Qinghe Immortal Clan.

Looking at the middle-aged man staring intently at her, Song Qingyu felt a strange sense of familiarity.

After a moment's thought, she quickly realized that the person in front of her seemed to resemble a portrait she had seen at the "Heavenly Sword Pavilion".

"Are you from Xihuazhou?"

Seeing that Song Qingyu seemed to have recognized his identity, Ling Zhentian immediately stopped concealing his aura and gathered a ball of black spiritual energy in front of her.

"The Profound Nether Sword Technique, you really are Senior Ling!"

"Junior Song Qingyu greets Senior!"

Although he still couldn't quite believe it, Ling Zhentian, whom he had been searching for for many years, suddenly appeared in Baimeng Mountain.

But when he saw the black sword intent in the other person's hand that was the same as the one he was cultivating, Song Qingyu immediately recognized the person's identity and stepped forward to pay his respects without hesitation.

"Qingyu, I have some things to take care of, so I won't disturb your conversation any longer!"

Seeing that Song Qingyu had recognized Ling Zhentian, Bai Yuxian, who was standing to the side, quickly said hello and left, leaving the two of them alone to talk.

After Bai Yuxian left, Song Qingyu, still somewhat excited, immediately cupped her hands to Ling Zhentian and asked:
"Senior Ling, Qingyu has been unable to find any news of you all these years. Why have you suddenly come here? Did Seventh Brother tell you that I was here?"

"Oh! I've been trapped in one place for years until I happened to meet Fellow Daoist Qingming a few years ago, and together we escaped and returned here."

. "

After confirming that the person in front of him was indeed Song Qingyu, whom he had been looking for, Ling Zhentian explained to him how he had been trapped in the outside world, how he had met Song Qingming, and how they had returned to the "Huayang Realm" together.

"You were able to find the sword intent I left behind and inherit and cultivate the Xuanming Sword Technique I left behind. It can be considered a kind of fate between us."

I happened to hear that you were here, so I made a special trip to see you and see if there was anything I could do to guide you in your cultivation techniques.

Besides, it's also to repay the favor that Fellow Daoist Qingming did for me when he helped me escape from this predicament.

I have already promised him that I will stay here and try my best to hold the line for you until Fellow Daoist Qingming arrives safely.

During this time, if you encounter any difficulties with the techniques, please feel free to ask me.

A month ago, after Song Qingming and Bai Yuxian resolved the threat in the north, they planned to organize reinforcements to go south to support the Lu Kingdom battlefield.

Before leaving, Song Qingming returned to Funiu Mountain again, intending to discuss with Ling Zhentian whether he could stay and wait for Song Qingyu for a while.

Unexpectedly, after learning about the critical situation Song Qingyu and the others were in at the front lines of Lu, Ling Zhentian suddenly took the initiative to ask to come to Lu with Song Qingming to help.

So, under Song Qingming's arrangement, Ling Zhentian and Bai Yuxian first arrived at "Bai Meng Mountain".

The reason he was willing to go south to Lu to help was not only to see Song Qingyu, but also to repay the favor that Song Qingming had done for saving him.

Ling Zhentian had already had this idea when he encountered Qin Guangde causing trouble for Wang Lingji on Wufeng Island in the East China Sea, but unfortunately he didn't have to take action.

Now that such a suitable opportunity has come up, he naturally wouldn't refuse as long as Song Qingming agrees.

"I never imagined that Seventh Brother would encounter so many things over the years, and even meet Senior Ling in the Nine Heavens because of it."

If Qingyu hadn't heard it from her senior herself, she would have found it hard to believe.

After hearing Ling Zhentian recount how they had been trapped in the "Purple Sun Heavenly Palace" all these years, Song Qingyu was still in shock, and her face still showed some worry.

Ling Zhentian smiled and nodded, saying, "We cultivators, if we want to obtain a chance at the Great Dao, we all have to risk our lives."

The reason I risked going beyond the Nine Heavens back then was also to search for an opportunity, but unfortunately, I was trapped here due to bad luck.

Speaking of which, if Fellow Daoist Qingming hadn't been unintentionally trapped outside the Nine Heavens, how would he have had the opportunity to obtain the inheritance from the Ziyang Heavenly Palace?

This was simply a destiny ordained by him.

"What you say is absolutely right, senior. I, Qingyu, have learned a lot!"

".."
-

Half a month ago, on the west side of the "Floating Cloud Mountains", on the northwestern border of the Song Dynasty.

The Song Kingdom was a large country located west of Taiyue Lake, under the jurisdiction of the Nascent Soul sect, the Hunyuan Sect. The number of cultivators and mortals within its borders was not much less than that of the Wei Kingdom to the east.
Back then, the demonic cultivators of Taiyue Lake caused turmoil, which led to the escape of the "Crimson Origin Saint Demon" sealed at the bottom of the lake, resulting in the loss of many human cultivators in the battle.

Qiu Pingshan, the Nascent Soul Ancestor of the Hunyuan Sect, also tragically perished in that turmoil, causing a significant loss to the sect's strength.

Fortunately, the Hunyuan Sect itself had a strong foundation, and with the full strength of the sect, it did its best to support Elder Liu Qingyin in achieving Nascent Soul.

In the end, after decades of arduous cultivation, Liu Qingyin lived up to expectations and successfully formed her Nascent Soul, stabilizing the already precarious "Hun Yuan Sect".

What the cultivators of the Hunyuan Sect did not expect was that just as the situation within the Song Kingdom had stabilized, the demon race of Taiyue Lake on the border suddenly began to expand again.

Now, the demon army led by the "Iron Wall Demon Emperor" has occupied one-third of the territory of the Song Kingdom, and several nearby small countries have also fallen into the hands of the demons.

For a time, the situation in the countries east of the "Floating Cloud Mountain Range" was in turmoil, and they all organized large armies of cultivators to go to the Song Kingdom to provide support in order to resist the expansion of the demon race.

On this day, a streak of light flew swiftly from the east, and a figure stood atop a high-flying boat. It was Song Qingming, who had just returned to the cultivation world of the "Floating Cloud Mountains".

Looking down at the northern border of the Song Kingdom, which had been submerged by floods and turned into a vast swamp, Song Qingming, standing on the flying boat, couldn't help but sigh.

"I didn't expect the situation in the State of Song to be so bad. No wonder they are unable to send troops to support the State of Lu."

The reason this Iron Wall Demon Emperor chose to act at this time is most likely because he was aware of the great war that had broken out in the State of Lu, and thus wanted to take advantage of the chaos.

The "Tianhai Alliance" has gained an absolute advantage after several major battles during its northward attack on the State of Lu.

Without the support of numerous sects west of the "Floating Cloud Mountains," the gap in overall strength between the two armies would still be considerable, even with only a few thousand reinforcements hastily assembled by Song Qingming and Bai Yuxian.

Even if they could rely on the help of the great cultivator Ling Zhentian to temporarily hold off the "Tianhai Alliance" army.

However, it would be difficult to defeat them in one fell swoop and completely recover the entire State of Lu in a short period of time.

After confirming that Ling Zhentian was willing to help, Song Qingming changed his mind and had Bai Yuxian bring him to Lu State to help.

He himself went to the western Song Kingdom first, intending to help them solve the troubles of the "Taiyue Lake" demon clan, and then join forces with many sects in the west to send troops south to support them and recover the entire Lu Kingdom.

This is currently the best solution that Song Qingming and his group can come up with to resolve the crisis in the entire "Floating Cloud Mountain Range" cultivation world.

After traveling westward along the northern border of the Song Kingdom for a while, Song Qingming encountered several waves of flying monsters.

However, these low-level demonic beasts, apart from being somewhat annoying, did not cause him much trouble and quickly died under the sword light released by Song Qingming.

Only after he turned around and traveled less than a few hundred miles south did a tall market town shrouded in the spiritual light of an array appear in Song Qingming's eyes.

This is Yunying Ward, a third-level market town in northern Song State.

Upon arriving here, Song Qingming finally spotted the human cultivators and immediately quickened his pace, moving closer to the market ahead.

When Song Qingming arrived near the market, he discovered that the area was already surrounded by a large army of demonic beasts. Several Golden Core Demon Kings were commanding the demonic beasts below to attack the market's formation in front of them.

Just as the demon army was desperately attacking the formation, a powerful aura suddenly covered the entire battlefield from the sky, instantly making the many demon beasts below feel a chilling killing intent approaching.

Before the many demonic beasts could react, dozens of sword lights rapidly descended from the sky, and soon the battlefield was filled with booming sounds.

With just a casual strike, hundreds of demonic beasts had already perished under the sword light, instantly shocking the entire battlefield.

Upon witnessing this astonishing scene, the leading demon kings were so frightened that they immediately stopped their attack and turned to flee the battlefield.

Before they could escape far, they were cut down by the pursuing sword light and soon perished in mid-air.

At this moment, the demon army below was already terrified and began to scatter and flee without waiting for the demon king's order to be conveyed.

"Great! Reinforcements have arrived! Everyone, let's fight our way out!"

".."

As the demon beast army began to retreat, the human cultivators guarding the "mountain-protecting formation" naturally did not let go of this rare opportunity and immediately took the initiative to rush out of the formation.

After killing the demon kings in front of him, Song Qingming collected their demon cores and turned back to the front of the market.

At this moment, a middle-aged man who had been waiting there quickly flew to him with a respectful expression and took the initiative to bow.

"Junior Zhao Quancai of the Hunyuan Sect greets Senior Song and thanks you for saving me!"

"Huh! You've seen me before?"

Seeing Song Qingming looking at him with some surprise, Zhao Quancai immediately cupped his hands and explained:

"What you say is true, senior. When I went to the Tower of Babel with Uncle Liu back then, I was fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of Senior Song from afar."

"Oh! I see. It seems we are somewhat destined to meet."

After nodding slightly to the other party, Song Qingming continued to ask, "I just came from the east and I'm not yet clear about the situation here."

"I wonder where Fellow Daoist Liu and the others are? Could you please take me there to see her?"

"Senior Song, rest assured, Senior Uncle Liu and Senior Wang are currently in the sect. Our 'Cloud Eagle Workshop' happens to have a teleportation array that leads to the sect."

"Oh! Then I'll trouble you to show me the way."

".."

Under Zhao Quancai's guidance, Song Qingming took the "Cloud Eagle Pavilion" teleportation array and quickly arrived at Yuyuan Peak, where the Hunyuan Sect was located.

Along the way, upon learning that Song Qingming had come to support them, Zhao Quancai also took the initiative to tell him in detail about the situation in Song.

Since the expansion of the demon race in Taiyue Lake two years ago, the Hunyuan Sect has been no match for the demon army led by the Iron Wall Demon Emperor and has quickly lost a lot of territory in the east.

Even the sect's patriarch, Liu Qingyin, was injured by the "Iron Wall Demon Emperor" and nearly perished on the battlefield. It wasn't until the Qin Kingdom's "Ten Thousand Spirits Sect" and the Lieshan Kingdom's "Fire Sun Sect" sent reinforcements to support them that the Song Kingdom cultivators were able to stop the demon army at the Jade Origin Peak line.

The two sides have been deadlocked for almost a year now.

During this period, the two sides fought several major battles but failed to break the stalemate and were temporarily unable to repel the invading demon army.

Upon hearing the news that Song Qingming had arrived at the main hall of the Hunyuan Sect, Liu Qingyin and Wang Yan were overjoyed. They immediately returned to Yuyuan Peak.

Soon, Song Qingming, who was waiting in the main hall, saw Liu Qingyin and the others who had returned from the front lines.

"Fellow Daoists, it's been a long time! I, Song, extend my greetings!"

"Haha, Fellow Daoist Song is very polite."

Previously, I received news that a fellow Daoist had arrived, and I was worried that there might be a mistake. I never expected that it really was Fellow Daoist Song who had returned.

Wang Yan, looking very happy, remained as straightforward as ever, never hiding anything from anyone.

Meanwhile, Fu Yungui and Han Yu, standing to the side, raised their hands in a friendly manner to Song Qingming.

".."

"Given the current turmoil in various regions, Fellow Daoist Song has still managed to take time out of his busy schedule to travel thousands of miles to aid the Song Kingdom. I am deeply grateful."

Here, on behalf of the millions of lives of my Song Kingdom, I express my deepest gratitude to Fellow Daoist Song for his great kindness.

Over the past year, Liu Qingyin and others have fought against the "Iron Wall Demon Emperor" several times, but have failed to defeat him.

Seeing countless lives being slaughtered by the demon race throughout the Song Kingdom, he was already extremely anxious.

Seeing Song Qingming suddenly come to the rescue, Liu Qingyin, the Supreme Elder of the Hunyuan Sect, was extremely excited and hurriedly stepped forward to express her gratitude.

It should be noted that the situation in the southern state of Lu is also extremely critical, so it is truly remarkable that Song Qingming was able to come to the state of Song to help them out at this time.

Seeing this, Song Qingming immediately waved his hand and said:
"Fellow Daoist Liu, you are too kind. Our Floating Cloud Mountain Range is currently facing both internal and external troubles. We should work together to overcome these difficulties."

"My purpose in coming here is to first help you all repel the demon army, so that we can have a chance to join forces and defeat the Heavenly Sea Alliance's allied forces."

“Fellow Daoist Song has kindly come to help us repel the enemy, and I, Wang, am naturally very grateful for this kindness.”

However, the Iron Wall Demon Emperor is indeed quite difficult to deal with. Even with my two hands, Fellow Daoist Fu and I are no match for him. Some time ago, they also invited the Ice Soul Demon Emperor from somewhere to help them.

This demon possesses bizarre and unpredictable abilities, and its strength is no less than ours.

Even with Fellow Daoist Song's assistance, our chances of victory are still slim. We need to consider this matter carefully!

"Fellow Daoist Wang is right. The three Demon Emperors on the demon race side are not easy to deal with now."

Hearing what Song Qingming said, Wang Yan and the others agreed with his idea, but when they thought of the formidable opponents outside, they did not feel very confident.

Previously, through Zhao Quancai, Song Qingming had already learned that the demon race had gained an additional Ice Soul Demon Emperor on the front lines.

This demon is not a demon king from Taiyue Lake; it seems that the Iron Wall Demon King invited it from the northern frontier to help.

The "Ice Soul Demon Emperor" is skilled in ice-attribute divine abilities and has reached the peak of the fifth level of the Nascent Soul realm. His strength is much higher than that of the Black Feather Demon Emperor, who is also at the fifth level of the Nascent Soul realm, and he is no less than a sixth-level Nascent Soul cultivator like Fu Yungui.

Although the "Golden Horned Demon Emperor" was tied up with the Wu Kingdom by Ye Linyuan, the remaining three Demon Emperors were still extremely powerful.

Currently, Wang Yan and his team only have four Nascent Soul cultivators. Even with Song Qingming coming to their aid, it still seems difficult for them to defeat their opponent on paper.

However, after Wang Yan finished speaking, Song Qingming fell silent for a long while before suddenly speaking to everyone:

"Fellow Daoist Wang, leave the Iron Wall Demon Emperor to me. I think you all have a good chance of defeating the other two Demon Emperors!"

"What? Fellow Daoist Song, you can hold off the Iron Wall Demon Emperor all by yourself? Isn't that a bit too dangerous?"

Although he already knew that Song Qingming possessed numerous magical treasures and a puppet formation, and that his supernatural powers were no weaker than his own, a peak Nascent Soul level six cultivator.

However, upon hearing that he wanted to restrain the "Iron Wall Demon Emperor" by himself, Wang Yan and the others showed a hint of surprise and couldn't help but offer a word of advice.

After all, a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator's supernatural abilities and strength are far superior to those of an ordinary mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

Even a powerful cultivator like the "Iron Wall Demon Emperor," who had only recently broken through to the late stage, possessed strength equivalent to at least three peak Nascent Soul Stage 6 cultivators.

Even Wang Yan, who wields a high-grade fourth-level magic weapon, needs at least one cultivator of the same level to cooperate with him in order to have the confidence to restrain his opponent.

The fact that Song Qingming wanted to fight the "Iron Wall Demon Emperor" all by himself was hard for everyone to believe.

Seeing the confusion on Wang Yan and the others' faces, Song Qingming immediately explained:

"Fellow Daoists, to be honest, I, Song, also possess a high-grade fourth-level magic weapon specifically designed to deal with the souls of cultivators."

This treasure, combined with Song's puppet formation, while not guaranteeing victory against a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, can still allow for some maneuvering against them.

"If you are all confident that you can defeat the other two demon emperors, then I, Song, can try to help you hold off the Iron Wall."

After breaking through to the sixth level of the Nascent Soul stage, Song Qingming, with the help of the "Puppet Array" on his body, had magic power equivalent to most of a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

With the help of numerous high-level magic treasures such as the "Illusionary Heart Bell" and the "Purple Sun Token," his strength was already comparable to that of a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

If he were facing a Nascent Soul Ninth Level expert like the "Cloud-Clearing Demon Emperor" or Zhao Wuling, he might not dare to say such a thing.

However, Song Qingming was confident that he could hold off his opponent, the "Iron Wall Demon Emperor," who had only recently advanced to the late Nascent Soul stage and focused on defensive techniques.

"If Fellow Daoist Song is truly confident that he can hold off the Iron Wall Demon Emperor, then the four of us can definitely defeat the Black Feather and Ice Soul Demons."

"As long as we defeat them first, even if Iron Wall is incredibly powerful, he won't be able to withstand the combined might of so many of us."

Seeing that Song Qingming was full of confidence and that he also possessed a high-grade fourth-level magic weapon that could attack the soul and was quite effective against ordinary demons.

After hesitating for a moment, Wang Yan and the others decided to agree to the other party's proposal.

".."

Several days later, on a high mountain in the east of the State of Song.

The human cultivators standing in the great formation looked at the lake water surging wildly down the mountain with a solemn expression in their eyes.

As soon as the lake water gradually overflowed the protective barrier below the mountain, countless demonic beasts, following the aquatic demonic beasts that surged in with the lake water, began to frantically attack the great formation in front of them.

Meanwhile, countless demonic beasts in the sky took advantage of the situation and attacked the great formation.

In an instant, an army of monstrous beasts, blotting out the sky, completely surrounded the mountain shrouded in the array.

"Everyone, quickly hold the great formation! We absolutely cannot allow a single demonic beast to get in!"

".."

Just as the demon beast army and the human cultivators who had broken out of the formation were engaged in battle, two figures, taking advantage of the surrounding clouds and mist, quickly approached the battlefield from a distance of thousands of miles away.

Before the two figures could get close, several streaks of light shot out from behind the mountain and blocked the two demon emperors who were trying to launch a sneak attack on the formation.

"Hehe! Fellow Daoists, you are truly remarkable. You discovered it so quickly, which has certainly spoiled some of the fun."

"Hmph, Fellow Daoist Black Feather, those words are rather unpleasant. Is there no fun in fighting against us Nascent Soul cultivators?!"

"Oh, Fellow Daoist Wang still wishes to fight the two of us today? I'm afraid Old Ancestor Iron Wall won't let you have your way?"

Seeing Wang Yan and the others surround them and fix their eyes on the two of them, the Black Feather Demon Emperor immediately cast a spell to send a telepathic message.

A moment later, another streak of light flew in from afar; it was none other than the "Iron Wall Demon Emperor," who had already broken through to the late Nascent Soul stage.

But just as the "Iron Wall Demon Emperor" was about to approach the battlefield, a streak of azure light flew in from the side and blocked its path.

"Hey! It's you, Song Qingming!"

"Fellow Daoist Iron Wall, it's been a long time!"

"I have heard that your cultivation has broken through to the late Nascent Soul stage. I have come here today to ask you, a great cultivator, for some guidance."

"Haha, Fellow Daoist Song, you have quite the audacity to come alone to seek my guidance. Today I shall see just how many supernatural powers you possess!"

After releasing his divine sense to search the surroundings and finding no other Nascent Soul cultivators, the "Iron Wall Demon Emperor" looked at Song Qingming, who was trying to stop him, and immediately showed a hint of mockery.

Although the "Iron Wall Demon Emperor" had heard about the battle at Crimson Cloud Mountain, Song Qingming's slaying of the Ink Dragon Demon Emperor, and the severe injury to the physical body of the "Cloud-Clearing Demon Emperor," he was still a powerful figure.

However, he also found out that Song Qingming was able to do these things not because of his supernatural powers.

Rather, this person is adept at opportunism, taking advantage of the opponent's miscalculation and carelessness to secretly use high-level talismans to launch a sneak attack.

As a Nascent Soul Demon Emperor who has lived in Taiyue Lake for thousands of years and experienced countless years, the "Iron Wall Demon Emperor" has been able to survive until now, and his cautiousness far surpasses that of other demon emperors of the same level.

He didn't believe that Song Qingming would have the opportunity to use such underhanded tricks in front of him.

He immediately cast a spell to control the cane in his hand, drawing a huge stream of water that transformed into several water dragons that swept directly towards Song Qingming.

Standing opposite him, Song Qingming was also fighting alone for the first time against a true late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

Not daring to hold back, he immediately summoned the numerous puppets on his body and quickly cast the "Myriad Spirit Puppet Array" to enhance his magical power.

"The Five Elements Divine Light Mirror!"

The next moment, as golden light emanated from Song Qingming's body, a huge golden bronze mirror released a protective shield, directly guarding him. (End of Chapter)