The Path to Immortality Begins with the Life-Extending Lamp

Chapter 88 Farewell to Su Yidao

"In terms of stealth and mobility, this Flying Madman is inferior to the Walking Madman; in terms of immense strength and supernatural powers, it is far inferior to the Armored Madman; and its combat strength is not even apparent..."

Li Qing peeled off a piece of human skin paper, which was the skin of a cultivator at the Purple Mansion Realm. However, it was from the wound where Fei Chang had been cut that the paper was sewn on layer by layer with soul threads dyed with ghost blood and primordial energy used to sew the needle's edge.

These five groups of rampaging soldiers are only in their initial stages. It seems that Li Qing's intention for these flying rampages is to let them roam the void and surround the blue sky. However, these rampage soldiers have too little yin energy, unlike the armored rampages, which can penetrate all enemies with just the strength of their armor paper.

The cultivation of these rampant soldiers was not something that could be accomplished overnight. Li Qing poured three Nether Pearls into the mouths of the six rampant soldiers and then carefully guided them to refine the talisman seeds using his own Xuan Yin Qi.

If one wants to refine the Dao, one cannot simply treat it as a means of raising, controlling, and driving spirits. One must integrate nurturing and refining it, spending a great deal of time incorporating it into one's cultivation of the Dao!

Then, he crushed a Nether Pearl. The pure Yin energy within it, which was almost tangible, quickly surrounded him and was absorbed by Li Qing's Heavenly Mansion Profound Origin Qi, before returning to his Qi Sea through the Great Aperture of the Heavens.

Ordinary Taoists who obtain the Nether Pearl can only use it as a vaginal elixir to raise rampant soldiers, but Li Qing can consume it directly to strengthen the foundation of his Xuan Yin!

"To establish the foundation of the Purple Mansion, one must have pure primordial qi, condensed like the primordial essence. Such a foundation, imbued with the essence of the Dao, can serve as a warm bed for the birth of the primordial spirit and the Dharma intent, and is also the beginning of the relationship between heaven and man."

He is still quite far from reaching the Purple Mansion realm. His Xuan Yin Qi, Yin Qi, and Xiantian Qi are still mixed together. It is unknown how much effort it will take to refine them into a unified whole.

Spiritual practice cannot be rushed.

However, in the process of integrating and summarizing these artifact techniques, Li Qing finally figured out the wonderful uses of the Myriad Soul Banner!
A few days ago, a group from the Underworld produced the "Eternal Regret Ghost Scissors." The magic intent of the Ghost Scissors went straight into Li Qing's Niwan Palace, lingered for a full cycle, and after breaking through, it had the effect of forging the soul. After Li Qing had nurtured his thoughts in the past few days, he was able to split his thoughts into two thousand four hundred strands in an instant.

This thought was enough to unleash one-fifth of the power of the Soul Banner, truly touching its most fundamental magical restriction!
The full name of this banner is "Zunliu Wanhun Banner". It is not the evil demon weapon in folk tales. The White Bone Path is, after all, one of the five mountains of talismanic divination, the Ghost Talisman Temple. Naturally, it would not refine such a despicable weapon.

This Thousand Soul Banner was made by refining the Soul Dao materials into Soul Silk, and then further forging it with Ghost Talisman, finally obtaining a strand of Thousand Soul Silk. This silk is formless and intangible, taking the best of precious light and the purest of primordial energy, yet it can manifest an inexplicable form and substance!
Those who are bound by ten thousand souls belong to the path of the soul. When combined with the secret techniques of the Ghost Register, they can create countless vengeful spirits, generate resentful clouds that obscure the sun for thirty miles, plant a domain of vengeful spirits, and evolve boundless vengeful spirits...

"The Myriad Soul Threads, when controlled by a sufficiently powerful consciousness, can actually be directly transformed into a massive amount of soul power?"

Li Qing raised the Ten Thousand Souls Banner with his right hand. In an instant, the faint soul threads merged with his consciousness, transforming into a huge, deep shadow.

With just a slight thought, the Banner of Ten Thousand Souls swelled in the wind, instantly transforming into a height of over nine zhang and six chi, its overwhelming soul power soaring straight to the sky above the underworld, the deep curtain instantly obscuring the dome of this underworld courtyard.

This is what a supreme magical artifact of the thousand-forbidden level should be like; this is what the Second Elder of the White Bone Path should be like, the culmination of his life's work!

As soon as the thought arose, Li Qing threw out the twelve bronze ancient battle halberds and twelve silver long axes from his mustard seed bag. The soul power on the Myriad Soul Banner surged, and the rays of dark light immediately swept up the twenty-four weapons, activating all their magical restrictions.

Soul power permeated heaven and earth, instantly covering the two sets of long axes and golden halberds. Profound soul power drove the twenty-four axes and halberds, and in an instant, the sharpness of the twenty-four weapons auras rose up. These twenty-four weapons auras transformed into Taibai golden light and crashed wildly in the sky above the underworld.

The invisible soul-force restraint only amplified its soul-splitting power!
As the numerous cold lights darted left and right, like sword energy soaring into the sky with immense power, Li Qing had an idea. With a wave of his right hand, he successfully summoned them back.

The 96-foot-long Ten Thousand Souls Banner rolled up the twenty-four weapons, and the banner tassels wrapped around the weapons, instantly transforming them into a small black banner six inches tall.

"Can you manipulate hundreds of soldiers, making them as large or small as you wish?"

The true appearance of the Soul Banner was finally revealed after Li Qing's divine sense surged. It was indeed an extraordinary Soul Dao artifact.

Ghost Taoist, Ghost Taoist.

You've given me a really great gift!
Li Qing held the small banner in her palm, her brows relaxing further.

He only has soldiers at his disposal, but lacks the skills for killing and warfare, a deficiency that this Soul Banner can compensate for.

After refining these two sets of axe and halberd ritual weapons in one go, he was able to control twenty-four weapons with a single thought using the Soul Banner. Suddenly, it was as if ten thousand swords were soaring into the sky, their sharpness fully revealed.

With a banner rising in his palm, twenty-four weapons surrounded him. He used his soul power to control the hundred weapons, manipulating their sizes at will. He could almost push the art of manipulating objects to its ultimate level. In the past, how could Li Qing possibly control twenty-four axe and halberd magic weapons with a single thought?
It is likely that only a Daoist at the Foundation Establishment stage of the Purple Mansion realm possesses such divine power!
Unfortunately, before he could even test the specific power of the Soul Banner's ability to control objects, Li Qing felt the energy gate set up outside the meditation room of the Plain Robe Temple being activated. In the next instant, Li Qing's figure gradually blurred in the Netherworld, and in the blink of an eye, he returned to the Plain Robe Temple...

Tuk-tuk-tuk!
There was a knock on the door.

"Brother Li, is Brother Li here?" A young man's voice rang out from outside the quiet room, knocking on the door in search of Li Qing.

During his trip to the Underworld, Daoist Guan obtained a set of twenty-one bells and ritual bells, with the main artifact ranging from seventy-two to six hundred restrictions. This caused a sensation throughout the inner courtyard of the Suyi Temple. Even though these were unorthodox ritual artifacts, to reach such a scale and still be a complete set was extremely rare.

However, this Taoist priest still needs to work with Li Qing and Yan Danling to smooth over the discrepancies when the treasures were distributed in the Underworld.

He was merely an ordinary Qi Refining Stage 1 cultivator who had only entered the Plain Robe Path because of his good innate divine sense. He didn't have much foundation. So he had no choice but to go to the Guan family of Peng Kingdom that very night and borrow 400,000 Dao Zhu in supplies and treasures on credit.

He could wait a little while since the female Taoist priest surnamed Yan was his senior sister, but this Taoist priest Li would be leaving soon for the Three Immortals Sect in the abbot's quarters, so he had to resolve this matter first!
After waiting outside the door for about six or seven breaths, the wooden door was gently pulled open, and a cool, aloof face appeared out of the corner of my eye.

What rushed towards them was an invisible and intangible yet extremely oppressive soul force!
Hmm, does this Brother Li also know the Soul Refining Technique?

However, this was ultimately a crucial point in someone's cultivation, and Daoist Guan knew the taboos, so he wouldn't inquire recklessly. He simply took out a mustard seed pouch from his sleeve and said in a deep voice:

"I have obtained that set of bronze artifacts all by myself, so naturally I will not let Brother Li and Senior Sister Yan suffer too much of a loss!"

"This mustard seed pouch contains 400,000 Dao Zhu in provisions, which is my annual salary that I have borrowed from my clan for more than ten years. I am now filling the gap for Fellow Daoist Li."

His compensation surprised even Li Qing.

The spoils he seized from Zhishanfang, plus the mustard seed bag of that ghost Taoist, amounted to only a little over 300,000 Taoist coins. Adding the mustard seed bag of spiritual medicine that Taoist Pei had given him before, he only had this much wealth at most.

This guy just threw out 400,000 Daozhu?

Even the top-grade Dao disciples in the outer courtyard of Lin Yuan only receive a few hundred to a few thousand Dao coins for a single commission. Li Qing only achieved such a foundation after several perilous opportunities. The difference between them is evident! However, if Daoist Guan knew that Li Qing was sighing like this, he would definitely cry foul. He was a disciple of the Guan family of Peng Kingdom who had joined the Suyi Dao. His annual salary was several times higher than that of other clansmen, yet he was still in arrears on his annual salary for ten years.

He felt indebted because he thought Li Qing only took the Nether Pearl; otherwise, 400,000 Dao Zhu would have been a huge burden for Daoist Guan!
"Then thank you very much, Fellow Daoist Guan."

Li Qing did not refuse. He flipped open the phoenix-patterned mustard seed pouch in his palm and immediately put it away. The two exchanged pleasantries in front of the quiet room, but did not have any further exchanges. Then, the Taoist Guan took his leave.

After these successive changes, the five or six mustard seed pouches in that gourd of heaven had accumulated to a total of nearly one million Dao coins of spiritual materials.

If he were to reach the legendary Beast Taming Immortal Sect, or return to the Southern Kingdom, he would have to carefully arrange these spiritual materials and Dao coins, exchanging them for resources suitable for his use...

After tidying up in the quiet room of Suyidao for the time it takes to burn two incense sticks, Li Qing rolled up all the items and prepared to leave the side courtyard to bid farewell to the person in charge of Suyidao.

He had spent nearly ten days in Suyidao, accepting invitations to visit the mountain under the name of a disciple of Tiannandao, and also accepted a trip to Penghai Yinfu, where he obtained the forbidden treasure "Changhen Jian".

However, no matter how much favor Li Qing received from the Plain-Clad Path, he could not neglect his main business. He still needed to borrow the black ship from the East Sea to enter the Beast Taming Immortal Sect. Here, there was a spirit ship that could ferry beasts across a vast sea spanning 100,000 miles.

With a thought, Li Qing flicked up a wisp of true fire to cleanse the remaining hair and scent in the quiet room, so as not to leave any incriminating evidence, and then turned and left.

When we return to the manor outside the island, reunite with Zhu, and discuss the future!
Just as Li Qing stepped out, the female Taoist priest surnamed Yan, dressed in her finest attire, with flowing sleeves and intertwined tassels, held up a jade plate in one hand. Her graceful figure was exceptional, and she swayed with every step she took. Behind her, three or five Taoist priests in plain clothes followed.

They had come to see this fellow Daoist Tianan off.

"Fellow Daoist Li, since you have joined our Plain Robe Sect with the identity of a member of the Tiannan Sect, we naturally cannot be too negligent!"

“Fellow Daoist, if you wish to return to the Southern Kingdom, our temple does not truly possess such a spirit boat. My lineage of Su Yi Jiang Zhen has the expertise to compose the Outer Heaven Palace, which can be used to create the Cloud Brocade Jiang Zhen Immortal Robe.”

In the jade plate held by Yan Danling were a cloud brocade robe for descending to immortality and a plain robe for outer vision.

"This Brocade Cloud Immortal Robe can help you avoid dust and heat. The Outer Realm Talisman is a token of our Dao. If you encounter difficulties in the outer sea, you can directly call us through this Outer Realm Talisman. Of course, if we encounter difficulties in the Heavenly Capital in the future, you should not pretend not to know, right?"

The female Taoist priest pushed the jade plate in front of Li Qing and covered her mouth with a light laugh.

In the midst of their banter, they exchanged tokens with Li Qing before he left, thus establishing a connection!

It seems that among the various temples, the so-called guest elders and fellow Daoists are all obtained in this way: a token of trust, a few favors exchanged, and if you are in trouble, all sides will respond. This is also the way of survival for the various immortal sects and Daoist temples...

As the two were saying goodbye, in the inner temple of Su Yi, three Daoist priests from the Purple Mansion gathered together, all looking up at Bu Lingxu, who was holding the ancient treasure - the Eight Directions Instrument of the Outer Realm!
"Master, the Jiangzhen Cloud Robe was woven from the essence of the Milky Way collected from the main peak of Jiangzhen. In the past, only a few were produced in a single sixty-year period. Now that the main peak has been seized by thieves, there are very few Jiangzhen Cloud Robes left. Even if that kid is a true disciple of the immortal sect, he shouldn't be giving such a generous gift, right?"

This robe of divine power is a closely guarded secret of the lineage of the Plain Robe Dao of Divine Power. Now that they are in trouble, how can they be given away so casually as a favor?
Even though the three Purple Mansion disciples admired this true disciple, they still had to advise him: extravagance and ostentation are unacceptable!
However, the imposing man at the head of the table sat high in the main seat of the hall, holding up a Hunyuan Bafangyi (a magical instrument) on his left palm. It seemed to be a world derived from the three powers and eight trigrams. The cause and effect changes of the various prefectures of the capital could be revealed one by one on that small Bafangyi.

Despite being advised by many of his fellow disciples, he shook his head and chuckled:
"Ghost Prince - Li Qing, born in Jiangnan, entered the Daoist path in the southwest, and is engaged to the Ghost Mother of the Upper Realm. He is the third-ranked Daoist in the Tiannan Temple!"

"A year ago, the Ghost Mother was attacked by the Second Elder of the White Bone Dao in Lingnan. She lost control and the attack spread for tens of miles in an instant, killing tens of thousands of mortals. The White Bone Ghost Daoist who had reached the Purple Mansion level was also cursed to death on the spot..."

"Six months ago, this person disappeared, which directly triggered a bloody battle between Tiannan Temple and Baigudao. I think the two sects were tripping each other up!"

"But just a day ago, a puppet came to our door, warning us not to meddle in other people's business."

Bu Lingxu rubbed the Eight Directions Instrument with his right hand, then suddenly his expression turned cold, and he sneered:
"I immediately crushed that rat in the gutter with a single palm strike. Hmph! A puppeteer from the Northern Kingdom, a nobody who can't be brought to the table."

That day, the puppet came to the gate of the Plain Robe Sect, displaying considerable power. It turned out to be a member of the Puppet Sect of the Northern Kingdom. That guy was indeed arrogant, but in front of this true disciple of Taiyi, the Puppet Sect was no match for him.

If it weren't for the Yin God Realm aura behind that person, Bu Lingxu, wielding two magic treasures from the Jiangzhen Peak, could have directly followed that causal aura and annihilated the puppeteer's body along with it!
However, since a Yin spirit was involved, Bu Lingxu was unwilling to offend anyone too much.

At least until he reached the halfway point of becoming a Yin Spirit, he didn't want to directly clash with a true Yin Spirit cultivator...

"Just wait and see. What's a mere Cloud-Descent Robe? This Junior Brother Li's path ahead is going to be incredibly exciting!"

"As for Jiangzhen Peak? Do you all distrust our sect? Once we have all 108 Outer Heavenly Generals united and have taken control of these nations and seas, what will that matter?"

Inside the mountain gate, dressed in plain clothes, various figures were plotting.

Meanwhile, somewhere in the open sea, the "Morning Star" of the eleven luminaries stood on an island reef, its face ashen.

"How is that possible? The Southern Kingdom is weak, and these overseas regions are even more remote and inaccessible. How could they be teeming with such monsters!"

The others of the Eleven Luminaries had already begun their missions, but "Chenxing," being only a half-formed Yin spirit, had to remain at sea to make contact with the quasi-"Taiyin" in the East Sea and keep an eye on the future "Kedu."

But he had just made his move, trying to get the plain-robed Daoist Master from Peng Kingdom to stop interfering, when he was almost attacked by this person following his aura!

This person is truly domineering. He wields two Yin God-level magic treasures. With a single move of his supernatural power, the ends of the earth are within reach, and the stars shift and change. He annihilates many of Chen Xing's puppets with a single palm strike and almost manages to find Chen Xing's true form by following his aura.

This is a combat power close to that of a Yin God!
If Bu Lingxu hadn't been intimidated by the aura of the Yin God Puppet, Chen Xing wouldn't have been confident in a direct confrontation.

How did the true teachings of Taiyi Dao end up overseas?

"Why doesn't Yinghuo approach this person? Isn't he much better than that Guilang? Surely it's not because he's afraid of him? Or perhaps it's the Huangting Neijing Taiyi Daoist!"

After all, the fact that Taiyi Dao could tolerate someone who could fully utilize the resources and foundation of a peak's Daoist teachings and open the mountain gate with two magic treasures suggests that other Yin gods might also have been lenient towards him.
"Hmph! Is there anyone who wouldn't dare mess with this crazy woman?"

(End of this chapter)