Chapter 718: He Mengxin

Seeing an old friend he had not met for many years, Song Qingming hurriedly stepped forward and returned the salute to Xia Mo with cupped hands.

Decades had passed, and both of their cultivation bases had changed. Song Qingming had broken through from the fourth layer of Jin Dan back then to the late stage.

And Xia Mo, this proud daughter of heaven, also lived up to Song Qingming's expectations, having successfully cultivated to the peak of the ninth layer of Jin Dan, just one step away from stepping into the Nascent Soul realm.

After Xia Mo and He Mengxin left the Wei Kingdom together that year, Song Qingming had never met her again, and he had not expected that Xia Mo, the "Saintess of the Hundred Flowers Palace" who rarely went out, would take the initiative to come to the Floating Yunshan Range cultivation world to find him.

After greeting Song Qingming, Xia Mo turned to the woman in purple beside her and said: "Junior Sister Han, sorry to trouble you with this trip; please send this junior back first!"

Song Qingming heard this and also nodded slightly to Song Xuanyu, who was still somewhat at a loss on the side. Before long, she followed that Han-surnamed purple-clothed woman and left here.

After the woman in purple and Song Xuanyu left, Xia Mo turned to Song Qingming and spoke:

"Fellow Daoist Song, I came to find you this time for the sake of Junior Sister He. One year ago, did Junior Sister He come to Qinghe County to find you? I hope you can tell me truthfully?"

Hearing Xia Mo ask about He Mengxin, Song Qingming glanced at Wu Xiang not far away, then nodded slightly to Xia Mo and said: "That's right! Fellow Daoist He did indeed come to Qinghe County about a year ago."

"However, she came in a bit of a rush that time and only stayed for a few days before returning."

Xia Mo, who was staring intently at Song Qingming's eyes, received the answer and continued to ask: "After Junior Sister He left Qinghe County, do you know where she went, and did she mention to you if she had any other business?"

Song Qingming shook his head slightly: "I didn't hear her say where she was going. At that time, Fellow Daoist He only said that she came out in a rush and was in a hurry to return to the sect, and I didn't keep her."

"However, I can be sure that she was heading east when she left, looking like she was returning to the East Sea, not like she went to any other place! May I ask Fairy Xia why you ask this? Could it be that Fellow Daoist He has encountered some trouble?"

Hearing Song Qingming's inquiry, Xia Mo was silent for a moment, then sighed slightly and said: "After Junior Sister He left the sect last time, she never returned, and no news has been sent back to the sect."

"The sect searched everywhere but could not find news of her. We also found our way here to you based on the guidance of the life tablet she left in the sect."

"Does the Fellow Daoist mean that after Fellow Daoist He left Qinghe County last time, she did not return to the sect?"

Hearing Xia Mo's detailed account, Song Qingming finally understood the purpose of the "Hundred Flowers Palace" members coming to find him; it was for the sect Elder He Mengxin, who had gone missing a year ago.

Learning that He Mengxin had not returned to the sect after leaving Qinghe County last time but had suddenly disappeared, Song Qingming also felt somewhat surprised.

Although the journey from the East Sea to the Fuyun Mountain Range cultivation world is long, it does not pass through the territories controlled by those relatively dangerous high-tier monster beasts.

Logically speaking, He Mengxin is a fifth-layer Jin Dan cultivator and it is not her first time coming to the Fuyun Mountain Range cultivation world. She should not have encountered any unexpected situations on the road.

Unless she was unlucky enough to encounter some powerful demonic cultivators or bandits on the road, or was targeted by high-tier cultivators from other sects hostile to the "Hundred Flowers Palace."

Although this possibility is very low, ordinary people will not easily provoke a Jin Dan cultivator with a background, but there is never a lack of greedy people in the cultivation world, and there is nothing that is absolutely impossible.

"What Fellow Daoist Song said is correct! Junior Sister He has been missing for almost a year. We came this time to find her traces. I hope Fellow Daoist will not misunderstand."

"According to the sect's life tablet guidance, the place where Junior Sister He went missing is near Qinghe County, but we have not yet been able to find the exact location. Since Fellow Daoist Song was the last person to see Junior Sister He, I hope you can provide some guidance."

Seeing this, Song Qingming hurriedly waved his hand: "Fairy Xia, you are being too polite. Fellow Daoist He and I can be considered close friends, and she disappeared after leaving me. How can I stand idly by?"

"If Fairy Xia has any needs, just say it directly. As long as I can do it, I will certainly help with all my strength."

"I hope the two Fellow Daoists can believe me. I only just learned of Fellow Daoist He's disappearance, and I am not deceiving you. I dare to swear to the Heavenly Dao face to face that I truly do not know about this matter."

"I ask the two fellow Daoists to believe me; I only just learned of Fellow Daoist He's disappearance, and I have not deceived you all. I dare to swear to the Dao of Heaven that I am truly ignorant of this matter."

From the moment the other party kidnapped Song Xuanyu without revealing their identity, Song Qingming had not understood the intention of the "Hundred Flowers Palace" members, but now, hearing Xia Mo's explanation, he finally understood.

According to Xia Mo, the place where He Mengxin went missing was near Qinghe County, and since she only came to "Mount Funiu" during this trip to the Wei Kingdom, the Song family was naturally one of the people who might have attacked He Mengxin.

Xia Mo and the others went to such great lengths, in fact, to test "Mount Funiu" and see if the Song family had any connection to He Mengxin's disappearance.

"This move just now was indeed to test you. After all, we came from afar from the East Sea, and we need to be careful in our actions. I hope Fellow Daoist will not blame us."

"Startling your family's junior, we naturally have to apologize. This item is a compensation for you, I hope Fellow Daoist Song will look at the face of me and Junior Sister He and not hold this matter against us anymore."

"Startling your junior, we naturally must offer an apology. Let this item serve as an explanation to you, Fellow Daoist; I hope that for the sake of myself and Junior Sister He, you will not dwell on this matter anymore."

However, seeing this item, Song Qingming directly waved his hand: "Fairy Xia, there is no need to be so polite. Since the matter just now was a misunderstanding, I naturally will not keep it in my heart."

"Fellow Daoist He disappeared for no reason, and you came to find news of her. It is understandable to be a bit anxious. Then this matter ends here, and don't mention it again in the future."

Just as Song Qingming finished speaking, Wu Xiang, who was standing on the side, immediately said happily:

"Hehe! Fellow Daoist Song is indeed a person of great character. Next, searching for Junior Sister He will probably require staying in Qinghe County for a period of time. I hope Fellow Daoist Song will not be distant with us."

"Whether it is a misunderstanding, I naturally have my own judgment, no need for you to say more. You two secretly sneaked into my Song family's territory and also took away my family's junior by force. What is your intention?"

"Although your Hundred Flowers Palace is a Nascent Soul major sect, this is not the East Sea cultivation world. If you don't give Song a satisfactory explanation today, this matter will absolutely not end like this!"

Facing Wu Xiang and this purple-clothed woman, although Song Qingming and Huang Siyuan's cultivation was a bit lower than the other party, they were not afraid of them.

Song Qingming, seeing that the other party did not let go of the guard in his heart because of his appearance, Wu Xiang's face was also helpless, and he hurriedly cast a spell to send a secret sound transmission to Song Qingming privately.

Hearing the sound transmission sent by Wu Xiang, Song Qingming, who was standing in place, suddenly had a somewhat complex look on his face.

After pondering for a moment, Song Qingming said a word to Huang Siyuan beside him, letting her take people back to "Mount Funiu" first, while he himself stayed in place.

Huang Siyuan heard Song Qingming let her go back first, but she was still somewhat worried. It was not until Song Qingming explained a word to her that she nodded and took Song Yuanxue and the others to withdraw first.

After everyone else in the Song family had left, Wu Xiang, who was standing in front, smiled and said to Song Qingming: "Fellow Daoist Song, the Saintess is now at the foot of the mountain. You will understand what is going on when you see her later!"

After Wu Xiang finished speaking, he nodded slightly to Song Qingming, then took the purple-clothed woman to fly to the foot of the mountain first. Song Qingming, seeing this, immediately followed behind.

Before long, Song Qingming followed Wu Xiang and the two to a grassy area at the foot of the mountain and saw a white-clothed woman who had already been waiting here.

This white-clothed woman was wearing a veil on her face and could not see her face clearly. Not far beside her stood a young woman wearing a cyan long dress, who was exactly the Foundation Establishment elder of the Song family who had disappeared before, Song Xuanyu.

Seeing Song Qingming come, the white-clothed woman nodded slightly and took the initiative to bow to him with a smile.

"Fellow Daoist Song, it has been many years, I hope you have been well."

The voice was ethereal and very moving. Although he could not see the face hidden under the veil of the other party, Song Qingming recognized her at a glance.

Subsequently, Wu Xiang took out a compass-like magic treasure and stuck the spirit talisman containing He Mengxin's spiritual energy onto it; soon, the compass in his hand began to spin non-stop.

After some positioning, the direction the compass pointed finally stopped at the northeast of the "Red Flame Workshop."

"Have you found Fellow Daoist He?" Seeing Wu Xiang's compass stop spinning, Song Qingming, who was standing to the side, took the lead in asking.

Wu Xiang nodded slightly with a calm expression: "According to the indications on the compass, Junior Sister He should be about two or three thousand miles to the northeast of here.

Although this method can locate where Junior Sister He is, it can only find a general direction and still requires searching slowly along the way."

The secret method of finding people that Wu Xiang used was somewhat similar in principle to the "Bloodline Spirit-Seeking Method" that Song Qingming had used before; both locate the approximate position of the other party through items related to the person being sought.

However, Song Qingming's "Bloodline Spirit-Seeking Method" is more accurate and only effective within a range of a few dozen miles.

Although Wu Xiang's secret method can find further places, its accuracy is relatively lower, and it can only find a general direction, with an error of about a hundred miles.

"Finding the general area is enough. Two thousand miles to the northeast of here is Mount Yunwu; I am quite familiar with this place. I will go with you all in a moment, and I should be able to help you find Fellow Daoist He faster."

Hearing that the location Wu Xiang mentioned was in the nearby Mount Yunwu, Song Qingming hurriedly spoke up, expressing his wish to go with them.

Seeing Song Qingming say this, Xia Mo, who was to the side, shook her head slightly: "The matter of Junior Sister He's disappearance has nothing to do with you, Fellow Daoist. That Fellow Daoist Song was able to find the magic treasure is already a great help to us; how could we trouble you further?

This trip to find Junior Sister He might still have some dangers; I think Fellow Daoist Song should not go for now. If we need anything, we will come to find you again, okay?"

"Fairy Xia is too polite. Fellow Daoist He is also a close friend of mine; how can you say the word 'trouble'? Moreover, although this disappearance of Fellow Daoist He has nothing to do with my Song family, it happened in my Qinghe County after all. If I were to ignore it, I fear I would have no face to face my old friend in the future."

Seeing Xia Mo actually refuse his help, Song Qingming was slightly surprised, but he still insisted on expressing his attitude of wanting to help.

The reason Song Qingming insisted on going was also because the matter of He Mengxin's disappearance made him feel there was something suspicious.

In Qinghe County and even in Mount Yunwu, apart from the few members of the Song family, there were no other Jin Dan cultivators or Demon Kings. If He Mengxin really did meet with an accident near here, then there must be a mysterious and powerful force hiding in this place.

Just like the group of ghost cultivators found at "Yinfeng Ridge" back then, if such a hidden danger is not cleared away early, for the Song family, which is only a few thousand miles away, it would definitely make it difficult for people to sleep peacefully.

Even if it were not for He Mengxin, Song Qingming would want to go and check what kind of powerful thing is hiding in the nearby "Mount Yunwu" and causing trouble.

"Since Fellow Daoist Song wants to help, how can we turn him away and ruin his good intentions? I think Senior Sister Xia should not be so polite to him anymore!"

Seeing Song Qingming insist on going together, Han Yutong, who was standing to the side, hurriedly spoke up to help him, clearly hoping that Song Qingming would go to help.

"This matter is an internal affair of our sect; I originally did not want to trouble Fellow Daoist Song. However, since Fellow Daoist Song is willing to help voluntarily, it is also a good intention. Junior Sister Xia, you should make the decision!"

Seeing Song Qingming insist on going, the other "Hundred Flowers Palace" Elder, Wu Xiang, did not seem to approve very much either.

However, he was more tactful than Xia Mo and did not refuse directly, but handed the question back to Xia Mo for a decision.

Although Wu Xiang's cultivation is the same as Xia Mo's, both being Jin Dan ninth-layer cultivators, he had always been obedient to Xia Mo, the "Saintess of the Hundred Flowers Palace," along the way and had never opposed any of her ideas or suggestions.

After staring at Song Qingming with a calm expression, Xia Mo finally nodded in agreement: "Since Fellow Daoist Song is willing to help, then I will trouble you! However, this trip may be somewhat dangerous. If you really encounter any unfavorable situation, Fellow Daoist Song should feel free to leave on your own; there is no need to worry about us. I hope Fellow Daoist Song will remember this."

"Fairy, rest assured. I have practiced for many years and am not someone who is indecisive or likes to show off when encountering trouble. If I really encounter danger, I will naturally go to the "Xiaoyao Sect" for reinforcements." Hearing Xia Mo's kind reminder, Song Qingming hurriedly cupped his hands and agreed.

Seeing Xia Mo agree to take Song Qingming along, a look of joy appeared on Han Yutong's face, while Wu Xiang looked at Xia Mo, who had suddenly changed her mind, with some surprise.

After agreeing with the "Hundred Flowers Palace" members, Song Qingming gave a few instructions to Huang Siyuan outside, telling her to return to "Mount Funiu" first.

He himself quickly joined Xia Mo and the other three, then left the "Red Flame Workshop" together and flew toward Mount Yunwu in the northeast.

Because the secret method Wu Xiang used earlier could only locate the approximate position of He Mengxin and could not directly determine the exact direction, the group's flight speed was not fast along the way, and they had to stop from time to time to change direction.

After the two spoke a few words in place, under Song Qingming's lead, they quickly passed through the protective mountain formation and arrived at the "Meeting Immortal Pavilion" located on the mountaintop.

This time, apart from Han Yutong, the other three, including himself, were all experts in the late stage of Jin Dan. As long as they did not encounter a Nascent Soul-level existence, there should be no danger for them.

The reason Song Qingming dared to follow them out this time was also because of this; acting with Xia Mo and the others was much safer than coming alone in the future.

After traveling for most of the day, the group finally arrived at a place surrounded by mountains on all sides at nightfall.

"The location indicated by Junior Sister He's spiritual energy should be not far ahead. However, it is inconvenient to search now that it is dark; let us rest here for the night and continue searching forward tomorrow!"

Hearing Wu Xiang's suggestion, Song Qingming and the others did not object and hurriedly nodded in agreement.

Although Wu Xiang's status in the Hundred Flowers Palace was average, he was very experienced in speaking and dealing with people. When Song Qingming first met him, his impression of him was quite good.

However, later on, this person deliberately went to curry favor with him in order to get close to Xia Mo, which made Song Qingming always feel somewhat puzzled; therefore, Song Qingming's impression of Wu Xiang had always been somewhat reserved.

When he fought Han Yutong outside the "Red Flame Workshop" earlier, if the other party hadn't mentioned Xia Mo's name, Song Qingming wouldn't have stopped so easily.

Because he knew there were no high-tier demonic beasts nearby, Song Qingming was not too worried while resting on the spot; he simply set up a simple formation in front of him, then quickly took out a few spirit stones and entered meditation to practice.

Han Yutong was similar to Song Qingming; she found a clean place nearby to sit down and released her red python to keep watch in the surroundings.

The red python beside Han Yutong, like Huang Siyuan's "Chiyan," was also a Jin Dan early-stage spirit beast at the Demon King level, which Han Yutong only successfully subdued after forming her Core.

In terms of cultivation, Han Yutong's red python was actually similar to Huang Siyuan's "Chiyan," but snake-type demonic beasts naturally suppress rodent-type ones; therefore, in the previous battle, "Chiyan" suffered quite a bit in the fight against it.

Xia Mo and Wu Xiang were more casual; they neither entered meditation to practice nor took too many precautions against the surroundings, just sitting quietly to the side and looking at the sky not far away.

The moon set and the sun rose; soon it was the next morning. As the sun appeared, the thick fog permeating the mountains was slowly dispersed.

Seeing that the surrounding scenery was clearly visible, the group set off again to carefully search for He Mengxin's location.

This mountain area is located deep in "Mount Yunwu" and is close to the Floating Yunshan Range in the north. Apart from demonic beasts, there are indeed very few cultivators wandering around nearby.

Because the sparse population is conducive to concealment, there were indeed many bandits and demonic cultivators hiding nearby in the past. The "Yingfeng Ridge" that Song Qingming followed the people of Qinghe County to wipe out back then was not far from here.

However, in recent years, due to the sudden rise of the Song family, the bandits and demonic cultivators who had been entrenched nearby have become much fewer than before, and there are no longer groups of bandits on the scale of "Yingfeng Ridge" hiding here. Song Qingming had been nearby before, so he was somewhat familiar with the surroundings. Under his lead, after the group searched carefully for two days, they soon arrived at the foot of a high mountain that was very conducive to hiding.

"Junior Sister He's aura is nearby; it is very likely on this mountain." Just after arriving here, Wu Xiang, who was holding an incense burner, immediately said with some excitement.

Hearing Wu Xiang's words, Song Qingming and the others were also energized. After wandering around in these mountains for several days, they could finally gain something today.

Just as the group was preparing to set off to explore that mountain, they suddenly heard the sound of people talking not far away, which interrupted their steps.

Before long, two cultivators carrying the corpse of a demonic beast walked quickly toward the location of Song Qingming and the others, clearly intending to go to the high mountain not far away as well.

Seeing that the two people in front of them only had Qi Refining cultivation, Han Yutong, who was standing beside the group, immediately showed a slight smile at the corner of her mouth: "Everyone, wait a moment; I will go catch someone to ask about the situation above first."

After speaking, Han Yutong's figure flashed and disappeared from the spot. A moment later, she suddenly appeared in front of the two people who were on their way, giving them a fright.

However, before they could even shout, the two seemed to have their minds bewitched, and they followed Han Yutong to Song Qingming and the others with dull expressions.

"These two little fellows have already had their minds imprisoned by my Soul-Bewitching Technique. Everyone, ask whatever you have to ask; they will answer truthfully."

Seeing the "Soul-Bewitching Technique" that Han Yutong displayed, which could control others so easily, Song Qingming also showed some surprise on his face.

In the more than two hundred years of his cultivation, although Song Qingming had heard of many such secret methods from various classics, this was the first time he had seen someone else perform it in front of him. He could not help but be curious about the power of this technique and took the lead in asking the two: "Which sect's cultivators are you, and what are you doing here?"

"We are people from the Zheng Kingdom; we came to Yulong Mountain to settle down ten years ago to escape disaster. Yesterday, we received a mission to go out and kill a demonic beast, and we are preparing to return to the mountain to ask for a reward."

"How many cultivators are on this mountain now, and what is their cultivation?"

"Apart from Boss Yu, there are..."

Hearing the straightforward answers of these two, Song Qingming and the others finally understood the situation on the high mountain behind them.

This place is called "Yulong Mountain," and ten years ago, it was still a desolate place.

After the demonic beast turmoil, large areas of the Zheng Kingdom's territory fell, and many cultivation families and rogue cultivator forces were hit hard by the demonic beast army; some unlucky ones were even wiped out directly.

Therefore, many cultivators from the Zheng Kingdom drifted to the neighboring Wei Kingdom. Among them, many cultivators lost their places of practice and went down the wrong path, becoming the bandits that everyone talks about.

The "Yulong Mountain" in front of Song Qingming was a bandit force created by a Foundation Establishment rogue cultivator from the Zheng Kingdom named Yu Long, who entrenched himself here ten years ago to avoid disaster.

Although they have intercepted and killed many rogue cultivators near Pingyang County under Yu Long's leadership in recent years, because these people have only just arrived here and are hiding deep in "Mount Yunwu" and rarely come out, they have not yet attracted the attention of nearby cultivation families.

Hearing that the bandits on the opposite mountain were only led by Foundation Establishment cultivators, Song Qingming and the others were all somewhat surprised.

There were only a few dozen bandits on "Yulong Mountain," and the leader's cultivation was only at the early stage of Foundation Establishment. No matter how you listen to it, it has nothing to do with the disappearance of He Mengxin, a Jin Dan cultivator, which made them somewhat disbelieve the words in the other party's mouth.

After continuing to interrogate them for a few sentences, they only learned from them that some strange cultivators had indeed come to the mountain in the past year or so, but they could not say who they were or what their cultivation was.

Seeing that they could no longer answer any useful words when facing Song Qingming's inquiry, Han Yutong hurriedly said: "These two people only have Qi Refining cultivation; they probably don't know much. It seems that this group of bandits should have someone behind the scenes."

"I have just investigated; they are not stained with demonic energy. Now we can be sure that the one who attacked Junior Sister He is not those demonic cultivators; it seems it can only be the nearby bandits or rogue cultivators."

Before the group arrived here, what they were most worried about was that He Mengxin might have encountered some powerful demonic cultivator. For this reason, Song Qingming even carried two high-tier Soul-Chasing Spirit Talismans to deal with the primordial spirits of demonic cultivators.

After hearing what Han Yutong said, the expressions of Song Qingming and the others were obviously much better, and they all showed some relief.

Compared to those demonic cultivators with strange and unpredictable magical powers, dealing with bandits whose cultivation is not much different from theirs would certainly be easier for them.

"Senior Sister Xia, Senior Brother Wu, Fellow Daoist Song, I will go call for a battle first to see what these people are really made of."

After explaining to the three, Han Yutong took the lead in speaking, wanting to go and lead the way for everyone to see if she could lure the person behind the scenes out.

Seeing this, Song Qingming and the other two did not stop her. Amidst Wu Xiang's cautious advice, Han Yutong had already taken the initiative to release her aura and turned into a streak of light, rushing straight toward the "Yulong Mountain" in front of her.

After arriving at the summit, Han Yutong was not too polite; she directly took out a flying sword magic treasure and slashed at the mountain-protecting formation in front of her.

The spirit vein of "Yulong Mountain" is only second-tier low-quality, and the grade of the mountain-protecting formation on it is not very high. Under Han Yutong's full-strength sword, the second-tier low-quality formation formed by the mountain-protecting formation was instantly shattered.

After a loud noise, dozens of low-tier Qi Refining cultivators ran out of the mountain, along with a middle-aged man stepping on a flying sword.

However, before they could get far from this place, a red giant python more than ten feet long flew down from mid-air, and with one tail sweep, it killed a large group of bandits, forcing them back onto the mountain.

"Who dares to come here and act violently!"

Not long after Han Yutong made her move, an angry shout came from a cave dwelling on the summit.

Immediately following, two streaks of spiritual light flew out, and a young man and an old man with white hair arrived high in the sky, confronting Han Yutong.

The young man's cultivation was not much different from Han Yutong's; he was also a Jin Dan fifth-layer cultivator. The other old man had a somewhat fierce scar on his face. This person's cultivation was even higher than Song Qingming's; he was a late-stage Jin Dan cultivator who had already reached the eighth layer of Jin Dan.

"Sure enough, there is someone behind the scenes. It seems that He Mengxin's disappearance was mostly the work of these two."

Seeing these two appear suddenly, Wu Xiang, who was to the side, immediately said, and then, fearing that Han Yutong would suffer a loss, he immediately flashed to the high sky and stood beside Han Yutong.

Seeing this, Song Qingming and Xia Mo also arrived in mid-air one after the other, surrounding the two in the middle.

"Where did the two fellow Daoists come from, and why are you hiding here and causing trouble?"

Seeing that there was a late-stage Jin Dan cultivator among these two, Song Qingming was also very shocked. This place is only two thousand miles away from the Song family's "Red Flame Workshop," which can be said to be close at hand.

With so many powerful Jin Dan bandits hiding by his side, the entire Song family was still completely unaware; how could he not be somewhat fearful?

Seeing that the other party suddenly had so many powerful Jin Dan cultivators, the two were suddenly shocked, and their faces became very ugly.

Among them, the white-haired old man immediately smiled and cupped his hands at Wu Xiang: "Hehe! Several fellow Daoists, the two of us are just passing through this place and came down to rest our feet. Is there some misunderstanding here!"

"Misunderstanding! I think the two of you should stop playing dumb with me. Junior Sister He should be in your hands, right? Hand the person over quickly, otherwise, you won't be able to leave today."

"What Junior Sister He? Fellow Daoist, you really misunderstood us. We are not from nearby and just happened to pass through this place. We have no connection with these people on the mountain. If you are looking for someone, you might as well ask them."

"Humph! It seems that if I don't give you a little bit of power, you won't tell the truth." Wu Xiang snorted coldly, and two black long-knife magic treasures immediately appeared in his hands.

Just as he was about to make a move, the old man immediately shouted: "Fellow Daoists, don't make a move yet. I know the person you are looking for; I will take you to find her now."

After saying this, the old man immediately apologized with a smile and flew down the mountain.

Seeing this, Wu Xiang gave Han Yutong a wink, telling her to keep an eye on the other white-clothed youth, while he himself followed the old man with Song Qingming and Xia Mo to find He Mengxin.

Just after arriving outside a pitch-black cave at the summit, before Song Qingming and the others could ask, the old man directly confessed: "The person you are talking about should be inside here.

Several fellow Daoists, this matter really has nothing to do with me; the one who captured her is actually someone else. You will know when you go in!"

"What did you say? There are other people inside?" Hearing the old man's words, Wu Xiang and Song Qingming's expressions suddenly changed, and they could not help but frown slightly.

Hearing this, the white-haired old man nodded immediately: "That's right, there is another person who has been hiding in this cave. This guy's cultivation is similar to mine, and he came from the Zheng Kingdom..."

Just when their attention was all on the white-haired old man, a burst of spiritual power fluctuation suddenly came from near the cave entrance, followed by a burst of dazzling golden light from the cave, which instantly made Song Qingming and the three of them unable to open their eyes.

Just when Wu Xiang had just used a shield to resist this strong light, he discovered that the white-haired old man had already quickly drilled into the cave while they were stunned.

"Old rascal, where are you escaping to!" Seeing that the white-haired old man was about to escape, Wu Xiang shouted angrily and immediately controlled the magic treasure in his hand to chase after the direction where the other party disappeared at the cave entrance.

"Fellow Daoist Wu, wait a moment!"

Seeing that Wu Xiang had already followed him in, Song Qingming and Xia Mo did not think much and immediately followed into the pitch-black cave. This cave was very wide, and the four of them flew one after the other quickly, without any obstruction at all.

After chasing for a while, Song Qingming suddenly discovered that the white-haired old man and Wu Xiang might have accelerated their speed, and they suddenly disappeared from his sight after a turn in the cave.

Song Qingming and Xia Mo accelerated their speed and chased for another half a quarter of an hour, but they still did not see their figures, nor did they see the end of this cave, which made him feel a strange feeling in his heart, and he hurriedly stopped his steps.

"Fairy Xia, something is wrong! How big can this cave be? We have been flying for so long, why is there still no end? Could it be that there is some formation trapping us here?"

Hearing what Song Qingming said, Xia Mo did not answer directly, but a five-colored flower basket instantly appeared in her hand as her spiritual light moved.

Under her control, dozens of colorful petals rolled up in the five-colored flower basket and shot directly at the mountain wall beside them.

Unexpectedly, when these very sharp petals hit the mountain wall, they only made a "pitter-patter" sound and could not hurt the mountain wall at all.

Song Qingming had suffered from Xia Mo's flower basket magic treasure when he first met her, so he was naturally very clear about the power of this magic treasure.

Seeing that Xia Mo's attack failed to shatter the mountain wall in front of them, the two immediately understood that something was abnormal here. Their expressions changed immediately, and they retreated, wanting to exit the cave.

At this moment, a somewhat mocking laugh suddenly came from deep within the cave.

"Haha... since several fellow Daoists have come in, it won't be so easy to get out. This place is the Yin-Yang Eight Extremes Formation that I spent a whole year specially arranging. Even if you fly until you are exhausted and die, it is impossible to get out."

This laugh carried some old age, and as soon as Song Qingming heard it, he immediately identified it as coming from the white-haired old man who had just escaped.

"Yin-Yang Eight Extremes Formation, how is this possible? Could this person be a fourth-tier formation master?" Hearing the old man's words, Song Qingming was slightly surprised and asked Xia Mo beside him with some confusion.

Xia Mo did not slow down her speed when she heard this, but smiled bitterly at Song Qingming beside her: "Fellow Daoist Song, my understanding of the Dao of formations is not much more proficient than yours; otherwise, I wouldn't have fallen into the other party's trap so easily just now.

Regardless of whether what the other party said is true or false, the only plan now is for us to try to see if we can retreat directly; if not, we will make other plans."

Hearing what Xia Mo said, Song Qingming did not object. The two ignored the mockery just now and continued to gallop along the direction they came from.

However, they hadn't flown far when a fire light suddenly lit up in front, followed by a fierce flame that blocked their way.

"Careful!"

After feeling the powerful spiritual energy contained in the fierce flame in front, Xia Mo immediately reminded Song Qingming beside her.

Then she reached out and quickly took out a golden bracelet that she had been wearing on her hand, forming a protective cover to protect her whole body, so that she was not hurt by these flames at all.

Song Qingming, seeing this, also displayed a white jade ruler magic treasure to block in front of him. This white jade ruler also transformed into a light cover to block the fierce flames attacking from the front.

However, before the two could breathe a sigh of relief, a rush of water suddenly came from behind.

Song Qingming turned to look and saw a cyan flood attacking them from behind, but in an instant, it rushed to the front of the two.

This cyan flood looked ordinary, but it also contained very powerful spiritual energy. If it were touched, it would probably be uncomfortable.

Just when Song Qingming released his natal magic treasure "Five Elements Divine Light Mirror" and prepared to deal with it, Xia Mo had already taken a step ahead and released a high-quality third-tier mid-grade defensive spirit talisman, which turned into an earth wall barrier to temporarily block the flood that was already close at hand.

"It seems this old guy is going to make a move on us!"

Seeing the flames and floods that suddenly appeared in front of him, Song Qingming didn't need to guess to know that the white-haired old man who controlled this formation had already begun to be unable to resist wanting to kill them.

"Hehe! This Yin-Yang water and fire are endless; how much magic power can you two have to resist? I think you two should just surrender, hand over all the magic treasures and spirit items on your bodies. If I am happy, I might spare your lives.

Otherwise, if you want to beg for mercy later, you won't have such good luck."

"Humph! Want us to kneel and beg for mercy? You are not worthy!"

Hearing the other party's verbal temptation, Xia Mo's pretty face was covered with a layer of frost, and she immediately scolded the other party angrily.

After speaking, Xia Mo suddenly had a palm-sized transparent ball emitting a trace of cold air in her hand. After this magic treasure appeared in Xia Mo's hand, Song Qingming immediately felt that the surrounding temperature dropped instantly.

Under Xia Mo's spell, this transparent ball flew into mid-air instantly, and then emitted a burst of dazzling blue light.

Immediately after, the sound of ice freezing came from all around them. In just an instant, the cyan flood that had just rushed toward the two, as well as the fierce flames attacking from the front, were all frozen into very hard ice by this transparent ball magic treasure.

For a time, those constantly attacking flames and floods were blocked outside the thick ice, which also made the situation of the two immediately turn from danger to safety.

Seeing this scene, Song Qingming was also happy, and his tight nerves relaxed instantly.

But before Song Qingming could be happy for a moment, Xia Mo spat out a sentence softly, which woke him up again.

"Fellow Daoist Song, my Profound Ice Bead can only support for two hours at most once released. We need to think of other ways to escape quickly; otherwise, it will be difficult for us two to persist in this formation for too long." (End of chapter)