Qinghe Immortal Clan.

The person who spoke was also a Golden Core elder of the Heavenly Pole Sect, named Li Hongxuan.

Seeing her fellow disciple Zhou Yuquan looking ashamed and unable to answer Song Yuanhao's words, she couldn't bear it and stepped forward to help explain.

Seeing this, Song Yuanhao wanted to continue speaking, but Chen Xuanxin, who was sitting at the head of the table, stopped him in time.

"Alright, now that this has happened, we don't need to argue about it too much. We should try our best to find out the truth and make amends, otherwise we may not be able to give our senior uncle an explanation."

Junior Brother Luo, now that you've done your investigation, you should write down the details of this matter clearly, and we'll present it to Uncle Song together later.

As for the enforcement team, Junior Brother Zhao and Fellow Daoist Li will temporarily take over the investigation, and no one else is allowed to interfere.

"Since Mount Chiyun is jointly under the jurisdiction of our two families, everyone must work together to better protect the market."

“Brother Chen is absolutely right. We are all here to manage the market properly. How can we fight each other over such a trivial matter and make ourselves a laughing stock for outsiders?”

".."

Seeing that everyone present nodded in agreement, Song Yuanhao, who was sitting to the side, thought for a moment but did not say anything more. He also cupped his hands in response.

After everyone left the "meeting hall," Zhou Yuquan quickly went to the residence of Li Hongxuan, who had just been appointed to investigate the matter.

As soon as the two met, Zhou Yuquan immediately took out a jade box from his person and placed it on the table.

"Junior brother, just say what you have to say. You can't do this."

Seeing Zhou Yuquan come to find her at this time, Li Hongxuan naturally knew why he had come. She quickly waved her hand and pushed the jade box back.

"Senior Sister Li, this is a level three fire-attribute spiritual herb that I found a few years ago. As you know, I don't have much use for it, so I can only give it away."

It was indeed my oversight regarding the Fengrui Pavilion matter, and I hope that Senior Sister can show leniency out of consideration for our shared sect.

Once things are settled at the market, I will return to the sect and personally explain the matter to my senior master. I won't let my senior sister be put in a difficult position.

"Sigh! Don't worry, junior brother. Although this matter is a bit ugly, it's not a big deal."

Besides, you did risk your life and were injured at Chiyun Mountain back then; how could Senior Song completely disregard that contribution?"

Seeing that Zhou Yuquan seemed worried, Li Hongxuan immediately reassured him, while her gaze inadvertently glanced at the jade box again.

".."

At the mountaintop, Song Qingming had been engrossed in refining the "Golden Relic" since returning to seclusion, and he didn't even pay much attention to the letters from Chen Xuanxin and the others requesting an audience.

More than half a month passed like this, until Bai Yuxian, dressed in white, suddenly appeared in the market town at the foot of the mountain. Upon hearing the news, Song Qingming came out of seclusion and came to the foot of the mountain to greet her.

“Junior Brother Song, you’ve been gone for decades without a word, which really worried Senior Brother Li and me. Fortunately, thanks to the protection of our ancestors, you have finally returned safely.”

"Hehe! Originally, I wanted to wait until I had dealt with things on the mountain before returning to the sect in person, but I didn't expect to disturb my senior sister by coming here herself."

I had originally planned to return in ten or twenty years, but unexpected changes occurred along the way, which is why I returned a little later than expected.

I feel truly ashamed for causing Senior Sister Bai and Senior Brother Li so much worry; I hope Senior Sister won't take offense.

"Junior brother, don't overthink it. I actually just came out of seclusion not long ago. I just heard that Junior Brother Song is back, so I thought I'd drop by and have a cup of spiritual tea to catch up."

"Of course, Senior Sister, please come up the mountain!"

Thirty years had passed since the two last met, and Bai Yuxian's cultivation level had not changed much; like Song Qingming, she remained at the fourth level of the Nascent Soul realm.

It is evident that even for a cultivator with a Heavenly Spiritual Root like her, reaching the mid-Nascent Soul stage is not an easy task when it comes to advancing further on the path of cultivation.

Led by Song Qingming, the two soon arrived at the cave. Huang Siyuan had already prepared a pot of fragrant "spiritual tea" and presented it to them.

"Senior Sister Bai, this tea is from Xihua Continent. Please try it and see how it tastes."

Upon hearing that Song Qingming's spiritual tea came from "Xihua Continent," Bai Yuxian immediately thought of something and, after picking up the tea, quickly asked in a soft voice:

"So Junior Brother went to Xihua Continent, which is why he was delayed for so long. Could it be that Qingyu has already returned?"

Seeing that Bai Yuxian had guessed what he was thinking with just one sentence, Song Qingming, who had no intention of hiding it from her, immediately nodded to Bai Yuxian.

"Qingyu came back with me and is currently at the foot of the mountain. She has already successfully formed her Nascent Soul outside."

"What? Junior brother, are you saying Qingyu has already formed her Nascent Soul?"

Just as Bai Yuxian brought the spiritual tea to her lips and took a sip, she suddenly heard Song Qingming mention that Song Qingyu had already formed her Nascent Soul. Somewhat surprised, she immediately put down the teacup in her hand.

Bai Yuxian had learned some of the details of Song Qingyu's departure from the "Floating Cloud Mountains" to travel to Xihua Continent over the years.

Although she could guess that the other party had returned, Bai Yuxian still showed a look of surprise when she heard the news that Song Qingyu had already formed his Nascent Soul.

Only after Song Qingming nodded seriously and briefly recounted Song Qingyu's experiences over the years did the last trace of doubt on Bai Yuxian's face gradually disappear, turning into a look of excitement.

"I never expected that Qingyu would also find such a great opportunity to break through to the Nascent Soul realm. It seems that we really underestimated her back then."

"If we had known she possessed such talent, we should have considered helping her achieve Nascent Soul stage from the beginning."

Upon hearing what Bai Yuxian said, Song Qingming, who was sitting to the side, quickly shook his head and said, "Personal opportunities are not something we can decide with just a few words. Senior Sister Bai, don't think too much about it."

"If we had forced Qingyu to stay back then, she might have missed this opportunity and might not have achieved what she has today."

"Yes! Junior Brother Song is right. Back then, I didn't expect you to have such an opportunity when you returned from the outer sea after forming your Nascent Soul."

"Qingyu's successful formation of her Nascent Soul today shows that you and your brother are both people with great fortune. It seems that I, as your senior sister, will also have to share in your good fortune from now on."

Having once walked the path to Nascent Soul, Bai Yuxian naturally understood the difficulties involved.

If Song Qingyu's Foundation Establishment and Core Formation were somewhat aided by her elder brother Song Qingming, then her Nascent Soul Formation is something that Song Qingming could not simply help with; it must be due to her own good fortune and opportunities.

Back then, the Song family of "Funiu Mountain" was just an insignificant little Qi Refining family in "Qinghe County" hundreds of years ago.

Who would have thought that the Song family, such a small Qi Refining family, could produce two individuals with profound opportunities, Song Qingming and Song Qingyu?

Even Bai Yuxian, a cultivator with a rare Heavenly Spiritual Root who was one in ten thousand in the cultivation world, was initially incredulous when he heard the news.

He couldn't help but marvel at the incredible opportunities that Song Qingming and his sister had encountered; they were simply too extraordinary.

Despite her envy, Bai Yuxian was also very happy to hear that Song Qingyu had successfully formed her Nascent Soul.

He hurriedly sent a message to Song Qingming, inviting Song Qingyu up from the market town at the foot of the mountain, wanting to congratulate her in person.

Song Qingming naturally did not refuse and immediately arranged for Huang Siyuan to go down the mountain in person.

After Huang Siyuan left, Song Qingming poured Bai Yuxian a cup of spiritual tea and continued to inquire about the events that had occurred in the cultivation world of the "Floating Cloud Mountains" over the years.

Back in Funiu Mountain, Song Qingming had also asked Song Yuanfang and the others, but their cultivation was limited, so they could only know about things around Wei State.

Further afield, regarding events occurring in other countries' sects, their knowledge is extremely limited, and much of it is unverifiable, consisting only of rumors.

Now that Bai Yuxian has personally come to "Red Cloud Mountain", Song Qingming naturally wants to know as soon as possible what changes have taken place in the cultivation world of "Floating Cloud Mountain Range" during the years he has been away.

Upon hearing this, Bai Yuxian seemed to have been prepared for it and immediately explained to Song Qingming some of the things that had happened in the "Floating Cloud Mountains" over the years.

Since Song Qingming and Huang Siyuan left to travel, the surrounding areas of the cultivation world in Weiguo have been relatively peaceful for the past thirty years, and no major events have occurred.

However, other places are not as stable.

In the cultivation world of Yue Kingdom, located to the west of Wei Kingdom, the strength of the "Nine Yuan Sect" has been greatly diminished since the death of its Supreme Elder Wu Jiuyuan at the hands of demonic cultivators.

Although the Nine Yuan Sect was not invaded by other sects in the surrounding area due to the joint guarantee of many Nascent Soul sects in the Floating Cloud Mountains, internal strife soon broke out within the sect.

Less than twenty years after the death of Wu Jiuyuan, the Supreme Elder of the sect, Yue Wuji, another sect leader in charge of affairs of the "Nine Yuan Sect," also passed away in his cave after his lifespan ended.

The "Nine Yuan Sect" is now divided into two factions. One faction is led by the current sect leader, Ma Qiudie, and consists of the descendants of many disciples who followed Wu Jiuyuan in establishing the sect.

On the other side were several Golden Core forces that had been forced to merge into the Nine Yuan Sect due to its dominance.

After Ma Qiudie succeeded to the position of sect leader, these people quickly turned against her, directly leading their people away from the sect's Lingshan and gathering in the eastern part of Yue Kingdom to form their own force.

In addition, the northern demon race has been stirring up trouble in recent years, constantly raiding and occupying a lot of territory. Now the entire cultivation world of Yue Kingdom is in chaos.

According to Bai Yuxian and others' speculations, the "Nine Yuan Sect" under Ma Qiudie's control is already facing internal and external difficulties. Let alone the possibility of cultivating new Nascent Soul cultivators within a hundred years, it's likely that the entire "Nine Yuan Sect" will completely disappear from the cultivation world of Yue Kingdom before that time even arrives.

Upon hearing this news, Song Qingming felt a little regretful, but he wasn't too surprised.

Compared to established Nascent Soul sects like the "Free and Unfettered Sect," which have been passed down for thousands of years, the "Nine Yuan Sect" has only been a Nascent Soul sect for a few hundred years.

In the cultivation world, Nascent Soul sects with shallow foundations are often the most prone to internal strife and collapse when faced with major upheavals.

It should be noted that when the second-generation Nascent Soul patriarch of the "Free and Unfettered Sect" passed away, there was a period of time when the entire sect had no Nascent Soul cultivators to oversee it for over a hundred years.

However, the "Xiaoyao Sect" at that time had already existed for more than a thousand years, and the cohesion of its cultivators was far beyond what the current "Jiuyuan Sect" could compare to.

In the end, it was only through the unity of the entire sect and the legacy left by the two generations of founders that a Nascent Soul cultivator was successfully cultivated after more than a hundred years, restoring the sect's former glory.

However, in the cultivation world, the rise and fall of sects is common. Even among Nascent Soul sects, no one can truly ensure that their lineage will never perish.

Leaving aside the "Lingyin Sect" and "Jiuyuan Sect" which have declined in recent years, even the "Nanyue Sect," which once dominated the cultivation world of the "Floating Cloud Mountain Range" for ten thousand years, is a Nascent Soul sect.

Its heritage has now also disappeared into the long river of history, leaving only some fragments hidden in ancient books, which can still remind people of this once dominant force in the "Floating Cloud Mountains".

Besides the already split "Nine Yuan Sect", the "Ten Thousand Spirits Sect" in the Qin Kingdom to the west has also had a difficult time in recent years.

Since the news broke that Zhao Wuling had broken through to the Nascent Soul stage in seclusion, this great cultivator at the ninth level of the Nascent Soul stage has not shown his face in public for fifty or sixty years.

In recent years, even though the "Ten Thousand Spirits Sect" has lost a lot of territory due to the constant encroachment of the northern demon race, Zhao Wuling has never shown his face.

Rumors had already begun circulating that this top expert of the "Floating Cloud Mountains" might have failed to break through to the Nascent Soul stage and passed away in his cave.

Besides Zhao Wuling, whose fate is unknown, He Wuyou, the Supreme Elder of the "Star Gate" in the southern Wu Kingdom, is also nearing the end of his life, and in recent years there have been many rumors that he has already passed away.

Although such rumors are not credible, they have not shown up for so long. Even though both sects are trying their best to cover it up in public, they still cannot stop the rumors from spreading.

Song Qingming had a premonition that He Wuyou, the Supreme Elder of the Star Gate, was nearing the end of his life.

Back during the Battle of Red Cloud Mountain, Song Qingming had already sensed from him that his strength had declined and that he was clearly at the point where his vital energy was beginning to deteriorate.

Even later, when the "Starry Sky Sect" brought in Ye Linyuan, a Nascent Soul cultivator from outside, it was clear to everyone that He Wuyou was preparing for his own demise.

Now that so much time has passed, even if Song Qingming heard the news that He Wuyou had perished, he wouldn't be too surprised.

Compared to the passing of his old friend He Wuyou, Song Qingming was actually more worried about Zhao Wuling.

After all, he is recognized as the number one expert in the "Floating Cloud Mountain Range" and the only late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator in this cultivation world.

If the news of Zhao Wuling's sudden death is true, it will likely have a significant impact on the entire cultivation world of the "Floating Cloud Mountains".

Not only Song Qingming was worried about this, but Bai Yuxian and Li Mufeng also had a premonition and had been secretly inquiring about it over the years.

However, the "Wanling Sect" has always kept information about Zhao Wuling very secret, and no one knows his current situation.

Aside from the numerous changes in various sects, the biggest event in the cultivation world of the "Floating Cloud Mountains" right now is the commotion caused by the "Heavenly Decree" descending from the sky.

Regarding the rumors about the "Heavenly Decree," there is a record within the "Free and Unfettered Sect" that every thousand years or so, some of these mysterious iron tablets would fall down in various places around the "Floating Cloud Mountains."

In the past, the major sects of the "Floating Cloud Mountain Range" would choose to jointly block the news in order to control and monopolize these "Heavenly Tokens" and prevent the cultivators below from knowing the true function of these items.

However, compared to before, this time the number of "Heavenly Decrees" falling from the sky was not only significantly greater, but information about their function was also leaked out.

Even though the major sects tried their best to hide and cover up the matter after learning about it, they still couldn't completely control the development of the situation.

Even now, many "Heavenly Tokens" have fallen into the hands of low-level cultivators, and many unfamiliar high-level cultivators have appeared in the vicinity of various countries, seemingly all for this item.

Currently, the strongest sect in the Floating Cloud Mountains, the "Ten Thousand Spirits Sect," is preoccupied with the pressure from the demon race and has no time to concern itself with this matter.

In recent years, the Wu Kingdom's "Star Gate" has also closed its doors and only cared about its own little territory.

The remaining sects could not be integrated into one place, so the entire cultivation world of the "Floating Cloud Mountain Range" was in turmoil, and several Golden Core forces had been mysteriously destroyed in recent years.

Not only do the Golden Core sects below frequently engage in battles for spiritual treasures, but also unfamiliar high-level cultivators often appear in the surrounding area to fight each other.

Nowadays, only a few places, such as the "Xiaoyao Sect" in Wei State, are still relatively peaceful.

Over the years, Bai Yuxian, Li Mufeng, and others have also been deeply worried about this. Fortunately, Song Qingming has now returned, and Song Qingyu has formed a Nascent Soul, so the sect should be free from worries for now.

Hearing that the "Floating Cloud Mountains" were in such a state of chaos, Song Qingming was prepared, but still showed a hint of surprise.

After sitting there for a moment and thinking, Song Qingming finally spoke: "Senior Sister Bai, things are not peaceful around us right now. In order to prevent any unforeseen events, I think it's best not to make any noise about Qingyu's Nascent Soul formation for the time being."

"Let's deal with other matters after the monster disturbances have subsided and the cultivation world is more peaceful."

"Junior brother, do you mean you don't plan to let Qingyu appear in public? Does that mean you don't plan to hold a Nascent Soul Ceremony for her either?"

"Aren't we doing this to make things a little unfair to Qingyu?"

"Hehe! I agree with Seventh Brother's opinion. Anyway, I'm not a person who likes excitement, so it doesn't matter if we don't hold this Nascent Soul celebration."

Uncle Bai, Seventh Brother, don't worry, I won't feel wronged at all.

Just as Bai Yuxian and Song Qingming were discussing this matter, another voice suddenly came from outside the cave. Immediately afterwards, Song Qingyu, dressed in green, walked in with Huang Siyuan and Li Xuanyi.

Upon seeing Song Qingyu, whom she hadn't seen for many years, Bai Yuxian immediately smiled and quickly stood up to stand in front of her.

"Don't call me 'Master Uncle'! You're already a Nascent Soul cultivator. Just call me 'Senior Sister' instead. I don't want to take advantage of you in public."

"Senior Sister Bai, Qingyu obeys!"

After exchanging greetings, the group quickly sat down together.

Bai Yuxian held Song Qingyu's hand again and continued, "Since you agree, Qingyu, let's postpone the Nascent Soul Ceremony to another day, according to Junior Brother Song."

Don't worry, Qingyu. When a suitable time is found in the future, the sect will definitely hold a celebration for you.

After all, the sect has gained a Nascent Soul cultivator. Even if we don't want the sect to appear too shabby, we can't let our fellow cultivators laugh at us later.

After calming Song Qingyu down, Bai Yuxian turned to Song Qingming beside her and continued:

"Junior Brother Song, besides chatting with you, there's something I'd like to ask you during this visit."
"However, this matter has nothing to do with the sect. I was just asking, so don't get the wrong idea later."

"Senior Sister Bai, please speak frankly. There's no need for such formalities between us!"

Seeing Song Qingming nod sincerely, Bai Yuxian slowly opened her mouth and directly asked what she wanted to ask.

It turned out that during the time Song Qingming was in seclusion, Chen Xuanxin and the others had been unable to see him and were very worried about him.

They had just learned of Bai Yuxian's arrival in the market town at the foot of the mountain, and with no other choice, they went directly to her for help.

“Junior Brother Song, I am new to Chiyun Mountain and do not know much about this matter. I was just asking on their behalf. Please don’t take it to heart.”

Upon hearing Bai Yuxian's question, Song Qingming, who had just been smiling, couldn't help but shake his head and reply:
"Senior Sister Bai, you misunderstand. I ignored them before simply because I happened to be in seclusion after returning, and it wasn't intentional."

However, during the years I was away, the market town at the foot of the mountain did indeed develop a lot of problems, and it needs to be properly rectified.

Otherwise, if things continue like this, the reputation we've worked so hard to build will be ruined by those scoundrels sooner or later.

"Don't worry, Senior Sister, I'll go down the mountain to handle this matter later. I'll also personally send a letter to Fellow Daoist Yang, expressing my determination to reform the market."

"Yes! Junior Brother Song wants to reform the market, and the sect will definitely give it its full support. I think Fellow Daoist Yang shouldn't have too many objections either."

"Currently, the Red Cloud Mountain market is mixed with sects from the Heavenly Pole Sect, making it difficult to manage. If Junior Brother can integrate them, things might be better in the future."

"What Senior Sister says is very true. I will consider this matter carefully." Upon hearing Bai Yuxian's reminder, Song Qingming immediately nodded in understanding.

Seeing that Song Qingming seemed to have a plan in mind, Bai Yuxian didn't say anything more and picked up the teacup on the table to chat with Song Qingyu and the others next to her.

Having not seen each other for many years, and being people of similar cultivation levels, they naturally had plenty to talk about.

It wasn't until several pots of spiritual tea on the table were empty that Bai Yuxian took the initiative to get up and bid farewell to everyone. Finally, she left "Red Cloud Mountain" with Song Qingming personally seeing her off.

After seeing off his senior sister Bai Yuxian, Song Qingming didn't rush back to the mountaintop. Instead, he turned and headed west towards the market town, soon arriving at the front of a grand hall. (End of Chapter)