The Path to Immortality Begins with the Life-Extending Lamp

Chapter 240 The Entrustment of Jade Void
As the long-legged crane landed in the courtyard, a clear and cold Daoist voice immediately rang out from all directions. The crane was presenting a message, indicating that the person who came to pay their respects should still be at the foot of the mountain. Judging from the etiquette, it was probably one of the five immortal sects!

"Even those who have free time are being approached, aren't they?"

Li Qing did not engage in any verbal exchanges with the visitor. He simply swept the letter of invitation away with a flick of his sleeve and, without regard for the spirit crane, strode towards his temporary residence.

"Fellow Daoist has arrived, please come in."

Even Li Qing's seclusion time was precisely timed, so the person who came must have been waiting for quite some time.

He waved to invite the Taoist priests waiting at the foot of the mountain into the mansion. The Taoist priests in the mountain were still unaware that Li Qing had come down from the mountain, let alone that someone had sent a message to the peak to arrange a meeting with Li Qing.

Just as Li Qing sat down at the tea table in the Taoist residence, the aloof figure outside the mountain finally moved. Immediately following Li Qing's words, a stream of light from beyond the sky pierced through the void and disappeared directly into the courtyard at the summit.

However, he was a young Taoist priest whose eyebrows and hair were as white as lead and silver!

This person was extremely perfect, with elegant and aloof features, as if sculpted from snow and ice. Beneath his silver hair, his eyes, like a deep pool, were enough to captivate the world. He was no less stunning than the Ghost Lord Huailian, also known as the Jade Spirit God, whom Li Qing had seen and was renowned for his unparalleled beauty.

"I had intended to seek out fellow Daoists, but the people of the Three Sovereigns have obstructed me in every way, so I must apologize for my rudeness."

"Qingxu Dao Sect - Yuxu greets Fellow Daoist Youhuang!"

Before the person even arrived, the otherworldly Daoist voice resounded from nowhere. Upon hearing it, plants burst forth with vitality, and even inanimate objects shone with radiant light, as if a banished immortal had descended to earth to bless all things.

The silver-haired Taoist took a single stride, traversing a vast distance, ignoring the numerous restrictions and laws of the mountain, and landed before the Liqing Palace, bowing respectfully.

Such methods are almost identical to those of Yin Zu.
At the very least, Li Qing couldn't see through the person in front of her.

With a slight nod and a gesture of invitation, Li Qing invited Yu Xuzi into the hall. He then took two silver chopsticks, picked up a piece of incense, and added it to the purple-gold incense burner. Watching the incense ignite and wisps of purple smoke rise from the burner, Li Qing turned his head and said gently:
"The Qingxu Great Dao Sect is located east of the Heavenly Barrier and is the most revered in terms of talismans and precepts. Why would you condescend to seek out this mountain today?"

The Qingxu Dao Sect is the most revered of the five schools of talismanic Daoism and the head of the five immortal sects. It has three Venerables of the Yin Shen Realm and the Du Tian Lu Zhenren, and seventy-two Du Cao Lu Shangren of the Zi Fu Realm. They uphold the precepts, are ordered to rectify their bodies, and are famous for their ability to summon wind and rain and the Five Thunder Heavenly Heart. They are the most majestic among the immortals.

Li Qing had never had any contact with the Qingxu Dao Sect before, so she didn't know why this person had come to her door.

The Immortal Clan Grand Competition is about to begin; could it be related to this matter?
Just as Li Qing lowered her eyes in thought, the silver-haired Taoist swept his whisk and, following Li Qing's invitation, sat down at the opposite corner of the incense table to meet her.

"Upon hearing that Fellow Daoist Li intends to participate in this Immortal Sect Competition, I have been searching for you for many days."

The silver-haired Taoist priest stroked his whisk, raised a finger and nodded, then uttered a startling statement:
"Yu Xu has come here to ask fellow Daoist to interrupt the Immortal Clan Grand Competition... to make a trip to the Netherworld on my behalf!"

Interrupting the grand competition of the immortal sects, and venturing into the Netherworld?
Li Qing frowned slightly, raised her eyes to look at the silver-haired Taoist on the other side of the wisps of purple smoke, and saw him sitting upright in front of the table with an earnest gaze.

"What makes you say that, Fellow Daoist Yuxu?"

It is still unknown what this mysterious Taoist priest intends, but with Yuxu as his Taoist name, he is probably already the number one person in the Qingxu Taoist Sect!
What does he want to do?
"I have a junior brother named Taixu, who was born and raised with me. Half a year ago, he was entrusted by the sect to travel to the Netherworld in search of medicine with the Dharma Altar Sky Ship... Twenty days ago, the Dharma Altar collapsed, and the Sky Ship disappeared without a trace, with only a few fragments of the imperial edict being sent back..."

“I once asked the Five Ghosts General of Lingnan to help, but it had made enemies in the Netherworld, and was sought after as soon as it entered the Netherworld.”

"Fellow Daoist has his own foothold in the Netherworld and the ability to sever Yin spirits, so it is unlikely that it will affect you personally."

"I wonder if I can help you?"

The Qingxu Great Dao Sect had two direct disciples in the previous generation. The elder, Yuxu, was in charge of all laws and was the head of the Dao disciples from all directions. The younger, Taixu, inherited the Void Heaven Sword and was the first true disciple.

The two are as close as brothers; if one is in trouble, the other will never stand idly by.

Even though Yu Xu possesses supreme magical power and is the Daoist Master of Pure Emptiness, he is bound by talismanic precepts and cannot act arbitrarily or overstep the bounds. He bears even greater responsibilities, and his status as the Daoist leader absolutely forbids him from leaving the secluded world and entering the Netherworld.

The Five Ghost Generals of Lingnan have failed, and perhaps the Ghost Gentleman of Tiannan can be his last lifeline!
Just as Li Qing's expression turned solemn, the silver-haired Taoist priest added another point:

"Fellow Daoists, your pursuit of the Immortal Sect Grand Competition is merely for the purpose of being nominated on the Flower Ranking, obtaining a Bodhi Leaf, making a name for yourselves in the competition, and acquiring the Foundation Establishment Pill..."

"I have a whole branch of Nine-Leaf Bodhi, which I have nurtured in a bottle with Star Essence Heavy Water. If Fellow Daoist Li is willing to make a donation, I am willing to offer this Nine-Leaf Bodhi branch and two bottles of Foundation Establishment Pills as payment."

The silver-haired Taoist priest remained unfazed, holding a seven-inch-tall white jade bottle in front of him. Inside the bottle was a whole branch of nine-leaf Bodhi. Such a spiritual herb, with its green leaves and flowing Taoist charm like pearls, caused the void to surge with energy as soon as it appeared in the world. Its spiritual charm condensed like frost and dew, about to drip from the leaves.

These are complete branches and leaves of the elixir of immortality, far superior to the fallen leaves plucked during the Immortal Sect Competition.

On the day Yu Xu attained the perfect foundation of the Dao, he was bestowed a branch of the Nine-Leaf Bodhi by the True Man. He then used the Star Essence Heavy Water to nurture it, causing it to transform into a seed plant. It gathered the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth to form Dao Dew, and every two months, he could obtain nine drops of spiritual dew. Consuming it would bring enlightenment and awakening.

This single nine-leaf bodhi is comparable to a top-grade spiritual medicine that has been cultivated for 30,000 years, and is a prized possession of Yu Xu.

If it weren't for the fact that their own junior brother had met with misfortune and his fate was uncertain, no one would be willing to give up such a longevity elixir.

However, the Netherworld is too terrifying. Anyone below the Yin God level who enters the Netherworld is likely to perish. Therefore, it is even more impossible for the Yin God True Person to personally go to an unknown and dangerous place for the sake of a few disciples.

"The elixir of immortality!"

"Fellow Daoist, this is indeed quite sudden. Let me think about it carefully."

Li Qing raised an eyebrow at the mutton-fat jade bottle on the incense table. With each breath, she could smell the pure fragrance of the Nine-Leaf Bodhi Branch, and she was truly incredulous. She had just been thinking about seeing what the fifth grade of medicine was, the "elixir of immortality" that accompanied the Yang Spirit in the mortal world, and now someone had delivered it to her door?
This was truly unbelievable to Li Qing.

He finally understood why the Jade Void Daoist dared to beg so forcefully; it turned out that the bargaining chip he held was too heavy!
But... searching for someone in the underworld is no easy task.

Those vengeful spirits wandering in the boundless Netherworld, eyeing any living being, could bring annihilation to all. Even Li Qing had no confidence in searching for someone amidst the dangers of the boundless Netherworld.

Not to mention that he hadn't even left the Qishan region many times.
However, there was a section of the longevity elixir with its branches and leaves intact, and a large medicinal herb that had already been nurtured and resembled a seedling...

If you don't take what Heaven offers, you'll suffer the consequences!

"What exactly happened?"

Li Qing turned to the side, gently tapping the incense table with her right knuckles, and asked Yu Xu a question.

The latter, without any concealment, pushed several broken communication jade slips in front of Li Qing and then recounted in detail the process of the Qingxu Dao Sect's derivation and perfection.

“A month ago, our sect’s pioneering team discovered a drifting continent. It was a desolate and overgrown underworld, but the presence of wild grass meant that there was still life here and that it contained the necessary elements for the birth of spiritual herbs.”

"The flying boat had only been near that continent for a few days when the altar on board collapsed and all the soldiers were wiped out. First, the soul lamps of the two elders leading the group went out, and then one by one, the disciples perished..."

Among the few jade talismans that pierced through the barrier between Yin and Yang and sent back messages, were the dying words of many Daoist disciples.

There's a ghost. A really big ghost.

"They...they're eating me! Master, it hurts!!"

【…】

The desperate roars of the Daoist disciples were enough to make those who heard them feel the terror of the underworld, the unrestrained and rampant ghosts. They were truly cannibalistic monsters, who began to devour the flesh and suck the blood of the disciples even before they died, making them witness the Daoist bodies being swallowed and torn apart.

This is even more cruel than the most brutal punishments in the world.

When the peak masters of the Qingxu Dao Sect saw the last message sent back by their dying disciples, their eyes widened in horror. However, for a Dao Sect governed by talismans and precepts, the most important thing was to expound the Dao of Heaven and let each follow the will of Heaven.

The Dao Sect would not tolerate the peak masters of each peak leaving the Dao Sect and entering the Netherworld to seek revenge!
Moreover, are there any disciples among them still alive?
The Qingxu Dao Sect organized another flying boat, which entered the Netherworld on the night of the Ghost Festival a few days ago. However, Daoist Yuxu was always uneasy, as if something important was about to be stripped from his life.

For Yu Xu, who dedicated his life to expounding the Dao of Heaven, the only person closely related to his destiny was this junior brother who was born and raised with him. Without external support, Daoist Tai Xu would surely perish in the Netherworld.

"Is that so?"

Li Qing reviewed the chaotic sounds of the Daoist disciples before their deaths one by one. It was from those agonizing cries of despair that he truly glimpsed the majesty of the Ghost Path. It was by no means a good thing; it was cruel, resentful, ignorant, sinister, and ferocious...

Ghosts are an omen of misfortune!
All the evils of spirits can be found in various ghosts and spirits, and even more so in extreme ways.

“The Netherworld is vast, far greater than anyone can imagine. The spirits and ghosts within are even more bizarre and cruel than those in the Heavenly Capital. I, Li, cannot guarantee anything…”

Even though Li Qing made some changes, he couldn't guarantee success, since changes are unpredictable.

"Fate is unpredictable; there is only a glimmer of hope."

"If fate is unavoidable, then it is his destiny!"

"If you are willing to help, regardless of success or failure, this Bodhi Longevity Branch and two bottles of Foundation Establishment Pills will be your reward for this trip."

Master Yuxu flicked his whisk, made a hand seal, and bowed to Li Qing once more.

The Qingxu Daodao Sect expounds on the will of Heaven, using the destiny of Heaven and the fate of the world as the link connecting the world. For them, their strength cannot be exhausted, otherwise the will of Heaven will be even more difficult to defy.

If Li Qing makes a move, the fate of Tai Xu will change, and only amidst all the changes can there be hope of survival.

"I need the coordinates of that desolate and mysterious place. This trip is limited to ten days. If I do not find anything within ten days, I will have to leave."

"And... what about the Immortal Sect Competition? I, Li, have made a promise to the Three Emperors..."

After agreeing to the three rules with the Jade Void Taoist, Li Qing looked back and pondered with doubt.

"You may decline the Immortal Sect Competition. With your background, you are not lacking in opportunities for immortality."

"I was the top-ranked cultivator in the previous Immortal Sect Grand Competition. I should explain this to you upon entering..."

Master Yuxu rose, lightly twirled his whisk, turned around, and said calmly.

"Fellow Daoist Li, please do your utmost..."

(End of this chapter)