Immortals of the End Times

Chapter 141, Section 147: The Two Beauties Focus Their Minds, the Cave Master Descends (Bonus Chapter for Monthly Tickets, 1524 Chapters)

A powerful spiritual aura spread out from inside the grotto.

A torrent of spiritual energy poured into Yan Lan's body, and fire patterns spread from the soles of her feet to her entire body, transforming into blazing golden flames.

Then the golden flames suddenly collapsed, condensing into a crimson-gold fire seed suspended between his brows, his divine sense becoming as solid as a physical substance.

"It's done!"

Behind her, Zhao Wuji quickly withdrew his needles and retreated upon seeing this, his eyes filled with surprise.

Suddenly, Yan Lan's phoenix eyes snapped open, and a crimson divine light shot into the sky, illuminating the cave ceiling!
The overwhelming pressure of the Concentration Realm erupted, causing the temperature of the entire cave to rise sharply.

The spiritual power surged like a raging torrent, melting the rock walls into crimson lava that crashed down, only to strangely solidify when it reached within three zhang of her.

"Finally, I've broken through!"

A barely perceptible hint of joy appeared in Hua Qingshuang's eyes.

Suddenly, her frosty eyes narrowed slightly, and the icy lines between her brows flashed by.

His divine sense spread out like ripples, and dozens of miles away, thirteen spiritual energy fluctuations were clearly visible.

The four late-stage Qi Refining cultivators at the forefront were rapidly approaching, while the flight paths of the nine true disciples behind them were also being traced in her mind.

"The elders of the Spirit Monitoring Hall have arrived with a few old fellows."

Hua Qingshuang lightly tapped the Frost Flying Sword with her fingers, then looked at the weary-looking Zhao Wuji. "Wuji, you stay here. I'll go outside and intercept them."

Before she finished speaking, she transformed into a pale blue ice rainbow and shot out of the valley.

Wherever it passed, the curled leaves suddenly stopped, and tiny ice crystals condensed between the veins.

"Peak Master Hua?!"

Half an incense stick later, in the valley, Elder Qian of the Spirit Monitoring Hall, who was the first to arrive, suddenly stopped, and the Crimson Flame Command Arrow in his hand trembled violently.

The three elders behind him all changed color.

Elder He of the Affairs Hall, in particular, had a bitter expression on his face. How could he run into this jinx he had only parted from not long ago when he arrived here?

At the entrance to the valley, Hua Qingshuang leaned against an ancient pine tree, her white robes fluttering without wind.

Even more astonishing was that the spiritual energy within a three-zhang radius around her condensed into icy stardust as if it were her own arm, something that a Qi Refining stage cultivator could never achieve.
"Elder Qian, what a grand display."

Hua Qingshuang flicked her finger lightly, and the icicles that had condensed on the pine needles fell to the ground with a tinkling sound.

The crisp sound sent alarm bells blaring in Elder He's heart: "Concentration... It's the Concentration Realm! She's broken through?"

"Concentrate."

Elder Qian of the Spirit Monitoring Hall narrowed his eyes, suppressing his shock. He slowly raised the command arrow in his hand and pointed it at Hua Qingshuang: "Peak Master Hua, the spiritual energy released by the cave's spiritual vein has inexplicably dried up. I have found out that the problem occurred here. Peak Master is here. What explanation do you have?"

He had deliberately ignored that terrible speculation, but the veins on the back of his hand holding the command arrow were bulging.

"explain?"

Hua Qingshuang's eyes were icy cold as she swept over everyone, sending chills down their spines.

"I will break through here, and the spiritual veins here will sustain me. The spiritual energy within the cave will eventually be depleted."

With a light touch of her toes, the entire ice pine tree exploded, and thousands of ice spikes hung behind her like a peacock spreading its tail.

The unique divine sense pressure of the Concentration Realm swept over like a tide, suppressing the protective spiritual light of the four elders opposite, causing it to flicker uncertainly.

"My breakthrough to the Spirit Condensation Realm is a joyous occasion for the grotto-heaven. Why have you all come in such a large group? Are you here to demand an explanation?"

The elder of Ziyun Palace felt his spiritual energy stagnate in his meridians as he was swept by the cold gaze, and he staggered back before regaining his footing: "Peak Master, you are wise. However, such an important matter should be reported to the Cave Master first, according to custom."

"The cold poison suddenly struck, and he was on the verge of death."

Hua Qingshuang lightly raised her finger, and a wisp of icy mist condensed into frost flowers in the air. "Does this mean I must wait for everyone to burn incense and bathe, and to hold a meeting before I can save my life?"

Before she finished speaking, the temperature inside the cave plummeted.

The command arrow in Elder Qian's hand was covered with a layer of frost with a "click".

Elder He's face turned deathly pale, and the sweat on his forehead froze before it even fell.

Hua Qingshuang snorted coldly, a hint of mockery flashing in her eyes.

These elders, who were usually arrogant and domineering, now resembled simple and quiet quails under the pressure of the concentrated aura.

Just as everyone fell silent in fear, a terrifying burst of crimson flames suddenly erupted from the depths of the cave.

A scorching wave swept in, intertwining with the icy spiritual power in the air to form a magnificent aurora curtain, creating a powerful spiritual energy fluctuation.

Elder Qian's expression changed drastically, and he exclaimed in horror, "Peak Master Yan? Peak Master Yan also broke through in the cave? This is unacceptable, absolutely unacceptable! I must inform the Cave Master!"

"Noisy."

Hua Qingshuang frowned, a cold glint flashing in her eyes. With a slight flick of her wide sleeves, a frost ring suddenly exploded.

Elder Qian was sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string, his back slamming heavily against the rock wall, shattering the entire mountainside and sending ice crystals flying everywhere.

He groaned and spat out blood, which solidified into ice beads before it even hit the ground.

"Peak Master Hua, please calm your anger!"

Elder He and the other two turned pale and retreated in unison.

They were all too aware of the strength of the Ice Soul Peak Master before them.

Even before the breakthrough, the combined strength of the four of them was barely enough to suppress them.

Now that you have achieved concentration, taking any action now would be tantamount to courting death.

Hua Qingshuang coldly glanced at Elder Qian, who was curled up coughing up blood. This man, relying on his position in the Spirit Monitoring Hall and the favor of the Cave Master, had often caused trouble for the various peaks. Otherwise, why would she need to break through outside the Cave Heaven?

She lightly flicked her fingertips, a wisp of cold mist swirling around her: "Senior Sister Yan and I risked our lives for the grotto-heaven, and we are about to break through, yet we are subjected to your surveillance?"

Streams of ice crystals swirled around her, making her stunningly beautiful face appear even colder: "Since you were able to find me, the cave master must be arriving soon?"

Elder He and the others exchanged bewildered glances, their hearts trembling with fear. They knew that even if they wished to resolve the matter amicably, once the cave master arrived, things might not end well.

Is the world about to change in the Linglang Cave?
Inside the grotto.

The scorching spiritual pressure gradually subsided.

Yan Lan slowly opened her eyes, her pupils seemingly swirling with crimson flames.

She stretched her limbs, her bones cracking with a crisp sound, and a captivating smile curved her red lips: "So this is the power of the Concentration Realm... truly intoxicating."

She casually tossed aside her loose black hair, and standing confidently in front of Zhao Wuji, wearing only a gold-embroidered bodice, her full curves casting alluring shadows in the firelight.

Suddenly, her long, slender legs strode forward, and she chuckled softly, "Little Doctor Wuji."
I really have to thank you this time. Come to think of it, you've helped my senior brother-in-law quite a few times.

She lifted Zhao Wuji's chin with her slender fingers, her breath sweet as orchids: "I wonder what kind of reward you would like your senior uncle to give you? Senior uncle has already refined the golden needles for you."

My fingertips slid slowly down his Adam's apple.

Zhao Wuji quickly took two steps back, cupping his hands with a wry smile: "Uncle-Master, please don't tease your nephew. The elders of the Spirit Monitoring Hall have already arrived, and the Cave Master will probably be here soon."

"What's there to be afraid of?" Yan Lan suddenly lost her alluring demeanor, and a strong ambition surfaced in her fiery red eyes.

She casually pulled on the fire-patterned robe and sneered, "That old thing just takes advantage of his early entry into the Nascent Soul stage to embezzle resources from various peaks over the years."

"Now that both I and Junior Sister Hua have broken through to the next realm, this is the rule of this grotto-heaven."

She suddenly turned around, exuding a domineering and imposing aura, her fiery red hair moving without wind: "It's time for a change!"

Before she finished speaking, her eyes shifted, fixing on him with a sharp look. A faint smile played on her lips as she said, "With me and Junior Sister Hua here, you will be the next Cave Master, the next Nascent Soul cultivator! With your talent, you can definitely do it."

Seeing Zhao Wuji's astonishment, Yan Lan let out a wild laugh that echoed into the cave, causing Hua Qingshuang outside to frown.

I wonder if this senior sister has become too complacent after her breakthrough; the threat from the cave master has not yet been resolved.

"Uncle!"

Zhao Wuji calmed his mind and bowed solemnly to Yan Lan, saying, "The Dragon-Trapping Formation at the bottom of this river is still in the hands of the cave master, which is undoubtedly holding us by the throat. I would like to go down again and do something to the formation so that we can break free from its control at the right time in the future."

"Oh?" Yan Lan's laughter stopped, her beautiful eyes flashed, and she slowly nodded, saying, "Good, good, good nephew, you can go with peace of mind. If there is any danger, your uncle will take care of you!"

As she spoke, she quickly transmitted her thoughts to Hua Qingshuang outside, informing Zhao Wuji of her plans.

"Thank you, Uncle Master!"

Zhao Wuji was overjoyed, knowing that the opportunity to seize the Yang Marrow had finally arrived. He quickly turned around and, like a fish, darted into the depths of the dark river.

Eighteen dragon-locking pillars stand majestically at the bottom of the river, their black iron chains rattling as they tightly imprison the nine dragon veins.

His gaze locked onto the reverse scale of one of the black dragons.

That was where the Dragon Essence was located; two points of Yang Marrow, like seeds of the sun, flickered and shone in the pitch-black evil aura.

The Dragon-Locking Formation's restrictions formed an invisible barrier at the bottom of the river; with each step closer, the water's flow became three times heavier.

Zhao Wuji activated the Cold Soul Sword, its blade bursting with icy blue spiritual light, cleaving a gap in front of him.

He formed hand seals, conjuring seventy-two sword threads that spread like a spider web, precisely piercing the gaps between the chains and the dragon pillars to form a sword array, temporarily disrupting the array's sensing.

The Yang Pearl trembled violently in his sea of ​​consciousness.

As if sensing something, Long Yuan's two points of Yang marrow suddenly burst forth with dazzling golden light, as if the old dragon had revealed its eyes.

Zhao Wuji suddenly lunged forward, his palm piercing through layers of dragon energy barriers, and grabbed the dragon essence beneath the reverse scale.

In an instant, the murderous aura coiled around his arm like a venomous snake, its scales scraping his skin until it was torn and bleeding, but his palm had already touched the scalding hot yang marrow.

Zhao Wuji's heart leaped into his throat as the restless Yang Pearl within his sea of ​​consciousness suddenly unleashed an astonishing suction force.

A grain of Yang marrow within the Dragon Essence was forcibly pulled out, transforming into a golden thread that detached from the Dragon Essence and was instantly absorbed into the Yang Pearl within the Sea of ​​Consciousness.

The second Yang marrow has not yet separated from the Dragon Essence.

"boom--!"

The entire grotto suddenly trembled violently!

The bronze pillars and chains around them snapped one by one, and the trapped dragon roared to the sky, its cry causing the underground river to erupt with towering waves.

Zhao Wuji was instantly thrown away by the fierce shockwave, his back slamming heavily against the rock wall, a metallic taste rising in his throat.

"Who dares to steal my dragon marrow?!"

A majestic and furious roar descended from the dome.

The dragon energy on the eighteen dragon-locking pillars surged and suddenly condensed into a golden armored figure entwined with dragon energy, which descended from the sky.

It was the figure of Emperor Zhaoming formed by the Dragon-Locking Array, but its strength was far greater than that of Emperor Zhaoming himself. It was a product of the condensation of the vast dragon energy of the dragon vein.

He roared, and the dragon seal in his palm emitted a dazzling golden light, its imposing aura as heavy as a mountain, as it struck Zhao Wuji.

"roll!!"

Yan Lan suddenly flashed in front of Zhao Wuji, her eyes blazing with crimson flames, and the Fiery Sun Wheel roared out from her sleeve, instantly transforming into a blazing sun that scorched the sky!
The wheel spun at high speed, bursting out with dazzling golden light, illuminating the entire grotto as if it were daytime.

"How dare a mere dragon energy puppet be so insolent before me?!"

She clenched her fist, and the blazing sun wheel suddenly split into nine crimson-gold fire rings.

Each ring of fire was wrapped with the unique divine sense imprint of the Concentration Realm, twisting towards the Zhaoming Emperor, whose dragon energy had condensed, like chains of divine punishment.

Wherever the ring of fire passed, the dragon's energy crumbled inch by inch, even melting through the golden dragon seal!
"boom!!"

Emperor Zhaoming's body trembled violently as the blazing sun wheel pierced his chest, unleashing a torrent of dragon energy like a burst dam.

Yan Lan sneered and stomped her bare foot. The fire patterns on the ground spread like living things, instantly turning into a cage of flames that burned away all the scattered dragon energy!

"That's all the Dragon Vein Array can do."

With a flick of her finger, the Blazing Sun Wheels merged once more, their blades blazing white like the sun, hovering above the Dragon Emperor's head. "Disperse, my lord!"

"Tsk-!"

The blazing sun wheel pressed down fiercely, and before the Dragon Emperor could even let out a scream, he was completely vaporized into a sky full of golden mist!

The remaining dragon energy fled frantically, but Yan Lan locked onto it with her divine sense, dissipating it bit by bit until it was completely burned away.

Inside the grotto, a blazing wave surged, turning even the rock walls a fiery red.

Yan Lan stood in the center of the sea of ​​fire, the Flaming Sun Wheel slowly rotating in her palm, making her eyes and brows blaze like flames, exuding overwhelming power!
Zhao Wuji had no time to look around and immediately took advantage of the moment when the dragon energy temporarily weakened to speak.

"Master Uncle, I haven't finished setting it up yet, please wait!"

He pressed himself close to the Dragon-Locking Pillar, his ten fingers moving like wheels, and subtly altered the forbidden patterns on the chains using array formation techniques.

He then engraved his own sword formation imprint on the core of the bronze dragon pillar.

However, just as the brand was taking shape, a deep dragon roar suddenly came from the depths of the formation.

The sound did not come from the struggling black dragon, but from a gray-white dragon shadow that had long been petrified and whose scales had peeled off!

"Huh?! How is that possible!?"

Zhao Wuji's pupils suddenly contracted.

The dragon essence at the reverse scale of the stone dragon had long since dimmed.

At this moment, a wisp of scarlet malevolent energy, writhing like a living snake, flowed into the dragon's body along the chains.

The stone scales on the dragon's body began to gleam with a metallic sheen at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The dragon's head was slightly raised, and two eerie green flames lit up in its empty eye sockets!

What chilled Zhao Wuji even more was that the aura lurking within the stone dragon was as deep and unfathomable as an abyss.

If it weren't for his keen senses, he would have been almost deceived by this being disguised as an inanimate object.

"Hmm?" Yan Lan also looked surprised, and the crimson flames around her suddenly stopped, as if suppressed by some invisible force.

She stared intently at the eerie green flame in Shi Long's eyes, her voice unusually low: "This formation is not right."

Zhao Wuji's fingers trembled, and the spiritual runes of the array formation suddenly collapsed in his palm.

His back was instantly soaked with cold sweat, as if a pair of eyes were watching him from the shadows.

"Could someone be using the dragon vein to nurture evil spirits?"

Zhao Wuji's brows furrowed as he suppressed his shock. "This is no ordinary 'Dragon-Drinking Marrow-Locking Dragon Formation'."

Yan Lan pursed her red lips, her eyes flashing with an uncertain crimson light.

The ghostly fire in the stone dragon's eyes flickered on and off, and she subconsciously summoned the Flaming Sun Wheel, her eyes shifting.

If this is indeed Zhong Kui's backup plan, then this place is definitely extraordinary!

"Retreat first." She made a quick decision and grabbed Zhao Wuji's wrist.

Just as the two were rapidly retreating, a deep dragon's roar suddenly came from the bottom of the river, shaking the entire underground river.

The will-o'-the-wisps in the stone dragon's eyes suddenly intensified, but then vanished in an instant, as if everything just now was an illusion.

However, before the two could even breathe a sigh of relief...

"boom--!!!"

A thunderous roar shook the entire valley violently.

"Peak Master Hua! Peak Master Yan! You must give me an explanation!"

The sound wave, carrying terrifying power, shook the rock walls outside the cave, causing spiderweb-like cracks to appear.

Outside the cave, Elder He and the others had already turned ashen-faced and retreated a hundred feet away, trembling in fear.

Some of the weaker disciples who arrived were so frightened that they knelt on the ground.

Hua Qingshuang's icy gaze suddenly hardened, and the numerous ice crystals surrounding her shattered with a "crack," leaving her beautiful face frozen in frost.

This spiritual pressure far exceeds that of an ordinary Concentration Realm cultivator!
"Old Ghost Zhong!!"

Yan Lan's crimson pupils suddenly contracted, and then she gritted her teeth, her eyes blazing with crimson flames. She quickly transformed into a crimson rainbow and rushed out of the cave.

Outside, Zhong Kui stood on the void, his spiritual power as vast as the ocean.

Simply by standing there, he caused the clouds within a radius of a thousand feet to collapse.

"That old bastard."

Yan Lan pursed her red lips and exchanged a glance with Hua Qingshuang, both seeing seriousness in each other's eyes.

This cultivation level far surpasses theirs, who are just entering the Nascent Soul stage; it seems they are already close to the late Nascent Soul stage. Moreover, the other party does not appear to have been injured in the Cloud Phoenix Cave Heaven.
(End of this chapter)