Chapter 1605: The Unopenable Inscription Level Scroll (First Update)

When various factions heard the news and rushed to investigate the Liu family—

Deep within the Sixth Tail Desert, the crescent moon hung like a hook.

Zhou Qing sat cross-legged on a jagged rock, the top-grade spirit stone in his hand turning to powder at a visible speed.

The blood scabs forming all over his body glistened dark red under the moonlight, unable to hide the chilling aura of slaughter.

Shen Juefeng and the other two stood guard in a triangular formation, unable to resist glancing back every few moments.

Every time their eyes landed on that blood-soaked figure, their pupils would tremble once more.

Late-stage Spirit Severing Realm, daring to venture into the dragon’s den alone.

Slaying three Supremes single-handedly—such an achievement would surely shock the entire Celestial Fate Sacred Dynasty.

Even Shen Juefeng, whose cultivation had reached the Supreme Realm, had to admit that he could not possibly replicate such a feat.

Not to mention Shen Lieyang, who was also at the late-stage Spirit Severing Realm.

Liu Xuancang was heavily injured and backfired, his lifespan nearly at its end, yet he was still a monstrous beast nearing ten thousand years.

A dying tiger could still tear apart an ordinary early-stage Supreme.

But Zhou Qing ended this battle in just three hours!

“What methods does this child possess?” Shen Juefeng looked at Zhou Qing with a burning gaze, his eyes filled with awe and unabashed admiration.

Beside him, Shen Lieyang was even more shocked to the core.

This nephew-in-law of his could treat Supremes like mere grass?

If it were him… he would probably be obliterated in an instant!

Moreover, five years ago in the Shen family, Zhou Qing did not have this kind of power.

Otherwise, the Shen family would not have been destroyed, and Han Yi would not have met a tragic end.

Just five years.

Merely five years!

From escaping death in haste to towering over Supremes—the speed of growth is terrifying, sending chills down one’s spine just thinking about it…

Shen Yunzhou looked at Zhou Qing, his gaze filled with reverence.

He still remembered how they first met—at the time, he had just arrived at the Holy Martial Dynasty and was surrounded by cultivators of the same realm due to his generous spending.

At the critical moment, a flying ship came slicing through the clouds.

Back then, Zhou Qing could have taken advantage of the situation, but with just a casual glance, he repelled those minions.

Even after he offered top-grade spirit stones as a token of gratitude, the other party waved them off.

It was this candid nature that made him first feel respect for the stranger.

Who would have thought that the cultivator he met by chance would now become his brother-in-law?

And even more astonishing, he had the fortune to witness how the other party reached the heights he stood at now.

Even the marriage between his elder sister and Zhou Qing was brought about by him.

Looking at the shocked expressions of his father and third uncle, Shen Yunzhou wished he could immediately tell them about his brother-in-law’s Four Flowers Gathering at the Crown.

But remembering his sister’s warning, he could only bite his lip, suppressing the excitement deep within his heart.

…

Thus, three whole days passed, and the meditating Zhou Qing finally opened his eyes.

“Boom—”

A vast, abyss-like aura suddenly erupted, the surrounding spiritual qi madly surged, transforming into visible whirlpools that swirled around him.

The ghastly wounds on his body had long since healed, with a subtle gleam of treasure flowing beneath his skin, his entire aura now deeper than before the battle.

Zhou Qing contentedly stretched his muscles, this life-and-death battle allowing him to reach a new level of mastery over his own power.

Various responses to extreme conditions gave him deeper insights into the use of spiritual power and timing.

“Zhou Qing!”

Shen Juefeng walked over with a hearty laugh, Shen Yunzhou and Shen Lieyang following behind with smiles on their faces.

“Father-in-law, elder uncle.” Zhou Qing respectfully saluted.

“How have you recovered?”

“No major issues.” Zhou Qing pondered slightly, “However… I searched through Liu Xuancang and Liu Hanchuan’s primordial spirits, and they were unaware of grandfather’s whereabouts.”

Shen Juefeng immediately furrowed his brows: “Your previous inference, Yunzhou has already relayed. If Father isn’t in secluded healing somewhere, then he’s likely fallen into someone else’s hands.”

“The worst-case scenario is that he’s been captured. Now that the Liu family’s ancestor knows nothing, the ones responsible are likely the Celestial Phoenix Palace and the Yan family.”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qing’s eyes flashed with a cold light: “Those two families think themselves smart, not even wanting to share a sip of soup with the Liu family.”

“By the way, this—” He suddenly remembered something, slapping his palm on the storage bag.

Immediately, a half-scroll emitting a faint green glow emerged, hovering before them.

The torn edges seemed ripped by some horrifying force, the inscriptions on its surface flickering in and out of sight.

“Strangely,” Zhou Qing frowned, “when I performed a soul search on the Liu family’s ancestor’s primordial spirit, I couldn’t find any related inscription-level divine techniques, only catching an image of this half-scroll in fragmentary memories, and—”

“Can’t open it?” Shen Juefeng interjected.

Zhou Qing nodded slightly, somewhat surprised.

He had secretly used the [Daily Reflection] to appraise it.

But the feedback only indicated that it was an inscription-level divine technique called “Cyan Nether Soul-devouring Curse,” and only the latter part at that, with hardly any other information.

Furthermore, he clearly recalled that when Liu Xuancang fought against the Shen family’s ancestor, he forcibly activated this latter part of the cultivation technique, resulting in severe backlash, from which he’s still not fully recovered.

During the showdown in the [Eternal Sin Fire Mirror], he was wary of the old scoundrel recklessly using this technique again, hence his decisive thunderous strike to subdue him.

When Shen Juefeng received the half-scroll, a trace of astonishment flickered in his eyes.

Just a half-broken cultivation technique, yet Liu Xuancang dared to cultivate it, even reaching minor achievement; such courage and talent indeed demand admiration.

Subsequently, he attempted to probe the scroll with his divine sense, but it was akin to a mud ox entering the sea, unable to uncover any secrets within.

The scroll’s surface was icy, unmoving, as if merely a dead object.

“It’s truly not simple…” Shen Juefeng shook his head with a sigh, handing the fragment to Shen Lieyang and Shen Yunzhou for examination, then turned his attention to Zhou Qing.

“Zhou Qing, are you aware of the classification of cultivation techniques in this world?” Shen Juefeng suddenly inquired.

“I once heard a senior mention it,” Zhou Qing replied contemplatively. “They are divided into four levels: Ordinary, Inscription, Tao Trace, and Law.”

Just like the “Emperor’s Brilliance Scripture,” “Golden Crow Burning Sky Scripture,” and “Thunderstorm Meteor Kill” that he practiced, even including “Demon-Suppressing Golden Bone,” which, although top-notch among ordinary, remained within the mundane.

And such techniques are treasures countless cultivators spend a lifetime unable to reach.

Ninety-nine percent of cultivators in the world spend their entire lives revolving around ordinary techniques.

These were all popularized by his second uncle.

Such as the “Hundred Tribulations Blood Curtain” of the Blood Phoenix Race, which requires gathering three thousand Phoenix Dao Patterns to rival a Tao Trace Level Divine Technique.

Hearing this, Shen Juefeng’s deep eyes flashed with a trace of appreciation: “Indeed, Inscription-level, Tao Trace-level, Law-level, each one of these is a supreme treasure countless cultivators seek their entire lives, yet they can never obtain.”

He suddenly stared at Zhou Qing, with a hint of undeniable amazement in his tone: “For an ordinary cultivator, to obtain an inscription-level divine technique is a tremendous fortune, let alone mastering it to great success. And you…”

Here, his gaze lingered on Zhou Qing’s thin yet straight figure.

This child not only reached the Spirit Severing Realm at a young age but also achieved Fourth-level Array Master with the formation of thirty thousand Spirit Seals in the Array Dao.

Most striking is his ability to simultaneously comprehend two inscription-level divine techniques, a talent simply unheard of.

Zhou Qing, feeling slightly embarrassed under the scrutiny, was about to humbly decline when he noticed Shen Juefeng already turning to Shen Lieyang and Shen Yunzhou, who were studying the fragment.

Taking back the scroll, he suddenly changed the subject: “Do you know why I declined your gift of an inscription-level divine technique a few days ago?”