Immortals of the End Times

"Even the Frost Soul Flying Sword, which has already nurtured one-third of the power of a magical artifact, could barely break through my physical defenses..."

Zhao Wuji looked at the Cold Soul Flying Sword.

Now, his physical strength far surpasses that of ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators. With various methods, he might even be able to put up a fight against a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator!
Such a combination of immortal and martial arts cultivation is a perfect use of resources, and the combat power has surpassed that of many cultivators at the same level.

"Xiang Yu's martial arts essence is indeed domineering!"

He closed his eyes and looked inward, discovering that the blood-fiend spiritual energy within his body had been completely condensed.

Like magma flowing through the dantian and meridians, every drop of blood contained terrifying explosive power.

"Next, it's time to test the limits of this body..."

His eyes flashed, and his figure suddenly disappeared from the spot.

The next moment, they appeared outside the valley of the Pot Heaven Space.

"boom!"

With a single punch, blood and evil energy surged forth, roaring like an angry dragon, instantly blasting a mound a hundred feet away into dust!
"Not bad!"

Zhao Wuji let out a long laugh, his figure moving like lightning, galloping across the mountains, every punch and kick containing terrifying destructive power.

It can even traverse the air, with a movement speed and mobility that far surpasses the art of flying.

In the distance, Xiaoya and Xiaoyue stared in disbelief at the scene, their eyes filled with shock.

"My lord... he doesn't seem to be casting any spells, he's just practicing martial arts, yet he still possesses such destructive power?..."

Xiaoyue murmured.

Half an incense stick later, Zhao Wuji concealed his aura and sensed a halberd-shaped phantom of divine consciousness condensed from Xiang Yu's martial arts essence in his sea of ​​consciousness.

"This halberd shadow contains the true essence of Xiang Yu's martial arts. If it were to erupt, its destructive power would likely be no less than that of the Heavenly Tribulation."

He returned to the valley where the Pot Heaven Space was located.

The first realm of the Martial Immortal, the Martial Cultivation Realm, has twelve levels.

But he still has thirty-five True Essence Pills, which should be enough for him to cultivate to the eleventh level of Blood Fiend.

If that's not enough, you can go behind the giant painting and find Xiang Yu's head to take some more.

Now that more than a month has passed and the Xuanming Dynasty has not been alerted, he can rest assured.

After changing into the cave master's robe inside the Pot Heaven space.

Zhao Wuji arrived at the main peak of Linlang and summoned Elder He and Ji Mobai from the Affairs Hall to inquire about the exploration progress of the various disciples he had dispatched.

He needed to confirm the situation at Qianji Market in the Xuanming Dynasty before deciding whether to go and join the fun.

"If we don't seize this opportunity..."

He sat cross-legged in the center of the main hall, his spiritual energy flowing around him. His divine sense swept over the Human Treasure Wine and Earth Treasure Wine in his storage bag, and then he thought of the shimmering spiritual herbs in the Pot Heaven space.

"With these resources at hand, I only need to use half of them, and I will definitely be able to reach the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm within six months!"

If one were to go even further, one could drink all the precious wine left behind by the Yelang Kingdom and become drunk every day.

In less than two years, he will be able to advance directly to the later stages.

but.
"What a waste! We should only try if we can't get new resources."

He shook his head slightly.

Currently, the wine yeast has not yet matured, and the wine buds have only just begun to be cultivated. Even the Golden Goblet Treasure Wine is difficult to brew stably, let alone the Human Treasure and Earth Treasure.

Empress Li Shiyu's promise of the Purple Light Spiritual Qualities was also not fulfilled.

To act rashly at this moment would be tantamount to killing the goose that lays the golden eggs!
Without the support of the precious wine, his spiritual aptitude will quickly decline.

"If it weren't for the fact that we would be taking over the third-level spiritual vein of Huaihai Yizhou in three years and dealing with the wolves lurking all around, and if Zhang Sichen, that venomous snake, weren't still alive and secretly watching us..."

He slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, suppressing the restlessness in his heart.

Given his lifespan, the most moderate outcome would be to proceed slowly and patiently await the revival of spiritual energy.

However, life is like a game of chess, and mediocrity means giving up. If he wants to obtain a better spiritual vein, he cannot afford to simmer it slowly.

Because if he doesn't want it, someone else will take it away from him.

After a moment's hesitation, Zhao Wuji raised his hand and waved.

A map shimmering with spiritual light flew out of the storage bag and slowly unfolded on the table.

"I will be taking over this spiritual vein in three years, so I must make some preparations and first improve my strength."

Three years is enough to reach the late stage of the Concentration Realm, otherwise, what if that Golden Core cultivator with radiant light plays some tricks?

Or perhaps there are other powerful enemies coveting it.

Zhao Wuji shook his head inwardly, also thinking that he would summon the two peak masters to help him.

But one must be strong oneself to succeed; one cannot always rely on others.

The reason why Master Yan cultivated so desperately was not only because of his pride in not wanting to be left behind by Peak Master Hua, but also probably because he was under threat from Zhang Sichen.
Or perhaps they no longer want to be subject to others' control over their cultivation techniques, as they once were.

But this senior apprentice's path was extremely arduous.

Even now, cooperating with Huang Shang to obtain the Huangting Scripture in his possession is still fraught with danger.
He couldn't help but recall Yan Lan's figure in red fluttering that day, and he glanced at her sideways, warning her, "Seeking stability will only lead to stagnation or regression. In the future, you will either be devoured as firewood by the stronger, or sit and wait for your death."

Do you think your senior brother is someone who will just sit and wait to die?

"I'm not one to sit idly by and wait to die."

Zhao Wuji had already made up his mind and was preparing to take out some of the resources he had stockpiled.

Head to the Thousand Machine Market in the Xuanming Dynasty to see if you can trade for high-level resources like the Yin-Yang Twin Lotus.

To trade such high-value resources, one must also possess items of equivalent value or a large quantity of scarce, valuable items.

The most valuable thing he can offer right now is the eight ancient spirit stones contributed by the three great grotto-heavens of White Bone, Supreme, and Profound Heaven.

Then came a small amount of fourth-level spiritual vein essence, nourishing spirit flowers, three-light true dew, and two storage bags.

"Using all these resources to trade for one or two high-level resources should be enough."

As he was carefully considering his options, a whooshing sound suddenly came from outside the hall.

"Reporting to the Cave Master!"

Ji Mobai and Elder He arrived together, their faces beaming with joy. "After obtaining supplies from the Supreme Grotto-heaven, Yu Zishan has already taken a detour and sneaked into Southern Chu Prefecture!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Wuji's lips curled up slightly, and a hint of approval flashed in his eyes: "Excellent!"

Azure Heaven Cave.

Huang Shang's pale face emerged from the blood array, the vertical line between his brows opening and closing slightly, revealing a chilling light.

Outside the blood array, General Gu Xiu was reporting on the aid provided to Yizhou in Huaihai.

"As expected." Huang Chang chuckled hoarsely, his half-corpse, half-puppet face reflected in the blood pool. "I had anticipated that human greed would lead her to succumb to it."

General Gu Xiu knelt on one knee, “My lord, you are wise. After Yan Lan obtained the Zhenhai Stele, with the help of his subordinates, he broke through the array restrictions of Haishan Cave in less than three days.”

The stele contained seven drops of the East China Sea essence, yet she didn't leave behind a single drop.

"Seven drops?"

Huang Chang's vertical pupils suddenly snapped open, a dangerous, murky yellow aura flashing within his grayish-brown eyes. "It seems that this bunch of good-for-nothings from Haishan Cave Heaven have amassed quite a fortune over the years."

"Tsk tsk."

Huang Shang sighed softly, "I haven't even gotten my hands on the secret methods of the 'Huang Ting Jing' yet, but she's already greedily taken my essence."

"But I personally crafted a level-four formation-breaking talisman for her. Do you really think these resources are so easy to seduce?"

General Gu Xiu sneered: "When this woman broke through, she triggered a ten-mile-long tsunami."

Two cultivators from Haishan Cave Heaven joined forces to attack her, but she used her newly comprehended inscription supernatural powers to kill one of them.

Even as her subordinates secretly offered assistance, she clearly still maintained a degree of vigilance.

"Oh?" Huang Shang suddenly coughed, causing the blood array to tremble. "It seems that she has mastered 30% of the 'Sea-Stabilizing Mantra' in the Sea-Suppressing Stele."

His vertical pupil between his eyebrows suddenly opened.
Amidst the murky yellow aura, the phantom image of the Nine Tripods of Yu the Great, as recorded in Taoist scriptures, appeared.

If Yan Lan were here, she would find that the inscription on the cauldron is exactly the same as the pattern on the Zhenhai Stele, as if it secretly conforms to the rhythm of the heavenly Dao of the ebb and flow of spiritual energy.

"After studying the Daoist canon for many years, I have discovered an astonishing secret."

Huang Shang's vertical pupils opened and closed. "In ancient times, when Yu the Great controlled the floods, it seemed like he was controlling the floods, but in reality, he may have been controlling the tides and spiritual energy of heaven and earth."

He suddenly took out an ancient Taoist scripture from his bosom, turned to the side with the yin-yang fish pattern and eighteen points of light distributed around it, and stroked it with his fingers as he said in a deep voice.

"If I cannot find this supreme treasure, but if I could find the Nine Tripods of Yu from ancient times, even if they are just broken pieces, perhaps I could escape my karmic entanglements and defy fate."

"Your Excellency will surely be reborn!" General Gu Xiu knelt on one knee, his armor clanging.

"The inscription on the Zhenhai Stele requires the ancient Daoist script I gave her as a guide. She activated the ancient stele with my Daoist script, and with each word she comprehended, her soul became more bound to the inscription."

"Once she has deciphered seventy percent of the inscription, she will become the spirit of the Zhenhai Stele. At that time..."

Huang Shang chuckled hoarsely, "I will naturally help you find the legendary Yu Ding." He suddenly coughed violently, black blood seeping from between his fingers, "This body... won't last until the spiritual energy recovers."

"My lord!" General Gu Xiu cried out in grief.

Huang Shang's expression suddenly changed, and he quickly made a divination gesture.

The blood array rippled, and the scene in the blood pool changed abruptly, reflecting a lonely island shrouded in sword energy deep in the East China Sea.

"The Sword Tomb of Penglai?"

Huang Shang's expression darkened. "This girl dares to venture into the Sword Tomb now?"

General Gu Xiu prostrated himself on the ground and said, "My lord, please calm your anger. She did indeed say she wanted to use the pressure and resources within the Sword Tomb to decipher the inscription, but..."

"Bastard!"

Huang Shang suddenly burst out from the blood array, his sleeves billowing up a towering wave of blood that blasted General Gu Xiu away.

Amidst the deafening roar of the exploding rock walls, he said in a cold voice, "If the old monster sleeping in the Sword Tomb is awakened, my thousand-year plan will be destroyed in an instant!"

The blood array surged violently, and Huang Chang's hands moved like lightning as he formed hand seals.

The blood in the formation flowed upwards, drawing symbols in the air and condensing into a scarlet, dazzling blood jade talisman.

"Take this talisman and go to the East Sea immediately!"

With a flick of his finger, the talisman transformed into a stream of light and entered General Gu Xiu's brow. "If she doesn't heed my advice, then activate this talisman."

Beiyun Dizhou, the border of the Xuanming Dynasty.

Hua Qingshuang stood at the edge of the forbidden area, with lush green grass beneath her feet.

A faint, almost imperceptible, smell of blood drifted from afar, sending a chill down her spine.

Across from them, the top-secret forbidden area, shrouded in the glow of the sunset, seemed both real and illusory, as if a ferocious beast lurked there, ready to devour anyone at any moment.

And right in front of her.

Hua Lengyun stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes shimmering with a purple-black light, his domineering and murderous intent appearing and disappearing, captivating the soul!
After many years apart, the father's aura became even more unfathomable.

After breaking through to the late stage of the Condensation Realm and receiving permission from the mistress to visit her father, she left the Wang family and came to this secret border region.

However, Hua Qingshuang felt complicated and confused. She felt that her father had changed too much and was full of murderous aura.

She looks very much like Hua Lengyun, but their temperaments are quite different.

She was aloof and cold, with her sharpness concealed.

Hua Lengyun, on the other hand, is like a thousand-year-old iceberg, deep and dangerous, seemingly harboring a monstrous killing intent!
Even more alarming is...
Hua Lengyun had already reached the Perfection of the Concentration Realm last year. She was a killing blade secretly cultivated by the Wang family, which intimidated all sides!

He has pure bloodline, and his talent even surpasses that of Wang Zheng. He is extremely compatible with the bloodline of Xiang Yu and has even comprehended the Overlord's Double Pupils!
“Shuang’er…” Hua Lengyun spoke, her voice low and cold, like clashing iron, “You shouldn’t have come back at this time.”

Hua Qingshuang frowned slightly, her eyes sharp as swords: "Father, what exactly has happened all these years?"

Hua Lengyun's gaze darkened, a murderous aura surging within his double pupils: "Your return at this time, seemingly receiving the best resources and training from the Wang family, has actually led you into the eye of the storm, fraught with danger..."

"Danger?" Hua Qingshuang's eyes narrowed. "Do you mean the mistress, or the main household?"

Hua Lengyun remained silent for a moment, a complex look flashing in her eyes: "The time is not right. I didn't want you to get involved, but now... I'm afraid I can't stop you."

Hua Qingshuang's heart tightened: "Father, what opportunity are you waiting for?"

She already possessed a clear understanding of swordsmanship and keen spiritual senses, instantly detecting the hidden array patterns among the surrounding vegetation.

Deep underground lurked a chilling aura, as if some ferocious creature was sleeping.

Hua Lengyun shook his head, turned to look at Hua Qingshuang, and a trace of fatherly gentleness finally appeared on his cold and stern face. He sighed and said:

"Shuang'er, you've misunderstood your mistress."

"Her current situation is... worse than you can imagine."

Hua Qingshuang frowned slightly: "What do you mean?"

Hua Lengyun's gaze was deep as she slowly spoke: "Have you ever heard of... the 'Silver-Haired Old Demon' of the Xuanming Dynasty?"

"The Silver-Haired Demon?" Hua Qingshuang was taken aback. "That legendary silver-haired old man who kills and bleeds every moonlit night? Isn't that just a folk tale?"

"Could it be..." Her expression suddenly turned horrified.

“Knowing too much won’t do you any good…” Hua Lengyun shook her head: “The Thousand Machine Market Grand Event is about to begin, you can go and take a look.”

The Linglang Cave is located inside the Octagonal Pavilion on the main peak.

Ji Mobai bowed and stood inside the building, presenting a jade slip: "Cave Master, Yu Zishan's group has found the approximate location of Lingtai Mountain and is currently meandering along the narrow routes between some forces. It is expected that they will reach the border of Nan Chu Prefecture within two months."

Zhao Wuji took the jade slip, scanned it with his divine sense, and smiled slightly: "Lingtai Mountain is actually hidden in such a miasma valley? That's strange."

"besides."

Ji Mobai handed over another communication talisman, saying, "Disciples such as Lu Yongnian and Lin Qingyao have returned to the cave heaven. They brought back seven kinds of rare spiritual herb seeds during their travels and trades."

Among them, the 'Mysterious Yin Grass' and 'Crimson Flame Vine' are particularly valuable and have been entrusted to the Spirit Plant Hall for cultivation.

Zhao Wuji tapped his fingers lightly on the table: "What about Beiyun Dizhou?"

"Junior Sister Li Nianwei from the Third Squad just sent back a message."

Ji Mobai's expression was solemn. "The Thousand Machine Market will open in two months, but entry requires a payment of three Source Crystals..."

"Three Origin Crystals?" Zhao Wuji's eyes turned cold, and he sneered, "The Wang family certainly knows how to scheme."

The more free something is, the less it is valued.

With this threshold set, most of the poor, independent cultivators who wanted to watch the spectacle were eliminated, leaving only the wealthy and powerful to enter.

But what they can't have will cause a stir, and the independent cultivators will probably try every means to squeeze in.

The reputation of the market has soared, and the commission on transactions is extremely lucrative. The Wang family held such a grand event in this world of declining Dharma, which seemed to consume resources, but in fact, they did not spend a penny. They squeezed the cultivators from all sides dry with just a signboard!

"In this degenerate age, source crystals are more precious than life itself. The Wang family really knows how to make money."

Zhao Wuji sighed and waved his hand.

Ji Mobai solemnly accepted the order and was about to leave when Zhao Wuji suddenly spoke again: "Wait."

"Does the cave master have any further instructions?"

Zhao Wuji gazed at the sea of ​​clouds outside the building, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes: "Let the Spirit Plant Hall prioritize the cultivation of 'Mysterious Yin Grass'..."

The Yin Sha Spring that was moved into the Pot Heaven Space has been cultivated for a long time, but it still cannot condense Yin Marrow.

Without the Yin Marrow, the third Yin Pearl would remain forever undecipherable.

Now, the third Yang Pearl is about to be unlocked.

He planned to try collecting some Yin spiritual materials to see if he could accelerate the catalysis of Yin Sha Spring to produce Yin marrow.

Seeing that Ji Mobai had accepted the order, Zhao Wuji added, "Mobai, I'm going out for a while. I'll leave the affairs of the cave to you and the other elders to manage and share the burden."

Ji Mobai was taken aback. After accepting the order, he bowed and left the main hall, but a strange feeling arose in his heart.

Zhao Wuji's high regard for him was perhaps too much, and there was even a hint that he was grooming him as his successor.

"Am I thinking too much?"

He shook his head inwardly, suppressed his distracting thoughts, and quickly left.

Inside the hall, Zhao Wuji watched Ji Mobai depart, a slight smile playing on his lips.

He truly admired Ji Mobai's talent and abilities.

After experiencing various setbacks, this former senior brother has become more composed and efficient in his work. He is also extremely loyal to the cave, and what is even more remarkable is his sharp and enterprising spirit.

In contrast, his master, Hou Baichang, had been stuck at the Qi Induction Perfection stage for many years and had not yet broken through to the Condensation stage.

Now that he has become the cave master, he has implemented a new policy of opening up the cave world. Naturally, he has not suppressed the other party, and even hinted that the other party can break through quickly.

However, after more than half a year, Hou Baichang still made no progress and had clearly hit a bottleneck.

"If he had a Mind-Concentrating Pill, perhaps this person could still have a chance..."

Zhao Wuji's gaze was deep. "Unfortunately, this kind of elixir is very precious."

Without further thought, he flipped his hand and took out a beast-head mask, putting it on his face.

The grand event at Qianji Market is something I should attend.

This time, however, he cannot appear under the sensitive identity of "Tiannan Patriarch".

The Xuanming Dynasty and the royal family had long kept this name on their records, and the slightest carelessness would alert them.

Fortunately, arrangements had been made in advance at the market.

Several disciples of the Supreme Grotto-Heaven have been lying in wait for many days.

Furthermore, Bai Chengshang, who had undergone a transformation, was secretly providing assistance.

This former supreme cave master has now reshaped his appearance using secret techniques, transforming into an ordinary rogue cultivator, mingling among the cultivators of Thousand Machine Market, awaiting his arrival.
(End of this chapter)