I was forced to cultivate immortality when I just wanted to lie down

Chapter 345 The carved railings and jade steps should still be there, only the appearance has changed.

The cemetery, shrouded in the aura of corpses and gloomy mist, suddenly burst into flames today. The fire spread from south to north and from east to west, sweeping across the land with the power to burn everything in its path.

The fire only stopped and dispersed after it had covered an area of ​​nearly a hundred miles and burned the entire burial hill into a black wasteland.

At the very center of the fire, Xu Qing, who was selflessly radiating light and heat, finally stopped using his supernatural powers.

Looking at Jiaoshan, where all evil influences had been completely eradicated, Xu Qing felt extremely relieved.

Thus, he had one less competitor both inside and outside Tianjin, and along the Yinhe River.

"This power to burn mountains and boil seas is indeed suitable for destroying evidence of crimes."

Xu Qing sensed the burial mound, but he couldn't detect his own presence, let alone any trace of the existence of the living or the dead.

After doing all this, Xu Qing walked to the foot of the cemetery and then turned around to look at the burial site of Nüba.

He cupped his hands in a respectful gesture and smiled nonchalantly.

After turning around, Xu Qing put away his overly conspicuous fairy robes, changed into a thousand-gold fur coat made of two ounces of yellow paper, and then took out his five-flowered horse and galloped towards the direction of Hu Yangling.

On the desolate and barren ancient road of the Yinhe River, a man and a horse left a trail of smoke, leaving no trace of dust in their wake.

Upon arriving at the Populus euphratica Mausoleum, Xu Qing dismounted.

Gazing at the tomb before him, the young man in the cloak remained silent for a long time.

Nearly twenty years have passed since Xu Qing first arrived at Jingxia Street and met the old man who ran the coffin shop on the street.

Holding a stick of incense, Xu Qing offered a prayer to Hu Baosong and said, "Old Hu, don't worry, I will take good care of Senior Sister Yizhen. As long as she is in Tianjin, the bloodline of the Hu Yang family will not be broken."

Nowadays, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Tianjin is under the Xu family's control, and even Yinhe, which is also within Tianjin's territory, is gradually being taken over by Xu Qing.

It can be said that in Tianjin, no one was better able to fulfill Hu Baosong's last wish than him.

After paying respects to Hu Baosong, Xu Qing, seeing that no one was around, quietly said something else:
“Old Hu, we are currently in a time of great calamity. The lineage of the Hu Yang family must not be broken. You wouldn’t want your daughter to be hindered on her path to immortality because of an incomplete inheritance, would you?”

Xu Qing said earnestly, "Special cases require special handling. For the sake of our daughter, I am willing to bear all the pressure and bring back the Hu Yang family's heritage to pass on to Senior Sister Yi Zhen."

"I think even if you were alive now, Lao Hu, you would agree."

"If you don't speak, it means you're tacitly agreeing from above. In that case, I'll go in?"

In Xu Qing's mind, it was better to bring out the treasures and let future generations use them than to bury them deep in the earth and never see the light of day.

When Master Yizhen was in Tianjin, he might have been able to take care of Hu Baosong to some extent, but if the other party were to leave Tianjin one day, he would have no time to look after him.

Rather than that, it would be better to let Daoist Yizhen take all of the Hu Yang clan's inheritance in exchange for the power to protect themselves.

Xu Qing had no desire to inherit the Hu Yang family lineage. At this moment, he was righteous and had no psychological burden whatsoever, even if he was digging up graves and disrespecting the ancestors of the Hu family.

The Populus euphratica Mausoleum contains defensive restrictions left by the Tushanji lineage, and the fox clan is naturally skilled in illusion and array formations. If it were an ordinary person, let alone entering the Populus euphratica Mausoleum, it would be difficult to even find the location of the tomb.

Xu Qing and Hu Baosong made a solemn oath, vowing to heaven and earth, before the lamplight, which is how they obtained the method to enter the tomb.

Now, on his second visit, Xu Qing knew the way well and soon followed the specific path, navigating the maze-like underground caves, and arrived deep within the Populus euphratica Mausoleum.

Further in lies the main tomb where Xu Qing had stopped earlier.

The path leading to the main tomb was filled with various arrays and illusions. As usual, Xu Qing controlled a palm-sized paper crane to fly in and explore, but as before, he lost contact.

Those illusions and formations can not only confuse the mind, but also block the perception of divine sense.

Xu Qing gazed at the deep, dark passage that seemed to be ready to devour anyone, and smiled calmly.

He may not have been able to resist the illusions of the past, nor could he have deciphered those formations driven by the power of the earth's veins.

but now.
Xu Qing is no longer the naive little zombie she once was!
When the Yin Kingdom unleashed its divine powers, and the Heavenly Pillar spine connected to the earth's veins, all the array formations appeared as if they were completely invisible to him, and he could see the key points of those formations at a glance.

Xu Qing, who has expanded his domain to encompass the entire Yin Kingdom, not only possesses supreme authority over an area of ​​fifty miles in radius, but can also control the movement of the earth's veins and freely traverse between all illusionary realms without losing his way.

In addition, Xu Qing used the Immovable Technique, simultaneously merging his spirit with his bone structure and visualizing the Flowing Light of White Bones. Those illusions, such as Sai Yuxian's, that tried to pull him into their trap, instantly shattered like bubbles.

Xu Qing strolled leisurely along, as if he were in an empty place.

Along the way, he opened coffins when he encountered them, and prepared bodies for burial. After completing the full service for the corpses, Xu Qing did not forget to offer incense to the ancestors of the Hu Yang family and say some intimate words.

"Our seniors are closer than family to us. We're all one family, so let's not stand on ceremony. I just wanted to pay my respects to them in their lifetime, and now I see that they were all truly exceptionally beautiful and ethereal."

Xu Qing kept talking nonstop while her hands never stopped working.

The bodies of the ancestors of the Hu Yang clan were all very well preserved, so much so that it would not be an exaggeration to say they were lifelike. After Xu Qing finished performing the rituals to help these bodies pass on to the afterlife, he put them back in their proper places.

The Great Calamity has lasted for a thousand years, and it is time for these corpses, exiled in the River of Shadows, to rest in peace.

Over the course of a thousand years, by the time of Hu Baosong's generation, the heritage of Tushanji had changed hands countless times and was no longer complete.

Xu Qing's purpose in coming here was simply to compile a complete lineage of the Hu Yang clan and revive the glory of the Tushanji lineage.

As for the corpse in front of him, Xu Qing treated it as if he were burying customers who came to the mortuary to handle their funeral arrangements, and did not do anything that violated professional ethics.

"Tushan gathers prayer spells, earth element spells, mind-controlling incantations, fox-light mirrors, and moon-worship banners."

Xu Qing guided the corpse to the main burial chamber, but when he opened the coffin in front of him, he found that the coffin in the main burial chamber was empty, except for a five-colored stone with a restrained radiance and an ordinary appearance.

Xu Qing tried to pick up the palm-sized stone, but failed.

"Ok?"

How could a zombie, with its immense strength, not even be able to lift a rock?

Xu Qing was surprised. He had already reached the perfect state of Undying Bones, and even a casual lift could exert a force of several thousand jin. If he used some force, he could easily lift a stone weighing ten thousand jin.

But this five-colored stone is only the size of a palm.
Xu Qing's heart stirred. When he was performing the ritual to release the bodies of the Hu Yang clan who had been buried here for generations, he had heard a few words about the legend of the earthen mound stone that was used to mend the sky.

Legend has it that in the distant past, the four giant pillars supporting the heavens and the earth collapsed, causing the sky to crack, floods to rage, and ferocious beasts to run rampant.
A goddess, born from the essence of heaven and earth, forged over 30,000 five-colored stones at Wuji Cliff in the Great Wilderness Mountain in order to save all living beings.

When the goddess mended the sky, she used 36,500 five-colored stones, and the extra five-colored stones were left in various places.

Several versions of the story circulated during this period.

One type was abandoned at the foot of Qinggeng Peak, while the other was given the five-colored stone by the goddess Gao Mei, who later became in charge of marriage and reproduction, to the nine-tailed fox clan as a token. The nine-tailed fox then replaced the goddess as Gao Mei, in charge of human marriages.

The fox clan of Tushanji belongs to the latter category.

Xu Qing's eyes lit up. If that were true, then this stone might be the key to restoring the heritage of Tushanji.

At that moment, Xu Qing exerted all his strength, but he still could not shake the five-colored stone in front of him.

Just as he was about to give up, the five-colored stone in his hand suddenly emitted five-colored light.

The next moment, the merits and incense offerings of the Blood Lake Dharma Realm seemed to be drawn by something, and for the first time ever, they became excited and restless.

Xu Qing's heart stirred, and he separated a wisp of blood lake incense to wrap the five-colored stone.
Strangely enough, when the incense and offerings came into contact with the five-colored stone, the stone, which should have weighed more than ten thousand pounds, instantly lost all its weight.

Xu Qing was unable to control her remaining strength and stumbled, quickly regaining her balance.

At this moment, he weighed the five-colored stone in his hand, and it was as light as a feather. If judged solely by his senses, no one would believe that it was a stubborn rock.

"Strange thing."

Xu Qing tried to put the five-colored stone into the Landscape Map, but failed. He then tried to put it into the Blood Lake Realm. This time, he didn't need to exert any effort to control the stone. He only needed to send a thought, and the five-colored stone entered the Blood Lake Realm like a playful puppy.

"Could this really be a remnant stone from mending the sky?"

Xu Qing was unsure; he didn't even know the stone's material or its purpose.

"Never mind, let it be."

Pulling himself back to reality, Xu Qing turned his gaze to the empty coffin before him.

"This coffin is quite nice. If Senior Sister Yizhen wants to continue the Hu Yang family bloodline in the future, she won't be able to do so without the dowry from the main family!"

Xu Qing happily put away the coffin.

According to traditional wedding customs, a coffin is included in the ten-mile-long red dowry procession of a bride.

Since Hu Baosong entrusted the girl to him, he naturally had to fulfill his duties and take good care of her affairs before and after her death.

Before that, he was naturally in charge of keeping the coffin, which was perfect for a corpse. After watching the revolving lantern of the Hu Yang clan ancestors and receiving many rewards related to the Hu Yang clan's heritage, Xu Qing left the Hu Yang Mausoleum without any worries.

In this defiled and evil world, the true Dharma is hard to preserve. He could neither effectively prolong the lifespan of the deceased nor bring them back to life.

That's all he can do right now.

Xu Qing rode his horse along the ancient Yinhe Road.

Behind him, the mysterious Populus euphratica mausoleum once again disappeared into the mist.

The boundary marker between Yin and Yang, the temple to the bones of the True Lord.

The burly man in red robes stared intently at the young man entering the bone temple, without uttering a word.

Xu Qing touched his cheek, puzzled, and asked, "Why is the True Lord looking at me like that?"

"Could it be that you feel ashamed or embarrassed?"

"."

The Exorcist Lord snorted coldly and said, "Two months ago, the corpse energy in the cemetery where the Yin Corpse Sect was located surged, and then a soaring evil spirit stirred up raging flames, burning the cemetery to the ground."

“I observed from afar, and that aura is remarkably similar to yours.”

Xu Qing blinked and said, "Even from this distance, a True Lord can sense my righteous aura?"

"You have no sense of righteousness whatsoever! I think you have too much yin energy and too much malevolent energy. If this continues, you will not be on the right path!"

Xu Qing looked at the red-robed man with a heavy Chinese accent and smiled, "What is the right path? In all these years in the Yin River, has the True Lord ever felt such peace and tranquility here as he does today?"

"Peaceful and peaceful?" the Exorcist Lord asked, puzzled.

Xu Qing pointed outside the Bone Temple and said logically, "Look at the Ghost King's Tomb, the Dharma King's Tomb, and the Yin Corpse Sect that has plagued the Yin River for many years. Are they still in the Yin River now?"

"."

Don't say it, don't say it!
After being reminded by Xu Qing, the Demon Exorcist Lord realized that the Yin River had indeed become much calmer recently.

But Zhenjun quickly realized what was going on.

You've almost wiped out all the ghosts and evil cultivators in this Yin River. It's not even easy to see a ghost anymore, so it seems peaceful and serene!
The Exorcist Lord was too lazy to argue with him.

"You came to see me for something?"

"It's nothing serious, I just stopped by to see the True Lord before leaving the Yin River." Xu Qing paused and said, "If we meet again, it may be our last."

"."

"Truly a funeral director by trade, your words are so ominous! I am indeed from the River of the Dead, but if the Underworld can one day restore order, I will have the chance to be reborn. At that time, who knows when I might awaken my innate wisdom and return to my rightful place."

Xu Qing understood what the Demon Exorcist True Lord meant. The other party had obviously decided that he could not survive the Ghost Law Battle, otherwise he would not have said such a thing.

"Take care, True Lord. If that day ever comes, I will prepare a small feast to welcome you back and wash away the dust of your journey."

Watching Xu Qing leave, the burly man in the red robe sighed softly.

Unexpectedly, after a thousand years of slaying demons and monsters, all he received in the end was this young man he had only recently met.

At the Yin-Yang Boundary Marker, Xu Qing connected with the earth's veins, and the surrounding scenery changed. When his vision stabilized, he appeared on the banks of the White Sand River.

Now he can freely travel between the underworld and the mortal world without needing to go through the twin coffins.

Feeling the dense moisture around him and hearing the sound of the waves, Xu Qing smiled, a smile he hadn't shown in a long time.

Compared to the desolate Yin River, he clearly preferred to stay in the mortal world.

Upon arriving at the port, one encounters fishermen, boat passengers, pedestrians, and a body retrieval team that has just pulled up a corpse.

Xu Qing felt like everything was back to normal!
At this moment, Xu Qing's aura became even more restrained. However, before interacting with anyone, he still used his makeup skills to carefully prepare his appearance for his funeral.

When he reappeared in the crowd, he was a middle-aged man of about forty years old.

However, judging from his eyebrows and expression, one can still see that he is the same person as the legendary funeral director from Jingxia Street more than ten years ago.

Besides changing his appearance and adapting to the passage of time, Xu Qing also used most of his magical power to activate the Deception Technique.

His cultivation level has now far exceeded one thousand years. If he does not conceal his aura after leaving the Yin River, a calamity of heavenly fire will befall him in no time!

The natural disaster was of great strategic significance to Xu Qing. He would rather delay his entry into the Flying Zombie Realm than waste his incense offerings in resisting this hard-won calamity.

What others see as a monstrous calamity is, in Xu Qing's eyes, a life-saving spring!
At the Linjiang wharf, the recorder responsible for documenting the entry and exit of the body retrieval team is no longer the same person as before, Manager Cai.

Xu Qing learned upon asking that Manager Cai, who was over fifty years old, had passed away five years ago.

This is a downside for people who have prolonged contact with corpses: they are more likely to have a shorter lifespan.

Xu Qing suddenly stopped walking on Jingxia Street and turned to head towards Dongdaokou Hutong.

Before leaving the secular world, his senior brother Wang Lingyuan settled down in Dongdaokou Hutong to live out his retirement. If we calculate the time, his senior brother is probably over seventy years old.

"Who are you? Uncle-Master Xu?"

As soon as Xu Qing knocked on his senior brother's door, he saw a middle-aged man in his thirties come out to greet him.

"Dou Yun, it's been a while since we last met."

Xu Qing smiled. The person in front of him was none other than Dou Yun, one of the two young apprentices that Wang Lingyuan had taken in during his later years.

The two lived next door to Wang Lingyuan, and both families took care of Wang Lingyuan every day. They were nominally master and apprentice, but in reality, they were more like father and son.

“It’s not just been a while since I’ve seen him, my son is almost taller than me now! In the years since my uncle left, my master has often talked about him, but unfortunately, every time he goes to Jingxia Street, he can’t find him.”

"Speaking of which, where exactly has Uncle Xu been all these years?"

Xu Qing chuckled and shook his head, then asked in return, "Where's your master? I'll go check on him!"

"."

Dou Yun's smile faded, and he sighed. As he led Xu Qing the way, he said:
"My master has no wife or children, and in his younger years no one took care of his meals and daily needs, so his health is not as good as that of an ordinary person, and it is now..."

Xu Qing frowned slightly. When he entered the inner room and saw Wang Lingyuan, who was already very old and had a full head of white hair, lying on the bed, he was shocked to realize the power of the dull knife of time.

"Master, look who's back!"

Wang Lingyuan, who was becoming increasingly drowsy, was helped up by his apprentice. He looked up at the blinding sunlight at the door and saw only a tall figure.

"Who could it be? It certainly couldn't be your Uncle Xu."

"It's me, senior brother. I've returned from my travels."

When the figure, obscured by the sunlight, approached and he heard that familiar voice, Wang Lingyuan's eyelids trembled, and before he could speak, tears welled up in his eyes.

"Oh dear! Junior brother!"

Wang Lingyuan tried to stand up, but ultimately he couldn't break free from the pull of time.

"Senior brother, don't set off. It's fine for us, fellow disciples, to catch up here."

"Alright, alright, you have to tell your senior brother where you've been all these years, and why you haven't come back even once."

Outside, the sun was setting.

Xu Qing chatted with this senior brother she had known for a long time until night fell.

When Wang Lingyuan could no longer resist his drowsiness, Xu Qing suddenly asked, "I gave you so many pills, did you forget to take them on time?"

Wang Lingyuan, his eyes still blurry, leaned against the headboard and said in a soothing tone, "What's the point of living so long when I'm just an old man all alone? Coroners don't live long anyway. It's better to give those good medicines to Dou Yun and the others."

"These two kids followed me into the profession of coroner, so I have to take good care of them."

As night fell, Xu Qing walked alone on the street.

The words of my senior brother Wang Lingyuan still seemed to echo in my ears.

(End of this chapter)