The Path to Immortality Begins with the Life-Extending Lamp

Chapter 252 Various Sectors
Travel through nine mountains and eight rivers, and see a thousand miles in a single day.

When Li Qing and the Ghost Mother parted ways and stopped walking, the Immortal Summit venue of the Immortal Clan Grand Competition was already packed with people.

Beside them, the Mighty Mountain-Moving Warriors used thirteen mist-shrouded green peaks as a viewing platform to overlook a massive magical platform.

The Five Mountains Talismans, the Inner Sect of the Alchemy Cauldron, the Golden Elixir of Taiyue, the Refining Spirit of Taiyi, and several unorthodox sects... all the famous and renowned immortal sects in the Southern Kingdom participated.

The celestial peaks, with their steps formed by clouds and canopies of brocade, gathered the crowds atop them, all sharing in this grand event.

Li Qing arrived rather late. The Immortal Sect Competition had already begun. Following the golden invitation in front of him, he headed towards the viewing platform of Tiannan Temple.

As is customary, each of the five immortal sects has its own independent viewing platform. Even though Tiannan Temple has never participated much, as long as that Ancestor Yin is present, no one dares to suggest withdrawing from the ceremony.

Today, as everyone gathered to witness the ceremony, a figure suddenly appeared on the usually empty viewing platform overlooking the abyss.

The unfamiliar Taoist priest, with a crown like a lotus flower adorned with seven stars, a brocade robe shimmering with light, and a face as warm as jade, sat alone at the head of the somewhat empty viewing platform, looking every bit like the master of the house.

The immortal cultivators on each peak all turned their heads to look at the cloud platform inscribed with "Tiannan Temple".

The story of the ghost boy from Tiannan was all the rage a few days ago, and now a young Taoist priest has settled in Yuntai. How could they not know about it?

With a flick of her sleeve, Li Qingyun commanded the jade talisman on the table in front of the stage to spontaneously project the images of the two Purple Mansion Daoists from the Central Grand Competition onto the water screen, with Daoist text accompanying the imagery.

However, before Li Qing could calm down and observe the competition closely, she immediately heard teasing voices.

"Brother Li has accomplished something truly remarkable these past few days; his fame has spread throughout the entire immortal sect."

The naturally intimate words rang in Li Qing's ears, causing him to look up.

On the left-hand platform are the Five Ghosts General, the Five Streams Dragon Lord, the Jiangnan Prefect, and Lady Huasu; beside the right-hand platform are the former White Bone Daoist - Lady White Bone, Lady Lingnan Jade Face, Ghost Lord Wang Liulang, and Lady Qingqiu...

Following the thirteen immortal peaks slowly, the first thing they saw was the "Dragon-Taming Lord"?
On the four celestial peaks at the top, Ding Sansheng, a true disciple of Taiyi, stood on the outermost edge of the eastern platform. When he saw Li Qing looking over, he gave a kind smile. Among the disciples lined up beside him were more than ten Taoist priests and nuns, all of whom were of elegant and refined appearance. Each of them possessed an extraordinary aura, which made Ding Sansheng appear somewhat overshadowed.

"That's... Senior Brother Bu Lingxu?"

Looking further into the cloud platform of the Taiyi Dao, one sees a man and a woman seated in the very center amidst a crowd of true disciples. The woman is dignified, her eyes displaying the strange phenomena of the sun and moon, with boundless secret power interwoven within. It is clear that she has manifested the existence of the Sun and Moon Gods, which is an extremely profound realm in the Dao of Refining Gods, likely at the level of a Dao Child.

The Taoist priest beside him was none other than Bu Lingxu, the Taoist master in plain clothes whom Li Qing had met in the outer sea years ago!
Now that he has returned to the Taiyi Sect and is above many true disciples, could it be that he has reclaimed the Jiangzhen Immortal Peak?

Li Qing met Bu Lingxu's gaze, bowed respectfully from afar, then turned and transformed into a cloud, soaring into the sky and heading straight for the Cloud Platform of the Taiyue Shangxing Sect.

"what?"

"Does Bu Daozi have some connection with the Ghostly Gentleman of Tiannan?"

The female Taoist priest of the Taiyi sect, seated at the east seat of the Cloud Terrace, picked up the jade ruyi with hairpin tassel in her hand and immediately noticed Li Qing's gaze. She looked at the man beside her with a half-smile.

This person seems to have some connection with Bu Lingxu, who was parachuted into the position of Daoist Child.

Bu Lingxu was once a true disciple of Taiyi Jiangzhen Peak. After the immortal peak was taken away during the rotation, he relied on the favor of his Yin Shen ancestor to seize two magic treasures from Jiangzhen Peak, uproot the scripture pavilion, empty the treasury, and fought his way out to the East Sea, where he entered the outer sea and started his own lineage.

Having cultivated for half a century, the Su Nu Jiang Zhen lineage of his has grown increasingly powerful. Summoned back by the True Man, he was appointed as one of the Four Great Dao Disciples.

This caused dissatisfaction, resentment, and unwillingness among many within the Daoist sect!

Even though many people in the sect harbored disloyalty towards him, this chosen one from heaven, Bu Lingxu remained unmoved.

Playing with the Eight Views Universe Instrument in his hand, Bu Lingxu sat high on the main seat with an imposing air, overlooking the mountain capital. When he saw Xiyue Daozi ask him a question, he couldn't help but smile.

"Li Qing?"

"I had a brief encounter with him during my travels overseas years ago, about seven years ago, when he had just reached the peak of Qi Refining..."

Now, this Li Lang has already reached the Purple Palace Foundation, and he only needs to complete the Dharma to achieve perfection!

"Junior Sister Yan, didn't you travel to the Underworld of Yinghai with Li Qing and exchange communication talismans?"

"Perhaps we can arrange a meeting with him after the competition. Gui Lang's reputation has truly spread far and wide lately."

Bu Lingxu looked down at the cloud platform. Yan Danling and other Taoist priests in plain clothes from the original Jiangzhen Immortal Peak had also come with him to participate in this ceremony. This junior sister Yan had traveled with Li Qing to explore Yinghai in the past and had also given him the Jiangzhen Dharma Robe. Their friendship was not bad.

"Oh... okay!"

The female Taoist priest surnamed Yan stood on tiptoe to look at the departing figure, and after a moment of stunned silence, she responded to her senior brother.

She had heard of a man named Li Erlang, who married into the underworld and became its ruler, possessing supernatural powers and the ability to fight against spirits. But how could she have imagined that the infamous ghost lord was the same naive young man from the distant seas of yesteryear?
These two people are actually the same person!
Yan Danling pulled out the plain-colored communication talisman from her sleeve, and a sense of bewilderment crept into her heart.

The Immortal Sect Banquet was much grander than the main venue. There were sixteen sects from the five directions, plus many powerful cultivators from other sects. Although each sect controlled a region, the immortal cultivation circle was only so big, and everyone knew each other.

Li Qing exchanged brief greetings with the Taoists in plain clothes from the Taiyi Dao Sect, then crossed the distance between the three mountains without stopping, landing at the Cloud Platform of the Taiyue Shangxing Sect.

He had no connection with the Taiyue Sect, but the Taoist Qu Hua, who was surrounded by various sects in the center, truly put Li Qing at ease.

After all, the two share the same identity, both being lords of the Six Heavens Ancient Clan's Underworld and members of "Fengdu Heaven," with considerable vested interests behind them.

As soon as Young Master Qu greeted him, Li Qing went straight into the Cloud Platform of the Taiyue Dao Sect, bowed to the Daoists, and strode forward to greet him!
"Brother Qu."

"Brother Li."

The two stood half a cloud platform apart, waving to each other. Clearly, Master Qu was also extremely happy to see Li Qing.

Qu Hua considers himself the direct descendant of the Qu clan of Jiushui, inheriting the blessings of his predecessors. He single-handedly nurtures a region of the underworld, and with the Yin God Ghost Lord behind him possessing a combat strength comparable to a small immortal sect, he originally wanted to establish connections with the Three Immortal Sects and set his own rules.

But on the day he returned from Lin Yuan Mountain, he had just stepped out of Tian Nan Prefecture when he was stopped by the Yin Gods of the sect and brought before the Great Master Tian Fu Huan Dan.

What he was hiding was not true skill. Every move he made, every time he stole soul-stirring elixirs from the Netherworld to exchange for Dao resources, was observed by the Yin God True Persons.
It was just that the old man was kind and compassionate, giving him room to grow.

This young master Qu is quite something. As soon as he gets the chance to make contact with the three overseas immortal sects, he actually wants to break free from the cage and establish his own sect.

So, after being forced to write and memorize the "Iron Laws of the Golden Elixir" eight thousand times on the main peak of Taiyue, and after being repeatedly reprimanded by several Yin God True Persons, Qu Hua obediently and step by step advanced to the Dao Child sequence, his soul lamp was offered into the Ancestral Hall, and he became the person in charge of this Immortal Sect Grand Competition...

Having been confined for so long, he had so much to say to Li Qing now that he saw him.

The Heavenly Talisman Returning Elixir Grandmaster did not interfere with him. The Golden Elixir lineage of Taiyue Sect did not follow the path of Yin Spirit. When they left, the allure of the Heavenly Talisman Shining on the World and the Golden Elixir Ascension was greater than the impact of their disciples wanting to establish their own sects.

The three overseas immortal sects made a deal with him, and the altar that You Tian had set up was also settled, but Qu Hua was still unsure. If something went wrong, he was afraid that the three immortal sects would not let him off the hook.

Just a few days ago, Li Erlang entered Youtian to handle the aftermath for Qingxu Daozong. Some people speculate that this ghostly man is probably one of the few well-known fragments of the Underworld behind him, and his background may be quite impressive. He urgently needs Li Qing to back him up.

"Brother Li has been quite impressive lately, first slaying the gods of the Imperial Dynasty, then making his way into the Netherworld. Even I am somewhat envious of your carefree life..."

Young Master Qu sighed and beckoned Li Qing to sit down with him. On the cloud platform of the Taiyue Sect, the various sects were most harmonious. Seven or eight Taoist priests and nuns sat down at the table, set up incense tables, and served pills and fruits. There was no distinction between superiors and inferiors, and they simply gathered together to discuss the Dao.

The Golden Elixir Daoist practice aims to cultivate a golden elixir that enters the body, leading to longevity. It involves only taking medicine, cultivating herbs, and refining pills, which is quite pure and free from distractions.

But Qu Hua's envy of Li Qing was not unfounded. Taiyue Sect was indeed a revered sect of immortals, but compared to the Qi cultivators who built their huts by the abyss and cultivated naturally, they were still less carefree.

Look at Li Qing, he travels east to the outer sea, west to Baqiu, and usually enters the underworld. In his leisure time, he enjoys the misty rain of the southern land. What rules or constraints does he have?
Unlike Qu Hua himself, who had to return to the mountain every ten days to report for duty for two days, which was truly annoying.

The disciples of the Taiyue Sect were present, but they did not interrupt the two men's reminiscing. They simply sat silently in their seats, watching the grand competition of the immortal sects.

Since Qu Hua had already revealed his identity as the ruler of the Netherworld, he no longer bothered to hide it. He pointed towards the arena where the grand competition was underway and whispered mysteriously in Li Qing's ear:

"Brother Li, are you aware that the remnants of the underworld in the Southern Kingdom are not just the two of us?"

"Not long ago, a Grand Master in the sect told me that the Yang Clan's heir in Chaojiang Prefecture is actually a descendant of the Ruoshui Yang Clan. With the help of Taiyi Dao, he wants to reclaim the Ruoshui Underworld. Well... this guy's cultivation is neither high nor low, and his supernatural powers are neither strong nor weak. Yet he still manages to be ranked at the bottom of the Flower Ranking, alongside the true disciples of various sects."

"The Ruoshui Yang clan is one of the six great clans of the heavens. If they obtain the resources of the Underworld, they may soon be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with you and me."

"Among the Zhong family of Lingnan, there is also a Daoist who has inherited the power to control ghosts from the underworld, and it seems he has received assistance from the inner sect of alchemy..."

Within the Five Immortal Sects, four descendants have emerged who are expected to inherit the Underworld. Of course, the other two are products of the efforts of several immortal sects, while Li Qing and Qu Hua have already begun to control the Underworld, so their starting points are different.

The disciples of Taiyue, who were standing nearby, all changed their expressions when they saw Qu Daozi revealing secrets. They followed the gazes of the two men and looked towards the outside of the cloud platform.

"Hmm... Yang Jue, I met him a long time ago. He is patient and calm."

"He joined forces with Taiyi Yin Shen, Lady White Bone, and others to seize the Weak Water Domain, but it seems that they are facing considerable resistance!"

Thinking back to the days when those few people attacked the Weak Waters and were chased all the way to the vicinity of Qishan Domain by that green-skinned, big-bellied, starving ghost, Li Qing couldn't help but nod in agreement.

That Ruoshui-Yangjue was extremely patient. He was able to repeatedly travel between Yin and Yang with his Zifu Upper Foundation Dao cultivation to try to control the Ruoshui Netherworld. Regardless of whether he succeeded or not, his ability to travel freely meant that his supernatural powers were definitely not as simple as they appeared on the surface.

Among the younger generation in the East Sea, Yang Jue and Huanlong Jun are the two most powerful, but Li Qing feels that this Yang clan leader's background and methods may be even better!
"Is that so? But it doesn't matter. Whether he and the Underworld can control it is still unknown."

"However, the Hunyuan Immortal Sect has sent several messages, Brother Li. It seems your trip to Youtian has frightened them so much that they all want you to back them up..."

(End of this chapter)