Immortals of the End Times

Time flies and more than a month has passed.

At the foot of Sword Immortal Mountain, clouds and mist swirl around.

Two figures, one in green and one in white, sat cross-legged on the green stone.

The surrounding sword energy was like a veil, enveloping the two of them; they were Zhao Wuji and Cang Yunzi.

"call!"

Cang Yunzi slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, his white beard trembling slightly, and his sword intent flowed like a stream around him.

After more than a month of recuperation, the sect leader of the Immortal Saint Sect has fully recovered from his injuries.

"Young friend Zhao."

Cang Yunzi lightly swept his whisk, his eyes flashing with a sharp light. "I will explain to you in detail about the changes in the world today."

Zhao Wuji's expression shifted slightly as he waited for the next development.

“Our ancestor, Shuiyunzi, once proposed the theory of celestial changes.”

Cang Yunzi's voice was deep, "Every time the heavens changed in the past, it was accompanied by a great calamity. At that time, not only would the wind and clouds change in the Nine Heavens, but demonic energy would also surge in the Nine Netherworlds, and those ancestral demons would be restless."

He raised his hand and pointed to the sky, his sleeves fluttering: "The collapse of the ancient celestial court may have been due to this."

"Oh? Is it because of the change in the weather?"

Zhao Wuji's expression shifted slightly as the image he had once seen in the dew of the Nine-Leaf Sword Grass flashed through his mind.

The Thirty-Three Heavens collapsed, and the White-Clad Sword Immortal and the Black-Robed Celestial Venerable, along with four other Quasi-Immortals, engaged in a fierce battle beyond the heavens.

"As for even earlier..."

Cang Yunzi spoke in a dreamlike tone, “It is said that Nuwa mended the sky and Fuxi drew the trigrams, both of which arose from changes in the heavens.”

Similar legends also existed during the later period of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors.

At this point, he shook his head slightly: "It's just that these myths and legends are so ancient that it's hard to tell if they're true or false."

Those mythical figures, whether fabricated by later generations or truly existing supreme beings, are unknown.

Nuwa, Fuxi, the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors

Zhao Wuji was surprised. He had heard of these related legends before, but he only regarded them as ancient myths and legends similar to those in his previous life.

Judging from what Cangyunzi said, it seems that these figures from ancient myths and legends may also exist, and may even be involved in celestial changes.

Even with the other party's Nascent Soul cultivation and state of mind, it was still difficult to hide the fluctuations in their emotions when discussing these ancient secrets.

"These legends, if not for the teachings of our ancestors..."

Cang Yunzi suddenly changed the subject, "In addition, Senior Jin Linzi has personally confirmed the existence of variables, so I may not believe it."

"Oh?" Zhao Wuji raised an eyebrow. "What did that Senior Jin Linzi say?"

"That senior once said..."

Cang Yunzi's gaze was profound: "There are indeed strange things above the Nine Heavens. What's even more astonishing is..."

His voice suddenly lowered, "During the ancient Celestial Court era, there are still those who have not died! They are in the Nine Heavens."

"what?!"

Zhao Wuji's eyes narrowed, and sword mist surged around him.

He recalled the figure of the Queen of the Nine Heavens bound by chains that he had seen through Xiang Yu's double pupils. That figure had even fought against Xiang Yu and was severely injured.

"Does the sect leader know?"

He suppressed his shock and asked in a deep voice, "What is the current situation of those who are still alive?"

The mountain wind suddenly picked up, and Cang Yunzi's eyes narrowed slightly, a hint of deep-seated apprehension flashing across them. After a moment of silence, he finally spoke in a deep voice: "Beyond the Nine Heavens, it is said that the land of the Calamity Mist Sea is formed by the intertwining of divine punishment and karma, where the lost souls of the Immortal Court era lurk."

His sleeves fluttered even without wind: "Those who have lost their souls are neither dead nor alive, bound by karma, and trapped in a bizarre state. Anyone who gets close will be severely injured and driven back."

"Back then, our Wudang lineage's Patriarch Zhang..."

Cang Yunzi's white beard trembled slightly as he sighed, "It was when I was blocked in the Nine Heavens that I left behind a jade slip to tell you about the terrifying scene within the tribulation fog."

He shook his head as his Taoist robe fluttered and said, "In later generations, there were also strong individuals who, either through secret techniques or by relying on double pupils, were able to witness such a terrifying scene."

These predecessors, though seemingly symbolizing some variables, ultimately failed to achieve success.

Cang Yunzi took a deep breath: "Therefore, the Ancestor asserted that the truth of the Dharma-ending Calamity may be hidden in the Nine Heavens."

Only the changes of heaven and earth manifest in the world.

His gaze was like lightning, piercing straight at Zhao Wuji. "Only then can this deadly situation be broken and the calamity of the end times be averted. I believe that you, young friend Zhao, may be the variable."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Wuji's brows furrowed slightly, and a complex expression flashed in his eyes.

Although he wanted to explore the mysteries of the Nine Heavens, he had no interest in such a "savior" title.

They are even less willing to be labeled as "variables".

Whether in this world or the past, the so-called "heroes" in the long river of history often meet tragic ends.

He asked himself how much justice and principle he still had, but he was far from being willing to go through fire and water for the sake of the world and its people.

Cang Yunzi's eyes flickered slightly, as if he had already seen through his thoughts and knew that this matter could not be rushed.

He immediately changed the subject and pulled an ancient jade slip from his sleeve.

"This book records the seven greatest treasures in the world from ancient times to the present."

He lightly tapped the jade slip with his fingertip, and spiritual patterns flowed around it. "You have obtained two of the Nine Tripods of Yu the Great and gained the approval of the Nine-Leaf Sword Grass. You have already won the favor of these two treasures, which is enough to show your extraordinary nature."

Zhao Wuji did not take it. Instead, he took out a similar jade slip from his storage bag and said indifferently, "I already knew about the information of the seven treasures, but I have only seen two of them so far."

He thought to himself, "This treasure, the Yin-Yang Pearl, must never be known to outsiders."

This object is wondrous, involving the seventy-two Earthly Fiend Techniques, and in his eyes, it surpasses even the Nine Tripods of Yu the Great and the Nine-Leaf Sword Grass!
His gaze was deep and thoughtful for a moment.

The scene conveyed through the dewdrops of the Nine-Leaf Sword Grass was revealed: the four Quasi-Immortal Celestial Venerables were engaged in a fierce battle with an unknown entity in the celestial rift, and the ancient Celestial Court was collapsing.

He stared at Cang Yunzi, his voice low: "Senior, do you know if the unknown powerful being outside that sky is the Nine Nether Ancestral Demon?"

Was the collapse of the ancient Celestial Court the source of the impending calamity?

Cang Yunzi's expression changed slightly, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. He was surprised that Zhao Wuji could see these scenes from the dew that popped out of the sword grass.

He pondered for a moment, then slowly shook his head: "If what you saw is true, then the unknown powerhouse from beyond that sky should definitely not be the Nine Nether Ancestral Demon."

"The Ancestral Demon is not an extraterrestrial being, but the ancestor of all demons who has been lurking in the depths of the Nine Netherworld since ancient times, and can be described as the source of evil."

Mentioning the impending calamity of the Dharma-ending Age, his brow furrowed, and his tone grew increasingly grave: "If the ancient legends of Nuwa mending the sky and Fuxi drawing the trigrams are true, if those deities truly exist..."

"Then the calamity of the end times may not be solely due to the collapse of the Celestial Court."

Cang Yunzi sighed deeply, his white beard trembling slightly: "As time goes by, the historical truth of the cultivation world has long been obliterated."

After many cycles of the Dharma-ending Age, countless spiritual jade slips containing secrets have been destroyed.

Only ancient beings like the Nine-Leaf Sword Grass and the Ancestral Demon might know something of it.

His gaze was like lightning as he stared directly at Zhao Wuji: "If you can truly gain the approval of the Nine-Leaf Sword Grass..."

"Perhaps one day, I will be able to ascend to the ninth heaven and witness the truth with my own eyes."

Zhao Wuji's eyes flickered slightly, and he nodded noncommittally, saying, "I have heard that the lifelong wish of our sect leader, the Sword Lord Wentian, is to ascend to the heavens with a single sword and explore the situation in the Nine Heavens."

Cang Yunzi's white beard trembled slightly as he sighed, "Indeed. Fellow Daoist Li's father was also a person of extraordinary talent back then, but he perished in the Ninth Heaven during the last round of spiritual energy revival."

He flicked his sleeves, his gaze profound: "Fellow Daoist Li has explored far and wide, learning some secrets of the Nine Heavens, and firmly believes that his father, Li Qixiao, is not dead, but trapped there. Over the years, Fellow Daoist Li has diligently cultivated the sword path, all for the day when he can challenge the Nine Heavens with his sword!"

"Sword Asks the Nine Heavens".

Zhao Wuji spoke softly, a sharp glint in his eyes.

As one's cultivation level improves, the more secrets one learns.

The thought of ascending to the ninth heaven in his heart not only did not disappear, but instead burned like wildfire, becoming even more intense.

But he also knew that now was not the right time.

In the past, people like Zhang Zhenren and Xiang Yu were incredibly talented.
They all challenged the heavens at the height of their spiritual energy, having reached the pinnacle of their spiritual transformation, but ultimately suffered a bitter defeat.

The Heavenly Dao, hanging high in the nine heavens, is like an ancient chasm, which no matter how outstanding one's talent, it is difficult to cross.
Therefore, one must make thorough preparations and continue to improve one's cultivation before venturing into the Nine Heavens.

Having reached this point in the discussion, Zhao Wuji said no more and bowed to Cang Yunzi in farewell.

Cang Yunzi sat cross-legged atop the mountain, his white beard fluttering in the wind, his body radiating sword intent. He was determined to wait here until the sword domain closed.

Zhao Wuji turned and left, intending to first enter the Pot Heaven Space to fully unlock the sixth Yang Pearl before searching for Hua Qingshuang and the other four women, including Nan Zhixia.

The Sword Domain will close in just two years; time is running out and will pass in the blink of an eye.

He looked up at the mountain path.

Over the past month, the restrictive sword energy of Sword Immortal Mountain has been gradually recovering, but it no longer repels him.

He didn't even need to use his sword domain to defend; the sword energy simply avoided him.

"It seems to be due to the sword grass and sword shadow within my body."

He looked inward into his dantian and saw the solidified phantom of the nine-leaf sword grass swaying gently within the third celestial chamber.

As the grass blades unfurled, sword intent flowed, still faintly connected to the Nine-Leaf Sword Grass atop the mountain.

"This connection may prove very useful in the future."

Zhao Wuji regained his composure, stopped thinking about it, and strode away from Sword Immortal Mountain.

We just came out of the mountains.

Then, a golden figure stealthily swept across the sky; it was none other than the Demon Roc Sect Master.

"Lord, Lord!"

The Demon Roc Sect Master hurriedly landed and stepped forward, his golden wings slightly folded, his voice trembling as he opened and closed his beak, and he respectfully bowed.

It appears flattering on the surface, but is inwardly filled with suspicion and uncertainty.

The aura of the ancestral demon that erupted within Sword Immortal Mountain during the great battle a month ago was extremely terrifying.

It was so frightened that it fled in panic, thinking its master was in grave danger, but little did it know...
Zhao Wuji glanced at the Demon Roc Sect Master indifferently, his eyes flashing like lightning, as if he had already seen through his thoughts.

This demonic bird must have fled far away during the previous battle, and only now that things have calmed down has it sneaked back.

He understood, but was too lazy to argue. With a flick of his sleeve, he said, "You may leave on your own and seek some opportunities within this Sword Domain."

"Once we leave the Sword Domain, I will summon you if needed."

Upon hearing this, the Demon Roc Sect Master was overjoyed. His golden eyes flashed, and he hurriedly bowed his head in salutation. Between the opening and closing of his beak, he showered the sect with flattery: "Your Majesty is magnanimous! Your subordinate is loyal to you to the highest degree, as heaven and earth can attest! In the future, if you ever need my command, I will brave mountains of knives and seas of fire, even unto death!"

With a gentle flutter of its feathers, the flow of Geng metal energy circulated, and it again expressed its loyalty and flattery before flapping its wings and transforming into a golden rainbow that soared into the sky.

After the roc demon flew away, Zhao Wuji rode the wind.

After flying a hundred miles, he unfurled his sleeves and his figure suddenly disappeared into the First Heavenly Realm.

The First Heavenly Space has now expanded to 2,200 zhang, as vast as a small world.

A thousand-foot-tall demon tree clone stood there, its branches twisting like dragons. No longer needing to bow its head or shrink its neck, its immense spiritual pressure swept in all directions, faintly showing signs of breaking through to the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm.

Beside the Yin Sha Spring, mycelium surges like a tide in the wine cellar.

Hundreds of jars of spirit wine, under the stimulation of the fungal demon, exuded a rich aroma, with golden patterns floating on the surface of the wine, which was the unusual phenomenon of wine flowers refined by the heavenly-grade sobering stone.

On the other side, the blood pool surged, with the Blood King Gu and Dragon Scale Gu King, intertwined in gold and red, lurking within, their malevolent aura solidified into a tangible form.

These ferocious insects, having devoured level-five magical artifacts and Nascent Soul corpses in succession, have already completed their transformation. Their carapaces are ferocious, their teeth are sharp, and with the slightest flap of their wings, they can stir up a bloody storm, making them incredibly lethal.

However, although this space was spacious, it lacked the lively atmosphere of being accompanied by the medicine boy Xiaoyue and the wine boy Xiaoya, and was instead quite deserted.

With a flick of his sleeve, Zhao Wuji sent the Qingzhou Cauldron flying out and hovering in mid-air, its body adorned with flickering wind, thunder, and cloud patterns.

His gaze fell upon the inside of the cauldron, where seven lightning crystals floated silently, their surfaces crackling with electric arcs, but few remained.

Originally, there were more than a dozen thunder crystals inside the Qingzhou Cauldron, but some of them were consumed during his cultivation and combat.

Fortunately, as long as the Qingzhou Cauldron exists, it can still give rise to new Thunder Crystals in the future.

"The remaining lightning crystals are just enough."

Zhao Wuji's eyes flickered slightly.

The amount of Yang marrow needed for the fifth Yang Pearl to be perfected is already sufficient, and the Yang energy has long been absorbed and replenished within the Sword Domain.

At this moment, a set of tadpole-like characters had lit up on the surface of the sixth Yang Pearl, but because the fifth Yang Pearl was not yet complete, the true meaning of the spell remained obscure and unrevealed.

But he knew perfectly well what was going on.

This technique must be the "Astrology Technique"!
Zhao Wuji's mind raced.

"boom!"

The instant the Thunder Crystal was swallowed by the Yang Pearl, a boundless masculine power poured down like heavenly fire, erupting with a deafening roar.

The intense yang energy poured down like divine fire from the heavens, instantly transforming into thousands of golden snakes that burrowed into the body's acupoints.

Zhao Wuji's bones erupted with a roar like the cries of dragons and tigers, and every inch of his flesh was boiling and reforming.

Dark golden Dao patterns spread from the depths of his bone marrow, like ancient divine script flowing and shining on the surface of his skin.

The nascent soul and primordial spirit were also tempered by this powerful yang energy.

The nascent soul was surrounded by pure yang fire, and seven divine rings shone brightly between its brows.

Within the primordial spirit's sea of ​​consciousness, golden light surged like a tide, dispelling the gloom, and the power of divine consciousness rose steadily, stirring up a towering golden wave within the sea of ​​consciousness.

However, just when the yang energy was at its peak.

A chilling aura suddenly swept over me, like a cold blade pressed against my throat, its sharpness piercing to the bone!

In a daze, in the Nine Heavens beyond the Sword Domain, the Turbid Mist Sea suddenly split open into an abyss, the turbid mist surging and slowly opening up a single gray-white eye that spanned thousands of miles.

Cold and indifferent, like the heavens looking down on ants, devoid of emotion and desire.

The depths of his pupils reflected the shattered dynasty and the collapsed celestial court. Every line seemed to record the trajectory of the annihilation of all living beings, as if all the calamities of eternity flowed within him, and none could escape his fate.

This gaze, awakened from its slumber, transcends time and space, following the karmic trajectory of rising yang energy, piercing straight into the soul, sending chills down one's spine.

"Here they come again, just as I expected."

Zhao Wuji remained calm, but a hint of coldness flashed in his eyes.

Since the fourth pair of Yin-Yang beads were perfected, he has noticed that the Heavenly Dao is watching him more and more frequently, and even has a hint of revenge in its eyes.

Now that the fifth Yang Pearl is complete, it has once again attracted the attention of the Heavenly Dao, which was exactly what he expected.

Having experienced many grand occasions and even faced the Daoist aura directly, he was no longer alarmed by such pressure.

Even now, using the Perfect Yang Pearl within this ancient sword domain is blocked by the sword domain's restrictions, and he is planning to test it again.
(End of this chapter)