Chapter 1072
Xuankong Temple, Exorcising Demons and Protecting the Righteous Path
Several months later, in a large hall in the northwest of "Dangmo Mountain", more than a dozen male and female cultivators sat upright.
These dozen or so cultivators, seemingly a mix of men, women, and children, dressed in all sorts of different clothes, exuded an incredibly powerful aura.
Without exception, they were all high-ranking Nascent Soul elders from the "Demon Slayer Palace" sect.
Even Master Lü Yue, whose cultivation had reached the late Nascent Soul stage, took the initiative to sit in the lower position, his eyes fixed on a middle-aged man at the head of the table.
This middle-aged man was none other than He Yuliang, the head of the "Demon-Slaying Palace," who, like Lü Yue, was a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.
Currently, the highest-ranking elder in the "Demon-Slaying Palace," "True Man Bright Moon," is focused on advancing to the Nascent Soul realm and no longer pays much attention to sect affairs.
In terms of sect management, He Yuliang, the sect leader, is now basically in charge and can be considered the de facto leader of the "Demon Suppression Palace".
He Yuliang, who had gone into seclusion six months ago, originally planned to emerge later, but a letter seeking help from the "Qiyun Immortal Cultivation World" suddenly interrupted his cultivation.
Helpless, he had to leave seclusion early and summoned all the Nascent Soul elders in the sect to the "Council Hall".
"Elders, I have gathered you all here today because of the sudden demonic calamity that has struck the cultivation world of Qiyun."
Since the outbreak of the demonic calamity, I secretly sent Junior Brother Wang and a few others to provide support. However, despite their repeated attempts, they and the Jade Spirit Sect were still unable to enter the core area of the demonic calamity.
The situation of the demonic calamity is becoming increasingly serious. Dozens of cultivation sects in the Qiyun cultivation world have been destroyed, and nearly 30% of their territory has fallen into the hands of demons.
This is a letter from the Jade Spirit Sect yesterday requesting assistance, inviting the sect to send more people to help completely eradicate the demonic threat.
"What? A demonic calamity has occurred in the Qi Yun cultivation world? When did this happen?!"
"Half a year ago, when I passed through Huangzhou, I heard that demonic cultivators were causing trouble in the northern part of the Qiyun cultivation world. I never imagined that it would have turned into a demonic calamity."
"Even Senior Brother Wang and the Jade Spirit Sect couldn't extinguish the demonic calamity. Could it be that the White Bone Demon is behind this again?"
".."
Upon hearing Sect Leader He Yuliang announce the news of a demonic calamity in the "Qiyun Immortal Cultivation World," everyone present, except for some elders who were already aware of the situation, showed expressions of surprise.
The appearance of a "demonic calamity" is always an extremely terrifying event in the cultivation world.
If it cannot be effectively controlled, the impact of the "demonic calamity" will expand without limit, infecting all living beings in the surrounding area, and may even give birth to some powerful demons comparable to Nascent Soul cultivators.
The "Northern Immortal Continent," once a land of outstanding people and abundant resources, had a number of creatures that were not much less than those of the current "Eastern Phoenix Immortal Continent."
It was because tens of thousands of years ago, a demonic being who had reached the Divine Transformation stage secretly orchestrated a "demonic catastrophe".
As a result of the "demonic calamity" spiraling out of control, the entire continent was devastated, with 80% of the territory tainted by demonic energy. It has not fully recovered to this day and has become a rare forbidden area for human cultivators.
Seeing the murmurs below, Lü Yue, sitting to the left of He Yuliang, pondered for a moment and quickly responded:
"Senior Brother Sect Leader, our Demon-Slaying Palace's founder taught that all disciples of the sect should take it upon themselves to subdue demons and protect the righteous path."
The demonic calamity in the Qi Yun cultivation world is now so severe. Regardless of the underlying reasons, we certainly cannot ignore it. I am willing to lead a team to the Jade Spirit Sect to provide assistance.”
“Brother Lü is right. With the demonic calamity appearing, how can we stand idly by? I am also willing to follow you down the mountain to eliminate the demon.”
".."
As one of the three major Nascent Soul cultivators in the "Eastern Phoenix Immortal Continent", the Demon-Slaying Palace not only boasts formidable sect strength, but its disciples also primarily cultivate techniques that counter demonic cultivators.
This type of technique is extremely sensitive to demonic energy. Every time a demonic cultivator is killed, it adds a bit of insight to their cultivation path, which is beneficial to their own cultivation.
Besides their daily seclusion for cultivation, they also go out to search for and kill demonic cultivators, making them one of the few sects in the entire cultivation world that is most proactive in eliminating demons and protecting the righteous path.
Upon hearing that the Fourth Elder, Master Lü Yue, had expressed his intention to personally lead a team to the "Qiyun Immortal Cultivation World" to eliminate the demonic threat, several other people below quickly echoed his sentiments.
Seeing that none of the other elders present objected to supporting the "Qiyun Immortal Cultivation World," He Yuliang nodded slightly and immediately made his decision.
"Exorcising demons and protecting the righteous path is the ancestral precept of our sect. Since everyone agrees, let's settle this matter first. Notify the other affiliated sects that they will send troops to the Qiyun Immortal Cultivation Realm to support the Jade Spirit Sect in half a month."
As for which elder the sect should send this time, I need to consider it carefully.
If any of my fellow disciples are willing to go and subdue the demon, please let me know in advance, and I will try my best to arrange it.
"I will obey the sect leader's order!"
".."
After the meeting ended, the crowd below began to turn and leave, but He Yuliang used his voice to keep Lü Yue, who had just volunteered for the battle, behind.
“Junior Brother Lü, the Qiyun cultivation world has never seen any powerful demonic cultivators before. This demonic calamity seems rather strange to me.”
"Junior brother, why don't you stay behind and oversee the sect? I'll personally lead the troops to provide support this time."
"Senior Brother Sect Leader, please don't do this. The Grand Elder is still in seclusion, and the sect still needs you to lead it. Leave the affairs of the Qiyun cultivation world to me, a free man!"
Over the years, my cultivation has been hampered by a bottleneck, and this is a good opportunity to temper my Dao heart. Perhaps I'll even gain some unexpected benefits.
Upon hearing that Sect Leader He Yuliang wanted to go to the "Qiyun Immortal Cultivation World" to provide support in his place, Lü Yue quickly waved his hand and declined the offer.
Knowing that his junior brother's cultivation had stagnated for a long time, He Yuliang could not say anything more and could only nod in agreement.
"Junior Brother Lü, besides you, who else do you think should accompany us this time?"
"Senior Brother Sect Leader, besides my junior brothers, I have another suitable candidate in mind for this trip to the Qiyun cultivation world. However, this matter requires your approval."
Seeing the somewhat troubled look on Lü Yue's face, He Yuliang, as the sect leader, immediately showed a hint of doubt and responded directly.
"Oh! Junior brother, just tell me who you want to come along, and I will do my best to arrange it."
".."
-
Half a month later, in a courtyard on the back mountain of Xuankong Temple.
Song Qingming, dressed in a blue robe, sat under an old tree in the courtyard. Not far from him sat another monk in a golden robe, whom he had not seen for many years.
"As the master said, all things in the world are subject to cause and effect and reincarnation. I wonder if we practitioners will have the opportunity to see the people from our previous lives again in this life."
"All things are empty, but cause and effect are not. Nothing goes away except karma! When conditions arise, everything arises; when conditions cease, nothing remains. It is nothing more than this."
"If you truly have this karmic connection, I believe you will have the opportunity to meet me in the future."
".."
Song Qingming and "Monk Bukong" had known each other since "Xihua Prefecture". They had not only exchanged many spiritual items, but also had several discussions on the Dao.
A few months ago, after Song Qingming left the Demon-Slaying Palace, he found living in the market town at the foot of the mountain rather boring, so he came to the nearby Xuankong Temple to visit his old friend.
Monk Bukong also showed great enthusiasm towards his old friends Song Qingming and his wife.
Not only did they find them a courtyard to live in on the back mountain, but they also often came here to discuss philosophy with Song Qingming. Each time, the two of them were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't even realize how quickly time had passed.
Just as the two were enjoying tea and discussing philosophy, a beam of light suddenly flew from the horizon and stopped in front of Song Qingming.
Looking at the very familiar "sound transmission talisman" in front of him, Song Qingming realized that quite a lot of time had passed without him noticing. He quickly stood up, cupped his hands, and said:
“Master, your Buddhist teachings are profound. I have also gained much insight from this experience. Unfortunately, I am tied up with worldly affairs and must descend the mountain first. I can only wait until I return to learn from you again.”
"I don't know when I'll return, and I'd be extremely grateful if you could look after my wife."
Seeing that Song Qingming seemed to have something to do and had to leave for a while, the "Monk Bukong" sitting to the side quickly nodded and replied: "Since I came to Donghuang Kingdom decades ago, I have painstakingly spread the Dharma, but I have not seen any sentient beings take refuge in me, and I have always felt regretful."
It is a rare treat to meet my friend, Fellow Daoist Song, here. He is willing to discuss Buddhist teachings with me, and I am deeply grateful.
"Please rest assured, fellow Daoist, although my Xuankong Temple may not be considered a sacred place for cultivation, it is still quite peaceful and quiet. Your wife will certainly not encounter any trouble staying here."
Song Qingming had already spoken to him beforehand, so when the other party asked him to do something, "Monk Bukong" didn't think much of it and readily agreed.
"Thank you very much, Master!"
After bowing in thanks, Song Qingming personally escorted "Master Bukong" away from the courtyard before turning and walking towards the back of the courtyard.
Before Song Qingming could get close, a fiery red streak of light bypassed him and quickly landed on Huang Siyuan's shoulder in the vegetable garden ahead.
"Master, that's great! That big monk is finally gone."
Seeing "Red Flame" rushing over to deliver the message, and Song Qingming walking over from not far away.
Huang Siyuan chuckled helplessly, quickly put down her farming tools, and then tossed the Crimson Flame on her shoulder directly into her "spirit beast pouch".
"My lord, I haven't even prepared the vegetarian meal yet, why has the master already left?"
Having lived on the mountain for several months, Huang Siyuan, bored, returned to her old ways and planted some ordinary fruits and vegetables on a vacant lot on the mountain.
Although these ordinary items are of little use to cultivators, they still taste somewhat delicious after being prepared by Huang Siyuan, a high-level spiritual chef, with some spiritual herbs.
During their stay at Xuankong Temple, whenever Song Qingming and Master Bukong lost track of time while discussing philosophy, Huang Siyuan would always bring them vegetarian dishes to remind them.
Upon hearing Huang Siyuan's question, Song Qingming calmly nodded, then spoke directly to her:
"Siyuan, Fellow Daoist Lü from the Demon-Slaying Palace just sent a letter urging me to leave!" "Ah, you're leaving soon?"
Seeing Song Qingming nod again, Huang Siyuan quickly left the vegetable garden and returned to the small courtyard in front with him.
Next, Huang Siyuan first took out some healing pills for him to take with him, and then took out a brand new silver-white robe from the cabinet and put it in front of Song Qingming.
"My husband, these are the clothes I sewed for you a few days ago. I don't know when you will be back after this trip, so please put them on and let me see them."
If there's anything that's not right, please tell me right away, and I'll help you revise it!
Upon hearing that the robe was hand-sewn by Huang Siyuan, Song Qingming put it on without much thought.
The result was that not only did the size fit perfectly, but Song Qingming also looked much more striking than before, thanks to the new robes.
"This color is indeed a perfect match, and it looks better than what you wore before. Since it suits you, I won't change it. My husband can just wear it directly."
"Yes! Then I thank you very much, my lady."
"Siyuan, I expect my departure this time will take a while. Please wait for me patiently here. I have already spoken to Master Bukong about this."
"If, if I haven't returned in three years, go directly to Nanzhou to find Senior Sister Li and ask her to help send you back to the Floating Cloud Mountains."
"Don't worry, my husband, I've remembered everything."
Since their marriage, the two have been together for so many years. No matter how big or small the matter is, Huang Siyuan has almost never objected to anything that Song Qingming has decided.
The only exception was when Huang Siyuan chose to leave "Qinghefang" behind his back and go out to pursue her own path when she was facing the critical moment of her foundation building.
With centuries of tacit understanding between the two, Song Qingming already trusted them implicitly.
After smiling and agreeing, he took out the "White Bone Flying Boat" from his body and then left the sacred mountain as the sun set.
Watching the figure gradually disappear into the distance in the air ahead, Huang Siyuan, just as she had done at "Chiyun Mountain," stood in the courtyard and quietly watched the other person go.
Only when the white light beneath Song Qingming's feet disappeared from her sight did she slowly withdraw her gaze, turn around, and walk back into the house.
".."
Huang Siyuan's residence, "Xuankong Temple," is also located in the Dangmo Mountains, only a few hundred miles away from the gate of "Dangmo Palace."
After passing through several high mountains, Song Qingming quickly arrived at the front of the mountain gate. At this time, many cultivators had already gathered here, and a huge flying boat carrying many cultivators was parked nearby.
As soon as he landed, he saw Lü Yue, who looked delighted, coming to greet him. He quickly stepped forward and cupped his hands in greeting.
"Fellow Daoist Lü, I, Song, have come as invited!"
"Hehe! Fellow Daoist Song is too polite. Please board the flying boat quickly."
Previously, Song Qingming spent tens of thousands of spirit stones to ask Lü Yue to help him find out how to exchange Huang Siyuan for entry into the "Heart Refining Tower" for cultivation.
After patiently waiting for several months at Xuankong Temple, they finally received a response from the other party.
Later, when Song Qingming met Lü Yue, he learned that the "Dangmo Palace" wanted to invite him to go to the Qiyun Immortal Cultivation Realm to help quell the "demonic calamity" there.
As long as Song Qingming is willing to help, within three years at most, regardless of whether the "demonic disaster" can be quelled, the "Demon-Slaying Palace" can give Huang Siyuan a chance to enter the "Heart-Refining Tower" for trial.
Faced with the opportunity offered by Lü Yue, Song Qingming pondered for a few days before giving him a definite answer, agreeing to go with them to the "Qiyun Immortal Cultivation World" to help.
Although facing the unknown "demonic calamity and turmoil" is indeed somewhat dangerous.
But faced with this opportunity that was so close at hand, Song Qingming was still unwilling to give it up easily and resolutely chose to agree to the exchange conditions.
After all, according to what Lü Yue said back then, the Demon-Slaying Palace cherished its own Heart-Refining Tower very much.
To get them to willingly agree to borrow the "Heart Refining Tower," they either need to be Nascent Soul cultivators like his master, "Lingxu Daoist," who have enough influence.
Either you need to demonstrate your abilities and be able to help them complete a challenging task so that they will remember your kindness.
Needless to say, this kind of mission would be extremely dangerous for an ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator.
Even if Song Qingming refused to support the "Qiyun Immortal Cultivation World" in the face of the demonic disaster, he probably wouldn't have fared much better in another mission, and it's unknown when the next opportunity would come.
For Song Qingming, it would be better to agree to this matter, which would also help Huang Siyuan have more time to enter the "Heart Refining Tower" trial sooner.
Moreover, Song Qingming had already witnessed the "demonic calamity" that broke out in "Xihua Continent" when he traveled there, so he had some experience in dealing with those demons.
With the addition of a large army of cultivators from the "Demon-Slaying Palace" led by Lü Yue to provide support, there is still some guarantee of safety.
Song Qingming's cultivation has now reached the sixth level of the Nascent Soul stage. With his own supernatural abilities and numerous magical treasures and spiritual objects, his strength is not much worse than that of a typical late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.
As long as you don't encounter a powerful demon at the Nascent Soul level, even if you can't defeat the opponent, escaping shouldn't be a problem.
After boarding the flying boat with Lü Yue, Song Qingming soon met many other Nascent Soul cultivators, including Yu Zifang, with whom he had a misunderstanding in the past.
Before Song Qingming could step forward, Yu Zifang took the initiative to greet him. The other Nascent Soul cultivators present also got to know Song Qingming briefly through Lü Yue's introduction.
In addition to the six Nascent Soul elders of the Demon-Slaying Palace led by Lü Yue, there were also five other Nascent Soul cultivators from other sects near Yuanzhou who accompanied them.
In addition, twelve Nascent Soul cultivators had gathered on Song Qingming's seemingly ordinary large flying boat.
In addition, there were about two hundred cultivators on the ship dressed in different colored clothes. Apart from a few cultivators who were responsible for piloting the flying boat, the others had a cultivation level of at least Golden Core.
Just after everyone boarded the ship, several figures flew out from the mountain gate not far away and arrived in mid-air in front of the flying ship.
The middle-aged man leading the group was none other than He Yuliang, the leader of the "Dangmo Palace," who had met Song Qingming once before.
"This mission is to eliminate demons and protect the righteous path for the common people. I hope all fellow Daoists will take care of yourselves and return in triumph soon."
"I, He, will certainly host a celebratory banquet here in advance to welcome everyone."
"Thank you, Senior Brother Sect Leader, thank you, Sect Leader He."
Faced with He Yuliang's sincere farewell, the people on the flying boat, led by Lü Yue, immediately returned the greeting with clasped hands.
Then, at Lü Yue's command, the large flying ship, fully loaded with an army of cultivators, set sail and headed northwest.
".."
The "Qiyun Immortal Cultivation World" is located in the northwest of the Donghuang Kingdom, and the two are forcibly separated by a canyon tens of thousands of miles wide.
Cultivators from the "Eastern Phoenix Kingdom" who wish to travel to the Qiyun Immortal Cultivation Realm either need to take a "large flying boat," which can take several months to successfully cross the canyon.
Alternatively, one could travel from the neighboring Huangzhou to the "Qiyun Immortal Cultivation World" instantly via a large "teleportation array".
However, each activation of such a large "teleportation array" requires a large amount of spirit stones, which is unaffordable for ordinary low-level cultivators.
However, Song Qingming and the others went there specifically to support the "Qiyun Immortal Cultivation World" in fighting against the demonic disaster.
Facing those who nominally carry the banner of eliminating demons and protecting the righteous path, everything had already been arranged in advance, so there was no need to worry about the spirit stones.
After the flying boat arrived at the "Huangzhou" territory, they quickly entered the Qiyun Immortal Cultivation World through the "teleportation array".
After about two months, Song Qingming and his group finally arrived at the northern part of the Qiyun Immortal Cultivation World, not far from their destination, the "Jade Spirit Sect".
Upon arriving near the Jade Spirit Sect, Song Qingming and the others, who were standing on the flying boat, quickly noticed a significant increase in strange demonic energy around them.
Occasionally, infected monsters would appear in the surrounding area and attack their airship.
However, these low-level demons were completely unable to affect the numerous high-level cultivators on the flying boat. Before they could even get close to the protective shield, they were killed by the Golden Core cultivators guarding one side.
Just like what Song Qingming experienced in "Xihua Continent" back then, even though they knew that the cultivators on this flying ship were not easy to deal with, those demonic creatures that had already gone mad would still continue to pursue them.
Having already had their intelligence corrupted by demonic energy, they had no independent thoughts whatsoever, only instinctive bloodlust and madness remaining.
Just as the flying boat arrived at the location of the "Jade Spirit Sect" mountain gate, hundreds of giant black birds suddenly appeared in front of them and quickly pressed towards the flying boat where Song Qingming and the others were.
Seeing this, the Golden Core cultivators guarding the front of the flying boat frowned, about to cast a spell together to deal with these demonic creatures.
Before they could make a move, a figure flashed out of the flying boat in mid-air, and then the person raised his hand and released countless white lightning bolts.
After the lightning flashed, a series of booming sounds came from ahead. The once-aggressive black bird army was instantly annihilated and turned into clouds of black mist.
Seeing that it was a Nascent Soul cultivator who made the move, the eyes of the many Golden Core cultivators standing on the flying boat flashed with excitement.
Meanwhile, Lu Yue, Song Qingming, and other Nascent Soul cultivators standing on the flying boat all looked ahead, having already noticed something amiss.
Suddenly, several flashes of spiritual light appeared near the black mist on the distant horizon, as if someone was fighting in front of them, and the commotion seemed to be quite significant, suggesting that they were Nascent Soul cultivators.
Seeing this, Lü Yue immediately addressed the crowd behind him, saying, "It seems a fellow Daoist has encountered trouble ahead. Let's go and lend them a hand."
As soon as the words were spoken, seven or eight streaks of light shot out from the flying boat, quickly heading towards the distant battlefield. (End of Chapter)