Cultivating Immortality from the Book of Life and Death

Chapter 229 Reunion. (First Update!)

With this thought in mind, Zheng Que turned the Book of Life and Death back to the first page, and then spoke to the Book of Life and Death: "Niannu."

The mist below the hall churned and then parted in an instant, revealing Niannu's figure.

Niannu glanced around, then immediately knelt down and bowed respectfully, saying, "This humble servant greets Your Excellency!"

Zheng Que said nothing, but extended his palm with the character "令" (command) written on it and pointed it at Nian Nu.

The originally calm Yin energy around Niannu suddenly began to rise, but it only increased slightly before stopping.

Seeing this, Zheng Que immediately understood that the ghosts he had killed in the painted world of the gathering, as well as the "painting ghosts" he had killed when he fought the female ghost with the painted skin, could not improve the cultivation of his ghost servant.

Thinking of this, he dismissed Niannu and did not summon Qingli, Kulan, or Shuyunying in.

Time passed slowly, and the black aura between Zheng Que's brows was quickly absorbed by the Book of Life and Death. The surrounding scenery trembled, and he returned to reality.

The "Geng" shaped carriage trudged through the mountains, its steps uneven. The branches and leaves overhead grew increasingly dense, intertwining like layers of curtains that completely blocked out the sunlight. On the pitch-black mountain road, even a cultivator's eyesight could only discern the general outlines.

Zheng Que sat upright on the roof of the carriage, occasionally holding his breath to escape the miasma.

They traveled for several hours without encountering any attacks from ghosts.

This calm and tranquility surprised Zheng Que.

He wanted to kill more ghosts to improve the cultivation of his ghost servants, but apart from the sounds of birds and beasts, not a single wandering soul at the first level of the [Tongue-Pulling Hell] appeared along the way.

The trees in Baozhen Valley are all tall and dense, making it difficult to distinguish between day and night when walking among them.

Zheng Que drove the ghosts day and night without stopping, and the journey went incredibly smoothly.

Two days later, he finally arrived at the entrance to Baozhen Valley, which Linghu Yuniang had mentioned. On both sides were bare cliffs, sharp as blades, surrounding the narrow mountain path in the middle, winding into the distance.

The terrain here rises noticeably, and the trees on both sides begin to thin out. Occasionally, a few rays of sunlight filter through the gaps in the branches and leaves, which is refreshing.

Zheng Que couldn't help but sit up straight and ordered the ghost pulling the carriage to speed up.

It wasn't until the "Geng" shaped carriage approached the nearby mountain valley that Zheng Que finally encountered the first batch of ghosts that attacked him, but these ghosts were quickly and easily dealt with by Qing Li.

At this time, Linghu Yuniang's condition had recovered to about 70-80%, but she still couldn't recall any of her memories of the gathering.

This is because the soul has been damaged and has not been repaired for a long time.

At this moment, Linghu Yuniang pointed to the mountain valley and said, "This is the exit of Baozhen Valley. After you go out, head northwest, and you will reach Danqiu Peak."

“Under normal circumstances, when our four-cart tax collection is in full swing, Senior Lu Maohong will definitely be camping at the entrance of Danqiu Peak to wait for us.”

"But I don't know how long Senior Lu Maohong will wait for us."

"If we reach the territory of Danqiu Peak and still haven't seen the convoy ahead, it means that Senior Lu Maohong has already set off ahead of time with the remaining six carts of taxes."

“In that case, we will have no choice but to escort the ‘Geng’ carriage, along with the taxes inside, out of Danqiu Peak until we reach the prefectural city and hand them over to the government.”

Upon hearing this, Zheng Que nodded slightly. Unlike the time at the Forget-Worry Inn, when they left the Forget-Worry Inn, they caught up with Lu Maohong's convoy not long after they left.

This indicates that they did not stay at the Forget-Worry Inn for very long.

This time, however, he had been traveling for two days and still hadn't caught up with Lu Maohong's convoy. It was likely they had been trapped in the gathering for at least two days. Lost in thought, the "Geng" shaped carriage, pulled by the ghostly figures, climbed the gentle slope and emerged from the valley.

Beyond the valley lies a vast expanse of undulating woodland, where the vegetation is even more diverse than in the valley. As far as the eye can see, the fields are covered in a vibrant tapestry of red, orange, yellow, and green, a breathtakingly beautiful sight.

Through the bright foliage, one can see towering peaks rising in the northwest, seemingly piercing the clouds, with an extraordinary presence.

Zheng Que immediately followed Linghu Yuniang's instructions and signaled Qingli to control the ghost pulling the cart, heading northwest.

Not long after they left, a tall maple tree appeared ahead, its leaves as red as blood and as beautiful as a canopy. Beneath it stood a stone tablet inscribed with "Danqiu Peak," and faint, obscure fluctuations of an array could be heard nearby.

Zheng Que and Linghu Yuniang were familiar with this fluctuation; it was the aura of the formation they had encountered while stationed there.

Linghu Yuniang was immediately delighted and quickly said, "The caravan ahead should be Senior Lu Maohong's group!"

"However, the ghosts in Yaotai Mountain are countless and of all kinds. We must be careful, lest they be some kind of illusion that deceives people."

"Please slow down, Fellow Daoist Zheng. Let's wait for Senior Lu Maohong to send someone to make contact so that we can confirm each other's identities before we make any further plans."

Zheng Que nodded slightly and immediately instructed Qing Li to control the ghost and slow down the car.

Sure enough, three figures appeared without warning on the open ground ahead a short while later.

Among the three figures, the leader, with a refined appearance, was none other than Lu Maohong. Behind him were two Qi Refining Level 7 cultivators who had accompanied him when they left the Forget-Worry Inn: a handsome middle-aged man and a fat man in green.

With a clear goal in mind, the three quickly walked towards the car with the character "庚" on it.

Seeing this, Zheng Que and Linghu Yuniang immediately jumped off the roof of the carriage and went to meet them.

The two sides quickly gathered together. Lu Maohong glanced at Zheng Que and Linghu Yuniang, then his gaze fell on the two ghost servants behind Zheng Que. He nodded and asked, "Have you encountered an elegant gathering?"

Zheng Que nodded slightly and said, "Yes."

“From the ‘D’ type car to our ‘G’ type car, everyone has been drawn into the gathering.”

"Of all the fellow cultivators affected, only this junior and Fellow Daoist Linghu survived."

"The other fellow practitioners and the taxes from the other three carts all fell into the hands of the elegant gathering."

After saying that, he calmly looked at Lu Maohong.

In fact, apart from the "Geng" character car, the taxes levied on the other three cars were also taken away from the gathering by him.

At the time, his priority was to escape, and taking four cartloads of taxes with him would have been too risky!

More importantly, the task of escorting taxes was explained from the beginning that he and Linghu Yuniang were only responsible for the safety of the "Geng" carriage and the taxes inside. As for the taxes in the other carriages, if they were lost, so be it. What did it have to do with him?

Lu Maohong listened without changing his expression, then asked, "Are the taxes in the carriage all intact?"

Zheng Que replied, "The array plate was in the hands of Fellow Daoist Yuan Zhi. Fellow Daoist Yuan has already perished, and the array plate that controls the 'Geng' character chariot has also fallen into the hands of the elegant gathering."

“I can no longer open the carriage, and even the corpse puppets that pull it have been replaced by my own ghost servants.”

Lu Maohong nodded slightly, then said, "In that case, let's check the taxes first."

(End of this chapter)