The Path to Immortality Begins with the Life-Extending Lamp

Chapter 86 The Mountain and River Symbol Diagram Opens the Secret Chamber
"You're not bad!"

The Taoist in brocade robes nodded slightly, seemingly having a much better impression of Li Qing from Tiannan Temple.

Within the secret realm of the Underworld, everyone relies on their own methods, but few can truly suppress their murderous intent and leave themselves a way out. At least Li Qing didn't escalate the matter further, which is already a great relief for the Su Yi Dao and the Peng Kingdom…

"The Underworld will close in eight hours. If you wish to continue exploring, you may travel in groups, but please be careful and lest you follow in the footsteps of the Li family elders!"

Then the Taoist priest with the green mustache bowed to the crowd and said.

The next moment, the brocade-clad Taoist looked at the mid-grade magic sword with six hundred forbidden techniques behind Yan Danling and couldn't help but raise his eyebrows.

This little girl is so lucky? She actually got a ceremonial sword? Even those of them in the Purple Mansion only use magic weapons with a restriction of six hundred!

"Good lads, you lot come with me and work together to break open the hidden chamber in the Ancestral Temple. There are many treasures inside, and apart from the two main artifacts, everything else can be yours."

The Taoist in brocade robes could no longer hold back. Senior Brother Bu insisted that the two of them slowly work on the mechanism diagram. Wasn't this a waste of time?

He could also summon his fellow disciples and forcefully break the barrier.

"Junior Brother Li, come and help too!"

Li Qing's background is extraordinary, comparable to half of the Purple Mansion realm, and she can be of great help. So the Brocade-Clad Taoist also called Li Qing over.

Moreover, the four Taoists in plain clothes, along with Li Qing, entered the Ancestral Temple together. The remaining Taoists exchanged glances, immediately skipped this little episode, and began to cautiously explore the underworld in their own groups.

Of course, no one dared to enter the Temple of the Third Buddha after the incident...

Gazing at the backs of the group in plain clothes, Pei Jiu and the Taoist priest looked quite solemn.

The Li family of Pengguo has always been their first stop when they set sail. After the Li family really got into trouble, the risks of their voyages will inevitably increase significantly!

Li Yuanyi, the head of the Li family, gripped the Gale Banner handed to him by Pei Jiu, and at that moment he was filled with mixed emotions.

Magical artifacts below the three hundred prohibitions are generally classified as ordinary and are used by people in the Qi Refining Realm.

The range from 300 to 600 restrictions is a watershed moment. Most magical artifacts stop at this level. They are considered mid-to-high grade among magical artifacts, and their power is considerable, enough to determine the life-or-death struggle of those at the Purple Mansion Foundation Establishment stage!

The magical artifacts with more than 600 restrictions all have their own origins. They are all based on a complete Taoist system, and then Taoist priests throughout the ages have continuously supplemented and optimized various restrictions to reach this level.

For example, the "Venerable Banner of Ten Thousand Souls" of the White Bone Path, when refined to perfection, has 1,024 restrictions; the "Eight Trigrams Cloud Light Cloth" of the Taiyi Path has as many as 1,080 restrictions; the "Six Yuan Floating Pagoda Lock" of the Six Spirits Mountain has 1,001 restrictions...

The Gale Banner in his family was a top-tier wind-based magical artifact that he obtained by chance. It has 740 magical restrictions. For the Li family, it is not just a weapon. If you carefully study and disassemble the Gale Banner, it will be of endless benefit to them.

For people from humble backgrounds like his, a suitable top-tier magic artifact is enough to correct and guide the cultivation path of his descendants for generations, even dozens of generations, saving them a lot of trial and error.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have risked his life to retrieve this precious magical artifact, disregarding his own reputation.

"Uncle Pei, Uncle Guan, Yuanyi is very grateful for your protection this time!"

Li Yuanyi knelt on one knee, cupped his hands, and bowed.

He was genuinely grateful to these two people from the East Sea Purple Mansion. Of course, with this relationship, he would try even harder to win them over and show them more respect in the future.

"There's no need for this between our two families."

Pei Jiu raised his hand to stop the Li family head's perfunctory greeting, and said in a deep voice.

"This Taoist Li Qing came to the seas of various countries aboard my magnificent ship!"

"On that day, he sailed alone in a paper boat, drifting in the raging outer sea. When he saw my ship, he actually crossed the Black Sea, braving the magic weapons and crossbows on my ship, as well as the siege of many heroes, and forced his way onto the ship. He was extremely fierce."

"These are disciples of the Five Immortal Sects of the Southern Kingdom, or perhaps they are heading to the land of the Three Immortal Sects to board the Beast-Ferrying Spirit Ship and return to the East Sea!"

"It's good that you've taken back this precious flag. From now on, ignore this person and let this matter rest."

These words were Pei Jiu's heartfelt advice. The methods of those immortal sect disciples were extremely formidable, and cultivators from small clans like him really didn't want to provoke such people.

Upon hearing this, Li Yuanyi gave a bitter smile. He couldn't even handle the tyrannical soldiers under the other party's command, so how could he possibly have any thoughts of provoking or retaliating against Li Qing?

Thinking of that unrestrained and ferocious Linglong Chang, Li Yuanyi felt a chill run down his spine, as if an ice blade was scraping his skin from the back of his neck, a shadow that was hard to shake off.

"Yes, the treasure flag has been found. I will have someone prepare a generous gift to repay the Taoist priest for the damaged soldiers."

"Uncles, please rest assured, the Li family's business routes in Penghu are stable. In recent years, the Suyi Dao has been operating in the waters of Penghu, and no one dares to disobey the rules of that Dao Master!"

"As long as my Li family operates within these rules, our private business of crafting sword blanks will not be affected in any way..."

While the Li family patriarch might consider magical combat and cultivation commonplace, he was quite astute in these interactions, immediately reassuring the two Daoists.

Sword blanks are the core business of both his and his family's business. He dares to guarantee with his life that there will be no problems.

After all, once the orthodox Refining Spirit Daoist of the Plain Robe Sect arrived, the Peng Kingdom truly had rules from then on...

The episode in the underworld was quickly glossed over.

At this moment, Li Qing followed the four Taoist priests in plain clothes straight into the Ancestral Temple!

This is a much larger ancestral temple. Although its structure is similar to that of the Third Muk Temple, its level of luxury is completely different.

Gold inlaid with jade, emeralds and agates, coral hanging on the screen, fragrant wood screens, and crystal lamps hanging upside down—the atmosphere was extremely extravagant.

The halls and rooms with nine courtyards contain even more stone statues of ghosts and gods.

Upon entering the main hall of the Ancestral Temple, the most magnificent sight appears: eleven enormous stone statues sit in the spacious temple, seemingly carved into the mountainside, as if the entire mountain had been hollowed out, yet each statue exists completely independently of the mountain.

This main palace is more magnificent and larger than the Namtso Temple.

However, the Taoist priests in plain clothes did not linger in the underground palace. Instead, they led Li Qing along the wide stone path on the right towards the side chamber.

Upon entering the passage, both sides were adorned with primitive and terrifying reliefs: a kingdom with a thousand chariots, soldiers wielding weapons, riding whales and striking the water, warships covering their faces, annihilating water demons, and enraged dragons being beheaded—all depicting scenes of warfare in that ancient kingdom.

The murderous intent on the murals was ever-present, constantly gathering on the reliefs, making the hooks, spears, and forks in the murals appear sharp and the ferocious beasts seem almost tangible. If one were to extend a finger at this moment, one would likely be instantly drawn to blood by that murderous intent.

"Originally, there were two daytime ghosts, many nighttime ghosts, and temple puppets lingering in this passage, but now I have cleansed them all."

"The mechanisms in that inner chamber still contain the Seven Treasures Symbol, which are intertwined with the barrier, mechanisms, and symbols, making it difficult for the two of us to break through!" The Qingxu Daoist picked up a small sword with his fingertip, and with a flick of his finger and a sword chant, the magic sword instantly grew larger, and sword energy immediately transmitted, creating ripples of spiritual energy on the symbols covering the wall.

At the end of the passage, the rune-shaped barrier stood like an insurmountable iron wall, blocking everyone's way.

The talismanic diagrams state that when the two polarities first separated and Yin and Yang were first distinguished, divine winds surged, and three energies converged, taking the form of Daoist characters, condensing into clouds and mist, and displaying five patterns and eight-sided phenomena. They are further divided into the Taiji diagram, the Nine Palaces diagram, the Hetu diagram, the Luoshu diagram, the Three Enclosures diagram, and so on...

Among them, the Immortal Sect uses it the most, with the "Three Emperors Inner Text" of the Three Emperors Great Dao Sect and the "Five Peaks True Form Diagram" of the Taiyue Shangxing Sect being the mainstream.

This Seven Treasures Talisman is neither a celestial script nor a ghostly inscription; rather, it seems to be a map of seven treasures and mountains derived from observing the veins of the sea and the true forms of the islands.

Unfortunately, Yinghai was destroyed, and even this underworld has been submerged at the bottom of the sea for a long time. The talisman has long since lost its roots. Unless the descendants of Yinghai can understand the changes in the incantation, how can they possibly decipher this diagram?

Only by using extremely powerful methods to shatter it and break the barrier can one find the mechanism and open the inner chamber.

"The inner chamber can only be opened by breaking the talisman and opening the barrier without damaging the mechanism inside."

"Junior Sister Yan, I'll give you the first talisman in the upper left corner. Junior Brother Guan, attack the second talisman in the lower left corner. Junior Brother Li, you can take charge of the third talisman in the upper right corner."

"There are no mechanisms behind these three talismans, so you can cast spells at will. I will personally handle the other four."

Even as he spoke, Qingxu Daoist's brows furrowed slightly. His three junior brothers and sisters each broke one talisman, and he alone broke four talismans before one of them could take the opportunity to shake the mechanism and the barrier.

Breaking through four maps with a single sword strike is quite a challenge for him!
If it were an ordinary restriction, they would naturally have magic cones to break it; if it were a simple mechanism, it would be even simpler.

However, the symbol is external, connecting the three, and thus they are different.

The talisman is both a celestial book and a talismanic artifact. Taoist priests often go into the mountains and carry a talisman written on bamboo slips, hanging it diagonally on their bodies. All evil spirits, tigers, insects, and poisons in the mountains cannot approach it. This item is also called a celestial talisman and is extremely extraordinary.

These seven talismans blocked the barrier, generating a majestic aura of mountains and rivers, like the spiritual veins of water and soil overseas, stretching endlessly. It truly needed some assistance to break through.

"it is good!"

The three agreed and looked up at the seven talismans.

What Li Qing wanted to destroy was a geomantic talisman diagram. This diagram was divided into seven talismans, arranged in the shape of "mountain" and "river". There were three mountains above and Sichuan below. In the blank spaces of these seven large seal characters, there were nine chapters of eulogy inscribed in bronze inscriptions. They were obscure and difficult to understand, but they had incredible power.

However, Li Qing was not given more time to ponder. At the command of the Qingxu Daoist, several people had to act at the same time to break the seven talismans so that the brocade-clad Daoist could directly access the hidden mechanism in the barrier.

Sure enough, with a command, the Taoist Qingxu unleashed his magic power, his sword rang out loudly, and the sword light split into four. The sharp slash directly struck the four-sided talisman in the center, as if it had pierced the spine of the mountain and river dragon.

Not to be outdone, the senior brother and sister Yan and Guan made a hand seal and gave a command. The left and right flying spirits and the morning yin children jumped out at the same time, stirring up a clear light and hitting the upper left talisman. The other shook the Nine Refined Silver Ring in his hand and released a dazzling light!

But Li Qing doesn't seem to have such a strong reliance on weapons and techniques for breaking laws and killing.

His main cultivation was the Daoist Warriors, so if he wanted to break the talisman, he could only use a single finger to form a hand seal and unleash the Southern Sunlight Technique. The fifty-two fire stars in the stone around him condensed and compressed, slowly transforming from the ghostly blue fireflies into deep, dark stars, gathering the vast primordial energy to its extreme.

Sword energy and precious light from all directions pierced through the barrier, and the talismanic diagrams also displayed extraordinary phenomena. The Seven Directions Mountain and River Maps were revealed in a fierce manner, followed by the sound of waves. The principles of talismans and Daoist rhymes, along with the momentum of mountains and rivers, rolled in. The group felt as if they had fallen into a domain of mountains and rivers, with water vapor hitting their faces and earth energy condensing around them, as if the passage to this underground palace had been widened several times over.

This is the true talisman diagram, which gathers the principles of heaven and earth into the celestial book and prophecy diagram. It is full of astronomy and geography, and has more domineering power than array plates and talismans!

As Li Qing was astonished, a surge of Qi shook the area, triggering the most violent explosion.

The fifty-two luminaries of the Southern Brightness appeared as dim black jade beads surrounding Li Qing. With a single finger from Li Qing, these fiery luminaries, like stars strung together, surged fiercely towards the talisman in the upper right corner. Continuous explosions rang out, tearing the talisman's image apart and blasting it onto the right-hand talisman, obliterating its Daoist principles and talismanic essence.

A huge wave of air rolled in, making everyone in front of the wall full of talismans lose their footing.

"This guy, what a fire spell..."

The Taoist Qingxu quickly steadied himself and unleashed four beams of Li Hua sword light to completely sever the strange landscape. Yan and Guan also exerted all their spiritual power without reservation.

This breakthrough is a complex undertaking with far-reaching consequences; all five of us must work together, and there can be no delay whatsoever!

The Taoist in brocade robes also summoned the Five Directions Divine Body, which formed a five-colored canopy to protect everyone from the overwhelming, almost tangible, air currents.

But when the Taoist in brocade robes looked at Li Qing's movements, his eyebrows suddenly twitched.

"This power is quite immense. Is it a Yin God-level Dao technique?"

Perhaps, this time we can really break through this barrier!

The various magical treasures exploded with a deafening roar, and the continuous explosions, coupled with the sharp sword energy, caused the original runes and strange phenomena to immediately disintegrate. The largest gap in the broken mountain and river domain began from the direction of Li Qing.

The Southern Bright Sun Technique truly lives up to its reputation as the first killing technique in the "Southern Dipper Prolongation of Life" Taoist arts. Its extremely compressed fire and starlight are unmatched by ordinary spells.

The Taoist in brocade robes seized the opportunity, used his magic light to escape, summoned a flying shuttle, directly pierced through the barrier, and entered the side of the stone door. He then quickly stepped forward and opened the hidden door mechanism.

Sure enough, with this movement, the stone door of the inner chamber immediately opened with a loud rumble, the double stone door fell down, and the two dragon-suppressing stones sank to the left and right, slowly revealing the splendor of the inner chamber to everyone.

At this moment, Li Qing didn't have much to think about the inner chamber. He was still looking up at the stone wall with its runes, most of which were broken. The runes were either worn away by the sword light or blasted to pieces by the fire.

However, the talisman on the lower left side was not fundamentally damaged, which suggests that Daoists Yan and Guan were not skilled at using their powers to break spells!

Seeing the four Taoists in plain clothes quickly enter the side room, Li Qing quickly approached the left side of the talisman wall. Seeing that the talisman wall was embedded in the stone wall, Li Qing immediately became interested. He raised his hand and took out the Cloud Spirit Magic Sword from the old Taoist Li's body, and quickly pried off the undamaged talisman wall, carefully putting it into his pocket.

This is a complete talisman diagram. If Li Qing can make a copy of it, it will definitely be of great benefit!

"Brother Li Dao?"

Before Li Qing could linger outside for too long, Yan Daoren, not seeing him, turned around and gently called out to him.

"exist!"

Li Qing responded, put away the talisman, and strode forward.

This side room is also a side hall of the ancestral temple. At the head of the hall are many long-extinguished spirit lamps and ebony spirit tablets. The dome is still made of crystal glass inlaid with pearls from the East China Sea as luxurious lamps.

The two Daoist priests of the Purple Mansion observed the side hall with their divine eyes and did not notice anything amiss. They immediately stepped forward and took the phoenix-headed oil lamp and the black jade tablet at the very top of the hall. These two artifacts, each with a power of nine hundred prohibitions, were something the two had been planning for a long time.

Inside this side hall, there were still many treasures and utensils, including candlesticks at the head of the hall, ceremonial swords hanging on the left and right sides of the main hall, and knives and axes hanging on the sides of the dragon pillars...

"We two will only take these two tribute items; there are still quite a few protective artifacts among them. The three of you may take them yourselves!"

(End of this chapter)