Immortals of the End Times

Chapter 42: Second Stage of Qi Refining, the Fox Immortal's Limits
The package Nan Zhixia gave her contained a wooden box. Inside the box, there was a book, a small sachet, and a letter.

The book was a handwritten copy, clearly written in Nan Zhixia's handwriting, and it was actually the second part of "Huang Ting Nei Jing Pian".

"Zhixia actually gave me this."

Zhao Wuji smiled and shook his head.

The authentic copy of the second part of the "Huang Ting Nei Jing Pian" is in his possession.

He opened the letter to read it.

"This letter is presented to Zhao Lang for his personal review:"

The letter contained only a few words, conveying a gentle concern, which was consistent with Nan Zhixia's usual image.

She concluded by saying that she would give him a surprise next time he came back.

In addition, she specifically mentioned that the sachet was her personal item, and that he should keep it close to his body so that he could see it and think of her if he missed her.

Zhao Wuji didn't believe this old hag's words.

This candidate saintess is cunning; every gift she gives has a deeper meaning, never a simple item.

He examined the sachet carefully and smelled an orchid fragrance inside. It seemed ordinary, and one might not know its true nature without opening it.

Disassembling it might damage the items inside.

He immediately used his supernatural powers to see through the air with his ghostly eyes.

They immediately noticed a faint fluctuation of spiritual energy inside the sachet, as if the spices were wrapped around some kind of talisman.

"A talisman? It looks pretty powerful."

Zhao Wuji's heart stirred.

As expected, nothing Zhixia gave was simple.

Although with his strength, he could protect himself as long as he didn't provoke the royal family or powerful forces, he didn't mind having more of these immortal artifacts for research.

"I wonder what the surprise will be when I get back? Anyway, my wife instructed me to carry the amulet with me at all times while I'm away..."

He kept the sachet close to his body, retrieved the "True Teachings," and continued to study and research it, striving to decipher the art of invisibility as soon as possible.

For the past five days, he has not taken any more pills, but has been cultivating normally to consolidate his strength, occasionally studying how to refine new fasting pills, or testing the effects of his ingestion techniques on the absorption of ordinary food.

The results showed that although this operation could reduce the pollution of spiritual energy and extract trace amounts of nutrients that were beneficial to the body, it was also a complete waste of magical power, a pointless and unnecessary step.

"I can take another Golden Jade Pill tonight, and then take a fourth one on New Year's Eve. My cultivation level will then break through to the second level of Qi Refining."

As Zhao Wuji pondered, the tadpole-like characters related to the "True Teachings" on the surface of the Yang Pearl became increasingly bright.

Five days passed in the blink of an eye.

With the arrival of New Year's Eve, the fighting in the North temporarily ceased.

At Gushan Pass, the Qian Kingdom's army and the Xuan Kingdom's garrison faced each other across the snow, resulting in a stalemate.

It is said that both countries have invited powerful figures to secretly compete, and then began to send envoys to make contact with each other, as if they wanted to sit down and discuss terms first.

Meanwhile, inside the Zhao residence, the festive atmosphere of the New Year was strong.

The young apprentice Xiaoyue tiptoed and lit a firework. The sparks hissed into the night sky, illuminating the bright eyes of the maids Chunhua and Xiaolan beside her.

The three of them laughed and joked as they covered their ears, displaying their youthful energy.

After playing with the three women for a while, Zhao Wuji went into the cultivation room and took the fourth Golden Jade Pill.

With the aid of the ingestion technique, the elixir, like molten gold falling down the throat, traveled in a hot line straight down to the dantian.

In an instant, countless strands of golden spiritual energy exploded from the dantian and surged along the meridians.

Wherever it passed, flesh and blood seemed to be soaked in a hot spring, while bones faintly emitted a clanging sound like metal striking stone.

However, a strange change suddenly occurred within his dantian.

The vortex of spiritual energy, which was suspended like a phantom elixir, suddenly boiled, and the golden liquid surged like a tide, each rise and fall more turbulent than the last.

The martial arts true energy deposited below also began to increase rapidly, each drop like amber dew, emitting a soft, clear sound as the medicinal power evaporated.

Under the guidance of the guiding technique, Zhao Wuji's mind became clear, and he could "see" his meridians being widened inch by inch by the growing spiritual power.

Like a dry riverbed suddenly hit by a torrential rain, gullies gradually turn into rivers.

"Boom!"

A crisp sound, audible only to him, seemed to break some invisible shackle.

In an instant, the surging spiritual energy stopped abruptly and then flowed back into the dantian.

The illusory elixir suddenly shrank to the size of a pigeon egg, while the golden light solidified more than twice as much, like the rising sun, hanging in the center of the dantian.

Below, the true energy piled up like eggs to form a miniature jade platform, supporting the illusory elixir as it slowly rotated.

Second stage of Qi cultivation complete!

Zhao Wuji suddenly opened his eyes, a flash of golden light in them, and his hair flew wildly at his temples.

At this moment, my five senses and spiritual perception, including my soul, seemed to be enhanced once again.

"Finally, I'm no longer a newbie just starting out."

Zhao Wuji stood up, and the swirling wind from his robes stirred up the dust on the ground into a small vortex.

This is a sign that spiritual energy is overflowing and has not yet been fully contained.

He suddenly made a hand seal and used a guiding technique to regulate the energy within his body, calming the turbulent spiritual power. He then used the Pill Manipulation Technique to solidify the nascent core within his body, locking in the spiritual power and inner essence, and reducing the loss of spiritual energy in the environment devoid of impurities.

The Seventy-Two Earthly Fiend Techniques were the key to his ability to move freely in this world of declining Dharma, even with a bamboo staff and straw sandals.

Suddenly, a presence from a hundred feet away burst in, as if stirring ripples on a calm lake.

"A white fox? It's been so long since I've seen it. Arriving on New Year's Eve certainly knows how to pick its time."

Zhao Wuji walked to the door and opened it to welcome the stranger.

Seeing the white fox again after a long time, the little guy seemed to have become even more intelligent.

However, once inside the house, she knelt down on her hind legs and repeatedly kowtowed to Zhao Wuji, tears welling up in her fox-like eyes.

"You come in and kneel down during the New Year? Could it be that you're asking me for help again about that matter from last time? I'm just a nobody and can't help you."

Zhao Wuji waved his hand and laughed, "When you come here, you can eat or drink whatever you want, but let's not mention that matter again."

The white fox, in its haste, began to write on the ground. The crooked and awkward handwriting was comical, but the content it conveyed was quite serious.

"Grandpa is dying? He won't make it through the winter? Please let me see him and help."

Zhao Wuji was speechless after reading the handwriting.

Could you come up with an even more outrageous reason? Grandpa Fox has cultivated immortality and is immune to heat and cold, so how could he possibly not survive the winter?

He shook his head and chuckled, "Little fox, don't tease me. No matter how cunning you are, it's hard for you to fool me."

The white fox shook its head repeatedly, its big, watery eyes looking innocent, and continued writing on the ground.

Seeing that it was difficult for him to write, Zhao Wuji simply sprinkled some cinnabar on the ground, which made the writing much clearer.

"Grandpa is already halfway through his sixties, his lifespan is nearing its end, and he is about to die."

Zhao Wuji was taken aback, only then realizing that the old fox's lifespan had come to an end.

If we say that the maximum lifespan of a normal person is 120 years, then...

Therefore, the maximum lifespan of a fox is only about ten years.

A fox that can live to be half a century or thirty years old can indeed be considered a fox spirit, but its lifespan is basically coming to an end.

"This old fox was saved by Consort Zhang during the reign of Emperor Taizong, the second emperor of the Xuan Dynasty, and now Emperor Zhaoming, the third emperor of the Xuan Dynasty, has been on the throne for twenty years."
It seems the old fox was saved by that concubine in his youth, and he's still alive today, remembering her and intending to repay her kindness.

Zhao Wuji sighed.

This animal's emotions may be purer than some people's; it is grateful and repays kindness, making it a truly good fox.

But if he were to rescue Consort Zhang, it might alert the Imperial Observatory and the mysterious Empress in the Jiaofang Palace.

He had been a royal physician for so many years, but he had never seen the Empress. He only knew that among the many concubines and noble ladies in the harem, none of them were unafraid of this Empress.

"The Empress suppressed Consort Zhang's resentment, making it difficult for her to release, and she became material for refining special magical artifacts. If I were to intervene and destroy it..."

Zhao Wuji was cautious by nature and was about to give up the idea when the white fox tore off another piece of fur from its body.

The fur was covered with tiny, illegible writing, which was now much more detailed and clear.

Zhao Wuji glanced at it a few times, and the Yin Pearl stirred restlessly. He knew that this was an ancient book that could lead to the Earthly Fiend Marriage Dream Technique, and it was probably complete.

The white fox continued to write crooked, illegible characters on the ground.

"Grandpa just wants to see you once. Whether you help or not is up to you."

Zhao Wuji sighed inwardly, looked at the fur in his hand, and pondered, "We can meet in three days. I will decide the meeting place."

Three days later, the realm he had just broken through would be stabilized.

And he also needs time to observe and prepare along the way.

Upon hearing this, the white fox was overjoyed, but then hesitated and wrote crookedly on the ground.

"We can't meet him in the city; they'll notice. Grandpa has demonic energy about him."

Zhao Wuji understood.

Humans have impurities, and so do demons.

What kind of aura it is, ordinary people might find it hard to detect.

But those who have cultivated themselves can easily sense it.

"Understood, go and give your reply."

Zhao Wuji opened the door and let the white fox leave.

He then immediately closed the door and used his spiritual power to perform the Netherworld Communication Technique and the Pill Manipulation Technique.

He left some of his soul power inside his physical body to protect it, so that if his body made any slight movement, his soul could quickly control his body to react.

"Whoosh-"

The bladed sword pellet flew out of the skylight, following the white fox as it darted away in the shadows of the city.

He planned to personally follow the white fox to see the fox den in the cold mountain and observe the old fox's condition by observing its aura.

Humans and demons are, after all, two different species. Human hearts are unpredictable, and demonic intentions are ever-changing, so he naturally had to prioritize his own safety.

Last time, although he followed them out of the city, he only observed from a distance of five or six miles, and even his Ghost Eyes could not see clearly.

This time, if the old fox's aura is very strong, there is absolutely no sign that his time is coming to an end. He will break his promise and not come to see him in three days.
(End of this chapter)