The Path to Immortality Begins with the Life-Extending Lamp

Chapter 135 Boundless Evil
The Dark Sky.

Qishan region.

This ancient Yinshan Mountain, which was originally lost in the corner of time, has finally become lively again.

In the vast, dim sky, a streak of sword light swept across thirty miles and disappeared in an instant. Behind it, thirteen beams of light echoed through the void, chasing after the enemy at a speed that was too fast for the naked eye to see.

Taibai drew his sword, advancing inch by inch from the top of the hundred-foot pole, circling around Qishan and fleeing. The black gold sword light wandered freely, colliding with invisible killing intents, constantly bursting out with sky-tearing roars in the dark sky.

Behind them, high-ranking civil and military officials rode flying tigers, drawing their bows to full length, their arrows striking down like a sudden storm. Between the crackling of the bowstrings, a chilling intent pierced the heavens.

The two Yin God True Persons clashed, fighting from the south of the mountain to the north, exchanging blows for over a hundred rounds.

Among the rolling hills of Qishan, the underworld complex with its blue bricks and yellow tiles stretches endlessly. Even when the Taibai Sword Lord transforms into a sword beam thousands of feet long and the brave and resolute patriot draws a string of divine arrows, creating a raging inferno, it is still impossible to destroy a single palace or garden in these mountains!
Conversely, throughout the underworld, the unclaimed gardens that had not yet collapsed were spontaneously enveloped in layers of light due to the impact of external forces, and ghostly figures rose up beside the ruins.

Ding, ding-a-ling
Then, the sound of wind chimes rang out, and something seemed to emerge from the open altar in the very center of the underworld. However, neither the two underworld gods nor the owls perched on the withered branches could see the fierce ghost shaking the bell.

This was at least a fierce beast with the most extreme purple palace. When the ghost bell rang, any evil spirit that got even slightly close would immediately be reduced to ashes.

Beneath the ruins, there dwells a soul-binding ghost, dressed in rags and wearing a tall hat, dragging a dark blue iron chain. This kind of fierce ghost often wanders throughout the underworld, gathering the wandering souls and ghosts.

There were starving ghosts, drowned ghosts, skinned ghosts, headless ghosts... These ghosts slowly emerged from the dark corners of the underworld.

Outside the alley, pairs of cold, sinister gazes cast their way, sending chills down one's spine!
In the dark void, old, moldy straw ropes fell down, as if they had been through wind and rain at the entrance of a shrine. They were densely packed and had a deathly gray color. As soon as they fell from the dark sky, many evil spirits were tainted by their ominous presence.

The hanging ghost rope was tied to the leader of the myriad ghosts, and with a [crunch], the fierce ghosts were twisted into a bunch of skeletal braids, hanging from the ghost rope, swaying slowly in the eerie wind...

"okay!"

With a flash of cold light, Taibai cleaved seven arrows of intent with a single sword strike, breaking through the pursuing attack of Prefect Ding of Guihua Prefecture, and landed on the ground, shouting to stop them.

The man had long, black hair and eyes like stars. He held a sword that was full of cracks and dull blades. In the hundred or so rounds he had just exchanged with the governor of the Southern Kingdom, neither of them held back. Their swords clashed, and they fought to a standstill.

Only when the governor's horn bow went out of control and Taibai's flying sword was also chipped did he stop.

"Shouldn't you be worried about how to leave this mysterious realm that spans hundreds of miles? If you kill me, you'll be buried here too."

"With me here, I can better draw the attention of all evil spirits to you, can't I?"

"Go find your own way out. I'm going to settle things with that ghostly gentleman!"

Taibai Sword Master flicked his golden sword, and the essence of metal spread along the spine of the sword, instantly restoring the nicked and chipped golden sword to its original state.

Swords are weapons of destruction, and should not be burdened by their form. All that is needed is the sharpness of the sword intent, accompanied by the accumulation of the five metals and profound essence.
This underworld is treacherous, like a forbidden place for the living. If it weren't for the fact that "Ketu" was so insidious, he wouldn't have wanted to take such a risk to enter the Netherworld.

Fortunately, the prefect of Guihua Prefecture could at least be considered a scapegoat.

Looking at the countless ghostly ropes swirling with twisted magical intent, Taibai glanced at the imposing governor, raised his sword, and slowly approached him.

He was not afraid of Governor Ding's attack. At least at this moment, surrounded by villains, this long-serving regional official of the Southern Kingdom knew best how to maintain balance.

In the shadows, it seemed that the aura of the Purple Mansion and even the Yin Spirit had gathered in several directions.

This underworld is about to come alive!

Governor Ding remained silent, carrying the horn bow behind his back, his right hand lightly resting on the hilt of his sword at his waist, standing atop the Wind and Thunder Winged Tiger, watching the swordsman's movements.

Even if he fell into this forbidden land because of Taibai, now is definitely not the time for infighting.

The underworld was already teeming with ghosts and monsters. The astonishing number of these wandering evil spirits alone was enough to keep the two of them busy, not to mention the figures still hiding behind the scenes.

Taibai quickly stepped forward with his sword. He recognized the distorted magical intent in the distance; it was the aura unique to the Ghost Mother.

Ghostly Gentleman, Jidu, he's right there!

Taibai gathered his sword aura and stepped into this underworld. Step by step, it was as if his whole body was about to transform into a ten-thousand-foot-high mountain of blades. Countless Yin spirits and ghosts on the side were frightened away by this aura. Even if the Yin spirits with slightly weaker cultivation hid at the bottom of the ruins, they could not help but be wiped out by this sharp sword aura.

However, before he could get close to Dongshan...

On that street that everyone had to ignore, a dirty, bruised bare foot suddenly stretched out.

boom! !

Taibai's aloof and arrogant figure was tripped by that ghost's foot, and he stumbled and fell to the ground.

That sudden kick was extraordinary, like some kind of curse that could not be avoided once it was triggered. Even the Yin God True Man, whose thoughts were filled with countless ideas in an instant, could not react and could only fall down!
"Hahahaha……"

The culprit on the ground then put away his dirty feet. This dark-skinned ghost, who looked like a half-grown child, grinned cruelly from ear to ear.

As soon as Taibai Sword Master rose up, the little devil had already cleverly slipped into the dog hole in the side of the street wall.

This is a clever ghost, a wandering ghost that roams the streets of Qishan, living off all sorts of unorthodox ghost spells. Sure enough, the ghosts of Qishan immediately gave Taibai Sword Lord a high-intensity spell.

As Taibai fell face-down, the mountain-like sword momentum came to an abrupt halt, causing even Governor Ding, who was silently watching from behind, to burst into laughter.

But at that very moment, the ferocious beasts swarming in from all directions seemed to have received a signal, and unbelievable attacks immediately began to entangle them.

Governor Ding drew his sword and blocked the attack. Immediately, several cries of agony rose from the blade. Its sharp edge had slain many of the lesser demons the moment it was drawn. At the same time, his sword and his robes, both civil and military, were also attacked by chilling, ghostly forces.

The high-ranking official from the southern kingdom felt an immense force coming from the blade, and after taking several steps back, a pair of dark, ghostly handprints were carved into the Autumn Water Blade.

"Humph!"

The governor frowned, and with a soft shout like the first thunder of spring, he swung his sword to cut off the ghostly hands that reached out from the darkness. Instead of advancing, he retreated, holding the sword in one hand and taking out an octagonal armor-piercing hammer with the other.

He leaped directly off the winged tiger and charged into the dark alley. There, true blood and true energy surged like the light of the sky. Knives and claws moved back and forth, and hammers struck fiercely. In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, he annihilated the evil spirits in the darkness!
On Taibai's side, the fighting was even fiercer. Three or five soul-hooking chains were thrown out from the dark corners, and pale ghost hands containing profound yin energy attacked. Amidst the howls, eerie words, and laughter, sword light immediately pierced the sky, shattering many ghosts with a single strike.

Below the mountain, a corpse demon carried a coffin, a ten-foot-long ebony and black iron coffin bound to its back by an iron chain. Seeing the sword lord act so fiercely, the iron chain on the corpse demon's back loosened, and the extremely dark and heavy black iron coffin shot out like a cannonball, colliding directly with the sword light.

This strike caused the sword light to dissipate instantly, and the Taibai Sword Lord retreated to the ruined wall, standing there with his hand on his sword.

"What terrifying strength!"

A massive, green-robed corpse slowly emerged, its muscles bulging and powerful, as if forged from steel. Its bare chest exuded power, and its arms were bound with extremely thick chains, the ends of which connected to a ten-foot-tall ebony and black iron coffin! [Ding-a-ling] Accompanied by the soul-stirring sound of a ghostly bell, the invisible vengeful spirit that emerged from the Altar of Heaven slowly approached Taibai's back.
"Damn it!"

Before Taibai could even steady himself, he felt a chill run down his spine. He leaped into the sky and was shocked to find that right where he had just stood was a headless old ghost. The old ghost was emaciated, its head severed, and its arms, as thin as twigs, were supporting it with a peach wood staff in one hand and holding its own head in the other.

If he reacts even a moment slower, the headless ghost will use its "head-swapping" supernatural power to swap heads with him and forcibly seize his physical body!

The supernatural powers and curses of the Six Heavenly Ghosts are too bizarre and too terrifying.

The sound of raindrops dripping began.

Another water ghost, seemingly emerging from the bottom of some mansion well, crawled across the dark street and approached. Its head was like a showerhead, dripping murky ghost water, leaving puddles in its wake.

If you look closely, the bottom of the puddle seems to reflect another world in the water!

Directly opposite Taibai, the real target appeared: a female ghost dressed in a scarlet robe. Her ghostly body was like a piece of fine jade, translucent, but a rather large crack was visible on her right hand.

That was the injury caused by Taibai at the very beginning.

Such turmoil has arisen in the underworld of Qishan, and even the Ghost Mother has arrived!
But that ghostly gentleman, the future "Kedu," is still nowhere to be seen.

"Ji Du, didn't you say you wanted me to come in and play with you? Where are you?"

Taibai drew his golden sword and looked around, searching.

Unfortunately, the ghostly gentleman did not respond. He was like a patient ghost shepherd, waiting to see the newcomer collide with the ghosts in the ward before delivering the fatal blow!
Even though the Ghost Mother answered the call of this Qishan Underworld, he still did not appear.

Quack, quack, quack...

While the ferocious beasts were still assessing the strength of their auras, the human-faced owls had already launched their attack. Each of them unfurled its wingspan of several feet, igniting a ghostly flame as it charged forward. Its purple flames were the most soul-burning, and its claws and teeth were the hardest. Accompanied by its unsettling howls of death, it directly engaged the two Yin gods in close combat.

After six or seven rounds, two bone-armored owls died instantly. One was killed when Governor Ding smashed its head with his hammer, and the other was cut in two by Taibai's sword light. But there were too many human-faced owls. The largest three-headed owl could actually hold its own against the sword energy of the Yin God by relying on its bone-faced claws and teeth.

The owl's roar ignited the battlefield, and where could the many ferocious beasts possibly stay?

An invisible bell rang out, like the blessing bestowed by a celestial demon during an ancient ritual of ancestral worship. Yes, it was that very bell, the one that brought about this curse…

As soon as the bell rang, it indiscriminately attacked every being in the Yin and Yang realms present. The sound of the bell shook the divine palace, stabilized the primordial spirit, and locked the physical body, seemingly intending to imprison and restrain all the countless Yin spirits on Mount Qi.

The prayers from ancient times, though hoarse, eerie, and sinister, reveal a deep longing and compassion.

May my descendants in Tiandu enjoy longevity and abundant harvests;

May the people of Qishan enjoy long and prosperous lives, lasting for ten thousand generations...

That was a rare act of mercy from a Yang God Heavenly Ghost who had already attained immortality to his own bloodline. In clan eras, a clan's bloodline covered all the prefectures, sometimes numbering in the tens of millions. To bestow such favor would cause even a Yang God to suffer a loss in cultivation!

What should we call a celestial ghost whose blessing has turned into a calamity?
"This is actually the Six Heavens Yin Mountain, the Heavenly Ghost Clan, which is still intact!"

A sudden realization dawned on Taibai, and his expression changed drastically. He spat out the Taibai Xuanjin Sword Pill from his mouth, using his sword intent to break through the ghost sacrifice, and drew his sword light to escape.

The numerous vengeful ghosts and fierce monsters, though each seemingly terrifying in its own way, were actually all without a master. They appeared to be attacking together, but in reality, they were interfering with each other. Thus, he could take this opportunity to retreat.

Perhaps, requesting a substitute shamanic puppet from Jupiter, one of the eleven luminaries, to subdue Ketu's curse and killing technique wouldn't be a bad idea? Jupiter specializes in the arts of shamanism; he should be able to control it!

Taibai was secretly surprised and immediately had the idea of ​​retreating.

Is it really that easy?

The corpse demon was not a ghost, and this coffin-bearing corpse demon was completely unaffected by the ghostly sacrificial music. It dragged the black iron and ebony coffin with the netherworld chains and slammed it down.

The Ghost Mother also broke free from the influence of the Ghost Sacrifice. With a raise of her right hand, strands of grass ropes immediately fell from the sky, hanging one by one towards Taibai. The sword energy cut them off with a single blow, but the grass ropes, which contained the twisted meaning of the Ghost Forest, split apart and multiplied, soon filling the entire sky and enveloping Taibai and Governor Ding in the Ghost Realm.

The headless ghost suddenly stopped moving. It was no match for the terrifying bell sound, as if an inexplicable will had entered its body.

It was that ghost from the clan's altar that successfully enslaved and parasitized the headless ghost!
The vengeful ghost was not confused for long. It turned around and merely cast its gaze on Taibai. The swordsman suddenly felt a chill on his neck and almost thought that "Jidu" had made another move.

"So it was a ghost who had had its head swapped?"

"Humph!"

Taibai's escape light was blocked, so he only offered up the sword pellet. The Xuanjin sword light extended a thousand feet, multiplying into a hundred, like the blazing sun in the sky, pouring out the boundless sword light, indiscriminately piercing through all existence in this ghost realm.

They exchanged another glance with the Southern Governor atop the Flying Tiger and Thunder Peak in the distance, and both saw a hint of retreat in each other's eyes.

It seems this place is truly unsuitable to remain...

As the two looked at each other, just as they were about to burst forth and break through the not-yet-fully-bound demon realm, they realized they were about to attack.

The spirit banners and mourning sticks, as large as masts, fell one after another, crushing the entire ghost realm in one blow and sending the two Yin spirits standing in the ghost realm flying back and forth for more than ten miles.

"Uh!"

Taibai let out a muffled groan, having taken a direct hit from the "Horse-Faced Spirit." The funeral banner, like a door panel, swept up the sword pellet and sword energy, slamming into him and shattering his sword bones, which had been tempered by sword energy for a hundred years.

Governor Ding, who was some distance away, fared somewhat better, having escaped the attack. However, his winged tiger was struck by the "Ox-Headed Corpse's" mourning staff and instantly exploded into a tiger tally, rendering it unusable for the time being.

"This mourning staff is so effective against spirits?" Governor Ding was secretly shocked, but he was speechless.

With the remnant body of the Heavenly Ghost and the broken Heavenly Ghost Flag weapon, a single strike sent the two into danger. They were not true cultivators of the Taiyi Dao, nor did they have a high-grade treasure ship for them to escape!

Only Li Qing, who was bound by the restrictions of the underworld and had ascended to the highest pavilion, was most alarmed.

He saw six or seven day-roaming ghosts, a coincidental combination of various strange and supernatural powers.

Despite being surrounded by such malevolent forces, the fundamental reason why these two Yin spirits fell into danger was that from the very beginning, they were blinded by evil spirits.

The two Yin spirits were blinded by their spiritual consciousness and lost their vigilance and awareness of the impending threat, so they were completely unprepared when "Ox-Head" and "Horse-Face" attacked!
"Alas! The combined supernatural powers of the various sects of Qishan are so unpredictable and unsolvable, their rampant cultism is to be expected..."

(End of this chapter)