The Path to Immortality Begins with the Life-Extending Lamp

Chapter 143 Daoist Name "Youhuang"

"It really has been a long time!"

"Ma Daotu"

Li Qing put down the lotus seedpod in his palm, flicked his sleeve to summon the Taoists. Seeing old friends again naturally evoked emotions, but he did not delay the important matter. He immediately began to compare the quantity of Taoist materials with the Taoist disciples of the two academies.

He also had some private treasures, including a mustard seed bag obtained from a battle in the underworld, a gift of apology from the Li family of Peng Kingdom, and private treasures offered by various immortals.

Overseas pearls, corals, and warm jade from various countries are extremely rare in Tiannan. They can be exchanged for millions of materials and supplies in the courtyard, with a slight surplus...

Yin Zu excused the Taoist followers from their worship and sat down at the stone table in the pavilion, ignoring Li Qing and the others' petty squabbles and calculations.

He took the remaining lotus pods and looked up at the fiery dragon.

Is Li Qing really raising his dragon offspring like a baby? He's even carefully peeling lotus seeds for it?
Upon seeing the clear, bewildered red dragon, Yin Zuwang couldn't resist a playful impulse and threw a whole handful of lotus pods directly into the dragon's mouth.

The lotus pods in the pond, if not peeled open, taste extremely bitter. So, you feed them by throwing a whole handful of lotus pods at them.

In an instant, the taste of the lotus pod became so bitter that "Candle" straightened its body, its red mane and tail swayed incessantly, and its golden vertical pupils stared incredulously at the old Taoist priest.

"Old Taoist priest, you really are a scoundrel!"

So you're turning around and starting to scam the dragon, huh?

The two, one human and one dragon, stared at each other with wide eyes.

Li Qing exchanged the overseas treasures for the Daoist disciples of the two academies at the proper price. Considering that the Daoists had personally delivered them to his door, he rewarded each of them with a piece of jade coral and then asked Linglong to see them off.

However, the female Taoist priest surnamed Ma from the External Affairs Hall hesitated for a long time, feeling that there were still many things she had not yet explained to her senior brother Li.

That junior sister Zhao Wan'er, whom she introduced to the sect, was indeed exceptionally talented, having just entered the middle stage of Qi Refining ten days ago;

Senior Brother Li's two merit certificates were inherited by Junior Sister Zhao early on because of the schemes of the inner court disciples.

There are still many, many changes!
"Senior Brother Li, back then..."

The female Taoist priest turned her head and bowed, as if she still had old feelings to reminisce about.

Back then, because of Ma Yuandao's apprenticeship, she was considered to be the closest to Li Qing among her peers. Now that this senior brother has returned as a Purple Mansion Master, she has even less reason to become estranged.

"Let's go now, and we can talk in detail another day, shall we?"

Normally, Li Qing would be happy to see an old friend, but today the Patriarch is here and there are important matters to attend to, so she cannot keep her here!

Let her leave for now; it's not too late to see her again later.

Although Ma Yunxi was politely refused, she still received a promise from Li Qing. Seeing that her senior brother Li truly remembered her, she seemed to brighten up. A smile appeared on her face, forming a beautiful arc. She cupped her hands in response and then withdrew with the other Taoists.

This greatly alarmed the Taoist disciples of the Foreign Affairs Hall of both academies.

Who would have thought that Ma Yunxi, the least senior and least experienced member of the Foreign Affairs Hall who had always been on the fringes, would have such connections?

She's really bold, daring to address the Purple Mansion Daoist as her senior brother?
The worst part is that the person actually tacitly approved it!!
The two Taoist disciples left with their mustard seed pouches, leaving only Li Qing and Yin Zu in the octagonal pavilion.

The patriarch looked at the drooping head of the candle dragon and sighed softly.

"Li Qing, you truly are a gem! You have already completed all six basic methods that I requested of you..."

"Then let's choose a Taoist temple! We'll teach the monks, find three or five young disciples, and establish a Taoist center."

Yin Zu stroked his long beard and squinted at the young Taoist priest who was pouring tea from a clay teapot in front of the stone table. He did not hold back his praise.

"Qing, I thank the Ancestral Master!"

Li Qing presented the teacup to Yin Zu and bowed in reverence.

Over the past year, the temple has put in a lot of effort for him. He can choose any top-quality altar, take any magic spells from the scripture pavilion, and even receive many rare and precious materials from Yin Zuqu.

Relying on these resources, he successfully built the "Fengshan Ghost Law Paper Altar," and the royal carriage was further refined, its power and foundation becoming increasingly profound. As for the various methods he diligently cultivated, Li Qing also drew upon the Yin-Yang school's concepts of Yin-Yang waxing and waning to supplement the Dao of Primordial Qi...

The Southern Dipper gives birth to life, and dragons roam freely, controlling qi. Incantations, laws, techniques, and methods are like the inner and outer aspects of yin and yang. Although not yet written down, it has already formed its own system. It remains to be seen how Li Qing will achieve enlightenment within this framework and compose his own Yin-god level Daoist method, "The Yin-Yang Origin Qi Scripture".

This scripture is based on the apocryphal and Taoist text "Nan Dou Yan Ming" and takes the theory of Yin and Yang as its main theme. It cultivates a primordial Qi internally and uses various spells of demon stars and forbidden techniques of the Six Heavens as its branches to protect the Tao.

The true way is the Way, and the way of ghosts is also the Way!

Taoists seek pure Yang to produce Yin spirit. If one obtains a little more pure Yang from the primordial essence, one is called the Yang spirit that dwells in the world, and is a terrestrial immortal.

According to Yin Zu's speculation, Li Qing must hold onto the Xuan Yin Qi, sit in meditation and forget the Shao Yang Qi after the morning glow and purple Qi, use the Li fire to cook the dark and obscure, and take the Shao Yang to warm the Xuan Yin...

Perhaps the path to pure Yang can be found.

The main theme is vital energy, with yin and yang as secondary elements. There are countless variables involved, which cannot be fully explained in a single sentence. The truth will depend on Li Qing.

A single sentence or two can reveal profound truths; why then are thousands of books on alchemy needed?
The true lineage of Lin Yuan all includes the opportunity to meet the patriarch and receive a single true word; only in this way can it be considered a true lineage!

"After several years of wasted time, it was still that goddess of the Heavenly Palace who ascended to immortality who bestowed this crown upon you. It is I who have failed in my duty."

Yin Zu drank the tea offered by Li Qing, stood up, looked up, and gazed at the bamboo grove outside the secluded pavilion.

Purple bamboo stands tall and secluded, black bamboo is slender and graceful, and bamboo groves are upright and majestic. This bamboo forest atop the Immortal Peak is no ordinary place. It exudes a Taoist charm, with countless leaves layered upon each other, making it difficult to discern the depths of this secluded bamboo forest.

"The waxing and waning of Yin and Yang, the ever-changing nature of Qi, this ancient and secluded bamboo forest was planted by my own hands when I entered the southwest. It can hold your footing!"

"You may call him 'Youhuangzi' then, Li Qing?"

The patriarch's words made Li Qing turn his head. He had just raised his head when he saw a ray of celestial light shining down from the high heavens. What kind of light was this?
The light of the sun and moon shines upon the heavens!
In that glimpse of light, Li Qing saw the entire bamboo sea, stretching out from the top of Lin Yuan Peak, with countless deep and spiritual bamboos.
Yet, amidst the blazing light of the sun and moon, a ray of light stretched out inexplicably, and suddenly, Li Qing felt as if the world had turned upside down, as if the entire Lin Yuan Mountain had been abruptly reversed. From the perspective of the Immortal Peak, everything around the mountain seemed to be drawn into that inch of light, and everything in the void was imprisoned, as if even thoughts were about to cease.

The universe contained within a sleeve is great; the sun and moon within a pot are long.

After ten breaths, the sun and moon revolved, finally releasing the main peak from that wisp of distorted causal light.

At that moment, Li Qing felt a chill run down her spine. When she looked up again, there was no trace of bamboo forest left in the southwest. All that remained was a field of flowers waiting to be cultivated.

As his gaze moved downwards, Li Qing's pupils contracted slightly, and a sudden realization flashed through her mind.

He noticed that the Taiyi Descent Cloud Robe, which had not yet been refined, already had dense Dao patterns on it. A few fallen bamboo leaves were scattered on the cloud robe, and an extraordinary magical intent entwined around it, which seemed to indicate that it had transformed into a Dao robe.

Youhuangzi!
This is Li Qing's Taoist name.

"Governing a large country is like cooking a small fish. You can do the subjective tasks that Chen Jin can't. You are not suitable to inherit all the laws and have the capacity to encompass the universe."

"To uphold the law and issue orders to supervise all Taoists, one must have the mind of an old ox in deep meditation; to master alchemy and craftsmanship, one must maintain a sincere heart and practice until skill comes; to command a hundred spirits to cut down a thousand mountains to bring peace to a prefecture, one must only be bound to you."

"How about I choose a path for you, old Taoist priest?"

Clearly, this was a selection of auspicious veins for Li Qing's Daoist lineage, but before Li Qing could answer, the patriarch continued speaking to himself.

"The Guanzhong Temple, which has been established in the south, has been confined to this corner of the land for more than two hundred years. How can we, as Qi cultivators, sit idly by and waste precious opportunities?"

"The Ziyang Sect of Jinping Prefecture informed Lin Yuan before the year Jiazi that they wished to combine the strength of the two sects and form a lineage of Daoists to advance into the Six Heavens. The Ziyang Sect has a Canghuai Domain in the Six Heavens..."

"Next year on the Lantern Festival, the old Taoist will give you the Great Dharma Boat of the One Yuan Venerable Dao. At that time, you will serve as the lineage master of the second generation of the Walking Heaven Capital of Lin Yuan Mountain."

"Prepare to establish your own residence and recruit subordinates!" After giving Li Qingli his instructions, Yin Zu gave him a deep look, then turned and walked out of the courtyard.

The patriarch will no longer accept disciples, and even though Li Qing possesses exceptional talent and affinity, he cannot cross this line. The others in the temple are unwilling to accept Li Qing, so it's better to let him establish his own lineage.

Moreover, Li Qing already has his own blessed land in the underworld in You Tian!

The complexities involved are something Li Qing must figure out and process on his own. Yin Zu has no intention of manipulating his future; everything is up to Li Qing to decide…

Until much later.

Li Qing stood there in a daze, pondering the meaning of the patriarch.

Given Yin Zu's status and prestige, it would not be difficult for him to open a celestial sect. The number of followers who come from afar would fill all the peaks. How could he still be ranked last among the five celestial sects?

Above and below the abyss, all is extremely pure. All are based on the "Theory of Primordial Qi," which is the original concept of the Qi cultivation tradition.

Those who share the same ideals are kindred spirits.

While the idea of ​​various sects and schools of thought contending may sound grand, their paths differ, and the various sects are bound to drift apart. Within three generations, things will inevitably change, and each will hold onto its own path. At that time, what need will there be for the sect to continue existing?
Chen Jin governed by non-action, sitting in oblivion and observing the qi of heaven.

The white dragon cultivates all qi to create all methods, and all flowers merge into one tree of blossoms;

Dingshan Daoren, deeply concerned with the vital energy of living beings, used traditional Chinese medicine techniques to treat human energy, corpse energy, and essence energy...

All the veins of Linyuan are of the same kind.

"I choose Lin Yuan, and Lin Yuan chooses me?" Li Qing shook her head with a light laugh.

To know the whole leopard from a single spot—if this is the patriarch's philosophy, it's no wonder he didn't value Li Qing's affinity with the ghost path.

“The bamboo grove, the bamboo grove…”

That's quite a peculiar Taoist name.

After the patriarch left, the dragon head of "Candle" burrowed into the pavilion, humming and chanting, its words earnest, as if it were accusing the old Taoist of his crimes.

"I understand. Then let's get ready. The abbot must have already prepared the Taoist residence, right?"

Li Qing touched the tip of the candle dragon's nose with her fingertip, and in an instant, she put it into the octagonal dragon pillar. She only glanced at the secluded pavilion before leaving the bamboo garden. She turned around and closed the bamboo fence gate. Looking west again, the mountains were covered with tender shoots and grass, as if there had never been a bamboo forest at all...

He was also unaware of his feelings toward the patriarch; he felt neither closeness nor distance, neither reverence nor fear, nor disdain nor resentment.

Like elders who live together in the mountains, they visit each other in their spare time, offer guidance, and contemplate the great path together, cultivating themselves in seclusion as companions!

Is this the ancient style of Qi cultivators that the patriarch advocated? Not bad at all.

……

Several days later, Li Qing descended from the Immortal Peak and arrived at the location of the various academies. Holding a Jade Star Spirit Tablet, he headed towards a waterfall-themed Daoist temple southeast of Lin Yuan.

This is a branch derived from the main vein of Linyuan. The peak, about a hundred feet high, draws in springs and waterfalls. The large waterfalls are about ten feet high, while the smaller ones are only a few feet high. They are reflected in the red flowers and green fruits of the mountain stream, and the mist gathers and the light refracts, making them very colorful.

Sixty-four tiers of waterfalls cascade down, water vapor turning into mist, white jade lining the edges, blue stone buildings, and cloud-top pavilions and waterside terraces passing by the cascading waterfalls.

At the summit is a sprawling mansion, accompanied by two medicinal gardens, filled with exotic flowers and rare herbs, already possessing the qualities of an immortal.

Li Qing followed the lead of several Daoist disciples and stepped onto the Daoist temple. With a flick of his jade tablet, the water and cloud barrier opened instantly. Everything in the Daoist temple was ready. Naturally, the Daoist temple of the Purple Mansion Daoist would not be sloppy.

Upon entering the Dao Mansion, Li Qing summoned several paper shamans and activated the mansion's restrictions, allowing him to once again enter the Netherworld.

Yin Zu was compassionate and virtuous, but Li Qing still dared not reveal anything about the existence of the Qishan Underworld to him.

When he first entered the Dao, he was just an ignorant young man and had not yet revealed the strange underworld. Now, with his increased experience, Li Qing knows the value of Qishan.

After six days of destruction, the entire Netherworld now has few remaining footholds. In this desolate Netherworld, the Qishan Domain, spanning eight hundred miles, is perhaps one of the few remaining fragments that has been preserved most intact.

The ancestor who was about to pass away, the complete Qishan realm... this...

One can only imagine how much wariness and inner turmoil Li Qing has been carrying in his heart over the past year!
Having not returned to Qishan for a year, I now enter the underworld again. Just as I appeared at the entrance of Dongli Garden, the head of the black-boned skeleton in the mansion across the street rose three inches above the courtyard wall, coldly looking down at this suddenly appearing aura.

Li Qing glanced at the thing out of the corner of her eye. It was also a complete underworld mansion, which would be of great use. When she had time in the future, she would definitely deal with that ghostly thing that was spying on her every day.

But at that moment, he had no interest in paying attention to the skeleton.

As soon as Li Qing pushed open the gate of Dongli Garden, a cacophony of monsters, large and small, erupted in the West Garden. Just as Li Qing stepped into Sitong Garden, a weak, yet powerful, call came from behind the gate of the West Garden.

"Master, is it... is it you who has returned?"

The Toad Fairy's voice came from outside the garden gate, and she seemed a little nervous.

"it's me!"

Li Qing, unaware of what had happened, frowned and walked to the gate of the West Garden.

With a creak, the gate to the West Garden opened, and the immortals, led by Toad Immortal, lined up neatly in front, crying and pleading with the magistrate.

"My lord, you're finally back!"

"We've been without food for two or three months, and they've eaten all the grass in this garden..."

The Toad Immortal, who had lost a lot of weight, was truly weeping bitterly, almost to the point of burying his face in Li Qing's chest and wailing.

"When I was in Guihua Mansion, didn't I just deliver a thousand shi of rice and flour to you? There was also a lot of dried medicine and spirit meat jerky."

Li Qing was puzzled.

Little did he know that his question would only make things worse, as the group of immortals cried even more bitterly.

"My lord, you threw away the mustard seed bag and never came back..."

"The rice and flour turned into a lump of mud as soon as they were taken out of the mustard seed bag. How could they still be eaten? Most of the spirit meat shops were also rotten. Only a few dried medicinal herbs were barely enough to survive."

"We initially survived on those small medicines. Later, we got the Yin Spirit Grass and Soul-Infused Grass that you requested. After obtaining the Yin Spirit Root and spices, we ate the grass stems and chewed the grass leaves..."

"Two of my sons couldn't take it anymore and tried to climb over the wall to escape, but they hadn't gone far when I saw them being devoured by a human-faced owl..."

The Toad Immortal's voice trembled slightly. This Netherworld was truly terrifying, and their lives were far too miserable!

These immortals are all practically skin and bones from hunger.

In the flower garden of the West Garden, which is several acres in size, there are only a few scattered Yin Spirit Grasses. However, on the stable, there are bundles of dried Yin Spirit Roots and Soul-Infused Grass, which are quite good. It is estimated that there will be a harvest of three to five shi (a unit of dry measure).

Although this is just the most common Yin-attribute spiritual material, it's still a production, which is great!
Upon hearing Old Toad's explanation, Li Qing suddenly realized that the rules of the present world were quite different from those of You Tian, ​​and he had completely forgotten about this matter that day.

It's been a year! If it weren't for these clever immortals, they would either have starved to death or climbed over the wall and been eaten by those ghostly owls...

"You've all suffered. Here's what we'll do: go to my temple to rest and replenish your energy."

"I'll have Linglong prepare some medicinal meals for you to help you recover. Later, I'll look for food that can be used in both lives!"

(End of this chapter)