Chapter 1257
Returning to the Sect, Unwilling to Cooperate
"No need for formalities, please rise!"
".
A moment later, the two went to a stone table and sat facing each other.
“There are many cultivation techniques in the world of cultivation, but most of them specialize in one. Techniques that combine magic power, physical body, and divine consciousness are not very common.”
For some reason, I always felt that this technique was somewhat strange.
If one focuses too much on improving a cultivator's foundation and doesn't specialize in a single supernatural power, who knows what one will be like after achieving mastery?
Since you have already created your own techniques, such auxiliary methods are dispensable, and you should practice them with caution.
In the path of cultivation, while absorbing the methods of various schools can broaden one's knowledge, it can also needlessly deplete one's energy. Don't let small gains lead to greater losses.
"To be honest, senior, I obtained this technique by chance from a secret realm, from which I gained many opportunities."
Now that only the last few floors remain, I can't bear to give up halfway.
The senior's guidance today has been deeply appreciated and will be remembered by this junior!
Since obtaining the "Heavenly Myriad Spirits Technique," Song Qingming has devoted considerable effort to cultivating it over the years, but his primary purpose has not been for this technique.
Rather, it is the hidden heritage behind it that is the true secret of the "Tower of Babel".
If it weren't for this special reason, I wouldn't have known that this cultivation technique was far more difficult to master than ordinary techniques, and that the cultivation speed was extremely slow.
Even if the "Heavenly Myriad Spirits Technique" were incredibly powerful, Song Qingming probably wouldn't have wasted so much time and resources cultivating it to its current level.
Fortunately, he possessed a fragment of the secret map, which saved him a lot of effort when practicing this technique.
Despite the ups and downs over the years, Song Qingming has still managed to cultivate the "Tongtian Wanling Jue" to the mid-Nascent Soul stage, and is not far from the late-Nascent Soul stage required by "Xuantian".
For Song Qingming, the years of hard work are finally nearing their fruition.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, there is a high chance that this goal can be achieved when the "Tower of Babel" secret realm descends again.
Upon hearing Chen Qingxuan's kind reminder, Song Qingming, who understood the implication, quickly responded.
Chen Qingxuan nodded slightly, then smiled and asked, "I brought you here for your personal safety."
Now that you have advanced to the half-step Nascent Soul realm, I can no longer insist that you stay.
Having said that, Chen Qingxuan raised his hand and took out a white jade pendant from his person, handing it to Song Qingming.
"This is a sound transmission jade talisman that I refined a hundred years ago. Keep it safe for now. If you need to contact me in the future, you can activate this item by casting a spell."
Remember to keep it safe and never leave it with you.
"Don't worry, senior, I understand!"
After receiving the jade talisman from Chen Qingxuan, Song Qingming carefully put it into his waistband and bowed again in thanks.
".
The "Floating Cloud Mountains" are located in the cultivation world, northeast of the Zheng Kingdom.
In the valley, a caravan of over a hundred people was driving horse-drawn carts loaded with goods at a brisk pace.
At the front of the caravan, a burly man in yellow robes rode on the back of a massive yellow ox, his eyes scanning the surroundings, his expression showing some tension.
Just as the burly man in yellow was cautiously warning his surroundings, a flash of light appeared behind him, and a figure quietly appeared behind him.
Before the person could get close, a white flying sword appeared before them, causing their expression to change.
"As expected of Uncle Thirteen, my concealment technique is completely useless against you."
“There are quite a few bandits around here, everyone should be careful. Why aren’t you guarding the back? What are you doing here?”
"Don't worry, Uncle Thirteen. Ninth Brother has just sent word that the Chiyun Mountain law enforcement team has been spotted patrolling ahead. Those bandit cultivators won't dare to come out today."
"Oh! It's the Chiyun Mountain Enforcement Team. We're quite lucky this time."
"Everyone, hurry up! We'll follow the law enforcement team; we should be able to reach Chiyun Mountain safely."
Upon hearing what the person behind him said, the man in yellow relaxed his tense expression and quickly urged the caravan behind him to speed up their journey.
Hundreds of years ago, the northern demon army marched south and destroyed the "Minghe Sect" in the eastern part of Zheng State.
In an instant, hundreds of millions of living beings lost their protection and became food for demonic beasts. The scene was too horrific to bear, and the entire northern part of the cultivation world in Zheng Kingdom was in grave danger.
Fortunately, sects such as the "Xiaoyao Sect" and "Tianji Sect" sent troops to help, which helped them repel the attacking demon army.
After human cultivators reclaimed the "Floating Cloud Mountains" in the north, which had been occupied by the demon race for tens of thousands of years, the previously turbulent cultivation world of Zheng Kingdom gradually stabilized.
However, there are still many demonic cultivators and bandit cultivators mingling in the northern mountains and forests, attacking passing caravans.
These bandit cultivators mostly have no fixed residence, and some are even imposters from nearby scattered cultivators, making them very difficult to eradicate.
Therefore, the Northern "Red Cloud Mountain" could only send out law enforcement team cultivators to continuously patrol several important trade routes and crack down on those bandit cultivators hiding in the mountains and forests.
After chasing for more than ten miles, the group soon spotted a cloud of dust ahead.
"Uncle Thirteen, look! It looks like a mark left by Ninth Brother."
Seeing the familiar stone markers appearing not far away on the ground, the burly man in yellow, knowing that his companions were just ahead, nodded slightly and urged the people behind him to quicken their pace.
Just as the caravan was moving forward at a fast pace, a beam of light suddenly descended from mid-air and landed directly in front of the caravan.
"Who is it!"
".."
A streak of light flew swiftly through the sky a hundred miles away from the caravan, quickly disappearing into the distant horizon.
Not long after, several more streaks of light followed closely behind.
Leading the way was a white-clad man standing on a flying vehicle, whose powerful aura had already reached the late Nascent Soul stage.
Not far from the man in white, there were three other people, two men and one woman, all of whom were Nascent Soul cultivators with profound cultivation.
"Everyone, speed up! Don't let them get away!"
The man in white cast a spell to propel the flying boat beneath his feet, while simultaneously urging the four of them to increase their speed even further.
After traversing countless mountains ahead, a streak of light appeared before the four, and a look of joy immediately appeared on the white-robed man's face.
They can't escape!
".
Amidst the streaking light ahead, a hunchbacked old man with gray hair also saw the streaking light chasing after him from afar, and his expression turned somewhat grim.
Seeing that the other party was getting closer and closer, the hunchbacked old man immediately cast a spell and put a talisman on his chest.
The next moment, a cloud of blood mist quickly emerged from his body, causing the hunchbacked old man's escape light to increase in speed.
The white-clad men who arrived from behind looked on with disdain at the sight.
"Blood Escape Technique!"
"Hmph! Let's see how long you can last."
".
Several streaks of light disappeared one after the other, quickly traveling thousands of miles away.
Faced with the relentless pursuit of the fleeing light behind him, the power of the blood-red light in front of the hunchbacked old man had begun to dissipate, and his speed of escape was also gradually decreasing.
Just then, a towering mountain that seemed to pierce the clouds appeared right in front of them.
Upon seeing the expert ahead, the hunchbacked old man did not hesitate for a moment and turned to head straight for him.
"Oh no! Stop them!"
Seeing that the hunchbacked old man was heading straight for Mount Ling, the four people who had caught up to him immediately used their magic to catch up.
One of the thin-faced men cast a spell, releasing several sword beams.
The sword light gathered in mid-air into a giant white sword, which swiftly swept across the sky and aimed directly at the back of the "hunchbacked old man" not far away.
Faced with the giant sword coming from behind, the hunchbacked old man immediately cast a spell to summon a green-armored iron shield to cover his figure.
A loud "bang!"
Although the white greatsword failed to break through the opponent's defense, it caused the "hunchbacked old man" to sway, and the light beneath his feet suddenly slowed down several times.
Before the hunchbacked old man could regain his balance, another crimson chain struck from his side, instantly binding his left hand.
Seeing that he was about to be locked up by the other party, the "hunchbacked old man" didn't care about anything else at the moment and used his right hand to cast a spell and forcefully smash it onto his left arm.
"break!"
Although the blow made his arm go numb, it also loosened the crimson chains above, which were not yet fully stabilized.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, the hunchbacked old man immediately used magic to break free of the chains on his hands, passed in front of the two pursuing cultivators, and approached the vicinity of the mountain.
Seeing that he was only a dozen miles away from the "mountain-protecting formation" in front of him, he was already very close.
Unexpectedly, a white light suddenly flashed in the void ahead, followed by a powerful and strange force that struck the "hunchbacked old man," sending him flying backward.
After being knocked away by a single blow, the hunchbacked old man had just regained his footing in mid-air when he found himself surrounded by several figures.
"Junior Brother Qi, you've been on the run for so long, it's time to stop here!"
"Junior brother, considering how many years you've cultivated and how difficult it was to condense your Nascent Soul, hand over the item, and I might consider sparing your life!"
"Hmph! You traitors, do you think I'll believe you just because you say that?"
Despite the white-clad man's threats and inducements, the hunchbacked old man remained unmoved, his gaze filled with hatred.
"Hmph! You don't know what's good for you."
Seeing that he couldn't persuade the other party, the man in white immediately took out a folding fan and began to cast a spell to activate the magic weapon in his hand.
Meanwhile, the hunchbacked old man quietly gripped the two black beads tightly in his hands, his eyes constantly scanning his surroundings.
Taking advantage of the moment when the other party was casting a spell, the "hunchbacked old man" suddenly flashed forward and attacked the man in white, throwing the round bead in his hand.
"boom!"
".
After an incense stick has burned.
A figure fell from mid-air, and the lifeless corpse of the "hunchbacked old man" was lifted up by the magical artifact controlled by the yellow-clad man.
Three streaks of light flew swiftly from a distance and landed in front of the "hunchbacked old man's" corpse.
The man in white, whose clothes were scorched, looked at the hunchbacked old man with a rather unpleasant expression.
He used magic to take the storage artifact from the waist of the "hunchbacked old man" into his hand.
The next moment, the white-robed man's divine sense covered him, and a hint of disappointment appeared on his face. "Senior Brother Luo, is the item on him?"
".
When his companion asked him a question, the man in white was about to answer when he suddenly sensed something and immediately turned to look at the "mountain-protecting formation" not far away.
"They're not here; they must have been taken away by Junior Sister Long."
".
Several days later, at Qingyun Mountain, north of the Fuyun Mountains.
Located southwest of "Qingyun Mountain", several streaks of light flew quickly and landed directly outside the great formation.
"Senior Brother Luo, this is Qingyun Mountain. The Xiaoyao Sect, which controls this place, is also the largest sect in the Fuyun Mountain Range."
"The Free and Unfettered Sect? Let's just go find them directly; it'll save us the trouble!"
As the white-robed man finished speaking, a beam of spiritual light flew out from his hand and landed on the great formation.
"Who's here?"
A voice was heard flying out from the great formation, and then a golden dragon with a body over a hundred feet long flew out from it.
Above the golden dragon's head, a woman in green stood calmly surveying the crowd.
"Are you from the Free and Unfettered Sect?"
"I am Song Qingyu, the Supreme Elder of the Xiaoyao Sect. May I ask where you fellow Daoists are from and why you are disturbing my Qingyun Mountain?"
Upon seeing the white-robed man leading the way, who turned out to be a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, Song Qingyu's eyes immediately showed a look of surprise.
The "Floating Cloud Mountains" are a relatively remote place in the cultivation world, and there are not many Nascent Soul cultivators within its borders.
The Qingyun Mountain market has been established for over a hundred years. Although familiar Nascent Soul cultivators occasionally visit, this is the first time I've ever seen a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator as unfamiliar as him.
Seeing Song Qingyu looking at him cautiously, the man in white immediately replied, "Fellow Daoist Song, please don't misunderstand. We are not here to cause trouble for your sect, but to find someone."
"Friend, have you ever seen this person? Please let me know."
Having said that, the man in white raised his hand and waved it, producing a portrait scroll which he placed in front of Song Qingyu.
Looking at the familiar expression in the portrait before him, Song Qingming recognized the person at a glance as Long Ziyun, the elder of the Four Seas Merchant Alliance who had visited "Qingyun Mountain" several times.
"Fellow Daoist Longlong!"
"Who exactly are you, and why are you looking for her?"
Seeing that Song Qingyu clearly recognized the person in the portrait, the man in white immediately put away the portrait and explained directly:
"Fellow Daoist Song, to be honest, Junior Sister Long recently stole an important spiritual item from the Merchant Alliance and disappeared without a trace near this place."
We are all elders of the Four Seas Merchant Alliance. We are here today on orders to capture her and bring back the alliance's treasures.
Since Fellow Daoist Song knows her, then please hand her over.
"Fellow Daoist, rest assured, we have come solely for Junior Sister Long, and will never cause you or your sect any trouble because of this."
"What? Fellow Daoist Long has betrayed the Four Seas Merchant Alliance!"
Long Ziyun is a Nascent Soul Elder of the "Four Seas Merchant Alliance". She has visited the cultivation world of Fuyun Mountain Range many times before and is also very familiar with Song Qingming, Song Qingyu and others.
Upon hearing what the man in white said, Song Qingyu looked at him in surprise, clearly unable to believe what he was saying.
Meanwhile, the man in white took out a token from his person with a serious expression.
"Fellow Daoist Song, this is my token. I'm sure you can recognize it!"
This is an internal matter of our Four Seas Merchant Alliance. Fellow Daoist, please refrain from interfering. Quickly hand over Junior Sister Long to us, and avoid causing unnecessary trouble for your sect.”
Looking at the token in the other party's hand, which only elders of the Four Seas Merchant Alliance could hold, Song Qingyu recognized it, but shook her head directly at the other party.
"Fellow Daoists, I am not aware of your alliance's affairs, nor do I intend to interfere."
"But Fellow Daoist Long hasn't been to Qingyun Mountain for a long time, and I haven't seen her either. If you're looking for her, please look elsewhere."
"Fellow Daoist, wait!"
Seeing that Song Qingyu didn't seem to like them and was about to send them away, the man in white immediately stopped her.
"Fellow Daoist Song, Junior Sister Long did indeed disappear nearby, otherwise we wouldn't have come to visit us."
"It's not impossible that you haven't seen her before, fellow Daoist. Would you please allow us to go in and search her?"
"This is Qingyun Mountain. How dare you act so presumptuously? I have already said that I have never seen Fellow Daoist Long before."
If you continue with this unreasonable behavior, don't blame us for being impolite.
Just as Song Qingyu finished speaking, several more figures flew out from the formation. They were Huang Siyuan, Li Xuanyi, and Zhou Ziyang, who had already arrived after hearing the news.
The three of them stepped forward and stood side by side with Song Qingyu, and the atmosphere immediately became tense.
Seeing this, the white-robed man's expression changed slightly, but he suddenly burst out laughing.
"Hahaha, what are you doing, fellow Daoists? Do you really intend to openly oppose the Merchant Alliance for the sake of this traitor?"
Seeing that the man in white still refused to leave, Li Xuanyi, who was standing next to Song Qingyu, immediately stepped forward and said with displeasure:
"Qingyu has already said that we don't have the person you're looking for here. Whether you believe it or not, Qingyun Mountain is definitely not a place where you can act recklessly."
If you don't want to escalate things, please leave here immediately.
Otherwise, it will be too late to regret it later.
"Hmph! What a boastful tone."
Seeing that Li Xuanyi, whose cultivation was only at the peak of the fifth level of the Nascent Soul stage, did not treat him, a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, with any respect, a cold glint flashed in the white-robed man's eyes.
The next moment, several cold glints flew from the folding fan in his hand, heading straight for the group in front.
"careful!"
Faced with the white-robed man's sudden attack, Song Qingyu and the others' expressions changed immediately, and they all cast spells to summon defensive magic treasures to block in front of them.
Standing at the forefront, Li Xuanyi raised her hand and summoned a blue jade tablet, which just blocked the opponent's attack.
Before she could react, a flash of white light appeared before her. Taking advantage of her being drawn to the cold light, the white-clad man instantly used his magic to kill her, intending to capture Li Xuanyi first and use her to control the others.
But just as he reached Li Xuanyi, a gray-robed figure suddenly appeared in mid-air.
The newcomer threw a powerful punch, knocking back the white-clad man who was attacking from the front, and shielded Li Xuanyi.
Upon seeing the gray-robed figure suddenly appear in front of Li Xuanyi, and sensing the powerful aura emanating from the other party, a hint of surprise flashed across the white-robed man's face.
"A late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator!"
"No, they're puppets!"
They discovered that Li Xuanyi also possessed a late-stage Nascent Soul puppet.
The white-clad man, having failed in his first attack, immediately abandoned his contemptuous gaze, and a look of seriousness appeared on his face.
I never expected that the person in front of me had such a powerful trump card. No wonder he dared to speak to me, a great cultivator, like this.
Back in Yunlong Mountain, Li Xuanyi had studied the art of puppetry in the family's collection of ancient books and had crafted many corpse puppets.
When the two first met, Li Xuanyi took the initiative to give Song Qingming a lot of pointers on puppetry, helping him improve his "Golden Wind" cultivation.
In this area, her skill level is actually not much lower than Song Qingming's.
Having learned that Song Qingming had obtained a high-grade fourth-level "Ghost Pill" outside and wanted to refine a suitable puppet, Li Xuanyi used her spiritual item to exchange for it.
With the help of Song Qingming and "Qu Bai", Li Xuanyi finally succeeded in refining a late-stage Nascent Soul puppet after more than 20 years of painstaking research.
This was the first time she had used this item in front of others when facing the man in white.
Seeing that the puppet in front of her had successfully blocked the other party, Li Xuanyi showed a satisfied expression, and her confidence in facing the white-clothed man in front of her increased considerably.
"Fellow Daoists, Qingyun Mountain is not a place where you can act recklessly."
"If you don't leave now, and if some of our sect's elders come, you won't have such an easy time leaving."
"Insanity!"
Seeing Li Xuanyi's aggressive tone, the elders of the "Four Seas Business Alliance" standing behind the white-robed man immediately looked at him angrily.
Just as they were about to step forward to help, Song Qingyu and Huang Siyuan stopped them first.
Of the four members of the "Four Seas Business Alliance," apart from the white-robed man whose cultivation had reached the eighth level of the Nascent Soul stage, the other three were all at the mid-Nascent Soul stage, and their strength was not particularly outstanding.
The cultivation levels of Song Qingyu, Huang Siyuan, Zhou Ziyang, and the "Ice and Fire Dragon" standing opposite them were no lower than theirs.
In terms of the confrontation, neither side gained any advantage; on the contrary, the other side had the upper hand.
Seeing that the battle was about to erupt, the man in white immediately stepped in front of his three companions, then turned and coldly snorted at Li Xuanyi and the others:
"Hmph! I underestimated your sect. I didn't expect that you would have such a spiritual object in such a remote place."
"Very well, since you gentlemen are unwilling to cooperate today, I will not bother you any longer."
"However, before I leave, there is something I still want to remind my fellow Daoists of."
Our Four Seas Business Alliance is spread throughout the cultivation world, and it's not as simple as you might imagine.
Don't think that today's matter is over.
"Farewell, everyone!"
With a late-stage Nascent Soul puppet now attached to Li Xuanyi, the white-robed man's side no longer had much of an advantage on the battlefield, and even if they fought, they wouldn't be able to defeat him in a short time.
Moreover, this place is, after all, the territory of the "Xiaoyao Sect," and other Nascent Soul cultivators will soon arrive. Staying here will not force them to give in.
After some thought, the man in white, though somewhat reluctant, chose to back down.
After uttering a harsh remark to Li Xuanyi and the others, the man in white turned around, took out a flying boat, and was about to leave with the people in front of him.
Unexpectedly, at that moment, a very deep voice suddenly flew in from afar.
"Fellow Daoists, please wait!"
The sound was like a thunderclap, causing the white-robed man and his companions, who sensed a powerful pressure emanating from it, to stop and look into the distance.
A white streak of light flew over quickly and landed in front of them in the blink of an eye.
As the white light faded, a figure in a green robe quickly appeared before everyone, a slight smile on his face.
Song Qingyu, Li Xuanyi, and the others, who were standing still, all showed a look of joy when they saw the familiar figure in front of them.
"Seventh Brother, it's you back!" (End of Chapter)