Chapter 1498 - 436: Since You’re Useless, You Can Die! (6k)

In a certain inn within the Fifth Tail Inner Domain, Zhou Qing set up various restrictions and then took out the token from the Divine Ruins Celestial Palace.

During this time, he had used "Daily Reflection" repeatedly to appraise the Soul Nourishing Jade, but the information he obtained always remained the same.

Besides being watered with Blood Phoenix Essence Blood, there was no other method.

"It seems I have to try my luck at that mine cave..." he murmured, a flash of determination in his eyes.

Upon activation, his Divine Sense was immediately drawn in.

When he reappeared, he was once again under the crooked jujube tree.

The shadows of people mingled under the tree, cultivators searching for the Three-Flower Corpse came in endless streams, the clamor was unceasing.

Witnessing all this, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of nostalgia, and then he took out the two male and female puppets from Han Yi’s storage bag.

As the puppets were activated, watching them sing familiar love songs under the jujube tree, Zhou Qing’s eyes grew hot once more.

At this moment, a faint light suddenly lit up on a black boat.

He rubbed his eyes, then his gaze sharpened, he put away the puppets, and his figure shot like lightning towards the direction where the black boat was heading...

...

Soon after, Zhou Qing followed his previous memory to arrive alone at that mine cave area.

In the deep tunnel, ancient chisel marks on the rock walls emitted a cold light, the air mixed with damp mold and a faint hint of blood.

The cave was silent, with only two injured cultivators leaning against stone pillars resting, idly chatting about the fall of the Shen Family and rumors of Zhou Qing possessing two inscription-level divine techniques.

Fortunately, both parties existed in different dimensions, thus they couldn’t see Zhou Qing.

Just as Zhou Qing was about to delve deeper, one person’s words suddenly changed his expression.

"You say, where is Zhou Qing’s master from? Looking at the portrait, he seems so young, but what kind of faction can nurture such a heavenly talent?"

"I don’t know, never heard anyone mention before. Perhaps his two inscription-level divine techniques were bestowed by his sect elders."

"It must be so. Otherwise, heaven would be too biased—Fourth-level Array Master, mid-stage Spirit Severing Realm cultivation, and also possessing two divine techniques? Such fortune is truly defiant."

"How precious are inscription-level divine techniques? Now in Nanhuang State, apart from one palace, two temples, three sects, four clans, and eight noble families, the remaining forces will surely flock here. In a few days, his sect’s origin will be thoroughly investigated."

"Why bother with these? Zhou Qing is now a hot potato, whoever touches him will be in trouble. Better think about the main business, where is the Three-Flower Corpse hidden?"

...

Zhou Qing furrowed his brows.

The world has many named Zhou Qing, yet these people held his portrait.

Fortunately, Taiqing Sect is extremely distant from Nanhuang State, and several fourth-level cultivation countries lie in between.

But if someone follows the clues to trace the Holy Martial Dynasty, it would immediately affirm it is him.

After all, as the youngest fourth-level Array Master in the Holy Martial Dynasty’s history, self-broken through Spirit Severing Realm, one sect with four Spirit Slash Great Powers...

With all these honors, the name "Zhou Qing" has long become a unique symbol of the Holy Martial Dynasty.

"Once this matter is settled, I must immediately return to Taiqing Sect to make arrangements." Zhou Qingxin, his thoughts rapidly shifting, continued deeper into the mine cave.

...

In the depths of the mine cave, Zhou Qing stopped in front of a stone wall.

He took out the Blood Phoenix Bone from his storage bag, closed his eyes to concentrate, and recalled the movements of Han Yi when she performed this technique back then.

Suddenly, his fingertips trembled slightly, thirty thousand Spirit Seals poured out like a galaxy, enveloping the Blood Phoenix Bone layer by layer, with vast Spiritual Power injecting into it.

The Blood Phoenix Bone suddenly burst with dazzling blood light, resonating with the Spirit Seals in vibrations, emitting a low humming sound.

Soon after, an ordinary-looking stone wall rippled, revealing a distorted space where a pitch-black passageway appeared faintly.

A flash of brilliance in Zhou Qing’s eyes, he stepped in without hesitation.

As he passed through the passageway, a mixture of millennium-old decayed flesh and deep sea’s salty and fishy odor assailed him.

Even with this second experience, the nauseating scent still made his throat roll.

"If the little brother-in-law can survive, this place will surely aid him in perfecting his Realm." Zhou Qing suppressed his discomfort and looked around; the cave scene resembled that of the past.

—The dome suspended thousands of semi-transparent blood cocoons, vaguely visible within were curled-up humanoid beings.

Four walls flowed with luminous slime, pooling in the hollow of the ground, emitting a suffocating stench.

The blood-stained shroud slithered snake-like among the cocoon group.

The last appraisal confirmed this was the shroud that had wrapped a certain ancient Human Emperor’s remains.

After years of absorbing the mine’s Yin Qi, it had long birthed intelligence, quietly nurturing a bizarre army.

It was yet unknown if it had once wrapped someone from a fourth-level cultivation country or something even more terrifying.

But even powerful cultivators like Han Yi, at Spirit Slash Realm Perfection, repeatedly suffered setbacks when simulating combat against it.

Including last time, when she failed due to "Hundred Tribulations Blood Curtain" being impossible to cultivate further, and she hoped he could help obtain the blood-colored scroll from this place.

Because she suspected that scroll might also record a secret technique concerning the Blood Phoenix Race.

But back then, he was too timid to agree, and the two had to continue deeper to search for the Three-Flower Corpse, ultimately glimpsing "Second Uncle" through the Eightfold Sticker coaxing multiple Transforming Divine Medicines on the third layer.

Thinking of this, Zhou Qing exhaled a deep breath of turbid air, looking seriously at the moving shroud.

With his current strength barely comparable to late-stage Spirit Severing Realm, it was unwise to agitate such a fierce creature recklessly.

He held his breath, carefully probing the cave’s environment.

The "Ice Glass Lingzhi Sparrow" had already vanished without a trace, leaving only the blood-colored scroll silently lying on the stone platform.