Chapter 823

After Song Qingming left, the blink of an eye saw another month pass by.

On this day, a sound-transmission talisman carrying a distress message flew into "Mount Funiu" once again. Very quickly, this talisman, which broke the peace of the mountain, was delivered to Song Yuanfang, who was in the family's "Deliberation Hall."

After picking up the talisman and scanning it, Song Yuanfang's expression changed instantly. He set aside the matters at hand and hurried to the "Immortal Gathering Pavilion" located at the mountain's peak.

"Grand Aunt, a distress letter has arrived from Xuan Yu at Yin Feng Ridge. A Jin Dan demonic beast has appeared there!"

"What? How could there be a Jin Dan demonic beast at Yin Feng Ridge? That is truly strange!"

Song Qingyu, who was sitting across from Huang Siyuan sipping tea, immediately took the talisman from Song Yuanfang's hand upon hearing this. After a careful look, a look of solemnity appeared on her face as well.

The "Yin Feng Ridge" mineral vein was operated jointly by the Song family and the sect's "General Affairs Hall." Every year, it provided them with a profit of over a thousand spirit stones, making it one of the Song family's more important assets.

Because the mineral vein was located deep within Mount Yunwu, it was often harassed by demonic beasts. Therefore, quite a few cultivators were stationed there to guard it. Including Song Xuanyu, there were three Foundation Establishment cultivators and over a hundred Qi Condensation cultivators stationed at the mineral vein year-round.

In the past, "Yin Feng Ridge" had often suffered from harassment by demonic beasts, but those that appeared were generally low-tier beasts at the Qi Condensation or Foundation Establishment realms. This was the first time a Jin Dan demonic beast had attacked the mineral vein, which was why Song Qingyu was so surprised.

"Grand Aunt, the situation is not yet clear, but Mount Yunwu has indeed been somewhat strange lately. Many demonic beasts have appeared in the surrounding area for no reason. A few months ago, a peak Foundation Establishment demonic beast even suddenly arrived near Qinghe.

I had intended to wait until the family was less busy to organize manpower to enter the upper reaches of Qinghe for an investigation, but I did not expect a Jin Dan Demon King to appear at Yin Feng Ridge so soon."

Hearing Song Yuanfang's explanation, Song Qingyu nodded slightly and said, "Hmm! The situation at Yin Feng Ridge is currently tight, and Xuan Yu and the others likely cannot hold out for long. Never mind these things for now; I will go check the situation myself first."

"Qingyu, I will go with you!"

Seeing that Song Qingyu intended to go alone, Huang Siyuan, who was somewhat worried on the side, hurriedly stood up, wanting to go with her to help.

Facing Huang Siyuan's offer to help, Song Qingyu smiled and shook her head gently, saying, "Sister-in-law, rest assured. The one harassing Yin Feng Ridge is merely a Jin Dan initial-stage Demon King that has only recently formed its core. Dealing with it alone is not a problem for me.

Seventh Brother is not at home; if I cannot even handle this small matter, I will surely be laughed at by him when he returns!

You stay at home to hold the fort; I can be at ease if I go out. If anything happens, I will send you a message in advance."

"Alright then, you must be careful. If you encounter anything difficult to resolve, send a message back immediately!"

Seeing that Song Qingyu spoke very earnestly, Huang Siyuan did not insist further, though she could not help but offer a few more words of caution.

Song Qingyu's cultivation had now reached the sixth layer of Jin Dan, and with her extraordinary attainments in the Sword Dao, she could even contend with a late-stage Jin Dan Demon King.

As long as she did not encounter an expert above the Nascent Soul stage, even if she could not defeat her opponent, escaping would not be a problem for her.

After agreeing with Huang Siyuan, before long, Song Qingyu transformed into a streak of azure sword light and quickly left "Mount Funiu."

Deep within Mount Yunwu, at the location of the "Yin Feng Ridge" mineral vein.

A "White Sheep Demon King" with two sharp horns was leading over a hundred low-tier Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment demonic beasts in an attack on the mountain-protecting formation outside "Yin Feng Ridge."

Song Xuanyu and the others, seeing the fierce army of demonic beasts outside, dared not go out to engage them in battle. They could only hide within the formation, desperately using spirit stones and their own spiritual power to maintain the operation of the mountain-protecting formation.

Fortunately, "Yin Feng Ridge" had a second-tier top-quality formation that Song Qingming had specifically set up over a dozen years ago, which firmly protected the mineral vein.

The army of demonic beasts led by the "White Sheep Demon King" appeared to be attacking very fiercely, but for a time, they were unable to break through the "mountain-protecting formation" outside; otherwise, these people would likely have met with disaster.

"Linyu, go inside quickly to notify them. Go pull a group of miners to help support the formation. Tell them that whoever distinguishes themselves will have their mining sentence reduced in the future."

Watching the person beside him hurry toward the depths of the mine, Song Xuanyu, who still felt somewhat nervous, had just turned around when he saw a streak of sword light fly in from outside the formation, directly knocking the "White Sheep Demon King" that was attacking the formation back more than a dozen zhang.

Immediately following this, an azure-clad figure stepping on a flying sword appeared outside the formation, looking coldly at the "White Sheep Demon King" not far away. It was Song Qingyu, who had arrived to provide support.

"Elder, look quickly! There is someone outside. It seems the Chen Chen Laozu has arrived!"

Hearing the shout from the clansman beside him, Song Xuanyu felt a sense of relief and joy, and he hurriedly said:

"Quickly notify Fellow Daoist Liu and the others! Prepare to open the formation and rush out to help the Chen Chen Laozu!"

The "White Sheep Demon King," which had been attacking the formation, was knocked back by Song Qingyu's sword strike and immediately shifted its target to her. With its two long horns, it charged directly toward Song Qingyu's position.

Seeing the Demon King charging fiercely, Song Qingyu showed no trace of panic. She used her hands to control the "Xuanming Jin Guang Sword" beside her, splitting it into five streaks of sword light, and immediately took the initiative to meet it.

At the same time, Song Xuanyu and the others also led the numerous cultivators guarding the mineral vein out of the mountain-protecting formation, engaging the army of demonic beasts outside in battle.

On the battlefield, the sounds of killing and the roars of demonic beasts were mixed together; the battle between the two sides was extremely intense.

Half a stick of incense later, following a swift sword strike from Song Qingyu, a giant sheep's head fell from the sky.

The "White Sheep Demon King," which had been majestic just moments before, became a corpse that had lost its breath after exchanging barely a hundred rounds with Song Qingyu.

The demonic beasts below that were still fighting the human cultivators, seeing their leader fall, instantly lost their will to fight. Before long, they scattered like birds and beasts, fleeing the battlefield.

"Greetings, Senior, Chen Chen Laozu!"

Seeing Song Qingyu's figure descend from mid-air, Song Xuanyu and the others guarding "Yin Feng Ridge" hurriedly stepped forward to bow and salute, their faces filled with gratitude.

If Song Qingyu had not arrived in time to provide rescue, they would have had absolutely no chance of victory against a Jin Dan Demon King.

Seeing this, Song Qingyu hurriedly waved her hand to signal everyone to rise.

"Do you know where this Demon King came from?"

Hearing Song Qingyu's inquiry, a Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Xiaoyao Sect stepped forward and replied, "Reporting to Uncle-Master Song, for some reason in the last few months, many demonic beasts have suddenly appeared in the vicinity, and they all ran out from deep within Mount Yunwu.

Originally, they were just low-tier beasts at the Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment stages. I did not expect a Jin Dan Demon King to emerge today. If it were not for your timely arrival, Uncle-Master, we would likely not have escaped the mouths of the beasts today."

Hearing this, Song Qingyu nodded slightly and said no more. After instructing everyone to dispose of the demonic beast corpses on the battlefield, she took out her flying sword and said, "With demonic beasts frequently attacking lately, and a Jin Dan Demon King appearing here for no reason, I fear there is some change deep within Mount Yunwu.

I will leave this place to you for now. I will follow the tracks of the demonic beasts to investigate and see exactly what has happened."

After taking the materials from the "White Sheep Demon King," Song Qingyu did not linger on the battlefield and soon transformed into a streak of sword light, leaving the spot.

After leaving "Yin Feng Ridge," Song Qingyu followed the tracks of the fleeing demonic beasts eastward, soon penetrating deep into the "Mount Yunwu" range where the rugged mountains and ridges were located.

Along the way, Song Qingyu, who had deliberately slowed her flight speed, saw many low-tier demonic beasts that had been frightened out of the mountain forests, and a look of doubt gradually appeared on her face.

These demonic beasts had originally lived deep within "Mount Yunwu," but now, for some unknown reason, they had all run to the edge of "Qinghe County," causing the recent attacks on the Qinghe cave dwelling and the "Yin Feng Ridge" mineral vein.

Logically speaking, apart from the once-in-a-century demonic beast turmoil, demonic beasts in "Mount Yunwu" rarely migrated outward on such a large scale.

The "White Sheep Demon King" that had died at Song Qingyu's hands earlier did not have high cultivation; it was clearly a Demon King that had only recently formed its core.

Such a Demon King that had just broken through its cultivation would likely have been a native beast of "Mount Yunwu" that had successfully advanced, rather than an outsider.

It should have lived deep within "Mount Yunwu," thousands of miles away; it was impossible for it to have suddenly run to the relatively peripheral "Yin Feng Ridge." These various doubts left Song Qingyu feeling very puzzled about what exactly had happened deep within "Mount Yunwu."

Just as Song Qingyu, filled with doubt, had been flying for a full day and arrived deep within "Mount Yunwu," thousands of miles away, the scene before her eyes made her unable to help but let out a cry of surprise.

She saw that within a range of dozens of miles beneath her feet, the mountain forests that should have been lush and green had all turned into a desolate wasteland, as if they had been scorched directly by some fierce flame.

The surrounding mountains and rivers were pitted and scarred everywhere, with mud and rocks flying about, as if they were wounds left behind by high-tier spells.

What surprised Song Qingyu even more was that a mountain over a hundred zhang high, not far in front of her, had its entire peak cut off and fallen to the side, leaving behind a smooth, enormous cut.

"Could it be that a Nascent Soul cultivator fought here!"

Seeing this enormous, scarred battlefield before her, Song Qingyu was instantly stunned, unable to believe everything she was seeing.

A battlefield capable of moving mountains and diverting rivers was something that could only be created by cultivators at or above the Nascent Soul stage.

Song Qingyu's cultivation had now reached the sixth layer of Jin Dan, and she had participated in several major battles against the demon race at "Guiyun Square" and "Mount Guyang" years ago, so she naturally had witnessed the supernatural means of those Nascent Soul cultivators.

No wonder so many low-tier demonic beasts in the nearby mountains, as well as the "White Sheep Demon King," had been frightened into running thousands of miles away to "Yin Feng Ridge." Knowing that a Nascent Soul cultivator might have been in "Mount Yunwu," Song Qingyu's face instantly grew more nervous, and she felt a lingering fear in her heart.

This place was not far from the Song family's territory. If some formidable Nascent Soul cultivator were hiding here, it would be a very serious hidden danger for the family. She could only hope that these Nascent Soul experts were just passing through and had already moved far away.

After scanning the enormous battlefield before her, Song Qingyu, knowing that what happened here involved Nascent Soul cultivators, did not dare to linger and soon transformed into a streak of sword light, turning to leave the spot.

Just as Song Qingyu left, in a cave hundreds of miles away from the enormous battlefield, a white-clad woman in simple attire suddenly opened her eyes.

Not far in front of the white-clad woman floated a bronze mirror. The figure appearing on it was none other than Song Qingyu, who had just left the battlefield. "Xuanming Sword Light Sword... I did not expect to see someone practicing the Xuanming Sword Art here. Could this also be an arrangement of fate?"

Looking at Song Qingyu in the bronze mirror, a trace of surprise appeared on the white-clad woman's face, but it soon calmed down.

After waving her hand to put away the bronze mirror, the white-clad woman cast a spell to release a sound transmission. Before long, a woman dressed in purple walked in from outside.

The purple-clad woman arrived before the white-clad woman, immediately bowed and saluted, and asked slowly:

"Master, do you have any instructions?"

"I just discovered someone practicing the Xuanming Sword Art nearby. This person is about two hundred miles to the south and should be heading east. It is inconvenient for me to leave right now; take the Heaven-Binding Rope and bring her here to see me!"

"Disciple obeys!"

The purple-clad woman took the red-glowing magic treasure handed over by her master. Without saying more, she immediately bowed and retreated, her figure soon disappearing from the cave.

After Song Qingyu left that battlefield, she felt a sense of unease in her heart, so she accelerated her flight, wanting to return to her family quickly.

Just as Song Qingyu was halfway there, a streak of purple flight light suddenly appeared not far behind her. Before Song Qingyu could clearly see the movement behind her, a purple light suddenly flashed before her eyes, blocking her path.

"Fellow Daoist, please stay!"

"This Fellow Daoist, may I ask what business you have?"

Seeing a strange purple-clad woman suddenly block her path, Song Qingyu was surprised at first, but then her expression slowly stabilized.

Although the purple-clad woman's cultivation was slightly higher than Song Qingyu's, having reached the peak of the ninth layer of Jin Dan, she was not the Nascent Soul cultivator Song Qingyu had feared. Therefore, the tension on Song Qingyu's face relaxed slightly.

The purple-clad woman scanned Song Qingyu carefully, her gaze soon falling on the natal flying sword beneath her feet.

"Fellow Daoist, my master wishes to invite you for a chat. Please trouble yourself to come with me to see her!"

"This Fellow Daoist, I have only met you by chance and do not know you. Have you mistaken me for someone else?"

Hearing the wariness in Song Qingyu's tone, the purple-clad woman smiled faintly, shook her head, and said, "Fellow Daoist, rest assured. I have no ill will toward you; I am only here to bring you over because my master has invited you. Do not be nervous, just come with me."

"To tell you the truth, I am a disciple of the Xiaoyao Sect in the Wei Kingdom. Today, I am on sect orders and have important matters to attend to; it is truly inconvenient for me to go with you.

If you or your master have any business with me, please visit Mount Guyang another day, and I will certainly come to see you!"

After Song Qingyu finished speaking, she bowed slightly to the purple-clad woman, and then the flight light beneath her feet flashed, intending to leave the spot.

But before Song Qingyu could fly very far, a streak of purple light blocked her path once again, stopping her progress.

Seeing a trace of displeasure appear on Song Qingyu's face, the purple-clad woman still smiled at her:

"This Fellow Daoist, my master has invited you today; whether you go or not is not something you or I can decide. I advise you to come with me, so as to avoid my master blaming me for waiting too long later."

"Hmph! You have quite the nerve, daring to disregard my Xiaoyao Sect like this. I do not wish to contend with you today, but if you do not let me leave, do not blame me for offending you later."

After Song Qingyu finished speaking, the flying sword beneath her feet instantly split into five, protecting her sides. She then changed direction, intending to bypass the purple-clad woman's position.

But just as Song Qingyu's figure moved, the spiritual power in the purple-clad woman's hand also shifted slightly. More than a dozen red ropes were released from her side, weaving into a giant red net that blocked Song Qingyu's path.

Facing this giant red net, Song Qingyu showed no panic. She directly controlled the several natal flying swords beside her to strike fiercely at the giant net.

But when the "Xuanming Jin Guang Sword" touched the giant red net, it was directly sucked in by a strange force and then stuck tightly to the net.

Seeing this, Song Qingyu was slightly startled and immediately cast a spell, wanting to control her natal flying sword to return to her body.

To her surprise, after her natal flying sword was stuck to the giant red net, it was firmly adhered to it and could not move a single bit.

Seeing that Song Qingyu could not retrieve the "Xuanming Jin Guang Sword" despite several attempts, the purple-clad woman smiled, controlled the giant red net to roll into a ball, and directly grasped Song Qingyu's natal magic treasure, the "Xuanming Jin Guang Sword," in her hand.

"You... what do you want?"

Seeing her natal magic treasure so easily snatched away by the other party, Song Qingyu felt incredibly surprised and found it difficult to accept the reality before her.

"Fellow Daoist, without your natal magic treasure, I don't think you are my match anymore. Why not save some energy and come with me?"

"Dream on!"

Facing the purple-clad woman's "persuasion," Song Qingyu was not moved. With a wave of her hand, she took out another flying sword magic treasure she carried with her.

Seeing this, the purple-clad woman sighed slightly. A flash of spiritual light appeared beside her, and instantly, more than a dozen identical flying sword magic treasures appeared, each possessing the powerful pressure of a third-tier top-quality magic treasure.

"You are also a Sword Cultivator!"

Seeing the numerous flying sword magic treasures beside the purple-clad woman, a look of shock appeared in Song Qingyu's eyes as she looked at her. The other party's strength truly exceeded her original imagination.

After pondering for a long time, Song Qingyu slowly lowered her hands that were controlling the flying sword.

The other party not only possessed strange treasures that could restrain her natal flying sword but was also a Sword Cultivator with strength and supernatural powers far greater than her own. In terms of strength, in a one-on-one fight, Song Qingyu had no chance of winning against the purple-clad woman.

To try and escape directly would mean abandoning her natal magic treasure, the "Xuanming Jin Guang Sword," which she had carefully nurtured for many years. Song Qingyu could not just abandon her own Dao path like that.

Moreover, the purple-clad woman before her felt far too powerful. Without her natal flying sword in hand, she had no confidence in escaping the other party's obstruction.

"Fellow Daoist, rest assured. As long as you see my master, I will naturally return your natal flying sword to you."

Seeing Song Qingyu give up on resisting, the smile on the purple-clad woman's face grew, and she turned and left the spot, holding the "Xuanming Jin Guang Sword" in one hand.

Watching the direction the purple-clad woman left in, although Song Qingyu was unwilling, she still followed.

Before long, the two arrived at a high mountain within "Mount Yunwu."

After bringing Song Qingyu to the front of a cave, the purple-clad woman waved her hand and sent the "Xuanming Jin Guang Sword" back to Song Qingyu's side, then said to her, "My master is inside; you can go in yourself!"

After retrieving the "Xuanming Jin Guang Sword" beside her, Song Qingyu did not hesitate and strode directly into the somewhat dark cave before her.

After walking only a few dozen zhang into the cave, Song Qingyu felt a flash of light before her eyes, and a white-clad figure suddenly appeared in front of her.

"I did not expect that after so many years, I would be able to see the Xuanming Jin Guang Sword again!"

"You are..." — Two days later, at the peak of "Mount Funiu" of the Song family.

In the originally peaceful high sky, a streak of sword light suddenly flew in from afar, landing outside the "mountain-protecting formation" and transforming into an azure-clad figure.

Just as the person passed through the "mountain-protecting formation," a streak of white light flew in from not far away and landed beside her.

"Qingyu, you have finally returned. I heard from Xuan Yu's message two days ago that you went to Mount Yunwu. Why did you stay so long this time? Did something happen?"

Seeing Huang Siyuan, who looked somewhat worried, Song Qingyu, who had just returned to "Mount Funiu," immediately smiled and replied, "Sister-in-law, rest assured, I am fine.

I went to Mount Yunwu to investigate, but I didn't encounter anything; I just spent more time on the road.

I wanted to find out where that Demon King came from, but after circling around several times, I didn't gain anything. It was a wasted trip!"

Seeing Song Qingyu finish speaking and sigh slightly, Huang Siyuan hurriedly comforted her, "Regardless, it is good that you didn't encounter any trouble.

Moreover, you have already killed that Demon King; there shouldn't be any major issues at Yin Feng Ridge for the time being."

Hearing Huang Siyuan mention the "White Sheep Demon King," Song Qingyu smiled slightly and cast a spell to take out the Demon King's inner core she had obtained not long ago.

"Hmm! Sister-in-law is right!

However, I did gain quite a bit from successfully killing that Demon King this time. This inner core is just right for you to take for alchemy."

"Then I won't stand on ceremony with you. Once the elixir is refined, I certainly won't treat you poorly."

Seeing the Demon King's inner core that Song Qingyu had taken out, Huang Siyuan did not refuse and took it directly into her hand.

Afterward, the two turned and returned to the mountain peak together.

After Huang Siyuan bid farewell and left, Song Qingyu, who had returned to her cave dwelling, gradually put away the smile on her face. With a wave of her hand, she took out a somewhat ancient bamboo slip from her storage magic treasure. (End of chapter)