The Sect Leader Has Taken in a New Female Disciple

Facing Zhou Qing’s inquiry, Shen Hanyi did not directly answer but gently patted the storage bag on her waist.

As a flash of spiritual light passed, a humanoid puppet with a cold metallic sheen appeared before the two.

This was a male puppet, crafted with extreme precision, with complex runes etched at the joints.

Even the face was adorned with a conspicuous paper marked with the word "male," glowing faintly in the shadows.

"I crafted this myself," Shen Hanyi said, as her jade fingers gently tapped the puppet’s back head.

"Oh, can you let me feel it, since both of us are uneasy about each other..."

A familiar song suddenly echoed from the puppet’s mouth, making Zhou Qing’s expression immediately turn strange.

Because the voice belonged to none other than Shen Huangmao and sounded extremely unwilling.

He could only raise his thumb, forcing a smile to express his appreciation.

After that, he shifted his gaze toward the crooked-neck jujube tree.

Under the tree were gathered many cultivators healing their injuries, including a Spirit Severing Realm master.

This Desolate Forbidden’s danger level was evident.

This is a special safe zone.

According to Shen Hanyi years ago, she discovered three such places through simulation over the years.

Zhou Qing had identified it himself; this tree was a Deceitful Spirit relic that had perished in ancient times.

She spent her life waiting for a little Daoist carrying a Peach Wood Sword to come for her.

If a couple sang love songs under the tree, they would receive unexpected guidance.

Hence the love song exists.

Other cultivators could only rely on luck, like those distant ones searching for clearance keys on the black ships.

"Those ghost ships, each day they only spawn one key," Shen Hanyi stepped forward to explain.

"Once someone gets the key and passes through, it won’t appear again until the next day. So don’t be fooled by the number of people here; truly, not many have entered!"

Zhou Qing nodded thoughtfully.

It seems most people are just along for the ride, unlike them, who have grasped shortcuts.

A love song under the crooked-neck jujube tree directly points out the ghost ship holding the real key, significantly reducing trial costs and time.

[Who are you, really?]

Just then, a cold voice suddenly resonated in Zhou Qing’s mind.

This wasn’t the indistinguishable male-and-female voice during their communication but the true heart voice of Shen Hanyi herself.

Zhou Qing’s eyes suddenly lit up.

Is this the effect of the [Heart Reading Technique]?

Truly amazing!

If he could acquire a few more such notes and infiltrate the fourth and fifth forbidden zones, wouldn’t he be able to lock onto their voice attributes beforehand?

If he encounters them in the future, he can sense it ahead of time?

Thinking this, Zhou Qing immediately turned his head.

Sure enough, Shen Hanyi was staring intently at his back.

Seeing him suddenly turn his head, she immediately tilted hers slightly, pretending to observe the ghost ships ahead.

Afterwards, Shen Hanyi gently patted the storage bag again.

This time a female puppet appeared.

Unlike the one beside it, this puppet had flowing waist-length hair, with a piece of paper marked "female" on its face, crafted even more intricately.

It seemed to fear that this Deceitful Spirit relic, long lost of its intelligence, wouldn’t recognize them.

After all, it’s only left with a trace of its obsession, scattered across every corner of the Desolate Forbidden.

Zhou Qing couldn’t help but shake his head slightly; this method is quite clever.

Under her control, the two puppets slowly moved under the jujube tree, began singing the specific love song.

As the song ended, the crooked-neck jujube tree suddenly swayed on its own without wind, the paper money beneath it spinning upward.

Eventually, it formed a winding path before them, leading directly to one of the many ghost ships.

A dim blue candlelight ignited on that ship, remarkably conspicuous in the gloomy setting.

"Senior, please!" Shen Hanyi slightly tilted her body, gesturing invitingly.

[I really need those Three Flowers—hopefully with his help, I’ll be able to open that risky place smoothly.]

Almost simultaneously, Shen Hanyi’s heart voice echoed again in Zhou Qing’s mind.

Zhou Qing’s heart slightly stirred, his expression complex.

Honestly, he didn’t actually need those Three Flowers; after all, he was still far from the Supreme Tribulation.

But Shen Hanyi is different. A hundred and sixty years earlier, after the cave incident, Shen Hanyi leveraged his Four Flowers Gathering at the Crown to directly break through to Spirit Slash Realm Perfection.

It’s been so long now; with her talent, perhaps she’s already half-step Supreme, only lacking the Supreme Tribulation.

But here’s the problem... you’re still pregnant with my child, how can you undergo tribulation?

Get struck by lightning?

Suffer serious injuries?

Blood Qi deficiency?

Back then, when he crossed the weakened version of the Supreme Tribulation, she strictly prohibited anyone from approaching the tribulation zone.

Anyone entering besides the tribulation-crosser not only fails to help but actually intensifies the Celestial Tribulation.

Isn’t my child considered a person?

If the tribulation harms the foundation, what if the born child has aftereffects?

Utterly irresponsible.

Thinking thus, Zhou Qing’s inner conflict grew.

He wishes for Shen Hanyi to break through smoothly, yet he doesn’t want her to risk fetching those Three Flowers.

The two soared past; as they passed through the central oasis, the water surface reflected an eerie image once again.

Just like last time, two pallid-faced children clung tightly around their necks.

However, after breaking through Spirit Slash, Zhou Qing no longer felt the suffocating sensation or intense shoulder pain, albeit for a short time.

"The Desolate Forbidden teems with malevolent entities. If you don’t timely traverse the Desert Sea to reach the mining area, these entities will slowly obfuscate your direction, eventually erasing your consciousness, turning you into a ghost ship member."