Qinghe Immortal Clan.

Xu Ziyan and Zheng Zongxun are both veteran Golden Core cultivators in the "Free and Unfettered Sect" and are already extremely familiar with the celestial phenomena of Core Formation.

The overwhelming aura before her was far beyond what an ordinary Golden Core cultivator could evoke, reminding Xu Ziyan of the scene that had occurred more than three hundred years ago on "Guyang Mountain".

"There's no mistake, this is the Nascent Soul formation celestial phenomenon."

"Senior Sister said it's a Nascent Soul formation phenomenon. Could it be that that person has already achieved it?!"

Seeing the confusion on Zheng Zongxun's face, Xu Ziyan didn't bother to explain to him at all, and hurriedly said, "Junior Brother Zheng, you should quickly notify all the disciples of the sects near the Spirit Herb Garden to evacuate first."

I'll go find Uncle Bai first!

As soon as Xu Ziyan finished speaking, she transformed into a streak of purple light and left the spot.

".."

A quarter of an hour later, several streaks of light flew from the west side of the "Spirit Medicine Garden," and Bai Yuxian, along with Xu Ziyan, Zhou Ziyang, and Wu Yueqin, landed directly on a mountain peak.

"Senior Brother Li, has it already been accomplished?"

Standing in front of the mountain peak, Li Mufeng looked at Bai Yuxian walking towards him from a distance and quickly nodded to her, saying:

"It has already triggered unusual phenomena. If nothing unexpected happens, it should have successfully transformed into a Nascent Soul. Next, it still needs to pass through the Nine Heavens Tribulation before it can temper its physical body."

However, the tribulation should still be some time away. Have you informed Junior Brother Song yet?

"Don't worry, Senior Brother. Ziyan has already sent a message to Chiyun Mountain. I estimate that Junior Brother Song and the others will arrive in half a day at most."

Upon hearing what Bai Yuxian said, Li Mufeng immediately nodded slightly, then turned his gaze back to the air.

The celestial phenomenon of the Nascent Soul stage could be transmitted over a radius of hundreds of miles. Many cultivators around the "Ancient Yang Mountain" witnessed this astonishing sight and were all astonished.

Meanwhile, streaks of light flew out from the "Free and Unfettered Sect" to guard the entire area around Mount Ling, preventing any outside cultivators from approaching.

The strange celestial phenomena lasted for nearly half a month. As bursts of white light appeared in the dark clouds above the sky, a thunderclap soon resounded above the mountaintop.

The next moment, a huge figure, several dozen feet tall, suddenly leaped from below the dark clouds and jumped directly into the air.

Then, the giant ape clad in blue armor pounded its chest with both hands and let out a roar that shook the entire world.

Even those cultivators from the "Free and Unfettered Sect" who witnessed this scene, several miles away, were shaken to their core by the giant ape's earth-shattering roar.

Some disciples in the Qi Refining stage, whose cultivation was still shallow, even fell to the ground uncontrollably, and hurriedly cast spells to release protective shields to resist.

Just as the sound ceased, a bolt of lightning suddenly struck down from the distant sky, heading straight for the giant ape below.

The giant ape, seeing this, was filled with rage and clenched its huge fist to meet the lightning bolt falling from above.

"boom!"

The giant ape's punch sent a whirlwind of sound through the air, accompanied by a tremor that shook the heavens and earth, startling the onlookers.

As soon as the white light disappeared, its towering body remained standing in mid-air, and the giant ape roared once more at the dark clouds above its head!

Next, lightning flashed and thunder roared in the sky again, and a second, even more powerful bolt of lightning struck down in an instant.

".."

"Two, three, four, five."

This giant ape not only possessed a powerful physical body, but its silver armor also boasted astonishing defensive capabilities, managing to withstand five consecutive bolts of lightning.

Although many parts of its body were charred black by the lightning, it did not flinch in the slightest, standing tall and proud in mid-air.

High in the sky, the sixth bolt of lightning converged.

As the incredibly powerful lightning tribulation was about to strike, and sensing the danger emanating from it, the giant ape finally dropped its arrogance and its gaze became serious.

Not far away in mid-air, Bai Yuxian, Li Mufeng, and the others watched the final divine power about to fall, their eyes also filled with a hint of tension.

However, this Heavenly Tribulation cannot be interfered with by others; whether one can overcome this tribulation depends entirely on oneself.

As everyone's gaze fell, another booming sound rang out in the sky, and a white light as thick as a bucket descended from the heavens with overwhelming force.

The giant ape standing in mid-air had already cast a spell to erect a blue protective shield above its head.

Before the lightning could strike, the giant ape opened its mouth and spat out a golden sphere, which it then absorbed into the protective shield above.

With the blessing of the natal demon core, the cyan protective shield immediately shone brighter, becoming much denser than before.

"boom!"

Just as the giant ape was struggling to cast a spell to raise the protective shield above, the last white lightning bolt also struck directly on its head.

In an instant, the area within several miles around the giant ape was enveloped in lightning, and the rocks below were shaken and scattered into the air.

".."

Half an hour later, as the dark clouds in the sky gradually began to dissipate, the sky above the entire mountain slowly returned to normal.

Located in the smoke-shrouded area, a dark figure clad in silver armor appeared in mid-air.

At this moment, the giant ape was charred all over, with many parts injured by lightning, and even its silver armor was broken in two.

Even in such a disheveled state, the giant ape looked up at the sky and grinned.

As soon as the dark clouds dispersed, a shower of golden rain fell from the sky, and the charred flesh on his body quickly peeled off. In the blink of an eye, his body, which had been injured by the lightning, was mostly restored.

A moment later, several beams of spiritual light flashed beside him, and several figures appeared out of thin air, bowing and congratulating him:
"Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Wind Ape, on achieving the Great Nascent Soul stage!"

"Fellow Daoists, you are too kind. If it weren't for you lending me this Silver Dragon Armor, I'm afraid I might not have been able to safely pass through the tribulation."

Unfortunately, this item was damaged in the lightning tribulation, and I now owe Fellow Daoist Li another favor.

Seeing the other person pointing to their tattered silver armor with a hint of regret, Li Mufeng, standing to the side, quickly waved his hand and said:

"Hehe! Now that Fellow Daoist Feng Yuan has successfully transcended the tribulation, he will become the Supreme Elder of our sect. There is no need for him to worry about this magic treasure."

"As long as you and Junior Sister Bai successfully form a contract, we will certainly abide by the agreement and will not mistreat you in the future."

After Li Mufeng finished speaking, his gaze turned to Bai Yuxian beside him.

He nodded slightly, raised his hand and took out a golden contract, then cast a spell to leave a mark on it and sent it to the wind ape.

At the same time, Song Qingming and Song Qingyu, standing on either side of Feng Yuan, had their eyes firmly locked on each other.

After glancing briefly at Song Qingming, who was staring intently at him from a distance, Feng Yuan remained silent for a moment before placing his hand on his forehead.

The next moment, a wisp of his natal spirit was drawn out of his body and landed on the "golden contract".

Only after confirming that the contract had taken effect did Bai Yuxian cast a spell to retrieve it, and then greeted it with a smile and a bow.

"Congratulations on becoming a Supreme Elder of our sect."

"I have just advanced in cultivation and need to go into seclusion to consolidate my level. I will not stay here with you all any longer!"

Raising his large hands, he returned the greeting to the people in front of him, and the Wind Ape immediately transformed into a streak of azure light, leaving the original spot and returning to the mountaintop cave below.

Seeing this, the crowd did not stop them, and instead gathered in front of Bai Yuxian.

"Senior Sister Bai, that guy agreed so readily, there must be no problem with the contract, right?"

"Don't worry, Junior Sister Qingyu. I specially purchased this spirit beast contract from Lei Yuanhai's Beast Taming Sect. Even a late-stage Nascent Soul demon cultivator wouldn't be able to break it easily."

"Fellow Daoist Feng Yuan has, after all, stayed in our sect for so many years, so he must still have some trust in us."

Having learned that Feng Yuan was about to undergo tribulation after condensing his nascent soul, Bai Yuxian and Li Mufeng sent a message to Chiyun Mountain, inviting Song Qingming and Song Qingyu to come over.

While it may seem that everyone has come to protect the Dharma during its tribulation, they are actually also there to intimidate the other party.

As soon as Feng Yuan dared to refuse to form a spirit beast contract with Bai Yuxian, Song Qingming and the other three would immediately kill him, ensuring he would not escape "Guyang Mountain" alive.

Surrounded by four Nascent Soul experts, and with the presence of the great cultivator Song Qingming, Feng Yuan had no chance of escaping and dared not harbor any ill intentions.

Hearing what Bai Yuxian said, Song Qingyu finally relaxed her worries and smiled as she said, "I never thought that in just a few decades, the sect would have another Nascent Soul elder."

If Junior Sister Ziyan can also successfully form a Nascent Soul, and with Senior Sister Li as well, we will have seven Nascent Soul elders.

Then we can head south to sweep across Taiyue Lake, kill that old bastard Tiebi, and then head north to drive out the demon race, completely eliminating any hidden dangers around our sect.”

Looking at the excited Song Qingyu, Bai Yuxian, standing in front of her, smiled and shook her head, saying:
"Haha, Qingyu, you're really dreaming. These things aren't so easy."

Although the aquatic creatures of Taiyue Lake are no match for us outside, they have managed the lake for many years and it is protected by a level four water palace formation.

Once we human cultivators reach the lake, it's also difficult for us to exert our full strength.

To completely eliminate them, we currently do not have enough troops, nor can we do so with just one or two more Nascent Soul cultivators.

However, now that our sect has Junior Brother Song, a great cultivator, the Taiyue Lake area is no longer a concern. Our focus should shift to the north.

"Yes! Senior Sister Bai is right. The aquatic creatures of Taiyue Lake have been operating in the lake for ten thousand years. How could they not have some tricks up their sleeves? Otherwise, that guy Tiebi wouldn't have survived to this day."

Upon hearing Bai Yuxian's words, Song Qingming immediately chimed in with a similar comment.

Located in the southwest of Wei Kingdom, Taiyue Lake has always been a major threat to the surrounding countries since the founding of the Xiaoyao Sect, which has sent troops to attack them whenever there is unrest caused by demonic beasts. Over the years, many sects along the lake, such as the Xiaoyao Sect and the Xingchen Sect, have also tried to send troops to suppress the demonic race in the lake.

Unfortunately, even though the human alliance could gain the upper hand on the outside, they were still unable to achieve their goal.

However, once inside the bottomless lake, combat power will be greatly limited. Low-level cultivators with insufficient cultivation will not even be able to withstand the enormous pressure of the lake water, let alone fight against demonic beasts.

The aquatic creatures of Taiyue Lake are mostly water-attribute monsters. Retreating to the lake will actually increase their strength, and they will also be blessed by the Water Palace Formation, which will greatly enhance their combat power.

Even with more than double the number of cultivators, the human cultivators still could not break through the demon race's water palace formation.

According to Song Qingming's estimation, to completely wipe out the demon race of "Taiyue Lake," it would require at least three or four times the number of high-level cultivators as the enemy.

However, after the battle outside Qingfeng Mountain last time, the Iron Wall Demon Emperor was injured by Song Qingming. The Taiyue Lake demons should not dare to cause trouble again in the short term, so there is no need to worry too much about this.

Moreover, although there are many islands in Taiyue Lake, most of them do not have spiritual veins and are not suitable for human habitation. Even if they are conquered, they will not be of much use to the human race.

In comparison, the "Floating Cloud Mountains" in the north, as the original sacred cultivation ground of the human race, are dotted with spiritual veins and are obviously more suitable for the "Free and Unfettered Sect" to expand outwards.

Hearing Song Qingming say the same thing, Song Qingyu still sighed with some reluctance:

"That old bastard Tiebi, he teamed up with Boyun Mountain to ambush Brother Qi last time. We'll find him and get our revenge sooner or later!"

"Don't worry, as long as I work hard to cultivate and improve my cultivation, I think that day will come sooner or later."

After nodding slightly to Song Qingyu, Song Qingming turned to Bai Yuxian and asked, "Senior Sister Bai, has Junior Sister Xu made any preparations for her seclusion to form her Nascent Soul?"

"Don't worry, Junior Brother Song. This time, Ziyan not only exchanged for the Infant Nourishing Pill, but also obtained a Longevity Fruit from the Starry Sky Sect of Wu Kingdom. She has basically made all the necessary preparations."

Once she has handed over the sect affairs to Zong Xun, she will soon go to Guyang Peak for seclusion. At that time, Senior Brother Li and I will personally protect her.

The sect will do its best in accordance with what it needs to do. Ultimately, the matter of Nascent Soul formation depends on her own efforts. We should let nature take its course and not worry too much.

"Yes! Now that Senior Sister Bai has made all the arrangements, I am relieved. If there is anything we can do to help, please feel free to send a message to Chiyun Mountain."

More than a decade ago, after the "Monster Uprising" ended, Bai Yuxian personally went to "Lei Yuan Hai" to participate in the trade fair.

Not only did they process the numerous demon beast materials accumulated by various sects, but they also purchased many spiritual items and pills urgently needed by the sects, including a "Nurture Pill".

Since her last failed attempt to form a Nascent Soul, Xu Ziyan has spent over a hundred years not only healing her injuries but also accumulating numerous merits from her sect.

This time, in the competition with several late-stage Golden Core elders of the sect, Xu Ziyan unsurprisingly defeated her opponents and obtained the "Nurture Pill".

Both Song Qingming and Bai Yuxian, the two Nascent Soul elders of their respective sects, lent her tens of thousands of merit points, which can be considered as giving her strong support.

Although Xu Ziyan's lifespan has exceeded five hundred years, as the head of the "Xiaoyao Sect" over the years, she has also taken many longevity-prolonging spiritual items, and her life force has not yet declined.

In order to ensure that her Nascent Soul formation would not be affected, Xu Ziyan specially spent tens of thousands of spirit stones to purchase a third-level longevity fruit from the Wu Kingdom, which could extend her life by twenty years.

For Xu Ziyan, who had spent hundreds of thousands of merit points and spirit stones on this preparation, she had done everything she could.

Even so, neither Bai Yuxian nor Song Qingming could tell whether she would succeed this time.

After all, both of them deeply understood the difficulty of a cultivator forming their Nascent Soul.

Although Xu Ziyan's cultivation talent is not bad, and she already has the experience of forming a Nascent Soul once, she still has many advantages compared to those who are forming a Nascent Soul for the first time.

However, based solely on this experience, it can only barely increase the probability of successful infant formation by about 10%.

Even with the addition of the Infant Nourishing Pill and other auxiliary spiritual items, her chances of advancing to the Nascent Soul stage are estimated to be only 20% to 30%, and it's still difficult to say whether she will succeed.

Seeing that both Yao Qianshu and Chen Xuanxin, two geniuses of the sect, failed at the Nascent Soul stage, Song Qingming still hoped that Xu Ziyan could succeed.

However, as Bai Yuxian said, the matter of forming a nascent soul ultimately depends on her alone, and whether she can succeed remains to be seen.

After replying to Song Qingming, Bai Yuxian, seeing that there was nothing else to do, invited the group to her cave for tea.

Since it was a rare opportunity to get together, Song Qingming and Song Qingyu did not refuse and immediately nodded in agreement.

Only Li Mufeng waved his hand, indicating that he needed to return to his cave to cultivate and might be going into seclusion for a while.

Li Mufeng's cultivation has been stuck at the peak of the fifth level of the Nascent Soul realm for nearly a hundred years, and he has been trying to break through to a higher level without success.

A few years ago, he asked Bai Yuxian to buy him a bottle of mid-grade level four spiritual water from "Lei Yuanhai".

Upon hearing that he was going into seclusion for a period of time, Song Qingming and the others guessed that he might be trying to break through his own bottleneck again, and they all said a few words of encouragement to him.

After bidding farewell to Li Mufeng, the three of them soon arrived at "Xianling Peak" where Bai Yuxian was located.

As soon as Song Qingming and his companions entered the cave, a handsome man in white slowly walked over and bowed to them.

"Disciple Su Mo greets the two venerable ancestors!"

Song Qingming glanced at Su Mo in front of him, paused for a moment, and then turned to Bai Yuxian with some curiosity.

"Senior Sister Bai, could this boy be the disciple you took in a few years ago, the one with the Heavenly Spiritual Root?"

Seeing that Song Qingming had recognized it at a glance, Bai Yuxian quickly smiled and nodded, saying, "Junior Brother Song is right. Su Mo possesses a single-attribute spiritual root and is the most talented among my disciples."

The reason I called him here today is to introduce him to you all, and also to give him some pointers.

"Hehe! This boy is not even thirty years old yet, but he has already reached the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment. I'm afraid his Core Formation will be no slower than Senior Sister Bai's back then. He truly deserves the title of a Heavenly Spiritual Root."

At his age, we two haven't even successfully established our foundations yet, which makes us feel ashamed in comparison.

"It would be better to wait until he forms his core before coming to Crimson Cloud Mountain to find me. At that time, I can offer some guidance that might be helpful to his cultivation."

Hearing what Song Qingming said, Bai Yuxian nodded slightly and smiled, "Then I will make a promise with Junior Brother Song that once Su Mo has formed his core, he will go to Chiyun Mountain to find you."

"Junior brother, you mustn't be perfunctory; you absolutely must help guide him properly."

"Don't worry, Senior Sister. This child has the aptitude of a Heavenly Spiritual Root and is personally taught by Senior Sister Bai. Given time, he will surely reach the Nascent Soul stage."

In the world of cultivation, the Heavenly Spiritual Root is the best talent for cultivation. If nothing unexpected happens, Su Mo will be able to attempt to break through the Golden Core bottleneck in a few decades.

With the help of Bai Yuxian, his Nascent Soul master, it's practically a certainty that he will form his core before the age of one hundred.

Such a cultivation speed far surpasses that of other cultivators of the same level. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, he will definitely be able to successfully cultivate to the peak of the Golden Core stage and break through to the Nascent Soul stage in the future.

Looking at Su Mo in front of him, Song Qingming felt a little envious.

Since the Song family became a Golden Core family, "Funiu Mountain" has produced quite a few talented individuals with dual spiritual roots and unique spiritual roots over the years.

However, none of the "Heavenly Spiritual Root" clan members have ever seen one. It is unknown whether the clan will be able to produce a Su Mo in the future, a truly top-tier genius in the cultivation world.

After chatting with Bai Yuxian for another half day, Song Qingming and Song Qingyu got up to say goodbye and leave.

Before leaving, Bai Yuxian reminded Song Qingming to inquire whether the "Four Seas Business Alliance" had made any progress in searching for cultivation techniques for her.

When she initially entrusted the "Four Seas Business Alliance" to help her find a wood-attribute cultivation technique that could be practiced up to the late Nascent Soul stage, Long Ziyun actually found several such techniques over the years.

However, the cultivation techniques she provided all had some obvious flaws, which did not satisfy Bai Yuxian, the buyer, and the matter was delayed.

Fortunately, Bai Yuxian's cultivation level is currently at the sixth level of the Nascent Soul stage, and it is still unknown when she will break through to the late Nascent Soul stage.

The matter of cultivation techniques wasn't so urgent for her; she had plenty of time to find them slowly.

".."

Upon returning to the "Red Cloud Mountain" cave, Song Qingming had just entered the secret chamber when he saw a figure in black robes suddenly turn around and look at him.

"Huh! Senior Qu Bai, you can already possess this puppet?"

The black-robed puppet before us is the same puppet that Song Qingming brought back from the "Northern Frontier"—the late-stage Nascent Soul physical body of Qu Bai.

After Song Qingming nurtured Qu Bai's primordial spirit with his magic power for more than ten years, it had already recovered most of its strength and was able to leave the "Sacred Star Plate" on its own and take shape.

It was with his help and guidance that Song Qingming spent nearly ten years finally succeeding in repairing this late-stage Nascent Soul puppet.

Originally, Song Qingming planned to refine this puppet into his "Myriad Spirits Puppet Array".

But later, Qu Bai said that after his primordial spirit recovered, he could possess the puppet and help control it, so Song Qingming left it in Qu Bai's hands.

After all, having an extra late-stage Nascent Soul helper is significantly more beneficial than integrating the puppet into the formation.

Looking at Song Qingming's delighted expression, Qu Bai immediately nodded to him and said:
"Thanks to Fellow Daoist Song's care over the years, my primordial spirit has finally recovered, and I expect it will be fully restored in another ten years or so."

At that time, by using the Sacred Star Disc to control this puppet, it should be no weaker than a typical late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

However, since I am now a spirit of a magical artifact, my magical power will be greatly depleted when fighting with others. You will need to prepare more high-grade spirit stones for me then.

"Don't worry, senior, I will take care of these arrangements!"

Seeing that Song Qingming readily agreed, Qu Bai nodded slightly and took out a scroll from his person and gave it to Song Qingming.

“In the few days you were away, I went to the cave. This is the method for refining the avatar that you asked me about last time. The materials needed and the method for refining it are all written in here.”

"You know that finding the materials to refine a Nascent Soul level avatar shouldn't be a problem."

"Oh! Thank you very much, Senior Qu Bai."

Upon receiving the scroll for refining the "External Avatar" from Qu Bai, Song Qingming's eyes lit up with joy, and he quickly bowed to thank him. (End of Chapter)