Qinghe Immortal Clan.

Chapter 1127 Impregnable Fortress, Accept All Orders

Upon seeing Tang Muyan suddenly appear before him, Song Qingming's expression faltered slightly.

I originally thought that the "Mad Lion Demon Emperor" and his group in the north would not dare to go south easily, but I didn't expect that I would be proven wrong by this sound transmission talisman in just a moment after I said it.

As Song Qingming picked up the letter, a rare look of displeasure appeared on his face.

After waving Tang Muyan away, Song Qingming turned around and handed the letter to Bai Yuxian, who was standing to the side.

"I thought Senior Sister Bai was overthinking things, but I didn't expect them to actually come this way. It seems these guys are still up to no good and won't give up until they take back Crimson Cloud Mountain."

"Last time, my junior brother defeated the Iron Wall Demon Emperor, yet they still dared to come this way. This time, it probably won't be as simple as before."

I've heard that many demons have been sent to Boyun Mountain to investigate over the years, and they'll probably be involved this time as well. Junior Brother Song, you need to be careful.

I immediately sent a message to Ziyan, asking her to send more men. Under no circumstances can Chiyun Mountain be lost.

"Don't worry, Senior Sister Bai. With me here, they probably don't have the ability to take Crimson Cloud Mountain. Even if the Cloud-Breaking Demon Emperor really comes, I can handle it."

If Song Qingming was still somewhat wary of the northern demon race a dozen years ago, now that his cultivation has broken through to the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm, he has long since let go of that worry.

Bai Yuxian, who was sitting to the side, was still unaware that Song Qingming had successfully advanced to the late Nascent Soul stage due to her slightly weakened consciousness.

Looking at his confident demeanor, Bai Yuxian's eyes flashed with a hint of unease.

Over the years, she had naturally come to know Song Qingming's combat abilities, which were far beyond those of ordinary cultivators of the same level.

However, the movements of the demon race this time are very unusual, and the "Boo Cloud Demon Emperor" of the late Nascent Soul stage of Boyun Mountain is hiding in the shadows. It is possible that the demon race is also brewing some new conspiracy.

That's why she was worried about this matter and came to "Red Cloud Mountain" ahead of time.

After hesitating for a moment, Bai Yuxian couldn't help but speak:

“Junior Brother Song, the Cloud-Breaking Demon Queen has probably recovered from her injuries after all these years. If we really encounter her, we still need to be careful.”

In recent years, the sect's strength has become comparable to that of the demon race. If the other side is out in the open, we have nothing to fear.

I'm afraid they'll be hiding in the shadows again this time, plotting some kind of scheme.

Losing some cultivators and territory is nothing to me; your safety and Qingyu's are my biggest concern. I hope you will be careful and not fall into their trap.

"Yes! Don't worry, Senior Sister Bai, this isn't my first time dealing with them. I know how to handle it!"

Faced with the worry in Bai Yuxian's tone, Song Qingming nodded calmly and strode out of the "Meeting Immortals Pavilion".

".."

Thousands of miles north of Chiyun Mountain and Qingfeng Mountain.

With a series of booming sounds, tens of thousands of demonic beasts emerged from the dense forest and, driven by the demon kings in mid-air, gathered in one place before rushing southwards.

At this moment, thousands of miles away on "Qingfeng Mountain", Song Yuanhao and others, who had already learned of the news that the demon beast army was gathering and heading south on a large scale, all had their brows furrowed.

While quickly directing the city's defenders to intensify their preparations for battle, he also immediately ordered all the cultivators who were gathering intelligence outside the city to return to "Qingfeng Mountain" to prepare to intercept the approaching demon army.

Just a few days later, a cloud of dust appeared on the northern horizon, obscuring the sky.

Standing atop Qingfeng Mountain, Song Yuanhao and his companions gazed upon the countless demonic beasts surging through the smoke and dust. They hastily ordered the activation of the "Mountain Protection Array," urging the city-guarding cultivators to ascend the city walls.

Qingfeng Mountain has a strategic location that is easy to defend and difficult to attack. More than a hundred years ago, Song Qingming set up a level four low-grade protective formation on the mountain.

Today, Qingfeng Mountain is not only guarded by five Golden Core cultivators—Song Yuanhao, Zhan Longying, Song Linrui, Bai Jingyun, and Li Tongshan—but also by more than seven thousand low-level cultivators who help with its defense.

In addition, there were hundreds of high-level "Flying Cloud Crossbows" that Song Qingming had deployed above the city wall, as well as several level-three puppet beasts.

With this fighting force combined with the level four mountain-protecting formation, they could hold out for quite some time even against an army of monsters several times their size.

Once the demon army approached Qingfeng Mountain, Song Yuanhao gave the order, and numerous flying crossbows on the city wall immediately fired arrows.

In an instant, shouts of battle rang out on the battlefield, and countless bursts of spiritual light and dust obscured the entire sky.

The two demon forces closest to "Red Cloud Mountain" are "Mad Lion Demon Emperor" and "Nine Yuan Demon Emperor".

The main force attacking "Qingfeng Mountain" this time was the forces under the command of these two demon emperors, with a total of more than 20,000 demon beasts, including many demon beasts that came south from "Northern Frontier".

Facing an attack from nearly 30,000 demonic beasts, including more than a dozen Golden Core demon kings, Song Yuanhao and his companions handled the situation methodically and did not allow the enemy to gain much advantage.

The battle lasted for more than ten days. Although both sides suffered losses, Qingfeng Mountain was still firmly in the hands of human cultivators.

Seeing that their army's offensive was ineffective, the "Mad Lion Demon Emperor" and the "Nine Yuan Demon Emperor," who had been hiding in the shadows, finally could no longer sit still and appeared on the battlefield.

But just as they approached "Qingfeng Mountain", they were stopped by two figures who were already waiting on the mountain. They were Song Qingyu and Li Xuanyi.

"Fellow Daoists, it's been a long time!"

"Song Qingyu, it really is you guys."

Seeing that the person blocking his way was none other than Song Qingyu, whom he had fought a hundred years ago, the "Nine Yuan Demon Emperor" did not say much and began to fight with him.

The other "Mad Lion Demon Emperor" looked at Li Xuanyi, who had successfully formed her Nascent Soul, with a somewhat surprised expression. He hadn't expected that another unfamiliar Nascent Soul cultivator would appear on the Crimson Cloud Mountain side at some point.

Seeing that Li Xuanyi's cultivation was only at the second level of the Nascent Soul stage, and that he seemed to have not been in the Nascent Soul stage for long, the "Mad Lion Demon Emperor" was quite confident in facing this opponent.

But to his surprise, after fighting Li Xuanyi, the "Mad Lion Demon Emperor" quickly frowned.

The Li Xuanyi before them not only displayed remarkable combat skills, but also possessed several powerful high-level magic treasures.

As a result, the "Mad Lion Demon Emperor," whose cultivation was clearly a level higher than his opponent's, could not gain any advantage over Li Xuanyi in the battle. Instead, he was often forced into a state of fluster by his opponent's magic weapons.

Meanwhile, the "Nine Yuan Demon Emperor," who was fighting Song Qingyu, was in an equally precarious situation.

When the two last clashed a hundred years ago, Song Qingyu had just broken through to the Nascent Soul realm and was facing the "Nine Yuan Demon Emperor," whose cultivation was already at the fourth level of the Nascent Soul realm.

At that time, Song Qingyu's fighting strength was clearly inferior, and he could only barely restrain his opponent.

But now that the two are fighting again, although "Nine Yuan Demon Emperor" recently broke through to the fifth level of the Nascent Soul stage, his cultivation is still much higher than Song Qingyu's third level of the Nascent Soul stage.

However, after a century of cultivation, and with the guidance of his master Ling Zhentian on techniques and sword intent, Song Qingyu's strength has already advanced by leaps and bounds, far surpassing that of other cultivators of the same level.

Even when facing a seasoned Nascent Soul Level 5 cultivator like the "Nine Yuan Demon Emperor," Song Qingyu's "Mysterious Dark Golden Light Sword" still wielded a sharp blade like rain, forcing her opponent to retreat and dodge repeatedly.

Now that the two have clashed again, the "Nine Yuan Demon Emperor" has unexpectedly fallen into a disadvantage, which is truly unbelievable to him.

"How is this possible? In just a hundred years, this woman's strength has increased so quickly. Is it possible that all human cultivators have such strong growth potential?"

Four Nascent Soul cultivators were fighting in mid-air, while below, at the protective array of "Qingfeng Mountain," low-level cultivators from both sides were also engaged in fierce combat.

Although the overall strength and number of human cultivators, including Song Yuanhao, were far lower than those of the demon army.

However, backed by the "mountain-protecting formation" and favorable terrain, they did not show much disadvantage on the battlefield and still firmly held the front line.

However, after so many days of fierce fighting, nearly half of the cultivators in the city have been killed or wounded, and the number of cultivators who can participate in the battle is getting smaller and smaller.

Just as the situation at Qingfeng Mountain was becoming increasingly tense, more than 10,000 reinforcements from Chiyun Mountain in the rear finally arrived at the front line a few days later.

In addition to the tens of thousands of cultivators sent by Chiyun Mountain, the Xiaoyao Sect also dispatched several large flying boats to send thousands of elite cultivators to the front line of Qingfeng Mountain.

In addition, Bai Yuxian also brought five Golden Core elders from the sect, namely Yun Nishang, Zheng Zongxun, Yao Muling, Wu Feng, and Zhao Youxuan, to Qingfeng Mountain.

With the addition of Zhang Yurong from "Red Cloud Mountain" and reinforcements from Zheng Guo's Tianxing Sect, the overall strength of the human cultivators was no less than that of the two demon emperor armies, instantly reversing the original unfavorable situation on the battlefield.

Seeing that the demon army below was unable to conquer "Qingfeng Mountain" after a long siege, and that the two of them were no match for Song Qingyu and Li Xuanyi.

The "Nine Yuan Demon Emperor" and the "Mad Lion Demon Emperor" had no choice but to temporarily halt their frontline attack and retreat to a sacred mountain hundreds of miles away from Qingfeng Mountain.

Just as everyone was working hard to repair the defenses of Ling Mountain and preparing to deal with the demon army's renewed southward attack on "Qingfeng Mountain" at any time.

Unexpectedly, in the following months, the northern demon army suddenly went silent, only sending out a small number of low-level demon beasts to harass the nearby spiritual mountains from other directions.

Unlike the calm situation at Qingfeng Mountain, other defense lines in the north of Wei Kingdom were being attacked by a large-scale demon army.

Not only the demon army led by the White Dragon Demon Emperor from the "Golden Feather Mountain" in the north, but also a large number of demon beasts from the "Northern Frontier" and Boyun Mountain southward appeared on the battlefield, and their overall numbers were no less than those from Qingfeng Mountain.

In addition to the "White Dragon Demon Emperor", there is another "Water Cloud Demon Emperor" from Boyun Mountain on the battlefield.

Faced with the relentless siege of tens of thousands of demon troops over several months, the northern "Iron Immortal Fortress," "White Dragon Valley," "White Lion Ridge," and surrounding territories of the Wei Kingdom began to be in dire need of help.

Because a portion of cultivators needed to be reserved in the south to defend against the demons of Taiyue Lake, Weiguo could not send many cultivators north to provide support. Xiaoyao Sect could only start by recruiting cultivators from surrounding vassal states to go north to provide assistance.

Just as the "Free and Unfettered Sect" was mobilizing its troops, the demon army that had been gathered north of "Green Peak Mountain" suddenly made an unusual move and began to turn west. Bai Yuxian, who had been stationed on "Red Cloud Mountain," was immediately uneasy upon hearing this news and hurriedly went to find Song Qingming, who was in seclusion in his cave.

"Junior Brother Song, according to the message that Senior Brother Li sent back earlier, the demons of Boyun Mountain have also headed south and will probably arrive outside White Dragon Valley soon."

The Mad Lion Demon King and his group have suddenly headed west, they must be heading for White Dragon Valley. We must find a way to deal with this as soon as possible.

Otherwise, if the demon armies from several directions were to converge, Senior Brother Li might be in danger.

After a six-month standoff with the demon race, the defenses of Qingfeng Mountain remained impregnable. It was not unexpected that the demon army would choose to advance westward.

In fact, Song Qingming and Bai Yuxian did not take the "Mad Lion Demon Emperor" and "Nine Yuan Demon Emperor" seriously.

Defeating these two armies of demonic beasts would not be difficult for them at present.

However, since the "Cloud-Clearing Demon Emperor" of the demon race had not yet appeared and they did not know where he was hiding, Song Qingming and the others did not act rashly.

Looking at the intelligence Bai Yuxian had obtained regarding the westward advance of the demon army, Song Qingming pondered for a moment before calmly replying:
"Currently, the sect only has two large flying boats anchored at Qingfeng Mountain. We can only take a portion of our people south to support Senior Brother Li and the others. We don't know if we'll make it in time."

"With just these two flying boats, we can only transport a maximum of four thousand cultivators."

Now, the demons from White Dragon Valley, along with the demons from Cloud-Walking Mountain heading south, number forty to fifty thousand. Sending only this many people probably won't be of much help.

Moreover, the route from "Qingfeng Mountain" to "Bailong Valley" is basically the territory of the demon race. Taking a shortcut would definitely be dangerous, so the only option is to go around from the south side of Chiyun Mountain.

This makes it difficult to keep up with the speed of the demon army.

Junior Brother Song, I think we should join forces to deal with this enemy force in front of us first.

Even if the army from Boyun Mountain arrives at White Dragon Valley, without the support of these two groups of demonic beasts, their family alone won't be able to cause any trouble.

Now, the front line of "Qingfeng Mountain" is as solid as a rock. The two demon armies of "Mad Lion Demon Emperor" and "Nine Yuan Demon Emperor" are unable to break through the mountain's protective formation and can only hide in the distance and waste time.

The demon army's move was actually intended to lure the human cultivators of "Green Peak Mountain" out to fight them.

As for "Red Cloud Mountain", since the main force is at the front line of "Green Peak Mountain", it is indeed difficult to quickly deploy them to the vicinity of White Dragon Valley.

At this time, Bai Yuxian proposed to join forces to defeat the two demon beast armies in the north, although it would affect the time it would take for them to support "White Dragon Valley".

However, if successful, the threat from "Red Cloud Mountain" can be eliminated in one fell swoop.

Even if the Demon King of the Clouds and his forces manage to capture "White Dragon Valley," they will be caught in a pincer movement between "Red Cloud Mountain" and the Wei Kingdom's army, leaving the demon race vulnerable on both sides. They will have no choice but to retreat to the Floating Cloud Mountain Range.

In fact, Song Qingming had thought of these things as well, but he was afraid that Bai Yuxian would think that this move was a bit risky, so he did not say it directly.

Seeing that the other party shared the same idea, he immediately nodded and said, "Senior sister is right. Since we are going to take action, we must go all out."

"Please send a message to Qingyu and the others first, Senior Sister. I'll go back and prepare, and then we'll head to Qingfeng Mountain together."

After agreeing on the plan with Bai Yuxian, Song Qingming immediately returned to his cave and put the puppet and spirit insects into his "storage bag".

Even the "Ice and Fire Dragon," which was in seclusion, was interrupted by Song Qingming, who prepared to take it with him to the front line.

Besides the two Nascent Soul cultivators, Song Qingming and Bai Yuxian, several Golden Core elders who remained at "Red Cloud Mountain" and several Level 3 "Puppet Beasts" were also brought onto the flying boat.

In the entire Ling Mountain, only Song Siqing and Song Linyu, who had just formed his core, remained to oversee the situation. All other high-level combatants had been conscripted to the front lines.

When Song Qingming and his group arrived near Qingfeng Mountain, Song Qingyu and others had already led an army of more than 20,000 cultivators westward, preparing to detour and intercept the two demon armies led by the Mad Lion Demon Emperor.

Li Xuanyi, on the other hand, led four thousand selected elite cultivators in two large flying boats to meet up with Song Qingming and the others first.

The large flying boat traveled much faster than the army of cultivators below who could only walk. It took them less than half a day to catch up with the demon beast army that was heading west.

As soon as the flying boat approached, it quickly attracted the attention of the low-level demonic beasts in the nearby sky, who all gathered around it.

But before these unfortunate monsters could get close, sword lights flashed on the flying boat, quickly annihilating all of the more than one hundred bird-like monsters that had attacked.

"Don't alert them, go around them from the side!"

Upon hearing Song Qingming and the others' instructions, the two flying boats immediately turned around and circled to the south, finally stopping in a valley in front of the demon beast army.

Once the thousands of cultivators atop the flying boat had all landed at the valley's exit, Song Qingming addressed the group that had come to block the demon army:
"As long as everyone holds this position, we can surround the monster army once reinforcements catch up. Remember, no one is allowed to leave this place without orders. You must hold this position for at least half an hour."

"We will obey the orders of our ancestor!"

The cultivators selected to block the demon beast army were all battle-hardened elites chosen by Song Yuanhao and others. Among them were not only more than a dozen Golden Core cultivators, but also nearly two hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Their mission was to hold this place, which the demon army was bound to pass through, and wait for Song Qingyu and the others to arrive from behind so that they could surround and defeat the enemy in front of them.

As the demonic beast army drew ever closer, the crowd, though somewhat tense, did not show much fear.

As soon as Song Qingming gave the order, they all began to take out their magical weapons and prepare to fight.

At the same time, the many high-level demon beasts leading the demon beast army had also noticed the movements of the human cultivators ahead and were all moving towards them.

Leading the charge were the "Mad Lion Demon Emperor" and the "Nine Yuan Demon Emperor".

Upon discovering Song Qingming and Bai Yuxian's presence, the two demon emperors, though somewhat surprised, did not show excessive panic; instead, they revealed a slight smile.

"Song Qingming, it really is you guys! You've finally come out!"

"Hehe! I'm just here to see you two off. It's a bit too impolite of you to leave without even saying goodbye."

"Hmph! You want to see us off? I think it would be better if we saw you off instead."

After uttering a sarcastic remark to Song Qingming, the "Mad Lion Demon Emperor" and the "Nine Yuan Demon Emperor" immediately cast a spell and retreated into the distance.

Sensing something amiss, Song Qingming smiled faintly and then darted off to catch up.

Just as he was about to catch up with the two demon emperors, a streak of crimson light suddenly appeared in the distance, blocking Song Qingming's path a short distance away.

"The Demon Emperor Who Parts the Clouds!"

Although the middle-aged woman in front of him looked slightly different from her appearance two hundred years ago, Song Qingming still vividly remembered her aura and dared not forget it.

In just one glance, he instantly recognized the person as his old rival, the "Cloud-Clearing Demon Emperor".

"Hmph! Song Qingming, I've been waiting for you for a long time."

"Oh, it is truly an honor to have you, Ancestor of Parting Clouds, wait for me for so long!"

After replying with a single sentence, Song Qingming turned his gaze to the void to the side. Before long, two more figures flew over from a distance, the one in the lead being none other than the "Ancient Cloud Demon Emperor," whom he had not seen for many years.

Seeing that the other side had brought so many people, clearly prepared, Song Qingming calmly said:

"You really think highly of me. It seems that I will have a hard time leaving safely today!"

Looking at Song Qingming, the man who had severely injured his physical body years ago, the "Cloud-Parting Demon Emperor" smiled slightly and then spoke:

"They're not here to deal with you. I've prepared a great gift for you today. If Fellow Daoist Song doesn't accept it, then Fellow Daoist Iron Wall will probably be disappointed."

No sooner had the "Cloud-Clearing Demon Emperor" finished speaking than a figure appeared in the sky not far away, flashing with spiritual light. It was none other than the "Iron Wall Demon Emperor" who had been defeated by Song Qingming years ago.

"Fellow Daoist Song, it has been a long time since we parted ways at Taiyue Lake!"

At the same time, when "Ancient Cloud Demon Emperor" and his companions saw that Bai Yuxian and Li Xuanyi wanted to come over to help, they immediately stepped in and blocked them.

Seeing the "Iron Wall Demon Emperor" suddenly appear before him, Song Qingming was somewhat surprised, and his expression also began to become serious.

"I never expected that dealing with me would alarm two great cultivators. You two have truly given me face today. I will accept this generous gift without hesitation."

Having said that, a powerful aura erupted from Song Qingming, instantly filling the entire battlefield!

Sensing the sudden change in Song Qingming, both "Cloud-Clearing Demon Emperor" and "Iron Wall Demon Emperor" beside him showed expressions of shock.

"Song Qingming, you've actually advanced to the late Nascent Soul stage! How is that possible?!"

Back in the "Red Cloud Mountain" battle, when Song Qingming fought against the Cloud-Breaking Demon Emperor, his cultivation was only at the third level of the Nascent Soul realm.

Unexpectedly, less than two hundred years have passed.

The powerful aura emanating from the person before him had actually led to his successful advancement to the late Nascent Soul stage, which was truly beyond the expectations of the "Cloud-Clearing Demon Emperor".

So much so that she couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

(P.S.: I'm feeling unwell due to a cold, and I apologize to all readers today. Yesterday I was wearing short sleeves, and today I have to wear a down jacket. This weather is so strange, it's really baffling!)
(End of this chapter)