Chapter 1284
Gentlemen, please proceed with caution; a method of escape.
The cultivation world of the Floating Cloud Mountains.
Weiguo, at the top of the "Guyang Peak" mountain cave.
"Master, rest assured, I have already memorized these notes on Nascent Soul formation, and there will be no mistakes."
"Okay! It's good that you can remember it. There's nothing else."
"Go inside first. Junior Sister Xu and I will take turns protecting you here."
Looking at Su Mo, who was standing seriously in front of her, Bai Yuxian and Xu Ziyan, who was standing to the side, nodded slightly.
The two watched each other enter the secluded cave.
Seeing that Su Mo's figure had disappeared, Bai Yuxian still had a hint of worry in her eyes. Xu Ziyan quickly smiled and comforted her:
"Don't worry, Senior Sister Bai. Although Su Mo's talent is not as good as yours, it is much better than ours."
Now that he has no shortage of spiritual items and his foundation has been honed to a good level, I believe he should succeed this time.
"The Nascent Soul stage is an extraordinary bottleneck. No matter how talented you are, whether you can succeed still depends on some luck."
Over the years, so many junior disciples like Yun and Fang have attempted to break through to higher realms. In terms of talent, any one of them would probably be no less capable than us.
But ultimately, a certain opportunity was lacking, which is why no one has succeeded in all these years.
After Song Yuanhao, Zhou Ziyang, and Xu Ziyan successfully formed their Nascent Souls, the entire "Xiaoyao Sect" seemed to have had its fortune prematurely depleted.
In the last hundred years or so, many members of the sect have gone into seclusion to try to break through to the Nascent Soul realm, but none of them have succeeded.
On the contrary, the "Tianji Sect" and "Wanling Sect," whose strength is far inferior to theirs, have successfully cultivated a Nascent Soul Elder in recent years.
At this point, Bai Yuxian couldn't help but sigh.
Upon hearing this, Xu Ziyan, who was standing to the side, also showed a hint of helplessness on her face, and quickly replied:
"What Senior Sister said is true. In recent years, many of the younger generation in the sect have indeed lacked luck."
However, Mu Ling and Su Mo are now in seclusion, and Junior Nephew Bai from Qingyun Mountain has also begun to break through his cultivation level. All three of them are quite confident in achieving Nascent Soul this time.
I think it won't be long before the sect has a new Nascent Soul elder.
"Yes! If that's the case, then that would be excellent, and the sect could also use this to change its fortune."
In recent years, with the rapid growth of the sect's strength, the "Xiaoyao Sect" has long had many stable channels to find Nascent Soul spirits.
Almost every ten years or so, a Golden Core elder in the sect would go into seclusion to try and break through to the Nascent Soul realm.
Besides Su Mo, who was fully supported by Bai Yuxian, Bai Jingyun and Yao Muling were backed by their respective mentors, Song Qingming and Xu Ziyan.
In previous years, the two had already exchanged for Nascent Soul spiritual items at the "Good Deeds Pavilion" and begun their seclusion to break through to the Nascent Soul realm.
The three of them went into seclusion one after another. If even one of them could successfully condense a Nascent Soul, they could break the bad luck that had plagued the sect for years.
For the "Free and Unfettered Sect," this was an acceptable outcome.
Seeing that Xu Ziyan spoke highly of the three who were in seclusion to form their Nascent Souls, Bai Yuxian nodded slightly, a look of satisfaction appearing on her face.
Just as the two were chatting, a streak of light suddenly flew rapidly from afar, immediately interrupting them.
"My two venerable ancestors, Uncle Li has sent word that the Grand Elder is seriously ill and requests your presence!"
"Senior brother..."
Upon hearing the visitor say that Li Mufeng was seriously ill, Bai Yuxian and Xu Ziyan's expressions immediately changed.
After quickly giving some instructions, he hurried to a sacred mountain on the west side of "Guyang Mountain".
As the two entered the cave, they found it already in complete chaos.
Many of Li Mufeng's relatives and disciples were arguing loudly about something around Li Mufeng, who was lying on the stone bed in front of them.
"What kind of behavior is this, crying and sobbing like this!"
Xuanhe and Chengxuan, stay behind. Everyone else, go out first!
Xu Ziyan shouted, immediately interrupting everyone and silencing the crowd.
Upon seeing that the two elders of the sect had arrived, the previously noisy cave quickly dispersed.
Only Li Xuanhe and Wang Chengxuan, two Golden Core disciples who were relatively close to Li Mufeng, remained.
Like Li Hongying, Li Xuanhe is a blood relative of Li Mufeng on the mountain, and is also the person with the highest cultivation level in the Li family besides this Supreme Elder.
Wang Chengxuan was a disciple personally taught by Li Mufeng in his later years, and was greatly favored by him.
These two were the juniors on the mountain who were closest to Li Mufeng, which is why Xu Ziyan was able to leave them behind to take care of them.
After seeing the others off, Bai Yuxian and Xu Ziyan stepped forward and came to the bedside.
At this moment, Li Mufeng was already emaciated, unresponsive, and only had a faint breath left, clearly on the verge of death.
"Have any of you given your senior brother any elixirs?"
"Reporting to Uncle Xu, Junior Brother Wang had already sent someone to Shan Gong Pavilion to collect the pills, but the Ancestor's condition did not improve after taking the elixir."
We were at a loss, fearing the patriarch might not wake up, which is why we had no choice but to send for our martial uncle.
"It seems that ordinary pills are no longer effective for Senior Brother Li, and he won't last much longer."
Please ask Junior Sister Xu to send a message to Qingyun Mountain and ask Junior Sister Huang to come and help see if there are any other ways to wake up Senior Brother.
"Junior Brother Xuanhe, hurry to the General Affairs Hall and have Zong Xun and the others prepare for Senior Brother Li's funeral."
Although Li Mufeng had consumed many longevity-promoting spiritual items, he had also lost some of his lifespan due to injuries sustained in battles in his earlier years.
Now 1,500 years old, he has reached the end of his life, his body shrouded in gray death energy, beyond any hope of recovery.
All Bai Yuxian and the others can do now is to do their best and leave the rest to fate.
Upon receiving the message from Xu Ziyan at Qingyun Mountain, Huang Siyuan, Song Qingyu, and Zhou Ziyang immediately took the sect's teleportation array back to Guyang Mountain.
Li Xuanyi and Song Yuanhao were still in seclusion at the time and did not receive the news immediately.
It took several days before they hurried over from Qingyun Mountain.
Besides Song Qingming, there was also Li Xianyun, a guest elder who had gone on a journey many years ago and had not returned.
Many elders of the "Free and Unfettered Sect," including "Wind Ape," who rarely appears in public, have arrived at Li Mufeng's cave.
As the sect's best alchemist, Huang Siyuan brought a lot of high-grade spiritual pills with her.
After checking on Li Mufeng's condition, he took out a few pills and handed them to Wang Chengxuan, who then had them carefully crushed and fed to Li Mufeng.
However, after more than ten days, there was still no sign of the other party waking up.
In the end, Huang Siyuan had no choice but to take out a black elixir that she had prepared beforehand and hand it over to everyone.
This pill is called "Deer Soul Pill". Although it is only a mid-grade third-level pill, it is a rare high-level spiritual pill in the cultivation world that can restore a person's vitality.
After taking the "Deer Soul Pill," Li Mufeng, who had kept his eyes tightly closed, reacted within a quarter of an hour.
The gray death aura around him vanished almost instantly, and a rosy glow returned to his face.
He slowly awoke from his sleep and looked at the many Nascent Soul elders from various sects standing neatly in the cave.
He immediately realized his condition and quickly beckoned to Li Xuanhe beside him, who helped him sit cross-legged on the bed.
"I have something to say, you can all leave now!"
As soon as Li Mufeng waved his hand, Li Xuanhe, Wang Chengxuan and other juniors immediately bid farewell and left the cave, leaving only Bai Yuxian, Song Qingyu and other Nascent Soul elders of the sect.
After carefully taking out a "storage artifact" from his side, Li Mufeng raised his gaze to the crowd in front of him and said:
"Inside are some spiritual items that I have accumulated throughout my life, as well as a few level-four magic weapons and talismans."
Ziyan, Ziyang, and Yuanhao have the shortest time to form their Nascent Souls, so these magical treasures will be left to the three of you.
As for the remaining talismans, Junior Sister Bai, Junior Brother Song, and Junior Sister Huang, each of you may take one as a small token of my appreciation.
Please trouble Junior Sister Xu to distribute the rest to Xuanhe and Chengxuan later.
As for my cave dwelling and the merits recorded in the sect token, I will donate them all to the Merit Pavilion. This can be considered my last contribution to the sect.
"My junior sister has served as the sect leader for so many years; I can rest assured entrusting this matter to you."
"Elder, please rest assured, Ziyan will handle this matter fairly and justly!"
Xu Ziyan joined the sect at a young age, and after reaching the Core Formation stage, she gained Li Mufeng's deep trust and managed sect affairs for many years.
Seeing that Li Mufeng had entrusted her with the distribution of his belongings, Xu Ziyan quickly stepped forward to take the storage artifact and then took out everything inside in front of her.
Li Mufeng possessed three level-four magic treasures, the best of which was a mid-grade level-four treasure, which he directly gave to Xu Ziyan.
The other two low-grade level four magic treasures were given to Zhou Ziyang and Song Yuanhao.
Bai Yuxian, Song Qingyu, Huang Siyuan, and Li Xuanyi each received a level four spirit talisman.
Xu Ziyan broke through to the Nascent Soul realm in just a hundred years.
Her previous attempts to exchange for Nascent Soul spiritual items to advance her cultivation level nearly bankrupted her, and she also incurred a significant amount of merit points owed to the sect.
Xu Ziyan's wealth was not considered rich among the many Nascent Soul elders; she only possessed a low-grade fourth-level magic weapon of average quality.
Although Zhou Ziyang and Song Yuanhao were better off than Xu Ziyan, each possessed several level-four magic treasures.
However, one of them had a large family with many wives and concubines and numerous disciples to take care of, while the other had been busy supporting his Daoist partner in breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm.
Life was still a bit tight, not exactly comfortable.
Each of the three obtained a level-four magic weapon, and they all showed a hint of excitement.
Bai Yuxian, Song Qingyu, and the others had accumulated considerable wealth over the years since they had reached the Nascent Soul stage, so they weren't particularly envious of the spiritual items Li Mufeng had brought out.
Although they were given level four spirit talismans, which were clearly less valuable than those of Xu Ziyan and the other two, none of them showed any displeasure on their faces.
After dealing with his belongings, Li Mufeng glanced at the crowd and then slowly asked Bai Yuxian, who was standing beside him:
"Junior Brother Song, are you still in seclusion?"
"My husband went to cultivate outside the city alone some time ago, and we still can't contact him!"
Only Bai Yuxian, Song Qingyu, Huang Siyuan, and a few other Nascent Soul elders from the sect knew about Song Qingming's previous departure to cultivate.
The other disciples in the sect, including Elder Li Mufeng, who didn't really get involved in affairs, were also unaware of this matter.
Li Mufeng didn't have much time left, and Bai Yuxian didn't want to deceive him any longer, so she directly told him that Song Qingming was not at "Qingyun Mountain".
Upon hearing this, Li Mufeng, though showing some disappointment in his eyes, still nodded slightly in response:
"Junior Brother Song is a man of extraordinary talent. His journey to cultivate must be for the purpose of breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm."
Please be understanding, fellow junior sisters, and don't blame him for this.
"Since Junior Brother Song is not in the sect, from today onwards, Junior Sister Bai will serve as the sect's Grand Elder."
"After Junior Brother Song returns, I will pass this item on to him." After saying this, Li Mufeng handed the inheritance token, which represented the identity of the sect's Grand Elder, directly to Bai Yuxian.
The others, seeing this, immediately bowed to Bai Yuxian, which was considered an acceptance of her taking over the position of Grand Elder.
“Junior Brother Feng, I have already discussed your matter with Junior Sister Bai. We can terminate the contract on you two hundred years in advance.”
If my junior brother is unwilling to stay in Guyang Mountain in the future, he can go to Jinyu Mountain or other places to cultivate.
As long as you don't leave the Floating Cloud Mountains for the time being, it won't be considered a breach of agreement!
Upon hearing Li Mufeng's promise to terminate the contract ahead of schedule, a hint of joy flashed in the eyes of "Wind Ape".
He, who was not usually one for many words, did not express his gratitude directly, but simply nodded to his old friend in front of him.
After giving everyone a thorough explanation, Li Mufeng finally showed a relieved smile.
As time passed, the color drained from Li Mufeng's face, and his aura weakened once again.
Upon seeing this, everyone's expressions immediately darkened, and they looked at the other party with some concern.
"Elder, is there anything else you wish for?"
Faced with Xu Ziyan's concerned inquiry, Li Mufeng gently shook his head.
"Throughout my life of cultivation, though I have not attained the Great Dao, I have no regrets as I witness the achievements of my sect today."
"The road to immortality is long, but one can roam freely in the world."
"The road ahead is fraught with difficulties!"
"Gentlemen, please proceed with caution!"
After saying these words, Li Mufeng's life force ceased, and he closed his eyes and passed away peacefully in front of everyone.
".
He served as the Grand Elder of the "Free and Unfettered Sect" for a thousand years.
Although Li Mufeng was not the greatest contributor to the sect's prosperity, he was the most respected elder in the hearts of all the disciples.
The Xiaoyao Sect naturally held a very grand funeral for this elder.
Almost all the major and minor sects above the Golden Core level in the "Floating Cloud Mountain Range" sent representatives to Guyang Mountain to pay their respects.
Zheng Zitong of the Starry Sky Sect and Fu Yungui of the Fire Sun Sect both came to bid farewell to their old friend after hearing the news.
Yang Fengyu of the Tianji Sect originally wanted to attend the funeral as well.
However, he was not much older than Li Mufeng, and his physical body had also reached the point of decline in vitality and blood.
Upon hearing the devastating news from the "Xiaoyao Sect," Yang Fengyu, who was nearing the end of his life, was suddenly struck by the shock and fell seriously ill.
In the end, Wei Dongcheng could only be sent to lead a group to attend the ceremony and pay respects, and he was unable to bid farewell to his old friend on the spot.
The event was lively for several months until Li Mufeng's tombstone was erected in the most conspicuous place in the cemetery behind "Guyang Mountain," at which point the mountain gradually quieted down.
".
In the "Xiaoyao Hall" of Guyang Mountain, the Xiaoyao Sect, which had just bid farewell to Li Mufeng, soon welcomed a special guest.
Bai Yuxian, who succeeded as the sect's Grand Elder, personally came to greet them, accompanied by Song Qingyu and Xu Ziyan, and led them into a side hall of the main hall.
"Our sect has been very busy lately, and we were unaware of your presence. We are truly ashamed that we were unable to welcome you from afar."
"Fellow Daoist Bai, you are too kind. Your sect's Grand Elder has just passed away. I am sorry for my rudeness in coming to bother you. I hope you fellow Daoists will not take offense."
".
"I wonder what brings you here, Fellow Daoist?"
Looking at Yu Mengning, who had suddenly come to visit, Bai Yuxian exchanged a few polite words with her and then immediately asked her why she had come.
Seeing this, Yu Mengning immediately asked, "Fellow Daoists, your sect and my Hundred Flowers Palace have always been on good terms, so I will not hide anything from you."
I have come here to inquire about the whereabouts of our sect's Grand Elder.
"Elder, what happened to Sister Xia? Is she not at Hundred Flowers Palace?"
Upon hearing that Yu Mengning had come to inquire about Xia Mo, Song Qingyu, who was sitting to the side, immediately changed her expression and asked her a question with some confusion.
Upon hearing this, Yu Mengning immediately showed a hint of helplessness and explained:
"Sister Qingyu, you may not know this, but after the Grand Elder left the sect twenty years ago, she never returned and never said where she went."
We investigated for a long time and found out that the Grand Elder had come to the Floating Cloud Mountains to the west back then, so we took the initiative to visit him.
"I wonder if it would be convenient for Elder Song of your esteemed sect to meet me? I would like to ask him if he has any news of the Grand Elder."
Upon hearing Yu Mengning's slow arrival, everyone realized her purpose.
Twenty years ago, Xia Mo, the Grand Elder of the Hundred Flowers Palace, left the sect alone for some unknown reason.
At first, many elders of the "Hundred Flowers Palace" were unaware of her departure and assumed that Xia Mo had been in seclusion in her cave.
Several years later, after repeatedly sending messages to her without receiving a reply, everyone realized something was wrong and learned that she was no longer in the sect.
I thought Xia Mo's soul lamp was fine, that she was just out running some errands and would return to the sect soon.
But unexpectedly, more than twenty years have passed.
There has been no news of Xia Mo, nor has she returned to the sect.
The members of the "Hundred Flowers Palace" became anxious about this and began to secretly inquire about Xia Mo's whereabouts.
Yu Mengning learned from a communication talisman left by Xia Mo in the cave that Xia Mo had contacted Song Qingming of the "Xiaoyao Sect" decades ago and had specially come from the East Sea to inquire about this matter.
Upon hearing this, Song Qingyu and Bai Yuxian exchanged a glance, their expressions both looking rather unpleasant.
"Fellow Daoist Yu, Junior Brother Song is not on the mountain now. He has been gone for decades and we haven't heard from him since!"
"What? Fellow Daoist Song isn't here either?"
".
Beyond the boundary, in the "Tower of Babel".
Deep in the valley, in a courtyard, two figures sat cross-legged facing each other.
Not far in front of the two, a golden painting floated in mid-air, emitting bursts of spiritual light.
After an unknown amount of time, a flash of light suddenly appeared above the golden scroll, and a figure in white robes emerged from it.
This person was none other than Xuan Tian, the spirit of the artifact that had been sealed inside the "Mysterious Heaven Treasure Map".
Upon seeing the "Xuantian" appear before them, Song Qingming and Xia Mo immediately beamed with joy and stood up to ask:
"Senior Xuantian, how was it? Did you gain anything?"
"To be honest with you two, I still don't have a way to fully control the restrictions on the Tower of Babel."
The seals and restrictions on my body have indeed been broken quite a bit, and I've also remembered some things that might be useful.
However, this method has some problems, and it's still unclear whether you will be able to use it.
"Oh! Senior, what have you thought of that can help us return to Huayang Realm? Why don't you just say it, and we'll think of a way together."
Song Qingming and his companion, who had previously entered this place in search of a chance to inherit their lineage, encountered the second Nascent Soul cultivator, "Tongtian Sanren," who wanted to possess their body.
Although they had annihilated their opponent, the "Tower of Babel" had already returned to the outer void, and the two of them still hadn't managed to escape.
They thought that the "Xuantian" they had released from the seal could take them back with them.
Unexpectedly, the other party had many memories sealed, making it impossible for them to control the "Tower of Babel" to return to Huayang Realm.
Song Qingming and Xia Mo could only try to use magic to help each other break the seals within their bodies, and they have been trapped in the tower for an unknown amount of time now.
Looking ahead at "Xuantian," it had long become one of the few remaining hopes for the two of them to return.
Upon learning that the other party had partially opened the seal, Song Qingming hurriedly asked them for advice, hoping to find a way to leave the area.
Facing the two expectant faces, "Xuan Tian" quickly replied, "My two young friends, I have indeed found a solution."
If someone can refine me and become the new master of the Tower of Babel.
Then we can break through some of the restrictions in the tower and activate the Tower of Babel to return to the vicinity of Huayang Realm.
But if that's the case, this person will be just like me.
They are imprisoned by the tower's restrictions and cannot leave.
After saying this, Xuan Tian looked calmly at the two people in front of him and noticed that Song Qingming and Xia Mo both had somewhat solemn expressions on their faces.
"Does the senior mean that once you are refined, you will be imprisoned by the restrictions within the tower and will never be able to leave the Tower of Babel?"
“That’s right. If we use this method, the two of you may not be able to leave together. One of you will have to stay here.”
Xuan Tian spoke very directly, showing no intention of hiding the information he possessed from the two of them.
Upon hearing this, Song Qingming and Xia Mo exchanged a glance and then fell silent.
Only one of the two people can leave.
Sacrifice yourself for the sake of others!
This method, while seemingly offering hope of leaving, actually left them with no real choice.
After a long silence, Xia Mo spoke first and asked, "May I ask, senior, are there any other ways for those who remain here to leave?"
"Is it true that after refining the Myriad Treasures Map of the Mysterious Heaven, one will never be able to leave?"
"No, that's not it. Although you can't break the restrictions and seals on the Tower of Babel right now."
However, if one's cultivation reaches the Nascent Soul stage in the future, breaking the seal on this place will be possible.
"The Nascent Soul Realm!"
Upon hearing "Xuantian's" explanation that the sealing restriction required breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm, Song Qingming and Xia Mo's expressions did not relax in the slightest.
Seeing this, Xuan Tian continued to explain:
"Your cultivation has now reached the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, and you are only one step away from the Divine Transformation stage."
If one stays here and cultivates in seclusion using the five elements of spiritual energy within the tower, the chances of advancing to the Nascent Soul stage are not low, so there is no need to worry too much about that.
However, I cannot tell you the exact timeframe required; you will need to decide that yourself. (End of Chapter)