The Path to Immortality Begins with the Life-Extending Lamp

Chapter 202 Onirokuro

On the other side of the barrier lies the Netherworld Blessed Land - Huailian Ancient City. This city stands majestically, with pagodas made of stacked blue bricks amidst its continuous buildings, featuring flying eaves, carvings of five ghosts, and hanging spirit banners. Its ancient and verdant colors exude a sense of vastness and antiquity from thousands of years ago.

This once magnificent ancient city is now riddled with holes, large sections of the underworld have collapsed, and a massive rift valley stretching for tens of miles runs through the center, almost splitting this ghost city in two.

On either side of the rift, embers still burned, and haphazardly laid ladders stretched across the deep crevice, while armored ghost soldiers cleaned up the battlefield on both sides...

Before Li Qing and his companions could travel west, they needed to first visit the Western Palace to pay their respects to the Ghost King, Yu Liulang.

The story of this ghost, Wang Liulang, is told throughout the capital. In Jiangnan, there was a man named Wang Liulang who fell into the water while drunk and became a ghost. Normally, water ghosts kill people in place of others, but Wang Liulang, because his three souls were clear, could not bear to harm people. Instead, he repeatedly helped fishermen and people who had fallen into the water. Because of his merits, he was granted a sacrificial title and became a water ghost god, known as Lord Yinhuang.

In the North Sea lived Yang Liulang, with a red face and angry hair, carrying a bow and wielding a spear. He was once wounded by swords and blocked by spears, and his chest was pierced by arrows. It was said that "for a thousand miles, no rooster crows, and white bones are exposed in the wilderness." The general died after a hundred battles, and his desolate grave was left unattended for a hundred years. The son of the ancient Yang family was buried in the North Sea, and he fought with the lonely ghosts to create a great road. He was known as the Sixth Gentleman of the North Sea.

Among the Huai Lian clan was also Yu Shi Liu Lang...

As Li Qing and his companions entered the mansion with the ghost general, they heard the sounds of clashing weapons as they approached. Upon getting closer, they saw that the western mansion was furnished like a military drill ground, spacious and filled with ghost soldiers and generals of all sizes wielding swords and spears, exchanging blows with great enthusiasm.
Upon entering the West Mansion, the fierce-looking ghost general bowed and took his leave briefly. He then went into the side room and asked the old gatekeeper to quickly report to the Ghost King that a guest had arrived.

"You, go to the Yin Tomb and report to the master that a guest has arrived. See if he should receive him in the main hall or..."

The Sixth Ghost Lord is ambitious and trains tens of thousands of ghost soldiers in the Yin Tomb. He is a powerful figure who is determined to restore the glory of the Six Heavens Ghost Path.

However, it would be inappropriate to receive outsiders in the dark tomb of the training ground, as it would be too bandit-like.

Just then, after waiting for what felt like an eternity and still not seeing the ghost general appear, little ghosts immediately jumped out from both sides. Leading the way was a clever ghost, half a person's height, which blocked the way of Li Qing and the other two, put its hands behind its back, and began to demand money from them in an old-fashioned manner.

"Hehe, countless outsiders come to my Huailian Tiancheng seeking employment. Do you know what the rules are like in Yinshan?"

Without a doubt, the rules that the clever fellow mentioned were definitely not something that could be considered high-level.

"Well... I'm new to this household, and I really don't know much about these rules."

The God of the Morning's expression froze; he never expected that this mere brat would dare to block his way and demand money.

"Is he really ignorant or just pretending? Hmph, men, beat this ignorant old man out of here with sticks."

"Wait until you understand before you set foot in my Huailian West Mansion!"

Seeing that the three people in front of him were not buying it, the little devil's eyes flashed with murderous intent, and he immediately revealed his ferocious nature.

You must know that throughout history, every person who has entered the ancient city of Huailian to seek an audience with the Ghost King has gone through tremendous effort and hardship to finally meet him. How could the power of life and death be obtained so easily?
The clever ghost arrogantly blocked the way, showing no respect to the rooster god. The ghost general usually left people at the gate of the West Mansion like this, ignoring them for a long time. It was probably not an important task, and he didn't want to make any trouble for them.

The two men, using their Ba-accented accents, tried to extort and demand bribes, but to no avail. Li Qing, listening from behind, was completely bewildered, not knowing what the two were arguing about, but guessing that these kids weren't up to anything good.

However, just as the clever little devil was shouting, he suddenly realized that the little devils on both sides had stopped making any further moves.

When he turned around in surprise, he met the gaze of the demon mask behind him and immediately slipped in fright: "M-Sir, you..."

"Where did this bastard come from? Get lost!"

The evil-faced ghost strode over, only to find the little ghost blocking his way. With a single kick, he sent them all flying. This great ghost, nearly a high-ranking official in the Purple Mansion realm, attacked in a fit of rage and shame, displaying unparalleled ferocity. He showed no restraint whatsoever. With just one strike, he caused the three or five little ghosts to be utterly destroyed. The clever ghost's spirit dimmed, and its head immediately drooped.

He accepted tribute from the ghost judge of that cave, and then let these hyena-like creatures come and block his way again. Wouldn't that be a slap in his own face?

With a single kick, the evil-faced general killed the brat like a stray dog ​​on the roadside, and then led Li Qing and the others into the West Training Ground.

"Follow me, the master will be waiting for you at the West Training Ground!"

This is the style of the Western Prefecture: even if they don't follow the rules, they may be strong, but if they cross the red line of other gods and spirits, the weak will perish.

Li Qing and the other two were startled. Following the ghost general, they circled the corridor, passed the eaves, and crossed the south gate, only to enter a new training ground.

There, soldiers and horses were arrayed, ghost soldiers and ghost horses flying and galloping across the endless, dark land. Some held the reins with one hand, commanding the horses to follow the flags; others mounted their horses and fired a series of arrows, shooting out hundreds of feet of black light, which drew cheers from the soldiers.

The murderous aura here is so intense that it reaches the sky. Where ghosts gather, ordinary mortals who come into contact with it will immediately fall seriously ill, or even die suddenly.

The four of them came from the south gate, and as they crossed the training ground, almost all eyes were on the three of them.

This was truly a scene of ten thousand ghosts descending upon them, with ghostly soldiers pressing in. Even Li Qing, who was used to seeing grand scenes, felt a chill run down his spine!

"That Taoist priest, do you dare to step down and fight?"

"Old man in red robes, the totem patterns are deeply embedded in your flesh and blood. If you skin him and make a war drum, it will definitely be very useful."

"A beauty, a beauty..."

The cacophony of ghosts, each with their own peculiar quirks, was filled with various forms of malice upon the arrival of the crowd.

Evil spirits, vengeful spirits, and lustful spirits lingered in the training ground, baring their fangs and brandishing their claws, mocking or provoking. On this dim earth, blue light was everywhere, and the atmosphere of resentment was extremely thick, much like a slaughterhouse about to begin.

Especially when he saw a certain painted-skin ghost in front of the drill ground, Li Qing suddenly felt that the ghost mother in the Niwan Palace was greatly moved, and a strong possessive desire arose again.

As the saying goes, "The most fleeting things in life are youth and beauty; rosy cheeks fade from the mirror, and flowers fall from the trees."

What woman could bear to see her beauty fade? Even the spiritless but mentally deranged Ghost Mother was no exception. If the Cold-Clothed Ghost King of Fengdu Heaven loved beautiful clothes and white robes, then the Ghost Mother's obsession and fetish was an extreme fondness for makeup and cosmetics. A ghost's obsession is that of the living!
Upon seeing the painted-skin ghost whose makeup was so exquisite it seemed inanimate, Li Qing felt the shadow beneath her sway. It was the ghost mother who could no longer bear it and was about to forcibly invade Huailian Yinshan to seize the painted skin.

What should we do?

If the Ghost Mother were to break in, Li Qing's two trump cards would be completely exposed.

The Ghost Mother, having seized power in the Qishan Domain within the Netherworld, could naturally draw Li Qing into the Netherworld at will, traversing the Yin and Yang realms. This was her first trump card; at the very least, she could retreat to the Netherworld at any time.

The extremely terrifying Eternal Hatred Scissors, which kills a thousand enemies but also harms five hundred of its own, also require the help of the Ghost Mother to suppress.

It can be said that without the Ghost Mother, Li Qing's two trump cards are useless!

"Sister Cui, you can't keep acting recklessly like this. There are plenty of painted-skin ghosts out there. How about I find you a few more painted-skin ghosts to use for your eyebrows and makeup?"

"This place is absolutely not suitable; there is a very ominous creature here."

Through his mind, Li Qing communicated with the Ghost Mother. For the first time, he used the Ghostly Scroll to manipulate the power of the Ghostly Contract in the Underworld, directly triggering the confinement rule of Qishan and temporarily sealing the Ghost Mother in the Netherworld.

Then, the densely packed ghostly symbols in the Book of the Underworld rearranged and transformed into a binding script, which then summoned a thousand-foot-tall dark purple pillar of light, imprisoning the Ghost Mother in the Eastern Fence Garden of the Underworld.

Fortunately, I can now barely persuade her to stay calm!

Only then did Li Qing secretly breathe a sigh of relief, subtly wiping the cold sweat that hadn't actually fallen from his forehead. This scene, however, was witnessed by the important figure on the high platform of the training ground. He had remarked that this Taoist priest might have some powerful connections, perhaps even being a pawn of some ghost lord?

Seeing Li Qing like this now, the mere Ten Thousand Ghosts Formation that made him break out in a cold sweat is nothing special!
"Hehehe, come on up,"

A soft laugh rang out from the high platform of the training ground, instantly capturing Li Qing and his companions, who were moved a thousand feet apart and brought into the high platform.

The Sixth Ghost King was thirteen feet tall, with a robust ghost body like refined steel. He had a resolute face, vertical pupils, and six arms. Each ghost arm was adorned with six golden rings. His two front arms were crossed over his chest, while the remaining four arms formed a mudra. He sat imposingly on his throne, staring intently at the crowd.

"I heard you have important business to discuss with me? You are a divine being of the Sun Cult."

In this area west of Tiandu, the Sixth Ghost Lord is always a man of his word. It's really annoying that a mere Purple Mansion God has to make such a fuss over his search.

Is the Sun Cult really that arrogant?

"The priest of Banan pays homage to the Ghost King!"

The sage bowed deeply, making a very respectful gesture, which greatly eased the ghost king's displeasure. He then took out a luxuriously crafted mustard seed pouch from his sleeve, held it up with both hands, and presented it to the ghost king.

The two people beside them stepped down a few paces. Seeing the priest bowing in such a manner, Li Qing and Fairy Mo Ling exchanged a glance, but each of them simply bowed and addressed him as Ghost Lord.

"The calamity that has befallen Huailian Ghost City, with hundreds of ghosts fleeing, has already spread to several states in Ba Kingdom, and even the southern kingdoms downstream of the Yuan River have been greatly affected. Previously, letters from various states were sent to Yinshan. I wonder if the Ghost King has seen them?"

"I, Xiao Zhu, have come with a request from the Divine Sect and generous gifts to pay a visit to the Two Ghost Lords. I hope that the two Ghost Lords can subdue the hundred ghosts and prevent external troubles from the banks of the Ghost River. I wonder what the Ghost Lords think?"

The sage of dawn, while pleading, presented the mustard seed bag to the Ghost King's throne, explaining the perilous nature of the matter.

How many villages in both countries have suffered because of the internal strife in Ghost City? Si Chen could only plead in such a low voice because of his own lack of strength. If he had the divine authority of a Great Sage and the fighting power of Li Qing, he would definitely use the power of the Ba Kingdom's religion to severely suppress these two instigators!
The Ghost King behind him lifted his chin with one ghostly arm and then hooked the mustard seed pouch with the other. He idly opened a crack and glanced at it. The exquisite metals and the yin-attribute medicine sealed in the jade artifact really startled him.

Nearly eight million zhu of supplies is no small amount. Is such a huge sum of supplies just for those traitorous scum?

Liu Lang, the Ghost King, rested his chin on his hand in thought, but his eyes were still involuntarily drawn to the plump and beautiful female Taoist priest behind him. It should be known that Liu Lang, the Ghost King, had a fondness for beautiful women and often possessed them to seduce them, which was common knowledge in the Ba Kingdom.

"This matter is neither difficult nor easy. This beauty is also... a gift to me?"

The ghost king gazed at the female Taoist priest with somewhat dazed eyes. After just one glance at the beautiful woman with murderous eyes, he immediately felt a surge of heat.

Is this female Taoist priest still a virgin? That's really good news.

"Hmph, Ghost Lord, you're certainly indulging in a pipe dream!"

Fairy Mo Ling sneered, but she hadn't yet uttered any more vehement words.

The female Taoist priest at the Purple Mansion level has quite a high level of cultivation. This old ghost really dares to dream of becoming a Taoist priest of this generation.
His arrogance is probably because some powerful sect with even a slight connection to him dislikes him and is about to use the Five Thunder Altar to destroy his Ghost City.

In this great world where the paths of humanity, ghosts, gods, immortals, and demons coexist, the identity of a Taoist priest is the greatest asset. If word gets out, fellow practitioners will be humiliated. Often, a single disagreement or two can sow the seeds of disaster.

In other words, you old ghost, do you even deserve to be called one?

The cold and aloof female Taoist priest's personality only piqued the interest of the Sixth Ghost Lord even more, and his gaze grew increasingly intense, as if there was more to come.

The sage of dawn subtly glossed over the matter, instead bringing up the friendship between the Ghost King and several governors of Ba Kingdom, intending to appeal to their emotions first before persuading the Ghost King to take action.

Not to mention the female Taoist priest Mo Ling, even Li Qing's expression turned somewhat ugly. If he wasn't mistaken, if he and "Candle" hadn't appeared in the south of Ba Kingdom that day, the Morning God would probably have tricked and lured this beautiful female Taoist priest to the Sixth Ghost Lord, begging for his help.

No wonder this god spoke with such certainty, daring to risk coming to Yinshan. He must have already figured out Liu Lang's lecherous and violent tendencies. As for his so-called assistance to Fairy Mo Ling and her disciples, in Li Qing's opinion, it was nothing more than offering help for no reason, and he was either up to no good or a thief.

"The ghosts of Huailian Ghost City have been unleashed, causing trouble in Tiannan Prefecture and Qingping Prefecture in the Southern Kingdom. Master Yin of Tiannan Temple and Master Qilin of Liuling Mountain, observing the stars and the qi, saw signs of impending doom in the Western Capital..."

"You ghost, may I ask what troubles the Ghost King has?"

Li Qing stepped forward half a step, and with a flick of her sleeve, she shielded the female Taoist priest behind her, blocking the naked gaze of the old ghost Liu Lang.

Instead of confronting the issue head-on, he exaggerated the ghostly situation tenfold, bringing up all the Southwest Masters whose names he knew.

Two immortal sects, two true immortals, one of whom is even the deceased Ghost Ancestor, who had to respectfully address him as Ancestor, Master Yin. Hearing this, the pressure was immense!

Li Qing's question caused the female Taoist priest's cold gaze to suddenly freeze, and a long-lost sense of security welled up within her. The jade shuttle she had been clutching in her sleeve finally loosened slowly.

'But I'm a complete stranger to him, why would he help me?'

Mo Ling, the female Taoist priest, did have some tricks up her sleeve. Since the sect had collapsed and the Heaven-Mending Technique was in her hands, she naturally also had some of the underlying techniques. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to escape the pursuit of the two luminaries, "Jupiter" and "Sun".

That old ghost is even less worthy!
Since Si Chen dared to betray her and flee with the treasure, she didn't hesitate to wipe out the entire cult in Banan from top to bottom, just to replenish her long-depleted resources...

Mo Ling slightly suppressed the murderous intent between her brows, deciding to wait and see how things would develop. Li Qing's condescending questioning made the Divine Blessing of the Morning Star pause in surprise. The names of the two True Immortals caused the old ghost Liu Lang's head full of lustful blood to immediately dissipate, and his stiff gaze turned back to Li Qing.

"Oh...so you're from the South?"

"Why do you speak with such a Northern Dynasty official accent, Taoist? What, has the Southern Kingdom been conquered by the Great Zhou Dynasty in the North?"

The ghost lord gave a leisurely sneer and immediately began to tease Li Qing.

The Northern Dynasties inherited the ancient dynasty for thousands of years, and their official documents were the ancient true script of the capital. The older generation of ghosts and gods were good at using this saying. However, the Southern Kingdom was founded on the excavation of relics from an even more ancient era, and was a great country that recreated the system of emperor and feudal lords.

With that accent, you wouldn't be surprised if you said this kid was a spy from the North.

Li Qing sneered without saying a word, yet still looked at the Ghost Lord with the same fearless confidence.

Why let this ambitious old ghost suppress him? He is currently vying for power with the Jade Spirit God of the Eastern Mansion. It should be this old ghost who humbly seeks help from outside, instead of letting him be picky.
Such a cold and hard temper is indeed typical of the young men of the Five Directions Immortal Sect.

My Southern Kingdom suffered a great calamity because of you. The heads of those who died violent deaths will be attributed to you. Take it or leave it. If you don't want to do it, I will go to the Eastern Palace. If the Eastern Palace still refuses to do it, those old guys from the Immortal Sect will come looking for trouble with you!

"This matter is not up to me. The register of Ghost City is in the hands of the Eastern Prefecture. Let him go and collect the names and arrest the people."

Old Ghost Liulang glanced regretfully at the beautiful female Taoist priest protected by Li Qing. "A Purple Mansion Supreme Being from the Immortal Sect? I really don't dare to touch her."

Shaking his head, he realized that the old man had come up with another crooked idea.

Let's push the accusations from the Five Immortal Sects onto the Jade Spirit God and see how he responds. Once he's gone, he won't get a chance to claim the ancestral remains... Hehe.

If he doesn't leave soon, I wonder what face he'll have left to remain the lord of this ghost town?

(End of this chapter)