Chapter 880
Parting from You, Clan Discussion
The atmosphere at the scene suddenly fell silent.
For this couple who had only recently reunited, this news was undoubtedly a bucket of cold water poured on their burning passion. Song Qingxi instinctively grasped Song Qingxing's broad and kind hand.
"What time?"
Song Changsheng said in a deep voice, "Tomorrow, the spatial teleportation array to the Wuliang Sword Sect will be opened. You will need someone to go there with a pass sword talisman. At that time, you will have to solve everything on your own."
"Tomorrow... I understand. I will go to Luoxia City on time."
"Can I go alone?" A hint of worry appeared in Song Qingxi's eyes. She had originally thought she would go with Song Changsheng, so she wasn't too worried. In her subconscious, as long as Song Changsheng was there, any difficulty could be overcome.
Her most beloved uncle will surely bring her beloved back safely.
But now, only Song Qingxing could go alone, and a sense of worry rose in her heart, and the uncertainty of the unknown enveloped her.
Song Qingxing clearly sensed the emotional changes in the person beside him, and unconsciously tightened his grip on her hand, as if he could transmit his strength and confidence to her.
"This is also my first time using [Thunder Essence] to irrigate spiritual plants, so I'm not sure what the effects will be. You guys keep an eye on things here, and I'll go check on the other herb gardens to see if the Spiritual Plant Hall has been neglecting its duties over the years."
After speaking, Song Changsheng walked towards the distant herb garden with his hands behind his back, leaving the couple alone.
From this moment on, every minute and every second thereafter will be incredibly precious to them.
"Cold wood..."
Song Qingxing's pupils trembled slightly, and a faint ripple stirred in the heart of the calm lake. His thoughts seemed to be pulled back to a hundred years ago, a time when he had not heard this title for a long time.
"I'm here."
His slightly white knuckles reveal his deepest love for his wife, a love that is not easily expressed in words.
"You'll definitely come back, won't you?"
"Yes, definitely." Song Qingxing's answer was without hesitation.
Song Qingxi moved gracefully to embrace him gently, and whispered, "I will wait for you at Wangyue Cliff, just like back then. If you do not return, I will not look back."
"A full sixty years has passed. This time, I will absolutely not keep you waiting any longer." With the faint fragrance of orchids lingering around his nose, Song Qingxing's tone was more solemn than ever before. This time, he would not break his promise!
……
"The path of trials, once embarked upon, life and death are uncertain." At the entrance of the Cloud Palace, Song Xianming looked at the two embracing and sighed softly.
He had heard of the Wuliang Sword Sect's trial path long ago; it was a road of no return paved with blood and bones, and countless proud sword cultivators had perished there over the years.
Here, your opponents may not be extraordinary talents, but they are definitely ruthless thugs who treat human life as worthless and their own lives as dirt. There is nothing these people are incapable of doing.
If there were no hope, how many people would choose to participate in such a dangerous trial?
Everyone you encounter in the trials is your opponent; it's either you kill them or they kill you. There is no peace, and no room for retreat.
Song Qingxing's talent may be above that of most people, but in such a killing world, unless you have the strength to sweep through the entire trial path by yourself, anyone is likely to be defeated.
Only those who survive to the end are the true winners.
Rather than calling it a trial, it's more like a free-for-all battle royale game with no rules.
Even though Song Qingxing was a sword genius that was one in a million, Song Xianming couldn't help but feel genuinely worried for him.
Song Changsheng said slowly, "We have done everything we can. The rest is up to his own fate."
However, I have faith in him; his journey will definitely not end here.
Song Qingxing has proven himself time and time again with his actions. He can even survive the Abyss, a place known as a place of certain death. What is a Trial Path?
In his view, the ones who should be worried are the contestants who will participate in this trial next, because they are about to face a killer star who has mastered the [Law of Slaughter]!
"That's true. If you didn't have a certain level of confidence, you definitely wouldn't have let him take this risk, given your personality."
"You're mistaken. Qingxing isn't the naive child he once was. He doesn't need me to make decisions for him about his future. In any case, I will respect his decision."
"What if Xi'er doesn't agree?" Song Xianming asked in return.
Song Changsheng smiled slightly, turned to look at him and said, "Xi'er will also respect all of Xing'er's decisions. This issue was never valid from the beginning."
Of course, if Xi'er really objected, how could Xing'er possibly go against her wishes?
"You see things very clearly."
"Ah, time really flies. In the blink of an eye, the children have all grown up and become successful, and this old man is falling behind." Song Xianming's eyes showed a look of emotion. Being surpassed by the younger generation one after another, he felt a little lonely despite his sense of satisfaction.
"You are now at the Great Perfection of the Purple Mansion stage, only one step away from the Golden Core stage, so why do you say you are old?"
"Among the cultivators of your generation in the Great Qi, apart from Uncle-Master Zhan, none have surpassed you."
Although Song Xianming is currently the oldest cultivator in the Song Clan, he is actually less than four hundred years old. Among Purple Mansion cultivators, he is still considered to be in his prime. Once the Golden Core is refined at the Myriad Manifestations Palace, he can attempt to break through to the Golden Core stage.
Looking at the existing Golden Core cultivators in the Great Qi cultivation world, only Zhan Tianxia, Mu Guibai, and Bai Yan are considered to be of the highest seniority.
In reality, Mu Guibai and Bai Yan are both much older than Song Xianming. The only one of similar age is Zhan Tianxia, but Zhan Tianxia is now nearly five hundred years old.
In comparison, he is still relatively young, and his future is full of endless possibilities.
"The Golden Core stage..."
Song Xianming's gaze drifted into the distance, revealing a hint of barely perceptible longing.
The Golden Core stage is a watershed on the path to immortality. Once you can cross this step, you can completely get rid of the influence and limitations brought by your spiritual root, break through the upper limit, and have more possibilities.
This is a realm that countless people dream of, and he is one of them.
To be precise, back then, he only aspired to reach the Purple Mansion stage. Little did he know that in just over a hundred years, the situation would change dramatically, and he would already be standing atop the Purple Mansion mountain, about to reach even higher peaks.
"I brought back a lot of resources this time, and I need to hurry up and digest them in order to deal with the beast tide that may come at any time."
The demon race, if they remain still, will act with overwhelming force and be unstoppable; we need to prepare in advance.
"After seeing Xing'er off tomorrow, I've decided to convene a comprehensive clan meeting to strive for a significant improvement in the clan's overall strength over the next two decades." Song Changsheng abruptly changed the subject, shifting the focus to the beast tide.
The beast tide is undoubtedly the biggest threat that the entire cultivation world of the Great Qi will face in the future. All forces are actively preparing. It is said that the Golden Crow Sect and the Heavenly Vein Sect have had many Golden Core seeds break through to the Golden Core stage in recent years. Even if only one or two succeed, it will be of great significance to the Great Qi at present.
The original plan for Luoxia City was to cultivate three Golden Core cultivators, but with Bai Zhengchun's soul lost on the trial path, this path is no longer feasible in the short term. A fourth-tier celestial ship is also unlikely to be available anytime soon, so efforts are being made in other directions.
The Song family naturally cannot fall behind others. Resources piled up in warehouses serve no purpose other than psychological comfort. Resources must be transformed into strength, and how to allocate resources to maximize benefits depends entirely on tomorrow's allocation.
“The family’s accumulation over the years is sufficient; it’s time to unleash it and transform it into strength.” Song Xianming nodded approvingly, then, as if suddenly remembering something, said, “Didn’t you send Jin Xuan to infiltrate the Demon Realm? Could we get some information from him?”
"That's exactly what I was thinking. After the clan council ends, I'll go to the Demon Realm to find him and have him monitor the Demon Clan's movements so we can gain the upper hand."
"good."
……
The next morning, as the first rays of dawn touched the earth, Song Qingxing and Song Qingxi, who had spent the night in love, left the bed still tinged with affection.
Before the bronze mirror, which was ten feet tall, the two helped each other dress. Then, hand in hand, they arrived at the teleportation array leading to Luoxia City. The elders of the Song family had arrived early to wait for them. Even Zhu Yi, who usually dozed off in the courtyard, made a sleepy appearance.
Looking at the crowd who came to see him off, Song Qingxing didn't say much, but simply whispered to Song Qingxi beside him, "I'm leaving."
As soon as he finished speaking, he stepped directly into the spatial teleportation array. A flash of seven-colored light appeared, and his figure disappeared from everyone's sight.
"Respectfully seeing off the Dharma Protector Elder!"
Everyone present bowed in unison, their voices reaching the heavens.
A moment later, the teleportation array stopped roaring and returned to silence. Everyone understood that Song Qingxing had arrived in Luoxia City, and he would have to walk the rest of the way alone.
Song Changsheng stepped forward, stepping out from the crowd, and looked at Song Changxiu not far away, saying: "Send people to notify the garrison offices and affiliated forces above the Foundation Establishment level in various places that a grand clan council will be held in the council hall of Cangmang Peak in three days. All leaders of the garrison offices and affiliated forces must attend in person unless there are special circumstances."
During this period, the Enforcement Hall is responsible for monitoring all areas and will deal with all cases strictly without exception.
"As ordered!"
Song Changxiu and Song Changxue responded in unison and then immediately carried out Song Changsheng's instructions.
One by one, messengers emerged from the Foreign Affairs Hall, scattering in all directions like dandelion seeds.
Lingzhou, Yangzhou, Jiangzhou, Xiangzhou, and even the Twin Islands were all stirred up by this order. All the garrison commanders and clan leaders of the affiliated forces dared not delay after receiving the order and rushed to Cangmang Peak as quickly as possible.
This clan meeting was the most extensive and attended meeting held by the Song family since they advanced to the Golden Core stage. Not only did Song Changsheng attach great importance to it, but everyone else did as well.
Those subordinate forces that had only recently submitted to the government especially cherished this hard-won opportunity.
In three days, apart from Song Qingxing, who had already taken the space teleportation array to the Wuliang Sword Sect, and the cultivators who were in seclusion, all the elders, managers, and leaders of the affiliated forces of the Song family gathered at Cangmang Peak.
Even Song Youlin left the pass ahead of schedule and rushed back.
The once empty council hall was instantly filled with a huge crowd of people, numbering over a hundred.
It may not sound like a lot, but those who can attend this meeting are either the head of a clan or the elders and managers who hold real power within the Song clan.
The essence of Lingzhou, Yangzhou, Jiangzhou, and half of Xiangzhou is all here. If a meteorite were to fall from the sky at this moment, it would wipe them all out, leaving nothing behind.
People took their seats according to their status; some were relaxed, some were reserved, and so on.
"The clan leader has arrived!"
Accompanied by the resounding announcement of his name, Song Changsheng strode into the main hall. Everyone in the hall, with only respect and awe on their faces and in their hearts, stood up to greet him.
The moment Song Changsheng took his seat in the main seat, everyone bowed in unison and said, "We pay our respects to the clan leader/patriarch, wishing you prosperity in your immortal journey and everlasting success in your cultivation!"
"Please, everyone, there's no need for such formalities. Please have a seat." Song Changsheng said, his hands gesturing as if to place his hands on the ground. His voice was calm yet full of authority.
Over the years, he has developed an imposing aura that commands respect without anger, and ordinary people dare not look him in the eye.
After everyone was seated, Song Changsheng did not rush to speak, but instead looked at the people attending the meeting in the hall with great interest.
The elders, stewards, and guest elders of the Song family line were all seated to his lower left. The family elders and stewards were headed by Song Qingxi, while the guest elders were headed by Xu Yunhe and Zhu Yiqun.
The leaders of the subordinate forces sat to his lower right. Yangzhou was undoubtedly led by Old Ghost Chihuo, Jiangzhou by Zijun, the patriarch of the Zi clan, and Xiangzhou by Jiang Shuming and Zhang Ming of the Jade Talisman Sect.
While the forces in each state are clearly distinct, they also appear well-ordered.
Only the affiliated forces of Lingzhou seemed to be leaderless.
Besides the fact that no Purple Mansion cultivators emerged from among them, there was another major reason: the former patriarch of the Wang clan, Wang Qingquan, failed to break through to the Purple Mansion stage and perished a few years ago.
Among the various forces in Lingzhou, Wang Qingquan, thanks to his strong relationship with the Song family and Song Changsheng's high regard, has always been the head of the various affiliated forces in Lingzhou.
Over the years, the Wang family has received the most resources from the Song family besides the Chi family. Now, its power has far surpassed that of the old-established forces such as the Di Huo Men and the Yangzhou Chu family, making it the number one power after the Song family.
However, after Wang Qingquan's death, the new patriarch of the Wang clan was clearly unable to win over the people.
Seeing this, Song Changsheng couldn't help but frown slightly. He had given Wang Shi many opportunities, but they had all missed them.
Although he was somewhat angry at her lack of ambition, Wang Shi held an extraordinary place in his heart, and he did not want to see the current situation.
After thinking for a moment, he stood up and walked straight towards where Wang was... (End of Chapter)