Immortals of the End Times

"Thud!"

The Sword Washing Spring trembled violently, and the silt at the bottom of the spring surged like boiling porridge.

The broken sword struggled wildly under the suppression of the hundred swords.

The turbid yellow sword energy, like a poisonous dragon emerging from the abyss, dyed the surrounding spring water a murky dark gold.

"This aura...this sword, it's like it's choosing me?"

Zhao Wuji's pupils contracted sharply, and the turbid aura within the Blood Fiend Needle Sword surged.

The blood-red sword formed from the core of his divine sense in his sea of ​​consciousness also trembled, as if it shared the same origin as the broken sword, generating a strong attraction.

He narrowed his eyes, made a decision, and suddenly slashed with his sword.

The Frost Soul Flying Sword suddenly split into twenty-four sword lights, outlining the Heavenly Gang Sword Formation in the air.

"Here comes the sword!"

As he activated his sword technique, the main needle sword, imbued with turbid spiritual energy, cascaded down to the bottom of the spring like a silk thread.

Using a sword as a hook, one fishes for the sword.

The broken sword immediately emitted a piercing clang.

The sword's dark yellow patterns shone brightly, causing the three ancient swords surrounding it that were suppressing it to crack.

The entire Sword Washing Spring erupted in chaos.

Hundreds of ancient swords cried out in unison.

The sword array's spiritual patterns coiled like chains, pressing the broken sword back into the depths of the mud.

"Wow!"

Suddenly, the spring water burst open into huge waves, and a sharp sword aura burst out of the water, piercing straight for Zhao Wuji's brow.

The moment he dodged to the side, ancient array patterns suddenly lit up on the ground of the Hundred Herbs Garden, indicating that the self-defense restriction of Jade Balance Island had been triggered!
"Resisting me?"

Zhao Wuji narrowed his eyes and decisively withdrew the sword summoning incantation.

The broken sword beneath the hundred swords fell silent.

But a dull tremor still came from the bottom of the spring, as if a ferocious beast was ramming against a cage.

He gazed thoughtfully at the churning spring water.

This sword contains the turbidity of the Heavenly Dao. It is unknown whose sword it is, yet it was suppressed by the Sword Tomb Formation.

If the sword is forcibly taken, it might trigger a backlash from the entire Big Dipper Sword Formation.
"Refine my sword first! Then take the broken sword!"

Zhao Wuji activated his sword technique, and the Cold Soul Flying Sword returned to its position in an instant. Twenty-four sword lights fell into the Sword Washing Spring like shooting stars.

"Whoosh whoosh!"

The Blood Fiend Needle Sword also split into eighteen scarlet rays, which drilled into the Sword Washing Spring and intertwined and collided with the sword intent of the Hundred Swords.

Zhao Wuji sat cross-legged by the spring, his hands forming a sword incantation on his knees, and a sword aura intertwined with ice crystals and bloodlust appeared around his body.

As the sun rises and the moon sets, the Sword Washing Spring has never found peace.

Whenever the sword intent of the two swords is exhausted under the refinement of the sword intent of the Hundred Swords, the severed sword takes the opportunity to crash and suppress, causing the spring water to tremble incessantly.

On the seventh day at dusk.

The Frost Soul Sword suddenly burst forth with dazzling silver light, and thirty-six ice patterns appeared on its blade—a sign that the magic weapon was in its initial stages of formation!
"The Blood Fiend Needle Sword is not enough"

Zhao Wuji's eyes gleamed, and with a flick of his sword, the Blood Fiend Needle Sword at the bottom of the spring suddenly surged.

The eighteen needle-swords, like evil dragons swallowing the sea, seized the sword intent within the Sword Washing Spring.

Before long, bronze rust patterns gradually condensed on the surface of the needle sword, perfectly devouring and fusing the Heavenly Wound Sword Embroidery that it had previously absorbed.

Time passed, and at dawn on the fifteenth day, a strange change occurred!
"Zheng!!"

The Cold Soul Sword soared into the sky like an ice dragon, its cry causing the sea of ​​clouds over Jade Balance Island to surge.

The number of star patterns on the sword has increased to seventy-two, and each slash carries a three-foot-long frost-covered sword domain.

Almost simultaneously, the Blood Fiend Needle Sword shot out from the bottom of the spring.

The eighteen needles and swords were linked together, transforming into a blood dragon with bronze rust-like scales!
"The magic weapon is complete!"

Zhao Wuji laughed heartily, suddenly stood up, and wielded his two swords as if they were his own arms, swirling them around his body.

The Yin-Yang Bead displays "Swordsmanship: Masterful (2410/3000)".

The process of refining the flying sword into a magical artifact also allowed him to gain a deeper understanding of swordsmanship, and he is now close to breaking through.

"Boom!"

Suddenly, a deafening roar, as if the heavens and earth were collapsing, came from the bottom of the spring.

Taking advantage of the weakened suppression of the hundred swords' spirituality, the severed sword broke through multiple restrictions in one fell swoop.

Half of the sword blade was exposed in the mud, and the turbid yellow sword energy rolled like smoke and clouds, revealing a sword guard shaped like two fish in the shape of Tai Chi Yin and Yang.

"This sword!" Zhao Wuji's gaze sharpened.

"boom!!"

The broken sword suddenly broke free from the suppression of the hundred swords, and the turbid yellow sword energy surged out of the sea like a raging dragon, causing the entire Sword Washing Spring to tremble instantly!

The spring water surged back, transforming into a rain of swords that filled the sky. Hundreds of ancient swords trembled in unison, and the sword array runes around them also trembled.

"It's now!"

A sharp glint flashed in Zhao Wuji's eyes.

The Frost Soul Flying Sword suddenly split into seventy-two star-patterned sword lights, pouring down like a silver river, precisely piercing the weakest point of the sword formation.

That was the point where the three ancient swords that suppressed the core converged. As the sword intent flowed, a fleeting flaw was revealed!

"clang!!"

The sound of metal clashing resounded through the sky, and the three ancient swords flew away in response.

With a clang, the broken sword seized the opportunity to break free from its restraints completely.

The turbid yellow sword energy soared into the sky, actually condensing into a blurry Tai Chi phantom in mid-air, as if it were about to cleave the sky!
"receive!"

Zhao Wuji flicked his sleeve.

The spatial power of the Pot Heaven Technique suddenly erupted.

The space around the broken sword distorted like the surface of water, and before the turbid yellow sword energy could be released, it was forcibly pulled into the Pot Heaven space!

"Rumble--"

The hundred swords are enraged!
Without a target to suppress, the ancient swords went berserk, their sword intent surging out like a tidal wave.

The water from the Sword Washing Spring shot into the sky, the ground cracked, and the rock walls collapsed.

Countless sword energies transformed into solid chains, sweeping towards Zhao Wuji!

"retreat!"

Zhao Wuji's heart skipped a beat. He put two fingers together and pointed them towards his brow. The core of his Ice Sword Divine Thought resonated with the Frost Soul Flying Sword, and his body transformed into sword light.

His figure suddenly transformed into a dazzling sword rainbow and sped away.

Where the sword light passed, the surrounding air was like a piece of silk that had been cut open, leaving behind a trail of ice crystals that lingered for a long time.

This is the ultimate application of sword energy transforming into a rainbow!
"Whoosh!"

The sword light flashed across a thousand feet in an instant.

The chains formed from the sword energy of a hundred swords relentlessly pursued him from behind.

However, the moment it touched the tail flame of the sword rainbow, it was frozen by the Frosty Sword Domain that came with the Cold Soul Sword, and its speed dropped sharply!

At the edge of Yuheng Island, Zhao Wuji's figure reappeared, and in a flash, he rushed out of the island's restrictions.

He turned back to look at the numerous sword energies that had stopped their pursuit, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

"Thank goodness! It seems they won't chase us after we leave Yuheng Island. I just wonder if I'll be driven away if I come back in the future!"

As he pondered, his expression suddenly changed, and he immediately flicked his sleeve, revealing the Pot Heaven Space.

His figure quickly entered the space.

However, once the broken sword entered the space of the Pot Heaven, its turbid yellow sword energy spread out silently, like ink staining clear water.

The turbid aura of calamity did not actively invade, but rather, like some kind of unconscious pollution, it eroded every inch of the walls of the Pot Heaven space.

The originally stable spiritual energy gradually became turbid.

Even space itself was slightly distorted, as if it were being slowly assimilated by some kind of decaying force.

Sensing the anomaly, the Zhenhai Stele, placed at the center of the spiritual materials, trembled slightly, and the inscription of Yu the Great on the stele quietly lit up with a bright blue light.

Nine bronze tripods appeared from the inscription, forming a nine-palace formation suspended in mid-air.

The taotie pattern on the cauldron silently exhaled pure energy, quietly resisting the turbid yellow sword energy.

The turbid yellow mist retreated for a moment as if it had encountered a natural enemy, only to be replenished by the turbid aura of calamity, in an endless cycle.

"The inscription on the Zhenhai Stele is indeed worthy of being the inscription on the Nine Tripods of Yu the Great in the past, and it can even faintly resist the aura of calamity."

When Zhao Wuji entered and saw this scene, he nodded slightly.

"My lord, what's the matter with this broken sword?"

Inside the pavilion not far away, the medicine boy Xiaoyue and Xiaoya both looked terrified.

Zhao Wuji shook his head, "It's alright, you all stay in the attic and don't come out."

"The Heavenly Tribulation... can it actually pollute my Pot Heaven Space?"

He stared at the broken sword, his brows furrowed slightly.

The sword's murky yellow patterns writhed like living things, constantly releasing wisps of calamity-inducing energy.

These auras weren't directed at him, but rather spread instinctively.

It seemed as if it wanted to assimilate the entire universe, making it a part of the calamity.

"Since you have chosen me, then I shall devour you!"

A glint flashed in his eyes, and with a flick of his sleeve, the Blood Fiend Needle Sword appeared.

The blood sword-shaped core of divine consciousness within his sea of ​​consciousness suddenly erupted.

The power of calamity transformed into a blood sword, which merged into the Blood Fiend Needle Sword and fiercely slashed at the broken sword!
"boom!!"

The sword's edge did not sever the blade; instead, it devoured the chaotic energy emanating from the sword like a whale swallowing its prey.

The turbid yellow energy flowed like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea, and was completely absorbed by the Blood Fiend Needle Sword and Zhao Wuji's Blood Sword Divine Sense Core, merging into his Calamity Turbid Aura.

"Um?!"

He suddenly realized something was wrong.

This turbid energy of calamity was even purer than ordinary heavenly calamity power, and even faintly contained some ancient Daoist charm!

"Something's not right... the origin of this broken sword..."

With a thought, he made a hand seal and used his sword control technique to manipulate the broken sword.

The broken sword rang out, and the murky yellow patterns on its blade slowly faded, revealing the ancient seal script hidden beneath.

"True Martial"!
"The True Martial Sword?!"

Zhao Wuji's pupils constricted sharply, his heart filled with shock and disbelief. "Could it be the Zhenwu Sword, the sword of Master Zhang of Wudang? How could it be broken? How could it be here?!"

Legend has it that the Zhenwu Sword is a supreme treasure of Taoism, and it once accompanied Master Zhang to slay demons and suppress evil spirits.

But now, it has broken here, and is suppressed by a hundred swords at the bottom of the Sword Tomb and Sword Washing Spring. It has even been tainted by the turbidity of the Heavenly Dao and has become a decaying artifact!

At this moment, the two characters "Zhenwu" on the sword suddenly burst forth with dazzling clear light, which temporarily suppressed the spread of the turbid yellow patterns.

"Incredible... If this sword is truly the True Martial Sword, then what exactly happened back then that caused it to fall to this state?"

Zhao Wuji stared at the broken sword, his mind churning with thoughts.

The Zhenwu Sword was originally meant to be a weapon of utmost righteousness and yang.

Now, however, it has been corrupted by the calamities of Heaven, and even unconsciously releases the power of decay.

If he hadn't been burdened with the turbid energy of calamity, he himself would probably have been corrupted by this power.

"Since this sword has chosen me, I will refine it!"

Without further hesitation, he unleashed his Blood Fiend Needle Sword like a peacock spreading its tail feathers.

With a sudden twist, it devoured all the remaining turbid energy of calamity on the broken sword. The turbid yellow patterns on the sword gradually dimmed, and finally it fell into complete silence, with no trace of its aura escaping.

However, Zhao Wuji clearly sensed that the turbid aura accumulated in the core of the Blood Sword Divine Thought was already too much.

In particular, this turbid yellow energy that had not been purified by the Yang Pearl was ancient and sinister, like a malignant sore clinging to the bone, stirring restlessly within the core of the Blood Sword's divine sense.

"We must perfect the second Yang Pearl as soon as possible, and then purify it with the Yang Pearl."

Zhao Wuji looked at the second Yang Pearl, which was only missing a little over five hundred strands of Yang energy to be perfect.

"Just throw in a dozen or so source crystals and you'll be satisfied."

He was certain in his heart.

The space of the Pot Heaven has now returned to calm.

But Zhao Wuji remained uneasy for a long time.

"A swordsman's sword breaks and he breaks; although Master Zhang is not a swordsman, his True Martial Sword breaks... Is Master Zhang still alive?"

Why was this sword suppressed in the Sword Tomb?

He had a vague feeling that he had touched upon some long-forgotten secret.

And this broken sword might just be the key to unlocking the mystery...

"The Art of Marrying Dreams!"

After pondering for a moment, Zhao Wuji immediately made a hand seal and used his masterful Dream Marriage Technique.

Using a broken sword as a clue, Zhou Gong interprets dreams.

next moment.

His thoughts seemed to have fallen into a chaotic, turbid current.

The surrounding scenery was distorted and broken, as if ancient memories, eroded by some decaying force, were awakening and gradually forming a dream.

In the dream world, the world is collapsing.

The sky cracked open like a spiderweb, and spiritual energy flowed away like a flood breaking through a dam.
Mountains wither and rivers dry up.

A powerful cultivator roared angrily at the sky in despair. His nascent soul, which was radiating light, was like a candle flickering in the wind, wailing as it dissipated along with the depletion of spiritual energy.

On a mountaintop, the phantom image of Tai Chi symbol flashed by.

A majestic figure, shaped like a tortoise and a crane, stepped into the void, soaring into the sky against the dissipating torrent of spiritual energy. He held the True Martial Sword, its blade entwined with the phantom of a tortoise and a snake, while the yin and yang energies coiled around it like a dragon.

"cut!"

A flash of sword light appeared, and heaven and earth were instantly separated!
The interplay of illusory and real Tai Chi sword energy tore through the sky, and as Yin and Yang rotated, they carved out ravines in the firmament.

That figure, treading on a river of sword energy, fearlessly charged towards the source of the depleted spiritual energy in the heavens.

"This is...Master Zhang?" Zhao Wuji was shocked.

The dream trembled violently at this moment, the images like torn silk scrolls, fragmented and blurry.
The figure finally broke through the nine layers of heavenly barrier, but suddenly froze.
Beyond the nine heavens, there seemed to be an indescribable "thing" floating in the air, its ferocious maw gazing down upon the human world below.

It has no fixed shape; its body is like a rolling, turbid yellow sea of ​​clouds, stretching for tens of thousands of miles.

Each wriggling movement was accompanied by a violent loss of spiritual energy.

It resembles a greedy glutton, or some kind of "living creature" beyond comprehension, as if it is feeding on the entire world.

Zhao Wuji's mind jolted, and he felt a terrifying voice and shadow fill his mind, and his dream was about to completely collapse.

He forced himself to maintain the dream state.

At this moment, the perspective in the dream begins to distort, as if the very existence of that "thing" is a form of pollution.

The figure roared, and the Zhenwu Sword, which was wrapped around a tortoise and snake, flew out. Like a dragon tortoise opening its mouth to subdue demons, it burst out with unprecedented light and slashed out!
"Qiang!!"

The sword light tore through the murky yellow sea of ​​clouds, but only for a fleeting moment...

The sword breaks!

The broken blade spun as it fell into nothingness.

And from the rift in the sea of ​​clouds that had been cleaved open, an even more terrifying sight was revealed.
A series of powerful yet blurry figures surrounded a mysterious medicine furnace.

The medicine furnace was ancient and simple, with eighteen points of light floating inside, flickering like stars.

Those figures were blurry and indistinct, yet they exuded an aura that sent shivers down the spines of the dream world, as if they were the true "Spirit Eaters" who controlled everything.

The scene abruptly ends here, the dream shattering like a mirror.
"Medicine furnace!!"

Zhao Wuji suddenly woke up from his dream, his fingers snapping open as he made a hand seal. Cold sweat soaked his back, and his eyes were filled with fear.

The broken sword trembled slightly within the space of the pot-shaped heaven.

The murky yellow patterns on the sword shimmered like breathing, as if responding to the shattered past.

药炉
He actually saw the medicine furnace from before he transmigrated again (Chapter 1).

I saw eighteen points of light inside the medicine furnace, representing the Nine Yin and Nine Yang Pearls.

Zhao Wuji felt as if he had been struck by lightning.

Suddenly, I recalled the eighteen mysterious points of light I had seen in the Yin-Yang Strategy when I was studying the True Explanation of Talismans.

"Could it be that Master Zhang—" his pupils shrank back then, "...saw the Nine Yin Nine Yang Pearls high in the heavens?!"

He was deeply shocked.

Even now, thinking back on it, I still feel a chill run down my spine, as if there are eyes watching me from the heavens above.

However, after a moment, he calmed down.

He already possessed the Nine Yin Nine Yang Pearls.

He had even awakened and used the Yin-Yang Pearl four times, stealing lifespan from the heavens, which seemed to have provoked an existence akin to the 'Heavenly Dao', and tainted him with the aura of calamity and turbidity.

However, with the purification of the Yang Pearl, the so-called karma was purified into the turbid aura of calamity, which he used for his own purposes, and it never attracted the attention of any more terrifying beings.

"The Nine Yin Nine Yang Pearls may have some effect in shielding heavenly secrets. Those terrifying beings may have once possessed these pearls. If they are all alive now, they may still be searching for them; if they no longer exist..."

Zhao Wuji felt a sense of unease and heaviness in his heart. Recalling the dream he had just witnessed, he thought, "This pearl and those terrifying things in the heavens seem to be related to the truth behind the depletion of spiritual energy."

If the depletion of spiritual energy is caused by human intervention, or by some terrifying and powerful monster, then this world has become a prison.

What use is the longevity bestowed by the Yin-Yang Beads?
In the end, when the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is depleted, no matter how high one's cultivation level is, they will all die like stranded fish and shrimp.

Unless a stronger being emerges, capable of breaking all of this.

But even Master Zhang failed in the past, and now the True Martial Broken Sword is in his hands.
As Zhao Wuji was feeling dejected, suddenly the Ice Sword Divine Sense Core and the Halberd-shaped Divine Sense Core resonated simultaneously within his sea of ​​consciousness.

He suddenly came to his senses and realized that his thinking was wrong and that he was starting to go astray.

Upon further observation within the sea of ​​consciousness, it became clear that the core of the Blood Sword Divine Thought was releasing a turbid aura, seemingly attempting to corrupt the sea of ​​consciousness.

"The ancient calamity I just absorbed is actually influencing and corrupting me?"

Zhao Wuji narrowed his eyes, and with a cold snort, the Nine Yin Nine Yang Pearls in his sea of ​​consciousness shone brightly, dispelling the turbid yellow aura.

Since he dared to absorb the calamity and turbidity, he was confident in controlling and refining it; the Yin-Yang Pearl was his reliance.

At this moment, he regained his spirits.

Even in the degenerate age of Dharma, as long as he possesses the Nine Yin Nine Yang Pearls, a supreme treasure coveted by many terrifying beings, he will surely reach the other shore and even resolve the depletion of spiritual energy in this world.

But becoming stronger requires resources.

He needs more resources.

"From now on, my plundering and collecting of resources will no longer be simply for the purpose of becoming stronger, but to enrich the Nine Yin Nine Yang Pearls and learn the Seventy-Two Arts."

Zhao Wuji pondered with a solemn expression, "Until I have the ability to go to the Nine Heavens and see if I can completely resolve the depletion of spiritual energy."

He already had a plan in mind.

Everything he had just seen in the dream interpretation made him realize that simply becoming stronger or prolonging his lifespan was also a futile endeavor.

The only way to resolve this calamity in the future is to try to utilize the Nine Yin Nine Yang Pearls.

Otherwise, even someone as powerful as Master Zhang would have met the end of having his True Martial Sword broken.

Even if he cultivates to the Nascent Soul stage, his lifespan will be very long.

If we cannot unravel the ultimate mystery of the Nine Yin Nine Yang Pearls and resolve the calamity of spiritual energy depletion, we are nothing more than a whale that is about to run aground at any moment.

"The plundering of numerous resources is not only for the sake of longevity."

"Refining the true meaning of all laws, seeking only the path to breaking through calamity."

Without hesitation, Zhao Wuji patted his storage bag and quickly took out more than ten source crystals.

As more than ten source crystals were consumed, more than five hundred strands of yin and yang energy were added to the Yin-Yang Pearl.

The last bit of yang energy missing from the second yang bead was filled.

The moment the Yang Pearl reached its perfect state, Zhao Wuji's sea of ​​consciousness trembled violently.

Two pieces of yang marrow, like flowing red gold and fire, surged out from the yin-yang pearl and transformed into two fiery dragons in the meridians.

The dragon's head, holding a dazzling golden light, entered the Baihui acupoint and shone into the Tianling acupoint, instantly illuminating all 365 major acupoints on the body.

"Yin and Yang defy fate, the great sun shines brightly!"

Zhao Wuji formed the Meridian Seal with his hands, and densely packed Yang Pearl Crimson Gold Dao Patterns appeared on his body.

The turbid yellow tribulation energy accumulated within the core of the Blood Sword Divine Thought was now being rapidly purified, like snow meeting the blazing sun, emitting a hissing sound as it burned within the Yang Marrow Golden Flame.

"Refining!"

His eyes snapped open, and a phantom image of a yin-yang bead, resembling a yin-yang fish, appeared in his pupils.

The blood-fiend spiritual power of the martial arts immortal transformed into a furnace, absorbing all the purified calamity and turbidity.

Golden starlight gradually emerged from the originally dark red blood aura, like fireworks exploding in the night sky.

“Crack, crack!”

The bones cracked like thunder.

Zhao Wuji was shocked to find that his life force was surging, his flesh and bones were being reshaped, and he was expelling dirt, blood clots and dark red foul air.

The subtle connection to the calamity that still lingered in the darkness has now completely dissipated.

Perhaps it will only return when the second Yin Pearl is perfected.

Within his dantian, the blood-fiend spiritual energy surged after devouring the turbid aura of calamity, rising like beacon fires and smoke.

Like a volcanic eruption, the blood-red spiritual energy burst forth from every pore of his body, creating a blood-red storm in the quiet room.

Eighteen dragon patterns suddenly appeared on his bare upper body, and his muscles, like steel cables tightening, produced a metallic clanging sound.

The scabs that had formed on the skin's surface peeled off in a rustling sound, revealing the pale gold texture beneath with a metallic sheen.

"Blood Fiend level eleven. No, still breaking through!"

Feeling the surging, volcanic blood energy within his body, Zhao Wuji's pupils constricted sharply.

Upon internal observation, one could see that the surging blood-fiend spiritual energy in the meridians had transformed into a mercury-like substance, each drop weighing as much as a thousand pounds.

The blood vortex that had been lodged in the dantian suddenly split off on its own, transforming into nine small tornadoes that surged along the eight extraordinary meridians.

"Kaka!"

The explosions were like thunderclaps.

The body of the Martial Immortal underwent a qualitative change under the cleansing of Yang Marrow, with the spine growing taller and taller, eventually condensing into a phantom golden dragon shadow behind him.

The blood-fiend spiritual energy and the purified calamity-turbid energy merged together, gradually condensing into the prototype of a blood-red vortex the size of a quail egg in the dantian.

"Condensed evil energy into liquid?!"

Zhao Wuji was deeply shaken.

This is clearly a sign that one is about to reach the twelfth level of Blood Fiend—the intention to compress Blood Fiend spiritual energy into a liquid rudiment.

With every gesture, he can unleash astonishing bloodthirsty spiritual energy.

Although the Blood Fiend Vortex was not yet fully formed, the immense power it contained gave him the illusion that he could tear apart a magical artifact with his bare hands.

"Boom!!"

However, at this moment, the Blood Fiend Tornado within his body suddenly went out of control.

Nine torrents of spiritual energy collided violently in the meridians, causing spiderweb-like bloodstains to erupt under the skin.

Zhao Wuji let out a muffled groan, blood suddenly gushing from every pore of his body. The muscles in his arms bulged as if inflated, and bluish-purple veins stood out, as if he were about to explode and die at any moment.
(End of this chapter)