The Path to Immortality Begins with the Life-Extending Lamp

Chapter 12 Thoughts Meet a Calamity

"Sir, it has been repaired again according to your wishes."

"Here's what you wanted..."

Several servants in the temple cleaned up and repaired the side room that had been burned down that night, restoring many of its furnishings to look almost identical to the newly built one.

The servants on Lin Yuan Mountain are different from the disciples who enter the Daoist path each year. Most of them are officials and servants from Tiannan Prefecture, who are assigned to Lin Yuan Mountain to serve the prefecture.

He was not a member of the Tiannan Temple and had no right to address the Taoist disciples as his senior brother.

However, he did a really good job, at least Li Qing was very satisfied. After readily affixing his private seal to the receipt, he let the servants leave.

Since returning from the Transmission Pavilion, Li Qing has been practicing Qi cultivation morning and evening, and daily he has been diligently studying the art of controlling objects. He has made the control of the filthy black coffin as easy as using his fingers and arms, and he has also made progress in the secrets of summoning paper figures and paper lamps...

Only the White Bone Contemplation, or perhaps the Red-Powdered Skull Contemplation within the White Bone Contemplation, did not construct a true visualization within the Niwan Palace or the Sea of ​​Consciousness.

This method originated from the Buddhist practice of contemplating the white bones. It is unknown whether the old Taoist priest of the Transmission Pavilion made too many deletions or whether this method was not easy to enter. When Li Qing practiced it, he always felt as if there was a membrane between them.

Today, the side room has finally been repaired.

Li Qing carried back to his room one by one the items piled up in the main hall, such as writing brushes, inkstones, incense burners, and longevity candles.

But at midday, when spring is in full bloom and summer is in full swing, he leaned against the couch next to the Arhat, reading the Yuanqi Sutra, and suddenly fell asleep.

As if a deity were lying down, Li Qing's consciousness drifted into a dream. The visualization he had cultivated day and night was subconsciously about to manifest a pink skull in the depths of the Niwan Palace.

It was at this time.

A great terror, unseen for a long time, loomed in the distance, seemingly tracing its path from an unknown place. Li Qing subconsciously searched for the Niwan Palace, and the Yin Familiar followed his thoughts upwards.

when……

Like the sound of a morning bell from beyond the heavens, or the beating of a divine drum in the clouds, a faint Daoist sound flashed by, and the once pitch-black Niwan Palace seemed to be creating a new world.

In the boundless darkness, opening up in all directions, a dimly lit area several feet in diameter suddenly appeared, and within the bamboo grove, an incredible figure manifested.

Li Qing's brows suddenly furrowed on the couch.

In that Niwan Palace, a woman in red robes lay peacefully in the darkness, all alone, as if she were about to be swallowed up by the endless darkness at any moment.

Its pale hands and feet resembled those of a corpse, devoid of any remaining warmth. Its red clothes were distorted, yet it possessed the unique appearance of a half-dead "pink skeleton," its numb and empty eyes suddenly meeting Li Qing's divine sense.

This was the first and only time the two looked at each other!
With just one glance, a chilling feeling instantly surged into my heart from all directions; those were eyes that were far more terrifying than those of the Purple Mansion Daoist.

But for some reason, after truly looking at and observing the ghost mother directly, Li Qing suddenly felt less afraid.

Under that unobstructed gaze, Li Qing saw "her" full appearance for the first time.

In life, she must have been an incredibly beautiful woman. In death, she must have been a beautiful skeleton!

"Um?"

In her hazy state of consciousness, Li Qing gradually sensed that something was amiss:

I have clearly cultivated the White Bone Contemplation, where the living are like white bones, and white bones are like living people, and I should seek a state of being without desire or fear. How come I have suddenly developed such an obsession with being amazed?
But before he could examine it in detail, this fleeting glimpse of the visualization had already exhausted all his thoughts, and boundless darkness instantly enveloped his mind...

Ultimately, Li Qing's consciousness was forced to retreat from the Niwan Palace, and the "White Bone Beauty Visualization Diagram" that he had accidentally lit up once again disappeared.

Li Qing suddenly opened her eyes.

Exhaustion and weariness clouded his mind, a result of excessive mental exertion. However, a space of three zhang (approximately 10 meters) had opened up in his Niwan Palace, which is also known as the Lingtai Fangcun (Spirit Platform Square Inch) in Buddhism.

It is a place where a cultivator embodies the "god" and "spirit".

The invasion of the White Bone Temple by the Dream of the Underworld has created an extremely subtle interaction.

The pink skull in the visualization was completely transformed into the "Miss Cui".

The two owners of the ghost marriage contract stood facing each other defiantly in the Land of Illusion...

Perhaps it was this external stimulus that suddenly broke through the barrier in his mind, and he instantly entered the realm of the White Bone Contemplation.

Once the visualization is complete, within the Niwan Palace (the area around the head), there will be boundless darkness. Observe the four sides of your body, all around you, where there are white bones. Looking around, there are countless white bones and skeletons, sinking into darkness, scattered in all directions, some large and some small, some whole and some fragments...

The method of contemplating and practicing the White Bone Contemplation is not something that can be superficially discussed in a few words in the secular world.

Within the Niwan Palace, many strange things were happening: the corpses were rotting and stinking, white bones were scattered everywhere, and the remains were rampant.

When mountains of white bones and seas of corpses are built, and you subdue them one by one with your mind, you can attain enlightenment. Beauty and bones are shattered; even a Bodhisattva cannot become a Buddha!

The White Bone Contemplation, though one of the five dhyanas of Buddhism, is a forbidden art that cannot be practiced without the guidance of a dhyana master!

The White Bone Contemplation is not something everyone can practice.

If one cannot dispel the illusions of the unknown mind, then decaying corpses and white bones will appear as obstacles, and great terror from the Niwan Palace will invade the present world from the illusions.

It will turn into a great disaster!

"but."

"With such a magnificent ghost marriage as a precedent, the taboos of the White Bone Temple are nothing compared to this."

Li Qing shook her head and chuckled, but didn't take it to heart.

What obsessions, what inner demons, are there to be sentimental about in the face of this truly soul-devouring and life-threatening ghostly dream?
He lifted the incense burner with animal ears on the side of the bed, lit a calming incense stick, and then picked up the scroll of the Paper Spirit Secret Record, beginning to carefully study the method of refining paper lamps and magical artifacts within it.

He never forgot that the reason he cultivated the spirit path was simply to refine the seven spirit lamps needed for the "Southern Dipper Life-Extending Everlasting Lamp Method" as soon as possible.

Only by praying with seven ever-burning lamps can his destiny be freed from the covetousness of evil spirits and escape the misfortune of being haunted by nightmares!
He secluded himself in his residence to cultivate, practicing breathing exercises morning and evening, and performing rituals during the day. After several days of this, he found it all worthwhile…

This day.

Trouble has come knocking on our door!
These outer courtyard residences were each assigned to a different Daoist disciple, divided according to the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, each practicing their own path and not allowed to cause unnecessary disputes.

Li Qing's residence is designated as "Guiwei".

This single-courtyard residence, though lacking any array or barrier, possesses its own set of sufficient restrictions, which even ordinary Daoist disciples cannot break through during disputes.

But sure enough, someone did cause trouble outside the Guiwei residence, knocking on the door.

"Li Qing, Li Qing! Are you there?"

"Quickly give this Taoist priest a reply!"

Lin Ruhu, who had previously tried to ambush Li Qing during Xunyi's Taoist studies but failed, was now leading several henchmen to surround the mansion and shout.

Upon hearing this sound, Li Qing, who was spreading out spiritual wood pulp to dry in the courtyard, was instantly filled with an inexplicable rage.

'Is this never going to end? You're asking for it!'

With a flick of his sleeve, Li Qing unleashed the remaining half-bucket of spirit wood slurry, which was then transformed into several water dragons by a surge of true qi, splashing and spraying onto the gauze boards.

While the spiritual paper pulp was still being filtered on its own, he calmly opened the courtyard gate.

Li Qing's current rate of improvement in true qi is astonishing; even going back one level, he would be among the top. As the saying goes, "He who possesses a sharp blade will naturally harbor murderous intent." Having already felt disgusted by their previous actions, he now has no patience left for their provocations!

The front gate of the house was only half open, and the Taoist disciples immediately saw those cold, murderous eyes.

These people were so frightened that they took several steps back.

"You, what's wrong with you?"

"We haven't offended you recently!"

Lin Ruhu was completely bewildered, sensing the chilling aura of murderous intent emanating from Li Qing, and was utterly clueless.

He immediately turned around and asked the group of people.

"You guys picked a fight with him?"

"Brother Tiger, no! He's more skilled than us. With you not around, how could we dare to cause him trouble?"

Several Daoist disciples shook their heads repeatedly. They had only been cultivating the Qi of the Heavenly Cycle for a little over ten quarters of an hour. They had neither cultivated any magic nor acquired any magical artifacts. They only had one method to choose as a reward when they successfully cultivated Qi. How could they dare to offend that Ghost Lang - Li Qing in private?

The group thought to themselves, "It's clearly because you're always causing trouble every now and then. How can people not be annoyed when they see you?"

If it weren't for Boss Lin, they would never have had any contact with that person.

That's a ruthless person who could even kill Tiger Mountain Lord, a Qi Refining expert at the upper level!

Is that so?
Lin Ruhu pondered carefully, seemingly still unaware of just how unpopular he was. He noticed that Li Qing seemed to be hiding something in her sleeve and was about to speak.

Suddenly, a flash of azure light appeared, like a dragon exploring the sea. With a flick of the whip, a powerful blow struck the two men.

Lin Ruhu and the Taoist disciple standing at the front immediately had their Taoist robes torn, revealing a crimson bruise, as if they had been branded with a hot iron, burning with pain.

"Uh! Li Qing, what's wrong with you?"

The long whip was filled with powerful true energy. It lashed the two men repeatedly, but the whip was more like a snake coiling around their backs. Suddenly, it wrapped around their necks and arms. With Li Qing's strength, the two men, who were several feet apart, were flung away.

With a loud bang, the two young Taoists in blue robes crashed heavily against the green brick and tile courtyard wall.

The protective barrier on the mansion rippled slightly. The courtyard wall was unharmed, but the two Daoist disciples were both in excruciating pain in their internal organs!
"Lin Ruhu, do you really think you're courting death?"

"I usually ignore you, but you dare to come knocking on my door today? I'd like to see just how much trouble your brother in the inner courtyard can cause after I've broken your arms and legs?"

Looking down at the Taoist below, Li Qing slowly twisted the long whip in her hand, which seemed to transform into a real spirit snake, forcibly hanging Lin Ruhu's head up and staring at him.

This cold, ruthless, and resolute demeanor is the norm for Gui Lang-Li Qing.

Most of his peers were still refining their essence to seek life force, and they didn't know who Li Qing was. However, other Daoist disciples who had accidentally done missions with Li Qing in the previous two years would definitely not dare to provoke him.

Lin Ruhu believed he was on imperial orders to find this wicked Taoist priest and convey the decree from the academy to him. However, the man immediately turned ruthless upon meeting him, and his words were filled with insults towards him and his brother. How could Lin not be enraged?
"You're a madman, Li Qing."

"Have you been exorcising ghosts every day and ruined your brain...?"

He is often supported by his family, and now his Qi has grown rapidly, reaching nearly fifty. If he were to disregard his reputation and make a move, would he be afraid of this unreliable country road?

His body was surging with true qi, and he was about to curse angrily while forcibly breaking free from the long whip's restraints.

Li Qing had long since lost her patience.

With a powerful kick to the chest of the quasi-Taoist disciple beside him, surrounded by abundant true qi, this extremely heavy kick sent the disciple flying several feet like a dead dog. He immediately vomited blood, rolled on the ground several times, and then lost consciousness.

He raised his hand again and struck Lin Ruhu with a palm. The latter had little power to resist. The palm struck down, but he barely managed to dodge the blow to the chest. With a crack, his arm bone was broken, and half of his arm was crippled.

With those two lashes of the whip, a punch, and a palm strike, two of the four Daoist disciples in front of the mansion were immediately paralyzed. The remaining two had never even done a low-grade mission in the mountains, let alone witnessed such a scene.

He was so frightened that he stood frozen in place.

The two men were terrified when Gui Lang-Li Qing cast an unfriendly gaze upon them. They stood trembling on the ground, unable to take a step.

"Senior Brother Li... perhaps you have misunderstood."

"Yesterday, our successive generations of instructors received an edict from our patriarch, instructing all academies to observe the impending rise of the Daoist forces and to thoroughly cleanse Tiannan Prefecture..."

"Senior Brother Lin received the Daoist Master's order to send his head to all the Daoist sects!"

The Taoist in blue robes, who had been so frightened by Li Qing that his feet seemed rooted to the spot, now spoke with a voice as loud as a gong, as if he had used all his strength to clear their names of this great injustice.

Upon hearing this reason, Li Qing was also taken aback.

Looking up at Lin Ruhu, he saw that the latter was pale and leaning against the steps of the mansion, clutching his right arm.

Is that right?

"That's true, I doubt you'd dare to go any further!"

Lin Ruhu is used to running rampant among the current generation of Daoist disciples, but he probably wouldn't dare to cause trouble in front of the residence of a Daoist who has cultivated true Qi!
Li Qing's expressionless sneer seemed to seal the end of the matter.

Ignoring the others, he turned around and opened the gate of the mansion, intending to return to the courtyard.

Such an insult, however, caused Lin Ruhu's eyes to widen in fury. Despite the excruciating pain, he coldly snorted and questioned:
"Li Qing, do you think this is the end of it?"

Lin Ruhu, the eldest son of the Lin family of Tiannan Prefecture, was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and had never suffered such hardship before.

Among the disciples of the same generation, only Li Qing, only Li Qing, never gave him a kind look!

The intense pain amplified Lin Ruhu's dissatisfaction to an extreme degree. Fueled by both the desire to maintain his dignity and his rage, waves of hatred arose within him.

'I am a member of the Lin family of Tiannan. My elder brother and great-uncle are both top-level Qi Refining experts. How can I, how can I be trampled on by such a wild Taoist?'
He had only broken half an arm; he was still capable of fighting. Lin Ruhu forced himself to stand up and confront Li Qing.

Then there's this flower bud, who has never even experienced a true brush with death, a guy whose arm is slightly broken and he can't move for half a day.

Compared to Chunyu Ye, who in Nalan Fengzhou sought only survival and even cut off his arm to stay alive...

How could I possibly earn Li Qinggao's favor?
Lin Ruhu forced himself to stand up, but in the next instant, a pair of brocade boots suddenly appeared in his sight. The condescending gaze, the arrogant look, the intense pain and humiliation almost made him faint.

"so what?"

"Are you reminding me that I must nip this in the bud, right?"

"You don't actually think that the Lin family is anything special in the mountains, do you? Ha..."

Li Qing lowered her gaze expressionlessly, but all Lin Ruhu saw in those oppressive eyes was endless darkness and mountains of white bones!

The suffocating feeling, like death looming over his throat, made him afraid to utter another harsh word.

That madman really did have murderous intent...

In the end, Li Qing did not kill the foolish fellow and let the two Taoist disciples carry the two men back.

Of course, on the very night that this incident occurred, three Daoist disciples from the Enforcement Hall came to the door, two in green robes and one in blue robes, and led Li Qing into the Enforcement Hall.

Based on the vague rules and regulations, and after several rounds of questioning, Li Qing was immediately punished with thirteen lashes and then locked in the Hall of Law Enforcement to reflect on his actions...

(End of this chapter)