Chapter 1317
Chen Qingxuan Disappears, Fire Phoenix Transforms into a God
"Ten-Yu-Zong", the council hall.
More than a thousand years ago, when the Supreme Elder Chen Qingxuan advanced to the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm and became the number one expert of the human race in the Eastern Phoenix Kingdom.
The "Tianyu Sect" had already firmly secured its position as the number one sect and become the leader of the human race in the entire Donghuang Immortal Continent.
There were more than a dozen Nascent Soul cultivators gathered in the main hall, all of whom were at least at the late Nascent Soul stage.
The person leading the group below was none other than He Xiaofeng, the head of the "Tianyu Sect".
However, unlike in the past, the person standing at the head of the main hall was not Chen Qingxuan, the Supreme Elder of the sect, but Song Qingming, who had traveled thousands of miles from the "Floating Cloud Mountain Range".
When Song Qingming first came to the "Tianyu Sect" to participate in the Donghuang Sword Tournament, he was just an elder from a remote minor sect who had just condensed his Nascent Soul.
He was not even qualified to be looked up to by the many late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators present.
Now he can stand on the high platform and receive the bows of He Xiaofeng and others.
"Sect Leader He, where exactly are Senior Chen and the others now? When exactly did this happen?"
"Reporting to Senior Song, Uncle Chen went to the Northern Frontier six years ago, accompanied by the Grand Elder, Junior Brother Feng, and others. They were there to help quell the demonic threat."
But to our surprise, after our uncles arrived in the Northern Frontier, they lost contact with us not long after.
".
Song Qingming, who had previously returned to the "Tai Xu Sect", learned of the True Demon's escape.
He then rushed to the "Tianyu Sect" to discuss countermeasures with Chen Qingxuan, the number one expert in Donghuang Immortal Continent.
To Song Qingming's surprise, when he and Li Xuanyi arrived at Tianyu Sect, they did not see Chen Qingxuan as they had hoped.
According to the sect leader He Xiaofeng, Chen Qingxuan had accepted the invitation of the demon race seven years ago to go to the "Northern Frontier" to discuss the pacification of the demon scourge.
However, after Chen Qingxuan and the others left, they never returned and there was no further news of them.
Unable to contact the sect's supreme elder, the "Tianyu Sect" sent people deep into the northern frontier to investigate the matter.
I just learned some even more unbelievable news.
It wasn't just Chen Qingxuan and his group that went missing; several demon saints who had traveled with him in the Northern Frontier, as well as dozens of demon emperors under their command, also lost contact at almost the same time.
Faced with the sudden disappearance of the Supreme Elder Chen Qingxuan, the "Tianyu Sect" did not make a fuss about it, but secretly contacted the Northern Frontier Demon Clan to investigate.
Several years have passed, and they still haven't found any trace of Chen Qingxuan.
Until half a year ago, news of Song Qingming's advancement to the Nascent Soul realm reached the cultivation world of Donghuang Kingdom.
Upon learning of this, He Xiaofeng immediately sent a message to the "Xiaoyao Sect" seeking assistance.
However, because the news of Chen Qingxuan's disappearance was related to the stability of the entire "Donghuang Kingdom", they were afraid that the news would be leaked and attract the covetousness of other surrounding forces.
He Xiaofeng did not mention this matter in the letter, but waited until Song Qingming arrived at the "Tianyu Sect" before hearing them tell him everything.
"Senior Song, we received news from the Northern Frontier two months ago, inviting us to go and rescue Uncle Chen and the others."
We didn't act rashly because our seniors hadn't arrived yet.
Now that Senior Song has arrived, we humbly request your approval on this matter; we will certainly cooperate fully.
"Please give your instructions, Senior Song!"
After the "Golden Ancestor" was nearing the end of his life and had no choice but to leave, only Chen Qingxuan, the Nascent Soul Ancestor, was left to hold the fort in the entire "Eastern Phoenix Immortal Continent".
Now that Chen Qingxuan has disappeared, Song Qingming has just successfully reached the Nascent Soul stage.
He Xiaofeng and the others all placed their hopes for rescuing Old Ancestor Chen on Song Qingming.
Back then, because of his master "Ling Xuzi", Chen Qingxuan took good care of Song Qingming.
Song Qingming was able to successfully temper his body with his vital energy and reach the half-step Nascent Soul realm because of Chen Qingxuan's full support behind the scenes.
Not only did he gift him a "Purple Heaven Jade", he also personally taught Song Qingming some of his own experiences when he broke through to the Nascent Soul realm.
Even the "Yin-Yang Creation Pill" that Song Qingming used to break through to the Nascent Soul stage in the Ziyang Heavenly Palace was personally provided to him by Chen Qingxuan.
If it weren't for Chen Qingxuan's help, Song Qingming probably wouldn't have been able to advance to the Nascent Soul stage so smoothly.
Upon learning that Chen Qingxuan and the others had disappeared in the "Northern Frontier," Song Qingming did not hesitate for a moment, and calmly waved to everyone.
"Old Ancestor Chen helped me back then, and I, Song, am naturally duty-bound to do so. Please prepare yourselves as soon as possible and come with me to the Northern Frontier!"
"We obey!"
Upon Song Qingming's order, He Xiaofeng and the others nodded in agreement and began sending messages to other sects to gather manpower to go to the northern frontier to rescue Chen Qingxuan.
As the number one sect in the Eastern Phoenix Kingdom, the "Heavenly Imperial Sect" quickly received responses from other sects in the surrounding area when it issued its recruitment notice.
In less than ten days, the Tianyu Sect had already gathered over a hundred Nascent Soul experts.
Among these people, the lowest cultivation level was at the mid-Nascent Soul stage, and there were more than twenty Nascent Soul stage cultivators alone.
Including He Xiaofeng, Qiu Shui Zhenren of the Wuxiang Sect, Gu Lin Da Elder of the Wanshou Mountain, and Lin Tianrong of the Tiandao Sect.
These half-step Nascent Soul experts whom Song Qingming knew all came as invited.
In addition, He Yuliang, who has succeeded as the Grand Elder of the Demon-Slaying Palace, personally came out of seclusion and brought the sect's most precious treasure, the "Heaven-Slaying Demon-Suppressing Sword".
The former Grand Elder of the Demon-Slaying Palace, True Man Mingyue, is 1,700 years old. Although he has taken some high-level longevity pills, he only has a little over 100 years left to live.
Decades ago, in order to make a final breakthrough to the Nascent Soul realm, True Person Mingyue chose to go into seclusion within the sect.
Before going into seclusion, Master Mingyue publicly handed over the position of Grand Elder of the Demon-Slaying Palace to the sect leader, He Yuliang.
The current leader of the "Demonic Palace" is Hu Canghai, whose cultivation has also reached the half-step Nascent Soul realm.
Lu Yue, who used to be on good terms with Song Qingming, has now become the second elder of the sect.
However, over the years, Lü Yue's cultivation level has remained at the peak of the ninth level of the Nascent Soul stage, and he has not yet completed the tempering of his Yuan Qi to become a half-step Nascent Soul cultivator.
This time, Lü Yue also followed He Yuliang to the "Tianyu Sect".
As soon as they entered the main hall, Song Qingming, who was standing at the head of the table, personally came to greet them.
Somewhat flattered, He Yuliang quickly led Lü Yue and several of his fellow disciples forward and bowed in respect.
"We pay our respects to Senior Song!"
"Fellow Daoists, please don't stand on ceremony!"
After helping the two up, Song Qingming walked up to Lü Yue and said softly:
"Back when I was at Dangmo Mountain, I was an old friend of yours, and those memories are still vivid in my mind."
Although I was fortunate enough to break through to the Nascent Soul realm ahead of others today, I have not forgotten my old friends, so please do not let this cause any distance between us.
After breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm, friends like Lü Yue, who were originally close to Song Qingming, now have vastly different statuses when they meet again.
Seeing the other party standing respectfully in front of him, Song Qingming felt a little uncomfortable for a moment, and took the initiative to say a few words of comfort to the two of them.
Upon hearing this, Lü Yue's tense expression relaxed slightly.
“When I first met you, senior, our cultivation levels were similar, so we should have treated each other with sincerity.”
Now that Senior Song has advanced to the Nascent Soul stage, it would be impolite to try to rekindle old friendships with him!
If there is an opportunity in the future, I would like to invite you to visit the Demon-Slaying Palace.
It would be our great fortune to receive even a little guidance from a junior in his practice.
When Lü Yue first befriended Song Qingming, his cultivation level was still above Song Qingming's.
Unexpectedly, after hundreds of years, the mid-Nascent Soul cultivator who came to him for help back then has now reached the Divine Transformation realm.
Time flies, and the two have become worlds apart in terms of cultivation and status.
Even though Song Qingming took the initiative to bring up their past friendship, Lü Yue still dared not overstep the bounds of propriety and maintained a respectful gaze towards him.
Seeing this, Song Qingming remained silent for a moment before changing the subject.
"I heard from Junior Brother Liu on Jade Profound Island that your sect had sent people to help strengthen the island's restrictions, for which I am deeply grateful."
I wonder which member of your clan lent a helping hand? I will certainly pay a visit to express my gratitude another day.
"Uh, Senior Song, you're too kind."
My junior brother Lü and I were unaware of the rescue of Yuxuan Island, and we didn't even know which junior brother in the sect had made the move.
"Upon returning to the sect, I will certainly investigate this matter and report back to you, senior."
Faced with Song Qingming's personal thanks, He Yuliang and Lü Yue were surprised. Not knowing about this, they quickly responded.
Upon hearing this, Song Qingming didn't ask any further questions and simply nodded.
After He Yuliang and his group from the Demon-Slaying Palace arrived, more than a hundred Nascent Soul experts had already gathered in the main hall.
Seeing that almost everyone had arrived, He Xiaofeng, at Song Qingming's instruction, immediately gave the order to depart, leading everyone northward.
Song Qingming, along with Song Qingyu, Li Xianyun, and a few others, followed at the back of the group.
After several months of rapid travel, the group quickly crossed the border and ventured deep into the territory of the "Northern Frontier" demon race.
".
In the southwest of "Northern Xinjiang", on a high mountain.
A fiery cloud rapidly approached from the horizon, and with a deafening sound, a figure flew out from the cloud and landed directly on the mountaintop.
Upon seeing the newcomer, several figures who had been waiting nearby quickly stepped forward to stop him.
"I have urgent business to report to the two patriarchs!"
"Come with me!"
After receiving permission from the people in front, the newcomer quickly walked forward to the front of a magic array.
Before he could even raise his hand to cast a spell, the scenery in front of him changed dramatically, sucking him into a grand hall.
Dozens of powerful Nascent Soul Demon Emperors stood here, and the two figures sitting on the two stone chairs at the head of the table exuded an even more unfathomable aura.
The old man in the gray robe had a face full of wrinkles, and his head was bowed as if he were about to fall asleep.
The other woman in red looked very young, with a thoughtful expression in her eyes.
The newcomer quickly walked up to the two of them and knelt down on the ground.
"Reporting to the Ancestor, the human race from the south has arrived. They have reached Crescent Valley and sent word that we should go there to meet and discuss rescuing the Ancestor."
"Oh! They took so long to come. I thought they were too scared to come!"
"Old Ghost Jin Yuan's lifespan is nearing its end; I heard he has already passed away. On the human side, only Chen Qingxuan remains. How can they abandon this ancestor? I wonder how many people from the human side have come this time, and who is leading them?"
"Reporting to the Ancestor, there are about a hundred Nascent Soul cultivators from the human race. The leader seems to be from the Heavenly Imperial Sect."
There was another person, who also appeared to be a Nascent Soul cultivator.
"A Nascent Soul cultivator? Could it be that Old Ghost Jin is still alive, or are they reinforcements they invited from Xihua Continent?"
".
Upon hearing the question posed by the gray-robed elder seated at the head of the table, the person below was unable to answer for a moment!
"Now that they're here, let's hurry over there!"
The old man in the gray robe nodded slightly upon seeing this, then looked at the woman in red who hadn't said much.
The other party didn't say a word, but got up and walked out.
".
In the "Crescent Valley", black demonic energy thousands of feet high soared into the sky, enveloping the entire valley within a radius of tens of thousands of miles.
Standing in mid-air at a distance, Song Qingming looked at the dense demonic energy emanating from the valley in front of him, his gaze becoming more solemn.
Compared to the true demonic energy he had sealed in the "Heavenly Demon Graveyard," the concentration of demonic energy here was more than twice as high.
Just by standing outside the valley, Song Qingming could already sense that the army of demons hidden inside was probably far greater than before.
"Senior Song, Uncle Chen and the others came this way back then, and they also lost their traces here."
Two years ago, I, along with fellow Daoists He and Lü, went deep into this place to investigate.
They encountered a very powerful restrictive formation as soon as they approached the valley, making it impossible to force their way in.
"A restrictive array!"
"Indeed, a very powerful array has been set up here, which even a Nascent Soul cultivator cannot break by force."
Just as Song Qingming and He Xiaofeng were talking, a somewhat solemn voice suddenly drifted from the northwest, and then an old man in gray robes stepped through the void and arrived in front of them.
A moment later, another figure in red appeared, followed by hundreds of streaks of light.
"I am Bai Yang from the Moon Wolf Clan of the Northern Frontier, and this is Fellow Daoist Huo Feng from the Heavenly Phoenix Clan."
"May I ask which cultivation realm you belong to? Have you come here specifically to offer assistance?"
"My name is Song Qingming, and I am not from elsewhere but a cultivator from Donghuang Immortal Continent."
"Greetings, fellow Daoists." Looking at the two who had suddenly appeared before him, Song Qingming raised his hand slightly in response.
"Judging from your aura, you seem to have just entered the Nascent Soul realm. So you are a rising star from the Eastern Phoenix Immortal Continent. I have been impolite."
The "White Sun Demon Saint" standing in front of Song Qingming couldn't help but show a hint of surprise when he heard him claim to be a cultivator from the Eastern Phoenix Immortal Continent.
The woman in red, standing to the side, gazed at the person before her in silence for a moment before slowly speaking:
"I can't believe it! It's only been so long, and you've already successfully advanced to the Nascent Soul stage!"
"It's been many years, it's been a long time."
Nearly two hundred years have passed since we parted ways in the secret realm.
When the two met again, Song Qingming discovered that Huo Feng's cultivation had also reached the Nascent Soul stage, seemingly having broken through to the same level around the same time as him.
Fire Phoenix originally came from the "Heavenly Phoenix Clan" of the Northern Frontier. Its talent and bloodline far surpassed those of ordinary demon cultivators, and it had even absorbed the essence and blood of an ancient true spirit.
Song Qingming wasn't too surprised that she was able to break through to the Nascent Soul realm, but this meeting was somewhat sudden.
In contrast, Huo Feng looked more surprised when she saw Song Qingming in front of her.
Unexpectedly, the Nascent Soul stage expert from the human cultivators' side...
It turned out to be Song Qingming, the same Song Qingming who had stood before him trembling with fear and always wore a fawning and obsequious expression.
But now, when he looks at himself again, he is no longer as cautious as he was back then; his eyes are full of confidence and composure.
Although Song Qingming's cultivation talent after advancing to the Nascent Soul stage far exceeded Huo Feng's expectations, he successfully cultivated to the ninth level of the Nascent Soul stage in just a few hundred years.
But he witnessed Song Qingming's cultivation level catch up with his own and break through to the Nascent Soul realm.
Fire Phoenix was inexplicably surprised at this moment.
Unexpectedly, Song Qingming would one day stand before her with such confidence.
Hearing the conversation between the two, the "White Sun Demon Saint" also showed a hint of surprise on his face.
"Uh! You two, do you know each other?"
"Back when I was dealing with those demons from the upper realm in the sealed land of the Northern Frontier, I had a chance encounter with Fellow Daoist Fire Phoenix. Almost two hundred years have passed in the blink of an eye."
When the secret realm was first created, it alarmed cultivators from both the human and demon races, who entered to fight for it. Later, it even attracted the participation of true demons from the upper realm.
The "White Sun Demon Saint" was naturally aware of this matter, and also knew that the Fire Phoenix had entered it and obtained considerable opportunities.
Upon hearing that Song Qingming and "Fire Phoenix" had met there, a look of understanding flashed across "White Sun Demon Saint's" face.
Even He Xiaofeng and the others standing not far away remembered that Huo Feng was the demon cultivator who obtained the sealed demonic artifact back then.
After greeting Song Qingming, "White Sun Demon Saint" turned to look at the valley ahead.
"Fellow Daoist Song, the demonic energy in this valley is so powerful that Fellow Daoist Chi Li and the others are most likely trapped here. Do you have any good way to break this trap?"
"This formation is indeed powerful, but it is not too difficult to break."
"Oh! Then I'll leave the matter of breaking the formation to you, fellow Daoist."
"Fellow Daoist Chi Li and the others have been trapped here for quite some time, and we still don't know their safety. Please feel free to tell us how you need our cooperation."
Besides Chen Qingxuan, three other demon saints from the "Northern Frontier"—Chi Li, Lei Hu, and Yu Lin—also went missing.
The three people who have arrived here now are the few remaining Nascent Soul cultivators in the entire "Eastern Phoenix Immortal Continent".
Seeing the confidence on Song Qingming's face, the "White Sun Demon Saint," who was not good at array formations, smiled slightly and immediately handed over the task of breaking the array to them.
Song Qingming readily accepted the offer.
Although the barrier in front of them was quite powerful, even a Nascent Soul cultivator would not be able to force their way in for a while.
However, this scale of restrictive array is still not as powerful as the Immortal Mansion Star Array that Song Qingming had seen back then.
Besides the three Nascent Soul stage ancestors, nearly three hundred cultivators from both the human and demon races also arrived.
Song Qingming's array formation skills are already close to level five. With the help of so many cultivators, they have a high chance of breaking through the restriction in front of them.
Besides him, Qiu Shui Zhenren of the Wuxiang Sect is also a high-level array master, whose array skills are not much inferior to Song Qingming's.
Knowing that they needed to deal with the high-level restrictions in the valley, True Person Qiushui specially brought a high-level secret technique for breaking the formation from his sect.
After working together with Master Qiushui to study the formation, Song Qingming quickly determined a way to break it.
Under his command, the numerous human cultivators who followed him raised their array flags and set up a powerful level-five array in front of the valley.
Subsequently, Song Qingming, Bai Yang, and Huo Feng, the three Nascent Soul Ancestors, joined forces to forcibly break through a corner of the restrictive formation in the valley.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, True Person Qiushui manipulated the level-five array, merging the magical power of hundreds of Nascent Soul cultivators within it, transforming it into a giant sword that directly pierced into the restrictive array.
As the giant sword destroyed the barrier in the valley ahead, it gradually began to crumble and shattered in mid-air.
Seeing that a gap had been broken in the great formation ahead, the "White Sun Demon Saint" was overjoyed.
"Fellow Daoist Song, well done!"
"Let's all go in together, be careful not to get separated."
".
After Song Qingming and the others gave them some instructions, hundreds of cultivators quickly rushed into the restrictive array.
At this moment, the many demons in the valley also sensed the invasion of the surrounding creatures and flocked towards Song Qingming and his group.
Although these low-level monsters are numerous and fearless.
However, they faced hundreds of Nascent Soul experts from both the human and demon races, plus the intervention of three Nascent Soul ancestors: Song Qingming, "Baiyang," and "Fire Phoenix."
The demon army was quickly forced to retreat, automatically creating an opening.
The group fought their way forward, and many monsters around them fell one after another. Soon they were driven to a black altar deep in the valley.
Looking at the very familiar altar in front of him, Song Qingming's eyes immediately showed a hint of vigilance.
Before they could make a move, wisps of black mist began to rise above the altar in front of them.
Immediately afterwards, hundreds of powerful Nascent Soul demons emerged from the black mist and blocked the way for the group.
These Nascent Soul demons, aided by the dense demonic power near the altar, possessed an aura no weaker than that of late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators.
"Everyone be careful!"
Just as Song Qingming gave a warning, the Nascent Soul demon was already rapidly attacking them from the front.
Its speed was incredibly fast; in the blink of an eye, it had already reached the group.
Before a mid-stage Nascent Soul demon king could even react, his protective aura was pierced through by the demon's claws as easily as thin paper.
Immediately afterwards, the Demon Emperor's physical body was quickly tainted by demonic energy, emitting wisps of black smoke.
Seeing that his physical body was beyond saving, the Demon Emperor's natal nascent soul still tried to escape, but it was pierced by the demon's claws and he died on the spot.
In just a short time, seven or eight people in the group were ambushed by the monster.
Fortunately, the others reacted quickly, and with the cover of his teammates, the nascent soul broke free of his body and escaped with his life.
Faced with the rampant arrogance of these demons, a crimson flame suddenly ignited in mid-air, and as the flame swept around, more than a dozen demons were engulfed in it.
Then, under the intense heat of the flames, it let out screams of agony.
Immediately afterwards, white lightning descended from the sky, instantly killing several Nascent Soul demons on the spot.
Just as "Fire Phoenix" and Song Qingming made their move, "White Sun Demon Saint" also activated a seven-colored feather fan, creating a gust of wind that trapped seven or eight demons within it.
After the three Nascent Soul stage ancestors took action, they quickly turned the tide of the battle and stabilized the situation for everyone.
Just as everyone was besieging the numerous Nascent Soul demons before them, a sudden change occurred once again within the altar ahead. (End of Chapter)