Immortals of the End Times

Chapter 49: A Bountiful Harvest, the Mad Queen's Carnage

As Zhao Wuji focused his mind on the Yin Pearl, he immediately saw the immense Yin energy that had grown to 4267 strands.

It is even growing slowly.

Deep within the pearl, a thick, paste-like mass of Yin energy was being slowly refined; it was the lotus seed that had been inhaled earlier.

"It turns out that the lotus seed was not yin marrow, but a crystallization of a large mass of yin evil energy."

He was slightly disappointed, but then he thought that this mass of Yin energy could at least be transformed into thousands of strands of Yin energy.

With the existing reserves, the accumulation of the first Yin Pearl is already more than halfway complete, saving a lot of effort and resources in collecting it.

Looking at the yang energy again, it has reached 479 strands. Although it is not as abundant as the yin energy, it is still very precious.

Most of this yang energy originated from the spiritual energy of the jade tablet. Although it only increased by sixty strands, it was comparable to the effect of twenty jars of Qinghualang, enough to support him to condense another sixty strands of spiritual energy.

"This deal wasn't a loss."

However, some hidden dangers remain.

Has Consort Zhang's spirit returned to the Cold Mountain Fox Cave?

Will the Demon Queen's taking of the old fox's corpse lead to any clues?
Could the beast-taming talisman at the bottom of Yunyu Pool truly mislead the demon queen's vision?
All these questions will require time to be answered.

"Fortunately, the timing I chose was good. The outbreak of war in the North will inevitably divert the royal family's attention, and even the magnificent grotto behind the royal family will definitely be drawn away."

After all, the Qian Kingdom also mobilized cultivators.

Zhao Wuji's eyes flickered slightly. "Such moments are very sensitive, as can be seen from Emperor Zhaoming's furious outburst at the Empress."

Although he was certain of his temporary safety, there was still one unsettling factor that he needed to personally ascertain.

That was the Cold Mountain Fox Cave and Consort Zhang.

He had to go to the fox den to confirm that the concubine's soul had truly vanished, and then use guiding techniques to clear the demonic energy from the fox den.

This is the only way to avoid being tracked down to that little grotto by the demon queen.

Otherwise, if Consort Zhang's spirit still exists, given the Empress's methods, there's no guarantee she wouldn't find a way to force him to confess.

Speed ​​is of the essence in war; there is no time to lose.

Zhao Wuji suddenly made a hand seal and used 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 vanished slowly, like a mirage, after leaving the imperial city. He followed the wind all the way to the Cold Mountain Fox Cave.

On the other side, inside the Jiaofang Hall of the Imperial Palace.

On the ground paved with phoenix-patterned gold bricks, a huge fox demon corpse lay lying on the ground, its dark red bloodstains gleaming eerily in the candlelight.

The Empress leaned against the nine-phoenix gilded couch, her fingertips lightly tapping the armrests. Her nails, painted with red nail polish, collided with the gilded armrests, making a soft "tap, tap" sound.

Behind the screen to the side, the corpse of Consort Yi, the madwoman from the Cold Palace, lay supine, with a thin line of blood on her neck, her eyes still wide open in terror.

"Your Majesty, spare me! This servant...this servant truly knew nothing!"

The chief eunuch kowtowed, his back soaked with cold sweat, trembling uncontrollably. He was terrified by the empress's ruthless and cold-blooded methods, his face drained of color.

This powerful eunuch was none other than Fu Dahai of Jingqing Palace.

"Speak. Tell me your story properly."

The Empress lay half-reclined on her phoenix body, her fingers grinding iron slag as she pondered what kind of cultivator would use mortal objects to create magical artifacts, and what the other party was trying to hide.

She said calmly, "Why didn't you, my servant, mention to me that Eunuch Lin was investigating Yun Yuchi? What exactly is Eunuch Lin investigating?"

"The Queen."

Fu Dahai hurriedly kowtowed, his head trembling as he pressed it to the ground. "This servant has already informed Eunuch Mo about this matter. It is said that Eunuch Lin was investigating the Supreme Sect and that's how he came to find Yun Yuchi. But I don't know the specifics." Sweat beaded on Fu Dahai's forehead. "Last year, near the end of the year, the Supreme Sect's group of madmen who stormed into the palace and caused trouble were almost completely wiped out. Only one candidate saintess escaped. Even the Supreme Holy Mother was severely injured by Grand Preceptor Fang."

At that time, Eunuch Lin was in charge of tracking down and eliminating the madmen of the Supreme Cult.

"Hmm?" The Empress raised an eyebrow slightly.

Behind him, a senior eunuch who had already felt a chill run down his spine hurriedly knelt down and said respectfully.

"Your Majesty, it is indeed so. This servant intended to remind you after you completed your seclusion, but before I could even do so..."

There was a "bang" sound.

As soon as the Empress raised her hand, the Grand Chamberlain was struck by an invisible force and rolled several times before crashing into a doorpost behind him.

Even though this eunuch was at the True Realm, he almost vomited blood, but he didn't dare to. He quickly got up, knelt down, and thanked the Empress for the beating.

The Empress continued calmly, "Besides this insane Consort Yi who accidentally fell into the Cloud Jade Pool, was Supervisor Liu also ever in the Cloud Jade Pool?"

The Grand Chamberlain hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty, after Consort Yi fell into the Cloud Jade Pool, Supervisor Liu went to the Cloud Jade Pool to check whether it needed repairs, as per regulations. This servant and Eunuch Fu observed the entire process and found nothing unusual."

"How did the Supreme Sect's Myriad Beasts Cave Heaven become involved with the Supreme Sect's Myriad Beasts Cave Heaven?"

"Why have those lackeys of the Supreme Sect repeatedly broken into the palace, prompting Eunuch Lin to investigate Yun Yuchi? Could it be that those madmen have their eyes on the magical artifacts I crafted?"

The Empress pondered deeply, her delicate brows furrowing slightly.

Even with her cultivation level, she couldn't help but feel a bit flustered, as she felt that the many clues were connected and completely tangled up.

She asked again, "Who else has gotten close to Yun Yuchi in the past period of time?"

Fu Dahai's entire body of fat trembled as he hurriedly and nervously replied, "Your Majesty, no, apart from this servant, no one else has approached Yun Yuchi."

"Oh? I almost forgot about you, you lackey."

The Empress's red lips curved slightly, but her eyes held an icy chill. With a flick of her slender finger, a streak of crimson light, like a venomous snake's tongue, pierced through Fu Dahai's brow.

"puff!"

Fu Dahai's body trembled, blood slowly seeped from his forehead, and he collapsed to the ground with a thud.

"Drag them all to the animal park."

The Empress rose, her phoenix-embroidered shoes crunching over the pool of blood, leaving behind clusters of red lotus blossoms on the blue bricks. "I will keep an eye on those mastiffs and make sure they are well-behaved."

Her red lips parted slightly, her tone chilling:
“The obedient dogs will get food. After they finish eating, let them all out to track down that old fox’s den.”

Outside the palace, the bright sunlight illuminated the blood-stained phoenix skirt.

This raging inferno, stemming from the loss of the core of her sacred artifact and her argument with the emperor, swept through the entire palace.

Outside the imperial city.

As the winter chill fades, the snow covering the cold mountains melts away, transforming into babbling brooks that meander down from between the rocks.

Deep in the mountain valley, the mist is like gauze, floating and ethereal, as if there are traces of immortals appearing and disappearing, hazy and elusive.

Suddenly the fog swayed, as if being blown away by a gust of wind.

The shape of the wind vaguely revealed the outline of a blurry figure, only to vanish in an instant.

Soon, the wind drifted all the way to the fox den.

"Squeaky-"

A group of foxes were frolicking at the entrance of their fox den, completely unaware that the old fox had perished in the capital.

Inside the fox den, the little white fox stood solemnly by the spirit spring. It watched as a skull beside the spring shone for a moment, then slowly dimmed, as if the tormented soul had finally found peace.

Consort Zhang's spirit has returned, and the little white fox suddenly senses it, perking up its ears and raising its head.
Last day of double monthly passes! Please give me your monthly passes, my friends!

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(End of this chapter)