Immortals of the End Times

Chapter 103: Bloodstained Swords, One Man Forms an Army

The mountain wind howled, and the shadows of the trees swayed.

Zhao Wuji's figure vanished once more like a ghost, his aura completely gone, silently disappearing into the shadows of the ancient, gnarled trees.

His gaze was sharp as a blade, fixed on the white figure that was riding the wind in mid-air.

The bone bell at the waist of the Yunfeng disciple trembled incessantly, clearly having sensed something amiss and was rushing towards the source of the bloody scent.

"The commotion created by the Yin Puppet was ultimately too great."

Zhao Wuji's expression remained unchanged.

This place is still far from the main battlefield in the mountain valley. It's better to alert this true master than to make a hasty move.

With a slight thought, the dormant Yin energy within the Yin Pearl quietly began to circulate.

The sobering stone flew out silently, blending into the night. Enveloped in yin energy, it perfectly merged with the yin power of the moonlight.

"call out--"

At the same time, the true disciple of Yunfeng happened to catch a glimpse of the corpse in the forest. His pupils shrank, his Adam's apple bobbed, and he was about to shout when he suddenly sensed a blue light breaking through the air.

"Crack!"

The opponent's external protective spiritual shield shattered like thin ice.

The sobering stone pierced through his chest with the force of a mountain collapsing, raising a cloud of blood mist.

The true disciple's body stiffened, and he looked down in disbelief at the bowl-sized blood hole in his chest. He let out a shrill cry of pain and his body plummeted down like a bird with broken wings.

Whoosh! —

At the same time, he unleashed a crimson talisman from his sleeve, blasting a hole the size of a bowl into the ancient tree in front of him. The wood chips flew everywhere, but didn't even touch the enemy's clothes.

"Go in peace."

Frost suddenly condensed in the air!

A streak of azure sword light burst forth from the void, like a corner of an glacier extending outwards, and instantly swept towards the enemy cultivator.

"Zheng——"

"not good!"

The true disciple let out a low shout, only to find that the protective magic artifact he had just summoned suddenly lost its spiritual light.

The spiritual energy within his body was trapped in a quagmire, unable to circulate.

Qi-sealing technique! Spirit-sealing and meridian-locking!

"puff!"

A blood-red rainbow shot into the sky.

A head, still bearing a look of astonishment, flew high into the air, while the headless body fell heavily to the ground.

In the darkness, Zhao Wuji's figure gradually appeared. With a flick of his sleeves, he retrieved the Cold Soul Sword and the Sobering Stone.

Looking at the still convulsing corpse on the ground, he exhaled and shook his head.

To force him to resort to almost every means possible, this man could be considered to have died a glorious death.

If he weren't worried about alerting the main force in the mountain valley, he could have easily killed this man with his swordsmanship alone.

but now.
He spread his five fingers wide and grabbed the bone bell that had been floating on the ground, as if guided by an invisible thread, and it landed steadily in his palm.

The bell, still warm from the cloud and phoenix patterns, served as proof of his identity as a true disciple of the Cloud Phoenix Cave Heaven. It functioned similarly to the blue robe and true disciple waist tag around his waist, serving both as a warning and a communication tool.

Unfortunately, this person didn't even have the chance to activate the bone bell before he died.

"Let's see what else you know."

Zhao Wuji used his fingers to perform the Tongyou Incantation, his divine soul transforming into a yin wind that enveloped the still-dissipating soul of the true disciple cultivator, forcibly scavenging fragments of his memories.

In an instant, the details of the formation in the mountain valley unfolded like a scroll painting.

The Corpse-Locking Spirit Array! A seven-layered killing array hidden in the mountain path!
"So cruel."

A cold glint flashed in Zhao Wuji's eyes, and a chill ran down his spine.

If it weren't for Xiong Ba and Xiao Yu's advance warning, allowing him to scout ahead, even if he used all his skills, he would have had to pay a heavy price to escape if he had led his men headlong into this trap. But his men would have been spared.
"Fortunately."

Now, he not only has two more battle merit certificates in his possession, but also knows this intelligence, giving him a crucial advantage in breaking the formation.

"Two are at the fourth level of Qi Refining, nine are at the third level of Qi Refining, and the rest are at the second level."

Zhao Wuji toyed with the bone bell with his fingers, his eyes flashing with a sharp light. "Moreover, those corpse drivers, combined with the Yin puppets, are not to be underestimated in terms of combat power."

"We must not allow the formation to take shape!"

He already had a plan in mind.

With his current mastery of formations, and knowing the location of the enemy's formation's core, breaking the formation is not difficult.

If Yu Zishan leads another feint attack to draw attention, he can use his invisibility technique to sneak into the formation and, with the help of others, annihilate this group of enemy cultivators in one fell swoop.

"The most urgent task is to wait for reinforcements to arrive."

With a flash of inspiration, Zhao Wuji had already sent out the warning message.

Immediately, his sleeves fluttered, and the stench of blood in the forest was dispersed and dissipated by the guiding technique.

However, the remains of the Yin puppet were an unexpected bonus, as they contributed more than ten strands of pure Yin energy to him.

"Wow--"

He then searched the enemy cultivator's corpse and found four source crystals, two talismans, and two strangely shaped magical artifacts.

Unfortunately, there was no storage bag, so they had to dig a hole on the spot and bury the magic artifact.

After doing all this, he disappeared back into the darkness, like a lurking cheetah waiting for the opportunity to encircle him.

Soon.

The eastern sky was already turning a pale white, and the morning mist in the mountains was like a veil, enveloping Guanyun Mountain in a hazy glow.

According to Zhao Wuji's observation, the corpse driver in the mountain valley was still engrossed in refining the Yin puppet, while the Yunfeng True Disciple cultivators were busy searching for auspicious points and setting up array flags, completely unaware that two of their companions had already perished.

Just then, he felt a warmth emanating from the sword token at his waist. He touched it lightly with his fingertips and immediately sensed that Yu Zishan had arrived with his troops.

"finally come!"

He moved with lightning speed, descending from the sky.

Before long, they met up with Yu Zishan's troops in the dense forest beside the mountain path. "General Zhao!"

Yu Zishan stepped forward quickly, clasped his hands in a respectful salute, and could not hide the admiration in his eyes.

"Greetings, Commander Zhao!"

Behind him, his two close followers, Li with pointed beak and Wang with square face, hurriedly bowed respectfully. The other fellow cultivators also greeted him, but their eyes kept glancing at this master of both alchemy and swordsmanship who had become famous in the sect not long after he entered, their eyes filled with astonishment.

"General Yu, the situation is urgent."

Zhao Wuji returned the greeting respectfully, "My men will arrive in half an hour. I will now inform you of the findings of my reconnaissance, and then we can discuss a strategy to defeat the enemy."

After speaking, he succinctly recounted the key information, such as the layout of the Yin Corpse Locking Spirit Formation in the mountain valley and the distribution of enemy forces.

As night fell, everyone's expressions grew increasingly solemn. Upon hearing that the enemy cultivators had already set up a killing formation, with two Qi Refining Stage 4 cultivators and nine Stage 3 cultivators stationed there, Yu Zishan's heart tightened.

However, upon hearing that Zhao Wuji had silently dealt with a third-level cultivator and a corpse driver, he was even more astonished and pondered to himself.

"With such a lineup, even without a killing formation, the outcome would be uncertain if the two teams joined forces. But the decree from the grotto has been issued, so we must brave even mountains of knives and seas of fire."

At this moment, Zhao Wuji solemnly revealed his plan: "My suggestion is that you all feign an attack from the outside to attract attention, while I sneak in alone to break through the formation."

I've forced them to reveal the key points of their formation, and I've also studied formation techniques in the Scripture Pavilion of the Cave Heaven.

"What?!" Yu Zishan's eyes widened, his voice trembling. "Junior Brother Zhao is going to brave the killing formation alone? This...this is far too dangerous!"

"I will only do it if I am confident."

Zhao Wuji raised an eyebrow. "What? I'm not afraid, but you're scared first? You're usually quite bold."

Yu Zishan, knowing about his previous complaint, wrung his hands anxiously: "But if they stay holed up in their formation and don't come out, wouldn't you be walking right into their trap?"

That's why I need your cooperation.

Zhao Wuji's eyes flashed like lightning as he said, word by word, "Let's see if your feint attack can draw blood! As long as you fight hard enough and force them to divide their forces to provide reinforcements, things will naturally be easier for me."

Upon hearing this, Yu Zishan was shocked, thinking that Zhao Wuji was entrusting his life to him and did not care about the past grievances on Hanyue Peak.

Little did they know that Zhao Wuji had already planned ahead. With his hidden Qi-cultivation level five strength, as well as his invisibility and array-setting skills, he could come and go freely even in the most dangerous places.

"Very well!" Yu Zishan pondered for a long while, then clasped his hands in a deep salute, his eyes burning with fighting spirit. "General Zhao dares to entrust his life to me, how can I back down? I will lead the troops to fight to the death and live up to your expectations!"

If it were any other commander, even someone as skilled as Han Sisi, he would never have agreed to such a dangerous plan.

But the man before him was a ruthless man who had once held a sword to his throat!
With Zhao Jinlin around, what harm is there in facing two Qi Refining Stage 4 experts?

"Your followers"

"They are all trusted confidants I personally selected!" Yu Zishan patted his breastplate, making a loud thud. "Since it was my plan, they have no objections!"

Zhao Wuji nodded slightly and looked up at the gradually brightening sky: "I will go to the mountain pass to scout first. You lead the main force to the southeast pass to ambush, and leave two people here to support my troops."

He pondered for a moment and said, "If we see the enemy cultivators come out of the mountains and set up their formation, we will attack immediately—we don't need to wait for all our troops to arrive!"

“Okay!” Yu Zishan agreed.

After returning the greeting, Zhao Wuji vanished into thin air.

Yu Zishan gazed in the direction the other had left, unconsciously touching his neck as if it would put his mind at ease and suppress his fear.

Using the dozen or so strands of Yin energy absorbed from the Yin Puppet, Zhao Wuji used his invisibility technique to slip into the night and then quietly returned to the outer edge of the mountain valley.

Before long, dawn broke in the east, and the first rays of golden light pierced through the clouds, gilding the mountains and forests with a blood-red hue.

Inside the mountain valley, six corpse-driving men frequently shook their bone bells, their anxiety palpable, as if they had sensed something amiss.

Soon after, two disciples of Yunfeng emerged from the array area deep in the mountain valley, discussing something with grim expressions.

It is clear that the anomaly of their companion's disappearance has been discovered.

"This is bad."

Zhao Wuji, hidden in the shadows, frowned and lightly tapped his sword token with his fingertips: "Yan Boyuan and the others should be arriving soon."

Can't wait any longer!
He suddenly activated the sword token to send a message.

"Om-"

The sword trembled; the order to kill had been given.

"The time has come."

At the southeastern mountain pass, Yu Zishan released the sword token from his palm, his gaze shooting like lightning towards the mountain hollow where yin energy surged, and made a decision in his heart.

"All troops, heed my command!"

He drew his gleaming throwing knife from his sleeve, its light illuminating his face: "Soar through the air and catch them off guard!"

"kill!!"

The cultivators followed his lead, and more than thirty figures moved at his command, their fingers flying as they soared into the air.

The morning light pierced through the mountain mist, illuminating faces that exuded a chilling aura.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

In an instant, the cold light of the magical artifacts intertwined into a net, pouring down into the mountain valley. More than ten fire snake talismans fell to the ground like meteors, exploding into a sky full of flames in the valley.

Thick smoke billowed up, instantly obscuring the dawn.

Caught off guard, the corpse drivers who were gathered together to discuss the matter immediately activated their magical artifacts to defend themselves, while the Yin puppets beside them were scorched by the flames and let out a shrill roar.

"it's time."

Zhao Wuji narrowed his eyes, keeping his figure invisible, and moved across the battlefield like a ghost.

Using invisibility as cover, they quietly slipped into the core of the formation deep in the mountain valley.

"Shh-"

In the mountain path, eight cloud and phoenix formation flags suddenly fluttered, and eight white-robed disciples rushed out from the formation.

Everyone stared at the battlefield in astonishment.

I have absolutely no idea what's going on.

They were supposed to ambush and kill Linlang's cultivators, but in the blink of an eye, they were the ones being surrounded instead.

"What's going on?!" "Why did the people from Linglang Cave suddenly attack?"

The eight men rushed toward the battlefield, completely unaware that Zhao Wuji had slipped past them and infiltrated their ranks.
(End of this chapter)