Longevity Candle

Chapter 91 There is no afterlife, but I hold the key to new life.

The radiance of the moon and the dragon's aura of national destiny completely engulfed the tomb.

From that enormous spatial rift, only a brilliant silver glow could be seen; nothing could be discerned about what was happening inside.

Immortal masters, Taoist priests, and spirits of mountains and seas all tacitly stopped fighting.

No matter how much you hate, after this blow, everything will be over.

They can't just rush out and kill everyone in Yunmeng; that would be pointless and only create negative karma.

Suddenly, a silvery light emerged from the spatial rift and flew towards the direction of the Southern Ridge.

The old dragon caught Yin Hui immediately.

From the distant mountains and forests, the Heavenly Sword struck again, its brilliant silver light transforming into a sharp blade.

At the same time, outside Qiuyue City.

Above the sky, celestial light shone brightly, divine brilliance was dazzling, and lights of various colors intertwined together.

Led by Immortal Master Yuhua, the spirits and immortal masters from the depths of the Southern Ridge intercepted the cultivators of the Shuntian Dao.

As a celestial master under the old dragon, Immortal Master Yuhua possessed profound magical power and single-handedly stopped three celestial masters.

Amidst the brilliant celestial light, thunder roared like dragons and snakes, the celestial light transformed into raging waves, and clouds constantly rose and fell.

Hu Ling was also among them, her pink light filling the void and creating an illusory scene.

The black wolf in front of him suddenly stopped, seeing the endless wandering souls and the dragon aura of the nation's destiny, which came with earth-shattering power and pressure.

But in the next instant, a light flashed in the black wolf's eyes, like two long rainbows, piercing through the wandering soul and the dragon's aura.

The wandering soul dissipated, the dragon energy vanished, and the black wolf transformed into a phantom, instantly traversing the void, its wolf claws slamming down fiercely.

轰咔
The pink fairy light shattered, and Hu Ling gushed blood as she plummeted like a meteorite.

"Young White Fox Master, you have great courage to stop an elf!"

The black wolf swooped down, its fangs menacing, its form ghostly and elusive, flashing back and forth in the air, its claws striking down once more.

tear
Its fur was torn, blood gushed out, and the white fox howled in agony.

In the mortal realm, she would be considered an elder among humans, but in the realm of immortals, she is merely a young immortal master who has just stepped into the threshold.

"Who do you think you are, Sword Immortal Ayan? Or Peach Blossom Sword Demon? They are ignorant and fearless. Now that you have entered the path of immortality, how can you see us spirits as an ant before the heavens!"

The sharp claws tore through the white fox's fur again, drawing out a chunk of flesh.

A rich radiance erupted from Hu Ling's body, and a powerful heavenly might surged forth. A phantom of a nine-tailed white fox rose from within Hu Ling's body.

Nine-tailed fairy fox!

"Nine-Tailed Lady." Hu Ling's eyes were filled with tears, tears of guilt and self-reproach: "I'm sorry, please don't worry about me anymore."

She didn't want to involve the Nine-Tailed Fox. When she left Peach Blossom Village, she wanted to make amends for the disaster she had caused.

"She is my celestial master!"

The nine fox tails ignored her, unleashing a magnificent celestial light that forced the black wolf back. They stared at him and said, "Please give me the honor of taking her away and never interfering in Yunmeng's affairs again."

"Too late!" The black wolf's eyes were filled with ferocity: "Your magic power can't take her away. You've ruined our grand plan for immortality, and you deserve to die a thousand deaths to atone for your sins!"

The black wolf gathered magical power above its head, transforming into a black cloud. The extreme darkness seemed to devour all light, and the surrounding pink fairy light was also absorbed into it.

"What is right or wrong, what is evil? You use this Yunmeng as your resource, is that right? If not, then what gives you the right to call it a crime!"

Nine tails shot into the sky, transforming into nine pillars reaching the heavens: "If you hadn't contacted the Alligator Dragon back then and sent away Taiping Yiye, would we have suffered this calamity today? If you truly refuse to let this go, then we will settle accounts with the Alligator Dragon in the future!"

Black Wolf paused, his killing intent growing even stronger, and a boundless golden light of merit rose within him: "My merit is reserved for you, what can you do to me?!"

He showed no mercy, and the dark clouds overhead resembled a giant black hole, swallowing everything.

"Run!" Nine-Tailed Fox pushed Hu Ling away with a beam of immortal light and charged towards Black Wolf.

It was just a phantom of magical power, unable to hold off the black wolf for long, and the real body couldn't arrive from the deep mountains in time either, so it could only do its best.

The dark clouds swallowed the nine-tailed phantom, and the towering nine tails instantly collapsed.

As fellow elves, yet merely possessing magical power, how can I possibly stop them?

Hu Ling flew away on a cloud, fleeing into the distance. She did not go to Qiuyue City, but went straight to Ning Kingdom.

Although the hope is slim, there is still a glimmer of hope if we can escape to the capital of Ningguo.

However, she ultimately underestimated the power of the mountain and sea spirits. In almost the blink of an eye, the black wolf was already in front of her.

轰咔
Suddenly, thunder roared in the sky, and a blazing sun appeared, hanging high in the sky, with endless thunder spreading across the void.

A scorching storm extinguished the celestial light and swept up the spirits of the Heavenly Dao.

A divine and brilliant bolt of lightning tore through the void and struck the black wolf's hind leg.

A piercing scream echoed as one of the black wolf's hind legs exploded into a bloody mist. The immense pain instantly brought him to his senses. He looked up at the sky and exclaimed in horror, "The sun generates thunder!"

Without the slightest hesitation, he abandoned Hu Ling and fled into the distance.

He still vividly remembers the battle in Ningguo back then; the ancient Zhuzhao, with its lowered eyes, almost brought a great spirit of Shuntiandao to the brink of death.

If they hadn't escaped quickly, that old elf would likely have perished.

He was far away back then, which is why he was lucky to escape unharmed.

Fear was etched into my very bones at that moment.

"What a madman! Isn't he afraid of the consequences?"

Black Wolf cursed inwardly. These elves were the darlings of heaven and earth; to lay a hand on them would incur karma.

Breaking one of his legs would create immense negative karma.

Having made his move, he had no hesitation whatsoever. He had no doubt that if he hadn't been fast enough, the lightning would have struck him on the head.

Can he bear the karma of killing an elf?
At the same time, the immortal masters and Taoists who were fighting in the distance also quickly fled into the distance.

That sacred Candlelight, though not the ancient Candlelight, was not something they could withstand; it was at least a Great Elf.

Before Hu Ling could react, she was swept away by a gust of yang wind and flew towards the distant peach grove.

"Thank you, Green Lamp Spirit." Hu Ling prostrated herself on the ground and thanked her respectfully.

“Let’s go to Nanling and wait for the old dragon,” Jiang Zhu said.

The battle in the distance is also coming to an end.

The old dragon was, after all, an old spirit, whose magical power far surpassed theirs. Even when fighting multiple opponents, it held its own.

Meanwhile, the void rift in the distance was healing, and the enormous tomb was teetering on the brink of collapse, forcing them to return to its aid.

The old dragon returned, covered in wounds, and transformed into an old man in green robes.

"Thank you for your help, Green Lamp Spirit," the old dragon said, bowing.

"We were still unprepared and rushed. I observed that the tomb-like thing in the void was not destroyed," Jiang Zhu sighed softly.

“We can wait, but Yunmeng can’t, and neither can the mortals,” the old dragon sighed. “Fortunately, the foundation of Shuntian Dao has been shaken, so they can no longer bind the wandering souls. It’s just that the old crow can’t come back.”

“They wouldn’t dare kill the old crow; at most, they’d imprison it,” Jiang Zhu said. “What is the silver light you obtained?”

The old crow's life or death was a matter of great importance to the Netherworld Heaven, and they dared not let the old crow die.

"It's them." The old dragon waved his hand, and the silver light landed, turning into a corpse and two wandering souls: "The old crow sent them out."

Gu Yun Shen and his corpse, and another wandering soul is Emperor Yun Meng.

"Greetings, Dragon Spirit and Green Lantern Spirit." The two bowed in greeting.

"Fortunately, the Nine-Colored Deer of Yunmengze did not make another move, otherwise Old Dragon might not have been able to stop it."

The old dragon said, "It's thanks to you drawing out the ancient Yin power that it didn't continue its attack."

"The Nine-Colored Deer is guarding the Taiyin Soul Refining Stone. Doesn't it want to take back the Taiyin Immortal Stone? Why hasn't it made any further moves?" Jiang Zhu asked in confusion.

"That old thing is kind-hearted. Although he joined Shuntiandao in pursuit of immortality, he didn't want to commit any killings or make any enemies," the old dragon said.

Jiang Zhu suddenly realized what was happening and was about to ask when Immortal Master Yu Hua returned, covered in injuries.

In the distant mountains and forests, occasional flashes of light appeared; these were the old dragon's friends responding with light, and they were all unharmed.

“We saw Zhang Ning. He is protected by the power of the Candle Illumination and is temporarily safe, but he is still trapped,” Gu Yunshen said. “He is indeed inside. What did you see?” Hu Ling asked hurriedly.

"The Taiyin chains seen when searching for the roots of the tree are actually the root system of the tree."

Gu Yunshen said bitterly, "This time, although we severed the root system of the Seeking Tree, we could not destroy its vitality."

"Just the roots of the tree?" The old dragon was moved.

"Why would Xunmu, which has long since died, suddenly come back to life?" Li Qingxuan asked in confusion.

“It’s not the original Seeking Wood; it should be a new Seeking Wood, possibly the seed of the old Seeking Wood from back then,” Gu Yunshen guessed.

"Once the Seeking Tree grows, won't it cover the entire world?" Hu Ling exclaimed in surprise.

The tree is so large that it reaches the heavens, casts its shade over the four corners of the earth, and covers the deepest abyss below.

The old dragon said, "I wonder how long that will take."

"Does Xunmu possess sentience?" Jiang Zhu asked.

"No." Emperor Yunmeng, who had been silent all along, said, "We saw the Soul-Guiding Lamp. The old crow returned to the Soul-Guiding Lamp and can be considered to have gone home. It's just a pity that we didn't do our best. We couldn't completely drive away Shuntiandao and bring complete peace to the world."

“Each generation has its own tasks; it’s impossible to finish everything,” the old dragon said.

“Let’s go back to the peach grove,” Jiang Zhu said.

With the matter concluded and the old dragon returning to the Southern Ridge, Shuntiandao is busy searching for the wood and has no time to look for them again.

They were all busy healing their wounds.

Hu Ling followed them.

Li Qingxuan picked up Gu Yunshen's body, and the two brothers followed him as they floated towards the peach grove.

Back in the peach grove.

Li Qingxuan looked at Jiang Zhu with concern: "Uncle Jiang Zhu, you hurt that black wolf. Will there be any karmic consequences?"

"It's alright." Jiang Zhu waved his hand. He was free from karma. If the black wolf didn't leave, killing him wouldn't leave him with any karma.

Emperor Yunmeng bowed and said, "Now it is time for us to leave. We will trouble the spirit of the green lamp to show us the peaceful world in the future."

"I hope Yunmeng will be at peace." Gu Yunshen gazed into the distance. "By the way, Green Lantern Spirit, this is what the old crow asked us to bring you, and he instructed us not to give it to the old dragon."

A ray of silver light flew into Jiang Zhu's brow. He didn't rush to examine it, but instead said, "Why not see for yourself whether the world is at peace?"

"See it with your own eyes?" The two were taken aback, then shook their heads, saying, "What use is a wandering soul to us?"

“I can grant you a new life. As for your elder brother, you can try the Taiyin Soul Refining Technique,” ​​Jiang Zhu said.

"Grant me a new life?" Gu Yun Shen was taken aback. "Is there really an afterlife?"

"Can the Green Lantern Spirit truly be reborn?" Emperor Yunmeng asked excitedly.

“Gu Yunshen’s body is still intact, so he can be reborn,” Jiang Zhu said. “However, once reborn, he will forget everything. It can also be understood as a new life, no longer Gu Yunshen.”

Gu Yun Shen remained silent.

Emperor Yunmeng hurriedly bowed and said, "What does it matter if I lose my memory if I can be reborn? I beg the Immortal of the Green Lamp to grant my brother a new life."

At this moment, he was not the emperor, but simply Gu Yunshen's elder brother.

"Brother Emperor..."

Gu Yunshen pressed his shoulder, as if to say something, but Emperor Yunmeng laughed and said, "Don't you want to see a peaceful Yunmeng? Even if it's just from a different perspective, and I will tell everything to the newborn you."

"I beg the immortal of the green lamp to lower his gaze. If I am reborn, I hope my name will be Gu Xinsheng, and I want to look upon Yunmeng." Gu Yunshen bowed.

He wanted to see the peaceful Yunmeng, to see this land, like Ningguo, undergo a phoenix-like rebirth and awaken the ambition for peace.

A wisp of Nirvana Flame appeared in Jiang Zhu's palm and entered Gu Yun Shen's body: "Returning to the body, one can be reborn from Nirvana."

Gu Yun Shen returned to his body, flames engulfed him, and he was reborn from the ashes.

Li Qingxuan picked up Gu Yunshen and said, "I will guide him into the path of immortality. The method of wandering souls has not yet been created."

"You can go and get Hu Ling to study this together," Jiang Zhu said, looking at the little fox.

Hu Ling was taken aback: "I don't understand these things."

“Weakening the Taiyin Soul Refining technique will suffice. If you can’t figure out a superior method, can’t you at least weaken the existing one?” Jiang Zhu said.

Hu Ling scratched her head: "Then I'll give it a try."

The golden snake crawled over, crouched at Jiang Zhu's feet, and flicked its tongue.

"You're quite clever." Jiang Zhu looked at the golden snake, a wisp of Taiyin magic power appearing in his palm and entering the golden snake's body: "Whether you can enter the path of immortality depends entirely on your destiny."

"Greetings, Master." Emperor Yunmeng bowed in greeting: "From now on, there will be no more Emperor Yunmeng, only Taiping Dao and Gu Pingsheng."

Li Qingxuan said, "In the future, the Taiping Dao will recruit disciples, and I will entrust it to you then."

“I’ll keep an eye on it,” Gu Pingsheng nodded.

Jiang Zhu also began to examine the silver light in his mind—the Taiyin Boundless Scripture.

The ancient Youying Dharma Gate constructs the Boundless Yin Heaven, connecting heaven and earth, linking with the Yin, and thus obtaining inexhaustible Yin power.

If one succeeds in cultivating it, the power of the Taiyin Dharma will be inexhaustible.

When the boundless heavens are perfected, they unite with heaven and earth, their divine might shining brightly, like immortals high above the heavens, or like the true heavens descending to earth.

The Way of Following Heaven is to comprehend the might of Heaven through this method.

However, this method still does not grant immortality.

The old spirits and immortal masters of the Longevity Path must have studied this method and mastered it.

But they all appear to be dead.

Besides this method, there's also the origin of that great tomb, and—the Phoenix!

The old crow is no longer the old crow of yesteryear; he was reborn under the guidance of the Phoenix's Nirvana Fire and the Soul-Guiding Lamp.

After waking up, he resumed his cultivation, but also forgot his ancient memories.

"Perhaps, the so-called aura of kindred spirits is a rebirth?"

Jiang Zhu pondered, recalling the old crow's words about the scent of kindred spirits from years ago.

The previous generation of the Green Lantern Spirit stole the Nirvana Fire, thus successfully undergoing Nirvana and gaining its own existence.

This is the information he has now.

If so, was the previous generation of the Green Lamp Spirit also a member of the Path to Immortality?
"Immortality is so difficult to achieve."

Jiang Zhu frowned and pondered, then quickly put it out of his mind: "Forget it, why think so much? Chasing is too tiring. I should accumulate magical power and stay in the mortal world as soon as possible."

He suppressed his thoughts again, sat cross-legged to the side, and accumulated magical power.

In the void, inside the great tomb.

The roots of the tree, like countless serpents, crisscross and seal off wandering souls, and also restrict the spirits and immortal masters who follow the way of heaven, preventing them from moving about.

A soul-guiding lamp glowed dimly in the moonlight, an old crow perched to one side, and beside it sat an aged wandering soul, none other than Zhang Ning.

It was the old crow that brought him to its side and sheltered him.

Zhang Ning looked at the Soul-Guiding Lamp, and the remaining power of the Candlelight within his body rippled slightly.

Influenced by the power of the candlelight, a wisp of candlelight appeared on the Soul-Guiding Lamp, and the sealed scenes reappeared.

The old crow saw the past, saw what once was, and saw a green lamp that brought him out of the underworld.

"He wants to create an afterlife," Zhang Ning exclaimed in shock.

The old crow's eyes gleamed with anger and resentment, all of which had been hidden for countless years and were now fully unleashed.

"I need your power of illumination to awaken the ancient, ethereal power of the Taiyin Immortal Stone using ancient secret techniques," the old crow said in a deep voice.

“But the Taiyin Immortal Stone is outside,” Zhang Ning said in a low voice.

"They will come again, and not long after... Shuntiandao will eventually find its way to the depths, uncover the secret of the Green Lamp, and then disaster will befall it, for Jiang Zhu's sake, and for the peace and tranquility you all desire..."

"For peace and tranquility, and for Jiang Zhu."

(End of this chapter)