Qinghe Immortal Clan.

Chapter 1122 The Sacred Star Chart, the Secret Method of Smuggling
"What are you referring to, senior? Please explain."

Upon hearing the woman in purple say that there was still a way to save "Qu Bai" in front of him, Song Qingming paused and quickly asked a question.

Since Song Qingming and "Qu Bai" met, they initially reached a cooperation agreement with each other because they each had their own purposes.

However, the other party first helped him break through to the Nascent Soul realm in the East Sea, and then gave him a Nascent Soul stage puppet, including many cultivation techniques and puppet manuals.

He can be considered one of the people who provided significant assistance to Song Qingming after he achieved Nascent Soul stage.

Now that he saw Qu Bai's soul about to vanish before his eyes, Song Qingming naturally couldn't bear to see him end up like that, so he immediately agreed.

No matter what happens in the future, he is willing to try as long as he can temporarily preserve the other party's primordial spirit.

Seeing Song Qingming's firm tone, the woman in purple immediately said, "I just seemed to sense a trace of the Holy Star Disc's aura from you. Let me take a look at it first."

"The Sacred Star Compass! I've never heard of such a thing before. Are you sure you're not mistaken, senior?"

Upon hearing the words "Sacred Star Compass," Song Qingming racked his brains for a moment, but still shook his head at the woman in purple before him.

Upon hearing this, the woman in purple was not surprised and explained, "The Sacred Star Disc is a sacred artifact refined by the Demon Realm. It's not surprising that you haven't heard of it."

"Think about your dealings with those demonic cultivators; I think you should be able to find them quickly!"

Upon hearing that it was related to the Demon Realm, Song Qingming immediately recalled his encounter with the woman in white and the "Crimson Origin Holy Demon" group of demonic cultivators.

Before long, he produced a "crimson jade plate" and presented it to the woman in purple.

"Is this the thing you're referring to, senior?"

The "crimson jade plate" in Song Qingming's hand was obtained when he had just formed his Nascent Soul and went deep into the Illusionary Sea Desert to kill demonic cultivators in order to save Bai Yuxian and others.

At that time, this "crimson jade plate" was placed in an ancient teleportation array by the demonic cultivator. Song Qingming saw that the materials used to make it were of good quality and thought it was a high-level array plate, so he put it into his storage bag.

Unfortunately, he discovered that he couldn't integrate the jade plate into the formation during his subsequent attempts to set up the array, which puzzled him.

Over the years, Song Qingming had kept it in his "storage bag," and would occasionally take it out to ask about it when he met knowledgeable people.

But since they never got an answer, it remained in the storage bag.

It wasn't until the woman in purple reminded him that he remembered he had this strange spiritual object on him, and he quickly took it out.

Sure enough, upon seeing the "crimson jade plate" in Song Qingming's hand, the woman in purple's eyes showed a strange look, and she waved her hand to take it into her own hand.

After examining it carefully, the woman in purple finally spoke, "That's right, this is the Sacred Star Compass I was talking about. Where did you get this from?"

"This magical object was something I shared with several companions back then..."

Seeing that the woman in purple seemed quite interested in the origin of the item, Song Qingming recounted in detail how he had encountered the man in green robes in the "Illusory Sea Desert" and obtained the item from him.

He recounted how he later encountered this person again in the "Heavenly Sea Cultivation World" and fought a great battle with him.

In his previous encounters with the other party, apart from knowing that the other party was a high-level demonic cultivator, Song Qingming didn't actually know much about them.

Even more surprising was that the jade plate he had unintentionally snatched from the green-robed man years ago was an item from the demon realm.

After hearing Song Qingming's explanation, the woman in purple remained silent for a moment before speaking to him:

"The Sacred Star Disc is a magical treasure that can break through the void of the interface, but the one in your hand is not the original but a replica."

If I'm not mistaken, this item was likely crafted by them in the lower realm, intended to open a passage to the demon realm.

"Opening the Demon Realm passage... Could it be that the ancient teleportation array from back then really could connect to the Demon Realm?"

When the ancient teleportation array was discovered, Song Qingming and the others had the same guess. Now, hearing the woman in purple mention it again, they were still not surprised.

In response to Song Qingming's question, the woman in purple nodded and said, "This realm was targeted by the Demon Realm back then, which left behind many hidden dangers. This ancient teleportation array should have been built by them back then."

However, the spiritual energy in this world is now far inferior to that of ancient times. Even if they have the Sacred Star Disc, it is not an easy task to connect the two worlds.

Otherwise, they would have succeeded long ago after all these years; they wouldn't have waited for you to stop them."

"What you mean, senior, is that the ancient teleportation array cannot connect the two realms. So no matter how much these demonic cultivators try, it will be in vain. We don't need to worry about the demon realm invading this realm for the time being!"

Hearing the purple-clad woman's explanation, and recalling what happened back then, Song Qingming also felt that it made perfect sense, and he couldn't help but feel relieved.

Although they successfully stopped the demonic cultivator back then, the ancient teleportation array could not be destroyed and was sealed in the "Illusory Sea Desert".

Even though cultivators from the "Ten Thousand Spirits Sect" frequently sent people to patrol this place, Song Qingming and the others were still worried that demonic cultivators would find this place again in the future.

In retrospect, their worries seem to have been somewhat unnecessary.

Seeing that Song Qingming seemed slightly pleased, the woman in purple revealed a strange look in her eyes and sighed softly:
"You don't really need to worry too much about other realms invading this place, but that's not necessarily a good thing for you cultivators."

However, the spiritual energy in this realm is far less than in ancient times. If you wish to cultivate to the late Nascent Soul stage and break through to ascension, it will be far more difficult than before.

"Does Senior mean that there is no one left in this world who can cultivate to the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm?"

Song Qingming, who had just been relaxed, was shocked when he heard what the woman in purple said and couldn't help but ask a question.

As a cultivator, Song Qingming has cultivated for so many years, and besides protecting his family and friends, all he seeks is to attain enlightenment and ascend to the upper realm.

This is also the ultimate goal of the millions of cultivators in the "Huayang Realm" who cultivate in pursuit of the Great Dao of Immortality.

Although his cultivation level is currently at the peak of the mid-Nascent Soul stage, he is still quite far from the Divine Transformation stage and the realm of ascension.

However, if one were to cultivate for a lifetime only to find that there is no possibility of breaking through to ascension, it would be a huge blow to Song Qingming.

Upon hearing Song Qingming's question, the woman in purple shook her head slightly and said, "Based on what I sense right now, it is indeed very difficult to cultivate to the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm and ascend to the upper realm in this world."

However, I only said it's harder than before, not that absolutely no one can do it.

"If someone were to obtain some extraordinary opportunity, breaking through to the late-stage Nascent Soul realm or even ascending to other realms wouldn't be impossible."

After replying, the woman in purple turned her gaze to the "Sacred Star Disc" in her hand and cast a spell to envelop it in a beam of spiritual light.

Then the "Sacred Star Disc" in her hand flew directly to the top of Qu Bai's head, sucking the already dying man into the air.

"Although it is very difficult for cultivators in this realm to ascend normally, as long as you can find those weak points in the spatial nodes, you also have a way to sneak into the upper realm."

I know quite a few cultivators who ascended in this way, and their achievements are in no way inferior to those who ascended normally.

"May I ask, senior, how can we secretly cross over to the upper realm? Could you please tell us a thing or two?"

Having just been somewhat discouraged by the woman in purple, Song Qingming suddenly heard that there were other ways to ascend to the upper realm, so he quickly and sincerely cupped his hands in greeting and asked.

Having cultivated for hundreds of years, Song Qingming had not come into much contact with information about breaking through realms and ascending to immortality due to the vast difference in cultivation levels.

Apart from the information his master, "Lingxu Daoren," gave him when he was about to leave this world, Song Qingming knew very little about this matter.

Now that he had the rare opportunity to meet this mysterious upper-realm cultivator in purple, he couldn't help but humbly seek her guidance.

The woman in purple, who was casting a spell, didn't feign profundity in the face of Song Qingming's sincere inquiry. She immediately responded:

"The so-called 'smuggling to the upper realm' means not ascending through the ascension platform, but finding a weak point in the spatial node, breaking through the interface, and sneaking to the upper realm through a spatial rift."

However, this method is not a normal ascension, so the journey will be quite dangerous.

Once inside the spatial rift, if one encounters a powerful spatial storm, they will be instantly annihilated and their soul will be scattered, leaving no chance for reincarnation.

Moreover, only one or two out of ten cultivators manage to successfully smuggle themselves across; this path is equally difficult.

"Even a sliver of hope is better than wasting my remaining years. Senior, do you have any methods to find spatial nodes? Please enlighten me!"

Although he knew that the chances of successfully smuggling himself across the border were slim, Song Qingming still didn't want to miss this rare opportunity and asked the question he was eager to know.

However, seeing Song Qingming's rather anxious appearance, the woman in purple did not rush to answer him. Instead, she focused on casting a spell to absorb Qu Bai's natal spirit into the "Sacred Star Plate".

After losing his primordial spirit, Qu Bai's already severely injured body fell to the ground without moving.

She then used a beam of white light from the purple jade plate beside her to wrap around the "Sacred Star Plate" before tossing it to Song Qingming, who was not far away.

"I have already put a trace of the source into it, which should be enough to stabilize its soul for a hundred years!"

"Once your cultivation breaks through to the late Nascent Soul stage, you can refine his soul into a spiritual treasure. At that time, he can transform into a weapon spirit, which is crucial for his continued survival."

"Thank you, senior!"

Although Song Qingming was not 100% certain whether he could break through to the late Nascent Soul stage within a hundred years, as long as he could temporarily protect Qu Bai's primordial spirit from dissipation, he would eventually find a way to help him transform into a spirit of a weapon.

If all else fails, he can ask other late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators for help, which is not a difficult task for him.

After Song Qingming responded, the woman in purple placed one hand on her forehead, and then her eyes emitted a beam of spiritual light that shot directly at Song Qingming. Seeing this, Song Qingming instinctively wanted to dodge, but then a voice entered his ears.

"The Sacred Star Disc in your hand is a magical treasure that can search for spatial nodes. I will pass on a magic incantation to you. After you refine it, you will be able to control this treasure smoothly."

However, to break through the interface space, one needs at least a Nascent Soul stage cultivation level, which is far beyond your current level.

Just as Song Qingming was about to move to avoid it, he heard the other party's words and quickly stopped himself. As soon as the spiritual light touched his forehead, a secret technique appeared in his sea of ​​consciousness.

Upon learning that the "Sacred Star Disc" in his hand was the spiritual treasure for finding spatial nodes, Song Qingming was even more excited.

He never imagined that the jade plate he had unintentionally snatched from the demonic cultivator was actually a special treasure that could search for nodes in the interface space. It was something he himself hadn't expected.

"Although my cultivation is insufficient, I still have a heart that seeks the Dao. Thank you for your help, senior!"

"You don't need to thank me right away. The reason I'm telling you all this is actually for his sake."

I promised to take Qu Bai back to the Upper Realm, but due to unforeseen circumstances, I broke my promise. Now, I need to rely on his innate spiritual source to open the interface channel, so I owe him a debt of karma.

"If you ever have the chance to bring him with you to ascend to the upper realm, it will be a way of settling this karmic debt for me."

After speaking, the woman in purple remained silent for a moment, then used magic to take out a golden elixir from the purple jade plate beside her and handed it to Song Qingming.

"This is the natal demon core from that golden crane. Refining it should be helpful for your future advancement to the late Nascent Soul stage. Consider it my compensation to you."

The Sacred Heart Disc in your hand is an important item for the demon race. You should be more careful when you encounter them in the future.

With such a commotion here, it will probably soon alert those old guys in the vicinity. If you, a human cultivator, fall into their hands, you might be in some trouble. You'd better get him away from here quickly!
It's time for me to leave. I hope we'll meet again someday.

Having said that, the woman in purple ignored Song Qingming and sat down cross-legged, beginning to cast a spell to control the "purple jade plate" beside her.

The next moment, spiritual energy began to surge wildly into the hall, and the entire underground cavern began to shake violently.

Seeing this, Song Qingming immediately stopped talking, put away the demon core given to him, and put the "Sacred Star Disc" in his hand into his storage bag.

After bowing to the woman in purple before him, Song Qingming left the hall.

Before leaving, he didn't forget to collect the body that Qu Bai had left on the ground.

Although this physical body is somewhat damaged, it is still a late-stage Nascent Soul corpse puppet. If it can be repaired in the future, it might still be useful to him.

After passing through the entrance of the main hall, Song Qingming quickly arrived at the original underground cave.

After a fierce battle, the roadside was now littered with rocks and the remains and bones of many monsters summoned by the "Six-Tailed Fox".

".."

Half an hour later, a white light suddenly shone in the underground palace, shooting straight through the cave and into the sky.

Gazing at the white vortex appearing above her head, the woman in purple cast a spell, transforming the jade disc in front of her into a shield that covered her body. Then, with a determined look, she flew into the vortex.

Once the woman in purple disappeared, the white light that had shot into the sky quickly vanished, and the surroundings gradually quieted down.

High in the sky, thousands of miles away from the "Heavenly Demon Graveyard," a middle-aged man with a round face saw this astonishing scene and a look of surprise flashed across his face.

"Could it really be her?!"

After muttering something to himself, the middle-aged man quickly disappeared from his spot. A moment later, he seemed to have crossed the void, traversing thousands of miles to arrive above the "Heavenly Demon Tomb".

The “Celestial Demon Graveyard”, which was originally shrouded in white mist, now had a circular space hundreds of miles wide above it, and the surrounding clouds and mist could not get close to it.

In the canyon below, a huge crater several miles deep has also appeared, as if it had just been hit by some extraterrestrial meteorite.

"This aura doesn't seem to belong to that old ghost Wuxin. Could it be that I'm mistaken?"

Just as the middle-aged man stood there pondering, his gaze suddenly turned to the void in front of him, and he waved his hand, conjuring a sharp claw that reached directly into the void.

Before the claws could reach them, a red light of spiritual energy suddenly appeared in the void ahead, and then an old woman dressed in red walked out of the void, leaning on a cane.

Upon seeing the smiling old woman in red before him, the middle-aged man's brows furrowed instantly, and he said with displeasure:

"Crazy woman, last time we met you said your hands and feet were already clumsy, but I see your legs are just as good as mine, how come you got here so quickly."

"You're not going to say you just happened to be passing by, are you?"

"Hehehe, Fellow Daoist Guixuan has misunderstood."

Although this old woman is clumsy, a few years ago, the younger generation below me happened to find some materials for me and forged a flying magic weapon.

Our two clans are not far from here. Fellow Daoist, you have already arrived. If I didn't come, wouldn't I be laughed at by the younger generation?

Faced with the middle-aged man's questioning, the old woman in red smiled slightly, then turned her gaze to the huge pit below, revealing a hint of doubt.

"Speaking of which, Wuxin hasn't shown his face for several thousand years, right?"
I thought she had already passed away, so why is she suddenly causing such a commotion? Could it be that she has really found a way to break through realms and ascend to immortality?

Upon hearing what the old woman in red said, the middle-aged man revealed a disdainful expression and directly replied:

"Hmph! Even a genius like Ling Xuzi couldn't break through to the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm. How can she, who has cultivated for so many years, break through the realm and ascend to immortality? How can you believe such nonsense?"

A few years ago, I heard that demonic energy was gathering in the Heavenly Demon Cemetery, and I even sent people to investigate, but they didn't find any trace of it.

I reckon this old geezer has probably gone down some evil path and is trying to sneak into the upper realm.

Little did she know that with her limited cultivation, even if she were to find a spatial node, she would be powerless against a spatial storm, and would inevitably perish sooner or later.

"Alas, Fellow Daoist Guixuan is right. In the past ten thousand years, many fellow Daoists in our Huayang Realm have tried to sneak into the Upper Realm, but very few have succeeded by chance."

But now our cultivation is progressing at an impossible pace, and I fear that if we ever reach this point, we will inevitably meet the same fate.

"Crazy woman, if you want to sneak into the upper realm, you can set off anytime, but don't even think about dragging me along!"

Although the spiritual energy in this world is not as abundant as in ancient times, some people were able to ascend successfully ten thousand years ago. Even though we can hardly make any progress in cultivation now, it cannot be said that we have no chance in this lifetime.

To be honest, even if I were to die on a mountain after my lifespan has run out, I wouldn't want to end up like this, with my soul scattered and destroyed.

Seeing the middle-aged man in front of her, who seemed aloof and unapproachable, the old woman in red smiled slightly and quickly changed the subject:

"Whether to break through the boundary and ascend or to sneak into the upper realm, let's talk about that later. As things stand, the Celestial Fox Clan will probably have difficulty controlling the surrounding area in the future."

Let's see when we can arrange to meet with the other fellow cultivators to discuss how to redefine the territories of the various races.

"Well! Since you've brought this up today, I'll inform everyone when I get back and we can arrange a time to discuss it together."

I heard that your clan has produced a promising junior a few years ago who has already broken through to the late Nascent Soul stage in just a few hundred years and may have the potential to advance to the Divine Transformation stage in the future.

Could you bring it out next time so we can meet it?

Hearing the middle-aged man's interested expression, the old woman in red quickly waved her hand at him and said:
"Hehe! Fellow Daoist Guixuan, you flatter me. In recent years, there have been many rumors in our Northern Frontier about people with the potential to become Nascent Souls among various races. I'm tired of hearing this kind of news."

But how many people can actually reach that level? It's mostly just hearsay among the younger generation!

"Haha, what you say makes sense. Over the years, although our demon race has produced many talented young people, we have never seen many who have advanced to the Nascent Soul stage."

"It's rare that Ling Xuzi has already left this realm. If we don't seize this opportunity to develop our power, and another Nascent Soul cultivator appears on the human side, things will likely become very difficult!"

"The people of Donghuang Kingdom have cultivated the land for hundreds of thousands of years. It is not an easy thing to shake their foundation. This matter needs to be done slowly and cannot be rushed."

"I still have some things to do, so I won't stay here with you any longer. See you another day!"

After saying that, the old woman in red raised her hand and then transformed into a beam of red light, leaving the sky.

After the other person disappeared, the middle-aged man pondered for a moment, and then turned into a white light and left the spot.

On a high mountain thousands of miles away from the "Heavenly Demon Tomb," Song Qingming, after seeing the huge white light disappear, gradually withdrew his gaze.

Just as he turned around, he saw a woman in green holding a piece of broken bone, glaring at him angrily.

"Don't come any closer, or I'll..."

Before the other party could finish speaking, Song Qingming's figure had already disappeared from the spot and then appeared behind the woman in green.

With a gentle wave of his right hand, the woman in green instantly fell silent and was then tossed onto the nearby flying boat by Song Qingming.

After checking the jade pendant on his body that concealed his aura and finding nothing wrong with it, he...

Song Qingming then urged the flying boat beneath his feet, transforming it into a streak of white light, and headed southwest.

(PS: We finally won the game today, hahaha.)
(End of this chapter)