The Path to Immortality Begins with the Life-Extending Lamp

Chapter 242 The True Appearance of You Tian
Crunch...crunch...

The chariot of rebirth, led by paper figures, traveled westward, its deepest darkness echoing with a profound and melancholic sound.

In the darkness, low growls and howls echoed faintly, and malicious gazes came from all directions. The stronger Li Qing's soul pressure became, the more she could feel the terror hidden in the Netherworld.

Beneath the deep darkness lies not nothingness; fragments of the underworld, large and small, float like islands and reefs in the void, and a chilling gaze is hidden beneath these fragments.

This is the shattered Six Heavens Underworld of yesteryear, many of which were once the ruins of ancestral temples of the Six Heavens' ancient clans, inhabited by malevolent spirits and evil creatures.

A fleeting look of apprehension crossed Li Qing's brows. After a moment of contemplation, he lightly tapped the air with his fingertips, and the Enchanting Dream Curse transformed into paper butterflies that fluttered among the paper soldiers and armor, slowly plunging the entire carriage into a dreamlike illusion.

The enormous paper soldiers and chariots were still roaming the Netherworld, but they seemed to have disappeared from the sight of the hundred ghosts. Even when they touched many fragments of the Netherworld, they strangely passed through them and were no longer threatened.

"The Netherworld beyond the Netherworlds looks like this?"

Beyond its desolate expanse, fragmented pieces of the underworld are scattered like stars, some as large as floating islands, where hundreds of ghosts fight for food, others as small as hidden reefs, drifting in the darkness. Fierce ghosts dwell on them, greedily sucking up the gloomy air and preying on the scattered, lonely souls.

The world is dark and devoid of spirits, and with fierce ghosts lurking in the darkness, how can the cultivators on this earth safely harvest the spiritual medicines of the Yin-attribute?

No wonder even a powerful sect like the Qingxu Dao Sect often suffers destruction when it expands its altars!

"It is said that the Netherworld is a forbidden zone for all living beings, and even the Yin God True Man is unwilling to set foot in it. After all, no one can guarantee what kind of terror might be hidden under that dark veil."

"Master, are you really going to venture into danger for a complete stranger like this Taoist priest?"

Linglong Changzhu solemnly surveyed the darkness beyond the dream. The Cloud and Rain Ghost Realm had already quietly unfolded, silently covering the entire carriage procession. The hundreds of paper soldiers and horses, drenched by the drizzling rain, instantly swelled up considerably, even resembling the appearance of the Silver Armored Changzhu.

“He offered an irresistible offer.” Li Qingyun rolled up her sleeve, revealing her right wrist. The Soul-Summoning Talisman instantly transformed into a dark color and wrapped around her, forming a terrifying Soul-Summoning Ghost Hand.

"You'll find out someday!"

As Li Qing spoke these resolute words, a chain of lightning suddenly leaped out from the void. The Sheling Demon Lightning shot out for over eight thousand feet, instantly illuminating the deep Netherworld. Along with the flashing Sheling Lightning, a terrifying body stretching over three hundred feet appeared.

Beside the floating, dark islet, which was about ten miles in circumference, a giant, serpentine ghost was coiled up. Its terrifying body, resembling a snake or python but without scales, snaked closer. Only where its head was growing, an old woman's head appeared, with white hair, withered wrinkles, and a fierce, resentful face staring intently in the direction of the carriage. It seemed that she had already seen through Li Qing's dream.

Even though Li Qing did not intend to cause trouble on this trip and planned to use a dream as a medium to delve into the Netherworld, he still encountered such a ferocious creature, so he naturally took the initiative to strike first.

With the Five Thunders in hand and the Demon Thunder as the signal, he immediately grasped five chains of lightning in his palm and struck the long-snake demon. With a loud boom, the Demon Thunder broke the spell and was extremely violent. The five chains of lightning moved like soft ropes and struck like golden spears. In the blink of an eye, they tore the monster's body to pieces when they clashed with the long-snake demon.

Even a fully-fledged long-necked demon, compared to a cultivator at the Purple Mansion level, is naturally inferior to the Thunder Law and Li Qing's Profound Yin Qi. It was overwhelmed by the Five Thunders and instantly lost its fighting power.

Before the ferocious creature could even turn around with a resentful roar, another hundred-foot-long blade of energy descended from the darkness, striking the old ghost. Every inch of vital energy gathered into the blade, and countless tiny particles of energy sliced ​​the nearly one-mile-long ferocious creature into minced meat in the blink of an eye, just like tiny knives cutting people.

"The vast sky is boundless, and the Southern Dipper steals away one's lifespan..."

Then, as Li Qing pointed to the life-extending lamp hanging in front of the carriage canopy, the evil spirit of the long-necked ghost was summoned and offered as a sacrifice to the Southern Dipper, thus receiving the blessing of the Dharma.

In just three rounds, the entire long-necked demon was reduced to nothingness.

Linglong Changzhu suddenly turned around, only to see that her Dao Lord had already slightly raised his five fingers and was playing with the five lightning chains wrapped around his fingertips.

'Indeed, there are no wrong nicknames, only wrong names. The name "Ghost Boy" is truly fitting...'

Even if a cultivator is at the Purple Mansion Foundation stage, no matter how exquisite their Daoist arts or how sharp their sword, they shouldn't be able to so easily annihilate a spirit of the same realm, body and soul. Moreover, this Long-Serpent Ghost is not listed in the Heavenly Capital's Hundred Ghosts Record. Its spiritual body is like a river, and its eyes can see through the depths of dreams. It is probably an even more extraordinary species among ghosts.

But Li Qing, he really can do it!

Linglong Changzhu lowered her eyelids slightly and was inwardly criticizing her master when Li Qing spoke.

"Most of the spirits in the Netherworld are not born from the resentment of dead beings, but are born from the dark and gloomy primordial energy. They are spirits among spirits and possess all sorts of incredible abilities."

"It is this kind of giant serpent demon that can see through illusions, look directly into the depths of dreams, and bar its fangs. No wonder the immortal sects find it difficult to set foot in the Netherworld."

Li Qing couldn't help but shake his head and sigh. Even he himself, if he hadn't been unable to refuse the Nine-Leaf Bodhi Longevity Elixir from Daoist Yuxu, would not have wanted to set foot in this chaotic area outside the Netherworld.

Only heaven knows how many ghosts and monsters are hidden in this boundless abyss!

Looking further into these four deep spaces, large and small Netherworld stones float in the darkness like meteors, while in the distance lies an endless expanse of deathly silence.

Glancing sideways at the Linglong Crazed Master, Li Qing suddenly felt a strange stirring in her heart. Her right hand touched the Southern Dipper Life-Extending Lamp, but she felt that the road ahead was dark and meaningless.

"Forget it, let's look in another direction. There are so many ghosts drifting to the west, it doesn't seem like the place that the Daoist sect's magic boat pioneered."

After all, the Daoist sect's Dharma boat traveling through this Netherworld is like a candle in the darkness, and the commotion it makes is bound to be significant. If the Dharma boat's altar soldiers have ever passed through this place, there will inevitably be some traces left behind.

Furthermore, Li Qing felt deep down that there was no light ahead. People like him who practiced prophecy were most sensitive to the connection between heaven and man.

The road ahead is likely to be fraught with difficulties...

A soft sigh was heard from within the carriage, and the paper soldiers and horses at the head of the carriage moved through the air, waving banners and flags. In just a few breaths, they changed direction and headed south again.

The road ahead is dark, the Western ruler is desolate, but perhaps taking the route through the Southern Ming will lead to a brighter future!
It was Li Qing's keen intuition, which was so sharp it was almost ingrained, and his fickle heart, which he couldn't even control, that allowed him to avoid a long-standing trap.

After the imperial carriage procession departed from the depths of the dream, this profound place suddenly trembled.

Among the scattered islets of the underworld, ghosts and spirits, as if facing imminent doom, rushed out of their dwelling crevice in a frantic rush. There were faceless ghosts, hanged ghosts, headless ghosts, and consumptive ghosts...

Amidst the riot of a hundred ghosts, the curtain that seemed to be merely a backdrop suddenly fell down, and from within the deep darkness, a desolate echo trembled faintly, instantly stirring up hundreds of miles of the dark sky.

A deep blackness descended from above, and the fear and terror of the hundred ghosts vanished. After a period of silence lasting half an incense stick's time, two enormous, crimson eyes suddenly opened!

If someone were to stand a hundred miles away in the Netherworld at this moment, they would discover that this is not some deep, dark curtain, but a towering, terrifying ghostly figure. Its deep, dark shadow is as large as Mount Tai, and when it lies here, it transforms into a vast, dark expanse. This malevolent being, with each breath, the wandering fragments of the Netherworld Island drift slowly in with the gloomy aura. Whenever this being awakens from its slumber, it opens its mouth and swallows the entire Netherworld, absorbing a hundred ghosts into its belly, silencing all sound in the Netherworld.

The crimson eyes scanned the surroundings, but did not see the little man and horse from the dream. The towering ghostly figure lost interest instantly, turned over, turned into a pool of darkness and fell asleep again, and the two huge ghostly eyes slowly closed.

This is a superior-grade Yin spirit, a malevolent ghost comparable to the ancient Zhulong and Kuafu from the Heavenly Capital mythology. It is a ghost born in response to the changes in the Netherworld.

If Li Qing had delayed even a moment longer, he would have inevitably suffered a calamity, and without using the resources of the Qishan Domain, he would likely have been unable to escape...

Fortunately, Li Qing had already headed south.

The western road is dark, only the south is bright!

Li Qing sat imposingly on the soft couch of the palanquin, toying with the octagonal Ruyi talisman in his hand. Linglong Changzhu knelt beside him, her slender figure outlined in white paper and plain clothes, grinding ink for Li Qing on the incense table.

Both seemed to sense something, and both trembled slightly at the change in the gloomy aura behind them.

"Sir, that is..."

Linglong suddenly stopped grinding her powder and looked up at Li Qing with a hint of surprise.

The dramatic change behind her was so terrifying that she couldn't sense even the slightest change, yet the hairs on her body stood on end for no reason. This was...

"Don't worry about it. The underworld is full of strange and unpredictable things. As long as it doesn't affect you and me, we can relax here and be less curious."

Li Qing stroked the purple-gold jade talisman with three fingers, his expression of determination growing stronger.

His intuition was right. The place where he had just stopped was fraught with terror ahead, a place where "there was no light ahead." Turning south would probably lead to a brighter future.

After gently comforting Linglong, Li Qing turned her gaze towards the darkness ahead, feeling that there might be a turning point in the vastness.

As Li Qing rode in his palanquin, traversing the mysterious Yin and fighting his way through the Netherworld, the grand competition of the Five Immortal Sects officially began amidst the blessed lands of the Nine Mountains and Eight Rivers.

The four major Daoist sects—Taiyi, Qingxu, Sanhuang, and Taiyue—are ranked first at the highest level.

Secondly, there are the various sects of Dan Ding, Liu Ling Shan, Tai Xuan Men, and Bai Gu Dao, which are sects with multiple Yin God combat capabilities and are ranked second.

Finally, there are the minor immortal sects and side sects such as Ziyang Sect, Qingqiu Mountain, and Yugui Zhong Clan.

Of course, there are also renowned independent cultivators from the South, such as Princess Huasu, who established her own prefecture; the Five Ghosts General of Lingnan; Wang Liulang, the Ghost God Lord of Jiangnan; and Chu Longjun of Wuxi Prefecture...

As always, no one from Tiannan Temple attended the Immortal Sect Grand Competition.

Rumors have it that Li Qing, the Ghost Prince of Tiannan Temple, will participate in the Five Directions Immortal Sects Battle. Coupled with his recent reputation for killing a deity of the Imperial Dynasty, many people from all sides in the Southern Kingdom are looking towards the empty seat at Tiannan Temple.

However, when it came time for the arena battle, Tai Xuan-Chen Mu faced Tian Nan-You Huang Zi and was given a bye.
The Three Emperors Taoist, who was presiding over the competition, repeatedly checked the Taoist names of this round of battles, and scanned the left and right sides of the arena several times, but indeed no one answered.

"Brother Youhuangzi has important matters to attend to and has withdrawn from this competition!" The disciple of the Three Emperors Sect, who specializes in the Yuan Magnetic Heavy Domain, arrived at the edge of the arena at the right time, cupped his hands to his senior brother on the stage, and explained to the crowd watching the competition.

Unsurprisingly, Tiannan Temple has been absent from the seventh of the eight Immortal Sect Competitions held in its fourth year of existence.

The Qi Refining Path in Tiannan is always like this; the various sects in the Southern Kingdom are already used to it.

The scholars of Jiangnan Hongdou Academy felt a pang of regret. Their childhood classmates were no longer from the same world as them, and now even the thought of catching a glimpse of Li Erlang's charisma was a luxury.

Princess Huasu and the Dragon King of Wuxi, who were in the audience seats, surprisingly did not disagree at this moment. They turned their heads and looked at each other.

"Li Qing just defeated the Northern Dynasty's Li Shan God in a battle, yet he is unable to participate in the grand event of the Immortal Sect. Could it be that he is also injured?"

Chu Longjun turned his head to look at Hua Su, the female ruler, and asked in confusion:
"If that's the case, I, Old Dragon, still have a bottle of White Spirit Dew from the Seven Star Pavilion, which is extremely beneficial for healing injuries to the spiritual power of Yin Spirits..."

This old dragon is quite wealthy, has many good things in his possession, and is also a man of great stature.

However, the Queen of Huasu sneered and retorted, "How would I know? I am the Queen of Huasu Palace, not the Queen of the Underworld."

Such words, spoken by Princess Huasu and heard by the Dragon King, were truly a blow to the heart.

Nominally, she was the Queen of Wuxi Longze, not Li Qing's Daoist partner. They had only had some interactions before, so how could she know?

Such blatant mockery caused all the cultivators, large and small, on the viewing platform to keep their eyes down and not dare to show any mockery. They had long heard that Princess Hua Su and Chu Longjun were the two evil stars of Rahu Ketu, and neither of them could be offended!

No matter how much resentment the two harbored or what strange incidents they caused, all the Taoist priests observing the ceremony had to endure it.

"you you……"

Old Long meant well, but Hua Su's sneer made him so angry that his face turned red and he couldn't speak for a long time.

In recent years, the Li family clan seems to have achieved more and more success in the path of immortality. First, the fourth son, Li Yuzheng, attained the position of Yin God Venerable. Now, Princess Huasu is only half a step away from achieving the same goal, making her even more unapproachable.

As Chu Longjun's expression shifted, he made up his mind to get rid of this plague god from Wuxi, otherwise, the Dragon Palace's business would be used to benefit others!
While the various Taoists observing the ceremony had their own speculations, a silver-haired Taoist priest from the highest-ranking Cloud Platform spoke up.

"Fellow Daoist Youhuang's methods are extremely powerful; he didn't even suffer any injuries after cursing the mountain god!"

"However... I troubled Fellow Daoist Youhuang for a favor a few days ago, which is why I was delayed in the Immortal Sect Competition..."

Daoist Yuxu lowered his gaze and met the eyes of Chu Longjun and the others, explaining in a gentle voice.

He didn't know the connection between these people and that Li Qing, but it seemed that they had known each other for a long time? If that was the case, he might as well tell them openly, so as to avoid outsiders making wild guesses and causing trouble for that Fellow Daoist Li.

(End of this chapter)