Chapter 1363
Consolidating Chapter Points, Discussing Transactions Again
Such a strange phenomenon instantly attracted the attention of some cultivators nearby.
Before these "Free and Unfettered Sect" disciples could figure out what was going on, a beam of light descended from the sky and stopped in mid-air.
The newcomer was dressed in white; he was none other than Su Mo, the Nascent Soul Elder in charge of the Enforcement Hall of the "Free and Unfettered Sect".
"The sect elder is in seclusion here to break through to the next level. All disciples must leave immediately. Those who disobey will be handed over to the Enforcement Hall for punishment!"
".
A voice was heard that covered the area for miles around the mountain. The disciples of the "Free and Unfettered Sect" immediately bowed, accepted the order, and turned away from the place.
Just as Su Mo finished clearing out the surrounding cultivators and disciples, he saw several more streaks of light approaching from afar.
Before long, several familiar figures arrived beside him.
The four who arrived were Xu Ziyan, Yao Muling, Xiao Zhan, and Wei Yunlong, all of whom were Nascent Soul Elders from the "Xiaoyao Sect".
Xu Ziyan glanced at the area shrouded in strange celestial phenomena ahead, a hint of doubt on her face, and immediately asked Su Mo:
"Junior Brother Su, was it Senior Brother Yuan Hao who caused this strange phenomenon in the heavens and earth?"
"Reporting to Senior Sister Xu, it is indeed Senior Brother Song!"
Seeing Su Mo nod, Yao Muling asked again, "When did Senior Brother Yuan Hao start his seclusion? I've never heard anyone mention it."
Judging from his appearance, Senior Brother doesn't seem to be practicing any special cultivation technique. Could it be that he's trying to break through to the late Nascent Soul stage?
"Senior Brother Yuan Hao has broken through to the late Nascent Soul stage so quickly, how come we didn't hear a word about it?"
".
As Su Mo was about to answer the questions from the crowd, a flash of spiritual light appeared in front of him and another figure suddenly appeared out of thin air.
The newcomer was dressed in white, accompanied by a round, blue figure. This was none other than Bai Yuxian, the sect leader in charge of the affairs of the "Xiaoyao Sect".
Upon seeing Bai Yuxian appear, the cultivators present instantly changed their expressions and stepped forward to pay their respects.
"We pay our respects to the Sect Leader!"
“Junior Brother Yuan Hao is currently attempting to break through to the late Nascent Soul stage. Su Mo and I can keep an eye on things here; there’s no need to trouble the other elders.”
Fellow junior brothers and sisters, please return to your respective posts!
".
No one interrupted the sect leader Bai Yuxian's command.
Before long, Xu Ziyan, Yao Muling, and the others dispersed and disappeared from the spot.
Su Mo nodded slightly to Bai Yuxian and went directly to guard the other side of the mountain.
Just as Bai Yuxian was staring intently at the strange phenomenon in the sky, a surge of spiritual energy suddenly emanated from beside her, interrupting her thoughts.
Immediately afterwards, the "Ice Glass Beast" beside her was suddenly grabbed by a large hand and floated in mid-air.
"Let me go, Master!"
"You worthless fellow, how come you haven't made any progress after consuming so many spirit pills? If this continues, you probably won't be able to condense your nascent soul. You'll only be able to exchange them for spirit stones."
"Who says I can't form a Nascent Soul? With my master's help, I'm sure I'll be able to form a Nascent Soul in the future."
"Don't come any closer! Let me go!"
".
Although the little "Ice Glass Beast" in front of them was a Golden Core Peak Demon King who had broken through to the Nascent Soul Realm.
But in front of the man in the green robe, she had no control over herself at all, and was being lifted into the air and stroked a few times like a pet.
No matter how much the captured "Ice Glass Beast" cried out, its master, Bai Yuxian, did not make any move, her gaze fixed on the newcomer.
Fifty years have passed since Song Qingming went into seclusion.
Now that he has emerged from seclusion again, his cultivation aura has clearly improved significantly compared to before, and he is faintly approaching the peak of the second level of the Nascent Soul stage.
Seeing that Song Qingming was still teasing the little "Ice Glass Beast" and reluctant to put it down, Bai Yuxian slowly asked:
"Husband, when did you emerge from seclusion? I haven't heard a word from you."
"Xiao Jin had already emerged from seclusion a year ago when he broke through his cultivation level, but he had some things to take care of, which is why he didn't inform you in advance."
I only just sensed the energy here, so I left my cave to come and check it out.
"By the way, the one in seclusion inside should be Yuan Hao, right? How long has he been there?"
After answering Bai Yuxian's question, Song Qingming finally put the little "Ice Glass Beast" aside.
The little guy was frightened for a while and no longer dared to stay outside. He quickly crawled back into Bai Yuxian's hand and disappeared.
After catching her breath slightly, Bai Yuxian continued:
"Junior Brother Yuan Hao began his seclusion nine years ago."
Siyuan and I helped him gather 300,000 merit points, and we also borrowed 200,000 from Junior Brother Wei and Junior Sister Chu, which allowed him to exchange for a Xuanling Pill from me!
Among all the elders in the sect, it seems that Junior Brother Yuan Hao has the best chance of breaking through to the late Nascent Soul stage. Si Yuan and I have both agreed to support him first.
Bai Yuxian was slightly taken aback by Song Qingming's sudden appearance, and immediately replied to him.
Since Li Xuanyi broke through to the late Nascent Soul stage and became the fifth great cultivator of the sect, no one from the "Free and Unfettered Sect" has successfully reached the late Nascent Soul stage for more than two hundred years.
Currently, nearly twenty Nascent Soul elders in the entire "Free and Unfettered Sect" have reached the sixth level of Nascent Soul cultivation, and are the closest to breaking through to the late Nascent Soul stage.
There were only three people: Song Yuanhao, Su Mo, and Xu Ziyan.
Su Mo was the last to form his Nascent Soul, and his cultivation level has only recently reached the sixth level of the Nascent Soul stage. He is still some distance away from breaking through to the late stage of the Nascent Soul stage.
Xu Ziyan achieved enlightenment through the help of a nascent soul. After reaching the sixth level of the Nascent Soul stage, her cultivation speed slowed down considerably.
He has only just reached the peak of the sixth level of the Nascent Soul stage and has not yet begun to attempt to break through the bottleneck of the late Nascent Soul stage.
Song Yuanhao was the first of the three to reach the Nascent Soul stage. Two hundred years ago, his cultivation had already reached the sixth level of the Nascent Soul realm, and his personal foundation was far more solid than the other two.
When the Tower of Babel opened last time, Song Yuanhao managed to obtain a "Mysterious Spirit Pill" from many Nascent Soul cultivators through his own efforts.
Although he failed to break through his cultivation level in seclusion later, he still gained a lot of experience in breaking through the bottleneck of the late Nascent Soul stage.
A few years ago, the Tianhai Alliance collected a batch of "Mysterious Spirit Pill" main ingredients and asked Huang Siyuan to help refine the pill.
After the matter was accomplished, an extra spiritual pill appeared in the sect's treasury.
Having learned of the news early on, Song Yuanhao borrowed several hundred thousand merit points from several friends in the sect and took the initiative to seek help from Bai Yuxian, who then provided him with support.
Having successfully exchanged for the "Mysterious Spirit Pill," he quickly went into seclusion here to begin his breakthrough in cultivation.
At that time, Song Qingming was still in seclusion refining the magic array and was unaware of the details. It was only when he was startled by the strange phenomenon in the heavens and earth that he realized that Song Yuanhao was breaking through to a higher realm.
“Compared to others, Yuan Hao has a more solid foundation, and with his experience in breaking through bottlenecks, his chances of advancing to the late Nascent Soul stage should be no lower than those of Qing Yu and Xuan Yi.”
There aren't many cultivators in the sect who are currently capable of reaching the late Nascent Soul stage, so he wasn't surprised at all that Bai Yuxian and Huang Siyuan chose to support Song Yuanhao.
Upon hearing this, Bai Yuxian's eyes revealed a strange expression.
"Does my husband mean that he thinks Junior Brother Yuan Hao will succeed this time?"
"The strange phenomena in the heavens and earth have not dissipated quickly. It seems that we are now 70 or 80 percent certain. His performance in getting to this point has exceeded my expectations."
Even if he fails this time, as long as he recovers and patiently refines his magical power over time, Yuan Hao will definitely be able to reach the late Nascent Soul stage.
“Yes! The sect is not short of these spiritual items now. As long as my husband thinks he can succeed, I will make the arrangements.”
Seeing that Song Qingming thought the same way as her and was also optimistic that Song Yuanhao could break through to the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm, Bai Yuxian couldn't help but nod slightly.
"Both Ziyan and Su Mo have reached the sixth level of the Nascent Soul realm. After Yuan Hao, who do you think has a better chance of breaking through to the late Nascent Soul realm?"
"Su Mo has the aptitude of a Heavenly Spiritual Root, and his cultivation has improved quite rapidly over the years!"
Normally speaking, his chances of breaking through to the late Nascent Soul stage are definitely higher than Xu Shimei's.
However, the path of cultivation depends not only on talent but also on opportunities. I can't give you a definite answer right now as to who of the two will advance further.
Whoever has this opportunity in the future, we only need to do our best; the rest is up to their own fate.
In terms of personal talent, Su Mo, as an elder of the sect with a Heavenly Spiritual Root, is definitely superior to Xu Ziyan in terms of spiritual root aptitude.
However, Xu Ziyan did not use Foundation Establishment Pills when she established her foundation. She dared to risk her life to refine the nascent soul and attain the Dao. Her achievements in the Dao Heart were far beyond those of ordinary people.
Song Qingming dared not say which of the two of them would be able to advance further and reach the late Nascent Soul stage.
After all, the bottleneck of the late Nascent Soul stage is not much easier than the Nascent Soul stage. Even those with outstanding spiritual roots and a firm Dao heart rarely succeed in one attempt.
Whether it's Su Mo or Xu Ziyan, Song Qingming naturally hopes they can succeed.
Having cultivated for so many years, he also understands the cruelty of the path of cultivation.
Even though the current "Xiaoyao Sect" is not what it used to be, it is much easier for the cultivators in the sect to obtain cultivation resources than before. Even high-level spiritual items such as "Xuanling Pills" can be exchanged occasionally.
However, for most of the Nascent Soul elders in the sect, reaching the late Nascent Soul stage remains an insurmountable hurdle.
Based on normal probability calculations, no more than 30% of the dozen or so Nascent Soul elders in the "Free and Unfettered Sect" will be able to overcome this hurdle in the future.
Most of them will be stuck at this hurdle for life.
Faced with Song Qingming's frank words, Bai Yuxian nodded slightly and said nothing more.
".
Half a month later, the strange phenomena in the sky and earth slowly dissipated, and a figure quickly appeared in front of Song Qingming and Bai Yuxian.
After nine years of dedicated seclusion, Song Yuanhao finally overcame this hurdle and broke through to the late Nascent Soul stage.
From then on, he became the sixth Nascent Soul stage cultivator in the "Xiaoyao Sect" after Bai Yuxian, Song Qingyu, Li Xuanyi, Huang Siyuan, and Li Xianyun.
Song Yuanhao was born with a unique spiritual root, and he also received support from core elders of the sect such as Song Qingming, Bai Yuxian, and Huang Siyuan.
His successful breakthrough to the late Nascent Soul stage did not surprise most of the Nascent Soul elders in the sect.
The sect had not produced a new great cultivator for over two hundred years. Song Yuanhao's successful seclusion this time has also inspired many Nascent Soul elders in the sect.
Not long after Song Yuanhao emerged from seclusion, Xu Ziyan and Su Mo also began their own seclusion to adjust their condition. Although neither of them said it outright, most of the elders in the sect knew perfectly well that they were secretly vying for the sect's next spot to advance to the late Nascent Soul stage.
While everyone in the sect was busy celebrating Song Yuanhao's recent advancement, Song Qingming and Bai Yuxian had already set off for "Beyond the Nine Heavens".
Led by Song Qingming, the two quickly traversed the outer void and arrived at a place shrouded in crimson mist.
As soon as they arrived, a figure appeared in front of them.
The person who arrived was Ao Xing, who had a cooperation agreement with Song Qingming.
Looking up at Bai Yuxian who had followed him, Ao Xing suddenly showed a hint of displeasure.
"Didn't we agree that you weren't allowed to disclose this spatial node to other human cultivators? Why did you bring people here anyway?"
“Fellow Daoist Ao, I promised you that I wouldn’t let other human Nascent Soul cultivators interfere in this matter, and I haven’t broken my promise.”
Setting up a magic array requires the combined efforts of four cultivators. It's not something the two of us can accomplish. I think I told you this before we came!
"Don't worry, she's my cultivation partner. She's only here to help us set up the formation; she won't reveal anything about this place to anyone else."
"If you don't even trust this much, then I don't think there's any need for us to continue our cooperation."
When Ao Xing asked him a question, Song Qingming did not argue with him much and simply said he was about to leave.
Seeing this, Ao Xing immediately waved his hand.
"Alright, alright, she's only at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage. Even if she finds out, it doesn't matter. Just make sure that other Nascent Soul cultivators don't get involved in this matter."
"You, me, and her, there are only three of us now. There's still one person left!"
Just as Ao Xing finished speaking, Song Qingming raised his hand and released a figure from his waist, which stood beside him.
This person's face was seven or eight parts similar to Song Qingming's, and his cultivation had also reached the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm.
Compared to Bai Yuxian, his aura was noticeably weaker, suggesting that his cultivation had only recently advanced to the late Nascent Soul stage.
"He is an avatar of mine. I have spent a lot of time training him over the years, and he can also help us set up formations."
However, their cultivation levels were still too low to withstand the spatial storm.
"Once we begin setting up the formation, I would appreciate your assistance."
"Yes! Don't worry, I'll have the Heavenly Mystery Sumeru Insects stay with them, they won't get hurt."
Seeing that Song Qingming had already prepared the formation, Ao Xing nodded slightly and used magic to release the two "Heavenly Mystery Sumeru Insects" on his body.
After the two ancient bronze insects appeared, they flew to Bai Yuxian and Bai Yuxian's shoulders, one on the left and one on the right.
After they were ready, Ao Xing led Song Qingming and the other two through the crimson clouds outside and arrived at the familiar circular platform.
Decades have passed, and this place is no different from before, except that a dozen or so golden chains have appeared on the platform, connecting the surrounding clouds and mist.
This firmly anchored the platform, which had been floating in the "Heavenly Thunder and Fire," to its original location.
This prevented it from floating and wandering around as it used to.
After glancing at the golden chains in front of him, Song Qingming quickly realized that they were extraordinary.
It seems that Ao Xing put a lot of thought into locking down this spatial node.
Bai Yuxian, who had just arrived in the heavens, looked at the extremely restless space before her and a trace of worry instinctively appeared on her face.
Song Qingming, standing to the side, looked puzzled upon seeing this.
"By forcibly confining this place, it seems that you have almost disrupted the space here again."
If this spatial node isn't reinforced, it probably won't hold for much longer; you should know that, right?
"Yes! Otherwise, I wouldn't have urged you to come over so quickly."
This spatial node is enveloped by the Heavenly Thunder and Fire. To fix it, it would be necessary to strip away its origin, which is no easy task.
If I don't do this, I'll just let it float in the void.
Once we leave, this place will quickly vanish into the vast void, and it will be difficult to find this spatial node again.
The two of them found this place by chance amidst the "Heavenly Thunder and Fire," and the other party kept floating in the void, never staying in one place.
In order to separate this space from the "Heavenly Thunder and Fire," Ao Xing expended a lot of effort to completely separate and imprison it here.
However, this forceful attack stripped away the area, causing some damage to the very essence of this space, making it even more volatile than before.
If left unaddressed, this spatial node will likely collapse and disappear into the vast void within a hundred or two hundred years at most.
Seeing that Ao Xing already knew about this, Song Qingming immediately sighed and said, "I know you have your difficulties."
However, to be frank, I didn't expect this situation to arise when I came here, and there might be some risks involved in casting spells and setting up formations.
If this formation fails, I'm afraid my level of formation skills will make it difficult to stabilize.
Next, you'll have to find other experts to help you.
"I have witnessed Fellow Daoist Song's skill in array formations. Even if there are array masters in the Huayang Realm who are more skilled than you, I doubt they would be someone I could easily persuade to join."
If it doesn't work out, then it's just bad luck on our part, and all our efforts will have been in vain.
However, I still believe that you will succeed, fellow Daoist.
Despite Song Qingming's reminder, Ao Xing remained confident and unaffected.
Seeing this, Song Qingming didn't say anything more. He took out all the array-setting tools he had prepared and handed them to the three people beside him.
I began to personally instruct them on how to arrange the formation.
This magic array was something Song Qingming obtained from "Master Lü Yang" and then spent a lot of time improving upon it.
With the help of two Nascent Soul cultivators and two high-level array masters, the array can now be set up.
Bai Yuxian was originally a fourth-level high-grade array master. Her array skills were among the best in the entire "Eastern Phoenix Immortal Continent," second only to Song Qingming.
The other avatar beside him had been following Song Qingming in refining these array-setting tools for years and was already very familiar with them.
With Song Qingming's guidance, the two of them quickly grasped most of the points.
Only Ao Xing, whose cultivation far surpassed Bai Yuxian and the other two, had a far inferior understanding of formations compared to them.
Song Qingming taught Ao Xing face-to-face for several months before Ao Xing could barely grasp the basics and understand how to cooperate in setting up the formation.
Six months later, as Song Qingming began to direct the formation, Ao Xing, Bai Yuxian, and Song Qingming's "avatars" immediately activated the formation flags in their hands and entered their respective positions.
The array flags among the four emitted bursts of spiritual light, and a white light array quickly appeared above the spatial node.
".
Several years later.
As the last rune fell into the restrictive array, the previously turbulent spatial node immediately stabilized.
The shattered rocks on the platform that had been shaking all around gradually calmed down, and the surrounding space no longer had the destructive aura it had before.
Seeing this, Song Qingming's tense expression gradually eased.
"Thank goodness, it's finally done!"
".
"Hahaha, I knew Fellow Daoist Song wouldn't let me down. With this set of formations to reinforce it, the spatial nodes here have been completely stabilized."
"Fellow Daoist Song, our plan is already halfway to success!"
"It's only half the battle won, fellow Daoist, isn't that a bit too early to say that?"
According to my estimation, this spatial node can only remain stable for four or five hundred years at most. If you and I cannot enter before then, the spatial node could collapse at any time.
"Four or five hundred years is more than enough time for me!"
"Fellow Daoist Song, is there perhaps some difficulty you are facing?"
"To enter a spatial node, one must at least advance to the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm in order to have any hope of passing through the spatial passage."
With my current cultivation level at the second stage of the Nascent Soul realm, whether I have the confidence to do so is still unknown!
"Fellow Daoist Song's cultivation is not far from breaking through to the third level of the Nascent Soul stage. With several hundred years left, how could you not be confident in breaking through to the middle stage of the Nascent Soul stage?"
Fellow Daoist, I think you're being a bit too modest with what you've said to me!
"I wonder what kind of help Fellow Daoist Song needs? Please speak frankly!"
Seeing Ao Xing looking at him thoughtfully, Song Qingming remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking:
"I'm not really confident that I can break through to the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm within a few hundred years."
However, if you could provide me with some more Dragon Jade Spirit Water, the situation would certainly change. I wonder if you would be willing to do me this small favor.
"Dragon Jade Spirit Water!"
Fellow Daoist Song is truly insatiable; he actually dares to try and steal the Dragon Jade Spirit Water from me.
You should know how precious this thing is, without me having to tell you.
"Okay then! If you only need one bottle, I can try to figure something out; but if you need more, there's no room for negotiation."
"One bottle isn't enough. I need at least five bottles to be confident enough to break through to the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm!"
"Five bottles of Dragon Jade Spirit Water! You dare to ask for that, you surnamed Song."
Dragon Jade Spirit Water is formed from stalactites that have existed for tens of thousands of years. It takes a thousand years to accumulate even a small bottle of it. Do you really think this is some ordinary spiritual medicine that can be found anywhere?
Upon hearing Song Qingming ask for five bottles of spiritual water, Ao Xing was immediately astonished and looked at him in disbelief.
Seeing the other party's strong reaction, Song Qingming wasn't too surprised and calmly continued:
"Give me all the spiritual water you have, and I'll trade you something in return. You definitely won't be at a disadvantage!"
"Oh! It's not impossible for you to exchange something with me, but I'm afraid you won't be willing to part with it."
"As long as you're willing to hand over the Sacred Star Disc to me, I'll find a way to present you with the five bottles of Dragon Jade Spirit Water!"
"..." (End of Chapter)