The Path to Immortality Begins with the Life-Extending Lamp

Chapter 64 Destroying Mountains and Graves: A Spirit Full of Vigor

Since the establishment of the Southeast Campaign, over a hundred elite warriors, including tigers, bears, crocodiles, dragons, and wolf cavalry, have launched a fierce attack on Corpse Mountain from the southeast corner, achieving excellent results.

A path has even been carved out of the Southwest Corpse Mountain, leading directly to its main peak. In just three short years, the foundation of the eight-hundred-year-old Corpse Mountain has truly been shaken by Tiannan Prefecture...

"Master Jijiu!"

On this day, Li Qing was peeling the armor paper off an old corpse with top-grade bronze armor when Bai Du, the captain of the Dragon Banner Guard, followed him into the tomb, riding a Burial Wolf.

"This is the twenty-first one, isn't it? Your magic is really strange. You ignore the good stuff and only care about skinning this old corpse!"

Bai Du stroked the fur of the black wolf beneath him, feeling somewhat speechless.

He had just brushed past Li Jijiu in the South, and not long after, he heard about the great changes in Liunan Prefecture. Only then did he learn who Guilang-Li Qing was!
He never expected that they would meet again in this southeastern camp of the Corpse Cave, the place where he and his men started their lives.

Seeing that Li Qing was not in a very high mood, Bai Du could understand him a little. After all, the changes in Liuhuang Prefecture still had a significant impact on him!
But isn't Li Jijiu's magic a bit too unorthodox?
It is said that the Venerable Zifu of Tiannan Temple is skilled at capturing wandering corpses to make Dao soldiers, and has created a Dao soldier force of wandering corpses that can fly and escape into the earth, so many cultivators have followed suit.

He and his wolf riders went to great lengths to capture the wandering corpses alive for this Li Jijiu, but Li Qing simply skinned them alive...

How can this not be a tremendous waste?
"The zombies have no effect on me!"

Li Qing rolled the fourth piece of armor paper he had obtained since entering the Corpse Cave into his mustard seed bag, then picked up the life-extending lamp and shook his head.

In the conquest of this corpse cave, the massive army of the Southwest Camp cuts down mountains and destroys graves, and the fierce warriors, clad in full armor, are capable of resisting even the highest-grade old corpses.

The alligator warriors sit atop chariots, wielding spears, hooks, and forks, and are most skilled at throwing spears;

The Dragon Riding Wolf Cavalry's signature tactics of pursuing the fleeing enemy and launching surprise attacks have also proven effective.

After months of felling mountains and destroying graves, Li Qing's spirit lamp has been filled with thirty-six magical restrictions. These thirty-six restrictions, working together, have a hint of the Myriad Souls Banner.

In the past few months of battles involving felling mountains and destroying graves, strictly speaking, Li Qing's role was not significant. The large number of fierce warriors from the south had sufficient ability and experience to destroy one old grave after another.

Only once did the commotion become so great that it attracted a large-scale horde of corpses. Li Qing and "Candle" jointly performed a ritual to pour down a torrent of true fire over a radius of three to five miles, completely burying the horde of corpses under the sea of ​​fire.

The remaining old corpses, which were strong enough to withstand the fire, were naturally dealt with by a number of fierce Buddhist warriors!

In this battle, the mysterious Taoist priest known as the Candle Dragon Master, who served as the chief instructor of the Southeast Army, greatly amazed the entire army...

However, Li Qing also often heard the legend of the Taoist Dingshan in the Imperial Academy.

This academy head was originally the most unremarkable Purple Mansion Daoist in the Imperial Expeditionary Academy. In the battle to conquer the mountain two years ago, the head of the Imperial Expeditionary Academy was injured and retreated, and another academy head perished because his subordinate spirits were almost all gone.

Only this Taoist Dingshan meticulously studied the habits and talents of the many old corpses from the moment he entered the Corpse Cave. He compared and refined the many walking corpses little by little, and in the end, he actually refined all the wandering corpses into a battalion of wandering corpse Taoist soldiers.

The Taoist disciples in the courtyard also followed suit, using the enemy's own weapon against him. The walking corpses in the mountains were inexhaustible and sufficient for their use.

Not long after, the Taoist of Dingshan successfully enslaved the strongest flying corpse among the many corpse generals!

Even Li Qing couldn't help but secretly admire its stunning beauty.

He had originally thought that if he helped Tiannan Prefecture destroy this corpse pit in the future, Tiannan Prefecture wouldn't blame him, right?

But it's clear that there are too many talented and extraordinary people in the world!
The world is big enough, and no one is waiting for someone else to save them; taking care of yourself is enough.

After putting the life-extending lamp into the mustard seed pouch, Li Qing felt that everything was utterly tasteless...

As they passed the central burial chamber, they saw a familiar-looking piece of yellow parchment. Li Qing waved his right hand, grabbed the parchment, and walked out of the large tomb.

The Dragon Captain, Bai Du, adjusted the reins and rode out in pursuit, riding the Burial Wolf.

Li Qing walked on the scorched earth, which was full of devastation, and spread out the yellow paper. By the sunlight, he tried to make out the blurred words on the yellow paper.

"In the southern wilderness... the master of the underworld... has four acres of fertile land and three houses... burn two paper effigies and servants..."

The text is fragmented and difficult to read, but it is still recognizable as an underground decree.

It seems that Ximang County was quite popular during the previous dynasty. Judging from the tomb, it wasn't a wealthy family. Yet, they were still able to enter the netherworld after death. They had four acres of land and three houses, which is not bad.

Unfortunately, it was of no use!

Li Qing casually tossed the yellow paper aside, clapped his hands, and headed out of the mountain.

Now, there are more than forty sheets of high-quality corpse paper, and the magic of the Southern Dipper Life-Extending Lamp has been rudimentary. It is time to consecrate the paper soldiers and horses and practice the Demon Star Life-Exorcising Incantation.

After spending several months in this mortal cave, Li Qing had come to terms with things. The heavens were vast and boundless, and all he sought was to cultivate himself and attain immortality.

So what if we get involved in all those causes and effects?
Looking down at the mountain of corpses, many soldiers and armored warriors had gradually gathered up the battlefield. The fierce warriors, dressed in iron armor, were as strong as tigers and bears. With a sixteen-foot-long sword and an armor-piercing spear in hand, they cut the old corpses in half and crushed them, taking their teeth as spoils of war.

The Southeast Campaign has been established, and the mission of setting fire to the mountain has been largely completed. Nearly half of the seventy-odd corpses on this mountain of corpses have been removed, causing the old corpses in the remaining tombs to become increasingly restless.

And during the cleanup of the battlefield, a bugle call suddenly came from the north!

Rumble…

It seems that troops from the north have infiltrated our territory.

Li Qing and Bai Du looked side by side at the dark green canopy around them, confirming that the many old graves had not been disturbed.

But then they saw a dark cloud gathering above the mountain of corpses, hurtling rapidly southwards, and Li Qing and the others were blocking the path of that cloud!
"This is?"

Within the billowing haze of corpses, a deathly pale, wandering corpse emerged. Bat wings, about a foot in size, had sprouted from its back, as if it wished to transform into a flying corpse. Furthermore, several intricately patterned blue steel spears had pierced through the corpse's back and between its feet.

This is the old corpse that attacked Li Qing and "Candle" before!

Clearly, the troops from the North Mountain were chasing it.
Li Qing's heart stirred, and he slightly raised his fingertips as if to help the soldiers from the north stop the old corpse. He saw dark shadows rising around it, and the fifty-two thumb-sized stones of fire became increasingly stagnant, startling the wolf riders beside him, who retreated several feet away.

Sure enough, in the next instant, the fifty-two Southern Sunshine Blades shot out with a roar, and the continuous dark blue true fire exploded on the corpse haze. Immediately, the wandering corpse fell onto the scorched earth.

This fire technique is terrifying, like the legendary Heavenly Thunderbolt. The sun's rays strike like thunder, its power boundless and devastating! At least none of the mountain corpses Bai Du has ever encountered have withstood three rounds of Li Jijiu's Sunfire Technique…

"Go and see?"

Turning his head, Li Qing glanced at the wolf riders behind him and raised an eyebrow.

"It seems that the encirclement by the Western Barbarians is now complete, and I have collected enough corpse paper."

"With this response, I must now return to the mountain!"

The Western Mang conquest is well-planned, and there's no need for Li Qing to risk his life. Staying here any longer would be pointless.

We might as well return to the mountain to set up some "candles," complete the final incantation of the "Southern Dipper Life-Extending Volume," and then truly refine the Southern Dipper Life-Extending Lamp into a complete set of lamps, and create a battalion of paper shaman soldiers...

Among the various sects and followers of Taoism, only those who possess complete magical arts, tools, and military equipment can be considered true inheritors of a mountain's tradition!
The two walked slowly on the scorched earth. A candle dragon slowly swam by. Bai Du was slightly startled when he heard the news. When he looked at the Taoist in the robe, he saw that there was no trace of depression on his face.

"Then congratulations to the Chief Priest!" Bai Du dismounted the wolf beast, grabbed the reins, and stood shoulder to shoulder with Li Qing, offering his congratulations.

The chief priest Li has gathered a considerable amount of supplies in this area, and he performs a ritual of prayer and lamp offerings before every battle, so he must have gained quite a bit!

Now that he's returned to the mountain, when he comes out again, he'll probably already be able to serve as a true master in the region.

Bai Du was genuinely happy for this High Priest, after all, this was the highest-ranking Daoist he could come into contact with, and his future achievements were likely not limited to the Qi Refining Realm!
The two walked to the severely injured corpse.

Just then, a whole swathe of ancient trees snapped and rocks collapsed with a deafening roar. Then, several three to five zhang tall, armored old crocodiles charged straight out from the front!
The northern camp was led by Tuolongshi, a combined force of the Lan family of Tiannan and the demonic cultivators of Qingqiu.

Unexpectedly, just as they found a half-step flying corpse and chased it to the southeast of this Corpse Mountain, someone made the first move and knocked the old corpse down.

At this moment, another wolf rider, a Taoist priest, and a candle dragon appeared, surrounding the wandering corpse. How could these armored soldiers tolerate such a thing? They all drew their bows and spears, locking onto the two people in front of them.

Upon seeing this, the wolf riders and Buddhist warriors who were organizing the battlefield immediately gripped their spears, and almost started fighting each other.

"What? What?"

Upon seeing this tense scene, behind the Tuolong warriors, a white snake carried a chariot, and a banana leaf vanished into the air. Many Tiannan Daoist disciples rode a banana leaf about two zhang in size, like a small boat. Seven or eight Daoist disciples, each wearing blue robes, landed on the ground and scolded the group of soldiers.

The tall, blue-robed female Taoist priest at the head of the group raised her right hand and reached out towards the banana leaf. The banana leaf grew smaller and smaller until it was the size of two fingers and landed in her palm.

Before the group of Lan family disciples could even ask for the reason, the leading female Taoist priest raised her eyebrows and exclaimed in surprise:

"It's you? Ghostly Gentleman - Li Qing!"

For the past six months, Li Qing's name has been on the lips of the Lan Clan's soldiers every day. He almost caused the Lan Clan's patriarch to be cut in half at the waist, and he is also one of the culprits who forced them to fight for their lives in the Corpse Cave. I imagine they won't have any good words for him.
"What, that's Li Qing?"

"That half-human, half-ghost guy?"

"It is this man who has troubled our ancestor; we are better off..."

The female Taoist priest revealed Li Qing's identity in one sentence, and the subsequent alligator warriors became noisy and excited. Such warriors were full of blood and energy, and there were hardly any kind words among them.

These armored soldiers, who had always been taught by their clan, had no idea of ​​the terror behind Li Qing. When they heard that he was one of the culprits who had killed more than 10,000 people, their first thought was to avenge their ancestor.

The leading female Taoist priest cursed herself for being too talkative. She channeled her true qi as a superior Taoist disciple, causing the Soul Dao Bell at her waist to vibrate, intending to shut up these fools who didn't know their own mortality!

However, just as those Daoist disciples turned around and shouted, several cold arrows shot out in succession, striking the Xuan Yuan Qi in front of Li Qing with a clang.

This left the two Qingqiu demons in the palanquin speechless with astonishment.

What grudge does the Lan family have against that Taoist priest? Ghost Prince - Li Qing?

I think I've heard of this name before!
Before the many armored warriors could even comprehend what was happening, several disciples of the Lan family stared intently at the Taoist priest, then belatedly bowed and greeted him, "Senior Brother Li."

With Li Qing's level of cultivation, he certainly wouldn't have misheard the disrespectful words of these alligator armored warriors. If he truly harbored resentment because of this...

The disciples of the various sects dared not even imagine it. If we were to consider the reputation of this Ghost Prince, the Second Elder of the White Bone Sect, who was killed instead of the eighteen thousand wronged souls in Liuhuangzhou of Tiannan, was a cautionary tale!
The Taoist priest glanced at the soldiers expressionlessly, then raised the life-extending lamp. Its life-giving light resembled a fifty-two-petaled lotus, and the thin, thread-like light of longevity moved slowly. He drew a wisp of energy from the arrow on the ground, rolled it into the life-extending lamp, and the incantation was complete.

Within moments, the bodies of the alligator warriors crashed to the ground one after another. When everyone looked again, the warriors' hair was dry and wrinkled, and they were very old. In that instant, it was as if a ghost had added to their lives, erasing their lifespans in one stroke.

Only the spirit lamp in Li Qing's hand shone even brighter.

Li Qing can tolerate resentment and slander, but if she has to take action, then she can only use them as a test!

"Your Lan family's family traditions need to be changed, otherwise, you'll suffer because of this sooner or later."

Glancing down at the numerous soldiers, Li Qing turned and headed down the mountain. Zhulong followed closely behind, while Captain Bai Du spurred the reins, not daring to interfere in the struggle between these two behemoths...

Only after Li Qing left did the disciples of the Lan family breathe a sigh of relief, glaring hatefully at those fools.

If that Ghostly Gentleman Li Qing were even slightly more vengeful, such a terrifying figure could truly bring about the annihilation of the Lan Clan!
"It seems that afterwards, we must have Lan Yang's cousin pay a visit. Lan Yang is adept at social maneuvering and might be able to turn this crisis into a positive one..."

As the Lan family members were pondering, the demonic Taoist in the white snake carriage appeared before the winged corpse on the ground, about to take it.

Sudden.

A cold hand reached out and forcefully controlled his wrist. The chilling curse that was about to invade his body was immediately detected, and the ghostly language that did not sound like that of a living person made them feel even colder.

"Hehehe, the master's prey."

"Take it...and die!"

Then, dark clouds and ghostly realms unfolded in the sky, and a light drizzle fell. A graceful lady swayed over, twisted away the demon's hand, and then hoisted the wandering corpse onto her shoulder with one hand, slowly sinking it into the puddle of the ghostly realm.

Gui Lang - Li Qing, this man's methods are truly sinister...

(End of this chapter)