Chapter 1221
Carefree and Unfettered, Spiritual Incarnation
A few days later, outside a market town in the southeast corner of Qinghe County.
The market was located on the banks of the Qinghe River, where several large boats were moored at the dock, and many people were busy unloading goods.
It was the dead of winter, and many people were already bundled up in thick cotton-padded clothes, but a young man dressed in a light blue shirt walked along the street of the market along the riverbank.
Seeing that the newcomer's gaze was fixed on the cargo ship ahead, a manager with a short mustache next to him quickly stepped forward.
"The immortals have arrived here; are they going to travel south by boat?"
Our Longsheng Pavilion's ship will depart tomorrow and will arrive in Guyang County in no more than half a month, ensuring your journey will not be delayed.
"No need, I was just looking around."
The young man waved his hand dismissively, indicating his refusal.
The manager could only nod in disappointment. Before leaving, he glanced at the other person with some doubt, but dared not say anything more.
"Strange, what's so interesting about this river?"
".
Ignoring the confusion on the other person's face, the man in the green robe walked slowly upstream along the riverbank and soon arrived at an old boat located at the edge of the dock.
The fishing boat seemed to have just docked. An elderly man with white hair, carrying a bamboo pipe, was pulling at a fishing net in his hand.
There was also a strong young man of about fifteen or sixteen years old following beside the old man, dragging a fish basket to carry the river fish that had just been caught on the boat to the shore.
Suddenly hearing footsteps approaching, the old man quickly stood up and looked up.
"I've heard the scenery upstream of the Qinghe River is quite beautiful. I wonder if you could give me a ride?"
"Upstream!"
"Those areas are all under the jurisdiction of immortals, this old man dares not go there, you should find another place, sir!"
Upon hearing what the other person said, the old man was slightly taken aback, and immediately shook his head.
But before he could finish speaking, the man in the green robe pulled out a bright white ingot, and the old man's voice immediately stopped.
"Stone Boy, hurry up and go to the back to row the boat, we have guests."
".
The fishing boat left the shore and quickly disappeared near the dock.
The elderly man and his grandson, one in front and one behind, used the familiar rhythm of poles and oars to propel the small boat upstream like a sharp sword.
As the sun rises, steam rises from the water, and fishing boats shuttle back and forth among it.
After traveling more than ten miles upstream, they could no longer see any fishing boats around them, leaving only the small boat beneath their feet.
The mountains on both sides are faintly visible, and the sky and water meet at the horizon. The fishing boats float on the water, yet they seem to float like celestial boats in the sky.
The man in the green robe sat quietly at the bow of the boat, his gaze lingering on the rare and beautiful scenery.
After rounding a bend, the boatman suddenly lowered his bamboo pole, bringing the small boat to a sudden stop, and turned to look at the man in the green robe behind him.
"Sir, the rest of the way up is the realm of immortals, so we can only take you this far."
"Oh! Is this river also inhabited by immortals?"
Faced with the man's somewhat puzzled question, the old man glanced at him and quickly explained, "Sir, you're new to this place, you must have heard of the Song family's reputation."
Let alone the river beneath our feet, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the entire Qinghe County belongs to them.
Above that lies the territory under the jurisdiction of the Song family. Not only are we mortals forbidden from approaching, but even immortals cannot do so casually, or they will be in serious trouble if caught.
I think you are also a celestial being, sir. Please forgive this old man for saying something out of turn.
"We've lived in this river our whole lives, and besides these countless stones, there are no magical treasures. It's all just nonsense spread by the people in the market to scare us."
"Oh! Has no one ever found treasure in this river?"
The old man, who frequented the market area, was not particularly surprised when the other party recognized his immortal identity.
"Hehe! I've heard my elders say since I was a child that there are treasures in this river, but I've never seen anyone actually find them in all these years."
I remember two years ago, some immortals came to me to inquire about things, and several people even wanted to hire my boat.
The old man didn't have the guts to make that money, but the Zhang brothers were greedy and secretly took them upstream.
But after they went there, none of them came back, and people thought they had met with some misfortune.
It was only later that they learned that all of these people had been sent to Yunwu Mountain to mine.
I guess I'll never be able to come back in this lifetime.
"Everyone says that once you cultivate immortality, you will be carefree and never have any troubles in your life, but I don't think that's entirely true."
Knowing full well the perilous road ahead, so many people are still lured here by these empty promises.
They'd risk their lives just to find those treasures.
Mortals struggle to make a living, and immortals are no different.
Where in this world can one find a lifetime of carefree ease?
Upon hearing the boatman's words, the man in the green robe remained silent for a long while before finally replying:
"Mortals and immortals alike have their own troubles; it is indeed difficult for anyone to live a carefree life."
I never expected the old boatman to see things so clearly than I did; I've learned a lot today.
Seeing the man in the green robe raise his hand towards him, the old man quickly waved his hand and continued speaking:
"So, no matter how long or short life is, don't be too attached to things and cause yourself trouble. When it's time to turn back, you should turn back."
Since we know we can't get any further, why don't we just turn back and go in a different direction?
Whether you're a deity or a mortal, as long as you don't make things difficult for yourself, there's always a way to get through this path.
"Sir, there are rules that prevent you from getting too close. Please understand."
Would you like to wander around around here some more, or should I take you ashore for a walk and then take you back later?
Despite the old boatman's reminder, the man in the green robe shook his head.
"No need, let's stop here!"
"Oh! You mean you're going back now? Hmm?"
The old boatman had just looked up to reply when he saw that the spot where the man in the green robe had been standing was now empty; he had long since disappeared.
Before he could look around, a voice suddenly entered his ears from the void.
"Fortunately, the old man gave me a chance. The contents of this bottle can cure illness and ward off disaster. Consider it a token of my gratitude to you two."
Upon hearing this voice from an unknown source, the old boatman's face suddenly showed surprise, and his gaze fell on a small bottle at the bow of the boat.
The two picked up the jade bottle, opened it, and looked inside. It contained several "pills" that emitted a faint golden light, clearly not ordinary items.
"Thank you for the treasure, immortal!"
".
Thousands of feet away from the flying boat, Song Qingming sped through the air, his mind still replaying his conversation with the boatman.
On this trip, Song Qingming happened to pass by the "Nanhefang" wharf.
Seeing the beautiful scenery all around, I was moved and decided to stop and take a boat tour to see the local customs and culture.
Although the old boatman was just an ordinary mortal, he had his own unique insights into life, which made Song Qingming, a powerful immortal, feel somewhat ashamed.
This trip really allowed me to see some different things.
After muttering a few words to himself, Song Qingming arrived above a magic array on the upper reaches of the Qinghe River.
A burst of spiritual light flashed around him, and he quickly disappeared into the magic array, vanishing without a trace.
Despite the fact that the restrictions outside "Qinghe Cave" remain unchanged for decades, it is evident that the Song family has done a very good job of managing the area, and neither cultivators nor mortals dare to approach it.
Even with the strictest rules, some people are still drawn in by vague rumors, thinking that there might be some treasure hidden in the river.
These people, who were eager to find treasure, could not escape the watchful eyes of the Song family's cultivators stationed here.
Whether they are cultivators or mortals, anyone who gets close to the waters near the cave will inevitably be taken to "Cloud Mist Mountain" to mine, paying the price for breaking the rules.
In the world of cultivation, countless skeletons are like this.
".
He easily broke through the outer barriers and quickly arrived at the familiar main hall.
The spell was cast again to activate the restriction above the mural.
A moment later, Song Qingming was teleported to a "snowy and icy world," and the surrounding temperature dropped instantly.
Seeing this, Song Qingming immediately cast a spell to release a transparent ice ball, which stood in front of him.
Soon his figure was enveloped by a semi-transparent white light, which then blocked the cold air coming from all directions outside the protective barrier.
This is Song Qingming's third time here since he broke through to the late Nascent Soul stage.
I failed the first two times due to insufficient preparation, and was seriously injured by the cold air inside. I still remember it vividly.
In order to increase his chances of passing the level, he not only raised his cultivation to the ninth level of the Nascent Soul realm, but also specially brought back a high-grade level four ice-attribute magic weapon from the "Zhongyuan Immortal Continent".
Now, with the "Ice Scale Pearl" in front of him, he should have no problem getting through this ordeal.
He quickly channeled his magical power into the "Ice Scale Pearl" in his hand, then slowly walked forward.
Before long, the cold wind around them began to grow stronger and stronger, accompanied by a piercing howl, as if trying to push the person in front of them away.
But with the "Ice Scale Pearl" providing cover, Song Qingming was completely unafraid of the cold air in front of him.
To ward off the cold wind ahead, Song Qingming once again activated the "Azure Jade Refining Treasure Technique," covering the magic weapon with the green spiritual energy he had cultivated for many years.
In just a moment, the power of the transparent shield formed by the "Ice Scale Pearl" increased significantly again.
One step, two steps, three steps...
Although they walked slowly, their steps were incredibly firm.
Soon, Song Qingming arrived near a dark cave entrance.
The cold wind howled, as if it could blow away everything in the world, and it was getting stronger and stronger on Song Qingming.
It even seeped through the outer protective barrier and formed a thick layer of white frost on Song Qingming's body.
Looking ahead, only a dozen feet away, the cave entrance was practically within reach, yet he was so frozen he could barely move. His gaze furrowed slightly, and Song Qingming raised his hand to cast a spell, summoning his natal magic weapon, the "Five Elements Divine Light Mirror," which circled around him.
The next moment, several white flames flew out from the "Five Elements Divine Light Mirror," instantly melting the frost on their bodies.
Song Qingming quickly regained his composure and continued walking forward.
Last time he came to try this challenge, Song Qingming managed to rent a high-grade level four magic weapon from "Long Ziyun," but he still collapsed from exhaustion at the last few dozen feet.
This time, he was well-prepared and in much better condition than last time, and he certainly didn't want to repeat the same mistake.
He poured all his magical power into the two magical treasures and slowly moved forward against the fierce wind.
Although each step seemed to exhaust all his strength, Song Qingming's expression was extremely determined as he shortened the distance between himself and the cave entrance step by step.
Ten zhang, five zhang, three zhang...
Only one foot remained; the goal was within reach.
Although Song Qingming was struggling to breathe from the strong wind and beads of sweat were already forming on his forehead, he was extremely excited.
"Five Elements Divine Light Mirror"
After the golden bronze mirror turned, several golden iron chains suddenly flew out and pierced into the stone wall in front of it.
Using the chains to help stabilize himself, Song Qingming suddenly cast a spell and poured it into the "Ice Scale Pearl" in front of him.
The next moment, a chill emanated from it, freezing the golden chains and turning them into an incredibly hard rope.
With his hands gripping the chains, Song Qingming continued to move forward, his steps faltering.
".
Half an incense stick later, a figure rushed out of the dark cave.
Covered in frost, Song Qingming collapsed to the ground, shivering uncontrollably from the cold.
Although his magic power was almost exhausted and he looked extremely disheveled, he couldn't help but show a relieved smile on his face.
"After spending so much time, I finally managed to get through the icy passage behind me. It wasn't all for nothing."
That's really not easy!
Previously, Song Qingming had passed through several checkpoints, which were somewhat difficult, but none were as challenging as this.
This time, his cultivation reached the ninth level of the Nascent Soul realm, and with the addition of a top-tier fourth-grade ice-attribute magic treasure like the "Ice Scale Pearl," he managed to pass this test by sheer luck.
To be honest, Song Qingming felt that this level was somewhat different from the previous ones.
Could it be just as I thought, that this is the last passage in the cave?
"I just don't know what's hidden inside—a magic weapon, a spiritual medicine, or something else entirely, or perhaps it's related to the fragment of the map I have on me."
He had already gained many benefits from this "Qinghe Cave," and even saw a level-five spiritual herb.
This last passage shouldn't be any worse, in theory.
Sitting on the ground, Song Qingming's mind was filled with images of high-level spiritual objects, and he was already filled with anticipation.
However, he is not in good physical condition right now and needs to recover first.
He took out a healing elixir from his person and swallowed it. Then, Song Qingming took out a few mid-grade spirit stones and held them in his hand.
He then sat cross-legged and, with the help of the remaining map on his body, began to restore his own magical power.
With the help of the incomplete map, in just half an hour, Song Qingming's complexion improved significantly, and his aura gradually returned to normal.
Having just been exposed to the cold wind for a long time, her face was still frighteningly white.
Seeing that his condition had almost recovered, Song Qingming got up and looked around, only to find that he was in what appeared to be a cave.
It was pitch black ahead, and for a moment it was impossible to see what was there.
With a raised hand, a sphere appeared, and the entire cave was quickly illuminated by white light, its size similar to several caves Song Qingming had seen before.
There was nothing around, except for a human-shaped stone statue standing in the middle, which looked somewhat familiar.
Having already witnessed the power of the stone golem in the previous level, Song Qingming's gaze became more cautious as he slowly moved forward.
But as he approached the stone statue, Song Qingming suddenly froze, a look of surprise appearing on his face.
"This stone statue, how is that possible!"
The human-shaped stone statue in front of us has stood here for countless years, and it is covered with a lot of dust.
However, its shape and appearance, as well as the face on the stone statue, are very similar to Song Qingming himself.
No wonder he felt a sense of familiarity upon first seeing this item.
"Wait a minute! I just came in here. Could I be under an illusion?"
Looking at the stone statue in front of him that looked exactly like himself, Song Qingming's expression immediately turned serious, and he hurriedly cast a spell to activate the "Azure Rhinoceros Jade Pendant" hanging on his body.
But after the flash of blue light, the scene ahead remained unchanged, without the slightest alteration.
Only now did Song Qingming realize that what was in front of him was not a hallucination as he had imagined, but a real scene.
"What's going on? Is there really someone who looks so much like me?"
Several hundred years have passed since Song Qingming discovered this "Qinghe Cave".
After several investigations, he was able to roughly confirm that this "cave dwelling" had existed for at least ten thousand years and was definitely not a product of his birth.
Could it be just a coincidence, or is there some powerful being from the higher realm who can predict in advance that they will come here?
Although Song Qingming has broken through to the ninth level of the Nascent Soul realm and is now at the top of the cultivation world in the "Floating Cloud Mountain Range," his reputation is well-known throughout the entire Eastern Phoenix Immortal Continent.
But in the end, he was just a Nascent Soul cultivator who had only cultivated for a few hundred years.
Compared to those Nascent Soul stage cultivators who have lived for thousands of years, and ancient powerful cultivators, Song Qingming's level of cultivation is truly insignificant.
Who knows what other supernatural powers this cultivation world holds that he cannot even imagine?
Standing there pondering for a long time, Song Qingming still couldn't figure out what was happening, so he could only put it aside for the time being.
Regardless, let's look for the treasure first.
With a wave of his hand, two low-level "puppet beasts" flew out of Song Qingming's hand and headed straight for the stone statue in front of him.
I thought I would encounter some kind of restriction as before, but to my surprise, the two "puppet beasts" easily crossed the ground and arrived in front of the stone statue.
After circling the other party for a long time and still not finding any danger, Song Qingming finally relaxed.
In a flash, he arrived in front of the stone statue, where he could see the human face clearly up close.
Apart from the slightly different clothes they were wearing, their faces were almost identical.
Staring at the stone statue in front of him, Song Qingming suddenly felt a strange sensation in his chest, causing his expression to change once again.
"This is... a fragment of a map!"
Since obtaining the third fragment of the map years ago, Song Qingming had not felt this familiar feeling for a long time.
But even after many years, he still remembers it very well and hasn't forgotten a thing.
It was the reaction from the fragment of the map on his chest that proved that there should be other fragments of maps not far from him.
His eyes searched around, but apart from the stone statue in front of him that looked just like him, the entire cave was empty, with almost no place to hide anything.
After going around in circles, Song Qingming's gaze finally returned to the same spot.
"Could it be in 'him'?"
He quickly scanned the stone statue with his divine sense, but still found nothing unusual.
Just as Song Qingming was casting a spell to move it, a burst of spiritual light suddenly emanated from the stone statue in front of him, and the stones on its surface suddenly began to peel off.
Seeing this, Song Qingming immediately used magic to retreat quickly, and activated the "Five Elements Divine Light Mirror" to protect himself.
In just a short while, the stone statue that had been standing still transformed into a figure radiating golden light.
Although this person was a semi-transparent spirit, he was seven or eight parts similar to Song Qingming, and even his aura was no less than Song Qingming's.
"A spiritual incarnation, so that's how it is."
Looking at the opponent before him who was very similar to himself, Song Qingming's gaze became solemn. He raised his hand and cast a spell to activate the golden bronze mirror in front of him.
The next moment, his natal magic weapon, the "Five Elements Divine Light Mirror," split into five, shooting out chains from five different directions straight towards his opponent.
Just as Song Qingming was casting his spell, the magical power on the "spiritual avatar" in mid-air was also rapidly gathering.
A flash of golden light appeared, and five golden bronze mirrors appeared in front of him, each shooting out five chains that blocked Song Qingming's attack in mid-air.
Seeing that this "spiritual incarnation" was wielding a magic weapon that was exactly the same as Song Qingming's natal magic weapon, the "Five Elements Divine Light Mirror," one could see that the "spiritual incarnation" was wielding a magic weapon identical to Song Qingming's natal magic weapon, the "Five Elements Divine Light Mirror."
Even the white flames attached to the golden chains were exactly the same, and their power was comparable.
When his first attack failed, Song Qingming immediately changed his strategy, retrieved his natal magic weapon, and cast a spell to release a white lightning bolt from his body.
After the "Heaven-Devouring Thunder Technique" appeared, it immediately transformed into two "giant white hands" that went up and entangled the golden bronze mirror in front of the opponent.
Under the lightning, the "spiritual avatar" on the other side was completely covered by a cage of electric light and could not escape from it.
But just as Song Qingming trapped the opponent, the "spiritual avatar" also emitted a white light, which wrapped around the lightning he released.
Immediately afterwards, Song Qingming felt his lightning being devoured by his opponent, and the exact same divine power appeared on his opponent again.
Seeing this, Song Qingming, who knew the power of the "Heaven-Devouring Thunder Technique", hurriedly cast a spell and forcefully tore off the two giant lightning hands.
But before it could retreat to its original position, the "spiritual avatar" in mid-air suddenly raised its hand and drew out a golden giant sword.
The next moment, a powerful pressure instantly enveloped Song Qingming, causing his expression to change drastically.
"This is the Golden Palace Cloud Light Sword."
"not good!"
Seeing that the other party could even take out his imitation spiritual treasure, Song Qingming was caught off guard and immediately cast a spell to summon the "Seven-Colored Green Lotus" to stand in front of him.
After a loud "boom," the entire cave shook violently.
As soon as the two beams of light separated, Song Qingming took several steps back before slowly regaining his footing.
At this moment, he looked at the "spiritual avatar" in mid-air, and his gaze once again showed a hint of apprehension.
"They can even replicate all the magical treasures I have. This is really troublesome."
(I completely forgot to post this, I'm so sorry!) (End of Chapter)