The Path to Immortality Begins with the Life-Extending Lamp

Chapter 219 Enemy or Friend
"What? Matters concerning the Heavenly Ghost Ancestor Lord?"

"How would I know?"

Cui Ying stared speechlessly at the manor lord. She didn't even know her own name, yet Li Qing was asking her about the deeds of the Cui family's Heavenly Ghost Ancestor.

"Could it be that you've received some information?"

Even though the ghost woman who had received great fortune and was able to return from the brink of death had lost her life and soul, her fundamental spirituality remained extremely vibrant.

Upon seeing Li Qing lay out a map of the Qishan Underworld and draw a map, coupled with this question, Cui Ying's eyes lit up, and he suspected that Li Qing might have obtained some inside information.

"Hmph, you're quite the shrewd one."

Li Qing stopped writing the talisman and glared at Cui Ying with a disgruntled look.

When Li Qing entered the Eastern Garden years ago, everything she saw and heard led her to believe that Cui Ying was a lady from a prominent family. This made Li Qing feel very good about her, and she spent a lot of effort to restrain her soul and reunite her life soul.

But after getting to know her, he discovered that she was far more unreliable than her seemingly well-behaved appearance. Instead of cultivating properly, she would frequently enter the East Garden to steal things. She had taken quite a few of the soul threads and incense that Li Qing had left for the Ghost Mother!

Now, like a cat that has smelled blood, it has caught Li Qing's thoughts.

If Cui Ying knew Li Qing's opinion of her, she would definitely cry foul.

There are almost no living creatures in this Qishan Underworld. Cui Ying also wants to cultivate, but he doesn't have any resources for cultivation at all.

Take the Soul Incense as an example. Nowadays, the Yin Spirit Incense offered by the five mansions in Donglifang is just the most ordinary ash incense, which has no other effect except to dispel the gloomy atmosphere of the Netherworld.

But what Li Qing offered to the Ghost Mother every day was either the soul silk from Lingnan-White Bone Road or the high-grade purple incense used when performing rituals at the Tiannan Temple. The smell of it made the soul body strong and the breath of it made the mind clear. It was all the best quality!
Such differential treatment is utterly disheartening.

And it's not like she didn't make any sacrifices; she was often chased for miles by the Ghost Mother...

As Cui Ying pouted, Li Qing, having searched in vain, hung the map of the underworld on the wall, clapped his hands, and left the study.

“A few days ago, I traveled through the Qishan Underworld with the leader of the Owls. We saw that there were still many farms and fortresses in various places, burying the spiritual materials left behind in the past.”

"I suppose that the ghosts and gods of the underworld used most of it back then, so there must still be some left over. I thought I'd search for it and see if I could find anything usable."

Li Qing gently twisted her wrist and turned to explain to Cui Ying.

The matter of the Phoenix Blood Bodhi was of great importance, so he naturally wouldn't mention it. He simply explained the underlying principles and then informed his trusted confidants in the manor so as not to seem abrupt.

After speaking, Li Qing reached the window of the pavilion and waved his hand, dumping the Yinhuang Yu boxes from the mustard seed bags into the garden.

"Look, this is the Yinhuang Yu, a mid-grade precious medicine that our sect unearthed from the Netherworld. Its flowers and leaves are poisonous, but its roots and stems can be used to refine Zhenling San. Have the immortals select the best ones to store in the warehouse, and the inferior ones to plant in the medicine gardens of the market as seeds..."

Yinhuangyu can be used to refine spiritual pills. It is a rare spiritual object and the first medicinal seed that Li Qing has produced on a large scale.

He had previously examined the sealed medicinal seed. Although some of its spiritual essence had been lost, its vitality remained. Its medicinal efficacy was greatly reduced, but it was still possible to cultivate it again as a medicinal seed. Once this wild herb seed was planted, a new green wilderness would appear around Qishan in just a few years.

As for the well-preserved Yinhuangyu among them, when he has some free time, Li Qing should be able to try lighting the furnace and warming two batches of Zhenling Pills to practice his skills.

The five underworld gardens, with Dongli Garden at the head, are connected by three streets and merged into one neighborhood. At this moment, Dongli Neighborhood is already quite well-established. If those lotus ponds and medicine gardens are used well, there will never be a shortage of underworld resources.

"There are still quite a few scaled fish in the clean water vessel. It's not a good idea to keep them there for long. Every half month, take a few thousand scaled fish from it and put them into the lotus pond under the waterside garden in the South Mansion, and offer them to the spirits."

"With this rotation, we shouldn't let them die!"

This basin contains tens of thousands of scaled fish, which is an extremely rich resource. Since there is nowhere to sell them for the time being, it is better to keep them for now. If a large manor spirit pool can be found later, perhaps this problem will not exist.

Now, the lotus pond in the neighborhood nurtures Yin fish, and the medicinal fields in the garden are planted with all kinds of herbs, which truly gives Li Qing a small plot of land of his own in this Yin world.

However, both Tiandu and Youshi have their own affairs, and Li Qing himself also needs to discern and control the six qi to cultivate, so naturally he cannot do everything personally.

Cui Ying should at least share his burdens.

"Ah I?"

However, if such a crucial task were to be entrusted to her, Cui Ying would be truly flattered, as she had never expected Li Qing to trust her so much.

But a ghost woman whose soul has been reunited, who has lost all her past memories and is living under someone else's roof, is someone who should be trusted.

Seeing Li Qing nod silently, Cui Ying took the water basin, and after a few moments of change in expression, finally accepted the task.

But we can't just do everything for her; we should take the opportunity to ask for something in return, right?

Cui Ying glanced at Li Qing, then made a request without any hesitation.

"Lord Li has arranged such a grand undertaking, surely he should be rewarded in some way? If you want the horse to run, you can't not let it eat grass."

"To this day, I still do not have a suitable magical weapon. Afterwards, I will need a fine, thin sword that I can use!"

This guy actually went straight to Li Qing and asked for some benefits.

"Very well! I will find one for you..."

Gazing at Cui Ying's delicate figure, Li Qing wondered what kind of sword she could wield. However, it was still a reasonable request, and Li Qing had no reason to refuse. After making the agreement with Cui Ying, Li Qing immediately returned to Tiandu, and then used the "Fengdu Token" to enter the remnant state of Fengdu...

Upon entering Fengdu, the void passage on the Yinshan altar was already prepared for the transfer. As soon as Li Qing stepped into it, the boundless darkness instantly twisted and sent him to the Youbo Water Mansion in a corner of Youtian in the blink of an eye.

Young Master Qu of the Jiushui-Qu Clan has been waiting there for quite some time!
After receiving Li Qing's message a few days ago, Young Master Qu felt a jolt in his heart. He knew that the Five Immortal Sects had been developing in You Tian for quite some time, but so far he had not heard of any of them achieving anything.

But not long ago, a huge incident happened at the Heavenly Palace.

Reshaping Yuyuten, one of the Six Heavens...

If the Eleven Luminaries Palace were to complete this project at this moment, one-fifth of the laws of the Heavenly Capital would be restored in an instant. The bottleneck that restricted all the spirits of the Heavenly Capital would immediately loosen, and the path of cultivation would become much wider.

This is good news for Tiandu and all the spirits of the underworld, but for Li Qing, Qu Hua and others, it is probably not good news right now!

Once the Six Heavens appear in the world, the gap between the Yin and Yang worlds will become more and more obvious. At that time, regardless of whether the Heavenly Palace is located in the Yin world or someone is hiding behind it, the entire Netherworld will open its arms to all living beings.

The Youbo Water Palace? Qishan Palace? At that time, we didn't know if it belonged to Qu, Li, or someone else.

"Brother Dao, you've been waiting for a long time!"

Qu Hua, residing high in the Youbo Water Palace, stood with his hands behind his back on the towering boulder peak, gazing at the vast expanse of blue water. His expression was solemn. Only after hearing a loud call did he turn around.

The newcomer wore a seven-star crown, a robe of divine intervention, and blue cloud shoes. His eyes were like myriad-flower pupils. As he walked, auspicious clouds served as his chariot and the wind as his horse, with rosy clouds faintly surrounding him. Who else could it be but Youhuangzi, the cultivator of Qi?

"Fellow Daoist, you've come at the right time."

Upon seeing Li Qing finally arrive, Qu Hua's expression became noticeably more volatile.

When he captured the scaled fish last time, he had done Li Qing a great favor. This kindness had made their relationship quite close at the moment. Otherwise, Li Qing would not have pushed the matter of the Hunyuan Immortal Sect to Qu Hua.

"What does the Hunyuan Immortal Sect... the Three Immortal Sects Overseas mean?"

Qu Hua stopped beating around the bush and directly asked Li Qing for the reason.

It must be said that this Daoist Youhuang - Guilang Liqing is indeed quite magnanimous. In just a few words in his letter, he described the layout of Youtian. What's even more amazing is that he actually wanted to secretly collude with the Three Immortal Sects to seize a route through Youtian.

Li Qing has Tiannan Temple behind him, but Tiannan Temple is not strong enough. Although Qu Hua belongs to Taiyue Shangxing Sect, he has no interaction with the sect's elders. He developed the Underworld Water Mansion on his own and has come this far. With such a foundation, the proud Qu Hua disdains to kneel in front of the Yin Gods and elders to ask for credit and rewards.

Therefore, Li Qing's suggestion hit him right in the heart.

“There is a Yin God True Person in the Hunyuan Immortal Sect who had some dealings with me overseas in the past, and I’m afraid he saw through some of my secrets.”

"They want me to provide a place to stay, and then they will send ten Purple Mansion Realm experts, eighteen Warriors, and even Yin God Realm experts to escort them. They are looking for Yin materials to break through their cultivation realm..."

"Perhaps the fourth Yin God of the Hunyuan Immortal Sect is about to emerge, or perhaps one of the older Yin Gods wants to make one last desperate gamble?"

Li Qing shook her head helplessly and recounted the whole story.

"It's a pity that my underworld is in great turmoil. The ghosts inside are disorderly, causing natural disasters in the netherworld. Outside, there are great calamities from the Yin gods, who patrol the mountains at midnight and want to knock on the door. It is really impossible to be at peace."

"I wonder if you, brother, have the heart to take charge?"

Qishan cannot easily reveal himself to the world, and Li Qing is not good at playing a public role, so he doesn't know what Young Master Qu thinks.

If he has any ambition, then Li Qing might as well temporarily support him as the leader and have him play a few rounds of games with the Hunyuan Immortal Sect.

"But I'm afraid my current resources are not enough to keep the Three Immortals Sect in check, after all, they are the renowned Three Immortals Sect!"

Qu Hua believed himself to be exceptionally talented, and his cultivation had reached the final stage of the Purple Mansion realm. Even without the sect behind him, he was still powerful enough to dominate the region.

However, the ancient lineage of the Three Immortals Sect was still quite frightening. For a moment, Qu Hua dared not guarantee whether he could cooperate with them.

“That’s right. That’s why I’ve come to discuss this with you, Brother Dao. With our current strength and backing by Fengdu, if we were to establish a contract with that Immortal Sect’s expansion team, perhaps…”

In this matter, Li Qing is willing to play a supporting role, which is like placing a piece in the dark sky of desire.

However, if the two of them joined forces and made an agreement with the Hunyuan Immortal Sect, it would indeed be quite feasible.

'This fellow Daoist Youhuang has a being behind him whose battle prowess rivals that of a Yin God, and with the addition of the two Saints of the Water Mansion, the people of the Hunyuan Immortal Sect certainly won't be able to cause any trouble.'

'Why not take a gamble? Let's use my Netherworld Water Palace as a springboard to send the Heavenly Capital's expeditionary force into the Netherworld?'

With its current strength, Youbo Water Mansion is no less than a blessed land and is not afraid of being coveted by any immortal sect. This is the result of Qu Hua's careful cultivation, and he has enough confidence.

After comparing the options repeatedly, Qu Hua's increasingly determined gaze met Li Qing's, and she immediately made up her mind.

"Fellow Daoist, would you be willing to become a member of this faction? Perhaps we could arrange a meeting with the Hunyuan Immortal Sect? At that time, I would be called the Lord of Youbo Mansion, and you would be called the Lord of Youhuang Mansion. We would then establish a supreme altar and claim a territory in the You Shi world. That would be a wonderful thing!"

"After all, the world of Youtian is about to undergo a major change..."

(End of this chapter)