Qinghe Immortal Clan.

As his gaze fell, an elderly man with a weathered face and a short beard, dressed in white, appeared in Song Qingming's sight.

Just before Song Qingming fell into the pool, he scanned the surrounding area with his divine sense but did not see any cultivators. The sudden appearance of an old man really startled him.

As soon as his divine sense covered the area in front of him again, Song Qingming was shocked.

The seemingly kind and amiable old man in front of him was actually much more powerful than himself, a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

Fortunately, the other party's spiritual energy was pure and he was not a demonic cultivator with the white-clothed woman. Song Qingming was relieved and took the initiative to cup his hands in greeting.

"My name is Song Qingming. I have just wandered into this place by mistake and am unaware of the details. Please forgive me, fellow Daoist."

"Fellow Daoist, you are indeed new to this place. You are quite lucky. Come with me!"

"Uh! May I ask where we are headed?"

Seeing that the other party waved and was eager to take him away, Song Qingming's face immediately showed a hint of doubt.

Seeing this, the white-robed elder immediately explained, "Fellow Daoist Song, many of the protective formations around here are damaged, and the external gale could cover this place at any time."

We'd better get to a safe place quickly, otherwise we'll get entangled in those fierce winds and thunderbolts, and that would be troublesome!

".."

Upon hearing the other party mention the outer gale, Song Qingming remembered that when he passed through the protective barrier to enter this place, he did indeed feel that the aura of the outer barrier was not very stable, as if there was some problem.

Having just desperately rushed into this place, Song Qingming had already exhausted all his magical power. If he were to suddenly encounter the outer winds, it would be quite dangerous.

After hearing the old man in white explain, Song Qingming quickly nodded to him, and the two soon left the vicinity of the pool together.

A moment later, two streaks of light flew through the air, and Song Qingming followed the white-robed elder to the vicinity of a smaller palace in the west.

Just as they were about to approach the palace, a thunderclap suddenly resounded in the distant sky, followed by countless gusts of wind and lightning that easily passed through the transparent shield above their heads.

"Oh no! A fierce wind is coming! Fellow Daoist, come inside with me quickly!"

Seeing that a powerful gale was rising all around, the white-robed elder immediately cast a spell to lift up Song Qingming, who was moving slower, and then they landed together at the palace entrance.

As soon as he reached the entrance, Song Qingming sensed a hidden restriction formation ahead and stopped to carefully observe what lay ahead.

Seemingly noticing Song Qingming's subtle movements behind him, the white-robed elder glanced at him with some surprise.

But the constant gusts of wind from the surrounding area quickly interrupted the white-robed elder's thoughts, causing him to abruptly shift his gaze.

The next moment, the white-haired old man quickly made a hand seal forward, and soon a circular gap appeared in the void.

Seeing that the white-haired old man had already entered, Song Qingming did not hesitate and immediately followed.

After passing through the great formation, the two figures quickly appeared in a hall. At this moment, the white-haired old man breathed a slight sigh of relief and turned to look at Song Qingming beside him.

"Fellow Daoist, rest assured, this place has been covered by an array, and those extraterrestrial winds cannot enter for the time being."

"Thank you for saving me, fellow Daoist. May I ask your name, and what kind of place this is, that it is so dangerous?"

"It was nothing, fellow Daoist, please don't be so polite."

The old man in white waved his hand gently, then continued to explain to Song Qingming, "To be honest, I can hardly remember my own name."

My surname is Xiao, and the people here call me Old Ghost Xiao. Fellow Daoist, you may call me whatever you like from now on.

As for this place, it is a secret realm located in the void outside the boundary, not in the five continents and four seas of Huayang Realm.

Like you, fellow Daoist, I was also searching for treasures near the edge of the boundary when I was suddenly caught in a spatial storm and unfortunately became trapped here.

It must have been several hundred years, and who knows how many years have passed in the outside world.

"What? This place is truly the outer void? Fellow Daoist, you've been trapped here for hundreds of years?"

Although his previous experiences had already made Song Qingming aware that his location was somewhat unusual, he still couldn't help but show a hint of unease when he heard the words "outer void" again.

To my utter surprise, the woman in white actually took me to such a dangerous place beyond the nine heavens.

Although the entire Huayang cultivation world is divided into five continents and four seas, with different mountains, rivers, lakes and seas, it still belongs to the same realm.

The so-called outer void is the land beyond the boundary that has already crossed the outer membrane of the Huayang boundary.

Because such places lack the protection of a protective membrane, they are not only devoid of spiritual energy, but also filled with various dangerous thunder, fire, and gales, making it impossible for ordinary low-level cultivators to survive.

It is said that only high-level cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage could survive for a long time in such a harsh environment.

Even Nascent Soul cultivators like Song Qingming and the white-haired elder couldn't withstand the lightning and winds from beyond the boundary for long; once they were trapped in the void, their chances of survival were slim.

Having cultivated for so many years, Song Qingming had naturally heard about the extraterrestrial void beyond the Nine Heavens, and had inquired about this place when discussing the Dao with many cultivators of the same level.

However, most Nascent Soul cultivators, like Song Qingming, only occasionally heard some news about the outer void, and very few actually ventured beyond the Nine Heavens.

Therefore, he didn't know much about the void outside the boundary, which is why he didn't confirm his judgment at the beginning.

Seeing Song Qingming's shocked expression, the old man surnamed Xiao didn't seem too surprised. He simply smiled and sighed, saying:
"Since Fellow Daoist Song has come here, he must have noticed something."

Think about it, apart from this ethereal Nine Heavens Realm, where else in the cultivation world would there be so much fierce wind, thunder, and fire? Otherwise, I wouldn't have been trapped here for hundreds of years.

It's my own fault for being greedy back then and going to search for treasures outside the boundary membrane, which led to my accidental trapping here.

To be honest, we are all wandering ghosts drifting in the void outside the realm. We are already grateful to have survived here.

Otherwise, without this place to stay, we would probably have been reduced to ashes by the fierce winds and thunder outside long ago.

"Now that you're here, fellow Daoist, I advise you to relax and not worry too much. With time, you'll naturally get used to things."

The outer void beyond the Nine Heavens, though extremely dangerous, is not entirely a desolate and barren land.

Because ordinary cultivators cannot enter this place at all, and the area outside the void is even more vast and boundless.

Over thousands of years, there have also been some highly skilled senior cultivators who specially created secret realms and caves to hide within them.

The "Tower of Babel" that Song Qingming entered before was a secret realm left in the outer void by an ancient powerful cultivator before his ascension.

Normally, this tower is nowhere to be found in the void beyond the nine heavens, and it only appears once every three hundred years in the cultivation world of the "Floating Cloud Mountain Range".

In addition, at the interface membrane located outside the Nine Heavens, rare treasures such as extraterrestrial meteorites, which are hard to find in the cultivation world, occasionally descend, attracting some Nascent Soul cultivators to search for them.

The white-haired old man in front of Song Qingming was the one who was swept into this palace secret realm by a sudden spatial storm when he went to search for treasures outside the heavens hundreds of years ago.

Upon seeing Song Qingming, who had just arrived, the old man surnamed Xiao also mistook him for a Nascent Soul cultivator who, like himself, had mistakenly wandered into this place from beyond the Nine Heavens.

Moreover, according to what the other party said, there seems to be more than just the old man surnamed Xiao here, along with other cultivators who have mistakenly entered this place.

After receiving an explanation from the white-haired old man, Song Qingming finally understood his dangerous situation.

Unexpectedly, the woman in white actually took him to the void beyond the nine heavens. Although he had temporarily saved his life, he was now trapped here and unable to return to the "Huayang Realm".

"Am I really going to be trapped here for the rest of my life?!"

Thinking of Huang Siyuan, who was still waiting for him to return to "Dangmo Mountain", and Qingyu and many other family descendants from "Fuyun Mountain Range", Song Qingming's face showed even more sorrow.

"Fellow Daoist Xiao, is it true that everyone who comes here will be trapped here for life? Is there no way for us to leave and return to Huayang Realm?"

"Hehe! It's not that there's absolutely no way to go back, it's just that we haven't had the opportunity yet!"

Seeing the slight dejection in Song Qingming's voice, the old man surnamed Xiao smiled and gently shook his head, then continued:
"As you know, this place is in the void outside the boundary. This secret realm is also constantly moving in location, and it may drift back to Huayang Realm one day."

When I first entered this place, a fellow Daoist told me that he had entered here to explore a secret realm but got trapped here. This shows that the secret realm appears in the Huayang Realm every once in a while.

If we're lucky, we'll be able to leave easily when the secret realm reappears.

As for how long it will take, that's hard to say.

In addition, if you can raise your cultivation to the Nascent Soul realm, your magical power will be sufficient to withstand the fierce winds, thunder, and fire outside, and you will naturally be able to leave this place and return to Huayang Realm at any time.

Unfortunately, I have been here for hundreds of years and have never seen any fellow Daoist achieve this.

Over the years, many fellow cultivators have tried various methods to leave, but most of them have failed and disappeared into the vast void.

I understand perfectly well that Fellow Daoist Song is eager to leave this place, but this is easier said than done.

Fellow Daoist, please don't be hasty and waste your life. Let's talk about it later!

".."

Although the old man surnamed Xiao gave Song Qingming the two answers he wanted, there was no joy on his face, and his heart was heavy.

Song Qingming's cultivation level is currently only at the mid-Nascent Soul stage. Raising his magical power to the Deity Transformation stage is simply impossible for him in a short time. As for waiting for this secret realm to reappear, it seems to be the only way to leave, but the old man surnamed Xiao has already waited for hundreds of years; who knows how much longer they will have to wait?

One year, a hundred years, or a lifetime.

".."

"Eh! Old Ghost Xiao, is this fellow Daoist new here?"

Just as Song Qingming was looking somewhat worried, two more figures suddenly walked over from the front of the hall in the distance.

The speaker was a smiling, rather tall, chubby-faced cultivator whose cultivation level was similar to Song Qingming's, at the sixth level of the Nascent Soul stage.

The other person was a middle-aged man in a green robe wearing a silver crown and with a rather dignified expression.

This person's cultivation level was much higher than that of the fat-faced man who spoke. Like the old man surnamed Xiao, he was also a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

To Song Qingming's surprise, the green-robed man seemed to carry a sharp sword intent, which made him feel a strange sense of familiarity.

However, this person's face was completely unfamiliar, and the look in his eyes when he looked at Song Qingming was only a little curious, unlike any cultivator he had seen before.

Upon seeing the two approaching from afar, the old man surnamed Xiao immediately introduced them to Song Qingming: "Fellow Daoist Song, these two are Fellow Daoist Liu and Fellow Daoist Ling."

They, like you and me, were unfortunately swept into this place by the spatial storm. Although we didn't know each other before, we should still get to know each other now that we're here.

Upon hearing the introduction from the elderly man surnamed Xiao, Song Qingming quickly turned around and bowed to Liu and Ling, soon learning their names as well.

The chubby-faced man surnamed Liu, named Liu Ziliang, is an elder from the Nascent Soul sect in Zhongyuan Immortal Continent. He has been here for almost eighty years.

Another middle-aged man in green robes at the late Nascent Soul stage was named Ling Zhentian. He was a cultivator from Xihua Continent and had been trapped here for much longer than Liu Ziliang, more than three hundred years.

Upon confirming that Song Qingming was indeed a newly arrived cultivator from elsewhere, Liu Ziliang's face lit up with joy, and he immediately launched into a barrage of questions at Song Qingming.

He wanted to know what had happened in the cultivation world outside while he was trapped there for so many years.

However, Song Qingming, as a cultivator from "Donghuang Immortal Continent", had never been to "Zhongyuan Continent", which was far away. Faced with Liu Ziliang's question, he found it difficult to answer.

I could only tell the other party the limited information I had heard.

"Fellow Daoist Ziliang, Fellow Daoist Song has only just arrived. Let him rest for a while. You can ask him anything later when you have time!"

Seeing that Liu Ziliang was asking questions nonstop, Xiao Laogui immediately interrupted him, somewhat displeased, and then turned to Song Qingming to continue speaking:

"Fellow Daoist Song, I can see that you can understand the formations outside, so you must be a high-level formation master."

"When I went out just now, I discovered that many parts of the northern magic array were damaged again. I'll have to ask you for help to repair the restrictions there later, to prevent the strong winds from destroying the array."

Earlier, when they were outside the main hall, Old Ghost Xiao had clearly noticed Song Qingming's unusual behavior of stopping in advance, knowing that he could understand the restrictive array at the entrance.

Faced with the invitation, Song Qingming did not hesitate for long. Just as he was about to nod in agreement, he saw Liu Ziliang suddenly lean over curiously.

"Fellow Daoist Song is a high-level array master?"

"I have indeed studied the art of formations, and since I have come here, I will do my best to help if there is anything I can do in the future."

Just as Song Qingming was about to respond, he suddenly heard Liu Ziliang say to him with a happy expression:

"Haha, fellow Daoist is indeed a high-level array master. It seems that our plan to escape from this place has gained even more hope."

Upon hearing that Song Qingming was actually a high-level array master, not only was Liu Ziliang excited, but even Ling Zhentian, who was usually quiet, turned his gaze towards him.

Upon hearing Liu Ziliang's words, Song Qingming also felt a surge of excitement and immediately looked up to ask him:
"Fellow Daoist Liu, is there a way to leave this place?"

“Fellow Daoist Ziliang, you’ve been here for so many years, how many people have you seen leave this place? Why are you still unwilling to give up now?”

We finally got a formation master like Fellow Daoist Song, and I was counting on him to help repair the outer restrictions. You mustn't take him to those dangerous places now.

Otherwise, when I'm gone, there will be no one to help you repair the magic array. What will you fellow cultivators use to resist the fierce winds and thunder and fire outside?"

Seeing Liu Ziliang looking at Song Qingming with excitement, Liang Laogui quickly interrupted him, as if afraid that Song Qingming would be fooled.

Seeing this, Liu Ziliang said anxiously, "Old Ghost Xiao, it's fine if you don't help us, but why are you stopping Fellow Daoist Song as soon as he arrives?"

We finally found an unopened barrier these past few days; maybe it holds the key to our escape. We have no choice but to try.

If we miss it, we might be trapped here for the rest of our lives.

"Hmph! How dare you say that? Over the years, I've risked my life to help you countless times, and now you're turning your back on me, huh!"

I never stopped you from going out to find a way to escape. I just wanted to leave Fellow Daoist Song here to help repair the magic array so that you wouldn't encounter any danger when you went out.

"If I hadn't done my best to maintain the magic array all these years, you wouldn't be standing here alive. You'd probably have been blown away by the outer winds somewhere long ago."

"Hehe! We all know that Brother Xiao has helped repair the magic array for so many years. Fellow Daoist Liu was just speaking off the cuff."

Everyone was just trying to find a way to get out of there; there was no conflict. Brother Xiao, please don't be angry.

Fellow Daoist Song is new here and not yet familiar with the area, so let's not disturb him for now. We can talk about it another time!

Seeing that the old man surnamed Xiao and Liu Ziliang were about to argue, Ling Zhentian, who was standing to the side, immediately stepped forward and pulled Liu Ziliang away, then bowed to Song Qingming and took his leave.

After the two left, Xiao Laogui turned around and shook his head at Song Qingming, saying, "These guys have already killed so many fellow Daoists, why don't they ever stop for a while?"

Fellow Daoist Song, you are still young. Remember not to rush into such a risky situation with them, or you'll regret it later!

Faced with Xiao Laogui's instructions, Song Qingming simply nodded and said nothing more, then followed the other party out of the hall.

".."

Half a month later, at a location outside the palace where an array of restrictions was placed.

Song Qingming, the old man surnamed Xiao, and a woman in yellow all showed satisfaction as they looked at the repaired array runes.

"Hehe! I didn't expect Fellow Daoist Song's array formation skills to be even higher than mine. If it weren't for your help, Fellow Daoist Ruyue and I would probably have spent much more time."

“What Fellow Daoist Xiao said is true. I did not expect that Fellow Daoist Song, despite coming from a small sect, could raise his array formation level to the middle grade of the fourth level. I am truly impressed.”

"Fellow Daoists, please don't say that. I, Song, have only just learned some array formations and am somewhat familiar with this array. How could I possibly deserve such praise!"

Hearing the praise from his two companions, Song Qingming quickly returned the compliment humbly.

Unbeknownst to him, he had been in this extraterrestrial void secret realm for half a month. In these days, he had gained some initial understanding of Xiao Laogui and the others, as well as the environment of this place.

The palace-like secret realm where Song Qingming and his companions were trapped is called "Ziyang Heavenly Palace," which is said to have been built by an ascended cultivator from the upper realm named Ziyang True Lord.

However, after countless years, most of the restrictions in the secret realm have been destroyed by cultivators, and many places have even become ruins.

Even the outermost "protective array" has developed many gaps, and strong winds and lightning often blow directly into the secret realm through the shield.

This "Purple Sun Heavenly Palace" secret realm has been floating in the void outside the boundary ever since.

Perhaps because the secret realm is close to the Huayang Realm, human cultivators are often swept into the Heavenly Palace by spatial storms.

Besides Xiao Laogui and Liu Ziliang, whom Song Qingming had met before, there are more than a dozen other cultivators trapped in the "Ziyang Heavenly Palace," all of whom are Nascent Soul level or higher.

Over the years, no matter what they tried, they were unable to leave safely.

In the end, they could only rely on a few large formations in the secret realm to barely resist the fierce winds, thunder, and fire from the outside, and thus barely survive until now.

After choosing to stay with Xiao Laogui, Song Qingming has not left the palace for the past half month. Apart from his daily cultivation, he has been helping them repair the restrictive formations damaged by the gale.

Fortunately, the "Purple Sun Heavenly Palace" has a spirit-gathering array, and the spiritual energy is much more abundant than outside, so Song Qingming does not need to worry about insufficient spiritual energy here for the time being.

Besides Song Qingming and Xiao Laogui, who were quite proficient in formations, there was also a female cultivator named Liu Qingli among the group, who was also a fourth-level low-grade formation master.

The three of them spent a lot of time these past few days repairing all the damaged runes outside. For the foreseeable future, they should no longer have to worry about the fierce winds attacking them.

Just as Song Qingming and the other two had activated the formation and were preparing to return to the palace,

At this moment, a sudden clap of thunder rang out in the sky above, followed by countless gusts of wind and lightning that pierced through the protective barrier and rushed towards the surrounding palaces.

"Oh no! It seems Fellow Daoist Liu and the others have gone out and haven't returned yet. We must send them a message quickly!"

Seeing the fierce winds attacking the Heavenly Palace again, Old Ghost Xiao's expression changed immediately. Remembering Liu Ziliang and the others who had gone out not long ago, he immediately shouted out.

"Hey! Look, it seems like Fellow Daoist Liu and the others have returned!"

Just as Liu Qingli took out a sound transmission talisman and prepared to cast a spell, several streaks of light flew rapidly from the distant horizon.

(PS: Sorry, I went back to my hometown in the countryside today for the Ghost Festival, which took up a lot of time. Please forgive me, fellow cultivators, for matters concerning our ancestors!) (End of this chapter)