The Path to Immortality Begins with the Life-Extending Lamp

Chapter 165 The Fierce Battle
Jingle bell!
At the edge of Iron Mountain, the tangible manifestations of war and calamity—golden spears, silver axes, blood swords, and black halberds—transformed into a rain of weapons that fell from the sky.

As soon as this malevolent aura subsided, endless sharp blades rolled in, and a foul, sulfurous stench, like rust, assaulted Zhong Qingzi's senses, filling him with nausea.

At this moment, he could not afford to be careless. He summoned divine light to protect his body, isolating the internal and external energy. Then, he swung his staff like a windmill, clashing with the rain of weapons for a hundred or so rounds.

This deadly blade is incredibly powerful. With a single blow, it can overturn the world, shattering weapons and sending them flying. These broken blades, upon striking the iron-clad rocks, slice through them like tofu, tearing deep ravines in the process.

Ordinary rocks could not withstand the battle of so many Purple Mansion Dao Seeds; only this iron mountain forged from refined iron could put up a fight.

Seeing the weapon brimming with spiritual pressure, like a relentless storm, Zhong Qingzi frowned. He untied the ribbon with his left hand and threw the bamboo hat on his back forward. In an instant, boundless evil energy transformed into six-colored malevolent energy and five-colored mysterious light.

The beams of true light overlapped and soon spread boundlessly, obscuring the sun and sky. After confronting the myriad weapons for a moment, they fiercely shattered the rain of weapons and finally revealed the "No Clothes" talisman on the dark sky.

"So it was written in the Poetry Anthology, the 'Illustrated Picture of Soldiers Slaying Without Clothes'..."

Zhong Qingzi hesitated for a moment, looking at the "No Clothes" talisman in the void that corresponded to the image of the He Luo. He had heard of the three meanings of the Book of Songs: "Calculating Disasters", "Expanding the Pivot of History", and "Containing Divine Mist". He believed that he could use the human heart to feel the heart of Heaven and use his own intention to see the will of Heaven.

The poem "No Clothes": Let us prepare our weapons, and share our robes.

The feelings of all living beings are surely the thoughts of heaven and earth.

When Heaven unleashes its murderous intent, stars shift and constellations change; when Earth unleashes its murderous intent, dragons and snakes rise from the land; when man unleashes his murderous intent, Heaven and Earth are overturned!

At this moment, the Zhong family Daoist suddenly realized something. As if he had thought of something, he abruptly raised his head and looked at the Southern Dipper Longevity Lamp hanging on the royal carriage of the altar, his face filled with surprise and uncertainty.

"What you're cultivating isn't the Taiyi Qi Scripture, but rather the Starry Sky Prophecy Book, isn't that right?"

Theology of prophecies and apocryphal texts is a lineage born from the fusion of the ancient national scholar's way with the deity doctrines of the northern capital. It is called the interaction between heaven and man, emphasizes yin and yang and calamities, and controls astronomy and laws. It is an ancient and forbidden study.

Some people associate apocryphal texts with Taoism, which is a grave mistake!
No wonder this Li Erlang can control ghosts, is so cunning and unruly, and even tricked the Yin Gods and Immortals into being banished to the Netherworld. It turns out he is a successor of that sect...

Zhong Qingzi raised his hand and put away the bamboo hat. For a moment, he was tempted to use the "Zhong Kui Catching Ghosts" painting to capture Li Erlang first.

However, this was his trump card to capture the Ghost Mother behind Li Qing, and it could not be used rashly.

However, this scene reflected in the water mirror caused an uproar among the Taoists watching the battle from the side of Longyu Island, dozens of miles away.

"What? Apocryphal texts?"

"Confucianism uses literature to disrupt the law, and Taoism uses divinity to violate prohibitions. They confuse heaven and man, distort the words of the sages, and use imperial edicts to incite war and great calamities on earth at every turn!"

"Wasn't this entire system of communication destroyed long ago?"

"..."

The apocryphal texts are a tradition that once shook the era of the six heavens and gods. Although they are orthodox, their meaning is dangerous. Even human words can be used to attack the mind, let alone the words of sages.
To align one's heart with the will of Heaven, and to express one's intentions according to the will of Heaven, may seem to bring unparalleled glory, but a single word can make all the difference and even destroy an entire era!
The Way of Heaven cannot be altered at will, nor can the Will of Heaven be interpreted arbitrarily!

The once mysterious and unknown Ghost Prince Li Qing now appears even more enigmatic in the minds of all.

The guests on the various dragon-tooth ships all turned their gazes toward the domed water mirror, where the game of power was taking place at the Western Iron Mountain.

Even the True Immortals and several Abbots on the high platform of Dragon Island perked up and looked on with bated breath. They knew that there were very few apocryphal books left, and anyone who cultivated them could truly make a living with a single skill.

Chu Longjun looked surprised, pointed a finger at the celestial water mirror, and said with a smile to the guests:
"The contest between the Ghost Prince and the Ghost Catcher is becoming increasingly exciting! The Ghost Prince of the Six Heavens Sect, the Daoist disciple of the Lingnan clan; the ancient apocryphal texts of destiny, the alchemical techniques of the Five Elements..."

"Gentlemen, would you like to see it? Hahaha, I would too!"

On the hundred-foot-wide water mirror, where images of all ten directions were originally displayed simultaneously, after the Dragon Lord pointed, only the scene on the Western Iron Mountain remained...

Li Qing held up the banner with his hand, and the seven demons surrounded the bell and chime. Above their heads, the "No Clothes" talisman was visible, and ancient weapons and even blue helmets and battle spirits were constantly emerging from the eight directions of Taiyi.

Since the Dharma Domain could not contain the Taoist Zhong, the drizzling cloud and rain domain hung over Li Qing's own people as a form of defense!
Faced with the question from the bell and chime, Li Qing remained silent, only shaking the precious banner. The talisman patterns surged, unleashing the sharp edge of the calamity blade, which collided and struck the five-colored cinnabar demon a hundred times.

However, just as they were exchanging blows, Li Qing and the others in front of the altar suddenly vanished without a trace.

Zhong Qingzi raised an eyebrow, sensing the change in the aura, and dodged back. The next instant, a precious banner descended from the sky, the fierce energy barely grazing the hem of his clothes, and blasted a crater into the hundred-zhang-wide iron mountain.

Legal domain!

This domain, which controls a region of heaven and earth, can easily traverse a single step, moving as if the distance were a mere foot away.

It can exert the power of a region to suppress others when advancing, and can also protect itself when retreating. It is much stronger than the Five Elements Great Escape and the Golden Light of the Earth, making it extremely difficult to deal with!

The precious banner fluttered, and the primordial energy surged. In the void, a bamboo staff pointed out, carrying the power of five-colored pill energy, and collided head-on with Li Qing. The power of pill energy contained the mysterious light of the pill cauldron. Stream after stream, it accumulated brute force, overlapping endlessly, with great power and strong momentum.

Li Qing raised the banner and struck, but as soon as it made contact with the bamboo staff, he felt as if a mountain-like force was falling from one end of the staff, extremely brutal.

This precious banner is incredibly powerful. With Li Qing's vital energy urging it, it can determine the fate of the world with a single breath. Even a real small mountain would be overturned!

One was the master of the elixir cauldron, the other the assistant of the prophetic method. When the banners and staffs clashed, the iron and stone shattered, the wind howled and arrows flew. The four great roaming demons gathered around, their arm armors clashing, their ghostly hands taking shape, their flying feathers billowing in the wind. Back and forth they fought, [bang bang bang], the battle was the most exhilarating.

With the blessing of the Cloud and Rain Domain, Linglong Changzhu vanished into an uncertain place in the past void, and suddenly, a palm strike came down from the shadows!

Four blood claws, each tens of feet long, tore through the sky and struck the mystical light of the magic robe behind the bell and chime. The blood-soaked claws peeled away skin and bones, tearing through the magic light and colliding with the bamboo hat surrounded by the Five Elements Dan Sha behind it. The impact was as terrifying as mountains and rivers collapsing.

Four blood-red claws that ripped through the air fell down, tearing apart the five-colored dan shattered within. They struck the bamboo hat horizontally, causing Zhong Qingzi's figure to sway and his attack to be immediately halted.

At that moment, Li Qingbao waved his banner again. The banner, covered with talismans, was fierce and broke through the light of the bamboo staff. It struck Zhong Qingzi in the chest, causing him to stagger and retreat.

"whee……"

Linglong Changzhu chuckled and jumped away from the ghost catcher, achieving a great victory in one strike. How could she not be happy?

With a chilling smile, she didn't hesitate to raise her sleeve and chop off her right hand, causing the right arm, stained and cracked by the five-colored cinnabar, to fall to the ground.

The extreme Yin energy terrified all the Taoists, but the Five Elements Elixir of Evil was just as poisonous to Yin spirits, something they could not be touched.

Fortunately, the madmen had already ascended the altar and received the blessing of the altar's divine will. Within two breaths, white paper began to gather again at the severed arm of the Linglong Madman, and the severed limb was reborn.

Even when she was still a paper spirit, she could fight against corpse demons with her blood-stained sleeves. Her physical skills and profound martial arts, which were enough to shake magical artifacts, were her greatest strength.

If Li Qing hadn't forced her to cultivate the "Mountain Ghost Law" and sit in the law domain, her fighting prowess would have been even stronger than that of the Silver Armored Madman!

Zhong Qingzi, struck twice in quick succession, had no choice but to toss aside his bamboo hat, then unleash the Five Elements Elixir to fill the void, leaping out of the battlefield. Only then did he exhale, gently brush the dust off his robes, and exclaim in praise:

"A truly formidable and wicked ghost."

The Dharma Realm is indeed a place of great supernatural power. Perhaps I should find a ghost with demonic abilities to serve me.

The Taoist Zhong's gaze turned cold, but if this Ghost Gentleman's reliance was only this...

The young man from the Zhong family twitched his lips slightly, raised his right hand, and a cold wind seemed to billow from his sleeve, throwing out memorial tablets. Where the tablets fell, ghostly figures immediately appeared in the gloomy void.

The ghosts, resembling hanged spirits, wore coarse cloth, their faces as white as frost, their feet not touching the ground, their sleeves hanging down, their heads drooping. Their aura was almost entirely that of the Day Wanderer, and a rough count suggested there were nearly twenty Day Wanderer ghosts. Zhong Qingzi had traveled through Lingnan for many years, punishing evil and exorcising ghosts, so it was not unusual for him to have accumulated such a number of courier ghosts under his command.

At this moment, the two of them were finally getting serious!

Whether it's Ghost Gentleman or Ghost Catcher, neither of them possesses top-tier alchemy or qi cultivation techniques; their true killing move is yet to come.

Li Qing's eyes turned cold. She tossed the long banner into Linglong Changzhu's arms and slowly rolled up the inner sleeve of her Taoist robe on her right hand.

"The Soul Banner has restrictions, but it can greatly enhance divine power and generate soul pressure. Hold this banner to bless and strengthen your domain, so that the hordes of demons can fight against the enemy!"

"Is it possible?"

At this question, the already eager Linglong Crazed Master no longer hesitated. She took the precious banner and patted her chest to assure him. "Here you go!"

They and their ilk already had the blessing of the altar. As long as the altar remained intact, they were practically immortal. With the help of this precious banner, wouldn't Linglong become even more rampant?
The "Dharma Domain" is inherently the strongest technique for aiding in combat. This Soul Dao Banner, wielded by the Exquisitely Wrathful Master, likely receives a much stronger blessing than Li Qing's.

Li Qing raised his hand again to summon the Southern Dipper Life-Extending Jade Lamp. Holding the lamp in his left hand and with his right sleeve hanging down, he was pondering how to break the Zhong family's ghost-catching method. Should he summon the Yellow Turban Warrior's "bean soldiers"? Or was there no rush...?

Just as he was pondering this, the ghost had already vanished into the void and was heading towards Li Qing.

This is no time to hide our abilities. Zhong Qingzi wields the Great Ghost-Binding Technique. If he is not careful, he could even capture the God of Chaos. The Five Gods have already been lost. Li Qing had no choice but to hand over the precious banner to the Linglong God of Chaos to prevent any unexpected changes.

Just as the ghosts were in disarray, Zhong Qingzi's lips curled slightly, and he gathered magic power in his palms, grabbed a corner of the magic domain, and tore it open with a forceful pull. Instantly, he tore a gap in the gloomy clouds and rain, and hundreds of ghosts rushed in through the gap, howling all around.

The Seven Rampaging Gods stood firm in the void of the Dharma Domain, and began to fight the layers of ghosts and demons on the spot.

However, these arrogant gods had already set up an altar. The Great Rising Altar was like a disruptor reaching out from outside the game. Before the altar, there was an immortal being who was already in an invincible position!

Zhong Qingzi was naturally aware of this, but he only needed to separate the demons and hold off the horde of demons. He himself, however, held a bamboo staff and approached Li Qing step by step, intending to have a duel between them, a battle of kings against kings and generals against generals.

After taking a few more steps forward, the domain could no longer obscure Zhong Qingzi's gaze. Through the hazy clouds, directly ahead stood a young man carrying a cold white spirit lamp.

To be fair, Zhong Qingzi was truly amazed by the current Li Erlang. At this age, he was not as good as Li Qing!
At the same time, he also felt some dissatisfaction with this person. At this point, was he still unwilling to reveal the Netherworld Demon behind him?
This is a gross underestimation of Michiko of the Oni-no-Sakura family...

"Let's see, is the Ghost Clan of the Netherworld Sect truly more powerful, or is my Lingnan Ghost-Controlling Clan superior?"

"Reijiro!"

Zhong Qingzi no longer concealed his fighting spirit. Despite his gentle and unassuming nature, he couldn't help but feel some utilitarianism and competitiveness when it came to this struggle for lineage and the distinction between the strengths and weaknesses of the ancient and modern ghost paths.

"You'll see!"

Li Qing chuckled in a deep voice, and as he held the spirit lamp in his hand, fifty-four great fires of the sun immediately rose up beside him.

This was a more terrifying fire than usual; the fire within the stone was eerie and ghostly, flickering silently; the fire in the human world was scorching orange, with wisps of black smoke swirling around it.

Two streams of true fire surged wildly into the blazing fire, generating countless pieces of crimson flame jade. Driven by the Southern Dipper Life-Extending Lamp, the complete form of the Southern Bright Sunfire Technique finally manifested for the first time.

Fist-sized fiery jade beads flashed with red light, their scorching, radiating energy distorting the surrounding void.

Faced with the opponent's relentless advance, Li Qing's right hand was covered with a ghost talisman. He raised his hand and flicked a fire star onto his fingertip, quietly watching the Taoist approach.

Da da da……

Zhong Qingzi's footsteps were still approaching, and the crisp sound of his bamboo cane striking the iron stone ground kept stimulating Li Qing.

Until, at a certain moment. Li Qing moved!
His right hand moved like a butterfly fluttering, his five fingers gathering fire jades one by one, flicking and sending them flying. When the speed reached its limit, his right arm, covered in a dark light, continuously gathered fire stars and threw them towards the bell with a rumble.

As each fireball was thrown out, it was like a meteor falling from the sky, with a crazy explosion and a violent fire that almost melted half of the Iron Mountain's summit.

The newcomer, wielding a staff and a bamboo hat, unleashed five-colored cinnabar energy and six-colored cinnabar aura. As he clashed with the terrifying fire, he was hindered by the cycle of the five elements' magical intent. Despite the series of explosions, he charged forward and directly closed in on Li Qing.

This is the absolute suppressive power of a Purple Mansion Foundation cultivator. In terms of magical power, speed, cultivation, and life essence, it is far superior to Li Qing's.

After delaying the retreat of the hordes of madmen, it seems that Li Erlang's combat strength has decreased considerably!
"Indeed, how much skill can this young man possibly possess?"

Since opening up his own path, he has spent too much of his cultivation time, leaving him with no energy to support his other spells.

Zhong Qingzi flashed and was right in front of Li Qing in the blink of an eye. On his left finger, five ghost talismans materialized and transformed into five ghosts that attacked Li Qing from all directions.

This is a minor supernatural power - the Five Ghosts Great Shift.

The Five Ghosts of the Five Directions can steal hearts, lungs, eyes, and heads. Anyone attacked by these five ghosts will inevitably meet a violent death. Their methods are extremely cunning.

However, Li Erlang held the spirit lamp in his hand, and with his right hand raised high, the "Five Wei Ghost Suppressing Technique Seal" on his palm lit up, as if the Five Wei Yin Mountains were appearing. Just as the five ghosts attacked, these five towering Zhenwei Yin Mountains fell down and were nailed into the heads of the five ghosts.

Five Peaks Suppressing Ghosts - Five Ghosts Nail Head Technique!
"Uh……"

Zhong Qingzi's expression suddenly changed, as if five nails had fallen into his Niwan Palace, piercing him to the core.

This supernatural power?
However, it is precisely the counter to the Five Ghosts Teleportation Technique!
Li Qing didn't care about all that. After suppressing the five ghosts, she hooked her right index finger, and the five ghosts, which were made by the Day Wandering Ghost, seemed to have suddenly become possessed and swayed towards Li Qing.

"Huh? What's this?"

Zhong Qingzi felt a chill run down his spine; he suddenly realized that the five ghosts were no longer under his control!
The five ghosts appeared to be swaying unsteadily, but in reality, they moved at a rapid pace. In just a few breaths, they were close to Li Qing, and the five pale-faced ghosts simultaneously reached out to touch Li Qing's right hand.

puff...

Zhong Qingzi felt a sharp pain in his sea of ​​consciousness, as if a piece of the puzzle had been permanently erased, and his five ghosts had been swallowed!

"The Record of One Hundred Ghosts, ranked seventh, the Soul-Summoning Ghost??"

The act of summoning a ghost is, in essence, summoning people, capturing souls, and also attracting ghosts.

This is one of the strongest hundred types of ghosts in the Six Heavens Ghost Era.

Raising his hand to summon souls, he could lure a horde of ghosts to feed on him... The most terrifying of them all was one of the three ancestors of the Cui family of Qishan, who summoned the souls of six heavenly travelers and devoured a million soldiers in the underworld. The Cui family's Ancestor of Soul Summoning!

"you……"

"Two supernatural powers combined?"

Zhong Qingzi looked at Li Qing's dark blue hand and frowned. A drop of crimson blood fell on the back of her hand. It turned out that her sea of ​​consciousness had been injured and blood was flowing from her nose.

In the realm of ghosts, the older, more powerful, more mysterious, and more terrifying they are!
Clearly, he was too arrogant, carelessly unleashing his five ghosts, which resulted in his supernatural powers being broken and him being completely suppressed and crushed...

“Actually, I am also skilled at capturing ghosts…” Li Qing raised his right hand slightly and chuckled.

The ghostly light of the Soul-Summoning Seal in his palm shone brightly. After peeling off and devouring the Five Ghosts Talisman, the man-eating aura became even more intense, as if it were about to transform into a giant ghost that summons souls!
(End of this chapter)