Chapter 1265
Family Succession, Entrusting the Throne to Future Generations
Chapter 1265 Family Succession, Entrusting the Throne to Future Generations
"Guyang Mountain" is located outside the protective array.
As several streaks of light flew in from the southwest, more than a dozen figures soon landed at the Xiaoyao Sect's mountain gate.
The disciples guarding the front, seeing the sudden appearance of so many high-level cultivators, quickly stepped forward and bowed in greeting.
"Disciple greets Ancestor!"
".
"After traveling for so long, I'm finally back!"
"Seventh Brother, are you going to visit Senior Brother Li first, or go find Junior Sister Xu?"
Standing in front of the crowd, Song Qingyu waved slightly to the disciple in front of her and then walked towards the mountain gate.
"I heard that Junior Sister Xu was in seclusion. I don't know if she's free now. Let's go to the Xiaoyao Palace to check on her first!"
There's no need to rush with Senior Brother Li. I'll pay him a visit later after I've finished my business."
Standing to the side, Song Qingming calmly responded.
Just as he was about to leave, his gaze suddenly fell upon a young man wearing a gray robe inscribed with "Xiaoyao Sect" at the Foundation Establishment stage, who was walking quickly toward him.
"Junior, Yu Qianfeng, Song Chengliang"
Greetings to the venerable ancestors, uncles, and senior masters!
"I was wondering why you looked so familiar. Turns out you're from Linxi Gate of Yuqian Peak."
"You belong to the Cheng generation, could it be that you also come from the lineage below the mountain?"
Upon seeing the newcomer, Song Qingming felt a sense of familiarity, as if he had seen the person somewhere before.
It wasn't until the other person revealed their identity that they realized this person was a disciple of Song Linxi.
It had been decades since they last met, and the other party had already successfully established his foundation, resulting in some changes in his appearance. That's why they hadn't been able to recognize him at a glance.
Seeing that Song Qingming, the high-ranking Nascent Soul ancestor of the sect, could still remember him, a junior whom he had only met once and who was not particularly remarkable.
Song Chengliang was also excited and quickly stepped forward to nod.
"Ancestor, you have a discerning eye. I am indeed from the Song clan of the foot of the mountain. Thanks to the support of my ancestor Linxi, I was fortunate enough to successfully establish my foundation several years ago."
Now, having been ordered to guard the mountain gate, I never imagined I would have the good fortune to meet several of the venerable ancestors.
"You young man know how to talk, no wonder you were trained by Linxi. Since it is your honor to meet us, I, as your ancestor, cannot accept your hospitality for nothing. I will simply reward you with a spiritual item."
Upon hearing Song Chengliang's flattering words, Song Qingyu, who had just returned to the sect and was already in a great mood, immediately took out a talisman and tossed it to him.
"This is a level three spirit talisman!"
"This junior thanks the venerable ancestor!"
Looking at the valuable level-three talisman in his hand, Song Chengliang, feeling flattered, quickly knelt down again and kowtowed repeatedly.
"Alright, get up now!"
"Let's send a message to Linxi later, and we'll go see her after we've finished what we're doing."
After gesturing for Song Chengliang to stand up, Song Qingming and the others were about to leave when Song Chengliang suddenly spoke, as if remembering something:
"Reporting to the Ancestor, my great-aunt is not currently on the mountain. She went to Funiu Mountain with Uncle Liu a few days ago and has not yet returned."
"Huh! Why did Linxi suddenly go to Funiu Mountain? Did something happen?"
Upon suddenly hearing that Song Linxi and Liu Yufeng had gone to "Funiu Mountain" together, Song Qingming immediately sensed something was off about their words and couldn't help but ask another question.
"Reporting to Ancestor, my great-aunt did not tell me the specifics of the matter. I only know that it was sent by someone from Funiu Mountain, and it seems to be related to Uncle Yuanfang."
"Yuanfang!"
Upon hearing this, Song Qingming was slightly taken aback for no apparent reason, and his expression suddenly became serious.
Seeing this, Song Qingyu's smile vanished, replaced by worry.
"Seventh Brother, could it be...!"
"Let's go back and talk about it first!"
".
An hour later, in Qinghe County, outside the "Funiu Mountains".
As several beams of light passed through the "mountain-protecting array" in an instant, the surrounding area of the mountain came into view, but it was very quiet. Only near the family's "ancestral hall" at the top of the mountain were there many figures of cultivators coming and going.
Seeing this, Song Qingming and the others immediately understood and quickly landed outside the "ancestral hall".
By this time, there were already quite a few figures inside. Upon noticing the commotion outside, they came out to greet them.
Huang Siyuan, who was standing at the front, was somewhat surprised to see that it was Song Qingming and his group. She quickly led everyone forward.
"My husband, you've returned!"
"Yuanfang, you're inside!"
Seeing that Huang Siyuan nodded slightly without saying anything, Song Qingming immediately led everyone into the main hall.
A mourning hall has already been set up in the main hall ahead.
Song Linyu and Bai Jingyun, along with dozens of younger relatives dressed in mourning clothes, knelt to one side and bowed to the ground in respect upon seeing Song Qingming and the others who had suddenly appeared before them.
"Seventh Grand Uncle, Grandfather has already passed away!"
"Ancestor!"
".
Glancing at the kneeling crowd on the ground, Song Qingming sighed softly, then stepped forward to take the incense offered to him and carefully placed it in front of the memorial tablet.
"Yuan Fang passed away a dozen days ago during the family's ancestral worship ceremony."
They left very suddenly, without leaving any words. I was still at Qingyun Mountain at the time and only found out later.
These past few days, while waiting for your return, Yu Shan and the others haven't dared to officially announce this matter to the public.
"On the way here, I already felt a little uneasy, so I quickened my pace."
Despite rushing, I was still a step too late.
It seems to be fate; some people are simply not meant to see each other one last time.
After successfully establishing his foundation, Song Yuanfang served as a family elder, diligently assisting Song Qingming in managing family affairs for hundreds of years.
He is also one of the few people in the Song family who are relatively close to Song Qingming.
Unfortunately, despite Song Qingming's full support, Song Yuanfang's own cultivation talent was not outstanding, and he only managed to form a false core.
Even before the monster uprising, this elder of the Song family was already nearing the end of his life.
Before Song Qingming led his men to provide support to the "Eastern Phoenix Kingdom," he specifically sent a message to inquire and learned that Song Yuanfang was in good health.
I thought the other person could hold on for a few more years, but I never imagined that in less than a year, we would be separated by death when we met again.
Since he began cultivating, Song Qingming had seen off countless younger members of his family, and he had long since become numb to attending funerals.
But faced with Song Yuanfang's sudden departure, he couldn't help but feel a sense of sorrow.
In the world of cultivation, things are unpredictable, and no one can foresee when it will be the last time they see each other.
Back when Song Qingming had not yet established his foundation, he missed out on both the Grand Elder and the Old Clan Chief.
Unexpectedly, Yuan Fang also left in such a hurry, which made him feel a little regretful that he hadn't returned to "Funiu Mountain" before leaving.
Although it's a bit of a regret, I still missed it in the end, and I can only accept this fact calmly.
After offering incense in front of the mourning hall, Song Qingming slowly turned around and walked to the side.
"Yu Shan, Yuan Fang has devoted his whole life to the family and has made great contributions to me and all of you."
Now that he's gone, he should enter the family's Qilin Pavilion in a grand manner.
His funeral arrangements are now in your hands.
"Don't worry, Seventh Uncle, Yu Shan knows what to do and won't trouble you!"
Long before Song Yuanfang stepped down, he had already appointed Song Yushan to manage the family in his place, and Song Qingming was well aware of these matters.
The decision to entrust Song Yuanfang's funeral to Song Yushan is also his first test.
Faced with Song Qingming's direct call to name, Song Yushan, who was prepared, immediately stepped forward and nodded in response.
The family elders standing beside him, including Song Yuping and Song Siqing, couldn't help but turn their heads to look at him, each with a different expression in their eyes.
".
After all, Song Yushan had been helping Song Yuanfang manage the family for many years. Although he was not as experienced as Song Yuanfang, he still had the ability to handle affairs.
Once they received Song Qingming's instructions to arrange the funeral for the Grand Elder, they quickly sent people to spread the news and began to get busy with many family cultivators.
In just half a day, white banners were hung all over Funiu Mountain, and the protective array below opened on its own to welcome people who came from all directions to pay their respects.
As the eldest elder of the Song family, Song Yuanfang has not been in charge of specific affairs in recent years.
However, he still enjoys a certain reputation and prestige in the cultivation world of Wei Kingdom throughout Qinghe County, and countless cultivators have interacted with him.
This includes major cultivation families in the northeast of Weiguo, as well as numerous markets such as "Chiyun Mountain" and "Qingyun Mountain," and forces that are on good terms with the Song family.
Upon learning that Song Yuanfang's funeral was being held at "Funiu Mountain," people rushed to the Song family to offer their condolences.
On the side of the "Free and Unfettered Sect", Elder Zheng Zongxun, the General Affairs Elder, also came to attend the funeral on behalf of the sect, along with two Golden Core Elders, Su Mo and Li Hongyi.
Song Yuanhao, who was far away in the "Eastern Sea Immortal Cultivation World," heard that his elder brother had suddenly passed away, so he immediately arranged his affairs and rushed back with his Daoist partner Zhang Yurong.
On Black Cloud Island, Song Changze's side happened to be in seclusion to form his Nascent Soul, so he couldn't get away for the time being and sent Song Siliang, a Golden Core elder.
Even the "Tianxuan Sect," under Luo Li's arrangement, specially sent an elder from afar to come.
".
In less than half a month, thousands of cultivators poured into Mount Funiu, making the entire Mount Ling extremely crowded. With so many cultivators, their food, clothing, and lodging all needed to be taken care of.
The funeral rites and various offerings for worship and mourning must also be prepared to demonstrate family etiquette.
Fortunately, Song Yushan and the others had made preparations in advance and had also transferred a number of cultivators from the affiliated families of the nearby "Taiyuan Mountain" to help them, which allowed them to barely manage to cope.
Although the funeral cost a considerable amount of spirit stones, the Song family was not stingy or miserly at all.
The mountain was bustling for more than half a month before Song Yuanfang's remains were finally buried in the family cemetery.
After the funeral was completed, Song Qingming urged the many family foundation-building elders to announce that Song Yushan would succeed as the family's Grand Elder and officially take over the ancestral land of "Funiu Mountain".
Besides Song Yuanhao and his group, there were also Nascent Soul elders who had already joined the sect, as well as cultivators from the outer sea branches such as Song Changze, Liu Yuxin, and Song Siliang.
Among the Golden Core elders of the Song family who remained in "Funiu Mountain", there were six others: Song Linrui, Song Siqing, Song Yushan, Song Yu'an, Song Yuping, and Song Shiyuan.
Song Linrui and Song Yu'an are both quite talented and have a good chance of reaching the Nascent Soul stage in the future.
He naturally didn't want to be burdened by family affairs and had no interest in the position of the eldest elder in charge of the family.
As an alchemist and a skilled assistant in managing the market, Song Siqing was someone Huang Siyuan was unwilling to let leave Qingyun Mountain.
Song Shiyuan is the youngest Golden Core elder in the Song family, having achieved Golden Core in less than thirty years.
He is still somewhat inexperienced in handling affairs and lacks prestige within the clan.
Only Song Yuping, who had previously assisted Song Yuanfang in managing family affairs for many years, looked at Song Yushan, who was receiving congratulations from everyone, with undisguised envy in his eyes.
To balance things out, Song Qingming simply transferred Song Yuping to "Chiyun Mountain" to help the family manage the affairs of the market there.
Only after the funeral was over did Song Qingming take Huang Siyuan and Li Xuanyi back to Qingyun Mountain.
Fearing that Song Yushan, having just taken over the family, might not be able to control the family elders on the mountain by himself.
Song Qingyu voluntarily stayed behind to help him oversee things for several months.
Once Song Yushan had become accustomed to her new identity, she left her family and returned to Qingyun Mountain to cultivate in seclusion.
".
"Qingyun Mountain", the Huixian Pavilion is located at the top of the mountain.
Having just returned, Song Qingming stared intently at the letter in his hand for a long time before slowly putting it down and looking ahead.
Not far away in front of Song Qingming, there were two figures, a man and a woman, wearing somewhat similar gray Taoist robes.
Although the two appeared to be young, their cultivation had already reached the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage, and they were not far from forming their core.
"Young friends, when Fellow Daoist Xiao sent you to find me, did he say anything else?"
"Reporting to Senior Song, the Ancestor only instructed us to deliver the message, without mentioning anything else. He also told us to just follow your instructions in everything."
"If that's the case, then you can stay in the market for now. I'll send someone to settle you in later."
"Thank you, senior!"
Only after Wei Yunlong led the two away did Huang Siyuan, who was sitting to the side, move closer to Song Qingming with a bit of a competitive spirit.
“Husband, are they really your old friends? Apart from Fellow Daoist Long, how come I have never heard of you having any other old friends in Lei Yuanhai?”
"Indeed, he is a descendant of an old friend. Speaking of which, I was able to find you in Lei Yuanhai thanks to his reminder!"
Seeing that Huang Siyuan still looked puzzled, Song Qingming continued to recount his journey to "Zhongyuan Immortal Continent" and his search for people in the Leiyuan Sea cultivation world.
This made the person in front of him realize something he hadn't asked before.
"Oh! So that's how you knew about Golden Moon Island. So they came from the Xiao family on Xuanhe Island?"
"Since it was Fellow Daoist Xiao who sought you out, why did he suddenly send two Foundation Establishment juniors from so far away to deliver a message, coming uninvited?"
"Actually, Fellow Daoist Xiao's purpose was not to deliver a letter, but to bring them here specifically."
"Speak!" Song Qingming handed the letter to the other party, which explained the reason why his old friend "Old Ghost Xiao" had come to deliver the letter.
With just a quick glance, Huang Siyuan understood the reason behind it.
It turns out that the reason why "Old Ghost Xiao" sent two Foundation Establishment juniors from afar was to leave them in the cultivation world of Floating Cloud Mountain Range and entrust them to Song Qingming for help.
The Xiao family of Xuanhe Island, though they have a Nascent Soul ancestor hidden behind them.
However, "Old Ghost Xiao" was nearing the end of his life and could no longer take care of the entire family.
The younger generation of the Xiao family are still very young, and the clan has not yet cultivated any Golden Core cultivators.
Back in the Lei Yuanhai cultivation world, "Old Ghost Xiao" had offended many powerful enemies, and even now, there are still enemies searching for news about him.
Fearing that his old enemies would come after his death and the Xiao family would be unable to escape the fate of extermination, "Old Ghost Xiao" sent out two of his more talented younger relatives in advance.
It was for their own cultivation path that they wanted Song Qingming to protect them so they could form their Golden Core in the future.
It is also about leaving a relatively stable way out for the descendants of his lineage.
Even if Xuanhe Island encounters any great calamity in the future, the clansmen can hide in the immortal world of Fuyun Mountain Range, so that the clan will not be wiped out by enemies one day.
Just like when Song Qingming sent Song Changze and his group to the East Sea, this was a common, albeit reluctant, action in the cultivation world.
Song Qingming understood perfectly what the other party was doing.
Back then, Song Qingming and "Old Ghost Xiao" were both trapped outside the Nine Heavens, and they had a life-and-death friendship.
After escaping their predicament, they exchanged tokens of affection so that they could easily reach out to each other if needed in the future.
Since "Old Ghost Xiao" specially sent these two descendants here, it is only reasonable for Song Qingming to take care of them. Of course, he would not turn them away.
"Don't worry, my husband. Fellow Daoist Xiao's two descendants are quite talented. They should have a good chance of forming their core in the future."
"Hmm! Since Fellow Daoist Xiao arranged for them to come, he must have made some preparations."
According to the instructions in "Old Ghost Xiao's" letter, as long as he could help them achieve the Golden Core in the future, there was nothing difficult about it.
Song Qingming didn't pay too much attention to this and directly handed the two members of the Xiao family over to his disciple Wei Yunlong, asking him to take care of them.
To prevent any unforeseen circumstances in the future, Song Qingming specially changed the identities of the two descendants of "Old Ghost Xiao" to those of rogue cultivators who had settled in the East Sea.
The "Qingyun Mountain" market, as the largest gathering place for independent cultivators in the entire Fuyun Mountain range, is already home to countless independent cultivators, and almost every day, unfamiliar cultivators come here.
The sudden appearance of two outside cultivators wouldn't attract much attention.
With Wei Yunlong also there, the market enforcement team can provide support.
As long as they can keep their secrets safe, no one will dare to make a move against the Xiao family members right under Song Qingming's nose.
".
After settling the Xiao family members in, Song Qingming, having nothing else to do, accompanied Huang Siyuan and the other person on a tour around the "Qingyun Mountain" area.
Several months later, they returned to Mount Ling and began their respective secluded cultivation.
During their trip to the cultivation world of "Donghuang Kingdom," in addition to helping "Dangmo Palace" resist the demons of the Falling Star Sea, Song Qingming and his companions also successfully obtained a number of pills that could aid their cultivation.
Li Xuanyi, in particular, spent hundreds of thousands of merits in one go, and quickly went into seclusion after returning.
Huang Siyuan, having received a large amount of spiritual herbs and other alchemy materials brought back by Song Qingming from Donghuang Kingdom, quickly devoted herself to alchemy.
Song Qingming also returned to his cave, but instead of immediately going into seclusion to cultivate, he went directly to the "stone chamber" where he cultivated spirit insects.
Besides earning a sum of spirit stones, Song Qingming's biggest gain from his previous trip to Donghuang Kingdom was obtaining a secret method for cultivating "Seven-Colored Illusion Butterflies" from the "Divine Gu Sect".
Now that he's back in his cave, he's eager to test the effects of this secret technique.
He cast a spell and opened all the bags containing spirit insects on his body. Hundreds of radiant "seven-colored phantom butterflies" instantly filled the entire stone chamber, illuminating the originally dim chamber with a dazzling array of colors.
Although Song Qingming had spent a lot of spiritual resources and time cultivating these spiritual insects, his cultivation method was very rudimentary.
Later on, they could only rely on feeding them "Wanling Dew" and some useful spiritual items that they figured out from all over the place.
The actual effect is quite limited. After so many years, I still only have a few hundred mature advanced spirit insects, and their strength is not worth mentioning.
"Fire Rock Liquid, Dragon Gold Grass, Three Yang Grass..."
With the cultivation method obtained from the "Divine Gu Sect", Song Qingming quickly had many of the spiritual items he needed collected in the market during his trip.
Following the required proportions, it took Song Qingming nearly half a month to finally successfully concoct a brand-new spiritual liquid.
After a careful inspection, seeing that there was no significant difference, he decisively poured it into the stone mortar used to feed the spirit insects.
As the spiritual liquid appeared, the numerous "seven-colored illusion butterflies" that were originally perched on the wall seemed to have smelled something they liked and all flocked over to this side.
He picked up a "Seven-Colored Illusion Butterfly" that had absorbed spiritual liquid and carefully examined it with his divine sense.
Song Qingming quickly and clearly sensed a different aura, and couldn't help but show a hint of satisfaction.
"It is indeed somewhat useful; the Divine Gu Sect didn't dare to deceive me!"
Although the "Seven-Colored Illusion Butterfly" that has consumed the spiritual liquid has not yet shown a significant change in strength, it is no less effective than when Song Qingming fed it with "Myriad Spirit Dew".
In contrast, the cost of these formulated elixirs is significantly reduced.
For Song Qingming now, feeding spirit insects will not only save him a lot of spirit stones, but the effect will also be several times stronger than before.
Given time, the quantity and quality of these "spirit insects" will inevitably undergo a significant change.
The only downside is that preparing these elixirs is also a time-consuming and laborious task, requiring a considerable amount of time.
Because he had promised Yue Ling not to pass on the secret technique when the transaction was completed, Song Qingming had no choice but to entrust this matter to someone else.
He could only entrust the important task of feeding the spirit insects to his "external avatar" and ask him to stop his daily seclusion and cultivation.
After arranging everything, he immediately returned to his secluded stone chamber.
Now that Song Qingming has completed his "vital energy tempering," what he needs to face next is...
Only the final stage of the three stages of the Nascent Soul realm remains: the transformation from an infant to a god.
However, to complete the final and most crucial step, Song Qingming still needs to spend time refining his internal energy to a perfect state.
Only then can one attempt to transform into an infant spirit and gather divine essence, thus breaking through to the highest realm of divine transformation.
(End of this chapter)