Immortals of the End Times

Chapter 127: The Spirit-Binding Array, the Empress Burns the Letter
In the Jade Rain Palace, the air was filled with the gentle fragrance of incense from the ladies' quarters.

Li Shiyu gently touched her hair and pushed a cup of tea and a list of items in front of Zhao Wuji.

With a smile, she said, "Senior Brother Zhao, His Majesty has granted permission to borrow three of your ancient books."

This is the detailed list of available borrowers. Once selected, they will be sent to the grotto within a few days.

That is indeed good news.

Zhao Wuji picked up the roster and flipped through it, a hint of joy flashing in his eyes. "Junior Sister Li truly lives up to her title of Imperial Concubine; her methods are extraordinary."

He paused for a moment, then said, "However, the border situation has been tense lately, and Yunfeng Cave Heaven has been making frequent unusual movements. The Affairs Department may be issuing new appointments. I'm afraid I'll need a few days to prepare for the matter of intimidating the Empress."

"Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow again—how many tomorrows there are, Senior Brother Zhao!"

Li Shiyu chuckled softly, her slender, pale fingers suddenly touching the cloud pattern on his sleeve, her voice tinged with a hint of allure: "Is this a way of making excuses because you think your junior sister's sincerity isn't enough?"

As she leaned forward, her collar opened slightly, releasing a subtle fragrance. Zhao Wuji then poured tea, just enough to separate the two of them.

"It's not that I'm making excuses."

Zhao Wuji's gaze was as clear as a cold pool. "After all, the Empress is at the fifth level of Qi Refining and has many magical artifacts. She should plan carefully before acting and make sure her actions are justified."

Later, I wrote her a letter, advising her not to make things difficult for my junior sister anymore.

If she remains obstinate, I will return to the capital and resolve my junior sister's troubles.

"In that case, it is indeed a thoughtful consideration from my senior brother."

Seeing his demeanor, Li Shiyu didn't go any further and covered her mouth with a laugh: "Then junior sister will wait for good news."

"Okay, I want these three books from the list."

Zhao Wuji casually circled the three ancient books.

These are, respectively, fragments of "Fifty-Two Prescriptions", Dunhuang fragments of "The Record of the Underworld" and "The Sword and the Weapon".

He had heard of the "Fifty-Two Prescriptions".

It is said that it contains some information about pre-Qin shamans and physicians.

It might be related to head-regeneration techniques, or at the very least, it could increase proficiency in medical arts.

The Dunhuang manuscript "Minglinglu" is a collection of fictional tales about strange events told by monks from the Western Regions, which may offer insights into similar themes.

As for "Swordplay", according to the roster, it seems to be a study of illusion magic from the Tang Dynasty, which may offer some inspiration for swordsmanship.

"There are still many ancient books in the Imperial Observatory of the Forbidden City."

Zhao Wuji set down the ancient book, took out paper and pen, wrote a letter, and then got up to take his leave.

Li Shiyu picked up the letter left by Zhao Wuji and examined it. The smile on her lips gradually faded, and she casually tossed the prepared rouge and powder into her dressing case.

She has finally figured it out.

Dealing with someone like Zhao Wuji is not something you can force.

The more eager he was, the more slippery he became, like a fish trying to swim away.

It must be nurtured like spring rain nourishing all things, slowly cultivating affection.

Furthermore, we must use self-interest as a rope to weave countless entanglements.

A mere appearance is not enough to bind a true dragon.

Zhao Wuji has no immediate intention of returning to the capital to stand up for Li Shiyu.

Firstly, the rules of the grotto heaven are as firm as a mountain, and disciples are not allowed to interfere in the politics of the Xuan Kingdom.

Although the imperial harem is not the imperial court, it is ultimately related to the fate of the nation. If one is not careful, the Ministry of Justice will have a handle against them.

He naturally wanted to first use diplomacy before resorting to force, and wrote a letter to warn others.

If the empress does not restrain herself, he can accompany Li Shiyu to visit her again and take the opportunity to intimidate her.

In addition, he has been embroiled in numerous matters lately, with one thing after another coming one after another, leaving him feeling mentally and physically exhausted.

So he decided to leave the grotto for a while and visit his ancestral home for a few days.

It can both relax the mind and perhaps bring other benefits.

After returning to his cave, Zhao Wuji left behind five source crystals and instructed Xiaoyue to continue searching for the spiritual materials needed for the Golden Jade Pill and the Dragon Tiger Pill, as well as some medicinal ingredients for making talisman pills.

The materials for both the Golden Jade Pill and the Dragon Tiger Pill have now been mostly accumulated.

The former, when combined with the latter, is refined into a pill, which can serve as the foundation for rapidly breaking through to higher levels of strength in the future.

The latter can be sold for a considerable amount of source crystals, making it a relatively stable source of wealth.

After arranging the trivial matters, he stepped out of the cave and glanced in the direction of the Frost Palace.

"However, since we've only been apart for a few days, there's no need to specifically inform the Peak Master."

Zhao Wuji glanced at the storage pouch at his waist, then took it off and put it into his pocket.

He could wear this treasure freely within the cave, but once outside, he couldn't display it openly, as that would be blatantly enticing powerful cultivators to try and steal it.

He then took out a bamboo hat, put it on, and used a hand seal to perform a flight technique. Zhao Wuji's figure flew up and descended from Hanyue Peak.

A day later, in a small town called "Qingyuan" a thousand miles away from Linlang Cave, the setting sun hung obliquely on the dilapidated city tower.

Most of the houses in the city had their doors and windows tightly closed, and the occasional wisps of smoke rising from their chimneys seemed thin and weak.

Several hunched-over old men sat on the street corner, their cloudy eyes numbly staring at the dusty official road, watching a few skinny horses pulling empty carts, their hooves making a dull thud.

Several other children squatted in the abandoned teahouse, playing with the sand and dirt with sticks.

Zhao Wuji's figure floated in mid-air, looking down at the almost desolate city below, which was completely different from the childhood scene in his predecessor's memory.

"The Xuan Kingdom conscripted soldiers for war, and the city was left with no able-bodied men."

Zhao Wuji shook his head inwardly, looked towards the east, west, and north corners of the city, and quietly flew over there.

It's fine as long as you stay in the cave, but once you leave, you feel uncomfortable all over.

Cultivators in this turbid world are like fish out of water, even their breathing becomes sluggish.

The imperial city still possesses the nourishment of dragon veins and dragon energy, retaining some spiritual charm, while this small town is left with only the turbid atmosphere of the mortal world.

Fortunately, he had locked his spirit with his nascent soul core, and his own cultivation was also formidable, so he was able to withstand the attack. In just a moment, he was standing amidst the ruins of his ancestral home.

The long-abandoned courtyard is covered with cobwebs, but the ancient well from my memory still lies quietly in the southwest corner, its rim covered with green vines.

Zhao Wuji's martial arts grandmaster-level true energy surged, cutting through thorns like a sharp blade, and he discovered faint traces of talismanic patterns on the stone wall of the ancient well.

"There is indeed something strange about it."

He pointed his fingers like a sword, wiped away the years of accumulated grime, revealing the faint cloud-patterned array on the well wall.

This pattern bears a striking resemblance to some of the array patterns recorded in the "Hundred Explanations of Mysterious Arrays" in the Dongtian Cangjing Pavilion.

Even cultivators unfamiliar with array formations wouldn't recognize it upon arrival, mistaking it for ordinary decorations.

"I never imagined that my ancestral home's ancient well would actually have some hidden secrets."

Zhao Wuji felt strange. His memories of his past life were blurry, and even though he had recently used the Dream Rebirth Technique to rewind time, he had not found any trace of the array in the well.

It seems that the original owner of this body was completely unaware of the intricacies of the situation, only remembering that Zhao Tianlang had strictly forbidden him from getting close when he was young.

"Let's go down and find out."

His hand gestures shifted, and the Qi-restricting technique instantly condensed into a protective Qi armor, his body radiating a faint, clear light.

Immediately afterward, he formed the hand seals for the array formation and leaped into the well.

"Bam—"

The moment it touched the water's surface, the storage bag in its arms suddenly trembled violently with spiritual light!

"Not good!"

Zhao Wuji hurriedly formed a magic seal, but was horrified to find that the Qi armor was rapidly disintegrating, and the spiritual power within his body was like being trapped in a quagmire.

In the blink of an eye, he plummeted straight down like an ordinary person.

Strangely, the expected icy well water did not come.

His feet, however, landed on dry stone slabs.

One by one, eerie blue phosphorescent lights emanated from the four walls, illuminating three skeletons lying askew in the passageway ahead, each draped in tattered robes that had lost their spiritual essence.

Half of a flying shuttle was still stuck in the top of one person's skull.

"This is.?"

Zhao Wuji was taken aback.

Beneath the well in their ancestral home, there was another strange space, containing the remains of three cultivators.

This situation was completely unexpected.

Meanwhile, inside the Jiaofang Palace in the imperial palace of the Xuan Kingdom.

Smoke curled from the crane-shaped incense burner as Empress Yu Lanxi leaned against the phoenix couch, her fingertips twirling a letter sent from the Jade Cave Heaven.

The letter was written on top-quality cloud-patterned paper, and the ink was clear and sharp like the edge of a sword.

The three characters 'Zhao Wuji' at the end of the signature are carved like a sword's edge, their force penetrating the paper.

"That little imperial physician in the Imperial Hospital who didn't dare to raise his head when he saw me back then, he's really made something of himself now, and he's even learned to use his title of 'Cave Heaven' to intimidate me..."

She chuckled softly, a cold glint flashing in her phoenix eyes.

The words in the letter, "I advise Your Majesty not to make things difficult for Junior Sister Li any longer," seemed like a warning, or perhaps a mockery. The candlelight flickered on and off, as if Zhao Wuji's clear, cold eyes were confronting her through the pages.

"Little Linzi."

Her lips parted slightly, her voice as clear as cold jade.

"Your servant is here!" The Grand Chamberlain appeared like a ghost and knelt on the ground.

"Go and see off the head lady in charge of Consort Li."

Empress Yu Lanxi tapped her fingers lightly on the armrest, "Since she wishes to retire and return to her hometown, I will grant her a dignified retirement."

"Slave understands!"

Yu Lanxi casually tossed the letter into the incense burner, the flames instantly engulfing the ink. "Isn't that vile maid Li Shiyu the one who loves to use incense to seduce men?"

She stroked a string of blood-red coral beads on her wrist, "Burn my newly acquired Western Regions Blood Amber Incense, along with that maid's corpse, to ashes... It's hot in the summer, I'll give her some relief from the heat."

"This servant obeys!" After kneeling and bowing, the Grand Chamberlain slowly rose, bowed directly to the Empress, and slowly retreated from the Jiaofang Palace.

"A master of both swordsmanship and alchemy. Recently, he even defeated the top swordsman of the Supreme Cave Heaven with a single sword strike? What a prestigious title! Unfortunately, I'm not buying it."

The empress slowly rose, her bare feet stepping across the fox fur coat on the ground, and walked out of the palace.

Suddenly, a eunuch rushed in from outside the palace to report: "Your Majesty, the foxes of Cold Mountain have been hunted to extinction, and no trace of them can be found within hundreds of miles."

"Then let's hunt them hundreds of miles away!"

Her phoenix eyes flashed with murderous intent, "I will make all foxes in the world extinct!"

Deep within the ancient well of the ancestral home, Zhao Wuji repeatedly mobilized his spiritual power to cast spells, but the spells dissipated as soon as they took effect.

"A spirit-suppressing array?"

Zhao Wuji's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately stopped.

Fortunately, the effect of the illusory elixir in locking the spirit was still present, and although the spiritual power in the body was like being trapped in a quagmire, it did not dissipate rapidly.

However, the storage bag in his arms needs to be infused with spiritual energy from time to time in order to resist the strange spiritual erosion in the formation.

Although he couldn't use spiritual power and magic, he could still freely circulate the true energy of a martial arts grandmaster.

Zhao Wuji examined the three corpses on the ground. Judging from the remaining spiritual power on the corpses, they should all be cultivators at the mid-stage of Qi Refining, which would be no weaklings in this world.

The magical artifacts and robes on his body had long since lost their spirituality and become mere mortal objects.

"These people seemed to have fought each other before they died, and it even seems they devoured one another?"

His gaze fell on the leg bone of another person being held in one of the hands; there were signs of gnawing, and he shook his head.

He immediately noticed the three corpses on the stone wall directly opposite him.
(End of this chapter)