Immortals of the End Times

Chapter 163, pp. 181-182: Breaking Blood Ties, Familiarity Turns Away, Xiang Yu's Remnant Army (Two Chapters Combined, Please Subscribe)

On the coast of the East China Sea, waves crash against the shore.

Hua Lingxiang stood barefoot on the reef, her crimson skirt fluttering in the salty sea breeze.

She lightly stroked the jade pendant at her waist, a crystal jade pendant engraved with nine plum blossoms, which was gleaming with an eerie blood-red light.

"Qing Shuang, do you really not remember your sister?"

With a sigh, she flipped her hand and took out a porcelain lamp. The wick ignited spontaneously without a flame, and a wisp of smoke rose up.

Hua Qingshuang's blurry figure emerged from the smoke, appearing and disappearing in the clouds.

"Bloodline is the guide, and incantation seal is the bridge!"

Hua Lingxiang bit her index finger, and a drop of her blood fell into the lamp.

Blood droplets meandered along the patterns on the lamp, outlining intricate incantations.

The lamplight suddenly turned a ghostly green, casting an unpredictable shadow on her beautiful face.

"rise!"

With a soft shout, twelve blood lines rose from the lamp, burrowing into the void like living things, and then rippled away in an instant.

This is the Hua family's secret "Bloodline Connection Technique," which can only be activated by direct descendants.

On an island more than ten miles away, the Xuanming Dynasty's spirit ship was anchored.

Hua Lingxiang glanced over out of the corner of her eye, a cold smile curling at the corner of her lips.

"Wang Zheng, you may take your Dragon Cauldron, but I will not let you know of my little sister's existence."

She twirled her fingertips, and another line of blood appeared in the lamp, silently disappearing into the clouds. "My third branch of the Hua family has always only obeyed the commands of our own family."

The next moment, she gripped a blood-red magic weapon tightly in her hand, clenching it firmly.

The sharp blade immediately sliced ​​through the skin of her palm, and blood quickly stained the blade.

"Buzz!"

She activated the blood-cursed magic weapon given to her by Hua Lengyun once again, strengthening the bloodline connection with the Nascent Soul cultivator named Yan Lan in the distant Linglang Cave Heaven.

Through the pull of this bloodline incantation, the message to be conveyed is transmitted through a 'spell'.

"Click!!"

The blade in his hand suddenly shattered, as if it could no longer withstand the resistance from the other side.

Hua Lingxiang let out a muffled groan, her pretty face changing slightly. She quickly focused her mind and, before the magic weapon shattered, transmitted the 'incantation'.

Within the dazzling grotto.

Hua Qingshuang was standing guard beside Yan Lan, who was suffering from the effects of the Bloodline Curse.

Suddenly she pressed her hand to her brow.

A sharp, piercing pain exploded from the depths of her blood, and a flicker of disorientation flashed in her frosty eyes. In that disorientation, she seemed to hear a woman's voice whispering in her ear: "Qing Shuang, escape. The Xuanming Envoy is approaching."

"who?"

She suddenly stood up, the Ice Soul Flying Sword already hovering in front of her for protection.

Just then, a muffled groan came from the side.

"Sister?"

Hua Qingshuang immediately lowered her head and saw Yan Lan sitting cross-legged on the couch, his crimson robe soaked with cold sweat.

Spiderweb-like blood patterns appeared beneath her snow-white skin, spreading from her heart to her limbs.

"Who exactly is casting the Bloodline Curse?"

Hua Qingshuang's pupils contracted sharply, and she immediately bent down and grabbed Yan Lan's wrist, "Hold on!"

"Uh!"

Yan Lan's eyes were suddenly filled with crimson.

She suddenly broke free from Hua Qingshuang's grasp, her five fingers forming claws as she clawed at her heart: "Get out!"

"boom!"

The blazing golden flames collided violently with the surging magical power within his body.

The entire octagonal building trembled violently, and the lamps around it shattered one after another.

Just as Hua Qingshuang was about to step forward, she saw Yan Lan suddenly freeze, a trickle of black blood spilling from the corner of her lips.

The blood-red lines beneath her skin receded like a tide, and she opened her eyes weakly, her gaze filled with astonishment. She grabbed Hua Qingshuang's wrist: "Someone... used a bloodline incantation to send a message to my Xuanming Dynasty's envoy group."

She had to catch her breath after every few words, saying, "I will arrive within ten days."

Just as Hua Qingshuang was about to ask further questions, the jade pendant with the character "Hua" on her waist shone brightly for a moment.

"Could it be... the woman who spoke just now?" Hua Qingshuang lightly touched the jade pendant, her eyes filled with thought. "Is she also a member of the Hua clan?"

Yan Lan struggled to sit up: "If I hadn't forcibly broken the control of the bloodline curse, I wouldn't have been able to discover the warning incantation hidden within it."

She suddenly coughed violently. "Thank goodness. That person probably used some kind of magic artifact to cast a spell from a distance. The spell wasn't strong, so I was able to break it by force."

Suddenly, a whooshing sound came from outside the building.

Hua Qingshuang scanned the area with her divine sense, and her tense expression eased slightly: "It's Wuji who's back."

"Peak Master, Senior Uncle"

Zhao Wuji slipped inside and his expression changed slightly upon seeing Yan Lan's appearance. He looked around and exclaimed, "The bloodline curse has been activated?! Where is the caster?"

His powerful spiritual sense spread out, but he still couldn't find the person who cast the spell, which made him look suspicious.

“Wuji,” Hua Qingshuang shook her head and said, “This is not a normal attack; someone is casting a spell from a distance!”

"Casting a spell from a distance? How is that possible?" Zhao Wuji's expression changed instantly.

For the past four months, he has been studying talismans and has also cast bloodline spells on dozens of disciples of the cave.

He already knew very well that casting this spell relied on the caster's powerful will to inject the spell into the magic and mobilize the blood curse within the caster's body.

His spirit and martial will are far stronger than those of ordinary cultivators.

Therefore, he was able to transcend realms and use the Bloodline Curse to control Yan Lan.

If it were any other cultivator at the same level, with a weaker soul and will, it would be impossible for them to cast a spell on someone stronger.

Being able to control cultivators of the same realm is already quite rare.

Similarly, even cultivators of the same realm cannot cast spells from a distance.

The farther away you are, the harder it is to concentrate. How can you achieve this?
"I suspect someone is using some kind of magical artifact to cast a spell; there's no malicious intent, it's just a warning to us."

Hua Qingshuang stroked the jade pendant in her hand and recounted what had just happened.

Yan Lan had recovered considerably by this time and nodded, saying, "When I broke through the bloodline curse, I did receive a warning that the Xuanming envoy delegation would arrive in ten days."

"According to what you're saying, Peak Master, the person who gave you the warning was from the Hua clan?"

Zhao Wuji looked at Hua Qingshuang, his gaze falling on the jade pendant in her hand, and the image of the woman he had glimpsed in the puppet's dream immediately appeared in his mind.

"That woman actually knew my name."

Hua Qingshuang frowned in thought, "Was she warning me to escape? Could it be that the arrival of the Xuanming envoy group this time has another mission targeting me? If that woman is from the Hua clan?"

She suddenly stopped speaking: "Was it my father's doing?"

Zhao Wuji, recalling the time Hua Lengyun was bound and taken away, shook his head and said, "It may not be aimed at you, Peak Master, but if it really was someone sent by your father to warn you, it's possible that your father doesn't want you to be discovered by the cultivators of the Xuanming Dynasty."

He paused, then said, "Your father left Tiannan for the Xuanming Dynasty so many years ago, and now even the cultivators of the dynasty call him Senior Hua. Perhaps he has a certain status in that dynasty."

But your father has never returned, nor has he contacted you, Peak Master, as if he doesn't want you to know that he is still alive or…”

Hua Qingshuang's eyes flickered slightly. "He didn't want me to go to the Xuanming Dynasty, so apart from the sword intent warning from the Lonely Cloud Sword Cave, he left no clues."

"What's the point of going to such lengths if I don't want you to go?"

Yan Lan shook her head and chuckled, "Heh, the more strictly they guard it, the more people want to lift the curtain and take a look."

"Junior sister, you still won't change your mind and are still going to the Xuanming Dynasty, right?"

Hua Qingshuang's eyes flickered slightly, but she remained silent.

This silence is the answer.

Zhao Wuji sighed inwardly and did not try to persuade him further.

Hua Qingshuang naturally possesses reason and wisdom.

But humans are emotional beings.

It involves his father, who should have died eleven years ago but did not.

Reason keeps one clear-headed and prevents one from taking risks, but the deep bond of family can be confusing.

Let alone Hua Qing Shuang.

Even he himself, if he knew that his cheap father Zhao Tianlang, with whom he only had a true father-son relationship, had not died, but had survived the heavenly lightning.

He, too, can't help but be curious and, if he can ensure his safety, he'll probably investigate as well.

"Let me first remove the bloodline curse from my senior master. I have figured out how to break the curse and have had two disciples try it."

"You figured it out so quickly?" Yan Lan's eyes flashed with surprise, then quickly faded as she suddenly recalled the Blood River Post from three months ago.

More than three months ago, she received a Blood River Invitation from the ancient cultivator Huang Shang, who said that he had taken control of the Azure Nether Cave Heaven and could cooperate to contact the forces behind Azure Nether and Linlang to obtain resources.

At that time, he even had the idea of ​​seeking out Huang Shang, an ancient cultivator who was well-versed in Taoist scriptures, to help him expel the bloodline curse, but Hua Qingshuang dissuaded him.

"Wuji, are you truly capable of breaking this bloodline curse? Using these golden needles?"

At this moment, Hua Qingshuang stared at Zhao Wuji, who had already taken out the golden needle, and said.

Zhao Wuji ran his fingers over the golden needle, and the tip of the needle immediately gleamed with a jade-like luster: "Peak Master, rest assured, I would not break the curse for Uncle Yan if I was not confident. This needle's application to the acupoint is merely a superficial act; what I truly want to break is the 'knot' that entangles the curse power and bloodline."

With a slight turn of his wrist, three golden needles were already suspended above Yan Lan's chest. "Master Uncle's curse has penetrated to the bone. It can only be broken by using golden needles to cross the acupoints and combining it with three techniques."

"It seems."

Yan Lan's fingertips hooked onto the crimson sash, then she suddenly paused, glancing sideways at Zhao Wuji:
"...This robe must be removed again today?"

The jade couch creaked softly, and she suddenly leaned closer, "My senior sister has cultivated for so many years and has never let any man see anything below her neck, but you, boy, have seen it all."

Zhao Wuji was speechless for a moment, then said seriously, "Uncle-Master, a doctor's heart is benevolent, I..."

Yan Lan abruptly cut off her words, and the ties of her bodice snapped open half an inch: "Shut up! If you want to tie it, then tie it; don't try this."

She deliberately kept a low profile, her crimson robe half-undone, and she lifted her bodice a little to reveal her snow-white shoulders and neck and half of her rounded figure.

Zhao Wuji focused his mind, and the golden needle in his right hand transformed into a stream of light, precisely piercing her three acupoints: Tiantu, Shencang, and Lingxu.

Then he took a bowl and filled it with the clear water of the spiritual spring.

He immediately made a hand seal and used the talisman water technique. The clear water from the spiritual spring instantly formed runes in the air following his hand seal.

Then three beams of clear light shot out from the fingertips, accurately piercing Yan Lan's brow, heart, and dantian.

"Senior Uncle, please forgive me!"

He suddenly pressed his fingers together against Yan Lan's chest, and the spiritual power of the talismanic water technique flowed upwards along the blood vessels.

His eyes flashed with a sharp light, and his left hand moved with lightning speed, forming a hand seal.

Three more talismans were simultaneously cast into Yan Lan's brow, chest, and dantian.

"Uh!"

Yan Lan was struck dumb, her long neck arched back, and the veins under her honey-colored skin bulged out.

"First step, using talismanic water as a guide!"

The pure spiritual energy talisman quickly flowed into and circulated under Yan Lan's skin, and the runes around her body churned like boiling water.

Zhao Wuji's other hand's fingers slid down her collarbone to her heart. Wherever they touched, dark red, spiderweb-like runes immediately appeared beneath her snow-white skin, writhing as if they were alive.

"Well!!"

Yan Lan felt as if thousands of ants were crawling all over her body, her spiritual energy surging, yet she tried her best to restrain herself. She was in extreme pain, and blood trickled from her bitten lips. But Zhao Wuji's eyes were clear as a mirror, without any impure thoughts.

Hua Qingshuang's gaze sharpened: "The spiritual energy within her body is surging backward!"

"Normal reaction."

Sweat beaded on Zhao Wuji's forehead. As his left hand made a grasping motion, a ball of black and red mist appeared on Yan Lan's chest. "Second level, Manipulating the ball into a spell!"

"Certainly!!"

Seventy-two golden needles emerged from the medicine bag one after another, like an inverted galaxy piercing into Yan Lan's major acupoints.

As the needle tip trembled, it formed a spiritual energy circuit, forcing the wisp of mist to the Shaoshang acupoint on the right hand.

Yan Lan's pupils contracted sharply, her honey-colored skin flushed red instantly, her sweat-soaked gauze dress clung to her waistline, and her body trembled.

"come out!!"

Zhao Wuji pierced his fingertip with lightning speed, and a ball of black blood shot out, condensing into a bloody mass in the air!
"break!"

His eyes shone with a fierce and piercing light, and the sword energy formed from his martial arts will exploded in the room.

The mass of blood and evil energy instantly shattered.

Yan Lan's body trembled. Although her face was pale and bloodless, the pain had subsided considerably.

Zhao Wuji sat up, panting, his lips already turning blue. "The third level: Medicine strengthens the foundation!"

He suddenly moved behind the bed, slapping Yan Lan's smooth back with both palms, and a blue light from his medical technique washed over her like a tide.

Yan Lan suddenly bent over, her mouth wide open but no sound came out.

Countless blood vessels were forced out of the pores, congealing into a sticky substance on the skin's surface, staining the jade couch mottled and dripping.

The cave fell into a deathly silence, broken only by heavy breathing.

Yan Lan collapsed in the filth, the curse marks on her heart had vanished without a trace, leaving only the red marks from the gold needles on her skin.

Her unfocused gaze gradually focused, meeting Zhao Wuji's profile, which was very close to hers.

"All right!"

Zhao Wuji let out a long breath, withdrew the needles, took three steps back, and solemnly bowed: "The curse has been lifted. Please forgive my earlier offense, Senior Uncle."

"Long-winded."

Yan Lan waved her hand weakly, but surprisingly refrained from making any sarcastic remarks.

She looked down at her filthy body, her ears slightly red: "Looks like I'll have to prepare a bath to clean myself up?"

"Master, you cannot bathe yet. Let us cleanse you with magic. The Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic says so."

Just as Zhao Wuji was about to quote classical texts, he was glared at by both women at the same time, so he had to change his mind and say, "Ahem, then I'll go to Ziyun Palace and get some more medicine."

As he spoke, he paused again, looked at Hua Qingshuang and Yan Lan, and said solemnly, "Peak Master, although I have cleared the bloodline curse for my senior uncle, in order to prevent the Xuanming Envoy Group from casting the curse again when they arrive in ten days, we still need to cover our tracks."

Hua Qingshuang asked in surprise, "How do you plan to cover your tracks?"

Zhao Wuji said, "I plan to create a talisman pill that can be disguised as the effect of being afflicted by a bloodline curse."

Once someone casts a spell, after you are cursed, the talisman pills in your body will devour the spell.

But you will also feel that blood curse patterns will appear on your skin, but your body will not be under your control.

At that time, you only need to pretend that you have been arrested to get away with it.

"That's good."

Yan Lan's expression showed surprise, and she narrowed her eyes as she looked at Hua Qingshuang and smiled, "If we can really figure it out, Junior Sister Hua's safety will be guaranteed if she wants to go to the Xuanming Dynasty."

Hua Qingshuang nodded, her beautiful eyes glancing at Zhao Wuji, who remained calm, and said, "Wuji, it was indeed my good fortune to bring you up the mountain from the capital."

Zhao Wuji was surprised, then laughed heartily. The Ice Mountain Peak Master's sudden emotional outburst made him a little embarrassed.

He immediately bowed and said something humble before turning and leaving.

After a cup of tea.

Outside the Purple Cloud Palace, the spiritual light of the mountain-protecting array flickered and swayed like a candle in the wind.

As Zhao Wuji stepped over the steps outside the hall, he keenly sensed a subtle tremor beneath his feet.

This is clearly a sign that the spiritual veins within the cave are not yet fully stable.

"The reconnection of the dragon veins has only completed the stage of expelling the dragon's resentment from the Nine Cauldrons. Before the dragon veins can be fully reconnected, the spiritual energy concentration within the cave is already less than 70% of its peak."

He frowned, sensing that the spiritual energy in the air had thinned considerably.

Fortunately, the phenomenon of fluctuations in spiritual energy has been significantly reduced.

He entered the Ziyun Palace, and suddenly the sound of a jade chime rang out from the palace door.

A tall, thin disciple in a blue robe was hurriedly putting away his medicine hoe, nearly knocking over the jade box full of evening primrose.

"Junior Brother Yan?"

Zhao Wuji paused, then smiled in surprise.

The person before him was none other than his familiar fellow disciple, Yan Boyuan.

"Zhao... Peak Master Zhao!"

Yan Boyuan hurriedly performed a deep bow, saying, "This disciple was unaware that the Peak Master had personally come."

The address of "Peak Master" and the other party's flustered and nervous appearance immediately stung Zhao Wuji's heart.

He clearly remembered that when he came to Ziyun Palace, the other party had winked at him familiarly, saying, "Brother Zhao, I've managed to get some more useless pills for you from the steward."

But now it is
"Junior Brother Yan, there's no need for such formalities."

He reached out to help, but Yan Boyuan reflexively took a half step back, and he quickly laughed.

"Peak Master Zhao, you are now a peak master, you cannot lower yourself to such a position. I truly do not deserve to be called your junior brother!"

Upon seeing this, the disciples in the surrounding halls all bowed their heads in respect, not daring to breathe too loudly.

Seeing this, Zhao Wuji looked around at the quiet scene and the reserved Yan Boyuan opposite him, and couldn't help but feel a little bored.

The fragrance of medicinal herbs lingered in the air, yet it couldn't mask the invisible sense of alienation.

He once thought that with each advancement in cultivation and each rise in status, he would gain more.

Now we find that we have gained more, but it is still far from enough.

We need to gain more, but at the same time, we are constantly losing something.

For example, the once pure and natural camaraderie among fellow disciples has now turned into more awe than intimacy, making it seem like some masters are feeling lonely.

"I've come to fetch some medicinal herbs to treat the two cave masters' injuries. Here's the list."

He looked at Yan Boyuan and deliberately softened his voice to smile, but Yan Boyuan became even more tense, looking serious and ready to be ordered around, so he was speechless.

The only solution was to change the subject, "How are Li Nianwei and the others? I heard that Mao Zizhen broke through to the fourth level of Qi Refining half a year ago?"

"Reporting to the Peak Master, Junior Sister Li is currently on duty at the Class B Medicine Storehouse."

Yan Boyuan's voice trembled slightly, "Junior Sister Mao...she...she died four months ago while dealing with a plague of spirit-eating insects in the mining area."

"What!?"

Zhao Wuji's expression changed slightly. He looked at Yan Boyuan's bowed face and sighed inwardly.

"this is for you."

He took out a jade bottle from his storage bag and placed it on the medicine shelf. The sound of the ammunition inside the bottle clashing was like the ringing of gold and jade. "I'll take some Qi Gathering Pills and Dragon Tiger Pills for Li Nianwei and Junior Brother Xing as well."

Yan Boyuan suddenly looked up, a stubbornness familiar to Zhao Wuji flashing in his eyes: "Peak Master Zhao, this is too precious!"

"I don't need it anymore, keep it!"

Zhao Wuji interrupted him and handed him the jade slip, saying, "Remember to deliver the medicine to the main peak."

Seeing that Yan Boyuan had no choice but to accept the order, Zhao Wuji also left in low spirits, without reminiscing with the elders of Ziyun Palace.

Now that the Nine Cauldrons Dragon's Grievance has been eliminated, although the restored dragon energy has decreased significantly, it is gradually flowing back into the broken dragon vein.

In this way, even if the Xuanming envoys arrive in Xuan Kingdom ten days later, they will find it difficult to take away the hope of renewing the dragon vein by taking away the Nine Cauldrons.

"I still need to break through to the Concentration stage, otherwise I'll always have this uneasy feeling of being controlled by others."

Zhao Wuji paused for a moment after thinking about this.

In this degenerate age where people devour each other without spitting out the bones, even if one breaks through the barrier of concentration, one still cannot escape the fate of being controlled by others.

For example, Zhong Kui, for example, Zhang Sichen
What exactly is liberation, what is true freedom?

He focused his mind on observing the Nine Yin and Nine Yang Pearls in his sea of ​​consciousness.

This treasure, which Master Zhang recorded in the Yin-Yang Strategy, seems to hold the key to liberation and freedom.

"Go back and continue to study the magic. I need to become stronger. If Zhang Sichen makes a comeback in the future, he may kill me first."

The Abyss of Dark Bones, the Bloodstained Cave.

This place is a forbidden zone located at the border of Xuan Kingdom and Beiyun Di Prefecture, and is shrouded in Yin energy all year round.

It is said to be the site where ancient cultivators suppressed evil spirits. Although there is no spiritual energy here, it is filled with yin energy that can block divine sense from probing.

At this very moment, Zhang Sichen, the first emperor who had escaped from the Xuan Kingdom's imperial city, sat in the blood pool inside the cave.

His broken spine was wrapped in blood-red dragon-vengeful threads, which were constantly devouring the essence and blood of the thirty-six disciples of the cave heaven around him.

These disciples were all disciples who had disappeared from Linlang Cave Heaven over the years.

These were assassins he had secretly captured and trained over the years, intended for use when he was down on his luck and seriously injured.

At this moment, all the disciples had turned into mummies, and their blood and flesh essence flowed into his body to help him repair the injuries caused by the backlash from the Imperial Extreme World-Shaking Technique and the dragon vein's energy.

Suddenly, the ancient patterns in the blood pool lit up with a bloody light, and ancient spirit stones around it emitted radiance and spiritual energy fluctuations.

It turns out that this blood pool is actually a long-distance sound transmission array.

A cold voice rang out:
"The Xuanming Envoy Group has crossed the East Sea and will soon arrive in Tiannan."

Wang Zheng, a direct descendant of the Wang family, has arrived with the Xiang family's "Double Pupil Annihilation Disc." If they discover your situation, they will surely kill you. The Wang family of the Skull-Eyes will never allow you to live. Hide immediately!

"The Wang family!!"

Zhang Sichen suddenly opened his eyes, and the dragon energy surged along his spine, causing the altar to tremble.

He grinned maliciously, crushing the head of a desiccated corpse beside him with his five fingers, and responded hoarsely:

"Back then, you used my hand to rebel, and if it weren't for my protection, you would have died long ago. Today, I am a dragon in shallow waters, and you only repay me with a simple message?"

Moreover, I am in this predicament because of you, and I was implicated by the people around you!

"The Xuan Kingdom is finished now, how can I possibly rise again? How can I refine the Golden Elixir? If I am captured, you will not escape either!!"

"Hide for now and wait for the right opportunity!"

The sound transmission array lit up for a moment, then dimmed the next.

"Damn it!"

Zhang Sichen's eyes flashed even more fiercely as he looked down at the bottom of the blood pool.

There stood a broken spearhead there, exuding a chilling and domineering aura, obscured by malevolent energy.

These were the remnants of Xiang Yu's army that he had stolen from Xiang Yu's treasury years ago. A bloodthirsty glint appeared in his eyes, and his murderous intent was fully revealed as he looked up.

"Dynasty Envoy, Overlord with Double Pupils, if you truly wish to fight to the death, I will use the remnants of the Xiang family's army to take the lives of you traitorous descendants!!"

(End of this chapter)