The Path to Immortality Begins with the Life-Extending Lamp

Chapter 164 The Zhong Family of Lingnan
In the past, the ghost hunters of Lingnan would travel to Beiman Mountain with bamboo staffs and straw sandals.

Crimson fingertips dipped in blazing fire, attracting the attention of a hundred ghosts who all tremble in fear.

A Taoist priest came from the mountains, dressed in an ordinary blue robe and a soft bamboo hat, with a scroll hanging from his waist. He was extremely simple and unpretentious, like a traveler from afar, leaning on a bamboo cane and wearing wooden clogs, climbing up Iron Mountain step by step.

Li Qing stood up, hung the Eight Treasures Fan, which had just been cleansed of its protective seal, behind her waist, and looked up. In this way, across the hazy distance of a thousand feet, their eyes met.

One is a ghost hunter who wanders the Lingnan night and uses human ways to control ghost ways; the other is the ghost lord of the Cui family in Youtian, who uses ghost ways to assist immortal ways.

The encounter between these two was both a coincidence and an inevitability!

"Lord Li, shall we... retreat two hundred feet first?" one of the defeated Taoists asked.

They had suffered quite a bit in the fight between Li Qing and Jiang Daoren. If they hadn't been in the eye of the storm at the peak of Iron Mountain, where their magic was restricted and their movements were hindered, they would have been torn apart by the fierce winds in their sea of ​​qi long ago.

Seeing that Li Jun was a gentle and refined person, they couldn't help but ask him questions.

"That's fine, gentlemen, you may all take the rest of the way for now!"

On this Iron Mountain, the cultivators' magical powers were bound, so Li Qing wasn't worried that they would cause any trouble. As long as they stayed here obediently until the end of the preliminary rounds, giving them a little freedom was fine.

As soon as three or four people supported the immobile Taoist Jiang and slowly retreated, Li Qing commanded the hordes of madmen to manifest in the void. They first poured out pieces of white paper, then gathered around Li Qing and transformed into the forms of the Six Ding, Six Jia, and Twelve Mad Gods.

Silver Armor, Flying Madman, Exquisite Master, Wandering Madman, Faceless, and Lord of the Bearing Diagram... These twelve divine figures landed on Li Qing's left and right, forming a dougong (bracket set) shape to protect their lord, while at the same time eyeing the figure opposite them with predatory intent.

despair!despair!despair!
Until the Taoist finally reached the mountain peak, he paused with his bamboo staff, slowly removed his bamboo hat, and bowed in praise.

"The bells and chimes of Lingnan bow in reverence!"

After removing his bamboo hat, the man appeared to be a young man of about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, with straight features and a graceful posture. He stood tall in front of the mountain peak, and although he had a ghostly aura about him, he did not appear gloomy at all.

"Youhuang." Li Qing returned the greeting with a cupped hand, but then looked at the person with surprise.

"I have heard of the deeds of the Lingnan Ghost-Controlling Clan and have also heard of the great name of the Zhong family... but I do not know what you mean?"

This is a Daoist master who has reached the Purple Palace level. He often protects Lingnan, destroys evil and falsehoods, and vanquishes wandering ghosts, making all spirits tremble in fear at the sight of him.

To be frank, few would dare challenge a figure like him who commands a region, yet he deliberately went to great lengths to seek out Li Qing!
Zhong Qingzi shook his head slightly, flipped his bamboo hat behind his back, and approached step by step with his cane. His eyes were clear as he earnestly spoke to Li Qing:

"This grand banquet is no ordinary event; it features ten extraordinary battlefields, each with remarkable figures!"

"In my opinion, this dragon flag has a much greater chance of success."

The Ten Absolute Iron Mountains are all occupied by Daoists from the Purple Mansion Upper Foundation, which means that almost half of the Daoist sects in the Southern Kingdom have gathered together.

Li Qing is the only exception among the Ten Directions Dragon Flags.

No matter how cunning this Ghost Master Li Qing may be, he is ultimately just a "lower foundation" cultivator who has just reached the Purple Mansion realm. In the eyes of the Ghost Master of Lingnan, he is indeed more reliable!

Upon hearing this, Li Qing nodded slightly, realizing that she had been treated as an easy target.

"In that case, it's time to have a match."

He tossed the life-extending jade lamp onto the royal carriage of the altar, and it just barely caught on the carriage shaft. The cold white light of the lamp created a stark contrast with the solemn and majestic altar.

With a wave of his right hand, Li Erlang summoned the ten-foot-tall black banner. He then pulled the banner down from the altar, where the Six Ding, Six Jia, and Twelve Rakshasa warriors swarmed towards him, showing no intention of yielding.

Gazing at the twelve paper figures in the distance, Zhong Qingzi's eyes flickered, and he hesitated before saying, "Your paper figures must be from the Mountain Spirit lineage, right?"

"But if I'm not mistaken, the basic paper spirit technique should be the 'Paper Spirit Secret Technique'."

"Fellow Daoist, do you know that the origin of this paper magic comes from the Zhong family of Lingnan!"

As he was speaking, Zhong Jiazi flicked his sleeve and threw out two paper-mache deities.

As the blank paper drifted and merged with the mysterious light emanating from the bell and chime, it instantly expanded into a paper tornado several dozen feet high. As the clear wind and white paper swirled and changed, figures gradually solidified, eventually transforming into two divine generals, one on the left and one on the right.

Paper tools and paper armor are the finishing touches; colorful talismans are discarded.

The majestic and awe-inspiring paper guardian, a divine general thirteen feet tall.

This is a superior paper spirit - a paper general. Its divine body is agile, each wielding a sword and spear to protect it. Compared to the paper demon made by Li Qing, which imitates a mountain ghost spirit, it is more majestic and more valiant.

"Hmm...I've heard of Lingnan paper-craft books!"

From the moment Li Qing obtained the scroll "The Secret of Paper Spirits," he knew it came from Lingnan. But what could he do?
Li Qing's expression remained unchanged, but he took the lead in shaking the precious banner, which stirred up thousands of soul threads, instantly transforming them into a long, desolate wave.

This thread is not a thread, but a Black Sky Arrow materialized from a strand of soul energy. It is a fusion of the essence of the soul and the primordial energy, as hard as solid matter and as soft as a long silk ribbon. It can capture all kinds of magical artifacts and treasure weapons. No matter how many flying needles or hundreds of sword energies attack at once, when they collide with this soul arrow, they are merely judged by their strength.

Its gentleness is extremely adept at entanglement. If a Taoist were to coil around it and grind its soul threads, in no time at all, it would be reduced to ashes, its vital energy severed, its consciousness extinguished, and its three souls shattered...

Is this actually a treasure of the White Bone Path?

Before the Zhong family son could react, the Soul Banner fluttered, and the Black Sky Arrow pierced through the air. The boundless cloud and rain domain descended upon them. Right beside Li Qing, streaks of fire had already formed. Just as the black arrow and the treasure light touched, fifty-four streaks of fire burst forth simultaneously, and the violent explosion immediately covered half of the mountain peak.

The clan scion of the Purple Mansion Upper Foundation is no ordinary rogue cultivator; the supernatural powers and techniques he possesses are extraordinary.

At this moment, Li Qing attacked with all her might!
Rumble…

A paper general stepped out, and swords, spears, and precious weapons clashed, their sounds like the roars of dragons and tigers, echoing across the sky for miles.

The two paper spirits raised their protective light and stood side by side in front of Zhong Qingzi, actually blocking the power of the fire, making it difficult for even the starlight to defend against.

"The Five Directions and Twelve Gods, the Six Ding and Six Jia Forms."

Li Qing spun the black banner, his soul pressure intensified, and poured his thoughts into the bodies of the Twelve Rampaging Gods. Immediately afterwards, all twelve Rampaging Gods were taken over by Li Qing's will.

With a flick of his finger, the silver-armored general, his scaled arms and full armor, seemed to come from a distant land like an ancient war chariot, carving a furrow through the black mountain forged from refined iron.

The armored warriors attacked fiercely, the flying warriors spread their wings, and the haze of corpses and smoke spread for hundreds of miles. The exquisitely powerful master drew his finger across the domain, and the faceless, map-bearing lord quietly disappeared, but no one knew what kind of attack he would launch next.

Upon receiving this imperial edict, the horde went berserk, swarming forward in droves.

However, the Taoist Zhong Qingzi walked calmly and unhurriedly between the two paper spirits and paper generals on the left and right. Whenever a deity approached, the first thing to break through was the precious weapon of the two guardian paper generals.

Even when the rampaging god broke through the blockade of the two paper spirit generals, Zhong Qingzi merely casually raised his bamboo staff and swung it horizontally. Anyone who clashed with the rampaging god would either be hit by the staff and have their paper pieces fly off, or their magic power would be shattered and the rampaging god would fall to the dust.

In Lingnan, there are ways to punish wandering ghosts.

Apart from those four notorious day-trippers who could directly confront him, none of the others were a match for him.

The son of the Zhong family, who was at the foundation of the Purple Mansion, possessed magical power as solid as a cold mountain dragon. Even cultivators of the same level found it difficult to shake him, making him truly troublesome.

Just as the group of arrogant officers were locked in fierce combat, a clear, ringing sound of bells suddenly rang out.

When Zhong Qingzi raised his head, he saw a silver-scaled dragon-python suddenly swimming towards him on the ground in front of him. The dragon-python's scales were shaped like blades, and as it twisted, the scales collided, creating a clear sound.

The Primordial Qi Dragon Python, shaped like a primordial spirit, lunged forward. Just as Zhong Jiazi was about to dodge, he suddenly noticed a dense array of flames flashing in his vision.

Rumble…

A series of explosions erupted, and the heatwave stretched for miles, leaving the defeated Daoists nowhere to hide. Even their hair was scorched yellow by the heat. Li Qing drew his flag, unleashing a soul-pressure attack on the black arrows. Thousands of feet of soul threads pierced the void. Simultaneously, he controlled the rampaging beasts with his will, and with a single hand, he manifested primordial energy, unleashing a chain of fireballs. Four deadly techniques, a continuous pursuit and slaughter—this was the art of multitasking.

If Li Qing had not practiced the "White Bone Contemplation" and cultivated the image of the White Bone Beauty floating in the Niwan Palace, he would never have had such a soul.

Even so, the simultaneous use of all four techniques significantly reduced Li Qing's magical power.

With a flick of his sleeve towards the altar, divine energy descended and blessed him, adding a touch of cold, ancient Daoist charm to Li Qing's eyes.

“This Zhong family Taoist is most skilled in controlling ghosts and communicating with the underworld, and is also familiar with the secret methods of paper spirits. If the altar has not been set up, he can destroy the evil spirit's mansion with just two sticks…”

"We must engage him in direct combat; we cannot fight him using magic from a distance!"

In the past, when Li Qing fought, he tried every means to distance himself from his enemies, so that he would have enough time to summon the hordes of demons and unleash his curses.

But this time won't work. Zhong Qingzi's ghost-binding spells are probably much stronger than Li Qing's. Today, he has to change his approach. He needs to control the rhythm of the battle and prevent that Zhong family boy from binding and casting spells on hundreds of ghosts...

After pondering for a moment, Li Qing actually drew the Soul Banner and leaped into the battlefield.

Before the fire had died down and the primordial energy of the Heavenly Palace had been extinguished, the "No Clothes" talisman on the banner shone brightly, and the aura of war, slaughter, and all kinds of injuries became more and more powerful. The entire Iron Mountain was engulfed in raging flames and smoke, and the smell of rust and blood began to permeate the air.

At this moment, Li Qing pulled up the black banner with his right hand and flicked the banner flag with his left, instantly transforming the banner into a ghostly curtain dozens of feet long. The banner fluttered in the wind, and the "Unclothless Talisman Diagram" shone brightly, transforming into a malevolent aura of war and calamity that swept towards the three of them.

As soon as Zhong Qingzi dodged, the curtain fell, like a shroud, and wrapped up the two officers, pulling them under the banners, rendering them unable to move.

"Oh? You certainly have quite a few good things in your hands!" the Taoist in the bamboo hat exclaimed in admiration.

That jar of paper spirits was already quite good, but this black banner was something even he had misjudged. No wonder it could directly capture his two paper spirits—paper generals—who were nearly at the Purple Mansion level. It was originally the "Ten Thousand Souls Banner" of the White Bone Sect! It had actually been refined into this form...

Despite losing two paper spirits, Zhong Qingzi remained calm. Taking advantage of the chaos, he dodged Li Qing's fire attack, struck several faceless men to the ground with his staff, and then quickly distanced himself from Li Qing.

Seeing Li Qing and his horde of madmen chasing after him, the Taoist smiled and pointed at the Six Ding and Six Jia madmen. Suddenly, a crack appeared in the void, and a ghostly claw emerged from the crack, fiercely grabbing the three wandering madmen and the two faceless demons and taking them away!
This is the signature Yin Earth Soul-Binding Technique of the Zhong family in Lingnan.

This is a forbidden technique of the Soul Path!
Even living people and those with divine bodies would have their souls forcibly taken away by that ghostly hand.

"How dare you!" A loud shout rang out.

At this moment, clouds and rain gathered in the sky, and the dark clouds became even more dense.

With a loud command, Li Qing unleashed a powerful secret force from the banner, cleaving the two paper generals in two at the waist, disabling their fighting power, and then directly storing them in his sleeve.

In their first clash, Li Qing had a slight advantage. His five tyrannical gods were imprisoned, but they had already ascended the altar. Even though the five tyrannical gods' physical bodies had perished, their life essence was still enshrined in the "divine diagram" of the altar. They could be recovered by spending some paper money and soul-related resources.

But Zhong Qingzi's two paper spirits—paper soldiers—were indeed taken away!
"If the Dharma altar is used for blessing, will its obscurity not be diminished?"

Zhong Qingzi slapped his forehead and then sighed in realization.

Good lad, you're quite the schemer!
The Taoist priest in the bamboo hat tightened his grip on his bamboo staff, surveying the surrounding area as the ghostly rain of skinning demons fell silently. Suddenly, he set his sights on a certain direction! Perhaps he should destroy the altar first before taking action.

Zhong Qingzi walked through this magical realm without losing his way, for he possessed ample knowledge and experience in magical combat. For instance, the aura of the altar erected under the dragon flag served as his best guiding light.

However, looking around at the Dharma Realm that had transformed into boundless clouds and rain, Zhong Qingzi was genuinely somewhat alarmed.

Having wandered around Lingnan for so many years, he had subdued many vengeful ghosts and spirits for his own use, but he had never actually captured a vengeful ghost with demonic powers.

The Law Domain governs the rules of a region, and is a method that is in no way inferior to supernatural powers, making it truly rare!
This Ghostly Gentleman truly lives up to his reputation as one of the representatives of the Netherworld. His old ghosts run rampant, and with a wave of his sleeve, clouds and rain open up the ghost realm, isolating the entire inner world from the outside world. This is a realm that has already reached the highest level, enough to play a decisive role in the battles between the Purple Mansion Daoists.

"I come from Lingnan and have often heard of the name of Guilang-Liqing, which I find very impressive."

"Please forgive me for this!"

The young man in the straw hat murmured something under his breath.

Suddenly, a shocking crack appeared in the hazy cloud and rain domain, from which two enormous ghostly claws emerged, as if they came from the underworld. Their arms were like pillars of heaven, and their claws were like golden hooks. The ghostly claws opened and closed, their ten fingers piercing the void with force, tearing it apart.

With a tearing sound, the entire ghost realm was ripped to pieces.

Five Ghost Generals' Order, Black Spirit's Devastating Claw!
This is a Ghost Control Contract signed with the Lingnan-Five Ghosts General's Mansion, which allows one to summon the five ghosts under its command to assist them.

The Ghost Realm, which Linglong Changzhu was so proud of, was torn apart so easily for the first time, which meant that Li Qing's usual methods were no longer effective.

"..."

But Li Qing was not afraid at all. He picked up the more than ten-foot-long banner with his right hand, turned around, and still stood in front of the man in the bamboo hat.

The precious light on the banner originally shone only faintly, but as its accumulated energy grew deeper and deeper, it soon turned into a deep, dark black, like the accumulating sky, the deep cold of night, and the gathering of twilight, and finally began to undergo a qualitative change.

This is Li Qing's minor supernatural power: the Five Ghosts Suppressing Ghost Talisman and the Innate Soul Summoning Ghost Talisman. These two ancient ghost talismans, which do not belong to the immortal sects, have merged and formed together. A deep, dark color has appeared on Li Qing's right hand, and this black light has slowly covered the long banner with the fluctuation of primordial energy...

"There's no question of forgiveness or not, and besides, you don't actually have me under your control."

Li Qing uttered a single word without any expression.

The next moment, Li Qing swung the black banner, and the banner instantly scattered, transforming into an endless black ribbon. This ribbon was about two feet wide and incredibly long. As Li Qing pulled up the black banner, the ominous aura of war and destruction on the soul tassel rapidly expanded, eventually transforming into an endless behemoth.

With just a wave of the long banner, the banner tassels, based on the transformation of primordial energy and the creation of ghostly spirits, truly transformed into a black dragon soul.

The young man in cloud robes took a step forward, and the black dragon bowed its head and chased after the banner, following closely behind, bringing with it an unparalleled pressure as it charged forward.

The dragon soul went berserk, clashing its horns and baring its fangs and claws to the extreme. Whenever it touched a rock, the rock was pulverized into dust, and the sound of the explosions in the air was deafening.

Zhong Jiazi raised an eyebrow, held his bamboo staff horizontally in front of him, and collided with the banner of misfortune. The banner was sent flying by the force and bounced down the mountain.

"A top-tier magical artifact with a thousand restrictions? It incorporates the ancient energy of the Six Heavens, the Song of Bells and Cauldrons, and the Refined Talisman Diagram."

"That's quite remarkable!"

The man in the straw hat felt the excruciating pain in his hand and let out a long sigh.

Then, the man's gaze suddenly turned cold, and five ghost talismans rose from his right hand. With his movement, he struck out with his palm, which was a ghost-controlling divine hand entangled and collided with the ghost dragon banner. After the palm and the dragon had been striking each other for about ten rounds, a heavy object suddenly attacked from the sky. It was the bamboo staff that flew back in a whirl and struck the top of the dragon soul's head, shattering the primordial energy. The strange phenomena on the black dragon soul banner disappeared, and it fell fiercely from the sky.

Just as he was about to make another move and snatch the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, a dark, large hand suddenly appeared out of nowhere. The back of the hand was as hard as steel, and it forcefully knocked the bamboo staff away.

In that instant, Zhong Qinzi seemed to see the illusory image of the Five Sacred Mountains and Yinshan descending from the sky in that giant palm. That was the source of the Five Sacred Ghost Records, the location of the Five Sacred Mountains in the underworld.

"master……"

From the surface of the stone ground, a twisted figure suddenly appeared—a pair of purplish-blue ghostly hands. They caught the Thousand Soul Banner that had been knocked away, retreated several steps to dissipate the force, and then respectfully picked up the banner and came to Li Qing's side.

This is a negative image with no facet!
Behind it, the various rampant gods had regrouped and surrounded the Ghost-Controlling Zhong Clan Daoist in front of the mountain.

Li Qing remained silent, but with a flick of his right hand, the vast primordial energy transformed into a dark blue blade outside his palm. This was the Qi-gathering blade technique, a method that could easily cut through the protective divine light.

The soul banner unfurled, gathering energy into blades that shot upwards, transforming the banner into a Northern Yin battle flag. The weapon symbols and primordial energy on it converged, sometimes manifesting as the sharpness of a hundred weapons, and sometimes as bloody limbs.

As Li Qing raised his right hand, the blades of the golden halberd and silver axe, along with the blood-stained sword and halberd, circled around him, their chilling aura locking onto the Taoist opposite him.

(End of this chapter)