Qinghe Immortal Clan.

Inside the cave at "Red Cloud Mountain," Song Qingming, Song Qingyu, and their senior sister Li Xuanyi were chatting around a table.

A moment later, the aroma wafted over, and Huang Siyuan brought a pot of freshly brewed spiritual tea to the group, personally pouring a cup for each of them.

"Qingyu, why did it take you so long to come back this time? A few days ago, your seventh brother was worried that something might have happened to you and you wouldn't be able to get back in time. Fortunately, nothing unexpected happened."

Upon hearing Huang Siyuan's question, Song Qingyu, who was sitting next to her, quickly replied with a smile: "Sister-in-law, you don't know, but this time I went to the East China Sea with Senior Sister Li, and we found some good things in the outer sea!"
If it weren't for the time crunch and the urgent need to get back to participate in the Tower of Babel Secret Realm, we probably wouldn't have wanted to come back anytime soon.

After saying something mysterious, Song Qingyu took out a "yellowish-brown" spirit stone from her storage bag and placed it in front of everyone.

"Isn't this just a high-grade spirit stone? What's so strange about it?"

Upon seeing the earth-attribute "superior-grade spirit stone" that Song Qingyu had taken out, Huang Siyuan frowned slightly and asked a question with some confusion.

Although "high-grade spirit stones" are quite rare in the cultivation world, the people present, including her, are all high-level cultivators at the Golden Core or even Nascent Soul stages.

Even Huang Siyuan, whose cultivation level is the lowest, can take out several such "high-grade spirit stones" at any time, let alone Song Qingming and the others.

Seeing that Song Qingyu took it out as if it were a treasure, not only Huang Siyuan but also Song Qingming, who was standing next to her, looked at the spirit stone in her hand with some curiosity.

"Junior Brother Song, these are not things we have on us. We found them by chance near the Tianyuan Sea area that Qingyu took me to."

"These past few years, Qingyu and I have spent a lot of time in the open sea searching for the origin of this item."

"It's the Tianyuan Sea area. This high-grade spirit stone was found there. So you mean there might be a spirit stone mine nearby?"

Upon hearing his senior sister Li Xuanyi's explanation, Song Qingming, who had previously looked somewhat puzzled, immediately understood and asked the two of them a question.

Seeing this, Song Qingyu nodded in agreement and then slowly recounted their experiences over the past few years.

More than a hundred years ago, Song Qingming had already told Song Qingyu about the secret realm he had discovered in the "Tianyuan Sea Area" in the outer sea and had taken her there with him.

This time, upon learning that Song Qingyu and her companion wanted to travel to the East China Sea, Song Qingming asked her to take the opportunity to visit the "Tianyuan Sea Area" to search for some spiritual herbs.

Unexpectedly, when Song Qingyu and his companion arrived at the "Tianyuan Sea Area," they encountered a Golden Core Demon King circling in the sea area near the secret realm.

Fearing that the demon would discover the secret realm hidden beneath the sea on the deserted island, Song Qingyu took action and killed the demon king. The "superior spirit stone" in her hand was something she later found in the demon king's lair.

Normally, demons cultivate by directly absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and do not use spirit stones to improve their cultivation.

The fact that this "superior spirit stone" appeared in the Demon King's cave suggests that a spirit stone vein may have appeared near his cave.

Upon hearing this, Song Qingyu nodded slightly and replied, "That's right, Senior Sister Li and I think so too."

The open sea is just too vast. We've searched the area several times over the past two years, but so far we haven't been able to find any trace of that mine, so we have to come back first.

Seventh Brother, as you know, it's very rare to find high-grade spirit stones in ordinary mines.

If this spirit stone truly comes from a mineral vein, then the vein's reserves must be substantial. We can't afford to miss such a golden opportunity.

"Hehe! If it's really as you say, then of course we shouldn't miss it. When I have some free time later, I'll pick some people from the clan who understand the earth's veins to go with you and take a look."

However, don't get too excited yet. The Tianyuan Sea is extremely dangerous, unlike the inland sea. Even if you do find a mineral vein, successfully mining it won't be easy.

Seeing Song Qingyu looking at everyone with excitement, Song Qingming immediately nodded and gave her a reminder.

Since Song Qingming took over the family business, the Song family has discovered several spirit stone veins in their territory, including "Twin Peaks Mountain".

However, these small spirit stone mines generally have low reserves, and even mid-grade spirit stones are very rare, let alone high-grade spirit stones.

If the "superior spirit stone" in Song Qingyu's hand was indeed found in a mine, then the mine must have a large reserve and could indeed be a medium to large "spirit stone mine".

Needless to say, Song Qingyu was also very excited when she heard the news.

The only problem is that the "Tianyuan Sea Area" is located in a very dangerous open sea. If a large spirit stone vein is found, how to mine it smoothly will also be a headache.

However, these are all just possibilities at the moment and have not been confirmed, so there's no need for people to think about them too much for now.

"Hmm! I know these things aren't easy, so let's listen to Seventh Brother for now and talk about it after we come out of the secret realm!"

"By the way, Seventh Brother, who are the sect's designated people going to the Tower of Babel this time? Are Yuan Hao and the others going in with us?"

After nodding in agreement with Song Qingming, Song Qingyu put away the spirit stones in her hand and immediately changed the subject, asking about the "Tower of Babel" secret realm.

Upon hearing this, Song Qingming informed Song Qingyu, who had just returned, of the candidates they had discussed at the sect a few days prior.

Besides Song Qingming, Bai Yuxian, and Song Qingyu, the three Nascent Soul elders, fifteen other Golden Core elders from the "Free and Unfettered Sect" were selected to accompany them.

Among them, those with cultivation levels at the late Golden Core stage include Chen Xuanxin, Huang Siyuan, Xu Ziyan, Fang Baixuan, Yun Nishang, and Zhou Ziyang.

The remaining nine people—Song Yuanhao, Luo Qingyun, Li Junyan, Zheng Zongxun, Shen Chenzhou, Zhang Tieyang, Song Linxi, Yao Muling, and Zhao Youxuan—were all mid-stage Golden Core cultivators.

Of these fifteen people, apart from Chen Xuanxin and Zhang Tieyang, two veteran Golden Core elders of the sect, the others were entering the "Tower of Heaven" secret realm for the first time.

Chen Xuanxin is nearly 560 years old, making him the second oldest Golden Core elder in the "Free and Unfettered Sect".

Although he had failed to break through to the Nascent Soul realm twice in a row, Chen Xuanxin, who was in his twilight years, still did not choose to completely give up his path.

They wanted to try entering the "Tower of Babel" to see if they could eventually obtain a Nascent Soul cultivation opportunity.

Even before the secret realm opened, he had already asked Li Mufeng and Bai Yuxian for a spot to accompany them into the secret realm, and Song Qingming and the others did not object to this.

Compared to Chen Xuanxin, who was single-mindedly devoted to the Dao, Chu Fengping, who was older than him and of the same generation, had a more open-minded view and had given up his own path of cultivation long ago.

Chu Fengping was obsessed with alchemy back then, and his cultivation level didn't advance to the ninth level of the Golden Core stage until he was 540 years old. He had long since given up any hope of forming a Nascent Soul.

Now that he only has twenty or thirty years left to live, he has resigned from his position as an elder in the sect and no longer participates in sect affairs, devoting himself to spending his remaining years in his cave.

Even when the "Tower of Babel" secret realm opened, Chu Fengping had no intention of going there to seek opportunities.

However, Chu Fengping has been in charge of the sect's "Alchemy Pavilion" for many years, and has many disciples and descendants under his tutelage.

Although he has now stepped down from his position, he is living a fairly good life. Young disciples from the sect who want to learn alchemy skills often come to him for advice, and his cave is much more lively than before.

Li Wutong, who was of the same generation as Chen Xuanxin and Chu Fengping, had already passed away in his cave thirty years ago after his lifespan had run out.

At the time, Song Qingming and Huang Siyuan were still traveling and did not attend Li Wutong's funeral. It was only after they returned to the sect that they made a special trip to "Guyang Mountain" to pay their respects.

The older generation of Golden Core elders who were with Song Qingming when he formed his Golden Core have gradually passed away, and now the main management of sect affairs has been replaced by a new generation of Golden Core cultivators in the sect.

"Seventh Brother, now that we're all going, is Senior Sister Li going to stay behind, or is she going in with us?"

Upon hearing Song Qingyu's words, Song Qingming immediately turned his gaze to Li Xuanyi, who asked with a puzzled expression:
"Why are you looking at me like that, Junior Brother Song? If you don't want me to go in, then I'll stay here and watch the house for everyone!"

It's just an ordinary secret realm; I've seen plenty of those. What's so special about going there?

Seeing a hint of displeasure flash in his senior sister Li Xuanyi's eyes, Song Qingming remained silent for a moment before a smile quickly appeared on his face.

".."
-
Two months later, in the northern valley of the "Lushan Kingdom", a group of cultivators were walking briskly forward.

Just as they passed the mountain ahead, they saw a sudden burst of rosy light in the distant sky, and everyone's faces immediately lit up with excitement.

"Brother Qi, look over there! There really is a secret realm!"

"Hehe! I told you this was the right path, but you didn't believe me. Now you know I was telling the truth!"

A burly, bald man standing at the front of the group looked at the constantly flashing "colorful clouds" and immediately boasted to the people around him with a smug look.

"Hurry up and catch up. I reckon quite a few people have already gotten there. If we turn back too late, we won't even get a sip of soup."

"Brother Qi, before I came here I heard that there are Foundation Establishment Pills in this secret realm, is that true?"

Hearing a short cultivator with only the sixth level of Qi Refining ask a question with a curious look, the bald, burly man immediately glanced at the other person with disdain.

"I'm telling you, can't you improve a bit? That's a secret realm that only appears once every few hundred years in the cultivation world. Not to mention Foundation Establishment Pills, even higher-grade spiritual herbs are everywhere."

I've already heard that there are immortal elixirs in this secret realm, the kind that can make a mortal immortal just by eating a single bite.

"If I'm lucky enough to actually find that thing, I wouldn't trade it for ten Foundation Establishment Pills."

"What? You can become an immortal just by eating one bite? Brother Qi, is there really such a thing in this world?" "Hehe, that's right."

Upon hearing the bald, burly man's words, the people around him immediately cast excited glances. But before he could reply, several streaks of light suddenly flew past in the sky behind the group, heading straight for the location of the "five-colored glow."

Seeing this, the bald, burly man quickly waved his hand, signaling everyone to hide to the side. He only breathed a sigh of relief after the disappearing light had gone far away.

Seeing that the light had disappeared high in the sky, the bald, burly man turned around and continued:

"As you can see, so many high-level cultivators have come for that secret realm. If it weren't for some really good stuff, how could it attract so many people?"

Just wait and see! As long as we can find one or two high-level spiritual items this time, we'll have that day sooner or later too.

After saying that, the bald, burly man immediately withdrew the envious look in his eyes and led the group to continue walking quickly toward the location of the "five-colored glow".

High in the distance, on a white flying boat, Song Qingming, Song Qingyu, and several others were intently watching the "five-colored glow" that was getting closer and closer.

"Fellow Daoist Song, how long will it take before this secret realm opens?"

Upon hearing a woman in white beside him ask a question, Song Qingming paused for a moment before replying, "Currently, only some unusual phenomena have appeared. It should still be some time before the secret realm opens."

"Once we arrive there, I would appreciate it if Fellow Daoist Xia would refrain from revealing his identity for a while. We will meet inside once the Tower of Babel opens."

"Fellow Daoist, rest assured. I have come here for an opportunity, so there is no question of feeling wronged. I will follow your arrangements."

When Xia Mo came to me with the "Heavenly Token," she was determined to go in and find an opportunity.

After discussing it with Bai Yuxian and Li Mufeng, Song Qingming finally agreed to bring them along.

However, Xia Mo was not a cultivator from the "Floating Cloud Mountain Range," so to avoid any misunderstandings from other sects, the two agreed in advance not to reveal their relationship and to meet up and act together once they entered the "Tower of Babel."

Besides Xia Mo, her senior sister Li Xuanyi also accompanied them this time.

Compared to others, Li Xuanyi is more of an adventurer, and even if Song Qingming disagrees, it probably won't be able to stop her restless heart.

Moreover, with Song Qingyu and Huang Siyuan speaking up for him, Song Qingming, knowing it was difficult to stop them, simply did the right thing and nodded in agreement.

Although this secret realm may be much more dangerous than before, Song Qingming's cultivation ability is no longer what it used to be, and there are not many people in the entire "Floating Cloud Mountain Range" cultivation world who can threaten him.

As the flying boat traveled along, approaching the vicinity of the "Five-Colored Glow," Song Qingming also saw more and more low-level cultivators appearing below, seemingly also heading towards the secret realm.

Just like when I first entered the Tower of Babel, as soon as news of the secret realm's appearance spread, all sorts of cultivators would rush to try and get a piece of the pie.

Even seeing so many high-level cultivators in the sky and knowing that the secret realm ahead is extremely dangerous, many people still come to try their luck, hoping for the best.

After traveling for a while, Song Qingming saw many cultivators appearing in the mountains and forests under the glow of the sunset. He then slowly stopped his flying boat and landed on a mountaintop not far away.

As soon as the airship stopped, a group of figures approached from a distance. Song Qingming quickly led the people beside him to meet them.

"Senior Sister Bai, Fellow Daoist Yang!"

"You're too kind, Fellow Daoist Song. It's been many years since we last met. I didn't expect your cultivation to have improved so much. Such a talent is truly something I envy!"

"Hehe! Fellow Daoist Yang is too kind. Compared to Fellow Daoist Song, my cultivation is still rather shallow and not worth mentioning."

Fellow Daoist Yang is now only one step away from the late Nascent Soul stage. If he can gain something in this secret realm, our cultivation world of the Floating Cloud Mountains will likely gain another great cultivator.

Upon hearing Song Qingming's praise, Yang Fengyu smiled but immediately waved his hand.

"Fellow Daoist Song, you flatter me. Although I am also very tempted by the Profound Spirit Pill, with so many fellow Daoists present in this secret realm, it will not be an easy task to compete for it."

"Whether I succeed in seizing it or not is irrelevant, as long as it falls into the hands of human cultivators and not into the hands of demons or those demon bastards."

As Yang Fengyu spoke, he glanced again at a high mountain shrouded in mist not far to the north.

Seeing that there were no human cultivators in the area, Song Qingming immediately realized that this place must be occupied by demon cultivators.

After exchanging a few pleasantries with Yang Fengyu and Bai Yuxian, and seeing that the other sect cultivators had not yet arrived, Song Qingming and Song Qingyu found a quiet place to sit down.

It's estimated that there will be another month or two before the "Tower of Babel" opens, and many more cultivators will likely come to this place in the future.

After waiting on the mountain for more than ten days, a dozen dazzling streaks of light appeared again in the southern sky, which were the "Star Gate" cultivators who came to participate in the secret realm.

As early as during the "Monster Uprising", news of He Wuyou's passing had already begun to circulate throughout the "Floating Cloud Mountain Range".

It wasn't until the turmoil ended that "Star Gate" officially acknowledged the matter and announced that a funeral had been held for him.

At that time, Song Qingming was in seclusion cultivating and did not go to Wu Kingdom on purpose. It was Li Mufeng who personally went to see his old friend off.

As soon as the flying boat from the "Star Gate" landed, Song Qingming saw several familiar figures and quickly followed Yang Fengyu and the others to step forward and wave hello.

After decades apart, both Zheng Zitong and Ye Linyuan had undergone significant changes in their cultivation levels.

Like Song Qingming, the former had already broken through to the fifth level of the Nascent Soul realm, while Ye Linyuan's cultivation improved even faster, and he had now successfully cultivated to the third level of the Nascent Soul realm.

Although Zheng Zitong is considered a cultivator of the same generation as Li Mufeng and Yang Fengyu, he is much younger than them and is not yet a thousand years old.

Based on his cultivation speed, it should be only a matter of time before Zheng Zitong advances to the sixth level of the Nascent Soul stage, but whether he will have the opportunity to break through to the late stage of the Nascent Soul stage is another matter.

After all, even a genius like his senior brother He Wuyou was stuck at this level for hundreds of years without making any progress, so Zheng Zitong's cultivation talent was considerably inferior in comparison.

Ye Linyuan, who had just joined the "Starry Sky Sect" not long ago, seemed to have advanced to the third level of the Nascent Soul stage even faster.

Even if Ye Linyuan's cultivation level improved rapidly in the early stages, it doesn't mean that things will go smoothly in the future. It is still unknown when Ye Linyuan will be able to break through to the middle stage of the Nascent Soul stage.

After greeting the two, Song Qingming's gaze fell on a cultivator next to Zheng Zitong, and his face immediately showed some surprise.

I didn't notice when we landed, but I didn't expect that in addition to Zheng Zitong and Ye Linyuan, there was a relatively unfamiliar Nascent Soul cultivator in the "Starry Sky Sect" team, and this person's cultivation was no weaker than mine.

Before Song Qingming could even ask, Yang Fengyu, who was standing to the side, also sensed the abnormality emanating from the other party and quickly cupped his hands in greeting, saying:

"Fellow Daoist Zheng, may I ask how this fellow Daoist is addressed? Could he also be a guest elder of your sect?"

"Uh! Fellow Daoist Yang has misunderstood. This is Fellow Daoist Xu from the East Sea. Not long ago, he heard that our Floating Cloud Mountain Range Secret Realm had opened, so Fellow Daoist Xu wanted to come and join in the fun."

I heard that many experts from the demon race have come to the secret realm this time, so I thought that more people would be more helpful, and I agreed to bring him along.

Fellow Daoists, rest assured, Fellow Daoist Xu has a close relationship with our sect and will definitely stand on the side of us human cultivators.

After hearing Zheng Zitong's introduction, Song Qingming realized that this person seemed to be a helper specially invited by the "Star Gate", and immediately understood the other party's purpose.

Given the large number of "Tongtian Tokens" that appeared back then, the "Star Gate" likely possessed more than two. This person's appearance must also be for the treasures in the "Tongtian Pavilion."

If we were to go inside and find that the human and demon races were at odds, Song Qingming would certainly believe that the other side would stand on his side.

However, if the only people present are vying for the spiritual object, then the other party may not necessarily be a friend.

Surprisingly, despite their own caution, Zheng Zitong didn't care about others' opinions at all and openly revealed his helpers.

A few days after Zheng Zitong and his group arrived, Chen Yunxiao and his "Yunxiao Sect" also arrived at the same place.

After decades of absence, Chen Yunxiao's cultivation level remained at the peak of the third level of the Nascent Soul stage. His cultivation seemed rather ordinary, and it was unknown when he would be able to reach the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul stage.

However, compared to decades ago, the number of Golden Core cultivators in the Jade Cloud Sect has increased considerably. There are as many as eight or nine Golden Core cultivators who accompanied Chen Yunxiao this time.

This was somewhat unexpected for Song Qingming. He wondered how the "Yunxiao Sect" had developed so smoothly over the years.

Because his relationship with Song Qingming and the others was so-so, Chen Yunxiao simply greeted everyone after arriving and then led his subordinate cultivators aside, not getting too close to the cultivators from the three families.

After the Yunxiao Sect cultivators arrived, most of the sects east of the Fuyun Mountains had also arrived, leaving only the major sects in the west, led by the Wanling Sect.

After waiting for almost a month, just as Song Qingming and the others were wondering why the "Wanling Sect" cultivators were still nowhere to be seen when the secret realm was about to begin, several streaks of light finally appeared in the east and rapidly approached.

This time, in addition to the "Wanling Sect", there was also the "Huoyang Sect" of the Lieshan Kingdom, as well as many Golden Core sects from the east that followed.

To Song Qingming and the others' surprise, in addition to the familiar Wang Yan and others, there was also a newly promoted Nascent Soul cultivator from the Floating Cloud Mountains who came with the "Ten Thousand Spirits Sect".

Moreover, this person had some past connection with him! (End of Chapter)