Chapter 493: Breakthrough of the Soul-Devouring Art

After two years of fierce fighting with the demon beasts, the nearly one thousand cultivators that Song Song Qingming had brought from Jiangling Market to provide support also suffered many casualties. Only a small half of the cultivators in the returning team had not been injured.

Although the Wei Guo cultivation world paid a considerable price, it finally repelled the demon beast army completely and did not let the demon beasts occupy much territory in this turmoil. Next, as long as they could develop steadily for a hundred years, they would still be able to slowly recover.

Compared to the demon beast turmoil a hundred years ago, because the Jiangling County cultivators held Jinshan Market this time and killed the White Lion Demon King, the biggest threat, and repelled the demon beast army early, the overall losses were not significant.

However, the situation in other parts of Wei Guo was not so good, especially in Gaoyun County south of Mount Guiyun Market and Mount Tiexian Fortress, which suffered extremely heavy losses in this demon beast turmoil.

Gaoyun County itself was a county with a larger area than Jiangling County in Wei Guo. Whether it was the immortal mountains and spirit veins, cultivation families, or the number of mortal populations within the territory, it was much more than Jiangling County.

This time, the several Demon King demon beast armies that moved south, after breaking through Zixing Market, caused the three counties north of Gaoyun County to all fall into the hands of the demon beasts at once.

In just a few months, Gaoyun County lost millions of mortals and cultivators. Countless immortal mountains and spirit veins were swept by demon beasts and turned into battlefields riddled with scars, and the scene within the territory was desolate everywhere.

The situation at Mount Tiexian Fortress was not much better. Not only did the Ma family lose many of their outer territories, but most of the many cultivation families attached to Mount Tiexian Fortress also lost their spirit mountains.

This was because the Ma family had been fighting against the demon clan on the front line for many years and had slightly more experience in dealing with sudden situations of demon beast turmoil. They had made some preparations in advance. Not long after the demon beasts moved south, they had already migrated some of the mortals in the territory to Mount Tiexian Fortress in advance, avoiding greater losses.

Even with preparations, Mount Tiexian Fortress still suffered unprecedentedly huge losses in this demon beast turmoil. Not only did it lose almost all outer spirit lands, but at least half of the mortals and cultivators in the entire Mount Tiexian Fortress Ma family territory were lost.

After returning to Qinghe County, because the spiritual energy of the Mount Funiu Mountain spirit vein was insufficient, Song Song Qingming and Huang Huang Siyuan did not stay on the mountain for a long time, but moved directly into Qinghe Market, where the spiritual energy was slightly better.

Including the Song family, the shops of major cultivation families in Qinghe Market were now also booming, sweeping away the previous decadence. In just a few months, these cultivation families had already made a fortune.

However, in addition to the losses of cultivators fighting against demon beasts, when the demon beast army attacking Jinshan Market split its forces to move south, some spirit mountains of cultivation families north of Pingyang County were also broken by demon beasts, and nearly 200,000 mortals who did not have time to evacuate were lost. These also needed some time to slowly recover.

Before moving to Mount Funiu Mountain, Huang Huang Siyuan already had a long-term residence cave in Qinghe Market. After Song Song Qingming and his companion tidied it up a bit, they moved in directly.

The demon beast turmoil brought not only disasters and crises, but also brought countless demon beast materials and various cultivation resources to the cultivators around the Fuyun Mountain Range. These spirit items also brought a very rare prosperity to all the markets in northern Wei Guo.

In the past few years of demon beast turmoil, although Qinghe Market also suffered attacks from small groups of demon beasts from Mount Yunwu Mountain in the east, they were quickly repelled by the cultivators guarding the market and were not significantly affected.

"Senior Feng, the Old Ancestor has something to find you for. Please come with me to the mountain."

On this day, Feng De, the Foundation Establishment disciple guarding Qinghe Market, had just returned to his residence after patrolling the market when a young little cultivator wearing the Song family's cyan Daoist robe came directly to his door.

Because Mount Tuoyun Mountain was located near the Fuyun Mountain Range, most of the people on the mountain were rogue cultivators who were alone, and there were no mortals around the territory. The overall losses in the turmoil were very limited, and the strength of Mount Tuoyun Mountain after the war was not significantly affected.

A few months after the Northern Frontier demon beast turmoil ended, many rogue cultivators who had fled to southern Wei Guo also returned to this place. As the number of cultivators in Qinghe Market slowly recovered, the entire market soon restored the prosperous and lively scene of the past.

On the side of Jinshan Market, including the subsequent battles to support Mount Guiyun Market, in the three years of demon beast turmoil, the total number of cultivators who died in the counties of Jiangling County was only a few hundred, which could not catch up with the losses suffered by the Xiaoyao Sect in a single battle at Mount Guiyun Market in the early stages.

Of the nineteen Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Ma family, only nine remained intact after the war, and the combat power of the cultivation families under their command was basically more than half lost. The strength of Mount Tiexian Fortress after the demon beast turmoil was reduced by 40% to 50% compared to before, which could be said to have suffered a major blow.

Facing a young little cultivator with not high cultivation, Feng De, a Foundation Establishment senior, acted contrary to his usual self and accompanied him with a smiling face, asking, "May I ask what instructions the Song Old Ancestor has for me? Does the little friend know?"

The little cultivator with a delicate face thought for a moment, then shook his head gently.

"The Old Ancestor didn't say what it was, and I'm not very clear either. Seeing that he is in a good mood, I think it shouldn't be a bad thing. You will naturally know when you go, Senior."

"Hmm! Then I'll trouble the little friend to lead the way." After hearing the words of the little cultivator, Feng De felt relieved, and the smile on his face became even richer.

A Core Formation Old Ancestor suddenly moved into the market he managed, which also made Feng De, the Foundation Establishment cultivator who had been responsible for guarding and managing Qinghe Market, feel a lot of pressure.

Since Song Song Qingming moved to Qinghe Market, Feng De had been living in trepidation for a few months. He hurriedly strengthened the management of the market in secret, and even he himself often went out to patrol the market, fearing that some trouble would suddenly arise in the market and disturb the Core Formation Old Ancestor on the mountain.

In a cave on the top of the back mountain of Qinghe Market, Song Song Qingming sat cross-legged on a futon with his eyes closed, manipulating his spiritual sense to scan every corner of the mountain.

After returning from Mount Guiyun Market, Song Song Qingming, who had refined the essence souls of two Demon Kings, finally successfully broke through the bottleneck of the "Soul-Devouring Art" technique not long ago and successfully cultivated this technique for strengthening spiritual sense to the third layer.

After the "Soul-Devouring Art" broke through to the third layer, Song Song Qingming's spiritual sense could now expand to a radius of more than ten miles, which could already rival that of ordinary late-stage Core Formation cultivators.

At this time, if he encountered the kind of illusion technique that the Nine-Patterned Flood Dragon had used on him before, he would definitely have the confidence to see through its tricks in advance and would not give it a chance to get close and ambush him.

Song Song Qingming, who was manipulating his spiritual sense with his eyes closed, suddenly discovered two figures walking slowly toward the top of the mountain on the hillside. After confirming the identities of the two, Song Song Qingming put away his spiritual sense and stood up to sit at the stone table on the side of the cave.

A moment later, Feng De followed the little cultivator and walked into a cave filled with spiritual energy with a respectful expression. Seeing Song Song Qingming sitting on the side drinking tea, he hurriedly stepped forward and bowed.

"Disciple greets Senior Song!"

"Song Changze, you go down and get busy first. I have something to talk to Fellow Daoist Feng about!" After Song Song Qingming looked at Feng De, he hurriedly waved his hand to let the young cultivator on the side retreat.

After Song Song Changze left, Song Song Qingming poured a cup of spirit tea and beckoned Feng De to come over and sit opposite him.

"I heard recently that a batch of law enforcement cultivators has been conscripted in the market, and many people have been arranged to patrol the market even at night. Even you, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, rarely retreat to cultivate and often wander around the market. It wouldn't be because I moved here, would it!

I am actually just staying in the market for a while. Once the spirit vein on Mount Funiu Mountain is upgraded, I will leave. You don't need to have too much pressure. If you delay your own cultivation because of this, it will be a loss that outweighs the gain."

"Senior Song is right, disciple will pay attention. Recently, it is also because the demon beast turmoil has just ended, and it is not very peaceful everywhere. There are many unfamiliar faces in the market all of a sudden, and we have to make more precautions to avoid any trouble.

The sect sent me to manage the market, and these are our duties. There is no other way. It doesn't have much to do with Senior staying here. You must not misunderstand us." Feng De replied slowly and carefully.

In these few months, because the business of various shops in Qinghe Market was very booming, many unfamiliar cultivators and rogue cultivators from outside suddenly appeared in the market. It was normal for Feng De, the Xiaoyao Sect Foundation Establishment cultivator responsible for managing the market, to have some worries in his heart at this time.

Song Song Qingming nodded slightly and said, "I asked you to come today, actually for the sake of the Lu family. I promised to reconcile them with the Li family after the demon beast turmoil, but after returning, I was busy with cultivation and forgot about this matter.

A few days ago, I received a message from Song Qingyu that the Lu family people were also a bit anxious and had already found Mount Funiu Mountain. This matter has been dragged on for so long, let's discuss it as soon as possible and make a proper arrangement for them, so as not to keep them uneasy."

Since Lu Lu Xingde died in battle at Jinshan Market a few years ago, having lost the only Foundation Establishment clan leader in the clan, the Lu family cultivators fell into panic at once. It was just that Song Song Qingming and everyone else were busy dealing with the demon beast war at that time, and no one had the heart to care about them.

Fortunately, during the demon beast turmoil, the Xiaoyao Sect did not allow the attached families below to start a war privately. After the Lu family sent Lu Lu Xingde back to Qinghe County for burial, no one, including the Li family, dared to find trouble with them at this time.

After the demon beast turmoil ended, Song Song Qingming returned to Qinghe County and had been busy cultivating the "Soul-Devouring Art" in Qinghe Market for these few months. The Lu family cultivators also thought that Song Song Qingming, the Old Ancestor, had forgotten what he said and did not want to care about them, so they had to beg Mount Funiu Mountain for help, requesting the Song family to come forward to protect the Lu family.

Song Song Qingming was not on the mountain, and Song Song Yuanli and others on Mount Funiu Mountain could not answer them directly, so they could only help them relay this matter to Song Song Qingming.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 494 =====