Longevity Candle

Chapter 114 The Emperor Returns to Youth, Elves Enter the World

The candlelight flickered, and Jiang Zhu awoke from his slumber once more.

Li Qingchen sat cross-legged atop the mountain, three flowers condensing above his head, and pure vital energy surging within his five internal organs.

He achieved immortality through martial arts!
After years of suppressed cultivation, his true essence surged forth like a floodgate being opened, transforming into boundless magical power.

The power of heaven and earth converged, and like a dried-up sponge, it rapidly expanded.

The pure magical power surged, and the refinement of essence into qi was completed.

The three-flowered giant cauldron, with its five elements converging, resembles auspicious clouds, reflecting a brilliant light.

Li Qingchen opened his eyes: "Ancestor."

“Very good. The Three Flowers Gather at the Top and the Five Qi in the Chest can be called the Five Qi Returning to the Origin,” Jiang Zhu said.

Having reached this stage, Li Qingchen has taken a small step in the path of immortality, far surpassing ordinary Qi cultivators.

His talent for immortality is terrifying!
"Ancestor, something has happened in the West..." Li Qingchen immediately told him about the situation in Yelang Kingdom.

Qin Yuqing continued, "Master said he was going to come see you, but he hasn't come yet."

Given the tabby cat's nature, it should have come a day in advance to wait for Jiang Zhu to wake up.

"He may have gone to the West." Jiang Zhu gazed westward.

Although it's far away and I don't know the situation there, I can still guess a thing or two.

"What is he going to the West for?" Li Qingchen asked, puzzled. "Could it be that he wants to stop the King of Yelang from going to Ning?"

"He wants to protect the king of Yelang."

Jiang Zhu sighed softly: "He wants to bring immortality into Ning Kingdom so that the Ning Emperor will take action against Western Kunlun."

Li Qingchen was taken aback, his face darkening: "He wants to force me to go to West Kunlun?"

He was very clever; he figured it out in just one sentence.

As an ancient elf who has lived for many years, how could he not know that he was deliberately stalling for time?

Since Li Qingchen is reluctant to go, then let Emperor Ning go!

"The road to immortality," Jiang Zhu sighed softly.

"Should we go and stop him?" Li Qingchen asked.

"Just live your life well," Jiang Zhu said calmly. "I can stop you once, but can I keep stopping you forever?"

Li Qingchen looked at the distant city and said, "Ning Kingdom is very good. Ah, if only there were no such thing as immortality in the world."

“Where there is death, there will be people who pursue immortality.” Jiang Zhu shook his head slightly. “Where there is chaos, there will be people who seek peace in the world.”

"Then, we just ignore it?" Li Qingchen hesitated.

He wanted lasting peace, but he didn't know how to maintain it.

Even if he were willing to pledge allegiance to the Emperor of Ning, could he possibly change the Emperor's will to seek immortality?

No!

The appearance of the King of Yelang has led the Emperor of Ningguo onto the path of immortality. Even though the King of Yelang is now dead, he has left a seed in the Emperor's heart.

In the distant west, the winds rise and the clouds surge, accompanied by thunderclaps.

In the void, figures appeared and disappeared, radiating various colors of immortal light.

Their gazes were all focused below, on the prison cart, on the young king.

Just as they were about to make their move, a vast heavenly might arrived with sword light, blocking their path, intercepting the immortal light, and sweeping away the thunder.

"Follow the will of Heaven!"

A pair of enormous eyes stared at the tabby cat: "Do you think you can stop us?"

“Emperor Ning’s pursuit of immortality will only lead him to his death, so why do you need to stop him?” the tabby cat said.

“If someone were to seek immortality, there would be no need to stop them, but he sought the path to prolong life!”

His enormous eyes were filled with cold light: "The King of Yelang is three hundred years old and still young. If we eat him, even if we can't absorb much, we can live another life."

In the void, figures released their immortal aura, exerting pressure on the tabby cat.

None of these spirits wanted Emperor Ning to live a long life!

How can a peaceful and prosperous nation that resists the spirits of mountains and seas and the immortal masters be allowed to continue and reach new heights?

"When you get the opportunity, you become more persistent, don't you?"

The tabby cat calmly said, "Do you know how the King of Yelang broke through the limits of mortals and achieved such a long lifespan?"

The elves frowned, their enormous eyes asking, "You know?"

"I don't know either, I only know it's related to the Seven Star Formation, and Emperor Ning will investigate it." The tabby cat said, "Even if he extended his life by a thousand years, for us, it's just like he slept for a while longer."

The elves fell silent, hesitant and undecided.

“It’s time for you to step into the mortal world,” said the tabby cat.

"Step into the mortal world?" The huge eyes held a hint of doubt: "What's so good about the mortal world? It's all tainted with filth."

“Use the ordinary to control the ordinary.” The tabby cat said, “Although Ningguo is wealthy, it will eventually run out of resources. You all understand the principle that wealth cannot last.”

"Ningguo has only been around for a few years, yet its national fortune and dragon aura are already hundreds of feet high," a blurry figure said coldly.

Previously, the dragon aura of national fortune was only a hundred meters high, but now it has exceeded two hundred meters and is rushing towards a hundred zhang (approximately 33 meters).

If it truly reached a hundred feet, even the old elves would probably have to give way.

"Your talk of using ordinary people to control ordinary people is laughable. Who can control the Emperor of Ningguo?" another blurry figure spoke.

"The imperial court is where the emperor needs to govern the country, but it is also a place where people fight for power and try to undermine the emperor's authority."

The tabby cat said calmly, "Now that immortality is before them, the Ning Kingdom all desires Emperor Ning's immortality and will fight tooth and nail for it." "You mean, we should try to drag the Ning Kingdom into the quagmire of immortality?" the huge-eyed man asked.

To grant Emperor Ning immortality?
This is impossible.

However, it is not impossible to set some traps to continuously deplete Ningguo's strength and reduce its national fortune.

"There are quite a few people who hate Ningguo, so killing the king of Yelang won't make much difference."

The tabby cat said, "If we extend his lifespan and he tastes the benefits, he will pursue it frantically. If a new emperor takes over, it will be a variable."

A person who has already extended their lifespan and tasted the benefits will be more frantic than others.

Jinglingmeng fell into deep thought, pondering carefully, realizing that it wasn't just Emperor Ning who was persistent, but also the officials of the court.

If Emperor Ning's lifespan is extended, what about the rest of them?
At that time, the idea of ​​immortality will spread throughout the entire Ning Kingdom.

After making up their minds, the elves calmed their magic and stopped paying attention to the King of Yelang.

As the elves departed, the tabby cat breathed a sigh of relief and returned to Ningguo.

Following Li Qingchen's aura, they traversed the void and arrived at the mountain peak.

Jiang Zhu looked at him calmly: "You've saved the King of Yelang?"

“It’s saved.” The tabby cat’s eyes darted around. “I did this for the good of Ning Kingdom. With such a long-lived emperor, Ning Kingdom will get better and better.”

"Master, do you really think so?" Li Qingchen asked expressionlessly; he was no longer the Li Qingchen who had just entered the mortal world.

Qin Yuqing was also a little angry. She was sure that her master, the tabby cat, had other intentions.

“I will not interfere with imperial power, I promise,” the tabby cat said.

If the emperor goes there himself, then it's none of my business.

Jiang Zhu didn't dwell on the issue and instead asked, "Have you created the follow-up method for refining essence into qi?"

"Combined with the path to rebirth, the wandering soul cultivation method can lead to the Qi Refining and Spirit Transformation stage."

The tabby cat pondered, "Once you reach the Qi Refining and Spirit Transformation stage, you'll be comparable to an ordinary immortal master, and your magical power will be no weaker than that of a newly born elf."

"If one cultivates to perfection at this stage, will one be able to surpass a young elf?" Li Qingchen asked.

The tabby cat shook its head: "The early life of an elf is very long, and the magical power that follows is very profound. Unless you make another breakthrough, it is impossible to surpass a young elf."

Jiang Zhu pondered for a moment, then nodded slightly: "With you here, the path from mortal to immortal should be completely clear."

“With me here, we can naturally make our way through. It’s just that I don’t have the talent for immortality, and my lifespan is far shorter than that of an immortal master, let alone an elf,” the tabby cat said.

The lifespan of a Qi cultivator is shorter than that of an Immortal Master, and the lifespan of an Immortal Master is shorter than that of an elf.

This is a fundamental difference; even those at the same level cannot compare.

"It's not like we're obsessed with immortality; we shouldn't just focus on lifespan," Qin Yuqing said softly.

The tabby cat smiled but didn't say anything more.

The current path of immortality is just the beginning, and things are still relatively simple. He believes that after it develops for a while, the desire for immortality will overwhelm everything else.

"Will they enter the secular world?" Jiang Zhu looked at the tabby cat, bringing the topic back to what had happened before.

Upon hearing this, the tabby cat pondered for a moment: "Of course it will, but it won't interfere with the development of the mortal world. At most, it will bestow some fates like you, or create some Qi cultivators."

This can't be hidden from Jiang Zhu; he'll likely have news soon.

Li Qingchen frowned: "You're not thinking of overthrowing the country, are you?"

"How can Qi cultivators overthrow the world? Unless the Taiping Dao is surpassed by them," said the tabby cat.

“The elves lower their eyes; this mortal realm is about to become quite exciting,” Jiang Zhu said. “With all these paths clashing, I wonder if your sword will be overpowered.”

"In the art of swordsmanship, I am number one," the tabby cat said confidently.

Jiang Zhu smiled and said nothing more.

Just as he was about to sit cross-legged to gather his magical power, the tabby cat asked, "Are you going to West Kunlun or not? Have you changed your mind?"

"I don't want to go for now," Jiang Zhu said calmly.

He has now figured it out: he should continue to accumulate magical power, and if things really get chaotic in West Kunlun, he will go and take a look.

If there is no way for West Kunlun to remain in the human world, then he will slowly accumulate magical power himself.

If you truly cannot escape the solitary lamp, then be a solitary lamp forever.

I've gotten used to it, there's no need to be overly attached to it, I just cherish every moment I wake up.

The tabby cat was somewhat disappointed, but dared not force anything.

Six hours passed quickly, and Jiang Zhu returned to the dim light once more.

Li Qingchen then took Qin Yuqing back to the Peach Blossom Inn. They had seen enough of the scenery outside and were ready to return to the inn to enjoy a leisurely life.

They planned to follow Zhang Youwei's example and focus on tending the land, cultivating peach trees and various other fruit trees.

Qin Yuqing plans to raise some poultry in order to fundamentally improve poultry breeds.

The tabby cat, meanwhile, enjoyed the offerings from Ning Qinghan and the others, drinking peach blossom wine and eating fish.

Without the elves' obstruction, the King of Yelang successfully entered the capital.

Zhang Youwei also set off for the capital. It was the emperor who personally issued the decree ordering him to come to the capital. Before leaving, he entrusted Taoyuan to Li Qingchen.

After giving the Qi Refining and Spirit Transformation Method to Li Qingchen, the tabby cat went to the Sheng Kingdom.

Li Qingchen took his family to Peach Blossom Spring, where they were captivated by the mountains and forests.

Three years passed in the blink of an eye, and Zhang Youwei returned exhausted, bringing with him astonishing news: "Emperor Ning has returned to his youth, and the royal elders have successfully extended their lives with the Seven Stars!"

(End of this chapter)