Qinghe Immortal Clan.

Just as "Lady Yuhua" reacted, Song Qingming also turned around and looked at the distance behind him.

Not long after, an elderly figure appeared at the entrance of the main hall and slowly walked into the group through the magic array.

The newcomer was dressed in a gray robe and long gown, hunched over, and leaning on a thin bamboo stick. His hair and beard were all gray, and a long wooden hairpin held him tightly on his head.

Holding a bamboo stick, he walked with a swaying gait, as if he might fall at any moment.

Beneath his aged face, only his eyes shone brightly, like a sharp sword sweeping across the crowd in the distance.

"Uncle Liang!"

Upon seeing the gray-robed old man suddenly appear, the blue-clad woman and the purple-clad girl standing to the side were immediately surprised and exclaimed in surprise. Then they looked at "Madam Yuhua" with puzzled eyes.

Meanwhile, Lady Yuhua quickly led the two people behind her forward and took the initiative to raise her hand and bow to the gray-robed old man.

"Greetings, Senior Brother Liang and Senior Uncle."

Although the gray-robed old man's cultivation was only at the peak of the sixth level of the Nascent Soul stage, he was not as powerful as the "Lady Yuhua" in front of him.

However, when he bowed to everyone, he did not show any discomfort on his face, which clearly indicated that his seniority in the sect was much higher than that of "Madam Yuhua".

Seeing this, Song Qingming, who was standing to the side, bowed slightly to the old man out of politeness, but did not say anything.

"Senior brother has been cultivating in seclusion on the back mountain all these years. Why do you suddenly have time to come here today? Could it be that you have something important to discuss with your junior sister?"
"If you need anything, just send a message to Yu Hua. There's no need to come in person. Or perhaps I should go to the back mountain to find you later?"

Upon hearing "Madam Yuhua's" polite inquiry, the gray-robed elder waved his hand slightly, then suddenly turned his gaze to Song Qingming beside him and glanced at him.

"This must be Fellow Daoist Song. I heard that you have traveled a long way to visit me today. May I ask what brings you here?"

"Senior Brother Liang, this Fellow Daoist Song came to visit today to ask me some questions. My junior sister has already said that."

Before "Madam Yuhua" could finish speaking, the gray-robed old man standing there tapped his bamboo cane again, interrupting her.

“Junior Sister Yuhua, I was just asking a casual question. Why are you in such a hurry to answer for him? Am I really too old and useless to ask a question here?”
Even if a distinguished guest comes to visit, we, as the hosts, should open the door and treat them well.

"You've kept the gates tightly shut and even set up barriers here. Do you really think you can fool everyone outside?"

"This, Senior Brother Liang, you flatter me. Junior Sister wouldn't dare?"

Seeing that "Lady Yuhua" nodded somewhat helplessly, the gray-robed old man turned back to Song Qingming and asked again:
"I've heard that Fellow Daoist Song has traveled from afar from another cultivation world. Could it be that you've come here today for the sake of Junior Brother Ling's successor?"

"Indeed, Fellow Daoist Liang is right. I have come to see my younger sister, Qingyu!"

"How did you two find out about this, Senior Brother? Did you two gossip?"

Seeing that the gray-robed old man had revealed the purpose of his visit in one sentence, not only was Song Qingming surprised, but even "Madam Yuhua" looked very surprised and immediately turned her gaze to the two people behind her.

The woman in blue and the girl in purple standing to the side looked aggrieved when faced with the questioning gaze of "Madam Yuhua".

Just as "Lady Yuhua" was questioning him with obvious displeasure, the gray-robed old man gently tapped the ground with his bamboo cane and explained:

"Junior Sister Yuhua, don't overthink it. Today's events have nothing to do with the two of them. I got the news from Junior Brother Li of the General Affairs Hall."

Although I have stepped down as peak master in recent years and handed over many affairs of the Purple Sword lineage to my junior sister to manage.

But having been in charge of Purple Sword Peak for many years, even though my eyesight is failing now, I still know a little about what has happened on the mountain.

Junior Sister Yuhua, there are some things I won't say to you outright, and I hope you can be more discerning.

If it weren't for the presence of outsiders, I probably wouldn't be here alone today. Did you expect me to invite my junior brother, the sect leader, as well?

Upon hearing the old man in gray robes' reprimand, "Madam Yuhua's" face immediately turned extremely ugly.

"What do you mean by that, Senior Brother Liang? Does the sect already know about this?"

Upon hearing this, the gray-robed elder sighed again and said, "Junior Sister Yuhua, it is precisely because I trust you that I handed over the position of peak master to you without hesitation."

But some things have to be done step by step. Junior sister, are you really thinking that you can bring glory to Purple Sword Peak by being so hasty?
Although the Purple Sword lineage, now passed down to you and me, is not what it used to be, it shouldn't be like this.

Now that they've come knocking on our door, I hope you'll reconsider your actions, junior sister, and not continue to be so stubbornly deluded.

"Fellow Daoist Liang, I have little interest in your sect's affairs, nor do I wish to inquire about them. I only wish to ask one question: what exactly happened to Qingyu, and where is she now?"

Hearing the conversation between the gray-robed old man and "Madam Yuhua," Song Qingming felt a growing unease and couldn't help but interrupt them, asking a question with a serious expression.

Upon hearing this, the gray-robed elder did not rush to answer, but instead fixed his gaze on "Madam Yuhua's" face.

"Junior sister, even now, are you still unwilling to tell me?"

After a long silence, "Madam Yuhua" finally relented and turned to answer Song Qingming's question.

"Fellow Daoist Song, our sect has a secret method for cultivating the sword heart, which can help Golden Core cultivators form the Nascent Soul. Qingyu is currently cultivating this method in the sect's Sword Tomb."

She is currently at a crucial stage of her secluded cultivation and should not be disturbed easily; that's why I'm not letting you see her.

“Junior Sister Yuhua is right. If Junior Nephew Song can really get through this hurdle, there is a high probability that he will be able to form a Nascent Soul in one fell swoop.”

However, this secret method of training the sword heart in our sect has many flaws. Cultivating this method to form a Nascent Soul also poses great risks to cultivators. In recent years, very few people in the sect have chosen to take this path.

While Junior Sister Yu Hua's actions may help Junior Nephew Song form a Nascent Soul, they may also harm her in the process.

Unfortunately, I was in seclusion a few years ago and was unaware of this matter, so I was unable to stop my junior nephew Song from entering the Sword Tomb in time.

Now that things have come to this point, Fellow Daoist Song, we can no longer hide anything from you." After saying this, the gray-robed elder cupped his hands in a slightly apologetic gesture towards Song Qingming.

"May I ask, fellow Daoist, what are the risks associated with your sect's secret method for cultivating the sword heart? Could you please tell me directly?"

Faced with Song Qingming's questioning, the gray-robed elder paused for a moment before sighing and replying, "Based on some of the handwritten records left by our sect's predecessors when they cultivated this secret technique."

The side effect of practicing this secret method is that it will affect the cultivator's soul, which may cause confusion in some memories, and in severe cases, even make one forget their past.

"But Fellow Daoist Song, rest assured, regardless of the success or failure of training your sword heart, your life should be safe."

"What did you say? You might forget things from the past? Do you think I would forget things too?"

Upon hearing the gray-robed elder's explanation, even though he was somewhat prepared, Song Qingming couldn't help but gasp in surprise, finding it hard to believe the result he was hearing.

If she really lost her memory and forgot everything from before, would she still be Qingyu when they met again?

The thought of Qingyu standing in front of him suddenly becoming a stranger made Song Qingming's anger rise again as he looked at "Madam Yuhua" not far away.

"Fellow Daoist Song, there's no need to look at me like that. It's Qingyu's own choice to cultivate her sword heart; I'm not forcing her to enter the Sword Tomb."

"If you don't believe me, you can ask Qingyu yourself when she emerges from seclusion."

Facing the sharp edge of Song Qingming's eyes, "Lady Yuhua" remained calm, her tone showing no sign of evasion.

Seeing this, the gray-robed old man beside him sighed and said:
"Fellow Daoist Song, now that things have come to this, it is clear that we made some mistakes. If you truly wish to hold a grudge against us for this, then it must be the will of Heaven."

"Fellow Daoist, if you have any further questions, please feel free to ask!"

"Fellow Daoist Liang, I wish to see Qingyu and confirm her condition with my own eyes!"

After a long silence, Song Qingming finally calmed down and spoke his mind.

"Alright! I understand Fellow Daoist Song's feelings. I agree to this."

"Senior Brother Liang, sect rules stipulate that outsiders are not allowed to enter the sect's Sword Tomb. If the sect leader finds out about this, how are we supposed to explain it to the sect?"

Upon hearing "Madam Yuhua's" reminder, the gray-robed old man simply shook his head indifferently.

“Junior Sister Yuhua, I am naturally aware of the sect rules, but in the end, we were the ones who did something wrong. So please allow me to make an exception for Fellow Daoist Song!”
If anything goes wrong and the sect leader investigates, just say that I made the decision without authorization.

"I have long since given up hope on the path of cultivation. Let the sect deal with me as it sees fit, as long as it doesn't implicate Purple Sword Peak."

“This, Senior Brother Liang.”

"Alright, if you still consider me your senior brother, there's no need to say anything more."

Seeing the resolute look in the gray-robed old man's eyes, "Madam Yuhua" swallowed back the words that were on the tip of her tongue and nodded in agreement.
-
North of the "Ten Thousand Swords Mountains".

Located in the heart of the mountains, a bottomless canyon is shrouded in mist, with the occasional cries of wild beasts echoing around.

Located in the shadows below the canyon, countless flying swords are stuck in the ground.

Not only the ground below, but also the surrounding cliffs were filled with flying swords of all sizes. Some of them, illuminated by the sunlight shining through the clouds, emitted bursts of spiritual light.

Located in the very center of the flying sword, a massive flying sword, hundreds of feet tall, stood on the ground like a small mountain that had fallen from the sky.

If you look closely, you will find that there are countless sword-shaped runes on the top of this huge flying sword. In fact, it is composed of countless flying swords of different sizes.

On the ground where the giant sword was located, besides the numerous flying swords, there were also many skeletons of what appeared to be humans or monsters mixed in, which looked rather horrifying.

Not far below the giant sword, a figure sat quietly on the ground below the cliff.

As a gentle breeze swept across the valley floor, the nearby flying swords swayed slightly, flashing countless lights in the canyon. One of the sword lights shone directly onto Song Qingyu's face.

At this moment, she closed her eyes tightly and remained motionless, her breathing barely audible, as if she had become one with the flying swords around her.

Three figures descended from above the canyon.

Gazing at the bottomless abyss below, the gray-robed elder, leaning on a bamboo cane, flicked his hand with his magic and tossed a jade tablet to Song Qingming beside him. "Fellow Daoist Song, the Sword Tomb lies below!"

"Fellow Daoist, by holding my jade token, you can directly pass through the protective array below."

"The Sword Tomb is the place where our sect's ancestors refined their natal flying swords after their passing. If someone who does not understand sword intent were to go down there rashly, even a Nascent Soul cultivator might be injured by the sword intent below."

I urge you, fellow Daoist, to be careful and not disturb those ancestral sword spirits.

"Fellow Daoist, rest assured, I understand!"

After giving his approval, Song Qingming immediately cast a spell on the token in his hand, which then transformed into a beam of light and shot into the canyon below.

Seeing that Song Qingming's figure had disappeared into the clouds below, "Lady Yuhua" standing above turned around and softly asked the gray-robed old man beside her:

"Senior Brother Liang, how did you find out about this? Did Zi Meng let you know?"

Faced with the question from "Madam Yuhua", the old man in gray robes smiled slightly and directly changed the subject.

“Junior Sister Yuhua, I know you are determined to revitalize Zijian Peak, but you have indeed gone a bit too far in this matter.”

So many years have passed, can't you still see that Junior Nephew Song has no desire to stay in this sect?

Even if this training of her sword heart truly helps her achieve the Nascent Soul stage, she still won't choose to stay on Purple Sword Peak. Why must my junior sister be so persistent?

"Hmph! Senior brother, that's not necessarily true!"

"Junior Sister Yuhua, I know what you're thinking, but I still have to give you some advice."

"This Fellow Daoist Song, with his mid-Nascent Soul cultivation, was able to withstand your Nine Star Sword Formation. Do you, Junior Sister, really think he's as simple as you see him?"

I estimate this person to be at most four or five hundred years old, with at least a thousand years of lifespan ahead of him. Perhaps he will even surpass us in his future cultivation.

If this young man can truly advance to the late Nascent Soul stage one day, he will probably become another extraordinary person like Junior Brother Ling. Even if Junior Sister doesn't want to befriend him, why does she need to make such a powerful opponent for herself?

"I, your senior brother, am nearing the end of my lifespan. This is all I can do to help you. From now on, Purple Sword Peak will still depend on you."

"Oh! Senior brother, aren't you going a bit too far?"

Song Qingming was able to withstand my Nine Star Sword Formation only because he had many puppets and magic treasures on him; he doesn't necessarily have much real skill.

Back then, Senior Brother Ling had already advanced to the late Nascent Soul stage at just over three hundred years old, making him the most promising person to reach the Divine Transformation stage in the sect's five thousand years of history.

What qualifications does he have to compare with a genius like Senior Brother Ling?

Unfortunately, Senior Brother Ling has been missing for so many years, and there has been no news of him whatsoever.

Otherwise, our Purple Sword Peak would have long ago been able to lead the sect and dominate the cultivation world of the Northern Mountains, instead of falling into such a state within the sect.”

When she mentioned Senior Brother Ling's "Lady Yuhua," her face clearly showed a hint of arrogance and resentment.

The gray-robed old man standing to the side sighed helplessly and shook his head slightly upon seeing this scene.
-
Below the canyon, a beam of azure light pierced through the clouds floating in the valley and fell directly from mid-air.

As soon as he landed on the ground, Song Qingming lifted his leg and realized that there was a broken sword under his feet. He quickly bent down and helped it up with a look of shame on his face.

"I'm new here, please forgive me, fellow Daoist!"

After scanning his surroundings, Song Qingming quickly spotted the giant sword, over a hundred feet tall, in the center of the canyon.

In order to avoid stepping on the flying swords stuck in the ground around him, Song Qingming used magic to float in mid-air and slowly approached.

They had only walked a dozen or so feet forward when a gentle breeze suddenly swept across the ground, and the flying swords around them began to sway slightly.

Seeing the sword light constantly reflecting into his eyes, Song Qingming suddenly felt a sense of unease and quickly stopped moving forward.

The next moment, under Song Qingming's spell, his natal magic weapon, the "Five Elements Divine Light Mirror," appeared beside him.

After using his magic weapon to block the reflected sword light, Song Qingming felt a little better and breathed a sigh of relief.

The sword intent accumulated here over ten thousand years is indeed quite dangerous. Ordinary cultivators or demonic beasts below the Golden Core stage would probably be injured by the sword intent within a quarter of an hour.

No wonder the Heavenly Sword Pavilion didn't assign anyone to guard such an important forbidden area of ​​the sect.

After releasing his magical artifact to protect himself, Song Qingming cast a spell to continue forward, quickly bypassing the surrounding flying swords and arriving at the center of the canyon.

Looking up at the hundred-zhang "Sword Mountain" in front of him, Song Qingming felt an inexplicable pressure once again, and couldn't help but frown slightly.

"This place actually has so many high-level natal flying swords. The Heavenly Sword Pavilion truly lives up to its reputation as a sect that has been passed down for tens of thousands of years."

After letting out a soft sigh, Song Qingming began searching the area below "Sword Mountain".

All that met the eye, besides flying swords and stones, were the skeletons of some long-dead demonic beasts.

I looked around, but didn't see a single person.

Seeing this, Song Qingming quickly cast a spell to move forward to the back of "Sword Mountain", but suddenly felt several sharp sword lights rushing towards him from not far away.

"Strange, how can there still be survivors!"

Upon noticing the approaching sword light, Song Qingming's face immediately showed surprise, and he quickly cast a spell to the side to block it.

Because he had released his natal magic weapon early on, these sword lights did not pose much of a threat to Song Qingming, who was hiding in the "Five Elements Divine Light Mirror," and were easily intercepted by him.

At this moment, he also noticed a figure in the darkness of the cliff ahead.

"who!"

As a light appeared in the distance, the two men stared at each other in shock.

"Seventh Brother, Qingyu!"

"How could it be you!"

Being in the Sword Tomb of the "Heavenly Sword Pavilion" when Song Qingming suddenly appeared without warning, Song Qingyu was naturally extremely surprised and even thought she was hallucinating.

The reason Song Qingming was so surprised was because he had heard the two women, "Lady Yuhua" and "Madam Yuhua," describe Song Qingyu's seclusion as extremely dangerous.

He never expected that Song Qingyu, who was hiding in seclusion at the bottom of the canyon, would suddenly appear in front of him as if nothing had happened and even cast a spell to try to ambush him.

Feeling that the "Azure Rhinoceros Jade Pendant" on his chest did not react at all, Song Qingming was naturally convinced that the Song Qingyu in front of him was not an illusion, and he immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

"No matter what, it's good that she's alright."

Not far away, Song Qingyu seemed to have also confirmed the person in front of her, and took the initiative to cast a spell to move closer to Song Qingming.

"Seventh Brother, am I dreaming again? How did you get here?"

"Silly girl, it's the real deal this time!"

Just like back then, Song Qingming gently tapped Song Qingyu's forehead before smiling and falling down from mid-air with her.

After landing, the two found a slightly more open spot on the cliff and sat down.

Song Qingming glanced at Song Qingyu before continuing:

"You came to Xihuazhou back then, and decades have passed since then. You haven't sent back a single message. I'm not here to look for you!"

"Hehe! Seventh Brother, please don't be offended."

It's just too far away. I can't send you messages from here. Several times, the letters I sent either disappeared without a trace or were returned.

I was planning to head back after a while, but I didn't expect you to arrive here first, Seventh Brother.

Sitting on the ground, Song Qingyu nodded slightly with a hint of helplessness in the face of Song Qingming's reproach.

During her years in Xihuazhou, Song Qingyu initially tried writing letters back home.

As a result, for various reasons, she never received a reply to the letters she sent out, and gradually lost the desire to contact her family.

Later, Song Qingyu learned from some disciples of the "Heavenly Sword Pavilion" that the teleportation array between Xihua Continent and "Eastern Phoenix Immortal Continent" had malfunctioned, causing the two major cultivation worlds to suddenly lose contact.

This made it even more impossible to contact them.

She had originally planned to return to Donghuang Immortal Continent after the intercontinental teleportation array of Xuanqing Temple was repaired, but she never expected that she would have to wait until now.

".."

After a long separation, Song Qingming listened patiently as Song Qingyu recounted her experiences after arriving in "Xihua Immortal Continent," occasionally nodding and smiling slightly.

After a long while, until Song Qingyu finished speaking, he finally asked:

"By the way, Qingyu, didn't they say you were in seclusion here training your sword heart? What's going on? Have you already finished your seclusion?"

"Well, Seventh Brother, actually, my seclusion isn't over yet, and I'll probably have to stay here for a while!"

When Song Qingming asked her a question, Song Qingyu pondered for a moment, then suddenly shook her head, her face full of a helpless expression.

What? It's not over yet!

Qingyu, what exactly happened? Did they really force you to come down? (End of Chapter)