Immortals of the End Times

Inside the Linglang Cave Heaven, in the sleeping quarters of Crimson Flame Peak.

The wispy mist swirled across the blazing stone bed.

Yan Lan's half-undone red robe was piled up at her waist, and the eighteen golden needles on her snowy back trembled slightly with her breath, the residual spiritual power at the needle ends swaying like phoenix feathers.

"Senior Uncle, I'm about to begin. Pay attention to the subtle sensations within your body and try to sense the location of the portal."

Having returned from the Seven Clouds Sect, Zhao Wuji changed out of his Tiannan Patriarch attire and stood behind Yan Lan, his expression solemn.

"Okay! Go ahead and do it, I'll try my best to cooperate."

As Zhao Wuji manipulated the golden needles, Yan Lan immediately let out a soft 'humph' and arched her back, with streaks of spiritual energy spreading from her tailbone to the back of her neck.

Zhao Wuji held the twelfth golden needle between his fingers, the tip of which hovered three inches above Yan Lan's Dazhui acupoint.

He then performed a guiding technique by making hand seals, drawing upon the starlight falling from the Heavenly Pot.

"Master, prepare to calm your mind."

Zhao Wuji's voice was deep, "Now begin to visualize the Dao patterns of the 'Inner Landscape Refining Spirit Technique,' and silently recite 'The Mysterious Female is the Root of Heaven and Earth.'"

Yan Lan endured the stimulation of her spiritual energy swirling like tangled hemp within her body, biting down on a stray strand of hair, as information about the Inner Realm Refining Spirit Technique surfaced in her mind.

The outline of a giant gate faintly appeared; it was the Gate of the Mysterious Female.

This portal was more than ten times blurrier than when Zhao Wuji had sensed it.

However, Yan Lan was still pleasantly surprised to sense the blurry portal.

"Nephew, I've got it! I've got it, quick!"

She quickly focused her consciousness, and the core of her divine sense transformed into a phantom of a crimson phoenix, crashing into the void deep within her dantian.

"boom!"

A muffled thud from the impact of divine sense erupted within the dantian.

Yan Lan groaned, beads of sweat rolling down her shoulder blades and dripping onto the blazing sunstone with a hissing sound.

However, the blurry door was only cracked open by a hairline.

The wisp of ancient spiritual energy that leaked out was instantly assimilated and absorbed by the spiritual energy in the dantian, and it was still difficult to condense into a golden core phantom.

"The strength of their spiritual sense has decreased significantly!"

Zhao Wuji's eyes suddenly narrowed, a blood-red moon swirling within them, revealing double pupils.

The golden needles at his fingertips hummed and vibrated, and a golden glint burst forth from the needle's tip.

"Come again!"

He gave a low shout, and his technique changed drastically. His five fingers moved like plucking flowers and brushing willows, and the golden needle drew mysterious trajectories in the air.

The needle tip gathered a point of guiding starlight and suddenly pierced Yan Lan's "Lingtai" acupoint in the back of his heart.

The phoenix nodded!

The needle tip penetrated three inches into the flesh, and the needle tail trembled slightly like a phoenix feather swaying, spreading out a circle of crimson gold light.

"Ugh!!"

Yan Lan's delicate body trembled violently, fine beads of sweat appeared on her snowy back, and a suppressed groan escaped from her red lips.

"Continue! I will use my family's acupuncture techniques to stimulate all the acupoints in your body, temporarily boosting your spiritual awareness!"

Zhao Wuji's fingers moved with lightning speed, striking seven acupoints on her head, including Baihui and Qianding.

Each needle contains the guiding power of the stars, combined with the Zhou Tian acupuncture technique, and the needle ends are connected to form the shape of the Big Dipper.

The last needle was suddenly placed three inches above the "Shen Ting" acupoint.

The needle tip emitted a cold glint, like a phoenix's beak holding cinnabar, poised to strike.

"Master Uncle, concentrate!"

With a soft shout, the suspended needle suddenly pierced down!

"Come on! Uh!"

Yan Lan tilted her head back and uttered a long sigh, her crimson eyes suddenly widening as if struck by lightning.

The acupuncture needles stimulated all the potential within her body, causing her consciousness to suddenly explode with thousands of golden and red sparks, surging violently.

It was like a raging fire phoenix crashing fiercely against the Gate of the Mysterious Female.

boom! !

The outline of the Gate of Mysterious Female trembled violently deep within his dantian, and a ray of chaotic spiritual light shot out from the crack in the gate.

"It's now!"

Zhao Wuji fiddled with the golden needles continuously, shouting, "Break through the gate with all your might!"

"Crack!"

The moment the door slammed open, three strands of ancient spiritual energy, like dragons entering the sea, surged into Yan Lan's dantian.

Yan Lan suddenly heard a soft "whoosh" sound from within her dantian.

Those three strands of spiritual energy actually mixed with her concentrated and perfected spiritual energy, gradually condensing into a crimson-gold pill no bigger than a sesame seed!
All the spiritual patterns around her body lit up.

As the robes trembled, a phoenix spreading its wings and crimson-gold Dao patterns appeared on a patch of snow-white skin.

"Uh-huh."

Yan Lan was breathing heavily, her phoenix eyes blazing with fire.

Suddenly, she grabbed Zhao Wuji's wrist, her red-stained nails digging almost into his flesh, and exclaimed with delight, "Good nephew, your master has finally got one! Your master has finally got a golden core!"

Overjoyed, she was so engrossed in her own world that she didn't even notice her half-undone robe slipping off her shoulder.

Her snow-white skin immediately glowed with a luminous sheen under the candlelight, almost fully revealed to Zhao Wuji.

Zhao Wuji withdrew the silver needle between his fingers, and his double pupils flashed with a dark light, clearly seeing the illusory image of the golden core the size of a sesame seed in Yan Lan's dantian.

Although it is more than ten times smaller than when it was first formed, it has already begun to take shape.

Even the hazy, ethereal image of an inner secret realm faintly appears.

But the next moment.
His pupils contracted sharply, his double pupils vanished instantly, and he froze on the spot as if struck by lightning, even his breathing stopped.

"ah!"

Yan Lan suddenly woke up with a start, hurriedly wrapped her arms around her chest, and turned around, bringing with her a fragrant breeze.

Her ears turned bright red, and she gently bit her lip, scolding, "You nephew!"

"Ahem! Please forgive me, Senior Master!"

Zhao Wuji rolled up his sleeves, and a red robe wrapped around Yan Lan's body like a cloud.

He opened his mouth awkwardly: "Doctors have the heart of parents."

"Shut up!" Yan Lan snapped, her eyes flashing with a hint of reproach. "Stop trying to fool your senior master with these high-sounding words!"

Seeing that Yan Lan was embarrassed but not truly angry, Zhao Wuji felt relieved and immediately bowed with a smile: "In any case, congratulations on the initial formation of the Lesser Golden Core, Master Uncle! The Great Dao is within reach!"

"It's easy to conquer a city, but difficult to defend it. After all, there are no good spiritual veins in the Linglang Cave Heaven. It will be very difficult for my master to protect this little golden core in the future."

"What should we do?"

Upon hearing this, Yan Lan immediately forgot her earlier embarrassment and hurriedly asked, her beautiful eyes filled with worry.

"It doesn't matter!"

Zhao Wuji's lips curled slightly, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes: "If there are no spiritual veins, we'll borrow the ancient spiritual energy within the mysterious land behind the Gate of the Mysterious Female! However..."

He paused for a moment: "You will need to sense and open the Gate of Mysterious Female yourself in the future."

After saying that, he pointed and transmitted the Star Gathering Spirit Array Needle Technique, the Zhou Tian Acupuncture Technique, and the Needle Control Technique into Yan Lan's sea of ​​consciousness.

"With these two methods complementing each other, even if I am not by your side, my master can still perform acupuncture and array formations on his own to sense the Gate of Mysterious Female."

"Then, by briefly strengthening the divine sense with the Zhou Tian acupuncture technique and combining it with the Refining Spirit Technique, the Gate of Mysterious Female can be opened, and ancient spiritual energy can be drawn in to stabilize the Golden Core."

"This"

Upon receiving the message, Yan Lan immediately frowned: "Good nephew, this acupuncture technique is too profound. Even if I knew the method, my skill in administering the acupuncture would never be as exquisite as yours."

Yan Lan received a lot of messages from Zhao Wuji, and immediately frowned. She even forgot her coquettishness when she was being treated with acupuncture.

Although with her natural talent and comprehension, she could indeed manage to perform some acupuncture techniques after learning them, it would be extremely difficult to achieve the exquisite skill of Zhao Wuji's "Phoenix Nodding" and to master the perfect balance of heat and force.

"Senior Uncle...this..." Zhao Wuji looked troubled. "Although I am willing to administer acupuncture to you every day, I am currently burdened with a position in the Wang family."

He sighed softly, "I can stay for a few more days, but if I want to stay in Tiannan for an extended period..."

"Hmph! In the end, you still want to go back to your Flower Peak Master's side!"

Yan Lan's eyes flickered, and she gave him a disgruntled look, feigning resentment. "In that case, why don't you come with me to Beiyun Di Prefecture, Uncle?"

A sly smile played on her lips: "As long as you regularly administer acupuncture to stabilize my master's golden core, it won't be too late for me to return to the Linglang Cave Heaven once I've mastered it myself."

"This..." Zhao Wuji pondered for a long time, the image of the Wang family's controlled servants flashing through his mind.

"I do not care!"

Yan Lan suddenly leaned closer and lightly tapped his chest with her jade-like finger, "Since you were the one who planted the golden core into your master's dantian, you have to take full responsibility!"

"Once your golden core is stable, if I need help, I will certainly do my utmost. But what if this golden core dissipates?"

She deliberately dragged out the last syllable, her red lips parting slightly: "Even if my master wanted to help with your schemes with the Qilin Sword Sect in the Wang family, he would be powerless to do so."

Zhao Wuji pondered for a moment, then finally nodded: "Very well, Master Uncle, you shall come with me to the Wang family. However..."

His eyes flashed. "I'll have Wang Zheng arrange a proper identity for you."

"Wang Zheng?!"

Yan Lan's expression changed drastically as the humiliating memory of being controlled by the bloodline curse surged into her mind. "That arrogant and conceited guy?"

"He is now"

Zhao Wuji blinked and smiled, "He's one of my men."

Yan Lan's pupils contracted slightly. Thinking of the events involving Lan Canghai and Bai Chengshang, she couldn't help but gasp: "Good nephew!"

Her red lips trembled slightly, "Is there anything in this world that you can't do?"

"Ha ha!"

Zhao Wuji laughed loudly, "At least for now, we are helpless against this calamity of the end of Dharma, where spiritual energy is depleted."

He already had a plan in mind: by using Wang Zheng's status as a direct descendant of the Wang family, he would settle his senior master in an outer immortal mountain.

Although it only has a level two spiritual vein, it is far superior to the Linglang Cave Heaven.

More importantly, it's very convenient to administer acupuncture back and forth.

Yan Lan's words are indeed reasonable.

The Wang family's "Seven-Year Plan" will arrive in four years.

If we were to join forces with the Qilin Sword Sect, having an additional Golden Core cultivator would naturally increase our chances of victory.

"That's fine."

Zhao Wuji's eyes flickered slightly. After confirming that Yan Lan was focused on her cultivation, he quietly left Crimson Flame Peak.

The moonlight, like water, illuminated the dazzling array of objects.

He rode the wind and arrived outside the Xuan Kingdom's palace in an instant.

In the Xuan Kingdom's imperial palace, the coiled dragon candlesticks emitted warm flames, casting a hazy golden glow on the empress's profile, which was half-hidden behind the beaded curtain.

Li Shiyu wore a crimson dragon robe that trailed on the ground, and a waist belt with nine phoenixes holding pearls cinched her waist in a breathtaking arc.

Her slender fingers were tapping absently on the mountain of memorials piled up on the table.

His gaze drifted into the distance, his thoughts already wandering to that figure he longed for.

"I once said I wanted to be a bluebird chasing the light and shadow, rather than a canary in a golden cage in the deep palace."

She parted her lips slightly and gave a self-deprecating smile, "Who would have thought that I would still be trapped in these nine-layered palaces in the end?"

"That sword light..." Her eyes dimmed slightly, "...flew further and further away. Senior brother, oh senior brother."

"Who says it's not?"

A clear, melodious voice suddenly swept through the deep palace like a spring breeze.

"No matter how far the sword light flies, it will eventually return to its nest. After all..."

The voice carried a hint of amusement, "There's a little bluebird trapped inside these palace walls."

Li Shiyu's delicate body trembled suddenly, and she abruptly turned her head.
Wow!
Suddenly, the Milky Way poured through the skylight in the palace roof, and the moon's starlight cascaded down like a waterfall.

Zhao Wuji arrived gracefully, stepping on a shimmering silver ribbon. His crane-feather cloak billowed like ink-black clouds, outlining his slender figure in the moonlight.

The moment his toes touched the ground, the candlelight in the entire hall shot up three inches, illuminating his ambiguous smile.

"Snapped!"

The vermilion brush suddenly broke on the table, the crimson ink spreading like blood.

"How dare you, Physician Zhao!"

Empress Li Shiyu's phoenix eyes were frosty, and she suppressed the tears of joy welling up in her eyes. When she parted her lips slightly, she uttered a cold rebuke: "Three years without a word, what is your punishment?"

She gripped the broken vermilion brush tightly between her slender fingers, making a crisp 'crunch' sound: "You should have been castrated long ago and locked up day and night beside this dragon throne!"

"Oh?"

Zhao Wuji raised an eyebrow and placed one hand on his chest in an awkward, unorthodox manner of bowing to a subject: "Your Majesty is so busy with state affairs, yet you still have such refined tastes?"

A smile flickered in his eyes. "Could it be that Your Majesty has not yet tasted the snow frog and lingzhi paste that I presented?"

"Ah"

Li Shiyu slowly rose, her dragon-patterned wide sleeves brushing against the table as she said, "Doctor Zhao, are you considering yourself a tonic as well?"

"Hahaha!"

Before the laughter subsided, Zhao Wuji had already darted forward like a ghost.

With a slender arm, he pulled the empress's slender waist into his embrace, and the two of them fell onto the golden silk cushions of the dragon throne.

"How dare you!" Li Shiyu's phoenix eyes widened, and her jade hand swiftly gripped the vital point on his wrist.

But Zhao Wuji flipped his hand over and placed his fingertips on her snow-white wrist as if plucking a flower.

In an instant, a wisp of spiritual energy, as thin as a spider's thread, probed into the meridians.
Purple mist rises, and primordial yin energy solidifies!
The surging primordial yin energy was several times purer than it had been three years ago, faintly radiating a noble purple glow, flowing like a rainbow through the meridians.

This marks the second stage of the "Nine Revolutions of the Maiden's Record" technique.

"Falling at the ninth level of Qi Refining was as expected."

Zhao Wuji's fingertips still held back the spiritual energy, his eyebrows slightly raised, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

"But the 'Nine Revolutions of the Enchanting Maiden' has already reached the second revolution ahead of schedule?"

Li Shiyu gave a soft snort, and with a kick of her jade foot, swept the pile of memorials on the dragon desk off the table.

She leaned slightly forward, her breath sweet as orchids: "Besides the snow frog and Ganoderma lucidum ointment you sent..."

"And there are also three female officials whom I have carefully trained to practice the 'Mysterious Yin Heart-to-Heart Technique'."

She raised an eyebrow slightly, a hint of smugness in her expression: "What? Has Physician Zhao forgotten?"

Zhao Wuji suddenly understood and nodded with a smile: "I see. Junior Sister has gone to a lot of trouble."

"Junior sister?"

This soft call brought a hint of tenderness to Li Shiyu's eyes, but it was quickly masked by her stubbornness.

She turned her face away and sneered, "But it will take three years to return."

"I am not willing to give you this painstakingly cultivated second-stage virgin yin essence!"

She parted her red lips slightly, her tone bitter: "Anyway... you have Nan Zhixia, the mistress of the cave, and all the beauties in the Linlang Cave Heaven."

"Snapped!"

Zhao Wuji chuckled softly, his fingertips gently stroking Li Shiyu's hair: "Now that I'm back, Your Majesty can no longer be willful."

The dragon throne creaked loudly.

Thunder rumbled outside the window, followed by a sudden downpour.

The muffled, broken groans were drowned out by the raging thunderstorm.
(End of this chapter)