Chapter 280

He struggled, his face full of unwillingness and annoyance, his eyes red. He said indignantly: "No, are we just going to watch him walk away so brazenly?"

It turned out that ever since Lu Lu Yaoyao recommended him to Shen Shen Yunzhou for a sparring match that day, the two sides had only been testing each other when the match first began.

But not long after, as Shen Shen Yunzhou's realm of understanding unfolded, that nauseating aura instantly permeated the area, nearly making Li Li Daoxuan vomit.

However, out of respect for the guest, Li Li Daoxuan gritted his teeth and held on, while still having to maintain a proper expression on his face.

Having finally made it to the end of the sparring, he didn't even have time to say goodbye before he hurried away, found a place where no one was around, and began to retch violently toward the bushes.

He had thought this matter would be over, but he didn't expect that the Sect Master would come that very evening.

It turned out that after Shen Shen Yunzhou suppressed his cultivation realm to spar with Li Li Daoxuan, his mood, which had been depressed because of the matter regarding Nannan, had actually improved quite a bit.

After returning to Little Spirit Peak, he was still not satisfied and intended to find Zhou Qing to spar some more; after all, he still didn't know what realm of understanding Zhou Qing had comprehended.

But upon learning the news that Zhou Qing had announced his seclusion, he had no choice but to find Yan Yan Xiaohu to ask if Li Li Daoxuan was free the next day.

Mainly because he didn't know how long Zhou Qing would be in seclusion, and he himself was staying in this unfamiliar Taiqingmen, so he had to find something to pass the time.

Moreover, through this sparring match, he felt that Li Li Daoxuan was not a bad person, at least not like those who had sparred with him before, who would show disdain and disgust the moment they saw his realm of understanding.

How could Yan Yan Xiaohu dare to make a decision on his own? He hurriedly reported the matter to his master, Mo Mo Xingjian.

After careful consideration, Mo Mo Xingjian contacted Cao Cao Zhengyang.

After all, Shen Shen Yunzhou's own sister was a powerhouse at the late stage of the Soul Severance Realm, and coupled with the fact that Zhou Qing and Lu Lu Yaoyao had helped her outside the border before, now that her brother had come, this was a good opportunity to strengthen their relationship.

No matter what, they had to let this distinguished guest leave a good impression at Taiqingmen.

Since the other party specifically named Li Li Daoxuan for sparring, this heavy responsibility really had to be handed to Li Li Daoxuan.

Moreover, sparring was beneficial to the improvement of both parties' realms of understanding, so Cao Cao Zhengyang was naturally happy to see it happen.

What else could Li Li Daoxuan do?

Zhou Qing had finally managed to secure an opportunity for Taiqingmen to establish a relationship with a Soul Severance Realm powerhouse.

As the Chief Zhou Shixiong, if he couldn't even help with this, wouldn't he be failing Zhou Qing's efforts, causing the sect to miss a golden opportunity, and making himself look completely incompetent, unable to hold his head up in front of his junior brothers and sisters in the future?

There was no other way; he could only bite the bullet and accept this task.

But who could have imagined that this acceptance would last for a full month!

The current Li Li Daoxuan had reached the point where he would reflexively feel nauseous at the sight of any yellow fabric, let alone eat.

Sometimes when he dreamed at night, he was trapped in that terrifying ocean of excrement, swimming and swimming for his life.

He wanted to get ashore, but no matter how hard he tried, there was endless filth all around, and he couldn't see the shadow of land at all.

That kind of despair, helplessness, and breakdown was something that those who hadn't personally experienced it simply couldn't understand.

Therefore, he didn't eat or sleep now; he just accompanied Shen Shen Yunzhou to spar at the martial arts arena when the time came, and then it would repeat continuously.

After listening, Zhou Qing looked at Li Li Daoxuan, whose complexion was sallow and who looked like he was about to vomit his gallbladder out; besides sympathy, he felt even more deep guilt.

"Li Hanshan, I am truly sorry. Don't worry, leave this matter to me!" Zhou Qing comforted him.

Li Li Daoxuan nodded with "mm-hmm" sounds, so excited that two lines of hot tears rolled down.

"Brother Zhou, what kind of seclusion were you in? How come you came out after only a month?" Seeing Zhou Qing, Shen Shen Yunzhou greeted him with a face full of surprise.

Zhou Qing smiled gently: "It was just a matter of having some occasional insights. How have you been this past month?"

"Very good. I like the atmosphere of your Taiqingmen more and more, it's just that the matter of that little girl is still a thorn in my heart!"

When Shen Shen Yunzhou said this, he couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

Zhou Qing comforted him: "Don't worry, we are already thinking of ways. By the way, I ran into Li Hanshan when I just came over."

"After a month of sparring, he has gained quite a bit of insight and is already preparing to go into seclusion to cultivate. He also asked me to convey his gratitude to you."

After hearing this, Shen Shen Yunzhou was a bit surprised: "That's great. I knew Li Hanshan was definitely no ordinary person to have gained insight so quickly."

"By the way, Brother Zhou, since you have already come out of seclusion, why not spar with me?" Shen Shen Yunzhou looked at Zhou Qing, his face full of anticipation.

Zhou Qing's gaze was calm, and suddenly the corners of his lips curled into a smile: "Alright!"

This prompt agreement made Shen Shen Yunzhou overjoyed.

He hurriedly said: "Let's go, let's go. I haven't been able to find out your realm of understanding, and I am very curious. Don't worry, I will suppress my own cultivation to the mid-stage."

"No need!" Zhou Qing said in a calm tone.

Shen Shen Yunzhou was stunned, a look of astonishment appearing on his face: "What?"

"I said, just do your best, no need to hold back. I also want to test how my own strength is now!" Zhou Qing said with a burning gaze.

Shen Shen Yunzhou's eyes instantly lit up, and he said excitedly: "This is what you said, then I won't be polite."

On the martial arts arena!

Zhou Qing rubbed his nose unobtrusively, looking at the shocking yellow marks on the ground, as well as the empty, deserted scene all around, and sighed secretly in his heart.

Obviously, Shen Shen Yunzhou's previous sparring with Li Li Daoxuan here had already scared everyone quite a bit; now, even the people who cleaned up didn't dare to approach this place.

"Brother Zhou, be careful!" As soon as Shen Shen Yunzhou's voice fell, the aura around his body suddenly surged.

As his hands quickly formed seals, in an instant, the originally clear sky was rapidly covered by earth-yellow clouds, and they pressed down at an extremely fast speed.

Immediately after, behind him and all around him, an earth-yellow canopy formed directly.

Inside, filth surged, as if a huge cesspit were hung upside down in the sky, and a nauseating aura permeated, drilling straight into Zhou Qing's nasal cavity.

Zhou Qing sniffed lightly, only to feel sour water surging into his nasal cavity, and tears slid down uncontrollably.

It seems that ever since this guy got those two jars of thousands-of-years-old corpse water, this realm of understanding has truly strengthened quite a bit.

Whoosh!

The next moment, his realm of understanding instantly enveloped Zhou Qing.

Zhou Qing couldn't help but frown, and looking out, his stomach immediately churned.

"Brother Zhou, let me give you an appetizer first, pay attention!" Shen Shen Yunzhou was full of pride.

Subsequently, those filthy things all around instantly turned into countless wriggling yellow "worm-snakes," flying rapidly toward Zhou Qing.

And Zhou Qing's realm of understanding had already quietly probed out, and was now rapidly breaking it.

The next moment, just as those yellow "worm-snakes" were about to touch the corner of his clothes, the aura around his body suddenly restrained, and his gaze revealed a hint of coldness.

Then he slowly raised his hand, his palm glowing slightly, and an incomparably domineering realm of understanding emanated from his body.

"Break!" Zhou Qing spoke lightly, his voice although soft, was like a great bell, exploding in this space filled with filth.

As the words fell, a layer of golden ripples instantly emerged.

Wherever the golden light reached, Shen Shen Yunzhou's earth-yellow canopy appeared with cracks directly and dissipated rapidly.

Even those wriggling yellow "worm-snakes" all around instantly turned into pools of foul-smelling sewage.

Shen Shen Yunzhou's eyes widened instantly, his face full of shock and disbelief.

No, what about his own realm of understanding?

Where did it go?

"Come again!" Without a word, he hurriedly formed seals again, a large amount of spiritual power was extracted, and just as the embryonic form of his realm of understanding emerged in the sky again, Zhou Qing spoke lightly once more.

"Break!" His realm of understanding shattered layer by layer immediately.

"The Excrement Realm's 'Little Lotus Just Shows Its Sharp Corner'..."

"Break!"

"The Excrement Realm's 'Seven Orifices Flowing Excrement'..."

"Break!"

"The Excrement Realm's 'Flowing Against the Current'..."

"Break!"

Not long after, Shen Shen Yunzhou was already pale, panting, and the spiritual power in his body had long since been exhausted.

He never imagined that his Excrement Realm of understanding, which he was so proud of, would be so vulnerable in front of Zhou Qing.

And Zhou Qing just lifted his foot lightly and was already in front of him, smiling lightly: "If this were a real battle, you would already be dead!"

Shen Shen Yunzhou's throat rolled, he swallowed a mouthful of saliva with difficulty, finally reacted, and gasped: "Your realm of understanding... is it capable of breaking others' realms of understanding?"

Zhou Qing smiled without saying a word.

Shen Shen Yunzhou was stunned on the spot, and then it turned into a bitter smile.

"Everyone, from the Soul Formation Realm, racks their brains to comprehend a realm of understanding. I didn't expect that no matter how fancy your realm of understanding is, in front of you, it would be broken so easily!"

"You are simply more perverted than me. No, where did you get this line of thinking? How could this thing be comprehended?"

Zhou Qing said slowly: "One force breaks ten thousand laws, that is all!"

Immediately after, Zhou Qing looked at him again and said seriously: "Have you ever thought that even if your realm of understanding is still there, as long as someone else is fast enough, just like now, what should you do?"

Shen Shen Yunzhou was thoughtful.

Seeing this, Zhou Qing didn't say anything more, and then left with his hands behind his back.

"Zhou Shixiong Zhou—"

Seeing Zhou Qing coming out of the martial arts arena, Lu Lu Yaoyao hurried over with a smile.

After all, she already knew from the Chief Zhou Shixiong that her father had come out of seclusion, and during this month, watching the Chief Zhou Shixiong becoming increasingly emaciated, she also felt very self-blaming.

Zhou Qing asked suspiciously: "Why are you here?"

Lu Lu Yaoyao hurriedly said: "Master is looking for you, so I came over here to wait for you. Uncle... that Brother Shen lost?"

Zhou Qing nodded and said: "Then you wait for him here, I'm going to see the Senior Uncle."

Lu Lu Yaoyao shook her head and said: "I'll go with you, Zhou Shixiong He Han will come over later, he will lead the way."

Zhou Qing had no choice but to follow Lu Lu Yaoyao toward the Discussion Hall.

Stepping into the hall door, he discovered that all the Peak Masters who were not in seclusion were gathered together, and even the eight Supreme Elders were present.

"Zhou Qing is here, come in quickly!" Cao Cao Zhengyang's voice sounded, the originally noisy discussion stopped abruptly, and everyone cast their gazes toward the door in unison.

Seeing that everyone's expression was solemn, Zhou Qing couldn't help but ask: "What happened?"

Cao Cao Zhengyang gave Lu Lu Yaoyao a look, and the little girl's face instantly fell, her little mouth pouting.

She had no choice but to stomp her feet and turn to leave unwillingly.

After the hall door slowly closed, Cao Cao Zhengyang spoke solemnly: "Since you have come out of seclusion, there are some things you should know."

"For several months, Taiqingmen's ore veins have been repeatedly raided by others. Last time, Li Li Daoxuan led a team to investigate, but ultimately gained nothing, and now another ore vein has been attacked."

"This is an image left by a Jin Dan Realm disciple before he died, take a look."

As he spoke, an image stone slowly floated in front of Zhou Qing.

Zhou Qing took it suspiciously, his brows slightly furrowed.

After all, he had already heard about this matter from the Sect Master Senior Uncle before he and Shen Shen Yunzhou went to the border.

He didn't expect that several months had passed, and not only was there no progress, but the situation had become even more severe.

As spiritual power was injected, the light and shadow distorted, and a picture was projected.

The picture shook extremely violently, with all kinds of rumbling sounds, and many disciples seemed to be fighting in a hurry.

All kinds of colored divine abilities were shooting out randomly.

But just the next moment, a withered black shadow wrapped in a foul wind suddenly pounced over.

It was a rotten humanoid dry corpse, its skin cracked and peeling, revealing the white bones inside, and ghostly green fire burning in its hollow eye sockets.

It let out an inhuman roar, shaking the air with a buzzing sound.

Subsequently, the image stone was knocked to the ground directly, and as the perspective tilted, one could see the dry corpse's sharp claws easily piercing through the Jin Dan disciple's chest.

Then it gouged out the still-beating Jin Dan, swallowed it in one gulp, and immediately bit off the disciple's neck fiercely, with blood splashing everywhere for a moment.

At this time, others attacked angrily, and the dry corpse jumped and rushed elsewhere.

"Up to now, we have had thirteen ore veins raided, and as many as a thousand disciples have died, including six in the Soul Formation Realm."

Cao Cao Zhengyang's voice was low, and his eyes were full of pain.

"And judging from the order of the ore veins attacked and the cultivation of the guarding disciples, the strength of this dry corpse is constantly improving."

Mo Mo Xingjian looked at Zhou Qing and slowly added: "Almost all the disciples in the mining area had their essence and blood sucked dry, and their Golden Cores and Soul Formations were used as nourishment."

Zhou Qing said with a solemn expression: "What about the ore veins of other sects?"

The Peak Master of Longji Peak smiled bitterly and shook his head: "The other four sects, and even some small sects, are safe and sound. The other party is clearly targeting our Taiqingmen."

After pondering for a moment, Zhou Qing said in a deep voice: "Can I see the bodies of the dead disciples?"

Cao Cao Zhengyang handed over another image stone: "All the bodies have been transported back for burial, but this was two days ago."

Zhou Qing took the image stone and activated it again.

In the projected picture, incomplete corpses were lying on the ground, some with twisted limbs, some with sunken chests and missing internal organs, and without exception, their faces were full of terror and unwillingness.

Looking at this scene, Zhou Qing's eyes were full of killing intent.

These were all his junior brothers and sisters of Taiqingmen.

Looking again, the surfaces of these corpses were almost all covered with a layer of dark purple mucus, as if rotten meat was fermenting.

"By the way, all the bodies carry an indescribable stench." Cao Cao Zhengyang suddenly spoke, "Like rot, yet revealing a sense of evil."

Zhou Qing's gaze sharpened, staring at the picture: "Have all their bodies been transported back?"

Cao Cao Zhengyang looked at the Peak Master of Yunmeng Peak, after all, she was responsible for this matter.

The Peak Master of Yunmeng Peak took out her identity token to inquire, and then said: "Reporting to the Little Sect Master, in two hours, the bodies of the disciples who died in the spirit sand ore vein will be transported back for unified burial."

Zhou Qing said decisively: "I will go take a look then. In addition, I want to bring Shen Shen Yunzhou, he is more sensitive to odors, perhaps he can find some clues."

"Agreed!" Cao Cao Zhengyang nodded and agreed: "It is currently impossible to determine who exactly did this, and even the Qingyu Qingshu Qingshu Xian Zong cannot be fully trusted."

"Speaking of the Qingyu Qingshu Qingshu Xian Zong, the next thing is the second matter!"

Cao Cao Zhengyang looked at Zhou Qing and said: "Immortal Immortal Xuanyou, I'm afraid she doesn't have much time left."

Zhou Qing raised his head in surprise and said: "So fast?"

Cao Cao Zhengyang sneered: "She originally misjudged you as having the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top body and tried to force dual cultivation, but what was the result? She brought this upon herself."

"Logically speaking, she should still have seven or eight years of life, but she must still be unwilling, and I don't know what she has done recently, which has accelerated her decline."

After hearing this, Zhou Qing didn't feel much about it, just a little regretful.

Subsequently, Cao Cao Zhengyang discussed with other Peak Masters about the next matters regarding the Qingyu Qingshu Qingshu Xian Zong.

It was speculated that the other party would most likely be like the Tianji Sect and would not be in a hurry to elect a new Sect Master, so as to leave room for maneuver and calmly deal with changes that might break out at any time.

And Zhou Qing kept studying the pictures on the two image stones.

Until not long after, Cao Cao Zhengyang spoke again: "By the way, there is one more thing you don't know yet."

Zhou Qing raised his eyes upon hearing this, his gaze revealing suspicion: "What?"

Cao Cao Zhengyang said solemnly: "During the time you went to the border, when we were secretly investigating what the Jin Lei Sect was doing in the Gobi cave, we discovered that two monks, one big and one small, had come there."

"Monks?" Zhou Qing's expression changed slightly upon hearing this, and the figures of the two monks who stood by and watched when he beheaded Ma Cheng, the Third Elder of the Hunyuan Sect, instantly flashed through his mind.

Seeing Zhou Qing thoughtful, Cao Cao Zhengyang continued: "After they entered the Jin Lei Sect, they seemed to be looking for someone, but no one knew who exactly it was. However, they once asked the Jin Lei Sect three questions."

As he spoke, he took out a piece of paper and handed it over.

Zhou Qing took the paper and scanned the handwriting on it.

【Obsession is like a lock, how to resolve it?】

【Where is the other shore?】

【All living beings suffer, how to ferry them?】

"Is this a Zen question of the Buddhist school?" Zhou Qing thought for a while and said.

Cao Cao Zhengyang nodded and said: "Yes, after our discussion, we guessed that the person they want to find should also be a monk, but this monk might have lost his memory after a great battle."

"There is a very high probability that he joined one of our five sects. After all, after the battle of Mount Canglan, the Eastern Region was severely damaged, and each sect widely accepted disciples from other sects to supplement their strength, including our Taiqingmen."

"Didn't we want to go to war with the Qingyu Qingshu Qingshu Xian Zong aggressively last time? More than thirty thousand people were screened out and left secretly, and there are still many left now."

After hearing this, Zhou Qing looked at the Senior Uncle with some surprise.

This imagination was quite big.

If the person had lost his memory, even if he grew hair or something, those two monks should be able to recognize him, right.

No, it's possible that the person was both possessed and lost his memory, which is why the other party would use such a method to search.

Seeing Zhou Qing thoughtful, Cao Cao Zhengyang added: "These two monks didn't leave the Jin Lei Sect until the day before yesterday."

"Judging from their direction of travel, the next stop should be the Qingyu Qingshu Qingshu Xian Zong, and then I'm afraid they will come to our Taiqingmen."

Zhou Qing nodded slightly, guessing it was an insignificant matter; if they wanted to find him, let them find him.

Just like that, two hours later, the Peak Master of Yunmeng Peak received news that the bodies of those murdered disciples had been transported back by large flying ships.

And Zhou Qing contacted Yan Yan Xiaohu, asking him to bring Shen Shen Yunzhou, who had returned from the martial arts arena, to come to the 【Valley of Returning Souls to Dust】 for a trip.

This place was the resting place for disciples of Taiqingmen who had sacrificed their lives for the sect throughout the ages. Every tombstone was engraved with the life of the deceased, witnessing their loyalty and sacrifice.

The sect had always valued affection and righteousness, and for the descendants and families of these heroes, they would provide precious quotas to enter the sect and corresponding compensation.

Including Zhou Shixiong Du Kui, who had once wanted to kill Zhou Qing and comprehended a realm of understanding, was also buried here.

When Zhou Qing and the others arrived at the Valley of Returning Souls to Dust, a thick aura of sorrow rushed toward them.

The breeze whimpered as it swept across the bottom of the valley, where dense, endless tombstones stood.

And further away, the tombstones were already covered with traces of erosion by time; those were the disciples who died during the periods of the previous Sect Master, the one before that...

Fortunately, there were special people taking care of this place, and if the names engraved on the tombstones began to become blurred, someone would immediately trace them.

Cao Cao Zhengyang and the others silently bowed and saluted toward this huge valley.

Soon, Yan Yan Xiaohu and Shen Shen Yunzhou hurried over.

At this moment, the gaze Shen Shen Yunzhou cast toward Zhou Qing was full of awe; a realm of understanding that could break others' realms of understanding was truly amazing.

He first looked around at the tombstones standing in the canyon, and couldn't help but feel emotional.

Then he looked at Cao Cao Zhengyang and other Great Perfection Soul Formation experts with solemn expressions, and finally cast his gaze on Zhou Qing.

"Brother Zhou, what is the matter with looking for me?" Shen Shen Yunzhou asked.

Zhou Qing responded: "Wait a moment, I want you to help me."

Shen Shen Yunzhou was full of doubts, what help could he provide.

Just at this moment, a low buzzing sound came from the sky.

Immediately after, a huge transport flying ship sailed over slowly, the hull was as black as ink, and the huge canvas had long been replaced with plain white.

And on the edge of the flying ship, countless copper bells were hanging, making a fine sound as the flying ship moved forward.

This was the sect receiving their disciples... home!

And on the deck, it was full of disciples with solemn expressions, holding white banners, without saying a word, the atmosphere was so oppressive that it made people unable to breathe.

Everyone was waiting quietly, their eyes full of sorrow.

As the flying ship landed slowly, everyone gathered around immediately.

The disciples on the deck disembarked first, cupped their fists and bowed, their voices sorrowful: "Greetings to the Sect Master, greetings to all Peak Masters!"

Cao Cao Zhengyang's complexion was gloomy, he nodded slightly, waved his sleeves, and stepped onto the flying ship first, with everyone behind him following closely.

Just at this moment, Shen Shen Yunzhou's nose twitched slightly, and his eyes lit up instantly.

"This smell is..."

He muttered to himself, his Adam's apple rolling unconsciously.

He quickly took out an ancient-looking clay pot from his storage bag and tore off the lid fiercely.

Soon, a black-gold dung beetle the size of a fist crawled out.

The surface of its carapace flowed with eerie ghostly light, and the elytra folded on its back rotated with a clicking sound like metal gears.

In an instant, it unfolded into two pairs of transparent membrane wings as thin as cicada wings, rushing toward the flying ship like an arrow from a bow.

"I knew I didn't smell it wrong, it really is!"

Shen Shen Yunzhou couldn't hide his excitement, his feet moved quickly, following closely behind the dung beetle.

(End of chapter)