The Path to Immortality Begins with the Life-Extending Lamp

Chapter 107 Refining Speed ​​with Thunder and Fire?
The foundation of the Purple Mansion has been laid.

Within Li Qing's Purple Mansion Crimson Palace, a primordial energy flowed, and countless divine intentions lingered, attempting to nurture a Primordial Yin Spirit within this Purple Mansion Dao Foundation!

As the primordial energy of the Zhou Tian changed, Li Qing held the middle volume of the "Southern Dipper Longevity Scripture" in his hands, lit a candle, and read it carefully.

This middle volume of the Southern Dipper Longevity Scripture was handed to him by Bai Qingye, the head of the outer academy, after he arrived at the Immortal Peak of the Abyss.

As Li Qing flipped through the scroll of Daoist teachings, he realized that he still owed the outer court 100,000 Daoist merits.

"Now that I have entered the Purple Mansion, I should be able to restrain the Ghost Mother and stabilize the Netherworld, preventing any situation from getting out of control. I suppose the various Purple Mansion administrators will no longer have any idle gossip, right?"

"That's 100,000 merits! If we were to spend a year in the open sea, the Western Mang Caves would probably be pacified by now. The Abbot has been personally visiting the southwestern mountains for quite some time, and the demonic chaos should have been mostly quelled by now..."

Where am I supposed to gather all 100,000 merits to repay this debt?

With a long sigh, Li Qing put away the "Southern Dipper Prolongation of Life" scroll, his mind filled with sorrow once again.

However, the Daoist method in this middle volume is indeed exactly as the head of the academy, Bai Qingye, said. It is an extremely strange Daoist method that must not be viewed by anyone who has not reached the Foundation Establishment stage!

Most of the methods of the immortal sects rely on elixirs, talismans, qi, and spirit to uphold the Great Dao, but this scroll, "Nan Dou Yan Ming," is a continuation of the Hetu and Luoshu lineage.

The Yellow River produced the Diagram, and the Luo River produced the Book. Both of these are scriptures of the Great Dao. This river is not the river of the Heavenly Capital, but the Milky Way. A dragon emerged from the Milky Way, transformed into Bai Ze, and carried the Diagram into the Heavenly Capital, hence the name He Tu (River Diagram)!

The Yin God Daoist technique "Nan Dou Yan Ming" that Li Qing practiced was based on this. It did not take divine talismans or follow the techniques of Daoist scriptures, but only took the method of divination as its core.

This middle volume of the scripture contains no record of supernatural powers or spells, and is unlike any other Taoist scripture commonly found in immortal sects.

There is only one "Six Luminaries Thunder and Fire Refining Ritual", one "Nail-Head Book" incantation, and the core "Southern Dipper Life-Extending and Longevity Ode"!
It's as if one is within the Great Dao, seeking nothing but to prolong life and avoid death.

Throughout the entire text, there is no praise for gods or respect for the Great Dao; only the desire to prolong life and seek immortality! Offering sacrifices to the Southern Dipper Heavenly Palace, one obtains a three-inch-three-meter-long lifespan, accompanied by a precious candle, and the essence of the root of life and soul is presented six times.

Weigh your bones, how much does your life weigh? This will determine the time of your death, the end of your life.
Cutting off a lock of black hair, how much longer can one live? In an instant, life ends...

After looking through it nine times, Li Qing felt increasingly insignificant. He raised his head from the table and looked at the shattered, dark sky again. He couldn't guess what was beyond the sky. There were stars above the Milky Way, but what was above the stars?
Why did such a forbidden scripture come into being?

Weighing bones can determine one's fate; shaving one's hair can determine one's lifespan; offering one's skull to the Southern Dipper can prolong life; offering spirit lamps can nurture the soul; praying to evil stars; nailing one's head to secure death...

The only thing in the two volumes of the Daoist scripture "Nan Dou Yan Ming" that can be considered a proper ritual of the immortal sect is probably the method of refining and transcending the six luminaries with thunder and fire.

No wonder that Prefect Yin, who was far away in Jiangnan, pointed out in one sentence that the "Southern Dipper Prolonging Life" of Linyuan Mountain could subdue the Ghost Mother. This scripture is much more evil than the Ghost Mother!

"If I want to quickly offer sacrifices to the Southern Dipper Longevity Lamp, I should refine and deliver all ghosts, restore my lifespan, and capture their spirits."

"If I want to elevate the Six Ding and Six Jia, I must refine and deliver a hundred ghosts. If any of the spirits are compatible with my own, I will truly enlighten them."

Furthermore... the minor supernatural power left behind by Cui Ying—the Five Ghosts Nail-Head Technique of Fingertip Movement—also requires the soul essence and life spirit of the ghost path to cultivate the Five Ghosts Great Shifting Seal on the five fingers.

The two Taoists, Pei and Guan, needed to refine and maintain the magic boat's protective restrictions. It would take them several weeks before they could successfully control the flying boat. Li Qing also did not want to have too much contact with the Taoists of the Seven Star Pavilion.

The previous banquet, full of scheming and plotting, truly chilled Li Qing to the bone.

Those who have different paths cannot make plans together. So let's set up an altar in this underworld and use it to guide and exorcise the ghosts and spirits that come here.

With a thought, Li Qing pushed open the doors and windows of the second-floor attic.

Upon reaching the top level, one finds the former prefect, Cui Ying, whose only remaining head lies flat beneath the incense table. On the table, three soul bottles hold wisps of soul energy that, like incense smoke, are slowly poured into the nostrils of the ghostly head.

Inside the pavilion, yin energy swayed and lingered everywhere. It was the ghostly body of Cui Ying that had been shattered by the golden spear and silver axe, turning into wandering yin energy.

Once Li Qing is able to fully control this mentally unstable female ghost, he may be able to reshape her ghost body.

Li Qing never intended to cut off her path to survival!

"Cui Ying, please bless my cultivation of the Six Luminaries Thunder and Fire Refining Method. At that time, I may be able to refine your physical form."

"Who knows... if the remaining meaning in those many books, calligraphy and ink could bring you back to life?"

Seeing that the vengeful ghost Cui Ying was still within control, Li Qing raised his hand and gathered the wandering Yin energy into his palm. Then he pushed it towards the ghost's head, and immediately Cui Ying's body below the neck began to manifest, appearing and disappearing like clouds and mist.

Li Qing glanced at it briefly, then closed the door again and went down to the attic.

If there are any useful ghosts or gods in this Qishan Yin Palace, he should bring them under his command, just like the Yang family's Prefect, Lady White Bone, and True Man Taiyi who mistakenly entered the Youtian Qishan Domain that day...

In the not-too-distant future, this Qishan region may very well be ruled by the Li family!

Once he joins the Beast Taming Immortal Sect, he can spend 100,000 Dao Zhu to board a beast-transfer treasure ship of the Wild Beast level and return directly to the Southern Kingdom. The journey covers 360,000 li of sea and takes less than ten days.

At that time, he entered Jiangnan Road, met his parents and brothers whom he had not seen for a long time, thanked the Dan Shu Yin Shi, and then went to Lingnan to buy more soul bottles and soul silk before returning to Tiannan!

But at this moment, what he needs to do is to completely take control of this underworld.

Li Qing first searched the pavilion, but could not find the Ghost Mother. In the East Garden, only the paper servants wandered in the north and south side rooms... However, he figured that the Ghost Mother was already one of the top figures in the food chain of You Tian Qi Shan, so there was no need to worry about her. He should worry about himself first.

He raised the three-inch banner, gathered the seventy-two pearls of the Hunyuan King's Chariot in his sleeve, left the East Garden, entered the Four-Way Garden, and went straight to the gate of the main courtyard.

Before the north wall of this garden was repaired, Li Qing had glimpsed a ghostly figure in mourning clothes lingering in the corridor of the main courtyard.

At this moment, Li Qing flipped his left hand, and a flash of spiritual light appeared on the royal carriage. Immediately, the six Ding, six Jia, and twelve mad gods appeared beside him. They followed the will of the Dao Lord. When the vermilion gate was suddenly pushed open, the mad gods guarded him, with the six Jia leading the way and the six Ding on the side, as they stepped into the wide corridor.

At the ends of the left and right facing corridors, there are hanging flower gates on both sides, and a screen window with floral patterns is placed on this openwork white wall.

Above the connecting corridor, octagonal eaves shelter from the wind and rain, and the roof ridge beasts are all unique and strange. Below the connecting corridor, slender bamboos about ten feet tall are interspersed among the trees, standing against the wall, just like a modern-day Jiangnan scholar's courtyard.

The ink bamboo facing the view fully demonstrates the noble character of a gentleman, while the left and right sides move in a harmonious manner, showing that everything is in accordance with rules and regulations!
However, Li Qing had little interest in admiring the scenery. At this moment, his Purple Mansion had just been completed, his divine sense was concentrated, and the Xuan Yin Qi was circulating throughout his body. He only wanted to use the sharp blade in his hand to subdue this Netherworld Garden.

He led the crowd into the main courtyard, where they were greeted by a vast expanse of blue-patterned brick slabs. This area of ​​blue-patterned brick slabs alone was so large that it was comparable to the entire East Garden.

The main courtyard in front of the main hall was also grand yet simple, with dozens of stone lanterns standing along the paths leading to the three main halls, and a life-sized, square bronze cauldron on each side of the courtyard. However, when Li Qing looked further into the distance, he discovered that the roof ridge of the main courtyard had shattered, collapsing from west to east, with an astonishingly huge crack spreading from the foundation of the main hall. The western side room had also been torn in two by the crack!

The main courtyard of the underworld is in such a dilapidated state?
Li Qing was startled. She walked around the flower corridor screen, descended the seven jade steps in a few steps, and looked up into it.

Inside the hall, dust had accumulated over time, and the massive beams and yellow tiles lay fallen to the ground. Li Qing stepped forward and bent down to examine the large, cracked blue brick with ghost patterns at his feet.

This blue brick was made by the Hundred Ghosts Floating Pagoda Law, and even beings like the Ghost Mother in the mansion and the Skeleton Demon in the opposite garden could not break it. Now it has been cleaved in pieces like this.
At first glance, almost half of the main courtyard has collapsed!
What kind of battle could have caused such devastation? Li Qing was deeply shocked.

And it was precisely Li Qing's movement that immediately triggered a reaction from beneath the chaotic ruins.

With a creak, a long, narrow black shadow emerged from the rickety door of the dilapidated house frame.

The moment the dark, ghostly hand touched the door panel, golden energy burst forth, and twenty-four weapons flashed, their cold light obscuring the dark sky. Before the ghosts in the hall could make a move, the golden weapons and silver axes flew down together, their sharpness concealed, and they fell fiercely!
The ghostly figure let out a roar, followed by several clanging sounds of metal striking metal. In the blink of an eye, eight hundred blows were delivered, and the eerie ghostly shadow dissipated into the ground in a dark aura. Only the ghostly hand that was still resting on the vermilion wooden door fell to the ground with a thud.

The three-foot-long banner still fluttered in Li Qing's palm. This White Bone Dao secret treasure, which was of the thousand-forbidden level, transformed spiritual consciousness into a vast soul pressure several times larger, allowing Li Qing to achieve great things with a small force and suppress many others of the same realm!

The faceless Liu Ding, carrying a talisman, bowed to Li Qing. Its body swayed and moved quickly, approaching the dilapidated door. It lifted the paper sleeve inside and put the ghostly hand and many other dark fragments into its sleeve.

Li Qing opened his Yin Eyes and led the various madmen to explore this ruin once more...

The main courtyard was in ruins. Among the collapsed palace rooms, there were traces of knife cuts and fires. The memorial tablets enshrined in the main hall had been half burned to death by the fire. The roof beams were lying flat and dust was scattered everywhere.

Below the main hall, there was a mourning garment, almost like a living person, kneeling upright in the messy main hall, constantly kowtowing.

Suddenly, a strange movement came from outside the hall. Before the ghost in mourning clothes could make any further moves, golden light and fierce radiance came from the front. Various axes, spears, and other sharp weapons pierced through the void at the same time.

In an instant, only mournful cries could be heard from the underworld. All the ghosts and spirits that worshipped were immediately silenced by the blinding sharpness!

The young man, clad in a cloud-patterned robe, had eyes as calm as still water mirrors. His aura was aloof and cold, ethereal. He held a small three-inch banner in his hand, with twenty-four sharp rays swirling around it. He measured this underworld with his steps, and wherever he went, evil spirits vanished, and rampant gods came to collect the corpses…

After searching the entire inner courtyard, they went to the backyard.

Suddenly, Li Qing's pupils dilated!
All that could be seen behind the main courtyard was a pile of broken blue bricks and yellow tiles, leaving only ruins. There was no tile left to live on, as if the land had been plowed up.

"So the collapse of the Underworld, the walls of the Four-Way Garden, and the cracks covering half of the main courtyard were all caused by the backyard?"

On the snow-covered ruins, it was as if a handprint had fallen from the sky, ruthlessly overturning the entire backyard.

Amidst the chaos, a sense of prying could be felt from the crevices. With Li Qing's yin eyes watching, it was unknown how many unformed yin spirits were hiding in the endless ruins.

The backyard has collapsed and is gone. The scattered wall fragments, broken tiles, and gloomy wooden beams no longer have any trace of the aura of the Buddhist temple!
Even as Li Qing stepped away from the arched flower gate separating the main courtyard from the backyard, the "Eternal Regret Scissors" in her arms reacted instantly.

"I was thinking of finding a few ghost gardens to properly practice my refining ritual, but I didn't expect that my own backyard had already caught fire. It's like finding a needle in a haystack, only to have it come to me without any effort!"

Li Qing took two steps back, held the three-inch banner in his palm, and placed it under the hanging flower gate at the back of the main courtyard, shaking his head and muttering to himself.

In an instant, he sent the twelve mad gods out of the underworld, and with a wave of his right hand, a three-zhang-long royal chariot spanned the brackets. He then stepped behind the chariot, using it as a cloud chariot, a shrine, and an altar...

Above, the Six Ding and Six Jia are forbidden; the Primordial Ruyi Treasure Light hangs down; soft seats, incense tables, and precious candles hang; copper bells from all directions resound with melodious sounds!
Immediately afterward, as soon as the twelve mad gods left the main courtyard, dark clouds and ghostly auras arose. Once the Jiazi Linglong Mad God was freed from the suppression of the Underworld Hundred Ghosts Floating Pagoda Law, it immediately became agile, whispering eerie words and laughing softly. The rain continued and the dark clouds surrounded it, effectively trapping the several acres of mansion ruins, making it impossible for even a bird to leave.

Then he ordered the twelve paper-clothed gods to raise their sleeves and drag out the evil spirits hidden under the ruins.

The faceless paper demon pushed its hands horizontally for several feet, and with a bruised and purple ghostly hand, it pulled two little demons directly out of the mud. The walking demon, the fighting demon, the flying demon, and the armored demon were like ghost messengers under the command of the lord, and they brought the lonely ghosts under the ruins one by one...

The perpetrator was already seated in the royal carriage, with scriptures laid out, incense burning, the Southern Dipper Life-Extending Treasure Lamp hanging above the carriage, and blood-red ghost candles placed at the two corners of the incense table.

【when……】

With a single strike of the bronze bell, the Daoist Master's primordial energy ascended to the altar, and the three luminaries appeared, taking the form of the Three Sovereigns.

【when……】

The bronze bell tolled twice, and the flames of the precious candles emitted a brilliant light. Blood stained the ring candles, transforming them into a bonfire, which attracted the ghostly moths.

【when……】

The bronze bell tolled three times, and talismans with thunder patterns swirled around the candle. The thunder of the Southern Dipper drew forth life, as if bathing in a pool of thunder.

Many rituals of the immortal sects focus on compassionate soul gathering and emphasize the word "transcendence," but the "Southern Dipper Prolongation Scripture," which uses the Seven Killings to overcome calamities, emphasizes the word "refinement."

The heavenly fire flickers, burning away injustice and impurity; thunder and rain are all divine grace that can shelter us!

Thus, in the Netherworld, a Taoist priest performed a ritual, using thunder and fire to perform the ritual. Compassion, compassion!
But how could lightning and fire be such violent things? How could any ghost survive being tempered by lightning and fire?
If the refinement is not successful, it is tantamount to murder; of the ten ghosts undergoing refinement, nine out of ten will perish...

"damn it!"

"I've heard of the Alchemy Path using true fire and water to refine and deliver yin spirits, and I've also heard of the Divine Refining Path using immortal light to refine and deliver hundreds of ghosts!"

"Is there any feasibility to this lightning and fire refining technique?"

Li Qing spent eighteen days refining and transforming seventy-six Yin spirits and ghosts, but none of them were able to transcend. They all became the life-extending spells and restrictions in his life-extending lamp, as well as those life-soul essences that resembled fireflies!

Based on the foundation of the Southern Dipper Longevity Scripture, and inheriting the taboo nature of prophecies and apocryphal texts, is this the "Six Luminaries Thunder and Fire Refining Method" or the "Six Luminaries Thunder and Fire Ghost-Gathering Technique"?
The ancient lineage of prophecies and divination is accustomed to renaming forbidden methods and giving them a grand and righteous name!

The ritual of purification usually involves using warm, pure water and fire to cleanse the spirits of evil, removing their desires and using yin and yang water and fire to refine the pure essence of the spirits, thus transforming vengeful ghosts and resentful beings into spirits and deities.

The thunder and fire are so violent, how can we appease them? How can we appease them? Should we perform a ritual to deliver them from suffering?
The more Li Qing practiced, the more doubtful and alarmed he became!

The incantations and rituals of the Southern Dipper Life-Extending Lamp became increasingly elaborate, and the altar was piled high with life-saving spirits and essences...

"Damn it! This method is definitely an unorthodox and evil practice. Was the person who created it a scoundrel? Just because he changed the name, he can openly call it 'Eating Ghosts'?"

By this time, how could Li Qing not know the origins of the "Southern Dipper Prolongation Scripture"? It secretly follows the Way of Heaven, the Way of Man, the Way of Ghosts, and the Way of Demons, devouring nothing and doing nothing...

(End of this chapter)