The Path to Immortality Begins with the Life-Extending Lamp

Chapter 97 Uprising
"Hahahaha!"

"You two fellow Daoists have brought me quite a pleasant surprise."

Pei Jiu casually sat on the railing of the boat's ridge, tossed several jars of fine wine from Jiangnan overboard, and tossed them into the hands of the various Daoists, laughing heartily and unrestrainedly.

He raised the jug of fine wine to the assembled Taoists, then gulped down several mouthfuls.

"Gulp~ This is only five million Daozhu. On my black ship, there are two or three five million each!"

"My sons, go and fetch it for me."

Pei Jiu flicked his sleeve and immediately ordered two trusted men to enter the cabin to retrieve the treasure.

Five million Daozhu in provisions is no small sum, but since the notorious bandit "Lord Wang" has come to report, we'll give it to him!

Pei Jiu raised the altar and drank with the two Zi Fu Daoists, who were also from the East Sea. His decisive and straightforward manner made the two men feel quite uncomfortable.

"But you all must know that this five million will not belong to my brother and me. It will be deducted from the goods that the Ninth Elder of Lixu and the Yang family's Qilinzi want."

"We have never had any right to dispose of the cargo on this ship, as you all surely know!"

"By the way, is any of you aware that the young man from the Yang family will be marrying the granddaughter of Master Zhang from the Taiyi Daoist sect at Jiuhua Peak in two years?"

The pipe man picked up the bamboo slips and, in a call-and-response exchange with Pei Jiu, looked at the two of them with a half-smile.

He was risking his life at sea; if he were to encounter an irreversible misfortune, he would naturally not be able to protect his possessions.

But let me make this clear from the start: you "Wang Hou" are bold enough, so here's a batch of goods for you. Let's see if you dare to take it.
The Ninth Elder of the Seven Stars Pavilion, a figure who is half-existent in the Yin realm; the Qilin son of the Yang family, the youngest Purple Mansion Prime Minister in the East Sea.

Marquis Wang? Does he really dare to reach out?

At this moment, the few bandit cultivators who had been shouting the loudest on the flying boat suddenly fell silent as they looked at the compass water mirror.

Too much!
The most domineering of the Five Immortal Sects, and also the sect most deeply involved with the Southern Kingdom's aristocratic families, this sect is so powerful that it has committed numerous acts of annihilation.

If that Yang family has truly gotten involved with the Yin God Immortal, then this batch of goods could really be a hot potato...

"Arrogant! This person is far too arrogant!"

"You insolent brat! What does he mean by this? Is he threatening us?"

The bald bandit's face turned red with anger as he paced back and forth on the flying boat. He had been the one instigating the battle, and now that he was retreating, wouldn't that be a slap in his own face?
"My lord, why don't I go and take that warship, and teach them a lesson they won't forget?"

That Taoist Pei was truly arrogant. He thought that just because he had the backing of a Yang family member who hadn't yet achieved great things and an elder in the Seven Star Pavilion who wasn't even among the top, he was something special.

But... that's really true!

If those lowly brats from such wealthy and powerful families were to make even the slightest tampering during these exchanges, they would be in deep trouble once the news got back.

The bald bandit was terrified and enraged, while the other Taoists became increasingly silent. The names of the Yang Clan of the East Sea and the Taiyi Clan were indeed quite intimidating.

The cultivation world is not like the mortal states and prefectures of the East Sea. If you really offend some people, you never know when a giant handprint might fall from the sky and kill you with a flick of its wrist.

In the cultivation world, there's nowhere to hide!
"Ah!"

"Yang Jue of the East Sea is nothing more than a suckling mastiff; he'll amount to nothing. So what if he's the Ninth Elder of the Seven Star Pavilion?"

"My worthy brothers, that Dragon Lord commands nine dragons, monopolizes the East Sea, seizing our roots and destroying our century-old foundation..."

"How can you and I be so easily swayed?"

Wang Hou pondered over the two Chaos Pearls in his palm. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open, and a heavy pressure lingered above the heads of all the cultivators, chilling them to the bone.

Having already been driven out of the East China Sea and with nowhere else to turn, they had to enter the various kingdoms to carve out a piece of flesh to regain their footing. Why would they be afraid of offending anyone now?

"Previously, they were all blinded by greed and clamoring to take action, but when it came down to it, they just put up a sign and then disappeared?"

"That's a bit beneath us!"

He truly looked down on these guys; they were all bark and no bite, all bark and no bite. What could they possibly accomplish?

The old man from the Purple Mansion, who held the compass and water mirror in his hand, stroked his white beard and looked on with complicated thoughts. He had clearly presented the traces of the East Sea treasure ship, but he kept his eyes down and looked like an outsider who had nothing to do with it.

At this moment, the bald bandit was even more gruff, bowing and showing his loyalty: "As long as the Marquis gives the word, I will definitely go and take the heads of those two Purple Mansions..."

No one knows what the fleet in the distance is plotting.

At this moment, Li Qing was standing on the ship, watching the verbal exchange between the several Purple Mansion Daoists.

They immediately demanded five million taels of silver. General Danghai, known as Marquis Wang, was so powerful that he was unmatched overseas. Away from the Southern Kingdom, this place was truly lawless.

Bring out the five mustard seed pouches, and the Taoist priest uttered an unpleasant remark, effectively putting the two of them in a precarious position.

These two are independent cultivators with businesses in the East China Sea. They've come overseas to do business without any investment. The officials of the East China Sea can turn a blind eye, but if they cut off the source of income for the Yang family, the Prefect of Chaojiang Prefecture, they really don't know what it means to exile the entire family.
The East Sea Road is the most chaotic place in the South. The local governor's office and various powerful families have long been in control of it. Once a person's cultivation reaches a certain level, the East Sea Road will arrange for the children and relatives of the Taoists to receive the treatment of high-class industries in advance, and grant them registration in those several immortal cities. Their descendants will also have the qualifications to enter the Taoist path.

Whether they are heroes or nobles, their families and descendants are held in those immortal cities and markets. Even when they are at sea, they still have to show some respect to the two prefectures and four states of the East Sea, and may even have to serve as their henchmen.

Although Pei Jiu was not an official, he had been sailing the seas for many years and had never encountered such a threat before!

The two rogue cultivators from the East Sea also looked grim. However, while the four were still locked in a stalemate, five towering ships in the distance raised their banners and sped towards them.

In that moment of surprise, they saw that on the fleet, the crossbows were fully drawn, the magic-breaking silver arrows flashed with cold light, and the cannons were rotating their muzzles, all aimed directly at this tower ship.

"Ok?"

"I suppose you all have quite an appetite?"

Pei Daoren glanced sideways at the commotion on the sea, then leaped off the ship's railing and quickly approached the two Purple Mansions, immediately letting out a cold laugh.

As Pei Jiu moved, each step he took drew forth lightning, his entire body covered in tiny electric sparks. With his second step, the electric sparks converged, causing thunder to spring from the sky and the ground, transforming into a savage bolt of lightning that enveloped his body. With his third step, he drew his thunder sword, unleashing a thunderous roar from its blade.

As soon as the magic crossbows and wind cannons rushed towards them, the Dragon Fish Overlord of the Sea gained momentum, stirring up three hundred-foot-high giant waves. Instead of colliding head-on with the magic-breaking crossbows, wind blades, and thunder cannons, it used these waves to slam the ship high, causing all the killing moves to miss and fall on the sea, unable to touch the ship at all.

"Well done, Dafu!"

The Taoist soldiers and monks on the ship immediately gripped the reins and railings tightly, looking up at the Taoist priest with admiration.

The pipeline worker is always full of shrewdness and can protect the one he is waiting for!
At this moment, Pei Jiu took the initiative to act. With a flick of his Thunder Sword, he transformed into a thunder chariot and crashed straight into the two Purple Mansion Daoists.

The thunder magic he learned came from a folk lineage in the East Sea—Jinyun Temple. This lineage was most skilled in external thunder magic. When Pei Jiu was young, he entered this lineage because of his reputation as a chivalrous man and learned the "Thunder Summoning Technique". He used the Thunder Summoning Sword Technique and the Twelve Meridians Thunder Bathing Technique to roam the East Sea. Even now, he still receives a yearly salary of precious treasures and a monthly salary of firewood, rice and sesame oil...

But how could those two Donghai Daoists, who had long been practicing banditry, not know what had happened? They had been tricked.

However, when Master Pei suddenly unleashed his thunderous magic, the two of them didn't even have a chance to explain.

A deafening clap of thunder rang out, and a gaping hole was instantly torn open on the second deck. One of the cultivators, a cultivator at the Purple Mansion level, was immediately blasted into the dark cabin. The rogue cultivator surnamed Lü was also struck by a bolt of lightning, crashing through the railing and falling onto the sea, leaving a ripple dozens of feet long. This guy, what ferocious lightning power!

Lu Daoren stared in shock at the robe he was wearing. The protective aura on his body was shattered on the spot by the lightning. At this moment, the spiritual charm on the robe was dim and even covered with a layer of charred black.

"Brother Pei, if I were to say that we were also tricked, would you believe me?"

The Taoist priest surnamed Lü quickly stopped his retreat, pointed with his right hand, and immediately produced a round magic mirror. A layer of solidifying golden light descended to protect the four directions above and below, and he smiled bitterly. The other Purple Mansion cultivator who had fallen into the ship also hurriedly broke through the hull from one side and rushed out to sea to escape.

First they threatened me, then they just took it by force?
The two Purple Mansion ship lords stood on either side of the deck, their eyes gleaming with even greater coldness.

It seems that these notorious maritime pirates are really going to target them!
"Quickly kill these two, and I will have Dafu use his sea-overturning magic to send the entire ship of men to the southwest of Lixu."

The Taoist was even more decisive. He raised the bronze book in his palm, and immediately a hummingbird spirit that blotted out the sky flapped its wings and emerged. He also made a hand seal and released a hundred-foot-long water blade from his lips. The water blade was continuous and powerful, and the force of the water directly tore the wave in two.

The two Purple Mansion Daoists dared to venture into the outer seas and had been traveling back and forth for decades, so Pei Jiu and the Daoist naturally possessed abilities far beyond those of ordinary people.

However, the two of them had never seen such short-sighted bandits before. Their mere ten or twenty million in assets was not something worth coveting in the face of such a huge fleet!
Why risk offending several people for this one time?

Two Purple Mansion ship lords leaped off the ship and vanished in the blink of an eye. While everyone was still on the ship, Li Qing even secretly pulled out a troop mobilization document from his sleeve. But to everyone's surprise, the two Purple Mansion bandits fled in a single encounter.
"Men! Send a team to mend the plague-stricken gap on the left. Pei San'er, you guys raise the wind banner and get out of here!"

"Everyone else, lay cable locks around the deck and take precautions..."

The two leading heroes channeled their spiritual power, hurriedly moving back and forth on the ship to direct the troops.

The Tyrant Dragon Fish below stirred up a turbulent force, causing the attacks of the five ships to be completely deflected. The waves overlapped and surged continuously, reaching heights of hundreds of feet. In just a few breaths, the ship disappeared from the sea, making it impossible for the naked eyes of the various sects to detect it!

This is the battle at sea, where a powerful enough waterborne beast can dictate the course of the entire battlefield.

As the ship rose and fell with the rhythm of the waves, Li Qing stood on the top deck, watching as the many heroes and soldiers began to crank the levers, pull up a rope net, and raise the feng shui banners.

This turn of events was so sudden!

Once the cable net was pulled up, several heroes at the upper level of Qi Refining climbed up to the top deck, exhaled a long breath, and sighed with Li Qing.

"This is what life at sea is like, with your head hanging by a thread. Is this the first time you've seen this, Mr. Li?"

"Those bandit cultivators are all lawless and unruly, yet I don't know why they're acting so recklessly!"

At sea, there are always unwritten rules about whose flag to fly, whose dock to use, whose ships can move and whose routes cannot.

Especially the Donghai Family, the Five Directions Immortal Sect, and the Jiangnan Two Academy, many people who make a living at sea would have to give them some face, which is one of the reasons why Pei Jiu and his companion were willing to take Li Qing along.

Who would have thought that General Wang Hou, the Sea-Sweeping General, would suddenly break the rules?

The dragon whale ripped through the sea, causing the ships to move. Before long, they had already traveled a hundred miles.

"not good!"

Just as Li Qing was about to speak with the chivalrous hero beside him, he suddenly turned around and looked at the forward deck. He saw an enormous beast rising from the sea. With a snap, the ferocious dragon head tore off half of the bow of the ship, and threw the dozen or so people on duty at the front into the sea.

That was actually a white-bellied sea dragon?
hold head high……

The dragon whale was still churning the seas when the white wave dragon attacked from behind. How could it tolerate this? It swung its tail and sent the entire ship flying, then leaped towards the white wave dragon.

More than ten bandit cultivators on the dragon sneered and landed directly on the ship. The bald, burly man in the lead grabbed the ship and quickly cut down several Pei family soldiers with his willow knife. He ignored the white dragon that had been knocked into the sea by the dragon whale and directly released his purple aura.

"Hahaha, this ship is mine now!"

"Have you not obeyed my orders and handed over the magic weapon?"

The bald, burly man slapped one of the Taoist soldiers who had jumped onto the deck back into the sea. His tiger-like eyes swept around, but he looked directly at Li Qing and his group on the top deck.

Those who board the ship first will reap some benefits. As for the White Wave Dragon, it wasn't raised by him, so what does it have to do with him?
"Damn it!" The faces of the heroes changed drastically. How could they have expected that the Purple Mansion bandit cultivator would force them onto the ship?

The wandering knights and soldiers of the Pei family below drew their wind blades and threw crossbow bolts, but before they could get close to the bald, burly man, they were all swept away by a beam of light. More than ten bandits at the upper level of Qi Refining jumped off the main deck and began a blade-and-arrow battle.

Li Qing's gaze faltered for a moment, then she held the Five-Special Thunderfire Talisman that she had obtained from Li Laodao of Pengguo between her fingers. She tentatively activated the talisman, and with a loud boom, a thick, crimson thunderfire shot straight at the bald, burly man, creating a powerful explosion in the air above the deck.

"Oh, the Five-Element Thunderfire Talisman? You've got some wealth!"

Before the smoke of battle had even cleared, the burly man from the Purple Mansion broke through the layer of black mist, escaped into the upper deck, and went straight for Li Qing and the others.

This time, it is different from the old Taoist Li of Penghai Yinfu. Without the Dragon-Slaying Stone in the dark room, it is impossible to block the door with the Jiazi Linglongchang ghostly aura in that narrow space. If Li Qing fights with it, he will not gain any advantage in terms of terrain!

The Ten Thousand Souls Banner must not be displayed openly. This bandit cultivator came for Pei Daoren's wealth. If I reveal the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, then...

A thousand thoughts flashed through Li Qing's mind. He raised his finger and opened the restriction on the cabin above his head, summoning the "candle".

"I'll have Zhu assist you all. The enemy outnumbers us, so take care of those ten or so bandits first. This man is mine!"

Li Qing pointed with his sleeve, and a precious light flashed within. A three-zhang royal chariot came from the illusion and suddenly entered the real world. It slammed into the burly man in the Purple Mansion who had transformed into a beam of light, causing him to stumble and blocking his way. Then he turned back and gave instructions.

The cinnabar dragon emerged from the top of the ship, letting out another resounding roar, which calmed the group of heroes on board.

Several heroes knew, more or less, that the death of Li Daoren of Peng Kingdom was somewhat related to this Lord Li. Seeing him so arrogant now, how could they not guess the source of his confidence?

"Alright! Lord Li... please focus on protecting yourself. We'll come to your aid after we've hacked that thief to death!"

The heroes that Pei Daoren relied on were also figures who roamed the prefecture. They bowed deeply, brandished their swords and spears, and leaped down to the main deck. "Qiu" glanced at this place, then also descended in a coiled manner, stirring up a swirling demonic wind, and a streak of crimson flame shot straight at the bald, burly man.

It won't go; it wants to stay here and help Li Qing!

This "filial piety" left Li Qing speechless, and he raised his hand to summon the royal carriage back. Suddenly, rain began to fall again over the ship.

"Hmph, what an extravagant magical artifact. It's a pity that the magical restrictions are so ordinary. Judging from your wealth, you're no ordinary person either."

"The Yang family of Donghai?"

The burly man slowly emerged from among the broken wood chips and planks, coldly sneered as he dusted himself off and questioned them.

"If you're a member of the Yang family, behave yourself, and I, the ship's lord, will spare your way."

This person was able to make him take two steps back; even if it was a sneak attack, he was still worthy of his respect.

Judging from the extravagance of its ritual implements, this ship must indeed have a close relationship with the Yang family.
"What if I'm from the Tai Xuan Sect of Chaojiang Prefecture?"

Li Qing asked in return with a half-smile.

With a flick of his finger, fifty-two Southern Bright Fire Stars slowly took shape around him, and the clouds and rain became increasingly entangled, gradually turning into a drizzling scene. An unknown figure quietly appeared beside the burly man in the Purple Mansion, and had unknowingly surrounded him.

The previous battle against Li Laodao of the Purple Mansion was indeed quite dangerous, but now that the Li Qingwang chariot is complete and the Paper Daoist King is in accordance with the numbers of the Six Ding and Six Jia, it is not impossible to take a head of the Purple Mansion as a sacrifice for the Southern Dipper Life-Extending Treasure Lamp!
The offering of the skull from the Purple Mansion must have at least caused the Treasure Lamp to instantly generate ten or so magical restrictions, right?
(End of this chapter)