Chapter 1291
Changes Over the Years, Sect Ranking
Upon hearing that familiar voice, Li Xuanyi immediately froze on the spot.
Before she could respond, a streak of light appeared swiftly in front of her, its eyes filled with surprise.
"I thought I was mistaken, but it really is you."
"Wait, don't come any closer!"
"Am I dreaming again?!"
Looking at the incredibly familiar figure before her, Li Xuanyi's head seemed to buzz, and she still couldn't quite believe what she was seeing.
After stopping the other party, Li Xuanyi quickly rubbed her eyes.
But no matter how hard she tried, the scene around her did not change at all, which was clearly different from what she had seen in her dream.
Just as Li Xuanyi was frowning in thought, a figure had already quietly approached her side when she wasn't paying attention.
Before Li Xuanyi could react, she was suddenly grabbed by a strong force, and her body spun around and landed gracefully in the other person's arms.
".
One hour later.
The purple flying car stopped on a deserted, desolate mountain.
Within the light gauze curtains, Li Xuanyi, her face half-hidden by her clothes, leaned quietly against a broad chest, her expression one of contentment.
Looking up at Song Qingming, Li Xuanyi couldn't help but say:
"Hmm! My husband, it's been so many years and you haven't come back. I'm really worried that it's just a dream, and I won't be able to find you again when I wake up."
"So, you still don't believe I'm back?"
"Ah, no, I'll trust my husband, okay?"
After nearly eighty years apart, the scene of the two meeting again was naturally one of intense affection.
For some reason, Li Xuanyi gradually felt powerless when facing Song Qingming, whose cultivation level was getting higher and higher.
Seeing Song Qingming's meaningful gaze fall on him again.
Having grasped the other party's many advantages and abilities, Li Xuanyi quickly waved her hand, stood up, and pushed the other party away.
"Sister Siyuan and Senior Sister Bai don't know their husband is coming back yet, they must be very worried."
Let's go back first, so that my two older sisters won't worry and blame me later!
"No rush!"
".
Half a day later, at the Huixian Pavilion on the summit of Qingyun Mountain.
Bai Yuxian, sitting in the center, was busy with her work, while Huang Siyuan sat alone by the window, sipping tea and clutching a scroll of elixirs.
Suddenly, a familiar figure appeared at the door.
Huang Siyuan and Bai Yuxian looked up and were immediately surprised.
"Junior Sister Li, why are you back again? Did you forget something?"
Upon seeing Li Xuanyi return, Bai Yuxian had just asked a question when Huang Siyuan stood up as well, both of them looking puzzled.
"My two elder sisters, I found a treasure on the road. Would you like to see it?"
"Oh! I wonder what kind of treasure it is that can make my junior sister so happy!"
"Senior Sister Li, please take it out and let me see it!"
Upon hearing Li Xuanyi's seemingly mysterious words, Bai Yuxian and Huang Siyuan both looked at each other with curiosity.
"Alright, close your eyes now!"
"one two three."
The two women opened their eyes, and a familiar figure appeared before them.
"My husband, Junior Brother Song!"
Bai Yuxian and Huang Siyuan exchanged a glance, their faces both revealing undisguised excitement.
A moment later, Huang Siyuan was the first to walk to Song Qingming's side and took the initiative to hug him tightly.
"My husband, I believe you wouldn't abandon us on purpose!"
".
Looking at Huang Siyuan, who was already sobbing uncontrollably, Bai Yuxian, who was standing to the side, was not as emotional as Huang Siyuan.
But at this moment, there was also a hint of tears in his eyes.
"Junior brother, you're finally back!"
"Some unexpected things happened during this trip, which delayed my return for quite some time. I'm sorry to have troubled you all."
".
After a long while, Huang Siyuan, having vented her emotions, finally noticed two more pairs of eyes watching her. She quickly let go of Song Qingming and wiped her eyes.
"My husband, what has happened to you all these years? Why have we been unable to find you?"
"And what about Fairy Xia Mo from the Hundred Flowers Palace? Has she seen you before?"
"Alas, this is a long story!"
Upon hearing Huang Siyuan's questions, Song Qingming sighed slightly, pondered for a moment, and then led his three Daoist partners to the side.
After a long while, the four of them were sitting around a wooden table.
As a cup of fragrant spiritual tea was placed in front of him, Song Qingming, who had been eagerly anticipating it, immediately picked up the teacup and put it in his mouth.
Only after setting down his teacup did Song Qingming slowly begin to speak.
In one breath, he told the three people in front of him everything that had happened after he left.
This time, Song Qingming did not hide anything from the three of them.
From going to the secret realm of Fenglei Island in the "Heavenly Sea Immortal Cultivation World" to cultivate his skills, to later entering the "Tower of Babel" with Xia Mo and being trapped in the outer void of the Nine Heavens.
Then Xia Mo took the initiative to stay in the tower and sent him back to Huayang Realm ahead of schedule.
Even the story of how he was chased by the True Dragon Clan in Xihua Immortal Continent and hid in the "Heavenly Sword Pavilion" was told to them in detail.
Eighty years is neither a long nor a short time for a Nascent Soul cultivator.
The fact that these three people are still staying at Qingyun Mountain after he has been missing for so long, searching for his whereabouts, shows that they also have deep feelings for him.
Nowadays, as long as it doesn't involve his own cultivation foundation, Song Qingming no longer has anything to hide from them.
"No wonder the Tower of Babel suddenly closed early that day, throwing us all out of the tower!"
It turns out that my husband and fellow Daoist Xia accidentally triggered the restriction. That explains why the tower returned to the outer void ahead of schedule.
"If I had known my husband was trapped in the tower, Qingyu and I wouldn't have been so foolish as to wander around like headless flies for so many years."
"Hmm! When I first heard about this, I just thought it was a bit strange and assumed that something had happened on the demon side."
I never expected this matter to be related to my junior brother.
When Bai Yuxian and the other two heard that Song Qingming was actually trapped in the "Tower of Babel" along with Xia Mo, they were all extremely shocked.
When the Tower of Babel opened, Song Qingyu, Li Xuanyi, and others entered the tower.
The members of the "Free and Unfettered Sect" had no idea that Song Qingming and Xia Mo had also entered the "Tower of Heaven" secret realm.
It wasn't until they entered the second floor of the "Tower of Heaven" to compete for the spiritual treasure that the Tower of Heaven's restrictions were suddenly triggered, causing it to close prematurely and return to the outer void. Only then did everyone notice something amiss.
However, at the time, almost everyone thought that someone from the demon race had accidentally triggered the restrictions in the tower, and no one expected that it was because of Song Qingming and Xia Mo.
So much so that when Li Xuanyi and Song Qingyu were searching for Song Qingming's whereabouts all these years, they never even considered this possibility.
The two searched for many years around the Floating Cloud Mountains, but returned empty-handed.
"So, Fellow Daoist Xia is still trapped outside the Nine Heavens, and she will never be able to return!"
"No, that's not it. As long as Fellow Daoist Xia can cultivate to the Nascent Soul stage with the help of the Five Elements spiritual energy in the tower, he can try to break the restrictions inside."
However, breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm is no easy feat, and it seems unlikely in the short term.
This was both a tremendous opportunity and a test for her to prove herself.
But I believe that with her talent, she will do it one day.
Although Song Qingming knew that Xia Mo, who was still trapped in the "Tower of Babel," still had a chance to break the seal, he wasn't entirely sure when she would be able to return.
After all, breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm is no easy feat for anyone, and no one knows how much time it will take.
Given Xia Mo's current situation, although there is a chance for her to return, it is unknown when that will be.
Hearing the obvious helplessness in Song Qingming's tone, Bai Yuxian and the other two could also sense the worry in his heart.
"Junior brother, don't worry. Fellow Daoist Xia's natural talent is no less than yours, and I also believe that she can definitely break through the Nascent Soul realm and break the seal and restrictions in the tower."
Even if it doesn't work out, you're still here.
"If my junior brother can successfully advance to the Nascent Soul realm in the future, it's not impossible for him to enter the Tower of Babel and bring Fellow Daoist Xia back."
“If my husband truly breaks through to the Nascent Soul realm, I believe that accomplishing this task should not be difficult. I’m just afraid that he might not return, taking others with him to ascend to the upper realm.”
"I dare not say whether I can advance to the Nascent Soul stage in this lifetime, let alone ascend to the Upper Realm, which is a long way off."
But don't worry, no matter whether I have the chance to ascend to immortality in the future, I will not easily abandon you and Qingyu.
Li Xuanyi, who had just expressed a hint of displeasure, suddenly saw Song Qingming reach out and grasp her hand tightly, and a look of satisfaction immediately appeared on her face.
"By the way, how has Qingyun Mountain been these past few years? Why haven't we seen Qingyu? Is she still in seclusion cultivating?"
On the way here, I inquired about the situation and heard that the Celestial Fox Clan had recently migrated south again. What is the extent of the sect's losses?
After recounting the events that had transpired over the years, Song Qingming inquired about the changes in Qingyun Mountain in recent decades and the recent demon beast uprising. Previously, after returning to Huayang Realm, Song Qingming had been trapped in Tianjian Pavilion for a year before finally finding an opportunity to return to Donghuang Immortal Continent.
When he returned, he made some inquiries and learned that the "monster turmoil" had broken out in the Floating Cloud Mountains ahead of schedule, and that Qingyun Mountain had repelled the demon army.
Although Song Qingming was secretly relieved, he also knew that things would not be so simple.
It wasn't until he learned the details from Bai Yuxian and the other two that he understood how dangerous the turmoil had been, and he felt even more guilty towards Bai Yuxian and the others.
If they hadn't been trapped in the Tower of Babel for so long, the Celestial Fox Clan would never have dared to venture south so easily.
Although the "Free and Unfettered Sect" barely managed to repel the demon army in this battle, almost half of the sect's Nascent Soul elders, including Song Qingyu, Bai Yuxian, Feng Yuan, Song Yuanhao, and Yao Muling, were seriously injured in the battle.
In addition, several Golden Core elders from the sect, including Song Linxi, Fang Baixuan, and Luo Qingyun, perished on the battlefield.
The number of Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining stage disciples who died or were injured reached as high as 20,000.
Even Song Qingming's sixth disciple, Song Chengqing, and his youngest seventh disciple, Song Chengxuan, both died in the battle.
The battle that the "Free and Unfettered Sect" suffered was arguably the one in which it had suffered the most casualties since the sect was founded.
If the demon army hadn't suddenly retreated north, the price they would have paid for holding onto Qingyun Mountain would likely have been far greater.
Hearing Li Xuanyi utter one familiar name after another, a sense of sorrow flashed through Song Qingming's heart.
If I were there, they might have been able to avoid this calamity.
However, things in this world are often not as one wishes, and some things cannot be easily changed just because Song Qingming has his own thoughts.
Fortunately, although Song Qingyu, Huang Siyuan and others were seriously injured, their condition was not too bad.
Otherwise, Song Qingming would probably find it difficult to let go of this matter easily.
Slowly setting down his teacup, Song Qingming looked at Bai Yuxian beside him and continued to ask:
"Senior Sister Bai, have you found out why the demon race suddenly withdrew their troops?"
"In recent years, Qingyu and I have been busy in seclusion to heal our injuries, and no one else dares to easily explore the north. We still haven't figured out this matter."
Even after the turmoil ended, the front lines still frequently received intelligence of groups of wounded monsters invading southward.
It seems that some internal strife has occurred within the demon race's territory, which is why they have taken the initiative to withdraw their troops.
"It seems the demon race is also restless, which is actually a good thing for us."
However, this matter seems somewhat strange. We should have Jingyun and the others send people north to investigate and find out the situation on the demon race's side as soon as possible.
Like the major sects of the human race, there are many large and small demon races in the Northern Frontier, and it is not uncommon for them to have disputes and wars over territory.
It just so happened that it occurred at a critical moment of the "monster turmoil," which made Song Qingming feel a little strange, and he wanted to investigate the matter thoroughly.
After chatting with Bai Yuxian and the others, Song Qingming went to the cemetery behind the mountain to visit his two disciples who had recently passed away.
Following behind him were Bai Jingyun, Wei Yunlong, and a group of other disciples.
Since breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm, Song Qingming has taken in a total of seven disciples.
Tang Muyan, one of the disciples, failed to form his core in his early years and went to travel to the East Sea alone, but never returned.
Decades ago, before Song Qingming left the sect, his soul lamp had already gone out. It was unknown whether he had perished due to some misfortune or died because he failed to form his core again.
Although the fourth disciple, Liu Yue, was quite talented, she was burdened by worldly affairs and became a Daoist couple with Song Qingyu's eldest disciple, Song Shaoyu, at a young age, hoping to be a good wife and mother.
As a result, Liu Yue gave birth to many children in succession, but this also delayed her own path to enlightenment, and she also failed to successfully form her core.
Before the "monster turmoil" a few years ago, Liu Yue had already passed away in her cave, never to see her mentor Song Qingming return.
This time, the sixth disciple, Song Chengqing, and the seventh disciple, Song Chengxuan, unfortunately perished on the battlefield.
Now, Song Qingming is left with only Bai Jingyun, Wei Yunlong, and Song Shiyun.
However, all three of them are quite talented. The eldest disciple, Bai Jingyun, has already reached the ninth level of the Golden Core realm, and a few years ago he even went into seclusion to break through the Nascent Soul bottleneck.
The second disciple, Wei Yunlong, also recently broke through to the ninth level of the Golden Core stage. Unfortunately, he was injured in the turmoil and needs some time to recover and hone his magical power before he can attempt to break through to the Nascent Soul stage.
The fifth disciple, Song Shiyun, was brought back by Song Qingming from the "Funiu Mountain".
Song Shiyun had already successfully formed his core sixty years ago, and his cultivation level had now reached the fifth level of the Golden Core realm.
Moreover, he, who followed Huang Siyuan to learn alchemy, also became a mid-level third-grade alchemist, and his talent in alchemy was in no way inferior to that of Song Siqing, an elder in the clan.
Besides Song Qingming's disciples, Song Qingyu and his former students Song Chengyan and Song Chengjiang also tragically perished in this great battle.
Both of them were buried in the back of Qingyun Mountain.
He only went out for a short while, and when he came back, there were several lonely graves.
Looking at the familiar scene before him, Song Qingming felt as if he had returned to the days when his cultivation was low and he was on Mount Funiu.
After Song Qingming finished paying respects to his disciples and returned to his cave with them, Bai Yuxian took out another sect token from her person.
"Junior Brother Song, this was given to me by Senior Brother Li in person before he passed away."
He said that once you return, he will return this item to your junior brother and allow him to succeed you as the sect's Grand Elder.
Faced with Bai Yuxian handing over the sect token representing the authority of the Grand Elder, Song Qingming stood silently for a long time, but did not choose to accept it.
"Senior Sister Bai, I've been gone for so long these past years, and you and Junior Sister Xu have been taking care of everything in the sect."
Next, I'm afraid I'll need to go into seclusion to try and break through to the Nascent Soul realm, and I probably won't have time to manage the sect's many trivial matters.
Since Senior Brother Li has already given this token to Senior Sister, then Senior Sister Bai can take over the position of Grand Elder of the sect for now.
I'll send a message to my fellow disciples later; I'm sure they won't have any objections.
When Song Qingming joined the "Free and Unfettered Sect", his main purpose was to facilitate his own cultivation and take care of his family. He never had any thoughts about the position of the sect's Grand Elder.
Now, his cultivation is only one step away from the Nascent Soul realm, and he will definitely focus on that next.
As for managing sect affairs, Bai Yuxian, Xu Ziyan, and others were already very familiar with it, so even if Song Qingming did not serve as the Grand Elder, it wouldn't have much of an impact.
“Junior Brother Song, I know you are devoted to the Dao and do not want to covet the position of Grand Elder.”
But this was Senior Brother Li's dying wish, and if Junior Brother is unwilling to take over the position of Grand Elder, I'm afraid I cannot accept this gift.
Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to explain this to my senior brother in the afterlife.
Despite Song Qingming's refusal, Bai Yuxian remained resolute and refused to retract the token in her hand.
Seeing that the two were so stubborn, Huang Siyuan quickly stepped forward to persuade them:
“Husband, what Senior Sister Bai said is right. After all, this was decided by Senior Brother Li before his death. If you are unwilling to serve as the Grand Elder, how dare anyone else go against Senior Brother’s last wish?”
I think it would be better if my husband took on the position of Grand Elder for now, while Senior Sister Bai could take on the position of Sect Leader and continue to be responsible for managing sect affairs.
With so many Nascent Soul elders in the sect now, there's no need for the Grand Elder to handle everything.
With Senior Sister Bai, the sect leader, it's perfectly fine.
"Yes! What Sister Siyuan said makes sense."
Xu Shimei's previous position as sect leader had already caused quite a few misunderstandings, so it was only reasonable for Bai Shijie to succeed her.
With Senior Sister Bai helping her husband manage Guyang Mountain, and Qingyu also overseeing Qingyun Mountain, there's bound to be no trouble.
Besides, with so many of us helping, it won't disturb my husband's secluded cultivation.
As for the other Nascent Soul elders in the sect, I think we should try our best to arrange their titles and ranks to avoid any future conflicts within the sect.
"If that's the case, then so be it."
However, let me make this clear beforehand: if I ever find myself unable to manage the position of Grand Elder and pass it on to someone else, you are not allowed to object.
In the cultivation world, the highest-ranking members of top Nascent Soul sects are usually the Grand Elders, followed by the Sect Leaders.
Previously, because the "Xiaoyao Sect" rose too quickly, the position of sect leader had always fallen to Xu Ziyan, who was in charge of the sect's affairs, which led to many misunderstandings.
Now that Li Xuanyi has proposed returning the position of sect leader to Bai Yuxian, whose cultivation is second only to Song Qingming, it is a reasonable thing to do.
In this way, even if Elder Song Qingming is not present, Bai Yuxian can still become the nominal leader of the sect.
As for the Nascent Soul elders of other sects, they will also be re-ranked according to their cultivation level to reflect their status within their respective sects.
This will also help avoid future conflicts and too many disputes.
Otherwise, since everyone is a Supreme Elder and there is no distinction in status, trouble could easily arise if the Sect Leader and the Grand Elder are not present.
The "Free and Unfettered Sect" currently has eleven Nascent Soul elders.
Ranked by cultivation level, they are Song Qingming, Bai Yuxian, Song Qingyu, Li Xuanyi, Huang Siyuan, Song Yuanhao, Xu Ziyan, Zhou Ziyang, Feng Yuan, Su Mo, and Yao Muling.
Song Qingming succeeded to the position of Grand Elder, while Bai Yuxian became the sect leader.
One of them was at the half-step Nascent Soul realm, and the other was at the peak of the eighth level of the Nascent Soul realm. Both of them were the most powerful cultivators in the "Free and Unfettered Sect".
The remaining individuals are: Song Qingyu (Nascent Soul Level 7), Li Xuanyi (Nascent Soul Level 6), Huang Siyuan (Nascent Soul Level 6), Song Yuanhao (Nascent Soul Level 5), Xu Ziyan (Nascent Soul Level 5), Zhou Ziyang (Nascent Soul Level 4), Feng Yuan (Nascent Soul Level 3), Su Mo (Nascent Soul Level 1), and Yao Muling (Nascent Soul Level 1).
They would then serve as the second to tenth elders, respectively.
Although Feng Yuan formed his Nascent Soul earlier, as a demon, his normal cultivation speed was far slower than that of human cultivators.
His cultivation level is still at the third level of the Nascent Soul stage, and he has been surpassed by Song Yuanhao, Xu Ziyan, Zhou Ziyang and others who have formed their Nascent Souls.
Xu Ziyan's cultivation progressed smoothly after breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage due to the presence of a spiritual infant within her, and her cultivation level gradually surpassed that of Zhou Ziyang, who had achieved Nascent Soul formation earlier than her.
As for the other guest elder, Li Xianyun, although with his cultivation level, he could at least rank behind Song Qingyu, who had just broken through to the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm.
However, since guest elders do not have the authority of Nascent Soul elders, they do not need to be included in this ranking.
After a detailed division, the status of the various elders of the "Xiaoyao Sect" was also clearly defined.
Unlike before, when everyone went about their own business and only exchanged polite formalities when they met.
Even a Nascent Soul Elder who has just formed their Nascent Soul doesn't need to take the words of others with higher cultivation levels to heart.
After entrusting Bai Yuxian with the many affairs of managing the sect, Song Qingming returned to his cave dwelling with peace of mind and began to prepare for his seclusion.
(Tomorrow is Qingming Festival, and Xiaomeng will be going up the mountain to sweep the tombs, so she might be back late! Sorry in advance, that's just how it is in my family; matters concerning our ancestors cannot be taken lightly!) (End of Chapter)