The Path to Immortality Begins with the Life-Extending Lamp

Chapter 264 Nine Dragons True Man
The void around Lingcheng twisted and trembled. As the vast water vapor and earth energy rose, strange phenomena of mountains and rivers appeared. The surging water and the towering mountains were like ink paintings that painted the world, imprisoning the void and isolating it from the past.

A gaunt figure arrived amidst strange phenomena, his mourning clothes entwined with black and white energies. Three scrolls at his waist swirled with Daoist rhymes. If it weren't for his eerie, empty face and sinister, purplish-red ghostly hand, he would truly resemble a wandering Daoist.

"You really don't know what's good for you. All sixty poems of the Jiazi Chaojun are now within this Lingzhi Faguan."

"If they insist on not retreating, they'll probably end up as nothing more than a beautiful woman's skin in Boss Linglong's hands!"

The faceless tyrant strolled leisurely, drawing everyone into the talismanic diagram. One tyrant after another displayed their supernatural powers, making the Taoists of Nine Dragons Mountain feel increasingly uneasy.

These demons... they're more than just like mad soldiers! They're practically living ghosts and gods!

"Humph!"

Hua Gui Dao Ren snorted coldly, raised his finger to summon golden lightning from the horizon, and with a flourish of his sword, the Golden Lightning Sword reappeared in his hand.

He was no fool and naturally understood what choice to make in the current situation. He had been informed by his disciples that a Taoist from another prefecture had come to Lingzhi Temple, so he rushed over to find out what was going on. However, judging from the man's methods, he wanted to seize the true Taoist teachings of Lingzhi Temple while also offending Jiulong Mountain.

By any measure, that man and woman were no ordinary people...

Unfortunately, now is not the time to investigate that person's identity. If he doesn't retreat, he has a feeling that he might really fall into the hands of this group of demons!
With a disdainful glance at the few arrogant day-roaming lords, the noble Taoist seemed determined to remember them deeply before turning to leave.

The moment he turned around, a bone-chilling cold suddenly descended, and a terrifying aura instantly invaded his limbs and bones, causing him to freeze. He wanted to resist, but reason told him that he must not move, or he would die.

"This……"

The noble Taoist stood frozen in place, trembling uncontrollably. In his profound divine sense, honed through years of cultivating the Nine-Headed Fire Dragon Path, he saw a ghostly hand clinging to each of his shoulders, back, and ankles. Wherever the hand touched, a bruised handprint instantly formed. The ground around him was covered with messy, dark footprints, and a chilling aura emanated from those ghostly footprints, sending shivers down one's spine.

Da...da...

His feet stomped lightly on the ground, and the crisp sound of his footsteps, imbued with a strange rhythm, rang out again from behind him.

"Don't rush to leave. I'm quite curious, what grudge do you have with this Spirit Paper Path?"

The voice was clear and resonant, yet it contained an undeniable domineering power. With a single word, the strange phenomena of the surrounding mountains and rivers dissipated, and the gloomy rain and ghostly aura gradually receded. It came from behind the noble Taoist priest of Nine Dragons Mountain, instantly giving him a sense of despair as if he were facing death.

The immense spiritual pressure materialized, seemingly stirring up a black tide on the outskirts of the Spirit City, making the Taoist priest from Nine Dragons Mountain dare not look directly at him.

"without……"

The Taoist priest immediately declined, but then, realizing that his status made such a move inappropriate, he quickly added:

“The Lingzhi Dao sect once ruined a major event during the founding ceremony of my Jiulong Mountain sect, angering the Jiulong Zhenren and thus creating karma.”

"That incident back then caused quite a stir; everyone in Lingnan Prefecture should know about it!"

There was a senior in the Lingzhi Dao who once presided over the Lingnan Ancient Treasure - the Rebirth Sedan Chair for sixty years, and on this basis, he created the White Paper Bridge Dharma Gate.

During the grand ceremony at Jiulong Mountain, a side sect in Lingnan, I was entrusted with building a palanquin and carriage for the newly promoted rogue cultivator. However, I don't know why the person in charge of the Lingzhi Dao suddenly reneged on the agreement before the ceremony, causing the Jiulong cultivator to lose face on that day.

How could a mere Purple Mansion lineage contend with the Yin God lineage? Since committing the offense, the Lord of Nine Dragons Mountain has become sworn brothers with the Venerable Soul Ancestor of the White Bone Dao, while the Spirit Paper Dao has withered to the point of extinction...

The noble Taoist replied cautiously to the man behind him. With his ghostly hand capable of manipulating energy and his footprints capable of stealing souls, the man dared not be disrespectful. At this moment, he could only retain a semblance of dignity in his weak words.

Fei Chang had just gotten up from the rubble. The sword wound torn by the golden lightning was slowly being repaired by the spiritual paper. The ferocity that had wanted to cause trouble again vanished by the moment he saw his master. He put away his fierce look, cupped his hands, and stood aside.

He was not afraid to fight this person, but the Golden Thunder Sword was too sharp. It broke through his corpse haze and wolf smoke in a few turns and cut off his paper feather blade. Immortal magic weapon, it was really cheating!
"You did well."

The Taoist priest ahead cautiously reported back, but Li Qing did not answer. Instead, he turned his head, glanced at Fei Chang, and nodded in acknowledgment.

“The Yin God Corpse Ghost from that desolate region left behind a set of incorruptible bones. After the Rebirth Chariot is refined with incorruptible yellow energy, you will take charge of that set of incorruptible ghost bones.”

Fei Chang is as fierce as a vicious dog, extremely aggressive, and a troublemaker among the crowd. After each success, he desperately needs the Lord's approval and reward.

Its inherent advantages were superior among all the powerful forces of Jiazi, and Li Qing was not stingy in giving it a push.

He also wanted to see if this Flying General, who could shake the world with a single breath of corpse haze, would truly possess some of the power of a Corpse King after obtaining that incorruptible yellow aura!
That corpse-demon skeleton?

Upon hearing his lord's words, General Fei Chang was immediately startled. He had witnessed the terror of the three-headed corpse demon before. Even his own Dao Lord had to use all his trump cards and summon the Ghost Mother Goddess to help him subdue this fiend. The ghost bone containing its incorruptible and indestructible supernatural power was a heavy object no less powerful than a magic weapon.

The tyrant trembled inwardly and was about to bow and swear an oath when Li Qing waved his right hand, dismissing the formality, and turned to look at the Taoist priest from Nine Dragons Mountain in front of him.

Li Qing didn't want to know or care about the grudges between Lingzhidao and Jiulongshan, or the rights and wrongs involved!

He only wanted to use this to complete a karmic exchange and obtain the true teachings of the paper dolls. If he truly wanted to follow his own desires, using sorcery as a medium to control curses and write prophecies, and even to practice the Seven Arrows of Nailhead Technique, then the true teachings of the paper dolls would be the most suitable vessel for him.

"Old Taoist priest, why don't you come out and meet us?"

"I have never been fond of fighting, but I am good at resolving conflicts. Now I see that the cause and effect between the two is so heavy that it has reached an irreversible point. Why don't we have a frank discussion?"

"Even the greatest pride should have calmed down by now, after half a century!"

With a wave of his right hand, Li Qing caused the old Taoist priest who was spying inside the Lingzhi Temple to immediately shrink in the pupils. As soon as the "Soul Summoning" supernatural power was activated, his movements froze, and then he involuntarily walked towards the crowd like a puppet on strings.

Such a bizarre and unpredictable supernatural power could not be found anywhere else in the entire heavens, which made the Taoist priest of Nine Dragons Mountain feel even more uneasy.

'This person's methods are unpredictable; he probably doesn't care about the life or death of that Spirit Paper Observation at all, but at the same time... does he also not care about my Nine Dragons Mountain?'

"Who is he?"

The young master of Jiulong Mountain and the only remaining attendant of the Purple Mansion exchanged a glance, both seeing deep apprehension in each other's eyes.

At this moment, he couldn't help but feel annoyed that he had left in such a hurry that he hadn't even found out the man's background.

But the Great Dharma Boat of the One Yuan Venerable Dao is still in Shilongya Market, while Li Qing has fled thousands of miles away on the clouds. How could he find out Li Qing's background in such a short time?

Sensing the ghostly hand and footprints that had vanished without a trace beside him, the young master of Nine Dragons Mountain turned and bowed, addressing him as "Brother Daoist," but speaking tactfully:
"Fellow Daoist, this matter involves the Nine Dragons True Man. Even if we agree, what can we do?"

"Alternatively, you may submit a formal letter of homage to our clan and pay your respects to our venerable grandmaster..."

Everything related to the Yin God is a major event. Even if they are extremely talented, they are just playing around with a mere Purple Mansion.

How many Yin Gods and True Immortals are there in the various prefectures of the Southern Kingdom? Each Yin God is a powerful figure in his own right, capable of making the entire prefecture tremble with a stomp of his foot. Since you are so powerful, why don't you go and have a face-to-face talk with True Immortal Nine Dragons?

They could clearly sense that this aloof young man from another region was perhaps a Daoist disciple of the Immortal Sect, or at least a core figure from the Yin God lineage.

But Jiulong Mountain is not something that can be trampled underfoot by just anyone.

"Master Jiulong?"

Li Qing frowned slightly, as if trying to find an impression of this person in her memory.

Fortunately, the butterfly lagging behind, carrying a scroll of Lingnan Records from who-knows-where, gently reminded her:
"The man from Jiulong Mountain has long been a practitioner in the South China Sea cultivation world. He is famous for his Nine Dragons Divine Fire Dao. After cultivating for six Jiazi years, he finally attained the position of Yin God Venerable. Therefore, he returned to Lingnan to open up the meridians - Jiulong Mountain."

"Logically speaking, it should be an affiliated sect of the White Bone Sect..."

Among the various sects and factions, there are always those with extraordinary talents who can withstand pressure from all sides to achieve the True Realm of Yin God. Clearly, True Man Nine Dragons is such a person.

However, after learning about the background of the Nine Dragons True Man, Li Qing did not hesitate at all. He simply nodded slightly and then pointed a finger at the void, which transformed into a rippling water mirror.

"Where is Jiulong Mountain? Fellow Daoist, could you please lead the way?"

"Old immortal of the Spirit Paper Path, come with me on this journey!"

As ripples gradually arose in the void, a luxurious palanquin, resembling a divine attendant, slowly appeared in the air. This palanquin resembled the phoenix palanquin of kings, but its internal structure was identical to the ancient treasure, the Rebirth Carriage. Even more strangely, an altar stood on the palanquin, upon which the sixty Jiazi (sexagenary cycle) divine symbols were vividly depicted, with a red background tinged with scarlet, and gilded with divine images. The majestic imagery carried an extremely strong sense of malevolence.

The imperial carriage, the altar for exorcising deities—these seemingly incongruous elements, when mixed together, possess a strange degree of harmony.

He was clearly using Master Jiulong to intimidate him, but did he really intend to go to Jiulong Mountain to find him?
The two Taoist priests of Jiulong Mountain stared at Li Qing in disbelief, feeling an urge to slap themselves.

No, are you really going to come to my ancestor's house to cause trouble?
If this person is truly led to Nine Dragons Immortal Mountain, not to mention whether he will be taught a lesson by the Nine Dragons True Man, those two good-for-nothings will certainly suffer a beating.

But what could they do now that things had come to this? The person before them was most likely a disciple of some immortal sect, a higher level of lineage, which was a real form of suppression. The disciples of the five immortal sects were only half a generation lower than that Nine Dragons True Man...

Just as the group was in a difficult situation, a blazing sun shone brightly in the sky, its blinding flames blotting out the sun and instantly turning the hundred-mile expanse into fiery clouds.

"During my meditation today, I was suddenly overwhelmed by distracting thoughts. I wondered what it was about, only to find that a guest had arrived."

"How could it be that Youhuang Xingshi, instead of keeping a close eye on those old demons in Tiannan, has come to Lingnan to show off his power?"

As soon as the powerful Daoist sound arose, it stirred up the red clouds that stretched for miles. The fiery clouds collapsed and, from top to bottom, condensed into a ten-thousand-foot-long fire dragon. Its nine heads drooped, carrying heavenly fire down to earth, and it bowed down to snatch the fire from Li Qing and the others.

(End of this chapter)