Qinghe Immortal Clan.

Inside the main hall of the "Tianji Sect" in Shangyang Kingdom.

Yang Fengyu, dressed in a white Taoist robe, stared intently at a letter that had recently been delivered from Chiyun Mountain, his face gradually darkening.

After a long while, Yang Fengyu slowly put down the letter in his hand and asked a green-robed man standing in front of him:

"Yulong, when did this happen? Why didn't you inform me beforehand?"

As the head of the "Heavenly Extreme Sect," Han Yulong quickly stepped forward and raised his hand in response to the questioning from the Supreme Elder:

"Reporting to my senior master, according to the message sent back by junior sister Li, this matter happened last month. Senior Song had just returned at that time and unexpectedly stumbled upon this incident."

Li Shimei thought it was just some disputes over interests in the market, so she didn't report it. Who knew that it would involve so many other things?

"Senior Uncle, Junior Brother Zhou is still imprisoned in the Enforcement Hall of Chiyun Mountain. Should we send someone to bring him back first?"

After Han Yulong finished speaking, he glanced cautiously at Yang Fengyu in front of him, only to see that the other man's face was already as cold as ice.

"Bring him back. Hmph! Now he's finally thinking about the sect."

A dignified Golden Core cultivator, relying on the convenience of managing the law enforcement team, actually dared to open a shop in the market behind the sect's back, and even went so far as to conspire with others to cheat and swindle.

Now that he's been found out in person, he's completely disgraced the sect. How can he possibly come back to see me?

"Immediately send a letter back to Chiyun Mountain, and have Hongxuan tell him that if he doesn't clean up his mess, he shouldn't come back."

“Well, Master Uncle, Junior Brother Zhou is an elder of the sect, so why say it like that?”

Isn't that a bit too much for him?

"hurt."
-
Several days later, on the summit of "Red Cloud Mountain", Song Qingming and Huang Siyuan stood in front of a mountain peak to the west. Their third disciple, Tang Muyan, stepped forward and immediately knelt down.

"Mu Yan, although you are quite talented, the Foundation Establishment is no small matter. You must hold fast to your Dao heart and never be impatient for quick success."

"Please rest assured, Master, this disciple understands!"

After kowtowing to Song Qingming and the other person, Tang Muyan got up and walked into the cave not far behind him, then opened the restriction outside the door.

Seeing this, Song Qingming gave Liu Yue, who was going to protect him, a few more instructions before turning around and leaving.

Just as the two reached the entrance of the cave, they suddenly heard shouts from the side. They saw Wei Yunlong holding a letter and quickly approaching them.

"Master, Mistress, this is a letter from Senior Li, he asked me to deliver to you. He said it's a personal letter from Ancestor Yang!"

"Oh! It's a letter written personally by Yang Fengyu. Could it be that he's pleading for mercy for that guy down the mountain?"

Knowing that the letter was written by Yang Fengyu of the "Tianji Sect", Huang Siyuan naturally recalled the events that had occurred at the foot of the mountain a few days ago.

When Song Qingming discovered that the owner of "Fengrui Pavilion" had an unusual relationship with the market's "law enforcement team," he personally arranged for someone to secretly investigate the matter.

As expected, this "Fengrui Pavilion" appeared to be a shop run by a rogue cultivator, but the real owner behind it was none other than Zhou Yuquan, who had managed the "enforcement team" of the market for many years.

Moreover, it wasn't just this one "Fengrui Pavilion"; at least a dozen shops in "Chiyunfang" were found to be secretly controlled by Zhou Yuquan or his disciples.

Under the covert protection of Zhou Yuquan and his disciples, these shops were all notorious for their shady dealings, often engaging in fraudulent activities similar to those of "Fengrui Pavilion".

In less than ten days after the incident was exposed, the "enforcement team" received more than a hundred complaints from victims, which really shocked everyone.

Enraged, Song Qingming stripped Zhou Yuquan of his duties as the "enforcement team" of the market and imprisoned him and all those involved in the matter in the "enforcement hall".

He also truthfully informed Yang Fengyu, who was far away in the "Shangyang Kingdom," about this matter.

After all, Zhou Yuquan was not a disciple of the "Xiaoyao Sect". If Song Qingming wanted to deal with him, he would need to consult with the "Tianji Sect".

Hearing Huang Siyuan's seemingly worried tone, Song Qingming's expression remained unchanged. He picked up the letter and opened it right in front of her.

After a moment, Song Qingming, having read the contents of the letter, slowly put it away and handed it to Huang Siyuan, who was standing to the side.

Just as he had expected, Yang Fengyu was far more shrewd and worldly-wise than the average cultivator.

However, seeing that it was one of their own who had made a mistake, they angrily rebuked him in the letter and even threatened to expel Zhou Yuquan from the sect and hand him over to Song Qingming for punishment.

This unwavering trust and willingness to sacrifice family for the greater good made it difficult for Song Qingming to act too harshly, so he could only speak to Huang Siyuan:

"Since Fellow Daoist Yang has already told us to handle this matter, I'll trouble you to go down the mountain later and release Zhou Yuquan first."

However, he cannot leave the market for the time being; the matter will only be settled once all the spirit stones owed to the aggrieved parties have been repaid.

"Let Yuan Hao keep an eye on these matters and get them all sorted out within six months."

"Yes! Although Zhou Yuquan made mistakes, he also made contributions when he was protecting Chiyun Mountain. This punishment should make him realize his mistakes."

"Once the spirit stones are paid off, husband, do you think you should still consider keeping them?"

"No need. I have decided to arrange for people to manage the market in a unified manner. No one, whether from a sect or the Tianji Sect, will be allowed to interfere in the market's affairs at will."

With the demon beasts about to cause chaos, it's not wise to make a big fuss right now. I'll explain it to Senior Sister Bai and Fellow Daoist Yang when I've thought it through.

The Chiyun Mountain Market was something we worked incredibly hard to establish; we must never allow such a tarnishing incident to happen again.

Seeing that Song Qingming had already made up his mind, Huang Siyuan, who was standing to the side, did not say anything, nodded slightly, and led Wei Yunlong down the mountain.

After Huang Siyuan and the other person left, Song Qingming turned around and returned to his cave to begin refining the remaining "Golden Light Relic" in his body.

Counting the days, more than ninety years have passed since the last "monster disturbance," and it's almost once again the time when monsters from the northern frontier migrate south, a once-in-a-century event.

Although decades ago, Song Qingming and others joined forces to severely damage the northern demon race at "Red Cloud Mountain," they would be unable to recover their strength for at least a hundred years.

However, the once-in-a-century "monster disturbance" has an impact far beyond the small area of ​​"Red Cloud Mountain".

To prevent any unforeseen circumstances, Song Qingming and the others must make preparations in advance and take this opportunity to improve their own strength.

During this period of seclusion, Song Qingming had already arranged many things, with the sole aim of successfully refining the remaining two "Golden Light Relics" before the "Monster Uproar".

Just as Song Qingming began his secluded cultivation, in a cave dwelling behind the "Star Gate" in the southern Wu Kingdom, an elderly man with white hair was also about to reach the end of his life.

Since the great war against demons decades ago, He Wuyou, after returning to the "Star Gate", immediately went into seclusion to cultivate and has not appeared in front of everyone since.

As rumored, this Supreme Elder, who has guarded the "Star Gate" for over a thousand years, is now emaciated and on the verge of death.

Knowing that he was about to die, He Wuyou, lying on his sickbed, suddenly raised his hand and pointed to a small jade bottle placed not far in front of him.

Seeing this, the servants looked at each other, not daring to step forward, and could only look at Zheng Zitong standing to the side.

"Senior Brother He, you want to..."

Seeing He Wuyou, who was barely clinging to life, blink his eyes with unwavering determination, Zheng Zitong hesitated for a moment before nodding to the crowd.

"Except for Junior Brother Ye, everyone else, please leave in a moment!"

After helping He Wuyou take a pill, everyone quickly left the cave, leaving only Zheng Zitong and Ye Linyuan, who had already held a celebration to officially join the sect.

Although he was seriously injured in the battle of Taiyue Lake, after decades of recuperation, Zheng Zitong not only successfully recovered from his injuries, but also made great progress in his cultivation, reaching the peak of the fourth level of the Nascent Soul stage, just one step away from reaching the fifth level.

After officially joining the "Starry Sky Sect", Ye Linyuan's cultivation has now successfully broken through to the second level of the Nascent Soul realm.

Not long after, He Wuyou, who was originally sick and on the verge of death, suddenly improved his complexion after taking the medicine and, with his last breath, sat up from the bed.

Looking up at the two people in front of him, He Wuyou immediately waved them over.

"I entered the sect at a young age. Fortunately, with the guidance of my master and the support of the sect, I was able to successfully form my Nascent Soul and protect the sect for over a thousand years."

However, I am too dull to progress further on my path, and now I am nearing the end of my life. From now on, the sect will have to rely on my two junior brothers.

I hope you can unite sincerely and protect my Starry Sky Sect so that its lineage can continue and one day restore its former glory.

"Senior brother..."

Hearing He Wuyou's heartfelt words, Zheng Zitong, who had watched over him for many years, couldn't help but cry out with tears in his eyes.

Ye Linyuan, standing to the side, nodded with a somewhat grave expression.

Seeing this, He Wuyou showed a hint of relief, then took out the "storage bag" beside him and took the initiative to open the restriction on it.

"These magical treasures have been with me for many years and were passed down by our sect's predecessors. Today, I will pass them on to my two junior brothers. I hope you will treat them well and live up to the trust placed in you by our sect's predecessors."

After He Wuyou finished speaking, he distributed several level-four magic treasures on his body to the two people in front of him.

Among them, the sect's most treasured artifact, the "Canglang Ruler," which had been passed down for many years, was passed on to Zheng Zitong. The remaining few fourth-grade artifacts of slightly lower quality were divided equally between the two of them.

After passing on the magical artifact, He Wuyou handed his storage bag directly to Zheng Zitong and continued to give instructions:

"After I pass away, I ask you, junior brother, to divide the other spiritual items on my body in half. One half should belong directly to the sect, which will be my last contribution to the sect as the Grand Elder."

I'll leave half for Yuncheng and the others; it's a small token of my appreciation as an elder.

Their cultivation and talent are not outstanding, and they probably won't achieve much. In the future, you two junior brothers can handle matters as you see fit, and don't worry too much about my status." After settling all his affairs, He Wuyou looked at the two Nascent Soul cultivators from the sect in front of him, and his expression suddenly became serious.

"My two junior brothers, I have one last thing to say to you, and I hope you will keep it in mind from now on."

"Senior brother, please speak!"

Upon hearing He Wuyou's last words, Zheng Zitong and Ye Linyuan quickly cupped their hands in greeting and looked at each other with serious expressions.

"Now that the demon beasts are about to cause trouble, the Floating Cloud Mountain Range is not peaceful at all. After I leave, my two junior brothers must keep the news under control."

After I pass away, there should be no further commotion. Simply bury me in the back mountain of the sect, so I can remain by my master's side.

"This, Senior Brother, you have devoted your whole life to the sect, how could we bear to treat you like this!"

Upon hearing He Wuyou's request to completely suppress the news of his passing, and even forbid a funeral, Zheng Zitong, though understanding his intentions, couldn't help but speak up.

Seeing this, He Wuyou calmly waved his hand and said:

"Having cultivated for over a thousand years, why would I care about fame and fortune after death? As long as there is a memorial tablet for me in the ancestral hall of the sect in the future, that will be enough."

Not only me, but my two junior brothers, whenever you encounter such situations in the future, you must act decisively and not let these false reputations blind you.

In the last two hundred years, Bai Yuxian and Song Qingming of the Xiaoyao Sect have successfully formed their Nascent Souls, and their luck has long surpassed that of many other sects.

Moreover, both of them are geniuses who can form their Nascent Soul at the age of three hundred, and their path to enlightenment is far beyond what Li Mufeng can compare with. It is evident that they are also expected to advance to the late Nascent Soul stage in the future.

No matter what happens in the future, you two junior brothers must remember to try your best not to antagonize the Free and Unfettered Sect, so as not to bring trouble to the sect in the future.

Senior brother doesn't expect the sect to achieve much after it's handed over to you, but hopes that the legacy of our ancestors will not be broken.

I believe that as long as our sect continues to thrive, one day our sect will produce another genius who surpasses them and leads our Starry Sky Sect to its former glory.

"It's a pity that I won't be able to see this day!"

At this point, He Wuyou shook his head helplessly, and suddenly recalled some things that had happened during his many years of cultivation.

Back then, he was a prodigy who successfully formed his Nascent Soul before he was three hundred years old, and then, at the age of over five hundred, he successfully cultivated to the peak of the mid-Nascent Soul stage.

He Wuyou's achievements back then caused a sensation throughout the cultivation world of the "Floating Cloud Mountain Range".

At that time, He Wuyou was young and promising, full of vigor and ambition. Almost everyone thought that he would be a peerless genius like Zhao Wuling, capable of advancing to the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm.

Unfortunately, after his cultivation reached the peak of the mid-stage Nascent Soul realm, an insurmountable mountain appeared before He Wuyou.

For nearly a thousand years after that, He Wuyou seemed to have exhausted all his opportunities and luck. No matter how hard he tried, his cultivation was always stuck at the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm, and his path in life ended there.

Thinking that his thousand years of cultivation would ultimately turn him into a handful of dust, He Wuyou, though filled with resentment, could only helplessly accept this outcome as he was on his last legs.

"Alright! I've said everything I needed to say. Let me rest a bit more!"

After waving to Zheng Zitong and the other man in front of him, He Wuyou reached out and assumed a meditative sitting position, slowly closing his eyes.

"Respectfully seeing off the Supreme Elder!"

".."
-
Six years later, on the summit of Chiyun Mountain in the northern part of the "Floating Cloud Mountains".

After six years of painstaking seclusion in his cave, Song Qingming finally refined all the "golden relics" on his body and absorbed them into his physical form.

At this moment, not only was his physical body several times stronger than before he had refined his body, but he had also successfully cultivated the "Heaven-Reaching Myriad Spirits Technique" within his body to the Golden Core Perfection stage.

Because Song Qingming only obtained the Golden Core stage of the cultivation technique he had, he would have to wait until he entered the "Tongtian Pavilion" again in the future to have another chance to obtain the cultivation techniques after the Nascent Soul stage.

Next, Song Qingming could only patiently wait for the next opening of the "Tower of Babel".

After nearly three hundred years of arduous work, this matter was finally accomplished. Song Qingming felt extremely happy at this moment. He directly opened the door barrier, got up and walked out of his cave.

He had only just stepped out when he saw two figures flying from the side of the mountaintop. They were his two disciples, Tang Muyan and Liu Yue.

Six years ago, after Tang Muyan went into seclusion to establish his foundation, he has, as expected, become a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Upon seeing Song Qingming, who had been in seclusion for a long time, the two immediately bowed in respect.

"Disciple greets Master and congratulates Master on emerging from seclusion."

Upon seeing his two disciples come to pay their respects, Song Qingming quickly waved to them, then gave them a few instructions before heading alone to the front of a mountain wall shrouded in white mist on the west side of the mountaintop.

Just as he was about to raise his hand to cast a spell, a huge figure, several dozen feet long, flew out from the white mist ahead and quickly stopped in front of Song Qingming.

"Master, you are finally out of seclusion!"

Little Jin, who hadn't seen Song Qingming for a long time, rushed to his side with a joyful expression upon seeing his master.

Once Song Qingming jumped onto its broad back, Xiao Jin turned around and returned to the white mist.

The next moment, the scene in front of Song Qingming suddenly changed, and he found himself on a platform in front of a cliff.

At this moment, not far in front of the cliff, there was a figure in green robes sitting on a boulder, closing his eyes to meditate, with countless spiritual energies surging into his body like water droplets.

After glancing at Song Qingyu above the stone platform, Song Qingming bypassed her location and quickly walked to the front of a cave dwelling nearby.

After closing his eyes and releasing his divine sense to sense the surroundings, Song Qingming finally felt relieved and withdrew his divine sense.

At this moment, Song Qingyu, who was on the stone platform not far behind, slowly withdrew her magic power, opened her eyes, and jumped down from the stone platform.

"Seventh Brother, you've already emerged from seclusion?"

"Hmm! This seclusion went smoothly enough. I've successfully completed the cultivation technique. I hope nothing unusual happened on Senior Sister Li's side!"

"Don't worry, Seventh Brother, I've been here the whole time, and nothing unusual has happened."

Besides, Senior Sister Li has only been in seclusion for two years; she's far from the point where she needs to begin condensing her Nascent Soul. You shouldn't worry too much.

At this moment, in the cave in front of Song Qingming and the other person, there was another person who was in seclusion to form a Nascent Soul. This person was their senior sister Li Xuanyi, whom they had known for many years.

Since failing to achieve Nascent Soul after decades of practice, Li Xuanyi, feeling that her state of mind was not yet complete, moved directly to the market town at the foot of the mountain and patiently ran the Li Family Teahouse left by her master, "Lingxu Daoren".

After decades of worldly cultivation, Li Xuanyi finally filled the gaps in her Dao heart and began seclusion two years ago to try to break through to the Nascent Soul realm.

Although Song Qingming did not object to his senior sister Li Xuanyi's breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage during her seclusion, he was still somewhat worried.

Since helping him break through to the Nascent Soul realm a hundred years ago, Song Qingming's "Spirit Heart Jade Plate" can be used again. He originally intended to give it to his senior sister Li Xuanyi to assist him in forming his Nascent Soul.

However, upon hearing that this item could only be used once every hundred years, Li Xuanyi did not accept Song Qingming's offer and insisted on leaving it to Huang Siyuan, who was about to form her Nascent Soul.

Seeing that his senior sister Li Xuanyi was so adamant about it, Song Qingming ultimately failed to persuade her and could only watch her enter her secluded cave.

However, compared to the slight worry in the hearts of Song Qingming and others, Li Xuanyi herself seemed quite confident about her upcoming seclusion to form her Nascent Soul.

It should be noted that Li Xuanyi's natural talent was no less than that of Song Qingming and the others. In addition, she had been constantly tempering her character over the past few decades and had the experience of failing to form her Nascent Soul.

This time, she was much more confident in her success in forming her Nascent Soul than when she first tried it.

However, cultivators typically need to spend more than ten years in seclusion to successfully form their Nascent Soul.

As Song Qingyu said, Li Xuanyi has only been in seclusion for two years, so it is still too early to see any results.

Upon hearing this, Song Qingming nodded slightly and sat down with Song Qingyu.

"Qingyu, I'll leave you to guard this place all these years. After the monster turmoil subsides and Senior Sister Li completes her Nascent Soul stage, I'll accompany you all on a trip."

"Yes! Don't worry, Seventh Brother. I'm a Nascent Soul cultivator now, so I can't sit still like I used to."

Besides, you and your sister-in-law come to visit me often, so I'm not that bored.

Oh, and there's Little Gold too; its fighting prowess is now almost as good as mine.

Upon hearing Song Qingyu mention his name, the "Ice and Fire Dragon" lying to the side shook its enormous head, seemingly quite pleased.

Since returning to "Red Cloud Mountain", Song Qingyu, who had just successfully formed his Nascent Soul, wanted to improve his combat experience, so he often came to spar with Song Qingming.

Later, because Song Qingming had to go into seclusion and didn't have much time to spend with her, he assigned the "Ice and Fire Dragon" to Song Qingyu.

The "Ice and Fire Dragon" formed its Nascent Soul form much earlier than Song Qingyu, and its cultivation level has now reached the peak of the first level of the Nascent Soul stage. In a battle, its strength is not much lower than that of Song Qingyu.

Over the years, the two have often slipped out of the mountains to spar and fight, and their fighting experience has improved considerably.

However, the two of them sometimes made too much noise, which often caused a lot of misunderstandings, leading the cultivators near "Red Cloud Mountain" to believe that the demons of the Northern Frontier had suddenly moved south ahead of schedule.

Huang Siyuan criticized the two quite a bit for this, and in the end, Song Qingyu and "Ice and Fire Dragon" could only try to stay as far away from Chiyun Mountain as possible, which reduced the impact slightly.
-
Tens of thousands of miles to the north of "Red Cloud Mountain", countless demonic beasts are roaming the mountains.

With a roar, the demonic beasts that had gathered around the mountain seemed to have received some command and quickly looked up at the sky.

A figure flew swiftly across the sky, and the demonic beasts below immediately felt a powerful pressure, stopping in their tracks and lying prone on the ground. (End of Chapter)