Chapter 278

Facing Zhou Qing's sudden inquiry, Shen Yunzhou immediately became interested.

After looking left and right to confirm no one was eavesdropping, he lowered his voice, a cunning smile appearing on his face.

"You probably wouldn't guess it even if you died; that's her Soul Formation amplification."

"Soul Formation amplification?" Zhou Qing was slightly startled, a flash of surprise crossing his pupils.

He had guessed before, but leaned more toward the Divine Transformation realm of understanding; he never expected it to be related to the Soul Formation.

Shen Yunzhou deliberately kept him in suspense, leaning in mysteriously and lowering his voice: "What my sister refined is the 【Tied Cause】, which ranks third among the Qi of Heavenly Dao."

"The Tied Cause Soul Formation she awakened values fate extremely highly. In any case, anyone she considers a 'fated person' definitely has a magnetic field that matches hers."

"Only those who can make her heart feel peaceful when together and can bring substantial benefits can catch her eye."

Zhou Qing was somewhat shocked after hearing this.

If he remembered correctly, there were ten Heavenly-grade Soul Formations in total, and the Tied Cause Soul Formation was ranked third, second only to the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown and the Four Symbols Returning to Ruins.

No wonder she ascended to the Soul Severance realm at such a young age; this aptitude was truly stunning!

However, he himself was a Four Flowers Gathering at the Crown; strictly speaking, he was no longer ranked among the Heavenly-grade Soul Formations. He really didn't know how far he would go in the future.

"By the way, how old is your sister?" Zhou Qing couldn't suppress his curiosity after all and asked.

Shen Yunzhou immediately looked at Zhou Qing as if he were a thief, his tone full of vigilance: "What? Now that you've been identified as a 'fated person' by my sister, do you have other thoughts?"

"No, don't misunderstand. I'm just curious; after all, she looks very young but is already in the Soul Severance realm," Zhou Qing hurriedly waved his hands to explain.

Shen Yunzhou relaxed then, but still shook his head: "A girl's age is a huge secret. I can't say, or I'll be beaten to death by my sister."

"And don't take it too seriously. Since she refined the Qi of Heavenly Dao and embarked on the path of cultivation, the number of people she has identified as 'fated' is countless."

"However, those who can maintain this fate for a long time and continue to bring benefits are few and far between."

Zhou Qing fell into deep thought after hearing this.

This mode of interaction, "gathering for profit and dispersing when the profit is exhausted," sounded a bit like "starting things and then abandoning them."

Could it be that today's friend who brings benefits becomes a stranger tomorrow if things go slightly wrong?

Seeing Zhou Qing furrowing his brows, Shen Yunzhou smiled and bumped his shoulder: "What are you worried about? Just treat it as a chance encounter; if I get it, it's my luck, if I lose it, it's my fate."

"Even I, her own brother, haven't been identified as a 'fated person' by her, so what are you struggling with?"

Zhou Qing laughed immediately and said, "No, I just think her Heavenly-grade Soul Formation is quite magical."

"That goes without saying!" Shen Yunzhou became interested, his eyes flashing with excitement, "The Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow grade Soul Formations each have their own merits."

"By the way, Brother Zhou, what Qi of Heavenly Dao did you refine? And what Soul Formation did you awaken?"

Soon, Shen Yunzhou looked at Zhou Qing curiously and asked.

Zhou Qing's face was sheepish, and then he said solemnly: "Me? I don't have anything, not worth mentioning. What about you?"

"Tch, forget it if you won't say. I won't tell you mine either." Seeing that Zhou Qing was unwilling to say, Shen Yunzhou didn't ask further.

However, he could still guess that Zhou Qing was definitely a Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment, otherwise, it would be impossible for him to be in the mid-Soul Formation realm at such a young age; he just didn't know which grade of Soul Formation it was.

"Eh, what is that?" Just then, Shen Yunzhou turned his head and saw two black-clad figures suddenly crawling up from the abyss below.

No, when they probed earlier, there was no sign of living people; where did these two pop out from?

And when Zhou Qing saw these two, his pupils shrank instantly.

"Black-clad puppets!"

And after these two black-clad puppets crawled out from the abyss below, they immediately looked left and right.

Shen Yunzhou wanted to say something, but Zhou Qing hurriedly pulled him aside to hide.

Fortunately, the other party just observed the surrounding environment woodenly and then left quickly.

"You recognize them?" Shen Yunzhou, who had been pulled aside, asked curiously.

Watching their sneaky backs, Zhou Qing made a shushing gesture, and after a brief hesitation, followed them.

Soon, the two black-clad puppets went straight to a deeper part of the abyss not far away.

At this moment, more and more black-clad puppets were crawling out from below, dense and numerous, totaling over a hundred thousand; the scene was indescribably spectacular.

Seeing this scene, Shen Yunzhou finally understood, his face full of shock: "These aren't people, but puppets?"

Zhou Qing furrowed his brows and nodded heavily.

It had been a long time since he had seen these black-clad puppets; how could they be at Mount Canglan?

"These puppets are interesting; they seem to be refined directly from living people. They look so flexible, yet have no aura of living beings!"

Shen Yunzhou clicked his tongue.

What was even more terrifying was that there were so many of them.

Although most were Soul Formation and Golden Core, or even Foundation Establishment, if they really united, even a large group of Soul Formation cultivators couldn't handle it.

After all, these puppets only obeyed orders unconditionally, knew no pain, and feared no death.

Zhou Qing remained silent, his eyes fixed on the constantly gathering puppet army.

Their gazes seemed to be focused in the same direction.

"Let's go." Zhou Qing suddenly spoke, his figure flashing as he swept toward the front.

Shen Yunzhou didn't dare to delay and hurriedly followed.

Soon, they saw two figures, one large and one small, at the edge of the northeast position.

"Sikong Yan—" Seeing the figure with their back to them, Zhou Qing didn't seem too surprised.

Only—

However, when his gaze fell on the little girl in the floral dress beside Sikong Yan, his pupils shrank violently again, his eyes full of disbelief.

Because that girl was exactly the little girl—Nannan—who had been captured in the image stone that Sikong Yan had sent to Elder Gao Xuan some time ago.

Zhou Qing hurriedly rubbed his eyes to ensure he wasn't seeing things.

What on earth was going on?

Nannan was still alive?

Was the image in that stone not of the past Nannan, but of the present?

Impossible, this was absolutely impossible!

According to Elder Gao Xuan, Nannan had been dead for a long time; let alone being alive, she shouldn't still look like she did in the past.

But suddenly, Shen Yunzhou touched Zhou Qing lightly with his hand and swallowed a mouthful of saliva nervously.

Zhou Qing, who had come back to his senses, looked around and discovered that the dense black-clad puppets were surrounding them one by one with hollow expressions.

Zhou Qing's expression changed immediately.

"Since the fellow Daoist has been watching for so long, why not come over and have a chat?" In the distance, Sikong Yan also slowly turned his head and said with a smile.

Shen Yunzhou looked at Zhou Qing and sighed; he should have known better than to join in this excitement.

"Who is this person? What is his cultivation? Can the two of us brothers take him?" Shen Yunzhou lowered his voice.

Zhou Qing looked at the 【Fish】 note above Sikong Yan's head, his brows furrowing even deeper.

"The Palace Master of the Cangyan Dao Palace, one of the five major sects, a Great Perfection Soul Formation!" Zhou Qing explained.

Shen Yunzhou nodded in realization and said: "A bit troublesome, mainly because there are too many puppets here, and the flying boat can't be deployed. If necessary later, Brother Zhou will have to help lure them away."

Zhou Qing nodded slightly and then looked at Sikong Yan with a solemn expression.

The last time they met offline was when the Lingku Mountain Mystical Realm opened; he had even bound him while in the shadows.

Just as Zhou Qing lifted his foot to go out, Sikong Yan spoke again.

"Fellow Daoist, few people come here anymore. Since you came alone, you must be a person with a story. Why not come out and chat?"

Hearing Sikong Yan's words, Shen Yunzhou was a bit confused.

Alone?

Are you blind? With so many puppets as your eyes, you can't tell if it's one person or two?

And the foot Zhou Qing had just lifted was immediately pulled back, his expression turning strange.

Then he coughed lightly and said: "He's calling you, go out."

Shen Yunzhou: "..."

What, am I not a person?

"Big brother, I'm a local!" Zhou Qing said earnestly.

Shen Yunzhou chuckled.

Don't think that just because I'm new here, I haven't learned about you. During the Five Sects War, you killed more than one of their geniuses.

Local is local, but you're also an enemy.

"Don't believe me? Then I'll walk for you to see!" Zhou Qing said, turning and weaving through the gaps of the surrounding black-clad puppets.

From beginning to end, these black-clad puppets didn't stop Zhou Qing at all, as if they couldn't see him.

This made Shen Yunzhou doubt his own eyes.

No, what's going on?

Differential treatment, right?

No, did Brother Zhou discover a loophole in these puppets?

Seeing that Zhou Qing had already passed through the puppets and was running rapidly toward the periphery, Shen Yunzhou rubbed his hands, hurriedly took a step back, and prepared to slip out through a gap.

But the next moment, all the black-clad puppets stepped forward in unison, their hollow gazes like cold arrows, locking tightly onto him.

Shen Yunzhou: "..."

"Uncle, who is that big brother?" Nannan looked at the young man walking out surrounded by numerous black-clad puppets and asked curiously.

Sikong Yan's mouth curled into a faint smile, his gaze falling on Shen Yunzhou.

He said unhurriedly: "I haven't seen him before, but this big brother seems a bit reserved; he must be scared. Nannan, tell them to stand down."

Nannan nodded obediently and waved her soft little hand lightly.

In an instant, all the black-clad puppets, as if controlled by invisible threads, lowered their heads in unison.

Immediately after, like clusters of black shadows, they quickly sank into the ground and disappeared without a trace.

In the distance, seeing this scene, Zhou Qing couldn't help but furrow his brows, and he even used an image stone to quickly record the scene before him.

He had witnessed the transformation process of these black-clad puppets with his own eyes; even Elder Shi Zhen had almost fallen victim to them.

Third Shixiong had once guessed that the arrays within these black-clad puppets had subtle differences.

There should be a matrix on the Cangyan Dao Palace side that could control them unilaterally; to solve them, one must either forcefully suppress and kill them or directly solve the matrix to get it over with once and for all.

Now it seemed that Third Shixiong's guess was correct.

But Zhou Qing could in no way connect that cute little girl of only five or six years old to the matrix controlling the puppets.

But everything that had just happened forced him to believe the facts before his eyes.

Shen Yunzhou also opened his mouth wide in shock; if he wanted to escape now, the other party indeed seemed unable to stop him.

However, after a brief hesitation, he still chose to walk forward.

Nannan opened her watery eyes wide, walked forward cautiously, and said in a soft voice: "Big brother, don't be afraid. Uncle is a very good person; he won't hurt you."

Shen Yunzhou looked at the cute and innocent little girl before him, barely squeezing a smile onto his face.

He steadied himself, then looked at Sikong Yan, and bowed slightly: "Greetings, fellow Daoist!"

Sikong Yan nodded slightly in acknowledgment, his gaze as sharp as a hawk's, and said slowly: "I heard that in the Gobi desert of the Tianji Sect, someone once stumbled upon the secret base of the Jin Leizong and then fled in a panic; that must be you, right?"

Hearing this, a flash of surprise crossed Shen Yunzhou's eyes, and he couldn't help but laugh: "Hey, you're quite interesting, aren't you? Your information is so well-informed?"

Although he said this, he didn't continue to approach, but kept a proper distance from Sikong Yan, maintaining a vigilant posture.

Sikong Yan laughed calmly and looked him up and down: "Already in the late Soul Formation realm at such a young age, you aren't from Lingyun Prefecture, are you?"

Shen Yunzhou crossed his arms over his chest, lifted his chin, his eyes revealing a bit of unruliness: "I suppose you have a good eye. But I'm more curious, are you a puppeteer?"

Hearing this, Sikong Yan shook his head lightly, his tone indifferent: "Just dabbling in it. May I ask your name, and why you are here?"

"Is this your backyard? Can't I just look around?" Shen Yunzhou retorted, raising an eyebrow.

Sikong Yan was not angry, but instead threw his head back and laughed: "Naturally, you may do as you please. It's just that your temperament reminds this Palace of an old friend; he seems to be here as well."

Before the words fell, his gaze had already glanced toward the distant mountain forest.

Zhou Qing, who had been hiding in the shadows observing, saw the two looking over in unison and his expression changed drastically; he hurriedly turned around.

Not far behind him, a man in white stood quietly with his back to him, his clothes fluttering in the wind, his back revealing a bit of cold arrogance.

Zhou Qing looked at Lin Jin, then looked at Sikong Yan, who was looking over here; at this moment, the doubts in his heart were completely resolved.

"You two really know each other!" Zhou Qing said coldly.

Last time outside the Taiqingmen mountain gate, Lin Jin insisted on buying a large amount of 【Bad Luck Charms】 from him, but he refused.

When he just asked why he wanted to use the 【Bad Luck Charm】 on the Grand Eunuch Gao Xianzhong, he didn't say a word and left.

Now, he appeared here again by such a coincidence.

Coupled with the fact that Number Seven, Sikong Yan, said in the Shenxu Tiangong that he had erased the Fifth Imperial Prince, everything was enough to prove that the relationship between these two was not ordinary.

This also explained why Lin Jin had started by tormenting Third Shixiong when they were at the Bai Yu Taixu Courtyard.

Because Third Shixiong had dug up the ancestral graves of the Cangyan Dao Palace three times in a row, and the last time he even snuck into the sect, leaving messages and urinating on the plaza with that Lei Luo.

"Young Friend Zhou, long time no see. How about coming over to reminisce?" Sikong Yan's voice, wrapped in spiritual power, came from afar.

Zhou Qing took a deep breath.

He had the "Imperial Radiance Scripture," Tetanus, and the inscription-level divine ability "Hundred Tribulations Blood Curtain," enough for him to deal with an ordinary Great Perfection Soul Formation.

Not to mention, Shen Yunzhou was still on the side; once the Intent of Shit was deployed, it would disgust you to death.

"Let's go over together, Lin Jin!" Zhou Qing glanced at Lin Jin and then headed over.

At the edge of the abyss, seeing Zhou Qing stepping through the air, Shen Yunzhou couldn't help but smile.

I really thought you had abandoned me?

"Eh, isn't this that person who likes to put on airs? He's actually here too!"

Soon, Shen Yunzhou saw a white-clad figure flying over backward and standing on the canopy of a tree.

From beginning to end, he just wouldn't show his face.

"What's with the pretense of being profound?" Shen Yunzhou curled his lips, his eyes full of disdain.

After Zhou Qing landed, he first bowed to Sikong Yan.

After all, no matter what, the other party was of the same generation as the Sect Master, and his current identity was just that of a junior who was a rising star.

After the salute, his gaze involuntarily fell on the girl in the floral dress hiding behind Sikong Yan, his brows furrowing tightly, his eyes full of complexity.

"Good brother!" Shen Yunzhou came over with a smile, standing side-by-side as if casually, but actually watching the man in white vigilantly to prevent a surprise attack.

Sikong Yan looked Zhou Qing up and down and clicked his tongue.

"The last time we met seems to have been at Lingku Mountain. I heard you returned from the Bai Yu Taixu Courtyard after completing your studies and entered the Soul Formation realm."

"Now, only a few years later, you've already reached the mid-Soul Formation realm; such progress is truly stunning!"

Zhou Qing bowed again, his tone humble: "Palace Master, you flatter me. It was just a chance encounter, and I broke through by luck."

Sikong Yan laughed immediately and said: "Luck? Let this Palace count: since the Five Sects War began, you 'luckily' killed five of our sect's great geniuses and dozens of Soul Formation cultivators; you 'luckily' exposed and destroyed the puppet workshop."

"You 'luckily' topped the must-kill list; you 'luckily' tore open the defense line at Mount Canglan to save the people of Taiqingmen; in just a few years, you 'luckily' comprehended an Intent, advanced to Soul Formation, and became an array master along the way."

"This word 'luck' is truly heavy." Sikong Yan counted them one by one with his fingers.

Zhou Qing didn't speak, while Shen Yunzhou on the side looked at Zhou Qing with surprise.

It seems I haven't inquired enough about you!

"Nannan, this is Brother Zhou Qing. He is a good friend of your daddy."

Seeing Zhou Qing not speaking, Sikong Yan suddenly squatted down and pushed the timid little girl forward gently.

Zhou Qing's pupils shrank violently.

Nannan?

Could she really be Elder Gao Xuan's daughter?

Before he could react, the little girl had already pounced forward with her short legs, her sparkling eyes full of anticipation, and she said excitedly: "Brother Zhou Qing, do you really know my daddy?"

Zhou Qing glanced at Nannan, then at Sikong Yan, not knowing what medicine he was selling in his gourd.

But at this moment, he could only play dumb, showing confusion: "Her daddy is—"

"You don't know? I remember sending an image stone to your Taiqingmen a few months ago; I haven't received a reply to this day."

Sikong Yan said this with a look of regret, then squatted down and pulled Nannan: "Nannan, it seems your daddy doesn't want you anymore."

Upon hearing this, Nannan's eyes instantly filled with tears, and bean-sized tears rolled down.

"No, Daddy wouldn't not want Nannan—" She clutched Sikong Yan's sleeve and suddenly cried out, her childish voice full of fear and unease.

Watching this scene, Zhou Qing's heart tightened.

Shen Yunzhou was full of confusion, wanting to interject but not knowing what to say.

Sikong Yan wiped the little girl's tears gently, but the corner of his mouth curled into an imperceptible arc: "So, it's not that Uncle won't take you to find Daddy, but that your daddy has already forgotten you."

"How about this, I'll be your daddy from now on, okay? Be good, call me Daddy!"

Zhou Qing's expression sank instantly, and a cold aura rose from his body; he stepped forward directly, his voice as cold as frost.

Making Nannan acknowledge a thief as her father, in his dreams!

"Senior Sikong, Elder Gao has been in seclusion for a long time, and the image stone you sent was never delivered to his hands."

Sikong Yan turned his head slowly, the corner of his mouth curling into a mocking arc: "Elder Gao? When did I say her daddy's surname was Gao? Nannan, what is your daddy's surname?"

"My daddy's surname is Dong, Nannan's surname is also Dong, and Mommy's surname is Lan." Nannan answered with a sob, tears still hanging on her soft, pink cheeks.

"Oh, so the surname is Dong. Young Friend Zhou, why did you mistake her for Elder Gao's daughter?" Sikong Yan asked with a look of curiosity.

Zhou Qing's expression immediately became extremely ugly, and he said bluntly: "If Senior has something to say, you might as well say it directly!"

Sikong Yan took out a handkerchief embroidered with gold thread at this time and gently wiped Nannan's tears: "It seems some pawns have been jumping around outside for too long and have really forgotten their identity. Tell me, what else did he reveal?"

Zhou Qing clenched his hands until they creaked.

No wonder Elder Gao Xuan said that the Cangyan Dao Palace hadn't arranged any tasks for him for a long time; it seems they had truly noticed something.

But before Zhou Qing could speak, the originally crying Nannan's pink and white face instantly lost its color, and then her body went limp, and she collapsed directly.

Seeing this, Zhou Qing's expression changed: "What did you do to her?"

Sikong Yan gently placed Nannan on the ground, and several black-clad puppets suddenly emerged from the ground.

They carefully held her and then sank into the ground and disappeared.

Sikong Yan brushed his sleeves and stood up, his tone nonchalant: "I didn't do anything, it's just that this child is sick, and this Palace hasn't cured her completely yet."

Zhou Qing's chest heaved violently, but he was helpless.

Whether in reality or in the Shenxu Tiangong, he could never see through him from beginning to end.

Shen Yunzhou understood a bit by now, stepped forward suddenly, his spiritual energy surging, and the hem of his green shirt was lifted by an invisible air wave.

He looked at Sikong Yan with anger, his eyes about to spit fire: "Fellow Daoist, you have also cultivated for countless years; you should know that disputes between cultivators have never involved family."

"You use such a small child to threaten others; what kind of gentleman is that!"

After hearing this, Sikong Yan threw his head back and laughed loudly, his laughter full of mockery and disdain.

He flicked his sleeves casually: "I'm no gentleman. According to secular storybooks, I should be considered a demonic cultivator, a villain."

"Seeing that your 'jianghu' spirit is so heavy, you should know that villains never care about rules! With me, as long as the goal can be achieved, the more ruthless the means, the more effective."

"You..." Shen Yunzhou was immediately flushed with anger.

Zhou Qing suppressed the anger in his heart and said in a deep voice: "Senior, let's be direct. What do you want? Or what can this junior do? So that I can take Nannan away."

(End of chapter)