Immortals of the End Times

Zhao Wuji stepped out of the teleportation array and took a deep breath of the air from the Tiannan Secret Realm.

A cool spiritual energy flowed into his lungs, but it made him frown slightly.

"Still the same as always."

He murmured to himself, his gaze sweeping across the vast, desolate mountains and forests around him.

The concentration of spiritual energy here is exactly the same as I remember, yet something is inexplicably missing.

Only after careful consideration did I realize
It's a change in mindset.

When I first entered this place, I was just a minor cultivator at the sixth level of Qi Refining. I felt that the spiritual energy in the secret realm was abundant, far surpassing that of the outside world.

But now that the Golden Core has been formed and his horizons have been broadened, when he feels this thin spiritual energy again, it is like drinking plain water, bland and tasteless.

"It's barely even at the level of a first-grade spiritual vein."

His divine sense spread out like a tide, instantly covering an area of ​​more than 800 miles in radius.

The fallen leaves rustled, and the mountain wind howled.

But they couldn't find that familiar white fox shadow.

"As expected, it's not around here."

Zhao Wuji shook his head slightly, then his figure swayed.

call.
A sudden gust of wind swept through the mountains!

He transformed into a wisp of green smoke, soaring upwards with the wind.

His mastery of wind manipulation had reached a level of perfection; wherever he went, not even a falling leaf was disturbed.

"If one can reach a state of divine mastery."

In the blink of an eye, a realization dawned on my mind.

At that time, it will rise with the wind.

Soaring straight up ninety thousand miles, I travel to the North Sea in the morning and visit Cangwu in the evening!
That is the true realm of carefree freedom!

In a short while, the dried-up spiritual vein riverbed came into view.

Zhao Wuji stood in mid-air, his double pupils suddenly shining with a blood-moon-like light.

Buzz.
With your gaze piercing through the thick layers of rock, the underground landscape is laid bare!
"found it!"

The gnarled and twisted bronze tree trunk, the deeply grooved brain-like patterns, and...
That chilling, one-eyed mastermind!
He was looking at him through the crack in the rock!
The demonic tree's divine sense exploded like thunder, causing the surrounding rock walls to tremble violently.
"Who are you, fellow Daoist! The spiritual energy is about to revive, and the world will be reborn. Resources will be inexhaustible. Why must you fight me, the Spirit-Sucking Ancestor, to the death at this time?!"

"The Spirit-Draining Ancestor? Your reputation is even greater than that of my Tiannan Ancestor."

Zhao Wuji, his black robes fluttering, the blood-red needle sword at his fingertips emitting crimson light, sneered upon hearing this:

"A fight to the death? You think you're worthy!"

His gaze was icy cold as he said in a chilling tone:
"You slaughtered and devoured the brains of all twelve Xuanjia cultivators under my command, and now you've made me the one who opposes you?"

"What? Those cultivators from the Xuanming Dynasty? You're from the Wang family?"

The demon tree's main brain trembled violently, and black blood seeped from the hundreds of shriveled skulls hanging there.

It was filled with astonishment and horror.

This isn't right.

He was fully aware of all the underhanded tricks the Wang family had been up to over the years, but everyone maintained a tacit understanding.

The secret realm will only be open for one month.

Within this month, the corpses of cultivators who die within the secret realm will belong to him.

If any cultivators do not leave within a month, they will also become his prey, and when the secret realm opens again, not even their remains will be found.

"No, these cultivators from the Wang family are indeed strange this time. None of them left in the end, and even after extracting my brain marrow, I couldn't find out much of the reason. Now this person is actually coming to question me for the sake of some ants?!"

"What's even more astonishing is that he seemed to have already figured out where I was hiding? Was that cultivator at the peak of the Qi Condensation stage just testing me?"

The thick roots of the Spirit-Drinking Ancestor wriggled restlessly, and its single eye suddenly darted out a fawning divine sense:
"Fellow Daoist, please calm your anger! I am willing to offer you a Yin-Yang Twin Lotus, as well as the essence of demon blood."

As it spoke, a root curled up the jade box and broke out of the ground. Inside the box, black and white energies intertwined, and the lotus petals swam slowly like yin and yang fish.

Zhao Wuji's gaze narrowed slightly.

"A lotus with yin and yang blossoms on one stem?"

He was naturally familiar with this item, though it was of little use to him now.

However, if Zhixia were to harmonize her Daoist body, it might help Li Shiyu break through the fourth stage of the "Charming Maiden Record".
Seeing that his expression was softening, the demon tree quickly increased the stakes:

"Fellow Daoist, please understand! I devoured cultivators back then to survive in this degenerate age. Now that the prosperous era of spiritual energy revival is about to arrive, I, Ancestor Jiling, swear a blood oath never to harm anyone again!"

A crack appeared in the tree trunk, from which amber-colored sap seeped out, which then condensed into ancient runes in the air.

At the same time, many demonic tree roots sprouted from the shadows.

Zhao Wuji suddenly chuckled, and a flash of his double pupils appeared in his eyes beneath his cloak, instantly seeing through the illusion. With a flick of his sword finger, the Blood Fiend Needle Sword flew out with a 'whoosh' and suddenly pierced the center of the curse rune.

"Bang!" The talisman exploded instantly.

"You're trying to fool me by swearing an oath with the brains of the other people you've devoured?"

His cold gaze fixed directly on the single eye of the mainframe:
"Your brains are full of idiots, you don't look like you're going to repent!"

The rock wall suddenly shattered, and countless roots burst forth like giant pythons!

The demonic tree completely tore off its disguise, its single eye bursting forth with a frenzied, blood-red light:
"If you won't listen to reason, then let's see if your brain marrow is any better!"

"Chucky!"

Countless dragon-like roots tore through the air, carrying a foul-smelling, sticky liquid as they lunged at Zhao Wuji.

Zhao Wuji, his black robes fluttering, was well-prepared; his figure blurred like a ghost as he made hand seals.

The Wind Control Technique activated the wind, and it flashed out from the deathly crevice where roots intertwined.

"Whoosh!"

The Blood Fiend Needle Sword transformed into eighteen scarlet feathers, accompanied by bursts of Calamity and Turbidity Sword Qi.

Wherever the sword energy passed, the roots were corroded as if by strong acid, and grayish-white rotten spots instantly appeared on the surface. Then they all decayed, and before the sap could drip off, it was evaporated into a foul-smelling smoke by the turbid energy.

"A cataclysmic event?!"

The tree demon's main brain trembled violently, its single pupil shrinking to a pinpoint. "Which era are you from, you ancient monster?!"

Zhao Wuji sneered and did not answer, his figure suddenly disappearing under the invisibility spell.

In the next instant, he had approached within three zhang of the tree trunk like a black lightning bolt, and the Blood Fiend Needle Sword split again, pouring down like a torrential rain!

"Buzz!"

Unexpectedly, at this moment, hundreds of hanging, shriveled skulls suddenly trembled in unison, and their nerve vessels burst forth with blinding blood light.

The tree demon roared with a sinister laugh: "Invisibility spell? Too bad, my hundreds of heads won't fall for that!"

"Boom!"

The ground suddenly cracked open, and dozens of bronze roots as thick as water vats burst out of the soil, instantly twisting into a cage.

Zhao Wuji froze, and the moment his black robe was entangled by the roots, the protective armor of the Qi restriction technique on his body shattered with a "crack".

"die!!"

The Spirit-Draining Ancestor roared with murderous intent, his roots fiercely strangling and tearing at the creature, while he secretly laughed triumphantly.

Golden Core cultivators are strong, but most of them are physically weak. How can they compare to the resilience of his tree demon body?

Crunch! !
Under the strangulation of numerous roots, Zhao Wuji's robe instantly shattered, but a clanging sound of metal clashing rang out.

But where the robe was torn, the exposed skin shone with a dark golden luster, and the muscle texture was like that of black iron, without even leaving a white mark!
"What?! What are you doing?!" Ancestor Ji Ling exclaimed in shock.

"You have too many brains, don't you!"

On Zhao Wuji's lowered face, the phantom of King Xiang suddenly opened its eyes!

The double-pupiled blood moon shone brightly, and the Golden Core Perfection Divine Sense, as violent as a tsunami, suddenly erupted.

The void seemed to be struck by an invisible giant hammer, creating visible ripples.

The incredibly violent, fully-developed Golden Core divine sense immediately assaulted the Spirit-Sucking Monster Ancestor, causing him to scream in agony.

"Puff puff!"

Hundreds of skulls bore the brunt of this violent mental attack, exploding one after another like rotten watermelons, their foul-smelling brain matter splattering like rain.

"No!! My head!"

The mainframe's single eye spurted green blood, letting out a heart-wrenching scream: "Aaaaaah!"

Zhao Wuji suddenly made a hand seal and unleashed a powerful technique. The muscles under his robes bulged and exerted force, instantly bursting the roots of his hair.

"Shh!"

The Blood Fiend Needle Sword merged under his sword finger, transforming into a three-zhang-long crimson phoenix shadow, carrying the Blood Fiend Sword Intent into the single eye of the tree demon's main brain!

The instant the sword's edge pierced his pupils, the turbid energy of calamity surged forth like a poisonous dragon entering the sea, frantically eroding along his nerve pathways.

"what!!"

The Spirit-Sucking Ancestor screamed in agony, and the tree demon's trunk cracked open with spiderweb-like patterns, gushing forth green, turbid blood like a waterfall.

However, something strange happened suddenly!

"Shh! Shh! Shh!"

Countless roots suddenly straightened, splitting out like thousands of sharp swords, with each root tip bursting out with a fierce sword light.

In an instant, it transformed into a rain of swords, blocking all of Zhao Wuji's escape routes!
"Sword light differentiation?!"

Zhao Wuji's pupils contracted sharply, his heart filled with horror.

This tree spirit is actually skilled in swordsmanship?!

wrong!

This tree demon must have once devoured a powerful sword cultivator, perhaps even a Golden Core sword cultivator, otherwise it would be impossible for it to master such an exquisite sword light splitting technique!
"Chucky!"

The sword light poured down like a torrential rain, each strike carrying a chilling sword aura. The sheer sharpness of the swords caused Zhao Wuji's skin to sting slightly.

"Such a strong sword intent!"

He dared not be negligent. His figure suddenly blurred, and he pushed his Wind Control Technique to its limit, his whole body shuttling between the gaps in the sword light like a wisp of green smoke.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

The sword flashed past, severing several strands of his hair and leaving several tears in his black robe. Zhao Wuji felt a surge of pressure; this tree demon was hiding far too well!
If he hadn't reacted quickly, he probably would have been injured by the sudden sword light!
"boom!"

His fingertips moved with lightning speed, and the Blood Fiend Needle Sword transformed into a crimson phoenix shadow, fiercely clashing with the sword light that filled the sky!
At the same time, the blue light from the head-continuing technique suddenly intensified.

The illusory head of Xiang Yu on his face suddenly opened its eyes, its double pupils turning like blood moons, and a domineering martial arts intent erupted.

"Come on!"

"Om!!"

The grotesque brain, the size of a house, located in the center of the tree trunk, suddenly trembled violently, and the blood vessels on its surface twisted and bulged like earthworms.

It slowly detached from the tree trunk while entangled in green silk, and the sticky substance stretched out a spiderweb-like network of nerve threads.

"No! That's impossible."

The Spirit-Drinking Ancestor's single eye spun wildly, only to see eighteen scarlet feathers piercing his brain like venomous snakes.

The turbid energy of calamity even began to spread along the blood vessels.

Zhao Wuji's blood moon-like pupils swirled, and his Netherworld Communication Technique, combined with his Talisman Water Technique, transformed into a stream of dark blue light that forcefully invaded the depths of his brain along with the Blood Fiend Needle Sword!
"boom!"

Divine senses cleaved through the chaos like a knife, instantly revealing the scene inside this enormous brain.

But then they saw several vengeful spirits intertwined and tearing at each other like a school of drowning fish. Each spirit was incomplete, yet it exuded a unique and ancient aura.

The largest soul was bluish-gray, a twisted vengeful spirit coiled like a snake in the center of the nerve network.

The surface of the soul was covered with bark-like patterns, and a human-shaped outline could be vaguely seen. It was clearly the original Yin soul of the Spirit-Sucking Monster Ancestor.

"So that's how it is. This Spirit-Sucking Monster Ancestor uses human souls to enter the Demon Tree and survives by borrowing a demon's body!"

The other few were either crimson like flames or dark blue like ice.

They were all remnants of cultivators who had been devoured, and they were still unconsciously gnawing at each other.

Zhao Wuji's eyes were cold and piercing as he flicked his sleeve.

Dozens of Blood King Gu suddenly flew out from his sleeve.

These Gu worms have blood-red royal patterns on their carapaces, and when they open their mouthparts, they reveal fine fangs that drill straight into the joints of the soul along the nerve pathways.

"His!"

The crimson remnant soul was first locked in its throat by the Gu worms, while the azure soul was pierced through the brow by three Blood King Gu.

The gray-blue main soul struggled furiously, but was bound into a cocoon by the head-renewing technique's green hair. Every struggle caused its blood vessels to burst, releasing a foul-smelling fluid.

Zhao Wuji drew his sword, and the calamity-inducing sword energy, like thorns, entangled all the souls.

The light stream, now at its most refined level, transformed into countless fine needles, piercing deep into the memories of the wandering spirits.

"Boom!"

The first fragment of memory exploded: A red-robed cultivator crushed a talisman, only to have his dantian pierced by roots that suddenly stabbed from the ground.

His final attack scorched through the tree bark, and his remnant soul, carrying the aura of flames, was absorbed into the main brain.
The second memory surfaced: a female cultivator in blue robes, her snow-white neck entangled with roots. The instant she detonated her natal jade hairpin with a hand seal, the icy chill froze three roots, yet more nerve threads still dragged them into the crevices of her brain.
"Wow!"

Just then, Zhao Wuji suddenly felt the Yin Pearl in his sea of ​​consciousness tremble violently, and the second set of tadpole-shaped characters on the surface of the pearl began to emit a ghostly light.

"Hmm? It actually triggered a new Earthly Fiend Technique? Could it be..."

Zhao Wuji felt something was amiss, but now was not the time to investigate further.

The blood moon swirled in his eyes, and the Netherworld Technique, combined with the Talisman Water Technique, transformed into a stream of dark blue light, which, along with countless Gu worms, invaded the depths of the Demon Tree's main brain!
"His!"

The vengeful spirit, its throat locked by the Gu worm, let out a mournful howl.

With a flick of his sword, Zhao Wuji unleashed a torrent of soul-binding threads, like thorns, that entangled the twisted and grotesque soul. The flow of light from the Soul-binding Technique transformed into countless fine needles, piercing deep into the depths of the memory.

"Wow!"

The first fragment of memory explodes:

More than 500 years ago, in Zhongzhou, there was the Jingyun Sword Sect.

On the cloud-covered sword-sand platform, a green-clad figure fluttered in the wind.

A young cultivator stood with a sword on his back, his features sharp as sword blades.

"Senior Brother Chu! The Ancient Sword Domain is about to open, and the sect leader orders you to accompany the team into the Sword Domain!"

"Central Plains, the Jingyun Sword Sect, the Ancient Sword Domain?"

Zhao Wuji was astonished.

This script is wrong. How come the memories of the Spirit-Drinking Ancestor are those of disciples of a major sect in the Central Plains?

The second memory resurfaced:
Deep within the Sword Domain, mist surged.

The cultivator surnamed Chu was covered in blood, and tightly clutched a vibrant green spiritual seed in his hand.

Behind him, several cultivators fell beneath the roots of the dragon, their brains splattering, emitting a maniacal, demonic laugh.

"Very well, very well! I, Chu Tianyun, may not be able to obtain the immortal sword and the inheritance, but to obtain this ancient tree seed from the Tiannan Secret Realm is also a great opportunity for me, Chu Tianyun!"

The third memory then emerged.

With the arrival of the Dharma-ending Age, when spiritual energy is depleted, the Jingyun Sword Sect decides to close its mountain.

After decades of sealing off the mountain, the tree trunks of the demon tree that Chu Tianyun had carefully cultivated gradually withered away.

Chu Tianyun himself found it even more difficult to see any hope of achieving Nascent Soul in this hopeless, Dharma-ending Age.

Even with their golden elixir lifespan, they might not be able to survive this Dharma-ending Age, and would die in despair in this age.

He knelt in the heart of the tree, his face withered and ghostly. The golden core in his dantian could no longer even maintain its power and began to degenerate.

This is because there are too many Golden Core cultivators in the sect, a total of seven, and one Nascent Soul ancestor.

Faced with a rapidly deteriorating or even regressing level-five spiritual vein, even Ancestor Jingyun had to immediately devise a plan of retreat.

"The Great Calamity of the End Times... I am not reconciled!"

In the fourth segment of memory:

Chu Tianyun had arrived at the Tiannan Secret Realm. Suddenly, he made a hand seal and used a strange method to refine his Dharma body.

The golden core within his body suddenly flew out and merged into the tree's heart.

Its soul, like a snake, burrowed into the main brain, and hundreds of roots instantly pierced the head of the unconscious cultivator beside it.
"So it turns out he was a Golden Core sword cultivator from Zhongzhou who, in order to avoid the end of the Dharma and prolong his life, transformed himself into this inhuman and ghostly form."
By taking advantage of the longevity of trees and absorbing the spiritual essence and brain marrow of some cultivators, he achieved an alternative form of immortality.

However, this person once possessed the cultivation level of the late Golden Core stage, but has now fallen to the mid-Golden Core stage.

As Zhao Wuji was pondering...

Suddenly, Chu Tianyun's remnant soul let out a howl that was not human, and his soul body twisted violently, revealing sword qi patterns.

"Qiang!"

The remaining sword intent suddenly erupted, severing the limbs of the three Blood King Gu.

Zhao Wuji's double pupils suddenly contracted, and the phantom of Xiang Yu appeared on his face, his domineering martial arts intent crashing down!

"sucker Punch!"

The Netherworld Silk Threads suddenly split into thirty-six strands, like a torrential rain piercing the major acupoints of the Yin Soul's body.

"No! I survived the end of the Dharma era. How can I be manipulated by you? I am Chu Tianyun!! I am Chu Tianyun of the Shocking Sword Sect!!"

Chu Tianyun's remnant soul let out a desperate roar. His soul body was corroded by the calamity and corruption, leaving it riddled with holes. It seemed that after revealing that ugly scene, the pride of being a disciple of the Jingyun Sword Sect in Zhongzhou was instead aroused.

His remnant soul suddenly trembled, and his soul power rapidly dissipated.

"Such a resolute decision is troublesome!"

Zhao Wuji frowned and took the opportunity to activate the Netherworld Connection Technique, causing the opponent's last memory to flood back like a tide.

The map of the Southern Heavenly Realm unfolded in my consciousness, and a golden node was clearly marked deep within the trunk of the demon tree.

The tree spirit seed trembled and resonated with it, revealing the phantom of a tree heart and a jade slip.

"The Spirit Seed Tree Heart, the core of this secret realm?"

Zhao Wuji's eyes suddenly lit up.

Almost simultaneously, Chu Tianyun's remnant soul completely collapsed and dissipated.

The huge, shriveled head immediately began to rot rapidly, emitting a nauseating stench.

Zhao Wuji frowned, and with a wave of his sleeve, hundreds of Blood King Gu flew out from the Pot Heaven space with a "hum," sweeping over like a crimson storm and devouring all the shriveled heads.

The royal markings on the Gu worm's carapace shimmered, and during the process of devouring, they emitted a strange bluish-black luster.

Clearly, these contaminated brains are also a great tonic for them.

As the enormous skull was cleared away, an astonishing scene unfolded.
The trunk of the demon tree, which was originally grotesque and twisted, now emitted a clear and jade-like radiance!
The blood-red veins on the bark have faded, transforming into mysterious ancient runes, faintly shimmering with pure spiritual light.

Even the gnarled roots have shed their bluish-black nodules and become as translucent as warm, lustrous jade.

"This"

Zhao Wuji's double pupils suddenly contracted, and in his blood-moon-like pupils, the shimmering heartwood deep within the tree trunk was instantly reflected.

The heartwood was no bigger than a fist, yet it was as clear as glass, with a spiritual energy flowing within, radiating a peaceful aura that calmed the mind.

Compared to the demonic tree that devoured human brains, this is like a demon in a grotesque way, and a saint in a holy way!

"What a strange tree."

He learned from Chu Tianyun's memories that this demonic tree spirit seed originated from ancient times and had a mysterious origin.

Even after refining the tree heart, it can become the key to gradually gaining control of the entire Tiannan Secret Realm.

However, the state of the demonic tree before him, where holiness and evil coexisted, still made him wary, and he was not in a hurry to refine the tree heart.

"Take a look at this jade slip first."

Zhao Wuji raised his hand and snatched the jade slip that was floating in the tree trunk and the hole in the tree.

The jade slip was pure white, with intricate cloud patterns engraved on its surface, vaguely resembling the runes on the tree trunk.

The instant his divine sense probed in.
"boom!"

Images suddenly flashed through my mind.

In the first picture.

Eighteen points of light floated in the void, arranged according to some mysterious trajectory, and vaguely formed a yin-yang fish pattern!
Each point of light exudes a completely different aura, some as fiery as the sun, others as cold as the shadows.
"This is."

Zhao Wuji was deeply shaken; he was all too familiar with this pattern.
(End of this chapter)