Chapter 1235
Entrusting the Legacy, the Mysterious Jade Bed
On the sea, a treasure ship is anchored in the white mist.
As several streaks of light descended, Wang Quan'an and his group quickly arrived at the bow of the ship.
"Senior Brother Wang, you're back! Where are Fellow Daoists Xia and Song?"
Upon seeing Long Ziyun, who had come to greet him, inquire about the whereabouts of Xia Mo and Song Qingming, Wang Quan'an immediately sighed and replied:
"Sigh! That ghost cultivator escaped incredibly fast. We chased him all the way but still couldn't catch up, so we had to come back first."
Fellow Daoist Xia and Fellow Daoist Yang were close in pursuit, but it was unclear whether they had caught up with each other.
As for Fellow Daoist Song, we didn't see him. He must have gone to chase after other ghost cultivators.
"Don't worry, Junior Sister Long. Those ghost cultivators have been severely injured by us and can't cause any trouble. Fellow Daoist Xia and the others should be back soon."
Previously, Wang Quan'an and his group besieged "Old Ancestor of the Underworld" and were about to defeat him after severely injuring him.
In the end, he was forced to sever limbs to survive and escaped the battlefield by using a secret technique to self-destruct his magical artifact. It was a real pity that he was not able to kill him on the spot.
Hearing what Wang Quan'an said, Long Ziyun nodded slightly and led the others to the cabin below.
Just as everyone returned to the warehouse, Long Ziyun was about to arrange for her disciples to entertain them when she saw a figure walking towards them.
"Senior, does Master have any instructions?"
Upon seeing that it was the avatar of "Jin Chen Dao Ren", Long Ziyun quickly stepped forward, cupped her hands, and asked a question.
But then the other person pointed directly at himself and Wang Quan'an and said:
"I want to see both of you. Please come with me!"
".
After passing through the corridor to the next level of the ship's cabin, Long Ziyun and her companion quickly arrived at the outside of a cabin separated by a magic array.
The two of them first stepped forward and knocked on the door. Soon they saw the barrier in front of them open automatically.
With a nod from the avatar of "Jin Chen Dao Ren" standing to the side, Long Ziyun and Wang Quan'an immediately went inside.
Inside the cabin, a Taoist priest in white sat cross-legged, looking down at the two people who entered.
It was none other than the Grand Elder of the Four Seas Merchant Alliance, "Jin Chen Dao Ren," who had previously secluded himself here to heal his wounds after failing to break through to a higher realm.
Compared to half a day ago, "Jin Chen Dao Ren's" originally jet-black hair had turned mostly snow-white.
Moreover, the aura emanating from his entire body was also extremely chaotic at this moment.
He sat upright on the ground, seemingly about to collapse.
Upon seeing this scene, both Long Ziyun and Wang Quan'an, who had just entered, looked at each other with disbelief.
"Elder!"
"Master, what's wrong?"
When he failed to break through to the next realm before, "Jin Chen Dao Ren" was injured as a result, but his complexion and condition still looked good, unlike his current weak state.
But after only half a day apart, Long Ziyun and Wang Quan'an found that the situation with the "Jin Chen Daoist" before them seemed to have taken a sharp turn for the worse in the blink of an eye.
It was as if it had suddenly suffered a severe blow, and was now on the verge of death.
Just as Long Ziyun and the other person were surprised and stepped forward to help him up, "Taoist Jin Chen" suddenly raised his hand and stopped them.
"Don't worry, I can still manage."
"Elder, rest assured, I will go back and issue an edict to instruct all branches of the Merchant Alliance to collect high-level healing spiritual items as soon as possible."
Please rest and heal your wounds, Elder. We will certainly not let you down.
Seeing Wang Quan'an's anxious expression, "Jin Chen Daoren" quickly shook his head at him, then slowly began to speak:
"Junior Brother Wang, don't be anxious."
I've summoned you here because I have something important to tell you. Please listen carefully, junior brother.
Seeing that "Taoist Jin Chen" seemed to have something important to tell him, Wang Quan'an pondered for a moment, then nodded to him and stopped in his tracks.
"I failed in this closed-door cultivation attempt and have damaged my very essence. I was just putting on a brave face to prevent others from noticing."
Given my current injuries, even if I could find a suitable healing artifact, it would probably be very difficult for me to recover.
Now that my lifespan is almost over, it is impossible for me to break through to the Nascent Soul realm again, so please don't try to comfort me anymore.
I, Jin Chen, have spent my entire life cultivating and preparing diligently for many years, yet I still haven't been able to advance to the Nascent Soul realm as I wished.
Although there is regret, it is something that cannot be helped. In the end, it is because I lack the opportunity and the blessing.
I lived more than a thousand years ago, and my worldly ties have long been severed. I don't have many attachments, but the only thing I can't let go of is the foundation of the Four Seas Business Alliance.
Junior Brother Wang, the reason I summoned you here today is to entrust you with the position of Grand Elder. I hope you can shoulder this responsibility on my behalf.
"This, Elder, your junior brother would never dare."
“Junior Brother Wang, although you are not as talented as Junior Brother Lin and the others, you are more composed. I am more at ease entrusting the Four Seas Business Alliance to you.”
Please rest assured, junior brother, my injuries can hold for a while longer.
Once we return, I will immediately go into seclusion and hand over the Azure Dragon Sword to you. If anyone in the alliance dares to disobey, you may inform me, junior brother.
The Four Seas Business Alliance has been passed down for thousands of years. When I took over the position of Grand Elder, it was no easy feat.
"I urge you, junior brother, to diligently protect this legacy and take good care of the descendants of Ziyun. This is my final entrustment to you."
"Rest assured, Elder, I will dedicate my life to serving you and live up to your trust!"
Seeing that "Taoist Jin Chen" was sincerely entrusting him with this task, Wang Quan'an did not continue to refuse and bowed deeply to the person in front of him.
"I'm begging you, junior brother!"
"My injuries cannot be revealed to others at this time. Please, junior brother, take precautions and do not let anyone take advantage of this opportunity."
"Please rest assured, senior brother, I will make the arrangements right away."
After bidding farewell to "Taoist Jin Chen" in front of him, Wang Quan'an quickly left the cabin, leaving Long Ziyun to take care of him.
Only after Wang Quan'an left did "Jin Chen Dao Ren" beckon Long Ziyun to come to him.
Then, "Jin Chen Dao Ren" raised his hand and took out a storage bag from his body, handing it to the other party.
"Master?"
“Ziyun, your master doesn’t have much time left. We’ve been master and disciple for so many years, and I should leave something for you.”
The spiritual items inside are things I prepared long ago; they should be able to help you advance to the late Nascent Soul stage in the future.
You must promise your master that you will never let anyone know what I'm giving you, not even Junior Brother Wang.
"You mean, Senior Brother Wang?"
".
In a pitch-black cave, a beam of white light suddenly illuminated the surroundings, and dozens of emerald-green ghosts quickly surrounded Song Qingming.
"what!"
As the sword flashed, the numerous ghosts perished in mid-air before they could even utter a scream.
Not far behind Song Qingming was another figure in black, who was activating a jade bottle in his hand, collecting all the remnant souls of the ghost cultivators he had just killed.
"Young friend Song, the ghosts here are too weak. They are all low-level ghosts in the Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining stages."
"If I had known it would be such a simplistic test, I wouldn't have bothered coming out to do this."
Despite the somewhat disappointed words of "Qu Bai" behind him, Song Qingming paid little attention and continued to walk briskly forward.
Previously, the "Ancestor of the Netherworld" had taken all the powerful ghost cultivators out of the cave, leaving only some low-level ghosts at the Golden Core stage to guard this place.
Song Qingming and "Qu Bai" fought their way to a large hall deep inside the cave with almost no effort.
"Woo, woo, woo!"
Just as they entered the main hall, they saw hundreds of green shadows flying rapidly towards them, heading straight for their location.
Seeing this, Qu Bai swiftly wielded his flying sword, unleashing several streaks of sword light that easily annihilated the attacking enemies in mid-air.
Seeing how powerful the enemy was, the remaining ghost cultivators were so frightened that they scattered and fled.
"Hmph! Where do you think you're going?"
Faced with these low-level ghosts who had no power to resist, "Qu Bai" gently raised his hand, and countless sword lights flew out in all directions. In an instant, screams echoed throughout the entire hall.
Once "Qu Bai" had cleared away the ghosts around him, Song Qingming immediately began to search the hall with his eyes.
Having fought his way here, Song Qingming had already passed several similar palaces.
Unfortunately, apart from a few Golden Core-level Ghost Pills, only some low-level spiritual items of little value were found in these palaces.
They didn't find anything that could move Song Qingming's heart.
It was, after all, the cave of a Nascent Soul Peak Ghost Cultivator; logically speaking, it shouldn't be completely devoid of any valuable items.
Just as Song Qingming's gaze swept around, his divine sense suddenly detected a unique spiritual energy that was different from others, and his expression changed slightly.
After locking onto the location with his divine sense, Song Qingming immediately turned around and walked towards the side of the main hall, quickly arriving at the front of a mountain wall.
"Brother Song, is there something wrong with this place?"
Faced with the somewhat puzzled question from "Qu Bai" in mid-air not far away, Song Qingming did not choose to answer the other party immediately, but instead raised his hand and directly unleashed several sword lights.
The sword light headed straight for the mountain wall, and a booming sound immediately came from ahead.
A moment later, a circular opening, taller than a person, appeared in front of Song Qingming and his companion.
"Huh! There really is something!"
Feeling the chill emanating from the depths of the cave, Qu Bai looked ahead with a surprised expression and immediately followed Song Qingming's steps.
After passing through a mountain wall over a hundred feet high, the two soon arrived at a stone cave that was more than ten feet high.
A flash of blue light appeared ahead, illuminating the entire cave, causing Song Qingming, who was walking in front, to stop in his tracks.
What is this?
"It really is this thing! What that guy said was actually true!"
Before their eyes appeared a blue jade bed about ten feet wide, emanating a dense, chilling spiritual energy.
He quickly walked to the front of the blue jade bed, took a closer look, and a smile immediately appeared on Song Qingming's face.
"The Mysterious Jade Bed is one of the nine great treasures of the cultivation world, said to be able to help cultivators increase their cultivation speed. I never thought that guy would be able to obtain such a treasure. No wonder he could cultivate to the peak of the Nascent Soul realm with only a ghost cultivator's body."
Upon seeing the blue treasure bed before him, Song Qingming instantly recalled the "Mysterious Jade Treasure Bed" that the "Ancestor of the Underworld" had mentioned before he captured the ghost infant.
Although he had never seen it before, he had always enjoyed reading various cultivation classics and had seen records of the "Mysterious Jade Bed" in many of them.
The "Mysterious Jade Bed" is one of the nine great treasures of the cultivation world. It has long been extinct in this world. Song Qingming has been cultivating for so many years, but he has never seen this object. He always thought it was just a legend.
Having heard the Netherworld Ancestor mention the "Mysterious Jade Bed" before, Song Qingming, who had cultivated for many years, did not easily believe what the other party said, only thinking that the other party was deliberately saying it to attract his attention in order to save his life.
Unexpectedly, such a special treasure was indeed hidden in the cave of the "Ancestor of the Underworld".
"It really is the Xuan Yu Treasure Bed. I didn't expect you to be so lucky, kid, to find something like this even in the lower realm."
It's a pity you don't cultivate a Yin-attribute technique; otherwise, with this treasure's help, you could not only increase your cultivation speed but also assist in breaking through realms.
This will also greatly increase their chances of advancing to the Nascent Soul stage in the future.
"Hehe! It's good that you say so, senior, but nothing in this world is ever perfect. As long as it's a treasure and can be useful to me, that's fine."
Hearing the slight regret in Qu Bai's voice, Song Qingming remained excited and didn't seem to care much.
The "Mysterious Jade Bed" contains a special spiritual energy of heaven and earth, which can not only increase the cultivation speed of ordinary cultivators, but is also the best help for cultivating Yin attribute techniques.
Song Qingming's main cultivation method is the Azure Jade Refining Treasure Technique, which is a Five Elements cultivation technique and does not belong to the Yin attribute.
Among the Nascent Soul cultivators he knew, only Song Qingyu and Long Ziyun had cultivation techniques that leaned towards the Yin attribute.
There's also Master Long Ziyun, the "Jin Chen Daoist" who recently failed to break through to the Nascent Soul stage.
Although it is of slightly less use to him, the "Mysterious Jade Bed" is a rare treasure that Song Qingming cannot easily miss.
Moreover, this treasure is perfectly suited to Song Qingyu's cultivation, and it can help her break through cultivation bottlenecks in the future.
Looking at the "Mysterious Jade Bed" in front of him, Song Qingming was already extremely tempted and immediately used magic to take out an empty storage magic artifact from his body.
The spell was cast and wrapped around the "Mysterious Jade Bed" in front of him. Just as Song Qingming was about to put it into his "storage bag", he quickly frowned.
Unlike other treasures that Song Qingming had obtained before, the "Mysterious Jade Bed" in front of him did not seem to be able to shrink at will like other spiritual materials.
No matter how Song Qingming tried to manipulate it, the other party remained floating motionless in mid-air.
"This... does this mean I have to carry this thing back with me?!"
"Such spiritual objects contain spiritual energy far exceeding that of ordinary magic treasures. You certainly cannot contain them with such a low-level magic tool."
Let's take out that thing from before and try it out!
Seeing Song Qingming struggling with the "Mysterious Jade Bed" floating in mid-air, Qu Bai, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but offer some pointers.
“That thing! Senior is absolutely right, how could I have forgotten about it?”
Upon hearing Qu Bai's reminder, Song Qingming immediately smiled and shook his head, then reached out and took out a dazzling golden pagoda from his waist.
Since obtaining this treasure in Qinghe Cave, Song Qingming has never been able to control this "Cave Heaven Spiritual Treasure".
His divine sense was fixed on the pagoda, and he then cast a spell to activate the treasure, releasing a golden light that landed on the "Mysterious Jade Bed" in the distance.
The moment the golden light touched the other party, it immediately engulfed the "Mysterious Jade Bed" and then quickly flew back to Song Qingming's hand.
As he probed into the pagoda with his divine sense, he saw that the "Mysterious Jade Bed" was already lying quietly inside the dazzling gold pagoda, and a satisfied smile immediately appeared on Song Qingming's face.
"It really worked! Thank you for your guidance, senior."
"Alright, alright, this is nothing to worry about. Don't be so polite with me, kid. You'd better pack up and leave!"
Faced with Song Qingming's sincere thanks, "Qu Bai" waved his hand repeatedly, showing no concern whatsoever.
The two had known each other for many years and had a life-or-death bond with each other long ago.
Song Qingming didn't stand on ceremony and turned to search for other spiritual objects in the cave.
Compared to the numerous palaces outside, this cave seems to be the secluded retreat of the "Ancestor of the Underworld," as it contains significantly more spiritual objects.
Besides the "Mysterious Jade Bed", Song Qingming also found several high-level Yin-attribute magic treasures, spirit wood, and some high-level Yin-attribute ores in the cave.
There were also many spirit stones scattered in the cave, totaling more than a million.
Besides relying on yin energy, ghost cultivators can also use spirit stones with yin attributes, such as wood and water, to increase their cultivation speed.
The "Ancestor of the Netherworld" has occupied this sea area for countless years, so it's not surprising that he has accumulated so many Yin-attribute spirit stones.
However, all that effort the other party put into this scheme ultimately benefited Song Qingming.
After thoroughly looting the secluded cave of the "Ancestor of the Underworld," Song Qingming carefully counted the numerous treasures in his hands and put them away one by one with a satisfied expression.
Even excluding the priceless "Mysterious Jade Bed," the items he had acquired alone amounted to several million spirit stones.
Although I didn't make a fortune this time, I still gained quite a bit.
After carefully checking the cave again to make sure there were no more oversights, Song Qingming took "Qu Bai" back to the palace entrance.
Next, the two began to search other parts of the palace to see if they could find anything else.
Unfortunately, apart from the stone cave where the "Ancestor of the Underworld" was in seclusion, the rest of the cave was empty, with only a few worthless low-level spiritual items occasionally visible.
The two searched for most of the day but still found nothing, so Song Qingming had to give up his optimistic idea.
"Senior, since there's nothing worth looking for, let's hurry back!"
"So that the other fellow cultivators won't get impatient."
".
There was indeed nothing to be found in front of him, and he had already devoured most of the ghost cultivators in the cave. Qu Bai nodded slightly.
The next moment, he directly entered the "Sacred Star Disc" in his hand.
After retrieving the "Sacred Star Disc" from mid-air, Song Qingming immediately returned along the original route and withdrew from the "Netherworld Ancestor's" cave.
Just as they returned to the surface of the sea, they suddenly felt a strange movement at their waist.
With a somewhat surprised expression, Song Qingming immediately used magic to take out a sound transmission talisman from his "storage bag".
"Hey! It's her."
After carefully examining the communication talisman still glowing with spiritual light in his hand, Song Qingming stood there for a moment, pondered, and then quickly cast a spell to transform into a streak of light and fly forward at high speed.
Half a day later, with a flash of light, Song Qingming landed steadily on the treasure ship.
Before Song Qingming could return to the cabin, two people quickly came to greet him.
"Fellow Daoist Song, you're finally back!"
"Fellow Daoist Wang, Fellow Daoist Long, I am truly sorry that I chased after them for a while and almost went the wrong way on the way back, which is why I kept you all waiting."
Faced with Song Qingming's explanation, Long Ziyun and Wang Quan'an had no doubts, only a slight sense of relief:
"Hehe! I see. No wonder Fellow Daoist Song hasn't returned for so long."
These damned ghosts, if they do not enter the cycle of reincarnation, they will go against the will of Heaven, and should be exterminated.
"It's just that you haven't returned for so long, which has worried Junior Sister Long for quite some time. She was just urging us to go out and look for you not long ago."
Seeing that Wang Quan'an's words seemed to carry a different meaning, Long Ziyun quickly responded:
"I specially invited Fellow Daoist Song. If something really happens, how will Ziyun explain herself when she goes to the Free and Unfettered Sect? Senior Brother, please don't misunderstand."
“Yes! Junior Sister Long is right. Now that Fellow Daoist Song has returned safely, we can rest assured.”
".
After exchanging a few pleasantries with Wang Quan'an and the other man, Song Qingming asked Long Zi, "Fellow Daoist Long, I wonder if Fellow Daoist Xia has returned yet?"
"Don't worry, Fellow Daoist Song. Sister Xia returned two hours ago and didn't encounter any danger."
However, Sister Xia also asked me about Fellow Daoist Song, wondering if he had something to discuss with you.
"Oh! I'll go ask first."
Upon hearing this, Song Qingming nodded quickly and turned to walk towards the cabin.
Looking in the direction of Song Qingming's figure, Long Ziyun, who was standing still, couldn't help but feel a hint of curiosity.
Inside the cabin, upon hearing a knock on the door, Xia Mo, who was meditating, immediately opened her eyes and stood up.
With a wave of his hand, he opened a barrier at the door, and soon a familiar figure appeared, slowly walking in.
"Fellow Daoist Xia, are you well?"
"Fellow Daoist Song, please don't stand on ceremony, please have a seat!"
After the two were seated, Xia Mo immediately cast a spell to restore the barrier at the entrance before turning to look at Song Qingming beside her.
Seeing how cautious the other party was, Song Qingming couldn't help but ask:
"I wonder if Fellow Daoist Xia contacted me earlier because there was something I could help you with?"
"Fellow Daoist, you misunderstand. I specially invited Fellow Daoist Song here today because I just obtained something that happens to have some connection with you."
That's why I'm returning it to you personally.
"Oh! I wonder what you are referring to, my friend? I am quite curious."
Upon hearing that what Xia Mo was talking about had some connection to him, Song Qingming couldn't help but look at her with a hint of confusion.
Xia Mo's hand flickered with spiritual light, and soon a black banner magic weapon appeared, which she then sent to Song Qingming.
Looking at the black banner in front of him, which was only of the third-grade lower level, Song Qingming was initially puzzled, but soon a hint of surprise appeared in his eyes.
"Hunting Banner!"
Taking the magical artifact handed to him by Xia Mo, Song Qingming raised his hand to cast a spell, and his divine sense quickly enveloped the "Soul Control Banner".
The next moment, black mist churned above the banner, and soon a semi-transparent figure emerged and stood in mid-air.
Upon seeing the familiar figure before him, Song Qingming quickly recalled another figure in his mind and couldn't help but show a look of surprise.
"You are!"
".
(PS: Xiaomeng sat at the same table with the kids again today. She not only got two cakes, but also half a pack of wedding cigarettes. It was quite a haul!)
Tomorrow I'll be heading to the countryside for the Lunar New Year, so updates might be a bit slow from now on. I hope you fellow cultivators can bear with me; I'll try my best. (End of Chapter)