Qinghe Immortal Clan.

Chapter 1103 Following the trail, a strange familiarity
In the Eastern Phoenix Kingdom, on a high mountain on the east side of "Yunlong Mountain" in the Southern Continent.

As a streak of azure light flew in from afar, a woman in azure robes standing atop the mountain hurriedly went to meet it.

"How's it going, Seventh Brother? Has Senior Sister Li heard anything about her sister-in-law?"

The light descended, revealing Song Qingming's figure. Facing Song Qingyu's expectant face, he simply shook his head slightly.

"I met Zhou Daoping. He said that Senior Sister Li is not at home; she has been traveling for almost ten years!"

"What? Senior Sister Li went on a journey ten years ago? What a coincidence! Could it be that Sister-in-law returned to Dangmo Mountain because she couldn't find Senior Sister Li?"

Upon hearing the news brought back by Song Qingming, Song Qingyu was quite surprised, but she quickly composed herself and did not let the person in front of her know her inner worries.

Several months ago, after learning that Song Qingming was preparing to set off for the "Eastern Phoenix Kingdom" to find Huang Siyuan.

Song Qingyu, who was also very worried about the other party, did not choose to stay and continue to recuperate in seclusion. Instead, she insisted on going with Song Qingming to find Huang Siyuan.

Seeing that Song Qingyu's injuries had stabilized and would not have a significant impact, Song Qingming agreed to the other party's idea and allowed "Ice and Fire Dragon" to stay at Chiyun Mountain to oversee the situation.

In any case, the northern demons have already been intimidated by him. If any unexpected situation arises, Li Mufeng and Bai Yuxian from the Wei Kingdom can come north to provide support at any time.

In the short term, Song Qingming is not worried about the safety of "Chiyun Mountain".

Because Song Qingming and his companion happened to pass through Nanzhou on their way to "Dangmo Mountain".

So I took the opportunity to come to Yunlong Mountain to inquire about Li Xuanyi and see if she had seen Huang Siyuan over the years.

To Song Qingming's surprise, Li Xuanyi had left Yunlong Mountain with her disciple Li Siyun ten years ago to travel, and they have not returned since.

"Based on the time when Senior Sister Li left, it should have been two years after I went to the Qiyun Immortal Cultivation World."

The time that Siyuan and I agreed on has been moved up a bit, so the two of them might indeed miss it.

However, no other member of the Li family has seen Siyuan since Senior Sister Li left, and it's still uncertain whether she has even been here.

Upon hearing Song Qingyu's guess, Song Qingming nodded calmly in response.

"Seventh Brother, don't worry, Sister-in-law's soul lamp is fine. She'll definitely be alright. I think she's still waiting for you at Demon-Slaying Mountain,"

"Well, since Senior Sister Li isn't here, let's hurry and head to Yuanzhou!"

Seeing that he had not obtained the information he wanted at Yunlong Mountain, Song Qingming immediately stopped thinking about it and boarded a flying boat with Song Qingyu, heading west towards Yuanzhou.

The two took turns piloting the flying boat, speeding along the way. It only took them a little over half a month to travel from Nanzhou to Yuanzhou.

Upon arriving near "Dangmo Mountain", Song Qingming immediately headed to the back mountain of "Xuankong Temple".

When Song Qingming entered the courtyard where he and Huang Siyuan had lived, he was surprised to find that the person he had made an appointment with was not there. Instead, he met an unexpected person.

Li Xuanyi's personal disciple on Yunlong Mountain, Li Siyun.

"Huh! What are you doing here?"

Although ten years have passed since the two last met at Yunlong Mountain.

Li Siyun's appearance has matured considerably, and her cultivation level has also risen from a mere Qi Refining cultivator to a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

However, Song Qingming recognized the other person at a glance and asked a question with some doubt.

Li Siyun, who was sweeping fallen leaves in the yard, suddenly heard someone asking her a question behind her and quickly turned around.

"Senior Song, you're finally back!"

Song Qingming stayed at Yunlong Mountain for several months, and Li Siyun saw him many times, so she was very impressed by his appearance.

Upon seeing Song Qingming in front of her, Li Siyun quickly dropped the broom in her hand and ran towards the two of them with a look of surprise and joy.

“Senior, my master told me to wait for you here, saying that you would definitely come back. I have been waiting for so long, and I have finally waited for you.”

"Your master told you to wait for me here. Where is Fellow Daoist Xuanyi? Where did she go?"

Seeing Li Siyun's excited expression, Song Qingming, who did not sense anyone else in the courtyard, asked a question with some confusion.

The fact that Li Siyun is here also proves that his master, Li Xuanyi, must have been here as well.

It seems that the reason why Senior Sister Li Xuanyi suddenly left home to travel here was probably because she received a message from Huang Siyuan, which led her to come here.

It's a bit strange, though, that since the two of them are together, why are they nowhere to be seen?

"Senior Song, it's Master."

"Fellow Daoist Song, it really is you back! It's been so many years!"

Just as Song Qingming was waiting for Li Siyun to answer his question, a streak of light suddenly flew in from afar, interrupting their conversation.

As the light dissipated, a bald monk appeared before the three of them; it was none other than the "Monk Bukong," with whom they had a good relationship.

Upon seeing Song Qingming return to the courtyard, "Monk Bukong" immediately took the initiative to bow.

Upon seeing this, Song Qingming immediately stepped forward and cupped his hands in greeting.

"Greetings, Master Amoghavajra!"

"I had heard that Fellow Daoist Song had gone missing in the Qiyun cultivation world, and I was quite worried about it. Seeing Fellow Daoist return safely is a relief."

"Thanks to your guidance over the years, Master, I did encounter some trouble, which is why I returned so late. I wonder where my wife, Siyuan, is now?"

“Fellow Daoist Huang, she actually left here a long time ago. I don’t even know where she is now. I’m really ashamed of myself for failing you all these years.”

"What, her..."

Upon hearing the somewhat apologetic reply from "Monk Bukong," Song Qingming, who was surprised, immediately had a bad feeling.

".."
-
"Qiyun Immortal Cultivation World" refers to the Wuyun Mountains in the northwest.

A woman dressed in a yellow robe descended from mid-air onto an inconspicuous mountain peak on a flying boat.

After carefully looking around and finding nothing unusual, the woman in the yellow robe quickly walked to a boulder at the foot of the mountain.

She took out a token from her hand and used magic to activate it, releasing a beam of black spiritual light that shone on the boulder.

The next moment, wisps of black mist appeared in front of the stone, and then three figures walked out from within.

"Junior Sister Qin, you're finally back! How's the situation outside? Have you found a safe place?"

"Senior brothers, there are still many Jade Spirit Sect cultivators searching for demonic creatures outside. I'm afraid they'll find this place soon."

My younger sister just took a walk in the south and found a good hiding place.

We'd better pack up and leave quickly, lest we be discovered and find ourselves in trouble."

"Well, that's all it can do!"

Upon hearing the woman in yellow's reply, a middle-aged man standing in front sighed slightly, then led the group back into the boulder.

Before long, the four of them packed their belongings and followed the woman in yellow to a natural cave at the foot of a high mountain hundreds of miles to the south.

"Hehe! Junior sister has good taste. This place is so cold and damp that you can't even see a low-level demon. They would never think that we are hiding here."

Moreover, this place is well-connected, and even monsters would probably get lost if they came in, which would allow us to evade the search from the outside.

Even if the Jade Spirit Sect can find this place, they won't discover us for a while.

"Yes, Senior Brother Qin is right. It is all thanks to Junior Sister's intelligence that we would not have been able to escape this calamity."

Looking at the cave with its various branching paths, the group, knowing it was a good hiding place, immediately showed a hint of joy on their faces.

Just as the group continued their excited journey deeper into the cave, the round-faced man at the front noticed a sitting figure in the distance.

"Huh! Why is someone here?"

"What.."

Upon hearing what the round-faced man said, the others quickly moved closer to look and found that there was indeed a dark figure about ten feet away.

The person had their eyes closed and was wrapped in a thick green robe, the hood of which completely covered their head, making it impossible to see their face.

If it weren't for the fact that he was sitting upright on the ground, just like a cultivator would normally meditate and cultivate, the group wouldn't have realized that there was someone else deep inside the cave.

Seeing that the man was motionless and covered in dust, and that she didn't know how long he had been there, the woman in yellow couldn't help but ask:
"Senior brother, is this guy already dead?"

"Whether he's dead or not, let's kill him first!"

Another burly man in gray robes standing next to Ms. Huang had already taken out his magical artifact and was about to step forward to make a move when he was stopped by the leader, a man surnamed Qin.

"Why are you in such a hurry? Although this place is relatively remote, it is surrounded by disciples of the Jade Spirit Sect. If you rashly cast a spell, it will be troublesome if you attract them."

Junior Brother Yun, go check if this guy is dead or not!

"If it's easier to just kill him, and he's still breathing, let's just give him a quick death!"

Upon hearing the Qin man's command, the round-faced cultivator who was the first to spot the other party nodded slightly and immediately took out his magic weapon and reached forward.

Behind them, the three men surnamed Qin kept their eyes fixed on the front, ready to provide support at any moment.

Only when the round-faced cultivator walked up to the green-robed figure and scanned him with his divine sense without sensing any movement from the other party did he feel a little relieved.

"Judging from the appearance, he should have died a long time ago. His body did not smell of decay in such a damp cave. He was probably a Foundation Establishment cultivator when he was alive."

I wonder if he left any valuables on him?

Just as the round-faced cultivator excitedly reached out to touch the green-robed figure, a burst of crimson light suddenly erupted before his eyes, sending him flying.

"what."

The three men surnamed Qin, who were already prepared, suddenly saw the blood-red light and the round-faced cultivator scream. They hurriedly cast spells and released their magical artifacts towards the green-robed figure in front of them. However, to their surprise, the magical artifacts on their bodies were deflected as soon as they touched the blood-red light, failing to harm the opponent in the slightest.

"Could this guy be a Golden Core cultivator?!"

The man surnamed Qin had already reached the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage, and his other companions were also at the Foundation Establishment stage.

Seeing that the three of them could not break through the opponent's defense with their combined attack, the group was shocked.

Unexpectedly, they encountered a Golden Core cultivator in this cold and damp cave.

"Forget about him, everyone get out of here!"

Knowing that the four of them were no match for this man, the man surnamed Qin did not think too much. Before the other party could retaliate, he turned around and ran quickly out of the cave.

Seeing this, the others were not to be outdone and quickly left the spot.

Shortly after they escaped from the depths of the cave, a pair of eyes suddenly opened in the previously motionless shadow, revealing a very young face.

Watching the four people fleeing not far away, the green-robed man raised his hand, about to cast a spell to control the blood-red light in front of him, when he suddenly felt a strange sensation within his body.

With a bad feeling, he frowned, then immediately stopped his magic and pulled the blood light back into his body.

"Damn it, why did it have to be this time!"

After letting out a soft sigh, the green-robed man ignored the few people who had escaped outside and patiently began to cast spells to control the blood-red light emanating from his body.

Meanwhile, the four men surnamed Qin on the other side, after escaping from the underground cave, hurriedly used magic to escape and ran away at breakneck speed.

After running for hundreds of miles, the four of them looked at each other, realizing they had been spared.

".."

Half a month later, on a high mountain thousands of miles away from the underground cave.

More than a hundred cultivators dressed in "Jade Spirit Sect" attire stood patiently on a flat area, led by Golden Core cultivator Zhang He, waiting for something.

Not long after, a streak of light suddenly appeared on the distant horizon and quickly approached, landing directly on a flat area in front of the mountaintop.

As the light dissipated, a kind-faced old man with a short beard and a white-robed woman with a frosty expression appeared before everyone.

Upon seeing the two elderly men with short beards, Zhang He quickly led his men forward and respectfully bowed.

"Junior Zhang He of the Jade Spirit Sect greets the two seniors!"

"No need to be polite, just get up first!"

After waving his hand at Zhang He, the short-bearded old man with higher cultivation continued, "I heard that you have discovered the whereabouts of a high-level demonic cultivator."

Sect Leader Huang asked the two of us to come and check first, to see if there really is a Nascent Soul demon hiding nearby.

"Bring it up quickly!"

Upon hearing Zhang He's call, several disciples of the Jade Spirit Sect in the distance immediately carried up a middle-aged man who had already been subdued. This man was the surnamed Qin who had escaped from the cave earlier.

However, at this moment, he not only had a broken arm, but he was also in a sorry state and was powerless to resist the Qi Refining cultivators who were escorting him.

After the man surnamed Qin was brought in, Zhang He pointed at him and said, "Reporting to Senior Zhu, this boy is a Foundation Establishment demonic cultivator hiding nearby."

After I captured him a few days ago, I learned through a soul search that another of his companions had seen an extremely powerful demonic cultivator in the vicinity.

The aura emanating from that person was terrifying; he didn't seem like an ordinary Golden Core demon cultivator, but rather a Nascent Soul demon.

Knowing the gravity of the situation, I dared not act rashly and quickly sent word to the sect to send reinforcements.

After hearing the explanation, the short-bearded old man nodded slightly without replying. Then, with a wave of his hand, he released a beam of light that enveloped the man surnamed Qin.

The next moment, his divine sense directly entered the other party's sea of ​​consciousness.

The man surnamed Qin, lying on the ground, immediately let out a series of shrill screams as his consciousness was invaded by such a powerful divine sense, causing the surrounding cultivators to frown.

After a while, when the short-bearded old man withdrew his divine sense, the man had already fainted and was no longer moving.

"Okay! Let's go over there and see if it really is a Nascent Soul demon!"

After leaving behind a single sentence, the two turned and transformed into streaks of light, disappearing without a trace.

Just as the two short-bearded old men found the location of the cave by following the route from the Qin man's memory, the green-robed man who was still meditating inside also sensed a powerful aura approaching.

"They arrived so quickly!"

Sensing the powerful aura of the newcomer, the green-robed man frowned, immediately stood up, and quickly left through another exit of the cave.

However, his movement quickly alerted the two short-bearded old men outside, who then rushed over to chase after him.

Just as they were about to catch up with each other, the surrounding caves suddenly shook, and she was then trapped inside a blood-red light barrier.

Upon seeing this, the trapped old man with the short beard immediately unleashed two sword beams, but they failed to penetrate the blood-red light barrier in front of him.

Seeing that the restriction had actually blocked the Nascent Soul cultivator's attack, the two immediately showed a hint of surprise on their faces.

"To be able to set up such an exquisite restriction, this person is probably a Nascent Soul demonic cultivator. I wonder if this guy is the same group that kidnapped Fellow Daoist Song back then."

"Regardless of whether it's related to Junior Brother Song or not, everything will be clear once we catch him."

Upon seeing that it was indeed a Nascent Soul demonic cultivator, the black-robed woman beside the short-bearded old man showed a hint of excitement and cast a spell to activate a flying sword magic weapon, quickly slashing towards the bloody light in front of her.

"Huh! How could it be her?"

The green-robed man who was casting a spell to activate the restriction not far away showed a slight surprise on his face after seeing the black-robed figure in the blood-red light barrier.

Knowing that the current restrictions wouldn't hold his opponent for long, he quickly cast a spell to escape from the cave from the other side.

By the time the two women in black robes broke through the barrier and caught up, their figures had already disappeared into the vast mountains.

Seeing this, the short-bearded old man immediately used magic to retrieve a magical artifact that could track auras, and soon he and the woman in black robes left the spot.

".."
-
Outside Muyang City, Huangzhou, the capital of the Eastern Phoenix Kingdom.

Muyang City is a super-large market town controlled by the Xuanmu Sect, a Nascent Soul sect in Huangzhou.

This place is not only the largest market town in Huangzhou, but it also contains a large teleportation array leading to the "Qiyun Immortal Cultivation World" to the west.

Presumably, traveling to the "Qiyun Immortal Cultivation World" by taking a large flying boat and using the teleportation array of "Muyang City" would save a lot of time and also be much safer.

Therefore, many cultivators traveling between the two places will choose to transfer to this place to take the "teleportation array".

Of course, such a large teleportation array is not cheap to use; each cultivator needs to pay more than a thousand spirit stones.

Generally, only cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage or above would be willing to spend these spirit stones.

On this day, another beam of light descended upon Muyang City, revealing two figures: Song Qingming and Song Qingyu, who had come all the way from Dangmo Mountain.

Previously at Xuankong Temple, the two were unable to find Huang Siyuan and Li Xuanyi.

It was only from Master Bukong that we learned that Huang Siyuan had left the courtyard without saying goodbye eight years ago, and her whereabouts were unknown afterward.

Not long after Huang Siyuan left, Li Xuanyi brought Li Siyun from "Yunlong Mountain" to the courtyard.

The two waited there for two years, but Song Qingming never returned.

Later, Li Xuanyi couldn't hold back any longer and went directly to the "Dangmo Sect" to inquire, only to learn that Song Qingming had suddenly disappeared during the great battle.

Afterwards, he went to the "Qiyun Immortal Cultivation World" with the cultivators of the Demon-Slaying Sect to help with the search. Fearing that Song Qingming might suddenly return, he left Li Siyun in the courtyard to continue waiting.

Neither "Master Xuan Kong" nor Li Siyun saw Huang Siyuan after she left the courtyard, nor did they know where she had gone.

At this point, it seems that the only thing Song Qingming can think of that might be that Li Xuanyi knows about her.

Upon learning of this, Song Qingming immediately set off with Song Qingyu to Muyang City, intending to take the teleportation array to the "Qiyun Immortal Cultivation World" to find Li Xuanyi.

Having been here once before, Song Qingming was quite familiar with "Muyang City" and quickly passed the check by the cultivators at the gate, entering the city.

The teleportation array connecting "Muyang City" to the Qiyun Immortal Cultivation World is activated approximately once every ten days.

When Song Qingming and Song Qingyu arrived, unfortunately, the teleportation array had been activated three days prior, and they would have to wait another seven days. So, the two of them could only find an inn in the city to stay in for the time being.

It wasn't until seven days later that Song Qingming received a message from the "Xuanmu Sect" and brought Song Qingyu to the outside of the main hall where the teleportation array was located.

When the two arrived, dozens of people were already waiting there.

The vast majority of these people were Foundation Establishment or Golden Core cultivators, with only three or four others like Song Qingming who were Nascent Soul cultivators.

Because the "teleportation array" can only hold a maximum of one hundred cultivators at a time, the group waited for a short while before dozens more cultivators arrived, almost filling the required number for teleportation.

Just as the final teleportation hall was about to open, a male and a female cultivator walked over from not far away.

The man was a slightly dignified white-haired old man, while the other female cultivator, dressed in purple robes, had a rather beautiful face, which quickly attracted the attention of many male cultivators around them.

However, once everyone saw the purple-clad woman's cultivation level, they quickly looked away, afraid of displeasing her.

This woman appeared to be very young, but she was a cultivator at the fifth level of the Nascent Soul stage. How could she not make the many cultivators present wary?

Song Qingming, who was standing to the side, had a slight change in expression when he saw the woman in purple. He inexplicably felt that the aura on her body was somewhat familiar.

I feel like I've seen this person somewhere before.

After withdrawing his gaze and pondering patiently for a while, a figure suddenly appeared in Song Qingming's mind, and his expression became somewhat solemn.

"Could this woman be her?!"

(PS: Sorry, my thinking was a bit off today, so I revised it quite a bit and it's a bit late!)

(End of this chapter)