Chapter 1354
The Nascent Soul Immortal Clan: Unwavering Original Intention
"May it last forever, and may the new era prosper."
"Looking up at the lush scenery, I see the scholar continuing the bright path."
These are the sixteen generational names established in the family genealogy when Song Qingming was still a member of the family.
However, after Song Yuanfang passed away, most of the family cultivators who were close to him on Mount Funiu had already passed away.
The faces of the many family elders who are now bowing to Song Qingming are completely unfamiliar.
The only ones whose names could be recognized were Song Mingyue and a few others who were standing at the very front.
"Please, everyone, do not stand on ceremony. Please come inside with me to talk!"
After nodding slightly to the many cultivators in front of him, Song Qingming led everyone into the "Council Hall" ahead.
In addition to Song Qingming, Song Qingming also brought his eldest son Song Xinyuan and his fifth disciple Song Shiyun to Funiu Mountain.
Back when Song Xinyuan had not yet reached the Foundation Establishment stage, he had lived in the "Funiu Mountain" for a period of time, and many of the Golden Core elders of the Song family present had seen him.
In particular, Song Mingyue, with whom he had a good relationship, almost got together with him back then.
However, due to Li Xuanyi's intervention, Song Xinyuan eventually ended up with Liu Yuling.
Song Mingyue, on the other hand, let go of this relationship and married another rogue cultivator who married into the Song family. They have also had children together.
When the two met again, they didn't seem too awkward.
In the family's "meeting hall".
As soon as Song Qingming invited everyone to sit down, Song Mingyue, who had been managing the family for more than ten years, immediately took out an account book that she had prepared beforehand.
"Ancestor, these are the accounts of the family compiled by the First Elder. He instructed me before his death to personally hand them over to you for review."
Song Mingyue is a direct descendant of the former Grand Elder Song Yushan. At this moment, when she mentioned her great-grandfather in front of Song Qingming, her eyes couldn't help but well up with tears.
Seeing this, Song Qingming gave the other party a reassuring look before taking the account book from Song Mingyue's hand.
The top of the screen was filled with the names of the family's cultivators, as well as the family's many businesses, such as spirit fields, mines, and markets.
Not only are there detailed ledgers for each industry, but even the annual inflow and outflow of spirit stones are marked.
Although Song Yushan's personal cultivation talent was not as good as his peers Song Yu'an and Song Yuping, his ability to manage the family was not as good as Song Yuanfang's back then.
However, his strength lies in his more composed and steady approach to life compared to that of ordinary cultivators.
Over the years, under his leadership, the Song family has developed steadily without any major problems.
Song Qingming entrusted the position of the family's Grand Elder to Song Yushan precisely because he valued this quality in him.
Since the "Xiaoyao Sect" moved north several decades ago, many spiritual mountains in the Wei Kingdom's cultivation world have been left vacant, and the Song family has also experienced a period of development and expansion during this time.
Now, nearly half of the northern territory of the Wei Kingdom, including Jiangling County and Gaoyun County, has fallen under the jurisdiction of the Song family.
Within the family, including Song Mingyue, seven Golden Core elders, one hundred and sixty Foundation Establishment cultivators, and nearly five thousand Qi Refining stage members have been cultivated.
Their strength has more than doubled compared to when Song Yuanfang was alive.
The Song family now boasts a number of cultivators that rivals those of emerging Nascent Soul forces like the "Three Absolutes Sect" and "Xiyun Mountain," lacking only one Nascent Soul ancestor.
".
Slowly withdrawing his gaze from the ledger in his hand, Song Qingming nodded slightly to Song Mingyue in front of him.
"Over the years, I have been away from the clan for a long time, and the clan has always relied on you all to assist in the management of Yushan. Thank you for your hard work."
"We are fortunate to have contributed to the family thanks to the blessings of our ancestor, and we dare not complain about the hardships we have endured."
".
Seeing that Song Mingyue in front of him spoke with a firm and resounding voice, her imposing manner was in no way inferior to that of her great-grandfather, Song Yushan.
Song Qingming smiled with satisfaction before slowly speaking to him:
“You have made great contributions by following Yu Shan’s side over the years. If no one has any objections, I think it would be better for Mingyue to succeed as the family’s elder.”
Apart from the Golden Core cultivators who have already joined the "Free and Unfettered Sect".
The Song family has seven Golden Core elders, ranked according to seniority.
They are Song Shiyang, Song Chengyuan, Song Mingyue, Song Mingde, Song Liangshan, Song Yuhua, and Song Jinliang.
Among them, Song Shiyang is the Golden Core elder with the highest cultivation level in the Song family. A hundred years ago, his cultivation level had already reached the peak of the Golden Core realm, and he had once broken through the Nascent Soul bottleneck.
Song Shiyang had just passed five hundred years of age and still had a sliver of hope of breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm.
He is currently focused on achieving Nascent Soul cultivation and has no interest in managing family affairs. If he hadn't learned of the return of his ancestor, Song Qingming, he probably wouldn't be here at all.
Song Chengyuan, whose generation name is "Cheng", is of average talent and his cultivation level is currently only at the sixth level of the Golden Core stage.
Song Mingde, whose generation name is "Ming", was severely injured by demons on the battlefield during a demonic calamity in his early years, which also delayed his cultivation for several decades. He is still stuck at the fifth level of the Golden Core realm.
The remaining three, Song Liangshan, Song Yuhua, and Song Jinliang, had all formed their cores relatively recently, and their cultivation levels were far inferior to Song Mingyue, who had already advanced to the late stage of the Golden Core realm.
Whether it's her own cultivation level or her personal prestige within the clan, given that Song Shiyang had no intention of vying for the position of Grand Elder, Song Mingyue had no other rivals.
Seeing Song Qingming's gaze sweep over the crowd below, the six Golden Core elders of the family sitting below immediately stood up and echoed his sentiments.
"We have no objection!"
"Mingyue will certainly not disappoint the Ancestor and will do her utmost to serve the family!"
Song Mingyue, standing to the side, could not hide her joy and bowed to Song Qingming, who was in the head seat, to express her gratitude.
After confirming Song Mingyue's position as Grand Elder, Song Qingming nodded slightly and continued:
"Now that the Grand Elder has been chosen, there is one more thing I need to inform you all about."
Xin Yuan has already left the sect, and he and Yu Ling will be returning to their families.
I have already discussed with the other elders of the sect and decided to place Guiyunfang, Tuoyunshan, Tiexianbao, and Bailonggu under the jurisdiction of the family.
From now on, Mount Funiu will officially be promoted to the Nascent Soul Immortal Clan, no longer a direct vassal of any sect, and can stand on equal footing with other Nascent Soul sects.
"Advanced to the Nascent Soul Immortal Clan!"
"Ancestor, is what you said true? Our Song family will become a Nascent Soul Immortal Clan from now on?"
".
As soon as Song Qingming finished speaking, a thunderous sound erupted in the hall, and many Song family elders, including Song Mingyue, showed expressions of surprise.
Since Song Qingming brought Song Qingyu and others to join the sect, the Song family has been living a good life under their care and protection.
The family also experienced a period of stable and rapid development, firmly establishing itself as the number one cultivation family in the "Floating Cloud Mountains".
However, over the past few hundred years, through more than a dozen generations of cultivators such as Song Yuanfang and Song Yushan, "Funiu Mountain" has never produced a single Nascent Soul cultivator who has advanced to the Nascent Soul Immortal Clan.
The two exceptionally talented members of the clan, Song Yuanhao and Song Yu'an, only succeeded in forming their Nascent Souls after joining the sect along with Song Qingming.
Song Shaoyu and Song Xinyuan had been cultivating in a sect since they were young.
Of the seven Golden Core elders in the clan, only Song Shiyang and Song Mingyue have the best chance of breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm.
However, neither of them, in terms of talent or personal cultivation speed, was as good as Song Yuanhao back then.
Even with Song Qingming's connection, which could help them obtain Nascent Soul-Gathering Spiritual Objects, their chances of achieving Nascent Soul status in the future are no more than 20%.
When everyone saw Song Xinyuan arrive, they all thought he was just returning to the family with the patriarch Song Qingming.
No one expected that Song Xinyuan's trip was actually to voluntarily return to her family.
It should be noted that the spiritual vein of "Funiu Mountain" is only a low-grade fourth-level vein, far inferior to that of Qingyun Mountain where the sect is located, not to mention that there is an ancestor named Song Qingming to take care of it.
Song Xinyuan's decision to return to his family's "Funiu Mountain" to cultivate at this time was truly unexpected by many elders present.
Song Mingyue and Song Jinliang and the others opened their eyes wide and asked to confirm. Even Song Shiyang, who usually didn't get involved in family affairs, showed a rare look of astonishment on his face.
Seeing this, Song Qingming and the others nodded calmly.
"You heard right. Starting today, Xinyuan will officially return to the family and succeed as the family patriarch."
If everyone has no objections, he will take charge of the family token from now on.
"We will obey the ancestor's orders!"
Ever since Song Qingming received this token representing the patriarch of the family from his sixth uncle, Song Changfeng, it has remained on his person.
During the years that Song Qingming was away from the clan, the clan's affairs were basically managed by the clan's elders, and the position of clan leader was never changed.
Seeing that Song Qingming took out the black token representing the position of family patriarch, intending to pass the position of family patriarch to Song Xinyuan.
Many family elders present stood up and echoed this sentiment.
After all, Song Xinyuan is now a Nascent Soul cultivator, and apart from Song Qingming and Song Qingyu, no one in the entire Song family is of higher seniority than him.
Regardless of whether Song Xinyuan returns to the family or not, no one will object to him taking over as the clan leader.
Now that he has returned on his own initiative, "Funiu Mountain" has its own Nascent Soul cultivator, who, according to the rules of the cultivation world, can directly advance to the Nascent Soul Immortal Clan.
Furthermore, Song Qingming has already transferred Guiyunfang, Tuoyunshan, and Tiexianbao to the family, meaning the entire northern part of Weiguo is now under the control of the Song family.
After being promoted to the Nascent Soul Immortal Clan, the Song family will be able to stand on equal footing with other Nascent Soul forces in the Floating Cloud Mountain Range.
Their strength and status have already risen to a new level, far surpassing what they are now.
Seeing this, Song Mingyue and the others also showed a hint of excitement on their faces, as if they could already see the changes that would happen to their family in the future.
Besides Song Xinyuan, Song Qingming's fifth disciple, Song Shiyun, also accompanied him back to the family.
Song Shiyun is a cultivator of the same generation as Song Shiyang, and his lifespan is already close to five hundred years. Currently, his cultivation level is still at the seventh level of the Golden Core realm.
At such a cultivation speed, even if he stayed at Qingyun Mountain, his hope of forming his Nascent Soul was already extremely slim.
Having grown up in the Funiu Mountains, he still has many close relatives and descendants living on the mountain.
Upon learning of Song Xinyuan's return to the family, Song Shiyun took the initiative to request to return to "Funiu Mountain" for cultivation, which was granted by his master, Song Qingming.
Meanwhile, Song Mingyue and the others, upon learning that their family had gained another Golden Core elder, also expressed their welcome.
To celebrate Song Xinyuan and Song Shiyun's return to the family, and to celebrate "Funiu Mountain's" advancement to the Nascent Soul Immortal Clan.
Song Mingyue, who had already succeeded as the family's Grand Elder, took the initiative to propose holding a celebration on the mountain to officially announce the matter to the public.
Song Qingming also strongly agreed with this and decided to stay at "Funiu Mountain" to personally support it.
Upon learning that the Song family was holding a celebration for advancing to the "Nascent Soul Immortal Clan," other Nascent Soul forces in the "Floating Cloud Mountains" sent people to offer their congratulations after receiving the invitations.
Even Liu Yuxin, who was far away in the East China Sea, and Song Yuanli from the Tianhai Immortal Cultivation World, prepared congratulatory gifts and personally led people to "Funiu Mountain" to participate in the celebration.
Others who were in the sect included Song Qingyu, Song Yuanhao, Song Shaoyu, and Song Yu'an.
They also put aside their own affairs and rushed back to Funiu Mountain to offer their congratulations.
Although they have been away from the family for many years, they have never forgotten their identity as members of the Song family.
Now that a new patriarch has emerged in the family, it is only natural to come and offer congratulations in person.
Since the Song family established their clan in "Funiu Mountain".
In just a thousand years, Song Qingming, the Nascent Soul Ancestor, has already emerged.
And seven Nascent Soul cultivators: Song Qingyu, Song Yuanhao, Song Yuanli, Liu Yuxin, Song Shaoyu, Song Yu'an, and Song Xinyuan.
The total number of Golden Core cultivators surnamed Song from various regions within the family is nearly thirty.
Seeing so many clansmen who had come from afar to participate in the celebration, Song Qingming was very pleased. He even introduced Song Yuanli's identity to everyone in public.
When Song Yuanli went to "Fallen Maple Valley" back then, he had to hide his Song family identity because of the hostile relationship between the Floating Cloud Mountain Range and the Heavenly Sea Alliance.
Now that Song Qingming has broken through to the Nascent Soul realm, many sects in the Tianhai cultivation world have already submitted to him. Song Yuanli doesn't need to worry about these things and can come to the celebration openly and legitimately.
After Song Qingming explained the situation, the many Song family cultivators present learned the truth.
The man before them, the renowned "Master Fuyuan" from the Tianhai cultivation world, was actually an ancestor of the "Yuan" generation in his family.
Upon hearing this, Song Mingyue and the others hurriedly stepped forward to pay their respects to this Nascent Soul ancestor of their family who was living away from home.
Among the many Nascent Soul ancestors of the Song family, apart from Song Qingming and his several Daoist partners, Song Qingyu had the highest cultivation level.
Having already cultivated to the peak of the ninth level of the Nascent Soul stage, she successfully comprehended the primordial energy of heaven and earth after a period of seclusion a few years ago, and is currently preparing to break through to the half-step Divine Transformation realm.
Next is Song Yuanhao, whose cultivation has reached the peak of the sixth level of the Nascent Soul stage.
During his trip to the Tower of Babel a few years ago, Song Yuanhao successfully obtained a "Mysterious Spirit Pill" and went into seclusion to break through to a higher realm.
Unfortunately, he failed in his first attempt to break through to the next level and did not become a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.
Song Yuanli formed his Nascent Soul later than Song Yuanhao, and his cultivation level is currently at the fifth level of the Nascent Soul realm. He is still some distance away from breaking through to the late Nascent Soul realm.
Then there's Liu Yuxin, who has been in the Nascent Soul stage for almost four hundred years, and whose cultivation has only recently broken through to the fourth level of the Nascent Soul realm.
Liu Yuxin's natural talent and spiritual roots are not particularly outstanding. Although she obtained a lot of cultivation resources by relying on the East Sea mines, her cultivation speed after forming her Nascent Soul was still not fast, and she had only just reached the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm.
With her current lifespan of nine hundred years, her chances of reaching the late Nascent Soul stage in the future are not high.
Song Shaoyu, Song Yu'an, and Song Xinyuan all formed their Nascent Souls in the last hundred years or so, and their cultivation levels are currently still at the early Nascent Soul stage.
However, all three of them are rising stars of the new generation of the Song family, and none of them are over six hundred years old yet.
From the perspective of their personal paths, their chances of reaching the late Nascent Soul stage are actually greater than those of Liu Yuxin and Song Yuanli.
Among the other Golden Core cultivators of the Song family, Song Qingming also saw many outstanding talents who were expected to reach the Nascent Soul stage.
In particular, a member of the "Ming" generation who came with Liu Yuxin, who was only a little over two hundred years old, had already cultivated to the eighth level of the Golden Core realm.
Such a terrifying cultivation speed even surpasses that of Song Qingming back then.
With just a little nurturing from Liu Yuxin, such a talented individual has at least a 50-60% chance of advancing to the Nascent Soul realm in the future.
It is estimated that in another hundred years or so, a second Nascent Soul Ancestor may appear on "Black Cloud Island".
Seeing so many outstanding young talents emerging in the family, Song Qingming felt quite gratified.
Having been busy with secluded cultivation, he took the opportunity to set aside his status and enjoy the celebration with many younger members of the family.
".
Just as the atmosphere on the mountaintop was incredibly lively.
In a secluded valley behind Mount Funiu, a sudden gust of cold wind swept up the surrounding fallen leaves, which then fell into an underground cave below.
Song Changyue, dressed in a black robe, had just arrived in front of a stone gate when a voice suddenly rang out from ahead.
"Changyue, why didn't you go into seclusion in your cave to cultivate? Why did you suddenly think of coming here?"
"Oh! Ninth Brother, you've already come out of seclusion."
Mingyue just sent me a letter saying that the Ancestor has arrived on the mountain and wants to see us!
"What? It's Seventh Uncle?"
Upon hearing Song Changyue mention that the ancestor wanted to see him, a surprised voice rang out from inside the stone gate, followed by a strange black mist emerging from the crack in the gate.
A figure slowly emerged from the black mist; it was Song Changze, who had been cultivating the path of ghost cultivation for many years.
After failing to form his nascent soul, Song Changze, in order to keep his primordial spirit in the world, did not hesitate to switch to the ghost path and risk his soul being scattered to start his cultivation from scratch.
After hundreds of years of arduous cultivation, with the guidance of Song Changyue, he recently succeeded in condensing the Ghost Core and restored his cultivation to the early stage of the Golden Core realm.
However, ghost cultivators need to rely on the yin energy underground to cultivate, and in recent years, he and Song Changyue have basically been hiding underground in the back mountain to cultivate.
Apart from Golden Core elders like Song Mingyue, very few people know of their existence.
Upon seeing Song Changze, Song Changyue quickly bowed and greeted him.
"Ninth Brother, it seems there's some kind of celebration going on on the mountain lately, and quite a few guests have come. I wonder what the Ancestor wants to see us about?"
"Your cultivation has stabilized considerably now. If you suggest returning to Black Cloud Island to visit your sister-in-law, I think she would agree."
"Hmm! I've been cultivating in a daze all these years, and I've forgotten how long it's been since I last saw her."
Upon hearing Song Changyue's reminder, Song Changze immediately recalled the figure he had been separated from for hundreds of years, and a hint of joy appeared on his face.
After switching to the path of ghost cultivation, in order to allow Song Changze to concentrate on his cultivation, he reconstituted the ghost pill.
Song Qingming has repeatedly refused Liu Yuxin's request to come to "Funiu Mountain" alone to visit Song Changze.
Now that he has finally succeeded in condensing the Ghost Core after all his hard work, he can leave this place and move freely. He can finally take the initiative to ask Song Qingming to return to the East China Sea to see him.
Just as Song Changze and his companion arrived near the mountaintop to wait...
From afar, they saw Song Qingyu leading a familiar figure, walking briskly towards them.
Upon seeing the figure he had longed for, Song Changze immediately showed excitement and fixed his gaze on the other person.
"Yuxin, it really is you!"
"My husband, after more than three hundred years, I have finally waited for you to return."
"I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting so long!"
"It's alright. Even if it takes three thousand years, I will wait for you to come back, let alone three hundred years."
Three hundred years passed in the blink of an eye. The two who were forced to separate back then were overjoyed when they saw each other again and embraced tightly.
Even though their cultivation levels are now worlds apart, and they are of different paths as humans and ghosts.
The undisguised longing on their faces was incredibly intense and had not changed in the slightest with the passage of time.
Song Qingyu and Song Changyue, who were standing nearby, were also deeply moved by this scene.
In the world of cultivation, the relationship between Daoist couples is more about mutual support, which is beneficial to their own cultivation.
It is extremely rare and precious that a relationship like that of Song Changze and Liu Yuxin, which has lasted for a thousand years, can still maintain this original intention.
After a while, Song Changze finally released the other person and turned to look at Song Qingyu beside him.
"Great-aunt, may I ask where Seventh Uncle is? I wish to see him."
"Seventh Brother just told me that now that you have condensed the Ghost Core, you no longer need to stay on the mountain. You can let Yu Xin take you back to Black Cloud Island to cultivate."
However, you two must remember that the path of the demons is ultimately not the right one.
Even if you return to Black Cloud Island in the future, Changze, you cannot publicly reveal your identity in front of others.
Otherwise, if this brings disaster upon you, the family will not be able to protect you.
"I am already extremely grateful to my family for being able to accompany Yuxin in this life, and I ask for nothing more."
Please rest assured, Great-Grandmother, Changze has remembered all of this.
"Yes! Seventh Brother has already left Funiu Mountain, you don't need to look for him. We will visit you on Black Cloud Island when we have the chance."
".
Seeing that Song Changze had agreed so earnestly, Song Qingyu felt a sense of relief.
After giving them some instructions, he had Liu Yuxin use magic to put Song Changze into a prepared jade bottle, and then personally escorted them down the mountain.
Meanwhile, Song Qingming had already returned to his cave in Qingyun Mountain.
After arranging all the array flags that had been refined, Song Qingming turned around and went to the main hall of the cave, where he saw that the "Ice and Fire Dragon" was already waiting there.
Decades have passed, and the cultivation of "Ice and Fire Dragon" has also been raised to the fifth level of Nascent Soul.
Seeing that Song Qingming seemed to be about to go out again, he quickly approached him with great enthusiasm.
"Master, where are you going this time? Would you like to take Xiao Jin with you?"
"I might not be back so soon this time, so you should stay and look after the cave. Remember to keep an eye on the spirit insects and spirit trees inside."
After speaking to his spirit beast, Song Qingming immediately turned and left the cave.
In the dim light, the streaking light silently passed through the "mountain-protecting formation" and disappeared into the night sky. (End of Chapter)