Immortals of the End Times

More than five years have passed since the spiritual energy revived, and nine years have gone by on the land of Kyushu.

With the revival of spiritual veins and the increasing abundance of resources, many sword disciples and elders of the Qilin Sword Sect have now broken through to the Golden Core stage.

Currently, within the sect, sword disciples such as Su Chen and Liu Fufeng are displaying their brilliance, while elders such as Mo Wenjian and Li Canghai are also making progress in their cultivation, having all entered the early stage of the Golden Core realm.

If we add the First Elder Fang Lingchu, the Third Sword Master Xiao Chenzhou, and the Fourth Sword Master Li Feiyuan, the Qilin Sword Sect now has nine Golden Core cultivators in charge, quite reminiscent of its heyday when spiritual energy was at its peak.

However, among these nine Golden Core cultivators, only Kong Jingxian and Zhao Wuji were able to reach the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm.

"Congratulations, Senior Brother Zhao, on breaking through to the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm!"

As dusk settled, a clear, long laugh echoed from the evening clouds.

But then Xiao Chenzhou arrived, riding on a crimson sword light, his blood-red jade pendant at his waist jingling, followed by several sword servants carrying congratulatory gifts in a line.

"Hahaha! Senior Brother Zhao's breakthrough is truly a great joy for our Qilin Sword Sect! Now is the perfect time to eliminate demons and protect the righteous path!"

Liu Fufeng then arrived gracefully, alone, to deliver his congratulatory gift.

Three crystal-clear, sword-shaped jade pendants flew out from her sleeves and were handed out with both hands, drawing three dazzling streaks of light in the air.

That night, auspicious clouds gathered on Qingyu Peak, and dozens of sword lights arrived one after another.

Elders from various peaks arrived either riding cranes or walking on clouds, showering them with congratulatory gifts.

"I humbly request that you accept this century-old Sword Heart Orchid from me, Zhao Jianzi!"

"I've long heard that Master Zhao is fond of wine. This is my treasured Condensed Ice Glazed Wine, which will help Master Zhao stabilize his cultivation level!"

Zhao Wuji's cave at the summit suddenly became bustling with activity, as cultivators arrived uninvited, chatting and laughing amidst the swirling spiritual energy and the fragrant aroma of spiritual tea.

The gifts sent by the many elders at the Concentration Realm, though not particularly valuable to Zhao Wuji at this point, were nonetheless sincere expressions of goodwill and demonstrated the camaraderie among fellow disciples.

The path to immortality emphasizes reciprocity.

The path of cultivation is not only filled with sword fights; such interactions and exchanges among fellow cultivators are also an indispensable part of the cultivation journey.

Zhao Wuji, dressed in a purple-gold unicorn robe, returned the greetings with a smile, ordered his sword-wielding servant to fetch spirit wine and spirit fruit to entertain them, and discussed the Dao and enjoyed tea with his fellow disciples, having a very pleasant time.

As the moon rose high in the sky, the guests gradually dispersed.

Slightly tipsy, Zhao Wuji dismissed his sword servants and returned to his cave. Suddenly, the communication jade talisman at his waist emitted a radiant glow.

"Ok?"

With a sweep of his divine sense, Hua Qingshuang's familiar, clear and cold voice rang in his mind: "Wuji, the third supreme yang item you requested has been found. Although it is not dragon marrow, it is still a rare solar essence crystal. I wonder if it can be used as a substitute?"

"Solar Crystal?!"

A sharp glint flashed in Zhao Wuji's eyes, and he sobered up instantly.

It's been five years!
Since the revival of spiritual energy, he has been searching for Yang marrow from all directions through various channels, and today he finally sees hope of collecting all three.

In fact, three years ago, at Hua Qingshuang's suggestion, he took two pieces of dragon marrow from the dragon vein of the Xuanming Dynasty.

At that time, there were eight dragon marrows shining brightly in that dragon vein, but he only took two and then stopped.

This is not only because the spiritual veins of the Xuanming Dynasty are closely related to the spiritual veins of the royal family, but also because taking too much of it will delay the royal family's spiritual veins from level four to level five.

Six were left, which corresponded exactly to the bottom line of Wang Wujiang's Six Dragons to the Throne plan, but no more could be taken.

In addition, and most importantly, he had already sensed that the dragon's energy might be poisonous when he took the only piece of dragon marrow from the Yun Kingdom, which was controlled by the Xuanxiao Sect, in his early years.
"It's good that a substitute has been found!"

Zhao Wuji walked to the backyard with his hands behind his back, his gaze falling on the teleportation array that had been set up there.

Over the years, he has come to understand that dragon energy originates from the earth's veins and is born from the same source as spiritual veins.

Forcibly using dragon marrow to continue the spiritual veins would be going against the will of Heaven and would inevitably result in a backlash.

This is why dynasties rise and fall within a span of just over three hundred years, and the depletion of spiritual energy is also a natural cycle.

Therefore, using dragon marrow instead of yang marrow for the absorption of yang pearls may very well leave hidden dangers.

Although no signs have yet appeared, if they were to truly clash with the Heavenly Dao beyond the Nine Heavens in the future, these karmic hindrances from the dragon energy they have acquired would likely manifest as calamities.

Ascending to the heavens to explore the secrets of this world and unravel the root cause of the depletion of spiritual energy in the end times is his long-cherished wish.

For this reason, unless absolutely necessary, he was unwilling to replace Yang marrow with dragon marrow, lest he be burdened with karmic obstacles and face calamities in the future.

"But this time, at least there's hope."

Now that Hua Qingshuang has sent a message, Zhao Wuji has seen hope again.

Otherwise, if forced to, they might really have to steal the Dragon Marrow from the Xuanming Dynasty or some other hostile dynasty.

Otherwise, if the fourth Yang Pearl remains unsealed, and even such a treasure that may involve the secrets of heaven and earth cannot be unlocked, the situation will not be much better.

"Go check on the Sun Crystal. Also, we need to start dealing with the Yang family's problems. Yang Xiong has been quite restless lately."

Zhao Wuji stepped into the teleportation array and activated the array by making hand seals.

"Om!!"

The teleportation array shone brightly, his robes fluttered, and his figure vanished into the array like smoke.

When they reappeared, they were already in the backyard of the Wang family's patriarch on Balong Mountain.

"Wuji, you've come."

A clear, cold voice suddenly rang out, like jade falling into a cold pool.

Hua Qingshuang noticed the commotion immediately.

The figure in pure white arrived in an instant, like a fleeting shadow.

She was still wearing her Moonlit Robe, with an ice silk ribbon binding her slender waist, making her figure even more graceful.

Five years have passed without leaving a trace on her cool and elegant face. A few strands of black hair fall between her delicate nose and cherry lips, adding to her otherworldly beauty.

Upon seeing Zhao Wuji, her star-like eyes suddenly lit up: "You've broken through?"

"The mission has finally been accomplished today."

Zhao Wuji smiled and bowed, "Compared to the Peak Master who broke through four years ago, you've been much slower."

"It's nothing more than the result of accumulating resources in the early years."

Hua Qingshuang gently shook her head, her jade fingers lightly brushing her temples. "My cultivation has been stagnant these past few years. It will take time for me to break through to the late stage of the Golden Core realm. Otherwise, how could the Yang family be allowed to be so arrogant?" "Oh?" Zhao Wuji's sword-like eyebrows furrowed slightly. "What has the Yang family done this time?"

Through the spirit-driving technique imprinted on Yang Su's body, he has been in control of every move of the Yang family over the years.

Knowing that the Yang family was powerless against him, who was in the Qilin Sword Sect, they turned their attention to the Wang family's external businesses.

Hua Qingshuang said, "When we acquired this Sun Essence Crystal, the Supreme Elder Yang Peng of the Yang family interfered and maliciously raised the price, causing Wang Zheng to spend a lot more spirit stones to finally get it."

"Yang Peng?" A cold glint flashed in Zhao Wuji's eyes, and he sneered, "Those old dogs from the Yang family are really persistent. It seems they got wind of this and are deliberately going against me. It seems the lesson of losing his arm last time wasn't profound enough."

"Let's leave those aside for now."

Hua Qingshuang gently raised her slender fingers, and a shimmering light appeared in her palm.

A fiery red crystal appeared, hovering in the palm of the hand, radiating the intense heat of the sun.

The crystal was crystal clear, with golden flames flowing inside. As soon as it appeared, the surrounding temperature rose sharply, and the air distorted and rippled.

"This is the essence of the sun?"

Zhao Wuji's eyes narrowed slightly, and he noticed that golden patterns were faintly visible on the surface of the crystal.

It was exactly the same as the solar essence I sensed outside the Ninth Heaven back then, only more condensed. I wonder if there is any connection between them.

The moment this essence appeared, it caused the Yang Pearl in his sea of ​​consciousness to become violently agitated.

"good."

Hua Qingshuang lightly tapped her fingertip, and the crystal slowly floated to Zhao Wuji's front: "This crystal was obtained at the auction of 'Burning Heaven Pavilion' under the Burning Valley of Tianmeng Prefecture, and it cost fifty-three mid-grade spirit stones."

"Fifty-three mid-grade spirit stones?"

Zhao Wuji's expression hardened.

Since the revival of spiritual energy, the spiritual veins of various sects have been restored, enabling the extraction of more spirit stones.

Source crystals gradually became the currency for trading among Qi-attracting cultivators, and the ancient name of spirit stones was gradually replaced by the new system.

Ordinary first and second-level spiritual veins produce low-grade spirit stones, with only a very small number reaching the middle grade in purity.

Level three or four spiritual veins can yield medium-grade spiritual energy, but only a very small amount of high-grade spiritual energy can produce high-grade spiritual energy.

As for the legendary top-grade spirit stones, only level five and level six spirit veins have a chance of producing them, and even Nascent Soul True Monarchs regard them as treasures.

These fifty-three mid-grade spirit stones, when converted to low-grade spirit stones, amount to five hundred and thirty, a considerable sum!
"This thing."

He grasped the Sun Essence Crystal, feeling the restlessness in his sea of ​​consciousness, and was certain that this thing could also be considered Yang Marrow.

He felt a surge of excitement and looked up at Hua Qingshuang: "Were there more of this item at that auction?"

Hua Qingshuang gently shook her head, her white robes fluttering slightly in the spiritual breeze: "The steward of the Burning Heaven Pavilion stated that this item was obtained by the Burning Valley Sect Master in an extremely dangerous place in the past, and it is suspected to be the essence of a fallen sun from outer space."

The sect leader refined a portion of it into the magical artifact, the Heavenly Fire Amber Shield; this was the only one remaining.

"The sun fell from the sky."

Zhao Wuji stared at the crystal, the leaping golden flames reflected deep within his double pupils, as if he could see the blazing sun burning the soul in the heavens again.

"Could this spiritual material truly be related to the Nine Heavens?"

Zhao Wuji suppressed his guesses, put the Sun Essence Crystal into his storage bag, and turned his gaze to Hua Qingshuang, saying, "In the past five years, while I have been focusing on cultivation, I have also been secretly investigating the Yang family's background."

Now that the Yang family is becoming increasingly arrogant, it's time to teach Yang Xiong a lesson to prevent him from growing even stronger.

Hua Qingshuang's gaze sharpened upon hearing this, and a look of surprise appeared on her snow-white face: "Yang Xiong is, after all, a Nascent Soul True Monarch. Even if you have controlled Yang Su, and with our assistance, I'm afraid..."

As she spoke, she shook her head, "The reason why Yang Xiong has only dared to secretly suppress the Wang family's industrial channels in the past five years, and has never dared to truly break ties, is mostly because he suffered a severe injury from the Heavenly Tribulation when he forcibly broke through to the Nascent Soul stage, and his injuries have not yet healed."

Furthermore, out of fear of your status as the number one swordsman of the Qilin Sword Sect, and for fear of incurring the sect's wrath, they only dared to make small moves.

However, if you choose to retaliate forcefully now, it might provoke this badly wounded old dog, giving him an excuse to act desperately.

"The fact that Yang Xiong has only dared to cause trouble in secret all these years indicates that his injuries have not healed. This is consistent with what I learned from Yang Su. It seems that the Nascent Soul Tribulation is not so simple."

Zhao Wuji's eyes flashed with a cold light, "If this drags on for a few more years, and the spiritual energy fully recovers, this old dog will be even more difficult to deal with once he has recovered from his injuries."

This countermeasure is also a test.

With Yang Su secretly cooperating, they can at least cripple the Yang family.

“The Nascent Soul True Monarch is indeed remarkable. But I have not wasted these five years of secluded cultivation.”

Moreover, we have been devising a plan to counter this hypothetical enemy for quite some time.

A cold glint flashed in Zhao Wuji's eyes, and a sword light seemed to flow deep within his double pupils.

With two of his three Golden Cores already at the mid-stage of cultivation, combined with the profound mysteries of the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiend Techniques.

With the newly acquired skills of summoning wind and rain, cloud and thunder, and the invaluable treasure of Xiang Yu's true head, it's not impossible to give it a shot.

Let that old scoundrel suffer too.

At worst, with two large Heavenly Pots as a retreat and the Qilin Sword Sect as a backer, self-preservation is not a concern.

"Wuji, since you are so confident, then do as you say and start to counterattack. Otherwise, being constantly controlled like this will not be a solution in the end."

Hua Qingshuang's heart trembled slightly, and ripples appeared in her clear, cold eyes.

"Please don't worry, Peak Master."

Zhao Wuji laughed again, "Have you forgotten? We still have a Nascent Soul 'friend'. The Wang family has raised him all these years, they can't have done it for nothing, can they?"

Before he could finish speaking, Xinghe Daoist appeared from outside the door with a wry smile: "Fellow Daoist Tiannan, I have only been cultivating for five years and have barely managed to restore the body of the Thirteen Demon Prince, who was in the middle stage of the Golden Core realm, to the late stage of the Golden Core realm. It is not yet perfect. How can I help you deal with the Nascent Soul True Monarch?"

Zhao Wuji smiled and turned around, his gaze sharp as a sword, looking directly at Xinghe Daoist: "You were once a Nascent Soul True Monarch. To recover to the late Golden Core stage in just five years is enough to demonstrate your ability."

This is less about cultivation and more about restoring strength.

He stood with his hands behind his back and said calmly, "With your cultivation level, plus your past experience in combat and powerful spells, even a Golden Core cultivator at the peak of their cultivation might not be your match."

"Now you're joining forces with me to devise a plan to deal with Yang Xiong, who is still recovering from serious injuries? Are you afraid?"

(End of this chapter)