Qinghe Immortal Clan.

Outside an ancient palace on the back mountain of "Lingkong Island" in the cultivation world of the East Sea.

A streak of light suddenly flew in from afar, and before it could land, the three Golden Core cultivators guarding the entrance of the main hall immediately stepped forward to meet it.

"Uncle Jin, I just heard from the cultivators guarding the Ancestral Hall that Uncle Guangde's soul lamp suddenly went out not long ago!"

"What did you say? Junior Brother Guangde's soul lamp has gone out?"

Upon hearing the report from the Golden Core Elder beside him, Jin Xuanyao, the Supreme Elder of the Yunyang Sect, immediately showed a hint of shock and asked in disbelief.

Before the people around him could reply, Jin Xuanyao had already slipped into the ancestral hall in front.

On the ornate altar, five soul lamps were placed at the highest position, one of which had quietly gone out at some unknown time.

"Junior Brother Qin just returned from the front lines half a month ago, how could he suddenly perish? What exactly happened, and where is he?"

“Uncle Jin, I’ve already asked the Qin family. Uncle Guangde suddenly went out a few days ago without telling anyone where he went, and we don’t know what happened.”

Uncle Qin is unaware of this matter yet. Shouldn't we quickly send a message to inform him?

"Senior Brother Qin is still in seclusion, so it's not advisable to disturb him at this time. Let's investigate first."

"Immediately send a message to Senior Brother Yuyang informing him of this matter, and ask them to investigate whether Hundred Flowers Palace was behind it."

"Disciple accepts the order!"

Upon hearing Jin Xuanyao's instructions, several Golden Core cultivators beside him quickly nodded and hurried out of the main hall.
-

One month later, in the Floating Cloud Mountains, below a sacred mountain in the southeast corner of "Red Cloud Mountain".

"A monster is coming! Everyone, prepare to fight!"

".."

As a voice echoed throughout the entire sacred mountain, the "mountain-protecting formation" was quickly activated, and numerous human cultivators wielding magical artifacts rushed out from the mountain to fight against the attacking army of demonic beasts.

Just as everyone was fighting the monsters below the mountain, several sword lights suddenly fell from the sky and smashed into the monster horde in the middle of the battlefield, instantly killing hundreds of monsters on the spot.

The low-level demonic beasts below, who were only at the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment stages, were terrified by this sudden and astonishing attack and hurriedly turned around and retreated to the north.

The human cultivators guarding Mount Ling were also unaware of what was happening, and they all stood there stunned in astonishment.

This powerful divine ability, capable of instantly killing hundreds of demonic beasts, was something they had never seen before in their lives, and they hadn't even seen who made the move.

Among the crowd, a Foundation Establishment cultivator with higher cultivation level looked around and noticed that a streak of light seemed to have already disappeared into the distance.

"Fellow Daoist Wu, was it an elder from Crimson Cloud Mountain who just arrived?"

“Something doesn’t seem right. Chiyun Mountain is more than 6,000 li away from our mine. Even if one of the senior members of the enforcement team received the news, it would be impossible for them to arrive here so quickly.”

Moreover, such a commotion is beyond the capabilities of ordinary Golden Core cultivators.

"So, what do you mean by that, fellow Daoist? Who was that passing Nascent Soul elder who offered assistance just now?"

Seeing the shocked look on his companion's face, the cultivator surnamed Wu quickly said in a low voice, "How would I know if he is a Nascent Soul cultivator? I am just guessing."

That's strange. This person seemed to be just passing by, so why would he help us fight the monster?

Could it really be an ancestor who has some connection to us?

".."

High in the distance, Song Qingming, standing on a flying boat, looked at the approaching "Red Cloud Mountain" and couldn't help but feel a sense of worry.

It had only been ten years since I left, and the once-in-a-century "monster turmoil" had not yet arrived, but for some reason, a lot of monsters had suddenly appeared in the northern part of the Floating Cloud Mountains.

Along the way, Song Qingming had already seen several places besieged by demonic beasts, and the situation was much more serious than when he was there.

I thought the East China Sea was already chaotic enough, but I didn't expect the Floating Cloud Mountains to become like this as well.

Thinking back to how he had confidently told Ling Zhentian that the Floating Cloud Mountains were much more peaceful than the East China Sea, Song Qingming couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.

Fortunately, Ling Zhentian is not a talkative person, otherwise Song Qingming really wouldn't know how to explain it to him.

As the flying boat passed through several mountain ranges ahead, and when it was less than a thousand miles away from "Red Cloud Mountain", Song Qingming heard the sounds of fighting coming from a spiritual mountain ahead, and his gaze couldn't help but turn towards it.

Below, near the high mountains, a figure was fighting a massive black bull demon beast, with many low-level demon beasts and human cultivators nearby.

After seeing the battlefield below, Song Qingming immediately stopped the flying boat he was on.

"Fellow Daoist Ling, I need to go down and ask a few questions. Please wait a moment!"

Before Ling Zhentian, who was meditating on the flying boat, could answer, Song Qingming immediately vanished from the spot in a flash.

The next moment, his figure appeared near the black bull demon beast.

Before the opponent could react, a sword light had already slashed across its neck, and soon a huge bull's head fell directly from the sky.

Blood rained down from the sky, stunning the many demonic beasts and cultivators who were fighting on the battlefield.

"Oh! Seventh Grand Uncle, it's you back!"

Song Linrui, who was just fighting the demon bull, was startled to see the demon king suddenly beheaded.

When he saw who had made the move, he realized it was his ancestor who hadn't returned for over ten years. Song Linrui immediately stepped forward excitedly and bowed.

Seeing this, Song Qingming immediately waved to him gently.

"No need for formalities. I just came back from outside and haven't had a chance to get to Chiyun Mountain yet."

Tell me first, what has happened in recent years? Why did a demon king suddenly appear here? Is Qingyu currently on the mountain?

"Reporting to Seventh Grandfather, the Southern Heavenly Sea Alliance launched a major attack on the State of Lu a few days ago, and Ancestor Qingyu has led the main force of the sect south to provide assistance."

We also sent people from Chiyun Mountain.

Upon hearing his ancestor's question, Song Linrui, knowing that the other party had just returned, hurriedly recounted in detail the events that had occurred in the "Floating Cloud Mountains" over the past ten years.

A few years after Song Qingming and Huang Siyuan left, the Yunxiao Sect of Lu State clashed with the Tianhai Alliance in the south over a dispute over mineral veins.

Soon, the premeditated "Tianhai Alliance" launched a large-scale invasion of Lu State, causing the "Yunxiao Sect" to suffer repeated defeats and lose a lot of territory.

Faced with the Lu Kingdom cultivators' repeated defeats, many sects in the surrounding Floating Cloud Mountains, such as the "Xiaoyao Sect" and the "Tianji Sect," could not sit idly by and watch the Tianhai Alliance advance north.

Immediately, major sects also dispatched cultivators south to provide support, becoming embroiled in the great battle with the "Tianhai Alliance".

Six years ago, Song Qingyu led a large army of cultivators from his sect south to provide support.

Now, only five Golden Core elders, including Song Yuanhao and Song Linrui, remain on "Red Cloud Mountain," leading thousands of cultivators to guard the sacred mountain.

Because Song Qingyu, a Nascent Soul ancestor, is no longer in charge, the defensive strength of "Red Cloud Mountain" has been greatly weakened, and in recent years, the northern demonic beasts of "Red Cloud Mountain" have gradually become more active.

Seeing that the human race's defenses were weak, the demon beast army continued to march south and harass human territories.

Half a year ago, the "Mad Lion Demon Emperor," who had not appeared for a long time, personally led tens of thousands of demon troops south to besiege Crimson Cloud Mountain, hoping to take the opportunity to reclaim this spiritual vein from the human race.

Fortunately, on "Red Cloud Mountain," there was a level-four mid-grade protective formation personally set up by Song Qingming, which allowed everyone to hold out until the sect's patriarch, Bai Yuxian, arrived to provide support.

Ultimately, with everyone working together, they were able to repel the invading army of the "Mad Lion Demon King".

Upon learning that the "Tianhai Alliance" in the south had suddenly launched an attack on the State of Lu, Song Qingming's expression immediately changed. He hadn't expected that so many things would happen while he was away.

"Linrui, how is the war going in Lu? Are Qingyu and the others alright?"

"And did Siyuan also go to Lu State with Qingyu?"

"Seventh Uncle, please don't be offended. Over the years, we have been guarding Chiyun Mountain without daring to relax, so we don't know much about the specific battle situation on the front line of Lu State."

As for Ancestor Siyuan, didn't she travel with you, Seventh Uncle, a few years ago? How come she's in the State of Lu?

"You mean, Siyuan hasn't come back all these years?"

Upon hearing Song Linrui's explanation, Song Qingming frowned instantly, and feeling uneasy, he immediately asked another question.

When he went to the Qiyun Immortal Cultivation Realm with the "Demon Slayer Sect" to deal with the demonic disaster, he made a prior agreement with Huang Siyuan in case something happened to him.

If she doesn't return within three years, she should go to Nanzhou to find her senior sister Li Xuanyi and return to the cultivation world of "Floating Cloud Mountain Range" first.

Almost ten years have passed now, and Huang Siyuan should have returned by now, but Song Linrui seems to have never heard from her.

"Reporting to Seventh Uncle, after you and Ancestor Siyuan left, we have not seen her return. A few months ago, I heard Uncle Yuanhao ask about this matter."

Seeing that his ancestor's expression was a bit off, Song Linrui quickly nodded and told him everything he knew.

Upon hearing this, Song Qingming nodded slightly and then said to him, "You come back with me first, and leave things here to the people below."

And the news of my return must not be spread. Anyone who leaks even a single word will be handed over to the law enforcement team for punishment.

"Rest assured, Ancestor, we understand!"

Upon hearing Song Qingming's serious instructions, Song Linrui immediately bowed and responded.

"..." Not long after, Song Linrui, having finished handing over his duties, followed Song Qingming and returned to "Red Cloud Mountain" by flying boat.

After entering Ling Mountain, Song Qingming did not return to his mountaintop cave immediately. Instead, he took the market's "teleportation array" and returned directly to Qinghe County.

Song Yuanfang, who was handling affairs in the family's "meeting hall," suddenly heard his subordinates report that Song Linrui had returned to the family. He assumed that the other party had come to see him about something.

When he came out to greet him, he noticed that Song Linrui was accompanied by an unfamiliar person.

Before Song Yuanfang could get close, a familiar voice transmission entered his ears, and he immediately showed a look of surprise and quickly dismissed the others around him.

"Yuanfang greets Seventh Uncle!"

".."

A moment later, Song Qingming and Song Yuanfang appeared in the "Qilin Pavilion," where many portraits of their ancestors were displayed.

Looking at the few soul lamps that were still brightly lit not far ahead, Song Qingming, who had rushed back all the way, finally let out a soft breath.

When Song Yuanfang and others built the "Qilin Pavilion," they also placed the soul lamps of all the cultivators above the Foundation Establishment stage in it.

Seeing that Huang Siyuan's soul lamp was still intact and shining brightly beside him, Song Qingming finally relaxed.

That's strange. Could it be that she's still waiting for me at "Mount Dangmo"?
“Yuanfang, in recent years, has Qingyu ever told you anything about me and Siyuan?”

"Uh, Seventh Uncle, although Aunt Qingyu has been on the front lines of Lu State all these years, she still sends us messages every few months."

The question she asked most in her letter was whether you and Grandmother Siyuan had sent back any news.

However, Linxi just returned from the front lines last month, and according to the news she brought back, it seems that the State of Lu has already fallen, and her great-aunt and Uncle-Master Li are considering withdrawing the army to the State of Wei to rest and recuperate.

"What? After only a few years of fighting, the State of Lu has already fallen?"

Faced with Song Qingming's somewhat puzzled question, Song Yuanfang sighed and quickly explained:

"Uncle, you may not know this, but the Tianhai Alliance has gained many more experts this time, and their strength is even greater than it was two hundred years ago."

Since the start of the war, bad news has been frequently coming from the front lines of Lu State. In just a few years, the sect has lost thousands of cultivators in Lu State.

Even Bai Meng Mountain has been besieged by the enemy for over two years now. If my great-aunt and the others want to abandon Lu, it's likely that the situation at the front is extremely critical.

Compared to Song Linrui and others who were far away at "Red Cloud Mountain", Song Yuanfang, who was in Wei State, clearly had a clearer understanding of the situation of the war in the south.

After learning that the situation at the front was extremely unfavorable, Song Qingming stood there for a moment, pondered, and then asked:

"Given the current unfavorable situation at the front, has the Myriad Spirits Sect not sent any cultivators south to provide support?"

Although the "Tianhai Alliance" is stronger than it was two hundred years ago, if all the sects in the "Floating Cloud Mountain Range" were to unite, they would theoretically be stronger than them.

But now, the war has only been going on for five or six years, and the entire State of Lu is about to be lost. This situation is really quite surprising.

After only a moment's thought, Song Qingming noticed something amiss.

"Seventh Uncle, the Wanling Sect has sent some cultivators to provide support, but other sects in the west seem to have run into some trouble and have not yet sent reinforcements."

However, I only learned some of this information from the sect's administrative affairs hall; I'm not entirely clear on the specifics.

"Hmm! I'll go to the sect first to inquire about this matter. The senior outside is a guest I invited; please entertain him for me!"

Although Song Qingming still had some concerns for Huang Siyuan, who was far away in the "Eastern Phoenix Kingdom".

However, upon hearing the news that the situation on the front lines of Lu was extremely critical, he decided to stay and try to stabilize the situation in the south.

Otherwise, if the frontline battle collapses and the "Tianhai Alliance" continues its northward advance after conquering Lu, the flames of war could very well spread directly to Wei, where the Xiaoyao Sect is located.

After making up his mind, Song Qingming left Ling Zhentian at Funiu Mountain and went to Guyang Mountain to find Bai Yuxian, who was staying behind at the sect, to learn about the situation in various places.

When Song Qingming arrived at "Guyang Mountain", he learned from Xu Ziyan that Bai Yuxian was not in the sect, but had gone to the front line of "White Dragon Valley" to block the demons who were attacking from the south.

In recent years, due to the large number of cultivators being dispatched to the south to deal with the "Tianhai Alliance" army, the defenses of various parts of the sect have become weak.

Not only in the "Red Cloud Mountain" area, but also in various parts of northern Wei State, large armies of demonic beasts have appeared to harass the region.

Even the demons of Taiyue Lake to the south have begun to stir, sending low-level cultivators to harass the nearby towns and cities from time to time.

In the past two years, Bai Yuxian has been busy deploying troops and traveling around. Recently, she has been stationed at the front line of "White Dragon Valley" in the north.

Upon receiving the news, Song Qingming immediately took the sect's "teleportation array" to White Dragon Valley, where he successfully reunited with Bai Yuxian, who was stationed there.

Bai Yuxian, who had been facing off against the demon army outside for over a month, was surprised to see Song Qingming suddenly arrive at White Dragon Valley, but she was also overjoyed.

After welcoming him into her temporary cave dwelling, Bai Yuxian explained the current situation in various places to Song Qingming.

It turns out that after the "Tianhai Alliance" invaded, many sects in the west, such as the "Wanling Sect", had already begun to prepare to send troops to provide support.

But just as many sects were preparing to send troops, the demons of Taiyue Lake suddenly launched an attack on the western coastal countries.

As a result, many sects that were originally preparing to send troops had to temporarily abandon their plans.

They are currently focused on dealing with the demon race's attack, with only a few sects, such as the Wanling Sect, sending some cultivators to Lu Kingdom to provide support.

"Senior Sister Bai, the demon beasts have not yet caused any disturbance. Why would the demons of Taiyue Lake suddenly attack the Hunyuan Sect at this time?"

Furthermore, theoretically, their combined strength shouldn't be enough to hold off the numerous sects in the west.

Seeing the hint of doubt on Song Qingming's face, Bai Yuxian sighed and replied:
"Alas, Junior Brother Song, you may not know this, but that old turtle in Taiyue Lake, a few years ago, somehow managed to break through to the late Nascent Soul stage."

Now that Fellow Daoist He has passed away, and Fellow Daoist Zhao's fate is unknown and he is unable to intervene, the other Daoists in the west have fought it several times, but they are also at a loss for what to do with it for the time being!

"So that's how it is. The Iron Wall Demon Emperor is truly blessed with good fortune, having already advanced to the late Nascent Soul stage."

Upon hearing Bai Yuxian's words, Song Qingming immediately resolved a doubt in his heart and couldn't help but sigh.

Previously, there were only three demon emperors in Taiyue Lake. Except when the demon beasts caused trouble, they would send their demon clans to attack the foreign countries along the coast. Most of the time, they were relatively well-behaved.

After all, their strength is not particularly formidable compared to the surrounding sects, and they pose far less of a threat than the northern demon race.

But now that the "Iron Wall Demon Emperor" has broken through to the late Nascent Soul stage, the situation is somewhat different.

This single great cultivator was able to hold off three or four mid-stage Nascent Soul experts, which immediately put immense pressure on the many sects in the west.

At this point, they dared not easily send troops to support the southern state of Lu. Just dealing with the demons of Taiyue Lake was enough to give them a headache.

"Now that the western side is being held back by the demon race, the situation in the south is becoming increasingly unfavorable, and the Floating Cloud Mountains have long been a turbulent place."

Fortunately, Junior Brother Song, you're back safely. Let's discuss this carefully; we'll surely find a way to overcome this crisis.

Song Qingming had been gone for so many years without any news coming back. Compared to the unfavorable situation outside, Bai Yuxian was still relieved that he had returned safely.

Song Qingming finally understood the current situation and began to plan how to solve the predicament they were facing.

Although various demon clans are eyeing them covetously within the "Floating Cloud Mountain Range," and the powerful enemy "Sky Sea Alliance" is pressing them step by step from the outside, wanting to take a piece of flesh from them at any time.

However, Song Qingming's current strength in terms of supernatural abilities is no less than that of a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

He is no longer the lowly Golden Core cultivator who had little influence over the situation.

"Junior Brother Song, a few days ago Ziyan recruited another group of cultivators in Yue Kingdom, preparing to send them to Lu Kingdom for support."

Now that you're back, why don't you take them to Lu to provide support? Maybe you can help Qingyu and Senior Brother Li stabilize the situation there.

"As long as we can hold out until Wang Daoyou and the others are free to act, and the reinforcements from the west arrive, we will naturally be able to relieve Lu's predicament."

"That's good. Bai Meng Mountain is strategically important. Once we lose it, it won't be easy for us to take it back."

No matter what, we must do our best to hold that place.

"Okay! Then I'll have Ziyan quickly send a message to Qingyu, telling them not to rush to evacuate Baimeng Mountain, and to discuss this matter after you and the reinforcements have arrived."

Just as the two were discussing this matter, a loud rumbling sound suddenly came from outside, followed by a sound transmission talisman flying into Bai Yuxian's cave.

"I'm afraid those two guys are here again. They're really making things uneasy and are quite annoying."

For more than a month, the "White Dragon Demon King" and the "Azure Heron Demon King" of the north have gathered their demon beast armies and launched several raids southwards, attempting to reclaim the White Dragon Valley that was lost hundreds of years ago.

Bai Yuxian was so troubled by this that she had no choice but to personally take charge at the front line of "White Dragon Valley" and deal with the two demon emperors.

Hearing the alarm sounding again outside, signaling another invasion by the demon race, Bai Yuxian, who had just received the communication talisman, immediately showed a hint of helplessness.

"Senior Sister Bai, don't worry. Since you've happened to be here today, let me go and meet them for you!"

Upon hearing that it was the demon race outside who had invaded, Song Qingming immediately stood up and responded before heading outside.

Seeing this, Bai Yuxian, who knew Song Qingming's strength, did not stop him and immediately followed him out of the cave.

As soon as Song Qingming arrived at the front of the formation, he saw that a large army of demonic beasts had appeared around the valley and were rushing towards him.

Before the demon beast army arrived, a chilling cry suddenly came from afar, causing many of the city's guardian cultivators to tremble.

Immediately afterwards, a large blue bird with wingspans of tens of meters broke through the clouds and swooped down from high above. (End of Chapter)