Chapter 285: The Mirror Frame

Master Xuanji stared fixedly at the mirror frame, his spiritual sense surging in like a tidal wave, yet he only touched empty nothingness.

The figure that should have been trapped within the karmic fire had vanished without a trace!

Master Lingxu and Master Tianshu were stunned, both lunging forward almost simultaneously to investigate.

Yet the result was that there was truly nothing left inside.

"Impossible, I felt him just a moment ago!" Master Tianshu said hurriedly.

Master Lingxu's Adam's apple bobbed as he said, "Could he have been... completely refined?"

Every disciple of the Taiqingmen had a soul lamp; if Zhou Qing had truly perished, the other side would certainly have noticed.

Thinking of the monstrous rage Cao Zhengyang and the others might unleash upon hearing the news, the three felt a chill run down their necks.

By then, it would truly be a fight to the death!

Veins bulged on Master Xuanji's forehead as he suppressed the panic in his heart: "Don't scare yourselves! I haven't fully mastered this mirror frame yet; perhaps it's..."

Before he could finish, he felt the excuse was pale and weak.

If not for being completely refined, how could Zhou Qing, a mid-stage Soul Formation cultivator, suddenly vanish without a trace?

After all, since obtaining this object, he had also tested its power.

There seemed to be an invisible flame inside that could gnaw at the spiritual sense like gangrene until the Primordial Spirit shattered.

Yet he had entered it himself, and generally speaking, holding on for an hour or so should be no problem.

No, his own cultivation was at the Great Perfection of Soul Formation, and his spiritual sense was far more vast than Zhou Qing's, which was why he could persist so long.

But Zhou Qing's cultivation was far inferior to his; could he really have been refined?

The three looked at each other, the air seemingly freezing into ice.

In the distance, countless disciples were busily repairing the mountain gate, and the overlapping shouts and sounds of magic treasures colliding made the three feel a wave of panic.

Master Xuanji suddenly gritted his teeth, a ruthless glint flashing in his eyes: "I'm going in to see!"

He formed seals with both hands, and as his mind stirred, the runes on the surface of the mirror frame shone brightly, suddenly expanding to the height of a person.

The dark red light swirled like a vortex, and his figure flashed, plunging into it without hesitation.

The moment Master Xuanji stepped into the mirror frame fragment, before he could even expand his spiritual sense to investigate, a cold sense of crisis suddenly pressed down from above.

The moment he looked up, his pupils contracted sharply.

Because he saw a giant blood phoenix carrying a terrifying aura he had never felt before, rushing toward him.

Even where it passed, the surrounding space was directly torn into pitch-black cracks.

Even the entire space emitted a groan of unbearable weight.

"No, no, no—" Master Xuanji's face was full of despair, his roar drowned out by the roar of the inscription-level divine ability.

Zhou Qing's figure staggered, his vision going black.

Regardless of anything else, he hurriedly channeled the reserve spiritual power from the golden flower, and his depleted meridians finally felt a hint of warmth.

Afterward, he propped up his crumbling body and looked at the fold with anticipation.

This was his all-out gamble; this time it was truly success or death.

But suddenly, light flashed at the space fold, and Master Xuanji's figure appeared.

He looked bewildered, seemingly not having reacted to what had happened, and then his pupils dilated sharply, the expression on his face instantly turning to terror.

Finally...

Zhou Qing didn't see the final expression, because three scarlet rays of blood had already slammed into the fold, and into him as well.

It really was a case of better to be early than to be timely.

Accompanied by an earth-shattering roar, the karmic fire cage was immediately torn open by a crack a foot wide, and the light from the outside poured in through the gap.

Zhou Qing's face was filled with joy; he grabbed the fallen storage bag and turned into a stream of light, speeding out through the crack.

Outside!

Master Lingxu and Master Tianshu were anxiously staring at the mirror frame, their palms covered in cold sweat.

They prayed he wouldn't be refined; otherwise, they truly couldn't imagine the crazy retaliation they would suffer from the Taiqingmen.

But suddenly, the mirror frame trembled violently, the runes on the surface flashed crazily, and a blinding golden light burst forth from within.

The two retreated subconsciously, and when the light dissipated, they saw a figure waving its wings, golden all over, standing before them.

The three looked at each other, all momentarily unable to react.

Zhou Qing's gaze was like lightning, quickly scanning the surroundings, and confirming they were no longer on the battlefield outside the mountain gate, he grabbed the mirror frame floating nearby.

Then he raised a middle finger at the two: "Is this it? You're not worth a damn!"

Afterward, without waiting for the two to react, his figure flashed, and he sped toward the damaged mountain gate at top speed.

"Stop, stop him!" Master Lingxu and Master Tianshu finally woke up as if from a dream, their faces turning pale instantly.

They roared as they chased after him, constantly mobilizing disciples along the way to intercept.

Although they didn't know what had happened, Zhou Qing absolutely could not escape at this moment.

Otherwise, having lost this only bargaining chip, the Tianji Sect would be completely finished.

But after the two-on-eight fight not long ago, and the subsequent consumption of taking turns maintaining the mirror frame, it was simply impossible to catch up to Zhou Qing, who was executing the "Di Huang Jing".

And this place was not far from the mountain gate, and the numerous disciples hadn't reacted at all.

After all, their attention was all focused ahead.

But there were still a few early-stage Soul Formation elders who heard the desperate shouts of the two supreme elders.

Turning their heads, they saw the golden-winged figure with the somewhat familiar face approaching rapidly, and immediately joined forces to cast star chains, attempting to intercept.

Killing intent surged in Zhou Qing's eyes, and with a thought, the imperial might burst forth.

Many Soul Formation cultivators couldn't help but tremble, as if facing a supreme existence.

Let alone intercepting, at this moment they even had the urge to kneel and worship.

And Zhou Qing's speed increased again, directly crashing into the chains in front of him with brute force; wherever his claws passed, the chains snapped inch by inch.

"No!" Master Lingxu behind him saw Zhou Qing about to get out, and the magic treasure in his hand turned into a cold light, tearing through the air and aiming straight for Zhou Qing's back.

Zhou Qing didn't look back, striking back with a sword; the thunder sword energy collided with the blue light, erupting with a deafening roar.

Borrowing this recoil force, his wings flapped, whipping up a golden hurricane and accelerating again.

At this time, some Tianji Sect disciples finally came to their senses and immediately rushed over in droves, holding various magic treasures.

"Those who block me die!" Zhou Qing's eyes were cold; he no longer held back, and wherever the thunder light passed, flesh and blood flew, and screams rang out one after another.

Then he plunged into the sea of people blocking the way ahead and rushed out...

Master Lingxu and Master Tianshu immediately stopped in despair.

"It's over, it's completely over now—"

Outside, the disciples of the two sects had long since surrounded the Tianji Sect in three layers inside and out, closely monitoring every move.

Lu Yaoyao stood at the very front of the crowd, praying constantly that her father would be safe and sound.

But just at this moment, a figure shot out from below.

"Everyone pay attention, stop him immediately... hmm?"

A late-stage Soul Formation hall master of the Taiqingmen was just about to give the order when he was stunned.

Because that golden figure looked somewhat familiar, and before he could react, Lu Yaoyao had already rushed down in surprise.

"Daddy—"

"Hmm?" The battlefield instantly fell into an eerie silence, and countless disciples of the two sects looked at Lu Yaoyao in unison.

And Zhou Qing, who had just exhausted all his strength to escape the tiger's mouth, stumbled directly, almost falling back in.

"Don't mess around—"

At this moment, the hall master finally came to his senses, his face showing wild joy, and he immediately descended at top speed with the other Soul Formation elders, blocking behind Zhou Qing.

"Zhou Shixiong, that's great!" Lu Yaoyao, who had rushed over, was already in tears, grabbing Zhou Qing's sleeve, her voice choked with sobs.

Several hall masters breathed a sigh of relief and smiled bitterly at each other.

It seemed they had heard wrong; she must have called him Shixiong.

When one gets old, one's ears don't work well.

"Little Sect Master, retreat quickly, leave the rest to us!" Several hall masters stood with their backs to Zhou Qing, spiritual power surging around them.

Facing the Tianji Sect disciples chasing up like a tidal wave, they all snorted coldly, and the pressure of the Soul Formation powerhouses fell like a solid hammer, the entire airspace instantly stagnating.

The footsteps of the Tianji Sect disciples stopped abruptly, and they looked at each other, their eyes full of fear and hesitation.

Then they couldn't help but cast their eyes toward their own Soul Formation elders, hoping to get instructions.

"Retreat quickly!" A Tianji Sect elder was full of unwillingness, and following his order, the Tianji Sect disciples felt as if they had been granted amnesty, turning around one after another.

And the heart that had been hanging in Zhou Qing's chest finally settled down at this moment.

It was too close!

Soon, Cao Zhengyang and the others, who were still discussing rescue plans, rushed over in surprise upon hearing the news.

Before they could say anything, Zhou Qing said hurriedly: "I'm fine, just exhausted my spiritual power, I'll be fine after a rest; Master Xuanji is dead, I want the complete Primordial Spirit of the remaining two."

He wanted to understand the matter of the supreme weapon, the Infinite Karmic Fire Mirror, more clearly.

Upon hearing that Master Xuanji was dead, Cao Zhengyang and the others were stunned on the spot, and several supreme elders also opened their mouths wide, their eyes full of disbelief.

Master Xuanji was a Great Perfection Soul Formation cultivator of their same era; Zhou Qing had actually killed him in a counter-attack?

The four people including Yun Jing of the Qingyu Qingshu Qingshu Xian Zong were also full of shock, and then stared at Zhou Qing with complex expressions.

It seemed the Taiqingmen was truly about to rise!

This was the trend, and no one could stop it!

Mo Xingjian, who was the first to react, was full of pride and arrogance.

Cao Zhengyang burst into wild laughter, patted Zhou Qing on the shoulder lightly, his eyes filled with undisguised approval.

"Well done! Hurry up and recover, leave the rest to us! From today on, there will be no more Tianji Sect in the Eastern Region!"

Before the words fell, Cao Zhengyang's spiritual power surged, and the pressure of the Great Perfection Soul Formation swept across the field like a raging sea.

"Pass the order down! The whole army attacks!" Cao Zhengyang's voice sounded like thunder.

"Yes!" Everyone saluted excitedly.

For a time, the sound of horns tore through the sky, war drums beat, and countless disciples, led by many Soul Formation and Nascent Soul cultivators, launched a charge toward the broken Tianji Sect mountain gate.

The Tianji Sect disciples no longer had the courage to resist this time, turning and fleeing, and many even dropped their weapons in despair, choosing to surrender.

And Lu Yaoyao stood guard by Zhou Qing's side with two peak masters, to prevent the same thing from happening again.

Inside the flying boat cabin!

Because of the high-level mental cultivation method "Yin Yang Jue", Zhou Qing only took less than five hours to recover most of his spiritual power.

He first checked Master Xuanji's storage bag, confirmed that the soul imprint inside had dissipated, and that his spiritual sense could easily enter, only then did he completely relax.

It was also true that back in the No. 6 Forbidden Zone, facing the dried corpse of the former Great Perfection Soul Severance Master Kudi, a wisp of Phoenix Dao pattern could repel him.

No matter how strong Master Xuanji was, it was simply impossible for him to block three wisps of Phoenix Dao patterns head-on.

"Logically speaking, he shouldn't have come in, but his eyes seemed a bit anxious at the time, could it be—"

Zhou Qing couldn't help but hook a smile at the corner of his lips.

It seemed his talent skill 【Lower Presence】 had taken effect again; he probably thought he had been refined.

He wanted to come in and see what was going on, but didn't expect it to bury him directly.

"There are actually so many spirit stones!" Soon, Zhou Qing discovered with surprise that inside Master Xuanji's storage bag, there was a large pile of superior-grade spirit stones.

A rough estimate was no less than three thousand pieces; if converted into supreme-grade spirit stones, there would be at least thirty.

Besides that, there were fifteen whole jade boxes.

After Zhou Qing opened them, what was inside were actually supreme-grade spirit stones.

This made his face full of joy again; he didn't expect this Master Xuanji to be so wealthy.

"Wait, this is—"

When Zhou Qing glanced inadvertently, he discovered that in another corner, it was piled with various small boxes.

Every one of them was covered with spirit talismans.

When opened, what came into view were two fire-attribute spirit stones, three water-attribute spirit stones, and two wood-attribute spirit stones.

Among the Five Elements spirit stones, he directly occupied three types.

And these three types were exactly what he urgently needed at the moment.

Fire-attribute and water-attribute were of great help to the water flower and fire flower in the four-colored flower.

Before heading to the border, it was through trading these two types of Five Elements spirit stones with Er Daye that, after refining, two of the four petals in the four-colored flower became much larger than the other two.

As for the wood-attribute spirit stones, there was no need to mention them.

"I wonder if there are any Five Elements spirit stones in Master Tianshu and Master Lingxu's storage bags!" Zhou Qing was full of anticipation.

Afterward, he suppressed the excitement in his heart and continued to open the boxes.

Some were rare ores, some were high-level elixirs, and some were magic treasures, tokens, array flags, and the like.

"This is... Sikong Yan's heart blood!"

Looking at the essence blood sealed in the last box, Zhou Qing muttered to himself.

This time he must keep it well, just in case.

Not long after, after organizing all the gains, Zhou Qing let out a long breath.

It could only be said that the harvest was not just ordinarily rich; it could be called a full harvest.

"Now, the remaining ten wood-attribute spirit stones on my body have been integrated into the Enlightenment Ancient Tea Tree; in another month, I will be able to comprehend the fourth wisp of Phoenix Dao pattern."

"Plus the two newly obtained ones, I am only eight wood-attribute spirit stones away from comprehending the fifth wisp of Phoenix Dao pattern, unfolding the blood screen, and condensing the 【Blood Phoenix Tribulation Crystal】."

Zhou Qing was excited; by then, stepping into the late stage of Soul Formation, or even the Great Perfection, would just be a matter of time.

Even, because he had obtained Master Kudi's "Subduing Demon Golden Bone" through the corpse-touching post, this object itself was of great help in severing his own obsessions.

Plus the amplification of the four flowers gathering at the top, he really might be able to ascend to Soul Severance in one fell swoop before the age of fifty.

The realm that was once out of reach now seemed within reach, which made him full of longing and yearning.

Afterward, looking at the three shadows outside the door, Zhou Qing took out the mirror frame excitedly again.

Looking at it carefully again, he still couldn't hide his excitement.

A supreme weapon, a hundred times rarer than an inscription-level divine ability; although it was only a fragment now, who knows if he might gather a complete one when the opportunity arises in the future.

Other Soul Severance powerhouses might not have even seen an inscription-level divine ability, let alone heard of a supreme weapon, and he, a Soul Formation cultivator, already possessed two such supreme treasures.

"However, this mirror frame was seen by many people when it trapped me. Although it's only a fragment, no one should be able to recognize it, but for the sake of safety, I still have to search the souls of those two."

Zhou Qing pondered secretly.

After all, the Tianji Sect had a deep foundation; maybe someone really would recognize it.

If they left behind a disaster for the Taiqingmen before they died, and it was known by other super powerhouses, the Taiqingmen would face the disaster of sect destruction.

Thinking of this, Zhou Qing resolutely pushed the door and walked out.

"Zhou Shixiong, how are you feeling now?" As soon as Lu Yaoyao saw Zhou Qing come out, she ran over hurriedly, her face full of concern.

Zhou Qing nodded lightly, then looked at the two peak masters left behind, and saluted respectfully.

"Master Tong Min, Master Sun, this disciple is fine, I want to go out and see."

The two peak masters naturally agreed, but still urged Zhou Qing to be careful repeatedly.

Afterward, the four walked out together.

When they entered the Tianji Sect, the air was filled with a thick mixture of smoke and blood.

Looking at those halls, they were basically preserved relatively intact, unlike the scene when the Cangyan Dao Palace attacked the Qingyu Qingshu Qingshu Xian Zong, where almost only broken walls remained.

After all, this sect war was almost completely one-sided, especially after Master Xuanji died, the situation was even more one-sided.

Not long after, Zhou Qing saw Cao Zhengyang and the others forming a circle.

And Master Lingxu and Master Tianshu were tightly bound by spiritual power chains, their eyes unfocused, their faces full of deep despair.

The winner is the king and the loser is the bandit; this was vividly reflected at this moment.

Seeing this scene, Zhou Qing also felt relieved.

"Fellow Daoist Duanmu, for the sake of the feelings of our predecessors, can you give us a chance? In that era of ours, there are only a few of us left."

Master Lingxu looked at the eight people including Duanmu Shu, his cloudy eyes full of the desire to survive.

Duanmu Shu and the others had complex expressions; speaking of which, at that time, as the younger generation of each sect, they often went out to practice together and exchange insights.

But along the way, old friends withered one after another, like fallen leaves in the wind!

Now in their generation, there were truly only these few old immortals left.

But—

They were no longer on the same path after all, and as for the so-called feelings, hehe—

When you united with the Cangyan Dao Palace and wanted to destroy our Taiqingmen orthodoxy, why didn't I see you talk about the so-called feelings.

"Sect Master, don't worry about us, just do what you have to do!" Duanmu Shu looked at Cao Zhengyang and said.

Cao Zhengyang nodded.

Master Lingxu and Master Tianshu immediately showed despair, and then immediately looked at Cao Zhengyang.

"We are willing to use the secret star map and elixir formulas of the Tianji Sect as a vote of allegiance, only asking... only asking to allow us two to linger on!" Master Lingxu pleaded.

Master Tianshu also echoed: "We know the secrets of many forces, and in the future, we will definitely serve you, with no two hearts!"

Cao Zhengyang looked down at the two from above and said coldly: "What you say is almost worthless to me."

"Whether I kill you or search your souls, won't those things eventually be ours? What's more, I have no interest in the secrets of other forces."

"I want to know a few things now; if you tell me truthfully, maybe I can leave you a way to live."

Upon hearing this, the two stepped forward hurriedly, their voices trembling with fawning: "Sect Master, please ask, we will tell you everything!"

Looking at the two fawning, Cao Zhengyang was full of disdain.

They say the older people get, the more they fear death; compared to the four people including Yun Jing, your bones are truly soft.

Afterward, he glanced at Zhou Qing who had come over, nodded slightly, then turned his head, his gaze locking onto Master Lingxu and Master Tianshu like a hawk.

He asked sternly: "Was that dried corpse that repeatedly destroyed our sect's mineral veins and abused our sect's disciples driven by you?"

Master Lingxu and Master Tianshu looked at each other, their Adam's apples bobbing, hesitating on how to answer.

After three breaths, Cao Zhengyang was already a bit impatient, a flash of killing intent in his eyes.

"Since you are unwilling to speak, don't blame me for being impolite!" Before Cao Zhengyang's words fell, a sword light flashed.

Master Lingxu, who hadn't reacted, had his head chopped off, and blood gushed out instantly.

Immediately after, Master Lingxu's Primordial Spirit floated out in terror, but was firmly trapped by a spiritual power chain with a casual wave of Cao Zhengyang's hand.

This sudden scene scared Master Tianshu so much that his face turned pale and his legs went soft.

No, why did you just do it without saying anything?

The trapped Master Lingxu wanted to cry but had no tears; even if you want to kill the chicken to warn the monkey, why should I be that chicken.

And Cao Zhengyang waved his hand and said: "Forget it, I'd better search the soul directly, to avoid trouble!"

"I'll talk!" The two shouted almost simultaneously.

You have to know, once the soul is searched, they are completely finished.

Cao Zhengyang snorted coldly, his sleeves waved violently, and the spiritual power cage trapping Master Lingxu flew toward Mo Xingjian like a stream of light.

"They say leave a line in everything; I don't intend to cut off the orthodoxy of the Tianji Sect, but after all, it still needs a helmsman to continue leading."

Saying this, he looked at Master Tianshu meaningfully, a chilling smile hooking at the corner of his mouth.

"Junior Brother Mo, trouble you to take them to the other side to ask, so it will be easy to compare the confessions."

"Whoever answers with clues and information useful to my Taiqingmen, I will keep—after all, it's better to live than to die."

Mo Xingjian understood, and immediately took Master Lingxu's cage and several peak masters toward the other side.

Zhou Qing and Lu Yaoyao watched Cao Zhengyang quietly, feeling nothing but admiration in their hearts.

Thunderous means, both kindness and power!

Sure enough, no one who can become a sect master is simple; Zhou Qing had a deep understanding of this during the Five Sects War.

Cao Zhengyang's seemingly simple divide and rule actually grasped the weaknesses of human nature just right.

This method of disintegrating the enemy without wasting a single soldier is far more chilling than a head-on fight.

After all, even if you search the soul, once something is under a death ban, let alone searching, you might even suffer a backlash yourself.

Especially those who practice divination.

(End of chapter)