The Path to Immortality Begins with the Life-Extending Lamp

Chapter 204 What's the Matter with the Portal?
"A hundred ghosts have fled, wreaking havoc in the capital. These evil creatures should have been captured and brought back by me one by one..."

"But there are other secrets within Yinshan Mountain, and I can only sit in the underworld and sigh in vain!"

Yu Lingshen flicked his finger at the wooden zither strings on the water pavilion table, then shook his head helplessly.

As the saying goes, even brothers can quarrel when they establish their own households and divide their families. The underworld is a huge family business, and it is even more so. The two ghost kings who once called each other brothers in front of the Ghost Ancestor are now like enemies. If he is not careful, the Yinshan family business will be completely destroyed.

In the past, the great sage from the south of the world traveled from east to west to inquire about the way of ghosts. He brewed tea with the Ghost Ancestor and learned about the separation of Yin and Yang before departing.

The existence of Huailian Ghost City is not a bad thing, but it is clear that the Jade Spirit God has not yet fully taken control of it!

Upon hearing such a direct and straightforward answer, Li Qing and the other two already had their own answer in mind, but that was not the reason why the two Ghost Lords could remain uninvolved.

Before the three could raise any objections, the Ghost Lord pointed and added spiritual tea, then said, "During this time, I have not failed to make amends."

“The Ancestor once had three Yin Gods under his command, two of whom have left the Yin Land and received imperial edicts to hunt down hundreds of ghosts.”

"You should all know that most of the most ominous ghosts among the hundred ghosts have not actually flowed towards the two countries, have they?"

As a place that has inherited the ancient history of the underworld, it naturally possesses profound resources. If he had not already issued a decree to order people to take action, the consequences of the unleashing of the hundred ghosts would have been far more severe than what is currently seen.

Upon hearing this, Li Qing's opinion of the Ghost King changed somewhat, but she still shook her head.

"The Ghost King has lived in the blessed land of the underworld for so long that he has probably forgotten how powerless mortals are in the face of ghosts."

"This matter cannot be accomplished simply by sending someone to capture the powerful ghost. A vengeful ghost that roams the night can easily destroy a village in just a few days once it enters a corner of the village."

"I have heard that the Ghost King has a list of the ten thousand ghosts in the city. Perhaps we can use the list to find the culprits who are causing chaos and eliminate them one by one. Only then can this matter be brought to a close."

With Yinshan shattered, the ghosts fled in terror. Naturally, their cause needed to be sought out and dealt with one by one, either by dealing with them or by eliminating them...

This further request immediately silenced the Ghost King. The Divine Blessing of the Morning, seeing that Li Qing's name seemed to have some use in front of this Ghost King, was happy to let Li Qing take the lead. He only needed to eliminate the scourge in the southern border of Ba Kingdom, and he would naturally be able to enter the capital to claim credit.

As to how this process is conducted, it doesn't matter!

The arena fell silent. Yu Lingshen frowned, clearly hesitant.

How can the list of ghost cities be handed over to others? It is the foundation of Huailian Yinshan, involving the underlying structure of this ghost city. If anyone shakes or tampers with it even slightly, who knows what great trouble might result.

But as Li Qing and Li Erlang said, every vengeful ghost that escapes from the ghost city is like a "thunderbolt" that can explode at any time. Even the vengeful ghosts that roam at night, killing and wandering, become more and more uncontrollable after a while.

I do have ghost soldiers and generals under my command, but firstly, I must contend with the Western Palace and ensure the ancestral monarch's Dao corpse is destroyed; secondly, I must guard against other ambitious individuals.

Even this Taoist from the south may have come coveting the supreme forbidden artifact left behind by the Ancestral Lord.

After all, the Ghost Ancestor's Yellow Spring Umbrella is a renowned ancient treasure on the land of Tiandu. When the Ghost Umbrella is opened, Yellow Spring water flows, and all directions are filled with sweet wine, and no lotus leaves grow. Even in battles between Yin God True Persons, the outcome is decided immediately once the Ghost Umbrella is used.

“Li Erlang, my ancestor has passed away, and your old master has also passed away in the last few years. You should be able to empathize with my current situation, right?”

In previous years, when the old master Yin was about to pass away, the Lingnan White Bone Path and the Eleven Luminaries Heavenly Palace were all testing him. If it weren't for the reappearance of the hidden Crane Lord, Tiannan Temple would have had to go through countless difficulties and trials.

How can ghost towns not be like this now?

Since the collapse of the Heavenly Capital Underworld, the balance of Yin and Yang has been disrupted. The foundation of each generation of cultivators has become weaker and weaker, the number of newly emerging Yin Gods has become increasingly scarce, and their skills have become increasingly inferior.

Yu Lingshen was considered the last disciple of the Ghost Ancestor, but he was under immense pressure in an environment surrounded by fierce enemies. As the saying goes, when a whale falls, all things are born. The fall of an old Ghost Ancestor was something that countless jackals and tigers in the darkness would be happy to see. At that time, who knows how many people would rush up and tear him to pieces.

He even couldn't help but wonder if someone was secretly instigating Yu Liulang.

How could such a thing be said in public?

"Is the Grand Master of Tiannan Temple also about to pass away? I've heard that the three-thousand-year-old dragon beneath the East Sea Dragon Palace has also shed its golden scales and is now extremely aged..."

The god was astonished by such a secret and was immediately alarmed.

The older generation on the land of Tiandu is dwindling, but it is clear that there are not many outstanding figures in this generation yet.

Li Qing didn't seem to care. He nodded slowly, then shook his head slowly. He wasn't too worried about Yin Zu's passing. All living beings experience birth, aging, sickness, and death; that's all there is to it.

In his view, Yin Zu had always let Tiannan Temple grow naturally. It was good to have Yin Zu in charge, but without him, there was no question of annihilation.

Perhaps the head of the Bailong Courtyard can understand, perhaps the abbot of the Temple, Chen Jin, who believes in non-action and governance, can understand, but Li Qing cannot empathize with the Jade Spirit God!
"Is that Ghost King still playing with string and wind instruments here every day? This is a sign of the downfall of a kingdom. The one in the Western Palace drills his troops all day long, raising tens of thousands of ghost soldiers and generals. His power is truly immense."

Mo Ling Fairy, standing to the side, couldn't help but utter a soft remark, choking Yu Ling Shen's next words.

Although it's unpleasant to hear, it's true. Yu Lingshen's indulgence in pleasure is indeed unseemly, and if this continues, he will eventually lose control of the Eastern Palace.

Yu Lingshen was speechless. To others, he was indeed like that. This ghost king, who was so obsessed with music, was not as good as Yu Liulang, who was fond of weapons and beautiful women.

But only he himself knew that he was practicing the ancient witchcraft and ghost scriptures, entering the Tao through music. When the six ghosts bewitch and startle the strings, the witchcraft and puppets will perish. This was not a ghost fetish, but his cultivation!

At this moment, Yu Lingshen gently plucked a corner of the zither, using the sound of the Feathered Ghost to capture everyone's attention, and then said with certainty, "You are a disciple of Yin Zu, married into You Tian, ​​and have your own Underworld, right?"

"I don't trust anyone else, but my ancestor always remembered the kindness of Yin Zu in showing mercy to me when he was alive. So I'll trust you this once and give you the Huai Lian Underworld Book. You can handle it yourself, okay?"

"Li Qing."

"There are no people left in the Huai Lian. Go and restrain those ghosts for me. You can do whatever you want with the ghosts and gods you have obtained. Whether you refine them into rampant ghosts or perform rituals, it's up to you."

"I will use this Ten Directions Embryo Treasure Substitute Life Spirit Puppet as my stake! This item is a magic treasure forged from 1,300 magical restrictions into a divine wheel great restriction. I spent a lot of effort capturing a Yin spirit and evil ghost to refine it. It contains the meaning of ten directions of substitution, which is enough to make you run rampant in the Western Capital."

Having said that, the handsome ghost king pushed his palm horizontally, sending a golden book and a seven-inch-tall actor doll to Li Qing's front.

Tiannan Yinzu, the most obscure Yin God of this land, may be rumored to be about to pass away, but even the Eleven Luminaries Heavenly Palace had to test him before daring to make a move.

Yu Lingshen is a person who can give and take. In this entire Huailian Ghost City, only the Yellow Spring Umbrella in the remains of the Ghost Ancestor can catch Yin Zu's eye. Since he sent his most prominent disciple here, what else could it be for?
By sacrificing a forbidden treasure that could replace one's life with a hundred deaths, he could reforge it in a hundred years at most. During this time, he could also use a lower-grade substitute puppet. Therefore, deterring Tiannan's covetousness and even forging good relations with the Qi Refining lineage wouldn't be a bad thing. Furthermore, Li Qing, the second son, wasn't an ambitious person; the Ten Directions Embryo Treasure Substitute Puppet was perfect for someone like him!
Just as Li Qing looked up, somewhat flattered, Yu Ling Shen suddenly stood up, pointed at the Morning God, and chuckled, "You rascal, you're not honest at all."

"You are unaware that the Grand Master of the South-Straightening Caesar of the Sun God Cult has not paid any attention to the battle between the Heavenly Palace's luminaries and the Immortal Bird for the past year, but has been lingering in the Western Capital, coveting the relics of my ancestor."

How could the God of Dawn possibly mobilize more than 20 million taels of resources at will? Isn't it because someone is backing him up from behind?

Even the god of dawn himself might not know the plans of his ancestor.

"I don't want these eight million grains. If you want to gain merit and experience, then help the Second Prince of the Li family to capture the ghosts. That would be the true way to serve the people!"

"Also, if the girls in the back have nowhere to go, they can go to Tiannan!"

"This Li Erlang has a lot of grudges with the Heavenly Palace. In the future, he should be able to protect you..."

Yu Lingshen smiled at the three of them, pointed out the way out, turned around and picked up the ancient zither that looked like it was made from a piece of fire-burnt paulownia tree, and went up to the high seat in the water pavilion.

All three entered Huailian and received guidance and a way out.

Although this Ghost Lord Huailian-Yulingshen is a ghost, his way of doing things and thinking is almost exactly the same as that of the immortal sects. It is probably because the Ghost Ancestor raised him as a Yin God True Person and taught Yu Liulang as a Taoist soldier and protector.
Li Qing held the two objects in her hands, feeling a sense of unreality and doubt.

Not to mention the extremely sensitive Netherworld Book and magic treasures, even a magic treasure with a Divine Wheel Great Restriction is far superior to any other magic artifact. Moreover, this is a substitute treasure, making it even more precious.

What does he want?
"Why does the Ghost Lord act this way? I, Li, do not understand the Ghost Lord's profound meaning. I dare not accept this gift!"

Unsolicited kindness is always suspicious; there's no smoke without fire. Who knows if this person has set a trap or hidden agenda?

Li Qing would stop at nothing to seize anything that is openly worth fighting for, but she would never harbor any inappropriate greed for something of unknown origin.

This suspicious and wary attitude made the Jade Spirit God unable to hold back any longer and smile. He suddenly remembered the rumors between the Immortal Sect and the Ghost Path of Lingnan.

"You! You are too young, and you have cultivated too quickly. You don't even know what the name of Yin Zujun represents."

"Take it. I have erased the mark. It belongs to you from now on."

"Cultivate yourself well and observe the world more closely. You have lost some of your humanity and are more like us ghosts and gods."

"If you feel indebted to me, you can lend a hand when I suffer in Yinshan in the future..."

The inhumanly handsome ghost lord smiled gently and pointed towards the water pavilion. The ethereal light instantly transformed into a vortex, opening a passage.

Simply follow this secluded passage, and you can instantly travel thousands of miles, leaving the blessed land of Yinshan and entering the southern border of the Ba Kingdom.

He had only a superficial understanding with these three Purple Mansion cultivators, and an hour would be enough. He believed that this young man from Tiannan Temple could fulfill the needs of each of the four of them perfectly!
After sending the three away, Yu Lingshen slowly sat down, holding a domino with a unique aura of Fengdu Heaven in her palm and gently weighing it.

But who could have known that this seemingly incompetent newly appointed Ghost Lord was actually the fourth Ghost Lord in charge of Fengdu Remnant Prefecture, besides the three in charge? Han Yi, Fengdu, Chi Xue, and this Witch Spirit Ghost Lord...

"What you have heard and seen in this mansion today must not be divulged. If you do not keep your mouth shut, you will bring trouble upon yourself for life!"

However, the Ghost King's words came true. He immediately transformed into a law and seal, which became a tongue seal among the actors, musicians, and ghosts in the arena, preventing them from harming others or themselves.

Upon hearing this, the blue-faced demon judge and several other ghosts and gods in front of the building immediately knelt on one knee.

Yu Lingshen, this Ghost Lord is too mysterious. His methods are endless, and almost no one can see through his trump cards. Huai Lian and the other ghosts and gods only said that he was not good at fighting, but is that really the case?

"Master, how could you give away all the magical treasures you painstakingly refined? Those treasures took you sixty years to hunt down the great evil in the Netherworld, and another hundred and forty years to refine them!"

"Now, when the West Mansion finds out, they will be even more arrogant."

The ghost princess who had been leading the way witnessed her master's excessive generosity firsthand, and this was not just shock, it was utter horrification.

Who would give away magical treasures under such circumstances? Does that Purple Mansion Daoist even know how to use them, yet he dares to accept them!

While the Ghost Princess was inwardly complaining, the musicians and ghosts in front of the building all nodded in agreement. Their master was acting as a benevolent benefactor again, this time not by scattering money, but by squandering a mountain of gold.

"What a miser! Does your master think I'm inferior to Liu Lang without this spirit puppet?"

"You have to give to receive; sow the seeds today, and you will reap the harvest tomorrow!"

"Your judgment is still not good enough..."

With a flick of his fingers, Yu Ling Shen placed the blood-stained paulownia zither on the ground, and began to play, producing a symphony of five notes that caused chaos among a hundred ghosts. This was a unique form of cultivation for him.

Success or failure is not about gains or losses at any particular moment or place; once a piece is placed, it will always be useful at some point.

As the five tones began, several ghosts and spirits hurried in from outside the building. They were the many day-roaming ghosts of the East Mansion. The one pushed in front by the crowd was a young man dressed in a scholar's robe. This man seemed to be a scholar from the South. No one knew how he had become a ghost after death and actually entered Huailian.

Upon closer inspection, the aura emanating from this person revealed him to be a newly promoted Day Wandering Demon.

That day, as soon as the scholar entered the palace, he immediately bowed to the Jade Spirit God and said, "Greetings, my lord!"

"Hmm... I remember you're from the Lan Clan of Tiannan, right? Lan Qili."

The curtains in the water pavilion obscured most of the view, but the Lan family's ghost god still locked onto the Jade Spirit God's location at a glance, and bowed his head, saying:
"Yes, thanks to the lord's guidance, I, Lan, was able to obtain the certificate for the day trip. I am willing to go through fire and water to repay it."

Lan Qili had been cultivating in the south of the world to no avail. More than ten years ago, he heard the legend of a fierce ghost and entered Huailian. He actually managed to travel there in a day, which he was extremely grateful for.

Yu Lingshen waved his hand, ignoring this show of loyalty, and shook his head, saying:
"The Underworld is in chaos right now, and your cultivation level is unstable. Go back to Tiannan to offer incense to your clan and deal with the wandering ghosts along the way. If things stabilize, I will summon you..."

The first day-traveling ghost god of the Tiannan Lan Clan is a very good storyline, and it's unlikely that he would perish in the great upheaval to come.

(End of this chapter)