The Path to Immortality Begins with the Life-Extending Lamp

Chapter 181 Netherworld - Fengdu Domain

Li Qing raised her eyes and glanced at the majestic Fengdu Ancient State, then glanced at the "divine mask" in the hand of the Five Ghosts General.

He then raised his sleeve and pointed, revealing a folded piece of spirit paper. After several twists and turns, it quickly folded into a crane-shaped mask.

This made the Five Ghosts General smirk and couldn't help but sneer inwardly.

His "divine mask" was made from the spirit skin carefully peeled off the body of the Ghost Mountain Spirit, then drawn and imbued with the spirit by Daoist patterns and ghostly talismans, and sealed with 630 magic seals. It has the ability to conceal one's aura and disguise oneself, and even the Yin God True Person cannot see through it at a glance.

How could it be compared to the paper mask that this Taoist priest folded at will?
However, since this kid is ungrateful, and the "Five Ghosts" have no relation to him, they are even less likely to remind him.

Those clan heirs and descendants are all shady characters; if they didn't have magical artifacts to conceal their identities, tsk tsk tsk...

However, before the amused smile could fade from the gloomy old man's face, a look of surprise and doubt quickly followed.

The Taoist priest raised his hand, picked up the paper crane mask, gently put it on, and turned to head towards the quiet and secluded Zhoulu.

After taking only two or three steps, suddenly streaks of black script rose up, and densely packed ghostly symbols climbed up Li Qing's right hand, which was holding the paper crane mask. In just two breaths, the paper crane mask was covered with black script and transformed into a raven-feathered mask.

The mask covered the entire face, leaving only a pair of sharp eyes, surrounded by raven feathers, filled with a deep and mysterious aura.

The inscription "Wei" in seal script, a ghostly scribbling, was carved along the mask. In the blink of an eye, Li Qing, who was wearing the mask, suddenly changed his aura and no longer looked like a Taoist. He took out a feather from a human-faced owl and flicked it at the raven's face. Li Qing was as if he had transformed into an owl king.

"Oh? He actually has a way?"

The Five Ghosts Lord raised an eyebrow and muttered to himself as he watched the receding figure.

Anyway, this is all I can do to get you here...

Raising his eyes, the gloomy man glanced around at the dilapidated ancient city of Fengdu. With a flick of his finger, he immediately created another passage leading to the present-day Heavenly Capital.

The mission and objective have been accomplished, and he will no longer be involved in anything that follows. It's up to Li Erlang to decide what to do next!
The Five Ghosts Wealth Lord stepped out and left, while Li Qing approached the interior of "Fengdu Ancient State" step by step.

This ancient prefecture, which had a little bit of life, felt to Li Qing like an ordinary prefecture. As soon as he stepped into this ancient prefecture of Fengdu, the clear and bright yin energy rose up, while the turbid yin energy descended. Heaven and earth were divided into clear and turbid, and the six qi were sorted out between the clear and turbid yin and yang.

Wearing a mask, Li Qing approached the ghost city. He saw that on the outskirts of the ghost city, the surrounding area was dark and scorched. The mountains outside the city were rugged and lush with vegetation, somewhat similar to the sacred mountains. There was twilight rising and a faint mist lingering, creating a beautiful and secluded scene.

But as soon as everyone looked closer, they discovered that Fengdu Ancient Prefecture was completely different from Tiandu. Black smoke billowed all around, filled with ashes and dark clouds. The Chihe River, which flowed from west to east, was not filled with water, but with rolling lava.

The strange rocks and plants in the mountains are all spiritual treasures of the underworld, and there are many spiritual creatures that even Li Qing cannot name. It is likely that the Dao Lord of this region has developed this Yinshan Underworld far more than Qishan...

Looking around at the strange place, Li Qing did not see any evil spirits or ghosts. Instead, incense burners and cauldrons were set up at every crossroads and temples in the mountains, with incense burning continuously. Wisps of purple smoke swept over the grass and trees of the great state and went straight to the molten lava river and the rolling black clouds on the outer edge.

"Incense? Such a thriving incense offering?"

From the edge of this continent, there is an incense burner every three miles and a giant cauldron every five miles, where incense burns eternally, and purple smoke gathers into clouds, transforming into a purple cloud sky at the top of this underworld.

What kind of clan rituals must it take to maintain such a long line of worshippers?
“I came from the south bank of Fengdu Remnant Prefecture. I have traveled a hundred li and am still a few li away from entering the Ghost City. Doesn’t that mean this place is more than two hundred li in both directions?”

Traveling from the edge of Fengdu Ancient Prefecture all the way to the Ghost City in the center, according to Li Qing's rough estimate, this ancient prefecture was almost two hundred miles in length and width, and was extremely developed.

Such a vast Ghost Continent is truly terrifying; it doesn't seem like the legendary Six Heavens Clan, which has fallen into obscurity!

Li Qing still doesn't have a clear concept of the various realms of the Netherworld. It is a fragment of a true underworld. Even if it has fallen into various underworld realms, Yinshan and Mingzhou, what is two hundred miles in size?
What he didn't know was that the "Qishan Domain" he and the Ghost Mother inherited actually had a depth of eight hundred miles, making it much larger and more complete than this domain...

With a sigh, Li Qing continued forward. In the small temples half a person's height by the roadside and the boundary archway, prying eyes gradually rose and fell, revealing rows of golden statues of ancestral rulers in various shapes.

These golden statues are either three-headed and six-armed, or nine-eyed and four-armed, or human-headed and snake-haired... Each golden statue is surrounded by purple incense, as if they are peering at Li Qing through the layers of purple smoke.

"The ancestral temple was built by the Six Heavens clan to welcome the majesty of the ancestral spirits and to seek their boundless power to protect the human world, but such an extraordinary phenomenon would never occur!"

"I'm afraid the statues in these Taoist shrines and temples are all spirits, demons, and ghosts?"

Li Qing glanced at it and felt a sense of unease.

When people die, they become ghosts, called spirits or ancestral spirits.

The spirits and demons can also die and become ghosts, which are "ghosts". Although the two are essentially the same, the clans have a very strong belief in bloodline. How could they allow the spirits and demons to be offered sacrifices in this underworld ghost realm?
A thought flashed in his eyes for a moment, and Li Qing stepped forward into the ghost city not far away. He could clearly feel that the gazes behind him were also moving with his movements!
"Humph."

Looking around at the presumptuous gazes, Li Qing slightly raised her right hand from her sleeve, her right palm, as white as jade, held high.

It was a nearly perfect jade hand. All the vengeful ghosts who saw that right hand felt a jolt in their spirits and couldn't help but want to go closer and hold that ghostly hand.

Ah! !
Just a few breaths after Li Qing raised his right hand, several shrill wails rang out, and most of the prying gazes disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Li Qingqie used his ghostly hand to summon the souls, drawing out the wisps of malice from the shadows. Before the ghosts could make a move, the next moment, the "Wei" script ghost seal transformed into nail-head techniques, turning into towering peaks tens of feet long that suppressed the ghosts. They were nailed firmly to the group of ghost spirits, causing their true nature to dissipate and their vital energy to be severely damaged in the blink of an eye.

To deal with such treacherous creatures, you must be ruthless and vicious, even more ferocious and tyrannical than they are!

With a single strike, Li Qing banished the ghosts' gaze, gave a soft snort, and then placed her hand on the three-zhang-high city gate of the dilapidated ghost city.

This is the only city in the entire continent, but Li Qing had just noticed that nearly half of the ancient city wall had collapsed.

The Dao Lord of this domain seems to have no intention of, or rather, no ability to, repair the ghost city; it can only be said to be barely usable.

The three-zhang-high city gate was slowly pushed open by Li Qing, and the clanging sound of the iron axle turning was awe-inspiring.

However, just as Li Qing pushed the door open, the scene before him left him stunned.

As soon as the city gate opened, the light between heaven and earth dimmed instantly. When Li Qing looked up and took a closer look, she found herself in an extremely spacious and unfamiliar palace.

There were hundreds of candlesticks in the hall, some hanging in front of the main hall's courtyard, and others suspended on the four sides of the eaves. The red candles burning in each candlestick were the "ghost candles" that Li Qing had encountered in the Underworld of Yinghai.

Li Qing was startled by the strange sight. She turned around and found that the path she had come from had long since disappeared. Behind her was only a wall, and there was no door at all.

"Oh? A familiar presence. A newcomer?"

In the upper corner of the palace, a figure wearing a white bone mask leaned against a high seat, idly observing the newly appeared figure.

With a raven-feathered face, a robe of divine intervention, and a lotus crown on his head, his cultivation level was around Purple Mansion. With that suspicious and naive look on his face, could he be some kind of brat?

"Hey! Little guy, which part of the underworld are you from?"

Another old fox-faced ghost with a hoarse voice turned around, stared straight at Li Qing, and greeted her.

A barrage of gazes swept over, each one filled with gloom, indifference, resentment, stubbornness, madness... Behind every single gaze, Li Qing could sense the emotions of the Dao Master behind the scenes.

That uncontrollable quirk, those chaotic emotions, the whole room is full of old ghosts!
"The invitation was sent by me."

A soft, feminine voice rang out from directly above the main hall. Li Qing looked up at the sound, and all the ghost candles in the hall flickered in response to that presence.

Above the vast hall, an endless expanse of white bones and skulls spread out, eventually coalescing into a colossal throne of white bones. The figure atop the bone throne wore a goddess mask, her gaze sweeping over the myriad demons within the hall, before speaking:

"This is Fengdu Domain. Ancient Fengdu was a vital passage between the six heavens, blocking Taiyin to the north and Youyou to the south. It naturally possessed the ability to travel between Yin and Yang."

"If any foreign devils or nobles from various regions enter Fengdu, they must offer annual tributes during the three festivals and four seasons..."

"Of course, you can also obtain everything from another world here, including but not limited to plants from the underworld, precious materials, magic methods, ancient scriptures, and even supernatural powers, life-saving protection, and bounties for killing people."

"You can obtain everything you need in Fengdu Heaven, provided that you pay an equivalent amount of resources!"

The masked goddess recounted the rules and regulations of this ancient Fengdu Prefecture.

This is currently the only protective umbrella for Youtian.

If you've gotten into trouble, hide in Fengdu Heaven; if there's a problem in the Underworld, seek help from Fengdu Heaven; want to kill someone? Go to Fengdu Heaven and post a bounty.

Both the legitimate and illegitimate worlds are here. As long as you pay the price enough, the old ghosts of Fengdu can conquer a mountain gate for you.

"In Fengdu Heaven, one must not leave one's name, nor may one leave the coordinates of the underworld at will."

"Otherwise, if trouble arises, it will have nothing to do with me, Fengdu..."

The masked goddess gave Li Qing a deep look and then briefly introduced the Fengdu Heaven to her.

There was silence between them. The ghosts and gods from various regions merely glanced at Li Qing before beginning their seasonal gatherings.

Seeing that the room had quieted down, the man in the white bone mask, hidden in the shadows of the hall, coughed lightly and spoke first:
"A one-horned ghost general and a powerful ghost king were born in the Yin realm of our sect. Both of them are at the top level of the Day Travel realm. It took a lot of effort to subdue this plague-ridden dog."

"Anyone interested? The Mighty Demon and the One-Horned Demon are both good big demons. They're tough and thick-skinned, but not very bright. They'd be good as gatekeepers in the underworld!"

It seems this skeleton-masked man has brought out the ghosts and spirits from his own underworld and is auctioning them off?

Mighty ghosts and one-horned ghosts are indeed extremely rare species. They are among the many spirits and demons born of nature, and do not belong to the category of vengeful ghosts of the human realm. They do not have any lingering attachment to death, making them easier to control...

Seeing that the Fengdu Festival Gathering had already begun, Li Qing did not stand in the center of the main hall and attract attention. Instead, he found a shadowy spot in the corner where the candlelight was dim and moved to the side.

"How obedient are your two big demons?"

"As long as you give it enough to eat, it will do as you please!"

"What's the price?"

“A high-grade talisman or a high-grade magic artifact from the Xuanmen sect will also suffice.”

Someone had their eye on the two giant demons, but the man in the white bone mask was asking for a high-grade magic artifact.

Can a magical artifact with a 600+ restriction be exchanged for two giant demons?
The values ​​seemed similar, but the hall fell silent for a moment, no one willing to pay such a price.

Generally speaking, magical artifacts are more precious than spirit-taming items. Besides, ghost servants are not exactly scarce in the Netherworld.

After bidding for more than twenty minutes, no one responded.

Beside the throne, a ghost princess immediately came with small, quick steps, whispered a few words to the bone-faced man, accepted the commission to exchange two large demons for a magical artifact, and hung it in the main hall.

Then several more ghosts and spirits spoke up, some asking for Five Elements magic with ritual artifacts, others asking for mid- to low-grade flying boats or magic ships.

There were also ruthless individuals who offered to take on assassination missions, claiming they could accept any task under the influence of the Yin Spirit...

"Ghost Lord, I have a medicinal garden in the underworld that I just tended for sixty years, but it has been occupied by some powerful people who came from nowhere."

"The newcomers are a sword cultivator and a human cultivator, both of whom are Yin Spirit cultivators."

"But they seemed to lack magic boats and precious shuttles, and their physical bodies were used to traverse the Netherworld, each sustaining numerous injuries..."

"I entrust this eighty-acre medicinal garden, which I have tended for sixty years, to you. Is there anyone who can go with me to capture these two evil spirits?"

The others seemed to be daytime wandering spirits, but this person was different. As soon as this nearly three-zhang-tall shadow stood up, the candlelight in the entire hall instantly flickered violently, and a terrifying soul pressure swept through the entire hall. The originally noisy spirits immediately shut their mouths.

This is an old ghost of the Yin God Realm.

Two Yin spirits who fled from Tiandu? They even crossed the Netherworld in their physical bodies, wounded, waiting here for you to kill them. Is there really such a good thing?
The few Yin Gods in the arena leaned out suspiciously, wanting to see if what the guy said was true or false.

Li Qing's expression changed slightly, and he immediately recognized who it was.

Isn't this the same Jin Yao-Tai Bai and Gui Hua Prefecture governor who fled from Qishan back then?
It seems that the two of them, having been stranded in the Netherworld with nowhere to turn, have joined forces again?

"Oh? I do know those two. One is the governor of the Southern Kingdom, and the other, well, everyone is familiar with him, he's from the Heavenly Palace."

"You don't need to pay attention to it. It won't stay in Youtian for long. After it leaves, your herb garden will still be yours."

"Soldiers will bring disaster; if we insist on taking action, it will be a losing proposition!"

The ghost king wearing the goddess mask nodded slightly, revealing the identities of the two in a single sentence, and stopped the three-zhang-tall ghostly figure.

The fact that this Ghost King was so well-informed gave Li Qing a jolt.

"People from the Heavenly Palace?"

"Sixty years ago, the Red Demon Lord of Younan had his Netherworld territory seized by the Heavenly Palace, and half of his body severed. He then devoured ghosts and gods in all directions as revenge!"

Upon hearing the name of the Eleven Luminaries Heavenly Palace, the Yin Gods in the arena all looked rather unwell.

In earlier years, the "Taiyi," "Tianyi," and "Luohou" of the Heavenly Palace wreaked havoc on Youtian, vying for several pieces of Yinshan Continent, which covered hundreds of miles.

The Chi Ba of You Nan, the She Shi of You Xi, and several terrifying ghost kings born from You Tian have all fought against the Heavenly Palace and were all defeated.

With their associated Yin Realm seized, those terrifying innate evil spirits lost their footing and roamed the Netherworld, wreaking havoc and making this already unstable Netherworld even more dangerous...

"ok, I get it!"

Upon hearing the Ghost King's words, the terrifying shadow, three zhang tall, trembled for a few breaths. It listened to the advice, suppressed its aura, and sat back down.

This unexpected turn of events caused Li Qing to raise her eyebrows in surprise.

"How could there be one, two, three... four old ghostly lords of the underworld in this Fengdu seasonal gathering?"

"And then there's the Heavenly Palace, whose reputation in Youtian is even greater than that of Tiandu..."

(End of this chapter)