Immortals of the End Times

Chapter 48: Blaming the Beasts, a Tense Night

A powerful spiritual force rapidly approached and paused in the Jingyang Palace not far away.

Inside the Imperial Pharmacy, Zhao Wuji's expression immediately turned solemn, his heart pounded, and a hint of surprise appeared in his eyes.

"Mid-stage Qi Refining?"

Even from a distance, it exuded such a strong spiritual power, making it hard for him not to have such a guess.

He's at least much better than both him and that old fox.

Only he could sense this spiritual power; the other pharmacists and others in the Imperial Pharmacy only felt that the air suddenly became quiet and stuffy.

It felt like a storm was brewing, creating a suffocating, oppressive atmosphere.

"The fact that she could suddenly appear at Yunyu Pond from the inner palace most likely means she's that wicked empress from Jiaofang Palace."

Zhao Wuji lowered his eyes and began to channel his spiritual energy into the Nine Yin Nine Yang Pearl, while the Demon Queen's message appeared in his mind.

The Demon Queen is not a spirit or monster in disguise, but rather refers to her strange behavior and ruthless methods, which is why she is called a 'demon' by people in the cultivation world.

Zhao Wuji himself knew that the Demon Queen was fond of refining insidious and evil magical artifacts and rarely went out.

He only appeared at a handful of grand ceremonies over several years, displaying great authority, which was respected not only by the many concubines in the harem but also by the civil and military officials.

"He is not a good person."

Zhao Wuji walked out of the room, pretending to be confused and surprised, and discussed the events that had occurred in the palace with the surrounding pharmacists and Imperial Physician Yan.

Lingjue, however, sensed the spiritual power emanating from Jingqing Palace.

Jingqing Palace, beside Yunyu Pond.

The head eunuch, Fu Dahai, and a group of junior eunuchs knelt on the ground, their foreheads pressed against the cold blue bricks, their bodies trembling like leaves.

"Greetings, Your Majesty the Empress!"

Her high-pitched voice trembled, sounding particularly jarring in the deathly silent palace gardens.

No one dared to look directly at the figure opposite them.

But then they saw a woman by the pond with phoenix eyes that held a hint of power, a red lotus mark between her brows, and a gold-embroidered phoenix robe that trailed on the ground. Her nails were stained with red nail polish, and she stood there as if the air itself were frozen, her majesty as deep as an abyss.

"A bunch of trash!"

boom--

As she rolled up her sleeves, the powerful true energy of a Grandmaster of Returning to Truth suddenly erupted.

The eunuchs kneeling at the front were sent flying backward like kites with broken strings, spitting out blood with a "plop" and crashing heavily against the palace wall.

"Get out of here, everyone!"

The woman's phoenix eyes held a murderous glint, and her voice was like an ice pick.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for granting me permission to leave!"

Fu Dahai, not bothering to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth, immediately curled up into a ball and rolled out along the palace path. The other eunuchs followed suit.

In the blink of an eye, the palace garden, which was just filled with kneeling people, was completely emptied.

With a flick of her finger, the Empress sent a talisman flying out of the pool and into her hand. Her majestic phoenix eyes narrowed suddenly, her gaze filled with doubt.

"Beast Taming Talisman?"

Her fingertips, stained with red nail polish, lightly twirled the talisman paper, and her nose twitched slightly.

The stench of demonic blood mixed with unfamiliar spiritual energy fluctuations seeped into my nostrils.

"People from the Myriad Beasts Cave?" The woman's phoenix eyes narrowed suddenly. "How dare you!"

Suspicious, she suddenly darted into the pool, releasing her inner energy, causing the water to part automatically.

She went straight to the destroyed jade tablet at the bottom of the pool. Seeing that the magic artifact 'Soul Curse Yin Lotus' in the pit had lost its core Yin Sha lotus seed, her expression became extremely gloomy.

After carefully examining the damaged area around the pool, she became even more suspicious.

Judging from the damaged array artifacts in the pool, it doesn't seem like it was attacked by a demon.

It seemed as if it had been damaged by a cultivator's magical artifact, and even the Yin energy had been greatly reduced.

She suddenly raised her hand and picked up several broken jade tablets, examining the broken marks on the tablets, her delicate eyebrows furrowing.

"It wasn't easily destroyed; it took some time, and there are signs of wear and tear. The person who did it couldn't have been stronger than the second level of Qi Refining."

She rubbed her fingers on the broken part of the jade tablet for a moment, then raised her fingertips to observe the movement, seemingly lost in thought.

"Ordinary iron?"

The empress's expression grew even more puzzled. Recalling the commotion that had just come from outside the palace, a cold light flashed in her eyes. She circulated her spiritual power, and her external magical artifact flew to her feet in a flash.

In an instant, it transformed into a crimson rainbow and soared into the sky, leaving only the pool water to "splash" shut, splashing up three feet of cold waves.

Outside the Meridian Gate, the Imperial Guards stood in formation, their cold light gleaming.

An old fox, as large as a calf, lay in a pool of blood, its body riddled with arrows, the shafts gleaming with crystalline light, clearly not made of ordinary iron. Its mouth was slightly open, blood gushing out, staining the blue bricks red. The Imperial Guard commander knelt on one knee, the light on his spirit spear dimming, the source crystal embedded in the shaft exhausted.

His armor was shattered, his flesh torn and mangled, yet his tiger-like eyes remained fixed on the old fox's corpse, as if trying to confirm whether it was truly dead.

Corpses littered the surrounding area, and the Imperial Guards suffered heavy casualties.

Many corpses were torn apart by sharp claws, their internal organs exposed, and the stench of blood filled the night sky.

Suddenly!

A golden figure swept to the palace wall, phoenix robes fluttering, exuding an aura of majesty.

The Empress lowered her eyes, her gaze falling on the fox corpse, as memories flooded her mind.

Ten years ago, a fox demon broke into the harem and was severely injured by a sword strike she launched from afar, forcing it to flee.

“It’s this…”

"See the Queen!"

Both those on and below the city walls knelt in unison.

However, the commander collapsed to the ground the moment he knelt down, blood gushing from his wounds, and he was barely breathing.

The Empress remained indifferent and said, "Summon the Imperial Hospital to do everything in its power to treat the wounded."

Furthermore, take this fox demon to the Jiaofang Palace and summon Supervisor Xia of the Imperial Observatory. I will personally investigate this matter.

"As ordered!"

In the distance, dragon energy surged from the direction of the Penglai Palace, clearly indicating that Emperor Zhaoming had also been alerted.

The Empress narrowed her phoenix eyes slightly, her lips moved slightly, as if she were communicating with someone from afar.

A moment later, she snorted coldly, and her figure vanished like smoke.

People only know that Emperor Zhaoming sought immortality and neglected state affairs, living in the Penglai Palace for many years and rarely visiting the harem, especially his empress.

Little did they know that this empress chosen by the Linglang Cave Heaven was superior to Zhang Zhaoming in terms of strength, qualifications, and seniority.

A dragon and a phoenix singing in harmony?

That depends on whether the dragon has the ability to conquer the proud phoenix!
The fox demon's intrusion into the palace caused the entire palace and even the imperial city to be immediately placed under martial law. The entire police force was mobilized to conduct a thorough search of the inner and outer cities, looking for suspicious persons or stray dogs and cats. Some beggars' dens were even raided.

The Imperial Hospital was brightly lit, and the imperial physicians and doctors were busy as bees.

Zhao Wuji mingled among them, appearing calm on the surface as he skillfully bandaged the wounded soldiers of the Imperial Guards, but he remained constantly on edge.

Seeing the wounds the old fox had inflicted on so many Imperial Guards, he was secretly astonished; the power of the demon was truly too strong.

Even with his power, the old fox still died. No cultivators even had to intervene; the Imperial Guard commander and his troops used sheer numbers to kill him.

Although the Imperial Guards also suffered many casualties, it was enough to show that cultivators at the Qi Refining Realm were not invincible among humans, and the same was true for demons.

"That Imperial Guard commander probably also possesses a magical artifact bestowed by the royal family, and that old fox is reckless, buying me an opportunity and drawing attention away from me. Otherwise, I should be able to escape, unless the Empress Dowager and the Emperor intervene."

Zhao Wuji analyzed the situation in his mind.

That night felt incredibly long to him.

It wasn't until noon the next day that everyone was able to catch their breath.

The imperial physicians who returned from the inner palace were all deathly pale, and the news they brought back was more horrifying than the last.

"His Majesty and the Empress had a huge argument, and the entire palace fell silent in fear."

"I heard that the fox demon was after the Empress."

"Shut up! Bullshit! Who said that? All of you shut up."

"Sigh, the Northern Frontier just had a commotion with the Immortal Master, and now a demon has appeared in the palace. I never thought there really were demons. This world..."

Some people may not say it, but they are muttering to themselves, and people are filled with anxiety.

Despite the strict prohibition against discussing it within the palace, secrets eventually leaked out.

Inside the Imperial Medical Academy, Zhao Wuji rested for a moment, sipping his tea, his thoughts racing:

"The emperor was enraged only after he learned that the fox demon had come for the empress?"
Could it be that the Emperor was unaware that the Empress was crafting insidious magical artifacts?

He couldn't understand it; the secrets and affairs of the royal family were too complex.

After returning the waist token, he pretended to be tired and returned to his official residence.

"My lord, are you alright? I heard a lot of noise outside the palace yesterday."

As soon as they entered, the young apprentice Xiaoyue rushed out, looking worried and asking questions.

"Silence!" Zhao Wuji raised his index finger. "I am fine, but something serious has indeed happened in the palace. Do not ask any questions or discuss it, for words can bring disaster."

He gave a warning to everyone in the manor, then went into the cultivation room to quickly check the Yin energy harvested from the Yin Pearl and the lotus seeds he had absorbed.
(End of this chapter)