The Path to Immortality Begins with the Life-Extending Lamp

Chapter 215 Qishan Region

Where is Han Yi Jun?

Wearing a raven mask, Li Qing strode into the ruined Fengdu Prefecture and came face to face with a ghost from the Palace Guard. He immediately began to inquire.

"The Cold-Clothed Ancestor? It's the Crimson-Blooded Ancestor on duty now? If you wish to find the Ancestor, you can go to the Frosty Region in the north of Tianzhou..."

The ghostly figure, resembling an unpredictable wisp of mist, circled around in confusion for several minutes before transforming into a misty ghost face and explaining to Li Qing.

The three Ghost Lords of Fengdu Heaven have always taken turns guarding the four seasons of the year. The Cold Robe Lord holds the power of the Cold Robe in the Netherworld. The Fengdu Lord is the first ancestor born in the Remnant State. The Crimson Blood Lord came from beyond the realm. The most ruthless of the three ancestral lords is also the foundation of Fengdu Heaven.

Li Qing secretly memorized the location of the Cold Desolation Domain, handed a secret letter to the Fengdu spirit ghost, and said without revealing his expression, "So that's how it is? When I go to Fengdu, I will have to trouble the ghost messenger to deliver a private letter to Young Master Qu."

"I owe Young Master Qu a favor from him..."

In Fengdu Heaven, Li Qing's code name is "Lord of Youhuang Mansion". At this moment, he handed the letter to the spirit ghost in front of the palace, asking him to forward it.

"I dare not accept such courtesy from you, sir. I will go and make the arrangements immediately!"

Seeing that Li Qing's secret letter was followed by a purple talisman with flowing spiritual light, the demon's body trembled immediately, and it dared not accept it.

The three ghost kings were strict in their administration. The spirit ghosts who served as ghost messengers were already treated as the best in Fengdu Remnant State. If they dared to accept bribes and act like a greedy and ruthless little ghost under the King of Hell, they would surely suffer the torment of being torn apart by five horses and shattered by a chariot!
If that rival sees me, I'll inevitably be interrogated again.

After refusing Li Qing's kindness, the ghostly creature picked up the ghost letter and left, not daring to linger with Li Qing any longer.

Seeing this, Li Qing shook his head and chuckled. He wondered what kind of strange skill the spirit ghost of Fengdu Heaven had acquired, which allowed it to travel across the capital to find people. Spirit ghosts were creatures that could move through the void and come and go without a trace, making them extremely reliable messengers.

And inform Young Master Qu of the actions of the Hunyuan Immortal Sect, and see what his thoughts are.
After his trip to Fengdu Tianzhong, Li Qing quickly returned to the real world of Tiandu and then entered the Qishan Domain through the Yin World node in Qishan.

The area under Li Qing's control is now extremely large, consisting of five sizable mansions, three streets, and several ruins in the middle, comparable to a market town.

This underworld complex contains a hundred pavilions, three ponds, and six fields and herb gardens, all maintained by Cui Ying and his fellow immortals.

Having just returned to the Underworld, Li Qing glanced at the south gate of the mansion. Two of the most terrifying lanterns were already hanging in front of the main gate. No one could explain why the layout of the mansion could change with the advancement of the Underworld Contract, and he had no intention of exploring the reason.

Li Qing passed by the Underworld without entering, turned around and walked north. In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, he arrived directly at the nest of the human-faced owls. These three skeletal owls had made a pact with the Underworld and had become like swallows, receiving offerings from the Underworld four times a year. They also lived under the eaves and devised strategies to defeat all evil.

【Yay yay yay…】

A hoarse, piercing cry of a human-faced owl suddenly erupted, and in an instant, the dark shadows that blotted out the sky scattered, leaving only fluttering black feathers like fallen flowers, creating a truly eerie and desolate scene.

The Taoist priest below seemed oblivious, raising his finger to pick up a fallen feather from mid-air, and muttered to himself:

"Where are the three commanders? When I first met the Ancestral Owl, I was going to enter the northern region of Qishan to meet the old ancestor and take a good look at the Qishan Underworld..."

"Would any of you be willing to accompany our sect on this journey?"

Such is Qishan, yet Li Qing has not yet had a general view of it. Isn't that a great regret? On this journey north, I must pay my respects to the legendary Qishan of the Six Heavens' Crown Clan.

The Youyou Heaven is in the south, the Taiyin and Yousi Heavens are in the middle, the North Yin Heaven is at the top, the Yinquan Heaven is in the west, and the Fengdu Heaven is in the east.

The resurgence of Qishan, the phoenix's cry in Qishan, is the will of Heaven! The imperial family of the previous dynasty originated from Qishan and was called the "Yin" clan, with the phoenix as their clan emblem. The Cui clan of Qishan guarded the Qishan region and raised bone phoenixes.

The Yin and Cui families share a deep ancestral connection, both descended from an even more ancient clan.

but……

From the top of that dilapidated tower, three enormous shadows suddenly plummeted, and a three-headed, skeletal owl landed before Li Qing. A hoarse, stilted ghostly voice suddenly rang out:

"Qishan is rife with evil spirits. Once you leave these eight hundred acres of underworld ruins, there will be no order left. My lord, you must be careful!!"

Even their human-faced ghost owl clan roamed the ruins of the underworld day and night; beyond that, there were only wandering monsters.

There are spirits born from the rules of the new world after the collapse of the Netherworld; there are ferocious creatures wandering from the depths of the four directions; there is a great scourge that has been nurtured like a venomous insect for hundreds of years in the eight-hundred-mile Qishan region...

"It doesn't matter!"

"Since we are inheriting the Qishan lineage, shouldn't our sect take a look first?"

No matter how many ghosts there are in the mountains, they are all bound by that red line and can never cross it. Even this old ancestral owl is limited to the Yin spirit, let alone other ghosts.
The most dangerous things to watch out for are the bull-headed corpse and the horse-faced spirit that maintain order in the eight hundred acres of the underworld, as well as the various evil creatures in the Demon-Suppressing Tower in the mountains that several commanders have mentioned.

“…Yes!” The three skeletal owls tilted their heads and looked at each other, ultimately choosing to obey their lord’s will.

Immediately, the old owl flapped its wings, stirring up three black clouds that merged into one, carrying Li Qing into the clouds before skimming low over the top of Qishan Mountain.

What does Qishan look like?

The western part is steep with cliffs, while the southeast is gentle. The entire Netherworld complex is highest in the southeast. After emerging from the mountain ridge, the Netherworld buildings become increasingly sparse, but there are many separate manors in the mountains.

Li Qing stood with his hands behind his back above the dark clouds, looking down at the increasingly open land, and suddenly raised an eyebrow.

These villages stand with high fences on all sides, surrounded by many well-planned fields, resembling a vast expanse of farmland. Unfortunately, the wild grass and valleys within have long been devoured, leaving only mottled wasteland exposed to the world.

"Wait a moment, shall we take a look?"

With a flick of his finger, Li Qing pointed towards the farm several miles to the northeast. With a wave of his sleeve, he created a cloud of profound energy three hundred feet long using the Qingyun Technique, which rolled up the black clouds beneath him and descended directly towards the farm.

The secluded green barrier of the manor has stood for hundreds of years and still has some strength left. Inside the high fence, there seems to be some withered grain that has not yet been harvested, and there are many animal hides and dried fish drying on the high racks. It is a harmonious scene of a manor in the mortal world.

This made Li Qing feel as if she were walking in the rural countryside of Jiangnan in a post-apocalyptic world...

"A barrier? Perhaps my Netherworld Pact can break the restrictions of this Hundred Ghost Pagoda?"

With a sudden thought, Li Qing felt somewhat confident. He glanced back at the several ferocious giant owls, took a few steps forward, and placed his right hand on one of the manor's protective barriers.

Sure enough, as soon as Li Qing touched the barrier with his right hand, the page of the Netherworld Book in his Niwan Palace immediately lit up with a precious light. As the Netherworld Contract, the highest authority in the Qishan Domain, Li Qing was certainly qualified to shake any of the Hundred Ghosts Floating Pagoda Restrictions.

But when Li Qingxiang touched the spot with his right hand, the blue light barrier instantly melted away. In a short while, the barrier that had enveloped the entire manor collapsed with a roar, and the manor, which had been sealed for hundreds of years, finally saw the light of day again.

However, when the barrier collapsed, an extremely light essence rushed towards them. As soon as Li Qing saw that the essence was like mist and was about to fall into the Netherworld, he immediately took action and used a horizontal palm strike to capture the profound Yin essence in the manor into his palm.

And look at the gathering of essence, it resembles a dragon spirit, struggling and writhing in Li Qing's hands.

"How could there be such vital energy? Could it be..."

Li Qing went further into the farm with a puzzled look, only to find that the spirit grains were withered, the animal hides were broken and brittle, and the dried fish were like rotten wood.

Why is that? It's because the essence of the spiritual grains and crops in this farm was lost and scattered within the barrier. After being nurtured for hundreds of years, it has become this kind of profound Yin essence.

Those who eat water are good swimmers and can withstand cold; those who eat soil are mindless yet wise; those who eat wood are strong yet cunning; those who eat grains are intelligent but die young; those who eat air are spiritually enlightened and live long…

All things in the world follow the principles of Yin and Yang and the Five Elements, and are governed by countless laws, but ultimately, they are all born from Qi (vital energy).

All things are born in the world, and together they form the "Tao." This Tao neither increases nor decreases, and is called One.

All living beings do not perish; they simply exist in a different form.

Plants, trees, flesh, and stones live, die, and wither, yet their weight remains unchanged. This spiritual creature, after a hundred years, withers and dies, giving rise to a profound Yin essence that enters Li Qing's hands. Isn't this also a cycle of reincarnation?
Such essence and such changes—Li Qing, who cultivated the "Theory of Primordial Qi," saw even more. It was the cycle after all things withered and decayed. A wisp of spiritual essence first dispersed and then gathered, flowing into one place of Qi. Was this not the medicine of the Heavenly Dao, the great elixir of nature?
At this moment, he did not hesitate at all. He tilted his head back, inhaled, and instantly absorbed the Xuan Yin essence, which resembled a small dragon, into his body.

That essence, which had become almost tangible, was like a potion made from a hundred herbs, nurtured by time and nature, and was truly astonishing.

The abundant essence first entered Li Qing's meridians and acupoints, passed through the Qi Sea, and reached the Niwan Palace, causing his dragon bones and spine to spontaneously generate vitality. Finally, after nearly half of the Xuan Yin essence was digested, it transformed into a two-finger-long dragon of essence that coiled in the lower dantian's essence source palace.

The lower dantian is the source of life for all things and the great secret place where the human body is stored. After being infused with the essence of yin, Li Qing felt as if he had eaten too much, with inexhaustible strength and energy.

By a stroke of fate, this breath entered my abdomen, just like taking a natural elixir, greatly benefiting my cultivation!
But there seemed to be much more to this estate than just these things. Li Qing shifted her gaze slightly, directing her eyes directly at the manor.

"A manor that's been sealed away for hundreds of years must still have some useful things, let's look for them together?"

Although it seemed to be asking for the opinion of the three great owls behind it, its words implied that it should let them do as they pleased.

The skeletal owl, having received its lord's permission, showed no embarrassment whatsoever. Raising its head, it breathed like a whirlwind sweeping away fallen leaves, swallowing the shriveled dried spirit grain fish.

Even though their vital energy is severely depleted, it is still enough to fill their stomachs.

This vast Qishan Mountain, stretching for eight hundred li, has long been a barren wasteland. Apart from the owl demons that devour each other, where else can one find such miscellaneous grains and spiritual creatures?
As Li Qing entered the manor and fortress with a lantern, the three old owls also dispersed and began searching through the sheds and warehouses. If they found any other supplies that were still well-preserved, they would take them back to their nest to feed their young...

(End of this chapter)