The Path to Immortality Begins with the Life-Extending Lamp

Chapter 259 Shilongya Market

"Shilongya! What kind of business do you do in this market?"

Following the directions of the market boy, Li Qing and Cai Die'er saw the Taoist priest lightly wave his sleeves, creating a cluster of auspicious clouds that carried them up the mountain wind. As they moved on by the clouds, they casually asked the boy a question.

These guiding boys are mostly disciples and followers of various cultivation families and lineages in the Stone Dragon Cliff Immortal Market. They are trained and enlightened in the market when they are young, and their vision is not low.

This immortal cultivator rode a sky-covering magic ship, his might sweeping across distant mountains. When he set out, he could summon auspicious clouds with a mere wave of his hand, without leaving a trace of smoke or fire. He was no ordinary cultivator.

These important figures from outside the region came to Lingnan simply to visit relatives and friends, take a look at the capital city, and occasionally come to this Stone Dragon Cliff to catch a glimpse of its splendor...

"Shangxiu is probably from an outer palace of the Immortal Abode, and does not know the origin of this Stone Dragon Cliff Immortal Workshop."

"This place was built 140 years ago by the joint efforts of the three families of Xizhou, the two sects of the Left Path, and the sorcerer's offices of the two counties. Now it has become a sacred mountain, and independent cultivators, lineages, and clans from various states have all set up businesses here, making it a veritable business hub of the Lingnan region..."

The boy bowed deeply and introduced the origins of Shilongya Market to Li Qing.

As he said, Lingnan inherited from the ancient Yue, and had neither grotto heavens nor blessed lands for cultivation. The ancestral temples and clans of various people had complex origins, and many independent cultivators and unorthodox sects did not dare to compete with those ghost and god clans for their foundations. Instead, they gathered together with their lineages and built huts near the market. Over time, those immortal workshops naturally became forces that could not be ignored.

The various lineages within the Immortal Workshops have connections to all the states, meaning that almost all the spiritual materials and treasures in Lingnan circulate among these workshops, and there is nothing that cannot be obtained by any family.

Of course, aside from the two immortal sects, the White Bone Path and the Ghost-Controlling Zhong Clan...

Upon hearing the story, Li Qing flicked his finger, and the auspicious cloud beneath him immediately rose from the ground, ascending the thousand-foot-high cliff ladder. The auspicious cloud, radiant with precious light, soared through the sky and vanished into the market in the blink of an eye.

The market town of Shilong Cliff is no different from the capital city of the Southern Kingdom. The streets and buildings are clearly divided, and the buildings are taller and more magnificent than those in the mortal world. It is enough for all kinds of cultivators to move freely between the pavilions and eaves with their magic weapons. Obviously, a master had specially laid out and constructed this market town according to the six directions and eight trigrams. It truly has the qualities of a "celestial city".

"If I hadn't come to Lingnan Prefecture in person, I would have really thought this was the place where unorthodox sects and evil spirits roamed.

With a flick of her sleeve, Cai Die'er protected the child on the cloud platform who was stunned by the speed of the escape, and then she and her Dao Master began to sigh with emotion.

Who could have imagined that Lingnan Prefecture, a place rife with conflicting forces, would have such a thriving cultivation environment? The sprawling immortal workshops are comparable to a giant city.

"With each clan and immortal family holding one lineage, the competition among them is undoubtedly more intense than with other families. However, as a result, the distinction between different lineages will likely become much less pronounced, and even ordinary people will have the opportunity to enter the path of cultivation..."

Looking down at the child in front of her, Li Qing said thoughtfully.

This boy's physical attributes are quite ordinary at first glance. If he were in Lin Yuan Mountain or any other sect, he would almost certainly never have the opportunity to embark on cultivation.

However, in the Lingnan Immortal Workshop, he was able to receive the title of a young disciple and was equipped with a standard divine speed talisman and a mustard seed pouch. The jade pendant at his waist was also engraved with a dust-removing spell. Clearly, the practice of cultivation was extremely popular in Lingnan Prefecture and had penetrated into the homes of ordinary people in the prefecture and county.

"Offerings of candles and incense, soul threads and vases, dark and precious wood... are these available in this market?"

Such a vast market must have a considerable amount of precious materials circulating every year. In particular, many of the figures coming and going in the various pavilions and towers of this market are tainted with yin and bad luck, bearing a seven-tenths resemblance to Li Qing of the past. This shows that there are quite a few members of the Lingnan ghost and god clans in this market, and these sacrificial items of incense and spirits should be even more common.

When the boy leading the way asked the question, he immediately understood.

Many cultivators from other regions come to Lingnan specifically for the incense offerings and ritual artifacts produced by the ghost and god clans there. It seems that this Daoist of extraordinary status is also after these items.

"Reporting to the superior, incense, candles, and ritual implements for the soul should be sought in the eastern part of Shilong Cliff, where most of the property belongs to the Lingnan clans."

"The Dark Wood has always been precious, being one of the finest spiritual woods. You can explore the large treasure pavilions in the middle workshop; perhaps you will find some."

"As for the soul threads of that White Bone Mountain, Immortal Master, I'm afraid you can only inquire with the high-ranking cultivators within the White Bone Path..."

The boy leading the way bowed and reported back to Li Qing one by one the items listed. The items listed by this young and venerable Taoist were all precious materials of high quality. Incense offerings and ritual items have always been essential for altars, and even the lowest-grade altars are not something that ordinary people can afford to support.

Dark and precious wood is rare, and it is unlikely to be found in the market. The secret technique of the White Bone Path, Soul Silk, is unique in Lingnan. No other clan or lineage dares to touch this thing.

This is all the knowledge he could possibly have, as a mere novice who hasn't even begun practicing Qi cultivation.

Following the boy's pointing finger, Li Qing descended from the clouds and landed directly in the eastern part of Stone Dragon Cliff. Near the pavilion in the cliff, the number of flying cultivators coming and going increased.

There were Qi-cultivating girls sitting on banana leaves, elite Daoists escaping on swords, beast-taming cultivators traveling on phoenixes and cranes, and clan members with swirling dark clouds and biting black winds... Compared to these various escape lights coming and going, Chou Liqing's cloud escape seemed quite ordinary.

Upon entering the Shilongya Market, the guide pointed out the general direction to the cultivator. The boy then received a Taiyue Jiuhua Spirit Gold as a reward from Cai Die'er and took his leave with a joyful expression.

Only Li Qing and Li Qing remained, walking side by side on the Stone Dragon Cliff.

As they were heading east, Cai Die'er finally couldn't contain herself any longer. She turned her head and asked Li Qing the reason for their trip, and began to fawn over him.

"Does the Dao Lord wish to find some incense offerings, sacrificial items, and rare soul wood? You can entrust this to the sect's general affairs disciples. Cai Die can also share the Dao Lord's burden, so there's no need for you to come in person."

If the Lord of Youhuang Prefecture were to give an order, the blue-robed disciples in Linyuan Mountain would run errands for him, and the necessary spiritual materials could be gathered in a few days.

To everyone's surprise, upon hearing this, Li Qing stopped in her tracks, turned around, and shook her head:
"This item is, after all, necessary for cultivation. If it is entirely in the hands of others, how can we know the nature of the spiritual material? There may be hidden dangers when performing the ritual."

"Besides, the disciples in the mountains may not even understand the mysteries of this path. If they plunder indiscriminately, it will inevitably cause trouble!"

He has always disliked using his sect's disciples as lackeys, and he has never liked anyone handling the spiritual materials and precious medicines he needs.

Moreover, this fragrant soul candle was a favor he owed the Cold-Clothed Ghost Lord after asking him for a piece of plain clothing, so he should put more effort into it.

After listening attentively, Cai Die'er seemed to be deep in thought. She felt even more keenly the caution and care that the Daoist Master of Youhuang had for his reputation. After humbly accepting the instruction, she followed the Daoist Master to the East Ward.

This contract belongs to the Dongfang branch of three clans in Lingnan, and the shops there mainly deal in talismans and spiritual materials.

Within the ancestral temples of each clan, ritual implements are used to serve the spirits and deities of the ancestors. Over time, these implements become imbued with the rules of the spirit world and transform into "suppressing implements," capable of warding off evil spirits and possessing immense power.

Such "suppressing artifacts" can be activated even by those without any magical power, and are extremely strange but useful magical artifacts, which are quite popular among cultivators in the Southern Kingdom.

However, Li Qing and his companion did not glance at the numerous town-protecting artifacts in the East Ward along the way. After browsing through many shops, they finally stopped in front of a shop called "Baohuangyuan" on the back street.

"Distinguished guest, is there anything you would like to see?"

Baohuangyuan, located on Dongfang Back Street, has a slightly worn signboard and decor that haven't been repaired, showing its age. An elderly man with white hair and beard straightens up from behind the counter as soon as a customer arrives, greeting them as gently as possible.
At the same time, his thin fingertips touched the copper bell on the counter, and the soul bell rang loudly. The children who had been dozing on either side of the counter were startled awake. After a few soft exclamations of confusion, they finally understood the situation and quickly perked up, rushing to the front of the pavilion to greet the guest. "Guest...guest, this is the Huang Family's Treasure God Temple, mainly for incense offerings, funerary objects, funerary soil and ash, and the jade base of the altar..."

Two young boys, with a hint of embarrassment, proclaimed the signboard of Baohuangyuan, but judging from their listless appearance, Cai Die'er felt that Baohuangyuan was far inferior to the previous ones.

I was hesitating whether to advise the Daoist Master to look at other shops, or perhaps this shop had some connection with Li Qing.

"Baohuangyuan, that's a nice name, let's come in and take a look!"

Li Qing nodded in response to the old man, then went straight into the treasure pavilion after lifting the pearl and jade curtain in front of the hall.

If one only seeks to achieve clarity in all matters, then there is nothing wrong with coming here and entering this shop if it catches one's eye.

I've already looked at quite a few shops in this East Ward and have a general idea of ​​the prices of blood candles, incense ash, sacrificial cauldrons, and five kinds of sacrificial animal bones. If everything is in order, I'll just pick and choose from these last few shops to gather the materials needed by the Cold-Clothed Ghost Lord.

This was the first time the old man in the pavilion had heard such a reason. He had been working in this immortal shop for over sixty years, and this was the first time someone had praised the name of his shop.

The old man didn't say much, just waved his hand and had the boy serve him some spiritual tea, only saying "please".

"please!"

If he wasn't mistaken, both of the two people in front of him were cultivators of the Purple Mansion realm, and the young Taoist in front of him was surrounded by a radiant aura, clearly indicating that he was of extraordinary origin.

When a Taoist priest is so eager to visit a shop, he naturally keeps to himself and avoid disturbing the distinguished guest's enjoyment.

He simply followed behind Li Qing and the other person from a distance, and responded to any questions they had.

"Hmm... the blood candles are impure, and the incense ash is of poor quality, but the five sacrificial animals and bones were burned well. It seems that the sacrifices during the three festivals and four seasons are quite cautious."

"If I only wish to select the finest blood candle ash, may I?"

Li Qing picked up a red-gold candlestick and gently stroked and played with it. Then, looking around at the somewhat mixed incense and sacrificial materials in the display room, she raised her head and asked.

Upon hearing the guest's words, the old man smiled bitterly. In the ancestral temple sacrifices, the blood candles and incense ash from the head of the family are of the highest quality. The sacrificial standards offered by the other branches of the clan are certainly not as high, and the spiritual energy of their blood candles and incense ash is naturally mixed and difficult to bear. If one only chooses the highest quality, it should be priced differently.

but……

"If you wish to build a Dharma altar, you may take a portion yourself!" The old man bowed with his sleeve, indicating to Li Qing that he was free to do as he pleased.

If this venerable one wishes to find some precious materials for incense offerings to establish an altar, his Baohuang Garden will naturally not refuse at a high price, and it would be perfectly acceptable to give them away as a gift.

However, if this cultivator were to purchase and resell a large quantity of items, the price would be a different story.

Although Baohuangyuan is not as powerful as the three major clans in Dongfang, the Huang clan of Xizhou behind it is famous for visiting ancestral spirits daily and being appointed as the Yinhuang of a county. It cannot be allowed to be outcompeted by others and have its top-quality materials in the pavilion sold at low prices.
"No, the quantity I need is very large, almost enough for a national Makino Grand Festival."

"Blood candles, incense ash, sacrificial cauldrons, and the bones of five kinds of animals... all must be of the highest quality. Do you have any of these in your Baohuang Garden?"

Li Qing put down the candlestick in her hand, turned around and looked directly at the old man, getting straight to the point.

The old man was surrounded by an aura of gloom, clearly indicating that he was protected by a powerful deity at the Sun-Wandering Realm. Such a person would be a core member of any clan in any prefecture or county, capable of making decisions at a glance.

The amount of incense and sacrificial materials he requested was enough to wipe out the savings of a day-traveling clan over a hundred years. However, the three clans of the Western Continent were quite large and difficult to negotiate with. On the contrary, smaller clans like this would be less likely to cause trouble.

The Great Festival of Makino, the Land of the Gods?

The old man raised an eyebrow and looked at Li Qing with suspicion.

This ceremony was a grand ritual to worship Heaven after a great ancient war. The sacrificial offerings and instruments required were extremely complicated. The initial sacrificial materials alone required a huge quantity and a wide variety of items, and it would take a lot of effort to gather them all.

"A complete set of sacrificial offerings, instruments, and precious materials? Or will something of similar specifications suffice?" The old man of Baohuang Garden hesitated for a moment before asking again.

Li Qing, however, uttered a single word decisively: "The whole set."

This answer made the old man's face darken. A complete set of sacrificial offerings meant that the Taoist priest was definitely not going to resell them or engage in commercial cultivation.

But right now, I haven't heard of any small prefecture or state in the entire land of Tiandu performing a grand ceremony to worship Heaven.

Only a Ghost Lord of the Yin God Realm, and one of the highest-ranking Ghost Lords, could enjoy such treatment...

"I come from the Qi Refining Path of the Southern Heaven, one of the Five Immortal Sects. This item is not used for evil sacrifices, and the recipient is not from the Southern Kingdom,"

"Why don't you ask your underworld god? Let's see if he dares to take this opportunity."

Li Qing glanced around the Baohuang Garden, casually left a sentence, and then sat down with Cai Die'er in the front hall of the garden to drink tea and wait quietly.

This treasure shop looked rather deserted, a stark contrast to the bustling activity of cultivators from all sides coming and going in front of the three treasure pavilions. Li Qing's opportunity was enough to ensure that they would be worry-free for several years.

However, Li Qing also had his own plans for this trip. He had previously obtained tens of thousands of Yin Scales from the young master Qu through a combination of persuasion and giving. Since there was no large marshland in Qishan, it would not be good to keep them in the clean water vessel for too long.

This Yin-attribute Soul Fish is indeed difficult for ordinary Taoist cultivators to sell, but the Ghost God Lords of Fengdu Heaven would not lack Yin-attribute items. After thinking it over, I'm afraid that the Ghost God Clan and the Day-roaming Ghost Judges in Lingnan still need this item.

If they could exchange their stockpiled Yin Scale Soul Fish for these treasures, it would be killing two birds with one stone. Perhaps in the future, they could even use Netherworld Treasures to communicate with the Lingnan clans. The Huang family might just be the beginning...

Of course, to avoid trouble, Li Qing only wanted to cooperate with such independent small clans!

The old man beside him pondered for a long time, both excited by the huge order for precious materials and fearful of it, because this was something that no ordinary Taoist would dare to touch.

Who exactly is he?

In the end, however, the elder of the Huang clan of Xizhou dared not and could not refuse. After a long sigh, he took out a "broken sword" from a cabinet in the back hall and communicated with the wandering ghost judge in the clan...

(End of this chapter)