Qinghe Immortal Clan.

Chapter 1102 The war ends, bidding farewell to friends

It was thought that the group would have to go through a fierce battle to take back "White Meng Mountain" from the Tianhai Alliance.

Unexpectedly, when Song Qingming and his army returned to Bai Meng Mountain, they did not see a single enemy cultivator in the surrounding area.

The "Tianhai Alliance" army seemed to have already taken the initiative to withdraw from this place, leaving behind only a spiritual mountain with chaotic spiritual energy and empty space.

Although it was somewhat unexpected, the fact that Bai Yuxian and the others had deliberately destroyed the spiritual vein did have a certain effect, indirectly causing them to give up their idea of ​​occupying this place.

Otherwise, if the spiritual vein is unharmed, the "Tianhai Alliance" only needs to repair the mountain's protective array and defend itself with its back to the array.

If Song Qingming and his group want to take back this place in a short time, the price they will have to pay will definitely not be low.

Looking down at the ruins of Mount Ling, Chen Yunxiao and the many cultivators from the State of Lu felt extremely distressed.

He hurriedly directed the cultivators below to begin clearing the ruins beneath their feet and setting up formations to block the spiritual energy that was constantly leaking away.

"White Mountain" was originally a mid-grade level 4 spiritual vein, but now the foundation of the underground spiritual vein has been destroyed and it has been severely damaged. The quality of the spiritual energy on the mountain is far inferior to what it used to be.

Even if the Cloud Soaring Sect can repair it in the future, the spiritual vein's grade will inevitably drop to the third level. It is unknown how many spirit stones and how much time it will take to restore it to its original grade.

After successfully reclaiming "White Mountain", the group began to discuss their next move.

The plan is to first reclaim some of the sacred mountains near Baimeng Mountain that have been occupied by the enemy, and then jointly advance into the southern part of Lu State to drive the entire "Tianhai Alliance" army out of this area.

Just as Song Qingming and others were making every effort to recover the spiritual mountains surrounding "White Meng Mountain", the main force had already withdrawn to the "Tianhai Alliance" side south of Lu State, but once again sent a letter seeking peace.

However, this time, their attitude was much more restrained than before, and they also made considerable concessions on the terms of the agreement.

Originally intending to annex more than 80% of the territory of the State of Lu in one fell swoop, they shifted their focus to only needing about 30% of the southern territory of the State of Lu.

Furthermore, they are willing to hand over all the sacred mountains they occupy within the agreed territory to the "Yunxiao Sect" intact, and both parties can sign a peace treaty that will no longer invade each other.

Although the "Tianhai Alliance" had made considerable concessions this time, after some discussion, the people of Fuyun Mountain Range still did not agree to the ceasefire agreement offered by the other party.

Once the army had recovered all of Lu's northern territories, it marched south again, and the two sides soon encountered each other again near "Lonely Moon Mountain" in southern Lu.

The "Lonely Moon Mountain" mine, located in the southern part of Lu State, is a large Geng gold mine discovered by the Yunxiao Sect decades ago. It was also the main trigger for the Tianhai Alliance to launch this war of aggression.

The Gengjin ore produced in the "Gengjin Mine" is one of the main raw materials used by high-level cultivators to refine advanced magic weapons and magical treasures.

A large "Gengjin Mine", if properly managed, can produce Gengjin ore worth fifty to sixty thousand spirit stones a year, which is enough to affect the fate of a Nascent Soul sect.

The purpose of the "Tianhai Alliance" in launching this invasion was not only to occupy the entire Lu Kingdom, but also to seize this mine.

After driving the Yunxiao Sect cultivators away from Guyue Mountain, they arranged for cultivators to take over the mine and set up a level four protective formation there.

Seeing the army from the Floating Cloud Mountains marching south, in order to defend this mine, the "Sky Sea Alliance" transferred a lot of reinforcements from the rear to guard the city, and even specially invited a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator who had a good relationship with them to help.

The two sides fought several battles near "Lonely Moon Mountain". The battle was extremely fierce and affected many large and small spiritual veins in the surrounding area, turning them into ruins.

After several major battles, not only did tens of thousands of low-level cultivators die, but the Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivators also suffered losses on both sides.

On the "Floating Cloud Mountains" side, nine Golden Core cultivators perished. Chen Yunxiao, Bai Yuxian, and Fu Yungui were all injured in the battle, which greatly affected their combat power.

The "Tianhai Alliance" suffered the loss of sixteen Golden Core cultivators, and Zhou Zhihe and Chixia were also seriously injured.

The most tragic figure was Zhang Yuping, the Nascent Soul Ancestor of the Thunder Sect. During the battle, his physical body was cleaved in two by Wang Yan's sword, leaving only his "natal Nascent Soul" to flee back to the mountain-protecting formation in a panic.

After several fierce battles, the "Tianhai Alliance" was the first to be unable to hold on and chose to sue for peace again.

This time, having been completely defeated, they no longer had the confidence to negotiate peace as before, and agreed to cede all the remaining southern territories of the State of Lu.

However, they also want to take half of the shares in the "Lonely Moon Mountain" mine, otherwise they will blow up the sacred mountain.

Faced with the "Tianhai Alliance's" strategy of mutual destruction, Song Qingming and his group, after discussion, decided not to directly refuse this time.

We agree to try to negotiate with them on the conditions they have proposed.

The two sides then engaged in a protracted struggle for nearly a month.

On the side of the Floating Cloud Mountains, a peace agreement was reached with the "Sky Sea Alliance" in exchange for a barren piece of land in the south of the State of Lu, as well as the recognition of two vassal states that they had already occupied.

This has temporarily brought to a close the five-year-long battle for territory.

Although the State of Lu in the "Floating Cloud Mountains" ultimately lost some border territories.

However, that place was originally quite barren, with very few spiritual veins and mortals within its borders, so it did not have a significant impact on the overall national strength of the cultivation world in Lu Kingdom.

The other two recognized vassal states had already submitted to the Tianhai Alliance hundreds of years ago during the Lingyin Sect era, and were actually already under their control.

The fact that the cultivation world of the "Floating Cloud Mountains" acknowledged their affiliation with the Heavenly Sea Alliance was a reluctant request for this nominal recognition, given that they couldn't gain any advantage from it.

After all, the "Tianhai Alliance" spent so much effort launching this war, but not only did it fail to achieve its goal of occupying the Lu Kingdom, it also lost many cultivators, including Nascent Soul cultivators.

If they were to retreat in such a disgraceful manner, without gaining any nominal benefit, it would be difficult for them to save face.

The reason why Song Qingming and his group in the "Floating Cloud Mountains" chose to reach a consensus instead of continuing the war was also to minimize their own losses.

Although the reinforcements brought by Wang Yan and his group made it seem that the "Floating Cloud Mountain Range" side was stronger overall than the enemy, and even had some advantages in terms of Nascent Soul combat power.

In reality, after reclaiming "White Mountain", Ling Zhentian and Song Qingming had already reached their original agreement, and there was no reason for Ling Zhentian to stay and continue to help.

The reason Ling Zhentian came to "Lonely Moon Mountain" with Song Qingming and others was actually because he wanted to discuss cultivation techniques with Song Qingyu.

Moreover, Ling Zhentian hasn't even returned to his sect since coming back from the "Purple Sun Heavenly Palace," so it's impossible for him to stay in a place like the Floating Cloud Mountains forever.

Even if everyone could spend some spiritual items to ask him to stay and help restrain Yuan Luohua for a while, it was not a long-term solution.

After all, if the great battle continues, no one knows when it will end or how long it will last.

Once Ling Zhentian chooses to leave, without this great cultivator, Song Qingming and his group will actually have little advantage against the "Tianhai Alliance".

It would be better to take advantage of the other side's current wariness and negotiate peace in a favorable position, thus avoiding greater losses for our side in the future.

Otherwise, if the two sides continue fighting and the "Tianhai Alliance" is pushed to the brink, they might choose to destroy the "Guyue Mountain" mine in a suicidal manner, which would be a loss for them.

When the Cloud Soaring Sect invited everyone to come and help in the battle, it had already distributed a portion of the mine's shares to sects such as the Free and Unfettered Sect.

If the mine were to be destroyed by the "Sky Sea Alliance," the losses would not only be borne by the Cloud Soaring Sect, but also by the numerous sects present.

Now that the war has been going on for so long, both sides have suffered significant losses and victories. If the fighting continues, it will be impossible to determine a winner in the short term.

Forcing the "Tianhai Alliance" to back down and take the initiative to negotiate peace, and successfully recovering the southern part of Lu State, is already the best result that Song Qingming and his team could achieve so far.

Moreover, the main force of the sect is concentrated in the south, and the northern defense of the entire "Floating Cloud Mountain Range" is now very weak.

On the Wei Kingdom side, including "Red Cloud Mountain," only the Ice-Fire Flood Dragon, a Nascent Soul cultivator, was stationed there. Song Qingming and the others were also worried that the northern demon race might suddenly invade from the south.

Although the Floating Cloud Mountain Range still suffered some losses in this great battle, in the end, the "cultivation world" still speaks for itself based on strength.

The reason why the Tianhai Alliance dared to invade the Lu Kingdom in the north was because the Fuyun Mountain Range suddenly lost Zhao Wuling, its only great cultivator, and its overall strength declined, which gave them the opportunity.

One day, when the cultivation world of the "Floating Cloud Mountains" recovers its strength, another late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator will emerge.

When the time comes, it won't be difficult for them to get back what they've temporarily lost, so there's no need to rush.

After both sides agreed on the terms, Song Qingming and other Nascent Soul cultivators from the Floating Cloud Mountains, as representatives, once again signed a century-long peace treaty with the "Heavenly Sea Alliance".

Although a contract was signed, both sides knew in their hearts that it was only a temporary truce for a hundred years.

Over the past thousand years, the "Floating Cloud Mountain Range" and the "Heavenly Sea Immortal Cultivation World" have fought many great battles, and countless grudges have been formed between them.

This great battle will not end until one side demonstrates absolute strength to overwhelm the other.

After signing the contract with the "Tianhai Alliance", Song Qingming and others led the Xiaoyao Sect cultivators back to Wei Kingdom by flying boat.

In order to resist the invasion of the "Tianhai Alliance" in the south, the Xiaoyao Sect suffered considerable casualties among its cultivators over the past five years.

Of the more than 10,000 cultivators from sects and vassal families sent to provide support, less than 60% were able to return.

More than a hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators perished, and two elders of the sect above the Golden Core stage also died in battle: Li Junyan and Chen Yurong.

Li Junyan is a relative of the Supreme Elder Li Mufeng. She possesses dual spiritual roots and her cultivation has reached the sixth level of the Golden Core realm.

In the final battle to besiege the "Lonely Moon Mountain" mine, he unfortunately perished at the hands of a "Jade Sword Sect" cultivator.

When Li Junyan had just formed her core, Li Mufeng cultivated her greatly, wanting to nurture her so that she could continue to protect the Li family's bloodline within the sect after his death.

Unexpectedly, Li Junyan's sudden demise on the battlefield of Lu State caused his ancestor considerable distress. Another elder of the "Free and Unfettered Sect," Chen Yurong, had only recently achieved the Golden Core stage several decades ago, and his cultivation was only at the third level of the Golden Core realm.

Chen Yurong was a direct disciple of the late Elder Chu Fengping. He died two months ago in the great battle when the "Tianhai Alliance" broke through Baimeng Mountain.

Because everyone was focused on evacuating, the battlefield was extremely chaotic along the way from Baimeng Mountain to Yuntongfang.

When Chen Yurong fell, no one on the battlefield saw him clearly and thought he had just gone missing. It wasn't until soon after that the sect sent news that his soul lamp had gone out that Song Qingming and the others learned that he had died on the battlefield.

Besides his outstanding alchemy skills, Chu Fengping's proudest achievement in his life was cultivating several Golden Core disciples. In addition to Chen Yurong, Luo Qingyun and Zheng Zongxun were also his disciples.

Fortunately, Chu Fengping had already passed away in his cave more than ten years ago after his lifespan had run out.

Otherwise, if he knew that his carefully nurtured disciple had died, he would probably be devastated.

Besides Chen Yurong and Li Junyan, Song Linxi, Shen Tongzhou, Yao Muling, and Zhao Youxuan were also wounded on the battlefield.

Song Linxi, in particular, was the most seriously injured and had been forcibly sent back to his sect in the rear to recuperate two months ago.

On the day he was defending "White Meng Mountain", Song Linxi originally wanted to lead his cultivators to the battlefield, but he accidentally encountered the three Nascent Soul cultivators from "Jade Sword Sect" who suddenly appeared.

Song Linxi almost died on the battlefield after being hit by the enemy's attack in one fell swoop.

Fortunately, Zhou Ziyang and another Golden Core elder from the Star Sect were nearby and rescued her in time, bringing her back to the mountaintop formation, thus barely saving her life.

After learning of Song Linxi's injury, Song Qingming and Song Qingyu went to visit him, feeling somewhat sorry for him.

However, due to the intense fighting at the front, the two did not have much time to treat her injuries. After comforting her, they had her sent back to the rear to recover.

Besides Song Linxi, dozens of the more than two hundred cultivators from the Song family who were conscripted to go south to provide support also perished, including an elder of the "Yu" generation who had already reached the Foundation Establishment stage.

Fortunately, Song Yuanhao, Song Linrui, and others were not transferred to the southern front by the sect because they needed to guard the "Red Cloud Mountain" in the north, which indirectly allowed them to avoid this calamity.

Otherwise, after such a fierce battle, it's uncertain how many people would have returned safely.

On the way back to Weiguo by airship, Song Qingming had just written a letter to Song Yuanfang, who was far away in "Funiu Mountain", informing him that the war had ended when they passed by.

Before long, Ling Zhentian brought Song Qingyu to the warehouse where he was.

Having already spent nearly three months in the "Floating Cloud Mountains," he came specifically to see Song Qingming to bid him farewell in person.

"Fellow Daoist Song, the agreement between me and you has been reached. I will now return to my sect and will not linger here any longer."

Please take good care of Qingyu, fellow Daoist. I will definitely visit you both when I have time in the future.”

"Fellow Daoist Ling, you are too kind. Qingyu is my cousin. These are merely my duty. How could I trouble you to ask me to do this?"

"Hehe, what are you saying, Master? Qingyu is now a Nascent Soul cultivator, why would she need you to take such good care of her?"

"Don't worry, once I've cultivated my skills to the level you mentioned, even if Master doesn't come looking for me, I will still go to Xihua Continent to find you."

Seeing that Ling Zhentian still seemed a little worried about her, Song Qingyu immediately replied with full confidence.

"Hmm! That's good. If you can really reach the level I described, then when we meet again, I will definitely prepare a congratulatory gift for you."

"Alright, it's a deal then!"

".."

"Fellow Daoist Ling, we were able to successfully repel the Tianhai Alliance this time thanks to your help. These are some small tokens of our appreciation prepared by Fellow Daoist Zheng and Senior Sister Bai, who asked me to pass them on to you."

"Since you are leaving today, please accept this item; please don't find it offensive."

When Ling Zhentian took his leave, Song Qingming did not insist on keeping him. After exchanging pleasantries, he took out some spiritual items from his person as a parting gift.

This time, after returning, I faced such a huge crisis in the "Floating Cloud Mountains". If it weren't for Ling Zhentian's help, I really wouldn't have been able to get through it so easily.

Song Qingming was very grateful for this and had already discussed with Bai Yuxian, Zheng Zitong and others to prepare a generous gift in advance to thank him.

I had planned to hold a banquet to properly thank them upon returning to Wei.

Seeing that Ling Zhentian was leaving early, Song Qingming took it out as a token of his goodwill.

When faced with the gift that Song Qingming had given him as a token of gratitude, Ling Zhentian didn't stand on ceremony. He nodded in agreement and put it directly into his "storage bag" without even looking at it.

Then, Ling Zhentian had a flash of inspiration and took out a bamboo scroll and a blue jade tablet from his body, handing them to Song Qingyu, who was preparing to say goodbye.

"This scroll contains some personal insights from my cultivation over the years. Keep it for now; it should be of some use to your future cultivation."

We were master and disciple, but I have been trapped in the Ziyang Heavenly Palace for many years and now I don't have anything good left.

This was a gift from a friend from the East China Sea a few days ago, so I'll leave it to you as a token of my appreciation!

"Regardless of how your cultivation progresses in the future, if you encounter any insurmountable difficulties, feel free to seek me out at the Heavenly Sword Pavilion."

After saying that, without waiting for Song Qingyu's response, Ling Zhentian raised his hand and transformed into a streak of light, heading directly west.

Only after Ling Zhentian's figure disappeared in mid-air did Song Qingyu turn her gaze to the two spiritual items in her hand.

Ling Zhentian's cultivation manual can be read slowly when he gets back, so there's no rush. What he's really curious about is this jade tablet in his hand.

After taking a closer look, Song Qingyu realized that it was actually a "storage magic artifact" of a high grade. She then immersed her divine sense into it, and a look of surprise quickly appeared on her face.

"Seventh Brother, have you met Master's friend in the East China Sea? How can this person be so generous, giving away so many good things?"

"Yes, I've met him once. He's quite extravagant!"

Looking at the somewhat familiar cyan jade pendant in Song Qingyu's hand, Song Qingming pondered for a moment before quickly nodding.

".."

After the flying boat left the border of Lu, it passed through several small countries in the south and soon entered the territory of Wei.

Upon returning to "Guyang Mountain," Song Qingming first went with Song Qingyu to Song Linxi's cave to visit her as she was in seclusion healing her injuries.

After two months of seclusion and recuperation, coupled with the healing pills provided by the sect, Song Linxi's complexion was still somewhat unwell, but her internal injuries had at least stabilized.

Although he survived, Song Linxi suffered several severed meridians in his body due to this injury, and a full recovery will not be an easy task.

Back then, Song Linxi was injured in the battle of "Red Cloud Mountain" and missed more than ten years of cultivation time.

This injury is much more serious than the last one. Even with the help of medicine to slowly heal, it is estimated that it will take at least forty or fifty years for the injury to fully recover.

For someone whose cultivation speed was already average, this was essentially the end of her path, and she would likely have little hope of reaching the Nascent Soul stage in the future.

Faced with this outcome, Song Qingming and his companion felt somewhat regretful, but there was nothing they could do. They could only offer some spiritual items to appease the other party.

Besides Song Linxi, Bai Yuxian's "natal magic weapon" was also damaged this time, and she was seriously injured. As soon as she returned, she went straight back to her cave to heal.

Song Qingming and Bai Yuxian originally wanted to visit her, but Bai Yuxian was unable to come out to greet them due to her injuries.

After the great battle, thousands of cultivators of the "Free and Unfettered Sect" perished, and there were also many matters that needed to be handled.

How to reward meritorious cultivators and provide compensation for those who have died or been wounded are matters that, if not handled properly, can have a significant impact on the sect.

No sooner had the group returned to "Guyang Mountain" than Xu Ziyan took the initiative to come and discuss matters with several Supreme Elders.

Considering that both Li Mufeng and Song Qingyu were injured, Song Qingming instructed them to go into seclusion to heal and recuperate.

He himself stayed at Guyang Mountain to help Xu Ziyan and others handle sect affairs.

It wasn't until a month later that he bid farewell to everyone and set off to return to "Red Cloud Mountain".

When Song Qingming appeared in the market, Song Yuanhao and the others, having heard the news, hurriedly came to greet him and told him about the recent situation there.

After slaying the "Azure Heron Demon Emperor" last time, Song Qingming successfully intimidated the northern demon race.

In recent months, the northern border has been much more peaceful than when he returned. Only a small number of low-level demonic beasts have moved south, and no demon kings above the Golden Core level have been seen near Crimson Cloud Mountain.

Seeing that the Wei Kingdom and the area around "Chiyun Mountain" had settled down, Song Qingming discussed with Song Qingyu the plan to set off for "Donghuang Kingdom" to find Huang Siyuan, who had not yet returned.

So many years have passed, and he still hasn't received any news from her. Song Qingming has long been very worried about this matter.

If it weren't for the sudden northward invasion by the "Tianhai Alliance," which delayed Song Qingming, he would probably already be on his way to the Donghuang Kingdom.

(End of this chapter)