Chapter 208: Seeing an Old Friend Again

After wandering around outside, by the time Song Qingming returned to Mount Funiu, the beautiful morning glow had already appeared on the snow-white horizon.

Looking at the Song family mortals who had been multiplying near the family spirit mountain for hundreds of years, Song Qingming felt that sometimes he was truly not as carefree and at ease as an ordinary mortal.

Back then, he thought that as long as his cultivation improved and he had some self-preservation ability in the cultivation world, he would have no worries.

Only now did he slowly discover that with the improvement of his cultivation, his needs would also become greater and greater. If he wanted to successfully improve his cultivation, he often needed to take some risks.

Many of these dangers could not be predicted in advance. Just like when he went to the Fuyun Mountain Range with the Huang family, although he guessed there would be some trouble at the time, he never would have thought that they would provoke a Golden Core-level Demon King on this trip, and that he would be targeted by a big figure of the demon race like Hearing Huo Feng.

More than ten days ago, when Huang Shengyue came to Mount Funiu to invite Song Qingming to the Taiyue Secret Realm, Song Qingming had made up his mind not to get involved in such dangerous waters.

The reason he did not refuse to her face at the time was also out of consideration for the relationship between the Huang family and the Song family; he truly could not reject Huang Shengyue's face to her face.

Having experienced the feeling of his life being controlled by others at any time in the Fuyun Mountain Range, Song Qingming was truly afraid. After returning, he just wanted to live a few years of peace, and he would not easily go to such dangerous places again unless it was absolutely necessary.

However, heaven did not grant his wishes. After Song Qingming returned from the Xiaoyao Sect and was just about to write a letter to the Huang family to tactfully decline the matter, Hearing Huo Feng's arrival bound him to this matter completely again.

Having only lived in peace for five years, he had to hang his head on his belt in fear again. Song Qingming truly had bitterness he could not speak of.

Yesterday, when he arrived at the Huang family's Mount Taiyuan, at first, when he saw Huang Shengyue, Song Qingming still pretended that he did not want to go, until Huang Shengyue persuaded him earnestly again, and he finally agreed to the matter reluctantly.

Then Song Qingming took the opportunity to ask Huang Shengyue in detail about the Taiyuehu Secret Realm again, so as to make some preparations for his next actions.

After all, the Huang family was a Foundation Establishment family that had been passed down for nearly a thousand years. They had entered the secret realm many times, rarely making mistakes, and their understanding of what was inside was already very familiar.

According to Huang Shengyue's description, the Taiyuehu Secret Realm was a huge valley, divided into inner and outer parts.

Generally, family cultivators like the Huang family searched for spirit items in the outer valley. As for the rare treasures Huang Shengyue mentioned back then, as long as one's luck was good enough, they could be found in the outer valley.

As for the inner valley, the Huang family had never had anyone enter it in all these years, so naturally, they did not know what rare spirit items were inside.

According to what Huang Shengyue told him, probably only a few nearby large sects like the Xiaoyao Sect had fixed ways to enter the inner valley.

When they entered, they just needed to stay in the outer valley with peace of mind. If they wandered around and accidentally entered the inner valley and encountered those large sect cultivators, even a Foundation Establishment expert like Huang Shengxin would find it very difficult to survive.

After all, this secret realm only opened once every few decades. Every time this happened, large sects like the Xiaoyao Sect would send many Foundation Establishment experts into it. If one accidentally offended them, even if you were a ninth-layer Foundation Establishment cultivator, it would be very difficult to survive inside.

After returning to Mount Funiu, Song Qingming quickly locked himself in his cave dwelling. Fortunately, there were still a few months before the Taiyuehu Secret Realm, so he still had time to make some preparations for himself in advance.

A few months later, in the Taiyuehu Market, a man in green was sitting by the window on the second floor of a restaurant, looking down at the crowd coming and going below.

"In the past few days, there have been many more unfamiliar Foundation Establishment cultivators in the market. It seems the time for the secret realm to open should be very soon."

The man in green picked up a cup of spirit tea and was just about to put it into his mouth when, unexpectedly, a beautiful red figure suddenly appeared in the empty seat by his table.

"Fellow Daoist Song, it has been many years. I didn't expect to run into you here. You came here at this time; could it be that you are also here for the secret realm?"

"Fellow Daoist Xu, greetings. In the past few years, I have been to Mount Guyang many times to look for you, but I haven't been able to fulfill my wish. So it turns out you came here."

Song Qingming looked at this familiar red figure, his face full of surprise. He also did not expect that Xu Cheng Ziyan, whom he had specifically gone to look for several times but could not see, would appear before his eyes like this.

"Fellow Daoist, you misunderstood. These years, I have often been outside executing sect missions and haven't returned to Mount Guyang much, so missing each other is quite normal. I also only recently followed the sect's arrangements to come here."

"So that's how it is. Speaking of which, my luck has truly been poor these past few years, not running into you even once." Song Qingming nodded in sudden realization.

Xu Cheng Ziyan smiled, blinked her eyes, and said softly: "Fellow Daoist Song, you have only been at Foundation Establishment for a little over ten years, yet you have already cultivated to the third layer of Foundation Establishment. How could you be someone with poor luck? You are being too modest."

"Although that is so, compared to Fellow Daoist Xu, my cultivation is barely worth looking at. Speaking of which, the fact that I was able to reach Foundation Establishment back then was thanks to your blessing. I have always wanted to repay you these years but never had the opportunity. If Fellow Daoist Xu has any needs in the future, I hope you will remember me. As long as it is within my power, I, Song, will certainly not decline." After speaking, Song Qingming lowered his head and bowed to Xu Cheng Ziyan again.

"Fellow Daoist Song, you are too polite. We are all people who cultivate the Dao; supporting each other is a normal thing. I have known you for many years since we were in the Qi Refining stage; why do you need to be so polite?" Xu Cheng Ziyan smiled and waved her hand at Song Qingming, then asked again: "Fellow Daoist Song, did you come alone this time?"

"With my low cultivation, how would I dare to come here to join in the fun alone? I came with the Huang family from Mount Taiyuan this time, but I arrived early. I felt stifled these past few days, so I came out to wander around alone. I didn't expect it to be truly fated, just happening to run into Fellow Daoist Xu. Since you appeared here today, the Xiaoyao Sect cultivators should have all arrived, right? I wonder if the time for the secret realm to open is also almost here."

Song Qingming knew that Xu Cheng Ziyan's words were probing his background this time, but he came here under the guise of the Huang family, so he was not afraid that this matter would spread, and he very generously spilled out all the Huang family cultivators.

His main goal in coming here this time was not for any rare spirit items. Once he entered the secret realm, as long as he could cooperate well with Hearing Huo Feng and save his own life, that would be a great success.

As for why Xu Cheng Ziyan would appear here, even if she did not answer, Song Qingming knew in his heart that she was here representing the Xiaoyao Sect. Although Xu Cheng Ziyan's cultivation was only at the fourth layer of Foundation Establishment, as a Foundation Establishment cultivator who did not use a Foundation Establishment Pill, her strength would certainly be a cut above those of the same tier. Song Qingming would not be surprised at all that she would appear in the Xiaoyao Sect's team.

There were many Foundation Establishment cultivators coming to the Taiyuehu Secret Realm this time. Those with cultivation like Song Qingming's were generally not alone; more or less, they were organized. These people with lower cultivation could only use this method to huddle together for warmth, so that they could survive more easily inside.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 209 =====