The Path to Immortality Begins with the Life-Extending Lamp

Chapter 26 The Road Back to the Abyss

In the southwest, the local military forces were awe-inspiring, and the scholars of the Imperial Academy formed the backbone of the southern land. Whenever one entered the capital, prefecture, county, or prosperous town, no one could help but admire the ancient Xia dynasty's legacy in the southern capital.

But once they leave their hometowns, it becomes the domain of their clans. If the matter goes to the county government, it's the emperor's law; if it falls back to the village clan, it's naturally governed by the laws of their ancestors.

In the rural villages, ancestral halls stand tall, incense burns continuously, and every family worships them; there is a reason why they have their own retribution!

The emperor and the officials of the state oversee the mortal world, and the ancestors and spirits will reward or punish your lifespan in the underworld. This is the Southern Kingdom of the Heavenly Capital.

But in the forbidden lands beyond the county and township, how many evil spirits and ghosts lurk, eyeing the brightly lit human world?
"What a terrible world..."

Gazing at the two human skeletons that had long since climbed onto the algae in the mountain stream, a soft sigh echoed from the curtain strung together with copper coins.

next moment.

All that could be heard was the clear, tinkling sound of bells. A palanquin, seemingly from the underworld, swayed past the treacherous mountain path, stirring up a chilling wind as it swirled and quickly disappeared into the twilight of the mountains.

And not far away by the stream, a huge crimson figure moved through the shadows, following closely behind the sound of the copper bell.

The clouds and mist swirl around, as if the underworld has opened up, and the Ghost King rides his chariot to tour the sun. The candlelight of Zhongshan Mountain casts shadows, and the ghost king and his shadow follow him closely.

If someone in the countryside catches a glimpse of it, they will instantly treat it as if it were a deity...

This being, enough to instill fear in the region, has already swiftly crossed the southern sky and ventured deep into the southern lands where no one dares to set foot, heading against the abyss-covered ghost river to return to the Lin Yuan Immortal Mountain.

The paper sedan chair, carried by a faceless rogue, was a paper rogue with only a human form but no human face. He carried the flowery paper sedan chair as if it were nothing, swaying and staggering, covering several feet in two steps. He passed through mountains and crossed water, becoming even more bizarre than before.

The vermilion-lacquered ghost dragon chased after them on the wind, and wherever it passed, the grass and trees were crushed and parted to the left and right by the demonic wind, but it still couldn't catch up with the sedan chair.

"hiss~"

The dissatisfied neighing finally rang out again; it was exhausted and really didn't want to move anymore!

Across the paper bridge ahead, two faceless paper spirits suddenly stopped, their blank and eerie faces seeming to cast gazes their way. The humanoid paper spirits' strange appearance nearly startled the giant dragon...

"come on!"

The paper bridge stopped on one side of the Yuan River. Li Qing lifted the curtain woven from the ancient bronze coins of the Five Emperors and took out the Dragon-Raising Jade Disc, which looked like a jade plate.

If Li Qing's prediction is correct, this ghost dragon lived by consuming this strange jade disc in that great tomb.

Otherwise, the surrounding mountains were full of old corpses, and there simply wasn't enough food to feed it. If its foraging range were any larger, it might very well become food for the old corpses in those large graves...

Upon seeing the jade disc, the red dragon immediately coiled up halfway, lowered its six-pointed dragon head, which resembled a flower crown, and began to lick the jade disc with its tongue!

It has been more than a month since he came out of the Corpse Cave. This guy only licks the jade disc every three to five days and that is enough to keep him going. He does not eat any food.

This made Li Qing wonder what kind of treasure this jade disc was.

"Why not write a letter home and ask my elder brother to go to the Red Bean Academy to look for information about the Dragon-Raising Clan and the Dragon-Raising Jade?"

There are still significant differences between the customs and culture of Southwest China and Jiangnan. The culture of ghosts, gods, and witchcraft is particularly prevalent in Southwest China. Even Tiannan Temple, which claims to be an ancient Taoist lineage, has been greatly influenced by ghosts, gods, and witchcraft. However, the ancient cultivation methods are becoming increasingly rare!

The ancient dynasty's ritual and music classics are best preserved in Jiangnan, and the only place he can access them is Hongdou Academy.

Since their journey through the Corpse Cave, the gloom between Li Qing's brows seemed to have dissipated, likely due to the growth in his cultivation and the significant increase in his strength.

This is the first time in four years that he has planned to proactively communicate with his family!

He was feeding the giant dragon while deep in thought.

Behind a ditch on the riverbank, the sound of several footsteps wading through the water could be heard. Just then, a giant toad, in a panic, rushed onto the bank of the Yuan River.

The toad, its body resembling jade, was about the size of a millstone. However, the moment it leaped ashore, a large net was cast, and three or five brightly dressed young men and women pounced on it, laughing and joking, and pinned it to the ground.
"The Jade Poison Toad! Senior Brother's sulfur medicine really knocked it out! We're going to make a fortune this time!"

"Whee!"

Unfortunately, their loud laughter lasted only a few breaths before turning into dry chuckles and silence.

As soon as they raised their heads, they saw a giant python coiled up like a small mountain. Its two vertical pupils, which were even bigger than their junior sister's head, were darting around, sizing them up, while its tongue was constantly licking something.

"Ah I……"

Among them, the girl, who was about the age of 12, fainted before she could finish speaking.

The other boys froze on the spot, not because they were brave enough to protect their companions, but because they were so scared that their legs went weak!

Li Qing let out a soft exclamation and immediately noticed the blue ribbons draped over their bodies, which seemed to resemble a certain insect master he had once met.

Is he a poison apprentice from the lineage of the Southern Tusi?

Those who dare to chase poisonous insects and ferocious beasts in groups of three or five to the banks of the Yuan River are either from Tiannan Temple or the people of the Southwest Tusi (local chieftain).

It was this soft exclamation that made the poison-wielding youths below finally see the young man in the paper sedan chair and his southern green robe.

"Greetings, fellow Daoist Shangguan!"

"I've paid my respects..."

The apprentices of the Poison Gu Department were also shrewd; they immediately bowed down.

What the teacher taught us is that if you encounter another sect and can't beat them, you should immediately bow down and worship them. That's absolutely right.

Li Qing ignored the group.

Seeing that there were apprentices of the Poison Gu lineage active here, it was probably not a secluded place at all, so Li Qing immediately lost the desire to stay any longer.

For months, the red dragon had been remarkably docile, and he had come to regard it as his possession. However, if it didn't venture into the mountains, unexpected events were bound to occur.

With a thought, Li Qing put away the jade disc and stopped the large dragon that was poking the toad below with its tail with great interest.

We should leave here as soon as possible!
However, his movement terrified the boys below!
"Could it be that we stumbled upon that person's secret, and he's going to kill us to cover it up?"

"Don't worry, I have poisonous centipedes, poisonous spiders, and poisonous needles..."

After counting them up, what could these few junior poison apprentices possibly have that could threaten that person?
For the next ten breaths, they were all terrified. When they looked up again, the Taoist priest, carried by ghostly figures and accompanied by a coiled dragon, had already headed west...

"call!"

The group exchanged glances, barely suppressing their urge to urinate, before finally letting out a long sigh.

Gazing at the ghostly sedan chair and the ghostly dragon, which seemed utterly indifferent to the crowd and gradually disappeared into the distance, the group lingered, their eyes filled with a mixture of envy and lingering fear. "That's wonderful, Senior Brother! I want to be like that someday!"

"Don't even think about it. You're not going to be thinking about this jade toad. You'll forget about it soon enough. Quick, wake up your junior sister, let's go back."

"The poisonous toad's effects are wearing off; I'll give it another dose..."

On the banks of the Yuan River, there is another scene of a young man embarking on the path to immortality.

However, the young man was truly unconvinced. While he and his fellow disciples lifted the millstone-sized toad, he kept turning back, wanting to take another look.

The teacher once said: The ways of the world may have a sequence, but people are not inherently superior or inferior…

Let's look at that corner of the southwest.

Towering mountains and steep ridges, rushing waters and cascading waterfalls, jackals howling in the wild, tigers sitting on the mountains, deer leaping high, pigs and badgers tumbling through the mud, large snakes coiling their roots in the deep forest, and worms gnawing on old vines.

Unfortunately, the ghostly scourge of the Yuanhe River has rendered this place devoid of human life and the vibrant spirit of fish and dragons.

The entire Yuan River was like a stagnant pool, devoid of fish and shrimp, and devoid of dragons and snakes. Even when Danqiu entered the water, it was not long before a dark shadow quickly rose from the bottom of the water.

It was at this moment that Li Qing finally witnessed this guy's second sorcery.

The giant dragon was coiled on the riverbank, its head roaring angrily at the great river. Its crimson flames flickered and its tongue of fire extended for dozens of feet, but it had no effect whatsoever on the evil spirits in the water.
Li Qing stood to the side, watching as it nearly vomited its fill, yet the water level in the river didn't drop an inch...

"Let's go! Why bother getting angry with this thing?"

Seeing Danqiu staring at the water for a long time without saying a word, Li Qing couldn't help but laugh and shoved it to continue on its way!
After communicating with the giant dragon for a long time, it was finally coaxed into continuing towards Lin Yuan Mountain. However, it did not go into the water again along the way.

The water ghosts in the Nayuan River are quite terrifying, leaving their claw marks on these thick, vermilion-colored scales.

Looking around at the six-crowned, bushy-haired man beside her, Li Qing couldn't help but chuckle softly.

The sedan chair led the way, its paper banners fluttering in the wind, while the red dragon rode closely behind, traversing a large part of Tiannan Prefecture, and finally arriving at the foot of Linyuan Mountain!
Crossing the Yuan River, past the guards, and traversing the outer courtyard, Li Qing led the large creature straight into the residential area.

Fortunately, there weren't many Daoist disciples in the outer courtyard at this time. On the way, they did pass by several treasure ships belonging to the Water Ghosts of the Digyuan River, who probably hadn't returned yet.

Li Qing first coaxed this big guy into the mansion, and then opened the restriction. Even if it wanted to get out, it wouldn't be able to.

Then, Li Qing took out all the spoils from the paper sedan chair and the mustard seed bag, and carrying the certificate of merit from the Tiannan Governor's Mansion, headed straight for the Foreign Affairs Hall...

In the outer hall, there were still some familiar faces among the Taoist priests on duty.

"Senior Brother Li."

When Ma Daotu saw that his senior brother had indeed returned safely, with a large sack behind him, he immediately smiled and led him into a cabinet.

An inch of corpse teeth, a walking corpse.

Two-inch corpse teeth, hairy corpse.

Three-inch corpse teeth, wandering corpse.

Ghost fox, buried wolf, mountain spirit, dark python...

Li Qing poured out the enormous bag of furs and tusks, along with the several-foot-wide haul of spoils from his mustard seed pouch. The pile of miscellaneous items nearly submerged the two of them.
"Senior Brother Li, did you somehow rob some military treasury?"

Seeing his success, the young woman surnamed Ma was filled with inward dissatisfaction and even made a witty remark.

"However, with such a large number, we'll have to ask the senior brothers upstairs to come!"

The fur of the fox-wolf-python spirit was somewhat useful, but the corpse teeth and such were mostly useless.

The Southern Kingdom's imperial court would bear half the cost, while Tiannan Prefecture and Tiannan Temple would each bear the other half, essentially making it a simple reward for the corpse disaster.

One-inch corpse teeth require 5 levels of skill; two-inch corpse teeth require 10 levels of skill; three-inch corpse teeth require 60 levels of skill.

And now is the time when one's cultivation is doubled...

When the white-haired, blue-robed Taoist priest from the third floor of the Foreign Affairs Hall came down to take inventory, he was so shocked that he felt a toothache. What had this brat done in the morgue?
The temple just announced double Taoist merits, and you're already trying to take advantage of it?

"These corpse teeth are no good. They're too badly damaged. Anyone who didn't know better would think they were dog teeth. No, no."

"This fur is charred and burnt, how can you tell the difference? At most, it's a low-grade fur, only worth 5 levels of merit."

"and this……"

The old man in blue, wearing a square-shaped single-lensed mirror, looked like a learned old scholar with an air of otherworldly wisdom, but his actions made Li Qing's face turn so gloomy it was almost dripping with water.

Is this old man some kind of shady merchant who's turned to Taoism? How can someone be so stingy?

However, when the merit amount was revealed, Li Qing's dissatisfaction vanished instantly.

“770 pairs of one-inch corpse teeth.”

“Two-inch-long corpse teeth, 300 pairs.”

“Three-inch-long corpse teeth, 27 pairs.”

"Let's say you have 4600 merits for Demon Skin."

"Oh? And there's another major achievement from the Governor's Office?"

The old Taoist in blue pulled down the square glass lens of his right eye, and his heterochromatic eyes glanced at Li Qing, instantly calming his mind and sending a chill straight to his head.

It was just like... encountering that silver-armored corpse.

This is an extremely terrifying eye technique! An innate eye technique of a cultivation seed!

"Let's round it down to a whole number, and give you a total of 24000 Dao merits. With that Dao merit from the Governor's Mansion, you can enter any of the four inner courtyards to seek a spell, or ask for a great elixir, or choose a magic weapon."

"This is a reward for those who have made great contributions!" the old Taoist priest added.

"Congratulations, little devil! You've finally accumulated enough Dao merit. The head of the academy has been waiting for you to exchange for the 'Southern Dipper Longevity Scripture' with him."

The old Taoist in blue chuckled subtly, then gently patted Li Qing's shoulder, watching the young men of the External Affairs Hall bustling about, dividing Li Qing's disciple life tablet into Dao merits and Dao coins of equal value...

(End of this chapter)