Qinghe Immortal Clan.

When the smoke cleared, the ground was littered with flying rocks.

Seeing that there was no more movement around him, Song Qingming, who was in mid-air, finally breathed a sigh of relief, put away the magic treasures in front of him, and fell down from mid-air.

Since successfully integrating the Seven Star Sword Light into the "Myriad Spirits Puppet Array," the array's offensive power has been greatly enhanced, making Song Qingming virtually invincible in battles against cultivators of the same level.

Although this "three-headed tiger" possesses strange and unpredictable abilities, its strength is already comparable to that of a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

However, this thing was ultimately just a mindless puppet. Even though its supernatural powers were extremely strong, it was still slightly lacking in intelligence, which is why Song Qingming used a magic weapon to trap it.

As expected, it was hit head-on by Song Qingming's Seven Star Sword Light and turned into a pile of rubble scattered to the side.

Song Qingming, who had won the battle, stood there wiping a trace of blood from the corner of his mouth, still somewhat shaken.

During the previous battle, he was accidentally struck in the chest by the "Three-Eyed Stone Tiger" and fell into the ruins on the spot.

Fortunately, his physical body is now completely different from before. Although he looked a bit disheveled just now, he only suffered minor damage to a few meridians in his body, and it was not too serious.

Otherwise, his injuries would likely be much more severe, and he would need to go into seclusion to heal for at least a few years to recover.

After taking out a elixir and swallowing it, Song Qingming sat there for a while to meditate before standing up again and walking toward the stone platform where the "black stone box" was stored.

This time, having already broken through the restrictions, Song Qingming, just like in the previous stone chambers, easily reached the stone platform without any further obstacles.

With a single hand, he released a burst of spiritual light, and a moment later, a "black stone box" more than two feet long appeared in Song Qingming's hand.

Seeing that he had finally obtained the item after going through so much effort, Song Qingming couldn't help but smile slightly, and then eagerly opened the "black stone box" in his hand.

Song Qingming thought it was just an ordinary stone box, but when he tried to open it, he found that a cluster of runes suddenly appeared on the top of the "black stone box" in his hand, and then a force actively pushed Song Qingming's right hand away.

"That's strange, there's even a restriction!"

In the previous times I entered the stone chamber to retrieve treasures, as long as I successfully passed the restrictions, there were basically no other problems afterward.

Upon obtaining the "black stone box" this time, Song Qingming discovered that it still had a sealing restriction on it, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

After carefully examining the runes above the "black stone box," Song Qingming, a high-level "array master," immediately noticed something amiss and discovered that it was actually a restriction sealing spiritual energy.

Seeing that this object did not seem to be the magical artifact or spiritual object he had imagined, Song Qingming became more cautious. Instead of trying to force it open, he took out several array flags from his person.

Before long, as the array plate in Song Qingming's hand emitted spiritual light, two temporary arrays appeared in front of him.

One of these two formations is a spirit-gathering formation that he usually uses during cultivation. It is used to gather the surrounding spiritual energy in a short period of time to prevent the spiritual objects inside from losing their quality due to the rapid loss of spiritual energy after the stone box is opened.

The other defensive array is a precaution, used to guard against any possible abnormal situations.

Despite cultivating for so many years and even reaching the Nascent Soul realm, Song Qingming's cautious and prudent nature remained largely unchanged when facing such unknown entities.

After testing the magic array in front of him and finding no problems, Song Qingming, who was standing inside the array, then activated his magic power to cover the "black stone box" in front of him.

Although the restrictions on this stone box are quite impressive, Song Qingming's array formation skills have also improved to the middle level of the fourth grade after he received the inheritance from "Zhou Xuan Sanren" a few years ago.

It took Song Qingming two whole days to successfully erase all the restrictions on the "black stone box".

As Song Qingming gently lifted his right hand to cast a spell, the lid of the "black stone box" immediately popped open, and a golden light appeared before Song Qingming's eyes.

Enveloped in golden spiritual light, a three-inch-sized golden elixir lay quietly in the stone box, with a somewhat damaged golden talisman affixed to it.

"Huh! What kind of spiritual medicine is this? Its spiritual energy is still so abundant after such a long time."

Upon seeing the golden elixir appear, even though Song Qingming already knew that the spiritual object inside was extraordinary, he still couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

In the world of cultivation, apart from a few special materials that are not easily damaged, spiritual items such as pills, herbs, magic weapons, and talismans are very difficult to preserve for a long time.

Even high-grade spiritual herbs of the fourth rank or above will lose their spiritual energy and thus gradually lose their medicinal properties and effects if stored for more than a certain number of years.

The golden spiritual herb that appeared in the "black stone box" seemed to be a spiritual herb of a high grade. Such spiritual items should not be preserved for very long.

However, the spiritual energy emanating from this object was far more abundant than any other spiritual medicine Song Qingming had ever seen before, indicating that it had not been affected much by the passage of time, which surprised Song Qingming.

Just as Song Qingming's gaze was fixed on the spiritual herb, the golden talisman wrapped around it suddenly slid off from above, followed by a dazzling burst of golden light shooting out from above.

Upon seeing this, Song Qingming became alert and immediately released a shield in front of him before retreating to the side.

A moment later, the golden light dissipated.

Seeing that the surroundings had returned to normal and there seemed to be no danger, Song Qingming put up his protective shield and walked back to the "black stone box" not far away.

To Song Qingming's surprise, when he returned to the location of the stone box, he found that the "black stone box" was already empty, with only half a tattered golden talisman remaining.

The "golden spirit herb" he had seen earlier vanished into thin air before his eyes.

"Huh... how could this be?"

Seeing the elixir he had just managed to obtain disappear before he could even warm it up, a flash of annoyance crossed Song Qingming's face.

Could it be that all my hard work has been for nothing?

Unwilling to accept this situation, Song Qingming immediately picked up the "black stone box" and searched it carefully. He also searched around the stone platform, but he still couldn't find the "golden spirit herb" that had just appeared.

"Strange, the spiritual energy on the herb was so abundant just now, it doesn't seem like the spiritual energy suddenly disappeared."

Moreover, even if that were the reason, based on past experience, there should at least be some traces left in the stone box, not something like this, where not even a speck of dust can be found.

"No, no!"

Thinking of this, Song Qingming, who was searching, suddenly had a flash of inspiration and immediately stopped what he was doing.

After standing there for a while, Song Qingming looked around and then reached down to take a "spirit beast bag" from his waist.

As Song Qingming opened the "Spirit Beast Bag" in his hand, hundreds of colorful "Seven-Colored Illusion Butterflies" immediately flew out of the bag, transforming into bursts of multicolored light that surrounded Song Qingming.

"go with!"

Under Song Qingming's spell control, the "seven-colored butterflies" that surrounded him immediately scattered and flew into the air.

Immediately afterwards, countless wind blades fell from mid-air, directly covering a large area of ​​the ground inside the magic array, with bursts of "booming" sounds coming from time to time.

Just as the "Seven-Colored Illusionary Butterfly" was using wind blades to attack the surrounding ground, Song Qingming had already closed his eyes and covered the entire magic array with his divine sense.

A moment later, Song Qingming felt a strange movement beside him and immediately opened his eyes to look at the place next to him.

The next moment, Song Qingming cast a spell with both hands, and the "Five Elements Divine Light Mirror" immediately shot out, heading straight for a pile of rubble on the ground in front of him.

As soon as the "Five Elements Divine Light Mirror" appeared, the rocks on the ground, which had been motionless, suddenly shot out as if controlled by something, trying to break through the blockade of the bronze mirror in front of them.

One of the pebbles, still wrapped in a thin layer of golden light, swiftly bypassed the "Five Elements Divine Light Mirror" and headed straight for the entrance to the stone chamber.

But just as it flew halfway, a transparent shield suddenly appeared in front of it, blocking it and sending the rock flying back into the air.

Seeing that its path was blocked, the "golden stone" wanted to change direction and continue its escape.

Having already discovered the other party's location, Song Qingming was not about to let him have his way. He immediately used his natal magic weapon, the "Five Elements Divine Light Mirror," to release its spiritual light and trap the other party inside.

Before long, the "golden stone" revealed its true form under the illumination of the spiritual light, transforming into a "golden spiritual herb" that resembled a human figure.

"Let's see where you think you're going now!"

Seeing the spiritual herb reappear before his eyes, a smile immediately appeared on Song Qingming's face. He then flashed into the "Five Elements Divine Light Mirror".

Looking at the "golden spirit herb" that was still struggling violently, Song Qingming raised his hand and cast a spell, sticking the half of the golden spirit talisman he had just found in the "black stone box" onto its body.

As the talisman transformed into a golden net that wrapped around its body, the spiritual light on this humanoid "golden spirit herb" instantly dissipated, and it returned to its previous form, lying motionless in mid-air.

Song Qingming immediately reached out and took it in his hand, a look of satisfaction appearing on his face.

"It has actually developed a spiritual nature. No wonder this thing has not lost its spiritual energy after so many years."

If I hadn't been well-prepared, I almost would have been fooled.

Although it was Song Qingming's first time seeing this thing, he couldn't immediately recognize what kind of spiritual object this "golden spiritual herb" was.

However, judging from the other party's attempt to escape, Song Qingming could still tell that the reason this thing could do this was because it had developed its own spirituality.

In the cultivation world, spiritual herbs that spontaneously generate spirituality are limited to those of grade five or higher, aside from some special plants.

The "golden spirit herb" before him contained a powerful spiritual energy that far surpassed any other spiritual herb Song Qingming had ever seen. It was undoubtedly a level-five spirit herb.

He had thought that the most he could find inside would be a level four spiritual item. Even Song Qingming himself was surprised to find that the spiritual item hidden in the second stone chamber was actually a level five spiritual herb, which was extremely rare in the cultivation world. It was truly unbelievable to him.

Recalling the various troubles and dangers he had experienced during his previous challenges, Song Qingming felt no resentment at all upon seeing the results in his hands. Instead, his face was filled with excitement and joy.

It's important to know that in the cultivation world, not everyone has the chance to see a spiritual herb of the "level five" caliber.

Such spiritual objects, which are far beyond the comprehension of ordinary cultivators, even if there are other such beings, have long been controlled by powerful sects or Nascent Soul stage cultivators.

Even though Song Qingming is a Nascent Soul cultivator, he has never seen anyone produce any level-five spiritual item at any "auction" in recent years.

It is evident how rare it is to obtain a level-five spiritual herb.

After his initial excitement, Song Qingming quickly put the spiritual herb back into the "black stone box" that had just sealed it, and then placed it into his "storage bag".

Afterwards, Song Qingming searched around the stone chamber again to make sure there was nothing missing before putting away the magic array left outside and turning to leave the stone chamber.

Not long after, Song Qingming reappeared outside the mural.

Then the vortex of spiritual energy on the mural disappeared and turned into three special runes, and the entire hall returned to its original tranquility.

Looking at the last unopened rune on the mural, a hint of anticipation appeared in Song Qingming's eyes.

In the second stone chamber, one can find a "level five spiritual herb," ​​a spiritual object far exceeding one's expectations.

At this moment, Song Qingming found it hard to imagine what would be left for him in this last stone chamber.

Will it be like before, where I get something completely useless, or will it be like now, where I have a level-five spiritual artifact that I can't even imagine?

However, even though he was eager to know the answer, his current cultivation level was not high enough to open the runes, so he could only put aside his expectations for the time being.

Regardless of the outcome, everything will only be known once his cultivation reaches the late Nascent Soul stage.

Cultivating the Great Dao is no easy task. Song Qingming's current cultivation level is only at the fourth level of the Nascent Soul stage. It is unknown when he will break through to the late Nascent Soul stage.

It's estimated that he won't be able to come here for at least a century.

After standing there for a while and reflecting, Song Qingming's feet rose into the air and he disappeared from the spot.

When he reappeared above Qinghe, the sun was already blazing and it was daytime. Shortly after Song Qingming appeared, a group of cultivators patrolling the riverbank quickly spotted him.

Just as the Song family members were about to cast a spell to send a message, they looked closely and realized that the person in mid-air was their ancestor. They quickly bowed and knelt down to pay their respects.

After glancing at the group of people by the river, Song Qingming paid them no further attention and disappeared into the sky above the Qinghe River.

When they looked up, they found that no one was in mid-air, and they stood up in surprise.

"I told you long ago that this is where the Ancestor is in seclusion, so you must not be negligent. Now you should believe me without me having to explain!"
"We were lucky the patriarch didn't question you today; otherwise, if the truth about you guys slacking off using excuses came out, you'd all be going to the family's enforcement team!"

"Don't worry, Uncle, we definitely won't dare to do it again!"

Still in shock, the two young cultivators could only nod repeatedly, not daring to say anything more, upon hearing the reprimand from the elder beside them.

You should know that the family cultivators who were responsible for patrolling here had not seen their ancestor for decades. Who knew they would be so lucky as to run into him today?

Sometimes, when someone is unlucky, it just happens to be that way!

".."

After leaving "Qinghe Cave", Song Qingming was in a great mood while standing in mid-air. Instead of returning to "Chiyun Mountain" immediately, he came to "Yinfeng Ridge", which was not far away.

After more than two hundred years of continuous mining, the Yinfeng Ridge mineral vein is already nearly exhausted, and there are not many cultivators left to guard this place.

So much so that when Song Qingming approached, none of the cultivators below noticed him in mid-air. He quickly bypassed the array in front and arrived at the valley behind the mountain.

Not long after Song Qingming entered the valley, Song Yushan, who had been hiding in the valley, sensed his arrival through the magic array set up at the bottom of the valley and immediately took the initiative to open the magic array to come and greet him alone.

"Yu Shan greets the clan chief!"

"Hmm! Your array formation skills have improved quite quickly over the years. You should have broken through to the mid-level of the second rank."

Faced with the praise from clan leader Song Qingming, Song Yushan, who had been living alone here for many years, nodded gratefully and said, "It is all thanks to the clan leader's cultivation that I have achieved what I have today."

Yu Shan will never forget the great kindness shown to the clan leader and the family!

Upon hearing this, Song Qingming nodded slightly. Just as he was about to continue speaking, Song Yushan suddenly took out a letter from his person and handed it to him, who was not far away.

"Clan leader, Senior Qu left here four years ago. He asked me to give this to you before he left, and also asked me to look after his cave and wait for his return."

"What? He left four years ago. Why didn't you send me a message sooner?"

Song Qingming, who had originally wanted to check on the situation, changed his expression upon hearing that Qu Bai had already left, and asked a question with some doubt.

Upon hearing this, Song Yushan quickly replied, "Senior Qu instructed me before he left that I should not inform you of this matter in advance, and that I should wait until you arrive before I can take out the letter."

Upon hearing this, Song Qingming remained silent for a moment, then nodded slightly and opened the letter in his hand.

There wasn't much useful information left on it, just a simple sentence explaining that they were leaving.

"Don't forget our promise, we'll meet again!"

After carefully examining the letter in his hand and finding no particular instructions, Song Qingming turned around and went to the cave where Qu Bai had previously secluded himself.

The entrance to the cave was already shrouded in a thick fog, making it impossible to see where it had been before.

Seeing that the array and restrictions in front of him were definitely not something a low-level cultivator like Song Yushan could set up, and must have been a method left behind by Qu Bai, Song Qingming did not try to break the restrictions but turned around and left the entrance of the cave.

Seeing that his clan patriarch had just reached the door and then turned back, Song Yushan was puzzled, but he didn't dare to ask.

After walking up to the other person, Song Qingming thought for a moment and then said, "Yu Shan, judging by the time, you have almost fulfilled your hundred-year agreement with Senior Qu."

Now that he has left, there is no need for you to stay here any longer. Come back to Funiu Mountain with me!
However, you must not mention the matter at Yinfeng Ridge, or that Senior Qu, to anyone in the future, including all the cultivators in the family.

Did you write it down?

"Don't worry, clan leader, Yu Shan has remembered this!"

Upon hearing that Song Qingming was going to take him away from the canyon, Song Yushan, who had been trapped in this place for nearly a hundred years, could no longer hide his excitement and quickly nodded in agreement.

A moment later, a beam of azure light flew out of the canyon below. Song Yushan, standing on the flying boat, looked around at every blade of grass and every tree, as well as the birds that flew by, and suddenly felt a surge of excitement.

Having been confined in the valley for a hundred years, Song Yushan had hardly seen any other cultivators besides Song Qingming and the mysterious Senior Qu Bai.

Whenever he heard someone or a monster passing by above the canyon, he could only hide quietly to the side, not daring to reveal his presence.

Now that the century-old agreement has been fulfilled, he feels as free as a bird, and his heart is filled with renewed energy and excitement.

Not long after, Song Qingming sent Song Yushan back to Mount Funiu and summoned the family's chief elder, Song Yuanfang.

Upon meeting, Song Yuanfang was surprised to see Song Yushan standing next to Song Qingming. He looked at the other person with a puzzled expression.

It wasn't until Song Qingming pointed out Song Yushan's identity that Song Yuanfang realized with surprise that this person was actually the "Yu" generation cultivator from the family who had disappeared and died in battle a hundred years ago.

When Song Yushan disappeared, he was only twenty years old and his cultivation level was only at the fifth level of Qi Refining.

Song Yuanfang only had some impression of him because he was the first-ranked cultivator among the "Yu" generation.

Seeing that Song Yushan, who had been missing for a hundred years, had actually returned to the family and even cultivated to the late Foundation Establishment stage, Song Yuanfang was surprised and immediately began to ask him about his experiences over the years.

In response, Song Qingming quickly waved his hand and changed Song Yushan's experiences over the past hundred years to say that he had gone out on business for him, thus explaining why he had disappeared all these years.

Upon hearing that Song Yushan was handling some secret matters for his clan leader, Song Yuanfang, who already knew the situation, dared not ask any further questions and quickly nodded in agreement.

Subsequently, the two of them changed Song Yushan's disappearance to his travels, and after further refinement, they officially announced Song Yushan's return to the public.

The news of Song Yushan's return home after a century of travels, unsurprisingly, caused a sensation throughout the entire "Funiu Mountain" after Song Qingming left.

It should be noted that a hundred years ago, Song Yushan was merely a Qi Refining Level 5 cultivator with only average talent.

After traveling abroad, he not only successfully established his foundation on his own, but also cultivated to the eighth level of the Foundation Establishment realm. How could such an experience not make people envious?

Moreover, Song Yushan is only 120 years old. If he can successfully form his core in the future, he will become the patriarch of the family and rise to a high position in one step.

For a time, almost all the young cultivators in the Song family regarded this legendary clansman as someone they would learn from in the future.

Song Qingming, who had already left, was unaware of these events and immediately immersed himself in seclusion upon returning to his cave. (End of Chapter)