The Path to Immortality Begins with the Life-Extending Lamp

Chapter 197 The Yellow Springs Water Comes, Azure Waves Raise Scales

"Above Fengdu Remnant State, the unique Yinshan authority of the ancient Fengdu Celestial Clan has been inherited, allowing them to freely traverse Yin and Yang and travel between various realms of the Netherworld!"

"Right now, the underworld you reside in is only a few miles wide at most, but if you wish to expand the blessed land of Yinshan in the future, you can use the remnants of Fengdu to anchor a few still-good pieces of wandering Yin land to devour..."

The Yin Earth Blessed Land is the cultivation method of the six heavenly ghosts and gods. A Yin Mountain Blessed Land is both an authority and a foundation for one's existence.

The current rulers of the Underworld may not yet understand what the Yinshan Blessed Land is. Only after they have fully developed the Underworld and tasted its benefits will they truly understand its true value.

The Cold-Clothed Ghost Lord led Li Qing and Young Master Qu to the top of Fengdu Remnant State. This place was a high platform supported by nine giant altar steles. Standing on it, one could look up and see the true face of You Tian.

What does a shattered sky look like? The void is like a broken glass mirror, and the boundless darkness is the curtain of the sky. This is the background color of the underworld.

Behind that deep curtain, an even more imposing shadow seemed to appear and disappear, its size like the Kunpeng in the myth of the Northern Sea, or like the evil god in legends that peers into this great world from beyond the heavens...

At least Li Qing only glanced up at the shattered You Tian at that moment, and immediately felt an indescribable depression in her heart.

"Ever since the Netherworld was shattered, it has always been like this. There is no need to be too alarmed. It is a cosmic phenomenon beyond the Milky Way. It can never break through that veil and enter the Netherworld!"

"The Six Heavens are not underground, but another 'Heaven' above the earth. In the past, the demons of the heavens fought their way out of the Heavenly Capital, sacrificed blood to the Heavenly River, and the Demon Slaughtering Order stained the heavens with blood. Even the demons from beyond the realm dared not cross that red line again."

"At the end of the Western Capital lies the remains of a fallen celestial demon. Though dead, its spirit remains, and every wisp of its remnant will transform into a vengeful spirit at any moment..."

"You can refine the ghosts of the Abyss River into pure Yin energy and use it for cultivation. This will bring you immense benefits in the future!"

As the female ruler ascended the altar, she spoke of the past of You Tian, ​​but suddenly turned to look at Li Qing and offered some advice.

Li Qing's actions of going upstream against the abyss and capturing ghosts along the way were considered quite a big deal by all the ghosts and gods.

Tiannan Temple is close to Yuanhe River, which is truly a gift from heaven!

"But before you become a Yin God, you must never get involved with the ominous things that Yang Gods and Heavenly Ghosts transformed into when they fell. That source is forbidden."

Even the Yin God True Man would inevitably face danger after getting close to the remains of the Heavenly Ghost. This little fellow, being young and ignorant, seemed somewhat unaware of his limits. Of course, the Cold-Clothed Ghost Lord did not hesitate to give him some pointers.

"Is that so?"

Li Qing raised an eyebrow, not expecting to get the answer about the Yuan River in Fengdu Heaven.

Is the ominous sign born from the fall of the Heavenly Demon's remains to the Heavenly Capital?

"Thank you for your guidance, Ghost Lord!"

This cold-clothed ghost king had a face like cold jade, but he was actually a decent person, as he so easily told him about the dangers involved.

The birth of the Heavenly Ghost is inauspicious, but it also contains the pure essence of the Heavenly Ghost. Given time, little by little, it will be enough for Li Qing to lay the foundation for the Spirit Ghost!

After all, half of the Ghost River is under the jurisdiction of Tiannan Prefecture, and he has enough strength and ability to monopolize the water ghosts in the river.

Li Qing was surprised, but immediately made a plan.

'If the naturally born water ghosts in the Abyss River are related to the fallen celestial ghosts, then my Tiannan Temple, located in the middle reaches of the Abyss River and extending northwards, occupies 30,000 li of the river. Using these myriad ghosts as bait, perhaps it would be of great benefit to my advancement to the Yin God realm…'

Unlike other immortal cultivators, he cultivated Qi called Xuan Yin Yi Qi and attained the Dao Foundation called Xuan Yin Yin Foundation.

Taoism seeks pure Yang, but he uniquely cultivates profound Yin first, and only after reaching the extreme of profound Yin does he seek pure Yang. The Five Immortal Sects will not be his competitors in this regard; they could even become his allies!

The three chatted amongst themselves before heading up to the altar atop the ancient stele. After exchanging pleasantries, Han Yi glanced at the masked youth on her right and asked curiously, "And you? I heard you went to challenge the people from the Heavenly Palace a while ago?"

Last year, this young master Qu led the day-roaming water ghosts and headless ghosts of the underworld to seek out the bad luck of Governor Taibai and Governor Guihua. For more than half a year, there has been no news of him. Both the ghosts of Fengdu and Li Qing are extremely curious and want to know how his battle is going.

"do not talk!"

Young Master Qu shook his head helplessly and looked at the two of them.

"Those two are incredibly slippery. They emptied the Ghost King's herb garden, causing me to lose at least ten million Dao Zhu. When I arrived, we only exchanged a hundred or so blows before they slipped away using a corner of the array!"

As he spoke, the smirk of "better to kill your friend than me" that Young Master Qu could no longer be concealed.

The two of them completely looted the entire medicinal garden of that Underworld Ghost Lord. Sixty years of cultivation and nurturing, almost a hundred years of hard work, were all destroyed in an instant. It was truly a huge loss. Yin-attribute spiritual plants are extremely precious in the Heavenly Capital Great Realm. He estimated that the Taibai Daoist and the Osmanthus Governor made more than 18 million Dao Zhu this time.

Li Qing was surprised, but this was exactly what the Cold-Clothed Ghost Lord had expected.

"Yes, in recent years, quite a few cultivators in the mortal world have entered the Netherworld to forcibly seize and plunder, and many ghosts and gods have been captured along with their bodies in the underworld."

"Since you two are both from the Immortal Sect, if possible, please remind your fellow members in the organization to take precautions."

"The existence of Fengdutian may one day in the future be a lifesaver for you all!"

The Cold-Clothed Ghost Lord surprisingly opened up to the two men and made a request. To be honest, the request wasn't particularly difficult, but the two looked at each other, neither daring to make a promise on the spot. The management of Fengdu Heaven by the various Ghost Lords resembled an ancient clan system of division of responsibilities, with each lord of the underworld being a member of the clan, gathering strength from the masses and protecting each other.

This is a mature system that has stood the test of time for tens of thousands of years. It is not too bad, and it only involves the Netherworld, so it has no conflict of interest with the immortal sects in the mortal world.

The ghost kings acted with a certain sense of responsibility, and could be called "ghosts and gods".

"If our Taiyue Sect ever gets involved in this Netherworld in the future, I will keep a close eye on it!" Young Master Qu finally nodded slowly.

Li Qing naturally echoed, "I feel the same way."

With this promise of attention, the Cold-Clothed Ghost Lord seemed to have a slightly better impression of the two of them, and even the arrogant and cold expression on his face lessened a bit.

As they talked, the three of them soon arrived at the top of the altar. There, a huge jade disc hung on the high platform. This jade disc was the "moon" of Fengdu Remnant Prefecture, illuminating a radius of two hundred miles around Fengdu Remnant Prefecture in the deep darkness.

The Cold-Clad Ghost Lord stepped forward through the air, pressing his right hand into the central jade plate. Immediately, a blue light shot into the sky from the three jade plates, and a vortex formed as the light collided with the void.

As soon as the vortex appeared, Li Qing's expression suddenly became somewhat strange.

Is this the Yin Mountain authority that belongs exclusively to the Yin World race? It seems even less powerful than when the Ghost Mother used the Underworld Book and Ghost Contract.

Although he had not yet seen the complete Cui family underworld, he felt that the Cui family underworld was no smaller than this ruined Fengdu Prefecture.

Are there any clans with the surname Cui among the Six Heavenly Tribes? I have a feeling something's off about my own Yin Mountain; it seems there's an unusually strong, terrifying aura emanating from it…

Just as he was pondering, the Cold-Clad Ghost Lord pointed at the vortex in the void and said in a cold voice:

"Go, and return to the ancient hall to verify your identity after completing the task."

"Remember to hand over 20%, and Youhuang will receive half a percent as compensation for this trip..."

After watching the two enter the void vortex, the Cold-Clothed Ghost Lord gave further instructions on the distribution of this harvest.

Fengdu Ancient Prefecture accounts for 20% of the annual tribute; this is the price paid to the members of Fengdu Heaven. In plain terms, it's not actually that high. After the two nodded in agreement, they walked straight into the depths of the vortex...

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Half a day later.

Li Qing and Young Master Qu had already stopped at the top of the Youbo Water Mansion.

"Is Tiannan Temple's Li Erlang - Li Qing correct?"

After changing into his Taoist robes in the mansion, Young Master Qu finally revealed his true appearance. He wore the Five Sacred Mountains Taoist robe, a feathered crown, and had a face as white as jade and eyes like stars. He looked no older than two Jiazi (60 years old).

"Since you have come to the appointment in your true form, I naturally do not need to hide myself. Please!"

This young master Qu, whose given name is Hua, is a true disciple of the Taiyue Shangxing Sect.

However, the true disciples of the Taiyue Dao Sect are not few in number. Over the generations, they have accumulated more than sixty true disciples. Of course, the Taiyue Upper Sect can afford to support so many true disciples.

On the surface, Qu Hua is just an ordinary disciple, but in reality, he took over the Azure Wave Yellow Spring and the Netherworld Water Mansion a year and a half ago. He is even no less capable than the Dao disciples in the sect.

However, he was still unwilling to reveal his other identity in You Tian!
Unlike Li Qing, who was chosen by the Ghost Mother before entering the Daoist path, Li Qing was a true Ghost Prince, a fact that could not be hidden.

If it weren't for the existence of Yin Zu in Tiannan, Li Qing would have been captured by the Five Directions Immortal Sect long ago and made a "gateway" for the Netherworld and the Underworld. However, judging from his current level of cultivation, the immortals can only show him respect.

It's even rumored that the overseas Hunyuan Sect has already begun contacting Tiannan Temple. Since the Zhuxian Sect is practically one of their own, they have no reason to lay a hand on him...

Looking at the young man whose bone age was no more than twenty, even the proud Qu Hua couldn't help but feel that he was too old. This guy had cultivated to this level at just over twenty years old? After his thoughts wandered for a while, Qu Hua shook his head repeatedly, dispelling the many distracting thoughts.

With just a point to the boundless, azure marshland of the Yellow Springs, Qu Hua immediately spoke:
"My Netherworld Water Palace is seventy miles in circumference, of which more than half is occupied by the Yellow Springs and Azure Waves Swamp. Countless Yin Scales are raised there, and they grow extremely fast."

"Fellow Daoist, please help me to seal off all four sides and spread the Yin Gold Net in all six directions, so as to drive them all away and capture them within it."

"I have already killed the ghost dragon in this swamp, but the day-roaming water ghost and the monstrous carp with the Yin scales must still be there. Fellow Daoist Li, you must be careful!"

Qu Hua pointed to the boundless blue waves, and a small puddle of water immediately appeared in the shadows behind him. Then, the puddle grew larger and larger until it turned into a three-foot-wide pool. A very tall and slender figure flipped over and leaped out of it. It was a pale-faced "water ghost".

The Qu family was a famous clan on the banks of the Jiushui River in Jiangbei in the past. They were known for their ability to control the ghosts and monsters in the three rivers and nine streams. Their reputation in the area was once even greater than that of the Zhong family in Lingnan.

That pale figure was Qu Hua's great-grandfather, and now also his protector!
This water ghost, which roamed the world by day, possessed an extremely strong aura, seemingly able to resonate with the vast expanse of blue waves. Upon entering the water, it unleashed its true Yin spirit combat power. However, just as it turned its gaze to Li Qing, Li Qing was shocked to realize that the vengeful ghost behind Qu Hua was somewhat similar to the Ghost Mother—possessing a spirit but lacking intelligence?
"Let's get started. I will set up a net in the western abode, and my troops will ride the waves to meet them. I also ask you to come from the east and drive those scales away. If any Purple Mansion level tyrannical scales resist, don't hold back, just kill them."

"Fellow Daoist, do you have any family or troops? It's truly difficult for one person to hold up the net; that net is as heavy as ten thousand pounds..."

Young Master Qu pointed his finger at the blue waves, instantly depicting a scene of multiple nets surrounding the area. This attempt to capture the entire Yellow Springs Blue Swamp in one fell swoop was no simple feat; just this one large net alone would exhaust him and his ilk…

(End of this chapter)