The Path to Immortality Begins with the Life-Extending Lamp

Chapter 17: The Western Barbarians Block the Way?

They only stayed in Tiannan Prefecture for two days to prepare the military supplies needed by the Dragon Tooth Army before Li Qing and his entourage finally set off.

Outside the drill ground, a captain from the Governor's Office led a group of armored soldiers, having delivered a great deal of military supplies, and stood by the roadside, watching the army that was about to set off.

The Commandant of the Capital Prefecture rode a blue-armored alligator dragon, three feet tall and several feet long, like a wild and savage beast. He lay down by the roadside, and the donkey carts and horses that passed by involuntarily went weak in the knees.

This dragon's power is enough to make it the most powerful among mid-stage Qi Refining monsters!

The Red-Armored Captain, riding a dragon-like beast, rushed to the carriages of the Taoist disciples at the Upper Temple. He announced the name of the Lan Clan of Tiannan and presented them with many gifts, mainly fine wine and dried meat, to relieve their fatigue on the journey and to show his respect.

This movement, riding a giant crocodile past the soldiers of the Dragon Banner, startled the entire army. Even after the captain's figure had disappeared from sight, the whole army was still filled with exclamations of amazement.

"That must be the Azure Water Crocodile Dragon, right? It's huge, like a small mountain."

"If I were to truly fight against such scholars of the Imperial Academy, I fear I wouldn't even be able to hold a long spear properly."

"Even ordinary old corpse demons and ghosts would be unable to withstand a single charge from this crocodile captain, right? They would simply shatter upon contact."

"..."

The Six Arts of the Imperial Academy and the Five Arts of Controlling the Dragon were already luxuries that people like them could not even imagine, let alone the Dragon Taming Technique, which was among the top in the art of controlling the dragon!

Only this Sima of the Dragon Banner Guard had some skill in horsemanship, and he rode a scaly horse.

The Southern Kingdom originally had no large horse ranches, but the coast of the East Sea was covered with waterways and marshes. In those waters and swamps, a strange beast was born. It had a scaled body and resembled a horse. It was good at drowning and could dive. It was captured and bred by the Southern Kingdom's navy and eventually became a superior beast taming beast - the Scaled Horse.

This horse has an ordinary physique, but it is both terrestrial and aquatic. It has the strength to travel a thousand miles on land and the skill to wade through rivers. Its four feet are reversed and covered with fine scales, making it a formidable fighting force in rivers.

Sima Longjie, riding a black-scaled horse with his white-scaled steed beside him, held the reins and restrained it for a long time before finally calming it down. Even he, like the other soldiers, looked on with envy at the back of the alligator dragon...

But for Li Qing, this change was merely an interlude.

He was already quite impatient to see the corpse pit in Ximang County!

Inside the six-horse-drawn carriage, Li Qing and the old Taoist priest Zhao sat facing each other. The space inside the carriage was quite spacious, and the ride along the road was not too bumpy.

Along the way, the entire army cooked their own meals, eating either dry rations or drinking water gallbladders. Li Qing, however, stayed inside the carriage shaft, cultivating grains and subsisting on turnip seeds...

By the afternoon of the second day, the road began to become rugged, and the once lush and green Southwest Wilderness gradually turned into a barren and black landscape. A gloomy atmosphere rose, and the continuous mountain ranges seemed to be covered with a layer of gray fog. We were about to arrive at Ximang County.

The gloomy and decaying atmosphere of this Western Wilderness Burial Ground has already invaded the mortal world and seems to be spreading further outwards. Moreover, this forbidden land is less than two days' journey from Tiannan Prefecture.

Once a riot breaks out, the pressure on Tiannan Prefecture will be immense.

"Chief Li and Supervisor Zhao, the Western Barbarians are approaching!"

Calls rang out from outside the carriage, and Military Commander Bai Du rode forward on his scaled horse, holding a sheepskin scroll in his hands, which was a map of the entire Western Mang.

"Currently, the main force of the government troops is stationed in Ximanggu County. We will head from the southwest, following the mountain stream of that Ximang branch northward. With the combined efforts of all the tribes, we can open a small path to Ximanggu County..."

"We humbly request that you two, with your keen insight, escort us on our journey!"

These recruits only need to clear the outer perimeter of the Western Wilderness; there is no requirement for a strong main objective. They simply need to patrol the border areas and block the scattered zombies.

Upon searching the map, they found a flat valley outside the Western Mang Mountains, where they discovered a suitable location for the camp.

However, as night fell, the long procession had not yet entered Western Mang.

Something unexpected happened!

"what happened?"

The Sima, the military commander, and even the two centurions were all gathered in front of the chariot carrying the libationer when suddenly a series of exclamations arose from ahead.

The scout at the front reported that an ancient tree had broken and fallen in front of them, blocking their path and preventing the baggage carts and horses in the caravan from passing through.

The group immediately looked around the convoy, then picked up the reins and headed ahead to investigate the situation.

Li Qing frowned slightly, feeling a little strange, and took the initiative to speak:
“I will go with you.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the Taoist priest from the upper temple, dressed in a simple cloth robe, found a warhorse with the armored soldier beside him. With a light touch of his toes, he easily mounted the saddle. With a twist of the reins, the warhorse beneath him seemed to have suddenly changed its personality, becoming extremely obedient.

The soldiers of the Dragon Ceremony Army were even more astonished, exclaiming: "What a magnificent display of the Chief Priest!" Then, five riders rode out together, heading straight for the front of the convoy...

When Li Qing and his companions arrived at the front of the caravan, they indeed saw a giant tree, about thirty feet tall, standing upright and blocking the road.

This giant tree is over a hundred meters tall, and its thickest part of the trunk probably requires two people to hug it. Its branches and leaves are lush, and its canopy is vast, blocking the entire road.

Unfortunately, this road is a narrow passage outside Ximang Mountain. It is likely that even with the strength of these two hundred armored soldiers, it would take several hours to completely move this giant tree and dismember it before the caravan could pass!

While everyone was in distress, Li Qing picked up the reins with one hand, steered his horse Yue Ma Gu Mu, and jumped onto the side of the several-meter-high stone wall.

The place he was looking at was indeed as he had guessed; it was not an accident.

On the stone wall was an extremely large tree stump, the stump was very rough, and the ground was covered with new wood chips, as if it had been gnawed to pieces by some kind of rodent.

"White Poison, come here!"

Upon hearing the call of name, the Dragon Banner Commander was momentarily stunned. Who dared to call him by name? Then he immediately raised his head and, following the voice, the two of them leaped up onto the stone wall.

Yes, that priest?
Following the whip raised by the sacrificial officer on horseback, the Dragon Steward only pondered for a moment before his face suddenly darkened.

"Chancellor Li, could this have been done on purpose?"

The newly opened crack, the illogical roadblock—it all seemed premeditated.

"Perhaps it wasn't even made by a human?" Li Qing coldly surveyed the entire mountain pass, her face expressionless.

He had witnessed those newly born spirits, who had already begun to learn how to use tools and weapons in mortal villages, in the uninhabited forbidden zone of Tiannan.

But surely the corpses in the mass graves aren't supernatural beings?
After exchanging another glance with the military officer who had just arrived, Li Qing looked down at the giant tree blocking the mountain pass and then at the increasingly dark night. "Do we really have to camp in that valley? Or should we rest here for the night?"

However, before the white poison could answer, a huge rock on the mountain pass loosened, and a massive blue stone suddenly tumbled down from a cliff ten or twenty feet high, its force so great that it sent chills down the spines of the group.

"Get out of the way!" came a cry of alarm.

The boulder rolled down, seemingly crashing into the supply wagons and horses on the road. Even though these armored soldiers trained their muscles and bones every day and developed great strength, no one could stop such a deadly behemoth.

boom……

But then the chief priest lifted the reins with one hand to steady his warhorse, and with a slight lift of his other sleeve, a faint light flashed. The entire boulder seemed to have been struck by something, and with a loud bang, it exploded into countless fragments that scattered in all directions.

In an instant, the crisis was resolved.

Li Qing gently rubbed the head of the warhorse beneath her to soothe its emotions, but this only made the horse neigh as if it were complaining.

This is the first of the Five Arts of Taming, the Luan He Ming, which allows one to tame the minds of all beasts.

They watched helplessly as Li Jijiu withdrew the eerie light into his sleeve, which turned out to be a three-inch-long "coffin nail"!
The military commander and the military commander's pupils dilated in shock, and they involuntarily swallowed.

"Are these the Taoist disciples from Tiannan Temple?"

Previously, the Dragon Banner soldiers only knew that the army liked to invite the disciples of Tiannan Shangguan to help with their boxing, but now they finally knew why.

This immortal magic is terrifying!

His ability to shatter mountains with a single strike is fundamentally different from that of most mountain sorcerers.

“Chancellor Li, you see, this camp really cannot be set up at the foot of this mountain pass; the danger is far too high.”

"Or, should we retreat ten miles, set up camp outside, and move out tomorrow?"

At this moment, Bai and Du dared not harbor even the slightest audacity to deceive, and instead sought the opinion of the chief priest.

"is it?"

Li Qing kept glancing at the spot where the blue stone had fallen, remaining noncommittal.

He immediately pulled on the reins, and the horse leaped down the several-meter-high stone wall, remaining completely unharmed.

"I entered Western Mang with a grand plan to accomplish."

"Anyone who dares to block my way will be sacrificed to my flag and burned as a sky lantern!!"

The entire Dragon Festival convoy of two hundred people was filled with a threatening laugh. The next moment, a loud explosion erupted in front of the convoy, and a burst of blue-green phosphorescent light suddenly rose up, illuminating the entire sky.

Even more terrifying was that, accompanied by laughter and babbling, a nine-foot-tall dancing lady floated in the air, her stiff, unrealistic paper-like face passing through the eyes of the soldiers, making them tremble with fear and their legs go weak.

However, with a wave of her crimson, blood-stained sleeves, she struck several times, sending phosphorescent sparks flying, tearing the old tree into several pieces, each of which flew to the side of the road.

The phosphorescent fire technique ignited the old tree branches and leaves, and the paper spirit displayed its power, shattering the giant tree. This series of attacks severely intimidated the Dragon Banner Army, and also intimidated the ghostly creatures in the mountain pass.

"Pass!"

With Sima Baidu's order, the entire army continued to cross the pass. Li Qing rode ahead on horseback, the military commander inspected and directed the troops, and Sima Baidu personally brought up the rear. No more "accidents" such as rolling logs or falling rocks occurred along the way.

Even the old Taoist priest Zhao, who had been looking worried about the fortune-telling trip and whose face was full of gloom after receiving an inauspicious divination, had his divination turn from bad to good under the shock of Li Qing's threatening and resolute shout...

"Indeed, those Venerable Shangguan who dare to venture alone into the Corpse Cave are all extraordinary!"

Old Zhao sighed inwardly. Seeing this turn of events, he felt a renewed sense of confidence for the trip.

However, this period of peace did not last long. After the entire troop of soldiers and horses had traveled about ten more miles by the light of the blazing fire, and had just crossed the mountain pass of the western branch of the Mang Mountains, another change occurred.

A strange, chuckling sound rang out, and white mourning banners, resembling those stuck in graves, fluttered and swayed incessantly throughout the ridge.

Upon closer inspection, they turned out to be waist-high weasels standing upright, some wearing white cloths on their heads, others carrying funeral banners, blocking the road and trying to scare the crowd away.

Although the soldiers were brave and valiant warriors from all over the southern prefectures and counties, they had never seen such a scene before. Moreover, the rumors of the weasel borrowing lives had been around for a long time, so who wouldn't be afraid? And who would want to risk such misfortune?
"Damn it, how come I ran into this unlucky thing so soon after starting my apprenticeship?"

"A weasel spirit is blocking the way! A weasel spirit is blocking the way! This is a very bad omen!"

"..."

A chorus of boos erupted from the ranks, and panic gripped the crowd. Of course, there were also many fearless, seasoned soldiers whose eyes gleamed with malice, eager to unleash a hail of arrows upon these beasts.

However, these actions were stopped by the knight at the very front of the group who raised his hand.

The skill of shattering rocks with a single finger and setting fire to ancient trees truly impressed everyone. Faced with the actions of this chief priest, no one dared to disagree!

The two pale, mournful figures had long since vanished without a trace. In the dim light where the torches could not reach, mourning banners were broken and white cloths were torn apart. The shrill cries came quickly and went even faster, and in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, everything fell into an indescribable silence.

After a while.

Only two paper figures, their bodies splattered with blood, returned slowly, pausing beneath the sacrificial altar in front of them...

"It turned out to be a nest of weasels causing trouble and guarding their territory."

"Huang Xian?"

Li Qing turned his horse around to face the crowd, and the two anthropomorphic, terrifying blood-splattered paper figures seemed to crack open with arc-shaped smiles.

"In this ancient land of the South, the ancient spirits of the six heavens still linger. Ancestors and spirits enjoy the local incense offerings. The men are called generals, and the women are called ladies. No one can control them. So you may worship them!"

"Ha, a nest of weasels... In the South, they wouldn't even be served on the dinner table."

"Go, skin it alive! Anyone who dares to block our way will be burned as a sky lantern!"

(End of this chapter)