Qinghe Immortal Clan.

Ten years later, on the east side of the "Floating Clouds Mountains".

Located to the east of Zheng, the "Lushan Kingdom" is also a relatively small country in the "Floating Cloud Mountain Range". It is mostly high mountains and hills, and the number of cultivators is even less than that of the neighboring Zheng Kingdom.

Because its geographical location is close to the "Broken Cloud Mountains" to the east, although there are relatively few cultivators in the "Lushan Kingdom", there are quite a few cultivators who travel here on a daily basis to the East Sea Immortal Cultivation World.

In the sky, one can often see high-level cultivators riding flying swords or piloting flying boats passing by in the distance.

In a mountain range located north of the "Lushan Kingdom", a colorful ray of light suddenly appeared in the clear blue sky on this day. The light was so bright that it could be faintly seen even dozens of miles away.

In this sparsely populated mountain range, the first to discover the glow of dawn were the wild animals in the nearby mountains and the numerous birds flying high in the sky.

As the glow of dawn appeared, the birds were immediately drawn to it and gathered beneath it.

Just as they were trying to get closer to the glowing light above, they were suddenly pushed away by an invisible force in the void, unable to approach the light and only able to circle around it endlessly.

Just as numerous birds were flocking in from outside, a cry suddenly came from the distant sky, followed by a large gray bird with wingspans of at least two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters) flying towards the location of the rosy light.

The birds that had gathered there were terrified when they saw that the creatures that had arrived were actually Foundation Establishment stage demonic beasts. They scattered in panic and quickly fled the area.

Seeing the surrounding birds retreat in fear of its powerful aura, the gray bird, the overlord of the area, revealed a hint of satisfaction in its eyes. It let out another shriek and landed beneath the rosy light.

Looking up, the huge gray bird flapped its massive wings and transformed into a gray sword, hurtling straight towards the rosy light.

But just as it plunged into the rosy light, a bolt of purple lightning suddenly struck down from within.

A flash of lightning was seen, followed immediately by a deafening roar.

In the blink of an eye, the charred corpse of a giant bird, already lifeless, fell from the glow of the sunset and crashed into the forest below.

At this moment, many of the demonic beasts that had gathered in the mountains and forests witnessed this astonishing scene and were immediately terrified and fled in panic, just like the birds that had flown before.

Soon, under the beautiful and dazzling glow of the sunset, the original tranquility was restored.

Half a day later, the colorful glow that suddenly appeared in the deep mountains finally alarmed the human cultivators nearby. Before long, two sword lights arrived and stood beneath the glow.

The woman in yellow at the front of the group looked shocked when she saw the huge glow in the sky.

"Senior Brother Wei, this commotion doesn't seem to be about a demon beast forming its core. What exactly happened up there?"

After the woman in yellow finished speaking, she immediately looked at the middle-aged man in white robes beside her, and saw that his face was also full of solemnity.

"Junior sister is right. There are no high-level spiritual veins nearby, so normal demon beasts would definitely not choose such a place to form their core."

Moreover, this strange phenomenon is quite different from what I saw in Chiyun Mountain a few years ago. Even if it were a demon beast forming its core, it shouldn't be able to cause such a commotion.

Things here are probably not as simple as we think. Junior sister, do you still remember that rumor that's been circulating all these years?

"Rumors! Senior Brother is right... Could it be that a secret realm has truly emerged?"

Upon hearing what the white-robed man in front of her said, the woman in yellow was startled and looked up in disbelief, her eyes also showing a hint of eagerness.

Seeing the excitement on the other person's face, the white-robed man quickly nodded and said, "I had heard Uncle Wang mention the secret realm before, and the commotion here is quite similar to what the old man described."

Junior sister, Senior Uncle Wang once told us that this secret realm is extremely dangerous and not something that Foundation Establishment cultivators like us can easily enter.

Moreover, we're not far from the demon territory. Such a commotion will inevitably attract those powerful demon beasts sooner or later. We'd better hurry back and report this, lest we run into those demon kings and cause trouble.”

"Yes, senior brother is right."

Gazing at the mysterious, multicolored glow overhead, the woman in yellow was somewhat tempted, but she refrained from going any further, withdrawing her gaze and nodding in response.

The man and woman then turned their flying swords around and left the spot.

Shortly after the two left, a large cloud of white mist suddenly flew rapidly from the north of the mountain peak and soon arrived near the "colorful glow".

After the light stopped, a bull's head with two long horns immediately emerged from the white clouds and looked up at the "five-colored glow" in the sky.

After staring blankly at the rosy clouds for a long time, the bull's head finally withdrew its gaze and retreated back into the clouds, quickly disappearing from the spot amidst the white mist.

Meanwhile, on the human cultivators' side, the Jade Balance Sect, which governs the cultivation world of Lushan Kingdom, sent its Golden Core Ancestor to the north immediately after learning of the strange celestial phenomena.

Upon seeing the "colorful glow" in the sky, the Jade Balance Sect's patriarch was shocked and immediately sent a message back to the sect, dispatching cultivators to seal off the surrounding area.

However, because the "five-colored glow" was so loud, many cultivators passing by soon noticed the anomaly, and within a few days the news spread throughout the area surrounding "Lushan Kingdom".
-
A few days later, a "transmission talisman" flew from a distance high in the sky, passed directly through the "mountain-protecting formation," and landed in the law enforcement hall above the market.

Upon receiving the letter, the guard noticed that it was printed with the sect's unique circular runes. He quickly picked up the letter, turned around, and left the main hall.

Before long, Song Linrui, holding a letter, appeared directly at the top of "Red Cloud Mountain".

Upon seeing that it was Song Linrui who had come in person, Liu Yue, who was on duty near the great formation on the mountaintop, immediately took the initiative to open the great formation, came out, and bowed.

"Uncle-Master Song, what brings you here all of a sudden? Is there something you need to discuss with Master?"

"A letter from the sect was to be delivered to the patriarch. This matter is rather urgent, so I came here in person."

"Oh! Master and Mistress have already emerged from seclusion a few days ago. Let me take you there directly!"

Upon hearing that Song Linrui had come with urgent business, Liu Yue quickly nodded in agreement and led him to Song Qingming's cave.

As soon as a voice transmission was sent out, the clouds and mist around the cave quickly dissipated, revealing a passable path.

Seeing this, Liu Yue stretched out her hand and led Song Linrui inside, where they met Song Qingming and Huang Siyuan sitting in the cave.

"Linrui pays respects to the Ancestor!"

"No need for formalities among family, stand up and speak!"

After glancing at Song Linrui in front of him, Song Qingming quickly waved his hand, signaling him to stand up.

"It's been a long time. I didn't expect your cultivation to have improved so much. Why did you come here in such a hurry today? Has something happened down the mountain?"

"Reporting to the Ancestor, everything is normal in the market down the mountain and there is nothing serious. However, the Law Enforcement Hall just received an urgent message from the sect, specifically requesting that it be delivered to the Ancestor. I was afraid that there might be some oversight, so I came here in person."

After saying that, Song Linrui immediately took out a letter from his body and handed it to Song Qingming.

Seeing the unique sect mark on it, Song Qingming nodded slightly and immediately took it.

After glancing at the letter in his hand, Song Qingming quickly looked up again and gave instructions to Song Linrui and Liu Yue, who were standing to the side:

"I understand. You can go back now!"

"Disciple accepts the order!"

After Liu Yue and the other left the cave, Huang Siyuan, who was sitting to the side, stood up and asked with some doubt, "Husband, who in the sect sent this letter? Has something happened in Wei?"

Upon hearing this, Song Qingming smiled slightly and immediately waved his hand.

"Nothing has happened at the sect. It's just that the Tower of Babel has appeared. This letter was written personally by Senior Brother Li, asking us to return to the sect together to discuss this matter."

"So it's the Tower of Babel that has appeared. Where is this secret realm opening this time, and how far is it from here?"

The Tower of Babel only appears once every three hundred years. I missed it last time, but this time I'm determined to go in and see it no matter what. My husband, you're not allowed to stop me.

Huang Siyuan had already heard about the Tower of Babel three hundred years ago when it last appeared, and she was also very clear about Song Qingming and Zhao Mengling's adventure inside.

Unfortunately, she was only a Foundation Establishment cultivator back then and didn't have the opportunity to enter.

Now that the "Tower of Babel," which appears only once every three hundred years, is about to open, Huang Siyuan is naturally quite excited and asks Song Qingming for some information.

Seeing Huang Siyuan looking at him expectantly, Song Qingming immediately nodded and replied, "This time it's not far. The place where the strange phenomenon occurred is near Lushan Kingdom in the east."

Yesterday, Senior Brother Li personally went to Lushan Kingdom to confirm that it was indeed the strange phenomenon of the Tower of Babel about to appear in the world.

Now that your injuries have fully healed, I certainly won't object if you want to go in and have a look.

However, there are still some things that are unclear. We'll have to wait until we get to the sect and discuss it with Senior Brother Li before we decide who will be going in.
By the way, you should quickly send a message to Qingyu and Senior Sister Li to inform them of this matter.

The strange phenomena of heaven and earth have appeared. It is estimated that the secret realm will open in no more than half a year. Let them come back quickly so that they don't miss it.

"Didn't you say you were just going out for a walk? It's been so long, why haven't you come back yet?"

More than a decade ago, after Song Qingming returned from the East China Sea, Song Qingyu, whose cultivation had reached perfection within a few years, also began to go into seclusion to try to break through to a higher realm.

After two years of dedicated seclusion, Song Qingyu successfully broke through to the second level of the Nascent Soul stage.

After breaking through his cultivation level, Song Qingyu was overjoyed and wanted to invite his senior sister Li Xuanyi to go to the East Sea to relax and visit his friend He Mengxin.

Since preparing for her Nascent Soul formation, Li Xuanyi hadn't traveled for decades. Upon receiving Song Qingyu's invitation, she immediately accepted, and the two soon went to the East Sea cultivation world together. At the time, Song Qingming was still in seclusion. Seeing that Song Qingyu and Li Xuanyi wanted to go to the East Sea to relax, he didn't think much of it and nodded in agreement.

Who would have thought that they had been gone for almost five years and still hadn't returned? Thinking of this, Song Qingming couldn't help but sigh.

Seeing this, Huang Siyuan quickly nodded and replied, "Husband, don't worry. Qingyu and the others already knew about the Tower of Babel when they left, so they're definitely still in the East Sea and won't have gone far."

I'll go back and send a message to Qingyu and Senior Sister Li. If they receive the message and set off immediately, they should arrive in a month at most, without any delay.

Upon hearing Huang Siyuan's words, Song Qingming nodded slightly, watched her leave, and then turned and walked back to his secluded stone chamber.

The next moment, Song Qingming gently tapped his waist with one hand, and a golden talisman appeared in his hand.

Song Qingming picked up the talisman and examined it carefully. Then, he channeled his magical power into it, and the golden talisman instantly flashed with light, illuminating the entire stone chamber.

Before long, the talisman's light quickly faded, turning into a blank talisman without any spiritual energy, and then it dissipated in mid-air.

Just as Song Qingming finished casting his spell, in a cave in the "Hundred Flowers Palace" of the cultivation world in the East Sea, a woman in white who was meditating in seclusion seemed to sense something and immediately opened her eyes.

The woman in white gently raised her hand and took out a golden talisman that was exactly the same as Song Qingming's, which was emitting bursts of golden light.

"Did you finally show up?"

Before the woman in white could finish speaking, the golden talisman in her hand quickly lost its spiritual light and turned into an ordinary talisman.

But when she saw the talisman in her hand suddenly disappear, she didn't feel any heartache on her face. Instead, she showed a relaxed smile.
-
In the Xiaoyao Hall of Guyang Mountain in the State of Wei.

As soon as Song Qingming and Huang Siyuan entered the main hall, Li Mufeng, Xu Ziyan, and Chen Xuanxin came to greet them and invited them to sit at the head of the hall.

Before long, Bai Yuxian, who had just emerged from seclusion, also arrived at the main hall.

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, the group began to discuss how the sect would proceed to the "Tower of Babel".

As confirmed by Li Mufeng the day before yesterday, the "Tower of Babel" descended underground near the Kingdom of Lushan, not too far from the Kingdom of Wei. Even a Golden Core cultivator could arrive in three to five days at most.

As is customary, whenever the "Tower of Babel" secret realm opens, all Nascent Soul and late-stage Golden Core cultivators in the Free and Unfettered Sect are required to participate and help the sect compete for spiritual treasures.

The other elders with mid-stage and early-stage Golden Core cultivation levels are free to choose whether or not to go on the adventure; the sect will not impose any mandatory requirements on them.

However, compared to the last time the "Tower of Babel" opened three hundred years ago, the "Free and Unfettered Sect" has undergone earth-shattering changes, and there are now many more cultivators qualified to enter the secret realm than before.

Three hundred years ago, the sect only had one Nascent Soul cultivator, Li Mufeng, plus a dozen Golden Core elders.

Only six Golden Core cultivators dared to go to the secret realm: Chen Xuanxin, Bai Yuxian, Li Wutong, Zhao Mengling, Jin Ziyuan, and Song Qingming.

The remaining Golden Core elders were either too young to participate because they had only recently formed their cores or lacked sufficient combat skills.

The current number of Golden Core cultivators in the "Free and Unfettered Sect" has reached twenty-seven, more than double the number from back then.

Knowing that the once-in-three-hundred-years "Tower of Babel" secret realm was about to open, many elders in the sect had already begun inviting each other more than a decade ago, all wanting to go in for an adventure and seek opportunities.

Recently, news from the "Lushan Kingdom" has led many to seek out Xu Ziyan, the sect leader, to discuss their desire to travel to the secret realm with their sect.

Upon seeing the list of applicants for the secret realm submitted by Xu Ziyan, which contained the names of many young Golden Core elders from various sects, Song Qingming and the others sitting to the side couldn't help but frown.

Unexpectedly, these young people were much braver than Song Qingming and his group were back then when faced with the extremely dangerous "Tower of Babel" secret realm.

"Uncle-Master Li, Uncle-Master Bai, Uncle-Master Song, according to the old rules, the sect does not restrict everyone from going to the secret realm."

However, nowadays, the sect needs manpower to guard all around the sacred mountains. So many people have gone to the secret realm, but not many elders have stayed behind.

If anything changes in the north, we might not be able to cope in time, and then we would suffer great losses.

Hearing the worry on Xu Ziyan's face, Bai Yuxian immediately nodded and said, "Although the demon race will also enter the Tower of Babel during its opening period, we are not afraid that they will make any noise."

However, the sect is not what it used to be, and there are still many things to guard against. We cannot be too careless.

Ziyan is right. We really need to think this over carefully. We must leave some people behind to oversee the sect.

Moreover, this time the Heavenly Decree has caused quite a stir, and the secret realm will definitely be more dangerous than before. Too many people going there probably won't be a good thing.

“Yes! I agree with what Junior Sister Bai said. Although the Tower of Babel Secret Realm is an opportunity that we only have once every three hundred years, the sect is our foundation, and we cannot be careless because of it.”

Not only them, but it would be best if one of us stayed behind to oversee the sect for the sake of stability.

Now that my cultivation has made no progress and my path to enlightenment in this life is hopeless, such an opportunity is of little use to me. It would be better for me to stay and guard the sect.

Junior Sister Bai and Junior Brother Song have been to the Tower of Babel before, so they have some experience. I feel at ease entrusting them to you.

As for the Heavenly Decree in my possession, I might as well give it to Qingyu.

Whether or not you find any extraordinary opportunities or spiritual objects, I just hope you all return safely.

Li Mufeng is already 1,200 years old, but his cultivation level is still at the peak of the fifth level of the Nascent Soul stage. In this lifetime, let alone breaking through to the Divine Transformation stage, even advancing to the late stage of the Nascent Soul stage is a very slim possibility.

Li Mufeng, who had cultivated for so many years, was naturally well aware of this.

Especially in recent years, seeing that Bai Yuxian, Song Qingming and others have gradually caught up with his cultivation level, Li Mufeng secretly envied them, but he also had to admit that his cultivation speed was much slower than theirs.

Even now, facing the once-in-three-hundred-years "Tower of Babel" secret realm that is about to open, Li Mufeng does not feel the same excitement he did back then.

He actually chose to withdraw, wanting to give the opportunity to enter the secret realm to Song Qingyu, who had just formed her Nascent Soul.

Upon hearing that Li Mufeng wanted to stay and oversee the sect, Song Qingming and Bai Yuxian exchanged a glance, both noticing a hint of surprise on each other's faces.

After a moment's thought, Song Qingming decided to speak directly:

"Senior Brother Li, to tell you the truth, when Siyuan and I returned from our travels, we accidentally obtained a Heavenly Decree in Changping Kingdom."

If you are worried about Qingyu, there is no need for you to do so.

Moreover, none of us have ever been inside the Tongtian Pavilion. Without Senior Brother Li to lead the way, even if we managed to get in, we'd probably be unable to move an inch.

"Oh! Junior Brother Song still has a Heavenly Token on him. In that case, Senior Brother Li doesn't need to worry anymore and can come in with us."

After obtaining a Heavenly Token from the "Changping Kingdom" and adding the one given to him by Song Yuanfang from his family, Song Qingming now has a total of three Heavenly Tokens.

Originally, he and Song Qingyu each had one, and with the "Ice and Fire Dragon" they could all enter the Tongtian Pavilion.

Upon hearing that Li Mufeng was going to give the "Tongtian Token" to Song Qingyu, Song Qingming didn't think much of it and immediately told him that he already had enough "Tongtian Tokens".

Despite Song Qingming and Bai Yuxian's attempts to persuade him, Li Mufeng remained resolute and shook his head with them.

"The main reason I stayed was to protect the sect, not entirely because of the 'Tongtian Token'."

With me in charge of the sect, you can all go out with more peace of mind. There's no need to discuss this further; it's decided then and there.

As for the Heavenly Token in my possession, I'll entrust it to Junior Brother Song. You can also bring your spirit beast along, which will be of great help to you both.

After Li Mufeng finished speaking, he took out a black iron plaque from his person and handed it to Song Qingming.

Seeing that Li Mufeng had made up his mind, Song Qingming and Bai Yuxian had no choice but to abandon their attempts to dissuade him and nodded in agreement.

The two could see that Li Mufeng now valued the safety of the sect more than his own path to immortality.

Rather than exploring the "Tower of Babel," Li Mufeng preferred to stay in the sect and safeguard the foundation built by his predecessors over thousands of years.

Upon hearing that Elder Li Mufeng had chosen to stay and oversee the situation, Xu Ziyan, as the sect leader, felt much more at ease and then inquired about the fate of the other sect elders.

After careful deliberation, the people sitting in the main hall finally decided on the candidates to go to the "Tower of Babel" secret realm.

Besides the three Nascent Soul ancestors, Song Qingming, Bai Yuxian, and Song Qingyu.

Of the remaining twenty-seven Golden Core elders in the sect, twelve stayed behind to help oversee the sect, while only fifteen were taken to the "Tower of Babel" secret realm.

After finalizing these matters, Song Qingming and Huang Siyuan went to the sect's "Good Deeds Pavilion" to exchange for some spiritual items they needed before setting off to leave "Guyang Mountain".

Knowing that he was going to explore the "Tower of Babel" secret realm, Song Qingming made a special trip back to his family on his way back to "Red Cloud Mountain" to inform Song Yuanfang and others who were still unaware of the matter.

When the two returned to Crimson Cloud Mountain via the "teleportation array," they were surprised to find a familiar figure already waiting at the summit—it was Song Qingyu, who had just returned from the East Sea cultivation world.

(PS: Sorry for repeating a paragraph later; it was my own mistake and has been fixed.)

If you encounter similar situations in the future, don't worry, just refresh the page every few minutes and it will automatically recover. (End of Chapter)