Qinghe Immortal Clan.

Song Qingming, who was standing aside waiting, heard Bai Yunhua's exclamation and immediately walked quickly towards the mural.

After getting closer, Song Qingming discovered that the original landscape on the mural had been replaced by another somewhat similar pattern, and the runes on it were also much less than before, with only a dozen left.

"This, could it be that when I took away the incomplete map just now, I triggered some restriction inside, and the mural also changed?" After seeing this new mural, Song Qingming felt a little more surprised.

Before being teleported out, Song Qingming had not felt any spiritual power fluctuations inside.

But the moment he put away the incomplete map, the teleportation barrier was activated immediately. It seemed that the teleportation ban was triggered instantly because he took away the incomplete map.

Seeing Song Qingming coming over, Bai Yunhua stood aside and explained with surprise: "Senior, I have come here many times before, and I always saw the original pictures and runes. This is the first time I see this pattern.

I just tried it, and I can't activate these runes with my magic power. It's completely different from before."

After taking a glance at Bai Yunhua and seeing that he didn't seem to be lying, Song Qingming nodded slightly with a serious expression and said, "Fellow Daoist Bai, please get out of the way and let me try first."

Upon hearing this, Bai Yunhua immediately took the initiative to leave the front of the mural and gave his seat to Song Qingming, then stood aside and watched with an open mind.

After taking a careful look at the mural, Song Qingming opened his palm and cast a spell, sending out a ray of spiritual light that covered one of the runes.

Although Song Qingming's understanding of these runes is not as good as Bai Yunhua's at present, as a high-level formation master, it is not difficult for him to learn how to cast and operate these runes.

After completely covering the rune with his own magic power, the entire rune immediately lit up with a glow.

Seeing this, Song Qingming immediately increased his magic power and began to control the rotation position of the rune, trying to open the restriction switch on it. This was also the method used by Bai Yunhua before.

As long as you activate the runes above and adjust them to the correct direction, you can directly open the corresponding channel on the mural.

Bai Yunhua, who was standing by, saw that Song Qingming had activated the rune, and a hint of joy immediately appeared on his face, thinking that Song Qingming should be able to open the passage smoothly next.

But what happened next surprised both of them.

Song Qingming, who had already activated the rune, tried his best to use up his greatest magic power, but he only moved the position of the rune slightly and could no longer shake it.

After trying for a while, seeing that it still didn't work, Song Qingming had no choice but to give up and take back his own magic power.

Afterwards, Song Qingming found another rune on the mural again, cast a spell and tried the previous steps again, but the result was still the same. He could not activate the restrictions on the rune at all.

In this way, a whole incense stick of time was spent, and Song Qingming tried each of the dozen or so runes above one by one. As a result, without exception, he could not operate any of them.

Seeing this, Song Qingming, who had very little magic power left, could only reluctantly stop the idea of ​​trying further.

“Senior Song, although this rune is different from the previous one, I think the method of operating it should still be correct, but it seems to be much more difficult than before.

This is really strange. I have been here so many times before and the rune restrictions have never changed like this. How come it suddenly became so powerful?"

When Bai Yunhua activated the rune restrictions before, it also consumed a lot of mana, but it was far less difficult than it is now.

After trying for so long, Song Qingming himself felt that the restrictions on these runes were now much stronger than he had originally imagined.

Although casting a spell with all his strength could shake the rune slightly, it was obviously still insufficient to activate the restriction and open the channel.

Song Qingming estimated in his mind that in order to successfully operate the rune restrictions above, he would probably need a cultivation level above the Nascent Soul stage.

Seeing that Bai Yunhua beside him had also seen it, Song Qingming nodded gently and said: "It seems that the restriction on this rune is indeed much more difficult than before. It is impossible to enter again now.

It doesn't matter, let's go out first. I found a useful magic weapon today, so it's not a wasted trip. I'll try it myself next time when I have time!"

Although he knew that this cave was related to the incomplete map in his hand and he was eager to find the remaining fragments, Song Qingming was now somewhat helpless when facing this mural.

After thinking for a moment, he shook his head helplessly and decided to leave here first and try again next time when he has time.

Bai Yunhua also said before that the runes on the mural would change position every time he came in. Maybe after a while, the mural would be restored to its previous appearance, and Song Qingming would have a chance to operate the runes to reopen the passage.

After practicing for so many years, Song Qingming also knew that he should not be too impatient about some things. Since he had no way to get in at the moment, he could only wait and see.

Anyway, this cave is in "Qinghe County" and is only a few hundred miles away from the family's sacred mountain. It would be easy for me to come again, and there is no need to rush.

After figuring it out, Song Qingming immediately turned around and walked towards the exit of the hall without hesitation.

Bai Yunhua, who was standing by, saw this and followed without saying a word.

Even Song Qingming, the Jindan ancestor, had no solution, so Bai Yunhua naturally didn't want to try again.

For him, bringing Song Qingming to this cave and helping him get a good magic weapon was already the fulfillment of the agreement.

Bai Yunhua had searched the remaining passages before, and found nothing useful in them. It didn't matter to him whether the other party could get in or not, so he was naturally happy to go back early.

Not long after, Song Qingming and the other person left the cave along the same route and returned to the surface of the water.

After coming out, Song Qingming did not leave in a hurry. Instead, he controlled the "Phantom Boat" and took Bai Yunhua around for a circle, and then returned to the sky above "Qinghe".

Song Qingming then turned around and said to Bai Yunhua behind him with a serious face: "Fellow Daoist Bai, to be honest, I am indeed somewhat interested in this cave.

After you leave today, you must promise me one thing: you will not mention anything about this cave to anyone else. You should be able to do this, right?"

Upon hearing this, Bai Yuhua immediately nodded respectfully and said, "Since I have already given this cave to you, I naturally cannot mention this to anyone else.

Please rest assured, Senior Song, I have never mentioned this cave to anyone before, not even my descendants know about it."

"Well! That's good, but I've always been cautious in my actions, and I don't want to cause myself any trouble in the future. Fellow Daoist Bai, do you understand what I mean?"

"Well, don't worry, senior. I am willing to swear on my soul here that I will never tell anyone about this cave after I leave here today."

Seeing that Song Qingming was staring at him with a somewhat worried look, Bai Yunhua was stunned for a moment, then immediately reacted and took the initiative to swear a soul oath to keep the secret in front of Song Qingming.

In order to show his sincerity, Bai Yunhua took out a soul contract from his body, wrote down the oath, and then took out a drop of his own blood and dripped it on it. He signed a life and death contract with Song Qingming and took the initiative to hand over his life to Song Qingming.

Seeing the other party take out a soul contract, Song Qingming was slightly surprised. It seemed that Bai Yunhua had thought about this before coming and had already prepared for it.

After obtaining the other party's soul contract, Song Qingming nodded with satisfaction, then took Bai Yunhua and turned into a white light and returned directly to "Funiu Mountain".

Several hours had passed since they left and returned, and the sunset in the sky had already fallen below the distant mountain peak.

After returning to "Funiu Mountain", seeing that it was already late, Song Qingming asked Song Yuanfang to arrange for Bai Yunhua and his grandson to stay there, and asked them to wait until tomorrow to return to "Baishiling".

Bai Yunhua did not refuse and immediately nodded in agreement.

After a night's rest, Bai Yunhua and Bai Jingyun just went out early the next morning. They were about to say goodbye to Song Yuanfang and leave, but they ran into Song Yuanfang who came to the door on his own initiative.

"Friend Bai, the ancestor invites you to the top of the mountain."

"It was Patriarch Song who invited me over?" Bai Yunhua looked a little surprised when he heard from Song Yuanfang that it was Song Qingming who was looking for him.

Before returning from "Qinghe Cave Mansion" yesterday, I had already sworn an oath in person. For a moment, I didn't quite understand why Song Qingming wanted to find me at this time.

"That's right, it's Uncle Seven who wants to talk to you about something, please come with me!"

After getting confirmation, Bai Yunhua nodded without asking any more questions. He followed Song Yuanfang to the "Huixian Pavilion" on the top of the mountain and met Song Qingming who had been waiting there.

"Yuan Fang, take Jing Yun downstairs and sit for a while. I want to talk to Fellow Daoist Bai alone."

After greeting each other, Song Qingming asked Song Yuanfang and his disciple Bai Jingyun to leave the third-floor hall first, and then asked Bai Yunhua to sit aside.

"I don't know why Senior Song asked me to come here. If you have anything to say, please tell me directly."

Seeing that Bai Yunhua seemed a little nervous, Song Qingming quickly smiled and waved his hand to explain: "Brother Bai, you misunderstood. I have nothing else to ask you to do today. I just have two things to give you."

After saying that, Song Qingming took the two jade boxes prepared on the table beside him and put them directly into Bai Yunhua's hands. "Fellow Daoist Bai, this contains a second-level medium-grade longevity pill. This pill was refined by my Song family. It should at least help you live a few more years.

In addition, there are 3,000 spiritual stones, which I will use to buy the magic circle from you. Please accept them and don't be polite to me."

"Well, Senior Song is too polite. Senior has already promised to take care of Jingyun in the future. I have done nothing for nothing, so how can I accept anything from you? I hope you won't be so polite to me."

When Bai Yunhua saw Song Qingming suddenly take out thousands of spirit stones and a valuable longevity elixir, a look of surprise immediately appeared on his face, and he quickly opened his mouth to decline.

The previous agreement with Song Qingming was that both parties had actually agreed in advance that each would take what they needed. No matter whether Song Qingming could find any spiritual objects in the cave, Bai Yunhua would not suffer any loss.

Seeing that Song Qingming suddenly wanted to give her so many spiritual objects, Bai Yunhua was moved, but also felt embarrassed to accept them directly.

"Yesterday I was able to obtain a handy magic weapon. You have made a great contribution, and you deserve some reward. I am a person who always distinguishes between gratitude and resentment. I don't like to take advantage of the younger generation. Just accept the thing.

You have just moved to Baishiling with your whole family, and you need spirit stones everywhere. There is no need to refuse these things if they are useful to you. If you can hold on for a while longer, it will also be good for Jingyun.

Don't worry, fellow Daoist, these things are purely my personal gifts. What I promised you before has nothing to do with this. I will definitely still take care of Jingyun's path in the future."

Hearing Song Qingming say this, Bai Yunhua, who was originally a little nervous, relaxed instantly. After refusing a few times, he did not insist anymore and still accepted the spiritual objects given by Song Qingming.

After the two exchanged a few words, just as Song Qingming was about to get up to see him off, Bai Yunhua took out a notebook from his pocket and handed it directly to Song Qingming with a respectful look.

“I have been practicing Taoism for so many years, and I have dealt with many high-level cultivators like you. It is rare to find someone as kind as you, Senior Song.

This time I can find a senior to entrust my affairs to. I have found the right person. Even if it means I live a few years less, I will feel at peace.

Senior, these are some of my insights from years of research on ancient runes. I don’t know if they can be of any use to you, but please accept them as a token of my respect to you.”

"Oh! Even so, I'll take it first."

When Song Qingming heard Bai Yunhua say that the notebook he took out was about those ancient runes, his eyes suddenly showed a bit more interest and he directly took the notebook from his hand.

Bai Yunhua has studied these ancient runes for many years, and is currently much better than Song Qingming in this regard.

Nowadays, these special ancient runes can be found in many places in the "Qinghe Cave Mansion". If Song Qingming could learn more about them, it would definitely be of great use to him when he enters the cave mansion in the future.

Seeing that Song Qingming generously accepted his gift, Bai Yunhua felt much more at ease. He then bowed and said goodbye to Song Qingming, and returned to "White Lion Ridge" with Bai Jingyun with a happy face.

After seeing off Bai Yunhua and his grandson, Song Yuanfang immediately returned to the third floor of "Huixian Pavilion" alone and came to Song Qingming who was admiring the scenery outside the window.

"Seventh Uncle, Fellow Daoist Bai and the others have already left!"

After turning around and nodding slightly to Song Yuanfang, Song Qingming calmly said, "Yuanfang, send a message to Qingyu and ask her to send someone to secretly watch the Bai family.

From now on, no matter who goes to the Bai family, or where Bai Yunhua goes when she goes out, you must record it and send it back to the family and give it to me directly every month.

Remember, you have to find someone reliable to do this secretly, and don't let Bai Yunhua easily see any clues. If there is anything unusual, you are not allowed to alarm him, just inform me immediately."

As the Song family's chief steward, Song Yuanfang has been able to help Song Qingming manage the family for many years, so he is naturally a very shrewd person.

From the beginning, Bai Yunhua brought his grandson to visit "Funiu Mountain" and asked to see Song Qingming alone. After the two had a secret conversation, Song Qingming suddenly announced that he wanted to accept Bai Jingyun as his disciple.

It was not difficult for Song Yuanfang to see that Bai Yunhua must have reached some agreement with his ancestor, which resulted in Song Qingming's care for his descendants.

However, Song Yuanfang is still not very clear about what Bai Yunhua used to impress Song Qingming.

Although Song Yuanfang has been very curious about this matter these days, he knows very well that Song Qingming hates other people asking about him the most. Unless Song Qingming takes the initiative to ask, he will naturally not ask more questions.

Hearing Song Qingming's sudden order, Song Yuanfang was a little surprised, but he did not show too much doubt. He nodded and said, "Don't worry, Seventh Uncle, Yuanfang understands. I will tell my great-aunt and Changze in a while!"

"Well! There is one more thing you need to do right away."

After Song Qingming finished speaking, he waved his hand and took out a map with "Qinghe County" on it, spread it out in front of Song Yuanfang, and then pointed to a place on it and continued:
"I want to build a cave here for cultivation. You should arrange it as soon as possible and cultivate a spiritual vein here first. It doesn't need to be too high. A second-level low-grade spiritual vein will be enough.

Then notify everyone that no cultivators or mortals should come within a radius of thirty miles, lest they disturb my practice.

If there are other immortal cultivation families and businesses nearby, let them move away, but remember to compensate them and don’t let it affect the family’s reputation.”

"It's just a second-level lower-grade spiritual vein. The spiritual energy here may not be enough for Uncle Seven's daily cultivation. Should we directly cultivate a third-level spiritual vein?"

Seeing that Song Qingming wanted to cultivate a second-level inferior spirit vein on the barren mountain he pointed to for the purpose of cultivation, Song Yuanfang's face suddenly showed some confusion, and he opened his mouth softly to confirm.

Hearing Song Yuanfang's reminder, Song Qingming smiled and nodded and said, "The reason why I want to go there to practice is to absorb some of the water-attributed spiritual energy in the Qing River.

Therefore, there is no need to waste too many spirit stones. Having a second-level lower-grade spirit vein for me to rest is enough. There is no need to be too particular about other things.

You should handle this matter as soon as possible, and don’t let anyone know, lest too many people know about it and disturb my cultivation.”

"Yuan Fang understands. Don't worry, Uncle Seventh. I'll make the arrangements right away."

After watching Song Yuanfang leave, Song Qingming's gaze moved to the map beside him and locked on the location he had been pointing to, which was the "Qinghe Cave Mansion" that Bai Yunhua had taken him to yesterday.

After returning from the cave yesterday, Song Qingming has been thinking about how to cover up the cave that is so important to him in the future.

Although the location of the "Qinghe Cave Mansion" is very hidden, in the past thousand years, perhaps only Bai Yunhua has found it with the guidance of the formation plate in his hand.

However, there are many coincidences in the world. Since Bai Yunhua can find it, we cannot send others to have this opportunity in the future.

After thinking about it for a long time, Song Qingming decided to let his family quickly cultivate a spiritual vein near the cave and control the surrounding territory first.

This is to prevent any cultivator or mortal who approaches there from accidentally discovering the cave and bringing themselves unnecessary trouble.

After receiving Song Qingming's order, Song Yuanfang took action immediately and quickly arranged for family cultivators to go to the barren mountain designated by Song Qingming to begin setting up formations to cultivate spiritual veins.

The location of that barren mountain is quite remote, and there is no spiritual vein within dozens of miles around it for cultivators to stay. Only some mortals who depend on the river for their livelihood would come near it when they go out fishing and hunting.

Song Yuanfang didn't spend much effort but asked the nearby immortal cultivation families to relocate all the surrounding mortals to other places.

It only took a few short months to transform the originally sparsely populated desolate mountain into a second-level lower-grade spiritual vein that could provide a place for monks to practice and live in on a daily basis.

After rebuilding this spiritual vein, Song Yuanfang arranged for a dozen family monks to be stationed there to guard it, prohibiting surrounding monks and mortals from approaching.

In recent years, the Song family has developed rapidly, with more and more industries outside, and has already cultivated many spiritual veins in "Qinghe County".

The other immortal cultivation families in "Qinghe County" had already become accustomed to the Song family's sudden action of cultivating spiritual veins near Qinghe, and did not react much. They thought that the Song family had found some spiritual mine nearby.

After hearing about this, the Gao family, which was closest to the spiritual vein, specially sent someone to find an opportunity to go to "Funiu Mountain" to inquire about it, to see if they could find an opportunity to cooperate with the Song family.

As a result, when Song Yuanfang learned about this, he got furious on the spot when he saw that someone from the immortal cultivation family under his command dared to inquire about what the family ancestor had personally told him.

Not only did he directly deduct the Gao family's three years of dividends from "Chiyanfang", he also sent people to "Lotus Mountain" to severely reprimand the head of the Gao family, Gao Changjin.

This scared everyone in the Gao family. Gao Changjin even hurried to "Funiu Mountain" to admit his mistake in person, and only then did he win Song Yuanfang's forgiveness and he did not continue to investigate the Gao family's mistakes.

From then on, not only the nearby Gao family, but almost all the immortal cultivation families in the entire "Qinghe County" no longer dared to inquire about matters related to this spiritual vein.

After the family cultivated the spiritual vein, Song Qingming went there immediately.

During the day, he would occasionally practice above Qinghe River. At night, Song Qingming would take advantage of the cover of darkness and go directly into the cave, beginning to study how to open the rune channel on the mural.

However, what disappointed him was that after several months, the runes on the mural remained unchanged, and Song Qingming still had not found a way to reopen the passage.

It was not until half a year later that a letter from "Guyang Mountain" arrived, which made Song Qingming temporarily give up his research and return to "Funiu Mountain". (End of this chapter)