Qinghe Immortal Clan.

Most of the cultivators on the treasure ships were hired to help the short old man hunt monsters here.

Seeing that the leading Golden Core cultivator had been trapped by the Demon King, the group hurriedly maneuvered their treasure ship toward him, hoping to help rescue him.

All three treasure ships have reached the second-level superior grade. With the help of the magic arrays set up on the ships, the group can exert combat power comparable to that of a Golden Core cultivator in a short period of time.

The three treasure ships worked together, quickly firing beams of spiritual light cannonballs forward, instantly severing several tentacles of the demon beast.

"Quickly, replace the spirit stones and activate the spirit light cannon!"

Just as the many cultivators on the treasure ship were busy operating the giant cannons, several golden beams of light suddenly descended from the sky and fell into the sea.

Before anyone could react, several streams of bright red blood gushed out of the sea, followed by a massive black figure, forty or fifty feet tall, slowly emerging from the water.

The Golden Core Demon King, who was just moments ago so arrogant in the sea, was now an immobile corpse in the blink of an eye.

"This is.."

Just as everyone was in shock, a young woman dressed in green suddenly descended from the sky and landed on top of the monster's corpse.

The woman raised her hand and released another sword light that pierced through the demonic beast below, quickly finding a white demonic core emitting a spiritual glow inside.

He then showed some satisfaction and put the demon core into his storage bag.

The short old man who had just escaped from his predicament swept his divine sense over the woman in green who had suddenly appeared before him, only to find that he could not see through her cultivation level at all.

His expression changed slightly, and he stood there stunned.

It should be noted that the demonic beast just now was a mid-stage Golden Core demon king. This woman killed it so easily, which is something that no ordinary Golden Core cultivator could do.

The opponent's cultivation level must be far above his own.

It's probably not just a peak Golden Core cultivator, but a senior expert who may have already reached the Nascent Soul realm!

Meanwhile, the hundreds of low-level cultivators on the nearby treasure ships were also shocked by this sudden scene.

They hurriedly sent a telepathic message to the Golden Core elder in the middle, only to see the elder wave his hand and tell them to stop where they were.

After a moment's thought, the short old man no longer hesitated and stepped forward to express his gratitude with his hands clasped in greeting.

"My name is Lu Fengyue, the deputy island lord of the nearby Bailing Island. Thank you for your help, senior!"

When the old man took the initiative to thank her, the woman in green simply turned around and glanced at him before looking away, paying him no further attention.

Not knowing what the other party meant, the short old man's expression immediately tensed up again.

Just then, a gentle male voice came from afar and quickly reached the old man's ears.

"Fellow Daoist, may I ask how far this place is from Floating Origin Sea and Xuanhe Island?"

Upon hearing this, the old man looked up and discovered that a strange man in black robes had appeared beside the woman in green who had been standing in mid-air.

"Reporting to Senior, this place is the Floating Cloud Sea. The place you mentioned is Xuanhe Island, where the Spirit Crane Sect is located!"

"The Linghe Sect is located to the west of our Bailing Island, not far from here. It's about seven or eight thousand miles to the west."

"To be honest, I am a close friend of Fellow Daoist Zhou He, the head of the Linghe Sect. If you wish to go there, I would be happy to lead the way."

Faced with two unfamiliar Nascent Soul cultivators who suddenly appeared, the short old man, whose cultivation was only at the second level of the Golden Core stage, couldn't help but try to curry favor with them.

But the man in black robes didn't seem to care about his flattery and simply waved his hand dismissively.

"No need, since we're not far from here, we won't trouble you."

You just mentioned being acquainted with the sect leader of the Spirit Crane Sect. I wonder what his cultivation level is? Is he a Nascent Soul cultivator?

"Ah! Senior is joking."

"Linghe Sect, like my Bailing Island, is a Golden Core sect. Sect Leader Zhou's cultivation is only at the peak of the sixth level of the Golden Core realm; he hasn't yet advanced to the late Golden Core stage."

"Peak of the sixth level of the Golden Core stage, the sect leader's surname is Zhou..."

Under the puzzled gaze of the short old man, the man in black robes muttered something to himself thoughtfully.

Before he could speak, a flash of light appeared before him, and the black-robed man and the woman beside him had already transformed into streaks of light and disappeared from the spot, returning to a beautifully crafted flying chariot hundreds of feet away.

The next moment, a burst of multicolored light lit up around the flying car, and it quickly headed southwest.

Looking at the disappearing light, the short man was very puzzled.

It's strange. I've never heard of Sect Leader Zhou knowing any Nascent Soul seniors outside. Why would he travel so far to find the "Spirit Crane Sect"?

Could it be that I guessed wrong, and he was just passing by and that's why he casually inquired about the Spirit Crane Sect?
After a moment of confusion, seeing that the light in the distance had disappeared, the surrounding treasure ships dared to approach.

"Senior Luo, who were those two seniors just now? I've never seen them before!"

"Hmph! What are you asking about things that are none of your business?"

"Hurry up and deal with the monster's corpse!"

At this moment, the old man, facing his followers, immediately changed his fawning expression from when he was facing the two men in black robes. He turned around, put his hands behind his back, and adopted an arrogant posture.

".."

High in the distance, Song Qingming, sitting in the pavilion of the flying car, looked at a white name card in his hand with a thoughtful expression.

In the center of the white name card, the words "Xuanhe Island" were clearly written.

This white name card about "Xuanhe Island" was left to me by my old friend Xiao Laogui from "Ziyang Tiangong".

At the time, Old Ghost Xiao kept saying that he still had descendants on "Xuanhe Island" and that people could come here to find him if they passed by in the future.

Since Song Qingming had come to Lei Yuanhai, he wanted to visit his old friend on the way, so he came to the vicinity.

After making some inquiries, I learned that the one currently occupying "Xuanhe Island" is just an ordinary Golden Core sect called Linghe Sect, and there isn't even a single Nascent Soul cultivator in the sect.

Upon hearing this news, Song Qingming couldn't help but feel a little puzzled.

I found it by following the name card left by Xiao Laogui back then, and I didn't go to the wrong place.

I don't know if something happened here, or if that old guy gave him some kind of riddle.

A Nascent Soul cultivator can easily travel ten thousand miles a day if he goes all out. In just half a day, Song Qingming's flying car arrived near a medium-sized island with a radius of over a hundred miles.

After a careful look, Song Qingming realized that it was indeed the "Xuanhe Island" he was looking for. He immediately controlled the flying car to stop in the air above the eastern part of the island.

He then gave Song Qingyu a brief explanation and went to the island alone.

By actively concealing his aura, Song Qingming, whose cultivation level appeared to be only at the Qi Refining stage, easily entered the island without much effort.

Similar to other Golden Core factions, Xuanhe Island is also a place where cultivators and mortals live together, and there is a medium-sized market town on the east side of the island.

After asking around at a teahouse in the market, Song Qingming quickly arrived at the foot of a high mountain at the northernmost part of "Xuanhe Island".

This place is the only cultivation family on the island named after the Xiao surname. It is said that there are several Foundation Establishment cultivators in the family, and they are a vassal family of the "Linghe Sect".

Upon arriving, Song Qingming presented a visiting card, and soon a member of the Xiao family invited him up the mountain.

After sitting in the main hall of the Xiao family for about half an incense stick's time, a young woman dressed in white walked into the hall and quickly came to Song Qingming's side.

"Senior Song, my ancestor invites you!"

Upon hearing what the woman in white said, Song Qingming was somewhat surprised. He had now concealed his cultivation level and was merely an ordinary late-stage Qi Refining cultivator.

The white-clad woman before him was no less skilled than him, having reached the ninth level of Qi Refining, yet she addressed him as "senior" from the very beginning.

Moreover, his tone was extremely respectful, a stark contrast to the previous Xiao family cultivators.

As expected, he must already know Song Qingming's true cultivation level.

"How did you know I wasn't a Qi Refining stage cultivator?"

"Senior Song, it's not convenient to talk here. Please come with me first. You'll know everything when you meet my ancestor!"

After leaving the main hall with the woman in white, the two soon arrived at a valley shrouded in white mist behind the mountain.

Upon seeing that the valley was actually shrouded in a level four magic array, Song Qingming finally understood, and his previously calm expression relaxed somewhat.

A moment later, Song Qingming followed the other party through the great formation, and what came into view was a valley with rich spiritual energy, birdsong and fragrant flowers, and a wide lake in the middle.

Not far ahead, there are several wooden houses built right on the shore of the lake.

As soon as the two arrived in front of the house, an elderly man with white hair, dressed in a green robe, was already waiting there. He put down his fishing rod and got up to greet them.

"Many years have passed since we last met. I never thought I would have the chance to see you again in this lifetime. I pay my respects to you, Fellow Daoist Song."

"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Xiao!"

Upon seeing that the person in front of him was none other than Old Ghost Xiao, whom he had been searching for, Song Qingming quickly smiled, stepped forward, and returned the greeting with a cupped hand.

The woman in white who was leading the way bowed and retreated upon seeing this, quickly disappearing from their sight.

After exchanging greetings, Old Ghost Xiao scanned Song Qingming in front of him with his divine sense and discovered that the other party's cultivation aura had actually reached the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm. A look of surprise flashed in his eyes.

“When Fellow Daoist Song received the Heavenly Palace’s inheritance, I knew that Fellow Daoist possessed extraordinary opportunities.”

Unexpectedly, in less than a hundred years, you have already advanced to the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm, and your cultivation has surpassed mine. I am truly envious.

"I imagine your achievements will surpass this in the future, and you might even have the chance to glimpse the supreme Nascent Soul realm."

More than eighty years have passed since the two left the "Purple Sun Heavenly Palace". Xiao Laogui's cultivation level is still at the eighth level of the Nascent Soul stage, and has not changed at all.

In just a few decades, Song Qingming's cultivation level had risen from the sixth level of the Nascent Soul stage to the eighth level.

Although Xiao Laogui was somewhat surprised, he quickly understood when he remembered that the other party had once received the inheritance from the "Ziyang Heavenly Palace".

After all, it was something left behind by a Nascent Soul cultivator who had ascended to the Upper Realm. Even if it was just an ordinary cultivation technique, it was enough to change the fate of a Nascent Soul cultivator. Hearing what Old Ghost Xiao said, Song Qingming gently shook his head.

"In the cultivation world, there are countless Nascent Soul cultivators, many of whom are exceptionally talented. But how many of them can truly reach the highest Divine Transformation realm?"

Besides, those of us who have cultivated to the late Nascent Soul stage all possess some fortuitous opportunities and good fortune.

Fellow Daoist Xiao, you think too highly of me.

"What Fellow Daoist Song said is very true. I have spent most of my life cultivating, exploring the elusive Nascent Soul realm, but in the end it was all for nothing."

Now that I am old and frail, I realize that I have wasted a lot of my life.

If I had known this would happen, I would have been better off finding a secluded place to live a carefree life, enjoying the simple pleasures of nature. That way, my life wouldn't have been so unfulfilling!

"Fellow Daoist Xiao, aren't you quite at ease here now, much more so than us ascetics who suffer hardship?"

This is something that Song greatly envies.

After Song Qingming smiled and agreed, he asked, "By the way, Fellow Daoist Xiao."

Why is it that you, fellow Daoist, live in seclusion on this island, yet no one in the surrounding area knows of it? When I, Song, came here before, I almost thought I had come to the wrong place.”

"Fellow Daoist Song, you are unaware of this..."

Upon hearing Song Qingming's somewhat curious question, Old Ghost Xiao sighed slightly before slowly explaining the whole story to him.

Xiao Laogui, whose real name is Xiao Xuan, was originally a rogue cultivator from "Xuanhe Island".

After Xiao Laogui successfully formed his Nascent Soul, he also married wives and concubines, leaving behind some bloodlines. Later, he secretly sent them back to "Xuanhe Island" and established a cultivation family there.

Because he had offended many enemies in the past, Xiao Laogui was afraid that those enemies would find "Xuanhe Island," so he never showed his face at home and always contacted his descendants in secret.

With a Nascent Soul elder secretly providing support, the Xiao family of Xuanhe Island naturally developed very smoothly and quickly became the strongest Golden Core force on the island.

However, after Xiao Laogui was trapped in the "Ziyang Heavenly Palace" for hundreds of years, the Xiao family of "Xuanhe Island" suddenly lost their support.

Three hundred years ago, the Xiao family fell out with another Golden Core cultivator in the vicinity, and the two sides fought fiercely over a mine overseas.

The result was that the Xiao family was ultimately defeated, with one of the family's Golden Core ancestors dying and the other seriously injured, and hundreds of family members perishing in battle.

Subsequently, the Xiao family was suppressed by surrounding forces and quickly became a piece of fat meat in everyone's eyes.

In order to ensure the survival of the family, they had no choice but to offer the "Xuanhe Island" spiritual vein to the outsider Linghe Sect. From then on, the Xiao family became their vassal.

By the time Xiao Laogui escaped from the "Purple Sun Heavenly Palace" and returned to the Thunder Origin Sea, the Xiao family had already fallen to the status of an ordinary Foundation Establishment family, with less than a hundred cultivators left in the clan.

Few people even remember the existence of this Nascent Soul Ancestor.

Seeing that his family had declined to such a state after he hadn't returned for hundreds of years, Old Ghost Xiao couldn't help but sigh at the vicissitudes of the cultivation world.

Back then, as the patriarch of the family, Old Ghost Xiao only secretly provided support, and all the way he developed the Xiao family into a Golden Core Immortal Clan.

But precisely because of his existence as a Nascent Soul ancestor, the cultivators in the Xiao family all assumed that the ancestor would take care of everything, and their vision was far more short-sighted than that of other ordinary Golden Core forces.

The family's disciples acted arrogantly and domineeringly, completely disregarding their relationship with other surrounding forces, and secretly offended many people.

Even after Xiao Laogui suddenly disappeared, the Xiao family continued to act as they pleased, rashly choosing to wage war against other sects without any real confidence.

When the Xiao family was defeated and declined, no surrounding power was willing to lend them a helping hand. Instead, they all came to them wanting a share of the spoils.

Fortunately, there were some sensible people within the Xiao family who, at the last moment, chose to voluntarily offer the family's spiritual vein to the "Linghe Sect," thus saving some of the family's cultivators.

Otherwise, by the time Old Ghost Xiao returns from the Heavenly Palace, the entire Xiao family of "Xuanhe Island" will probably have been wiped out and disappeared in this sea area.

When Xiao Laogui returned and saw this situation, he also felt some regret. He had been too lenient with his clansmen, which led to the near extinction of the clan.

Seeing that his lifespan was running out, Old Ghost Xiao, after much painful reflection, chose not to rashly interfere with the development of the clan, but instead went into seclusion within the clan.

Although he has secretly taken control of the "Linghe Sect" on the island over the years and cultivated some clansmen to successfully establish their foundations, the Xiao family's strength has been able to slowly recover.

However, to this day, "Xuanhe Island" is still nominally controlled by the Linghe Sect, and the Xiao family is merely a vassal family under its control.

This is also why Song Qingming almost thought he had come to the wrong place.

Upon hearing Old Ghost Xiao mention the changes that the Xiao family of "Xuanhe Island" had undergone in recent years, Song Qingming, who was also a cultivator from the same family, felt the same way.

The main reason why the Song family was able to grow from a small Qi Refining family into a Golden Core Immortal Clan that was famous throughout the entire "Floating Cloud Mountain Range" cultivation world was also because of him, the clan leader.

If Song Qingming were to suddenly perish like Xiao Laogui, or be trapped in the heavens for hundreds of years without being able to return...

The fate of the Song family in Funiu Mountain is also hard to predict.

Fortunately, the Song family's foundation is now far more profound than that of "Xuanhe Island" back then.

Even without Song Qingming, there are still two Nascent Soul ancestors, Song Qingyu and Li Xuanyi, who can help the family.

Furthermore, the Song family also has outstanding juniors such as Song Yuanhao and Song Changze, who may break through to the Nascent Soul realm at any time.

Even without Song Qingming, the patriarch of the family, the Song family of Funiu Mountain, with its rich heritage, should not have declined as rapidly as the Xiao family in a short period of time.

After the two chatted for a while, Old Ghost Xiao suddenly spoke up again:

"Fellow Daoist Song, besides catching up with me, is there anything else you need my help with in your visit to Lei Yuanhai?"

Although I am old and frail and have retired here, I am still able to move around a bit. If there is anything I can do for you, please don't hesitate to ask.

Upon hearing this, Song Qingming pondered for a moment before slowly taking out a porcelain bowl from his person and placing it in front of the other person.

"To be honest, Fellow Daoist Xiao, decades ago my partner went out to seek an opportunity to form a Nascent Soul, but was taken away by an unknown Nascent Soul senior."

This time, Song went on a journey also to find out where she had gone. I wonder if you have heard of any cultivators or places in the cultivation world of Lei Yuanhai whose names are related to this person.

After taking the porcelain bowl handed to him by Song Qingming, Xiao Laogui glanced at it and saw the words "Golden Moon" printed on the base of the bowl. He also fell into deep thought.

After pondering for a while, Old Ghost Xiao finally put down the porcelain bowl and slowly replied:
"To be honest, Fellow Daoist Song, in our Lei Yuanhai cultivation world, I have never heard of a Nascent Soul cultivator with the Daoist name Jin Yue in all my years of cultivation."

However, speaking of the name "Jin Yue," I do know quite a few places with that name.

But those places don't seem to have any Nascent Soul cultivators living there, as Fellow Daoist Song mentioned, and they don't quite match what you said.

There is one place where this might be possible!

"Please enlighten me, Fellow Daoist Xiao. Whether or not I can find my wife, I, Song, will never forget your kindness!"

Seeing that Xiao Laogui seemed to hesitate as he spoke, Song Qingming immediately stood up, cupped his hands, and asked a follow-up question.

"Alas, fellow Daoist, you have saved my life, there is no need to be so polite."

Upon hearing this, Old Ghost Xiao quickly waved his hand with a smile before continuing, "There is an island in the northwest of Lei Yuan Sea called Golden Moon Island."

Although this island is a level four spiritual vein, it is not occupied by any sect. Only some independent cultivators live on the island, along with a large market town.

In his early years, before he was fully formed, Xiao had visited this island, but he never knew who controlled Golden Moon Island.

It wasn't until several hundred years ago that a fellow Daoist mentioned that there seemed to be a Nascent Soul cultivator behind this island.

However, this senior has never liked to appear in public, which is why he has remained unknown to the public.

What Fellow Daoist Song just said suddenly reminded me of this place; it seems there's some truth to it.

"A Nascent Soul cultivator, is what you say true?"

In the cultivation world, besides the Nascent Soul Ancestors who come from major sects, there are also Nascent Soul cultivators like "Lingxu Daoist" who hide in the shadows.

These people not only act in a low-key manner, but also love to travel around and experience the world.

Moreover, his identity is mysterious and unknown to outsiders.

When Huang Siyuan left, Song Qingming always thought that she must have encountered a Nascent Soul expert like Ling Zhentian.

Little did they expect that the one who took Huang Siyuan away would be a Nascent Soul cultivator who was traveling.

Hearing Xiao Laogui mention it now, he couldn't help but be shocked, feeling that there seemed to be some truth to it.

However, the senior Nascent Soul cultivator behind "Golden Moon Island" is so mysterious that even Xiao Laogui, a native Nascent Soul cultivator from "Thunder Origin Sea," doesn't know about him.

No wonder Song Qingming hadn't heard Long Ziyun or the "Four Seas Business Alliance" mention this place when he inquired about it before, and almost missed it because of it.

Hearing what Song Qingming said, Old Ghost Xiao shook his head helplessly.

"To be honest, I only heard about this from others and I don't know this senior from Golden Moon Island. That's why I hesitated a bit just now about whether to tell you, fellow Daoist."

As for whether it's related to your wife, that's hard to say.

"Now that I know, I should still go and take a look. Thank you for your guidance, Fellow Daoist Xiao!"

After Song Qingming finished speaking, he bowed in thanks again, then calmed himself down and sat down again, putting the porcelain bowl back into his "storage bag".

".."

After chatting with Xiao Laogui for a while, at his invitation, Song Qingming sent a message to invite Song Qingyu and Li Xuanyi to the island as well.

The group enjoyed tea and chatted in the valley, and also took some time to exchange their cultivation experiences.

As a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, Old Ghost Xiao also has some unique insights into cultivation.

The conversation proved to be quite beneficial for Song Qingyu and her companion.

Upon learning that Song Qingyu had become Ling Zhentian's disciple, Xiao Laogui was somewhat surprised and took the initiative to talk about some of the things that happened to them in the Heavenly Palace back then.

After staying in the valley for a few days, Song Qingming, along with Song Qingyu and Li Xuanyi, bid farewell and departed. (End of Chapter)