The Path to Immortality Begins with the Life-Extending Lamp

Chapter 73 The first clues appear

Overseas nations, Peng Kingdom!
This is a small country on the flanking side of this archipelago, with a territory comprising thirteen large islands and a population of several million.

The thirteen islands of Penghu are surrounded by nine long, narrow rocky islands, which block most of the fierce winds and waves in the surrounding waters. The four fertile islands in the center have a pleasant climate, which has given rise to this small country.

The island where the black ship landed was Yuanxin Island, the largest island in Peng Kingdom...

The soldiers from all directions disembarked from the ship and each led out their scaled horses, dolphins, and sharks. As they approached the port, they joined forces to begin dragging the ship ashore!

Unlike the brief stop on the island of the Flying Head Clan that day, this was one of the largest gathering sites for the black ship, and they would have to stay here for several weeks.

The two Taoist priests stood side by side on the edge of the ship, looking down. They saw many armored soldiers using logs to drag the ship towards the shore with great force.

This force of nearly a hundred armored warriors was the "spear soldiers" or private army kept by Pei Jiu Dao Ren!

Most of them were members of his Pei family clan, whom he supported, trained in archery and horsemanship, and used as his retainers, following him on this path of focusing on overseas trade.

After all, Donghai Road and Jiangnan Road are not comparable to Lingnan in the southwest. Even a powerful family like the Pei family, which has gone beyond the Purple Palace, still finds it difficult to interfere in the core interests of the prefecture.

If one were to forcefully snatch food from the tiger's mouth, the outcome would be uncertain.

So they found another way and came to the sea to compete for food!

These armored warriors were strong and powerful, capable of moving mountains. When a hundred of them worked together, combined with their beast-taming skills, they easily dragged the massive ship to the shore.

"San'er, take some men to find a manor outside the city for us to stay at. We'll be staying here for over a month!"

"Leave another troop for rotation, and Dafu will be in the bay..."

"Young friend Li, could you also keep your Chi Qiu on the boat, just to watch the door?"

Two Purple Mansion Ship Lords, accompanied by their trusted aides, received about twenty mustard seed bags and were giving instructions to the people on board.

The pipe-man suddenly turned to the young man in the blouse not far away, wanting to use the Tyrant Sea Dragon Fish in the water and the dragon coiled on the boat as a two-pronged approach to prevent any unforeseen events in the bay.

"Hmm...that might work!"

Li Qing's eyes flickered slightly. After hesitating for a moment, she finally agreed to his request.

And look at the purple-blue dragonfish that resembles an island or reef rolling around in the bay, stirring up huge waves in an instant, swallowing fish and shrimp everywhere.

The dragon on the ship, its body forged entirely of red crystal, slithered and moved, warily observing the giant creature on the sea.

What? You want me to guard the gate with it?

"Candle's" vertical pupils were filled with disbelief. That sea dragon was too ferocious. It looked like a creature that habitually ate dragons!
However, having boarded someone else's large ship, it was only right to do some work. After being comforted by Li Qing, who also placed a paper talisman in the cabin to keep it company, the candle had no choice but to accept the order and take up residence on the ship, serving as a talisman...

Before long, the two Purple Mansion Daoists led four wandering knights at the upper level of Qi Refining and disappeared into the sky.

Li Qing was still staying on the boat when several people suddenly came to his door.

"Lord Li, the master instructed us to accompany you on a tour before we go to the manor in the city to rest!"

The three wandering cultivators had been serving the two Purple Mansion cultivators for a long time, and this was not their first time visiting the overseas Peng Kingdom.

However, when it comes to the Black Ship's exclusive routes, even their closest confidants must keep quiet about them, let alone Li Qing.

The ship owners naturally wanted to avoid their actions, but since many heroes had left with them, it wouldn't be right to leave Li Qing on the ship. So they ordered their Taoist priests to take this Lord Li into the city for some fun!

Seeing that the three people in front of him insisted on inviting him to disembark, Li Qing narrowed his eyes and glanced at them.

One was a chivalrous master at the upper level of Qi Refining, another was a fierce warrior from the Pei family, and the third was the master who had once used the "Soul Summoning Spell" to demonstrate the art of bringing the dead back to life.

If it were just a team like this, it wouldn't really pose any threat to Li Qing. I doubt he would dare to discard them after they've served their purpose!

After hesitating for a moment, he agreed and headed into the city.

Having just disembarked from the ship that came from the bay, Li Qing felt that the customs of the foreign countries were different.

Compared to the Southern Kingdom, the six qi of this land have changed, with yin and yang alternating, and wind, rain, darkness, and light reshaping a unique law. Li Qing, who cultivates the Dao of Primordial Qi, is too sensitive to this. With just a flick of his fingertip, he stirred up the four qi, and the primordial qi in his body captured different changes!
Humans are born on earth, their fate hangs in the sky; heaven and man interact, their energies unite as one.

The way of the One Yuan Qi should be like this: climbing mountains at sunrise to watch the morning glow, sitting in the forest at sunset to observe the tides, looking up at the rising sun during the day, and looking down at the turbid earth at night.

If one aspires to attain enlightenment, one must travel to the North Sea in the morning and Cangwu in the evening, clearly understanding the changes in the celestial capital; this is an essential part of the journey.

It is absolutely not possible to achieve the Great Dao simply by closing yourself off and quietly studying a single volume of the Huangting Neijing Jing!

The southwest has its own alternation of yin and yang, and the south of the Yangtze River has its own wind and rain. The changes overseas are even more about using wind and rain to control yin and yang, which is completely different from what is said in Taoist scriptures and common sense.

Li Qing was not that kind of corrupt cultivator who regarded a handful of Taoist scriptures as truth and argued about whether they were reasonable or not. At this moment, observing the changes in the atmosphere overseas, he felt that the world was so vast and boundless that even the Taoist scriptures could not encompass it all!
Walking through the markets of Penghu, one sees a great many pedestrians, dressed in silk robes, pushing wheelchairs, or traveling by carriage, horse, or boat, their faces no different from those in the south.

Just as they approached that town.

Suddenly, tall wooden poles appeared along one side of the roadside wall, and from the top of those poles, which were three to five zhang high, hung mummified corpses or skeletons that had been pecked clean by crows and sparrows...

A rough count revealed forty or fifty such hanging corpses, utterly disgusting. Yet, passersby merely kept a slight distance, seemingly accustomed to such sights!
Perhaps because he saw Li Qingcai's aura, and frowned in displeasure at this unlucky fellow, the leading hero laughed heartily and explained:

"These overseas nations have not yet been taught and educated; this is how it always is."

"The laws of the nations revered the original nature and the interaction between heaven and man. Those who violated the laws were to be rained on for a hundred days and winded for a hundred days, and were left to be judged by heaven and earth. Basically, they were to hang themselves alive and be eaten by wind, rain, birds and beasts... The Spring Festival sacrifice to the rice seedlings was an honor to have an affair under the mulberry tree, and to place their hopes on praying for a good harvest."

The chivalrous heroes from the South naturally looked down on the foolishness of these foreign nations, so they avoided the place and led Li Qing into the city.

“But the clans of these nations would not do that!” The old master from the East Sea, who clearly understood the matter more deeply, stroked his white beard and shook his head.

"Many of these clans and tribes originated from my capital, and these people still maintain the ancestral temples and ghost systems of the previous dynasty."

"The ignorant people of the borderlands of the nations, in their primitive natural way, worship the mountain spirits, pray to the sea god, bathe in the sun and sky, and kowtow to the king of the clouds... It is all illusory and extremely foolish."

"However, only ancestral temples and clans are qualified to worship ghosts and gods! They hold a very deep-rooted sense of social class and would not do such a foolish thing!"

Having heard this strange tale, Li Qing also broadened his horizons.

Are the social atmospheres of the various kingdoms so divided? Did the previous dynasty also have a lot of supernatural or ghostly traditions?
"So, does that mean the spirits and deities of these other countries are even more rampant than those of Lingnan?"

"not at all!"

"Many sects and religions are the mainstream in various countries, which also originated from the East Sea and arose in local areas."

"Ghosts and gods are just ghosts and gods, merely tools used by various clans to seize food. The path of ghosts is a remnant of the old era, contrary to the way of humanity, and will be wiped out sooner or later!" The old master was unusually firm when talking about the path of ghosts, completely unlike a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator.

Li Qing's expression remained unchanged, but she didn't respond to his words and stepped into the city.

As the group entered the city, they saw that the streets were lined with blue bricks, and the buildings were numerous, with vendors and laborers scattered among them, giving it a somewhat prosperous atmosphere...

Li Qing couldn't understand the hawking cries from all directions. She wandered around aimlessly and asked the three people where they were going.

The answer they received was that they didn't know either; Pei Jiu simply told them to stay by his side so that Li Qing could have some fun!
As for what fun things there are to do on Penghu-Yuanxin Island?

Li Qing was merely passing by a cosmetics shop specializing in makeup for ladies. Seeing the gold hairpins, hair ornaments, and cosmetics there, she remembered that many of the ghost mother's belongings in the east wing of the underworld were no longer usable.

But then I thought again, mortal objects would decay and perish if they entered the Netherworld; only spiritual objects could be used there…

They lost all interest in sightseeing and headed straight for the prepared manor!

What Li Qing kept thinking about was the "soul-summoning technique" that the teacher was skilled at.

Upon entering the manor on the outskirts of the city, many armored soldiers and wandering knights had already taken up residence there. Li Qing and his group had already finished their tour and were quite late!
After a cursory look at the first city on Yuanxin Island, most of the cultivators on the black ship entered the manor on the outskirts of the city, leaving only two beast tamers and a group of men to take turns guarding the black ship...

Pei Jiu and the Taoist priest bypassed the city and went directly to visit a major local clan.

On Yuanxin Island, in the most fertile plains and the most fertile area, stood a huge manor with a distinct East China Sea style.

Two streaks of purple light enveloped three or four heroes as they entered the manor. The guards and the spirits in the three temples behind them seemed unfazed, paying no attention to the two streaks of light.

However, the main gate and the flower gate of the manor were both open, and many clansmen of all ages had gathered in front of the gate, adopting extremely solemn hospitality.

"Old Ninth! Uncle Dong, I've finally been waiting for you, kid..."

This is one of the only two major clans in the Peng Kingdom, one of the many kingdoms in the outer seas!

The Li family of Pengguo has two Purple Mansion Venerables and tens of thousands of direct descendants. They occupy nearly half of the port and estates of Yuanxindao and have always been business partners of this black ship.

The two ship owners didn't stand on ceremony and opened a mustard seed bag.

He poured out stacks of bundled spirit paper, East Sea silver ingots, green spirit bamboo strips, Fragrant Mountain blood ink stone, and other southern spiritual materials; in the other few silver-patterned mustard seed pouches, there were five-foot swords that had been refined with a magical restriction...

The spiritual materials of the East Sea are mainly paper, ink, minerals, and brocade, with the remainder being standardized magical artifacts.

This sword has only one restriction and is forged using common methods. Its only advantage is that cultivators and nobles from overseas countries can also forge it. This is also what the Li family of Peng Kingdom likes the most. They can then resell it to other countries and the price can double again!
"Alright, Sanlang, please count the number with the heroes."

“But Ninth Brother, right now you are Captain Pei and I am an elder of the Li family, so let’s not talk about any roundabout ways.”

"In recent years, some major events have occurred in the seas of the various nations. Evil spirits have frequently appeared, and there are monstrous sea dragons causing trouble at sea. Moreover, a 'Celestial Venerable' has emerged among the various nations, a celestial venerable who roams freely and eats people!"

"Sigh... The price of pearl coral has increased by 30% these days, and water-based medicinal herbs are becoming increasingly rare. You'd better be prepared."

The old man from the Li family began by directly addressing Pei Jiu about the changes in the various states.

"I am not speaking nonsense. When you continue to the abbot's quarters where the Immortals Sect is located, you must be careful!" As if afraid that Pei Jiu would not believe him, the old man added.

Pearls from the East Sea, nine-colored coral, warm jade from the seabed, water-based medicines, the horn of the water-avoiding golden rhinoceros, etc... Except for the rhinoceros horn, the prices of other spiritual materials have all changed considerably as a result, which needs to be carefully considered.

While the several Purple Mansion experts at the Li family manor were frowning and discussing the changes to their trip, Li Qing also secretly kept that teacher behind...

I have seen the art of summoning souls. Although this art has many limitations and prerequisites and is just a folk magic, it is a real art that involves the restoration of life after death, the summoning of the soul, and the avoidance of death and the prolongation of life.

If Li Qing were to evaluate it, this technique would be extremely valuable in terms of prolonging life!
However, the old master was not very happy when he heard about Li Qing's request.

"This technique is truly nothing to mention. We are just insignificant figures in the Tokaido, but this technique is the livelihood of many fellow Daoists."

As the saying goes, "A thousand taels of gold cannot buy the Way, but I'll see off an old friend at the crossroads!"

"The soldiers under Lord Li's command are very strong, and he also has a dragon's offspring serving him. Why would he be interested in such low-level magic?"

After all, the ability to summon souls is their livelihood; to teach it away for no reason would be like shooting themselves in the foot.

Even though this Lord Li was indeed of extraordinary birth and possessed remarkable supernatural abilities, the old man did not want to do something that would make him a target of gossip!
This response was not unexpected for Li Qing.

Folk magic lineages and even wandering sorcerers value their own magic more than other sects, after all, it is the skill they rely on for survival.

If you want it, you can exchange it for another spell that can clear a path for them!

Bartering is an age-old principle.

However, Li Qing's magical abilities are not many. Leaving aside the two volumes of "Nan Dou Yan Ming", the value of "Shan Gui Lu" is not on the same level. "Shi Zhong Huo" is the true fire that Li Qing has refined, and it must not be revealed, lest it expose his weakness.

Only works like "The Four Essentials of the Paper Spirit Secret Record" and "Black Dog Nail" are acceptable...

"This humble Taoist priest is naturally aware of the rules and would never coerce an old man without reason!"

"Killing is extremely easy; by drawing upon one's vital energy, a single killing move can instantly send the victim's soul back to the mortal realm. But if one feels compassion and wishes to save a life, wouldn't this technique also be an act of mercy?"

"I asked the old man to teach me this soul-summoning technique only in the hope of having another unusual skill for unforeseen circumstances. It will certainly not affect you gentlemen."

"When I entered the Dao, I obtained a rather good Dao artifact, forged with foul-smelling dog blood. It is a Yin metal artifact, most adept at breaking Yin energy, and already has four magical restrictions. How about exchanging it with you, old man!"

Li Qing flipped his right hand, holding the two-inch-long black coffin nail in his palm, and spoke.

This item was obtained from Nalan Fengzhou and was made with dog blood. Dog blood is pungent and belongs to Yin metal. It is sharp and can pollute spiritual power. Since metal overcomes wood, it has a miraculous effect on ghosts and evil spirits. Such a magic weapon can be considered a fine product for ordinary rogue cultivators.

Now that Li Qing has taken over the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, he no longer needs the black coffin nails and intends to exchange them with the old man.

"I am sincere, old man, please don't miss this opportunity! I think the other masters wouldn't refuse either, would they?"

Although the black coffin nails are said to be unusual, their material is extraordinary, capable of both killing and warding off evil. What ordinary rogue cultivator could refuse them?
Even this old man seemed to have a sudden surge of hot blood rushing to his head the moment he saw the black coffin nails.

No way, are all the cultivators in your sect this fat? Trading a heretical magical artifact for a soul-summoning spell?

Seeing that Li Qing was giving him a way out, the old man reluctantly lowered his bottom line. After all, he had set a bottom line, but what about the others?
The old man steeled himself and, despite his doubts, made the deal with Li Qing!
In his opinion, this soul-summoning spell was actually much weaker than the black dog nail.

For them, this soul-summoning incantation could only summon a soul, but for Li Qing, it might have a different effect...

(End of this chapter)