Chapter 660: Nascent Soul Family, Nanling Island (Seeking Monthly Votes)

One year later, outside a medium-sized marketplace not far from the sea in the southwest of Nanzhou.

On this day, a white light suddenly flew from the horizon and landed steadily outside the marketplace. A moment later, two figures were revealed.

The two Qi Refining cultivators standing guard at the marketplace entrance, upon seeing two high-tier cultivators arrive, hurriedly sent a sound transmission inside. Not long after, a Foundation Establishment cultivator of about thirty years of age walked out of the marketplace.

This man in white, seeing the people walking toward the marketplace entrance not far away, hurriedly put on a smiling face, walked over quickly with a respectful expression, and bowed to the two.

"Two seniors, this junior Li Quansheng greets you. I wonder what important business brings you to our Liuyun Marketplace!"

The middle-aged man in the lead, a late-stage Jin Dan cultivator of relatively short stature, swept a glance at Li Quansheng beside him and said calmly: "We are from Huanglong Mountain and are prepared to visit Liuyun Mountain tomorrow. Please trouble yourselves to help us report to the mountain first!"

After the short middle-aged man finished speaking, he took out a letter from his hand and handed it to Li Quansheng in front of him.

"Senior! Please wait a moment; I will go and report to the Elder right away!" After receiving the letter from the other party, Li Quansheng hurriedly ran toward the marketplace.

Just after Li Quansheng left, the other handsome young man standing beside the short middle-aged man said unhappily: "Sixth Great-Uncle! I don't understand; that person from the Li family didn't come back at all. Why are we making this trip in vain!"

"You brat, now that you're here, why do you have so much nonsense to say? Since the time has already been set, how can we break our word to others?"

"Do you think I'm so willing to accompany you here? It's only because the Chen Chen Laozu gave the order that I had to come. I'm telling you, when we arrive at the Li family tomorrow, you'd better behave yourself and don't lose face for the family at every turn."

Hearing the young man's words, the short middle-aged man hurriedly reprimanded him, blocking the rest of his words in his throat.

The two stood in place for less than a quarter of an hour when a streak of light suddenly flew out of the marketplace, landing before them and transforming into a fierce-looking, yellow-robed burly man.

This yellow-robed man, upon seeing the two, hurriedly stepped forward and bowed with a smile.

"This junior Li Xuanfeng greets the two fellow Daoists from Huanglong Mountain!"

"Fellow Daoist Li, greetings. We two have come to visit on the orders of our family's Chen Chen Laozu. Please trouble yourself to help us report it!"

Li Xuanfeng, hearing this, nodded with a smile: "This matter has already been arranged on the mountain. Will the two please follow me to the marketplace to rest for a while? I will send a message to the mountain to inform them of this matter right away."

"Then I shall trouble you, Fellow Daoist!" After the few said a few words at the entrance, they walked into the marketplace together with full smiles.

Five days later, on a small mountain a few dozen miles away from this marketplace, another streak of light flew and landed on the mountaintop.

Li Xuanyi, dressed in black and standing on the flying boat, looked at a tall mountain peak not far behind the marketplace, and a trace of joy immediately appeared on her face. She turned to look at Song Qingming beside her.

"Fellow Daoist Song, the mountain ahead is my family's spirit mountain. Would you like to come up the mountain with me to sit for a while, so that I may fulfill the duties of a host and thank you for the debt of gratitude for escorting me all the way here?"

Song Qingming, hearing this, smiled and waved his hand: "Fairy Li is too formal. You and I can be considered friends who have shared adversity; to speak of such repayment makes it seem a bit distant."

"Now that you have just returned home, you must be eager to reunite with your family. I will not go up to disturb you first. I still wish to travel around Nanzhou, and when I pass by this place another day, I will come to visit. At that time, I hope Fairy Xuanyi will not mind my intrusion!"

Seeing that Song Qingming seemed unwilling to return with her, Li Xuanyi hesitated for a moment, but did not force him, nodding slightly: "Very well! When Fellow Daoist Song has time, please be sure to remember to come to Liuyun Mountain to see me. At that time, I will certainly brew a pot of the best Water Cloud Tea from our Li family mountain for you, and cook a few good dishes for you to taste!"

The two had traveled south from Qingzhou for nearly a year, and Li Xuanyi, who had been with him day and night, had gained some understanding of Song Qingming's hobbies and habits, speaking out the delicacies and spirit teas he liked most on weekdays.

Seeing this, Song Qingming also smiled and nodded in response: "Mm! Then I, Song, thank Fairy Li for your kind intentions."

After making an appointment with Song Qingming, Li Xuanyi waved one hand, took out her own flying boat, jumped onto it, turned back to bow and bid farewell to Song Qingming, and then transformed into a cyan streak of light, flying toward the marketplace at the foot of the mountain.

After nearly a year of recuperation along this journey, although the injuries on Li Xuanyi's body had not yet fully healed, they had already improved by more than half, and she could mobilize her own magic power at will.

Watching Li Xuanyi successfully return to her own sect gate, Song Qingming then controlled the "Phantom Boat," turned, transformed into a white light, flew toward the horizon, and left this place.

During the year spent escorting Li Xuanyi back to Nanzhou, although the journey was long, the two were relatively smooth along the way and did not encounter any dangers or difficulties.

Through the contact along the way, Song Qingming also gradually learned that Li Xuanyi's true identity was a cultivator from a famous Nascent Soul family within Nanzhou that had been passed down for thousands of years.

In the cultivation world, because cultivation families are limited by their own bloodlines, it is very difficult to accept a large number of cultivators with different surnames. Therefore, in terms of development speed, they are far inferior to those large cultivation sects.

Many cultivators from small families like Song Qingming, because their own cultivation is too high and they can no longer receive much help from the family while staying at home, will eventually choose to join large cultivation sects outside for the sake of their personal path.

In the cultivation world of the Floating Yunshan Range where Song Qingming is located, because cultivation resources are relatively scarce, ordinary cultivation families can at most develop into Jin Dan immortal families, and it is very difficult to go any further.

Like the Li family of Liuyun Mountain where Li Xuanyi is, those that can develop into Nascent Soul cultivation families, even in the "Donghuang Kingdom" cultivation world, likely do not exceed the number of fingers on two hands.

These top-tier cultivation families that can stand on equal footing with Nascent Soul sects are, without exception, basically old-school cultivation families that have been passed down for thousands of years or more. Their strength is far from what a small Jin Dan family like the Song family, with only a few hundred years of heritage, can compare to.

Having traveled in the "Donghuang Kingdom" cultivation world for so many years, Song Qingming had always kept his distance from Nascent Soul forces like the Li family unless necessary.

Therefore, just now, when Li Xuanyi took the initiative to invite Song Qingming to visit Liuyun Mountain, Song Qingming decisively refused the other party.

After bidding farewell to Li Xuanyi, Song Qingming flew south for about two more days and finally saw the vast ocean, arriving at the edge of the "Falling Rao Xinghai."

Unlike the "Thunder Origin Sea" on the east side of the Donghuang Immortal Continent that Song Qingming had seen, the color of the seawater here in the "Falling Rao Xinghai" was clearly deeper and more turbid.

Song Qingming, flying close to the surface of the sea, even after casting a "Clear Eye Technique" to strengthen his eyesight, still found it very difficult to see the movements beneath the seawater clearly.

Although the "Falling Rao Xinghai" is also full of monsters and rich in spirit resources, the side adjacent to the "Donghuang Kingdom" cultivation world is sparsely populated, with very few cultivators appearing, far less prosperous than the "East Sea cultivation world" Song Qingming had seen.

The reason for this is also that when the True Demons invaded the Huayang Realm thirty thousand years ago, they left behind quite a bit of True Demon Qi in the "Falling Rao Xinghai," causing many monsters in the nearby sea to become tainted with demonic energy and become very manic, often launching beast tides to attack the coastal areas.

The human cultivator forces in the Nanzhou cultivation world also suffered heavy losses after several great battles with the sea monsters. In order to better guard their territory, they basically abandoned those coastal islands and retreated to the interior.

Although the situation has improved quite a bit in the last ten thousand years or so, every once in a while, the monsters in the "Falling Rao Xinghai" will still take the initiative to attack the coastal areas, bringing no small pressure to the cultivation sect forces in Nanzhou.

However, fortunately, the "Donghuang Kingdom" cultivation world, under the leadership of many large sects such as the "Immortal Origin Sect," is relatively united as a whole.

Every time a beast tide erupts in the "Falling Rao Xinghai," other states will also send cultivators to Nanzhou to support them. For tens of thousands of years, they have not allowed the sea monsters to occupy the territory of human cultivators and invade the interior of the "Donghuang Kingdom" cultivation world.

Precisely because the sea monsters are powerful, very few Nanzhou cultivators dare to risk venturing deep into the "Falling Rao Xinghai" to hunt monsters and search for treasures. Therefore, the coastal area is also very desolate. Song Qingming had flown for over a thousand miles and still had not seen a single town or marketplace.

After running for more than half an hour and seeing no sign of human habitation, just as Song Qingming was about to give up and look for a marketplace to rest in a place further inland, on a small island not far in front of him, several sounds of cultivators fighting and monster roars suddenly came.

Seeing that he had finally seen cultivators, Song Qingming's face immediately showed joy, and he hurriedly accelerated his streak of light and flew over.

On a beach on the east side of the small island, five Qi Refining cultivators were joining forces to fight against two first-grade top-quality monsters.

These few people coordinated tacitly in their attacks; one look and it was clear they were old partners who had been training and pairing up for a long time.

"Boss Han, we have to separate these two guys. Otherwise, they keep sticking together, and it's really hard for us to make a move!"

Having fought with these two monsters for a long time and still unable to take them down, a man in white at the sixth layer of Qi Refining shouted anxiously at an older cultivator at the eighth layer of Qi Refining beside him.

This cultivator at the eighth layer of Qi Refining, with somewhat dark skin, was named Han Tiefei. He was the one with the highest cultivation among the few cultivators present and was also the leader of this monster-hunting team.

Seeing that everyone had fought with these two monsters for quite a while and still couldn't take them down, Han Tiefei's face also looked a bit ugly. He gritted his teeth and shouted fiercely: "Third, take out that Heavenly Fire Thunder of yours and use it for me. Blow them apart for me; I'll count it as your first merit later. Damn it, I don't believe they aren't afraid of pain!"

"Ah! Boss, do we really have to use it? This thing is not easy to get; using it on them is a bit of a waste!"

Another thin and tall man at the mid-stage of Qi Refining, holding a large saber, asked back somewhat reluctantly after hearing Han Tiefei's command, seemingly very precious of the "Heavenly Fire Thunder" on his person.

"What time is it now, and you're still dawdling? If we can't bear to use this little bit of spirit object, I'm afraid we'll be wasting our efforts again today. I'll make up for this little bit of spirit stones for you later, won't I!"

"Oh! Hehe, then Boss, please watch. Everyone, back off and let me come!" After receiving Han Tiefei's verbal promise, the thin and tall man immediately set his mind at ease, took out a pitch-black round ball, poured spiritual power into it after casting a spell, and threw it directly at the two monsters in front of him.

The other few people beside him, seeing this, also immediately withdrew to avoid it, temporarily retreating to the side, their eyes tightly fixed on the movements at the location of the monsters.

That black round ball had just flown in front of the monsters when it immediately exploded on the spot, shaking up a cloud of dust. Immediately after, several streaks of white light descended from the sky, landing on the two monsters, bursting out a dazzling spiritual light.

Everyone only heard a few screams, and the two monsters not far away suddenly stopped moving.

"This! Third, is your Heavenly Fire Thunder this powerful? It actually killed these two top-quality monsters instantly. No wonder you brat have been reluctant to use it."

"I heard you say how powerful this thing was before, and I thought you brat were bragging. It turns out you really have some skills. It really made us misjudge you. This time, I'll count it as your first merit; I'll definitely give you an extra share later."

After the smoke dispersed, looking at the two monsters that had already lost their breath, Han Tiefei's eyes widened instantly, and he happily patted his thin and tall companion who was also still in shock.

"Uh! Hehe, then thank you, Boss!"

The thin and tall man was also surprised in his heart. When he bought this spirit object, the other party clearly only said its power was equivalent to a more powerful top-quality spirit talisman.

To say that the "Heavenly Fire Thunder" he threw just now could injure these two monsters was certainly doable. However, to kill two top-quality monsters in one strike like this, that would likely require a second-grade spirit talisman or higher.

"Could it be that the shop that sold him this spirit object also misjudged it and sold a second-grade spirit object to him at a low price? If I had known it was like this, I shouldn't have used it so easily."

Thinking that what he used just now might be a second-grade spirit object, the thin and tall man, while happy, was also full of regret.

"A few little friends, this old man is passing by this place. May I ask you a few questions first?"

Just as Han Tiefei was leading everyone to prepare to handle the two monster corpses on the ground, unexpectedly, a burst of laughter sounded in front of them again. Immediately after, a young man in green clothes with a smile on his face appeared out of thin air before their eyes.

Seeing the young man suddenly appear before their eyes, Han Tiefei and the others were also surprised. After instinctively taking a few steps back, they reacted and hurriedly bowed respectfully to Song Qingming.

"This junior... greets Senior. I wonder what business you have, Senior? Please just give your orders."

Being able to appear before them out of thin air indicated that Song Qingming's cultivation was at least that of a Foundation Establishment cultivator or higher. Facing such a strange senior with profound cultivation, Han Tiefei and the others were immediately nervous, piling smiles on their faces for fear of offending the other party.

"Mm! Where is the nearest marketplace from here? Also, do you know where there are treasure ships that can go to the outer sea?" Song Qingming asked calmly with a smile.

"Ah! Senior wants to go to the outer sea?"

"This... I'm afraid you have to go to Nanling Island. It's about two thousand miles to the southeast from here. This junior has been there before and heard that every once in a while, people on the island go to the outer sea to collect spirit objects."

Upon hearing Song Qingming ask about the outer sea, Han Tiefei and the others were slightly surprised, but they still hurriedly answered the other party's question earnestly.

Because the monsters on the "Falling Rao Xinghai" side are powerful and there are many high-tier monsters in the sea, even the near-sea area where they are now is very dangerous, let alone going to the even more perilous outer sea.

Han Tiefei and the others had been hunting monsters in this vicinity for so many years and had heard more than once that Jin Dan monster kings appeared nearby. Cultivators who encountered them basically rarely escaped with their lives.

However, no matter how dangerous it is, as long as they can obtain those precious spirit objects, it will always attract some bold cultivators willing to risk their lives for spirit stones.

Han Tiefei and the others risked coming here to hunt monsters for the same reason. It's just that their cultivation is currently too low, and they can only toss around low-tier monsters near the near-sea area.

"Nanling Island! Since you few have been there, are you willing to lead the way for me?" After Song Qingming finished speaking, he took out a few dozen spirit stones from his person and placed them in front of Han Tiefei and the others.

Seeing the sparkling spirit stones before their eyes, Han Tiefei and the other loose cultivators, who had been poor for years, immediately had their eyes glow with light.

"Willing, of course willing! Being able to lead the way for Senior is also our good fortune. Please wait a moment, Senior; we will tidy these up and take you there immediately."

Han Tiefei finished speaking, his eyes glanced at the two monster corpses beside Song Qingming, and he hurriedly shifted his gaze to his face, for fear that what he had just said would make Song Qingming unhappy.

"Mm! No rush for this; you do as you please!"

Song Qingming smiled and waved his hand. After giving them space, he moved his magic power and retracted several streaks of green spiritual light from the two monster corpses.

Seeing this scene, Han Tiefei and the others finally understood that it wasn't that "Heavenly Fire Thunder" that killed these two top-quality monsters just now, but the hand of this senior cultivator, Song Qingming.

Not long after, Han Tiefei and the others, who had finished dividing the monster corpses, boarded Song Qingming's flying boat, transformed into a streak of light, left the small island, and headed southeast.

The "Nanling Island" that Han Tiefei just mentioned is precisely one of the few islands in the near-sea area of Nanzhou controlled by human cultivators.

Because the "Nanling Island" is shrouded year-round by a special kind of natural dense fog in the nearby sea area, this dense fog can confuse the senses of monsters, making it difficult for them to distinguish direction. Therefore, high-tier monsters rarely intrude into the surrounding area.

Even when the sea monsters launch beast tides to attack the vicinity of the coast, the "Nanling Island" side is rarely subjected to large-scale attacks by monsters.

Therefore, "Nanling Island" has also become one of the few islands where human cultivators in Nanzhou can gain a long-term foothold in the "Falling Rao Xinghai."

After carrying Han Tiefei and the others for about an hour, some mist began to appear around the "Phantom Boat," obscuring the direction Song Qingming and the others were advancing.

Following Han Tiefei's guidance, Song Qingming traveled forward for about another hundred miles before finally passing through the dense fog and arriving at the edge of a relatively large island.

"Senior, this is Nanling Island. This island is currently jointly managed by several sects, and most of the people on the island are also cultivators of loose cultivator origin. Senior, you can rest assured; even if you come to the island for the first time, you won't have any trouble."

Seeing that Song Qingming had taken the initiative to lower the speed of the "Phantom Boat," Han Tiefei, who had already guessed what he was going to ask next, hurriedly took the initiative to explain.

Sure enough, as Han Tiefei said, the management of cultivators on the "Nanling Island" side was very loose. After Song Qingming casually reported a name, he only handed over a few spirit stones at the port, and very easily brought Han Tiefei and the others into the island.

The "Nanling Island" was about the same size as the East Sea Spirit Turtle Island that Song Qingming had been to years ago. Most of the people on the island were also low-tier cultivators at the Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining stages, and people with cultivation above the Jin Dan stage were rarely seen.

After entering the island, with the help and guidance of Han Tiefei, Song Qingming soon arrived outside a large hall located in the middle of the island.

"Senior Song, this is the place where high-tier monster-hunting cultivators on the island form teams. If you want to go to the outer sea to hunt monsters, you can go inside and inquire first. We few have low cultivation and are not qualified to enter, so we will wait for you outside."

"Mm! You go do your own business; no need to wait for me here specifically. Keep these spirit stones; you've worked hard to run a trip with me today!"

After hearing Han Tiefei's detailed introduction along the way, Song Qingming had a rough understanding of Nanling Island. Now that there was no need for them to keep following by his side, he took out the spirit stones he had promised them earlier and sent them away.

Seeing the spirit stones Song Qingming handed over, Han Tiefei and the others were immediately overjoyed. After bowing and thanking him respectfully for a while, they excitedly bid farewell and left.

As loose cultivators, even if they risked their lives to go into the sea to hunt monsters, if they were lucky in a month, one person could at most share a dozen or so spirit stones.

Now, just by spending half a day helping to lead the way, they had obtained so many spirit stones for nothing. How could they not be happy?

Added to the two top-quality monsters hunted earlier, this trip to the sea to hunt monsters was truly good luck for them, and it could be considered a big profit in spirit stones.

After Han Tiefei and the others left, Song Qingming swept a glance at the black hall in front of him. After changing his appearance slightly by casting a spell, he lifted his legs and walked in.

Just as he entered the hall, seeing a Jin Dan cultivator arrive, an old man in yellow robes at the late stage of Foundation Establishment, who was standing in the hall talking to someone, hurriedly stepped forward to greet him and took the initiative to bow respectfully to Song Qingming.

"This Senior, this junior is Xue Jinling, the manager of the Nanling Pavilion. May I ask, Senior, you have come here, are you also wanting to go to sea?"

After Song Qingming swept a glance at the other party, he nodded calmly: "Not bad. Do you have any treasure ships here recently that are going to the outer sea?"

"If Senior wants to go to the outer sea, then you have come to the right place. Please follow me to the second floor. You can just tell me directly whatever you need, and I guarantee I can make you satisfied."

Xue Jinling, hearing this, immediately made a gesture of invitation to Song Qingming. (End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 661 =====