Immortals of the End Times

Chapter 101: The Imperial Concubine Presents a Treasure, and the Corpse-Driving Puppet
As dusk settled, the last rays of the sunset were swallowed by the leaden clouds.

Zhao Wuji used his aerial acuity to descend from Cold Moon Peak.

Arriving at the Hall of Merit before the assembly, I exchanged my remaining 150 minor merits for two Earth-type talismans and one Evil-Suppressing talisman.

He ran his fingertips along the slightly faded cinnabar patterns on the talisman, and frowned slightly.

"It's still not enough."

He wanted to exchange for more exorcism talismans, but was told that they had all been snapped up by disciples who fought on the border for years.

Even in the markets and towns at the foot of the mountain, the talismans for warding off evil have been rarely seen lately.

"It was a miscalculation. We should plan ahead in the future and stockpile talismans that can suppress evil spirits as soon as possible."

Zhao Wuji reflected on his actions and checked the items in his luggage.

The twenty source crystals in the bag jingled.

This was all he had. The six stones he kept in his cave were no longer convenient to carry. The other eight were defective items he had obtained from Yu Zishan and others, their spiritual power already reduced by half.

Hopefully, it will be enough.

Actually, he prepared quite a lot of supplies.

With three Earth Element Talismans, one Water Mirror Talisman, one Evil Suppression Talisman, and one Bone-Scraping Yin Wind Talisman, plus a protective amulet pouch given by Nan Zhixia, along with his superb magical skills, the Cold Soul Flying Sword, and the Sobering Stone, this equipment can be considered quite excellent.

"almost."

Zhao Wuji thought to himself as he stepped into the Affairs Hall. Inside, his fellow disciples had already gathered, their voices a mix of frustration and relief.

"Damn it! The mission was just issued and all the talismans and pills in the market were snatched up. I only managed to grab one Fire Serpent Talisman!" A disciple in blue robes pounded his chest and stamped his feet in frustration.

"Be content!" A fellow disciple next to him chuckled bitterly. "At least the Fire Serpent Talisman has some effect on Yin Puppets. I couldn't even snatch that. I have a dozen or so minor merits, which aren't even worth a piece of toilet paper in the Hall of Merit!"

"Thanks to Senior Brother Yan's leniency, I was able to exchange my merits for some Golden Wound Pills."

“Actually, with Commander Zhao around, we can save on wound medicine,” another person said in a low voice. “His medical skills are no joke.”

"It's better to be prepared! How could I trouble the general with such a minor injury?"

The man sighed, "Unfortunately, I only have one Source Crystal left. It'll be tough in this spiritless land outside the cave."

Zhao Wuji, with his ears open to all directions, smiled slightly.

"They're all quite shrewd and calculating."

His gaze swept over the crowd, and he suddenly saw Li Shiyu quietly standing at the edge of the line, her delicate hand lightly touching her waist, and she winked very lightly at him as he flew towards her.

"She was quite composed."

He had initially felt that he hadn't prepared enough supplies, but after hearing everyone complain, he realized that he was actually quite well-off.

These disciples in green robes were so desperate for money that they wished they could split a single source crystal in half. They were very short of cash.

In comparison, Li Shiyu, with her royal background, is probably the real "rich and powerful".

As the group of disciples in blue robes were discussing, they saw Zhao Wuji flying towards them and immediately cupped their hands and shouted, "Greetings, Commander!"

Zhao Wuji smiled, bowed in return, and exchanged a few pleasantries.

"Commander Zhao!" At this moment, Li Shiyu's figure quietly approached, offering a small brocade pouch with her delicate hand. A glint of light flashed in her eyes as she lowered her voice and said:
"These are two jade tablets of the Heavenly Canopy Mantra, made by the Imperial Observatory. Although they are not as powerful as a first-grade exorcism talisman, they are still equivalent to a fifth-grade one. Exorcism talismans are hard to come by these days, so please take these two."

"The Heavenly General's Curse?"

Zhao Wuji's eyebrows twitched slightly.

He had seen this item before at the Jade Pool in the Imperial Palace. Although it was far less powerful than the Jade Tablet for Suppressing Evil in the pool, it was indeed a superior item for suppressing evil spirits.

I never expected Li Shiyu could even obtain such forbidden palace items; she truly deserves to be called a Noble Consort.

"and you."

"Of course I still have them, don't worry." Li Shiyu's lips curled up slightly, a sly glint in her eyes. "If you are safe, then I am safe."

Zhao Wuji felt a slight stirring in his heart when he caught a glimpse of the alluring look in her eyes.

This little vixen, the imperial concubine, is clearly still thinking about that deal from last time, hoping he'll agree, and she never forgets to tease him.

"They are persistent, indeed."

Just as he was about to speak, he discovered that the other blue-robed disciples had arrived one after another.

As darkness fell completely, Zhao Wuji's sword trembled, and he said in a deep voice, "Bring me the map."

The group hurriedly unfurled the animal hide scroll.

Zhao Wuji unleashed his sword token, which glowed with azure light and cast a path on the map, pointing directly north.

"Mingxia Stronghold is located in Jinqiu Mountain of Tianmu Prefecture, which is rich in Mingxia Spirit Wood."

He traced the mountain range on the map with his fingertips. “There is currently a small group of Yunfeng cultivators besieging us. The two true disciples stationed here have activated the defensive formation. They can hold out for at most two days.”

He pointed sharply: "We must get here within two days. If the stronghold falls..."

Before he finished speaking, everyone understood the consequences.

"Take this route." With a flick of his sleeve, several key passes along the route lit up with red light. "Go to the Beastmaster's Office to collect horses, and depart immediately!"

"Yes, sir! I will obey your orders!"

A night wind suddenly rose, causing the cultivators' robes to flutter as they performed one last flight technique before leaving the cave.

Once you leave the cave and find yourself in a spiritless environment, things won't be so carefree anymore.

Half an hour later.

Zhao Wuji reined in his horse at the mountain pass, followed closely by more than ten disciples in blue robes. The horses' hooves, wrapped in cotton cloth, made only a dull thud as they trod on the gravel road.

"Stop!" He raised his hand to signal, and the line came to a sudden stop.

In the distance, the undulating hills resembled a lurking beast in the night, their outlines blurred yet menacing.

As soon as they stepped out of the cave's protective barrier, everyone felt unwell.

This spiritless place, the complete opposite of a grotto-heaven, was like a greedy mouth, slowly and continuously sucking away the spiritual energy from the cultivator's body. The spiritual energy in the spine seemed to be pulled by an invisible hand, and even breathing became sluggish.

"Let's rest for a moment and then continue our journey!"

Zhao Wuji pulled on the reins, and the Xuanlin Steed neighed, its front hooves kicking up sparks on the scorched earth.

His gaze swept over the pale faces of the crowd, knowing that he needed to give these fellow disciples who had long lived in the cave a chance to adapt.

Unlike him, who possessed the art of manipulating pills and elixirs to forcibly lock in spiritual energy, these people did not lose their spiritual power at an extremely slow rate.

More importantly, his spiritual senses had already detected a familiar presence in this familiar mountain forest, which was very close at hand.
Half an hour ago, he divided the troops into two groups.

Yan Boyuan and Mao Zizhen led three true disciples and ten disciples in blue robes to the flank.

He personally led the main force straight to the Mingxia stronghold in the northern border.

In this place where spiritual energy is scarce, even those who are true disciples of the Cave Heaven and those in green robes have to rely on the Xuanlin Steeds that are mixed with the bloodline of the Black Water Xuan Snake. Their scales can block arrows and they can travel at night as if walking on flat ground.

"Senior Brother Zhao, have you discovered something?" At this moment, Li Shiyu rode closer. She was good at reading people's expressions and was the first to notice Zhao Wuji's situation when everyone was confused.

"It's nothing, go and rest." Zhao Wuji smiled calmly.

"Yes." Knowing she had said too much, Li Shiyu wisely withdrew.

After everyone dispersed, Zhao Wuji entered the secluded forest alone. He made a hand seal between his fingers and a wisp of spiritual light flowed from his fingertips as he performed the Bird Taming Technique.

"Pullingleng——"

Suddenly, the sound of flapping wings broke the silence of the forest, and a jet-black myna bird flew out from a branch and landed steadily on his shoulder.

"Ga! Ba Ga."

"Hongba!"

Zhao Wuji smiled slightly and communicated with him in a low chirping voice, as if speaking birdsong.

"They've come to issue a warning?"

As Xiong Ba let out a few urgent cries, his expression gradually hardened.

Several months ago, Xiong Ba and Xiao Yu had encountered traces of the corpse driver in the Guanyun Mountain area, hundreds of miles away. Now that they realized he was passing through this area, they came to warn him to take a detour.

"Viewing Clouds Mountain"

Zhao Wuji flipped his hand and took out the map from his pocket. His fingertips traced the mountain terrain, and his eyes darkened slightly.

This place is on the route we are traveling, and it is only about 700 li away from Linlang Cave.

"The corpse-driving people from Yunfeng Cave have actually infiltrated this place?"

He was slightly alarmed, and after asking her in detail, he learned that ever since the Empress set up an ambush in the fox den, Xiaoyu had felt that the area within hundreds of miles of Hengyun Mountain Range was not a safe place, and had already led her flock of birds to migrate to a more distant place to avoid disaster.

Unexpectedly, they discovered a terrifying scene in Guanyun Mountain where corpse drivers were driving away the Yin puppets, forcing them to retreat to dangerous places. Within a radius of a thousand miles, it was difficult to find a peaceful place.

"I see." Zhao Wuji tapped the map heavily with his fingertip. "My journey will take me through Guanyun Mountain, and the team from Yuzi Mountain will also pass by."

"Could it be."

A sudden chill ran through him.

Did Yunfeng Cave Heaven anticipate that Linlang would send reinforcements?

The attack on Qingluo Market and the siege of the stronghold were probably carefully designed bait!

This is highly likely, as the sword order also includes a warning: "Beware of besieging the point and attacking reinforcements."

The enemy might not have set up an ambush at the stronghold at all, but rather laid a trap on this inevitable route. While the disciples of the grotto-heaven were marching hastily...
"What a vicious scheme!"

If this conspiracy succeeds, the Linglang Cave Heaven will lose a large number of disciples in green and blue robes, and its foundation for the next few decades will be shaken.

Gray-robed disciples are easy to find, but these seedlings with spiritual qualities of azure and golden light are rare talents that are hard to find even once every fifty or a hundred years.

Suddenly, I felt a slight stirring in my mind. I looked up and saw a silvery-white fox silhouette appearing and disappearing among the branches and leaves of the opposite mountain forest.

Xiaoyu's fox-like eyes, gleaming with an eerie light, were fixed on his blue robe, her gaze complex and unfathomable.

"Xiaoyu!" Zhao Wuji smiled and bowed.

The white fox suddenly turned its head, flicked its silver tail, and disappeared into the forest.

"Gah! Ba!" The myna bird on my shoulder flapped its wings and cried out urgently.

"Are you advising me to take a detour?"

Zhao Wuji gently stroked the map with his fingertips, lost in thought.

This mission was already time-sensitive; taking a detour would inevitably delay the rescue. But if they went straight to Guanyun Mountain...
“Xiongba,” he suddenly whispered, “come with me and show me the location of the corpse driver.”

"Gah—!" The myna bird's feathers bristled, and it shook its head like a rattle drum.

"Don't be afraid." A faint green medicinal light emanated from Zhao Wuji's fingertips. "With me here, you'll be safe and sound."

The myna bird suddenly kicked off, flapped its wings, and flew into the night sky, leaving behind only a resolute "caw".

But soon after, loud 'crunching' and 'chirping' sounds came from the mountains and forests.

Before long, the myna bird flew back with its head drooping, landed on his shoulder, and stared at him with a slightly resentful look in its eyes.

“Baka.”

Zhao Wuji smiled, understanding. Xiong Ba, having heeded Xiao Yu's advice, was preparing to go with him.

"Thank you!"

Zhao Wuji cupped his hands in greeting to the distant woods, then led Xiong Ba back.

Although he could use bird-taming techniques to control spirit birds, he always disdained to do so.

They believed that such actions would both damage the wisdom and spiritual roots of birds and deviate from the true meaning of the Dao.

The true art of taming beasts lies in training them, like a gentle spring breeze and nourishing rain, a heart-to-heart connection. Normally, there's no need for magical constraints; in crucial moments, sharing vision reveals their true power, rather than forceful control. Only in this way can one have many beastly companions in the future.

"Birds are not servants, but fellow practitioners."

As soon as this thought arose, the Yang Pearl in his dantian suddenly responded, indicating that his proficiency in the Bird Taming Technique had increased by more than ten points, as if it was a response to his enlightenment.

Back in the group, the cultivators marveled at the myna bird that had suddenly appeared on his shoulder.

Zhao Wuji said that he could understand bird language and had learned from the birds that there might be traces of the corpse-driving people from Yunfeng Cave on the route near Guanyun Mountain. Now he needed to go and investigate to confirm the situation.

Upon hearing this, everyone exchanged glances, their eyes shifting between the myna bird and the commander, and they couldn't help but doubt the authenticity and reliability of this information.

There are many people in the mortal world who can understand bird languages, and even dog and horse languages. This can only be called a skill, not an art.

However, whether the words of birds can be taken as truth, and whether the information obtained through this technique is reliable, is another matter entirely.

"Better safe than sorry."

Zhao Wuji turned to a square-faced, blue-robed cultivator and said, "Junior Brother Liu, you will temporarily take over as leader and proceed along the original route. I will rejoin you once I have ascertained the situation."

“Senior Brother Zhao…” Li Shiyu looked at Zhao Wuji, hesitated, and finally said, “Be careful…”

"Yeah! Don't worry!"

Zhao Wuji glanced at the skeptical faces around him, cupped his hands in greeting, tossed the horse's reins to his subordinate, and used a hand seal to fly away.

"Senior Brother Zhao, you truly possess both exceptional skill and extraordinary courage..."

The true disciple Liu Huaide sighed. Although he was also at the third level of Qi Refining, he knew that in terms of combat strength, he was just the kind of person who could cut down one person with a single sword when he was at the second level of Qi Refining.

People can't be compared, they can't be compared...

Unbeknownst to everyone, the seemingly carefree Senior Brother Zhao landed in the mountains after flying hundreds of miles, quickly restoring his spiritual power with the Source Crystal in his hand.

Then he used invisibility to hide himself, moving stealthily and cautiously...

(End of this chapter)