Qinghe Immortal Clan.

Moreover, Zhang Yurong was not the only one who benefited; even her cultivation partner, Song Yuanhao, saw his cultivation speed increase significantly in recent years, saving him at least ten years of arduous cultivation time.

Although this technique is only most effective for both parties during the initial practice, its effects are not as good afterward.

However, based solely on its effect of assisting cultivators in breaking through their own realm, this dual cultivation technique did indeed quite tempt Song Qingming.

After testing its effectiveness on Song Yuanhao, Song Qingming had already planned to cultivate this technique himself.

After all, although he and his senior sister Li Xuanyi have not yet officially become cultivation partners, they have already developed feelings for each other and are very much in line with the conditions for cultivating this method.

If he still fails to break through to the late Nascent Soul stage during this seclusion, he will probably consider using this method to assist in breaking through his current realm.

Upon hearing Li Xuanyi bring up this matter on her own initiative, Song Qingming was surprised for a moment before quickly regaining his composure. He then took out the cultivation technique scroll that he had copied long ago.

Seeing Li Xuanyi put away the scroll with a hint of shyness on her face, Song Qingming spoke to her again:

"Senior sister, although this technique can help you break through bottlenecks, your current cultivation level is only the second level of the Nascent Soul stage. Even if you don't cultivate this technique, you should be able to break through your realm smoothly in no time."

"Who said I'm going to cultivate this technique now? I asked for it for Lin Yu. She's been so slow in breaking through to the Golden Core realm. If we don't find another way, her path in this life will probably be quite difficult."

Now that she and Jingyun have both reached the Golden Core realm, they can use this method to increase their cultivation speed.

"what."

Upon hearing that Li Xuanyi was asking him for cultivation techniques because of his disciple Song Linyu, Song Qingming, who had been calm, suddenly looked somewhat strange.

Seeing this, Li Xuanyi couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Now that Junior Brother Song has broken through to the late Nascent Soul stage, he probably doesn't need to rush to cultivate this method. Why don't we wait until we have a suitable opportunity in the future?"

"Okay! I'll do as you say."

As the two were talking, the setting sun slowly disappeared into the distance.

".."

In a cave tens of thousands of miles north of "Red Cloud Mountain".

The "Mad Lion Demon Emperor," dressed in a crimson robe, sat on a stone bench, with the "Nine Yuan Demon Emperor" and the "White Dragon Demon Emperor" not far away.

A century has passed in the blink of an eye, and the cultivation levels of these three demon emperors who frequently dealt with the "Free and Unfettered Sect" have all changed.

Originally, the "Mad Lion Demon Emperor" only had the cultivation level of the second level of the Nascent Soul stage, but now he has cultivated to the peak of the third level of the Nascent Soul stage, which is even higher than Song Qingyu.

The "Nine Yuan Demon Emperor" had already reached the peak of the fourth level of the Nascent Soul realm a hundred years ago, and now he has successfully broken through to the fifth level of the Nascent Soul realm.

The "White Dragon Demon Emperor" has been cultivating to the Nascent Soul realm for less than two hundred years, and his cultivation level is still at the second level of the Nascent Soul realm. His cultivation speed is significantly slower than that of the other two veteran demon emperors.

The reason these three Nascent Soul Demon Emperors, each with their own territory in the north of Wei, suddenly gathered here was to seek an audience with the "Ancestor of Parting Clouds" who stood behind them.

Since being severely injured by Song Qingming in the Battle of Chiyun Mountain two hundred years ago, this late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, known as the "Ancestor of Parting Clouds," has been hiding in his cave to heal his wounds.

Now that they heard that "Ancestor Boyun" has almost recovered his cultivation, and that the time for the demon race to expand their territory southward once every hundred years has come, they agreed to come and pay their respects together.

Just as the three demon emperors were waiting patiently, several streaks of light suddenly landed at the entrance of the cave, and soon three figures walked in from outside.

"Fellow Daoists, you've kept us waiting. How about the fruit wine brewed at Boyun Mountain?"

Upon seeing that the one leading the way in was none other than the "Ancient Cloud Demon Emperor," the three who were acquainted with him, including the "Mad Lion Demon Emperor," quickly stepped forward and bowed.

"Brother Gu Yun, how is it? Has the Ancestor summoned us?"

Upon hearing this, the "Ancient Cloud Demon Emperor" gently shook his head.

"Alas, our ancestor is still in a critical period of seclusion and it is inconvenient for him to see you. He specially sent us to entertain you. We hope you will not take it as a formality."

"What do you mean by this, Brother Gu Yun? Didn't our ancestor send a message last time instructing us to do our utmost to prepare for this southward expansion?"

The demonic beasts from the north are almost here, and we are all awaiting orders. Does this mean she has no intention of taking action this time?

"Over the years, the Xiaoyao Sect has been invading northwards every year, and our territories have long been unable to withstand them."

If this continues, I fear we will soon lose our foothold. Brother Gu Yun, could you perhaps persuade the Ancestor once more?

".."

Since the great defeat at "Red Cloud Mountain" years ago, the northern demon race of Wei Kingdom not only lost several demon emperors, but also lost a lot of its territory to human cultivators.

In the past hundred years or so, the southern human cultivators have been continuously venturing northward, and the territories of many demon emperors, such as the "Mad Lion Demon Emperor," have been frequently harassed, causing them to become increasingly displeased.

They had originally thought that once "Ancestor Boyun" recovered from his injuries, he would lead them south to reclaim the lost territories.

Now the other party is pretending to avoid meeting, which has really surprised everyone.

Faced with the somewhat surprised questions from the "Mad Lion Demon Emperor" and his companions, the "Ancient Cloud Demon Emperor" smiled and explained to them:

"Fellow Daoists, you may not know this, but our Ancestor sent a message to the various tribes in the north a few years ago, asking them to send reinforcements to support our southward expansion."

However, something suddenly happened in the north. Both the Heavenly Fox Clan and the Ancient Crane Clan have lost many fellow cultivators and are now powerless to send people south to support us.

As you all know, the Xiaoyao Sect alone currently has no fewer than five Nascent Soul cultivators.

Song Qingming's supernatural abilities are no less than those of a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. In previous years, even Fellow Daoist Iron Wall of Taiyue Lake suffered losses at his hands.

Without reinforcements from the north, even if the entire Boyun Mountain forces come out, we'll likely struggle to take down the Xiaoyao Sect. This matter requires careful consideration.

"Brother Gu Yun, is there really no other way for us?"

Upon hearing what the "Ancient Cloud Demon Emperor" said, the other demon emperors present immediately showed some unpleasant expressions.

Human cultivators are now pressing forward relentlessly. If this southward expansion fails to extinguish their momentum, their territories will likely be divided and devoured by human cultivators within a century or two.

Seeing this, the "Ancient Cloud Demon Emperor" quickly waved his hand.

"Although we will not receive support from the North this time, fellow Daoists, do not be so discouraged. Our Ancestor already has other plans in mind."

Although the Southern Free and Unfettered Sect possesses five Nascent Soul cultivators, the most crucial among them is Song Qingming.

This child has only been in the Nascent Soul stage for a mere two hundred years, yet he already possesses supernatural powers comparable to those of the late-stage Nascent Soul realm. He is very likely to become the next Zhao Wuling in the future.

If that's the case, it would pose a huge threat to us. In any case, we must find a way to eliminate this scourge first.

"Once we can deal with Song Qingming, the rest of the Xiaoyao Sect will be no threat. Not only will we be able to reclaim your lost territories, but the entire Wei Kingdom will also be ours."

"Oh! Fellow Daoist Gu Yun means that we should find a way to get rid of Song Qingming first?"

"Song Qingming's supernatural abilities are no less than those of a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. I wonder if Ancestor is confident in his abilities, and how we should cooperate next?"

".."

Upon hearing what the "Ancient Cloud Demon Emperor" said, the other demon emperors who had previously looked rather grim suddenly became excited.

Seeing this, "Ancient Cloud Demon Emperor" shook his head and said, "Although Song Qingming has supernatural powers that are no weaker than those of a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, this boy is not as terrifying as you imagine."

According to Fellow Daoist Tiebi, Song Qingming's cultivation level is currently only at the sixth level of the Nascent Soul stage. He is only able to exert the combat power of the late Nascent Soul stage for a short period of time by relying on a set of puppet arrays on his body.

The reason why Fellow Daoist Iron Wall lost to him last time was mainly because his cultivation level was unstable after breaking through, and his supernatural powers were just countered by the opponent's lightning magic.

If they were to actually fight, he might not be a match for the patriarch.

Fellow Daoists, there's no need to worry. Our Ancestor is already planning this matter, and you'll receive news of what to do soon.

This time, we must not be as careless as we were last time.

"After you return, you must restrain your subordinates and for the time being prohibit them from crossing the border south. Keep the human cultivators on their guard so they don't suspect anything."

"Fellow Daoist Gu Yun, rest assured, we understand all of this and will absolutely not leak the information!"

"Yes! Fellow Daoist, don't worry."

".."

Upon hearing the "Ancient Cloud Demon Emperor's" patient instructions, the other demon emperors standing to the side nodded repeatedly, and smiles appeared on their faces.
-

On the eastern shore of Taiyue Lake, there is a water palace belonging to a demon clan.

The "Golden Horned Demon King," whose cultivation had already broken through to the third level of the Nascent Soul stage, was sitting upright on a large stone chair, playing with a glowing white sphere in his hand.

A moment later, a figure suddenly rushed into the hall, quickly approached the "Golden Horned Demon Emperor," and bowed down on the ground.

"Ancestor, the Iron Wall Ancestor has replied. He means that the Northern Frontier Demon Clan's southward invasion is something we should ignore in the east, and just cooperate to hold off the Star Gate."

"Are we supposed to hold off the Star Gate? Could it be that this old guy Iron Wall was really scared by Song Qingming last time and doesn't plan to come out again?"

Upon hearing the message relayed by the Demon King below, the "Golden Horned Demon Emperor's" expression changed slightly, and he couldn't help but ask a question.

When the "Iron Wall Demon Emperor" broke through to the late Nascent Soul stage, the entire Taiyue Lake demon race was overjoyed, thinking that after enduring for thousands of years, it was finally time for them to revitalize their race.

Unexpectedly, after their campaign, they gained no territory whatsoever and instead suffered significant losses in combat power.

Since the defeat of the Song Dynasty, the aquatic creatures of Taiyue Lake have been forced to hide in the lake with their tails between their legs for decades.

They had finally waited for the once-in-a-century opportunity for the demon race to expand their territory, and they thought they could finally show off their skills this time.

The long-awaited "Golden Horned Demon Emperor" received this news instead, and couldn't help but sigh with disappointment.

The demon king, who was bowing below, took a breath and replied:
"Well, the Iron Wall Ancestor didn't explain this matter. He only told us to try our best to hold off the people from the Star Gate and prevent them from interfering in the eastern battlefield."

"Alright, I understand, you may leave!" The Golden Horned Demon Emperor waved his hand and turned his gaze back to the white sphere in his hand, his expression calming down.

".."

"Floating Cloud Mountain Range", in the cave at the top of Red Cloud Mountain.

Song Qingming, who was sitting cross-legged in the cave, slowly withdrew the green spiritual light surrounding him, and his whole body immediately exuded a powerful pressure.

With a gentle lift of his hand, Song Qingming produced a golden flying sword, and the stone chamber was instantly enveloped in a golden spiritual light.

After more than a year of seclusion to stabilize his cultivation, he has now firmly established himself at the late Nascent Soul stage.

Now that Song Qingming has once again unleashed the "Golden Cloud Light Sword," he can now control this replica spiritual treasure at will, and his aura has also increased considerably.

After fiddling with the flying sword in his hand for a while, Song Qingming raised his hand to put it away and walked out of the secluded cultivation chamber.

When he arrived at another secret room in the cave, he found four figures sitting cross-legged in front of a high-level "Spirit Gathering Array," which were the Nascent Soul puppets on Song Qingming's body.

Besides "Golden Wind," who has already advanced to the third level of the Nascent Soul stage, "Silver Armor" also successfully broke through to the second level of the Nascent Soul stage during his seclusion a few years ago.

The other puppet he obtained from Qu Bai's storage bag has been named "Iron Shield" by Song Qingming, and its cultivation level is currently at the first stage of the Nascent Soul realm.

These puppets have all been refined into Song Qingming's "Puppet Array," which has also greatly increased the array's power.

Now that his cultivation has broken through to the seventh level of the Nascent Soul stage, he is fully activating the "Myriad Spirits Puppet Array," and his magical power is already comparable to that of a ninth-level Nascent Soul cultivator.

Besides the "Golden Wind," "Silver Armor," and "Iron Shield," there is also a physical puppet left behind by Qu Bai, which is also sitting here.

This physical puppet, although its cultivation has reached the late Nascent Soul stage.

However, because he was severely injured by the woman in purple in the "Heavenly Demon Tomb", his injuries have not yet healed and he cannot be properly refined by Song Qingming.

In the more than ten years since returning to Chiyun Mountain from the "Northern Frontier", in addition to breaking through the bottleneck of the late Nascent Soul stage in seclusion, Song Qingming has also been trying to repair this puppet body.

However, his experience in this area was far inferior to that of "Qu Bai". He tried many methods but still had no clue, so he could only put it in the secret room for the time being.

After checking the puppet's condition, Song Qingming went to the entrance of the stone chamber next door, where the "Ice and Fire Dragon" was also meditating cross-legged in the spirit-gathering array.

The cultivation level of "Ice and Fire Dragon" is similar to that of Li Xuanyi. Both of them have reached the peak of the second level of the Nascent Soul stage, and are only one step away from breaking through to the next level.

I thought that Li Xuanyi, being a human cultivator, would cultivate faster than the "Ice and Fire Dragon".

Unexpectedly, it was the "Ice and Fire Dragon" that broke through its cultivation level first. Judging from the situation, it won't be long before it advances to the third level of the Nascent Soul stage.

The reason why the "Icefire Dragon" was able to cultivate so quickly as a spirit beast is probably related to the trace of true spirit essence blood that it accidentally swallowed back then, in addition to its strong bloodline.

If even the "Ice-Fire Flood Dragon" can increase its cultivation speed so quickly, one can imagine that the Fire Phoenix, which has refined most of the True Spirit Blood, will have an even more terrifying cultivation speed.

No wonder the Fire Phoenix was able to advance to the late Nascent Soul stage so quickly; it seems this item truly has an astonishing effect on demon cultivators.

After circling around the cave, Song Qingming returned to his secluded chamber, his divine sense entering his sea of ​​consciousness, and soon arrived at a white scroll.

The scroll left to him by the woman in purple contained the secret method of transforming one's "natal spirit" into a weapon spirit.

Now that his cultivation has stabilized at the late Nascent Soul stage, it's time for him to try to revive Qu Bai's natal spirit, which is sealed in the "Sacred Star Plate".

".."

At the front line of Qingfeng Mountain, north of Chiyun Mountain, Song Yuanhao looked at the intelligence he had just received and showed some doubt.

"That's strange. A year ago, many sects in the west had already reported that the demon beast army was gathering in the south, but we haven't made any move here yet."

Could it be that the Mad Lion Demon Emperor and his group aren't planning to head south during this turmoil?

"Hehe! After the news of Senior Song's great victory over the Iron Wall Demon Emperor spread last time, those demon emperors in the north were already terrified and dared not go out easily."

I reckon they'll be just like last time, hesitant to head south, and will only make a move once the entire demon army from the northern frontier has arrived.

Hearing Zhan Longying's analysis, Song Linrui nodded in agreement.
“What Fellow Daoist Zhan said makes sense. Now that the sect is powerful, the demon army of Kuangfeng Mountain and Jiuyuan Ridge alone poses no threat to us. These Mad Lion Demon Emperors must know this in their hearts.”

However, besides them, we also need to be wary of enemies in another location!

You must be referring to Boyun Mountain!

Seeing that Song Yuanhao had immediately guessed what he was thinking, Song Linrui quickly nodded and said:

"Uncle Yuanhao is right. In previous years, our guard team discovered several demonic beasts of the Boyun Mountain fox clan near Qingfeng Mountain."

They came south to scout our situation, probably because of the unrest in the northern frontier. We need to be careful and handle this to prevent any unforeseen events.

"Yes! Fellow Daoist Lin Rui is right. Even if the other demon races come, they won't be able to cause much trouble. The only concern is that Boyun Mountain might be causing trouble from the rear."

It's been almost two hundred years since our ancestor severely injured the Cloud-Dispelling Demon Emperor. By now, this demon's injuries have likely healed considerably, so we must be on guard.

"Don't worry, I will send a message to the Ancestor about this matter immediately. Fellow Daoists, please continue to patrol the front line as usual. If you find anything unusual, please inform me immediately."

"I'll wait for the order!"

".."

In the Xiaoyao Hall of "Guyang Mountain", Bai Yuxian, sitting at the head of the table, heard Xu Ziyan's report on the movements of the demon race and a slight look of doubt flashed across her face.

"It's not hard to understand why there's been no movement at Taiyue Lake, but why is Jinyu Mountain so quiet now? Is the demon race plotting something again?"

"Reporting to Uncle Bai, according to the intelligence sent back by the Starry Sky Sect, the Golden Horned Demon King of Taiyue Lake has appeared near the Wu Kingdom. It is estimated that he was intimidated by Uncle Song's divine might last time and dares not attack us again."

"Do you think we should first withdraw some of the troops from Taiyue Ward and Pei State to the north, to guard against the demon tribes that are about to invade from the north?"

"Although the Taiyue Lake demon clan suffered considerable losses last time, the Iron Wall Demon Emperor has already advanced to the late Nascent Soul stage and should not be underestimated."

If they suddenly launch an attack on the Star Gate, I'm afraid they alone will not be able to withstand it. At that time, we will also have to send troops to reinforce them. It's better not to rashly send troops north.

You should immediately send someone to White Dragon Valley to tell Bai Xuan and the others that they must strengthen their defenses and not be careless.

Also, send a letter to Junior Sister Song from Crimson Cloud Mountain, informing her of our situation and warning her to be careful not to fall into the demon race's trap.

"Don't worry, Uncle-Master, I'll arrange it right away!"

"Yes! You've all worked hard these past few days. The sect's treasury has now accumulated quite a few spiritual items."

"Once we get through this monster turmoil, I'll try to make a trip to the Thunder Origin Sea cultivation world to see if I can get you some Nascent Soul level spiritual items."

"Thank you very much, Uncle Bai."

Since her last failed attempt to form a Nascent Soul, Xu Ziyan has diligently accumulated merit over a hundred years, finally reaching a point where she can attempt to exchange it for Nascent Soul-forming items.

Upon hearing Bai Yuxian's promise, he immediately knelt down in excitement.

".."

After seeing the other party off, Bai Yuxian turned around and went to the outside of a cave in the back mountain, where she met Li Mufeng, who was stationed there.

"Senior Brother Li, how is Fellow Daoist Feng Yuan?"

"It takes demon cultivators even longer to form their Nascent Souls than we do. We can't tell anything yet, and we estimate it will take at least a few more years."

Junior Sister Bai came here specifically to find me, but is there something unusual on the demon side?

After glancing at the cave ahead, Bai Yuxian nodded slightly and spoke again:

"Senior Brother Li, there's been no movement from Taiyue Lake and Jinyu Mountain so far. I suspect they might still be aiming for Chiyun Mountain this time."

I want to go to Crimson Cloud Mountain myself, just in case something unexpected happens to Junior Brother Song.

"Yes! Junior Nephew Fang and the others have the Vajra Heavenly Net Formation. Even if the White Dragon Demon Emperor from the north comes for a while, he won't be in any trouble. I'm here, so you can go without worry."

I will keep you informed immediately if anything happens.

Upon hearing Bai Yuxian's suggestion, Li Mufeng pondered for a moment and then nodded slightly, not objecting to her idea.

".."

At the Huixian Pavilion atop Chiyun Mountain, Song Qingming, who had just emerged from seclusion, looked on with surprise as he gazed at Bai Yuxian, who had suddenly come to his aid.

"Huh! When did Senior Sister Bai break through her cultivation level? I've never heard of it."

"I only came out of the pass a few months earlier than you, but I've been busy dealing with the unrest lately and forgot to tell you."

"To be honest, if it weren't for Junior Brother Song's help in finding the elixir, I probably wouldn't know when I would have been able to break through this bottleneck. Please accept my bow first, Junior Brother."

"Senior Sister Bai, please don't be so polite. There's no need for such formalities between fellow disciples!"

".."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Song Qingming asked, "There's been no movement from Chiyun Mountain yet, so why did Senior Sister Bai suddenly come here?"

“Jinyu Mountain and Taiyue Lake are unusually quiet now, which is indeed strange. I am worried that the demon race may target this area again, so I came to check it out in advance.”

"Oh! Thank you for your concern, Senior Sister. This turmoil is indeed a bit strange, but having learned from the last lesson, I don't think they will really dare to come to Chiyun Mountain again."

Song Qingming nodded slightly in response, but at that moment a figure below suddenly strode up to the pavilion.

"Master, Uncle-Master Yuan Hao has sent an urgent message: a large demon army has appeared north of Qingfeng Mountain!" (End of Chapter)