Immortals of the End Times

Deep within Mirror Lake, the shimmering blue water ripples like a gentle veil.

After Huang Shang left, Zhao Wuji sat cross-legged in front of the barrier, his eyes slightly closed. The three-inch primordial spirit in his sea of ​​consciousness shimmered with golden light, and the Dao mark between his brows bloomed like a lotus.

"Now that my primordial spirit is complete, the power of my sword intent should increase threefold."

He suddenly opened his eyes, pointed his fingers like a sword, and made a sweeping motion in the air.

"Zheng!"

A wisp of azure-gold sword energy burst forth from his fingertips, coiling around his body like a dragon, instantly transforming into a misty sword fog that enveloped him.

Within the mist, stars seemed to revolve, each wisp containing a different sword intent, clearly displaying the grandeur of a sword technique mastered to the point of creating a domain.

Yan Lan's red dress rippled slightly as she held her breath and retreated three zhang away, her beautiful eyes unblinking.

Suddenly, Zhao Wuji's sword finger changed, and the Dao patterns of the array technique flowed out from his sleeve, like golden snakes swimming in the void.

At the same time, within the inner realm, the sword shadow of the Nine-Leaf Sword Grass suddenly burst forth with a dazzling blue light.

Nine blades of grass unfurled like a peacock spreading its tail, and starlight dripping from their tips surged down along the meridians of the Jianmu tree, transforming into nine dragon-like sword intents within the meridians.

"Congeal!"

With a clear shout from Zhao Wuji, the sword domain around him suddenly collapsed. The misty sword fog condensed into nine wispy sword beams, each containing the profound sword intent of the Nine-Leaf Sword Grass.

The tip of the sword's edge connected to the third Heavenly Realm, like nine invisible chains piercing through the void and the real.

The most amazing thing is
Within each of the nine sword beams, a miniature phantom of a nine-leaf sword grass floated!

"go with!"

Zhao Wuji's eyes were clear and bright, and his sword finger flashed like lightning as he pointed towards the barrier.

Nine sword beams pierced precisely into the node formed by nine sword grasses. The moment the sword intent resonated, the entire barrier suddenly trembled.

"buzzing"

The nine sword-like grasses forming a barrier simultaneously emitted a clear, melodious sword chant, tilting slightly as if summoned.

The once perfectly sealed barrier now sprang into disarray, like gears caught in a foreign object, making a sickeningly loud 'clicking' sound.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on Zhao Wuji's forehead, and the golden light of his primordial spirit surged.

He observed it clearly.

The nine-leaf sword grass shadow within his own sword aura was resonating mysteriously with the barrier sword grass.

Just like using nine keys to pry open a lock at the same time, the barrier is being pushed open inch by inch!

"Crack!"

A hairline-thin slit suddenly appeared!
Within the barrier, the thunderbird relief on the Qingzhou Cauldron suddenly opened its eyes, and four bolts of lightning shot out like chains.

The storm and cloud patterns on the cauldron swirl wildly, like an ancient ferocious beast awakened from its slumber.
"It's now!"

With a low shout, Zhao Wuji waved his sleeves and formed a qi rope with hand seals and qi restriction techniques, which emerged from the sea like a dragon and caught the tip of the lightning bolt in one bite.

The remaining three exploded with a deafening roar, causing the sword light chains to tremble violently.

"not good!"

Yan Lan's pretty face turned pale, and her heart jumped into her throat.

The gaps in the barrier are closing at a speed visible to the naked eye!

"receive!"

Zhao Wuji roared and forcibly pulled back a wisp of lightning from the sword sheath.

Just as the barrier closed, the Qingzhou Cauldron erupted with a blinding thunderstorm, shattering the energy ropes and violently sending him flying.

"Boom!"

The rock strata at the bottom of the lake have fractured.

Zhao Wuji's figure was knocked back, creating a surge of sword energy that eventually came to a stop.

"It's a bit lacking."

Zhao Wuji smiled bitterly as he looked at his charred right hand.

In the blink of an eye, the cauldron had shifted three inches along with the barrier.

This barrier can actually change its position on its own!
Yan Lan rushed over in a panic, grabbing Zhao Wuji's arm with her jade-like hand: "It was too dangerous! If you had been even a fraction slower, your arm would have been shattered!"

"It's alright, my right arm is quite something."

Zhao Wuji shook his head. The muscles in his right arm were bulging, and the true blood of Xiang Yu was surging like lava. At this moment, it was slowly calming down, leaving only a charred line on the back of his hand.

With his physical strength, he wouldn't have his arm, especially his strongest right arm, shattered by the impact of the Qingzhou Cauldron and the barrier.

Suddenly, he raised his eyebrows slightly and slowly opened his palm.

"Hey!"

A wisp of cyan-purple lightning crystal danced in his palm, twisting and struggling like a living thing, its surface swirling with fine electric patterns.

It was the Thunder Essence that was snatched from the mouth of the Kui Dragon with the cauldron handle at the critical moment!

"This is."

Yan Lan's red lips parted slightly, and it seemed as if a storm was brewing inside the lightning crystal.

"This lightning crystal is a very good spiritual material. It may have reached level five or six and is full of supreme yang lightning power."

Zhao Wuji stared at the Thunder Crystal, a hint of joy in his eyes, sensing the restlessness of the fifth Yang Pearl.

It seems that this Supreme Yang Thunder Crystal can also be transformed into a Yang Marrow.

Unfortunately, this attempt to pry open the barrier and retrieve the Qingzhou Cauldron still failed.

"The tiny gap we just pried open wasn't enough to take out the Qingzhou Cauldron."

Zhao Wuji stared at the barrier formed by the nine sword grasses, his brows furrowing slightly: "That tiny crack we pried open just now was so small that even the handle of the cauldron couldn't pass through."

His eyes suddenly lit up, and a smile appeared on his lips: "Unless..."

"Unless what?"

Yan Lan's red dress rippled slightly, and a hint of surprise flashed in her beautiful eyes.

"Unless I go in."

Zhao Wuji lightly tapped the direction of the barrier, his eyes flashing with a sharp light.

"Are you crazy?" Yan Lan's pretty face changed drastically, and she grabbed his arm with her jade-like hand. "This barrier is extremely dangerous. The slightest carelessness will... and how will you get in?"

"Uncle, please don't worry."

Zhao Wuji laughed heartily, "Have you perhaps forgotten my Qiankun Bag? Besides..."

He flicked his fingertips, and a strand of hair fell, transforming into a miniature version of the Qilin robe in his palm: "It is not necessary for my true self to enter in person."

Seeing this, Yan Lan's tense body relaxed, and she parted her red lips slightly: "I see."

She stretched out her slender fingers and gently pressed the clone in Zhao Wuji's palm, laughing, "I almost forgot about this adorable little Wuji."

...

Everything is difficult at the beginning, but now we can see hope.

As long as the mind does not slip, there are more solutions than difficulties.

Zhao Wuji stared at the barrier formed by the nine sword-like grasses in front of him, his eyes gleaming with golden light.

"If we can even create a crack, then there's a chance!"

He made a hand seal with his sword fingers, and nine sword beams, like dragons emerging from the abyss, instantly pierced the barrier's nodes. The moment the sword intent resonated, the entire barrier suddenly trembled.

"Click!!"

The nine sword-like grasses trembled, and the barrier cracked open again, revealing a small gap!

"go with!"

He rolled up his sleeves, and his clone transformed into a blue rainbow, disappearing into the second heavenly space within his sleeve.

The moment the gap in the barrier appeared.

The entrance to the Heavenly Pot has unfolded within the barrier like a mirror, swirling with strange and mysterious light.

"boom!!"

Sensing the intrusion of a foreign object, the nine sword grasses suddenly trembled violently.

As the grass blades unfurled, the illusory images of the Ninefold Sword Realm layered upon each other, pressing down like the Ninefold Heavenly Palace.

Each sword realm burst forth with dazzling blue light, transforming into a torrent of sword energy that slammed into the entrance of the Pot Heaven!

"Crack!"

Within the Hutian space, the earth cracked and the void trembled.

"not good!"

Zhao Wuji's expression changed drastically, and his fingers moved like lightning: "Withdraw!"

The entrance to the Heavenly Pot instantly collapsed into a tiny point of light, narrowly escaping the closing barrier before being swallowed by the torrent of sword energy.

"This..." Yan Lan's red lips parted slightly, her beautiful eyes reflecting the chaotic flow of sword energy that erupted from where the entrance to the Heavenly Pot disappeared.

"What an overbearing sword world."

Zhao Wuji's forehead was covered in a fine layer of sweat.

If we had been even a fraction slower, the entire Pot Heaven space would have been crushed by the sword intent!

His consciousness quickly sank into the second heaven.

Inside the Pot Heaven Space, the earth was cracked, and even the spatial barriers at the edges had cracks, which were slowly recovering under the Pot Heaven Space's self-healing ability.

"Fortunately. I was careless. A sword can create a boundary, and since it can create a boundary, it can naturally restrain spatial spells. Fortunately, my second Heavenly Jar is strong and sturdy enough, otherwise..."

"Wait, space, becoming a boundary."

Zhao Wuji suddenly froze, his mind reeling as if struck by thunder.

Could the mystery of that single sword strike creating a realm be hidden within...?
However, when he pondered deeply, that glimmer of inspiration slipped away like a fish, impossible to grasp, leaving him only with a deep sense of regret.

"It's still because I haven't accumulated enough foundation. Perhaps one day when I have enough foundation, this inspiration will naturally resurface, and then I will have an epiphany!"

Helpless, Zhao Wuji looked at the still-flowing barrier in front of him, then turned to Yan Lan beside him and shook his head slightly to indicate that he was unharmed.

With a flicker of his robes, he sat cross-legged once more.

The three golden pills spun like the sun within the dantian, illuminating the inner secret realm with a bright light.

The method of using the Pot Heaven Space and clones to seize the cauldron by trickery will not work.

Then we'll have to think of other solutions.

He still has several feasible options in mind.

One method is to study the sword shadow of the Nine-Leaf Sword Grass within the Inner Realm, improve swordsmanship, and control the power of the sword shadow. This will allow you to open the barrier to a greater extent and even maintain it for a slightly longer period of time.

Secondly, he used the Summoning Immortal Technique to further deepen his connection with the white-robed sword immortal in the ancient celestial court within the Mysterious Land.

The one who tied the knot must untie it; with the power of the white-robed sword immortal, breaking through the boundary and taking the cauldron is as easy as turning one's hand.

Thirdly, we can use the magic of immortality to contact other cultivators in the mysterious ancient immortal court, or even that black-robed celestial being, to see if we can gain any other insights.

"If I could comprehend either the Transporting or Summoning technique among the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends, perhaps I could retrieve the Azure Cauldron without breaking the barrier."

Zhao Wuji pondered for a moment, his eyes slightly closed, and the golden light of the three-inch primordial spirit within his sea of ​​consciousness flowed.

"Om!!"

The sixth divine ring between the primordial spirit's brows suddenly lit up, its ethereal divine light pouring down like moonlight.

This sixth core of divine consciousness is in charge of the mysteries of space.

At this moment, the divine sense that burst forth was like a wisp of silk, penetrating the void and reality, and reaching the gate of the mysterious female along the meridians of the Jianmu tree.

"open!"

He made a hand seal with his sword fingers, and the gate of the Mysterious Female immediately leaked out a torrent of ancient spiritual energy.

The ethereal consciousness, like a fish entering the sea, swiftly passed through the portal.

In an instant, the illusory image of the Celestial Court spread out in the sea of ​​consciousness.

The black-robed celestial being preaching and the white-clad sword immortal wielding a sword, two peerless figures, seemed to have existed since time immemorial.

"Summon the immortals!"

Incantations flowed from Zhao Wuji's lips, and his hand gestures shifted like blooming lotus flowers.

Golden runes of divine incantation flowed down from between the brows of the primordial spirit, outlining mysterious trajectories in the void.
Meanwhile, on the mountainside of Sword Immortal Mountain, the gale-force winds were like knives.

Two figures sat facing each other in front of an ancient stone table surrounded by four stone pillars.

On the rustic stone table, a white jade stone, lustrous as jade, shimmers with a clear, ethereal light.

Cang Yunzi sat cross-legged in the void, his plain white Taoist robe fluttering without wind, and the Tai Chi Taoist seal gleaming among his white hair.

His primordial spirit vanished like smoke, completely disappearing into that white piece.

In an instant, a small world appeared inside the chess piece.

Amidst the surging sea of ​​clouds, the Bagua diagram rotates endlessly, and pure energy spirals upward like a dragon, creating countless phenomena within the Zi (子) region.

The black piece opposite was as dark as ink, with twisted and writhing magical patterns on its surface.

The Nine Nether Demon Lord's scarlet demonic eyes opened inside the chess piece, and as his black robes fluttered, a sea of ​​blood from the underworld surged forth from within the piece.

Each wave transformed into a hideous demon head, emitting a silent roar.

"boom!"

Before the two chess pieces even touched, the clash of their energies caused the stone table to tremble.

On the stone pillars surrounding the stone table, the sword patterns that had been dormant for millennia suddenly lit up, meandering and flowing like blood vessels along the pillars.

"Boom!"

Inside the chess piece, the sky suddenly darkened, and the wondrous sight of the sun and moon shining together was torn apart by the demonic clouds.

The demon kings standing nearby retreated in horror.

The nineteen lines on the chessboard now seemed like insurmountable chasms to it; just one more glance at them would make its soul feel like it was about to be torn apart.

"Brother Cangyun's Tai Chi sword intent has become increasingly refined."

The Nine Nether Demon Lord suddenly chuckled, his thoughts manifesting within the chess pieces, and his withered demonic hand slammed into the void.

"Crash!"

Countless black lotuses bloomed from the void within the chess pieces, and the demonic energy spewed from their hearts condensed into a phantom of the Nine Netherworld Demon Realm around the pieces.

Just then, the nine-leaf sword grass on the mountaintop suddenly trembled.

"Zheng!!"

A deafening sword cry echoed from the mountaintop!

The nine-leaf sword grass has nine leaves that spin like a celestial sword, bursting forth with a blue light that pierces the clouds.

The strange phenomena in the sky shattered like a mirror, and in an instant, the world was restored to its bright and clear state.

"puff!"

The Nine Nether Demon Lord let out a muffled groan, a trickle of crimson blood spilling from the corner of his lips.

He wiped away the blood, glanced warily at the mountain peak, and sneered, "Cang Yunzi, you are no match for me. You merely borrowed the power of that herb."

Before he finished speaking, the old man in the Taoist robe opposite him slowly opened his eyes.

Cang Yunzi, with his white hair and youthful face, had a Tai Chi symbol flowing between his brows and eyes as calm as an ancient well: "In the battle of swordsmanship, timing and location are paramount. Jiu You, you lost because your sword heart was impure."

"To play this eternal game of chess with me on this Sword Immortal Mountain is to surely be a losing proposition."

A mountain breeze swept across the stone table, ruffling his long, snow-white eyebrows.

"Hahaha!"

Bloodlust gleamed in the Nine Nether Demon Lord's crimson demonic eyes, and his laughter was full of mockery: "Cang Yunzi! With our meager cultivation, we can only dominate in the Dharma-ending Age. Do you think we're worthy to make a move on this eternal chessboard?"

His black robes fluttered, exuding a chilling demonic aura: "We can't even see each other's moves clearly; we've only managed to secure a seat by sheer luck!"

Before the words were finished, the nine-leaf sword grass on the mountaintop suddenly trembled.

His demonic eyes were deep and unfathomable as he pointed to the mountain peak: "This Nine-Leaf Sword Grass has already resounded three times, a change unprecedented in history."

"Cangyunzi, do you truly intend to waste your time here with me?"

A sudden gust of mountain wind arose, and the Nine Nether Demon Lord slowly rose, his demonic energy swirling like a dragon around him: "Why don't we ascend to the summit together and take a look at that sword herb?"

The bone sword in his sleeve hummed, and he said with a chilling smile, "It's not too late to settle this once and for all."

"So close, yet so far."

Cang Yunzi stood up with his hands behind his back, sighed and shook his head: "Those grass leaves seem to be close to the mountain peak, but in fact they are in the Sword Realm. They are the supreme sword path of forming a world with a single sword."

Even if you and I climb to the summit, what we see will be nothing more than an illusion.

"Then what are you doing here?"

The Nine Nether Demon Lord's black robes fluttered without wind, and his Netherworld blood energy coiled around him like a python: "If it's not sword grass, could it be..."

His words stopped abruptly.

At the end of the mountain path, a hunched figure in a dark blue robe slowly emerged.

"Fellow Daoist Huang?"

Cang Yunzi looked surprised, his Daoist robes fluttering slightly. His voice, like a gentle breeze, drifted into Huang Shang's heart: "You haven't even found the Nine Cauldrons of Yu the Great yet, how could you have the leisure to come to this Sword Immortal Mountain?"

"Cang Yunzi, the Nine Netherworld Demon Lord"

Huang Shang paused, his palm stroking the Taoist scripture, his old eyes narrowing into slits.

The situation on Sword Immortal Mountain is even more troublesome.

Obtaining even a few scraps of Nine-Leaf Sword Grass, and then going back to find that brat Zhao Wuji, would probably be no easy task.
(End of this chapter)