Immortals of the End Times

Chapter 178, Part 204: The Fungal Demon Steals the Heavenly Wine, and His Spiritual Abilities Rise Again (Bonus Chapter for Monthly Tickets: 3636)

Faced with Zhao Wuji's questioning.

Upon hearing this, Wei Ding, the master of the White Bone Cave, looked tense and hurriedly bowed, saying, "My lord, please forgive me! This old servant sensed a sudden disturbance at the bottom of the Black Sand River earlier."

Fearing the patrolling monks in the market might notice, they will follow your previous 'feint attack' strategy.

He quickly pulled out a jade slip that glowed with a bluish light from his storage bag. "This old servant originally traded this pill formula with the manager of the Immortal Treasure Pavilion."

Upon noticing the commotion, in a moment of panic, he seized the opportunity to snatch the "Tai Su Ning Shen Dan Fang" and an ancient book.

Zhao Wuji was speechless upon seeing this.

Talent.

Wei Ding, the master of the White Bone Cave, is truly a talented individual.

He instructed the other side to provide cover at crucial moments.

As a result, this guy actually stole the treasures that the Immortal Treasure Pavilion had put up for trading.

This is probably the first time since the Wang family opened a black sand quarry.

Instead of robbing or stealing from others, they were forcibly robbed in the market by a master of the Concentration Realm.

Moreover, the commotion at the Black Sand River just now didn't seem very significant.

Wei Ding possesses divine sense, which is why he can detect the movement. The patrolling cultivators in the market do not possess divine sense, so how could they detect the movement?

"These controlled servants are ultimately somewhat affected in terms of intelligence, or rather, the loyalty established by the control is so strong that it overrides their intelligence."

Zhao Wuji felt somewhat helpless.

Even a cultivator at the Nascent Soul Realm wouldn't risk offending the Wang family by trying to steal from the Immortal Treasure Pavilion.

At this moment, the array in the market area was still vibrating, and the red glow spreading in all directions was swirling and gathering.

However, after Zhao Wuji used his highly skilled invisibility technique, this mere array naturally could not detect his movements.

"Retreat first!"

A cold glint flashed in Zhao Wuji's eyes, and he pressed his two fingers together to form a hand seal, instantly activating the array formation technique!

"Om-"

His eyes suddenly burst forth with dazzling golden light, and dense array patterns appeared in his pupils, flowing like a river of stars, instantly piercing through all the weak points of the surrounding red cloud array!

"go!"

With a flick of his sleeve, he channeled his spiritual energy, carrying the two members of the White Bone Cave Master with him. His figure moved like lightning, darting out through the gaps in the formation and disappearing into the depths of the dense forest in the blink of an eye.

Several miles away.

Zhao Wuji stood with his hands behind his back, a jade slip shimmering with blue light floating in his palm, the "Tai Su Ning Shen Dan Fang".

"The legacy of the East Sea Cloud and Rain Pavilion?"

His gaze sharpened slightly as he scanned the contents of the jade slip with his divine sense, a smile involuntarily appearing on his lips.

This pill formula is detailed. If refined into a high-grade pill, it can increase the speed of spiritual energy condensation by 50% for cultivators in the early stage of the Spirit Condensation realm!
Even mid-stage cultivators can improve by 30%!

"nice one!"

But then, he frowned slightly.

The prescription is wonderful, but the main ingredients required are extremely rare—Poria cocos with nine orifices, Misty Grass, and Green Water Cloth…

These spiritual herbs are almost extinct in the Dharma-ending Age, and even though he now controls the three great grotto-heavens, it is by no means easy for him to gather them all.

"Never mind, it's still better than before."

He shook his head, put away the prescription, and turned to look at another ancient book.

"Miscellaneous Refining Techniques!"
"Created by Tao Hongjing?"

Zhao Wuji's heart skipped a beat, and the image of his old friend Tao Fei involuntarily appeared in his mind.

"I never expected to receive the Tao family's legacy here..."

He gently stroked the cover of the ancient book with his fingertips, his heart filled with emotion.

He casually flipped through it and discovered that the book contained secret techniques for refining minerals and crafting magical artifacts.

After watching for only a short while, it caused the fourth set of tadpole-like characters in the second Yang Pearl to begin vibrating.

Zhao Wuji was startled, realizing that only the ancient books left by famous figures in history could provide some valuable information.

Those who achieve fame are all extraordinary.

Over the past few months, he has thoroughly explored the three great grotto-heavens of Wushang, Baigu, and Linlang, and even many ancient books from the Xuan Kingdom's Imperial Observatory.

Unfortunately, most of them only gained some knowledge and experience, and very few were able to touch the Yin-Yang Pearl.

Even when there is a reaction, it is limited to the third and fourth yin-yang beads, and the tadpole-shaped silver patterns light up very little, making it unusable.

"Not bad, we've made some progress."

Zhao Wuji carefully put away the ancient books and prescriptions.

Seeing this, the Bone Cave Master immediately forced a fawning smile onto his withered old face, "If you think it's good, then it's good. This old servant will go through fire and water without hesitation!"

Zhao Wuji nodded. "You did well, I'm very satisfied, but don't try to steal it again next time, it's too reckless."

The White Bone Cave Master immediately replied solemnly, "Yes! Rest assured, Master! This old servant concealed my identity and changed my appearance when I entered the market, and I did not engage in any magical battles. The Wang family should not be able to find out my identity yet."

"Hmm!" Zhao Wuji examined the human skin mask on the face of the White Bone Cave Master and nodded in approval.

This old monster is also a thousand-year-old fox. His temperament, methods, and aptitude are all excellent. If he had lived in a time when spiritual energy was abundant, his achievements might not have been inferior to those of Xinghe Daoren. Indeed, he doesn't need to worry about him too much.

"This matter is settled, Bai Chengshang. You are hereby granted permission to return to the Supreme Grotto-Heaven to recuperate."

Zhao Wuji waved his hand, then said to the White Bone Cave Master, "Go to Xuanxiao Cave Heaven and communicate with Xuanxiao Cave Master Chai Wei. Tell him that I, the Ancestor of Tiannan, need his help to investigate some things."

If he disagrees, send another message.”

Upon hearing this, the Master of the White Bone Cave was overjoyed and quickly bowed, saying, "Yes! This old servant will certainly convey the Master's words."

His White Bone Cave Heaven and Xuanxiao Cave Heaven had a long-standing grudge. For many years, they had been openly and secretly fighting over various resources, but he had always been at a disadvantage and had no way to vent his anger.

Now that His Majesty wishes to request Xuanxiao Cave Heaven to investigate the matter, given his understanding of his mortal enemy Chai Wei, he will certainly not agree easily. At that time...
"Jie Jie Jie!"

The Lord of the White Bone Cave chuckled sinisterly, his bone claws forming a hand seal within his sleeve. Suddenly, a gigantic, gleaming white bone rose from beneath his feet, carrying him through the air.

"The Xuanxiao Cave Heaven—what power is behind it?"

Zhao Wuji stood tall with his deep, dark eyes, dressed in a black robe, exuding an air of old monster.

"This time, we will test the waters to see if they are truly capable, but we must proceed with caution."

With a hand seal, he guided the aura of this place to dissipate.

With a flick of his sleeve, his figure transformed into a whirlwind, swirling up withered leaves as he rode the wind away.

Seven days later.

Chishui Town.

The setting sun dyed the Chishui River blood-red, and the three dragon-shaped rock ridges gleamed with a cold, hard luster in the twilight.

Zhao Wuji stood with his hands behind his back before the precipice, his purple robe fluttering in the wind.

Behind.

Ye Wu held Xiao Ya's hand, and the girl timidly clutched the hem of her brother's clothes, looking at Zhao Wuji's back with nothing but admiration.

The two of them arrived here yesterday in a spirit boat with this immortal master.

Even though Ye Wu thought he had seen a lot, he was still able to keep his composure. But Xiao Ya, after the initial surprise, instinctively felt awe.

"Let's completely dismantle the God of Wine Formation this time and take all the wine within."

Zhao Wuji stared at the seventh hole in the opposite cliff wall, the golden goblet and the two sobering stones, the God and the Human, floating in his palm, were humming and vibrating.

At this moment, his inner space still contained more than sixty jars of precious wine.

However, since breaking through to the Concentration Realm, these precious wines can no longer directly add spiritual power.

It can only accelerate the condensation process and, when used with a hangover stone, enhance spiritual qualities.

For months, Zhao Wuji had been trying to feed the Soul-Eating King Insects by immersing them in wine jars, hoping to cultivate a mutated insect species.

Unfortunately, seven or eight insect kings died drunk in the jar, leaving only two half-dead, but no obvious changes were observed.

"If we could obtain Earthly Treasure Wine, or even Heavenly Treasure Wine..."

A glint of light flashed in Zhao Wuji's eyes.

This spiritual wine will surely help him break through to the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm!
At that time, Zhang Sichen's threat will be greatly reduced!
"Open the formation!"

He suddenly made a hand seal, his eyes blazing with golden light, and the array formation technique was activated in an instant!
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Nine green coins shot out of the sky, like shooting stars nailing into the honeycomb-like erosion marks on the rock wall!
At the same time, his fingertips moved like lightning, swiftly pointing towards the space between Ye Wu and his sister's eyebrows!

"Ugh!"

The two men groaned, ancient Yelang totems appeared on their cheeks, and blood lines between their brows shot out like living snakes, burrowing straight into the holes in the rock wall!
"Rumble--"

The entire mountain cliff shook violently.

The three rock ridges seemed to awaken like giant dragons, twisting and writhing!
Amidst the swirling dust and surging energy, the ground cracked, revealing a bronze wine vessel-shaped stone mortar deep within.
"It will be much easier to draw away the formation with the essence of two pure-blooded descendants of the Yelang Kingdom."

Zhao Wuji's eyes flashed like lightning as he stared ahead.

"boom!"

The stone mortar suddenly opened, revealing more than two hundred mud-sealed wine jars neatly arranged.

The aroma of wine wafts over you like a tidal wave!

On the left are a hundred jars of Renbao wine, the liquid as clear as amber.

On the right are a hundred jars of Dibao wine, their emerald green color shimmering like a celestial mist.

In the central pool, a jade stone for relieving hangovers floats quietly, its surface covered with flowing seal script, shimmering with spiritual light.

"break!"

Zhao Wuji drew his sword, and the array formation flashed with golden light!
"Chucky!"

The spiritual energy, like golden threads, pierced through the energy nodes of the Dionysus Array, precisely severing them.

"Click! Click! Click!"

The mountain trembled, the rock walls cracked, and a rich aroma of wine, mixed with surging spiritual energy, burst forth like a tidal wave!

"receive!"

With a flick of his sleeve, two wine gourds flew into the air, their mouths emitting a blue light that seemed to suck in water like a whale, taking in all the hundreds of jars of spirit wine!
"Buzz—" The Earth-grade hangover stone suddenly flew up, its emerald light shining brightly!

Three sobering stones surrounded Zhao Wuji, resonating and vibrating, eventually forming a complete "Ode to the God of Wine" in the air.
"Heavenly stones represent purity, earthly stones represent turbidity, human stones represent spirit, and metal and stone represent evil."

Zhao Wuji's eyes were sharp as he pondered the matter carefully, then suddenly his brows furrowed!
"Where's Tianbao Wine?!"

The back row of the stone mortar is empty; there's no trace of Tianbao wine there.

"My lord! There is light there!"

Ye Wu suddenly exclaimed, pointing to a deep mountain crevice behind the stone mortar.
Zhao Wuji had already noticed that his divine sense was emanating from between his eyebrows.

Then they could see behind the crack in the mountain that the dried-up spring and the collapsed palace were faintly visible.

He quickly used his vision-enhancing technique and was astonished to discover that the stone wall was covered with honeycomb-like holes.

It is exactly the same as the cliffs of Chishui, only more than ten times larger in scale.

"The Secret Land of Yelang Kingdom"

He was startled and made a hand seal to control the wind.

With a flick of his sleeve, he swept the brother and sister together and swept them into the crevice in the mountain.

However, one could see many wine vessels scattered among the decaying beams and pillars.

Numerous mycelia remain in the depression of the central stone platform, and a strange, mellow fragrance permeates the air.

Ye Wu suddenly squatted down, lightly touched the mycelium with his fingertips, and exclaimed with delight: "Sir, these wine fungi are still alive!"

The air was filled with a rich, mellow aroma, as if the scent of wine that had been aged for hundreds of years had not yet dissipated.

"The secret place is here, but where is the precious wine? Where is the Heavenly-grade hangover stone?"

Zhao Wuji frowned slightly and bent down to investigate.

He made a hand seal with his fingertips, and the Dream Marriage Technique was quietly cast, his divine sense as fine as silk.

Following the mycelium, we traced the whereabouts of Tianbao Wine.

"Buzz!"

In an instant, the scene from his dream flashed before his eyes.
Amber-colored wine churned in the jade pool, at the bottom of which lay a celestial stone the size of a pigeon's egg, shimmering with spiritual light.

However, the scene suddenly changed!

The edge of the Jade Pool.

A huge mushroom, resembling a giant succulent, suddenly began to wriggle.

Countless mycelia sprang out like tentacles, instantly devouring the Heavenly Stone and the wine!
"Shh!"

The dream shattered, and Zhao Wuji suddenly opened his eyes, a look of astonishment flashing across them.

"Tianbao wine...it was actually swallowed by wine bacteria?!"

He was speechless for a moment.

Wine yeast is a byproduct of winemaking, which can make wine more mellow and rich.

Unexpectedly, a wine fungus drank all the spiritual wine, became a spirit, and fled with the Heavenly Stone!

"In this degenerate age, where can it possibly escape to?"

Zhao Wuji scanned his surroundings, his divine sense spreading out like a tide, but he found no trace of demonic energy.

"Could it be... that they found this place lacking in spiritual energy and went to find another treasure land?"

Zhao Wuji was puzzled.

His divine sense swept across the surrounding ruins like a tidal wave, but he found no trace of the spirit wine fungus.

His gaze narrowed slightly, landing on the dying wine fungus beside the dried-up pond on the ground, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.

"This fungus...could it be the fruiting body of that spirit-producing wine fungus?"

"If we use it to cultivate the Insect King, we might be able to create a 'Wine Insect' that can aid in cultivation!"

With a flick of his sleeve, the space of the pot-shaped cave suddenly unfolded, like the maw of a giant beast, swallowing the entire wine cave.

"Boom!"

The stone platform, about ten feet square, was uprooted and, to the horrified gazes of Ye Wu and his sister, was slammed into the Pot Heaven Space!
"Zi! Zhi! Zhi!"

As soon as the wine fungus touched the spiritual soil, it spread like a hungry wolf, covering the stone platform in the blink of an eye!
Even more astonishingly, it actively draws water from the Yin Sha Spirit Spring and secretes an amber-colored spiritual liquid, exuding a fragrant aroma!

"Good wine!"

Zhao Wuji's nostrils twitched slightly, and a look of surprise flashed in his eyes.

This elixir is rich and fragrant, almost as good as the Golden Goblet Wine!
"Unfortunately... there wasn't enough."

Boom!

Just then, the three rock ridges suddenly collapsed, and the entire mountain began to sink.

"grown ups!"

Ye Wu and his sister exclaimed in surprise.

"Don't panic!"

With a flick of his sleeve, Zhao Wuji embraced the two of them and gracefully departed like a gust of wind.

The mountain collapsed, the Chishui River overflowed into the cracks, and the dried-up secret place was completely submerged.

The ancient and mysterious land of Yelang was thus submerged in this mother river.

Zhao Wuji stared at the center of the vortex for a moment, then his divine sense swept across all directions.

We were slightly disappointed that we did not find any demonic aura or traces of the spirit wine fungus.

"go!"

His purple robe billowed in a whirlwind, and a spirit boat from a magnificent cave flew out of his storage bag, with two source crystals being inserted into the groove.

The spirit boat carrying the three figures traveled through the sea of ​​clouds, and the mountains along the Chishui River quickly turned into a dark red in the distance.

"Coming on the wind, departing on the wind—that's what a Celestial Master is like. It's a pity I lack the spiritual talent, but Little Girl does."

Ye Wu stood at the stern of the boat, but his gaze was fixed on his sleeping younger sister, Xiao Ya, in his arms.

She had fallen into a coma after her essence was extracted, and her tender face still showed signs of exhaustion from breaking the formation.

"grown ups……"

Ye Wu turned around and saw Zhao Wuji leaning against the bow of the boat drinking. He quickly settled his sister on the deck, took a few steps forward, but then nervously rubbed his hands together, "My sister, she..."

"I never go back on my word."

Zhao Wuji shook his wine gourd and smiled faintly, "Little Ya will be cultivating with Xiao Yue in the Linglang Cave Heaven. Although her talent is ordinary, she's more than capable of being a wine-making apprentice. As for you..."

He smiled and said, "There's a restaurant called 'Drunken Immortal' in the East Market of the Imperial City. It's a business run by members of the royal family. You could become its manager, and that would be enough to keep you rich for the rest of your life."

"The owner of Zui Xian Lou!?"

Ye Wu trembled. He used to be unable to sell his wine even to the Zuixianlou restaurant, but now he could actually become its manager.
He suddenly knelt down with a thud, his forehead hitting the deck heavily: "Your Excellency's kindness is immeasurable; I, Ye Wu, will serve you like a beast of burden for the rest of my life."

"stand up!"

Zhao Wuji flicked his sleeve, and a gentle breeze lifted him up. He frowned and said, "A man's knees are worth gold. You helped me break the formation with the blood of Yelang Kingdom. This is what you deserve, and it is also the blessing of your ancestors."

Ye Wu's eyes were red, and he could only grin foolishly and scratch his head. After a long while, he finally managed to stammer out, "I have enjoyed the blessings of my ancestors, but I also remember the kindness of my lord. I... I will go back and set up a longevity tablet for my lord!"

Zhao Wuji shook his head and chuckled, then tilted his head back and drank the last mouthful of Renbao wine from the gourd.

The wine burned like fire as it entered my throat, but in an instant it transformed into warm spiritual energy that sank into my dantian. It actually purified the originally restless spiritual energy into something as fine as mercury, and its circulation speed suddenly increased by 30%.

"It really does accelerate the condensation of spiritual energy... This effect is quite good! It's very useful for cultivating in the Concentration Realm."

He activated the sobering stone and looked inward at the purple light emanating from his spine, which had deepened slightly from the light purple of the golden goblet wine.

Unfortunately, the increase in spirituality is not significant, perhaps only about 10%.

It seems that once one's spiritual aptitude reaches the purple level, it becomes very difficult to improve it further.

"Let's try Dibao Wine again."

He retrieved another wine gourd from the space between the gourd and the heavens.

Open the gourd.

The rich aroma of wine condensed into a tangible mist that lingered around the bow of the boat.

The wine in the jar was a jade-green color, and it even exuded a spiritual aura, which was a manifestation of the "earth and stone dominate the turbidity" in the Ode to the God of Wine.

"Gudong!"

After downing an ounce of wine in one gulp, Zhao Wuji's pupils suddenly contracted.

Dibao Wine is not as domineering as Renbao Wine.

Instead, it nourishes like spring rain, silently seeping into every part of the body.

Within the dantian, a stream of spiritual energy was purified and compressed at a visible speed, eventually transforming into a crystal-clear liquid spiritual pearl that flowed into the bottom of the nascent core.

Even more astonishing was the spirituality of the spine; more purple light emerged within the purple glow, twining and growing like vines, resembling purple runes!
"A wisp of pure spiritual energy, its spiritual amplification far surpasses that of the sobering stone... by about 30%!"

Zhao Wuji's eyes flashed with a sharp light as he gripped the wine gourd tightly. "No wonder the former king of Yelang set up the Wine God Array to store wine. If such a treasure were to become known, even those at the Golden Core and Nascent Soul stages would be drawn to it..."

Suddenly, the communication talisman in Zhao Wuji's arms became hot, and a muffled groan came from within the fluctuation of his divine sense:
"My lord! This old servant is incompetent. Not only did Chai Wei refuse to cooperate, but he also injured my meridians with the Xuanxiao Sword Aura. Cough, he and I are mortal enemies, and he declared that he would not help you."

Zhao Wuji's eyes suddenly turned cold. He made a hand seal with his fingertips, and the Dream Marriage Technique spread along the connection with his divine sense.

A scene flashed into my mind in an instant.

Atop a mountain a thousand miles away, Wei Ding knelt on one knee, his emaciated body exposed.

The black robe was torn open in several places by the sword energy, and the exposed skin was covered with spiderweb-like blue sword marks, with a trickle of black blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

On the cliff face, sword energy danced like dragons and phoenixes, carving out a line of words: "Old Monster Tiannan, Old Ghost Bai and Old Ghost Wei are afraid of you, but I, Chai, am not. You want my information? Ask the Seven Clouds Sect first!"

"Seven Clouds Sect?"

Zhao Wuji stroked the communication talisman and suddenly chuckled softly.

How can this be considered a rejection?
It was clearly a threatening and intimidating message deliberately left by Chai Wei.

Behind the Xuanxiao Cave Heaven, there is indeed a powerful force hidden!
"The Seven Clouds Sect, what's their background? I don't know, but I could ask Daoist Xinghe."

With a thought, Zhao Wuji ordered Bai Gu to return first, and then turned his spirit boat to head towards the Supreme Grotto Heaven.

Not only the Seven Clouds Sect, but there are many other things he needs to consult with the Star River Daoist.

For example, there is Huang Shang, who now occupies the Azure Heaven Cave, and there is also the Wang family, who devoured the corpse of King Xiang.
(End of this chapter)