Immortals of the End Times

Chapter 164, 183: The Celestial Envoy's Coercion Forces the Peak Master to Temporarily Retreat (Bonus Chapter for Monthly Tickets: 2929)

The Xuanming Messenger will be arriving soon.

Through the Xuanjia puppet, Zhao Wuji received constant warnings.

But he has done what he needed to do, and there is not much more he can prepare now.

At this moment, inside the Peak Master's Hall of Xuanji Peak.

The lamp flickered with spiritual fire, and Zhao Wuji sat cross-legged on the jade couch, a dark golden Dragon Vengeance Pill floating in his palm.

Dark green dragon-shaped runes meander across the surface of Dan's body.

"By governing the Nine Cauldrons and refining the Dragon's Resentment into Talisman Pills, a total of more than 800 Dragon's Resentment Pills were obtained."

"A small portion of them were used to feed spirit-eating insects, which cultivated over a hundred Dragon Spirit Insect Kings. I consumed quite a few myself, and there are still over two hundred left."

Zhao Wuji played with the Dragon Vengeance Pill in his hand.

This elixir would undoubtedly be highly poisonous to others.

But for him, it was a great tonic.

"Taking food as a furnace, it transforms toxins into nourishment!"

He suddenly made a hand seal and swallowed the Dragon Vengeance Pill.

In an instant, as spiritual energy circulated, his dantian roared like a furnace, and the azure light of the ingestion technique flowed through his meridians, tearing the surging dragon resentment power within the pill into thin streams.

The next moment, spiderweb-like golden patterns appeared beneath his skin, and his spine lit up segment by segment like a dragon's spine.

After cultivating in this way for half an hour, the Dragon Vengeance Pill was completely refined.

Immortal cultivation level: Qi Induction Level 10 (86/600)

Martial Immortal Cultivation: Blood Fiend Level 5 (69/300)

After refining a Dragon Vengeance Pill, it can increase his spiritual power by two strands and his blood-fiend spiritual power by one strand.

In this degenerate age where resources are scarce, this is an extremely rare resource.

You should know that Zhao Wuji is now at the tenth level of Qi Refining.

Even if you eat Qi Gathering Pills like candy, it's still difficult to condense a single strand of spiritual energy from ten Qi Gathering Pills.

"Much of the dragon energy lost due to resentment was transformed into treasure and entered my stomach. This can be considered as recovering some of the losses for the cave heaven."

Zhao Wuji pondered.

At that moment, three cautious knocks came from outside the hall.

The respectful voice of the array hall steward penetrated the door's barrier: "Reporting to the peak master, the spiritual vein in the Jia San mining area has been completely stabilized under the array's pressure, and the new spiritual path gnawed out by the swarm of spirit-eating insects is 30% wider than expected."

"Oh, not bad."

A flash of golden light appeared in Zhao Wuji's pupils.

Over the past seven days, he has organized and led the elders and disciples of the Array Hall to successfully reconnect the two dragon veins between the Imperial City and the Linglang Cave Heaven.

Although they were extremely exhausted, after reconnecting this dragon vein and then linking it to the spiritual vein of the cave, the fluctuations in the spiritual energy of the cave were completely stabilized.

Not only that, but the rate at which the spiritual veins depleted and petrified also slowed down considerably.

He lightly tapped his finger, and the palace gate array parted like a curtain of water: "Have you measured the concentration of spiritual energy? And the degree of petrification due to the depletion of spiritual veins?"

"The concentration of spiritual energy has now reached 85% of its peak!"

The young deacon bowed as he entered the spirit-monitoring compass, the spirit patterns on the compass already condensed into half a dragon shape. "As for the degree of depletion and petrification of the spirit veins, it has only increased by ten feet compared to its peak, accounting for about half a percent, which is already a stroke of good fortune amidst misfortune."

"Thanks to the Peak Master's guidance using the Earth Vein Spirit Pivot Diagram, otherwise this dragon vein near the imperial city would never have been able to be connected so perfectly."

Zhao Wuji took the compass, glanced at the newly formed dragon vein phantom on the surface, and nodded slightly.

After seven days of effort, the spiritual energy of the grotto-heaven finally stopped dissipating.

He suddenly flicked his finger lightly.

A spirit-eating insect king with dark golden dragon patterns on its back flew out from the sleeve, its armor covered with mysterious spiritual patterns.

"Tell Elder Lu that the repair of the southwest section of the dragon vein will begin tomorrow."

He gazed at the Spirit-Eating Insect King that had landed in his palm. The insect's antennae trembled slightly as it emitted a buzzing sound like a dragon's roar. "This time, I will use the method of 'using insects to replace veins' to guide these little guys with my Insect King to directly gnaw through the stone layers and connect with the earth's energy."

"Yes!"

After the steward received his orders and withdrew.

Zhao Wuji suddenly pierced his palm with his fingers.

The moment the blood gushed out, the Soul-Eating Insect King plunged into the wound and merged into the bloodstream like a phantom.

A golden line suddenly appeared beneath the skin, eventually coiling into a dragon pattern with its head and tail connected at the heart point.

"It really works."

He felt a strange pulse emanating from his heart.

The insect king cultivated over these seven days can now perfectly simulate the fluctuations of the bloodline curse.

The experiment just now proved that even if the caster himself activated the bloodline curse, the Insect King could instantly devour the curse power and replenish itself.

With this spirit insect, Yan Lan and Hua Qingshuang could fake being under a bloodline curse.

At that time, even if cultivators from powerful dynasties use bloodline spells to test them, they will not be able to discern anything about the two unless they get serious.

"Not bad." Zhao Wuji breathed a sigh of relief.

Having simulated the Bloodline Curse, Peak Master Hua felt much more at ease even after going to the Xuanming Dynasty.

The peak master was his mentor in cultivation and treated him well.

He could not stop the other party from going to the Xuanming Dynasty, but could only do his best to help them stay safe.

Zhao Wuji then looked at the space within his sleeve.

Now, more than four months later, the area within the Pot Heaven Space has expanded to a radius of ten zhang.

The chaotic mist at the edge, which continued to dissipate due to the extension of the micro-spiritual veins, was already comparable to ten of the lowest-grade storage bags.

Furthermore, after absorbing the dragon energy transformed from the Dragon Vengeance Pill, the spatial barrier has become much more resilient, capable of resisting and delaying the erosion of the external Dharma-ending environment.

Now, the concentration of spiritual energy within the Pot Heaven Space is comparable to that of a second-level spiritual vein core area, and is comparable to the environment within the Linglang Cave Heaven.

This allows him to continue cultivating for a long time in a spiritless environment.

However, the Hutian Space is not yet able to form a self-sufficient spiritual energy cycle.

Therefore, if too much spiritual energy is consumed and not replenished, the space within the pot will also degenerate.

In addition, in the blood pool in the corner of the Pot Heaven Space, hundreds of Dark Gold Dragon Pattern Insect Kings lead thousands of spirit-eating insects, forming an "insect nest ecosystem".

The Insect King can devour Dragon Vengeance Pills and release a pale golden spiritual liquid, ten times purer than Source Crystals. It can produce "five drops" daily, which can directly replenish spiritual power or be used for alchemy.

Even after the young apprentice Xiaoyue took more than a dozen drops, Xiaoyue's cultivation level had already broken through to the second level of Qi Refining.

The spiritual plants such as the Azure Spirit Grass and Purple Heart Orchid that were transplanted into the Pot Heaven Space in the early stages have also advanced to Level 2 and Level 3 due to the abundance of spiritual energy.

It will also propagate offspring plants, forming a small medicinal garden, which can be harvested for medicinal use in the future.

This perfect farming paradise has become his mobile treasure trove.

The stored ancient spirit stones, spirit marrow liquid, and other important resources can be protected from external covetousness and can be isolated from detection.

"At this stage, the Heavenly Pot Technique has reached a level of slight accomplishment; further advancement will be difficult."

Zhao Wuji pondered, his mind focused on observing swordsmanship, qi-sealing techniques, and invisibility techniques.

These techniques are also about to advance.

If one's swordsmanship is honed to a level of perfection, one can differentiate the sword light, thus elevating its power and versatility to a new level.

The same applies to techniques like breath control and invisibility.

The latter, in particular, might allow him to remain invisible for several breaths during combat, which is an extremely terrifying advantage.

He collected his thoughts, got up and walked out of the main hall of the peak, riding the sword light back to Cold Moon Peak.

Although he is now the master of Xuanji Peak.

However, whenever he wasn't busy, he would still return to his familiar and peaceful cave dwelling on Cold Moon Peak to rest, a habit he shared with Peak Master Hua Qingshuang.

"Peak Master!"

"Meet the Peak Master!"

As Zhao Wuji flew out of Xuanji Peak, many disciples and deacons saw his figure in his Dharma robes and bowed respectfully.

"Thank you for your hard work!"

Zhao Wuji smiled and nodded in return, "Now that the spiritual energy within the cave is stable, everyone should cultivate diligently!"

Yesterday he was lamenting that old friends were no longer the same, but now he has gradually adapted to the changes in his current strength and status.

You get what you're capable of, and you need to have the right mindset for your position.

It's fine to feel sentimental now and then, but if you feel sentimental too much, it becomes affected and shows a wrong mindset.

Moreover, while he now holds a certain status, his strength and fame are still far from sufficient.

He's only good at bullying his own kind.

Even after leaving the grotto-heaven, he wouldn't rank among the top in the Xuanming Dynasty or any of the other grotto-heavens. If he encountered Zhang Sichen, he would surely die. He still had to train.

Two days passed in the blink of an eye.

Within the Linlang Cave, the spiritual energy had stabilized due to the partial reconnection of the dragon vein, creating a joyous atmosphere. However, inside the octagonal pavilion on the main peak, Linlang Peak, the atmosphere was heavy.

Yan Lan held a teacup, her crimson robes undulating slightly with her movements: "Junior Sister, the envoy delegation is about to arrive."

Since someone has given you a heads-up, you might as well avoid the limelight for now.

If that Xuanming envoy truly came for you, and you couldn't see him, you naturally wouldn't know how to attack.

Upon hearing this, Hua Qingshuang lowered her eyes. "Senior Sister, are you saying... I should leave the cave?"

"Not bad!"

Yan Lan suddenly leaned forward, her gold hairpin swaying in her hair. "You also know that the old monster Huang Shang from the Song Dynasty sent the Blood River Letter three months ago, stating that he has taken control of the Azure Netherworld Cave."

This person can command two ancient cultivators at the mid-stage of the Condensation Realm, and he himself is an old monster who studied the Daoist scriptures in ancient times. Even though his strength as a half-corpse half-puppet is not as great as before, he is still at least at the peak of the Condensation Realm.

If the Xuanming envoy's intentions are not good, we can certainly use his help to deal with the situation!

"To seek help from a tiger for its skin."

Hua Qingshuang stroked the jade pendant with the character "Hua" on her waist and shook her head, saying, "This Huang Shang may have had a good reputation in the past, but he has survived to this day by using evil methods and turning people into blood corpse puppets. I'm afraid he is not a good person."

"Not a good person?"

Yan Lan sneered, "Then tell me, are the Xuanming Dynasty and that so-called immortal cultivation family, the Wang family, good people?"

How does this bloodline curse feel? If it weren't for Wuji, I would already be a puppet being controlled by others.

She clenched her fist tightly. "No matter how wicked Huang Shang is, at least he has a price tag!"

"Senior sister, your inner demons are stirring," Hua Qingshuang said, frowning.

Yan Lan was taken aback, then suddenly smiled and shook her head, saying, "That's right. You've been well protected by your father since you were little. You didn't have the bloodline curse implanted in you, so naturally you don't understand what it's like to be controlled by others after working hard to cultivate until you become stronger."

"Senior Sister!" Hua Qingshuang's delicate brows furrowed even more deeply.

But Yan Lan's words came to an abrupt end.

A sound transmission talisman suddenly pierced through the barrier outside the door and flew in.

Zhao Wuji's voice rang out: "Urgent report from the Spirit Monitoring Hall: A strong spiritual energy fluctuation has been detected two hundred miles to the southwest, which is very likely the arrival of the Xuanming Dynasty's envoy delegation."

"It's almost too late." Yan Lan's expression changed slightly, but she quickly regained her composure. "Junior Sister! You need to make a decision."

Hua Qingshuang sighed and nodded, "Alright, I'll take my leave for now. Senior Sister, please be careful and don't act rashly."

After their conversation ended, Yan Lan flew out of the Octagonal Tower, while Hua Qingshuang took the initiative to retreat and hide in a dark pavilion.

"Senior Uncle." Zhao Wuji flew over and joined Yan Lan. He was surprised not to see Hua Qingshuang.

"I told her to take some time off."

Yan Lan said expressionlessly, but her gaze softened slightly as she looked at Zhao Wuji.

"Wuji, I hope the bloodline curse you simulated two days ago using that insect will work. But..."

Her gaze suddenly turned sharp. "If this Xuan Kingdom envoy pushes his luck, I will fight to the death to make them pay the price. At that time..."

She looked at Zhao Wuji and sighed softly, "I hope it won't implicate you."

"Uncle-Master." Zhao Wuji looked at Yan Lan with a tremor in his heart.

He knew his senior brother's personality very well. In front of him, he was sometimes charming and alluring, but in reality, he was proud and stubborn, and acted ruthlessly and decisively.

They might even resort to any means necessary, becoming extreme and ruthless.

If we really push this senior master to that point...
Just as he was about to offer some advice, the surrounding elders, having received orders from the cave master, flew over.

At the same time, a black dot appeared on the distant horizon.

A spirit boat swiftly soared through the air and arrived.

The figure in the python robe at the very front had a jade pendant bearing the inscription "Xuanming" hanging from his waist.

Then, a sound transmission jade talisman instantly broke through the air and entered the cave, almost ignoring the formation.

Yan Lan took it in her hand and immediately heard the arrogant message in the voice.

This commotion quickly alerted many elders of the grotto-heaven.

"Let's go! Elders and peak masters, go out and greet the envoy delegation from the Xuanming Dynasty under the command of the Wang family, a family of immortal cultivators."

Yan Lan flicked her sleeve, put away the communication talisman, and said in a low voice.

"People from the Xuanming Dynasty?"

"It's actually the Wang family, a powerful clan of cultivators..."

Upon hearing this, all the elders, including the peak masters such as Hou Baichang, had different expressions and looked out of the cave, all feeling uneasy and nervous.

They already knew when they learned about Zhang Sichen that there was a powerful force behind the Linglang Cave.

Even after Zhang Sichen hid for a hundred years, he still couldn't escape its control.

Unexpectedly, it turned out to be the Xuanming Dynasty and the Skull-Eye Royal Family.

Those who had cultivated for a long time, such as Hou Baichang and Lu Liyan, had visited the Xuanming Dynasty when they traveled around the world, and knew the power of this dynasty and the immortal cultivation families behind it.

Now, the powerful cultivators of this force have finally arrived.

As Zhao Wuji and Yan Lan led a group of elders out of the mountain-protecting formation, a muffled rumbling sound came from the sky.

A spirit boat, entirely black, with a ferocious dragon head carved on its prow and two blood-red gems inlaid in the dragon's eyes gleaming with an eerie light, descended from the sky.

Fourteen powerful figures descended from the landing spirit boat.

"coming."

Yan Lan's crimson robe fluttered without wind. She narrowed her phoenix eyes and saw a man in a python robe slowly walking down the deck of the spirit boat.

Her opponent's spiritual pressure was as deep as the ocean, far stronger than hers.

"Late stage of Concentration."

Zhao Wuji's pupils contracted slightly, and then his gaze fell on Gong Yu, the black-armored puppet in the group of disciples behind him, and the white-clad woman at the very back. He paused briefly before glancing over them, secretly alarmed.

“Yan Lan, the master of Linlang Cave, respectfully welcomes Envoy Xuanming.”

Yan Lan stepped forward and bowed, her red lips pressed into a straight line.

Her gaze quickly swept over the beautiful figure at the very back of the delegation.

The woman in white wore a plain gauze hat, and the jade pendant with the character "flower" on her waist was faintly visible as she walked.

"Was it her who reminded me and Junior Sister Hua before?"

"Master Yan!?"

The middle-aged cultivator in the python robe stopped ten feet away.

His face was sharply defined, and his right eye had an eerie double-ring pupil that sent chills down one's spine when he stared at it. "I am Wang Zheng."

His voice was like sandpaper rubbing against bluestone, extremely cold, "Having heard that the dragon vein of Xuan Kingdom has broken, I have come to investigate. Where is your former cave master, Zhong Kui?"

Upon hearing this, Yan Lan bowed and smiled, "Your Majesty, you have come from afar. You may not know that Zhong Kui not only betrayed Dongtian and plotted against its disciples, but he was also one of the culprits who caused the Xuan Kingdom's dragon vein to break. He has already been executed!"

"Ok?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Zheng's gaze suddenly sharpened, and his late-stage Nascent Soul spiritual pressure erupted.

"The culprit? Already executed? Who determined this crime!?"

Elder Feng of the Criminal Law Hall trembled instantly, blood flowing from his nose. His cultivation at the eighth level of Qi Induction was as fragile as paper under the pressure of the late-stage Concentration Realm cultivator.

Zhao Wuji frowned slightly, took a step forward, and like a gentle breeze, blocked one or two of the opposing spirit's power.

With his spiritual strength and martial arts will, he was able to withstand the spiritual impact of a fully-fledged cultivator using his magic, so withstanding this bit of spiritual power was nothing to him.

"Hmm?" Wang Zheng glanced at Zhao Wuji and saw that he only had the strength of the tenth level of Qi Induction, but his willpower was not bad. He took a closer look.

But that's all; it's not enough to make him take it seriously unless he focuses his attention.

"Why is the envoy so angry? Everyone in the cave has witnessed Zhong Kui's crimes, and he is not innocent."

Yan Lan chuckled and stepped forward, blocking the opponent's spiritual power, and a crimson-gold fire lotus bloomed beneath her feet.

The two concentrated spiritual pressures collided in the void, instantly creating a visible ring of air that snapped the surrounding ancient trees in half.

The air solidified instantly.

"Not a false accusation?"

Wang Zheng's eyes narrowed into a dangerous arc.

Yan Lan, her red robes fluttering, suddenly changed the subject: "The rupture of the dragon vein was the work of Zhang Sichen, the founding emperor of the Xuan Kingdom."

This person faked his death a hundred years ago, secretly manipulating Cave Master Cheng Ruiyuan, using secret techniques to turn him into a puppet, posing as the second-generation Cave Master Zhong Kui, deceiving the dynasty for over a century. I wonder if Zhong Kui's crimes warrant death?

"Zhang Sichen?"

Wang Zheng frowned, his attention immediately diverted. "That old fellow who learned the incomplete 'Huangji Jingshi Shu' from my Xuanming Dynasty is still alive?"

“Indeed! This old monster is not only still alive, but he has also already broken through to the peak of the Condensation Realm and is preparing to condense his Golden Core, attempting to break free from the control of your Xuanming Dynasty.”

Yan Lan's words were startling, immediately causing Wang Zheng to change color.

"Perfect concentration!?"

Yan Lan sneered inwardly. It would be perfect to use this so-called envoy to get rid of that old devil Zhang Sichen.

She seized the opportunity to step aside and lead the way, saying, "This is a long story; please come inside and discuss it in detail, envoy."

(End of this chapter)