Immortals of the End Times

The demon king at the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm was indeed incredibly ferocious.

The Purple Locust Demon's body was as hard as cast iron, and ordinary magic weapons could not harm it in the slightest. Only the most yang and powerful thunder and fire could restrain it.

Unfortunately, none of the seven powerful demons controlled by Zhao Wuji understood this technique, and could only tear at the monsters with their claws and teeth.

However, this was enough to deplete some of the Purple Locust Demon King's demonic energy and cause some damage.

After all seven great demons were slaughtered by the Purple Locust Demon King, although the Purple Locust Demon King won, he also lost a lot of demonic energy, and his tree trunk and branches were slightly withered.

Zhao Wuji's eyes suddenly turned cold. Without further hesitation, he pointed his sword into the air and said in a chilling voice:
"break!"

"Whoosh!!"

The Frost Soul Flying Sword responded and shot out, its frost patterns shining brightly. In an instant, it transformed into a dazzling ice rainbow that tore through the sky, displaying its power to shatter all laws with a single sword strike!

"who!?"

The Purple Locust Demon King was startled, and the tree trunk trembled violently. Hundreds of vines danced wildly like giant pythons, instantly weaving together into an impenetrable shield wall.

However.
"Tsk!"

Wherever the sword light passed, those tough vines as thick as giant pythons crumbled like paper, splintering wood as the sharp sword energy hurtled straight toward the Demon King's main trunk!
The sword's momentum did not diminish, piercing deep into the demon king's trunk, but it was firmly blocked by the resilient tree heart after penetrating three zhang.

"Hahaha!"

After his initial shock and anger, the Purple Locust Demon King suddenly relaxed, letting out a deafening laugh as his hundred-foot-tall demon body trembled. "Your magic sword is indeed excellent, but to think you can cleave through my hundred-foot-tall demon body? You're simply delusional!"

"cut!!"

Zhao Wuji's eyes turned cold, and he suddenly activated the Demon-Slaying Technique, causing the sword to burst forth with dazzling golden light.

The Frost Soul Flying Sword cut through the tree trunk like a hot knife through fat, ignoring the demonic energy barrier, and instantly pierced through the tree trunk, which was dozens of feet long.

"What!?"

The demon king was shocked and furious, and hurriedly twisted his body to avoid the vital point in the tree heart.

“The sun is shining!”

Zhao Wuji let out a low shout, his palms suddenly forming a hand seal and then coming together. The Prayer for Clear Skies Technique and the Life-Generating Technique erupted simultaneously, and the spiritual power within his body surged like a river.

"boom!!"

The Prayer for Sunshine and the Light-Generating Spells erupted simultaneously, instantly illuminating the sky with brilliant light like a blazing sun falling to earth.

Blinding golden flames erupted from his body, transforming into a boundless sea of ​​light that completely engulfed the Purple Locust Demon King's hundred-foot-tall demonic body.

Wherever the blazing golden light passed, the evil aura melted away like snow, and the thick branches twisted and cracked in the flames, making a "crackling" sound.

At this moment, Zhao Wuji stood suspended in the void, surrounded by golden flames, his entire being resembling the incarnation of the sun, his dazzling radiance making it impossible for anyone to look directly at him.

From afar, it resembles a day-roaming god roaming the heavens, exuding overwhelming power!

"Ah! No!"

The Purple Locust Demon King let out a heart-wrenching roar.

Countless branches twisted and burned in the flames, and the power of the dark demon soul surged out wildly.

This powerful demonic soul force, like a raging sea, instantly condensed into a hideous locust tree head, carrying overwhelming malevolent energy as it lunged at Zhao Wuji.

"Do whatever you want!"

Zhao Wuji scoffed coldly, a chilling glint suddenly flashing in his eyes.

With a simple hand seal, the Soul-Capturing Technique and the Netherworld Communication Technique erupted simultaneously.

Two eerie beams of light shot from his eyes like venomous dragons emerging from their lair, striking the demon soul's head with tremendous force.

"what!!"

The Purple Locust Demon King let out a shrill, miserable howl.

The demonic soul felt as if it had been torn to pieces, instantly weakening by three-tenths.

In that split second, a crimson light surged deep within Zhao Wuji's pupils.

Two highly concentrated, blinding crimson beams of light, like heavenly fire descending, flashed by in an instant.

It is the Crimson-Eyed Demon King's innate pupil technique!
"Hey!"

The crimson beam of light pierced through the demon king's trunk with overwhelming force, avoiding the vital core of the tree.

Two charred holes the size of bowls were left on its enormous demonic body, from which demonic blood gushed out like a spring.

"Roar!!"

The Purple Locust Demon King twisted in agony, its thousands of branches lashing wildly at the ground, stirring up clouds of dust.

Zhao Wuji would not give it a chance to breathe.

The Soul-Chasing Technique, with its ghostly light like a poisonous dragon emerging from its cave, instantly locked onto the location of the Purple Locust Demon King's soul.

Zhao Wuji's five fingers, like hooks, swooped down and grabbed at the air, his sleeves fluttering as he roared like thunder:
"Soul extraction!"

"No! Fellow Daoist, spare me! Don't take my soul!"

The Purple Locust Demon Soul let out a heart-wrenching roar, its demonic body trembling violently.

But then the eerie light, like chains binding a soul, forcefully pulled a purplish-black soul from the heart of the hundred-foot tree.

"roar!!"

The purple locust demon soul let out a shrill roar, its shadow twisting and struggling violently, its purplish-black malevolent energy surging like a tide, trying to break free of its restraints.

"You audacious fiend, how dare you act so presumptuously here!"

Zhao Wuji's eyes flashed with a cold light, his sword finger pressed down sharply, and he shouted sharply, "Take it away!"

"boom!!"

The exorcism technique suddenly erupted with golden light, like the sun exploding, transforming into layers of netting that covered everything.

The moment the golden light came into contact with the demon soul, plumes of black smoke rose up, accompanied by a hissing sound.

The demonic soul was struck as if by lightning, screaming in agony, unable to cause any further disturbance, and was quickly absorbed into a jade bottle.

The hundred-foot-tall demon tree suddenly seemed to have lost its spine, its thousands of branches drooping helplessly, unable to stir up even the slightest ripple.

"Now that I have many methods, dealing with this demon king in the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm is not difficult. I can completely suppress him, which saves me the trouble of using the Thunderclap Spear."

Zhao Wuji nodded in satisfaction, and with a flick of his sleeves, the power of the Heavenly Pot erupted.

'Kukaka!!'

The entire towering demon tree was uprooted and, amidst the earth-shaking tremors, was taken into the second space within the gourd-shaped heaven.

The lesser demons who rushed over from afar witnessed this scene and were immediately terrified, screaming in terror at the sight.

They all looked in horror at the figure in mid-air, whose body was surrounded by golden arcs, exuding a terrifying and powerful aura.

"time to go!"

Zhao Wuji's eyes narrowed, knowing that this commotion must have alerted the Demon Alliance headquarters hundreds of miles away.

"call!!"

With a flick of his sleeves, the corpses of seven powerful demons fell into his storage bag like shooting stars.

At the same time, with a casual wave of his hand, he took the terrified and stunned demon bird in mid-air into his space.

"Xiaoyu, you all quickly proceed with the plan and attack me!"

Then, the sound transmission was like a sword, directly reaching the ears of Little Jade Fox and Xiong Ba.

Upon hearing this, Xiong Ba was overjoyed. The moment had finally come for this tyrant to show his power.

"Chirp!"

Little Jade Fox's five tails spread like a peacock's tail, and in an instant, fireballs and ice shards shot towards Zhao Wuji.

"You bastard! Give me back the life of King Zihuai! Today, I, the tyrant, will avenge my king!!"

With its wings outstretched, Xiong Ba unleashed a deafening roar, accompanied by a fierce gust of wind, as it charged towards Zhao Wuji with terrifying force. The sight of this caused a flock of horrified female birds in the distance to their eyes to light up.

Zhao Wuji pretended to be injured by the Huai Demon King. He groaned and staggered backward as he was hit by numerous fireballs, ice shards and gales.

With a light touch of his toes, his figure vanished into the void like a bubble, and he quickly disappeared.

"Roar!!"

"General Xiong Ba is mighty!!"

Upon seeing this, all the little demons on the mountain cheered loudly.

The demons who had just been scattering and fleeing now stopped and looked at Little Jade Fox and Xiong Ba with awe.

These lesser demons, who live by drinking blood and eating raw meat, have low cultivation levels and little intelligence, so they cannot see through the clues at all.

"Gah! Ba!"

With its head held high and its wings spread, the tyrant hovered proudly in mid-air, its feathers gleaming black in the sunlight.

However, the cheers had not yet subsided.

A vast and unfathomable nascent soul power suddenly swept in from afar, engulfing the entire valley like a raging sea.

In an instant, the world seemed to freeze.

"Who dares to act recklessly in the territory of the Demon Alliance?!"

"A Nascent Soul Demon Lord!?"

Xiong Ba's feathers instantly bristled, his bird eyes shrank, and he stiffened as if struck by lightning.

It felt an overwhelming and terrifying pressure descend upon it, its demonic power instantly stagnating, and its wings feeling as heavy as lead.

"Gah!!"

It let out a terrified cry and plummeted from mid-air like a kite with a broken string, crashing to the ground with a thud, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The entire valley fell silent instantly.

As if suppressed by the might of heaven, the countless lesser demons prostrated themselves on the ground, trembling and worshipping the source of the oppressive force, not daring to even breathe loudly.

Xiong Ba was limp as mud, his feathers disheveled, looking like a drowned rat, and all traces of his former majesty were gone.

He immediately used his silver tongue to recount the situation of the Golden Core cultivator's attack.

"A Golden Core cultivator has invaded? And even killed the Purple Locust Hall Master?"

The Nascent Soul Demon Lord was furious. His vast divine sense swept across the land like a raging sea, instantly covering thousands of miles of mountains and rivers.

However, to his horror, he could not detect any trace of the enemy cultivators.

It was as if the other party had vanished thousands of miles away in the blink of an eye.

"impossible!"

The demon lord roared furiously, his demonic aura erupting like a volcano.

His true form swiftly flew in from hundreds of miles away and suddenly appeared.

It was a ferocious giant demon, seven or eight zhang tall, covered in jet-black scales, with muscles bulging like a dragon, and a pair of fleshy wings on its back that blotted out the sky.

The spiritual pressure waves it generated during flight shattered all the mounds on the ground, its power was terrifying.

"Get out here right now!"

The Ghost Scale Demon Lord roared fiercely, and with its wings spread out in fury, it transformed into a black lightning bolt, frantically searching within a radius of a thousand miles.

Wherever they went, rocks crumbled and trees were broken, yet they gained nothing.

At this moment, Zhao Wuji was hiding inside the second Heavenly Pot.

The entrance to the space had long since shrunk to the size of a mustard seed, hidden in a crevice in the underground rocks.

He stood with his hands behind his back, observing the outside world through the open entrance, as if separated by a transparent water curtain.

"This Nascent Soul Demon Lord is indeed powerful. His physical strength is probably much stronger than mine. Demons are indeed all powerful in combat."

Zhao Wuji's eyes flickered slightly, and he thought to himself, "Judging from his appearance, he should be the Ghost Scale Demon Lord of the Ghost Scale Sect, one of the Nine Sects of Demons."

The terrifying demonic figure outside was still wreaking havoc, completely unaware that its every move was being watched.
Zhao Wuji observed coldly for a moment, and saw that the Ghost Scale Demon Lord returned to the deep mountains after his fruitless search.

The demons who arrived one after another questioned Little Jade Fox and Xiong Ba, but did not take their anger out on them, which put their minds at ease.

"Now it's up to you to seize this opportunity and climb to a high position in the demon camp. We'll need you in the future!"

With a slight thought, he quietly closed the entrance to the Pot Heaven Space, and in a flash, he disappeared into the Tiannan Secret Realm opposite.

At the same time, the second celestial space also transformed into a mustard seed of dust with a simple hand seal, vanishing into the void without a trace. "The celestial space merged with heaven and earth, like a mustard seed world embedded in the void."

Zhao Wuji stood with his hands behind his back within the Heavenly Chamber, a hint of confidence flashing in his eyes. "The divine sense of an ordinary Nascent Soul True Monarch is simply unable to reach such a spatial barrier."

He estimated that even a powerful expert at the late Nascent Soul stage would not be able to detect the existence of the Pot Heaven Space.

Unless one is a Nascent Soul cultivator about to enter the Divine Transformation realm, they might be able to vaguely sense the spatial fluctuations.

"but."

Zhao Wuji shook his head slightly, "The spiritual energy has only been recovering for ten years now. I'm afraid there isn't such a being on the entire Nine Provinces yet. Perhaps it exists in the Nine Heavens and the Nine Netherworlds."

He pondered to himself that even a former Nascent Soul expert like the Qilin Sword Ancestor might not be able to recover or break through to the Nascent Soul Perfection realm now.

Even if such a being truly exists, he speculated that it would probably only be the reclusive patriarch of the Immortal Saint Sect.

Only the infamous Nine Nether Demon Lord of the Nine Nether Sect, or the contemporary True Venerable of the Western Rong Buddhist Kingdom, could barely maintain this level of cultivation thanks to their strong foundation of qi and spiritual veins.

But these are all just guesses and cannot be confirmed at all.

Zhao Wuji flew across the Pot Heaven Space and stepped into the Tiannan Secret Realm, his gaze sweeping over the corpse of the Purple Locust Demon King lying on the ground.

Although the hundred-foot-tall tree trunk had withered, it still exuded a terrifying demonic aura. The corpses of the seven Great Demons of the Concentration Realm were piled up like small mountains around it, their demonic blood staining the earth and their malevolent energy soaring to the sky.

The demonic bird huddled to one side, its feathers bristling, trembling, its eyes filled with terror.

Zhao Wuji glanced at it and casually waved his hand.

A sword aura flashed like a rainbow, precisely severing a thick, strong leg of a Nascent Soul Great Demon and tossing it toward the demonic bird.

"Here, consider it your errand fee."

The demonic bird was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed. It quickly flapped its wings and caught the bloody demonic leg meat. As it pecked at the meat, demonic power nourished its body, instantly making its demonic aura more solid.

"Thank you so much for your kind gift, sir!"

It immediately lowered its head and spoke in human language to express its gratitude, feeling a great sense of relief.

"From now on, you will stay here and serve me as a servant," Zhao Wuji said calmly.

Upon hearing this, the demon bird felt as if it had been granted a pardon and nodded repeatedly: "Yes! Yes! This little bird is willing to serve you, sir!"

It was secretly delighted. Serving under such a powerful figure was far better than being a lowly scout demon in the Demon Alliance who could be devoured at any moment.

It can be said that it has transformed from a lowly demon into a powerful and orthodox cultivator's mount.

As for being driven?
Where do cattle and horses work? It's not like they're just working.
To be alive, to be able to eat the flesh and blood of a powerful demon, and to be a mount for a strong person—that is already an immense blessing!

Zhao Wuji waved his sleeve to dismiss the demonic bird, and pointed his finger like a sword.

A golden light flashed across the trunk of the purple locust tree, precisely cleaving open the heartwood as hard as iron.

A pure purple demon core leaped into his palm, radiating a rich wood-attribute demonic power.

"A demon core at the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm is just right for refining a new Nine-Turn Yin-Yang Pill."

Zhao Wuji nodded in satisfaction and flipped his hand to put the demon core into his storage bag.

Turning to look at the corpses of those powerful demons, he flicked his sleeve, and several sword energies precisely sliced ​​them apart.

The distinctive features, such as claws and fangs, were collected separately, ready to be taken back to the sect to receive rewards.

The remaining blood was extracted and placed into a specially made wine jar.

"These demon beast meats are of little use to me now, but I can send them to the Heavenly Demon Pavilion."

With a light tap of his finger, he put all the monster meat into his storage bag.

Finally, he took out the jade bottle that sealed the soul of the Purple Locust Demon King.

The instant the bottle opening.

A purplish-black soul shadow struggled to escape, but he grabbed it and swallowed it whole.

"what!!"

The mournful howls of the souls echoed in the Purple Mansion, but Zhao Wuji remained unfazed. His Soul Exorcism Technique, with its golden light like raging fire, refined all the chaotic memories.

Only a few key pieces of information remained in his mind.

"The Demon Palace? Ranked fifth among the nine major demonic forces."

His eyes flickered slightly, and a faint smile appeared on his lips. "Looks like I've offended another big shot. But..."

Brushing the dust off his sleeves, Zhao Wuji stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the vast sky of the secret realm: "Too many debts to worry about, too many lice to itch. Since we're going to slay demons, why should we be afraid of those demon kings?"

Zhao Wuji waved his sleeve.

The enormous tree trunk and corpse of the Purple Locust Demon King crashed heavily in front of the demon tree clone.

"Swallow it."

With a thought, the demon tree clone's branches danced wildly, lunging eagerly at the corpse of the Purple Locust Demon King.

Thick roots coiled upwards like giant pythons, piercing deep into the trunk of the Purple Locust Demon King and frantically drawing upon its wood-elemental demonic power.

"Chucky!"

The bark of the Purple Locust Demon King quickly withered and died, and the immense demonic power surged into the demon tree's body like a river overflowing its banks.

The nascent soul within the tree was also nourished, and its originally weak aura gradually stabilized, even showing a faint tendency to grow stronger.

"It really works!"

Zhao Wuji's eyes flickered slightly as he sensed the spiritual power of the demon tree clone steadily increasing, and its fusion with the nascent soul becoming increasingly close.

At that moment, the fourth Yang Pearl in the sea of ​​consciousness suddenly trembled, and the third set of tadpole-shaped characters shone brightly like stars, with dazzling light that almost penetrated the sea of ​​consciousness.

"The progress in deciphering the clone technique is astonishing!"

Zhao Wuji was secretly delighted. Upon careful sensing, he discovered that the deciphering of the tadpole script was nearly 70% complete, far exceeding the previous slow pace of comprehension.

"As expected, devouring demonic creatures of the same origin not only promotes the growth of the demonic tree, but also accelerates the comprehension of the clone technique!"

He immediately made a hand seal.

He controlled the demon tree clone to devour the corpse of the Purple Locust Demon King, while at the same time he separated a wisp of his divine consciousness and sank it into the Yang Pearl to carefully comprehend the increasingly clear tadpole runes.

"At this rate, the clone technique will be completely deciphered in less than six months!"

Zhao Wuji nodded in satisfaction, then turned and looked up at the Nine Heavens high above the Tiannan Secret Realm.

Since he once ventured through the Bone-Corroding Rainy Day, he has never ventured into the Soul-Splitting Profound Ice Day above.

The Rift Soul Profound Ice Heaven was like a ten-thousand-foot glacier, insurmountable, radiating a bone-chilling cold that seemed to freeze even divine consciousness.

"Soul-Splitting Mystic Ice Heaven..."

His eyes flickered slightly as he thought to himself, "With my current mastery of the Spirit Exorcism Technique and Soul Capture Technique, I am still not enough to resist the extreme cold and soul-splitting power of this heavenly tribulation, let alone the Sunshine Prayer Technique and Light-Generating Technique, which have not yet reached their full potential."

He was confident, but not arrogant.

The Nine Heavenly Tribulations are all extremely dangerous and unpredictable. Even if they are built by powerful beings, they are not simple. A slight mistake can result in severe damage.

"It's not too late to venture into this heaven when you've mastered the arts."

His thoughts shifted, and he thought of the Nine Netherworlds of the states beyond the river.

Legend has it that the Nine Netherworlds are where the turbid energy of heaven and earth converges, the source of demons, the gateway to hell, and the final place where the energy of heaven and earth pours out its filth.

The Nine Netherworlds seem to be the opposite of the Nine Heavens, but they are even more mysterious and unpredictable.

"The creator of the Tiannan Secret Realm only established the Nine Heavens, but not the Nine Netherworlds... Was it due to a lack of ability, or was there another deeper meaning?"

Zhao Wuji frowned slightly, deep in thought.

"Does the Nine Netherworlds, like the Nine Heavens, conceal some kind of secret of heaven and earth? Or is it the true source of the depletion of spiritual energy in the Dharma-ending Age?"

He had a vague premonition that if he could uncover the secrets of the Nine Netherworlds, he might also be able to unravel the fundamental mystery of the Dharma-ending Age.

However, at present, he does not have enough strength to go deep into the states beyond the river, let alone break into the Nine Netherworlds.

"This matter requires further consideration."

He withdrew his gaze, and with a flash, transformed into a streak of sword light and left the Tiannan Secret Realm.

Before long, Zhao Wuji had already returned to the Supreme Grotto Heaven on his sword.

Inside the cave, Nan Zhixia was sitting cross-legged on a jade couch, her body surrounded by spiritual light, clearly in the midst of cultivation.

Sensing his presence, she slowly opened her eyes, a gentle smile appearing in them.

"After more than half a year, you finally decided to come back and see me?"

Zhao Wuji flew into the cave, smiled, stepped forward, and embraced her.

"I just finished taking care of some trivial matters, and I'm here to see you."

Nan Zhixia leaned against his chest, her fingers lightly tracing his clothes, and whispered, "Your aura is like you've just been through a battle? There's a bloody smell on you."

"Indeed, we have killed some demons and are preparing to give you some demon beast materials to sell at the Heavenly Demon Pavilion."

He chuckled softly, his fingers brushing through her hair. "As for you, how's your cultivation progressing?"

"I reached the late stage of Concentration a year ago. With some more time to refine it, I may be able to reach Perfection."

"good."

Zhao Wuji nodded in satisfaction, then took out a jade slip and handed it to her, "These are some techniques I compiled from the ancient books of the Yang family that are suitable for you and can help you improve your combat power."

Nan Zhixia took the jade slip, scanned it with her divine sense, and a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes.

"These techniques... are all ancient inheritances?"

"Yes, the Yang family has a deep foundation. Although it has declined, it still has many good things."

Nan Zhixia looked up, her smile deepening: "You're getting better and better at taking care of people."

Zhao Wuji chuckled: "My woman, of course I will take good care of her. Your Sunflower Spirit-Knocking Technique wasn't something you learned for nothing."

Nan Zhixia's ears turned slightly red, but she didn't flinch; she simply held his hand gently.

Now that we're an old married couple, many things have simply become second nature to us.

Even under the rather unrestrained leadership of Li Shiyu, many new tricks were unlocked, leaving her feeling overwhelmed.

But as long as she could win the favor of her lover, she would abandon the dignity she usually maintained as the cave master and willingly submit.

After spending several days with Nan Zhixia, Zhao Wuji flew back to the Qilin Sword Sect on his sword.

along the way.

Rumors are spreading throughout the Nine Provinces that the leader of the Purple Locust Hall of the Demon Alliance has been killed by a mysterious swordsman.

Rumors circulated that the Demon Alliance and the Demon Palace were enraged and were searching everywhere for clues about the murderer, vowing to avenge their grievances.

Ironically, several sword-cultivation sects have now announced that they are willing to take responsibility for this matter.

Although no one claimed it, this willingness to take responsibility seemed to be announcing something, sparking heated discussions and speculations among cultivators across the land.

Whoosh!
Zhao Wuji returned on his sword, its light like a rainbow, slicing through the sky and crashing down upon the Thirteen Peaks of Qilin.

At the mountain gate, swords flashed and darted.

The disciples passing by noticed the sword light and stopped, looking up at the figure in the purple and gold sword robe with awe and admiration in their eyes.

"It's His Highness the First Swordsman!"

"His Royal Highness is back!"

The disciples all bowed respectfully in greeting.

After Zhao Wuji's figure disappeared into the distance, a flurry of discussion broke out at the mountain gate.

"I just heard news from Tianmeng Prefecture that the Purple Locust Demon King was killed by a mysterious swordsman, and even his demonic body was taken away..."

A young disciple carrying a green sword lowered his voice, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

"What a coincidence! His Highness just finished instructing the sword masters and was only gone for half a day when the Purple Locust Demon King died. It must have been His Highness's doing!"

Another disciple said firmly.

"That must be so. Your Highness is a peerless swordsman who once slew the Crimson Wood Demon King with your sword. How could the mere Purple Locust Demon King possibly withstand Your Highness's sword strike?"

An older disciple standing nearby said with fanaticism in his eyes, "With His Highness in charge of our Qilin Sword Sect, what do we have to worry about in terms of the destruction of demons?"

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement, and their sense of recognition for this first swordsman who had joined halfway through his journey had unconsciously grown stronger.

Zhao Wuji remained calm, neither confirming nor denying these speculations, and went straight to the Affairs Hall.
(End of this chapter)