Immortals of the End Times

The second wisp of ethereal consciousness, like a fish swimming through the gap of the Gate of Mystery, stirred up spatial ripples that shimmered faintly in the darkness.

In a short while, Zhao Wuji sensed that the wisp of divine consciousness that had previously dissipated was now suspended inside the Gate of Mysterious Female.

At this moment, upon realizing the 'original self consciousness,' it instantly merged into the ethereal consciousness like a weary bird returning to its nest.

next moment.

The world around us seemed to suddenly spin.

In a daze, it seemed as if I had crossed the long river of time, with the rise and fall of past secular dynasties and the changing scenes of the cultivation world experiencing the end of Dharma and the revival of spiritual energy passing by all around me.

"clang!"

It was as if the distant sound of a bell came from the ancient past behind the door, and some blurry images swept across the world behind the door.

Divine senses revealed that a giant cauldron seemed to be burning smoke on the altar, and cultivators dressed in feathered robes were ascending to heaven on a rainbow bridge.

When the spiritual energy was exhausted, the mountain gate collapsed, and the Nascent Soul True Monarch wept blood to seal the cave heaven.

Once again, an era of spiritual energy revival has arrived. Sword cultivators cleave through the gloom, and spirit beasts carry seeds of spiritual plants across the wasteland.
"Is this... the mysterious record of the changes in heaven and earth behind the Gate of the Mysterious Female?"

As Zhao Wuji's consciousness trembled, a clear and melodious crane's cry suddenly broke through the mist.

Above the sea of ​​clouds, one could see magnificent palaces and pavilions stretching for thousands of miles, with seventy-two suspended fairy mountains surrounding the central towering Jianmu tree.

The lush tree canopy plunges straight into the layer of strong winds, where blue phoenixes often carry sacred objects and shuttle among them, building nests in the Jianmu trees.

On a floating immortal mountain's martial arts arena, four or five Nascent Soul cultivators stood respectfully at the lower end, their postures like lackeys, referring to themselves as junior cultivators.

The old man in the white robe with three golden lotuses embroidered on his sleeves casually made a hand gesture, causing the clouds and mist to gather and disperse: "What I am performing today is just a minor art, so watch carefully."

Before he finished speaking, the entire immortal mountain suddenly glowed with a glassy luster, and it was transformed into a sword sheath.

"To attain the Dao?"

Zhao Wuji's consciousness was violently shaken.

When the old man referred to himself as "Xiaodao," the words "Elder of the Immortal Palace" were clearly engraved on the jade pendant at his waist.

Further away at the end of the Rainbow Bridge, two cultivators who looked like young Taoist boys were playing chess.

Each time a piece was placed on the chessboard, it caused the stars in the sky above to shift. One person said, "When the sun first rises, it is as large as a cartwheel, but at midday it is as small as a plate. Is this not because things that are far away appear small and things that are close appear large?"

Another person said, "When the sun first rises, it is cool and refreshing, but at midday it is as hot as boiling water. Is this not because it is hot for those nearby and cool for those far away?"

This scene, resembling two children debating the sun, deeply shocked Zhao Wuji, even causing the Yang Pearl in his sea of ​​consciousness to begin to stir.

"Could this be the Starry Chess Game? Are these two cultivators undergoing tribulation? Or perhaps they are rogue immortals who failed their tribulation?"

He was in a state of shock.

Suddenly, a clear and melodious bell rang out from beneath the towering tree.

Hundreds of figures converged, riding on various colored beams of light.

The purple-robed man at the front took a half-step and then shrank the distance to an inch, revealing half a jade tablet as his sleeve rolled up: "By the decree of the Heavenly Venerable, today I will expound on the Mahayana method of severing the corpse."

"The Great Vehicle Celestial Venerable?"

Zhao Wuji was astonished.

But then, three golden flowers condensed from the radiant glow hanging from the treetop, and as they bloomed, phantom images of dragons and phoenixes circled around to offer their congratulations.

His consciousness was suddenly pulled downwards by some force.

After passing through layers of clouds, Zhao Wuji saw the densely packed caves at the bottom of the immortal mountain.

Each cave entrance spews out various forms of spiritual mist, like dragons leaping and tigers bounding.

In front of a cave dwelling, a Nascent Soul cultivator was scolding a Golden Core disciple: "You missed three breaths in watering the spiritual field! Go to the Punishment Hall and receive ten lashes of the God-Slaying Whip!"

The disciple's trembling demeanor was a stark contrast to the imposing presence of the Golden Core elders in the sect.

"So, in the ancient times before the Dharma-ending Age, Golden Core cultivators were not even as good as outer sect stewards; they were practically nobodies at the gate."

As he was reflecting on this, his divine sense suddenly touched some kind of barrier, and the surrounding scenery became blurry again.

"cut!"

From the depths of the Gate of Mysterious Female, the fluctuations of an ancient will emanate.

His sixth divine core was struck as if by lightning.

The final scene was four golden sun-like orbs of light rising from the top of the towering tree, their twisting and scattering golden radiance faintly emanating an extremely terrifying spiritual power.

A vast and boundless ancient spiritual energy descended like a sea.

"puff!"

Inside the cave, Zhao Wuji let out a muffled groan.

The divine consciousness retreated back into the sea of ​​consciousness.

However, the divine consciousness that was once as vast as the sea had now shrunk to the size of a babbling brook, and the core of the six divine senses had dimmed considerably.

On the surface of the newly formed core, a golden pattern, like a dragon, coiled around it, echoing the gate of the dantian and forming a mysterious bridge.

Upon internal observation, the structure of the three golden cores had already changed.

The inner realm's Golden Core had grown to only half a size smaller than that of a Martial Immortal Golden Core. Deep within the inner realm's secret realm, the illusory image of the Towering Tree stood tall and imposing.

The gap in the Gate of Mysterious Female had widened to 1.2 feet, and ancient spiritual energy cascaded down from the deep crevice like a waterfall.

"Just a short while after my divine sense entered the mysterious realm of the Gate of the Mysterious Female, it has already depleted so much of my divine sense?"
However, it seems that the inner core has also benefited greatly and is about to break through to the late stage of the Golden Core realm.

Even those who achieved the Golden Core stage in the Immortal Path and the Golden Core stage in the Martial Immortal Path saw some improvement in their cultivation.

Zhao Wuji pondered for a moment, then suddenly realized something was wrong. He looked at the thin layer of dust that had accumulated on his body and immediately swept his divine sense out of the cave.

They discovered that the four sword attendants outside the cave had already returned.

There were even more gift boxes in the hall, with inscriptions such as "Congratulations to True Person Zhao on breaking through to the late stage of Golden Core".

"How much time has passed?"

Zhao Wuji was surprised, then quickly calculated with his fingers and was immediately moved.

"It's been more than four months since I took the Creation Jade Spirit Pill?"

Although it takes several days to refine the Golden Core realm, the entire long period that followed was spent in the ancient and mysterious land behind the Gate of the Mysterious Female.

The ancient and mysterious place behind that portal seems to have the power to distort time. A moment's thought can immerse one's consciousness within it, but several months have passed in the outside world.

"No wonder my three Golden Core cultivation levels have all improved a lot, especially the Inner Realm Golden Core."

Zhao Wuji introspected the surface of the Yin-Yang Pearl in his sea of ​​consciousness.

Immortal cultivation level: Late Golden Core stage (37419/90000)

Martial Immortal Cultivation: Late Stage of Golden Core True Form Realm (2899/90000)

"The Creation Jade Spirit Pill truly lives up to its reputation."

Zhao Wuji narrowed his eyes slightly, feeling the surging spiritual energy fluctuations within his body.

This treasure of the Immortal Saint Sect not only helped him break through to the late stage of the Golden Core realm, but also allowed his cultivation to improve by more than 40% after the breakthrough.

He lightly pinched his fingers, carefully calculating: "This increase is enough to be equivalent to my eighteen years of arduous cultivation."

Although it did not reach the exaggerated level of "saving half a century's worth of effort" as rumored.

However, given his current aptitude of reaching the pinnacle of purple light after drinking alcohol, coupled with the rich spiritual energy of the fifth-level spiritual vein, his cultivation speed is indeed quite fast, and achieving such results is already extremely rare.

Thinking of this, he stood up, his clothes fluttering without wind, and he used his spiritual power to cleanse and remove all the dust from his body.

With a casual hand gesture, a faint blue light emanated from his fingertips, seeping into his brow like spring rain, using medical techniques to smooth out the subtle cracks in his sea of ​​consciousness caused by excessive consumption.

"The losses this time were too great." He shook his head slightly and stepped into the first pot of heaven space.

The scene before my eyes suddenly became clear.

But in the distance, near the Yin Sha Spring, a sea of ​​azure flowers swayed in the wind, forming a spiritual plant matrix composed of dozens of Nourishing Spirit Flowers.

With a wave of his hand, he tucked dozens of Nourishing Spirit Flowers, which radiated a faint blue light, into his sleeve.

These level-three spiritual materials transformed into specks of starlight in my palm.

It was refined into a pure medicinal liquid by medical techniques and flowed into the sea of ​​consciousness along the meridians.

As the medicine entered his body, Zhao Wuji felt as if his spirit had been parched and had received timely rain.

However, this supplement is merely a drop in the ocean compared to the vast amount of his divine consciousness.

The level-three spiritual material, the Nourishing Spirit Flower, is no longer a match for his current late-stage Golden Core strength.

"grown ups!"

"My lord, you're finally back!"

Two clear voices came from two different directions.

Xiaoyue came running over, lifting her skirt, with a few pieces of spirit grass still stuck in her hair.

The little girl was carrying a wine ladle, her cheeks flushed, clearly having just tasted the new wine.

"We haven't slacked off at all in the past six months!"

Xiaoyue counted on her fingers, "The three acres of Xuanbing Grass and two acres of Chiyan Flower have all matured, and we've also helped the adults take care of that level four Moon Essence Treasure Tree."

The maidservant hurriedly raised the wine jar: "I brewed twelve jars of 'Drunken Immortal Wine' with the newly harvested spirit grains. I used three more spirit herbs than last time, and the wine is even more potent! It's almost comparable to the effects of Human Treasure Wine."

"My lord," Xiaoyue said, twisting the hem of her clothes, her voice barely audible, "may I...go out for a walk?"

The little girl's almond-shaped eyes sparkled. She opened her mouth and then closed it again, finally only daring to look at her master with pleading eyes.

Zhao Wuji smiled.

Then he remembered that since bringing the two girls back from Zhongzhou, he had indeed kept them locked in the Pot Heaven Space for nearly half a year.

Although the spiritual energy within the pot is abundant, it is still a small place with few people interacting, and there are no pastries or pork knuckles that Xiaoyue likes to eat.

No wonder they were so eager to go outside for some fresh air.

"It's because I've been cultivating for too long that I've neglected you all."

With a flick of his sleeve, a ray of light swept the two of them up, "I'll take you out of the valley, and then you can go and explore the market town at the foot of the mountain."

"Thank you, sir!"

The two women were overjoyed. Before they could finish speaking, the scene before them had changed from the medicinal field of the Pot Heaven to the sea of ​​clouds outside the cave.

A mountain breeze caressed my face, bringing a long-lost sense of openness.

After watching Xiao Ya and Xiao Yue happily fly down the mountain to the market, Zhao Wuji lightly flicked his sleeves and returned to his cave on a cloud.

Both girls are now at the Concentration Realm, which is still considered strong in this world of abundant spiritual energy. With the magical artifacts he provided, they are safe and sound.

A moment later, on the ground in front of the cave.

The mountain wind stirs up the green pines and bamboos.

The four sword attendants who were standing outside the cave with their hands on their swords saw Zhao Wuji's figure returning on the wind and immediately stepped forward to pay their respects. They were completely unaware of when His Highness had left the cave.

"Your Highness."

The leading female sword cultivator, Shi Yiyun, presented a jade slip with both hands, saying, "Since you broke through to the late stage of the Golden Core realm, all seven elders and four sword disciples of the sect have sent people to deliver congratulatory gifts."

The thousand-year-old cold jade marrow, personally bestowed by the Grand Elder, has been stored in the warehouse.

"Oh?"

Zhao Wuji took the roster and glanced at it briefly.

Although these gift lists contain nothing extraordinary, they are all thoughtfully crafted and represent a heartfelt sentiment.

The Third Elder, Mo Wenjian, presented a box of fourth-grade spiritual tea.

Xiao Chenzhou then asked someone to bring him half of the travelogue of an ancient sword cultivator.

"Keep the list safe; return the gift as is customary."

Zhao Wuji tossed the roster back to Shi Yijun, saying, "Except for the elders, whom I will personally visit to return the gifts, you'll have to take care of the rest of the social obligations."

"I will obey Your Highness's decree!"

Shi Yiyun accepted the roster with both hands, her almond-shaped eyes brimming with undisguised joy.

Being able to manage the relationships among the various peaks on behalf of the Heavenly Qilin was a godsend for a sword attendant like her, an opportunity to expand her network.

Afterwards, the four men finished reporting their demon-slaying exploits along the way.

Zhao Wuji's gaze swept over the four pairs of expectant eyes, and he knew what these four sword servants were hoping for.

He immediately raised the corners of his mouth slightly, then suddenly formed his fingers into a sword and slashed through the air.

In an instant, hundreds of azure sword beams burst forth, like a peacock spreading its tail feathers and hanging in front of the courtyard, before transforming into a constantly flowing star chart.

The sword's aura was chilling yet harmless, tracing mysterious paths in the twilight.

"Watch closely. I will only teach you the most basic stage of sword light differentiation, sword energy differentiation, once."

His sword finger suddenly shifted, and the countless sword lights transformed into a flurry of falling fireflies. The trajectory of each falling streak subtly corresponded to the profound principles of swordsmanship.

Upon landing, it carved sword marks of the "Asking the Heavens Sword Technique" into the blue bricks, each mark being of uniform depth.

The pupils of the four sword servants suddenly contracted.

Two of them immediately sat cross-legged, their bodies radiating sword energy like a rainbow.

Before long, the glow of dawn spread across the mountaintop.

Outside the cave, four staggered sword intents, like new bamboo shoots breaking through the soil, emitted their sharpness in the twilight, causing passing sword cultivators to look on with envy and bow to Zhao Wuji from afar.

"Ruzi can be taught!"

Zhao Wuji nodded slightly.

These sword attendants are all exceptionally talented in spirit and swordsmanship.

Two of them were even disciples of immortal cultivation families, sent to the Qilin Sword Sect; they were no ordinary people when they went out.

Those who are willing to serve him faithfully are also hoping to receive his guidance.

He stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping over the thirteen peaks of Qilin.

The powerful divine sense of the late Golden Core stage spread out like a tide, instantly sweeping across the entire mountain range, vaguely capturing Xiao Chenzhou's familiar aura, as well as the abyss-like sword intent fluctuations of the Qilin Main Peak Asking Heaven Sword Lord.

Four months have passed.

His eyes flickered slightly as he calculated in his mind. "There are still four years and eight months until the Ancient Sword Domain opens."

"This is enough time for me to help the demon tree clone break through to the Nascent Soul stage."

With this thought in mind, he turned and stepped into the cave. With a light wave of his sleeve, the entrance to the second Heavenly Realm unfolded like ripples on water.

"Once my divine sense has fully recovered, I can then explore the fifth level of the Nine Heavens: the Soul-Splitting Profound Ice Heaven."

"This time, we will definitely succeed!"

(End of this chapter)