Immortals of the End Times

Chapter 153, pp. 166-167: Sword Slashes Through Late-Stage Enemy Cultivator Surnamed Hua, Saving the Entire Scene (Bonus Chapter for Monthly Tickets: 2326)

After leaving the exit area of ​​the secret realm, Senior Brother Gong moved like a ghost through the gray-white spiritual mist.

Before long, they found Zhao Wuji and Nan Zhixia in a secluded mountain valley.

He knelt on one knee and took out a lotus flower radiating spiritual light from his storage bag.

The stem of the Yin-Yang Twin Lotus is carved like jade, and the two flower buds that grow side by side are one black and one white. The black one is like ink jade frozen in the night, and the white one is like frost and snow just beginning to bloom.

The edges of the petals are adorned with delicate, ethereal patterns.

Each flower's stamen contains a drop of liquid spiritual energy. The black stamen contains yin energy, while the white stamen contains pure yang essence. They intertwine to form a tai chi shape, emanating a heart-stirring yin-yang Daoist charm.

"Your Majesty, this lotus is nearly mature. It only needs to be nurtured with ancient spirit stones for five days to fully bloom. This precious lotus is extraordinary and of great value. It must be carefully preserved."

Senior Brother Gong lowered his head and said in a deep, dull voice, like the clanging of metal.

"This is the treasure that can enable the two peak masters to break through again. It's something that even Huang Chang and this mysterious dynasty want."

Zhao Wuji lightly touched the petals with his fingertips, feeling the surging Yin and Yang energy within them, and nodded, saying, "This saves me from waiting another three days."

He suddenly looked up, "That second senior sister surnamed Hua, is she still determined to slaughter?"

Brother Gong's brows furrowed beneath his mask: "She's adamant about the rules; she must be silenced. My attempts to dissuade her have been futile."

"It doesn't matter."

Zhao Wuji flicked his sleeve and put away the spirit lotus. A golden light flashed in his eyes and then disappeared. "You take the rest of the people and leave according to the original plan. I will take care of things here."

After Senior Brother Gong and the other two turned into black shadows and disappeared, he turned to Nan Zhixia and chuckled: "Looks like I need to stretch my muscles. That Second Senior Sister seems to be quite troublesome."

Nan Zhixia's Azure Phoenix Sword hummed softly in her sleeve, her beautiful eyes blazing with fighting spirit, exuding a heroic air: "I've just broken through to the sixth level of Qi Refining, and you've taught me quite a few sword control techniques these past few days, so I might as well find someone to test them out."

Without another word, the two transformed into streaks of blue and white light and sped towards the battlefield at the exit of the secret realm.

At this moment, at the exit of the secret realm.

Wisps of grayish-white spiritual mist were torn apart by sharp sword energy and magical artifacts, and five figures clad in dragon-patterned black armor moved like ghosts across the battlefield.

Blood blossoms bloomed wherever it passed.

With just five people, they overpowered more than ten cultivators from the Cave Heaven.

Among these dozen or so cultivators from the grotto-heavens, the highest cultivation level was only at the sixth level of Qi Refining.

The five dynasty cultivators were all at the sixth level of Qi Refining, and their magical artifacts and spiritual armor were of exceptional quality.

"Ding ding ding! Clang!"

The talismans and magical artifacts of the grotto-heavens cultivators struck the outer armor of the dynasty cultivators. Even if they managed to tear the protective shield, they could only ignite sparks, without leaving a single mark.

The magical artifacts, talismans, and spells unleashed by the five dynasty cultivators were far superior to those of the cave-heaven cultivators, making the battlefield almost one-sided.

On the other side, the cultivators of Linlang Cave and Qingming Cave were all afflicted with the Bloodline Curse and were in a dazed state.

Only Ji Mobai, with his clear sword mind and unwavering will, could resist the control of the bloodline curse, but he was completely unable to move or participate in the battle.

"Damn it, what kind of spell is this? Why does it have this feeling that makes me lose my resistance and submit to them?"

Ji Mobai's body trembled, and the broken Lone Cloud Sword in his hand quivered and groaned.

He roared with rage in his heart, his eyes were bloodshot, and the veins on his forehead bulged.

"I will never be controlled!!"

The broken sword in his hand suddenly emitted a blinding, cold light.

With a low growl, he reversed the sword and thrust it straight at his heart.

It was not suicide, but rather the use of sword intent to activate his life essence.

In an instant, he trembled, and countless fine sword marks appeared all over his body.

Each one oozed glistening beads of blood, a shocking sight.

"break!"

An astonishing sword intent erupted from his body, dispersing the blood mist and transforming it into a sky full of scarlet sword intent that surged into his sea of ​​consciousness.

Instantly, from the depths of his memory, the eerie and terrifying scene of being cursed by the cave deity many years ago resurfaced.

The crimson sword intent surged through, instantly shattering the gray-black runes that were binding the soul into pieces.

Ji Mobai bled from all seven orifices, yet he grinned and laughed: "Who can disturb my sword heart!?"

Before he finished speaking, more chain-like runes suddenly appeared on his limbs and bones, indicating that a deeper bloodline curse had been triggered.

Ji Mobai groaned and knelt down, barely managing to support himself only by embedding his broken sword deep into a crevice in the rock.

They could only watch helplessly as the five dragon-patterned Xuan armor cultivators on the other side slaughtered everyone.

But he himself was completely powerless to resist, unable to even wield his sword!

This complete lack of self-control drove him to the brink of madness.

Just then, a sword cry, like rolling thunder, suddenly came from the sky.

A deafening roar erupted in the air!

The many cultivators were stunned by the thunder that made their hearts clench.

A dazzling blue flash of lightning streaked past, the blue sword rainbow cascading like a celestial river.

In an instant, it cleaved the foremost dynasty cultivator in two, armor and all, his body instantly freezing into a lump of ice before he fell to the ground.

The next moment, a flash of sword light appeared, like lightning and thunder.

The sword light dispersed and transformed into the shape of a dragon, instantly forcing the other four people back more than ten feet away, causing them to cough up blood and lose arms.

One of them fell headfirst and crashed heavily to the ground.

Two swords, killing two people and severely injuring three!
Where the sword light dissipated, thunder roared fiercely.

"who!?"

The three Xuanjia cultivators in the air staggered and steadied themselves, their expressions changing drastically beneath their masks.

Their prized dragon-patterned spirit armor was now covered in ice crystal cracks.

The leader's Adam's apple bobbed as he stared intently at the figure ahead, exclaiming in shock, "Eighth level of Qi Refining, and the legendary Sword Qi Thunder Sound?... This is impossible!"

In mid-air, Zhao Wuji, dressed in a purple robe, had somehow appeared in the air, standing with his hands behind his back, his clothes fluttering, attracting the shocked gazes of all the cultivators present.

The second senior sister, who was watching the battle from not far away, stood up from the rock in astonishment, her pupils shrinking. She immediately understood just how powerful Senior Brother Gong was.

The eighth level of Qi entrainment!

Sword Qi Thunder Sound!

She has been focusing on her cultivation within the secret realm lately, and has only just broken through to the seventh level of Qi Refining.

The remaining cultivators from the surrounding caves, upon seeing Zhao Wuji's sudden arrival, clung to him like drowning people grasping at a piece of driftwood.

"It's that fellow Daoist from the Linglang Grotto-heaven."

“He’s so strong!”

"Eighth level of Qi Induction! Sword Qi Thunderous Sound!!"

Ji Mobai coughed up blood and looked up. In his blurred vision, he saw a purple-robed figure surrounded by a visible vortex of spiritual energy.

A smile involuntarily crept onto his lips. "As expected of the guy who defeated me. So the sword energy and thunderous sound in the Lonely Cloud Sword Cave that day really was him."

"Zhao Wuji! Stop being so arrogant!"

At this moment, the second senior sister suddenly let out a sharp shout and transformed into a crimson rainbow that pierced into the arena.

Wherever she passed, the gray-white spiritual mist exploded like boiling water, and she suddenly formed a hand seal.

"I refuse to believe that this person can truly escape the bloodline curse!"

"Is this the trick again?"

Zhao Wuji smiled faintly, seemingly unaffected, and looked at the three severely injured people on the other side, turning his head to ask.

"It's up to you now. Any questions?"

Nan Zhixia stepped forward without hesitation, drawing her Azure Phoenix Sword with a clang. Her purple eyes burned with fighting spirit, displaying the former supreme saintess of the imperial city: "I've only just broken through to the sixth level of Qi Refining. With your guidance these past few days, I've learned how to condense sword energy into threads. I'm just missing a whetstone!"

Before she finished speaking, her flying sword shot out, its blade unleashing seven sharp sword threads that blocked all the escape routes of the three people opposite her.

Zhao Wuji nodded, his gaze suddenly shifting to his second senior sister, who looked astonished to find the spell had failed.

"The Bloodline Curse is truly useless? Then... bind me!"

A cold glint flashed in the second senior sister's eyes. Her ten fingers suddenly interlaced, and dozens of fine black threads, as thin as hair, burst forth from her fingertips, silently wrapping around Zhao Wuji's major acupoints.

"Heart-corroding, soul-binding threads!"

This technique uses one's own essence and blood as a guide to condense into invisible and intangible venomous blood threads.

Once it penetrates an enemy's body, it can erode their meridians, disrupt their spiritual energy, and even briefly control their actions.

The black silk threads were as thin as snakes, almost imperceptible under the cover of the gray-white spiritual mist.

At the same time, a dark light shot out from her sleeve, revealing a "Soul-Destroying Nail" engraved with Yin Sha runes, aimed straight at Zhao Wuji's brow!
A crimson flying sword shot up from behind her, its blade wreathed in a ferocious blood dragon phantom, emitting a piercing shriek as it tore through the sky and slashed toward Zhao Wuji's neck!
Three moves were unleashed simultaneously, their killing intent chilling!
However, Zhao Wuji merely raised his eyes and pointed his sword.

"break."

He lightly traced a line with his fingertips.

The Frost Soul Flying Sword suddenly burst forth as a blue sword rainbow wreathed in lightning.

Before the sword energy arrived, thunderous sounds resounded!
"Zheng!!"

The moment the crimson flying sword collided with the blue sword rainbow, it was as if a thunderclap suddenly exploded in the sky. The blood dragon phantom howled and dissipated, and the sword body was covered with ice crystals that shattered.

The Soul-Destroying Nail had barely approached within three feet of Zhao Wuji when it was pulverized by the vortex of spiritual energy flowing around him!

Before the black silk net could close and invade his body, Zhao Wuji's figure suddenly blurred.

"What?!" Second Senior Sister's pupils shrank suddenly.

In the next instant, Zhao Wuji vanished from the spot like a gentle breeze, the Soul-Slaying Nail and the Shattering Flying Sword only striking the afterimages created by the illusory cloaks.

His true form appeared like a ghost, ten feet behind his second senior sister, his purple robes fluttering in the wind.

The second senior sister felt a chill run down her spine and suddenly turned around.

But then Zhao Wuji pointed his fingers like a sword, his martial arts essence condensing into sword energy and thunderous sound, and lightly slashed through the air!

"Boom!"

Thunder exploded.

His long hair danced wildly, and his eyes shone like lightning, radiating power and majesty.

A sword rainbow, even more powerful than before, ripped through the sky and arrived.

The second senior sister's hastily summoned Heart-Protecting Mirror magic weapon had barely lit up when it was cleaved in two. Its remaining power was undiminished, tearing a hideous gash in the dragon-patterned spirit armor on her chest!
"Pfft!" The second senior sister coughed up blood and retreated violently. Her mask shattered and the sword pierced through her heart. An expression of disbelief was still frozen on her pale face.

boom! !

The body fell to the ground, stirring up dust, and the entire scene fell silent.

"A late-stage Qi Refining cultivator... killed just like that?!"

Ji Mobai swayed as he stood up, coughing up blood and muttering to himself. He then saw Zhao Wuji in the air, hands behind his back, sword sheathed, as if killing this powerful late-stage Qi Refining cultivator was as simple as crushing an ant.

On the other side, the battle raged on.

Nan Zhixia took an unconventional approach, and the Azure Phoenix Sword actually condensed into a net during the entanglement, splitting into twenty-four illusory images that tore open the three people's tattered spiritual armor once again.

A black-armored cultivator with a missing arm roared and activated his magic weapon, fighting desperately, but Nan Zhixia easily dodged it by crushing the substitute talisman.

He used his flying sword to deflect the magical weapon, and then the tip of the sword pierced the man's throat.

"First."

As she spun around, her hair ribbons flew up, and the remaining two men stared at each other in shock. This woman was clearly using them as practice tools for her swordsmanship!
This is an utter disgrace. If they hadn't all been seriously injured, how could they have been so easily defeated by these cultivators from the Southern Region?

"Fight her!"

"Taking her down with me before I die, it's a good deal!"

The two cultivators in dragon-patterned armor had eyes that looked like they were about to explode.

One person made a hand seal, intending to detonate their natal magical artifact, while the other bit the tip of their tongue.

His body surged with crimson light, clearly indicating that he was about to unleash a forbidden technique that would result in mutual destruction.

However, before the hand seals could be completed, the two suddenly froze.

The surging spiritual energy within his body became as stagnant and difficult to circulate as a frozen spring, and it felt as if invisible shackles suddenly tightened between his meridians!

"what happened?!"

One of them roared in shock and anger, only to see a wisp of lingering aura quietly dangling from Zhao Wuji's fingertips not far away.

Qi-sealing technique!
Nan Zhixia's eyes suddenly lit up, and she activated her sword technique, the Azure Phoenix Sword moving swiftly and gracefully.

The twenty-four sword threads suddenly converged into a dazzling stream of light.

"Swoosh! Swoosh!" Two soft sounds followed.

A red plum blossom bloomed on each of their throats, and as they staggered to their knees, their eyes were still frozen with disbelief, despair, and resentment.

"That's all for now!"

Nan Zhixia sheathed her sword and turned around, her beautiful eyes filled with a coquettish reproach. Her hair ribbon fluttered in an arc as she turned, and the corners of her lips curled up slightly. "I told you I could do it, but Wuji, you still secretly made a move."

"I couldn't help it."

Zhao Wuji chuckled and approached, "As the Supreme Saintess, your swordsmanship is profound, so naturally you can slay all demons."

He took a half step closer, his voice so low that only she could hear, "But if the blood explodes and stains your skirt... I won't want to hold you anymore."

Nan Zhixia's earlobes suddenly flushed a light red, the tip of her sword clattered back into its sheath, and she turned her face away with a soft snort: "Smooth talker!"

But from behind her sleeve, she pinched his waist and twisted it, eliciting an exaggerated gasp from him.

The exchange of glances between the two lasted only a moment, but it was enough to make the heavily injured Ji Mobai, watching from afar, twitch at the corner of his mouth.

When did this Junior Brother Zhao abduct the Holy Maiden of the Supreme Grotto-heaven?

Could it be from that last social gathering...?

Suddenly, Zhao Wuji's expression turned serious. He pretended that he didn't have a deep relationship with Nan Zhixia, and his purple robe flew down from mid-air.

The surviving cultivators around him seemed to awaken from a dream, their gazes filled with a mixture of awe and gratitude as they fell upon Zhao Wuji.

"Thank you very much, Brother Zhao!"

Some people trembled and tried to kneel down, but he lifted them up with a flick of his sleeve.

Even among the two blood-corpse puppets, one of them knelt on one knee under the astonished gazes of others, its bone claws crossed in an ancient salute. Two points of bloody light in its rotting eye sockets stared intently at Zhao Wuji.

Zhao Wuji pretended not to recognize the drug-addicted blood corpse puppet and quickly flicked his sleeves to walk past it.

Across from him, Ji Mobai, supporting himself with his broken sword, coughed up blood and laughed loudly: "Junior Brother Zhao, you truly are something else today... oh, no, I should call you Senior Brother now."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhao Wuji's medical magic, activated by flicking his fingers and making a hand seal, enveloped his wound, choking him into a muffled groan.

With Zhao Wuji's current strength, he is no longer afraid to reveal some methods that do not belong to the Linlang Cave Heaven Scripture Pavilion.

For example, some superficial medical techniques.

For example, the mysterious Qi-sealing technique, and so on.

No one could investigate further. Even if the two peak masters who were close to him asked, he could simply say that he obtained the ancient technique within the secret realm.

"Last time, it must have been Senior Brother Zhao who saved me!"

Lu Yongnian bowed with shame, "I was confused at the time and fled before the battle. I should have done that. I still have two Golden Cloud Pouches here. Please accept them, Senior Brother Zhao!"

He suddenly untied the medicine pouch at his waist, took out two golden tassels, and solemnly handed them over.

"This...this isn't quite right."

Zhao Wuji hurriedly declined, but seeing the other party's firm attitude, and thinking that this spiritual material might become a grotto-heaven after it leaves, he immediately accepted it.

The Golden Cloud Pouch is now useless to him at his current level of cultivation.

But if you take it back, you can give it to Consort Li Shiyu to take.

Li Shiyu cultivates the "Nine Revolutions of the Beautiful Woman Record" using the Xuan Yin Body.

Each rotation allows one to use oneself as a furnace to help others improve their spiritual qualities.

However, the further one progresses, the more difficult the cultivation becomes.

The first stage requires cultivating to the fourth level of Qi Induction.

This is also why Emperor Zhaoming kept her in his care but never took advantage of her.

With these two Golden Cloud Pouches, Li Shiyu will most likely be able to break through to the third level of Qi Refining.

As for the fourth level of Qi Refining, that will take some more time.

After accepting the two Golden Cloud Pouches, Zhao Wuji, under the watchful eyes of many cultivators, took away the magical artifacts, source crystals, and other spoils of war from the group of dynasty cultivators.

When he reached the corpses of the two female cultivators, his eyes flashed, and he immediately put them into his storage bag.

He removed the masks of the remaining four male cultivators to examine their faces.

Seeing that no one else possessed that familiar charm, he felt relieved.

"Brother Zhao, your righteousness is truly admirable!"

The cultivator from Xuanxiao Cave Heaven suddenly stepped forward, his gaze fixed intently on the corpses on the ground: "Brother Dao, are you going to take these corpses out to investigate the origins of these thieves?"

Zhao Wuji was taken aback, then nodded, "That's right! If you're interested, fellow Daoist, you might as well pick one to take back and report."

He immediately turned around and cupped his hands to the other cultivators, saying, "Fellow Daoists, if you need any evidence, please take it! It will also let the elders of the various grotto-heavens see what kind of rat dares to act so presumptuously in my Tiannan territory!"

Upon hearing this, cultivators from Qingming Cave Heaven immediately stepped forward and took away a corpse.

Zhao Wuji's eyes flashed.

Through the puppets he controlled, he knew very well that the cultivators of Qingming Cave Heaven could also be controlled by the bloodline curses of the Dynasty cultivators.

However, judging from the current situation, it is clear that the cultivators of Qingming Cave Heaven, like those of Linlang Cave Heaven, are completely unaware of the situation of the Dynasty cultivators.

He sent out these corpses to turn the tables and muddy the waters, putting pressure on the cave master Zhong Kui and using the other caves to carry out revenge against that dynasty.

"If other grotto-heavens are backed by similar forces..."

Zhao Wuji pondered for a moment, then gave Nan Zhixia a look, went to the dense forest nearby, and took out two female cultivator corpses from his storage bag.

After removing their masks.

Zhao Wuji's eyes narrowed as his gaze fell on the face of his second senior sister, whose heart he had pierced with his sword.

"really."

This second senior sister, like the third senior sister he controlled, both resembled Hua Qingshuang in appearance.

If the third senior sister were summoned for comparison, the two women would look like sisters at first glance.

Although they don't look like twins, their facial features are already highly similar.

But one crucial piece of information is that this second senior sister's surname is Hua.
The reason why the other party has a more prestigious status and greater power seems to be because of this surname.

"Wuji, what's wrong with this woman?"

Nan Zhixia looked at Zhao Wuji in surprise, not understanding why her fiancé's expression was changing as he stared at the faces of the two female corpses.

"nothing."

Zhao Wuji withdrew his gaze, shook his head slightly, and frowned, saying, "Have you noticed that one of the women here looks somewhat similar to my peak master?"

"what?"

Nan Zhixia was taken aback, "Your peak master is so beautiful, this woman is quite a bit less attractive."

She paused as soon as she finished speaking.

Upon closer inspection, she discovered that the face of the female corpse on the ground did indeed bear a resemblance of four parts to Hua Qingshuang, only it was more ordinary and had a more harsh and ruthless demeanor, making it look completely different.

"It's not that similar, it's more of a coincidence, isn't it?"

Nan Zhixia shook her head hesitantly.

Then her womanly intuition gradually awakened, and she couldn't help but steal a glance at Zhao Wuji's profile.

This nemesis was able to recognize the four-tenths resemblance between the two at a glance. Was it because he was too familiar with that icy peak master, or...?
A sense of urgency and crisis suddenly welled up in her heart.

Hua Qingshuang is the renowned owner of the Frost Soul Flying Sword, and has always been revered by many elders of the Supreme Grotto-Heaven, including the Supreme Mother.

Moreover, this current Flower Peak Master is at the Concentration Realm.

"Wuji probably wouldn't do that, I'm just overthinking it."

She silently observed, and when she saw Zhao Wuji collect the two corpses again, she kept this matter in mind, and at the same time, the thought of becoming stronger welled up within her.

"I'll also need to study the 'Sunflower Spirit-Knocking Technique' later."

She gritted her teeth, her ears turning slightly red.

Zhao Wuji was completely unaware that in just a short while, his little fiancée had come up with so many cunning ideas.

She was already thinking about practicing the Dual Cultivation Technique properly so that she could bind his heart in the future.

At this point, there were only about two and a half days left before the exit of the secret realm opened.

Zhao Wuji and Nan Zhixia immediately stayed in the nearby dense forest, cultivating while waiting.

Previously, he cultivated outside the fourth-level spiritual vein using ancient spirit stones, consuming two ancient spirit stones in one go, but only managed to cultivate to the eighth level of Qi Induction (421/600).

To break through to the ninth level of Qi Induction, one must consume another ancient spirit stone.

Zhao Wuji was somewhat reluctant to use such a treasure, as each piece he used was one less available.

Unexpectedly, when he lightly touched his second senior sister's storage bag, he found two ancient spirit stones and two bottles of level four spirit vein essence.

This was clearly something the other party had collected in the fourth-level spiritual vein area, intending to take it back to complete their mission, but it just so happened to replenish the resources they had lost.

"I have a little over two days left, which should be enough time for me to break through. Once I'm out, if the cave master, Zhong Kui, makes trouble..."

Zhao Wuji raised his eyes and looked towards the exit of the secret realm, a hint of ruthlessness and killing intent appearing in his eyes.

If pushed to the brink, even without proper preparation, he wouldn't sit idly by and wait for death. Instead, he would be willing to join forces with the two peak masters to test just how strong the Condensation Realm truly was.
(End of this chapter)