Qinghe Immortal Clan.

"Don't worry! I know Senior Sister Bai well. Even if we have disagreements in the future, it won't be a big deal."

If one day there truly becomes an irreconcilable conflict between me and the sect, I'll simply take you all with me and leave the sect to cultivate on Crimson Cloud Mountain.

Despite Song Qingyu's preemptive questioning, Song Qingming still maintained a relaxed expression.

Since Song Qingming achieved Nascent Soul, the Song family has developed rapidly over the past few hundred years, becoming the most powerful cultivation family in the entire "Floating Cloud Mountain Range".

Within the sect alone, there are already two Nascent Soul cultivators, Song Qingming and Song Qingyu, plus the Nascent Soul spirit beast "Ice-Fire Flood Dragon".

Below are several Golden Core elders who are close to Song Qingming, including Huang Siyuan, Song Yuanhao, Zhang Yurong, Song Linxi, Song Linrui, Song Siqing, Song Yuping, Song Yuanfang, and Bai Jingyun.

Without exception, these people were either using the Song family name or were direct descendants who had been promoted by Song Qingming.

Although Song Qingming now resides in Chiyun Mountain for cultivation, his influence within the "Xiaoyao Sect" has quietly surpassed that of Bai Yuxian and Li Mufeng, who achieved Nascent Soul earlier.

Li Mufeng's lifespan is already over 1,200 years. According to the lifespan calculation of Nascent Soul cultivators, he only has about 200 years left.

Once Li Mufeng passes away, the "Xiaoyao Sect" will be unable to cultivate new Nascent Soul cultivators.

With Bai Yuxian's influence alone, it would be difficult for her to compete with Song Qingming and Song Qingyu within the sect. The "Xiaoyao Sect" might gradually fall under the control of the Song family.

As a sect primarily established through master-disciple inheritance, Li Mufeng naturally did not want to see this, which is why he chose to support "Wind Ape" in forming its Nascent Soul and have it sign a spirit beast contract with Bai Yuxian.

If "Wind Ape" can successfully form his Nascent Soul, the sect will have another Nascent Soul cultivator who will definitely stand on Bai Yuxian's side, indirectly curbing the Song family's rapidly expanding influence within the sect.

From the moment Song Qingming heard that Li Mufeng suddenly wanted to help "Wind Ape" form a Nascent Soul, and indirectly pushed him to sign a "Spirit Beast Contract" with Bai Yuxian, he had already sensed something amiss.

Knowing full well that this was the case, he didn't seem to care too much and readily agreed.

Although Li Mufeng's actions were intended to prevent the Song family from becoming too powerful, they were also for the long-term survival of the sect, and Song Qingming understood his intentions.

In any case, he is now focused on cultivation and only wants to advance to the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm as soon as possible. He has no intention of interfering in the affairs of Mount Guyang.

As long as it benefits the sect and does not affect his own cultivation, he will not deliberately oppose whoever will form the Nascent Soul stage next on Mount Guyang.

On the other hand, Song Qingyu was somewhat surprised to see Song Qingming facing these things so calmly, and then a smile appeared on her face.

"Since you've said that, what else can I say? No matter what choice you make in the future, Qingyu will support you."

However, what Senior Sister Bai said is also right. The chaos caused by the demon beasts is not far away. If that guy Feng Yuan can really succeed in forming a Nascent Soul, it will be a good thing for the sect.

For so many years, our sect has always been on the defensive against the demon army. It's time to show them our true power.

Compared to a hundred years ago, both the sects and the "Red Cloud Mountain" have become much stronger.

Hearing the words "monster turmoil" again, Song Qingyu's face no longer showed the same fear as before, but rather a hint of excitement.

".."

As the two were talking, a figure not far away had already arrived in front of Song Qingming.

"Seventh Brother, you two chat first. I'll go ask Mu Yan to prepare some delicious spiritual food and wine, and I'll come up to keep you company later." After saying that, Song Qingyu left Huixian Pavilion without waiting for their response.

"Senior sister, why didn't you let Qingyu tell me you were coming?"

Looking at Song Qingming, who hadn't changed much, Li Xuanyi immediately replied, "Qingyu told me you went out to search for an important spiritual object, but I was afraid it would affect you, so I didn't let her tell you."

Don't worry, I've taken care of everything at home, and I'm not in a hurry to go back.

"Junior Brother Song, why don't you come for a walk with me?"

"How could I dare not keep my appointment with my beloved!"

Faced with Li Xuanyi's invitation, Song Qingming nodded slightly and took the initiative to lead the way for her.

Although the two had not seen each other for a long time, they already had a tacit understanding and walked side by side on the mountain path.

Although the scenery at the top of Chiyun Mountain is not particularly spectacular, it is currently the time of year when spring flowers are in full bloom, and the mountain paths are lined with flowers that are so beautiful that one can quickly become enchanted by them.

"Senior sister! Are Senior Li and the others alright?"

Upon hearing Song Qingming's concerned question, Li Xuanyi sighed slightly and said, "Ancestor Boying's health has deteriorated in recent years, and he rarely moves around anymore."

A few years ago, I went back to the sect and asked my senior brother for a longevity pill. I estimate that it will last him for several more decades!

He did mention you, and even wanted me to take you back so he could give you a good talking-to!

"Teach me, senior sister! Does Senior Li and the others have any objections to our situation?"

"Hmph! You've been to Yunlong Mountain several times already, don't you know that I'm their precious treasure, the future successor of the Li family, whom they've been nurturing for many years?"

Do you think they'll have any objections?

"Senior sister, if Senior Li and the others have any requests for me, please feel free to tell me. I will do my best to fulfill them and will not let you feel wronged."

After speaking, Song Qingming stopped and his expression became somewhat serious.

Seeing this, Li Xuanyi remained silent for a moment, then shook her head and said, "They do have a lot of demands on you, but you don't need to worry about them."

Having experienced so much, I have already cultivated to the Nascent Soul realm and no longer care about these formalities. Having you by my side in this life is enough for me.

"I know my senior sister doesn't care about these things, but in the end, I took the best treasure of Yunlong Mountain, so I should make some compensation."

I'll be going out of town again soon. When I get back, I'll take you to Yunlong Mountain to hear the teachings of Senior Li and the others.

Upon hearing what Song Qingming said, Li Xuanyi paused for a moment, and her expression also became somewhat solemn.

"To tell you the truth, the ancestor doesn't like you very much these days. If you dare to go to Yunlong Mountain again, you'll be in a den of dragons and tigers, caught in a net of heaven and earth!"

Even if it's a trap set by heaven and earth, I'm willing to brave it for you!

".."
-
"Guyang Mountain" is located on a mountain peak behind the mountain.

A giant ape covered in thick fur and standing three or four zhang tall was sitting cross-legged on a boulder, its eyes closed as it inhaled and exhaled the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

A flash of white light appeared, and a white-clad figure suddenly appeared in the void in front of the giant ape.

Looking at Li Mufeng who suddenly appeared in front of him, "Wind Ape" slowly opened his big eyes, but did not show much respect.

"Have you considered the conditions I discussed with you the other day, Fellow Daoist Feng Yuan?"

"You came all this way to see me, does it mean that both members of the Song family have already agreed to this matter?"

In response to the "Wind Ape's" question, Li Mufeng nodded slightly and said, "Junior Sister Bai has already been to Crimson Cloud Mountain, and Junior Brother Song and Junior Sister Qingyu have no objections to it."

As long as you are willing to sign the spirit beast contract, Junior Sister Bai will send you the demon core in a few days, and I will also arrange a secluded place for you to cultivate and form your Nascent Soul.

As for the things I promised you, I will send them to you as soon as possible. Fellow Daoist, you can just focus on your seclusion.

Furthermore, once you advance to the Nascent Soul realm, I can announce to the public that you have become the fifth Supreme Elder of our sect, enjoying the same treatment as us.”

"Hmph! Over the years, I have stayed in Guyang Mountain only for my own cultivation. I have no interest in your human sects, nor do I want to be a Supreme Elder."

"As long as you don't disturb my cultivation, and promise to let me leave this place after a thousand years, that's fine."

Upon hearing that Li Mufeng wanted him to become the sect's Supreme Elder after he reached Nascent Soul stage, "Wind Ape" was slightly taken aback at first, but then quickly refused.

Seeing that the other party had agreed, Li Mufeng quickly smiled and said, "Since we have promised you, we will naturally abide by this agreement. You can rest assured about that."

However, you cannot refuse the position of Supreme Elder.

Fellow Daoist, you may remain in the back mountain to cultivate without disturbance, but when the sect needs your assistance, you must step forward.

"I've already agreed to the spirit beast contract, so why should I stand up and speak? Fellow Daoist, isn't this a bit unnecessary?"

Could it be that you're worried the Song siblings might betray the sect in the future?

As a demon king who has lived in "Guyang Mountain" for hundreds of years, Feng Yuan rarely shows himself in public, but he has also been watching the changes in the Xiaoyao Sect over the years.

Seeing that Li Mufeng insisted on taking on the position of Supreme Elder, "Wind Ape" also realized the other party's true thoughts.

Upon hearing "Wind Ape" state the matter directly, Li Mufeng waved his hand and said:

“Since joining the sect, Junior Brother Song has never shown any ambition for power or profit. Fellow Daoist, you are overthinking this.”

"Oh! If I'm overthinking it, then I can have someone else sign the spirit beast contract with me."

I think Song Qingming is younger, and perhaps he has the potential to advance to the Nascent Soul stage in the future. If I could cultivate with him, I might stay here even longer.

"Hehe! We've already discussed the matter of signing the spirit beast contract, so how can it be changed at will? Fellow Daoist, there's no need for you to put any more thought into it."

".."
-
"Red Cloud Mountain" Market, Teleportation Hall.

With a flash of light, more than a dozen figures of varying cultivation levels appeared on the array platform. These were all cultivators who had just been teleported here from the "White Lion Workshop".

Among the crowd, two people walked side by side, deliberately covering most of their faces with bamboo hats. Judging from their figures, they seemed to be a man and a woman, both of whom had reached the Foundation Establishment stage.

After carefully exiting the teleportation hall, the two passed through the market and immediately headed straight for the mountaintop, quickly arriving at the entrance to the magic array.

Upon arriving here, the two removed their straw hats and shouted loudly towards the array in front of them:
"Second Brother, we're back!"

As soon as the voice fell, the clouds and mist that had been obscuring them quickly dissipated, revealing a serious-looking figure in green robes standing before them.

"Master, Grandmaster Uncle!"

Looking at Song Qingyu standing in front of them, Liu Yue and Song Shaoyu, who had just rushed back from outside, were immediately surprised and knelt down. "You secretly slipped down the mountain while I was in seclusion. You still have me as your master. Since you don't want to stay on the mountain so much, why don't you just not come back? Wouldn't that be better?"

"Disciple knows his mistake and begs for punishment, Master!"

"Grandmaster Uncle, I was the one who brought my junior brother down the mountain. If you must punish someone, punish me instead. Don't make things difficult for my junior brother!"

"Senior sister, please don't say anymore. It was my own idea to sneak down the mountain. Master should punish me as he sees fit. How can I let you suffer for me?"

Hearing Liu Yue plead for him from the side, Song Shaoyu quickly shook his head.

".."

"Hmph! What are you two doing? When did I say I was going to punish you?"

With a cold glance at the two of them, Song Qingyu immediately turned and left, leaving Song Shaoyu and Liu Yue still stunned on the ground.

After a while, Song Shaoyu turned to look at Liu Yue, who was also kneeling to the side.

"Senior sister, has Master abandoned me?"

"Junior brother, don't be afraid. Our grand-aunt is just angry. She won't really be so heartless as to send you down the mountain. No matter what happens, I will stay with you."

After reassuring Song Shaoyu, Liu Yue didn't dare to get up. She, too, didn't know how to explain things to her master later.

".."

As the sun and moon passed, it wasn't until the early morning of the second day that a figure in black slowly walked up from the foot of the mountain. It was Li Xuanyi, who had just returned from the market.

"Junior pays respects to Senior Li!"

"Oh! It's you two little ones who are back. I heard you've been traveling around these past few years and have learned a lot!"

Why are you still kneeling here? Get up and come inside with me!

"Senior, my master has not forgiven me, I dare not go in!"

Seeing that Li Xuanyi had opened the magic array and was about to lead them inside, Song Shaoyu and Liu Yue still didn't dare to get up and shook their heads at her.

"Sigh, Qingyu is really something. Why can't she go inside and say what she wants to say? What kind of image is it to make someone kneel here like this?"

Don't worry, your master is just stubborn but soft-hearted. I'll go and talk to her; nothing will happen.

After comforting the two, Li Xuanyi immediately went to the outside of Song Qingyu's cave and sent a telepathic message into it.

To Li Xuanyi's surprise, Song Qingyu ignored her attempts to persuade her and did not come out.

Left with no other choice, Li Xuanyi went to the cave where Song Qingming was in seclusion and relayed what had happened outside to him via telepathy.

The restrictions outside the cave slowly dissipated, and soon a figure appeared in front of Li Xuanyi.

"Senior Sister Li, you mean Liu Yue and Shao Yu are back, and they're alright, right?"

Seeing this, Li Xuanyi gently shook her head: "Don't worry, they're fine. I just heard from Yunlong that the two of them have been kneeling for a whole day."

She's ignoring me now, you should go and try to persuade Qingyu.

"These two guys sneaked down the mountain behind our backs. It's normal for Qingyu to be angry. We should teach them a lesson so that they won't be difficult to manage in the future."

Qingyu is probably still angry, so it's unlikely I'll make a difference if I go to her now.

"Let Yunlong lead them in first. Once Qingyu calms down, everything will be fine."

Faced with Song Qingming's suggestion, Li Xuanyi shook her head directly.

"Those two children are very stubborn. I told them they don't have any. I'm afraid you'll have to go there yourself."

"Who told your apprentice to abduct someone else's disciple? Go and get out of there!"

"Sigh," seeing this, Song Qingming also sighed with a smile and walked directly towards the entrance to the top of the mountain.

Under the personal command of the patriarch Song Qingming, Liu Yue and her companion, who had been kneeling on the ground, finally mustered their courage to get up and enter the formation.

Although he tried to appease them, Song Qingming did not gloss over their unauthorized departure from the mountain. He still punished Liu Yue and the other girl by confining them to their quarters for three years.

During this period, only the two of them were allowed to cultivate in the cave on the mountaintop, and no one was allowed to go down the mountain without permission.

After all, he is a formally accepted disciple. No matter what, he should know the rules of respecting his teacher. Otherwise, if he continues to disobey, he may make even bigger mistakes in the future.

Meanwhile, Song Qingyu finally emerged from her cave after more than a month of seclusion.

She was even stricter with Song Shaoyu, who had run away without permission, demanding that he guarantee he would reach the late Foundation Establishment stage within ten years, or he would be expelled from the sect.

It should be noted that Song Shaoyu's cultivation level is only at the fourth level of Foundation Establishment. Even Song Qingming and the others back then failed to reach the late stage of Foundation Establishment within ten years, so the difficulty is unimaginable.

Just as everyone was trying to dissuade Song Qingyu, Song Shaoyu, like a newborn calf unafraid of tigers, agreed to the matter with a firm expression.

To make it formal, the two parties also made an agreement in front of Song Qingming.

Unable to persuade them, Song Qingming, Li Xuanyi, and the others could only shake their heads and leave.

Since Li Xuanyi arrived at "Red Cloud Mountain", Song Qingming has spent most of his time in seclusion cultivating and making talismans, except for occasionally accompanying her for a stroll on the mountain.

Having promised Qu Bai that he would help him fulfill his initial agreement, Song Qingming needed to make some preparations for himself before doing so.

".."

Two years passed quickly. In the cave, Song Qingming held a silver talisman pen, with a white talisman shimmering with spiritual light placed below it.

As the talisman brush finished writing the last rune, a silver-white short sword on the talisman seemed to come alive, emitting a series of buzzing sounds, as if it were about to be separated from the talisman.

Seeing this, Song Qingming immediately activated a stream of magic power, which transformed into runes and flowed into the short sword on the talisman.

A moment later, the light gradually dissipated, and the short sword settled down.

After carefully examining the white talisman in his hand, Song Qingming, sensing that its quality had reached the mid-grade of the fourth level, showed a hint of satisfaction on his face.

Since advancing to the Nascent Soul stage, Song Qingming has not been able to refine many high-level spirit talismans due to a lack of spiritual materials, and his talisman-making skills have remained at the fourth-grade low-level realm.

Although he occasionally tried to draw a level 4 mid-grade spirit talisman, the results were unsatisfactory. Not only did he fail, but he also wasted a lot of high-grade materials.

Until this time, using the high-grade fur from the "Azure Heron Demon Emperor" he had obtained before as the main material, he finally succeeded in drawing his first level-four mid-grade spirit talisman.

In the thousands of years of the Xiaoyao Sect's history, only Song Qingming and the sect's founder, "Xiaoyao Sanren," from five thousand years ago were able to elevate their talisman-making skills to the mid-level of the fourth grade.

He is not only a high-level "talisman maker", but his weapon crafting skills have also reached the mid-level of the fourth grade.

It is precisely because of the many high-level inheritances left by this patriarch that the "Xiaoyao Sect" has been able to produce high-level weapon refiners and talisman makers of level four or above in every generation during its thousands of years of development.

Song Qingming was able to improve his talisman-making skills, which was also inseparable from the high-level talisman-making manuals left by the ancestor.

Although he failed twice before succeeding in making the talisman, he still achieved his goal and was quite satisfied with it.

Having successfully crafted his first mid-grade level four spirit talisman, Song Qingming realized he didn't have enough materials to craft a second one, so he kept them all.

He then took out some other low-level talisman-making materials and began to continue drawing.

Although high-level crafting materials of level four and above are hard to find.

However, with the continuous development of the sect over the years, coupled with the influence of the "Red Cloud Mountain" market, it is not difficult for Song Qingming to collect materials for making talismans of level three or above.

After drawing more than a dozen talismans that would be useful to him in one go, Song Qingming slowly put away his talisman brush.

As soon as he stepped out of his secluded cave, the "Ice and Fire Dragon" waiting in the hall caught his scent and immediately rushed over.

"Master, you are finally out of seclusion!"

"Yes! You've had a hard time these past few days."

When Song Qingming was in seclusion, the "Ice and Fire Dragon" would often help him manage his cave and feed the spirit insects, and it was already very skilled at these tasks.

After taking out some elixirs to reward the other party, Song Qingming took the initiative to leave the cave and enjoy the beautiful scenery around him.
-
Several months later, on a high mountain located east of "Chiyun Mountain".

As a streak of light flew over and stopped in mid-air above the mountaintop, a figure in a green robe quickly descended from it and stood in front of a large tree in the very center of the mountaintop.

There was a middle-aged man waiting there. When he saw Song Qingming arrive, he immediately raised his hand towards Song Qingming's location.

"I'm truly sorry, I spent a little extra time refining something the other day. I hope I didn't keep you in vain, fellow Daoist!"

"This is a small matter and has no impact on me. You are too kind, senior."

After greeting Qu Bai, Song Qingming continued to confirm, "Senior, do you have anything else to attend to? Are you ready to depart now?"

Upon hearing this, Qu Bai immediately nodded and replied, "That's right! I have already prepared everything I need to do."

If Fellow Daoist Song has nothing else to attend to, then we can depart immediately.

"May I ask, senior, where exactly is our destination? Could you please tell me now?"

"The place we're going to this time isn't very far from here; it's in northern Xinjiang!"

"Is the place you're going to, senior, in the territory of the demon race in the northern frontier?"

Upon hearing Qu Bai reveal their next destination, Song Qingming, whose expression had remained calm, immediately showed a hint of surprise. (End of Chapter)