Immortals of the End Times

Chapter 94: The End of Dharma, the Peak Master Escapes (Long Chapter, Bonus Chapter for Lin Hao)
After half a stick of incense.

Zhao Wuji looked at the eight mottled source crystals with spiritual energy displayed in front of him.

A piece of Polygonatum that was claimed to be a hundred years old, but was actually only thirty years old.

A sachet that claims to be a calming incense, but is actually just ordinary ambergris.
They are all poor ghosts in the Dharma-ending Age.

Zhao Wuji lightly flicked the tassel of the sachet with his fingertip, and looked at the two accomplices, Li and Wang, with a cold smile: "Brothers, how many times have you put on this show?"

Pointy-nosed Li and square-faced Wang, their faces ashen, hunched over and chuckled awkwardly, "Junior Brother Zhao, you should know we had no choice."

Yu Zishan clutched his still-bleeding neck, his voice hoarse: "We admit defeat today."

He suddenly looked up, his eyes flashing with a dark light: "But as soon as you entered the mountain gate, you were favored and recruited by Peak Master Hua. You can also refine pills, so how do you understand the struggles of cultivators at the bottom?"
"The weak offering treasures to the strong for peace is an ironclad rule in the cultivation world." He sneered, spitting out blood. "Today you're strong, so naturally we should show you respect. But as the saying goes, you'll run into each other again eventually; leave a way out for others, so you can meet again in the future."

"Leave a way out for others?"

Zhao Wuji smiled calmly. His spiritual senses had already detected that the Empress's aura, which he had been observing from the shadows, had already departed.

He seemed to have no intention of standing up for these people, and these people seemed unaware that they had been used as pawns.

"Is she just using the established rules among disciples to get Yu Zishan to test me? It seems she's not sure and has some reservations."

Zhao Wuji thought to himself, then coldly said, "Did you already have someone in mind when you attacked me back in the market?"

Yu Zishan was taken aback, then his face darkened and he said, "Your sale of Dragon Tiger Pills in the market did attract our attention, but it's not like we had already chosen you beforehand."

After all, the list of personnel assigned to patrol the mountain is not something we can decide.

Zhao Wuji gave Yu Zishan a deep look and said coldly, "Leave all your magical artifacts behind."

"Junior Brother Zhao, don't go too far."

"Ah-"

As the sword flashed, blood gushed from Yu Zishan's throat. He clutched his neck, which was almost half-slit open, his expression filled with terror.

"A magical artifact." Zhao Wuji's sword dripped blood, his voice colder than a frost-covered blade: "Or your life."

The disciple from the Spirit Herb Garden collapsed to his knees in terror. Sharp-Mouthed Li and Square-Faced Wang were also terrified, their faces ashen. They had never seen such a ruthless and cold-blooded person.

"Senior Brother Zhao, here's the magic weapon, please don't kill me, please don't kill us!"

"Give you all!"

Senior Brother Li was so frightened that he was almost incoherent, and he started calling Zhao Wuji "Senior Brother." All traces of his previous arrogance had vanished.

Yu Zishan staggered back, clutching his bleeding neck, and hurriedly threw the magic weapon flying knife to the ground, his eyes filled with panic.

"If you had known better from the start, there would have been no need for bloodshed."

Zhao Wuji said calmly, "These magical artifacts are useless to me. After returning to my cave, I will put them on consignment at the market."

If you want to buy them back, then go and buy them yourselves.

He suddenly beckoned with his finger: "Come here."

Seeing Yu Zishan standing motionless, he sneered, "What? Afraid I'll finish you off?"

Three golden needles suddenly appeared at his fingertips: "That sword strike was enough to kill you. I'm actually a doctor, so I'll stitch up your wounds to avoid being punished if you die."

"What?" Yu Zishan was shocked, his throat and mouth blocked by blood, and he was too shocked to speak.

On the other side, Empress Yu Lanxi arrived quietly and left just as quietly. Her slender fingers gently caressed the Soul Curse Lotus, and the dark lotus petals emitted a faint light that gradually faded away.

Her sharp gaze softened with confusion: "It really wasn't him?"

She personally brought the magical artifact, the Soul Curse Yin Lotus. If Zhao Wuji was the one who had taken away her Yin Sha Lotus Seed, he would inevitably be tainted by that unique Soul Curse Yin Sha Qi, which could not be eliminated in a year or two, and he would be locked by the Soul Curse Yin Lotus.

However, during the observation just now, no matter how the other party attacked, the Soul Curse Yin Lotus did not react at all, which clearly showed that the other party had never come into contact with the Yin Sha Lotus Seed.

She gazed towards the mountains and forests, her lips slightly pursed: "It seems I miscalculated."

Her jade-like hand unconsciously tightened within her sleeve. "This Physician Zhao is truly unexpected. He has actually mastered the true essence of Peak Master Hua's Profound Ice Sword Technique. His strength is extraordinary, and his magical artifacts are also powerful, unlike those of a poor cultivator who uses ordinary iron artifacts."

"Unfortunately, we didn't push him to the brink this time. A person only reveals many secrets when they are in dire straits."

Empress Yu Lanxi's memories flash back to a palace banquet.

The shy young man who followed behind the old imperial physician, not daring to drink too much wine, overlapped with the cold and stern figure who delivered a fatal blow to the throat today.

When the situation has truly become too great, even if she were to personally take action, it would still take some effort to subdue it.

Yu Lanxi gently stroked the lotus platform with her fingertips, the cold glint in her phoenix eyes gradually fading.

Now that our identities have been verified, there is no need to make enemies for this.

Although she also hated Hua Qingshuang, she knew that this peak master would not die so easily.

Although the results were not ideal this time, we were able to get a clear picture of the situation as we had hoped.

A slight smile played on her lips as she recalled the neatly arranged medical texts and prescriptions in the other party's official residence, even the hidden compartments exuding a medicinal fragrance.

The cave dwelling was filled with wine jars and ancient books, befitting a physician who was obsessed with alchemy and drinking and reading.

"That's all."

The crimson embroidered shoes crushed a withered leaf, and Yu Lanxi's figure gradually faded.

Although we didn't manage to force them to reveal their true intentions, we did manage to explore both of their key locations, so it wasn't entirely in vain.

In the mountains and forests.

"Well!"

Yu Zishan's eyes widened, and blood gurgled in his throat.

But then, those blood-stained fingers danced like butterflies, the golden needles carrying a chilling spiritual energy piercing flesh and locking veins, the gushing blood instantly freezing into scabs.

Zhao Wuji tied a knot in the hair on the golden needle, thus cleaning and stitching up Yu Zishan's wound.

The way Li, Wang, and the others looked at him was as if he were a devil; they had never seen such a terrifying person.

He was the one who killed and drew blood.
He was also the one who brought the dead back to life.
Is this the King of Hell who will take your life or Hua Tuo who will save it?

"Alright, later we'll apply some medicine. With your cultivation level, Senior Brother Yu, clearing away the blood clots that have entered your lungs will be a piece of cake."

Zhao Wuji casually put away the needles, slowly wiped the bloodstains from his palm, and smiled faintly.

When he was suturing the wound, he secretly used the acupuncture technique from the Four Essentials of Traditional Chinese Medicine to stop the bleeding from the wound. It was a small clinical trial, which added some skill to his medical practice.

However, in this degenerate age, resources are scarce, and magical resources are not much better.

Even some rejuvenating medical techniques are extremely rare; at least, they don't exist in the Linglang Cave Heaven.

Therefore, Zhao Wuji did not cast the spell directly to avoid revealing his medical skills.

However, this bizarre method of both harming and healing people terrified many and left them with deep psychological trauma.

After this intimidation, the entire squad behaved themselves.

On the last day of the patrol, although everyone was outwardly friendly but inwardly hostile, no one dared to glance at Zhao Wuji even slightly. Even the birds flying through the forest would startle people. The patrol mission was successfully completed.

"Senior Brother Yu, you're back from patrolling the mountain?"

Inside the cave, a blue-robed disciple saw Yu Zishan and first greeted him warmly with a cupped hand. Then, his expression changed, and he stared at the blood-soaked bandage on Yu Zishan's neck, asking in astonishment and seriousness.

"Did something dangerous happen during this patrol? Could it be that cultivators from Yunfeng Cave Heaven have attacked?"

Yu Zishan looked embarrassed, glanced at the expressionless Zhao Wuji, and cupped his hands, saying, "Junior Brother Qin misunderstood. I accidentally fell while using the Flying Technique during my patrol." "Ah?" The disciple opposite was taken aback and was about to ask again when Yu Zishan quickly made an excuse to slip away.

"Junior Brother Zhao"

At the mission handover area of ​​the Affairs Hall, after everyone handed over their tasks and received twenty minor merits each, Yu Zishan forced a smile and bowed, saying, "Today's matters..."

“The ritual implements are consigned for sale in the market.”

Zhao Wuji interrupted indifferently, and the flying sword in his sleeve hummed softly: "Please make yourselves at home."

After saying that, he turned and strode away.

After experiencing his methods, these people still wanted to maintain a superficial friendship with him and did not want to offend him again.

However, he disliked maintaining a superficial peace and feigning compliance with people with whom he had past grudges. Once a path had come to an end, it was time to part ways and not force each other to cross the bridge together.

On the way to the market, Zhao Wuji realized that he hardly saw any of the gray-robed disciples he usually saw.

The disciples in blue robes gathered in small groups, whispering about the bad news from the border, their expressions tense.

Occasionally, a blue-robed disciple would pass by, his expression gloomy. He no longer used his flying technique, clearly having to conserve his spiritual energy. He seemed to be in a hurry, as if he were on a mission.

When he passed by the herb garden, he did not see Li Nianwei's familiar figure.

Even the herb garden is empty; many spiritual plants and herbs have been harvested, the waterfall has stopped flowing, and the spiritual spring has run dry.

"Strange, how come the environment has changed so much in just a few days? The spiritual energy in the air is so thin? Has the grotto-heaven entered the Dharma-ending Age?"

With a worried heart, Zhao Wuji went to the consignment shop counter in the market. With a flick of his sleeve, several magical artifacts with dim spiritual light landed on the sandalwood cabinet.

Deacon Shu traced the remaining bloodstains on the blade with his fingertips, raising an eyebrow slightly: "These magical artifacts."

"Several senior brothers generously gave it to me."

Zhao Wuji smiled and handed over the true inheritance token, "They will come to redeem them in a few days."

"A disciple of Cold Moon Peak?" Deacon Shu examined the token, then suddenly narrowed his eyes and scrutinized Zhao Wuji: "Is he the one who excels in both alchemy and swordsmanship?"

"It's just an empty title." Zhao Wuji interrupted with a cupped hand, tapping his fingers three times on the counter: "The commission remains the same, thank you for your trouble, Steward."

"Tsk, it's rare to find someone on Cold Moon Peak who knows the rules." Deacon Shu blurted out, then suddenly realized his mistake.

His words seemed to imply that Peak Master Hua was too aloof, so he quickly coughed and changed the subject.

After exchanging words with him for a while, Zhao Wuji looked at the increasingly sparse market outside and asked in confusion, "I have been out patrolling the mountains these past few days and have not been in the cave. Why is it that after only a few days, the cave seems to have fewer people and the spiritual energy seems to have thinned out a lot?"

Upon hearing this, Deacon Shu sighed and said, "It seems you are unaware of the fact that both Peak Master Hou and Elder Yu have returned with serious injuries. In order to heal them, the Cave Master has mobilized the Linglang Zhouxing Formation."

Therefore, the spiritual energy in the entire grotto-heaven has thinned by at least 30%, in addition to the previous sharp decline.

"Hou Peak Master and the others have returned? What about Hua Peak Master of Hanyue Peak?" Zhao Wuji's expression changed drastically, and he immediately asked, no longer paying attention to the spiritual energy that had thinned out considerably.

"Well," Deacon Shu shook his head, regretfully saying, "I haven't heard any news of Peak Master Hua's return."

He offered a few more words of comfort, but Zhao Wuji had lost interest in the conversation and quickly left.

Upon returning to Cold Moon Peak, Zhao Wuji discovered that Peak Master Hua had indeed not returned.

The cultivation environment on Cold Moon Peak has now deteriorated further.

The concentration of spiritual energy in the entire Cold Moon Peak is now even lower than that of the former outer Lotus Mountain, causing the once flourishing Ice Spirit Flowers planted by the peak master to droop their heads, and the dew condensed on the petals to appear murky and unsightly.

"This is truly the end times of Dharma. We've only just begun our battle with Yunfeng Cave Heaven, and the environment has already deteriorated to this extent. Our once perfect cultivation environment has been completely destroyed."

Zhao Wuji felt heavy-hearted as he glanced at the empty peak master's bedroom. Senior Sister Dai's cave was also tightly shut, indicating that she had not yet returned.

He hurriedly returned to his cave dwelling and saw Xiaoyue drying medicinal herbs in the courtyard, which eased his mind somewhat.

"Sir, you are back!"

Xiaoyue put down the herbs she was drying and jogged over to greet him, her face full of concern: "Was the patrol on the mountain successful?"

"It went very smoothly, so easy."

Zhao Wuji gently patted the top of her head, downplaying the danger.

However, the moment he stepped into the cave, his expression changed drastically.

There was a sense that someone else had been inside the cave.

The words are divided into two parts.

Thousands of miles away from Xuan Kingdom, a volcano craters with toxic flames.

Four purple-robed cultivators stood on the Heavenly Gang position, their crimson flame array flags drawing upon the earth's fiery poison to transform the entire volcano into a furnace.

At the center of the formation, a figure in pure white could be vaguely seen trapped inside, unable to escape.

Sudden--

"Crack!"

A sword aura, formed from an astonishingly chilling cold, suddenly erupted from the depths of the magma, shooting out with lightning speed, instantly freezing the boiling lava into ice.

The nine fire chains formed by the formation froze and broke inch by inch, and the runes on the formation flags burst one after another.

boom! ——

The rocks exploded and shattered, causing the array barrier to become unstable and fluctuate violently, making those who set up the array change color.

A graceful figure emerged from the volcano, stepping onto the ice. Her white Taoist robe fluttered in the wind, and the ice patterns between her brows shone with a dazzling cold light.

"Impossible!" The purple-robed cultivator who had set up the formation on the mountaintop paled in shock. "Her Xuanbing spiritual power was clearly suppressed and her meridians were corroded by the Nine Earth Fire Poison! How could she still activate her magic power?"

Before she finished speaking, Hua Qingshuang suddenly raised her head, her eyes filled with an astonishing coldness. As the Frost Flying Sword hummed, it suddenly raised its head like an ice dragon, letting out a long cry.

"Om-"

The world suddenly turned frigid, and a sword aura of frost, tens of feet long, swept across like a cold dragon.

It was none other than the Frost Dragon Slash from the Profound Ice Sword Technique!
The array barrier suddenly shattered, and the three cultivators who formed the array were frozen into crystal ice sculptures before they could even make hand seals. The next moment, they and the magical artifacts beside them shattered into countless ice crystals.

"Hua Qing Shuang!"

The last purple-robed elder roared and summoned a fire gourd, spraying a rain of blazing flames that distorted the void for ten feet.

A frost-like pattern flashed in Hua Qingshuang's eyes, and blood suddenly spilled from the corner of her mouth with a light flick of her jade finger.

"Shh! Shh! Shh!"

The three ice crystal puppets landed with a thud and took root, instantly transforming into three Xuanbing warriors, their bodies a deep blue as if forged from ten thousand years of cold iron, blocking the flames.

With a swift movement, she transformed into a cold rainbow piercing the sky, soaring dozens of miles away.

"Old Ghost Yan Zi—"

A clear, cold voice drifted from the horizon, each word like ice:

"I will repay the grudge of your fiery vein foundation for the month you have imprisoned me!"

Before the echoes had faded, the three ice puppets exploded, unleashing a storm of ice crystals that kept the enemy at bay.
I updated over 10,000 words again today. I haven't eaten yet, going to eat now. Please vote for me, my friends!

Yesterday, a reader in a group asked if the cave was going to collapse and if the protagonist was going to run away. I replied that no, the cave will exist for a long time, and there will be many more plot developments. This is just a minor setback for now. So, some impatient readers, please don't rush to criticize. TV dramas have foreshadowing and twists, and novels are even more so.

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(End of this chapter)