The Path to Immortality Begins with the Life-Extending Lamp

Chapter 256 Traveling Far to the East Sea to Meet Old Friends

The Dharma boat sailed for over a hundred miles, parting layers of water vapor as it ascended from the clouds and headed east. From below, the various prefectures of the southern kingdoms saw a hazy reflection in the clouds, as if they were seeing a Kunpeng soaring into the heavens.

On the celestial vessel, various Dao patterns and restrictions intertwine, forming layers of spiritually clear barriers, allowing it to roam freely through the sky without restraint.

Li Qing stood at the bow of the celestial ship, holding a jade book in his hands. He used clouds to represent the major acupoints of the human body, and transformed them into the rhythm of the flow of magical power through the meridians. He explained the key points of internal cultivation to Cai Die'er, who came from an unorthodox sect.

This female Taoist priest switched from the unorthodox Spirit Butterfly Technique to the Flame Path. Although she was a Purple Mansion cultivator, she did not have a deep understanding of the Xuanmen Taoist methods.

It should be understood that the path of metaphysics originated from the desire for immortality, and has been perfected to this day from the art of consuming elixirs to the methods of questioning ghosts and gods, the study of alchemy, and the pursuit of ascension to heaven.

We often hear of the death of ghost gods and deities, and the destruction of mountain and water gods, but have you ever heard of any Taoist sect where Yin gods and immortals often die in battle?
The path to immortality is the most difficult to cultivate, and longevity is the most difficult to attain. However, every great cultivator of the path to immortality has delved into the teachings of a hundred schools of thought, comprehended the mysteries of the universe, and integrated a hundred arts in order to illuminate a single point of the ultimate essence.

Compared to other cultivators of the same realm, those on the Immortal path must put in several times more effort to cultivate, and the immense power they can leverage far exceeds the authority and power of their realm...

To cultivate the path to immortality, one must first understand oneself and achieve a state of unobstructed circulation of Qi throughout the body, thus becoming immune to all evil influences.

Cai Die'er was also a disciple of the unorthodox sect, but when faced with the many obscure and difficult-to-understand terms in that scroll of Xuanmen Yan-type Daoist techniques, she was still completely clueless, just like trying to read a celestial book of cloud patterns.

Having entered the gates of the Flying Waterfall Taoist Temple, they had no choice but to bring their scriptures to Li Qing for annotation, and then have the old Taoist disciple who revised the laws and regulations analyze and ponder them from the side.

Although the two were nominally subordinates, Li Qing actually regarded them as fellow disciples and often offered guidance when they encountered difficulties in their cultivation.

What ordinary Taoists find difficult to overcome, Li Qing rarely experiences bottlenecks. With his profound Yin root qi flowing through the body, his foundation is perfectly formed. His understanding of the secrets of the human body's circulation is naturally different from that of ordinary people, and he can grasp the essence of things with just a little insight.

"Although your Spirit Butterfly Technique is unorthodox, it is ingenious. Planting a spirit within a butterfly and having it live alongside you is like opening a second branch of your destiny, serving as both a foundation for your Dao and a tool for your Dao..."

"Since we are cultivating this Crimson Flame Daoist Technique, we must also carefully nurture the Crimson Flame Phoenix Butterfly. The two of them will complement each other and provide great benefit!"

After Li Qing finished annotating the scroll of Daoist teachings, he closed the jade slip with a wave of his hand, looked at the phoenix-tailed red butterfly perched on Cai Die'er's shoulder, and gave her his instructions.

The Spirit Butterfly Technique is somewhat similar to the Companion Technique of the Beast Taming Immortal Sect overseas. Human strength has its limits, and natural talent cannot be sought. If one can find a different species among all the spirits of heaven and earth and use it as a companion to enter the Dao and cultivate the true technique, one can use this "tool".

At this point, Li Qing frowned slightly, as if suddenly remembering something, and then continued:
“I have recently acquired a spiritual herb in my herb garden – the Three-Leaf Three-Flower Grass. Eating it can produce three extraordinary appearances. Spiritual herbs are rare and are truly a treasure of creation. With your Phoenix Butterfly gathering its nectar and refining its Dao essence, it may be able to nurture it into a Heavenly Fire Phoenix Butterfly, giving birth to the appearance of twelve phoenix feathers.”

Li Qing had already discussed the matter of observing the Spirit Butterfly Technique with Cai Die'er. Naturally, the latter would not refuse and readily agreed to Li Qing's request. Once they returned to Tiannan, they could select a rare Spirit Butterfly species and refine several high-grade Spirit Butterflies.

However, this Spirit Butterfly Technique only originated from a folk lineage, and the one who truly achieved something in all these generations was Cai Die'er!

All spirit butterflies should be nourished with spiritual herbs and celestial flowers, only in this way can they attain the foundation for enlightenment.

With no door or home, trapped in the remote mountains, how could they possibly raise true fairy butterflies?
Li Qing was also very generous, determined to cultivate the colorful butterfly's spirit butterfly technique into its complete form, to develop it to a new level, and to push it to its limit before she would stop.

Upon hearing this, Cai Die'er's heart trembled, and she involuntarily looked up at the Daoist Master Youhuang. This unexpected opportunity truly overwhelmed her with gratitude.

What merit do I possess to obtain a fourth-grade spiritual herb and use it for cultivation?
But if such a powerful figure were to help her family deduce the "Spirit Butterfly Technique," perhaps she would truly have a chance to glimpse the perfection of the Purple Mansion.
Faced with Li Qing's high regard and request, the female cultivator stepped forward, bowed, and responded in a low voice. Her right hand, which was tightly gripping the jade book, revealed her excitement and trembling at that moment!
The old Daoist disciple, Liu, remained oblivious to his surroundings, engrossed in reading the "Secret Essentials of Foundation Building in the Purple Mansion," naturally filtering out the words exchanged between his Daoist master and the butterfly-robed nun.

Now that he has obtained a Foundation Establishment Pill and has a chance to defy fate, he is completely satisfied.

The old Taoist's mind was clear, and he felt no envy. Over a hundred years of arduous cultivation had taught him that one's opportunities are determined by fate, and cannot be obtained through jealousy or envy...

This was a rare moment of peace for the Daoist academy. The two leaders encountered difficulties in their cultivation, and Li Qing was always able to pinpoint the problem with a single finger, discerning the movement of the Qi in the body and the fundamental nature of the Great Treasury, and teaching them how to overcome their bottlenecks.

The celestial ship sailed leisurely eastward, traversing the peaks of the sea of ​​clouds in a single day, and arrived at the Tokaido.

The East Sea has two prefectures: Chaojiang Prefecture in the north and Linchuan Prefecture in the south. Pei Jiu and the Taoist priest have now established their Taoist lineage in Tianchi Mountain in Chaojiang Prefecture.

Holding the coordinates that came with the communication jade talisman, Li Qing quickly located a certain mountain range in the East China Sea Plain!
Tianchi Mountain, as its name suggests, is a mountain with a perfectly round heavenly pool naturally formed at its peak. Looking down from the sky, within the transparent light barrier, there is a turquoise water mirror placed right in the center of this mountain range.

The Lightning Draw lineage obtained the deed for this place from the Tai Xuan Sect, which allowed them to establish a side sect here – Tianchi Heaven. With this cloud register, they became vassals of Tai Xuan.

A colossal object descended from the heavens, sweeping up towering clouds and tearing a crack in the azure sky.

A hundred miles of mist and clouds, accompanied by howling winds, swayed the vegetation in the Tianchi Mountains. The disciples guarding the Tianchi Dojo felt the suffocating pressure and looked up in surprise, gazing at the azure sky through the protective barrier. Pei Jiu, the lineage leader who was originally residing in the Dojo, received Li Qing's message instantly. He looked up at the overwhelming aura, and with a flash of lightning, he leaped to the summit of Tianchi Mountain in the blink of an eye.

"Fellow Daoist Li...?"

The colossal creature, as large as the mythical Yun Kun, filled the entire field of vision. It was even larger than the Yun Tian Du Beast of the Beast Taming Immortal Sect, blocking out the sun and clouds. Looking down from above, Pei Jiu could hardly believe his eyes.

But soon, on the Great Dharma Boat of the One Yuan Venerable Dao, paper figures rowed and soldiers lowered banners, dispelling the layers of restrictions. This enormous object descended from the clouds, revealing two or three figures of its bow.

"Brother Pei, how have you been?"

Li Qing stood at the head of the Heavenly Boat, pointed his finger in the air, and the eight scenic images immediately disappeared, causing the Heavenly Boat's barrier to fade away and slowly descend to the front of the Heavenly Pool Dojo.

Above, a Taoist priest stood with his hands folded, his eyes reflecting the stars, looking down at the world as if a celestial being had descended upon it.

How could the disciples of the various lineages at Tianchi Dojo recognize such a person? When they saw him arrive by celestial boat and address their lineage leader as "Brother Daoist," they all turned their heads in surprise and began to speculate about his identity.

"I'm perfectly fine!"

"Hahahaha, come on, let's enter the dojo first..."

Pei Jiu snapped his fingers, casually dispelling the mountain gate's protective barrier, and laughed as he invited the renowned Youhuang Xing, famous throughout the southwest, to join the sect.

Since returning from the outer seas, Pei Jiu and Daoist have integrated the Thunder-Drawing Dharma lineage. They spared no expense in using Dao materials and made great strides to break through to the Purple Mansion Upper Foundation stage. In addition, as a wandering knight, his Thunder Sword combat power was outstanding. Over the years, he challenged many masters in the East Sea and gained their recognition and established himself.

Furthermore, the chivalrous warriors in his Pei family manor were compatible with this lightning-summoning technique, which caught the eye of the Tai Xuan Immortal Sect. He then personally went to the Tai Xuan Sect to petition the White Cloud True Man to open a side sect technique.

To date, Tianchi Mountain has been opened up and has also obtained a rather abundant resource-rich area under the Tai Xuan Sect. It usually assists Tai Xuan in protecting the East Sea Immortal City and its market, and it is quite well-established.

But Li Qing's visit this time was undoubtedly a more important form of recognition for Pei Jiu and the Taoist priest.

Years ago, the group had also experienced the attack by the bandit cultivators on the water, and had survived the trap set by the immortal sects in the outer sea. They had even shared life and death together. Now, after only seven or eight years, they meet again, and both of their paths are going smoothly. It is truly a great blessing.

Pei Jiu was in high spirits. After Li Qing parked the enormous object on the east side of the mountain gate, alongside Pei Jiu's mid-grade Flying Swallow Magic Boat, he finally couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

"Your celestial vessel is truly remarkable! Back in the day, you and I barely escaped with our lives from the clutches of the Marquis of the Raging Sea and the Seven Stars Pavilion before we finally obtained the Flying Swallow Dharma Vessel. But compared to yours, tsk tsk tsk..."

The mid-grade magic boat is less than a hundred feet long, which is really too delicate compared to the world-suppressing heavenly boat that is only one or two miles in size!

"I am merely holding onto the ancestral master's belongings on his behalf..."

Li Qing shook her head, not taking the item too seriously, considering it merely a standard accessory for those traveling in Tiannan.

“Indeed, the foundation of an old immortal sect is indeed so!” Pei Jiu nodded in agreement. Seeing that the female Taoist priest and the old Taoist priest had not followed, he led the way and went with Li Qing to the main hall of the Taoist temple.

"Brother Guan should still be in the Dragon Breeding Pool at the mountain peak, looking after the dragons. Since the mountain was opened, he has been raising more than twenty dragons in the pool, with the Naba Sea Dragon Whale as the leader. He is going to cultivate the way of dragon breeding."

"Isn't your clan lacking beast tamers? When you leave, you can pick a couple from that Dragon Taming Pool to take with you..."

When the topic turned to pipeline workers, Pei Jiu broke into a hearty laugh and made grand promises.

The Daoist has poured his entire fortune into the Dragon Breeding Pool. For the next two hundred years, he will have to rely on Tianchi Mountain for a living. Now he has more than twenty dragons, four or five of which are at the Purple Mansion Realm. The Daoist can now truly be called a Dragon Tamer.

"Oh? The Dragon Nurturing Pool? I'd better go check that out!"

Li Qing raised an eyebrow and placed his right hand on the octagonal dragon pillar. He anticipated that "Candle," which had become increasingly lazy after exhibiting the strange phenomenon of transforming into a dragon and had been lingering in the air all day, was also considering asking the Taoist priest for advice.

But I'm more curious to see how well this fellow Daoist has mastered the art of taming dragons!
The domineering sea dragon whale that once entered the water and could fight against the Purple Mansion Foundation was a great surprise to Li Qing. I wonder if this Brother Guan Dao has expanded his dragon species after returning.

The two exchanged a smile, finding themselves kindred spirits. They rode the wind and clouds, and in an instant, they headed towards the Heavenly Pool behind the temple...

(End of this chapter)