Immortals of the End Times

Above Balong Mountain, the tide of spiritual energy slowly dissipated like the receding tide, revealing the mountain ridge that had been washed clean by the spiritual mist.

As Zhao Wuji followed the others out of the affairs hall, he saw a figure faintly appearing and disappearing in the remaining spiritual light.

His white hair cascaded down like a silver waterfall, and the dark gold cloud patterns on his robes shone brightly amidst the surging spiritual energy.

"Patriarch!" many elders exclaimed.

"It seems that Peak Master Hua has reached the critical point of perfecting the Mind Condensation Realm but has not yet broken through. This is a sign that he is brewing something."

Zhao Wuji narrowed his eyes, sensing the lingering oppressive aura and the much thinner spiritual energy in the air.

Over the past few years, he has taken advantage of repairing the formation to figure out the operating rules of the spiritual veins of Balong Mountain.

The spiritual energy surge just now drained the capacity of at least two level-four spiritual veins for the next three days.

As he was pondering, Wang Wujiang's vast divine sense seemed to come from afar, like a curtain falling from the sky.

A majestic voice resonated in the minds of all the Wang family cultivators: "The Azure Frost Golden Core is imminent, and the spiritual veins of the Six Mountains must be prioritized for its breakthrough."

For the next month or so, you may experience a shortage of spiritual energy for your cultivation; please be patient.

Zhao Wuji looked towards Balong Mountain and saw that the remaining spiritual energy shrouded the peak like a thin veil.

Deep within that secret place, the resonance of the real Xiang Yu's head seemed to grow stronger and stronger, and even the illusory head on his face was faintly burning.

The rain is coming and the wind is all over the building.

Zhao Wuji was secretly alarmed; Peak Master Hua's preparation for breaking through to the next realm was coming too quickly.

He originally planned to wait for Peak Master Hua to come out for some fresh air, then take the opportunity to meet with her privately and capture the guardian elder.

Then, using the art of disguise, he changed his identity and infiltrated the secret location.

In this way, they can both protect the peak master and observe Wang Wujiang's true intentions.

But now that the peak master is about to condense his golden core, Wang Wujiang will definitely be personally overseeing the secret place, and the clan elder may not come out, so there will be no suitable opportunity to take action.

"We can only take it one step at a time. It seems that it may take several days for the peak master to condense his golden core, and it will also be accompanied by a golden core tribulation!"

"Qing Shuang."

On Balong Mountain, in the courtyard of the Hua clan.

Hua Feng stood in the courtyard in a plain white robe. The distant spiritual light made her aged face appear and disappear, and her eyes were filled with worry like a deep pool: "Qing Shuang is about to break through to the Golden Core stage. Wang Wujiang's grand plan is about to be realized."

"When will Leng Yun's preparations be complete?"

She looked up towards the south, towards the border area where Hua Lengyun had been assigned by her family to guard for a long time.

Wang Jiaba, the swordsman Hua Lengyun, is an invincible cultivator who has been cultivated by the Wang family over the years. His reputation is renowned and well-known.

But who knows?
This was nothing more than a sharp sword that Wang Wujiang had carefully nurtured, but now it was carelessly discarded at the border and reduced to a guard dog.

Even more tragically...
Even his daughter, Hua Qingshuang, will follow in his footsteps and become another important piece in the Wang family's game.

"No!" She dug her fingertips into her palms. "My Hua clan must never again be playthings in the hands of the Wang family for generations to come!"

Both she and Hua Lengyun, far away on the border, shared the same burning flame in their hearts:
We must break free from these shackles of fate!
Within the main family's secret realm, Zhan Tong Wang Feiyu, an invincible cultivator from another royal family who had reached the peak of the Nascent Soul realm, clenched his fists until they turned white.

The thunder-patterned halberd lying across the stone table sensed its owner's emotions and emitted a buzzing tremor.

The blood moon in his double pupils spun, reflecting the painting "The Hegemon Carrying the Tripod" on the wall.

This was a gift from his father on his tenth birthday, who once said, "My son should carry on the legacy of King Xiang."

"Why."

Wang Feiyu suddenly flicked his sleeve, and the thunder-patterned halberd pierced the air with a clang, its blade sinking three inches deep into the stone wall. The entire secret chamber trembled and roared under this force.

From the day Hua Qingshuang awakened her double pupil bloodline, her father could no longer tolerate anyone else.

Even though he had already reached the pinnacle of spiritual cultivation eight years ago, even though he had cultivated the Overlord's Double Pupils to its ultimate level...
However, he has never had the opportunity to break through to the Golden Core stage!

"Back then, Hua Lengyun competed with me for resources, causing me to be half a step behind in achieving the Perfection of the Divine Realm."

His fingers clenched so tightly they cracked. "Now even his daughter dares to compete with me?!"

"Tap, tap"

Footsteps suddenly came from outside the stone chamber.

Wang Feiyu's expression turned serious. As he looked up, an elder with a flame mark between his brows bowed and entered, presenting a jade slip with both hands: "Young Master, the Patriarch orders you to attend the ceremony at Balong Mountain in three days."

"Attending a ceremony?!"

His eyes blazed with anger, but it froze the instant his divine sense swept over the jade slip.
The postscript consists of only one line:
"Observe the Golden Elixir Tribulation, comprehend the Golden Elixir Seed, accumulate knowledge and experience, and achieve success even after being the last to act."

Wang Feiyu stared blankly toward Balong Mountain, the blood moon surging in his double pupils gradually calming down.

It turned out that his father wanted him to observe the Golden Core Tribulation and comprehend the mystery of condensing the core, paving the way for his future breakthrough to the Golden Core stage.

The father never forgot this son.

Outside the office, dusk was falling.

As soon as Zhao Wuji stepped out of the palace gate, the communication jade talisman in his sleeve trembled slightly.

He listened quietly, making hand seals. Wang Zheng's voice rang in his mind: "My lord, the patriarch just gave me an order to go to Balong Mountain to witness the Golden Elixir Ceremony in three days."

Besides myself, there were several direct descendants, including Wang Feiyu, and several clan elders.

Zhao Wuji's eyes flickered slightly, but he didn't stop walking; he already had a plan in mind.

"The Flower Peak Master is about to condense his Golden Core, yet Wang Wujiang only summoned a few people to witness the ceremony... It seems there's more to this Golden Core Ceremony than meets the eye."

He pondered for a moment, then replied to Wang Zheng telepathically: "You should agree to this matter. At that time, I will use the Disguise Technique to transform into your appearance and go there. You should go into seclusion in my Sword Rain Pavilion and not show yourself."

"Yes!" Wang Zheng respectfully accepted the order.

Upon returning to Sword Rain Tower, Zhao Wuji waved his sleeve, and the restrictive spiritual light descended like a curtain of water.

He sat cross-legged on the jade couch, his fingertips lightly touching his brow, and the light of the Disguise Technique rippled outwards.

"Buzz!"

In the misty fog, his figure gradually twisted and changed, his black robe transformed into the dark blue outfit that Wang Zheng often wore, and his facial features also changed accordingly.

The scar between his eyebrows, his sinister eyes, and even the slightest wrinkles in the hair tie were all perfectly depicted.

"We need to get a little closer..."

Zhao Wuji flipped his hand and took out a jade bottle, which contained a wisp of blood energy that he had previously extracted from Wang Zheng.

He flicked his finger, and the blood vessels merged with the spiritual light of the Disguise Technique, instantly filling his body with Wang Zheng's unique murderous aura.

In the bronze mirror, "Wang Zheng" sneered, even perfectly replicating the curve of his habitually rolled-up cuffs.

"With this technique concealed, unless Wang Wujiang personally tests it, it will be extremely difficult to detect."

He closed his eyes to regulate his breathing, organizing his plans in his mind.

Three days later, taking advantage of the opportunity to observe the ceremony, one can not only closely observe the details of Peak Master Hua condensing the Golden Core and accumulate experience in dealing with the Golden Core Tribulation, but also glimpse Wang Wujiang's true intentions.

"More importantly... if given the chance, we might be able to get our hands on that King Xiang's head."

Zhao Wuji gently stroked his face. The illusory head of Xiang Yu lay motionless under the cover of the illusion technique, yet it faintly emanated a burning sensation, as if echoing the real head deep within the secret place.

"The ceremony will be held in three days; this is an opportunity..."

With a flick of his sleeve, Zhao Wuji stepped into the Pot Heaven space.

Within the four hundred and seventy-foot-long expanse of heaven and earth, spiritual energy swirled like mist.

"Little girl, fetch some Starry Night Wine," he instructed as he entered the pavilion and sat down.

"Yes, my lord!"

The little maid outside responded crisply, stepping barefoot across the spirit field and carrying a jar of amber-colored spirit wine from the wine cellar.

The surface of the wine is shimmering with silvery light like stars, forming the shape of two fish. It is a fine wine made with the blood of a spirit fish.

Zhao Wuji took the wine jar, tilted his head back, and drank it down. The wine turned into a warm current as it entered his throat, and he began to cultivate with the hangover-relieving stone in his mouth.

He closed his eyes and looked inward. In the inner landscape secret realm of his dantian, the inner landscape golden elixir slowly rotated, and the golden patterns on its surface had solidified as if engraved.

After nearly a year of cultivation, this inner realm golden core has grown to the size of a quail egg.

In addition, the Yin-Yang Pearl showed that his cultivation level had also improved significantly, especially his Martial Immortal Dao cultivation, which had broken through to the late stage of Martial Courage.

[Cultivation Level in Immortal Path: Perfected Spirit Condensation (8111/19999)]

[Martial Immortal Cultivation Level: Late Stage of Martial Courage (112/9999)]

"Four years"

He tapped the wine jar lightly with his fingers, his thoughts churning.

The three tasks assigned by the Qilin Sword Sect.

The investigation into the Hua family's stance and the findings of the Wang family's weak points in their formation, as well as the internal situation of the secret location, have already been completed.

"Of the seven-year plan for the Wang family mentioned by the Qilin Sword Sect, only three years remain. If the Peak Master achieves the Golden Core stage, Wang Wujiang's schemes and intentions should then come to light."

Zhao Wuji tilted his head back and drank the rest of the wine, his eyes flashing with lightning speed.

"The Peak Master's situation will likely become increasingly perilous from now on. What exactly is that old scoundrel Wang Wujiang plotting?"

A thousand guesses swirled in my mind, yet I could not reach a conclusion.

These ancient families, with their lineage spanning thousands of years, are full of tricks and have unfathomable depths of cunning. How could ordinary people possibly fathom their thoughts?
"Wow!"

Zhao Wuji's fingers moved in a series of hand seals, and the portal to the Pot Heaven space behind the illusion array opened in response, making it easier for him to send messages.

In a flash of spiritual light, a sword-shaped jade talisman, its surface smooth and lustrous, fell into the palm of the hand.

He picked up the jade talisman and sent a message to Mo Wenjian of the Qilin Sword Sect:
"Qing Shuang is about to condense her Golden Core, and Wang Wujiang has already mobilized the spiritual veins of the six mountains to help her break through. The Wang family's 'seven-year plan' you mentioned may be launched ahead of schedule. What are the Qilin Sword Sect's countermeasures?"

The jade talisman trembled, and soon Mo Wenjian's divine sense responded, his tone steady: "Wuji, I have already learned of this matter from my spies."

"Rest assured, the spiritual energy revival has not yet arrived. Even if Wang Wujiang has a thousand schemes, he would never launch an attack prematurely. What he is doing now is merely laying the groundwork. This time, this old monster is personally overseeing things, so you must act with extreme caution and avoid rashly contacting the secret realm, lest you alert him."

"it is good!"

Zhao Wuji breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed that it wasn't time to reveal the true intentions yet.

He pondered for a moment and said, "Have you finished refining the two Sword Heart Pills that you promised me last time? These pills will greatly help me improve my cultivation."

The jade talisman flashed with a faint light, and Mo Wenjian's voice sounded slightly helpless: "The main ingredients of the Sword Heart Pill require Sword Fruit from the Sword Tomb and many other precious third and fourth-grade spiritual materials. It is extremely difficult to refine. I finally managed to refine two pills last month, and I was just about to send them to you."

"You delivered it personally?"

Zhao Wuji's eyes flashed, "Isn't it too risky for Elder Mo to come in person?"

Mo Wenjian laughed heartily: "It's alright! I still have the ability to conceal my aura. I can take this opportunity to observe Hua Qingshuang's Golden Core Tribulation from afar."

If spiritual energy recovers in the future, it will serve as valuable experience for breaking through to a higher realm.

He transmitted a topographical map through his divine sense, marking the coordinates of the desolate valley: "At midnight three days from now, I will be waiting for you in the Spiritless Wilderness outside Beiyun Di Prefecture. The spiritual energy there is thin, making it difficult for the Wang family to detect you."

Zhao Wuji noted down the location and said, "Okay, I will be there on time."

"Remember to proceed with caution."

Mo Wenjian gave a final, gentle instruction: "If anything changes, send a message immediately. The entire Qilin Sword Sect is your support."

The magical light of the communication jade talisman went out, and the two severed their connection.

Zhao Wuji put away the sword-shaped jade talisman and closed the Upper Heavenly Gate.

It now appears that the Qilin Sword Sect has made extensive preparations and is not in a hurry; the situation is still under control.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

As dawn broke, Zhao Wuji summoned Wang Zheng to the Sword Rain Tower.

He then made a hand seal, and spiritual light flowed around his body as he used the Disguise Technique to transform into the appearance of Wang Zheng.

Before the bronze mirror, two figures stood facing each other.

One was real, the other fake; even their breath and expressions were exactly the same.

What's even more amazing is that, under Zhao Wuji's deliberate control, even the iconic double pupil on the right eye was perfectly replicated.

"How are you? Do you still look like yourself?"

Suddenly, the fake King Zheng on the left spoke, and even his voice was identical to the real one.

The True King on the right stared wide-eyed, scrutinizing him for a long time before finally exclaiming in admiration, "Your Majesty's supernatural powers are truly unfathomable!"

"Hahaha!" Zhao Wuji laughed loudly, patting Wang Zheng's shoulder heavily. "From now on, you will cultivate in seclusion here. Remember that."

His tone suddenly turned serious, "Without my order, you are not allowed to step out of Sword Rain Tower, let alone touch my share of spiritual energy today."

"My subordinate understands!"

Wang Zheng bowed and accepted the order, watching the figure that looked exactly like him drift away. But a question arose in his heart: If he was not allowed to absorb spiritual energy, how could he talk about seclusion and cultivation?

On second thought, perhaps this was a test from the Lord, who wanted to know the truth about everything. What use was this servant?

Wang Zheng had no choice but to sit cross-legged on the futon, close his eyes and regulate his breathing, pretending to cultivate.

Outside the Sword Rain Tower.

Zhao Wuji rode the wind, his transformed "Wang Zheng" form displaying a cold and stern expression, with a blood-red glint in his right eye's double pupil, and an aura of perfect concentration emanating from his body.

Balong Mountain stands majestically, shrouded in clouds and mist.

Upon seeing his unusual double pupils, all the members of the Wang family he encountered along the way were immediately taken aback and bowed respectfully, saying, "Greetings, cousin!"

Zhao Wuji remained indifferent, holding the token of the Wang family's direct lineage, moving freely among the layers of restrictive formations.

Before long, they arrived at the entrance to the Wang family's secret realm, which was shrouded in a misty spiritual aura.

Here, spiritual mist swirls, and restrictive array patterns cover the mountain walls like a spider web.

"Brother Wang Zheng!"

When the Wang family members on duty saw him, they immediately bowed and paid their respects, their eyes filled with awe.

One of the younger brothers, who was at the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm, stepped forward and respectfully said, "The patriarch has ordered that those who are observing the ceremony must wait here until the secret formation is activated before entering."

Zhao Wuji nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the few people present nearby.

Zhan Tong Wang Feiyu wore a black robe, his double pupils were deep and dark, and his aura was as condensed as an abyss, clearly indicating that he had reached the peak of the Condensation Realm.

Wang Zheng was slightly inferior; although he was also in the late stage of the Condensation Realm, he was not a perfect cultivator.

Both elders had white hair, and one of them had a crimson flame mark branded between his eyebrows.

The other person had a jade talisman hanging from his waist, and his aura was steady, clearly indicating that he had reached the peak of the Concentration Realm.

"It seems that among the Wang family members, only the four of us have reached the Perfection of the Nascent Soul stage..."

"As expected, only a few people were summoned... It is estimated that Wang Wujiang attaches great importance to the matter of Hua Qingshuang condensing the golden core and does not want to cause any unnecessary trouble."

Zhao Wuji thought to himself.

Hua Lengyun was stationed in the field and had not been summoned back, clearly indicating that she was not valued by Wang Wujiang.

Although Wang Zheng was a direct descendant, he had a sinister personality and was not well-liked within the clan. It was already a great favor from the clan head that he was given the opportunity to attend the ceremony.

After exchanging greetings with everyone, he stood still without making a sound, but his divine sense quietly spread out to sense the array fluctuations on the outer perimeter of the secret place.

Suddenly, the array patterns on the mountain wall lit up with a dazzling golden light, and a deep voice came from the depths of the secret place.
"Enter."

Everyone's expression turned solemn.

Wang Feiyu stepped forward first, his expression indifferent, and went straight in.

Wang Zheng followed closely behind, his attitude respectful.

The two elders gestured for Zhao Wuji to go first, clearly showing great respect for this direct descendant.

Zhao Wuji nodded slightly and followed.

The moment he stepped into the secret realm, the illusory Xiang Yu's head on his neck suddenly felt hot, resonating with the real head deep within the secret realm!
"Om!!"

An ancient and domineering aura emanated from the depths, as if a slumbering beast was about to awaken.

Zhao Wuji's eyes flickered slightly, and he thought to himself, "It seems that Peak Master Hua's condensation of the Golden Core might be related to Xiang Yu's head!"

He remained calm and followed the others, but his eyes quietly scanned the surroundings, taking in the layout of the formations and the flow of spiritual energy within the secret place, so that he could explore it again in the future.

The spiritual energy inside the secret place was like a thick paste, so dense that it almost solidified into a substance.

On a high platform in the center, Hua Qingshuang sat cross-legged, surrounded by a spiritual light like an ice lotus, her aura having reached the limit of perfect concentration.

Beside her stood Wang Wujiang, his hands behind his back, his white hair moving without wind, his eyes burning like the blazing sun.

His gaze swept over the people who entered, pausing slightly on "Wang Zheng" and Zhan Tong Wang Feiyu, as if scrutinizing them.

Zhao Wuji felt a slight chill in his heart, but he didn't show it on his face. He respectfully bowed and said, "Greetings, Patriarch."

Wang Wujiang gave a faint "hmm," then raised his hand and waved: "The Azure Frost Golden Elixir is about to be completed. You may observe quietly and do not disturb it."

As soon as he finished speaking, within moments, the dense spiritual energy above this secret place suddenly and rapidly gathered like green frost.

However, at the center where the spiritual energy gathered, there were faint flashes of lightning.

Upon seeing this, Zhao Wuji's eyes widened. He had previously heard that there was a Golden Core Tribulation when breaking through to the Golden Core stage and a Nascent Soul Tribulation when breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage.

Xinghe Daoren also told him that the Golden Core Tribulation is divided into three types: Illusory Heart Tribulation, Intentional Tribulation, and Thunder Tribulation.

The Nascent Soul Tribulation is the simultaneous arrival of three types of calamities, and may even be accompanied by natural disasters and man-made calamities.

He had previously thought that the tribulation would be a sudden, heavenly lightning strike, and Xinghe Daoist hadn't explained it to him in detail, only saying that he didn't want to worry too much and develop a psychological trauma. But now it seems that this is not the case.

The Golden Core Tribulation is a spiritual energy tribulation that occurs when a person's essence, energy, and spirit collide with the abundant spiritual energy gathered from the outside world during a breakthrough in their cultivation realm.

Within the vortex of spiritual energy above Hua Qingshuang's head, purple-gold lightning darted about like snakes.

Each flash caused the array within the secret realm to hum.

The lightning bolts did not fall from the sky, but were formed by the intense friction between the vital energy surging from her body and the spiritual energy from the outside world, like thunder generated by the collision of two torrents.

"I see. The Golden Core is something born after the ultimate sublimation. This time, the tribulation is also an aid in the process of ultimate sublimation. If you overcome it, you will be reborn."

Zhao Wuji looked inward at his own dantian and vaguely understood.

Besides the unusual inner golden elixir.

When a normal cultivator condenses their golden core, they need to compress their entire body's essence, energy, and spirit to the extreme to achieve ultimate sublimation.

Such a heaven-defying act would naturally trigger a backlash from the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

The so-called tribulation of lightning is actually a concrete manifestation of the collision between two extreme energies, one internal and one external.

"boom!"

A bolt of purple-gold lightning, as thick as a thumb, struck down, instantly scorching the white Daoist robe of Hua Qingshuang to a blackened state.

She groaned, blood trickling from the corner of her lips, yet she remained seated cross-legged, a brilliant purple light emanating from her spine.

The lightning was actually enveloped by the surging essence and spirit within her body, and forcefully forced into her dantian, becoming nourishment for refining the golden core.

Wang Wujiang's sleeves billowed, and the secret formation lit up, dispersing all the scattered aftershocks of the lightning tribulation.

He stared intently at Hua Qingshuang, then suddenly shouted, "The tribulation of lightning tempers the pill, and the key is in guiding it! Qingshuang, use your double pupils to guide the lightning, don't try to withstand it head-on!"

Upon hearing this, Hua Qingshuang suddenly opened her eyes, and the blood moon swirled in her pupils.

The next bolt of lightning seemed to be guided, meandering along the path of her gaze before finally and obediently disappearing into her dantian.

Zhao Wuji's right eye quickly developed a double pupil, allowing him to see clearly.

The instant the lightning entered his body, the outline of a nascent core the size of a dragon's eye vaguely appeared in the peak master's dantian, its surface covered with fine lightning patterns.
(End of this chapter)