The Path to Immortality Begins with the Life-Extending Lamp

Chapter 248 A Prophecy Come True

"you……"

"A ghost marriage contract?"

The three-headed ghoul frantically broke through the darkness and fled from the void, its three empty, deep-set eyes coldly staring at the two people not far away.

A crimson light spilled and spread, merging with the Netherworld that sealed the heavens and locked the earth. A man and a woman came side by side. The man was handsome and dashing, with a hint of gloom, while the woman was aloof and flawless, yet her malice was chilling.

The two energies are intertwined and connected, as if they were one. Just now it wondered why this person possessed such a strange Xuan Yin energy. Was it because there was someone else behind him?
The boundary between life and death should not be crossed at will. The living have their pursuits, and the dead have their rules.

However, in the era of the Six Heavens Ghosts, there was a ritual that allowed the living to enter the Netherworld and break through the boundary between Yin and Yang, which was called "Netherworld Marriage".

The boundary is divided into Yin and Yang, and people are divided into men and women. This is the complementarity at the time of the birth of the Great Dao. Yin and Yang are in harmony, and they are bound together. One party makes a betrothal, agreeing on the date of birth. On the day of the first meeting, a contract is established. This is an imitation of the celestial marriage of the more ancient mythological era.

The "Ghost Marriage Contract" is an extremely complicated ritual. Those who undergo this ritual enter the underworld and are regarded as ghosts and gods of the same origin. They enter the ancestral temple and enjoy all the authority of the direct line.

"So this is some kind of ghostly gentleman!"

No wonder, no wonder he possesses so many forbidden techniques, no wonder he could summon another Ghost Lord at the Yin God Realm with just a few words.

The old ghost hoarsely pointed out Li Qing's background, but the Ghost Mother clearly didn't give it a chance to get close.

But then she saw the Ghost Mother beside Li Qing cast her gaze at her expressionlessly. Having failed to subdue the three-headed old ghost with two attacks, she grew increasingly impatient.

Beneath the plain white robes of the Ghost Mother, the profound Yin energy surged ever higher, each wisp of it weighing immensely. The black waters of the Netherworld that it manifested were the ultimate destination of all things in the world. All methods and myriad supernatural powers, once fallen into this black waters of the Netherworld, would be weakened to the extreme.

After achieving the status of a Yin God, the Netherworld authority of Qishan had become part of her ghost realm. The more the old ghost tried to hide, the more powerlessly she sank into this Xuan Yin Netherworld.

It wanted to escape, but long ago, when this underworld was covered by an even stronger ghost realm, it could no longer escape!

In the boundless Netherworld, the Ghost Mother's jade hand made a grabbing motion, and from the depths of the Profound Yin Netherworld, two massive hands formed from Netherworld black water immediately appeared, slamming together where the three-headed old ghost stood. In an instant, another enormous spatial vortex began to twist.

The "Mysterious Yin" law, which weakens all the Great Daos in the domain to the extreme, is like the other side of "Mysterious Yellow." The former has the ability to suppress and weaken all supernatural powers and strange methods, while the latter is the vast foundation of the universe and can repel all laws.

If Li Qing can achieve the Yin God status, then the blessings of Qishan will descend, and he will face two choices. One is to refine the essence and eliminate all impurities, and cultivate a breath of primordial ancestral energy, which can shake the peace of the universe with its breath; the other is to seek the root of the Xuan Yin Mother Qi, cultivate a breath of Xuan Yin Ancestral Qi, and give birth to a small Netherworld that can suppress all Daoist techniques.

The former is the orthodox path of cultivating Qi to become an immortal, while the latter is another path of "ghost immortality" that no one has ever walked before!
Gazing at the old ghost that had been flattened by the Ghost Mother's profound Yin handprint, Li Qing was still startled. He had anticipated that the Ghost Mother would be extraordinary after achieving the Great Dao of Yin God. After all, possessing the will of Qishan and the foundation of the Cui family, she could not possibly be weak.

It was clear that the old ghost, despite his best efforts, had failed to inflict much damage, and was utterly defeated by the Ghost Mother in their first encounter. He could only lament that he was still a long way from becoming the Lord of Qishan, and that he would have to live off her for a long time to come…

The scapegoat puppet, which had been full of malice just moments before, inexplicably quieted down after the Ghost Mother descended. At this moment, the puppet resembled a small performer, lying on Li Qing's right shoulder, its small hands tightly gripping Li Qing's collar. It could not discern who the terrifying Ghost Lord on Li Qing's left was, and could only be extremely cautious.

"This supernatural power?"

Seeing the three old ghosts separate one of their heads and escape swiftly from a crack, with a wisp of incorruptible yellow energy instantly filling in the missing part of their bodies, Li Qing raised an eyebrow.

If he remembered correctly, this was the third time this old ghost had used this miraculous power of resurrection.
Previously, Li Qing had attacked that layer of yellow mist several times, but to no avail. It remained uncorrupted and undamaged. Could this be the 'divine will' unique to this old ghost?
Surprised, Li Qing's movements did not falter in the slightest. Just as the old ghost turned to tear open the Netherworld Ghost Domain and escape from this cage, five lightning arcs shot out. At this moment, the chain-like five lightning bolts transformed into real lightning chains, wrapping around the old ghost's feet. In the next instant, a tremendous force came from the lightning chains, and the old ghost was actually swung to the ground and dragged all the way to Li Qing.

Having obtained the Jade Spirit Heaven-Mending Technique to reshape his Dao body, Li Qing's physical body was terrifying enough. Combined with the Five Thunder Technique and the Soul-Summoning Technique, he used immense force to drag the chain-like lightning arcs, and he actually managed to forcibly block the old ghost's retreat route, intending to suppress and kill him here!

That incorruptible yellow aura resembled a mysterious yellow, where lightning arcs leaped and the netherworld surged. The tall ghost woman and the dashing Taoist walked side by side, step by step. The native ghosts and spirits, mired in the mysterious yin and netherworld, all wailed mournfully. Once washed by the mysterious yin black water, all the ghosts perished, like the Yellow Springs of Weak Water, their souls shattered and their bones scraped away, becoming a great poison to all living beings in the world.

Even the hordes of Taoist priests surrounding the carriage of the dead felt a pang of sorrow upon hearing the mournful cries of the departed spirits, as if Li Qing and his companion were the ultimate villains, the great evil who regarded life as worthless!
"No, that's..."

However, Daoist Yuxu and Senior Brother Chen raised their eyebrows and immediately spotted the shimmering light amidst the dim fluorescent glow to the north of the Netherworld.

Those were three three-leaf, three-flower fruit plants of spiritual medicinal quality, which were also the targets he and his companions had set for entering this Netherworld.

The three spiritual herbs, over ten thousand years old, immediately began to shimmer with spiritual light when they encountered the Xuan Yin Mother Qi, which resembled black water. This was the Dao essence contained within the ten-thousand-year-old herbs repelling the Xuan Yin Mother Qi, and it was also their means of avoiding natural disasters in this competitive world.

How could the changes in their expressions escape the notice of Linglong the Rampant Lord and the Flying Corpse, Faceless, and other powerful figures? Following their concealed gazes, these powerful figures also immediately discovered the three rare spiritual herbs.

"This is... a fourth-grade spiritual herb, just like the Azure Spirit Tree in the Eastern Fence Garden?"

General Flying Corpse and Master Linglong exchanged a glance, instantly understanding each other. The two of them discreetly protected the Taoists behind them, while giving a wink to General Armored Crow and Faceless Crow.

The entire desolate underworld was suppressed by them with great effort. Seeing that the master and the Ghost Mother were about to destroy the three Lords of the Underworld, they couldn't let these few cheap Taoists take the benefits.

Even if we're trying to get people out of trouble, we can't expect them to make the trip empty-handed.

After receiving Li Qing's meticulous guidance, the Jiazi Clan of Rampants gradually grew in both cultivation and spiritual awareness. Their inherently aggressive, ruthless, and cruel nature became increasingly apparent. But this was precisely what Li Qing sought. If his followers were all lambs, how could they protect his path?
Only when each of the sixty-year-old rabble is a greedy wolf, and he holds the wolf's head and controls the ferocity of the rabble, can he have the ambition to strike from afar and sweep away all worlds!

Li Qing naturally saw the three spiritual herbs manifest in the Netherworld immediately, but he did not focus his attention on them.

The three-headed old ghost shattered the chain of lightning that was hooking its feet with its two claws, and then was hastily grabbed by the ghost mother. Half of its body was twisted into a pretzel, and the remaining twisted magical intent spread along the wound.

On one hand, he summoned the incorruptible yellow aura to resist the twisted magic of the Ghost Mother, and on the other hand, he turned around and scolded Li Qing for his traitorous behavior in the Ghost Path.

"The various sects from beyond the heavens have invaded the Netherworld, ostensibly to gather herbs, but their true purpose is to plunder the resources for cultivation!"

“I have long consumed the fruit of the three leaves and three flowers, and thus acquired a three-headed, divine skull. How could I allow outsiders to covet it? So the Taoist priest ate it all.”

"You, a mere ghostly son-in-law, travel between the Yin and Yang realms, waving the banner of us Six Heavens Ghosts and Gods, yet you turn around and act as the master of the Heavenly Capital Taoist? Do you really think that your underworld will not be coveted by others?"

"What shameless scum!"

The imperial dynasty of Tiandu attracted deities to lead the way. The Earth God of Wangliang Mountain and the Mountain Lord of Beiyi Mountain each transformed into a thousand-foot-tall deity and traveled through the Netherworld to gather all the spiritual herbs for the Northern Emperor, in order to refine the sixth-grade "elixir of immortality" of Tiandu.

The celestial sects of the Southern Kingdom acted furtively, and in their quest to seize elixirs from the underworld to nourish the spirits of the dead, they also overthrew many already desolate lands of the underworld.

Furthermore, the organization called "Heavenly Palace" and the Lingnan Ghost and God Clan also traveled to and from the Netherworld, causing a great deal of trouble.

This ghostly man actually relies on the background of the Six Heavenly Gods and Demons to help the Taoist priests of Tiandu.
The words of the Desolate Lord - the Three-Headed Old Ghost - elicited different reactions from the crowd.

Several Taoist priests from the Qingxu Taoist sect already had their suspicions. The Taoist priest from Tiannan Temple was versed in Yin-Yang philosophy, could perform prophecies and incantations, and had also arranged ghost marriages, earning him the title of "Ghost Marriage"...

Isn't this the Ghost Gentleman from the Immortal Sect who transitioned from the path of a scholar to the path of an immortal? But what they never expected was that the legend of the Ghost Gentleman only happened more than ten years ago, and now his cultivation has reached this level?
The crowd displayed various expressions, yet remained silent, observing the actions unfolding on the field.

Upon hearing this, Li Qing couldn't help but shake her head!

"What Six Heavens Ghost God Banner? When you were trying to eat me, you didn't show me any mercy!"

"As for Li, he often relies on Sister Cui..."

Turning her head to look at the Ghost Mother, Li Qing simply shook her head slightly, completely unconcerned, and said:

"The day the pact was formed, we were already as one, inseparable in life and death. What need is there for reliance?"

"Besides, look at me, how do I resemble a true Taoist cultivator at all!"

His ambiguous words, coupled with the blood-red ghost lantern he carried, the ghostly hand that seemed to summon ghosts with a menacing air, and the suffocatingly dark background, made Li Qing appear even more sinister.

Are you so desperate that you want to reason with this Taoist priest about the rules? But perhaps he's a heretic?
Amidst these cold laughs, Li Qing flipped his palm and took out the "Eternal Regret Ghost Scissors" that he hadn't used before. Right now, the three corpse ghosts opposite him were trapped in the Netherworld, with nowhere to go. Moreover, Li Qing had previously seized one of the old ghost's skulls and obtained its original energy.

With no way to escape the situation and being controlled by human energy, the two elements of the "Changhen Ghost Scissors' Certain Death Curse" are complete, and the "Three-Headed Ghost King" is also nearing his death.

Li Qing reached into the blood box and slowly took out the old scissors wrapped with ghost hair. With the Ghost Mother by his side, he felt completely at ease and didn't even bother to look at the old ghost. He was completely immersed in the curse ritual.

Gently untying the ghost's hair, Li Qing closed her eyes slightly and used her soul pressure to connect with the glass bead that had just been transformed from the ghost's skull by the thunder and fire. The bead pointed directly to the aura of the three-headed old ghost.

"Remember, you must not allow the person who practices the incantation to obtain any information about your incarnation, flesh, hair, or any other vital energy!"

"The art of regeneration is not a panacea! Ghost Lord, please rest in peace..."

This seemingly well-intentioned warning is the core essence of divine prophecy: within a certain causal chain, a single word determines the final outcome; it is both a prophecy and a curse.

As Li Qing gently blew on the ghost scissors lying in front of him, the dark night was torn apart by an invisible blade in the blink of an eye. The ghost scissors snapped shut, and three ghost heads were severed from their throats. The majestic aura instantly plummeted to the bottom.

The three-headed corpse demon, the desolate ghost lord, the master of this hundred-six-mile-long Soul Light Underworld—died!

It committed a grave mistake. If it hadn't been so arrogant as to throw out the ghost's head, and if it hadn't lost its original energy and perfected Yin spirit cultivation, it would have had a chance to dodge this incomplete ghost scissors attack.

Just as Li Qing warned in the end, one's incarnation, flesh and blood, hair, qi, and true name must never fall into the hands of those who practice the way of prophecy and incantation.

In this world of ghosts and spirits, curses run rampant, and the practice of magic is flourishing. Every cultivator must act with utmost caution...

(End of this chapter)