Chapter 1223
The Spiritual Treasure of the Grotto Heaven, The Departure of an Old Friend
Deep in the open sea, on a deserted island.
A woman in yellow stood on the beach under the blazing sun, her eyes scanning her surroundings.
The tide washed ashore and then quickly receded, leaving behind a lot of things brought up by the sea.
The woman fixed her gaze ahead and quickly unearthed several snails from a slightly raised patch of mud and sand, placing them into a prepared bamboo basket.
Before long, the woman in yellow, who had filled her bamboo basket to the brim, turned and left the spot, arriving at a cliff face above the beach.
Faced with a huge rock blocking the road ahead, the woman raised her hand and placed it on the rock.
A ripple soon appeared on the once perfectly calm stone, and a semi-transparent vortex passage slowly emerged.
As soon as the woman in yellow stepped inside, the scene before her changed, and a small courtyard quickly appeared in front of her.
Although the courtyard is not large, it is decorated very warmly.
In the courtyard, there was also a woman in white, holding a paintbrush and carefully sketching on a porcelain bowl in her hand, looking extremely serious.
"Sister Siyuan, look what I brought back today!"
Seeing the woman in yellow excitedly holding up the bamboo basket in front of her, the woman in white put down her paintbrush and sighed softly.
"Tao Yu, didn't I tell you to go into seclusion and cultivate properly? Why did you sneak out again?"
If Grandma comes back and finds you missing from the cave, she'll definitely scold you, and then I won't be able to speak up for you anymore.
"Hehe! Don't worry, Sister Siyuan. Master just went out a few days ago, how could he be back so soon?"
These past few years I've spent every day on the island, either in seclusion cultivating myself or fiddling with these things.
"If you don't let me go out for a walk soon, I'm going to die of boredom."
"I told you not to come, but you insisted. Now you can't stay still. You've been with me for so many years."
Just as Tao Yu finished speaking, a flash of light appeared not far behind them, and then a figure appeared in front of them.
Upon seeing the newcomers, Huang Siyuan and Tao Yu were both surprised and quickly stepped forward to greet them.
"Greetings, Master!"
"Master, why are you back so soon? Could it be that the formation has already been set up?"
Just as she received a cup of spiritual tea from Huang Siyuan, she heard Tao Yu ask with a look of surprise.
Grandma Jin Yue did not rush to answer, but carefully sipped the spiritual tea, savoring it for a moment before slowly replying:
"The magic array I've set up isn't enough to hold it in place yet. I need to get some more materials. I plan to go back for a while."
"Master, if you're going back, will you take us with you?"
Upon hearing what "Grandma Jin Yue" said, a glint of light flashed in Tao Yu's eyes.
He stared longingly at the person in front of him, his eyes full of expectation.
Seeing this, Granny Jin Yue put down her teacup, shook her head, and said in a serious tone:
"Your cultivation has now reached the late stage of the Golden Core realm. Sooner or later, you will have to prepare for the formation of your Nascent Soul. I'm telling you that when you go back, you won't be able to stop or control your legs."
I think it's best to stay here and cultivate in seclusion, so that I can calm my mind and truly understand the path of cultivation.
"Master, I..."
Before Tao Yu could finish speaking, "Granny Jin Yue" immediately waved her hand to interrupt her and turned to look at Huang Siyuan, who was brewing tea for her.
"Although you entered the sect later than Tao Yu, your temperament is stronger than the others."
I asked you to stay and cultivate by my side because I was worried that you would leave too early and be entangled in worldly affairs, thus hindering your own path.
Looking back now, I realize I was overthinking things.
Ultimately, the path of spiritual cultivation depends on oneself.
If you wish to leave, you can return with me after some time.
"As for our original agreement, there is no need to worry about it too much. Just make sure you work hard in your cultivation and do not delay your practice."
".
The cultivation world of "Donghuang Kingdom", in the eastern part, Liangzhou.
Nestled among the mountains in the southeast of Liangzhou, an inconspicuous Taoist temple is hidden in the mountains, surrounded by high peaks.
In the backyard of the Taoist temple, an elderly man with white hair, dressed in a Taoist robe, was wielding a broom and slowly clearing away the fallen leaves in the yard.
Suddenly a gentle breeze blew by, and a large tree in the courtyard began to sway uncontrollably, with countless leaves falling from above.
The ground that had just been cleaned up was instantly turned into a mess.
The white-haired old Taoist's expression did not change much. He picked up the object in his hand again and began to clean it slowly.
Just as the white-haired old Taoist was concentrating on sweeping the fallen leaves in the courtyard, the tightly closed door in front of him was suddenly blown open by the wind, and then a beam of light suddenly flew out from inside.
Upon seeing this scene, the white-haired old Taoist's expression changed slightly.
Before he could make any move, the spiritual light had already arrived in front of the white-haired old Taoist and entered his forehead.
"Sigh, it's really rare to have a few days of peace!"
After sighing, the white-haired old Taoist turned around and walked to a wooden house next to him. He raised his hand and released a beam of spiritual light, and the scene before him changed instantly.
Inside the wooden house, a young man sat on a stone platform, surrounded by black mist.
Seemingly sensing the arrival of the newcomer, the man opened his eyes and immediately stood up.
"I'm leaving for a while. Please keep an eye on this place for me and make sure nothing goes wrong."
".
After saying that, the white-haired old man turned around and left without waiting for the other party's reply.
Before long, the white-haired old man appeared in a hall in the backyard.
He raised his hand and produced a jade tablet, and soon a circular magic array appeared in the hall.
Meanwhile, in the Void Palace located outside the Nine Heavens.
A dazzling light suddenly shone on the previously empty stone platform, quickly attracting the attention of several people nearby.
As soon as the spiritual light dissipated, the white-haired old Taoist priest appeared within it.
The white-haired old Taoist priest glanced at the people in front of him and immediately asked, "What's making you so anxious? Have you found some spatial node again?"
When asked by the white-haired old Taoist priest, the leading woman in white simply shook her head.
"You guessed wrong this time. It's not a few of us looking for you."
"If you weren't looking for me, could it be that...!"
Upon hearing the other party's reply, the white-haired old Taoist's calm expression suddenly changed, and he looked up at the sky above him.
Suddenly, a figure appeared on the bronze coffin that had been locked by more than a dozen iron chains in mid-air.
".
The summit of Qingyun Mountain.
Song Qingming, dressed in a silver-white robe, stood quietly in a void.
Not far in front of him, "Qu Bai," dressed in black, held a golden pagoda in his hands, staring intently at the spiritual object with a solemn expression.
The golden pagoda held in Qu Bai's hand is the "Nine-Layered Golden Pagoda" that Song Qingming found in the Qinghe Cave several years ago!
This object was not only sentient, but it could also autonomously activate the restrictions within the cave, almost overwhelming Song Qingming at the time.
It took a lot of effort and risk for Song Qingming to subdue it.
In addition, Song Qingming also found the fourth fragment of the map he had been longing for in the tower.
Upon returning to Qingyun Mountain, Song Qingming initially focused his energy on studying the image fused with the fragmented map on his body, treating it as an ordinary magic weapon and storing it in his storage artifact.
It wasn't until half a year ago, after he had been studying the incomplete map without gaining any additional insights, that he remembered the treasure he possessed.
The "Nine-Layer Golden Pagoda" was already of a higher grade than ordinary level four high-grade magic treasures. Song Qingming initially thought that this item was also a replica of a spirit treasure.
He then cast a spell, intending to attempt to directly refine this treasure.
But what Song Qingming didn't expect was that in the past, it would only take ten days to half a month at most to refine a replica of a spiritual treasure.
This time, it took him nearly half a year to successfully refine the "Nine-Layer Golden Pagoda" in his hands.
Just after Song Qingming finally managed to refine this treasure, he discovered an even more unexpected situation while casting spells to control it.
On the surface, this "Nine-Layer Golden Pagoda" appears to be a high-level magical artifact, but inside it is a hidden world, containing an independent space that is over a thousand feet long and wide.
Just as Song Qingming was about to probe with his divine sense, he was directly sucked into the tower, which really startled him.
Having cultivated for so many years, Song Qingming had seen many high-level storage artifacts.
But this is the first time I've ever seen a magical artifact with such a large storage space that can also bring cultivators inside.
Unable to determine the exact grade of this treasure, he proactively sought out Qu Bai, who was still in seclusion next door, for advice.
Upon hearing that this object was a massive spatial magical artifact, Qu Bai was somewhat surprised.
After staring intently at the "Nine-Layered Golden Pagoda" in his hand for a long time, he slowly spoke to Song Qingming before him:
"If I'm not mistaken, this item should be a rather rare celestial treasure."
"A magical treasure from a celestial cave!"
"Senior, are you saying that this tower is not a replica of a spirit treasure, but a genuine level-five spirit treasure?"
Upon hearing Song Qingming's cautious inquiry, "Qu Bai" explained with a hint of disdain:
"The so-called 'Cave Heaven Treasure' is a special kind of spatial treasure, which can form an independent world inside and will not be disturbed by the outside world."
In other words, as long as your cultivation level is high enough, even if this realm collapses, you can use this treasure to travel through the outer void and protect your life.
I rarely see this kind of special spiritual treasure even in the Upper Realm; it is far more precious than the ordinary level-five spiritual treasure you mentioned.
"Tell me honestly, where did you find this thing?"
"To be honest, I obtained this item from an ancient cave dwelling left behind by an ancestor. Senior, do you still remember the Ice Scale Pearl that I commissioned someone to refine? In fact, I commissioned someone to refine this treasure in order to break into this cave dwelling and retrieve it."
Fortunately, perseverance pays off; decades of meticulous preparation finally allowed me to successfully find this item.
"Oh! I advised you not to waste materials, but you wouldn't listen. So that's what it was about. Since you weren't away for long last time, I suppose this cave should be not far from the Floating Cloud Mountains."
You've kept it well hidden, kid; you haven't revealed a single piece of information.
"I am now your spirit, my life and death are in your hands, there's no need for you to be so wary of me!"
Hearing the displeasure in Qu Bai's tone, Song Qingming quickly reassured him, "Senior, please don't be offended. At the time, I didn't know what spiritual objects were in this cave. I was just trying my luck."
It wasn't an intentional attempt to deceive you, senior; please don't overthink it.
As an old monster from the upper realm who has lived for countless years, "Qu Bai" naturally has a keen eye and can tell at a glance that Song Qingming seems to be intentionally hiding something and not telling him the whole truth.
But since the other party is unwilling to say more, even if I am somewhat displeased, I will not say anything more.
After all, he is now a spirit of a weapon and needs Song Qingming to take him back to the Upper Realm. How could he care too much about such a small matter?
"Young friend, although this item is rare in the lower realm, you should still be careful and never reveal its special powers to others."
Otherwise, if word gets out, it might attract the covetous eyes of those Nascent Soul stage monsters.
"Thank you for the reminder, senior. I will certainly be careful."
Upon hearing Qu Bai's solemn words of advice, Song Qingming instantly understood what he meant and quickly nodded in agreement.
Although he was still unclear about the specific value of the "Cave Heaven Treasure".
However, as long as this item is a level 5 spiritual treasure, it is enough to tempt a Nascent Soul cultivator. Song Qingming naturally knew its power.
In the world of cultivation, imitations of spiritual treasures are rare.
However, top-tier Nascent Soul sects with deep foundations, like the ten major sects of Donghuang Kingdom, would each possess one or two such items, and Song Qingming had personally witnessed quite a few over the years.
In contrast, true level-five spiritual treasures are extremely rare.
In the entire "Eastern Phoenix Immortal Continent," apart from the three major Nascent Soul sects led by the "Heavenly Imperial Sect," Song Qingming had not heard of anyone in other Nascent Soul sects possessing spiritual items of this level.
If outsiders were to learn about the "Nine-Layer Golden Pagoda" in his possession, given Song Qingming's current cultivation level and the limited power of the "Free and Unfettered Sect," it would be disastrous.
There is a high probability that they will be unable to protect such a spiritual creature.
In order to avoid disaster, they might have to offer it up voluntarily.
After nodding to "Qu Bai", Song Qingming hesitated for a moment, then took out a portrait from his person and unfolded it in front of the other party.
"Senior Qu, I previously discovered a rather strange portrait on a stone wall in that cave."
Do you recognize this object up ahead?
"This is,."
Looking at the portrait that Song Qingming took out, which still had many incomplete parts, Qu Bai looked at it for a long time but then shook his head.
"Although this thing looks like some kind of magic weapon, its contents are incomplete, and I can't figure out anything about it for the time being."
"Hey kid, what other good stuff have you gotten? Just show it all to me, so I don't have to ask you about each one individually."
"Aside from this dazzling golden pagoda, I didn't bring anything good this time, which has disappointed you, senior."
Seeing Song Qingming's sincere expression, "Qu Bai" didn't say much and nodded to him.
As Song Qingming gently waved his hand, the scene before them changed, and they returned to the cave where "Qu Bai" had been.
Once they left the cave space of the "Ninefold Mysterious Mirror Tower," Qu Bai quickly turned around and walked to the stone table in front of him, took out a note from it, and handed it to Song Qingming.
"These are all the things I need to cultivate that Xuanbing Jade Silkworm. Once you've collected them, send them to me as soon as possible."
I also need spirit wood and ore. It's been so long and I still haven't found them. You need to hurry up and stop making me keep nagging you.
Hey kid, you're not just dawdling with me because you're worried about the spirit stones, are you?
"Let me tell you, the treasure I'm about to forge will be crucial for your future smuggling into the upper realm."
Seeing the note handed to him by "Qu Bai" filled with densely packed spiritual items, Song Qingming felt somewhat helpless.
"Senior is joking. It's not about the spirit stones. It's just that the spirit wood and ores you want are all level four or higher spiritual items. They're not something you can just find anywhere."
I've already sent someone to inquire, but it will probably take some more time.
"Don't worry, senior. I'll send you the news as soon as I get it."
Since moving to Qingyun Mountain, Qu Bai has spent most of his time in his cave.
Besides researching the "Heavenly Secret Insect" and cultivating the "Mysterious Jade Ice Silkworm," he also agreed to work on crafting the "Boundary-Breaking Ancestral Wood" that Song Qingming had obtained by chance.
In just over a decade, Song Qingming has already spent over a million spirit stones on various spiritual objects and materials provided for his research.
Fortunately, Song Qingming is still quite wealthy, and he also made a small fortune after conquering Qingyun Mountain during the previous monster turmoil, so so far he hasn't had any worries about it.
Otherwise, if it were any other Nascent Soul cultivator, facing "Qu Bai," a bottomless pit of spirit stones, it's uncertain whether they would be able to satisfy him.
Ultimately, however, Qu Bai's actions were for his own benefit, and also to help Song Qingming prepare for his future smuggling to the upper realm.
Even if it costs a lot of spirit stones, Song Qingming will not be ambiguous about this matter.
After taking the note from the other party and glancing at it, Song Qingming put it away and then turned and walked out of the "Qu Bai" cave.
Just as Song Qingming left the secret room, he saw a figure walking towards him in the hall, holding a "transmission talisman" in his hand.
"Qingyu sent it over not long ago, saying that someone wants to see you."
".
He opened the barrier at the entrance of the cave and immediately his divine sense covered the entire mountaintop.
The next moment, Song Qingming vanished from his spot.
In the "Huixian Pavilion" located on the west side of the mountaintop, Song Qingyu sat in the head seat, with three other figures below him.
Besides Song Changze and Liu Yuxin, a couple who had just arrived from Donghai, there was another familiar figure.
It was Luo Li, the sect leader of the "Tianxuan Sect," who had a half-master-disciple relationship with Song Qingming and later became Song Qingyu's nominal disciple.
After decades apart, Luo Li's cultivation had reached the ninth level of the Golden Core realm, catching up with Song Changze and Liu Yuxin, who had formed their cores earlier than her.
It seemed to be Luo Li's first time visiting the cultivation world of "Floating Cloud Mountain Range," and he was filled with excitement as he saw many new things.
Song Qingyu then brought out many good things to entertain the three people in front of her and chatted with them for quite a while.
Suddenly, a flash of light appeared at the bottom of the stairs, and Song Qingming's figure appeared. The three of them quickly stepped forward and bowed.
"Greetings, seniors and ancestors!"
"No need for formalities among family members, please rise."
After waving his hand, Song Qingming focused his divine sense directly on Song Changze, and then nodded to him with a hint of satisfaction.
"I'm relieved to see that your injuries seem to be mostly healed."
"Changze is incompetent, causing the Ancestor to worry. I am truly ashamed!"
Previously, Song Changze, Liu Yuxin, and others received a large reward for helping the sect find mineral veins in the outer sea.
With the addition of some spiritual items provided by Song Qingming, Song Changze was able to purchase a "Nurture Pill" from Lei Yuanhai and go into seclusion to attempt to form his Nascent Soul.
Unfortunately, his first attempt at forming a nascent soul was unsuccessful, and he failed to emerge from seclusion six years ago.
Song Qingming and Song Qingyu had anticipated that Song Changze would fail to achieve Nascent Soul, since his talent was not as good as Song Yuanhao and Zhou Ziyang.
Moreover, this was Song Changze's first attempt to break through to the Nascent Soul realm, and his chances of success were less than 20%.
Fortunately, Song Changze is only a little over four hundred years old and still has a second chance to form his Nascent Soul. His failure to form his Nascent Soul for the first time will not have too much of an impact on him.
Besides Song Changze, Liu Yuxin and Luo Li have both reached the ninth level of the Golden Core realm, and are about to form their Nascent Souls.
The purpose of my visit to Qingyun Mountain is not only to travel around, but also to seek a spiritual object for infant formation.
Song Changze and Liu Yuxin have received a considerable share of spirit stones every year thanks to their shares in the offshore spirit stone mine.
In previous years, during the "monster turmoil," the couple served as guards in the outer sea, replacing Song Yuanhao to return to the sect and were rewarded with many merits and honors.
Now, he has accumulated more than 300,000 spirit stones, which he exchanged with Song Qingming for a "Nurture Pill" and a bottle of "Cold Jade Spirit Liquid".
Although Luo Li didn't bring many spirit stones with him this time, he still managed to exchange them for a bottle of "Frosty Jade Spirit Liquid," which fulfilled his wish.
Although the spiritual items that assist in the formation of the Nascent Soul are extremely precious, they are normally not exchanged for cultivators outside of sects and families.
But in Song Qingming's eyes, both Song Changze and his wife, as well as Luo Li, were no different from his own disciples and juniors, so he naturally did not treat them as outsiders.
However, to be fair, Song Qingming wouldn't be too polite to them about the spirit stones he was supposed to collect.
They were all given equivalent spirit stones according to the sect's merit-making system.
Once the deal was finalized, Song Qingming rewarded Song Changze and the other two with 20,000 spirit stones each, as a personal bonus for them.
In addition, Song Qingyu also personally instructed the group on matters that needed to be noted when forming their Nascent Souls.
In particular, Song Qingyu taught Luo Li, who also cultivated the "Xuanming Sword Technique," without holding anything back.
After successfully obtaining the desired spiritual item, Liu Yuxin stepped forward and bowed deeply to Song Qingming.
“Ancestor, Yu Xin has come here today with another request.”
"We're family, so feel free to speak your mind. There's no need for such formalities!"
Only after Song Qingming used his magic to help the other person up did Liu Yuxin take out a letter and hand it to Song Qingming.
"My master left a will before her death, wishing to be buried back at Jingyuan Mountain. I would like to ask the ancestor if it is possible to move my master's remains back to Qinghe County and restore her family's Taoist name."
Liu Yuxin's master, He Yuxin, had cultivated to the ninth level of the Golden Core stage at a very early age.
However, he had failed to form a Nascent Soul twice before and was unable to advance to the Nascent Soul realm as he wished. He passed away in his mountain cave several years ago.
Upon opening the letter, Song Qingming immediately recognized the handwriting of his old friend and couldn't help but sigh softly.
"These are Fellow Daoist He's last words; you may do as he says!"
"I will send a message to Yuanfang in Qinghe County to inform him of this matter, and I will personally go to offer sacrifices then." (End of this chapter)