Chapter 739: Family Talent, Nascent Soul Puppet Beast

Song Song Xuande was a Qi Condensation cultivator of the "Xuan" generation in the Song family. His cultivation talent was relatively ordinary, and like Song Song Qingming, he was only a four-spirit-root cultivator.

However, Song Song Xuande possessed a very rare "spirit-probing technique" and was currently the only first-tier top-quality "spirit-prober" in the Song family. Previously, the spirit stone vein of the Song family at "Twin Peaks Mountain" was discovered by him.

At that time, learning that Song Song Xuande had found the spirit stone vein, Song Song Qingming was very happy in his heart. After returning, he immediately arranged for a vigorous reward for Song Song Xuande, who had established great merit for the family.

And at the family meeting, he spoke up, saying that after he reached the ninth layer of Qi Condensation, the family would reward him with a Foundation Establishment Pill to support him in impacting the Foundation Establishment realm in the future, using him as an example to encourage other clansmen to make more contributions to the family.

Song Song Xuande, who received a large amount of rewards from the family, used this spirit stone resource and, as everyone expected, successfully cultivated to the ninth layer of Qi Condensation five years ago, and also received the Foundation Establishment Pill bestowed by the family.

It was just a pity that although Song Song Xuande obtained the Foundation Establishment Pill a few years ago and went into closed-door cultivation to impact the Foundation Establishment realm, because his own aptitude was relatively poor, he ultimately fell short and failed to successfully establish his foundation.

After the failure of Foundation Establishment, Song Song Xuande, who had recovered from his injuries, did not give up on the matter of Foundation Establishment and still diligently cultivated and polished his cultivation every day, wanting to impact the Foundation Establishment realm again.

Recently, a "Jade Marrow Golden Branch" in the family's back mountain spirit herb garden happened to mature. Huang Huang Siyuan used this medicine combined with a Five Elements Spirit Fruit from the sect to refine five "Foundation Establishment Pills," and the Song family finally received two of them.

Learning that the family had new Foundation Establishment Pills, Song Song Xuande bit the bullet and took the initiative to find the family's Treasury Pavilion, wanting to exchange his family battle merits and some spirit items for a "Foundation Establishment Pill."

Since Song Song Qingming established his foundation, the family had developed for more than two hundred years. In the past, those selected to be supported for Foundation Establishment, as long as they failed, because they had consumed all their family battle merits to exchange for the "Foundation Establishment Pill," basically did not have a second chance for Foundation Establishment.

The first "Foundation Establishment Pill" Song Song Xuande obtained was directly bestowed by the family and did not use the battle merits he had accumulated over many years, so this time he had the confidence to exchange for a "Foundation Establishment Pill" from the family.

Although Song Song Xuande had enough family battle merits to exchange for a "Foundation Establishment Pill," because he had failed Foundation Establishment before, it had already caused some dissatisfaction within the clan.

This time participating in the competition for the "Foundation Establishment Pill," many family elders were also not very optimistic about Song Song Xuande, fearing that he would waste another Foundation Establishment Pill for the family. The probability of obtaining the "Foundation Establishment Pill" was clearly not as good as other clansmen of the same tier.

However, because Song Song Xuande, as a "spirit-prober," had established many great merits for the family, and it was Song Song Qingming who had said back then that he would support him in Foundation Establishment, Song Song Yuanfang was also unable to make a decision for a time, which was why he took this opportunity to ask Song Song Qingming to make the decision.

Hearing Song Song Yuanfang mention the matter of Song Song Xuande's Foundation Establishment, Song Song Qingming did not overthink it and directly nodded at him:

"Song Xuande is a person who has established great merit for the family. Not to mention the other mineral veins he has found over the years, just the spirit mine at Twin Peaks Mountain he discovered back then, how much profit has it brought to the family? How can these be compared to a Foundation Establishment Pill?

You leave a Foundation Establishment Pill for him first, let Song Xuande go into closed-door cultivation for Foundation Establishment as soon as possible, and arrange other necessary spirit items for Foundation Establishment for him as well. If the battle merits are not enough, allocate some from my side to him.

Tell Song Xuande, the family said it would support him in Foundation Establishment, so it will definitely try its best to do so. Let him prepare for Foundation Establishment with peace of mind and not have too much pressure. Even if he fails this time, I will find a way to arrange another Foundation Establishment Pill for him.

The matter of the family supporting Song Xuande in Foundation Establishment was agreed to by me. Regardless of whether he can successfully establish his foundation in the future, if anyone has any opinions or thoughts on this matter, let them come to the mountain top to find me."

After obtaining Song Song Qingming's support, Song Song Yuanfang felt slightly relieved in his heart and immediately nodded in agreement with a face full of approval: "Seventh Grand-Uncle is right. Although Song Xuande's talent and aptitude are ordinary, over these years he has found so many mineral veins for the family outside, his merit is already not much worse than us Foundation Establishment cultivators, so how can the family treat him unfairly?

Rest assured, this time before Song Xuande goes into closed-door cultivation, Leqing and I will definitely take time to give him some good guidance, striving to let him successfully establish his foundation as soon as possible, and not let down Seventh Grand-Uncle's cultivation."

"Hmm! As long as you understand this. The family is developing so fast now, and with more people, there will always be different views, which are unavoidable in the future.

But no matter what, we who manage the family must have a long-term perspective. For people like Song Xuande who will be of great use to the family in the future, we should support them as much as possible.

Regardless of whether I am here in the future, you must understand this point. Do not bury family talent because of these petty gains."

"Seventh Grand-Uncle's words are very true, Song Yuanfang understands!"

Seeing Song Song Yuanfang listening to his teachings earnestly, Song Song Qingming nodded slightly and continued: "There are many things at home recently, and you all have been working hard.

Now that Song Xuanyu and the others are all back, if you are too busy, you can share some with others. Do not delay your personal cultivation because of this.

This spirit fruit was found by Song Yuanhao and the others at Red Moon Ridge. It should be of some help to your cultivation breakthrough. Take it first and strive to break through to the late stage of Foundation Establishment as soon as possible."

After speaking, spiritual light moved in Song Song Qingming's hand, and he took out a black wooden box from his storage magic treasure and sent it into Song Song Yuanfang's hand.

Opening the wooden box and seeing that it was actually a second-tier top-quality spirit fruit, a look of surprise immediately appeared on Song Song Yuanfang's face, and he looked at Song Song Qingming with slight excitement.

Although Song Song Yuanfang had always been in the rear at "Mount Mount Funiu," every day the number of demonic beasts slain by the cultivators on the front line at "Bai Shiling" and the number of spirit items obtained were reported back to the family on time. Naturally, he had long heard of this spirit fruit found by Song Song Yuanhao and the others.

Song Song Yuanfang's current cultivation had reached the peak of the sixth layer of Foundation Establishment and he was just looking for spirit items to impact the late stage of Foundation Establishment. The second-tier top-quality spirit fruit before him was exactly what was useful for his cultivation breakthrough.

Originally, Song Song Yuanfang wanted to wait until Song Song Qingming returned to the family to find an opportunity to ask him for this item, but he did not expect Song Song Qingming to have been keeping this matter in mind and took it out on his own initiative before he could even speak.

Seeing the spirit fruit in his hand, Song Song Yuanfang was also incomparably excited in his heart and hurriedly stepped forward to bow and thank Song Song Qingming.

Seeing this, Song Song Qingming immediately waved his hand and said: "We are all family, why be so polite.

Although you all did not go to the front line to establish merit this time, staying behind to guard the family and keep our rear worry-free is also a merit. This time the family successfully took down Bai Shiling, so naturally, we cannot treat you unfairly.

Tell Song Yuanqian and the others, all cultivators who did not go to the front line and stayed to guard the family, as long as they have not made any mistakes in their work within half a year, go to the Treasury Pavilion to receive twenty points of family battle merit, and each of you Foundation Establishment cultivators will be issued two hundred points."

"Thank you, Clan Leader, for your cultivation!" Song Song Yuanfang replied with a smile immediately after hearing this.

After sending Song Song Yuanfang away, Song Song Qingming came to the family's Alchemy Pavilion to find Huang Huang Siyuan, who was in closed-door cultivation refining alchemy, and handed over all the second-tier or higher spirit herbs that the family cultivators had looted near "Bai Shiling" during this period to her.

Ever since Huang Huang Siyuan became a third-tier alchemist, as long as the entire family had second-tier or higher high-tier spirit herbs, they were basically all left for her to refine alchemy.

If the numerous cultivation families under the Song family found precious high-tier spirit herbs of relatively high value that they could not use themselves, they would also bring them to "Mount Mount Funiu" to honor this Jin Dan ancestor, in order to exchange for some useful pills.

However, even so, Wei Country was after all a place with relatively scarce cultivation resources, and it was still very difficult to satisfy the needs of Huang Huang Siyuan, this high-tier alchemist.

Most of the time, for the auxiliary spirit herbs needed to refine high-tier spirit pills, Huang Huang Siyuan still had to run to "Mount Mount Guyang" or "Tiandan City" to find a way to gather them.

Regarding this, the Song family had also been increasing its efforts to cultivate medicine fields over the years, expanding the planting in the family's back mountain "Spirit Herb Garden," and cultivating more "spirit planters."

It was just that hindered by the fact that the family had no third-tier or higher spirit planters, the Song family's family foundation in this aspect of spirit planting was still far from being comparable to those great sects that had been established for over a thousand years, and there was still quite a long way to go if they wanted to satisfy self-sufficiency in terms of spirit herbs.

After living at home for a few days, Song Song Qingming boarded the large flying boat he had rented from the sect to attack "Bai Shiling" again, planning to go to "Mount Mount Guyang" to return this flying boat to the sect's Merit Pavilion in person.

This item was, after all, borrowed by him personally, and Song Song Qingming was not at ease letting others return it, so he simply made a trip himself; anyway, it would not take a few days.

In order to help deliver some goods on the way, Song Song Qingming also specially let the flying boat take a detour to "Yinfeng Ridge," and after loading the mineral ores collected in the recent year onto the flying boat, it then majestically turned toward "Mount Mount Guyang."

Just as the flying boat was moving slowly, Song Song Qingming, who was flipping through a formation classic in his hand in the warehouse, suddenly felt the light inside the flying boat darken, and suddenly felt a bit strange.

Standing up and coming to the window to open it and look, he discovered that a group of strange black clouds had suddenly appeared above the originally incomparably clear sky, enveloping the entire flying boat, and the surroundings were dim as if they had suddenly entered the dark night.

"Eh! What is going on?"

Seeing this strange scene outside, Song Song Qingming's face was filled with doubt, and he was just about to go out to check the situation when he heard a knock on the door from behind.

Song Song Qingming hurriedly came to the door and opened it, only to find that the person who came was a middle-aged man, a fifth-layer Foundation Establishment cultivator, one of the Xiaoyao Sect disciples he had hired from "Mount Mount Guyang" half a year ago to help control the flying boat.

This person's face was a bit flustered. Seeing Song Song Qingming, he hurriedly said: "Uncle Song! It seems like something has been following us in the sky, looking like a Jin Dan demon king."

"Jin Dan demon king! This place is not far from "Mount Mount Guyang," how could there be a Jin Dan demon king daring to run here? Did you see it wrong?"

Hearing the words from the person's mouth, Song Song Qingming asked with a doubtful face, clearly a bit disbelieving of what he said.

Seeing Song Song Qingming say this, "Reporting to Uncle Song, we didn't see it clearly either, but just now Junior Brother Chen said he saw the shadow of a large white bird in the black clouds, which indeed looked like some formidable demonic beast.

This place is less than a thousand miles from Mount Mount Guyang. Logically speaking, there shouldn't be such a formidable demonic beast appearing. I have been controlling flying boats for so many years and this is the first time I have encountered this situation nearby, ah!."

Before this Xiaoyao Sect disciple could finish speaking, the flying boat suddenly seemed to have been hit by something, shaking violently, interrupting the words in his mouth. "You all guard the flying boat, start the formation and continue forward. I will go and see what kind of ghost is making trouble above."

Seeing this situation, Song Song Qingming's face suddenly changed, giving birth to a bit of annoyance. After giving instructions to the "Xiaoyao Sect" disciple who had just stood firm, he immediately turned and walked out of the warehouse.

By the time Song Song Qingming arrived at the front of the flying boat, a thunderclap suddenly struck from the sky toward the location of the flying boat, but at this time, several Xiaoyao Sect disciples had already started the formation on the flying boat.

The thunder light fell on the formation, immediately sparking a fire that illuminated the surrounding dark night, and the entire flying boat shook violently again.

Fortunately, this thunder light falling from the sky looked fierce, but its power was not as formidable as imagined. Except for making the flying boat shake a few times, it did not cause any other damage.

"Hmph! A person who hides their head and shows their tail, let me try how much ability you have."

With the help of the thunder light just now, Song Song Qingming also clearly saw a phantom of a large bird several zhang tall appearing in the black clouds, but just as the Foundation Establishment disciple said just now, it looked very much like a demon king with not low cultivation.

However, the divine ability the opponent unleashed looked scary, but Song Song Qingming did not take it to heart. Now that his cultivation had reached the late stage of Jin Dan, an ordinary Jin Dan demon king was simply no match for him.

Moreover, this place was not far from "Mount Mount Guyang," and he could send a message to the sect for help at any time.

As long as the opponent was not a Nascent Soul demon emperor, even if he encountered a peak Jin Dan great demon king, Song Song Qingming, who possessed a body of formidable magic treasures and divine abilities, did not need to fear the opponent.

After Song Song Qingming snorted coldly, magic power moved in his hand and he directly summoned his natal magic treasure, the "Five Elements Divine Light Mirror," then directly escaped from the flying boat formation and killed his way into the black clouds in the high sky.

Encountering obstacles near "Mount Mount Guyang," Song Song Qingming was also very curious in his heart about which blind person had the guts to be presumptuous here.

Just as Song Song Qingming's figure was about to submerge into the black clouds, there was suddenly another thunder and lightning above his head, followed by a flash of white thunder light of the same color as just now, which rushed straight toward the location where Song Song Qingming was.

Seeing this, Song Song Qingming immediately cast a spell to control the "Five Elements Divine Light Mirror" to transform into a huge bronze mirror to block above his head, wanting to directly take this attack head-on.

The thunder light just fell on the "Five Elements Divine Light Mirror," immediately lighting up a fire that illuminated the surroundings as if it were broad daylight.

What made Song Song Qingming a bit surprised was that although this thunder light was clearly cast by the same person, its power was much stronger than the one the flying boat below had endured just now.

As soon as the two sides came into contact, Song Song Qingming felt a very formidable thunder-law fluctuation coming from the "Five Elements Divine Light Mirror," making his hands, which were controlling the magic treasure, suddenly feel a wave of numbness, almost unable to control his natal magic treasure.

The power of this thunder light was no longer at the level that an ordinary Jin Dan demon king should have. If the opponent was not a special demonic beast naturally proficient in thunder law, then at least their cultivation was not weaker than his own.

Feeling that he seemed to have underestimated his opponent, Song Song Qingming was even more curious in his heart. After blocking the attack before him, he immediately flashed his figure and submerged into the black clouds, rushing straight toward the location of his opponent above.

However, just as his figure moved, another white thunder light fell from above his head, and the pressure of this thunder light seemed to have increased by a few points compared to before.

"Still coming, it's really endless, isn't it!"

Seeing the opponent's decisive action, with thunder light of great power coming wave after wave, as if they just didn't want to let him get close, Song Song Qingming's face suddenly changed and became a bit solemn.

After spitting out a few words with some displeasure in his mouth, Song Song Qingming waved his hand and hurriedly took out a golden sphere, directly topping it above his head.

After this golden sphere appeared, it immediately transformed into a protective shield to block before Song Song Qingming. With this layer of protection, Song Song Qingming's face immediately relaxed a lot.

This time he did not choose to stay in place and resist, but instead advanced rather than retreated, flying upward and facing the fierce thunder light head-on.

Soon Song Song Qingming's figure collided with the white thunder light falling from above.

However, in this contact, the two sides did not collide with very fierce sparks as before.

That white thunder light just fell on the protective shield formed by the golden sphere, and was immediately firmly adsorbed by that golden sphere. Its power was immediately reduced by eighty or ninety percent, and only a few small sparks were emitted before it completely disappeared without a trace.

This golden sphere was exactly a treasure Song Song Qingming had begged from the Fire Phoenix years ago, a spirit item specially used to restrain thunder law, the "Thunder-Gathering Bead."

Although this item was not a formidable high-tier magic treasure, it was very restraining to various thunder laws in the cultivation world. Even formidable thunder laws that were difficult for Jin Dan cultivators to contend with would have their power greatly reduced in front of the "Thunder-Gathering Bead."

Over the years, Song Song Qingming had relied on this item to survive several crises, so he had always carried it on his body and had never been separated from it.

Seeing the "Thunder-Gathering Bead" easily block this thunder light as he had expected, Song Song Qingming took this opportunity to immediately unleash the "Nine Palaces Meteor Escape," rapidly breaking through the obstruction of the black clouds and arriving at the location of his opponent above.

"What is this thing?"

Song Song Qingming, who had just rushed to the upper sky, saw the large white bird that had just launched the thunder light attack on him not far away, and could not help but reveal a look of shock on his face.

This large white bird, although its figure was lifelike, did not emit the aura that a demonic beast should have, and its eyes were listless, tightly watching the Song Song Qingming before it as if it were a dead object.

What shocked Song Song Qingming the most was that after seeing the other party at close range, just as Song Song Qingming's spiritual sense probed toward the other party, it was suddenly blocked back by a more powerful spiritual sense, making him unable to see the other party's true cultivation.

"Could this be a Nascent Soul puppet beast?"

Ever since advancing to the late stage of Jin Dan, Song Song Qingming's spiritual sense was no worse than those peak Jin Dan cultivators. Over the years, he had almost never encountered a Jin Dan cultivator who could surpass him in spiritual sense.

And the other party could actually surpass him by so much in spiritual sense, which was clearly not something a Jin Dan level cultivator could show. If they were not carrying some special exotic treasure, they must be a Nascent Soul level cultivator to be able to do this so easily.

Added to the fact that this large bird did not have the aura of a living thing, Song Song Qingming soon comprehensively judged that the other party might be a fourth-tier puppet beast of Nascent Soul level, but he still did not know who was controlling it or why it would appear here.

At this moment, Song Song Qingming, standing in place, looked at the large white bird before him with a very solemn expression.

Before coming up, he had always thought that he might encounter a blind Jin Dan demon king, and could not imagine at all that the one attacking him would be a fourth-tier "puppet beast" of Nascent Soul level.

Fourth-tier or higher spirit items were incomparably precious and rare in the entire cultivation world. Just taking one out in a place like the Fuyun Mountain Range could cause a commotion.

Although Song Song Qingming was a late-stage Jin Dan cultivator who had cultivated for more than two hundred years, he had not seen many fourth-tier spirit items in so many years, let alone something even rarer like a fourth-tier "puppet beast."

"Puppet beasts," this kind of spirit item, although their strength was not as good as corpse puppets and spirit beasts of the same tier, were relatively simple to control and did not have high requirements for the user, so they were still loved by many cultivators in the cultivation world.

However, because making "puppet beasts" was very complex, in the entire cultivation world, except for a very small portion of great sects specializing in this path, few cultivators could raise puppet techniques to the third tier or higher, so high-tier "puppet beasts" in the cultivation world had always been relatively rare existences.

Although the "Xiaoyao Sect" was a Nascent Soul sect established for thousands of years, because it was deep in the Fuyun Mountain Range where resources were relatively scarce, the sect only had a third-tier mid-quality "puppet beast" that had been passed down for a long time.

According to what Song Song Qingming knew, in the entire Fuyun Mountain Range cultivation world, there were as many as a hundred large and small cultivation sects above Jin Dan, and all of them added together did not have a few spirit items of the level of a fourth-tier "puppet beast."

"May I ask who you are, and why you are here to attack the flying boat of my Xiaoyao Sect?"

Seeing this large white bird before him, Song Song Qingming knew deeply that he was definitely no match for the other party, but this place was already not far from "Mount Mount Guyang," so he could still try to see if he could make the other party have some scruples by using the sect's name.

Moreover, a fourth-tier "puppet beast" was after all not a real Nascent Soul cultivator and could at most exert half the strength of a Nascent Soul cultivator. If they really fought, he was not completely without a chance to escape.

Hearing Song Song Qingming's question, that large white bird suddenly let out a strange laugh, and then blurted out a sentence that made Song Song Qingming a bit confused.

"I have long heard of your great name, it is like thunder piercing the ears. Today I have come specially to ask for advice, and I hope Fellow Daoist Song will not begrudge your instruction!"

"I have lived in the deep mountains and cultivated for a long time, and have never offended anyone outside. Did Fellow Daoist find the wrong person and misunderstand?"

Since entering the path of cultivation, Song Song Qingming's conduct had always been relatively low-key. Even when going out to experience and deal with people, he rarely used his real name and never liked to be in the limelight outside. Logically speaking, there shouldn't be such a mysterious expert who specially came to the door to deal with him.

Song Song Qingming had no impression of this large white bird, but hearing the words spoken by the large bird, the other party knew his surname was Song, which was clearly aimed at him.

This sudden situation also made Song Song Qingming a bit puzzled and unable to figure out what was going on. (End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 740 =====