Qinghe Immortal Clan.

As a Nascent Soul patriarch of a sect like Bai Yuxian, normally he only needs to send someone to deliver a message and give a heads-up if there is anything, without having to visit in person.

Seeing that the other party had already arrived, Song Qingyu guessed that there must be something unusual about it, so she took the initiative to ask a question.

Upon hearing this, Bai Yuxian smiled slightly and put down her teacup.

"Besides paying a special visit to Fellow Daoist Li, I have another important matter concerning our sect that I would like to discuss with you and Junior Brother Song."

I wonder if Junior Brother Song has emerged from seclusion recently; I'd like to go and say hello to him.

"Seventh Brother went out a few days ago to look for a spiritual object, but he wasn't on the mountain."

"Since this is a matter of great importance to the sect, please wait a moment, Senior Sister Bai. I'll go and send a message to Seventh Brother to see if he can return in time."

After saying that, Song Qingyu walked to the side.

When Song Qingming went to help Qu Bai refine the treasure, he did not tell Song Qingyu where he was going, but he did inform him that he could send a message to Song Qingyu at any time in case of any emergency.

Previously, when Li Xuanyi came here, Song Qingyu did not choose to disturb her. However, now that she heard that Bai Yuxian had something important to do with the sect, she still chose to activate the talisman that Song Qingming had left for her.

She was just waiting for Song Qingyu to send a message through her talisman when, unexpectedly, she received a message that Song Qingming was about to return.

Sure enough, after waiting for less than half an hour, Song Qingming appeared in the "Meeting Immortals Pavilion".

Previously, after leaving Yinfeng Ridge, Song Qingming returned directly to Funiu Mountain.

Firstly, he instructed Song Yuanfang to keep the "strange celestial phenomenon" that had occurred at Yinfeng Ridge a secret.

Secondly, some materials were taken from him to be used later to repair another replica of the magical treasure "Haoyue Shanhe Tu".

Although Qu Bai provided many rare spiritual items, collecting them all would not be an easy task.

However, since Song Qingming was determined to repair this replica spiritual treasure, he naturally needed to make preparations in advance.

While he was still in "Funiu Mountain", he received a message from Song Qingyu, so he took the spiritual object and returned here first.

Seeing that not only Bai Yuxian was there, but also his senior sister Li Xuanyi, Song Qingming was somewhat surprised.

Before he could ask anything, Li Xuanyi greeted him and left the pavilion first, leaving Song Qingming and the other two alone to talk.

"Junior Brother Song, Fellow Daoist Bai still has matters to discuss with you. I'll come up later!"

".."

Once there was no one else in the pavilion, Song Qingming turned to look at Bai Yuxian with some confusion.

"Senior Sister Bai, what exactly happened in the sect that troubled you to come here in person? Could it be that those guys in Taiyue Lake are causing trouble again?"

Upon hearing this, Bai Yuxian, who was sitting to the side, immediately smiled and shook her head.

"Don't worry, junior brother. Since you defeated Iron Wall last time, the demons of Taiyue Lake have been living in peace. Not to mention those old guys, you can't even see the shadow of the Demon King along the shore."

My purpose in coming here is not to discuss external matters, but rather to address an extremely important matter within our sect that I need to discuss with both of you before a decision can be made.

"There's no one else here right now, so please feel free to speak your mind, Senior Sister."

Seeing that Song Qingming had already asked this question, Bai Yuxian's expression also became serious.

"Junior Brother Song, Qingyu, a few days ago, Fellow Daoist Fengyuan came to see me. He wanted to exchange the natal demon core on Qinglu with the sect."

This matter concerns the sect's future development, and Senior Brother Li and I are hesitant to make a decision lightly. That's why we've come to discuss it with you."

"Senior Wind Ape wants the Azure Heron Demon Emperor's natal demon core. Could it be that he wants to use it to break through to the Nascent Soul realm?"

The Great Demon King Wind Ape who lived in the back mountain of the "Free and Unfettered Sect" had already reached the peak of the Golden Core realm more than a hundred years ago.

Over the years, although Song Qingming did not live on "Guyang Mountain" for long periods, he would occasionally hear some news about it and knew that the other party was always thinking about how to break through to the Nascent Soul realm.

Unlike human cultivators, demonic beasts, in order to improve their bloodline and advance their cultivation, not only engage in daily cultivation but also devour spiritual treasures of heaven and earth and the flesh and blood of other races and their golden cores.

Upon hearing that Feng Yuan wanted the "Azure Heron Demon Emperor's" natal demon core, Song Qingming quickly guessed that the other party was making a final gamble to advance to the Nascent Soul stage.

After all, the Wind Ape Demon King has lived for over a thousand years, and his remaining lifespan is estimated to be only one or two hundred years. If he does not find a way to break through to the Nascent Soul realm, he will inevitably face the fate of dying when his lifespan is exhausted.

Seeing that Song Qingming immediately guessed the other party's intention, Bai Yuxian immediately nodded and said:
“Junior Brother Song is right. Fellow Daoist Feng Yuan’s cultivation has already reached the Golden Core Perfection Realm. His purpose in refining the Azure Heron Demon Emperor’s natal demon core is to go into seclusion and break through to the Nascent Soul Realm.”

According to him, if he could obtain a demon core to aid him during this seclusion, he should have a 30-40% chance of advancing to the Nascent Soul realm.

Song Qingyu, who was sitting to the side, looked rather indifferent after hearing what the two were saying.

"That guy Feng Yuan, it's one thing to hide in the back mountain and eat and drink for free, but now he's even trying to get his hands on a level four demon core. He really dares to think like that."

We can use this level-four demon core to refine pills and improve our cultivation to some extent.

"If we feed him, what if he successfully forms his Nascent Soul and then runs away? We'll have done all that work for free!"

The demon core of the "Azure Heron Demon Emperor" has reached the fourth-grade mid-level, and its value on the market is at least 300,000 spirit stones, which is almost equivalent to a Nascent Soul Pill.

Moreover, demon cores of level four and above are the main ingredients for refining various high-level pills that enhance cultivation.

Although such elixirs are of little use to Song Qingming, whose cultivation has now reached the peak of the sixth level of the Nascent Soul stage, giving them to Bai Yuxian and Song Qingyu would at least save them one or two decades of arduous cultivation.

Although the Wind Ape Demon King had a good relationship with the "Free and Unfettered Sect" and had agreed to help protect the sect's sacred mountain, he had also helped them fight against the invasion of the northern demon race in the past.

However, the main reason this agreement could be reached was because the "Free and Unfettered Sect" could provide them with a stable cultivation environment and various cultivation resources.

Once the other party's cultivation advances to the Nascent Soul realm, the Free and Unfettered Sect can offer limited assistance, and the situation will change. The original agreement will no longer be able to bind him.

If the "Wind Ape" decides to return to the demon race's territory and simply leave, the Free and Unfettered Sect will not only gain nothing, but may also gain an enemy in the future.

Giving a level-four demon core to the Wind Ape Demon King rashly would bring almost no benefit to the "Free and Unfettered Sect" should they fail to break through their cultivation.

If successful, it would be an extremely risky undertaking for them and for all the human cultivators of the Wei Kingdom.

What Song Qingyu just said was not an exaggeration.

There are no profound beast-taming inheritances in the cultivation world of the "Floating Cloud Mountains". In the past, there have been cases where the demon beasts tamed by cultivators forcibly broke free of the restrictions and broke out of the gate after their own cultivation surpassed that of their original masters.

This indirectly leads to the fact that high-level cultivators here are not as concerned about cultivating spirit beasts as those in other cultivation worlds.

Apart from Song Qingming's "Ice and Fire Dragon" being quite special, most of the spirit beasts cultivated by Nascent Soul cultivators like Bai Yuxian and Li Mufeng are auxiliary spirit beasts at the Foundation Establishment and Golden Core stages.

The reason for this is not only to avoid spending too many resources on spirit beasts, but also to prevent them from becoming too powerful in the future and losing control of the beasts.

Moreover, the original owner of the "Wind Ape" Demon King had passed away many years ago, and the Free and Unfettered Sect now only has an indirect cooperative relationship with it, so it doesn't have much control over it.

In this situation, if the other party chooses to turn against the "Xiaoyao Sect" after advancing in rank, they would suffer a great loss.

"Senior Sister Bai, Fellow Daoist Feng Yuan wants this demon core, but has he offered any terms in exchange?"

Bai Yuxian couldn't possibly be unaware of what Song Qingyu had just said, but since she still wanted to discuss things with the two of them, Song Qingming knew that things were definitely not that simple, so he asked another question.

Seeing this, Bai Yuxian nodded slightly, paused for a moment, and then explained, "What Junior Sister Qingyu is worried about, Senior Brother Li and I have naturally considered as well."

When Feng Yuan came to me before, he took the initiative to propose that he could re-establish a contract with the sect, and promised that as long as he could successfully form a Nascent Soul, he would be willing to stay in Guyang Mountain to protect the sect for five hundred years.

Although he did seem sincere in his words and was willing to make a contract with us, my senior brother Li and I felt that five hundred years was still too short.

After discussing it with him, they agreed that he would guard the sect for at least a thousand years after reaching the Nascent Soul stage before he could leave.

Furthermore, wherever he goes in the future, he must not become an enemy of the sect.

This is the current situation. I wonder what Junior Brother Song and Junior Sister Qingyu think about this? Could we hand over the demon core to him?

After recounting everything she knew, Bai Yuxian turned her gaze to Song Qingming and the other person beside her, wanting to hear their opinions.

"Having protected the sect for a thousand years, this guy must have gone to great lengths to achieve Nascent Soul cultivation, actually agreeing to such conditions."

Upon hearing that the other party agreed to stay in the sect for a thousand years after forming the Nascent Soul, Song Qingyu, who had initially had objections, softened her tone considerably.

After a brief silence, Song Qingming slowly spoke, "If he can truly protect the sect for a thousand years, it's not impossible to consider giving up a level four demon core."

How can we trust him based on just a verbal agreement?

The demon race is not like us human cultivators, so we cannot establish a soul contract. Ordinary restrictions would not have much effect on a Nascent Soul cultivator like him.

If he disregards the danger and forcibly removes the restrictions from his body, we won't have much of a good way to deal with him.

Do Senior Brother Li and Senior Sister have any solutions for this?

If a mid-grade fourth-level demon core could be exchanged for a Nascent Soul cultivator for a thousand years, it would be an extremely worthwhile deal for the "Free and Unfettered Sect," and worth the gamble.

A Nascent Soul Demon Emperor typically has a lifespan of around four thousand years. For Feng Yuan, agreeing to a thousand-year guardianship agreement with the "Free and Unfettered Sect" in order to break through to the Nascent Soul realm was also an acceptable thing.

However, the demon race is different from the human race and is not affected by the soul contract. Even if some restrictions can be temporarily placed, the other party will inevitably have the ability to break free over time.

Hearing Song Qingming's words of concern, Bai Yuxian quickly nodded and said, "We have indeed considered what Junior Brother Song said."

Senior Brother Li's idea is to have the Wind Ape sign another spirit beast contract with me.

In this way, as long as the person who signed the contract is still alive, he cannot break the agreement and leave Guyang Mountain prematurely.

"Signing a spirit beast contract is a good idea, but I don't know if Fellow Daoist Wind Ape will be willing to sign it!"

"If Senior Sister Bai can get him to sign the contract, I have no objection!"

Seeing that Song Qingming had agreed, Song Qingyu nodded in response.

The most effective way for human cultivators and demonic beasts to control each other is naturally through a spirit beast contract.

Bai Yuxian is currently less than six hundred years old. In addition, she mainly cultivates a wood-attribute technique that leans towards health preservation, so her lifespan is normally about 10% longer than other cultivators of the same level.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Bai Yuxian should have no problem living for a thousand years.

If she could sign a spirit beast contract with the "Wind Ape," she would be able to control the life and death of the spirit beast. As long as Bai Yuxian was still alive, the other party would definitely not dare to violate this agreement.

However, while the idea is good, it's hard to say whether "Wind Ape" will agree to it.

Low-level demonic beasts in the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment stages are the easiest to subdue and accept "spirit beast contracts" after being subdued by cultivators because their intelligence has not yet been developed.

Most high-level demonic beasts at the Golden Core and Nascent Soul stages, who possess higher intelligence, are unwilling to be controlled by others, and subduing them is not an easy task.

Even if you are a Nascent Soul cultivator, if you force the other party to choose to self-destruct their Golden Core, they will not be willing to be humiliated.

When Huang Siyuan subdued "Crimson Flame" back then, it was because this demon was trapped in the secret realm and wanted to leave. Otherwise, she would never have been willing to sign the "spirit beast contract" so easily.

After its former master passed away, the "Wind Ape" stayed in Guyang Mountain for hundreds of years. During that time, countless cultivators from the Xiaoyao Sect tried to sign a spirit beast contract with it, but all failed.

Even Li Mufeng, a Nascent Soul ancestor, was unable to subdue him and could only keep him on Mount Guyang by providing him with spiritual resources.

Now that the other party's cultivation has reached the Golden Core Perfection stage, only one step away from the Nascent Soul stage, it will probably not be so easy to get them to willingly sign a "spirit beast contract".

Seeing that the two did not seem to object, Bai Yuxian nodded slightly and said, "Senior Brother Li discussed this with Senior Feng Yuan for a long time a few days ago. The idea I just mentioned was actually proposed by him first."

Seeing that it was feasible, I came to Chiyun Mountain to discuss it with you first.

Since the upheaval at the Wanling Sect, the Floating Cloud Mountain Range has suffered repeated invasions from powerful enemies in recent years, marking a turbulent period that has caused concern among all sects.

With another wave of monster turmoil looming, if our sect can cultivate a Nascent Soul cultivator, it will be able to share some of the burden with us in the future.

If Junior Brother Song and Junior Sister have no objections, then I will go back and explain this matter to Senior Brother, and express our thoughts to Fellow Daoist Feng Yuan.

"Don't worry, junior brother. You were the one who removed that demon core back then. If the other party doesn't agree to sign a spirit beast contract, I certainly wouldn't agree to this either."

Since Zhao Wuling failed to break through to the Nascent Soul stage, the human race in the "Floating Cloud Mountains" cultivation world has lost its only late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, and the high-level combat power above the Nascent Soul stage is much weaker than before.

It was only when they saw that the Floating Cloud Mountains were weakening that the Taiyue Lake demons and the Tianhai Alliance chose to launch a large-scale military campaign more than a decade ago, hoping to seize some benefits from them.

Fortunately, Song Qingming returned in time, bringing with him Ling Zhentian, a Nascent Soul Stage 9 expert, which helped quell the war and restore peace to the Floating Cloud Mountains.

But the temporary peace will not last long. When the monsters attack again, the "Tianhai Alliance" will be at war once more.

Song Qingming and his group might not be so lucky as to easily invite a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator to the battlefield to help them.

Although Zhou Ziyang, a Golden Core elder of the sect, obtained the "Nurture Pill" from a group of Golden Core cultivators a few years ago and has already begun to go into seclusion to form his Nascent Soul.

However, this is Zhou Ziyang's first attempt to break through to the Nascent Soul realm, so his chances of successfully forming a Nascent Soul are not very high; he probably only has a 10% or 20% chance at most.

In comparison, the probability of "Wind Ape," whose cultivation is more solid, forming a Nascent Soul is significantly higher than that of Zhou Ziyang after obtaining a level four demon core.

It was for this reason that Li Mufeng and Bai Yuxian wanted to sign a thousand-year contract with the "Wind Ape" to help it form a Nascent Soul, hoping to quickly add a Nascent Soul helper to their sect.

"As the saying goes, there's always a way out. Senior Sister Bai, don't worry too much. Now that the sect is under our care, even if there's some pressure for the time being, I think things will gradually get better."

"Yes! Seventh Brother is right. The Taiyue Lake demon clan is no longer a threat, and the Tianhai Alliance has signed a hundred-year contract with us. We have at least a hundred years to develop."

"When Seventh Brother and Senior Sister Bai both advance to the late Nascent Soul stage, they'll definitely make the Heavenly Sea Alliance spit out everything they've taken from us over the years."

"Hehe! Qingyu, you're thinking too highly of yourself. If you're talking about Junior Brother Song being able to advance to the late Nascent Soul stage, I do have a slight belief in that."

As for me, I have been stuck at a bottleneck all these years and have not been able to break through it. I still don't know when I will be able to advance to the sixth level of the Nascent Soul stage.

"A hundred years from now, let alone the late Nascent Soul stage, I wouldn't even dare to say I could catch up to Junior Brother Song's current cultivation level."

Although Bai Yuxian was a cultivator with a Heavenly Spiritual Root, her cultivation speed was not slow after advancing to the Nascent Soul stage.

However, after her cultivation reached the peak of the fifth level of the Nascent Soul stage, it suddenly stagnated. Although she had consumed a lot of pills and spiritual items in recent decades, she still had not been able to break through the bottleneck.

Having already experienced the difficulties of the path, her expression immediately dimmed upon hearing Song Qingyu's praise, clearly indicating a sense of uncertainty about her future cultivation prospects.

Upon hearing this, Song Qingming quickly reassured him, "The Nascent Soul realm depends on personal opportunities; every step we take is difficult."

Senior sister, please don't worry about this. I believe that when the time is right, we will all have hope of making further progress.

“Junior Brother Song is right. The reason I came to see you this time is not only to discuss this matter with you and Qingyu, but also to see if I can take advantage of this opportunity and seek a chance from you.”

"Hehe, Senior Sister Bai, please just tell me what you need. Don't bother with these polite words."

Upon hearing Bai Yuxian suddenly ask him for a chance, Song Qingming was slightly taken aback, then quickly smiled and waved to her.

Seeing that the atmosphere had been set, Bai Yuxian continued, "Junior Brother Song, I want to find a level four spiritual pill to help me break through my cultivation, but unfortunately, I have been searching for it for many years without success."

My junior brother has a good relationship with Fellow Daoist Long of the Four Seas Business Alliance. Perhaps you could ask him if he could help me find him.

I am willing to accept any exchange, whether it be spirit stones or other spiritual items, as long as this pill can be found.

Also, the cultivation technique I practice, the Profound Wood Azure Lotus Technique, is only available up to the mid-Nascent Soul stage in the sect. They are still missing the follow-up techniques for the late-Nascent Soul stage. If they can help me find them, please let me know.

If my junior brother has good news, I will surely repay him with a generous gift in the future.

High-level spiritual objects above the Nascent Soul stage are already extremely rare in the cultivation world, and finding the spiritual pills and cultivation techniques one needs is not an easy task.

Many cultivators of the same level may never find what they need in their entire lives, and can only wait for their lifespan to run out without making any progress in their cultivation.

These are essentially personal opportunities, and missing them could lead to lifelong regret.

Over the years, Bai Yuxian has been unable to find the spiritual object she desires, and now she can only place her hopes on others.

Having finally taken the initiative to come to "Red Cloud Mountain", she simply told everyone about the two spiritual items she urgently needed on her journey.

Although Song Qingming has been in seclusion for more than ten years and has not gone out much.

However, he does know many cultivators outside, and he is also acquainted with Long Ziyun, a Nascent Soul elder of the "Four Seas Merchant Alliance". Perhaps he can find a way to help her find these two items.

"Don't worry, Senior Sister Bai. I'll send a message to Fellow Daoist Long later. If I find any information about these two spiritual items, I'll immediately send a message to inform you."

As soon as Bai Yuxian named the two spiritual items she wanted, Song Qingming immediately smiled and nodded in agreement.

"Then I'll leave it to you, junior brother!"

Seeing that Song Qingming agreed so readily, Bai Yuxian's face immediately lit up with joy, and she bowed to him in farewell.

Only after seeing Bai Yuxian off did Song Qingyu approach Song Qingming and ask, "Seventh Brother, do you think Senior Sister Bai and the others can succeed in the matter of the Wind Ape?"

"Since it was Senior Brother Li who brought it up, I think there's a 70-80% chance of success, otherwise Senior Sister Bai wouldn't have come to us to discuss it!"

"Seventy or eighty percent certainty? Is that high?"

Hearing what Song Qingming said, Song Qingyu was also somewhat surprised.

After a moment, she seemed to realize something and said with a serious expression, "Seventh Brother, do you mean that Senior Brother Li did this because of us?"

"Hehe, you're not stupid, you actually figured it out so quickly."

Upon hearing this, Song Qingming smiled slightly and continued, "Currently, whether it's Junior Nephew Zhou or anyone else in the sect, their chances of advancing to the Nascent Soul realm are not high."

Senior Brother Li's lifespan is also running out, and the sect will eventually be handed over to Senior Sister Bai and us.

It's not surprising that he has this concern now, so don't overthink it.

"I see. Seventh Brother, you're quite carefree. What if Senior Sister Bai disagrees with us in the future?" (End of Chapter)