The Path to Immortality Begins with the Life-Extending Lamp

Chapter 250 Return and a Short Rest
"Today is the eighth day, and there are still two days left until the agreed-upon ten-day period."

"Tai Xu's soul lamp is unharmed. Given Li Erlang's proud nature as a scholar, he would never give up halfway if he hadn't succeeded..."

"Ghostly Gentleman Li Qing truly lives up to his reputation; the matter is likely settled!"

Daoist Yuxu picked up the jade talisman, glanced at the Immortal Sect Grand Competition that was about to determine the top twenty-one on the Flower Ranking, and finally let out a long sigh of relief.

That Taixu is such a worry!

"Let's go back to the temple first, set up the altar, and welcome your Senior Brother Taixu..."

Looking around at the banquet platform packed with people, Daoist Yuxu pointed into the air, pulled out his Dharma flag and canopy, and left his seat.

Among all the Daoist paths, Yu Xu is the foremost, and he is undoubtedly the rightful successor of the Dao.

In this year's Immortal Sect Grand Competition, Daoist Yuxu is attending as a venerable observer. Once a top-ranked figure on the flower list, he is now a mere figurehead, and his every move attracts attention.

As soon as he stood up, all the disciples of Qingxu in the distance raised their eyebrows. Although they didn't know what had happened, they could only suppress their doubts and follow the leader away.

Such a large-scale departure drew the attention of all the esteemed figures from the various immortal sects, who watched the magnificent departing cloud formation with varying expressions.

Only a few people who knew that Yu Xu and Li Qing had made a deal seemed to be deep in thought...

The Immortal Sect Grand Competition is currently in the final round of elimination matches, which will determine the last twenty-one winners. Those who are listed on the Flower Ranking will receive the Elixir of Immortality - the Bodhi Leaf of Enlightenment.

Not long after Yu Xu's carriage returned to the Qingxu Dao Sect's residence, a void vortex suddenly arose in the land of nine mountains and eight rivers. A beam of mysterious light rose from the Tongyou Altar and shot straight into the depths of the void. The black and white energies then transformed into a yin-yang fish diagram, opening a portal in the vortex and connecting to the boundless dark sky.

On the other side of the portal, Li Qing, who had been waiting quietly in the Netherworld for a long time while sending messages through broken talismans, immediately stirred up a thousand waves upon seeing the strange occurrence in the void. These waves transformed into a sky-covering auspicious cloud, stabilizing the universe and assisting the Netherworld Altar in securing the portal in the void.

Li Qing does have his own methods; he could use the authority of Qishan to open a Yin-Yang portal of his own. But if he does that, the other end of the portal will fall into the Qishan domain...

The clouds and mist rolled and stretched for hundreds of miles, their power overwhelming the heavens and the earth. They protected the Daoists of Qingxu, who had not yet recovered their ability to protect themselves. They did not need to rely on the protection of the Dharma Boat barrier to forcibly cross the void between the two realms.

Upon entering the mysterious barrier, the energy of heaven and earth changed instantly. The extremely oppressive suffocating feeling in the dark sky began to slowly subside as they moved away, replaced by the spiritual energy of the heavenly capital.

The auspicious cloud vanished into the sky, breaking through the boundary and entering the Heavenly Capital. Li Qing stood atop the cloud, and with a wave of his sleeve, he instantly caused the auspicious cloud above to gather and disperse into a sky full of clouds. The many Taoists protected within it lost their footing and fell into the altar in the blink of an eye. Along with them, the four longevity lamps that were still burning eternally also fell.

"Fortunately, I live up to my fate!"

"The Five Paths of Pure Emptiness are all here."

Li Qing walked through the void, looking down at the Tongyou Dharma Altar. His True Mandate robes rustled in the biting wind, while his large sleeves fluttered, gathering all kinds of clouds. In the blink of an eye, a hundred miles of auspicious clouds were gathered into his sleeves, and strange phenomena were incorporated into the universe.

The true disciples, elders, and leaders of the Qingxu Dao Sect who had rushed over looked up in surprise at the Daoist in the clouds, only to discover that the two seemed to have made a prior agreement.

"Tai Xu? Chen Shangbai? Guan..."

"Aren't these the true disciples who were once ordered to enter the Netherworld and whom we have lost contact with?"

Looking at the Tongyou altar now, everyone knew that this Daoist leader had probably asked other high-ranking Daoists from other immortal sects to rescue the person.

After all, Yu Xu and Tai Xu are from the same school, and this Daoist leader certainly cannot let go of his junior brother!

"But who is that person...?"

Adorned with seven stars and lotus flowers, the Taoist priest, dressed in a pure and mysterious robe, with sleeves embracing the sea of ​​clouds, stepped into the void. He glanced briefly at the altar below, but clearly had no intention of coming down to greet him. He simply flicked two beams of mysterious light at the Jade Void Taoist and turned to ride the wind away.

What an arrogant and haughty Taoist priest!

Master Yuxu raised an eyebrow and caught the mysterious light that Li Qing threw at him. It was an eight-cornered purple-gold talisman and a jade ruyi that sealed one of his own supernatural powers. These two were originally meant to help Li Qing that day, but it was clear that he had no use for them.

"Senior brother."

"Daoshou..."

Qingxu Wudao and Li Qing had interacted for several days, and Qingxu knew that Li Qing was arrogant and unyielding. He also knew where Li Qing's world-weary confidence came from, and he spoke up to explain it to him.

Although Li Qing's actions did not give the Daoist leader much face in front of the Qingxu disciples, Yu Xu himself could understand.

How dangerous is the Netherworld? Even a Yin God True Person who hastily enters it will inevitably end up covered in dust and grime. Li Qing's group only took eight days to find his five junior brothers. The risks they took, and even whether they were injured, are still unknown. Of course, there is no need to waste time praising each other.

Raising his arm to stop his fellow disciples, Daoist Yuxu called softly to Li Qing's departing figure and then tossed a gold note to her.

"Fellow Daoist Li, I owe you a favor this time!"

"The Immortal Sect Competition is not yet over. The most exciting event will begin tomorrow. Fellow Daoist, would you mind going to watch the ceremony on my behalf?"

The Immortal Clan Grand Competition? Is it still not over?

Li Qing, who hadn't gone far, suddenly stopped, caught the golden invitation flying towards him from behind with two fingers, and then nodded slightly to the various Daoists in the altar behind him. "Approved!"

And so, above the clear sky, there were flowing clouds riding the wind, turning around the mountains, circling the marshland, stretching a rainbow for thousands of miles, and returning to the immortal peak where guests reside.

Of course, the reason why this Ghost Prince Li Qing withdrew from the Immortal Sect Competition without participating in a single battle also spread like wildfire.

He had originally gone to You Tian to rescue someone from the Qingxu Dao Sect!

Does the Ghost Prince of the Cui family really possess extraordinary abilities in that Netherworld?

The old-timers of the Five Directions Immortal Sect had incredibly interesting expressions on their faces, all eager to meet this Ghost Prince, who had risen to fame in recent years yet remained remarkably low-key.

You should know that even though your Qingxu Daoist sect suffered misfortune due to greed, you could still ask the Ghost Lord to settle things. We old Daoists can also ask him to keep an eye out and help us collect some elixirs for the spirits of the dead, which would increase our chances of entering the realm of the dead...

In this land of nine mountains and eight rivers, people's hearts were in turmoil. For a time, the term "Netherworld" was frequently on the lips of Taoist disciples and scholars. The Taoists also gained a clearer understanding of the place of rest that all spirits avoided.

At this moment, Li Qing, having returned from You Tian, ​​entered the Jingxin Hall. She first bathed and changed clothes to wash away her fatigue, then lit a censer of purple incense in the hall and closed her eyes to meditate and take a short rest.

After a long and fierce battle with the corpse demon, Li Qing's soul pressure and vital energy were significantly depleted. After this battle, he gained a clearer understanding of the Yin God Realm.

Now, as Li Qing dissects the battle of that day, he feels that his supernatural abilities have more room for improvement. The Nanming Sun Technique, limited by its fire-based foundation, has not been improved for a long time. Every time Li Qing uses this technique, he feels that its killing power is still a step short.

You should know that when he first entered the Daoist path, he relied on his phosphorescent fire technique to get there!

Having obtained the Fire in the Stone and the Fire in the Human World, perhaps we should now seek out the whereabouts of the Fire in the Sky, the Fire in the Wood, and the Six Ding Fire. If we could gather all five fires together, it would surely be a whole new world.

The Qi Dao Qingyun Method becomes increasingly powerful as one progresses through the later stages of cultivation. It gathers Qi into a blade, condensing a Qi Sea Heavenly Blade capable of severing Yin Spirits. However, this path relies on years of accumulation and gradual progress, with no possibility of shortcuts.

The Great Black Heaven Mantra is truly remarkable. Under its power, no matter how skilled you are, your mind will be extraordinary. The footprints of celestial demons will appear in a chaotic manner, and you will kill nightmares in your dreams with a dagger. Even all ghosts will have to retreat.

The Paper Spirit Secret Technique, the Armored Demon Art, the Soul-Summoning Ghost Hand, the Command of the Five Thunders... these are all supernatural abilities, but they still require a lot of time to cultivate and practice.

By now, Li Qing possessed a considerable number of protective and sacrificial artifacts, including the Life-Extending Lamp, the Rebirth Chariot, the Heavenly Storage Gourd, the Life-Substitute Witch Puppet, and the Eternal Regret Ghost Scissors… He even had two magical treasures among them. Unfortunately, most of these were primarily for protection and sacrifice, and the Eternal Regret Ghost Scissors were not to be used lightly. Once the mechanism of the Ghost Scissors was prematurely revealed, there would be no chance of victory…

It seems we need to find another magical artifact, a weapon of war, preferably one that can be used to perform magic through paper figures and incantations. This would allow us to perform magic from hundreds of miles away and engage in combat beyond the reach of sight.

"Legend has it that among the thirty-six great supernatural powers of the Heavenly Gang, there is one called the Seven Arrows with Nailheads. This involves making paper spirits and using small arrows to nail the paper spirits to the straw figures. It is the first-class method of controlling witchcraft and ghosts, and even immortals cannot escape death!"

"The Fangxian Dao in the Northern Kingdom happens to possess half a scroll of the 'Seven Arrows of Nailhead,' even though the Yuhua Dao has been destroyed. Was that Yinghuo the Daoist disciple of the Yuhua Dao? He's currently hiding in the Eleven Luminaries Heavenly Palace. I've heard that the Fangxian Dao isn't doing too well either?"

"Should I...?"

The ancient Taoist tradition—the Fangxian Tao—inquires of gods and spirits, and is a combination of ancient witchcraft and the Tao of gods and immortals, which is very similar to the path that Li Qing has taken.

If one truly wishes to forge a grand and dignified path on this road, intersection with that immortal path is absolutely unavoidable.

With his current abilities, he should take the initiative to make contact!

Purple smoke curled up in the hall, and the Taoist's thoughts were as ethereal and swirling as the soothing smoke. On this day, he neither practiced Qi nor paid attention to anything in the underworld. After the fierce battle, he simply pondered his own path of cultivation, remembering his initial aspirations when he entered the Tao.

At the beginning of his Taoist journey, he thought he would be a carefree Taoist who would travel the Three Mountains and Five Peaks on a banana leaf. Later, he discovered that the banana leaf ritual implements used by Taoists were actually not that great.

Later, seeing his senior brother in blue riding the wind on his sword, roaming freely in the world, he also hoped that if he could survive the backlash of the Netherworld Pact, he could focus on cultivating swordsmanship.

Later, under the repeated onslaught of the mysterious nightmares, all illusions were lost...

While deep in meditation here, Li Qing had a rare lucid dream!

In the vast darkness, Li Qing dreamt that he was dressed in a purple robe with the Eight Trigrams, with water and fire attendants by his side, one holding a lamp and the other carrying a jade carriage. They lived above the world, overlooking the eight hundred realms of the Milky Way.

Before him stood rows of paper figures. The first paper figure was inscribed with the words "Golden Emperor," riding a dragon and wielding a mace, reigning supreme over the Three Realms. Another was named "Wood Lord," whose body had transformed into the World Tree, supporting the thirty-three directions of the Immortal Continent. Yet another was called "Dao Lord," with a million disciples, the source of the Immortal Dao, and eternal life...

Each of these paper figures is connected to the aura of the overlords of various realms, but it is clear that each of these paper figures is a deadly spirit!

Beside him, the Water and Fire Boys, holding spirit lamps and carrying jade carriages, shouted loudly, and the Taoist priest in the purple robe with the Eight Trigrams appeared above the Milky Way, looking down upon all worlds. With a light laugh, he flicked his finger and raised the seven-inch arrow at his waist, pulling it out of the paper figure. As the arrow rose, a curse was born, the Three Realms collapsed, thunder and fire surged, heaven and earth were overturned, the Heavenly Palace fell, and the Golden Emperor descended to earth.

The second arrow caused the Jianmu tree to wither and decay, the Boundary Sea to dry up, and countless ghostly footprints surged from the Netherworld, driving the thirty-three immortal continents on the Jianmu tree into the Underworld and sinking them into the Yellow Springs. The Jianmu tree was overthrown, and all spirits returned to their rest.

After the two arrows, the blood-red scissors at the Taoist's waist seemed somewhat dissatisfied, detaching themselves from his purple immortal robes. With a flick of the blades, they instantly transformed into two blood dragons, each ninety-nine hundred thousand feet long, encircling the Netherworld Sea. The two dragons attacked from the left and right, ignoring the straw spirit paper figures, and went straight for the Daoist Lord's Immortal Court. The two dragons circled the pearl, transforming into a pair of blood dragon scissors, which crashed into the immortal mountain. Boundless blood resentment and overwhelming killing intent instantly annihilated a hundred thousand miles away. Pavilions and palaces collapsed from the clouds, and millions of immortals sank into the sea of ​​blood.

The Taoist's face was never clearly visible; only his nonchalant gaze was vaguely discernible, bearing a six-tenths resemblance to Li Qing now…

The word "dream" has no explanation; it is merely the delusional thought of a being at a particular moment.

But one thing is certain: as his cultivation level increases and as his enemies fall one by one, his ambition will inevitably begin to grow along with his strength!

(End of this chapter)