Chapter 225: This, this, this, this—how is this possible! (6k)

The crystals Xuan Yuan Shuo dug out looked as if they had been soaked in fresh blood, and a faint, lingering heat radiated from their surfaces.

Wisps of red halo faintly circulated between the stones.

This item is an excellent material for artifact refining; a single piece is worth at least one supreme-grade spirit stone.

In other words, these things could easily be traded for seventy or eighty supreme-grade spirit stones.

Zhou Qing felt a surge of envy watching this.

Sure enough, the saying "you eat according to the company you keep" is truly not wrong at all.

"Is this... a ten-thousand-year blood ginseng?" Soon, Er Daye let out a cry of surprise.

The two were startled and immediately looked over.

They saw a jade box placed on the side near the jade bed.

The jade box was entirely emerald green, emitting a warm, moist luster, but at this moment, a slender arm was reaching out from a gap in it.

That arm was as white as jade, yet covered in mottled scars, as if it had been slashed by a sharp blade.

Er Daye carefully picked it up and gently opened it.

Inside lay a humanoid object with a delicate little face; its features were almost indistinguishable from those of a child.

Its long eyelashes trembled slightly, as if it were in a deep sleep.

Its head was quite large, its body very small, and it wore a tattered red bellyband on its lower body, revealing the scarred skin beneath.

Some wounds had already scabbed over, while others were still faintly oozing blood, a shocking sight.

Furthermore, a golden chain was wrapped around its neck, one end of which was connected to the jade box, and strange runes flashed across it.

"This is a divine medicine!" Er Daye swallowed hard, his eyes full of shock.

Xuan Yuan Shuo also swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

A ten-thousand-year blood ginseng can replenish blood and Qi in an instant; these wounds were clearly made by the Peng Emperor, who would slice off a bit every time he was injured to restore his own vitality.

Zhou Qing also looked on curiously, which reminded him of the Ice Glass Lingque Zhi in the forbidden zone where Number Six was located; at that time, it had transformed into a small white bird and was sleeping soundly on the side.

However—

Zhou Qing suddenly wanted to laugh, because Hearing San Shixiong had a so-called ten-thousand-year blood ginseng, and at the time, he had said that even if the entire Taiqingmen were sold, it might not be enough to trade for such a spiritual medicine.

Indeed, if any sect possessed such a divine medicine, I fear even those in the Soul Severance Realm would come in person to snatch it.

After all, possessing such a divine medicine means having an extra life at a critical moment.

But it was very clear that San Shixiong's blood ginseng was definitely not ten thousand years old; he had tasted the roots, so he figured it was probably around three or four thousand years old, but even that was priceless.

"Brother Er Daye, let this ten-thousand-year blood ginseng go to this Prince. I don't want anything else in this cave dwelling, and I'll even add fifty supreme-grade spirit stones!"

Xuan Yuan Shuo's eyes were red as he stared fixedly at the ten-thousand-year blood ginseng in the jade box, his throat bobbing as he swallowed hard and spoke.

Er Daye looked at the still-living ten-thousand-year blood ginseng and slowly shook his head, saying, "No, we agreed to split it evenly. When the time comes, I'll cut it into three parts, and we'll each take one. Harmony brings wealth, after all."

As he spoke, he even gestured with a cutting motion.

As soon as the words fell, the blood ginseng in the box couldn't help but shiver.

How is this even more ruthless than that Peng Emperor?

Although that guy would carefully slice off a bit each time, and while it hurt, at least he left it with a breath of life.

You, on the other hand, are going for "better a short pain than a long one," aren't you?

Fine, it had had enough anyway; better to die early and be free. In its next life, it never wanted to be a spiritual medicine again.

When Xuan Yuan Shuo heard this, his face twitched.

Seeing Er Daye give him a slight wink, Zhou Qing immediately understood and stepped forward, saying, "I don't need my share."

Er Daye nodded, a look of regret appearing on his face, and sighed, "Blood ginseng, oh blood ginseng, I actually wanted to raise you well, but now that we've all seen it, we all have a share. Please don't blame me; I really don't want to do this."

As he spoke, he gestured with his hand and said, "Old Man Shuo, since Zhou Qing doesn't want it, the ratio must be re-divided. How about this: I'll chop off these two legs for you. I hope it's still alive by then."

Er Daye took out a broken blade, handed it to him, and said with a straight face, "For the sake of fairness, you do the chopping."

At this moment, the sleeping blood ginseng seemed to be trying its best to break free from the seal of the golden chain.

In the years the Peng Emperor hadn't been there, it had finally managed to poke one arm out of the jade box, full of anticipation that one day it could escape this cage.

It never expected that it would ultimately fail to escape this fate.

At this moment, its eyelashes trembled violently, and it finally slowly opened a slit, its pitch-black pupils filled with tears as it looked pitifully at Xuan Yuan Shuo.

Xuan Yuan Shuo: "..."

I really want to curse; no, how did this Prince end up becoming the heinous villain in this mess?

He wanted the ten-thousand-year blood ginseng so he could raise it well for emergencies.

But now, he was being forced by this master and disciple into becoming an "executioner."

What's the use of dismembering it?

By then, wouldn't its blood and Qi just slowly drain away, turning it into a piece of dried radish?

You master and disciple really work well together; agreed on a fifty-fifty split, and through twists and turns, it becomes thirty-seventy.

I can't do such a thing that wastes heaven's gifts.

Damn it!

"Those fifty earth-fire crystals belong to me. Furthermore, I want the five-colored barrier here!" Xuan Yuan Shuo was both angry and helpless; he flicked his sleeves and shouted.

Seeing Xuan Yuan Shuo give in, Er Daye quickly and nimbly put the jade box into his storage bag, his face full of smiles as he said, "No problem, brother, I'll help you find the formation flags right now."

Zhou Qing watched this scene, secretly finding it funny.

Even if this five-colored barrier didn't belong to Xuan Yuan Shuo, no one could move it.

If it were taken, wouldn't everything be exposed? In the end, it would still be left here as a bluff to keep all parties in check.

"Found it!" Soon, Er Daye discovered the formation disk, which was flowing with five-colored light, in a hidden compartment on the ground.

It was embedded with many supreme-grade spirit stones to maintain its operation.

Er Daye looked at Xuan Yuan Shuo and said, "Are you taking it, or should I help you take it out?"

Sure enough, Xuan Yuan Shuo reacted at this moment and immediately started cursing.

He had been so angered by this pair of master and disciple that he had lost his head.

But since things had reached this point, there was nothing he could do; he could only swallow his anger and continue searching in the cave dwelling.

Crack—

No one knew who touched what, but the stone wall suddenly trembled, and immediately after, a hidden secret room slowly appeared.

The three looked at each other, a hint of surprise flashing in their eyes, and they immediately entered together.

Walking into the secret room, they saw many jade slips placed inside, and besides that, there was a coffin in which the corpse of an old man lay quietly.

"These are... jade slips related to formations and barriers!" Xuan Yuan Shuo glanced at the old man and then casually picked up a jade slip on the side to flip through it.

Er Daye also nodded and gently placed his hand on the coffin.

"This person should have been at the peak of the Divine Transformation Realm before death. It looks like he has been dead for over a hundred years. I just don't know why he was frozen here by Feng Xuan Ling. Could there be something special about it?"

Er Daye asked with some confusion.

"This is a notebook; this person was actually a fourth-level formation master!" When Xuan Yuan Shuo picked up another jade slip and flipped through it, he was immediately filled with surprise.

Er Daye and Zhou Qing were startled and hurried over to check.

Sure enough, this jade slip recorded the other party's understanding and notes on some four-colored barriers.

Xuan Yuan Shuo's eyes lit up, and he said, "I understand now. This master must have been traveling here by chance, but was accidentally caught by Feng Xuan Ling and cruelly murdered."

"And this person must have obtained a five-colored barrier by chance, which is why that feathered beast quietly set it up here."

"I knew it; I've dealt with him for so many years, yet I never discovered that this guy had a five-colored barrier. So that's how it is!"

Er Daye quite agreed with Xuan Yuan Shuo's analysis, and then looked at the old man in the coffin with regret.

A four-colored formation master, if he could have stepped into the Soul Severance Realm, his status would be imaginable, yet he unluckily ran into Feng Xuan Ling.

Such is time, such is fate!

"I imagine that feathered beast also wanted to take this opportunity to comprehend the way of formations. These jade slips are useless to you, so leave them to Zhou Qing, and bring them to Master to see while you're at it!" Er Daye said.

Xuan Yuan Shuo immediately retorted, "Who says they're useless? These are the insights of a fourth-level formation master; it wouldn't be too much for me to make a rubbing of them, would it? Perhaps a descendant of my Xuan Yuan family has a talent for the way of formations."

As he spoke, Xuan Yuan Shuo took out some blank jade slips and began to make rubbings.

At this time, Zhou Qing was staring intently at the old man in the coffin.

One must know that those who have comprehended between ten thousand and fifty thousand spiritual seals can be called fourth-level formation masters.

Number Six, as a powerhouse in the Soul Severance Realm, only had just over ten thousand spiritual seals.

That this person could obtain a five-colored formation disk shows his extraordinary fortune.

Perhaps, he could try.

Zhou Qing immediately looked at the 【Corpse Touching Post】 in the Qi Tie Lu; according to the introduction, it triggers the last wishes of the deceased by touching their corpse.

Completing the last wishes can randomly obtain precious items from the deceased's lifetime, limited to three people.

After confirming the information again, Zhou Qing slowly opened the coffin lid, and the two immediately looked over.

Zhou Qing sighed, then took out three sticks of incense, lit them, and respectfully bowed three times.

His movements were pious and solemn, and his eyes were full of respect.

Xuan Yuan Shuo shook his head slightly; this child is indeed one who values relationships.

It is also true that you are all formation masters, and you have a deeper understanding and respect for the inheritance and spirit of your predecessors.

Er Daye also stepped forward and bowed solemnly to the coffin.

Since he had entered the lineage of formation masters, any predecessor he saw could be called Master, not to mention that those jade slips were of extraordinary significance to his subsequent comprehension.

"Let's take him out later and bury him in a place with beautiful mountains and clear waters!" Er Daye said with emotion.

Xuan Yuan Shuo raised a jade slip he had just finished rubbing and said, "Situ Jiuyao!"

So that was his name.

After paying his respects, Zhou Qing looked respectful and whispered, "Master Situ, go in peace!"

After speaking, he gently placed one hand on him and activated the 【Corpse Touching Post】.

The next moment, the post suddenly radiated light, and one-third of the area immediately became dim.

Following that, words emitting a faint glow appeared.

【Triggered the last wish of the deceased.】

【Last wish one: Hope someone can help me take revenge and kill that Peng Emperor.】

【Last wish two: Hope someone can take me back to the Heavenly Dao Sacred Dynasty and let me return to my roots at the Wind Erosion Ancient Sect.】

【Last wish three: Hope someone can help me snatch back the five-colored formation disk; that took me over three hundred years to get out of those ruins bit by bit.】

Seeing these three last wishes, Zhou Qing felt it was so wonderful.

So this is what the 【Corpse Touching Post】 is.

He just didn't know how long the 【Corpse Touching Post】 defined the time of death for a corpse.

After all, according to Er Daye's previous deduction, this Master Situ before them had probably been dead for over a hundred years.

There was no need to mention the first last wish; that Feng Xuan Ling had already been finished off by him. Does this count as being achieved in advance?

As for the second last wish, he never expected that he was actually from the Heavenly Dao Sacred Dynasty, a fifth-level cultivation country.

Previously, when Zhou Qing was chatting with Er Daye, he had only accidentally heard of this distant cultivation country and even guessed that Number Six might have come from the Heavenly Dao Sacred Dynasty.

He never expected to run into people from that capital so soon.

It was very clear that the distance between the Sacred Martial Dynasty and the Heavenly Dao Sacred Dynasty was too great; unless one had reached the Soul Severance Realm, it was absolutely impossible for him to cross it.

The third last wish seemed simple, but Xuan Yuan Shuo probably wouldn't let him touch that formation disk.

On one hand, you couldn't explain the reason clearly; on the other hand, what if the formation disk failed and someone noticed they had entered this cave dwelling? How would the subsequent plan unfold?

Thinking it over, only the first last wish was currently the most likely to be realized and wouldn't cause too much trouble.

After a brief hesitation, Zhou Qing, filled with a trace of awe, gently placed the Tai Yao Token on Master Situ's corpse and said, "Senior Situ, that Peng Emperor has already died by my hand. The great revenge is avenged; you can go in peace."

As soon as the words fell, a strange scene occurred.

In a field of vision only he could see, strings of images flashed by rapidly, as if he were looking at flowers while riding a horse.

Zhou Qing felt a surge of excitement; he never expected it would actually be achieved.

Then, does this count as randomly selecting precious items from the deceased's lifetime?

This made him full of anticipation.

Soon, the images gradually stopped, and before he could see the specific situation clearly, he suddenly felt the world spinning before his eyes.

Immediately after, a strong sense of pulling came, and when he regained his vision, he discovered that "he" was in a great hall.

And opposite her, a woman with silver hair and a veil sat with her eyes closed; around her, more than eight thousand spiritual seals flickered with strange light, rising and falling.

"Number Six?" Zhou Qing was startled.

But soon, as this voice came out, Zhou Qing subconsciously covered his mouth.

Because he suddenly realized that this voice was not his own, but sounded quite old.

He hurriedly looked down at his hands; the wrinkled skin and rough texture made him even more certain that this was not his original body.

Especially Number Six; she should have already condensed ten thousand spiritual seals and been promoted to a fourth-level formation master, not the appearance of having only eight thousand spiritual seals before him.

"So, this is Master Situ's body, and now I am also in a certain time period in the past!"

In an instant, Zhou Qing suddenly realized, and a flash of understanding crossed his eyes.

It seems that Number Six did indeed come from the Heavenly Dao Sacred Dynasty, a fifth-level cultivation country, and knew Situ Jiuyao.

The scene before him looked like fellow practitioners visiting and exchanging ideas.

Soon, he saw that on the left side, there was also a middle-aged man sitting.

Around him were actually more than nine thousand spiritual seals, and at this moment, as his hands formed seals, these spiritual seals slowly merged into the young man's body, making his aura increasingly profound.

Immediately after, the middle-aged man bowed to Situ Jiuyao, whom Zhou Qing was possessing, with a face full of gratitude; his movements were pious and solemn.

Afterward, he slowly turned his head to look at the silver-haired woman, his eyes instantly filled with love.

"Thank you both; I have gained some insight!" Zhou Qing couldn't help but speak, his voice filled with irrepressible excitement.

The next moment, a strong sense of sudden enlightenment suddenly struck.

Countless complex runes and lines clearly appeared before his eyes, and after a brief moment of being stunned, Zhou Qing immediately reacted.

So the precious item randomly drawn by the 【Corpse Touching Post】 was exactly the sudden enlightenment he had obtained after communicating with Number Six and that stranger.

To be so remembered by the other party shows that this sudden enlightenment was no small matter.

Without a second word, he hurriedly used his spiritual sense to open the inheritance left to him by Master Xuanqing and began to comprehend it.

Because he felt his thinking become incomparably agile, and every turn of his thoughts could trigger a series of new inspirations about formations.

It was simply even better to use than the four-colored flower and the 【Sudden Enlightenment Post】 when he broke through to the Divine Transformation Realm.

At the same time, inside the secret room.

One hundred and sixty-eight spiritual seals suddenly appeared all over Zhou Qing's body, slowly rotating around him.

The two couldn't help but be startled, looking at each other with some confusion.

Especially Er Daye, who, looking at Zhou Qing's eyes closed tightly, couldn't help but frown, and just as he was about to step forward to talk with some worry, Zhou Qing suddenly moved.

He saw his hands dancing rapidly; in the flowing clouds and water, there was an indescribable rhythm.

Between his palms, spiritual power surged and whistled, emitting a faint rumbling sound.

Such a scene made Er Daye feel somewhat familiar, and soon he seemed to think of something; his face changed slightly, and he stepped back without hesitation, his expression full of vigilance.

"What's wrong?" Xuan Yuan Shuo noticed Er Daye's appearance of facing a formidable enemy, and his heart was startled; he also became nervous and was on full alert.

Could it be that this Situ Jiuyao isn't dead, and is picking on the soft persimmon, and is now seizing Zhou Qing's body?

Er Daye didn't immediately answer Xuan Yuan Shuo's question, but his eyes were fixed on Zhou Qing, and he couldn't help but recall the scene when Zhou Qing broke through to the Divine Transformation Realm.

"It won't really happen again, will it?"

But as soon as the words fell, a spiritual power vortex suddenly appeared in front of Zhou Qing's chest.

Immediately after, the one hundred and eighty-seventh spiritual seal was instantly formed within it.

Seeing this scene, Er Daye directly covered his forehead, his face full of helplessness and envy.

Xuan Yuan Shuo was startled at first, then secretly breathed a sigh of relief, a smile of gratification appearing on his face.

"It seems that after this kid finished paying respects to this Master Situ, he seems to have received a blessing in the dark, allowing him to comprehend a spiritual seal. Are you quite envious? If you had offered incense earlier..."

His words hadn't finished before they came to an abrupt end; he just stared blankly at the scene before him, his eyes full of shock and disbelief.

He saw that around Zhou Qing, nearly simultaneously, thirteen embryonic forms of spiritual seals appeared, constantly compressing and condensing.

In less than a few breaths, these thirteen spiritual seals were formed.

For a time, the light was great, and a full two hundred spiritual seals appeared so dazzlingly before the two.

At the same time, it also meant that Zhou Qing, at this moment, had completely become the ninth second-level formation master of the Sacred Martial Dynasty.

Xuan Yuan Shuo, who had reacted, hurriedly rubbed his eyes to ensure he wasn't seeing things.

"Are your formation masters' spiritual seals all formed like this? Shouldn't it be accumulated over time?" Xuan Yuan Shuo asked in a low voice.

Er Daye smiled bitterly and shook his head, saying, "Anyway, I'm like that; he's different from normal people."

Although he said so, Er Daye's eyes were full of excitement, as if he were looking at a rare treasure.

Although he didn't know exactly what had happened, now that Zhou Qing had been promoted to a second-level formation master, it meant they could already cooperate to enter the first coffin.

"This, this, this..."

But at the next moment, Xuan Yuan Shuo's eyes widened, his face full of shock, and even his voice became sharp; he even pointed at Zhou Qing with trembling fingers.

Er Daye was also dumbfounded, the expression on his face frozen in shock, his eyes full of disbelief.

He saw that in the next second, around Zhou Qing, suddenly, like flowers blooming, a full one hundred embryonic forms of spiritual seals appeared.

These embryonic forms of spiritual seals flickered with faint light, and under the wrapping of Zhou Qing's spiritual power, they completed their condensation in just a few breaths.

Before the two could recover, another one hundred embryonic forms of spiritual seals appeared, condensed, and appeared again...

In a short time, the number of spiritual seals around Zhou Qing kept increasing like a snowball; the scene was truly shocking.

The two powerhouses in the Soul Severance Realm, who were almost like gods in the eyes of others, now only felt their minds go blank, and they stared blankly at the scene before them like fools.

No one knew how long it had been, but when a full one thousand spiritual seals were permeating around Zhou Qing, he slowly opened his eyes, still feeling unsatisfied.

Looking at the thousand spiritual seals surrounding his body, Zhou Qing felt a surge of emotion.

No wonder this would become Master Situ's most precious thing; condensing eight hundred spiritual seals at once—whoever it was would regard it as an unforgettable experience and fortune in their life, and even brag about it for a lifetime.

One must know that for a formation master with such profound attainments as Master Situ, the further one goes, the more difficult it is to condense each spiritual seal.

Soon, he keenly noticed two fiery gazes locked tightly onto him.

Turning his head, he saw Er Daye and Xuan Yuan Shuo standing blankly not far away, their mouths open, as if they had been hit by a freezing spell, their eyes full of shock and astonishment as they looked at him.

Seeing this, Zhou Qing scratched his head with some embarrassment.

Xuan Yuan Shuo, who had come back to his senses, swallowed hard and stammered, "I've lived for such a long age, and today I've finally seen what a true monster is. From the time I saw you repairing the four-colored formation, I should have guessed it."

Er Daye was full of surprise and excitement, stepped forward, and asked eagerly, "What exactly happened? How did you become like that all of a sudden?"

Zhou Qing scratched his head and had to lie, "I'm not sure either; I just suddenly entered a state of sudden enlightenment."

As soon as the words fell, Xuan Yuan Shuo's eyes lit up, and he took a step forward, pushing Er Daye and Zhou Qing to the side.

He reached out and picked up the Tai Yao Token placed on Situ Jiuyao's body, and imitating Zhou Qing's previous appearance, he lit three sticks of incense with a serious look and waved them in the air.

Afterward, he looked at the corpse with a pious face and said seriously, "That Peng Emperor was first seriously injured by this Prince, and then given a fatal blow by Zhou Qing and the others. Now that the great revenge is avenged, Master, you can go on your way in peace."

After speaking, he bowed and carefully placed the Tai Yao Token back on Situ Jiuyao's corpse.

He stared without blinking, closing his eyes full of anticipation.

Watching Xuan Yuan Shuo's actions, Zhou Qing's face couldn't help but twitch, and he secretly found it funny.

You are a senior in the Soul Severance Realm, after all; have a little bit of intelligence.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 226 =====