The Sect Leader Has Taken in a New Female Disciple-Chapter 697 - 235: The Previous Sect Leader of the Taiqing Sect is Actually Still Alive (6k)

As Zhou Qing's claws gripped the edge of the coffin and began to exert force.

The coffin, which had been completely still, started to move slowly, emitting a dull, grinding sound.

"Much easier than last time!" Zhou Qing's face lit up with joy. He clenched his teeth and continued to apply more force.

The gap in the coffin gradually widened, releasing an eerie and ancient aura from within.

In a few moments, an opening as thick as an arm finally appeared before his eyes.

For the first time in so long, he successfully opened the coffin with his own strength.

Zhou Qing couldn't hold back any longer and burst into hearty laughter.

He then leaned in and peered inside, seeing only pitch darkness, punctuated by faint, eerie glimmers.

From the darkness on the other side of the Blood River, a Corpse Wax Crow stepped forth.

But Zhou Qing didn't jump in. Instead, he decisively turned and ran toward the ancient tree behind the coffin.

His golden claws quickly dug into the ground beneath it.

The moment the Corpse Wax Crow landed behind him, Zhou Qing stared excitedly at the pale golden soil in front of him, eyes filled with disbelief and joy.

"Spiritual Soil, it really is Spiritual Soil!" Zhou Qing was so excited he was incoherent, his voice trembling.

But in the next moment, he was struck and his entire being dissolved into a ball of light once again.

"I guessed right, there's indeed Spiritual Soil under that ancient tree!" Zhou Qing couldn't contain his satisfaction.

Now, only the Flame Spirit Flower, which grows in the Land of Extreme Yang, remains.

In a hurry, Zhou Qing once again deftly leaped over the Blood River and headed straight for the third coffin.

As expected, he pushed it open with effort and then jumped down.

At this moment, he felt his body descending rapidly, the wind whistling past his ears, similar to the time Second Uncle took him.

The pungent smell was nauseating, and looking down, he saw the same scorching Purgatory landscape.

Lava surged, volcanoes erupted, and an enormous crow skeleton lay silently across the land.

As soon as he landed, Zhou Qing transformed into his Golden Roc True Body, spreading his giant wings and began carefully searching the Land of Extreme Yang.

About half an hour later, Zhou Qing's eyes brightened and he immediately landed on a dead volcano.

On the crater, there grew three peculiar flowers.

"Fiery red, the edges adorned with faint golden flame patterns, it's the Flame Spirit Flower!" After carefully observing, Zhou Qing felt an indescribable joy surge within him.

With this, he finally had clues for all the materials needed to cultivate the Enlightenment Ancient Tea Tree.

But—

Soon, Zhou Qing's brows furrowed.

Looking around, there were countless volcano craters in sight, which meant there were surely more Flame Spirit Flowers.

But how to take them out?

He was currently only at the early-stage Divinity Transformation, and even with ten times the courage, he wouldn't dare come here alone. It seemed he could only ask Second Uncle to accompany him.

Suddenly, he felt a spine-chilling sensation from behind.

Turning his head, he saw a giant Flame Fire Crocodile with outstretched wings, its mouth wide open in excitement, lunging at him.

"Familiar... scent!" The Flame Fire Crocodile King growled in a low voice.

Zhou Qing shook his head and didn't resist.

How could he not recognize it? Last time, it even chased him and Second Uncle. If not for the Golden Crow Fan, they wouldn't have escaped.

Moreover, the Golden Crow Blood extracted from that giant crow's body was devoured by him, allowing him to successfully cultivate the "Golden Crow Burning Sky Scripture."

In an instant, Zhou Qing's consciousness plunged into darkness, and when he regained sight, he had reformed into a red ball of light.

"Tough indeed!" Zhou Qing sighed heavily.

With only one last chance left, he eagerly immersed himself in the scene again.

[Ignore Points +1]

Upon re-entering his true form, the system's alert sounded in his mind, slightly easing Zhou Qing's frustration.

Making sure no one noticed, he once again swam across the Blood River, struggling to push open the first coffin, and dove in headfirst.

He was immediately greeted by a dense, icy aura.

Once he landed steadily, Zhou Qing instantly went on guard, scanning his surroundings warily.

Just like the last time he was here, the surrounding mist was thick, with occasional wisps of ghostly green light flickering through.

Before Zhou Qing could exhale a sigh of relief, the mist behind him suddenly churned dramatically.

In the next moment, dozens of semi-transparent, distorted-faced Wandering Souls burst out from the gray fog, emitting sharp cries and rushing straight ahead.

The entire time, they didn't even glance at Zhou Qing.

Soon, intense fighting sounds and screams echoed from the front.

Zhou Qing's face lit up with joy, it seemed [Lowering Presence] was working.

He then quickly followed the sounds forward.

Soon, he saw hundreds of Wandering Souls attacking over a dozen Nascent Soul Realm cultivators.

Those who had lost their combat abilities lay helplessly on the ground, while a swarm of Wandering Souls madly tore at their bodies in a ghastly and terrifying scene.

Even those Nascent Souls trying to escape in panic were seized and torn apart by the Wandering Souls, making one's blood run cold.

Fortunately, Zhou Qing and they were in different dimensions, so they couldn't see him.

To avoid being discovered, Zhou Qing quietly left.

Following his memory, he finally arrived at the location of Red Tower Mountain.

Here, only Su Lishan was focusing fully on deciphering the spirit patterns on the tower, while Lingyun Mansion's Mansion Master Xiao Ji and Cyan Nether Mansion's Mansion Master Ren Kun were casually slaughtering Wandering Souls on the periphery.