Chapter 242

One month later!

The Director of the Taiqingmen Spirit Field Division—Li Bin, looked left and right, and after confirming no one was around, a flash of caution crossed his eyes. He immediately dove down and landed in a mountain range.

Until he saw the mark on a stone, he flashed a few times and headed forward.

Soon, in a quiet valley, he saw a familiar back.

"Greetings, Old Ancestor!" Li Bin hurriedly bowed.

Ji Xuan slowly turned around, looked Li Bin up and down, and said, "Shadow Snake, I would like to ask you for a favor this time."

"Old Ancestor, you jest. Whatever you need, just command it; why speak of asking?" Li Bin said quickly.

Regarding Li Bin's performance, Ji Xuan nodded with satisfaction, a faint smile appearing on her face.

"You are not like the people in the circle of Taiqingmen peak masters. It is the Qingyu Qingshu Xian Zong that has been secretly giving you resources, allowing you to break through to Soul Formation step by step and even sit in this position today!" Ji Xuan said.

Li Bin immediately knelt on one knee and said, "This subordinate will never dare to forget the sect's grace of saving and cultivating me."

Ji Xuan hurriedly helped him up, a warm smile appearing on her face.

She said softly, "I didn't say anything. We have seen all the important intelligence you have sent to the sect over these many years."

"However, the Taiqingmen is now conducting extremely strict investigations, and many moles planted by various sects inside have been identified and cleared out one by one. To avoid exposing you, we haven't contacted you for many years."

Ji Xuan sighed slightly, a flash of worry crossing her eyes.

Hearing this, Li Bin's eyes were full of gratitude, but deep down, there was a hidden trace of guilt.

If only they could have never contacted him.

Sometimes he really wanted to forget the past.

In the days at Taiqingmen, he lived cautiously, not even daring to drink or gather with those peak masters, fearing that one careless moment or slip of the tongue would leak some secret that shouldn't be told.

For countless days and nights, only by keeping himself busy could he feel his heart slightly fulfilled and temporarily forget certain things.

"Old Ancestor, what is the mission this time?" After a brief pondering, Li Bin suppressed the complex emotions in his heart and asked.

Ji Xuan's eyes flashed, and she said calmly, "Lure Zhou Qing out."

"Little Sect Master... no, that, why lure him out?" Li Bin's heart skipped a beat, an ominous premonition surging in his heart, and he asked hurriedly.

Seeing this, Ji Xuan's mouth curled slightly, and she chuckled, "You called that child Little Sect Master without thinking; it seems the entire Taiqingmen respects him from the bottom of their hearts."

Li Bin was slightly startled, then gave a sheepish smile and quickly explained, "Everyone calls him that; if I called him by his name, it would seem too abrupt."

Ji Xuan waved her hand, her expression returning to calm, and said, "What is there to explain? We all understand. This time, I want to ask him for a favor."

"What favor? Just normally with... this subordinate knows they were wrong!"

Seeing Ji Xuan looking displeased with a flash of coldness in her eyes, Li Bin immediately realized he had said too much and hurriedly bowed to apologize.

Ji Xuan's expression softened slightly, and she said slowly, "This matter involves the secrets of my Qingyu Qingshu Xian Zong. After the favor is done, his relevant memories must be erased."

"If we ask for a favor normally, once Cao Zhengyang or Mo Xingjian and others find out, it cannot be explained, and they must not be allowed to know."

Li Bin's heart couldn't help but tremble.

Whether it is soul searching or memory erasure, it is a huge damage to the spiritual sense of any Soul Formation powerhouse.

Cao Zhengyang, as the Taiqingmen Sect Master, is a brilliant strategist and values the sect's safety and secrets highly.

Mo Xingjian is Zhou Qing's master and is extremely protective.

They would absolutely not allow others to touch the Little Sect Master's spiritual sense at will.

After all, if one can erase memories, one can also search the soul.

Li Bin thought for a moment and said, "Zhou Qing is currently in seclusion, seemingly refining a magic array for the Taiqingmen; it is unclear when he will come out."

"I see. But this matter cannot be delayed. Once he comes out, you must contact us as soon as possible!" A flash of urgency crossed Ji Xuan's eyes.

Li Bin said solemnly, "Please rest assured, Old Ancestor, I guarantee the mission will be completed!"

Subsequently, Ji Xuan gave detailed instructions on the details and precautions of the operation, which Li Bin kept in mind one by one before quietly turning to leave.

Watching Li Bin's departing back, Ji Xuan frowned slightly, a flash of dissatisfaction crossing her eyes.

"It seems that after being left to roam for so long, he has almost forgotten who his true master is!"

From the brief conversation, she had already sensed that Li Bin had stayed at Taiqingmen for too long and seemed to have gradually developed divided loyalties.

This was not a good sign.

Immediately after, she took out the jade slip that Elder Yun Jing had brought back from Haomiao Prefecture from her storage bag and rubbed it gently.

"Lin Daochen's evaluation is extremely high: comprehended realm of understanding in less than a year, Soul Formation in three years, followed the border to repair magic arrays, fought five consecutive battles against same-rank deputy generals..."

Perhaps, it really is this little fellow!

"For the specifics, let's wait until after the soul search. If conditions permit—"

A cold murderous intent suddenly filled Ji Xuan's eyes.

When any Soul Severance expert appears among the five sects of the Eastern Region, the other sects will become history that will never rise again.

One year later!

When the stone door of the seclusion area slowly opened, Zhou Qing, dressed in a plain robe, stepped out quietly.

His hair was tied up casually, with a few strands falling on both sides of his cheeks, adding a touch of spontaneity and detachment.

His face, which was originally a bit immature, now had a bit more steadiness and determination.

Especially after a year of continuous tempering, his aura was restrained and mellow, giving people a sense of pressure that could not be ignored.

At this moment, in his hand was a circular array disk about a foot in diameter, covered with densely intertwined runes.

There were even green and red lights flashing within it.

The matching array flags reached eighty-one, showing its complexity.

"Zhou Qing—" Sensing the movement in the seclusion area, Cao Zhengyang and several other peak masters appeared instantly, their faces full of excitement.

Seeing the Sect Master and the uncles, a smile immediately appeared on Zhou Qing's face.

"I have not failed the mission—" Zhou Qing handed the items over and said.

Hearing that Zhou Qing had come out of seclusion, Lu Yaoyao was the first to run to the Small Spirit Peak, her face full of joy.

【Heart Mirror Point +9】

The 【So Eye-catching】 on her head changed back to 【So Amazing】.

How could he not be amazing? A two-colored magic array.

You didn't see it; the Master was holding that array disk and those flags, I don't know how excited he was. Now he is leading the Supreme Elders and others in a busy arrangement.

Zhou Qing smiled at the notification sound; he was just preparing to go find the Third Zhou Shixiong to see how the old hen was being taken care of.

"It seems your cultivation hasn't fallen behind this year; it feels like you are taking big strides toward the late Soul Formation stage!" Zhou Qing said.

Lu Yaoyao nodded repeatedly and said, "That's for sure; I can't keep holding you back, can I?"

Zhou Qing smiled knowingly. As they were chatting, Yan Xiaohu arrived, laughing loudly, opening his arms to give Zhou Qing a warm hug.

"Finally out of seclusion; I was almost bored to death this past year!" Yan Xiaohu said loudly.

Lu Yaoyao blinked and teased, "I see Yan Shixiong busy every day with Niu Guangmo and the others; it doesn't look boring at all."

Yan Xiaohu scratched his head awkwardly, then quickly argued, "Nonsense, it's precisely because I was bored that I kept myself busy."

Lu Yaoyao whispered into Zhou Qing's ear, "Zhou Shixiong Zhou, you don't know, half a year ago Li Shitao and Xiao Cancan came, and I don't know what happened, but Yan Shixiong was so scared he hid outside."

Zhou Qing was stunned for a moment, then looked at the Third Zhou Shixiong again, unable to help but reveal a meaningful smile, his eyes full of teasing.

Yan Xiaohu wasn't deaf. Seeing Zhou Qing's expression, he hurriedly explained, "Don't misunderstand; I wasn't hiding, I just happened to have something to do those few days. If you don't believe me, we can find Niu Guangmo and the others to confront them."

Seeing Yan Xiaohu so anxious and flustered, Lu Yaoyao couldn't help but burst into laughter.

While laughing, she waved her hand and said, "Alright, alright, Yan Shixiong, we believe you, okay?"

Zhou Qing also started laughing.

He didn't know what the Third Zhou Shixiong was thinking, but Sister Tao had been fond of the Third Zhou Shixiong for a long time.

Last time he went to find Zhang Wanbao to trade for ten wood-attribute supreme-grade spirit stones, Sister Tao was slightly disappointed when she didn't see the Third Zhou Shixiong accompanying him.

"I'm not playing with you guys anymore; I have things to do, I'm leaving!"

Seeing the two looking at him with strange expressions, Yan Xiaohu felt a bit ashamed and angry, turning to leave in a huff.

After Yan Xiaohu left, Zhou Qing showed a curious expression and asked, "Did they come to Taiqingmen this time just to visit the Third Zhou Shixiong?"

Lu Yaoyao shook her head gently and said, "Of course not. The mystical realm in the abyss of Spirit Skull Mountain caused the Lingyun Prefecture Master to suffer quite a bit of injury. When Xiao Cancan found out, she hurried back to take care of him."

"Half a year ago, the Prefecture Master's injuries must have recovered quite a bit, which is why she went out with Li Shitao."

"Passing by Taiqingmen this time was just on the way. They originally wanted to find you, but heard you were in seclusion, so they found Yan Shixiong."

After hearing this, Zhou Qing nodded slightly.

"By the way, what is the situation at Spirit Skull Mountain now?" Zhou Qing asked again.

Lu Yaoyao shook her head and said, "I didn't really look into it. Although that mystical realm hasn't appeared for over a year, I heard there are still many people guarding it."

Zhou Qing heard this and shook his head slowly.

From the fall of the Peng Emperor until now, so many years have passed; they can still persist until now, they are persistent enough.

After chatting with Lu Yaoyao for a while longer and learning that Li Daoxuan had not yet come out of seclusion, Zhou Qing went to Yan Xiaohu's residence to pick up the old hen.

After reconnecting for a while, Zhou Qing activated the barrier and carefully took out a potted plant.

Compared to a year ago, two tender green buds the size of hair tips had grown on the originally lifeless branches.

The new buds were slender and slightly curled, their color vivid and dripping, exuding a vigorous vitality.

Even after getting closer, a faint fragrance lingered at the tip of his nose, and his mind felt clear.

"Still lacks a bit of heat—" Zhou Qing stared at the new buds, clicking his tongue, a trace of regret appearing on his face.

Once these new buds grew a bit larger, he could use them to comprehend the inscription-level divine ability "Hundred Tribulations Blood Curtain."

Thinking of the three thousand Phoenix Dao patterns and the Blood Phoenix Tribulation Crystal, Zhou Qing was full of anticipation.

After admiring it for a while, Zhou Qing reluctantly put it away again, then took out the Yin Spirit Jade.

Now the Master and several uncles had been in seclusion for over a year, and no good news had come out yet.

According to the Second Grandfather, if he refined this Yin Spirit Jade, with a relatively sufficient grasp of his own realm of understanding, he could directly break through to the mid-stage of Soul Formation.

However, although his realm of understanding had improved during the process of refining the magic array over the past year.

He vaguely felt that there was still a certain gap from the step of being able to successfully refine the Yin Spirit Jade and achieve a breakthrough.

"Must not be anxious!" Zhou Qing consoled himself.

Afterward, he cast his gaze toward the 【Random Post】 on his personal panel and fell into deep thought.

Even if the refreshing of the 【Random Post】 had uncertainty, it shouldn't be that not a single post had been refreshed in such a long time, right?

Looking at the 【Corpse Touching Post】 that had already been used up by one-third, Zhou Qing frowned.

"Could it be that it's blocking the way? Does it need to be consumed completely?"

Touching the corpse of Situ Jiuyao, the fourth-level array master of the five-level cultivation nation, he directly took the opportunity to increase his spirit seals to one thousand.

Now there were two more opportunities; he had to choose his target carefully.

But dragging it on like this, with no new posts coming out, made him itch with impatience.

"Little Sect Master, Li Bin has an important matter to report!"

Just then, a thick voice suddenly sounded from outside.

Zhou Qing was startled. He quietly released his spiritual sense and saw a middle-aged man standing with his hands behind his back outside the courtyard.

Li Bin, mid-stage Soul Formation, Director of the Spirit Field Division.

He remembered that when he was still in Foundation Establishment, the Deputy Director of the Spirit Field Division, Cao Wei, almost ambushed him and the Third Zhou Shixiong in the sect.

Fortunately, Senior Uncle Gao Xuan appeared in time and saved them.

And Gu Tao was a mole of the Cangyan Dao Palace; the reason he took action was that after the five-sect treasure exchange gathering, the core disciples of the Qingyu Qingshu Xian Zong and others went missing.

They were ordered to go out to search, and in the dark night, they recognized Yuan Shijie Shi Zhen, which caused the Cangyan Dao Palace's plan to fail, thus harboring hatred.

Zhou Qing immediately pushed open the courtyard door, bowed, and asked, "Senior Uncle Li, I don't know what matter you have for me?"

Li Bin looked left and right, lowered his voice, and said, "Little Sect Master, there is a matter, I don't know if I should say it or not?"

Zhou Qing's expression was calm as he said, "Senior Uncle Li, what is there that cannot be said?"

Li Bin looked hesitant, then gritted his teeth and said, "You also know my responsibilities; I am in charge of the rations for all the disciples of the entire Taiqingmen. This time, I also just returned from Qingmu City."

"But just this afternoon, while passing through Yanlong City, I saw someone who looked extremely like Luo Lingling, your Second Yuan Shijie."

After hearing this, Zhou Qing's face was suddenly filled with joy: "Second Yuan Shijie is back? No, Yanlong City is right at the foot of our Taiqingmen mountain, why didn't she contact me?"

Half a day's journey, the communication token of a core disciple was completely sufficient.

Seeing this, Li Bin hurriedly explained, "I only thought she looked like her. She was wearing tattered clothes like a beggar, and one leg seemed to be lame."

"I wanted to go up and identify her carefully, but just as I turned a street corner, she disappeared."

Zhou Qing's face instantly turned gloomy.

Li Bin continued, "Furthermore, I felt that someone seemed to be monitoring her in the dark. Perhaps her storage bag had already been robbed, or perhaps she had unspeakable difficulties and didn't dare to contact us."

In an instant, a thick, substantial murderous aura permeated from Zhou Qing, and his eyes became sinister and cold, staring straight at Li Bin.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Li Bin hurriedly waved his hand to appease him, "Perhaps I saw wrong, who knows."

"I wanted to discuss it with Peak Master Mo, but he has been in seclusion for over a year, and the Sect Master is busy with official business. After thinking it over, I decided to tell you."

"I understand your good intentions. Then Senior Uncle Li, do you remember the specific location where you saw her?" Zhou Qing suppressed his anger, his voice cold.

Seeing this, Li Bin hurriedly said, "It was near the market on West Street in Yanlong City. I was passing by there at the time. How about I take you there?"

"Many thanks!" Zhou Qing said.

Too busy to notify others, and the truth still needed to be investigated, the two hurried away.

Half an hour later, Zhou Qing, who had been moving forward, suddenly calmed down, feeling that something was wrong.

The Second Yuan Shijie was a Soul Formation expert, and not an ordinary coward, and she was accompanied by the White Crane who treated her sincerely.

Besides that, she had life-substitution talismans, paper doll clones, and many other life-saving means; how could she have reached the foot of her own sect and not even have a chance to call for help?

It was truly because the Second Yuan Shijie had a special status in his heart, like a real sister, that he had panicked and lost his composure for a moment.

Just as he was about to ask Li Bin for more detailed information, he inadvertently caught a glimpse of his complexion looking slightly nervous, and he even peeked at him from time to time.

Zhou Qing instantly became vigilant, stopped in his tracks, showed a suspicious look, stared tightly at Li Bin, and quietly circulated his spiritual power to prevent any accidents.

"Little Sect Master, what's wrong? At our speed, we will be there soon!"

Under the moonlight, seeing Zhou Qing stop suddenly, a flash of imperceptible panic crossed Li Bin's face, but he quickly put on that concerned expression again and asked.

Zhou Qing did not answer. His eyes were like cold stars, staring intensely at Li Bin, and he prepared to retreat.

Being tightly locked by this gaze, Li Bin actually had an illusion for no reason.

In a trance, the person in front of him was no longer the seemingly gentle Little Sect Master from daily life, but rather like facing the incomparably majestic Sect Master, making a chill rise from the bottom of his heart.

"We will be there soon."

Li Bin felt uncomfortable being stared at, his eyes dodging, and he tried hard to pull the corners of his mouth, barely squeezing out a smile.

Zhou Qing acted as if he hadn't heard, and said slowly, "Senior Uncle Li, ever since I entered Taiqingmen, I have heard that you have been running around for sect affairs. So, how long have you actually been at Taiqingmen?"

"W-what do you mean?" Li Bin asked back subconsciously, his voice rising involuntarily.

But Zhou Qing saw that a layer of sweat had actually oozed from his forehead at this moment.

Seeing this situation, a wave of disappointment surged in Zhou Qing's heart.

"Who is your master? Like the former Deputy Director Gu Tao, are you serving Sikong Yan?" Zhou Qing's voice was cold.

Li Bin stood blankly on the flying sword, staring blankly at Zhou Qing, the expression on his face instantly freezing.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

The next moment, four sounds of breaking wind suddenly sounded.

Immediately after, four white-haired old women, wrapped in powerful spiritual power, stepped out from the void.

"I said that the future Little Sect Master of Taiqingmen is not so easily fooled, but you wouldn't believe it."

One of the old women looked Zhou Qing up and down, a flash of appreciation crossing her eyes, and she spoke first.

Zhou Qing's heart trembled. The Tetanus sword in his hand instantly appeared, the sword humming and lightning arcs flickering.

Subsequently, he looked at the four old women vigilantly, bowed, and said, "So it is the four seniors of the Qingyu Qingshu Xian Zong. If you seniors have any commands, you only need to send a message to tell this junior; why go to such trouble?"

When the five sects united to ambush a million demonic beasts in Canglan Mountain, these four people had appeared representing the Qingyu Qingshu Xian Zong.

Like their own Supreme Elders, they were all Soul Formation Perfection experts.

Looking at Li Bin, who was showing shame and quietly retreating to the side, Zhou Qing understood what had happened.

Facing Zhou Qing's inquiry, one old woman actually laughed heartily.

After laughing, she explained, "Actually, after learning that you successfully broke through to the Soul Formation stage, we wanted to invite you to come, but you were always in seclusion cultivating, making it difficult to find an opportunity. Having no other choice, we had to resort to this strategy."

Zhou Qing's expression was calm, but he secretly used a secret technique to send a message to the Third Zhou Shixiong.

But soon his face changed.

One of the old women said softly, "Don't waste your effort. As an array master, you should be able to perceive that we have set up a sealing array here, and no message can be passed out."

Hearing this, Zhou Qing's expression became even uglier.

He said in a deep voice, "Seniors, I don't know when this junior offended the Qingyu Qingshu Xian Zong, making you seniors go to such great lengths. Even if I am to die, I beg the seniors to give me an explanation."

The four old women shook their heads slightly, a flash of amusement in their eyes.

"Offense is not the word. During the Battle of the Five Sects, you were so outstanding, killing five great geniuses of the Cangyan Dao Palace in a row, ranking first on the must-kill list."

"I don't know how many young people of our three-family alliance you inspired; we don't have enough time to thank you."

Another old woman took up the conversation, "That's right, we came here this time, actually wanting to ask you for a favor!"

Zhou Qing's gaze was calm. After a brief hesitation, he said, "What favor? I hope the seniors can clarify."

"In short, it's a good thing; just trouble you to come with us." The old woman kept him in suspense and did not answer directly.

Zhou Qing frowned, his vigilance increasing, and he said bluntly, "What if I am unwilling?"

One of the old women's expressions turned stern, and her tone became hard, "Then don't blame us for being offensive; we can only use some hard methods to invite you to come."

Zhou Qing couldn't help but snort coldly; the other party was clearly coming with ill intent.

The next moment, he suddenly looked forward, his face showing joy, and shouted loudly, "Sect Master Uncle, this disciple has successfully lured them out."

However, the four old women acted as if they hadn't heard, still carrying faint smiles on their faces.

Such small tricks of bluffing, they didn't know how many times they had used them when they were young, and they had seen too many, so naturally, they wouldn't be fooled.

Seeing this, Zhou Qing didn't hesitate anymore. The spiritual power in his body circulated crazily, and a layer of golden light appeared around his body.

Just as he was about to display the Jin Peng True Body, preparing to use the speed of the Jin Peng to escape, a tingling sensation suddenly came from his neck.

Zhou Qing secretly called out "not good."

Immediately after, he saw a thumb-sized insect like thin-bodied porcelain, waving the dandelion fluff on the end of its short legs, gently rubbing against his skin.

"Sleepy Gu—" These three words flashed through Zhou Qing's mind.

Immediately after, his vision went black, and his whole body fell straight down from the sky...

(End of chapter)