The head master has a new female apprentice

Chapter 181: Moody Sikong Yan (6k)

Facing Zhou Qing's concerns, Cao Zhengyang said, "Don't worry. The Nine Nether Demonic Lotus has been exposed now. The best strategy is for him to completely tie us together and keep this secret together."

"Otherwise, if this news leaks out, the Emperor or other powerful beings in the Soul Severing Realm will come, and no one will be able to get a piece of it."

"Even if he escapes to the ends of the earth, there will be countless Great Perfection Spiritual Transformation Masters vying to capture him. Therefore, in order to protect this Nine Nether Demonic Lotus, he has no choice but to cooperate with us."

After hearing this, Zhou Qing nodded.

Although he had little contact with Sikong Yan, he always felt that this person was scheming and moody, and you could never guess what he was thinking.

However, since there are such interests involved, perhaps this cooperation is still feasible.

"Look! These are the materials for setting up the [Demon Sealing and Strangling Formation]. His Cang Yan Dao Palace and Tian Ji Sect can't provide these things. Only by joining us can they have a chance to use the essence and blood of millions of monsters to ripen the Nine Nether Demon Lotus!"

Cao Zhengyang said as he handed over the list.

Zhou Qing looked at the densely packed rare materials on it with a face full of shock. Among them, there were 10,000 top-grade spirit stones alone.

Are there so many things in the Taiqingmen treasury?

Cao Zhengyang looked at Zhou Qing's shocked expression and said, "If this operation doesn't succeed, we'll be doomed. At the very least, we'll be bankrupt. But we understand. After all, the area to be covered is too large. At least 70% of Canglan Mountain should be covered."

Zhou Qingze immediately looked at the inheritance left to him by Xuan Qingzi.

Fortunately, according to the introduction, once this [Demon Sealing and Killing Formation] is activated, it can only kill the demons containing demonic power, and it will not have much impact on the human race.

As for the refining techniques and the required spiritual seals, he is still a long way off. However, in order to cover such a large area, a lot of materials are needed.

I hope I'm just overthinking it.

After returning to the base, Cao Zhengyang still sent people to search diligently, at least to avoid being discovered by the demon kings. As for going back to get the materials, the Supreme Elder would take care of it.

As soon as Zhou Qing came back, Lu Yaoyao and Yan Xiaohu came over.

"You're so mysterious. Where did your uncle take you?" Yan Xiaohu asked curiously.

Zhou Qing shook his head. He really couldn't tell anyone about this matter. Several supreme elders had specifically warned him about it.

Seeing that Zhou Qing didn't say anything, Yan Xiaohu tactfully didn't ask any more questions.

However, no one expected that the next day, five demon kings, including Hou Shan, would appear at the Taiqing Sect’s headquarters.

"Brother Cao, what's going on? Have you done your best?" Hou Shan shouted loudly after coming in, appearing very impatient.

Cao Zhengyang hurried out, a smile on his face, trying to calm Hou Shan down. "Brother Hou, you should have seen these past few months. Almost all of my Taiqing Sect disciples have been searching day and night. How could they not have done their best?"

"Since you have tried your best, why is there still no news about my Fusang Lingkui?" Hou Shan looked extremely displeased and asked with a murderous look on his face.

Cao Zhengyang sighed and said with a wry smile, "I'm not afraid of you laughing at me, Zhou Qing. You should know that I sent them to Lingyun Mansion to find a way to buy one for you. They just came back yesterday, but..."

Cao Zhengyang hesitated to speak, looking as if he had tried his best but to no avail, hoping that Hou Shan would understand their difficulties a little.

"Don't worry, even if it costs me my life, I will definitely help you catch the thief and recover the elixir," Cao Zhengyang added.

Hou Shan clearly no longer believed Cao Zhengyang. Before he could speak, the bald demon king transformed from a vulture beside him smiled sinisterly and said, "Master Cao, what you said is very serious. How dare we take your life?"

Cao Zhengyang said: "Haha, I'm just making an analogy."

"For example, if he is my brother, why would you hit him?" another bear demon king spoke in a muffled voice.

Cao Zhengyang: "..."

Hou Shan looked around and said, "Brother Cao, you should be very clear about the importance of that Fusang Lingkui to me. On the day it was lost, besides the Soul Severing Realm expert, there was only..."

"Only people from my Taiqing Sect and Cang Yan Taoist Palace were present!" Cao Zhengyang was already able to answer quickly.

This sentence has been said over and over again.

Hou Shan frowned slightly and said in a deep voice, "Well, Brother Cao, you know that there is not much time left before the deadline to find the Fusang Lingkui. I am really worried that you will not help me find it with all your heart."

"So, I came here this time out of helplessness. I want to take a few hostages back from your Taiqing Sect, such as the one named Zhou Qing, so that I can feel more at ease."

When Cao Zhengyang heard this, his eyes narrowed and a cold light flashed in his eyes. The apologetic smile on his face disappeared without a trace in an instant, replaced by a gloomy look.

He said with displeasure, "Brother Hou, aren't you going a bit too far? My Taiqing Sect is simply helping you and repaying a favor we once did you. We don't owe you anything. By acting this way now, are you trying to turn against my Taiqing Sect?"

"Who knows if you had evil intentions after seeing me appear..."

"Yes, your medicine was stolen by someone from my Taiqing Sect. What do you want? When the war starts, just draw the line."

Before Wait Shan could finish his words, Cao Zhengyang suddenly released a tremendous pressure, and a powerful momentum soared into the sky.

All the disciples who had rushed back to rest in the base looked at it in horror, and Zhou Qing and others came out immediately, full of confusion.

Seeing that Cao Zhengyang was really angry, the five demon kings' expressions changed slightly.

Hou Shan's eyes flickered, and he burst into laughter: "Brother Cao, I was just joking with you, why did you take it seriously? You don't know how to be funny at all."

Upon seeing this, Cao Zhengyang slowly gathered his aura and said coldly, "I, Taiqing Sect, have been searching for you for over five months with all my heart and soul. My nerves have been on edge the entire time, and sometimes I can't tell whether it's a joke or the truth."

Hou Shan looked embarrassed and said quickly, "Thank you for your hard work. Fine, I'll have to trouble you again next time. We won't bother you anymore. Let's go take a look at the Cang Yan Dao Palace."

After saying this, several demon kings left.

Cao Zhengyang snorted coldly and said, "A beast is a beast after all. He can't tell the difference when he wants to tear his face apart. I really gave you face!"

At this moment, several elders and Zhou Qing and others came quickly.

Cao Zhengyang waved his hand and said, "Nothing, you guys go ahead and get busy!"

Everyone had to leave, but Cao Zhengyang stopped Zhou Qing.

"What's wrong, uncle?" Zhou Qing saluted.

Cao Zhengyang asked, "Do you know what they are here for?"

Zhou Qing shook his head.

Cao Zhengyang said, "They want to take a few hostages back and force us to help find the holy medicine. You are among them."

Zhou Qing was stunned, and immediately remembered the image in the stone: the disciples from the five sects who were locked in iron cages, and his face turned cold.

It seems that this battle is inevitable!

"It's still what I said before. Once suspicion arises, the crime is established. If the holy medicine can't be found, he subconsciously thinks it's our two families' fault."

Cao Zhengyang shook his head and added, "Come with me again tonight!"

Zhou Qing nodded immediately.

That night, the two left quietly.

In the darkness, a sneaky shadow looked curious and quickly flew after it.

But soon, the leader of Baizhan Peak put his arm around Yan Xiaohu's shoulders and slowly came down.

Yan Xiaohu smiled awkwardly, then quickly said seriously, "The moonlight is so beautiful tonight. Hey, Uncle Ling, you came to enjoy the moon too."

Ling Yuexiao looked at Yan Xiaohu with a helpless look on his face and said, "Go back to your tent and enjoy it."

"Okay, uncle master, you should rest early!" After Yan Xiaohu said this, he ran back to his residence as if he had been pardoned.

At the same time, Cao Zhengyang and Zhou Qing met the Supreme Elder and others halfway. After meeting, they went to the designated location together without much words.

After meeting with the Jinlei Sect, Qingyu Xianzong and others, everyone headed straight to Canglan Mountain without any delay.

Two hours later, at the edge of Canglan Mountain, we met people from Cangyan Taoist Palace and Tianji Sect.

Seeing that Cao Zhengyang was still with Zhou Qing, Sikong Yan and Xuanjizi didn't say anything else, but a barely perceptible strangeness flashed in their eyes, but soon returned to normal.

Afterwards, Sikong Yan pulled out three maps and three jade slips, waved them, and said, "These are the formation plates that you three families need to set up at various locations on Canglan Mountain. The seniors from Tianji Sect will be responsible for the main guidance!"

Immediately, three supreme elders who had reached the great perfection of the Spirit Transformation Realm came out from the Tianji Sect.

Cao Zhengyang and others took a look and didn't think there was anything wrong.

After all, it was agreed yesterday that the Tianji Sect would be fully responsible for setting up the formation, and in return, they would get 20% of the Nine Nether Lotus Seeds after they matured, which was a win-win for both sides.

"As for the things, we need to distribute them evenly!" Xuanjizi walked out, glanced at everyone, and spoke.

Upon hearing this, the three families took out their bulging storage bags and handed them over.

Xuanjizi took the storage bag, checked it carefully, and a look of satisfaction appeared on his face.

In this way, great things can be accomplished!

"The formation's core will be arranged by me and my uncles. If you're worried about not putting the Nine Nether Demon Lotus in, or if you have other plans, you can come along and supervise!"

Sikong Yan certainly understood that the three families had doubts, so he took the initiative to propose it to show his sincerity.

Duanmu Shu heard this, took a step forward, and said: "I will protect you!"

The Jinlei Sect and Qingyu Xianzong also have a supreme elder willing to go together.

After allocating everything, Sikong Yan suddenly bowed to everyone and said seriously, "This matter is of great importance. We must not reveal any of it. If we succeed, one of our five families might give birth to a Soul Severing Realm cultivator, and from then on, everyone will ascend to heaven. If we fail..."

He didn't finish his words, but everyone understood the interests involved and nodded.

"This arrangement will take at least five days. Thank you for your hard work, everyone!" Sikong Yan bowed again, his attitude more sincere than ever before.

Everyone's expression was moved, as if all their past grudges had been forgiven, and they all returned the greetings.

If this war had not broken out, their five sects would have been the overlords of the Eastern Region of Lingyun Prefecture, just like their ancestors, and would have been the ones helping each other.

Although competition still existed behind the scenes, at least they appeared to be on good terms, and at crucial moments, they could act in unison. "Move!" With the command, everyone immediately headed in different directions, each heading for their respective mission locations.

Zhou Qing followed Cao Zhengyang closely without saying a word, and looked at the Tianji Sect's supreme elder who was leading the team in front.

Not long after, the other party took out a map of Canglan Mountain and looked at it. After careful comparison, he found a location and took out a formation plate.

He skillfully filled it with a large amount of rare materials. After finishing, he said, "This is the activation formula and operation method. Everyone, please remember it!"

As he spoke, another jade slip came out, and everyone nodded after reading it.

Then he sat cross-legged and began to inject spiritual power into it, activating the array plate little by little and hiding it underground.

Zhou Qing followed two of the supreme elders and stood vigilant from a distance to avoid being discovered by the monsters.

After about an hour, when the formation was perfectly arranged, everyone went to the next location together.

Along the way, Zhou Qing looked at the excited crowd and couldn't help but whisper to Cao Zhengyang, "Uncle Master, once this Demon Sealing and Killing Formation is activated, it will cause an extremely horrific massacre. Can we really afford this consequence?"

By then, the entire Canglan Mountain will probably turn into a Shura hell.

Cao Zhengyang, who was originally moving forward, paused slightly after hearing Zhou Qing's question, and a complicated look flashed in his eyes.

But he soon turned cold and cruel, and with a slight movement of his lips, he replied in a voice transmission: "If you don't kill him, he will kill you. It's just the law of the jungle."

Zhou Qing was silent. Of course he understood the truth, and he didn't even object to killing for survival and protection when necessary.

The main concern is that once the formation is activated, it will be an unprecedented bloody massacre, and a large number of monsters will lose their lives.

Such a huge sin of killing will definitely produce causal ripples.

And these heavy shackles of cause and effect may follow the sect like a shadow.

unless--

Zhou Qing frowned slightly, thinking over and over again, feeling that he needed to do something.

I even couldn't help but think of the ghost town in Aoki Castle.

Not long after, everyone finally arrived at the next scheduled location.

But before they could take any action, several supreme elders simultaneously made gestures for silence, their eyes full of vigilance and solemnity.

Cao Zhengyang reacted extremely quickly, grabbed Zhou Qing's arm, and instantly flashed to an ancient tree, hiding his breath as much as possible.

Not long after, Zhou Qing saw a dark wave surging on the distant horizon.

Looking closely, there were countless monsters sweeping towards this side at an astonishing speed.

They move silently, without any noise or movement.

In the sky, flying monsters covered the sky, their feathers of different colors gleaming with a cold metallic luster, their sharp claws shining coldly, and they were arranged in dense formations, showing at first glance that they were well-trained.

Soon, the leading monsters from below came rustling over, their eyes flashing with bloodthirsty light and filled with desire to kill.

Various smells intertwined with each other, forming a strong fishy smell that filled the air and made people want to vomit.

Zhou Qing couldn't help swallowing his saliva. Looking at the direction, it seemed that they were converging towards the depths of Canglan Mountain.

At this moment, looking at the various birds whizzing past overhead, bringing up strong airflows, Zhou Qing's mouth corners suddenly rose, revealing a meaningful smile.

In an instant, his mind suddenly became clear. There was no such thing as cause and effect. He was just overthinking it.

Uncle Master is right. If you don’t kill others, others will kill you. They will just take the initiative.

The current situation was caused purely by the demon kings themselves.

In this way, they waited until dawn, when the army of monsters was reduced a lot, leaving behind a mess.

"This group of monsters should be from Qingai Mountain. They are the subordinates of the bear monster king. However, according to my speculation, they should have come in batches. There are not even one-tenth of the usual number!"

Cao Zhengyang conveyed this to Zhou Qing.

Zhou Qing was shocked. This number was really extraordinary. If all eighteen demon kings called their subordinates over, the scale formed would be truly a terrifying beast tide.

Time was running out, and everyone hurried to make arrangements.

In this way, eight days passed in a flash. Because a large number of monsters came every night, their progress was delayed by three days than originally planned.

Finally, after placing all the formation plates, everyone quietly headed towards the center.

Here, Sikong Yan and others were still setting up the center of the formation, and the people from Qingyu Immortal Sect had not returned.

It seems that they are not the only family that was disturbed.

The Grand Elder Duanmu Shu, who had been in charge of surveillance, breathed a sigh of relief after seeing his sect members return safely.

"Why haven't the people from Qingyu Xianzong come back yet? How long will it take?" Sikong Yan asked the Qingyu Xianzong's Supreme Elder with an unhappy look on his face.

Only when everything is arranged properly can the eye of the formation be completely placed, activated, and respond to it from a distance.

The Grand Elder of the Qingyu Immortal Sect was also a little anxious. Just as he took out his identity token and was about to ask, several figures fell down.

It was Fairy Xuanyou and others.

"There were too many monsters, and I was delayed for a few days. I'm sorry!" Fairy Xuanyou apologized first.

Sikong Yan, who had a cold expression just now, suddenly showed concern and said, "Fairy, you have worked hard. Take a rest soon. Leave the rest to us."

Seeing this scene, Zhou Qing felt that Sikong Yan was moody and this kind of person was actually the most terrifying.

Now that everything is ready, Sikong Yan, Xuanjizi and others began to make the final arrangements.

In the center of the valley, countless mysterious runes began to flash. The Nine Nether Demon Lotus at the center of the formation continuously emitted a purple-black light, and the buds that were about to bloom trembled slightly.

As the center of the formation slowly sunk into the ground, the light of various runes shone more and more intensely, and intertwined with the power of death emitted by the Nine Nether Demon Lotus, forming strange light and shadows.

A strange arc quietly appeared at the corner of Sikong Yan's mouth, but it disappeared in a flash.

At this moment, everyone present was attracted by the Nine Nether Demonic Lotus, their eyes were hot and greedy, so no one noticed this subtle movement except Zhou Qing.

Zhou Qing, who was standing at the edge of the crowd, caught a glimpse of the unusual movement of Sikong Yan's mouth from the corner of his eye. His heart suddenly trembled, and he narrowed his eyes slightly without making a sound.

Then he immediately turned his attention to the center of the formation that was about to disappear and made an assessment.

[Incomplete Demon Sealing and Killing Formation: This is a five-colored forbidden formation, priceless, but due to its incompleteness, it can only unleash the power of four colors, primarily used to kill the demons trapped within.]

[But what no one knew was that in that broken corner, someone had set up another four-color killing formation. Once activated, it would attack indiscriminately.]

Seeing the feedback, Zhou Qing's pupils suddenly shrank.

As expected, he knew that Sikong Yan would not so easily divide such a rare treasure as the Nine Nether Demon Lotus equally with the three sects.

Four-color killing array restriction, where did he get so many good things?
Perhaps, to activate the [Demon Sealing and Strangling Formation], one does not need so many rare materials at all. What is really needed is the hidden four-color killing formation.

Thinking of this, and looking at Sikong Yan's calm face, Zhou Qing felt a chill in his heart.

At this moment, he seemed to have returned to the time when he was still condensing his Qi and looked at Master Gao Xuan.

Mysterious, terrifying, and unfathomable!
Time passed little by little, and finally, under everyone's excited gaze, the eye of the formation was perfectly hidden, with no trace visible from the outside.

"Okay!" Xuanjizi and Sikong Yan looked at each other, their eyes full of excitement.

The people from the three sects alliance also looked excited.

Duanmu Shu couldn't wait to ask: "What should we do next?"

Others also looked over, their eyes full of anticipation.

Sikong Yan glanced at everyone, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, revealing a confident smile and said: "Wait!"

Xuanjizi also said: "For the Nine Nether Demonic Lotus to mature, it needs a large amount of demonic beast essence and blood. Now that the pocket is ready, all we need now is a certain number of demonic beasts."

"How much is enough?" Cao Zhengyang couldn't help but ask.

Sikong Yan said, "Of course the more the better, and it has to be done with a legitimate reason. At the very least, my sect can't take the blame."

Lei Wuji asked, "You mean to let the demon kings start the war first?"

Sikong Yan said, "Of course. After all, Hou Shan's sacred medicine was lost, and my five sects helped to find it. But he turned against us afterwards and joined forces with other demon kings to backstab us. We had no choice but to fight back."

"Are you really not afraid of the karma and killing in the dark? Even if there is a slight possibility, I don't want to take the risk," Sikong Yan looked at Duanmu Shu and others and asked.

Everyone was silent, then looked at each other and nodded slightly.

"Okay, in that case, let's make a plan. After all, according to the agreed time with the Demon King Houshan, there are only a dozen days left. Of course, they may not be able to wait any longer!" Sikong Yan said with a smile.

Everyone immediately discussed the next plan. Zhou Qing just stood aside and listened quietly without participating at all.

After the discussion, the general plan was that the main personnel would return first, show up occasionally, and pretend to continue searching, at least to prevent the demon kings from becoming suspicious.

Moreover, the more thorough their preparations are and the more demons they bring, the more helpful it will be for the Nine Nether Demon Lotus to mature.

Of course, the supreme elders who have never appeared can hide here and monitor the Nine Nether Demon Lotus at the same time, which will make them feel more at ease.

After a brief pause, Zhou Qing said to Cao Zhengyang, "Uncle Master, can you stay here with me for another day? Then we can go back together."

Cao Zhengyang was puzzled, but seeing Zhou Qing's serious expression, he didn't ask any more questions. He just nodded and said okay.

He believed that Zhou Qing must have his own reasons for doing this, and he was willing to give Zhou Qing enough space to handle things.

(End of this chapter)