The Path to Immortality Begins with the Life-Extending Lamp

Chapter 207 Sudden Change
By the time all the paper cranes in the three people's palms had perished, all those in the Soul Book of Huailian Yinshan who did not belong to the East or West Prefectures had been captured and arrested.

When Fairy Mo Ling returned, Li Qing was still on the altar, dipping his brush in vermilion and ink, trying to write the "Jiazi Tai Sui Exorcising God Yellow Tablet". Suddenly, he felt a change in the atmosphere in the sky. When he looked up again, he saw a streak of brocade fireflies on the horizon, reflecting precious light, carrying clouds and stirring up the four winds.

The brocade clouds swirled around the mountain peak, resembling a brocade eighteen feet in diameter. The female Taoist priest stepped onto the brocade and landed before the altar on the mountain peak. With a wave of her hand, the brocade, several feet in diameter, instantly transformed into a palm-sized brocade handkerchief, which circled the air three times before returning to her palm.

This is actually a rare Bagua cloud-patterned handkerchief!
As soon as Fairy Mo Ling descended from the clouds, she saw that the ground was littered with white bones and broken souls, filthy and disgusting, as if some kind of large-scale sacrifice had taken place. Her brows furrowed deeply.

Looking up, she saw Li Qing sitting alone on the altar, writing talismans with a brush. The female Taoist priest then held the Bagua cloud-shaped handkerchief, walked around the mess of white bones scattered on the ground, and stepped up to the altar.

"I have fulfilled my mission, Fellow Daoist Li!"

Mo Ling held a cloud-patterned handkerchief in her hand. Her graceful figure could not be concealed even by the wide-sleeved Jade Spirit Robe. With lotus-like steps, she touched the ground with her toes and was close to Li Qing in an instant.

"Twenty-seven fierce ghosts, four of which roamed the daytime realm and twenty-three of which roamed the nighttime realm, have all been subdued."

"only……"

When the topic turned to the vengeful ghosts she had slain, the female Taoist priest gently shook her head, lifted her handkerchief with her five fingers, and immediately several vengeful ghosts were thrown onto the altar.

It turned out to be a ghost that delivers a child, a ghost child, and a headless little ghost...

Mo Lingxianzi's hesitation and the appearance of these fierce ghosts made Li Qing, who was in the center of the altar, raise an eyebrow. He thought there was some inside story. He put down the talisman brush, pressed down the petition with a paperweight, and took two steps around the altar table towards the female Taoist priest.

"Fellow Daoist Mo Ling, why is this? How did you manage to capture these several vengeful ghosts?" Li Qing asked in surprise.

These three fierce ghosts are just night-roaming demons, nothing special about them!

If it were Li Qing, no ghost other than a day-long wandering ghost would be worthy of his attention.

Fairy Mo Ling nodded gently, then shook her head again.

“These little ghosts are pure and clear, not yet tainted by evil spirits. They should never have harmed anyone. They are probably universal spirits who are panicked and running around because of the upheaval in the ghost city.”

"I, too, cannot bear to take his life!"

Ghosts are humanoid beings, and their existence does not necessarily mean they are utterly wicked. Vicious ghosts should be exorcised, and malevolent ghosts should be subdued. The ghost of Qingming is just an ordinary person whose lifespan is short.

These Taoist priests would often show mercy when they encountered the spirits of the deceased and the ancestral spirits of the people. The concept of "ghosts and gods" has spanned tens of thousands of years of ancient history in Tiandu, and its legends have been deeply engraved in the blood of the people of Tiandu. It is not that people turn pale at the mention of "ghosts and gods".

Upon hearing this, Li Qing could only nod in agreement, but at the same time, his hand gesture was slightly awkward as he unconsciously raised his finger to touch his nose.

Looking around again, the white bones of the Yin-scaled Black Fish were scattered on the ground, and the residual aura of the hundred ghosts refined by thunder and fire lingered around the altar. Just based on these remaining auras, people would believe that Li Qing was a sacrificial evil cultivator. If it weren't for the fact that he had a celestial sect behind him, he would be no less than the "Grand Duke Jupiter".

The more the Taoist priests of Lingnan used the Taoist arts to control the Taoist arts, the more compassionate and affectionate they became towards all kinds of ghosts. Only Li Qing treated all kinds of ghosts—spirit ghosts, evil ghosts, fierce ghosts, and yin ghosts—fairly as resources for cultivation!
The difference between the two is immediately apparent.

At that moment, the Divine Blessing of Dawn also returned. As the golden light descended, the anxiety between his brows could not be concealed. Just a few days ago, his communication with the Sun God had been interrupted. For divine blessings like him, the sacrificial totems they served had become ineffective, and their strength had immediately decreased by several tenths.

He was unaware of what had happened in the Kingdom of Ba, but at this moment, he was eager to return to the Sun Branch of the Ba'nan Prefecture.

Just as he descended from the clouds, intending to explain to Li Qing, he suddenly saw the desolation all around the altar and was even more shocked and furious!
"Damn it, there are actually such ferocious ghosts, slaughtering countless living beings to sacrifice their blood to the ghost path?"

Clearly, without the blessing of the sun totem, Sichen's magic power and even his perception were much weaker than before. For a moment, he didn't even notice the handiwork on the altar and thought it was the work of some wandering evil spirit, so he immediately started cursing.

"Um... Now that everything is settled, how about we return to Banan?"

"My mission is now complete."

Li Qing didn't know how to respond to that, so he flicked his sleeve, gathered up the paperweights and memorials on the altar table behind him, and immediately walked over to the two of them and made a suggestion.

Judging from the fact that the shaman of dawn was also holding a dark wooden plaque, it seemed that he had taken in a few ghosts. So, he was the one who killed the most ghosts.
What a devilish young man!
This made Li Qing silently reflect on whether he had lacked compassion and mercy in his daily life.

As he was silently reflecting, the Huai Lian Soul Book that he had placed on the altar table suddenly shone brightly, its divine light dazzling to the eye. After the golden soul book circled around in the air, the voice of the Jade Spirit God immediately rang out:
"I'm sorry to trouble you all with this matter. I will take back the list. If you have the time, you are welcome to visit Huailian Yinshan again in half a century. I will certainly prepare a warm welcome for you!"

Clearly, the Jade Spirit God had not left no tricks in the Huai Lian Soul Book, or perhaps he had been watching Li Qing and the others all along. Once all the ghosts were exterminated, the Soul Book of Huai Lian Ghost City was immediately taken back by him.

The golden book of souls circled the air several times, and after transmitting a message, it immediately headed towards the Western Capital.

He'll visit Huailian in the Western Capital half a century later? Could it be that he's really confident he can still sit securely in the position of Ghost King Huailian half a century later?

Mo Ling and Si Chen both had some doubts, feeling that this pleasure-seeking ghost king might be in big trouble!
Only Li Qing clearly knew that this Ghost Lord was extraordinary.

The Ghost Path is different from the Immortal Path and the Divine Path. In the Heavenly Capital Great Realm, there is a Netherworld, where the complete laws of the Ghost Path are contained. Even though those six heavens were shattered, the terrifying laws of the Ghost Path still remain.

The scissors of eternal hatred, a blood curse that brings certain death; the hordes of villains in the underworld, a gathering of ghosts and demons; the power of the cold-clothed official, eight hundred spirits and ghosts.

These are all terrifying taboos.

In Li Qing's view, killing ghosts to make puppets is also an extraordinary and terrifying forbidden technique. If the Jade Spirit God can make substitute ghosts into life-saving puppets, then why can't he make vicious puppets from powerful ghosts, one-horned ghosts, and starving ghosts?

In his view, as long as the Jade Spirit God makes full use of time and space, the longer it drags on, the more terrifying his foundation will become. It is even possible that he will eventually turn Yu Liulang into a substitute spirit puppet!
The Ghost Path never looks at spell numbers, but at the mechanisms of supernatural powers, and at who is more in tune with the sinister laws of the Netherworld Ghost Path.

Just like the scissors of King Mu of Changhen, with a single snip, all living beings die, with nowhere to hide and nowhere to escape...

"Then let's go!" Fairy Mo Ling glanced around deeply, then raised her sleeve and tucked the three little devils squatting on the altar into the Bagua Cloud Light Cloth, echoing her words.

The skeletons in all four directions were all fish and snake spines, with no human or animal bones. The scattered yin energy was all from the refining of hundreds of ghosts. Although the five immortal sects had a strong desire to kill, their teachings and rules were quite good.

Compared to the various immortal sects and lineages, which were either unorthodox or heretical, the cultivation circle in the Southern Kingdom was relatively clean. All spells involving blood sacrifices were destroyed, which was quite good.

The three exchanged a glance and immediately reached a consensus, transforming into a rainbow and heading north towards the Kingdom of Ba.

Just a dozen or so breaths after the three had gone far away, five bolts of lightning suddenly descended from the sky, thousands of feet high. The thunder roared and struck the altar, and the lightning raged for several breaths before finally shattering the altar and the pile of white bones and yin energy on the ground into dust and pebbles, leaving no negative impact.

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Upon entering the Kingdom of Ba, Li Qing immediately sensed the unusual aura emanating from it.

When the group entered Huailianyin Mountain, the Ba Kingdom was still peaceful and the people were rich and prosperous. But today, the pedestrians on the road were like refugees, with carts and horses dragging large amounts of daily necessities and food back and forth. The city was bustling with activity, and even the price of rice and other food seemed to have skyrocketed several times over!
"Divine Blessing of the Dawn, what has happened within the Kingdom of Ba?"

Li Qing raised an eyebrow and turned to look at Si Chen Shen Zhu beside her as if asking for an answer. Could something really have happened?

At this moment, how could the latter possibly offer any answers to Li Qing's questions?

An unbelievable conjecture suddenly rose from Si Chen's heart: the totem of the Sun God had completely disappeared. This was not because the phoenix had died. Even if it had died, the remaining totem could still dimly support it for a while. It was just that it had chosen to abandon its followers!

If the gods no longer offer protection, what will become of the Sun God religion? What will become of the Baqiu Kingdom, which established its state worship based on spirit totems?

At this moment, the God of the Morning Star grew increasingly fearful. He couldn't care less about talking to Li Qing and the other person. With a swift movement, he transformed into a golden light and rushed towards the direction of the Divine Sect of Banan Prefecture.

Seeing their madness, how could Li Qing and the other two not know that the Ba Kingdom was in big trouble? It was likely that what Li Qing had observed earlier was the source of the great change in the Ba Kingdom!
But the two did not linger. They stirred up clouds and chased after the Divine Blessing of the Morning. Li Qing still had three million in provisions to collect, and Fairy Mo Ling was still owed one million in payment by the Divine Blessing of the Morning. They could not let him take the opportunity to escape.

The group quickly gave chase, only to find that the Divine Blessing of the Morning had not gone to investigate any enemy situation at all. Instead, he had fled dozens of miles away and rushed directly towards the Divine Treasury of Banan Prefecture.

Fortunately, the religious treasury of Banan Prefecture remained sealed off, which relieved the spirits of the Morning God.

The four guardian priests have been under increasing pressure lately. The outer treasury of the Banan Prefecture religion has been attacked several times, with losses amounting to millions of Southern Kingdom currency. They fear that the inner treasury will not be able to remain hidden for much longer.

Even the priests and sorcerers in the church wanted to divide up the treasury and went their separate ways.

Unfortunately, this vault requires a key to open, and the most important key is on the God of Dawn. If he does not return, this vault will be difficult to enter.

"Lord Divine Blessing, you're finally back! Something terrible has happened in my sect!"

An old priest with white hair and beard immediately began to speak in a hoarse voice upon seeing Sichen.

The Heavenly Palace thieves entered Baqiu Flame Valley, killing thousands of demon-infected followers. Three Yin Gods of the Sun God Cult perished on the spot, along with countless other priests and divine priests. Flame Valley was leveled, and the Nine-Headed Phoenix was forcibly taken away.

What meaning does the priestly religion, the Sun God religion, have now that it has been abandoned by the sacrificial spirits?

Fortunately, Baqiu was, after all, a great nation, and it had quite a few Grand Priests at the Yin God Realm. Even though the Sun God Venerable - the Nine-Headed Phoenix - had been lost, there was still hope...

The previous Great Sage was known as the Yellow Dragon Venerable. After the Nine-Headed Phoenix left, his heart surged with passion. He fought fiercely against Obsidian-Rahu, wanting to carve a bloody path for the people of the Divine Cult. Unfortunately, the divine totem was extinguished and the true fire was lost. How much fighting power did he still have?
How tragic it is for the Grand Master to be abandoned by the sacrificial spirits!
Huang Longzun fought fiercely with the demon. His body, which had been barely holding on, was broken by Luo Hou Yaojun after about thirty rounds without the totem. He was left with only half a body. He forced open the collapsed stone gate of Yan Valley and tried his best to let the trapped priests retreat in panic. However, he was no longer able to resist.

Praying to the gods every day, making great vows to dedicate one's life, but in the end, the so-called gods are nothing more than clay bodhisattvas crossing the river!
When all hope seemed lost, a giant claw suddenly appeared from beyond the heavens; it was the Yellow Dragon, the guardian of the central land, who had materialized.
The yellow dragon turned over, the earth's veins shifted, and the entire hundred-mile mountain range seemed to come alive, all looking towards the old Zhu in the very center.

“Your god has abandoned you, Lord Huanglong. The way of sacrificial spirits should not be used in this way.”

"Let me do it, let me become your new sacrificial spirit!"

The yellow dragon, with one foot already in the Yin God realm, laughed wildly and instantly transformed into a sky-covering, sun-obscuring earth essence. Its dark yellow essence, like a collapsing celestial river, rushed straight into the body of the old man, who resembled a human pig, accompanied by a loud laugh. The yellow dragon was not a dragon species; it was a manifestation of the earth essence, similar to the Azure Dragon of Dou Su, a naturally born earth spirit!

With the blessing of this terrifying earth spirit, the dying old Zhu was instantly revived. His white hair turned into black hair, his long beard turned into a black beard, and his divine body suddenly expanded to 180 feet. Dragon scales covered his body, yellow horns pointed to the sky, and four dragon whiskers hung down like iron whips. He was completely the image of a mountain deity.

"Hahahaha! I told you long ago not to worship that damned bird. You should have formed a pact with me long ago and gained the power of the earth veins. That would have extended your life by at least four hundred years."

"How is this power today?"

The earth vein deity, resembling Kuafu wandering through the fiery valley, caused the earth vein energy to become chaotic, exhibiting a mysterious and yellow appearance. A wisp of mysterious energy was as heavy as ten thousand jun, while yellow energy surrounded its body, untouched by any magic. Its dragon fist was ferocious, and with two strikes it repelled the North Sea Rahu, and with one kick it sent the Tai Sui Venerable flying. This startled Tianyi Taiyi and the Phoenix, who had already moved far away, and they all turned their heads in surprise...

Since that day, the Sun God Cult of the Kingdom of Baqiu has become a mere formality, and a new ritual for worshipping spirits has emerged within the cult. The central deity is a yellow dragon guarding the earth, with a giant mountain spirit worshipped to the north, a fire crow to the south, a vine dragon to the east, and a nine-tailed white fox to the west...

Two earth spirits and a three-headed ancient demon rebuilt the "Five Spirits Cult" within the Sun God Cult!
The five spirits manifested in the heart of Baqiu, so the transition was naturally smooth. The five spirits originated from within the Sun God Cult, and even the Grand Priest and the Priest were the same. However, during the transition, quite a bit of turmoil still occurred in several border prefectures.

Take Banan Prefecture for example. Before anyone from the Five Spirits Divine Sect has taken over, ambitious individuals from all sides who coveted it have already begun to act. Ancient demons have frequently appeared from all directions, and many people have even started plotting against this treasure trove that has been accumulated for hundreds of years.

As soon as the priests finished explaining, the Divine Priest of the Morning Star suddenly felt dizzy and almost collapsed.

No... He went to great lengths to gain merit and rise to the position of Grand Priest, and you told him that his own "god" was gone, and the great religion was going to turn to the Earth Spirits and Ancient Demons?
For a deity like him who had devoted his entire life to worshipping the phoenix, this was a fatal blow!
"Ugh……"

The path to divinity is difficult to achieve, but this treasury absolutely cannot be wasted; I must at least find a good price for it.

Should I turn to worship the Five Spirits? I'm really unwilling to accept that. Or should I go to Ghost City or Yin Mountain? Is that feasible?

(End of this chapter)