The Path to Immortality Begins with the Life-Extending Lamp

Chapter 126 The Four Sons Return Home

Once the Candle Dragon cleared the way, everyone rushed to Yun Gui, and the turmoil in the mountains gradually subsided.

Many heroes fought bravely, breaking through the Five Immortals Hall three times. When they looked back and met the army behind them, they saw that the most ferocious old immortals had all been beheaded.

In front of the mountain gate, large and small heads were piled up into a small mountain. The hundreds of heads were untouched by skin, fur, blood, or flesh, and had all turned into pale skulls.

The soldiers and troops of the mountains stood silently in place, from the heroes and armored warriors to the tigers, wolves, and scaly horses, not daring to utter a sound, watching helplessly as the paper-wielding army searched the mountains and forests, beheading all the large and small demons and building them into a mound of heads.

Furthermore, the sacrificial rituals that were explicitly prohibited by the court were used to create a sacrifice of a skull to the heavens!

The military captain planted his spear in the ground, staring at the mountain of white bones, and his lips twitched slightly.

The ghostly flames clung to the bones, burning flesh and blood, and the life force was offered to the Southern Dipper Heaven.

"He did this right in front of us?"

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, what kind of lawless and unruly person is this Taoist priest?

Several military officers from the prefectural army rushed forward and stood on either side of the prefectural captain, trying to dissuade this equally arrogant and stubborn "Zishi" captain.

"Lord Commander, the outer region is a powerful place, and the immortal sects are so influential that even the imperial court struggles to control them. It's no wonder they've developed such arrogant habits. That Taoist priest did us a great favor, so please give him some face!"

These military officers were mostly scholars from academies and sons of respectable families in the prefectures and counties, and they were well aware of the arrogance of these otherworldly immortals.

Although these rituals for worshipping the gods were explicitly prohibited except by the government, at this moment, they really couldn't take it seriously.

The magic that Taoist priest used certainly didn't seem like a kind person!
Despite the generals' attempts to dissuade him, the captain, who was not unaware of the gravity of the situation, merely crossed his arms and watched the paper-mighty soldiers from afar.

The heroes and local warriors from all directions retreated to the wilderness, and the Rear Army Chieftain, led by Zhulong, all flocked to this place!
Although it was late at night, the raging fire illuminated the area as if it were daytime. Apart from the hot wind blowing in our faces, there was nothing else unusual.

The battle of Yunmeng lasted for more than half a month, with over a hundred civilians and militia from the prefectures and counties killed or wounded. It finally ended with the complete annihilation of all the immortals, large and small, on the mountain.

Li Qing slowly walked down the wooden plank road under the Five Immortals Hall. Her colorful silk boots were spotless, and her cloud sleeves were casually rolled up, revealing two fluffy golden fur tails held up by one hand.

Until he threw the object he was dragging toward the foot of the mountain gate, the two three-tailed yellow foxes, each ten feet long, tumbled down the scorched wooden steps and rolled pitifully to the foot of the mountain gate. The two foxes whimpered in their throats but dared not bare their teeth.

Mountain spirits and wild beasts possess intelligence, form a primordial embryo, open their transverse bones, defy the norms of beasts, and emulate human ways; this is what constitutes a demon!
However, not all wild beasts can become demons. For example, these two three-tailed yellow foxes have the ability to reach the upper-middle level of Qi Refining, but the spiritual intelligence and primordial embryo are only determined by innate nature. Since they have no chance to become demons, they can only follow their animal nature and become spirits.

Li Qing visited the Five Immortals Hall but couldn't find anything pleasing to the eye. Even the "immortal" altar was just a heretical practice.

On the contrary, the two yellow foxes guarding the den were ones he could look up to. Now, he subdued their wild nature, bound their claws and teeth, and threw them into the hands of Li Huoliu and Li Yun.

"Brother Liu and Sister Yun are currently studying the Six Arts and Life Skills at the Red Bean Academy. Why not take these two yellow foxes there and subdue them with the Five Taming Techniques and the Life Skill? They should be much more useful than those scaly horses, tigers, and leopards..."

The three-tailed beast is Chenghuang. It is often said that riding this strange beast can prolong life, but I don't know if it's true or not!
But Li Huoliu and Li Yun were truly pleasantly surprised.

Such a level of fox spirit beast taming is priceless! Only a few noble families can prepare such a high-grade beast taming for their direct descendants.

Ordinary scholars, if they were to enter officialdom, would only become low-ranking generals in the army or minor officials in prefectures and counties. However, if they could be assisted by a dragon, tiger, bear, or even a fox spirit, they could start as low-ranking officials such as registrars or clerks.

"Huo Liu thanks Erlang!"

"Thank you, Brother Erlang."

The two Li family members bowed in unison to thank their elder brother, Erlang.

A series of gazes passed through the mountains, filled with astonishment and envy as they looked at the three-tailed yellow fox in the forest. Such a superior spirit could be given away so easily; who wouldn't be tempted?
By this time, the local militia and heroes had joined the government troops and were secretly observing the young men.

"He is from the Li family in the capital."

"These four young men are from the main branches of the Li family, and it seems they have come to help Li Yong."

Among the rear guard's chief priests, many people happened to witness the gathering of the four sons of the Li family, and they quickly walked to the captain's side to remind him.

Someone nearby slapped their forehead, as if finally remembering something, and lowered their voice. "Seven years ago, the Li family of Huaxuanfang encountered a vengeful ghost seeking marriage, and a young man from the Li family went far away to an immortal sect in another prefecture. Have any of you heard about that?"

Oh, it's this person?

The captain immediately realized what was happening, and with a quick squeeze of his legs, he urged the mountain lord beneath him to slowly approach the group.

Although the three-tailed yellow fox was attractive, his attention was always fixed on the young Taoist priest.

The Cloud Brocade Immortal Robe has no sect markings, and its methods are also diverse, including incantations, rampant weapons, Lingnan Soul Dao artifacts, and terrifying fire magic that can split mountains and shatter rocks!
It's impossible to tell which sect he comes from.

And only after the various rituals were completed and the Southern Dipper Jade Flower Lamp in the center of the altar was presented to the Taoist priest did the captain awaken in surprise:
"So it wasn't some forbidden technique after all, but a forbidden artifact used for blood sacrifice!"

It is absolutely forbidden to worship wild gods and ghosts in private. This is an era in which the divine power manifests itself, and every act of condoning a ritual may lead to evil spirits and disasters in the near future.

However, if it is someone who has made such a contribution, then sacrificing a few evil magical artifacts with their soul, and not using a human soul, is not entirely intolerable...

At this moment, Li Qing slowly stepped down from the wooden steps of the mountain gate.

Two "wei"-shaped magic seals were engraved between the fox-beasts' eyebrows. The soul-summoning technique belonging to the Soul Path instantly controlled the primordial spirits of the two foxes.

He casually tossed two Soul-Capturing Fox Tokens into the hands of Li Huoliu and Li Yun. The fox beast, with its sharp eyes, immediately cleared its gaze upon seeing them, lay prostrate on the ground, and stared blankly up at the man and woman in front of it.

The faceless man found a gap and handed the Qionghua Treasure Lamp to the master at the right time. This life-extending lamp already has 388 magical restrictions, and its foundation is truly becoming more and more profound!
On this side, brothers were friendly and respectful, and the spirit fox was bestowed upon them for service, thus establishing a kinship between the clans. On the other side, the toad immortal was bound, trembling with fear as he looked at the Taoist above, repeatedly begging for mercy.
"Immortal Master, please have mercy! I, Old Toad, have truly never done anything to violate the laws of the Southern Kingdom. Even if I had a feud with the hunters in the mountains, it was Huang Xian and his gang who did it. Immortal Master, please see the truth!"

"I, Old Toad, have always only wanted a place to live, enough to eat and drink, and to live for a few hundred years."

"Immortal, spare me! Immortal, save me! This old toad is willing to become your disciple, a mad soldier, a demon general, a sweeper, and a porter..." The old toad was simple-minded and had bound his own hands and feet. He had been suppressed by the madmen and tied up seven or eight times. At this moment, he bowed his head and kowtowed repeatedly, trying to beg for a way to live.

With the Five Immortals Hall destroyed, he, a lone old toad, entered the prefecture and state, where he was unlikely to meet a good end. He would either become food for the armored soldiers or be torn to pieces to appease public anger.

At this moment, his life or death rested solely on the immortal's decision.

"Master, what's the point of having this ugly toad? It's disgusting to look at."

"It would be better to just remove that layer of paper toad skin, use its head as a sacrifice, and then refine it into a weapon..."

Linglong Chang, with her graceful figure, approached Li Qing with a swaying gait, and handed him a bundle of demonic paper collected from all over the mountain. She showed no sympathy for the old toad's plea for survival.

The faces of these rampant soldiers were filled with nothing but rampant malice and mockery. The exquisite giant whispered in his ear, making the old toad immortal feel extremely miserable...

The so-called way of summoning soldiers and horses, the highest level is the divine general, who is granted the celestial and human registers and protects the way; the middle level is the celestial soldier, the yellow-turbaned strongman, the bean-scattering ancestor, who is offered in the Taoist altar and is the foundation of the Taoist lineage.

The lowest of these is the rampant Daoist army. Perhaps their fighting prowess is so fierce and outstanding that it frightens even ghosts and gods into changing their allegiance, but their fierceness is difficult to control and their wild nature is untamed.

This paper-cut warrior was created by Li Qing himself, and it looks like this. No wonder other lineages have to burn incense and offer sacrifices, calling on their ancestors and sovereigns, and making offerings every year when they ask for a paper-cut warrior to help them.

Li Qing naturally couldn't be bothered to pay attention to Jia Zi Linglong's words.

However, the younger cousin beside him saw through Li Qing's intention, put the fox token into his sleeve, took two steps forward, cupped his hands, and said:

"Second Brother, there is a Toad Immortal in this Five Immortals Hall. His reputation has always been that of a kind and honest person, unlike those wolves, raccoons, and poisonous snakes."

"How about Second Brother accepts this old toad? I've heard that the immortal sect has a soul-binding contract, which establishes a title. In the future, when you need to do something, you'll have someone to rely on, and this old toad can also find a way to survive?"

Despite the resentful and dissatisfied gaze of the arrogant emperor, Li Huoliu smiled bitterly, but for the sake of his brother, he offered a way out.

Upon hearing this, the old toad on the ground seemed to have grasped at a straw, and kowtowed repeatedly, begging for mercy.

“Immortal, please allow me, this old toad, to serve you. Although I was born with the body of a toad and am ugly in appearance, I am not a vicious person. Immortal, you have spared my life, and I will serve you with my life.”

As the three siblings of the Li family swept away the evil spirits in the Five Immortals Hall, they prepared their way home.

The eldest son of the Li family and the heroes of the various prefectures had already met and settled the plan for handling the beginning and end of the matter.

All the immortals here were subdued, and the few scattered monsters were also captured by the heroes and their troops.

Li Yong glanced back at his fellow clansmen, then cupped his hands in farewell and prepared to leave:

"Now that this matter is settled, the remaining affairs in the mountains will be handled by the captain and the elders and heroes of the village!"

"I'm afraid I must go ahead and return to my residence to explain this turn of events to the various lords."

Looking back at the three figures, Li Yong slightly raised his right hand and gave a few more words of advice in a deep voice.

The feud between Yun Gui Wu Xian Tang and the prefectural and county officials has left the governor and magistrate somewhat uneasy. Li Yong returned to the capital firstly to welcome his second son home and rekindle their familial bond. Secondly, he also wanted to send a message to the prefectural government, giving the officials there a chance to react.

Before they had been discussing the matter for long, Li Yong raised his hand to block the many armored soldiers and heroes from going to pay their respects, so as not to disturb Li Qing's peace.

Those who seek the Dao outside the secular world should either establish a powerful presence in the outer realms, forming their own system, or, like the Daoist temples and monasteries of alchemy, live a life of seclusion in the mountains, enjoying quiet cultivation. But they should never vie for power with those who are in power, thus wasting their cultivation journey...

Then the Taoist casually held up the treasure and tossed it into the sky. Instantly, a soft palanquin landed on the clouds. Its shape was decorated with a primordial canopy, a silken curtain, and nine-flowered ornaments. It was like a sedan chair, more than two zhang long, and also resembled a celestial boat in Yunmeng.

The four Li brothers went straight to the cloud chariot, lifted the flowing curtain, hung the beaded curtain, and took their seats one by one. In an instant, the cloud chariot rose into the sky and covered the moon. The red dragon nodded and held the toad fairy in its mouth, making the appearance of the candle dragon chasing the chariot, and then went east!
The soldiers and armor that covered the mountains left behind only a sense of loss.

"Is that a Venerable One of the Purple Mansion?"

"Yes, definitely."

An old hero cut a vine from a corner of the forest and leaped down, watching the figure soar into the sea of ​​clouds in an instant, and said with increasing certainty.

No wonder the battle down the mountain was resolved so quickly; it turns out that Master Zifu came to the rescue.

The Five Immortals—that Taoist priest killed three of them directly, which is both awe-inspiring and terrifying.

What is admirable is his bizarre and fantastical methods, which are extremely powerful; what is frightening is that this master's methods are even more extreme than those of the great immortal, and can even be described as "weird".

"I don't know what the venerable master's name is, or where he resides. It's a pity I couldn't express my gratitude in person! All the counties in Guizhou will extend their thanks to him..."

Some heroes and even ghosts and gods lamented, seemingly saddened by their inability to personally meet this celestial being.

"This is hardly a difficult situation."

"That venerable one's surname is Li, and he comes from the same family as Li Yong, an official in the Governor's Office. There was once a second son of the Li family, and when a hundred ghosts from the Cui family came to escort his betrothal, that was the second son of the Li family!"

"Just go to the capital to look for it!"

The military officer, holding the reins, urged the mountain spirit on, used his long spear to lift the eight-foot-tall demonic body of the yellow-skinned old man, chuckled, and turned the tiger's head towards the Five Immortals Hall above.

He was going to retrieve the altar and the armory, which would also replenish the camp's military supplies and equipment.

As for these pretentious wandering knights and local elders, he simply couldn't be bothered with them...

(End of this chapter)