Immortals of the End Times

Chapter 45: Comprehending Invisibility, Strolling Through the Imperial Palace
After a short while, Zhao Wuji had grasped the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends Invisibility Technique and was in the initial learning and practice stage.

He opened his eyes, put down the book in his hand, and suddenly made a hand seal to cast the Earthly Fiend Invisibility Technique.

"The heavens see no form, the earth leaves no trace of my name. Light and shadow are all illusions, my body is the very darkness."

A wisp of yin energy swept by.

His figure disappeared slowly, like water droplets wiped away from a mirror.

Beginners to the art of invisibility find it difficult to become invisible instantly.

However, it is one of the seventy-two Earthly Fiend Techniques. Even a beginner can achieve preliminary concealment of form and spirit, that is, the aura and the physical body can be concealed simultaneously.

In the future, when one cultivates to a higher level, one may even be able to avoid detection by 'divine sense' and 'heavenly eye'.

When cultivation reaches perfection, one can achieve the effect of obscuring cause and effect, as seen in the case of Yang Jian breaking through Wen Zhong's pursuit in "Investiture of the Gods".

After becoming invisible, Zhao Wuji moved quickly inside the room and found that he could still create the sound of wind and changes in airflow.

But because his own aura was no longer dissipating, it was as if a gust of wind had suddenly risen in the house.

"It seems that when encountering a master outside, this technique is best used in conjunction with the surrounding airflow and wind changes to move, so that one can transform into the wind, formless and intangible, and difficult to detect."

Zhao Wuji then tried to pick up the items next to him.

It was discovered that the invisibility technique not only applied to him, but also to certain things he came into contact with, such as clothing and chairs.

But when he touched a table that was more than half a meter high, his invisibility spell failed, revealing his faint figure.

"It can make some objects invisible along with it, but not living things, and it cannot exceed half a zhang (approximately 3.3 meters) of its own size. Moreover, the more things it carries, the more mixed its aura becomes, making it difficult to conceal its presence."

Zhao Wuji understood immediately, and with a swift movement, he left the cultivation room like a gust of wind.

"ah!"

In the corridor, the skirt of the young apprentice Xiaoyue suddenly billowed up, and her maid Chunhua hurriedly pressed down her disheveled hair.

"This wind is strange."

Xiaoyue muttered as she looked up, but all she saw was the copper bells on the eaves swaying gently; there was no one in sight.

Zhao Wuji leaped and soared, sometimes rising and sometimes falling, skimming over the rooftops.

After passing through the strictly inspected inner and outer city gates, he first tested the waters, then swaggered out of the city right under the noses of many guards, and then went back into the city, having a great time.

It's clear that although Linlang Cave Heaven supports the Xuan Kingdom's royal family in cultivating immortality, neither the cave heaven nor the royal family has any formations set up on the city walls and gates due to a lack of resources.

It seems that in this degenerate age, even maintaining basic restrictions is extremely costly, and only the imperial palace and the Imperial Observatory have them.

This put Zhao Wuji, the hidden cultivator, at ease.

"The invisibility technique I've just learned can only be maintained for two hundred breaths with a single strand of spiritual energy, and only for one hundred breaths with a wisp of yin energy. In non-critical moments, it's best to use yin energy instead of spiritual energy."

He remained invisible, but mustered his courage and went to the palace again.

After observing that there was no large array protecting the outer area, he moved swiftly, like a gust of wind sweeping across the high walls of the imperial city.

Through the memories of Lian Yunxuan, a cultivator from the Linglang Cave Heaven, he knew very well that apart from the emperor, the demon empress, and Yu Linzi, who rarely stayed in the palace, there were no other cultivators stationed in the Xuan Kingdom's imperial palace.

Only the large formations were deployed in some important areas and city gates, while the outer areas were quite ordinary.

Therefore, he dared to come and explore.

At this time, he avoided the outer guard posts of the Imperial Guards and strolled around the outskirts of the palace as if in a leisurely garden.

In the distance, within the imperial palace, the Purple Mystery Hall with its golden roof and vermilion walls is where the emperor held court. On the imperial road in front of the hall, known as "Chengtian Square," every brick and stone is imbued with the aura of the dragon.

But at this moment, Zhao Wuji glanced at the forbidden area surrounded by the Nine Dragons Screen from afar and dared not approach rashly.

He went around to the Wenhua Hall area on the west side.

This was the side hall where the emperor reviewed memorials, but it has been abandoned for many years.

Zhao Wuji sneaked into the hall and lightly touched the Hetian jade paperweight on the table with his fingertips, discovering that there were indeed three wisps of yang energy remaining.

Not long after, he went around to the Imperial Tea Room and found a celadon-glazed tea set that still retained some yang energy, which was obviously used frequently by the emperor in the past.

After half a cup of tea, Zhao Wuji harvested eight strands of yang energy, bringing the yang energy of the yang pearl to 422 strands, and quietly slipped out of the palace outskirts.

These eight strands of yang energy are enough to combine with the yin energy to condense eight streams of spiritual power, so the trip was not in vain.

The power of invisibility also gave him a real thrill.

"If I could learn some of that master thief's techniques in the future, perhaps I could sneak into the Imperial Observatory without being detected."

Zhao Wuji returned to his official residence and did not go out again.

After taking a fasting pill, I recovered my spiritual energy and awaited the arrival of the white fox.

They waited until nightfall before a familiar white figure finally appeared.

The white fox scurried through the dog hole, squeaking and circling around Zhao Wuji, before writing crookedly on the ground.

"You said you were meeting Grandpa Fox today, where were you going to meet? You even secretly followed me last time. You're a bad guy, so cunning."

Zhao Wuji smiled faintly and said, "Hanshan Temple, I saw it on the hillside outside Hanshan Temple. What did your grandfather do with the body of that even worse person from last time?"

A smug glint flashed in the white fox's eyes as it wrote words on the ground.

“Our little foxes took care of it. We called our friends from the mountain, and they ate the bad guy without leaving a trace.”

Zhao Wuji was taken aback, but then he understood.

It is only natural for humans to eat many animals, and it seems normal for these animals to eat humans as well. However, as a human being, he will naturally look at things from a human perspective.

"how about you?"

The white fox looked disgusted. "I won't eat that. Humans stink."

Zhao Wuji found it amusing. "No wonder you are so intelligent. You are a breath of fresh air among beasts, your spirit has not been tainted by the impurities and bloodshed."

He shook his head, turned and went into the inner room, saying, "Wait a moment."

He changed out of his physician's robes, donned an inconspicuous outfit, and put on a veiled bamboo hat, looking as if he had transformed into a mysterious wandering swordsman.

He then took the caltrop sword pellet and the bladed armor sword pellet with him, and also hid the amulet given to him by Nan Chixia at his waist.

With his current Qi Refining Level 2 cultivation, plus his Martial Arts Grandmaster realm and numerous techniques, he has achieved great success.

Even if another unexpected event occurs, he is confident that he can protect himself instead of committing such a dangerous murder.

"Let's go!"

Returning to his study, Zhao Wuji waved to the white fox.

The white fox was quite pleased with the prompt response. It flicked its tail, somersaulted in mid-air, and then slipped through the dog hole out of the mansion once more.

Zhao Wuji used his invisibility technique, combined with his needle-crossing movement technique, and left the official residence as quickly as a gust of wind, without alerting anyone inside.

His figure moved like smoke, his toes lightly touching the eaves, and in the fluttering of his robes, he had already covered more than ten zhang.

At the level of a Grandmaster who has returned to the true realm, one's movement techniques are already extraordinary. One can use the force of bursting energy to step through the air as if walking on flat ground.

The needle and thread fly, forming a staircase that allows one to traverse the air as if stepping on the moon.

The white fox leaped and bounded, glancing back every now and then, but a look of surprise suddenly flashed in its eyes.

Zhao Wuji had disappeared without a trace.

"squeak?"

The white fox stood there stunned, its ears twitching before it finally reacted.

Tonight, it wasn't it that led Zhao Wuji to the right place, but rather Zhao Wuji that wanted it to lure the old fox out of its den to meet him.

A quarter of an hour later.

Zhao Wuji had already arrived at the hillside outside Hanshan Temple.

The moonlight, like water, poured down on the barren hillside. The chill of the winter night condensed into white frost, covering the withered grass, creating a serene and tranquil atmosphere.

He made a hand seal and used the technique of communicating with the spirit, and his soul floated out of his physical body like a wisp of green smoke, hovering three inches above his head.

The view suddenly rose, and the fox den in the distance came into full view.

Inside the fox den, a chaotic mix of energy was present, with a spiritual and demonic aura flickering like a candle in the wind, constantly dissipating.

After only three days, Zhao Wuji sensed that the old fox's aura had fallen to the second level of Qi Refining, and he was extremely weak, possibly not long for the future.

"I wonder if it's because he helped me last time?"

He saw the white fox disappear into its den.

Before long, the demonic aura representing the old fox began to move, leaving the fox den and approaching the hillside of Hanshan Temple where he was located.

Zhao Wuji withdrew his divine soul, lightly made a hand seal with his fingertips, and chanted an incantation in a low voice:
"A single breath arises, and golden armor protects the entire body."

The Qi circulates on the body's surface, and an invisible armor of Qi quietly covers the body, rippling faintly in the moonlight.

Although it appears to be empty, it is impervious to weapons and water.
Everyone was really supportive yesterday, so I'll be adding an extra chapter today—there will be three chapters. First, I'm asking for monthly votes. The second chapter will be at 11:30 PM.

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(End of this chapter)