Zhou Qing quickly held him up, speechless.
This Yan was truly unreliable in doing things.
Soon, an Imaging Stone shot over from one side of the array, caught by Zhou Qing, and accompanied by Second Uncleâs voice transmission.
Zhou Qing nodded, then tossed it to Luo Hou.
"Letâs just leave it at this, no one else will know whatâs inside, I can guarantee that!"
After saying this, Zhou Qing reverted to his original form and swiftly headed out of the array.
Luo Hou looked at the Imaging Stone in his hand, his eyebrows furrowing as he contemplated chasing after him, when a terrifying pressure suddenly descended.
His face turned pale in an instant, filled with disbelief.
"Spirit, Spirit Severing Realmâ"
...
When the two of them opened their eyes again, they found themselves back at the academy.
"Take a good rest, three days later weâll continue!" Second Uncle said, scooping up the old hen and tucking it under his arm before turning to leave.
He couldnât wait to study this old hen carefully.
Yan Xiaohu stood in place, his face full of disbelief and regret, "What, is that it? Twenty top-grade spirit stones just gone like that?"
Zhou Qing smiled and said, "Youâll understand in the future, Yan, you should start cultivating the Heart Method that Second Uncle gave you, aim to break through soon."
After speaking, he returned to his cave mansion, restoring his Spiritual Power with the Spirit Stones while reflecting on the intense battle earlier.
The satisfaction of every punch landing, the shock of realms clashing, all left him with deep insights.
...
Three days later, when they reappeared, they were at the entrance of Wanhua Valley.
The place was resplendent with blossoms, fragrant and picturesque, truly like a painting.
This time, however, Yan Xiaohu didnât come along; in three days, he still couldnât fully grasp that Heart Technique.
"Whereâs the old hen?" Zhou Qing couldnât help but ask.
Second Uncleâs expression froze momentarily before he quickly replied, "Um, Iâm still researching it, donât worry, Iâm not going to eat it."
Seeing this, Zhou Qing had no choice but to let it go.
Then, Second Uncle handed Zhou Qing another puppet and an Imaging Stone.
"Whatâs this time?" Zhou Qing asked curiously.
Second Uncle chuckled, "The scene of the Wanhua Valleyâs Valley Master killing and robbing."
Zhou Qing looked at his mischievous expression, hesitated, then activated the Imaging Stone.
Fortunately, Second Uncle didnât deceive him this time; the Imaging Stone indeed recorded a scene of murder and robbery.
It must be said, the beautiful woman indeed had some skills, but her victims resisted for quite a while.
The two sides were almost equally matched.
"The two who died in the end were the younger brother and only son of the current Sect Master of the Tribulation Fire Hall. Even now, the old guy is offering a high reward for the killer!"
Second Uncle spoke casually, with a tinge of nostalgia in his voice.
"I happened to be meditating in that mountain range back then, and luckily witnessed it all. Timing and fate!"
After hearing this, Zhou Qing was shocked.
The strongest in the Western Domain was the Mixed Element Sect, which suppressed the other Five Sects, its reputation spreading far and wide, instilling fear in countless forces.
In the Southern Domain, there were also powerhouses, with seven major sects, headed by the Tribulation Fire Hall, which was on par with the Mixed Element Sect.
Coincidentally, Wanhua Valley was one of the seven major sects. If the secret in the Imaging Stone was known to the Tribulation Fire Hall, tsk tskâ
It seemed that, no matter where or when, these so-called grand sects appeared righteous on the surface, but in reality, they might employ any means necessary for their interests.
"She will definitely kill me!" Zhou Qing smiled bitterly.
Second Uncle waved nonchalantly, urging, "Hurry up, Iâll be waiting over there."
Zhou Qing nodded, transformed into Li Hanshanâs appearance, and went to report.
Soon after, the array was activated.
The Wanhua Valleyâs Valley Master, Tantai Xue, with a cold expression, her every move deadly, intending to silence him.
The petals within her realm seemed delicate but were as sharp as blades, especially the fragrance they naturally emitted, which appeared refreshing but was actually laden with poison.
If not for Second Uncleâs covert signals, he would have fallen into the trap.
A few days later, Zhou Qing headed straight to Chixiao Sect in the Western Domain, then, after a rest, to the Blood Moon Sect in the Southern Domain.
After the first round of visits, they made a second and third round.
After all, these Imaging Stones recorded extremely private and shameful secrets, so no one dared to leak them or seek help regarding them.
Of course, some targets were missed. Some Divinity Transformation Realm elders had already been killed or self-destructed during the previous internal conflicts.
"Donât worry, I have plenty of gossip and secrets here. There are more in the other two domains. Once weâre done, we can visit other prefectures under Longyuan County. Enough for you to break through to Divinity Transformation!"
Second Uncle said proudly, drinking wine and stroking the old hen.
Zhou Qing felt a surge of emotion.
After Yan Xiaohu successfully cultivated the Purple Mansion Heart Inquiry Skills, his Spiritual Powerâs operation and deployment were greatly improved.
Afterward, he joined Zhou Qing in his training, but the elders intending to silence them were pitiful. After enjoying their realms, Zhou Qing suppressed his cultivation to the Nascent Soul Realm, while Yan Xiaohu roared and charged in.
The difference was that Zhou Qing always retreated with unfinished business, while Yan Xiaohu got beaten black and blue, several times teetering on the edge of life and death.
However, the effect was evident. Three months later, he successfully broke through to the mid-Nascent Soul Realm!
Excitedly, he spent lavishly, dragging Zhou Qing and Second Uncle to the finest restaurant, setting up a lavish banquet, and treating them to a meal.
Similarly, Zhou Qingâs realm was also replenishing. On several occasions now, he had nearly broken through the other partyâs realm directly.