The Path to Immortality Begins with the Life-Extending Lamp

Chapter 104 Power, tactics, and influence
The old man at the head of the table raised his teacup, took a small sip, and seemed to have completely ignored the piper's complaints.

He didn't see the 300,000 baht Taiyue Mountain-shaped Dao baht, nor did the Lingnan Yin Gold he wanted appear!
For them, it didn't really matter whether Pei and Guan had actually been robbed or not; what they needed was a stable shipping route to supply the Southern Kingdom with materials.

The main hall fell silent in an instant. The invisible oppression made the three heroes tremble with fear, and they could barely hold onto the mustard seed pouches in their hands.

"Since things have come to this, we can only barely make this journey. We hope you will understand."

The pipe man bowed again to the Ninth Elder and apologized.

"That Marquis Wang commands five warships, one flying boat, and two thousand soldiers, numbering in the palms of the Purple Mansion. With the momentum of a powerful dragon entering the sea, he roams across the overseas countries. Not only the two of us, but no other black ship crew can contend with him!"

Without external help, they are already in a dead end on this black ship. If the Purple Mansion Daoist of the Seven Star Branch Pavilion of Lixu Continent wants an explanation, he should go and ask Marquis Wang for an explanation!
In short, the Daoist put away the Jiuhua Taiyue Dao Zhu and Lingnan Yin Gold, not intending to trade with them anymore. Even if it was a wasted trip, he would still leave the problem to this Ninth Elder.

The Taiyue Mountain-shaped Dao Zhuan, cast from Jiuhua Spiritual Gold, is the most precious Dao Zhuan among the twelve sects of the two academies in the Southern Kingdom, as white as jade supporting the sky. One zhu of Taiyue Jiuhua is worth twenty-seven bai-lian mi yin Dao Zhuan of the Southern Kingdom's official family in the outer sea. Lingnan Yin Gold is even more so, which is contained in the yin vein of the feng shui of the capital, and is a rare substance that is not produced overseas.

Among the many black ships that come and go, only a handful of people dare to carry out such a large-scale transfer, and Pei and Guan were among them.

The old man stroked his beard and pondered for a long time before slowly and deliberately expressing his opinion.

“I know that you two are exceptional among the ship owners in the entire outer sea; you are both very capable.”

"Those bandits have a fleet of ships and flying boats. You think you can just retreat so easily?"

"Perhaps the Taoist priest has misremembered. It seems that the Taiyue Daozhu and Lingnan Yinjin were not robbed, right? No one in this outer sea dares to touch what I want!"

With a wave of his sleeve, the Ninth Elder chuckled, and a chivalrous hero at the upper level of Qi Refining strode in from outside the hall and knelt down on one knee.

This change immediately made the pipeline workers pause in shock!
Are there really still people who left the ruins on the ship?

Originally, he only wanted to put some pressure on the Seven Star Branch Pavilion of Lixu Continent, so that the Ninth Elder would suffer a fate and he could find some breathing room for them.

But at this moment...

"Pei Liu?"

The chivalrous man, upon being called by the Taoist priest, knelt on one knee in the hall, silently sweating profusely.

"We risked our lives to transport these spiritual materials from afar. It would be such a pity if we forgot about them!" The Ninth Elder sighed, his words carrying a hidden meaning.

These precious spiritual gold and valuables were transported from the Southern Kingdom by Pei Jiu and the Daoist. Unlike other merchant ships, the black ship was filled with goods that were prohibited by law in various places, and no one would place an order or leave any evidence against them. The downstream buyers would accept whatever amount they brought.

Pei and Guan naturally had the power of life and death to decide what to do, so they said it was kidnapped by thieves, and no one could find fault with that.

But now that his own chivalrous subordinates have leaked the information, he's not looking so good!

Even Li Qing, standing to the side, watching the chivalrous man kneeling on one knee, suddenly felt the complex relationships on this ship: Pei family servants, Yang family stewards, and now there was another spy from Lixuzhou...

'Is the pipeman trying to use that considerable amount of spirit gold as a trump card, hoping the Seven Star Pavilion will provide a guarantee? Or what?'

Unfortunately, the Ninth Elder had made even better arrangements and already knew everything about the ship. The two ship owners, who wanted to rely on him to get a promise, had lost their chance.

However, the person who delivered the message remained unfazed and showed no remorse for having his lie exposed.

"no!"

The pipe man shook his head and said, "It's not that we're playing tricks on the elders, but our ship was robbed on this trip, and we have powerful enemies blocking us at sea. We should go back and give an explanation to our men and the spiritual talents of the East Sea tribes."

"Brother Pei and I have to pledge all our possessions to the Beast Taming Immortal Sect to find a way to survive. There's really no other way..."

The reason given by the Daoist was nothing more than to seek a way out from the Beast Taming Immortal Sect, to spend a huge amount of Dao coins to charter a beast-ferrying treasure ship and return safely to the East Sea.

This made the Ninth Elder chuckle. Were these two really stupid or just pretending?

"Guan Yunzhong and Pei Jiu, you two are very capable!"

"Go find the Beast Taming Sect's beast-crossing disciples and escape back to the East Sea, barely clinging to life. And then what? With your current cultivation, will you sit idly by and let your men on the ship squander their wealth? Or will you turn back and fight for food with those immortal families who have been rooted in the southern coast for hundreds of years?"

"Those bandits have flying boats, so you can have them too!"

The Ninth Elder smiled and waved, then promised again:
"Here's what we'll do. You two chip in ten million Dao Zhu, and I'll take charge and find you a magic boat. Plus, you two now have about three Foundation Establishment cultivators at the Purple Mansion level. Who can stop you... This route is based on you two, Pei and Guan. If you refuse, which other ship owner would dare to make a move?"

"As for that old devil Wang? I'll put in a good word with him..."

This old Taoist priest, with his deep-seated demeanor, suddenly opened his eyes like a sick tiger, and with a single word, he determined the direction for Pei and Guan's next steps.

His long tenure in a high position, his reliance on power and influence, and the sheer power he wields to control the heavens are enough to send chills down one's spine!
In his view, Pei and Guan were just victims of a calamity, and they were trying to be clever by asking his Seven Star Pavilion to step in and provide a guarantee.

In this sea area of ​​the nations, the guarantee is not a concern.

If you want to find a way to survive, that's fine, but you have to be sincere, not just make trouble for me with empty promises.

Ten million Daozhu! He knew that Pei and Guan had been traveling to and from the outer seas for over sixty years, so they could afford this amount.

The old Taoist priest simply set two numbers in the main hall, without giving the Taoist priest a chance to object, and then sat down in the armchair and began to close his eyes to rest.

If it were a few decades earlier, he would have definitely given this scheming young man a good talking-to, but now, he's old and doesn't have the energy for it...

The young man from the Purple Mansion beside him also showed dissatisfaction with the Taoist priest's untruthful words. When he and the middle-aged Taoist priest from the Seven Star Pavilion stopped in the manor to hand over the finances and supplies with the cultivators from the Black Ship, he still made things difficult for them in every way...

Li Qing watched all this happening from the side and kept it in mind.

The world is bustling, all for profit; the world is bustling, all for gain.

Since the island of the headless chieftain, Li Qing has seen too many different kinds of people, from the black-ship wandering knights to the plain-clothed Taoists, from the sea-sweeping bandits to the Seven Star Pavilion of Lixu Continent.

He seemed to have grasped the ineffable meaning amidst the entanglement of all paths, yet this meaning was truly difficult to describe in words.

Between people, by chance and circumstance, you have seven emotions, and he indulges in six desires. It is through these choices influenced by one's nature that we can see the path this Taoist has taken.

This is the mental journey one must go through during foundation building!

Without self-knowledge, the divine palace cannot open; without self-enlightenment, the primordial spirit is difficult to achieve…

The Taoist priest lived in the southern part of the country. His ambition was to unite all the states, so that all ghosts would be easily driven away and evil spirits would not dare to invade. He would then sweep across the mountains and completely dominate the southwest.

He traveled through the Jiangnan region, bathed in the fragrance of red beans, and his thoughts were unforgettable in the spring. Perhaps his ambition was to serve the southern country, to serve as a prime minister in the mountains, and to protect the region.
They may be born in the Lingnan region, where only in the 380 temples of Lingnan, lonely souls sit in the halls, wild ghosts dwell in the palaces, and countless spirits enjoy the offerings of countless living people. They may enter the Tao through this path, or they may be proficient in the way of ghosts, subdue hundreds of ghosts, and see through the illusion of life and death; or they may prioritize the way of humanity, cut down mountains and destroy temples, and no longer show the lonely souls and wild ghosts devouring people.

Or perhaps they fought on the land north of the Yangtze River, with Taoist priests and warriors in their sleeves, and fierce soldiers clad in armor, day and night, amidst the smoke of battle and the thunder of war, with the drums of war never ceasing. Only then could they achieve their goal, and perhaps they only wished that their tombstone would bear the inscription "Tomb of General Who Conquered the North - Marquis Li" after their death...

People are shaped by their environment, and those who pursue profit overseas are naturally also obsessed with the word "profit."

Li Qing saw through the essence of the matter at a glance.

"This ineffable thing is what binds everyone. The south has its own predicaments, the north has its own dangers, the south has its own scenery, and the south has its own helplessness..."

"There are also unique rules overseas!"

"But what is the name of this thing that controls countless living beings and gives rise to greed, anger, ignorance, hatred, and the seven emotions and six desires?"

At that moment, Li Qing suddenly had a sudden realization.

I just feel that the Purple Mansion or the Immortal Sect are nothing special!
As the various sects of the Seven Star Pavilion emptied the black ship of its stockpiled goods and exchanged them for overseas mica, jade, coral, and pearls, the old man's eyes suddenly flickered, and he turned to look at Li Qing.

"Though my mind is still in a state of confusion, I believe that in the near future, I will be able to develop consciousness in my Niwan Palace."

"Not bad!"

It was unclear whether the old man was praising Li Qing's somewhat unsettled aura or simply pleased with today's gains.

"Three days from now, bring your Dao coins to the Seven Star Pavilion, and I will find a way out for you!"

"A safe way out!" After the Ninth Elder stood up, he turned his head to look at everyone with a hawk-like gaze, threw down a word into the main hall, and strode away with his many followers.

This old fellow used his power to his advantage, rightfully controlling the entire fleet.

With just one sentence, they managed to squeeze nearly ten million coins out of Pei and Guan!
But how could they dare disobey?

The pipe man glanced at the seven-star mustard seed pouches on the table, flicked his sleeve, and collected them with a wave of his hand. At this moment, his face was particularly gloomy. He bowed to Li Qing and turned to head towards the back courtyard.

He really needs to have a serious discussion with Pei Jiu!

Li Qing frowned and stepped out of the main hall, heading straight into her own courtyard.

The Ninth Elder was right. The ghost spines that Li Qing recreated have been subdued one by one. Now, the Xuan Yin Qi in the Zhou Tian has condensed into an eternal state and is almost turning into the foundation of the Dao!
After sealing the courtyard gate, Li Qing's first task was to refine his primordial energy, taking the innate as the foundation and the acquired as the manifestation, achieving perfect harmony. He would then build a true foundation in his lower dantian and purple palace, and ascend to a divine palace that opened up the heavens, thus achieving the unity of heaven and man.

Refining one's primordial energy is a process that requires meticulous effort...

Three days passed in the blink of an eye. During these three days, Li Qing only completed two cycles of the Heavenly Cycle. The rest of the time, he was reading an ancient book called "The Law Scripture".

Just as Li Qing finished reading the last chapter of this ancient book, the morning bell began to ring on the third day.

Pei Jiu was wrapped in a large circle of white silk, with a set of robes draped over his body, making him look somewhat bulky; the Taoist priest stood to one side, nodding slightly to Li Qing, who was opening the courtyard gate.

"Let's go to the Seven Star Pavilion."

The three set off together, boarding the pipe man's magic shuttle and soaring through the sky.

"The Ninth Elder wants ten million Dao Zhu. This ten million Dao Zhu is both the funds to purchase a small Dharma Boat and a wedge to get him involved!"

"I was really being too clever for my own good that day."

The pipe man shook his head and sighed softly.

"Young friend Li, you may attend the banquet as a guest of the Black Ship and a disciple of the Five Immortal Sects!"

That Ninth Elder is no pushover. What changes might occur during the banquet is still unknown. Li Qing is a guest, a distinguished guest with powerful connections. Presumably, the Seven Star Pavilion will give him some face.

Being too low-key isn't good either!
However, just as the three of them transformed into streaks of light and entered the Seven Star Pavilion, a medium-sized magic ship shaped like a swallow was grandly moored on the side of the seaside beneath the seven-story treasure pavilion built by the sea.

The three landed on the magic shuttle, and upon seeing the magic boat, their brows furrowed and they looked at each other in bewilderment.

Isn't that the flying boat of that bandit cultivator... that Marquis Wang?
Could the Ninth Elder of the Seven Star Pavilion's so-called "finding a way out" be some kind of banquet similar to the "shooting the halberd at the gate" incident? Or perhaps, is that old fellow planning to use someone else's talent to curry favor?

The two Taoists, Guan and Pei, exchanged a glance and spoke briefly, but before they could say anything more, a Taoist from in front of the Seven Star Pavilion came to greet them.

"Fellow Daoists, Elder Jiu has been waiting in the hall for quite some time."

Several young men and women with youthful faces came up from below the pavilion. They seemed to be Li Qing's peers, wearing seven-star robes, but each with a different style.

These Qi Refining Realm Daoists had already received their mission: to lead the three of them to the top floor of the pavilion.

"Please don't panic, gentlemen. The elders and the young master have been entertaining that guest in the pavilion all night long, and they have been waiting for you for quite some time!"

"Please rest assured and enjoy the banquet. The elders will take care of resolving the conflict for you all!"

One of the young female Taoist priests approached the three of them slightly and whispered some instructions, telling them to put their guard down and not to be suspicious.

The distance between the seven floors was made by a large, green banana leaf, about ten feet in size, which served as a ladder to lift everyone up to the top floor in no time.

The female Taoist priest stepped forward and gently pushed open the cloud palace gate of the Seven Star Pavilion. Li Qing and the other two felt a dizzying sensation, and the next moment, they suddenly appeared in a vast sea of ​​clouds.

In this cloud palace, white jade serves as a plate and gold as a table, rosy clouds form the railings, larks gather as guests, graceful dancers dance like fairies treading on the moon, and children beat drums to boost the morale of the drinking game.

Not to mention Li Qing and the others, even the "Danghai cultivators" who were treated as honored guests by the Ninth Elder of the Seven Star Pavilion were somewhat flattered.

However, as soon as Li Qing and the other two appeared, Wang Hou, who was sitting high on the guest seat, jumped up from his seat with a look of hostility on his face.

"Old Ghost Wang!"

"It's you! Daoist Pei."

The two sides were like enemies meeting face to face, their eyes filled with hatred. Just six or seven days ago, the two Taoists, Pei and Guan, returned from the sea severely injured, with more than thirty farmhands and clansmen dead, and they also lost several million Taoist coins.

But Lord Wang was even more enraged. His subordinates, Ma Daoren, Xu Daoren, and Bailang Jiao, died on the spot at sea. Also, Tuishan Ao and Yu Ao Daoren, as well as more than twenty naval Daoren who had been equipped with a million Daozhu of weapons by Lord Wang, disappeared at the same time...

Marquis Wang himself was also attacked by the horde of dragons, losing two out of five of his ships. If it weren't for the power of the Flying Swallow Dharma Boat, he and his men would have almost perished at sea.

The deep-seated hatred between these two sides is no small matter!

The two groups had just entered the palace garden and almost clashed again; Old Ghost Wang even curled up the Hunyuan Pearl in his hand.

"Hehehe! Gentlemen, please don't be impatient."

The Ninth Elder sat alone in the main seat, lightly tapping the table with his knuckles, and chuckled sinisterly.

With his action, the entire Cloud Palace seemed to be enraged. Strange phenomena of clouds and seas swept across the four directions, transforming into a majestic, all-encompassing magical intent that suppressed everyone's arrogance.

"Pei Jiu, come, sit here."

The Ninth Elder used the power of the Cloud Palace to intimidate everyone, and immediately changed his expression, smiling as he called Pei Jiu and the other two to sit on the right.

Then, the old Taoist priest explained gently to Old Ghost Wang:
"Our Seven Star Branch Pavilion in Lixu Continent never participates in worldly affairs at sea, but only focuses on cultivation, arts and crafts, and matters concerning the Immortal City. If a powerful figure like you were to reside in the seas of the various nations, it would give the overseas Immortal Alliance more strength, and we would naturally be delighted."

"But Fellow Daoist Wang must know that only five or six black ships come and go every three years, yet they can add another 30% to the annual income of Lixu Continent and the two immortal cities of the East Sea."

"Pei Jiu is the number one person I have to rely on among all these black ships!"

Once a Daoist at the Foundation Establishment stage of the Purple Mansion is reached, they become a half-transcendent Yin God. They can then sit at the table like many other immortal families, with few daring to engage in this nefarious work. But how many Pei Jius can an ordinary Purple Mansion produce?

This Pei Jiu, the Taoist, is truly a "good son under his command" in the eyes of the aristocratic families of the East Sea and the outer seas.

Elder Jiu spared no effort to protect Pei Jiu, even at the cost of his own reputation.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, if you want to find a kingdom to establish your residence among the various states, of course you can, but you can't just overturn the table!"

"If you leave everyone with nothing to eat, then the other fellow cultivators might really eat you up..."

The old Taoist priest made a light joke, but his words really gave Old Ghost Wang a joking shock.

Don't let the fact that this old Taoist priest is practically on his deathbed fool you; if he wants to establish himself among the nations, you really have to give this old codger some face.

Judging from the current situation, although this old man only cares about immediate interests, he is not without tolerance.

Wang Hou and the two Taoists behind him exchanged a silent glance. The two Purple Mansion cultivators behind him nodded in agreement, but their eyesight and spirit were clearly not enough to help Wang Hou make such an important decision.

Seeing that Lord Wang acquiesced, the Ninth Elder stroked his long beard and looked at Pei Jiu with a kind expression.

At the same time, the old Taoist gently turned the handle of the silver pot, smiled and made a vow, and pushed the pot of fine wine in front of Pei Jiu.

"Very well, today I will make a three-point agreement with Fellow Daoist Wang. You may set a rule for this overseas territory, whether it's a commission or tariffs, but there must be limits. You cannot touch the people and routes of my Lixu Continent!"

"If you wish to establish your capital in one of the kingdoms, that's fine too! You can't afford to offend the Grand Preceptor of Xuangu, and even I will have to give him some leeway. Don't cause trouble here; and don't touch Peng Kingdom either, there are wild brats from Taiyi Dao there, you can't touch them either!"

"If you're willing to do so, fellow Daoist, hehe~"

"Pei Jiu, step forward and drink three cups with Fellow Daoist Wang, let's turn hostility into friendship..."

(End of this chapter)