Chapter 825: Leaving the Sect, Sealing the Demon God

After the "Daoist Lingxu" softly uttered a sentence, he had just picked up the bamboo basket from the ground when Li Xuanyi, standing beside him, reached out and took it first.

"Master, you didn't really activate the sect token this time just to summon me back, did you?"

Seeing the confusion on Li Xuanyi's face, "Daoist Lingxu" smiled slightly, then put away his fishing rod and walked over to a simple thatched shed set up not far from the shore.

"The wind and waves have been strong lately; it’s not easy to catch a big fish. It’s been a while since I’ve had a good one."

As "Daoist Lingxu" spoke, he brought out a large iron pot from the shed. Li Xuanyi rolled up her sleeves and skillfully went to the nearby stream to begin cleaning the large fish that had just been caught.

Both of them were dressed somewhat plainly; at a glance, a stranger might mistake them for a father and daughter who had been fishing by the sea for years.

After a long while, a fragrant dish of fish meat was placed on the stone table nearby, along with a pot of savory fish soup.

Smelling the delicious, fresh fish, "Daoist Lingxu" felt a flash of joy and hurriedly used his chopsticks to pick up a piece of meat and pop it into his mouth.

"The color and flavor are exquisite. This fish must be cooked immediately after being caught at sea to retain this freshness.

Liu Yang and those others are quite dull-witted; no matter how I teach them, they never grasp the essence of culinary arts, wasting the fine ingredients I find every time! After all these years, you are still the one who understands my heart best. Not only have you inherited my cultivation techniques, but your spiritual culinary skills are also becoming better than mine.

I just don't know how many more opportunities this old man will have to taste the delicious spiritual food you cook."

After the praise, "Daoist Lingxu" poured himself a full bowl of the fragrant fish soup, his face filled with indescribable satisfaction.

"Master, please don't blame me. I have been in closed-door cultivation for these past years and only just achieved a breakthrough recently. As soon as I received the news, I came to visit you."

Seeing that his master, "Daoist Lingxu," was still satisfied with her cooking after decades of separation, Li Xuanyi’s face showed a hint of joy, and she took out the spiritual tea she had brought to brew.

Only after "Daoist Lingxu" had finished tasting the fish in his bowl did Li Xuanyi take the initiative to pour him a cup of fragrant spiritual tea.

"Master, my cultivation has now broken through to the late Golden Core stage, and there are indeed many matters in the clan that require my help. In the future, Xuanyi may not be able to return to the sect often to serve you."

"I hope Master will forgive me and allow me to withdraw from the sect!"

"Daoist Lingxu," who had just picked up the spiritual tea, paused for a moment upon hearing Li Xuanyi’s words. He set down his teacup and replied softly: "Your Li family is, after all, a Nascent Soul family with ten thousand years of heritage; surely not everything requires your personal handling! Could it be that Ancient Cloud Mountain is so devoid of talent that they must compete with an old man like me for you, girl?

Although I cannot directly interfere in the affairs of other sects in Nanzhou, I do know a few people outside who can speak on such matters.

If you have truly suffered any grievances, girl, you might as well tell this old man. At worst, I’ll cast aside this old face and go see them."

Seeing "Daoist Lingxu" looking at her with a calm expression, Li Xuanyi immediately shook her head and smiled: "Master, you have misunderstood. It is all family business, and I have no grievances. You don't need to worry about these small matters of mine.

I am still an outer sect disciple, so withdrawing from the sect won't have much of an impact. When I have free time in the future, I will certainly come back to see you."

Hearing Li Xuanyi’s explanation, "Daoist Lingxu’s" expression slowly darkened, and his gaze revealed a sharpness rarely seen on his face.

"The reason I asked you is because I wanted you to say it yourself. You girl, you don't really think that just because I stay on this island every day, I know nothing, do you?"

Seeing the change in "Daoist Lingxu’s" face, Li Xuanyi was silent for a moment before sighing: "Master, I know you have my best interests at heart.

It’s just that I have already thought this matter through.

I know the sect's rules, and I don't want to affect the sect because of this. Please don't make things difficult for yourself on my account."

"Have you truly thought it through?"

"Yes! Some things must be faced eventually. I don't want to live under someone else's protection for my whole life. Perhaps one day, when I have the ability to change all of this myself, I can return here."

"Girl, as long as you have thought it through yourself!"

Hearing Li Xuanyi’s explanation, "Daoist Lingxu" said no more. He stood up, waved his hand to produce a scroll, handed it to Li Xuanyi, and said: "This is the complete Grand Void Sword Art that I have deduced; it is enough for you to cultivate directly to the Soul Transformation stage. Regardless of whether you are in the sect in the future, I will always acknowledge you as my disciple."

Clutching the bamboo slip tightly, Li Xuanyi felt a blur in her eyes and hurriedly bowed to "Daoist Lingxu."

"Xuanyi thanks Master for bestowing the technique!" — Two months later, outside "Yuxuan Island," another nameless small boat arrived and slowly docked beside a reef near the island.

"It’s been decades since I last came, and there hasn't been much change. I wonder if I’ll have the chance to see Master this time!"

Looking at "Yuxuan Island," which looked exactly the same as it had decades ago, Song Qingming, standing at the bow, couldn't help but smile. In his heart, he was already looking forward to seeing the fellow disciples he hadn't met for many years.

Just as Song Qingming was lost in thought, the sky above "Yuxuan Island," which had been clear and sunny, suddenly changed as black mist emerged, shrouding the entire area around the island.

This celestial phenomenon immediately startled the nearby seabirds and fish, which began to flee rapidly into the distance.

"This is demonic Qi!"

Seeing what was happening on "Yuxuan Island," Song Qingming’s expression changed instantly, and he hurriedly tossed a bag of spirit stones to the boatman beside him.

He then transformed into a streak of azure light, flew directly toward "Yuxuan Island," and landed on a flat area on the east side of the island.

Taking out a circular green jade token, Song Qingming quickly passed through the grand formation set up by the sect outside the mountains and arrived at the "Grand Void Gate" located above the island.

Just as he reached the entrance, Song Qingming saw several streaks of light flying over in a hurry. Looking closer, he realized they were Liu Yang and several other Golden Core fellow disciples.

"Oh! It’s Junior Brother Song."

"Greetings, Senior Brothers. I have just arrived on the island; I wonder where you all are heading?"

"Junior Brother Song, the seal holding the Demon God in the back mountain has loosened again. We are preparing to help reinforce it. Since you have just arrived, why not come with us and lend a hand?"

"I shall follow your instructions, Senior Brother!"

When Song Qingming first came to the "Grand Void Gate" years ago, he had encountered the Demon God illusion here and knew that a Demon God from the upper realm who had broken through the boundaries tens of thousands of years ago was sealed on the island.

Hearing that the demonic Qi was leaking due to the loosening of the Demon God seal, Song Qingming nodded in agreement and followed Liu Yang and the others to a valley in the back mountain of the island.

As they approached the depths of the valley, Song Qingming saw a mass of demonic Qi rising into the sky.

The density of this demonic Qi was many times purer than the techniques used by the demonic cultivators Song Qingming had encountered before. Even before making contact, everyone felt a chill wash over them.

Seeing this, Song Qingming and the others cast spells to activate their protective spiritual light, forming a barrier in front of them before continuing to fly into the valley.

Before long, Song Qingming and the others arrived at a stone platform and saw Fourth Senior Brother Zheng Xingyun, who was casting spells to reinforce the seal, along with many "Grand Void Gate" disciples.

Because he came here rarely, and many fellow disciples in the sect were in closed-door cultivation for years, Song Qingming was seeing most of these people for the first time.

There were four stone platforms in the valley, standing on the mountain walls on both sides, with seven or eight people sitting on each platform.

Above their heads, there was one person standing in mid-air on each side. Besides Fourth Senior Brother Zheng Xingyun, the aura emanating from the other three clearly indicated they had reached the Nascent Soul realm.

These Nascent Soul cultivators were casting spells to merge the spiritual power of the many Golden Core cultivators below, pouring it into four huge bronze tripods floating in mid-air in front of them.

The four giant bronze tripods in the center were each several zhang wide and high. The pressure they emitted was so intense that Song Qingming felt immense strain just looking at them, and he hurriedly averted his gaze to feel more comfortable.

"Junior Brothers, I have enough manpower here. Please go and help Junior Brother Lin and the others."

Hearing the square-faced man above call out, Song Qingming and the others hurriedly separated and landed on the other stone platforms, beginning to cast spells to help everyone stabilize the massive seal beneath the four giant bronze tripods.

Thus, everyone worked from the afternoon until dark, and the demonic Qi emerging from the depths of the valley gradually thinned.

After another half an hour, when the demonic Qi in the valley had gradually ceased, everyone, led by the several Nascent Soul cultivators, withdrew their spiritual power.

"The Demon God seal has been stabilized. Thank you for your hard work, Junior Brothers and Junior Nephews!"

Once the giant bronze tripods in front of them had quieted down, the square-faced man with the highest cultivation among the four Nascent Soul cultivators turned and bowed to the crowd.

Through the introduction of Liu Yang, who was standing beside him, Song Qingming had already learned that this square-faced man was one of the dozen personal disciples of his master, "True Person Lingxu," and was the First Senior Brother, Fu Jinglong.

His cultivation had already reached the late Nascent Soul stage, making him the highest-cultivated person among the dozens of "Grand Void Gate" disciples present.

The other three beside him were Third Senior Sister Mu Bingyun, Fourth Senior Brother Zheng Xingyun, and Eighth Senior Brother Duan Youde, all of whom possessed Nascent Soul cultivation.

Hearing the polite words of the First Senior Brother, everyone present hurriedly returned the bow.

Before everyone could leave, a streak of light suddenly flew out from the depths of the valley and landed in mid-air. It was none other than "Daoist Lingxu," the master Song Qingming had been most eager to see on this trip.

"Greetings, Master!"

"There is nothing left to do below; everyone follow me back!"

After scanning the crowd, "Daoist Lingxu" waved his hand and vanished from the spot.

Seeing this, everyone followed behind "Daoist Lingxu" and soon arrived at a great hall within the sect in front of the mountain. After reaching the hall, "Daoist Lingxu" turned to the many disciples before him and spoke slowly: "Tens of thousands of years ago, the True Demon descended and broke through the boundaries, causing a demonic calamity in our Huayang Realm and resulting in countless deaths across the cultivation world.

Subsequently, our predecessors from the Grand Void Gate, in cooperation with the human and demon races from the five continents and four seas, and with the help of our human race's upper-realm ascended experts, finally expelled that ancient True Demon from the realm and wiped out its many followers.

After that great demon-extermination war, although most of the demon lords were killed, parts of the True Demon’s remains still lingered in the Huayang Realm.

Even in death, the bodies of these upper-realm True Demons do not rot or perish, and their primordial spirits continue to flicker back to life. Our predecessors tried many methods, but for a time, they were unable to completely destroy the Demon God’s body.

Therefore, our human predecessors had no choice but to set up great formations to seal these True Demon bodies in places with abundant Yang energy across the five continents and four seas, using the heaven and earth spiritual energy of this realm to slowly grind away these ancient True Demon bodies.

Our predecessors from the Grand Void Gate also set up the Heavenly Tripod Dragon-Locking Formation in the valley to seal one of the True Demon bodies here, guarding this island and the seal for generations.

Over tens of thousands of years, most of the Demon Gods sealed in this realm have been destroyed by our predecessors using the demon-suppressing formations. Only this True Demon in the back valley remains, refusing to die. It has not only resisted the power of the formation but has actually recovered quite a bit of its strength over the years.

Recently, the Demon God seal has become increasingly loose, and I fear the formation set up by our predecessors will not be able to contain this demon for much longer.

I summoned you all back because I want to use your collective strength to completely resolve this matter in my lifetime, so as not to leave too great a hidden danger for your future.

I intend to set up another great formation in the coming days to reinforce the seal in the valley. Even if we cannot completely destroy this demon, we can at least seal it for a longer period, so it does not cause you too much trouble.

I believe that even when I am gone, you will be able to continue guarding the valley formation for the sect and not let that True Demon have another chance to wreak havoc on the world."

"Disciples will strictly follow Master's orders!"

Hearing "Daoist Lingxu" explain, Song Qingming finally understood the reason the sect had suddenly activated the tokens to summon so many disciples back: it was to refine a high-level demon-extermination formation to reinforce the Demon God seal in the valley.

Although helping the sect destroy an upper-realm True Demon was a duty for any righteous cultivator, regardless of whether Song Qingming was a "Grand Void Gate" disciple or not.

It was just that reinforcing the Demon God seal would certainly not be something that could be finished in a day or two, and he didn't know how long it would take before he could return to the Floating Cloud Mountain Range.

Thinking of this, Song Qingming couldn't help but sigh slightly while feeling excited.

After "Daoist Lingxu" finished speaking, he waved his hand and dismissed everyone. Song Qingming left the hall with the others.

Not long after walking out of the hall, Song Qingming immediately stepped forward to intercept Liu Yang. After taking him to a relatively quiet place, he took out a storage bag and handed it to him.

"Senior Brother Liu, these are the spirit stones I borrowed from you last time at the Thunder Origin Sea. I originally intended to come find you after returning, but I was delayed by family matters. I hope you don't mind."

"Junior Brother Song, you are too polite. These spirit stones are merely worldly possessions; why must you keep them on your mind? I will accept them."

Liu Yang took the spirit stone bag handed over by Song Qingming and glanced at it. Seeing that it seemed to contain more than what he had lent, he was about to return the excess when he was stopped by Song Qingming.

"Senior Brother helped me in a time of need; this is only right. Consider it a treat for you to enjoy a few more cups of spiritual tea. Please don't be overly polite with me.

By the way, Senior Brother Liu, I asked you here for another question. I hope you can enlighten me."

Hearing that Song Qingming still wanted to ask him something, Liu Yang smiled slightly:

"Junior Brother Song, are you asking about Senior Sister Li? She did come once two months ago, but she left after only a few days. She didn't tell me when she would be back next time.

Last time I saw Senior Sister Li, she seemed to have something on her mind, and Master wouldn't let me ask about her affairs. I don't know if something happened to her family.

Why don't you ask Master when you have a chance to see him alone in a few days, and tell me by the way!"

"Ah! Senior Sister has been back? Alright, when I have a chance to see Master, I will definitely ask."

Seeing Song Qingming agree, Liu Yang smiled and bowed slightly to Song Qingming.

"That’s good. If you have any news, Junior Brother Song, remember to tell me. Senior Sister Li has always been so good to me; if she really has any trouble, I should also do my part."

Suddenly hearing Liu Yang mention Senior Sister Li Xuanyi interrupted Song Qingming’s train of thought.

Song Qingming, who had originally wanted to ask about the specific time for the sect to set up the demon-extermination formation, only remembered this after Liu Yang left, and he couldn't help but shake his head at himself.

However, after living in the sect for a few days, Song Qingming, just as Liu Yang had said, was soon summoned alone by his master, "Daoist Lingxu," giving him the opportunity to ask about these matters.

After greeting Senior Brother Liu Yang at the entrance, Song Qingming, familiar with the path, soon arrived at the cave dwelling on the mountaintop and saw "Daoist Lingxu" boiling water with firewood.

"Greetings, Master!"

"Haha! You’ve come."

"I was busy dealing with that demon a few days ago and forgot to see you. I only remembered today. The water has just boiled; come over and sit!"

Seeing "Daoist Lingxu," who still had a trace of soot on his forehead, beckoning to him with a smile, Song Qingming hurriedly stepped forward to his side and sat down at the stone table nearby.

After they sat down, Song Qingming saw his master, "Daoist Lingxu," holding the kettle while his gaze remained fixed on him, and he couldn't help but show a look of confusion.

Just as Song Qingming was thinking about what might be wrong with him, "Daoist Lingxu" pointed to the empty teacup beside him and said softly:

"I say, you kid, you came all this way, you didn't come empty-handed, did you?"

"Oh! Master, please don't blame me."

Realizing, Song Qingming hurriedly took out several bags of spiritual tea, a specialty of the Floating Cloud Mountain Range cultivation world, and respectfully placed them on the table.

Seeing this, "Daoist Lingxu," who had just been stern-faced, regained his smile and brewed a large bowl of the spiritual tea Song Qingming had brought.

"Not bad. I haven't had this in decades; I really missed this taste. It seems I’ll have to go over to your side for a visit when I have the chance."

After patiently tasting the fragrant spiritual tea, "Daoist Lingxu" looked satisfied and then turned his gaze back to Song Qingming.

"It’s been decades, and your cultivation has progressed quite well. Have you thought about how to break through to the Nascent Soul realm in the future?"

"This... Master also knows that my aptitude is too poor.

The fact that I was able to form a Golden Core back then was thanks to the techniques Master taught me, which gave me the opportunity to come here and join the sect.

Now, although my cultivation has reached the ninth layer of the Golden Core, the matter of forming a Nascent Soul seems like a high mountain that is difficult to comprehend. I fear it will not be easy.

Coming to the sect this time, I also wanted to seek some advice from Master."

"Although your natural talent is not as good as many disciples in the sect, your understanding of cultivation techniques is no worse than theirs; otherwise, you wouldn't have achieved what you have today.

However, the matter of condensing a Nascent Soul is indeed, as you said, far more difficult than forming a core. It is not a bad thing that you are aware of this; at least you can see yourself more clearly than those in the sect with better talent.

As an outer sect disciple, due to sect rules, I cannot directly support you in condensing a Nascent Soul, but I can give you some guidance.

In the Grand Void Hall, there are still many insights and classics on Nascent Soul formation left by predecessors of the sect. I will tell Liu Yang later; you can go in and take a look when you have time.

I have been in the sect recently; if you have anything you don't understand, you can come here to find me at any time.

If you want to form a Nascent Soul in the sect in the future and I am not on the mountain, you can also tell Xingyun and the others."

"Disciple thanks Master!"

Hearing "Daoist Lingxu" agree to guide him in forming a Nascent Soul and allow him to attempt it within the "Grand Void Gate," Song Qingming was overjoyed and hurriedly stood up to bow and thank him.

"Master, I have one more question. How long will this demon-extermination formation take?"

"I have been planning this for many years; I will start handling it within a year at most. Don't worry, it won't delay you for long.

However, within this year, you must not leave the sect, so as not to leak this matter and attract those demons outside to cause trouble, which would be troublesome."

"Disciple understands!"

After receiving a definitive answer from "Daoist Lingxu," Song Qingming felt much more relaxed. After chatting with him for a while longer in the cave, he reluctantly stood up and left.

At this moment, in a dense forest on the north side of "Yuxuan Island" below the mountain, a rustling sound suddenly broke the silence of the forest.

Before long, a small azure snake, its color almost blending into the surrounding forest, slowly crawled out from the dense woods.

The small azure snake poked out its delicate head, looked around very cautiously, and seeing no movement, suddenly accelerated and rushed out of the forest, arriving at the nearby coast.

Then, a "splash" was heard on the water, and the figure of the small azure snake quickly vanished from the spot.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 826 =====