The Path to Immortality Begins with the Life-Extending Lamp

Chapter 144 Flying Waterfall Dao Mansion

He waved his hand to send the dozen or so immortals out of the Netherworld, and ordered Linglong Chang to look after them and prepare some "medicinal meals" for them.

Li Qing was born into an ordinary family and had always treated his followers quite well.

The laws of this Netherworld differ from those of the mortal realm. The Heavenly Capital is filled with spiritual energy and nurtures all living beings; the Netherworld, devoid of spiritual energy, is filled with gloomy and dark energy, making it a breeding ground for corpses, ghosts, and evil spirits.

All the oil, grains, rice, and flour in the capital city turn into rotten mud when they enter the Netherworld, but old medicines and dried meat can be preserved for a period of time.
The mithril, copper, iron and stone materials of Tiandu turn into rust powder when they enter Youtian, but the refined metal spirits are unaffected.

Paper and bamboo slips decay and rot in the netherworld, but spiritual paper and jade can survive...

It seems we need to make a list and sort things out to see what common base materials Tiandu and Youshi have.

Li Qing stopped in front of the West Garden, and with a flick of her finger, immediately put away the Soul-Infused Seeds and Yin Spirit Roots that the "Immortal Child" had dried. These two types of Soul-Path Treasures were not of high grade, but they were sufficient. The Cloud Osmanthus Immortal Child had indeed put a lot of effort into drying them.

The former can be directly ground into a primary form of incense for the soul, which can be lit in various halls of the underworld, allowing people to enjoy its fragrance day and night. This is said to nourish the spirits of living beings and solidify the forms of ghosts and gods, and is truly wondrous.

The latter is the root and stem of the Yinling Grass, which is yin and cool. When mixed with water, it becomes rice paste-like and solidifies into a paper-like layer. It can be used as a Yinling purification talisman, which can dissolve into talisman water, soothe the soul, dispel yin and turbidity, and is good at exorcising evil!
These are all materials and minor techniques that the descendants of the Tiandu clan often used during the Six Heavens Sect Ghost Era.

"It seems we still need to find some helpers!"

Li Qing gently closed the heavy gate of the West Garden, muttering to herself.

He has obtained a "True One Water and Fire Qi Refining Ritual" from the temple, which is the true art of compassionate salvation, not the method in "Southern Dipper Prolongation of Life" that is called salvation but is actually a method of refining ghosts.

The Ghost Mother has reached the pinnacle of her daily journey, her profound Yin essence has solidified into form, and her life soul is already nearly flawless. The next step would be the existence of a Yin spirit, so there is no need for Li Qing to refine her spirit and form.

But perhaps we could give that former prefectural lord, Cui Ying, a try!
Li Qing flipped his right hand, holding the many tripods and vessels in his palm, and slowly ascended to the main pavilion of the East Garden.

The so-called refinement of true qi emphasizes the interaction between the pure and the impure. It is nothing more than using the true yang qi of the Dao to refine the soul of the deceased, making its true nature flawless, causing the yin and turbid qi to descend and the pure qi to rise, naturally turning it into a clear and bright ghost, no longer worthy of the form of a lonely, resentful, and evil ghost!
Only ghosts who have attained spiritual power during the Qingming Festival can be worthy of the title of ghosts and gods.

"This Cui Ying, two hundred years have passed, his two souls, Heaven and Earth, have dissipated. I wonder if he can refine his life soul again..."

As Li Qing took out the three-legged tripod, the square zun, the gilded incense burner, and a bamboo tube, he quietly reviewed the "Scripture of Salvation".

Back when he was still a Taoist, he traveled to the villages and towns at the foot of the mountain, exorcising ghosts and performing many rituals for the deceased.

Sometimes it's just a formality to exorcise evil spirits and encourage the surviving villagers; but sometimes it's a time when the truly deceased are filled with resentment and their spirits are being saved!

So, I do have some basic experience in performing rituals to help the deceased pass on.

Cui Ying's fate was much better than that of the Ghost Mother. She was a descendant of the Six Heavenly Sect of the Cui Family of Qishan during the Ghost Era. When she entered the underworld from the living, her three souls were mostly intact. She cultivated the way of ghosts and gods, and her intelligence, nature, and thoughts were all preserved.

Unlike the Ghost Mother, she was merely a lonely soul from a house in the southern capital of Tiandu, who was taken into the Netherworld after her lineage died out in Qishan.

Even though she reached the pinnacle of the Sun Wanderer in just over two hundred years, and even though she had already attained a flawless Yin Spirit Dao Body, she could no longer retrieve the two souls that had long since vanished into the world, and even her life soul was like a piece of mixed jade, flowing into emptiness.

It was because of this that she came into contact with Li Qing by following the rules of the underworld contract in Qishan!
The true fire between Li Qing's fingers changed, sometimes dark blue, sometimes blazing hot, and then faintly transformed back into dark blue flames... The constant changes between the fire in the stone and the fire in the human world might reflect his regret and entanglement.

"Hmph, you're quite lucky to have such an opportunity after two hundred years."

With a soft hum, he finally chose that human fire!

The fire in the human world was orange-yellow, with faint black smoke rising from the flames. It was the smoke from the stoves of every household. This fire was not particularly venomous, and was much gentler than the fire in the stone.

Within the three-legged cauldron, true fire from the human world gathers; within the four-sided vessel, Yin dew condenses from the primordial Yin energy. This is a pool of water and a marsh of fire.

With a flick of Li Qing's finger, the woman's figure, bound by three or five paper talismans, fell to the table. Though her body was bound, her lifeless pupils finally focused on Li Qing's face.

Cui Ying, the former owner of this east courtyard, looks five or six parts similar to the Ghost Mother. Perhaps the two are direct descendants of the same Ghost!
Glancing at the female ghost, Li Qing sat down on the side of the table, took half a bamboo stalk, and lightly tapped the bamboo with a jade pestle. He solemnly recited the "Scroll of Salvation," the ancient and weathered words slowly connecting with the netherworld.

The purple aura from the incense burner wafted and drifted, carrying the fragrance of various incense sticks. When it reached the bamboo stalk, it emitted nine distinct sounds that resonated throughout all its joints.

Li Qing suddenly stood up and lifted the bamboo stalk. From within the fiery swamp, the true Qi of the Six Yangs emerged, and from beneath the water pool, the Qi of the Yin of the Deficiency was generated.

The two energies merged, and water and fire converged on one side. As the bamboo danced at the fingertips, the primordial essence of water and fire gathered within the bamboo tube, much like the true primordial dew!

This dew is no ordinary dew; it is like the rising and falling energy of the beginning of time. It was guided by Li Qing through the bamboo grove, reaching the true essence. The bamboo tubes made a slight touch, and the true essence opened and fell.

When the bamboo shoots are touched, a drop of "True One Liquid Qi" falls from the spirit of the vengeful ghost. The chaos within the ghost's body disperses, the pure spirit rises, and the dark and turbid descend.

The True One Qi Transformation does not require worshipping gods or seeking ancestral spirits. It only involves regulating Yin and Yang, and distinguishing between purity and turbidity. From an internal perspective, it differentiates between Yin spirits and Yin darkness, and guides their transformation.

Each time the bamboo energy was refined, Cui Ying's expression changed in an instant, and his aura became as clear and pure as white jade turning into ice stone...

In the Netherworld, Li Qing is sparing no effort in using his magical powers to conduct a new experiment.

Lin Yuan Outer Courtyard.

A letter was delivered by a paper crane to the Foreign Affairs Office.

Ma Yunxi, this new disciple of Ma Dao, is at the mid-stage of Qi Refining, and she is just like Ma Yuan back then.

At this moment, she was pacing back and forth in the courtyard, holding a letter in her hand.

"Brother Li Qing, you have now attained the Purple Mansion Dao Foundation and opened a Dao Mansion in the mountains. You still need some altar-guarding boys and weapon-wielding disciples to serve as your disciples."

"All of you are trusted acquaintances of Yunxi. Is there anyone who dares to accept this fate?"

The Taoist priest established his residence, erected an altar, and proclaimed his divine authority.

With the Purple Mansion Daoist as the most respected, each Daoist Mansion is a small lineage. Many Daoist disciples and children, if they have no other way out, will find it difficult to receive the true teachings. They can either become disciples and inherit the mantle, but this is also extremely difficult.

Being able to serve in the Daoist temple is something many Daoist followers have longed for but could not attain.

The Flying Waterfall Daoist Academy widely distributed recruitment notices within its five academies. This was a task Li Qing gave to Ma Daotu, to see just how capable she was and whether she could filter through the list.

At this moment, six or seven Daoist disciples at the upper-middle level of Qi Refining gathered in this small courtyard!
Beside Ma Daotu was a young girl in green, her face youthful and she looked no more than fourteen or fifteen years old. A "water-avoiding golden-eyed beast," which was a water buffalo that had become a spirit, seemed to be her tamer, tucked its hooves and obediently lay prostrate beside her.

Zhao Wan'er, who is only fifteen years old (by Chinese reckoning) and at the middle stage of Qi Refining, is a well-known cultivation prospect in the outer courtyard in recent years.

On the right, a young Taoist disciple leaned against an old tree in the courtyard, constantly turning a tinderbox in his hand, seemingly deep in thought. This person was the most advanced in the Qi Refining stage, with nearly three hundred quarters of an hour of cultivation. This was Yu Wen, a Taoist disciple from the Outer Affairs Hall, and he was the same blue-robed Taoist disciple who had participated in the Shanyang Ghost Plague.

Several more Taoist disciples in blue robes gathered around the stone table, looking at the Taoist disciple surnamed Ma who was in charge of collecting donations.

"Is Ma Daotu really telling the truth?"

"However, we still don't know what the requirements and procedures are?"

The Taoist disciples wondered what she wanted, only to find out that this Taoist Ma had climbed the social ladder.

Upon hearing this, Ma Yunxi was slightly taken aback. Clutching the recruitment notice, she suddenly realized that it did not mention any strict requirements, only instructing her to find some suitable Daoist disciples.

"Hmm... there are only two requirements. First, your cultivation level cannot be too low; you must have at least 240 cycles of true qi throughout the body. Otherwise, if the higher authorities issue a decree or task and your cultivation level is insufficient... Second, you must be a dutiful Daoist!"

Li Qing and Ma Yunxi were Daoist disciples of the same year, but the Ma family of Shanyang had some influence, which allowed her to enter the External Affairs Hall at a much earlier age.

At such a young age, Senior Brother Li's Daoist academy is naturally not in a hurry to find disciples. If their cultivation is sufficient, those experienced old Daoists who have worked their way up are actually better. From the perspective of aristocratic families' pragmatism, these experienced old Daoists only ask for a little resources, and given their lifespans, they won't occupy a position in the academy for too long...

"Oh? Senior Brother Li? Ma Daotu, is that the one who was entrusted by Ma Yuanzhi to enter Shanyang?"

The Taoist priest who was constantly turning the ritual implement "Five Stove Fire Folder" suddenly took two steps forward and then confirmed it.

This is Yu Wen, who served as Li Qing's deputy during the Shanyang ghost plague.

He could hardly believe that Li Qing was the mysterious new Purple Mansion. But considering the subsequent events in Liuhuang Prefecture, he was about 80% certain that it was indeed Senior Brother Li!

"Yes." Ma Daotu nodded slightly, confirming the news.

"I will post this recruitment notice in the Foreign Affairs Hall, and also send it to the Foreign Affairs Halls of the Four Academies... Those who respond to the call from the Inner Academy will surely be top-grade Daoist disciples, so you all should seize this opportunity in the Outer Academy."

The journey of a Purple Mansion Daoist is not an opportunity for ordinary people. If one can serve as a "guardian of the altar" or "master of the implements" attendant, one can come into contact with the altar's magic and be qualified to command troops.

It's just that this Venerable Li didn't have a deep foundation in the temple, otherwise they would never have had the chance to enter the mansion.

"I once served as Senior Brother Li's deputy for a period of time, and I was immediately awestruck by his talent. Now that Senior Brother has established his own residence, please include me!"

The Taoist in blue robes naturally wouldn't miss such an opportunity and immediately gave his name.

The girl next to her chimed in, "Sister Ma, Wan'er also wants to answer the call!"

The girl, now of marriageable age, raised her right hand, and the water-avoiding golden-eyed beast beside her let out a long "moo" in response.

"Don't you need to discuss this with Headmaster Bai? It seems he wants to take you as his disciple..."

But when it was Zhao Wan'er's turn, Ma Daotu hesitated for a moment and asked a question.

"No need!"

The girl lowered her eyelids slightly, but possessed a stubbornness that did not match her petite appearance. After all, she was someone who had entered the Western Mang Corpse Cave at a young age, and she would definitely make her own decisions about what she wanted to do.

It was through Li Qing's recommendation that Ma Daotu accepted her into the temple. Later, thanks to the two great feats of mountain-cutting left behind by Li Qing in the Corpse Cave, she obtained two top-level spells, which enabled her to stand out among her fellow practitioners.

Zhao Wan'er knew that her talent might be good, but that was because she had mastered top-level spells from the very beginning of her Qi cultivation. If she had started from basic Qi cultivation like other Daoist disciples, there would have been no progress to speak of.

In her heart, she considered herself to be someone like Senior Brother Li or Senior Sister Ma!

Besides, that fantastical adventure in the Corpse Cave during her youth was deeply etched in her memory. How could she not want to see her senior brother, Li, whom she hadn't seen for four or five years?
The Taoist disciples in the courtyard quickly reported their names, hoping to seize this opportunity...

Meanwhile, in Tiannan Prefecture.

An old man swiftly traversed the mountains and forests, clinging tightly to the back of a spirit.

The monster was extremely ferocious. It broke into the village at night and killed five members of one family on the outskirts of the village. The woman's body was also subjected to extremely unspeakable desecration...

This is the kind of trouble caused by mountain spirits that are common in the deep mountains of Southwest China!

The old man had gray hair, but his body was strong and healthy. He moved about among the trees and rocks like a gecko, without any hindrance.

Just as the mountain spirit was about to escape into the crevice of the rock, the old man shouted, his voice like the resounding of a great bell, which made the mountain spirit freeze for a moment. Before the monster could escape, a flash of dark light appeared in the old man's sleeve.

With a loud bang, the mountain spirit's head exploded, and its headless corpse, two inches taller than an ordinary strong man, slowly crashed to the ground.

"Hey, what a beast! It runs so fast, it almost broke my bones!"

Old Zhao spat, flicked his finger, and immediately took the newly refined "Black Dog Nail" back into his palm. He then took a piece of black cloth and wrapped the mountain spirit's remains.

In his old age, he formed good relationships with the Taoist disciples of the Upper Temple. Not only did he send his granddaughter to the Upper Temple in Tiannan to cultivate, but he also obtained a scroll of the "Black Dog Nail Method" that could be passed down. In this life, he, the old Taoist, had lived a worthwhile life.

Since returning to his hometown from the Corpse Cave, Old Zhao has been all smiles and has become even more attentive to the county and township. He has dealt with all the evil spirits in the villages one by one, and he tries to make some contributions to the local ancient temples whenever possible. If he can earn some Taoist money to support his grandson, that would be the best!

Last year, he also received a letter from his grandson saying that he had already entered the Qi Refining stage...

The old man wrapped the headless mountain spirit, which was nine feet tall, in a black cloth. After the cloth was rolled up, the spirit suddenly shrank to the size of an arm.

The old Taoist priest hoisted the black package onto his shoulder, his face immediately turning bitter.

This thing is so heavy!
This is a folk method of wish fulfillment, not exactly magic, but it's a decent method for folk shamans and sorcerers who don't have a mustard seed bag.

Old Zhao had only taken two steps when his body suddenly stiffened. He felt as if a pair of terrifying eyes were staring at him, and the chilling aura made him break out in a cold sweat.

After a brief standoff, the old Taoist priest turned around and the "Black Dog Nail" shot out at a vicious angle.

This old Taoist priest may be shallow in his cultivation and weak in combat, but even wild dogs fighting a lot will naturally become experienced. This nail strike is extremely insidious, and ordinary people have no way to avoid it!

Even though he was somewhat confident, when Old Zhao turned around coldly, he was still frightened by the "evil spirit" beside the road.

But then a figure stood by the roadside, wearing a cloak-like talisman robe. Facing the black dog nail, he neither dodged nor avoided it, but simply raised a purplish-red arm from his sleeve and used two fingers to pinch the powerful "black dog nail".

However, what terrified the old Taoist priest the most was that it had no face!
How could Zhao Laodao not be terrified by that chilling aura and the grotesque runes on his body that would make one dizzy just by looking at them?

"..."

However, the next moment, Old Zhao took out a gray stone and smashed it on the ground. In an instant, the gray stone exploded, and gray smoke filled the area within a radius of ten feet. When he looked up again, the old Taoist had already run dozens of feet away!
"Pah, pah, pah! I didn't check the almanac before going out, and now I've run into a ghost?"

"It's all that damn thing's fault..."

The old Taoist priest hadn't even run two miles when, panting and spitting out a curse, he suddenly froze, a chill running down his spine. He clearly remembered crossing this ravine just five breaths ago! How could it suddenly reappear before him?

But the more Zhao Laodao thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong.

Where am I? Why are there six mountains ahead?
clatter! Da da!

Da da!

The eerie footsteps on the dew-dampened grass sent chills down Zhao Laodao's spine.

He suddenly turned his head and saw that the ghostly talismans on the faceless ghost's mourning clothes moved spontaneously, forming the shape of six towering mountains.

"Damn it, there's no escaping it. This old Taoist has been bewitched!" The old Taoist cursed inwardly, immediately recognizing it as an extraordinary spell.

Zhao Laodao grasped the Six Mountains Talisman Diagram with his hand, standing firmly within arm's reach, even rehearsing his last words in his mind!

"Li Jun is looking for you."

"A message is here!"

But the faceless ghost made no move to attack. Instead, it spoke in a hoarse ghostly voice and pushed the black dog nail and a letter out of thin air with a push from its sleeve.

Mr. Li, paper clothes?
The old Taoist priest then took a closer look at the familiar figure and suddenly realized what was going on.

This is...that person from Tiannan Shangguan?
(End of this chapter)