Qinghe Immortal Clan.

Chapter 1017 The Heavenly Decree Appears, Returning to Mount Funiu (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
Upon hearing the words "Tongtian Order" mentioned by the other party, Song Qingming was slightly taken aback at first, but quickly returned to normal and did not intend to pay any attention to the other party.

Seeing that he and Song Qingming and the others in front of him had no luck in asking for help, and that the pursuers behind them had already surrounded them, the gray-robed man gritted his teeth and suddenly took out a black iron plate from his body.

The next moment, to everyone's surprise, he threw the iron plaque in his hand directly to Song Qingming, who was standing in front of him.

"Fellow Daoist, our meeting is fate. I will bestow the Heavenly Token upon you. Please do not let this item fall into their hands."

The gray-robed man deliberately shouted, and before Song Qingming and the others could respond, he turned and fled into the distance.

Those who witnessed this scene from behind were slightly surprised. After a few people went to chase after the fleeing man in gray, the others immediately surrounded Song Qingming and his two companions.

The leader, a short, stout old man carrying a large sword, had reached the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage, while the other three were all at least at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.

The short, stout old man glanced cautiously at Song Qingming and the others before mistaking them for ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators passing by. He immediately spoke with a fierce tone:

"Fellow Daoists, we are cultivators of the Fire Sword Sect. That brat just stole an important item from our sect, which has nothing to do with you."

Let me give you all a piece of advice: this is not something you rogue cultivators are qualified to possess. As long as you honestly hand it over, we'll pretend we've never seen it.

Otherwise, don't blame our sect for being impolite!

"Hmph! It's been a long time since you've returned. I didn't expect the Fire Sword Sect to be so arrogant. I'd like to hear what kind of impolite method you intend to use."

Seeing that the other party immediately launched into a barrage of verbal threats, Song Qingyu, who was standing on the flying boat to the side, immediately showed some displeasure and retorted directly to what the other party had said.

"Oh, you have quite the audacity to oppose our Fire Sword Sect in Changping Kingdom. Are you perhaps in league with him?"

"Even if you're in cahoots, what can you do?!"

"Hehe! Fellow Daoists, you've misunderstood. We're not acquainted with that person; we just happened to be passing by."

This item was left behind by that fellow Daoist. Since it belongs to your esteemed sect, it should naturally be returned to its rightful owner.

Seeing that Song Qingyu was about to turn against the other party, Song Qingming quickly reached out to stop her and took out the "black iron plate" that the gray-clothed man had just thrown to him, and threw it directly to the short, fat old man in front of him.

"Haha! This fellow Daoist is quite sensible. When traveling, why create trouble for yourself?"

Seeing that Song Qingming seemed afraid to provoke them and had already handed over the items, a hint of joy appeared on the short, fat old man's face, and he hurriedly accepted the "black iron plate" that the other party threw at him.

The next moment, just as Song Qingming was about to control the flying boat to leave the spot, the short, fat old man who had already obtained the iron token suddenly changed his expression and flashed forward to block them.

"Please wait a moment, everyone. This item is not the one that our sect lost. Please return it before you leave."

“Fellow Daoist, what that person just threw to me was indeed this item. As for whether it is what you are looking for, I do not know.”

"Now that this item has been returned, it would be inappropriate for you to block our path again, fellow Daoist. Does your Fire Sword Sect intend to forcibly seize this spiritual treasure?"

Faced with the other party's continued obstruction, Song Qingming's calm expression changed slightly, and he put away the friendly smile that had been on his face.

"Hehe! That's not necessary. However, our sect has not yet found this item. Fellow Daoists, you cannot leave now. We must wait until we find it!"
"Don't worry, everyone. We're only here to retrieve our sect's sacred artifact. Once it's found, you may leave."

"Oh! What if we really have to leave?"

"Haha, to tell you the truth, we have already notified Ancestor Xuanhao of our sect. He will arrive here in no more than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn."

I advise you all not to do anything foolish. Just stay here and wait for us to find the item.

Otherwise, once the Ancestor arrives, it will be difficult for you all to explain this matter later.”

Seeing that Song Qingming and the other two were getting impatient, the short, fat old man showed no concern whatsoever and directly brought up his own Golden Core Ancestor.

The other Foundation Establishment cultivators standing beside him also had expressions of disbelief.
Just as these Fire Sword Sect cultivators thought that the other party would be too scared to move upon hearing their ancestor's name, a sword light suddenly appeared in Song Qingming's hand.

Before the short, stout old man in the lead could react, the sword light had already passed right by him.

The next moment, before the man could even let out a scream, his body was split in two by the sword light.

The short, stout old man, whose body had already fallen halfway through the air, stared wide-eyed at Song Qingming, who was coldly watching him from afar, his eyes wide with terror.

Although he was filled with regret, he could no longer control his body and could only look at the air with resentment.

Seeing that Song Qingming had easily killed the short, fat old man in front of him with a single sword strike, the other Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Fire Sword Sect standing not far away were also filled with disbelief.

It should be noted that the short, stout old man's cultivation had already reached the peak of Foundation Establishment decades ago, and he had twice broken through to the Golden Core realm, making him the strongest person in the "Fire Sword Sect" besides the two Golden Core ancestors.

Yet this Foundation Establishment Peak expert couldn't even withstand a single move from Song Qingming before he perished right before their eyes.

It was clear that the person before them was far more powerful than they had imagined.

"Ah! He, he's a Golden Core cultivator!"

".."

The three members of the "Fire Sword Sect" who had just realized what was happening chose to flee the scene at almost the same moment, and each fled in a different direction.

But at that very moment, three streaks of azure sword light were rapidly closing in from behind.

"what."

In just a short while, several screams were heard, and several more corpses fell from mid-air.

"Qingyu, you handle things here, I'm going over there!"

After giving a few words of advice to Song Qingyu, who had retrieved the "Mysterious Dark Golden Light Sword" beside him, Song Qingming's feet flashed and he left the flying boat, heading straight for the group of people who were chasing the gray-clothed man in the distance.

A short while later, the gray-clad man, who was still desperately fleeing in the distance, heard two screams behind him. When he turned around to check the situation, a somewhat familiar figure was already standing in front of him.

Meanwhile, the men chasing him had already fallen from mid-air and were completely lifeless.

Realizing the extraordinary strength of the person before him, the gray-clad man quickly stopped and knelt down in a panic.

"Junior, junior, thank you so much for saving my life, senior!"

Looking at the gray-robed man in front of him, who was trembling with fear, Song Qingming scanned the man with his divine sense again before slowly asking:

"They just said you stole something called the Heavenly Decree. Do you have it on you?"

"This, senior, you've been wronged! I didn't steal their Heavenly Token at all. These are just excuses used by the Fire Sword Sect to try and steal the spiritual items from me."

I was originally a rogue cultivator. The other day, I went to Black Wind Market with my companions to purchase spiritual items, but we were unexpectedly targeted by the Fire Sword Sect.

They not only killed my companions, but also wanted to take my life, which is why they fabricated lies to deceive their senior.

"Senior, please don't trust them."

Hearing the other party hurriedly explain the ins and outs of the matter, Song Qingming remained calm throughout. After a while, he waved his hand to interrupt the other party.

"Next, I will ask you questions and you will answer them. If your answers satisfy me, you can live, and you might even get some benefits."

If your answer doesn't satisfy me, then you can only blame yourself for being too smart!

"this,.."

Seeing that Song Qingming's gaze suddenly turned somewhat cold, the gray-clad man stood there for a moment, pondered, and then quickly nodded to him.

Seeing this, Song Qingming nodded with satisfaction, and then asked the first question that had been on his mind: "What is this Tongtian Token you mentioned, and how do you know about it?"

The "Tongtian Token" is a token used to enter the second level of the "Tongtian Pavilion" when the "Tongtian Tower" secret realm is opened. It is mostly kept by major sects and Nascent Soul cultivators of the demon race, and few people outside know about it.

Song Qingming only learned about the function of the "Tongtian Token" when he saw Huo Feng use it when he followed her into the last floor of the "Tower of Babel".

When Song Qingming first heard the words "Tongtian Order" from the gray-clad man, he thought he had misheard.

It wasn't until the people from the "Fire Sword Sect" became aggressive and determined to obtain the spiritual item that Song Qingming realized something was wrong and wanted to find out more.

Upon hearing Song Qingming mention the words "Tongtian Order," the gray-robed man's expression changed, but before he could explain, Song Qingming's sharp gaze pierced him again.

In the end, the man in gray swallowed the words he had prepared and adopted an honest attitude.

"Senior, to be honest, I had never heard of this Tongtian Token before. It suddenly appeared in our Fuyun Mountain Range a few years ago."

It is said that this object is an opportunity that fell from the sky, and it was made by immortals from the upper realm. It contains a secret immortal technique that can enable cultivators to attain enlightenment and ascend to immortality.

Some say it's some kind of high-level spiritual treasure or magic weapon, but these younger people only know what they've heard and don't really understand.

However, since the appearance of the Heavenly Decree, various sects have sent cultivators to search for and compete for it, and in recent years, many countries have fought over it.

In fact, it wasn't just the younger generation who knew about this; the news of the emergence of the Heavenly Decree had already spread throughout the entire cultivation world of the Floating Cloud Mountain Range.

In recent years, many people have even ventured into the Illusionary Sea Desert specifically to search for this item.

After the man in gray finished speaking, he secretly glanced at Song Qingming, only to meet Song Qingming's scrutinizing gaze. He quickly lowered his head again.

Fortunately, after a moment of contemplation, Song Qingming did not make any move and quickly asked his second question.

"Where did you find the Heavenly Token on your person? Is it still on you?" "Ah, this junior does not have such a token on him. It's all a misunderstanding by the Fire Sword Sect. If senior doesn't believe me, you are welcome to check this junior's storage bag."

After taking out his "storage bag," the man in gray hurriedly opened it in front of Song Qingming and poured out a bunch of things inside.

Inside his "storage bag," besides some miscellaneous low-level spiritual items, there were only a dozen or so mid-grade spirit stones; there was nothing like the "Heavenly Token."

Seeing this, Song Qingming smiled slightly and spoke to him again:

"As you just saw, all the Fire Sword Sect cultivators who were chasing us have died here, and their Golden Core cultivators will arrive in no more than half an incense stick's time."

With your limited skills, you probably won't get very far in this vast Gobi Desert before they catch up with you.

At that point, no matter how eloquent you are, you probably won't be able to persuade the other party to spare your life.

Even if I don't kill you, do you think you can escape the Fire Sword Sect's pursuit?

"This..." Upon hearing Song Qingming's reminder, the gray-robed man's face immediately showed a hint of fear. After hesitating for a moment, he hurriedly knelt down again.

"Senior, if I take out the Heavenly Decree, can you save my life?"

Now that things have come to this, I dare not ask for any other reward; I only ask that you, senior, grant me a way to survive!

"If you can offer me something that can move me, then these things are worth discussing."

How exactly to do it depends on your own ideas.

But you can rest assured, if I don't care about your life, even if you don't want to talk, I have plenty of ways to find what I want.

Next, if you can cooperate and give me the answer I want, then I can save some effort and won't have to make things difficult for you.

"This junior will follow your instructions, senior."

".."

Half an incense stick later, a yellow beam of light flew rapidly from the northeast and soon landed in the air above the battlefield.

After the yellow light dissipated, an old man in a yellow robe with a long beard appeared in mid-air. Not far behind him was a handsome young man in a white robe.

Upon seeing a lone white talisman hovering in mid-air in the middle of the battlefield, surrounded by numerous traces of battle, the white-clad man standing at the back immediately changed his expression.

"Strange, what happened to Senior Brother Liu and the others? Why have they suddenly disappeared without a trace? We can't even contact them with the communication talisman?"

Just as the white-robed man's face was full of doubt, the old man in the yellow robe standing in front looked at the battlefield below, his face showing a very solemn expression.

"Oh no, they must have encountered someone and perished here!"

“Ancestor, are you saying that Senior Brother Liu and the others have all perished? How is that possible?”

Could it be that a Golden Core cultivator has intervened? But I haven't heard of any Golden Core seniors in the vicinity recently. Who could have made this move? Could it be the Golden Crane Sect again?

Upon hearing what the old man in the yellow robe said, the man in white asked again, his face full of doubt.

The old man shook his head slightly, his expression somewhat unpleasant, and replied:
"To be able to kill Yuheng and the others silently without even letting out a single message, this person is probably stronger than me, and is likely a late-stage Golden Core expert."

"Old Ghost Yu of the Golden Crane Sect doesn't possess such power; the person who made the move must have come from outside."

“A Golden Core cultivator from elsewhere, could he be from the Illusionary Sea Desert? Ancestor, should we inform our Sect Master Uncle to come and help?”

"Forget it! Even if we find such a master, what can we do? They can only blame their own bad luck."

"I finally managed to find out about the Heavenly Decree, but I missed it all. It's such a pity."

The old man in the yellow robe shook his head with a somewhat helpless expression, then waved his hand to put away the communication talisman in mid-air.

"After you return, inform all the disciples who know the truth that no one in the sect is allowed to mention this matter again. Anyone who violates this rule will be punished according to the sect rules."

After giving an order, the old man in the yellow robe flicked his sleeve and cast another spell, releasing a burst of yellow light that then swept up the white-robed man beside him and disappeared from the spot.

A moment later, a gentle breeze swept across the battlefield, and tranquility returned.
-
At this moment, hundreds of miles away in mid-air, Song Qingming had a "black iron plate" in his hand and was looking at it with a strange gaze.

The last time the Tower of Babel was opened was 260 years ago. Unexpectedly, before the secret realm even opened this time, the Order of Babel fell from the sky again.

Moreover, according to the information previously obtained from the gray-clad man, the news of the "Heavenly Decree" descending to earth has already spread throughout the Floating Cloud Mountains, indicating that the number of tokens appearing this time is probably quite large.

Otherwise, the "Heavenly Token" in his possession would not have fallen into the hands of a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Holding the "Heavenly Token" in his hand, Song Qingming couldn't help but think to himself that with so many tokens suddenly appearing, the situation would probably be even more complicated than before when the secret realm opened next time.

After the flying boat traveled for another half an hour, seeing that it had already passed through the territory of "Changping Kingdom", Song Qingming put away the token in his hand and turned around to the side of the flying boat.

The gray-clad man, who was still somewhat apprehensive, saw Song Qingming walking towards him and quickly stepped forward, carefully cupping his hands in greeting.

"Junior Song Cheng greets Senior!"

After nodding to Song Cheng in front of him, Song Qingming immediately said, "We have already left Changping Kingdom, and the people from the Fire Sword Sect will definitely not be able to find this place for a while."

If you wish to leave now, simply swear an oath never to mention your encounter with us to anyone again.

Upon seeing the black scroll that Song Qingming had taken out, Song Cheng's eyes widened slightly, and he immediately knelt down on the ground: "Senior, I have now offended the Fire Sword Sect, and I will definitely not be able to go back in the future."

"I wonder if you, senior, are still short of followers? This junior is willing to become your disciple and follow you in your cultivation. I hope you will accept me!"

"I have no plans to take on any apprentices at the moment, so I'm afraid I can't grant your wish."

However, if you're willing, I can find you a more stable place to cultivate. As long as you behave yourself, it should be better than your life as a rogue cultivator.

If you agree, I'll give you a ride back along the way; if you don't, I'll drop you off up ahead.

You can take your time to think about this, and get back to me in a little while.

"This junior is willing, and thanks you greatly for your kindness, senior!"

Song Qingming, who made the choice, thought that Song Cheng, as a rogue cultivator, would not easily agree because he was used to freedom. Unexpectedly, the other party agreed without much thought.

Seeing this, Song Qingming nodded slightly and ignored him, accelerating his flying boat towards the east.

Song Cheng, who was kneeling in one corner of the flying boat, felt a slight tremor in his heart and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

After passing through several western countries, the airship soon arrived at Taiyue Lake, located in the middle of the "Floating Clouds Mountain Range".

As they drew ever closer to the familiar scenery, Song Qingming and Song Qingyu, who were standing beside him, showed a hint of joy on their faces.

".."

After several days of arduous travel, Song Qingming and his companions finally crossed the vast Taiyue Lake and returned to the Wei Kingdom's territory on its eastern shore.

The group did not linger and continued their journey northeastward, soon passing through several counties and entering Qinghe County, a place they had longed to visit.

Sixty years have passed since Song Qingyu left his hometown to travel. Looking at the scenery that has not changed much, Song Qingyu, standing on the flying boat, was filled with memories.

Before long, the white light beneath their feet crossed several high mountains and stopped in front of a mountain peak that seemed to exude an ethereal aura.

"After all these years, I'm finally back!"

After shouting out a sentence, Song Qingyu, who could no longer contain herself, immediately stepped forward and leaped out of the flying boat. Then, with a flick of her magic power, she cast a magic seal towards the location of the "mountain protection formation" in front of her.

To Song Qingming's surprise, her magic seal landed on the "mountain-protecting formation" in front of her, but it only caused a slight ripple and failed to open the "mountain-protecting formation" in front of her.

"this."

Seeing this scene from the rear, Song Qingming smiled slightly and was about to fly forward to explain when he heard an angry voice coming from the formation in front of him.

"Who are you, daring to provoke the Song family's protective mountain formation!"

The next moment, a golden beam of light flew out from the great formation and stood in front of Song Qingyu.

This man, dressed in a golden Taoist robe and wearing a jade crown, was none other than Song Linrui, who had recently succeeded in forming his core.

Seeing that someone had inexplicably triggered his "mountain-protecting formation," Song Linrui was about to question the person in front of him, but when he saw the person's appearance clearly, he was immediately stunned with surprise.

"You are, Ancestor Qingyu?"

"Hehe! I didn't expect that after so many years, you little guy have also successfully formed your core. You can even recognize your old ancestor at a glance. It seems that I did not spoil you for nothing back then."

"Linrui dares not! I hope my great-aunt will forgive me for offending the ancestor just now!"

Just as Song Linrui bowed to Song Qingyu, he saw Song Qingming and the others from the white bone boat approaching. This made him, who had just stood up, quickly bow again.

"Lin Rui greets the two venerable ancestors!"

Just as Song Linrui bowed again, a cry rang out from the top of Funiu Mountain, followed by a huge figure flying towards their location from behind the mountain.

(End of this chapter)