Immortals of the End Times

Chapter 135, Episode 138: Perilous Situation for Wuji, Yunfeng's Ambush (Bonus Chapter for Monthly Tickets, 1222 Chapters)

"I never expected that before I even left the cave, a little mouse would have its eyes on me. Could it be..."

Sensing the observation from the shadows, Zhao Wuji remained calm and quietly formed a hand seal with his fingertips.

The art of marriage through dreams was unleashed.

A wisp of intention mixed with magic clung to the rapidly receding aura like a spider's web.

He pretended not to notice and continued flying, but suddenly turned back as he passed a patch of tree shadows, his phantom cloak wrapping around his figure as he vanished in a blur.

Several dozen breaths later, in a mountain hollow.

A disciple in blue robes crept up to the place, took out a communication jade talisman engraved with a blue phoenix pattern from his pocket, and was about to activate it.

Zhao Wuji slowly emerged from the shadows of the trees, his eyes flashing with a dark light, the spiritual power formed by the Dream Marriage Technique silently enveloping his opponent.

"Senior Brother Zhao?"

The disciple looked up in alarm and retreated, but his right hand quietly reached for the talisman in his sleeve.

Zhao Wuji's eyes suddenly welled up with tears, his voice carrying the ethereal quality unique to dreams: "Sleep now. After you sleep, you will dream of the person who gave you the mission, and you will dream of your meritorious service."

Zhao Wuji's voice was like a babbling brook, carrying a peculiar rhythm.

As the dream-marriage technique deepened, Zhou Qu's gaze gradually became unfocused, and he captured the dream scenes reflected in his pupils one by one.

It turns out that this disciple had already fallen into the hands of cultivators from Yunfeng Cave Heaven during the Northern Border War three months earlier.

The other party not only broke his mind-controlling spell, but also forced Zhou Qu to take the Soul-Capturing Pill and planted a life-and-death seal in his body.

After that, Zhou Qu became a spy for Yunfeng Cave, keeping a close watch on the movements of important figures on various peaks of Linlang Cave.

As a key target on the Yunfeng Cave Heaven's kill list, Zhao Wuji naturally received special attention.

"interesting."

Zhao Wuji's lips curled up slightly, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes. "I originally thought it was that old rival in the palace causing trouble, but I never expected it to be the work of Yunfeng Cave Heaven."

This was the first time he had uncovered a hidden agent in another cave.

Ironically, from a certain perspective, he himself could be considered a hidden agent planted by the Supreme Cave Heaven.

However, this "hidden mole" will not be manipulated by anyone.

After a moment's thought, Zhao Wuji erased the part of the other party's memory related to the Dream Marriage Technique.

He then lifted the unconscious Zhou Qu with one hand, rode the wind, and flew straight towards the Hall of Affairs.

This unexpected gain will surely earn you a lot of merit.

More than ten breaths later.

Inside the Hall of Affairs.

He Ming tapped the table lightly with his knuckles, his gaze shifting back and forth between the Azure Phoenix Jade Talisman and the disciple slumped on the ground.

Suddenly, he clapped his hands and laughed: "Wonderful! Junior Nephew Zhao has already made a great contribution before even leaving the cave. He truly deserves to be called the lucky star of my Linlang Cave!"

Zhao Wuji bowed slightly: "It was just a lucky escape. Since this person has already confessed, why not use this as a pretext?"

"good."

Elder He pondered for a moment and said, "I will arrange for two stewards to ambush you at Luoxia Slope. Let's lure you into the trap."

He suddenly lowered his voice, "But your real task..."

"The disciple understands."

Zhao Wuji cupped his hands in greeting, "The operation to break the formation at Wind Howling Cliff will proceed as planned. This disciple will depart immediately."

Xiong Ba suddenly cackled twice on his shoulder, making He Ming shake his head and laugh.

"Don't make this public." He Ming lowered his voice. "If this counter-espionage succeeds, the Hall of Merit will at least award you two hundred merits."

"I will obey the elder's instructions."

Zhao Wuji bowed and took his leave, his divine sense quietly sweeping across the outside of the hall as he turned to leave.

This time, no one was secretly watching.

It's unlikely that even if Yunfeng Cave Heaven planted many spies, it could not possibly keep an eye on him alone.

"But there was another person's aura in that side hall just now, and it was very powerful."

Zhao Wuji's eyes flickered slightly, but he didn't think much of it, assuming it was one of the other elders.

As soon as Zhao Wuji's figure disappeared outside the hall, He Ming picked up the unconscious Zhou Qu and slipped into the side hall.

With a flick of his sleeve, a soundproof barrier silently unfolded.

"I never expected that this Junior Nephew Zhao would be so capable."

He Ming frowned and threw Zhou Qu to the ground. "This boy has been under our control for two months. We originally planned with Senior Brother Liang to use him to lure the experts from Yunfeng Cave Heaven into our trap."

From the shadows of the side hall, an elderly man with white hair and a youthful face slowly appeared.

It was none other than Elder Liang, the head of the Spirit Materials Hall. He was gently twirling a crimson spirit pearl in his hand, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes as the pearl shone through.

"This child is indeed unexpected."

Elder Liang pondered, the spirit pearl swirling between his fingers, "But it's alright, let him continue breaking the formation according to the original plan. As for Zhou Qu..."

He glanced at the unconscious disciple on the ground, "force him to continue transmitting false information to lure the Cloud Phoenix experts to Wind Howling Cliff."

He Ming's expression changed slightly upon hearing this: "But this Junior Nephew Zhao is, after all, a member of Cold Moon Peak."

His voice betrayed hesitation.

If Zhao Wuji was unaware of the situation, the only thing he would lose afterward was the traitor Zhou Qu, a man destined for death.

Now that the other party knows, and continues to act this way, with Zhao Wuji's intelligence, he can naturally guess that someone leaked his whereabouts information, and in the end, He Ming will not be able to escape suspicion.

He Ming wasn't afraid of a promising disciple, but the Flower Peak Master behind this disciple was not someone to be trifled with.

Seeing this, Elder Liang suddenly stopped spinning the spirit pearl in his hand and said in a deep voice, "Looking at the entire Linglang Cave Heaven, besides Zhao Wuji, who is a bait at the top of the kill list, who else can lure out those old foxes from Yunfeng Cave Heaven?"

He snorted coldly, "Even if it is Junior Nephew Ji, his strength is enough, but his potential and hatred are not enough. In the eyes of the other party, he is nothing more than a small fish and a shrimp."

The candlelight inside the hall flickered, illuminating Elder Liang's deep features.

"The cave master has ordered that you and I must kill one of Yunfeng's fourteen high-ranking members, or one of his secret disciples."

He paused, then looked meaningfully at He Ming, "How can you catch a big fish without using heavy bait? As for Peak Master Hua's side..."

Elder Liang chuckled and took out a jade slip from his sleeve: "Their mission this time is to face the two peak masters of Yunfeng directly, how can they have time to worry about this?"

He Ming frowned: "But what if something happens to Junior Nephew Zhao?"

"Junior Brother He!"

Elder Liang suddenly raised his voice, his eyes flashing with a sharp light, "On the battlefield, life and death are preordained. Did you think that when the Cave Master sent Peak Master Hua and the other two, there would be sacrifices?"

He Ming's body trembled.

Elder Liang's tone suddenly softened, and he patted He Ming on the shoulder: "Those who achieve great things do not concern themselves with trifles."

Warfare is based on deception. Some sacrifices are inevitable.

If this Junior Nephew Zhao were just an ordinary disciple, would you still hesitate so much? With the greater good at stake, who shouldn't make sacrifices? Why is he the only exception?" Elder He's hands trembled slightly within his sleeves, and he finally sighed, "Alas."

Elder Liang's tone softened, "Junior Brother He, please rest assured. We will take action in time, and Junior Nephew Zhao will be in no danger."

He stroked his long beard, his eyes gleaming with suppressed shrewdness. "If he has any doubts afterward, he can simply say 'the intelligence was wrong,' and who can investigate further?"

"That's all."

Elder He abruptly flicked his sleeve, "Then proceed as planned. Senior Brother Liang will go ahead; I will come to meet you tomorrow."

"good."

Elder Liang lowered his eyelids slightly, concealing the glint of light that flashed in his eyes.

Beyond the grotto, mountains rise and fall, shrouded in clouds and mist.

Zhao Wuji sometimes flew through the air, and sometimes used his movement techniques, his figure as swift as the wind, shuttling through the dense forest.

He noticed that his movements were lighter and faster than before. With each step he took, the blood-fiend spiritual power surged through his flesh and meridians. His blood and qi were like dragons, as if a crimson python was swimming around him. Every inch of his flesh and blood was filled with unprecedented power.

"The first level of Blood Fiend is indeed different."

A slight smile played on his lips, and a fleeting glint of bloodlust flashed in his eyes.

The spiritual energy barrier of an ordinary cultivator would likely be torn apart as easily as paper in the face of such malevolent energy.

If it were that meager amount of true energy from before, it probably wouldn't even be able to shake the most basic spiritual energy protection of a cultivator.

With this thought in mind, he suddenly stopped in his tracks, pointed his fingers like a knife, and slashed through the air.

The bloodthirsty aura emanated from his body, and the bluestone three zhang away cracked in response, the broken surface as smooth as a mirror.

"good."

Zhao Wuji nodded slightly, "Only this is worthy of the title 'Martial Arts Profound.'"

He continued running, sometimes leaping through the mountains and forests like a nimble ape, sometimes riding the wind like a dragon, constantly testing the limits of his newly developed body.

Finally, he soared through the air, his figure like a wisp of green smoke sweeping across the mountains.

When spiritual energy is depleted, one should use martial arts techniques to travel and take the opportunity to recover.

When their physical strength is exhausted, they switch to riding the wind, allowing their tired muscles and bones to catch their breath.

Traveling in this alternating manner, he arrived above Wind Howling Cliff in the early morning, just half a day later.

As its name suggests, the Wind Howling Cliff is a place where strong winds howl, making people's robes flutter.

Zhao Wuji remained as steady as a mountain as he landed on the cliff. His gaze was like lightning as he looked down and unleashed his Bird Taming Technique with a series of hand seals.

"go with!"

"Ka!"

Xiongba flapped its wings and swooped down, its sharp bird eyes scanning the surroundings, taking in everything below the cliff.

After cultivating in the cave for some time, Xiong Ba had developed the strength of a demon beast that was almost equivalent to a cultivator at the first level of Qi Refining.

Although it is a myna, its size has grown larger and larger, and it is now the size of an adult male eagle.

If he continues to cultivate and grow, he might become comparable to a giant eagle.

Through the shared vision of the Bird Taming Technique, Zhao Wuji could clearly see that some cultivators from Yunfeng Cave Heaven were setting up formations in the mountains and riverbanks below Wind Howling Cliff.

Spiritual patterns flickered, winding along the river and through the mountains, subtly forming a trap for killing.

"There really was an ambush..."

Zhao Wuji smiled slightly, but did not approach rashly.

Instead, using the cloak of illusion's subtle concealment, they quietly landed on a hidden rock face.

The Phantom Cloak's concealment effect is completely incomparable to the Invisibility spell; it can be seen through with the naked eye at close range, let alone conceal one's aura.

However, it can still be used for concealment at a greater distance, at least saving a lot of spiritual energy used to cast invisibility spells.

Zhao Wuji used Xiong Ba as a spy to first investigate the enemy's strengths and weaknesses and their numbers.

At the same time, he took out the communication jade talisman given to him by the peak master from his storage bag, placed it on his chest, and put it together with Zhi Xia's jade talisman for easy receiving and transmitting messages.

Meanwhile, in Yunfeng Cave, a secluded valley surrounded and protected by an array barrier.

A jade talisman of a blue phoenix floated in mid-air, shimmering slightly, and the message conveyed by Zhou Qu within it was quickly deciphered.

The elder in charge of intelligence, Yunfeng Cave Heaven, narrowed his eyes and said in a deep voice, "Zhao Wuji, the master of both alchemy and swordsmanship from Linlang Cave Heaven, has taken on the mission to break the formation and has set off alone for Fenghou Cliff. This boy killed Elder Kang in the past and has extremely outstanding potential. He is one of the top people on our Cave Heaven's kill list. He cannot be let go!"

"A mere Qi Refining Stage 4 disciple dares to come here alone to investigate?"

An elderly man in a crimson robe sneered, his eyes filled with murderous intent. "This time, I will personally take action and ensure he doesn't return alive! But what about the bounty?"

This old man was none other than Elder Chixiao of Yunfeng Cave, a cultivator at the seventh level of Qi Refining. His magic weapon, the Chixiao Sword, was also renowned and had once killed a cultivator of the same level.

"With Elder Chixiao personally taking action, this boy is undoubtedly doomed! After the deed is done, the reward promised on the kill list shall also belong to the elder."

The intelligence elder nodded, then looked at another person in the hall, "Mo Yu, you will go with us as well, and make sure everything goes perfectly!"

Upon hearing this, a young man standing in the corner stood up, nodded, and bowed.

He was dressed in a dark robe and had a cold and stern face. He was one of the secret disciples of Yunfeng Cave Heaven, with a cultivation level of the sixth level of Qi Induction. He was most proficient in illusion and assassination in the Three Arts of Yunfeng.

"A mere Qi Refining Level 4 disciple like Zhao Wuji actually requires me and my junior disciple Mo to join forces?" Elder Chixiao's tone was slightly dissatisfied.

The intelligence elder shook his head and said, "This boy is cunning and resourceful, and his sword control technique has reached the point where sword energy transforms into rainbows. His combat strength should not be underestimated, and his potential is even greater."

Last time, Elder Kang fell for his trick. If you all work together and can capture him alive, that would be best. Perhaps you can use this to set a trap for Hua Qingshuang.

It would be best to finish this quickly, lest the Linglang Cave Heaven discover it and send reinforcements.

"Yes!"

Mo Yu didn't say anything more, and with a flash, he disappeared as a black shadow.

"If it also involves scheming against that cold-blooded woman, Hua Qingshuang, then that's more like it, hahahaha."

A lewd glint flashed in Elder Chixiao's eyes. Thinking of Hua Qingshuang's cold and arrogant appearance, his heart was filled with restlessness. He immediately took to the air and transformed into a crimson rainbow, soaring away into the sky.

"Six disciples of Yunfeng Cave Heaven, including four corpse drivers and two true disciples, both of whom are at the fourth level of Qi Refining."

On the howling wind cliff, Zhao Wuji stood with his hands behind his back, his robes fluttering in the wind.

With Xiong Ba's sharp eyes, the enemy situation below the cliff was now fully visible.

It was almost identical to what was described in the conscription order, except that there were four more corpse drivers at the first or second level of Qi Refining.

However, this variable is really nothing.

This mission was very simple for him: kill the enemy, break through the enemy's formation, and he could easily finish it and leave.

However, just as he was focusing on his observation, his intuition suddenly jolted, and a strong warning signal came through.

A powerful aura suddenly appeared a thousand feet away.

"Hmm? This aura..."

Zhao Wuji's expression changed slightly, and he paused for a moment.
(End of this chapter)