Qinghe Immortal Clan.

The golden flying sword that Qu Bai forged is named "Golden Palace Cloud Light Sword".

The sword contains the pure golden light of heaven and earth. Once used, it can control thousands of golden lights to split mountains and move seas. It is a level 5 spiritual treasure with extremely strong attack power.

Although the "Golden Palace Cloud Light Sword" that Qu Bai forged was only a replica of a magical treasure, it could still unleash about 20% of the power of the original magical treasure.

Even so, the power of this sword is already more than twice that of an ordinary level four high-grade magic weapon.

If this treasure were possessed by a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, it would be enough to rival those top-tier half-step Divine Transformation cultivators, making it an absolutely formidable imitation spiritual treasure.

After successfully forging the "Golden Palace Cloud Light Sword", Qu Bai finally felt he had accomplished his mission and was now staring intently at the sword in his hand.

Upon seeing this, Song Qingming, who was standing to the side, immediately stepped forward and offered his congratulations.

"Congratulations on your successful completion, senior!"

"I was able to successfully refine this treasure this time, and Fellow Daoist Song also deserves a lot of credit. Don't worry, young friend, once our agreement is fulfilled, I will definitely keep my word."

Upon hearing this, Song Qingming nodded slightly and then said:

"Now that you have completed the crafting of this treasure, could you please take a look and see if there is any way to repair this imitation spiritual treasure?"

After saying that, Song Qingming had a flash of inspiration and took out the white scroll that had been damaged before, and presented it to Qu Bai.

Upon seeing the white scroll that Song Qingming had taken out, Qu Bai was immediately drawn to it and slowly opened it.

After carefully observing the circle drawn in his hand for a while, Qu Bai slowly said, "This thing... if I'm not mistaken, seems to be the 'Mountains and Rivers of the Bright Moon' painting."

This replica magical artifact was only damaged from the inside; the damage isn't too severe. If you can gather the necessary materials, I should be about 70-80% confident I can repair it.

"Oh! If Senior Qu is so confident, then it is worth a try. Please tell me the spiritual items you need, and I will find a way to send them to you as soon as possible."

"As long as this treasure can be repaired, I, Song, will never forget the hard work and effort you put in, senior."

Upon hearing that Qu Bai was 70-80% confident he could repair the replica magical artifact, Song Qingming's face lit up with joy, and he quickly nodded in gratitude.

"Hehe! Don't be too happy yet. The materials needed to repair this item might be hard to find. It's not certain whether you can even collect them."

Don't worry, as long as our agreement is successfully fulfilled, I can help you repair this treasure in the future.

However, I need some time to refine the treasure, so I won't be able to help you with this for the time being.

As for the materials I need to collect, I can write them down for you now. No rush, you can take your time to find them.

After speaking, Qu Bai took out a blank bamboo slip, wrote down the dozen or so family spirit items he needed, and handed it to Song Qingming who was standing to the side.

He opened the bamboo slip and took a look. He found that what he needed included not only several rare and hard-to-find high-grade materials, but also a bottle of spirit water of grade four, mid-grade quality.

Upon seeing this, Song Qingming couldn't help but gasp and frown.

Those level-three materials are not so bad. Even if they can't be found right away, we can search for them slowly. It just takes a little more time.

However, mid-grade level four spiritual water is not something that can be easily found outside.

This item is worth at least 300,000 spirit stones, and it's not easy to come across. Even if Song Qingming had enough spirit stones, he would still need some luck to find it.

After letting out a soft sigh, Song Qingming quickly tossed the bamboo slip in his hand into his "storage bag".

He then cupped his hands in greeting to Qu Bai again and tentatively asked, "Senior Qu, the treasure has been completed. May I ask what kind of help you need?"

"Fellow Daoist Song, please don't be impatient. I am currently possessing a spirit body, and it will take me quite some time to refine and become familiar with this treasure. Once everything is ready, I will naturally inform you."

Faced with Song Qingming's question, Qu Bai's lips twitched slightly, as if he wanted to brush it off, his gaze still fixed on the sword in his hand.

After standing there for a moment and thinking, Song Qingming decided to continue speaking: "Senior Qu, I have already helped you refine the magic weapon, which can be considered as doing my best."

Even if you are unwilling to tell me the details, you should at least tell me when you plan to set off, so that I can make some preparations in advance after I return.
If I, Song, were to be unexpectedly unable to attend to our appointment, and you were to blame me for it, I would be truly wronged.

Although he had known Qu Bai for many years, Song Qingming guessed that the other party's identity was not simple. It was likely that his original body was not some Nascent Soul old monster, but possibly someone who came down from another high-level realm like "Red Cloud Holy Demon".

He was injured and lost his physical body for some unknown reason, leaving him with very little strength. That's why he was forced by circumstances to make a pact with me.

Song Qingming didn't think too much about Qu Bai's true identity or whether he could help him repair the spiritual artifact in the future.

Over the years, what worried Song Qingming the most was the promise Qu Bai made to him. He still didn't know what kind of help the other party wanted from him.

It should be noted that both of them now possess strength at around the late Nascent Soul stage, meaning there are virtually no places in the entire cultivation world that they cannot go.

Since Qu Bai was still choosing to keep things from him at this point, Song Qingming vaguely sensed that something was amiss, which is why he chose to ask another question.

He had indeed agreed to help, but he hadn't said he would do anything. If it was beyond his capabilities, Song Qingming wouldn't risk his life to go and die with the other party.

Upon hearing Song Qingming's words and sensing the unusual tone in his speech, Qu Bai finally withdrew his gaze from above the "Golden Palace Cloud Light Sword" and quickly put away the imitation spiritual treasure in his hand.

"Haha, Fellow Daoist Song is right. I was somewhat negligent before. Please don't take offense."

The thing is this: what I want Fellow Daoist Song to do for me is actually to rescue a friend who is trapped.

However, this person is very important to me, and I ask for your understanding that I cannot tell you his specific identity at this time.

As for the departure time, let's set it for two years from now!

Besides refining this treasure, I also need to prepare some other spiritual items. Two years should be enough.

Fellow Daoist, please rest assured. Although that place is somewhat dangerous, with our current strength and this treasure, there shouldn't be any major problems.

If all goes well, we should be back in a year or two at most.

"Very well then, I, Song, will await your news at Crimson Cloud Mountain!"

Seeing that Qu Bai had already agreed to depart in two years, Song Qingming immediately nodded without saying anything more, and then cupped his hands to bid farewell to the other party.

As soon as Song Qingming's figure left, the smile that had been on Qu Bai's face disappeared, and a look of solemnity gradually appeared in his eyes.

"Hmph! This kid is really not easy to deal with."

Fortunately, the treasure has already been refined. As long as I can rescue him, my mission will be complete.

".."
-
"Chiyun Mountain" market, Li's Tea House.

Several Qi Refining cultivators dressed in green robes were busy greeting customers in the teahouse when they suddenly saw a figure in white outside the door. One of them quickly stepped forward to greet him.

"Sir, would you like to enjoy some tea and rest? Our shop is Chiyunfang, a century-old establishment. You can rest assured that the quality and taste of our tea are guaranteed."

Is your boss in?

The woman in white did not respond to the waiter's greeting, and instead began to search the shop with her eyes.

A moment later, a woman in a green robe carrying a teapot emerged from the back room.

His gaze had just landed on the woman in white when he suddenly showed an excited expression, dropped the teapot in his hand, and strode over.

"Master, it's you who's back!"

Upon seeing his master, Li Xuanyi, whom he hadn't seen for many years, Song Linyu's eyes were filled with joy, and he quickly invited her into the hall.

At Song Linyu's invitation, Li Xuanyi arrived at the backyard. Looking at the plants and chairs in the yard, which were not much different from when she left, Li Xuanyi felt a sense of relief.

"You've got a good eye for this little shop. You haven't forgotten what I told you all these years. But after all this time of training here, it seems your character hasn't improved much."

"How can we cultivators attain the Golden Core Dao without a steadfast Dao heart?"

Upon hearing Li Xuanyi's words, Song Linyu immediately showed a hint of shame and knelt down on the ground.

"This disciple is ashamed. Despite the great help of Master and Ancestor, I still failed to form my core. I am truly ashamed to face you, venerable elder."

More than a decade ago, after receiving a spiritual object sponsored by Song Qingming, Song Linyu went into seclusion to attempt to form his core a second time.

As a result, she had already successfully condensed her inner core with everything going smoothly, but at the last moment, an unexpected event occurred, and she collapsed at the hurdle of resisting her inner demons.

In the end, he failed to complete the refining of the Golden Core, and his cultivation level regressed to the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage.

Having failed to achieve the Core Formation twice, despite expending a great deal of spiritual resources, Song Linyu has suffered considerable setbacks over the years, which has also caused her to appear quite haggard.

Seeing Song Linyu kneeling before her with a look of shame on her face, Li Xuanyi sighed softly and said:
"When I failed to achieve Nascent Soul in the past, I felt that my own character was still flawed. That's why I chose to enter the world and cultivate myself for more than sixty years, and finally achieved the Great Dao of Nascent Soul."

You only remember your master telling you to guard this place, but you've forgotten why you were here in the first place.

When Song Linyu first came to Chiyun Mountain, he only hoped to receive guidance from Li Xuanyi in his cultivation, which is why he stayed in the teahouse.

Although she knew that her master ran the teahouse to temper his mind, Song Linyu's cultivation level was still low at that time, so she didn't feel much about it.

Hearing Li Xuanyi's guidance again at this moment, Song Linyu recalled his two experiences of forming the Golden Core over the years, and felt a lot of emotions.

Back then, although several elders, including Song Qingming, approved of her becoming cultivation partners with Bai Jingyun, many people in the family still didn't think highly of her.

I believe that Song Linyu's successful foundation building was mainly due to the strong support of Elder Song Yuanfang.

After leaving the support of her family, her path in a small Foundation Establishment family like the Bai family would inevitably be limited.

Over the years, Song Linyu has also been working hard to cultivate, daring not to slack off in the slightest, eager to prove to others that he is no worse than other cultivators of the same generation in the family.

It was precisely because of the accumulation of these years that he had created a considerable burden, giving rise to an extremely strong inner demon barrier.

In the final step of his second Core Formation, knowing that this was his last chance, Song Linyu was unable to calm his mind under immense pressure and the interference of his inner demons.

Ultimately, this led to the failure of Core Formation, resulting in a complete breakdown of the process, as he was unable to overcome this hurdle. Recalling all this now, Song Linyu was filled with regret, realizing his own shortcomings in character.

“Master, over the years, I have always been afraid that I will not be able to catch up with Senior Brother Jingyun and that I will disappoint Grandpa and the Ancestor. This fear of loss has created a mental barrier.”

It's a pity I understood this too late; now that I've grasped it, it's too late to achieve the Great Dao, and I've disappointed you and the Ancestor."

"The reason I took you in and taught you the Taixu Sword Technique was not because of your outstanding spiritual talent, nor because of Junior Brother Song and Fellow Daoist Yuanfang."

Rather, it's because I admire your free-spiritedness and willingness to love and act.

Life is full of disappointments, and few people can live a life without regrets.

We cultivators, in our pursuit of the Great Dao, must also possess a steadfast heart in our quest. If you can rediscover your former self, I believe there is still a chance to condense the Golden Core once more.

"Master's earnest teachings, I will remember them well!"

Having failed to form his core twice, and with guidance from his master Li Xuanyi, Song Linyu's inner turmoil has been largely resolved, and a smile has gradually appeared on his previously haggard face.

Regardless of whether she will have another chance to form her core in the future, the most important thing for her now is to find the person she once was who dared to love and act.

As Li Xuanyi said, everyone will have regrets in their life. There is no need to worry about them. The important thing is to live in the present.

Seeing that Song Linyu seemed to have understood a lot after her guidance, Li Xuanyi also showed some satisfaction on her face, and then asked her about the things that had happened on the mountain over the years.

Just as the two were talking, another figure appeared at the door, none other than Song Qingyu, who had rushed over after hearing the news.

"Senior Sister Li, after all these years, you've finally come back."

"Qingyu."

Upon seeing Song Qingyu, whom she hadn't seen in a long time, Li Xuanyi quickly waved to her.

".."

Half a month later, at the Huixian Pavilion on the summit of Chiyun Mountain.

Song Qingyu, Li Xuanyi, Zhang Yurong, and Song Siqing were gathered in front of a courtyard, fiddling with a bunch of strange white cubes, with bursts of laughter occasionally escaping their lips.

These special spiritual objects, known as "Jade Tokens," are a new type of plaything introduced by the "Four Seas Merchant Alliance" from the cultivation world of Zhongyuan Immortal Continent. They are specifically for the leisure and entertainment of some high-level cultivators in the cultivation world.

These blocks were crafted from the bones of level-three demonic beasts and infused with high-grade "forbidden divine sand," enabling them to isolate the divine sense of Nascent Soul cultivators.

Since its development, it has been deeply loved by many high-level cultivators in the "Zhongyuan Immortal Continent" cultivation world, and has become popular throughout the entire cultivation world for a time.

In previous years, when there was nothing to do on the mountain, Song Qingyu was invited by Zhang Yurong to play a few times, and he also liked it very much. In his spare time, he would often call a few juniors to come up the mountain and play a few rounds.

Li Xuanyi wasn't really interested in this item, but Song Qingyu's enthusiastic invitation forced her to play a few rounds with him.

After drawing a card, Zhang Yurong pondered for a moment before carefully drawing one and playing it.

"Hahaha, I won!"

Seeing Zhang Yurong play a jade token on the table, Song Qingyu happily pushed her hand and quickly brought it to herself.

"Oh dear, my great-aunt is having such a lucky day! Look how much I've lost in less than an hour."

If this keeps going, we might not have enough spirit stones to pay the bill today.

Seeing Song Qingyu's happy expression, Zhang Yurong quickly covered her own card and praised her repeatedly.

Upon hearing this, Song Siqing, who was sitting to the side, nodded repeatedly and said:
"My great-aunt is not only lucky, but also has excellent card-playing skills. In the last few games, we have lost more than we have won. We can't help but admire her."

If I keep losing like this, I'm afraid I'll have to sell even my magic weapons later.

"Oh my, you two are both level three alchemists, making a fortune every day."

She manages the market and government treasury, handling mountains of spirit stones every day. She's a little rich woman from Chiyun Mountain, so why is she complaining to me about being poor now?

There are no ancestors at the card table; if you lose, you have to accept the consequences. Hurry up and hand over your spirit stones.

"Those are just rumors circulating outside. Please don't wrong us, Grandmother. We were just running errands for you and the Ancestor. How could we have any selfish motives?"

"yes.."

In recent years, Song Qingming and Song Qingyu have been busy with their own cultivation, and the affairs of the market below have been basically handled by a few Golden Core cultivators from the family.

The ones with the most power among them are naturally Song Yuanhao and his wife.

Song Yuanhao, with his eighth-level Golden Core cultivation, was deeply trusted by Song Qingming and had been in charge of the entire Lingshan Guard for many years. He was also the most prestigious person on the mountain besides a few elders.

As Song Yuanhao's Daoist partner, Zhang Yurong took over the financial power of the government treasury from Huang Siyuan after arriving at "Chiyun Mountain". The influence of the couple now goes without saying.

With such great power at their disposal, even if Zhang Yurong had no desire to covet it, there were still quite a few cultivators who wanted to offer them tributes. This was obvious to everyone.

Song Siqing, having become Huang Siyuan's disciple and inherited her alchemy skills, and having been supported by Huang Siyuan to successfully form her core, also enjoyed Song Qingming's deep trust.

After Huang Siyuan left, Song Siqing, who had successfully formed her core, took full control of the "Alchemy Pavilion" in the market.

Not only did she control the entire alchemy business of "Red Cloud Mountain," but Song Siqing was also in charge of refining the high-grade spiritual pills needed by the Song family of Wei State.

If we're just talking about earning spirit stones, there are very few Golden Core elders in the entire Free and Unfettered Sect who can compare to her.

Although the two women had a great influence at the foot of "Red Cloud Mountain", they still dared not be arrogant in front of Song Qingyu, a Nascent Soul ancestor.

Hearing the urging, Zhang Yurong quickly took off the "storage bag" from her waist, poured out the few spirit stones left inside, and put on a slightly aggrieved expression.

“Grandma, Yu Rong only has this much left today. If she loses it all, she will be gone. I hope Senior Li and Grandma will forgive me.”

"That won't do. It's rare for Senior Sister Li to have time to keep me company today. You can't spoil my fun. Quickly send a message to Yuan Hao and have him send someone to deliver some spirit stones."

After speaking, Song Qingyu suddenly remembered something and turned to Zhang Yurong with some curiosity, asking:
"By the way, did Yuan Hao practice the cultivation technique that Seventh Brother gave him last time? What kind of cultivation technique is it, Yu Rong? Do you know?"

"The cultivation technique!"

Upon hearing Song Qingyu's question, Zhang Yurong was slightly taken aback at first, then, with a hint of shyness on her face, she quickly smiled and shook her head, saying:
"Oh! Didn't the ancestor say not to tell anyone? Why are you asking about this, great-aunt?"

"Hehe, it seems you really know. Tell me quickly what kind of technique it is, why are you being so mysterious?"

"Don't worry, I just want to confirm if it's the same cultivation technique I've seen before. You don't need to pass it on to me. Even if Seventh Brother finds out, it won't matter."

Upon hearing Song Qingyu's words, not only she but also Li Xuanyi and Song Siqing, who were standing beside her, looked at Zhang Yurong with a hint of curiosity.

"this."

Seeing that Zhang Yurong still looked hesitant, Song Qingyu immediately pushed the jade tablet on the table aside and said in an unpleasant tone:

"I've loved you all so much, and I've said so many good things about you over the years, both openly and secretly. Today I see it all. It was all just talk and an act for my great-aunt."

"It's just a martial arts technique, do you really think I'm that interested?"

"Grandma, Grandma, please don't be angry. I'll tell you, okay!"

Seeing Song Qingyu's expression suddenly change, Zhang Yurong didn't care about anything else and immediately whispered a message to Song Qingyu.

However, after hearing what Zhang Yurong said, Song Qingyu's expression suddenly became a little strange, as if she still couldn't believe it.

"Is everything you said true?"

"Don't worry, Grandmother. No matter how confused Yu Rong is, she wouldn't dare to lie to you. This is really what the ancestor passed down to my husband."

If you still don't believe me, you can invite your husband over yourself and ask him. If he has uttered even the slightest lie, you can decide what to do with Yurong.

Seeing Zhang Yurong's serious expression, Song Qingyu finally stopped looking at her suspiciously, but she was still a little puzzled.

"Seventh Brother is really something! How could he have such a technique? Could it be that he obtained it from somewhere?"

"Qingyu, could you tell me what kind of powerful cultivation technique Junior Brother Song has obtained?"

"Uh, it's nothing. I'll talk to you about it later, Senior Sister Li."

Upon hearing Li Xuanyi secretly transmit her voice to her, Song Qingyu quickly replied with a response.

Just then, a figure suddenly walked up from downstairs and knelt down in front of everyone.

"Grandmaster Uncle, the sect's Supreme Elder has arrived and is downstairs!"

"Supreme Elder, which Supreme Elder are you referring to?"

Upon hearing Tang Muyan's report, Song Qingyu got up and went to greet him.

Before she could even reach the top of the stairs, a familiar white figure appeared before her.

"Junior Sister Song, Fellow Daoist Li, please forgive Jade Immortal for coming uninvited."

"So it's Senior Sister Bai! Please don't be so polite, have a seat and some tea!"

"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Bai!"

Seeing Bai Yuxian arrive in person, Song Qingyu quickly told Song Siqing and the others to put away the things on the table and sit down with her.

"Senior Sister, is there something you need today?" (End of Chapter)