Han said, "You'll know when you get to Shenyue Peak."

Zhou Qing nodded reluctantly. Yan Xiao, who had just wandered over, saw this and hurried over too—curious after hearing He Han's cryptic words.

The three set off together.

Entering the reception hall of Shenyue Peak, Zhou Qing immediately spotted a burly man sitting on a chair beside him, a black tail twitching slightly behind his buttocks, radiating an uncanny aura.

"It's him!" Zhou Qing thought in surprise.

On Canglan Mountain, when the Golden Peng flew out, this man was the first to dive down—only after him did others realize even a Soul Transformation cultivator could enter, and they followed.

But he shouldn't have seen me—I was still retreating with my Master when he arrived.

I only saw him later, when I returned and hid in the shadows.

"Greetings, Sect Master, Senior Peaks Masters, and Elder!" Zhou Qing bowed first to the Sect Master and several Peak Masters, then to the man with the human body and monkey tail.

Before Cao Zhengyang could speak, the demon king rose, strode forward, and sized Zhou Qing up from head to toe, his gaze sharp with scrutiny, then asked: "You're Zhou Qing?"

Zhou Qing replied, "Yes, Elder, this humble disciple."

"Hah! Good lad! Though I don't get involved in your Five Sects' squabbles, your name's been ringing in my ears all the way here—eight out of ten people are talking about you."

The man laughed heartily, his eyes full of admiration.

Cao Zhengyang introduced: "Zhou Qing, this is Hou Shan, the ruler of Canglan Mountain—a Soul Transformation peak cultivator."

Zhou Qing bowed again. "Greetings, Elder Hou."

Hou Shan waved his hand impatiently. "You humans are so damn formal. We haven't even spoken two sentences and this kid's already bowed twice. I, Hou Shan, speak and act straight—hate all this nonsense."

Cao Zhengyang smiled awkwardly—Old Hou's temper was as blunt as ever. But he could understand; demon cultivators were mostly like this—free-spirited, unlike humans with their endless rituals.

"The matter is this, Brother Hou…"

"I'll tell it!" Hou Shan cut in before Cao Zhengyang finished, then turned to Zhou Qing. "I heard you went to Canglan Mountain too. You know what happened. Damn it, I just went to check out the scene—and my home got robbed!"

As he spoke, Hou Shan began cursing loudly.

This unpretentious personality made Zhou Qing want to laugh—but he dared not.

Soon, he understood the full story.

That day, after hearing the commotion, Hou Shan had ordered several Nascent Soul demon generals to guard his cave, then went alone to seek an opportunity.

But he didn't even find a single feather in the abyss—and when he returned home, the sacred herb he'd nurtured for a thousand years, the Fusang Lingkui, had been stolen.

This Fusang Lingkui had been painstakingly grown by Hou Fei using countless spirit liquids and yang fire—it was crucial for his next cultivation breakthrough, almost the key to his advancement.

It was equally vital for humans—some late Soul Transformation cultivators might even use it to leap directly to peak perfection.

Fortunately, he'd left a sliver of his Primordial Spirit on it, allowing him to vaguely sense it—anyone who assimilated it would be marked for a hundred days.

That hundred-day window was enough for him to track them down and deal with them properly.

Furious, Hou Fei immediately suspected the Five Sects, and for the past year, he'd been secretly searching.

But strangely, the Primordial Spirit trace remained—yet he couldn't find the herb.

And it clearly wasn't with the Five Sects; smaller sects wouldn't dare.

Seeing the herb wasn't being assimilated, he grew desperate—his senses told him the Fusang Lingkui would wither completely in half a year, turning into dead vegetation.

Reluctantly, he came to Taiqingmen for help.

Before the Five Sects' war, they held a trial on Canglan Mountain every sixty years. As host, he'd always offered assistance—even sent demonic beasts to aid the trials.

In past events, he'd helped them repeatedly, and the Five Sects owed him great favors.

Now was the time to repay them.

"The real war among the Five Sects? In truth, it's just Taiqingmen versus Cangyan Dao Palace—you two are the giants. And oddly, last year on Canglan Mountain, besides those few who slew the Soul Severers, only your two sects appeared first."

Hou Shan turned his gaze directly to Cao Zhengyang, his eyes sharp with suspicion.

"I have reason to suspect one of you two did it. I'm not unreasonable—but I admit, I'm no match for humans in scheming. But you should know: my dozen brothers watch each other's backs."

Hou Shan's voice grew lower, laced with threat.

"If I don't find the Fusang Lingkui, my future path is cut. If my path is cut, no one else gets to walk theirs—and don't forget, you still owe me favors."

As he spoke, Hou Shan let out a cold snort—a vast pressure erupted from him, sweeping outward.

Everyone present paled.

(End of Chapter)