Chapter 1224
Time Flies, Younger Generations of the Family
Chapter 1224 Time Flies, Younger Generations of the Family
Jingyuan Mountain in Qinghe County.
Since Liu Yuxin rebuilt the Liu family on "Jingyuan Mountain" hundreds of years ago.
The once impoverished Liu family, which only had a few Qi Refining stage cultivators, has undergone a dramatic transformation thanks to the stable development of Qinghe County in recent years.
Not only are there nearly 100,000 mortals at the foot of the mountain, but there are also 60 or 70 cultivators on the mountain, which is more than when the Liu family was destroyed.
The current head of the Liu family, Liu Chengyang, is also the only Foundation Establishment cultivator in the Liu family.
Although he was nearly two hundred years old and his face already showed signs of aging, Liu Chengyang still arrived at the cemetery on the back mountain early in the morning.
This person has been the undisputed leader of the Foundation Establishment Clan on Jingyuan Mountain for nearly two hundred years.
At this moment, however, he acted like a reserved junior, carefully waiting to the side, not daring to speak too loudly.
This was because standing not far in front of him were all highly skilled and renowned Golden Core Ancestors.
To send He Mengxin back to her hometown in glory, not only did Song Changze and Liu Yuxin personally attend, but the "Hundred Flowers Palace" of the East Sea also sent a Golden Core Elder to accompany her.
Even if He Mengxin did not choose to be buried on "Wanhu Island", she was, after all, a Golden Core Elder of "Baihua Palace" who had served the sect for hundreds of years.
The Palace of a Hundred Flowers will not lack the proper courtesy and treatment.
The funeral had just begun when people started arriving from the foot of the mountain. These were all cultivation forces from Qinghe County that were on good terms with the Liu family, as well as various Foundation Establishment families.
Since Song Qingming achieved Nascent Soul, Qinghe County, under the protection of the Song family, has not experienced any wars for hundreds of years, making it a rare peaceful place in the cultivation world.
Back when the Song family of Funiu Mountain had just advanced to the Golden Core stage, there were only four or five Foundation Establishment families in Qinghe County combined.
Now, several hundred years later, the number of cultivation families in the entire Qinghe County has increased many times over.
There were more than a dozen Foundation Establishment families who came to Jingyuan Mountain to attend the funeral. Most of them were cultivation families affiliated with the Song family of Funiu Mountain.
In addition, there were a few other Foundation Establishment cultivators who were on good terms with the Liu family.
Just as everyone was arriving, several more figures appeared at the foot of "Jingyuan Mountain," with the leader being none other than Song Yuanfang, the eldest elder of the Song family.
Upon seeing the arrival of their distinguished guests, Liu Yuxin and Song Changze immediately led their men to greet them.
"Sixteenth Uncle, why did you come in person?"
"When Senior Liu visited Funiu Mountain years ago, he gave me some pointers. How could I, as his junior, not come to see him off today?"
Fortunately, my old legs can still walk, so I didn't arrive too late.
"Uncle Sixteen is joking. You are so healthy and strong, and you still have to share the burden of the old ancestor every day. You are no less than us juniors."
If we're talking about being old, it's still a long way off.
"Hehe! Time flies like a galloping horse, and the days and months pass like falling flowers and flowing water. We old folks have been counting down the days for a long time."
"The task of relieving our ancestors' burdens in the future will depend on you young people."
As a cultivator of the "Yuan" generation in the Song family, second only to a few Nascent Soul ancestors, Song Yuanfang's cultivation level was only at the third level of Golden Core, but his lifespan was already close to five hundred years.
Now, he has taken on the appearance of a man in his fifties.
Looking at Song Changze and Liu Yuxin, who still looked young and whose cultivation had reached the ninth level of the Golden Core realm, their future prospects were bright.
Their eyes were filled with envy.
Although Song Yuanfang's path to enlightenment ended early, he is still in relatively good health.
With the good health he has maintained over the years, his current mental state is quite good, and there are no signs of declining health. He should have more than a hundred years left to live.
After chatting with Song Changze and his wife for a few minutes, Song Yuanfang immediately turned to the three people behind him and introduced them:
"Changze, these are Yushan, Yuping, and Yuan. They are all juniors of the Yu generation in the family. You probably haven't met them before."
"I had heard Uncle Yuanhao mention that there were three outstanding talents in the Yu generation. They are indeed rising stars in the family, much better than we were back then."
Following behind Song Yuanfang were Song Yushan, Song Yuping, and Song Yu'an.
Besides Song Yu'an and Song Yushan, who had already achieved the Golden Core stage, Song Yuping, Song Yu'an's brother, had only recently achieved the Golden Core stage a little over a decade ago.
After the "monster turmoil," the Song family of Funiu Mountain also obtained a lot of spiritual resources, and the family treasury was suddenly filled.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, with the help of his younger brother Song Yu'an, Song Yuping successfully exchanged for a Core Formation spiritual item.
After several years of seclusion, he successfully formed his Golden Core and became the third Golden Core elder of the "Yu" generation in the family.
Song Yu'an, who formed his Golden Core several decades earlier than Song Yuping, was one of only two geniuses in the family with "unique spiritual roots," and his cultivation has now successfully reached the fifth level of the Golden Core realm.
Song Yushan, the eldest of the three, is slightly less talented and his cultivation level is currently at the second level of the Golden Core stage.
Since the Song family was established in Funiu Mountain, apart from the "Yuan" generation, three people, Song Yuanfang, Song Yuanli, and Song Yuanhao, have jointly formed the Golden Elixir.
From then on, only one or two people of the generations with the names "Chang", "Xuan", "Lin", and "Si" cultivated to the Golden Core realm.
The fact that three Golden Core cultivators have emerged from the "Yu" generation demonstrates that their talent is significantly better than that of previous generations.
Although the three of them had already formed their Golden Cores, this was the first time they had met Song Changze, an elder of their family.
Introduced by Song Yuanfang, he quickly stepped forward and bowed to Song Changze.
"Greetings, Grand Uncle!"
"We're all family, so don't stand on ceremony, everyone get up!"
Besides Song Yuanfang and a few others representing the Song family to attend the funeral, Huang Mengde from the Huang family somehow got wind of the news.
They arrived uninvited, having traveled a long way to "Jingyuan Mountain," much to the surprise of Liu Yuxin and the Liu family cultivators.
Before long, several hundred more cultivators appeared on Jingyuan Mountain, making the mountain very lively.
Under Liu Chengyang's personal arrangement, a magnificent new grave was soon erected at the highest point of the Liu family's ancestral land.
Liu Yuxin, accompanied by the Liu family cultivators, made a lively ceremony with gongs and drums to send her master's remains to the cemetery, and personally engraved a tombstone for him.
The inscription on the stele reads: "Jingyuan Mountain, the tomb of Liu Mengxin."
After escaping the Liu family, Liu Mengxin eventually arrived in Donghai and changed his name in order to join the "Hundred Flowers Palace".
Five hundred years have passed in the blink of an eye. Now she is buried in her homeland, and at this moment she can finally regain her original name.
The scenery of "Jingyuan Mountain" remains unchanged. As the only survivor of the Liu family, Liu Mengxin not only fulfilled his promise to his ancestors to restore the clan, but also made the Liu family's reputation even better than before.
As a cultivator from the Liu family, she truly deserved the honor of being buried at the highest point of the back mountain of "Jingyuan Mountain".
Just as the group finished their prayers, they suddenly saw several streaks of light flying rapidly from beyond the mountains ahead.
Liu Chengyang, the head of the Liu family, thought they were guests who had come to attend the funeral, and quickly turned around to greet them.
Today's burial of the family patriarch, and the sudden arrival of so many Golden Core cultivators, had already made Liu Chengyang, the patriarch, somewhat apprehensive.
But when he saw the three figures falling in front of him, he was so shocked that he stood there dumbfounded.
"How is this possible!"
Although Liu Chengyang, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, had never met Song Qingming and the other two in person, he had clearly seen their portraits after visiting Mount Funiu many times.
For him, it was something he couldn't even imagine.
It should be noted that Song Qingming and his companions now mostly live on Qingyun Mountain and rarely return to Qinghe County.
Even direct descendants of the Song family, such as Song Yuanfang, who are Golden Core cultivators, had to send a message in advance and personally travel to Qingyun Mountain in order to have a chance to meet these ancestors.
But the sudden appearance of Song Qingming and his two companions at "Jingyuan Mountain" was truly unexpected by the Liu family.
Little did they expect that the funeral of one of their own Golden Core ancestors, who had been away for many years, would alarm the cultivation world of Weiguo and even the most powerful Nascent Soul elders in the entire "Floating Cloud Mountain Range".
"Jingyuan Mountain, Liu Chengyang, this junior greets the venerable ancestors!"
".
Seeing Liu Chengyang looking somewhat at a loss, Song Qingming calmly glanced at him and waved slightly.
He then led the two people behind him to the cemetery on the mountaintop.
The crowd that had been waiting there immediately stepped forward and bowed in greeting, led by Liu Yuxin.
He Mengxin, Song Qingming, and Song Qingyu are friends who have known each other for hundreds of years. Before they reached the Nascent Soul stage, they had gone on many adventures and travels together.
Later, it also facilitated the marriage between Liu Yuxin and Song Changze, so there's no need to elaborate on their relationship.
With their old friend passing away, Song Qingming and the others happened to have time, so they personally came to Jingyuan Mountain to see him off.
Having cultivated to the Nascent Soul realm, both Song Qingming and the two behind him, Song Qingyu and Li Xuanyi, had long since become indifferent to matters of life, death, and separation.
While I deeply regret He Mengxin's passing, I am not overly saddened.
After the three of them took turns offering their prayers, Song Qingming turned around and came to Liu Yuxin's side.
"Jingyuan Mountain is peaceful now, so you don't need to worry too much. You can come back and visit anytime you have time."
Although Fellow Daoist Liu had regrets in her life, I think she must have been comforted to have you as her disciple before she passed away.
I hope you can carry on Liu Daoyou's legacy and help her go even further in the future.
"On behalf of Master, Yu Xin thanks Ancestor!"
Although Song Qingming had previously said that he would come in person, Liu Yuxin was still very excited to see that several family elders had actually come to "Jingyuan Mountain".
Master He Mengxin, though regretful that he was unable to form a Nascent Soul in this life.
To receive such a grand reception after one's passing is quite a glorious occasion.
For at least the next few hundred years, no one in the Liu family of Qinghe County will dare to forget the glory of their ancestor today.
After Song Qingming and the others left, Liu Yuxin and Song Changze invited everyone to stay for a good feast.
The area around Jingyuan Mountain remained bustling for over ten days before gradually quieting down.
Inside the pavilion atop Mount Funiu.
Song Qingming, Li Xuanyi, and Song Qingyu sat around a wooden table, enjoying tea.
In front of the three men was a bald little monk who looked about seven or eight years old; he was none other than the "Golden Cloud Monk" who had been in seclusion for many years.
With Song Qingming's help, "Golden Cloud Monk" was able to easily collect high-level spiritual objects to reshape his physical body. After more than ten years of seclusion, he finally recovered.
Although he successfully restored his physical body, "Monk Jinyun" still lost a significant amount of his magical power.
His cultivation level has also dropped from the original "sixth level of Nascent Soul" to the peak of the fifth level of Nascent Soul. It is estimated that he will need to cultivate hard for another twenty or thirty years to recover.
To express his apology, Song Qingming took out a bag of spirit stones from his person and presented it to the "Golden Cloud Monk".
“Master Xi Ri suffered this calamity for me, which is quite regrettable. I hope you will not find it offensive.”
"Fellow Daoist has already helped this humble monk repair his physical body, thus fulfilling our agreement. There's no need for such formalities; please take these things back."
"You wouldn't even accept spirit stones offered to you for free, little monk, you do have some backbone. In that case, we don't owe you anything."
Just as Song Qingyu was about to stop her from taking back the spirit stone bag, Song Qingming heard "Monk Jinyun" speak again.
"As a monk, I cultivate the cycle of cause and effect, and therefore I should not accept favors from others or be tainted by money and worldly possessions."
However, if Fellow Daoist Song is willing, this humble monk has a favor to ask: could you please lend me your assistance?
"Hehe! You really can't be praised like this monk. I just said you had backbone."
"Qingyu, don't talk nonsense!"
With a slight frown, Song Qingming glared at Song Qingyu before turning around and saying, "Master, please speak frankly if you have any needs."
Mr. Song will do his best.
"As Fellow Daoist Song knows, I am a monk who has left home and has always been without a fixed abode while traveling."
"Now that I've arrived here, it seems fate has brought us together. I wish to borrow your esteemed land to build a Zen temple to spread Buddhism. I wonder if you would be so kind as to grant me this favor."
“Building a Zen temple is not difficult.”
Another day, I'll have Yuanfang take the master to explore the surrounding area and find a sacred mountain he likes. Then we can send people over to repair it.
"Uh! Fellow Daoist Song, there's no need for such trouble. I just need to find a place anywhere at the foot of Mount Funiu."
"Funiu Mountain!"
Upon hearing that "Monk Jinyun" actually wanted to build a Zen temple at the foot of the mountain, Song Qingming and Song Qingyu, who were standing beside him, all looked at him with some surprise.
Before Song Qingming could ask, "Monk Jinyun" immediately smiled and explained:
"Fellow Daoist Song, to be honest, after I left the seclusion the other day, I cast a divination for myself to see if I would have good or bad fortune."
The divination results indicate that this place is a blessed land, and this humble monk will have a chance to benefit from it.
Since the Buddha has instructed me to stay here to spread the Dharma, how could this humble monk miss this opportunity? I hope my fellow practitioner can grant me this favor.
"Little monk, what's the point of your roundabout talk? And what about Buddha's guidance? I think you just want to stay here."
"If I let you stay down the mountain to spread Buddhism, you wouldn't want to start your own sect on my home mountain, Funiu Mountain, would you?"
"Hehe! Fellow Daoist Qingyu, you misunderstand. This humble monk was indeed guided by the Buddha's teachings to stay. How could I dare to speak nonsense and intentionally deceive you all?"
Furthermore, I am merely a wandering monk and have no intention of establishing a sect or school, so you can all rest assured.
If Fellow Daoist Song is still worried, this humble monk is willing to make a contract with you.
He will remain at the foot of the mountain to spread the Dharma, and will never rashly disturb the ordinary people and cultivators here. He will leave this place once he finds the right opportunity.
Upon hearing the earnest guarantee from "Monk Jinyun," Song Qingming quickly waved his hand with a smile before slowly replying:
"Since this concerns the master's opportunity, I, Song, cannot obstruct his path. So let's do as you say."
Tomorrow, I will have Yuanfang find another secluded spot on the mountain with better spiritual energy to build a Zen temple for the master.
I will instruct them to avoid disturbing the master's cultivation. If anything happens on Mount Funiu, I also ask the master to lend a hand.
"I am deeply grateful for your understanding, fellow Daoist!"
".
Although he hadn't known "Golden Cloud Monk" for very long, Song Qingming trusted his character after experiencing the "murderous calamity" the other party had caused.
Moreover, the monk's "divine arts" were also extremely advanced, which made Song Qingming somewhat believe in them.
Regardless of whether his calculations are true or not, if it concerns the opportunities that lead to his spiritual path.
For Song Qingming, it might just be a matter of nodding, but for "Monk Jinyun," it was an immense favor.
In any case, having one more Nascent Soul cultivator on Mount Funiu won't have much of an impact.
After thinking for a moment, Song Qingming agreed.
Song Qingyu, on the other hand, didn't say anything, but her gaze kept lingering on "Monk Jinyun," as if she still didn't quite believe what the other party said.
The group chatted for a while on the mountaintop, and Song Qingming also exchanged some insights on martial arts techniques with "Monk Jinyun".
Although Monk Jinyun's cultivation level was not as high as Song Qingming's, his mastery of cultivation and Buddhist techniques was exceptional and in no way inferior to others.
Previously, Song Qingming obtained the "Divine Illumination Golden Seal" secret technique from the other party. In addition to being able to dispel evil energy and accumulate merit, it was also a Buddhist cultivation method that could enhance a cultivator's spiritual senses.
Having practiced this technique for many years, Song Qingming also felt that his spiritual senses, especially his eyesight and hearing, had been significantly improved.
Although this kind of sensory substitute does not help much with a cultivator's practice.
However, when fighting against others or competing in spiritual awareness, this seemingly small improvement can be a great help and can determine the outcome of a battle.
Besides his martial arts skills, "Monk Jinyun" was also quite proficient in the art of divination, and he spoke eloquently about it when discussing it with the others.
Compared to Taoist cultivators like Song Qingming, "Monk Jinyun" practiced Buddhism and therefore had fewer taboos regarding his own cultivation methods.
As long as you ask a question, the other party will generally answer and won't hold back much.
However, Song Qingming didn't seem to have much talent for the "Way of Heavenly Secrets," and he was still somewhat confused after listening for a long time.
Li Xuanyi and Song Qingyu, on the other hand, were clearly more interested in the "Art of Heavenly Secrets".
In particular, Li Xuanyi not only talked with the other party for a long time, but also obtained an introductory manual for cultivating the "Heavenly Secrets Technique" from the "Golden Cloud Monk".
I want to go back and think about it to see if I can cultivate this method.
The group discussed the Dao for quite some time before "Monk Jinyun" took his leave and returned to his cave to meditate.
After seeing off "Golden Cloud Monk", Song Yuanfang led several Golden Core elders of the "Yu" generation of the Song family to Song Qingming and the others.
Accompanying them were more than a dozen young men and women, all of whom were talented young cultivators from the Song family.
"Seventh Uncle, Great-Aunt, these juniors were all selected by me and Yu Shan from the clan. They are all of excellent character and have the potential to break through to the Golden Core realm in the future."
"Please see if there are any that catch your eye. If they do, it's a stroke of good fortune for them."
The dozen or so Song family cultivators that Song Yuanfang brought were all young cultivators in their twenties or thirties.
Among these people, the one with the highest cultivation level has successfully established the Foundation Establishment stage, while the one with the lowest level is at the late stage of Qi Refining.
To have cultivated to this level at this age shows that their talent is not bad, and they are at least cultivators with three spiritual roots or above.
Previously, when Song Qingming and his group moved to Qingyun Mountain to cultivate, Song Yuanfang, who went to congratulate them, suggested that they select some disciples from the younger generation of the family for their ancestors.
After so many years of development, the "Funiu Mountain" family now has thousands of cultivators, and there is no shortage of exceptionally talented individuals.
Sending a few people to Qingyun Mountain to cultivate with Song Qingming and the others will not have any impact on the family and will also take care of their cultivation path.
Seeing that Song Qingming had helped his disciples Bai Jingyun and Wei Yunlong achieve the Core Formation, Song Yuanfang and the others were also somewhat tempted, which is why they came up with this idea.
Upon hearing Song Yuanfang's suggestion, Song Qingming, as the patriarch of the family, did not object.
Although he had already joined the sect, he was also the head of the Song family, so it was only natural for him to help out the younger generation of the family.
Since the group had just returned to Funiu Mountain, they asked Song Yuanfang to select some suitable juniors to come over.
The dozen or so young cultivators from the Song family were seeing the legendary family patriarchs up close for the first time, and their eyes were filled with trepidation.
Song Qingming glanced at them and quickly selected three of them to become his personal disciples.
At Song Qingming's suggestion, Li Xuanyi and Song Qingyu also stayed behind.
The remaining few who were not selected left the pavilion with Song Yushan, their eyes filled with disappointment.
"It is your good fortune to be favored by the Ancestor today. After arriving at Qingyun Mountain, you must not neglect your cultivation. Hurry up and step forward to pay your respects!"
"Disciple greets Master!"
Urged on by Song Yuanfang, the seven hurriedly stepped forward, knelt down, and kowtowed to Song Qingming and the other two to perform the formal apprenticeship ceremony.
"Now that you have performed the ceremony of becoming disciples, you must continue to be diligent in your practice and strive to cultivate yourselves. Rise, all of you."
After using his magic to help the people up, Song Qingming turned to Song Yuanfang and said, "Yuanfang, they can go to Qingyun Mountain to cultivate first, and they don't need to join a sect for now."
"If I successfully form my core in the future, whether I stay in the sect or return to my family is my own choice."
"I'll leave it to my seventh uncle and great-aunt to arrange!"
".
Seeing that Song Yuanfang did not say much, Song Qingming nodded slightly, and then gave each of the people in front of him a magic weapon as a gift for the apprenticeship ceremony.
Only then did he take out the flying boat and, together with Song Qingyu and Li Xuanyi, led them away from "Funiu Mountain".
(End of this chapter)