Qinghe Immortal Clan.

After Song Qingming left, Li Xianyun, who was standing still, stared at the talisman in his hand and fell into deep thought.

After a long while, he carefully put away the talisman in his hand, turned around and left the restaurant.

".."

"Donghuang Immortal Continent," the Qiyun Immortal Cultivation Realm, located in the Wuyun Mountains.

In a valley located in the northern part of the Wuyun Mountains, three human cultivators dressed in green robes were chatting idly in a cave at the valley entrance.

Not far from them, there was a golden magic circle emitting spiritual light.

One of the young men, with delicate features, looked at an older man beside him and asked curiously:
"Senior Brother Li, during yesterday's inspection, I heard from Senior Sister Liu that you will be returning to the sect next month. Are you preparing for seclusion to establish your foundation?"

"What? Senior Brother Li is about to reach the Foundation Establishment stage so soon? Is this really true?"

If Senior Brother successfully establishes his foundation, wouldn't we have to address him as Martial Uncle when we meet again?

"That's right. Senior Brother Li has dual spiritual roots and was able to cultivate to the ninth level of Qi Refining before he was even thirty years old. He's sure to succeed in Foundation Establishment this time."

Junior brother should congratulate senior brother first!

".."

Faced with the excited questions from the two people in front of him, a man with a short beard sitting in the middle simply smiled and waved his hand.

"Hehe! Uncle Wang did mention this to me the other day, and he's planning to arrange for me to return to the sect next month. I suppose it's related to the Foundation Establishment matter."

However, there is no such thing as a cultivator's success in Foundation Establishment. Even among cultivators with dual spiritual roots, it is not uncommon for them to fail in Foundation Establishment.

Whether I can succeed this time I go back is still uncertain, so you two mustn't gossip about it to anyone outside.

"Senior Brother Li, you are being too modest. We believe you can definitely succeed."

When you successfully complete your foundation cultivation, don't forget about me and Junior Brother Zhou; come visit us often.

"Yes, if you could help us talk to the General Affairs Hall after you go back, it would be great if you could transfer us back to the sect as soon as possible."

"These past two years, I've been stuck in this Demon-Suppressing Valley every day, living in constant fear, not to mention being scolded by Uncle Wang to his face. I really want to return to the sect as soon as possible."

As the man spoke, the image of that aloof and stern figure involuntarily came to mind again, and a hint of fear appeared on his face.

"Hehe! Uncle Wang just has a bad temper, you two..."

".."

Just as the three were speaking, a strange fluctuation of spiritual energy suddenly emanated from the "golden magic circle" in front of them, instantly interrupting their unfinished conversation.

"Senior Brother Li, it seems like something just triggered the magic array."

"Hmm! It must be some kind of ignorant monster that accidentally wandered into the valley and triggered the magic array."

"My two junior brothers will stay here. I'll go and inform Uncle Wang to send someone to check the valley." The man surnamed Li nodded slightly and quickly turned and left the cave.

The other two people sitting in the cave turned their gazes back to the "golden magic circle," each showing a hint of helplessness.

Deep in the valley, several cultivators were patrolling the surroundings along the path.

At that moment, a woman in red walking at the back of the group suddenly stopped and looked ahead in surprise.

"Senior Brother Luo, there seems to be someone ahead."

"Who is it, and where are they?"

As the woman in red pointed, an elderly man with white hair dressed in a black robe suddenly appeared behind the group, smiling at them.

Upon seeing that this person was an unfamiliar face and had silently followed behind them, the group's expressions immediately changed.

"Who are you, and why have you infiltrated Demon Suppression Valley?"

"Demon Suppression Valley, you really treat this place as your own territory, you've even changed the name."

Hearing the white-haired old man's words, which seemed rather puzzling, a hot-tempered man in the crowd immediately stepped forward, pointed at him, and asked:
"Who exactly are you, you old codger, daring to play tricks on us, the Jade Spirit Sect?"

"You'd better tell me honestly, who brought you in here?"

"No one brought me here; I came by myself."

"Hmph! Since you won't talk, don't blame us for being impolite!"

Seeing that the old man's words still did not satisfy him, the big man immediately became displeased and was about to step forward to take him down.

The other fellow cultivators seemed to realize that the old man before them was not one of those who had mistakenly entered this place before, and they all took out their magical artifacts.

But before they could make a move, a scream suddenly came from ahead.

The next moment, a human head flew into the air; it was the same burly man who had just been looking furious.

"Senior Brother Yuan! This is bad! He's a Foundation Establishment demonic cultivator! Quickly send a message to our Uncle!"

Seeing this somewhat astonishing scene, the cultivators immediately realized that something was wrong with the newcomers and turned to flee.

One of the men, who was at the late stage of Qi Refining and had a high level of cultivation, even took out a sound transmission talisman from his person.

Just as the man was channeling his magic power into the talisman, preparing to activate it, he suddenly found his hands bound by an extremely powerful magical force.

Meanwhile, the other companions beside them also stopped involuntarily after running only a few steps.

Everyone opened their mouths, but couldn't utter a single sound.

As the white-haired old man approached step by step in the distance, the group of people were filled with nothing but fear.

".."

A moment later, there were five or six corpses of cultivators scattered on the ground, their eyes still filled with resentment.

The white-haired old man gently raised his hand, and a cyan token quickly flew into his hand.

With a satisfied expression, he turned around, waved his hand, and released a ball of black spiritual light, which then shot onto the corpse on the ground.

In just a short while, the corpses were covered by a ball of black flames, and the surrounding blood was burned away completely.

After erasing the traces on the ground, the white-haired old man turned around and disappeared into a beam of light.

Shortly after the white-haired old man disappeared, two sword lights suddenly flew over from a distance and stopped in the air above the battlefield.

"That's strange. Where are Junior Nephew Yuan and the others? Could they have really encountered some powerful monster?"

"Senior Brother Wang, I think something's not right here."

This Demon-Suppressing Valley is sealed with the true demonic energy. If a high-level demonic beast or demonic cultivator were to infiltrate the valley unknowingly, it would be dangerous.

We'd better send a message to the sect to report this matter as soon as possible."

Upon hearing his companion's suggestion, another late-stage Foundation Establishment elder, who was riding a flying sword, pondered for a moment and then nodded slightly in agreement.

The two quickly abandoned their plan to continue searching and turned away, disappearing from the spot.

".."

Deep within the "Demon Suppression Valley," in front of a semi-transparent barrier.

The white-haired old man raised his hand and tossed out the token he had just received. Soon, a crack appeared in the barrier, allowing people to pass through.

Seeing this, the white-haired old man lifted his leg and passed through the barrier, quickly arriving at the cave behind.

Not long after entering the cave, a dense aura of true demonic energy rushed towards him. The white-haired old man immediately revealed a smile and greedily inhaled several breaths of demonic energy.

"The demonic energy here is still the strongest."

"It took so many years to finally create such a suitable place for cultivation, but now it has fallen into the hands of others. It's such a pity."

After all these years, it's time to take back what's rightfully mine!

After shaking his head with a hint of regret, the white-haired old man smiled again and walked directly into the bottomless depths of the cave ahead.

Before long, the figure of the old man in white appeared in a huge cave.

After casting a spell to release a beam of fire that illuminated the surroundings, the white-robed elder's gaze quickly locked onto the mountain wall in front of him.

The mountainside was covered with black vines, and there were many blood-red flower buds of different sizes on the vines, which looked rather strange.

"Huh! Judging by the time, the Blood Cloud Fruit should be ripe by now, so how come it's gone?"

"Could it be?!"

The white-haired old man scanned the vines with his eyes, but failed to find what he was looking for, and a hint of surprise appeared on his face.

Just as he was filled with doubt, his divine sense suddenly spread out, directly enveloping every corner of the entire cave.

Just as the white-haired old man made a move, a streak of red light suddenly flew out from a corner of the mountain wall and headed straight for the outside of the cave.

Seeing this, the white-haired old man was slightly surprised, but he also flashed towards the cave entrance.

The two of them, one in front of the other, quickly arrived outside the cave.

Although the red light was in the lead, the white-haired old man behind him was even faster. The two had only just left the cave when the other man blocked their path with a ball of black light.

"I was wondering who would be hiding here, but I never expected it to be you."

"Back then, we thought you had already perished in the battle."

I never expected that not only would you be alive and well, but you would also know how to use the true demonic energy here to increase your cultivation speed, and advance to the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm so quickly.

"I just don't know whether I should address you, Lord Chiyun, or Fellow Daoist Xuanfeng?"

Upon gazing at the young man amidst the crimson light, the white-haired elder immediately recognized him, his expression showing some surprise.

"Chi Yun is long dead. As for addressing me as 'Your Excellency,' feel free to do so. You've come to see me today, surely not to avenge Chi Yun!"

The man in the red robe clearly did not want to deal with the other party for too long, but he was very wary of the white-haired old man in front of him who was at the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm.

For a moment, they dared not act rashly.

"Hehe! It's quite unexpected that you were able to destroy Chi Yun."

We, the cultivators of the Holy Realm, have always revered the strong. Since Chi Yun has already died at your hands, it is because he was not capable enough. Why should we avenge him?

"You took away the Blood Cloud Fruit that I've cultivated for so many years without a word. Are you just going to leave like this without giving me an explanation?"

"Blood Cloud Fruit, you must be referring to the blood-red spiritual fruit in the cave. To be honest, I refined it ten years ago."

"If you require any explanation, it's a bit too late now."

Upon hearing the white-haired old man's question, the man in red robes recalled the fruit he had seen earlier.

Knowing he couldn't hide it from the other party, he openly admitted to it.

Upon hearing this, a hint of regret flashed in the white-haired old man's eyes, before his gaze turned cold as he looked at the other party. "So that's why you advanced to the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm so quickly. It really is because you've already refined it."

I never expected that you would still get the better deal in the end. It seems that I am destined to be unlucky.

Well then, since that's the case, I guess I've just wasted my time.

You go. "

The white-haired old man sighed, then gently waved his hand, directly retracting the black ball of light that had blocked the other party's path.

This caused the red-robed man, who had originally intended to fight to the death, to show a surprised expression, looking at the other party with disbelief.

"Are you letting me go, sir?"

"Hehe! You've inherited Chi Yun's cultivation techniques, so to put it bluntly, you're already considered a member of my Holy Realm."

Besides, you've already refined that fruit, so killing you now would be of no use to me, and there's no need to waste my energy.

However, there is one thing: you must continue your cultivation here; I will not interfere.

But the Blood Cloud Fruit inside must not be touched again.

"Fellow Daoist, I do not know what you mean by the Holy Realm, but I am who I am."

Even if you spare me this time, I will never associate with such outcasts in the future.

Faced with the disdainful look in the red-robed man's voice, the white-haired old man smiled and replied nonchalantly:

"Haha, whether you want to admit it or not, your inheritance of Chi Yun's cultivation method already makes you a demonic cultivator that everyone in this world hates."

Do you really think you'll be accepted by those righteous cultivators one day?

"Actually, you don't need to lie to me. I already noticed that you still have a trace of Chi Yun's aura on you. He wouldn't have disappeared so quickly."

Upon hearing this, the red-robed man's expression shifted slightly, clearly indicating that the other party had seen through his confidence.

Seeing this, the white-haired old man continued:

"Even if you manage to break through to the Nascent Soul realm by chance while cultivating the Holy Realm techniques, you still won't be able to ascend to the Upper Realm as normally as cultivators from this realm."

The only way out is to find a suitable spatial node like us, and then open the interface space to return to the Holy Realm.

Otherwise, you'll only be able to grow old and die in this world, and you can forget about ever having a chance to advance your cultivation further in the future.

Forget it, if I explain too much to you now, you probably won't understand anyway. You'll need time to gradually learn and grow before you realize it.

If you've thought things through that day, you can come find me here.

After the old man in white finished speaking, he threw out a ball of light, which landed in the hand of the man in red robes not far away.

The next moment, he transformed into a beam of light and disappeared from the spot.

Seeing that the other party's aura had truly disappeared, the red-robed man finally relaxed a little and turned his gaze to the jade tablet formed from the ball of light in his hand.

"Advancing to the Divine Transformation Realm, secretly crossing into the Holy Realm."

"Does anyone still have any path to follow?"

After muttering something to himself, the man in the red robe quickly disappeared from the spot.

".."

Two years later, in the cave of "Xuantian City".

Song Qingming, who was studying the array flags in the stone chamber, suddenly heard a voice transmission flying in from outside the door. He immediately put away what he was holding and opened the doorway barrier.

“Husband, Fellow Daoist Xiao sent a message saying that Tianyun Tower is holding a Nascent Soul exchange meeting today and has invited us to go together.”

"Oh! He mentioned this to me at the last gathering, I almost forgot."

In the blink of an eye, Song Qingming and his group had been living in "Xuantian City" for two and a half years.

During this period, in addition to his daily cultivation, Song Qingming also got to know many cultivators, among whom the most familiar one was the high-level weapon refiner Xiao Ziliang.

In recent years, Xiao Ziliang not only visited Song Qingming many times, but also introduced him to many Nascent Soul cultivator friends in the city.

Having heard that the "Tianyun Tower" in the city was holding an exchange meeting for Nascent Soul cultivators, Xiao Ziliang sent a message to Song Qingming in advance, inviting him to go together.

Upon learning that they were going to attend an exchange meeting for Nascent Soul cultivators, Song Qingyu and Li Xuanyi were also curious and decided to go with Song Qingming.

After tidying up, the three of them soon arrived at a restaurant located in the northwest of "Xuantian City".

As soon as they entered, two waiters came to greet them and led them to a secret room in the back of the restaurant.

Upon seeing Song Qingming and his two companions arrive, Xiao Ziliang, who had arrived earlier, immediately led his men to greet them.

"Hehe! It's Fellow Daoist Song, Madam Song has arrived."

"Fellow Daoist Song, these are Fellow Daoist Li from Kunyun Mountain, Fellow Daoist Liang from Xuanyun Sect, and Fellow Daoist Xu, who is also a cultivator who resides in Xuantian City."

They came specifically to participate in this exchange program.

Upon hearing Xiao Ziliang's introduction, Song Qingming glanced at the three people beside him, all of whom were Nascent Soul cultivators with considerable cultivation. He quickly cupped his hands in a slight salute.

"My name is Song Qingming. Greetings, fellow Daoists."

"Fellow Daoist Song, you are too kind. You have already advanced to the late stage of Nascent Soul at such a young age, and you also have two Nascent Soul Daoist partners by your side. It is truly enviable."

"Hehe, you all misunderstand. This is my younger sister, Qingyu, who has come with me on this trip."

Song Qingyu and Li Xuanyi were dressed similarly, and they stood behind Song Qingming without saying a word, which could easily lead to misunderstandings.

Seeing this, Song Qingming immediately offered an explanation.

"Oh! I see. I misunderstood. Please forgive me, Fellow Daoist Qingyu."

".."

After exchanging greetings, Xiao Ziliang was about to lead them to their seats when he saw two more figures walking over from a distance.

"Fellow Daoist Xiao, this fellow Daoist seems somewhat unfamiliar. Could he be the Fellow Daoist Song you mentioned before?"

"Hehe! Fellow Daoist Lu has excellent eyesight. This is Fellow Daoist Song, whom I mentioned before. These two are his cousin and his wife."

"Fellow Daoist Song, this Fellow Daoist Lu Yuan is an elder of the Tai Zhen Sect and the organizer of this exchange meeting."

And this fellow Daoist Qi is the Supreme Elder of the Qi Family of the Golden Cloud Kingdom. He is a rare alchemy genius in our Central Yuan Immortal Continent, and his alchemy skills have reached the fourth-level superior realm.

"If you have any needs regarding alchemy in the future, you can also contact Fellow Daoist Qi for assistance."

"Hehe! Fellow Daoist Xiao flatters me. Although I have achieved some success in alchemy, I have been very busy lately and may not be able to help much."

"Of course, if Fellow Daoist Song needs any help, I, Qi, will certainly consider it."

"Oh! In that case, I must thank you, fellow Daoist."

When Song Qingming first heard that the man surnamed Qi was a fourth-level high-grade alchemist, he was somewhat surprised and had the idea of ​​befriending him.

However, the man surnamed Qi's subsequent words clearly displayed an arrogant attitude, and his gaze would occasionally sweep over Song Qingyu and the other person behind him.

This made him feel somewhat disgusted, and he quickly withdrew his thoughts.

In the cultivation world, although a fourth-level high-grade alchemist is rare, Song Qingming is now also a great cultivator, so there is no need for him to fawn over the other party.

The group greeted each other and quickly took their seats.

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, the man surnamed Qi did not choose a seat near the front, but instead sat down not far from Song Qingyu.

As more than a dozen figures entered from outside, more than forty people quickly gathered in the main hall.

Once a person's cultivation reaches the Nascent Soul stage, many people will go into seclusion for ten or twenty years.

Although it was in "Xuantian City," a place teeming with high-level cultivators, gathering so many Nascent Soul cultivators at once was no easy feat.

As his gaze swept across the main hall, Song Qingming felt a surge of anticipation for the trade fair.

Seeing that most of the seats below were already occupied by cultivators, Lu Yuan, who was in charge of organizing the "exchange meeting," got up and went to the wooden platform in the middle.

"Fellow Daoists, now that most of the people have arrived, let's officially begin this exchange meeting."

After explaining the rules of the exchange, Lu Yuan took out three level-four magic treasures from his person and said:
"I have been searching for high-grade water-attribute spiritual herbs for the past few years. If any of you have a water-attribute spiritual herb of grade four or above, you may choose any one of these magical treasures to take with you."

Exchanging magical artifacts for spiritual herbs of the same rank is a mutually beneficial transaction, which is not unusual in the cultivation world.

After Lu Yuan spoke, he quickly received a response from a cultivator in the audience.

The two hit it off immediately and successfully exchanged items, which was a good start for the "exchange event".

Next, other cultivators who wanted to obtain spiritual items also began to take the stage, and the spiritual items they brought out were mostly level four or above.

However, at these exchange events, many cultivators are willing to bring out their precious spiritual items.

However, the things they needed to exchange were all kinds of rare items that were hard to find on the market.

Some of them were things Song Qingming had never even heard of. He wondered if they had seen the information in some ancient book and wanted to try their luck here.

After more than a dozen people took the stage one after another, Song Qingming didn't see anything particularly useful to him.

He simply used a level four mid-grade magic array to exchange for a spiritual herb of the same grade from the other party.

Now that Song Qingming's array formation skills have improved, he can easily refine most of the mid-grade level four arrays. Completing this transaction can be considered as earning spirit stones for himself.

Just after a dozen people took the stage, a middle-aged cultivator dressed in black robes who was sitting in front walked directly onto the stage.

With a wave of his hand, three "puppet beasts" appeared simultaneously in front of everyone, immediately attracting the attention of many cultivators below the stage.

"This is a puppet beast at the Nascent Soul level!"

"Huh! This person looks completely unfamiliar. I wonder where this cultivator came from, as he has so many high-level puppet beasts on him."

".."

In the cultivation world, apart from a few Nascent Soul sects that specialize in puppetry, very few people outside can refine high-level puppet beasts.

The man in black robes on the stage was able to produce three Nascent Soul level "puppet beasts" at once, and one of them was even at the mid-Nascent Soul stage.

In an instant, this drew some surprised gasps from the crowd.

Even Song Qingming, who was sitting to the side, had a hint of excitement in his eyes at this moment.

This person must have quite a background to be able to create a Nascent Soul puppet beast.

I wonder what kind of spiritual items the other party wants in exchange, and whether I'll have a chance to acquire one or two. (End of Chapter)