Immortals of the End Times

Chapter 57: The Place Where Wine Is Buried, and the King's Magical Artifact
The setting sun, like blood, reflected the dark red cliff along the Chishui River.

At the cliff, Ye Wu unfolded the yellowed map of the buried wine and said excitedly, "My lord, this is the place. Although it has changed over the past thousand years, the terrain of 'three dragons holding a pearl' still exists."

Zhao Wuji stared intently, and saw three rock ridges on the cliff top, like the bones of a broken dragon, gleaming with an eerie luster in the twilight.

Ye Wu went ahead and cleared away the thicket of thorns, revealing a moss-covered, broken stone compass.

Although the compass needle was rusted, it still stubbornly pointed to the seventh hole in the cliff face.

The hole was no bigger than a baby's fist, and its edges were covered with honeycomb-like erosion marks. When a mountain wind swept by, it emitted a faint whistling sound.

Zhao Wuji frowned. "So this is it? How do we get in through such a hole? Could there be another place here?"

Ye Wu shook his head and sighed, "My lord, the Yelang Kingdom once emphasized three essentials for finding wine: the right time, the right place, and the right people."

Now, though we possess the map for burying wine and have the advantages of location and popular support, we do not know when the opportune moment will arrive.

“The right timing.” Zhao Wuji silently gazed at the sky.

The evening clouds were as hard as iron, and the setting sun sank into the depths.

In this degenerate age, where can one find a time when spiritual energy is abundant?
Is it really going to be that we return empty-handed, and the opportune moment will come when spiritual energy revives?

"You must be tired after searching for several days, let's go down the mountain first."

Zhao Wuji gently stroked the cliff face. "Let me take another look."

Ye Wu sighed, feeling disappointed that he couldn't help the master find the wine. After handing the map of the buried wine to Zhao Wuji, he went down the mountain with Xiao Lin to wait.

Once the forest was quiet, Zhao Wuji stared at the small hole in the opposite stone wall. After a moment of contemplation, he suddenly made a hand seal and used the Pill Manipulation Technique.

"Whoosh-"

The bladed sword pellet flew out of the sleeve and drilled into a fist-sized hole, quickly exploring inside.

He did not allow his soul to enter directly, lest he trigger certain formations and mechanisms from the former Yelang Kingdom.

In past dynasties, there were many more cultivators, and it's hard to guarantee that they didn't possess some sophisticated methods.

The sword pellet traveled through the dark passageway, the sound of the wind it stirred echoing softly against the stone walls.

Zhao Wuji closed his eyes and concentrated, his ears trembling slightly. His spiritual sense, honed by the Returning to Truth Realm, captured every sound wave.

The winding, corridor-like passageway gradually appeared in his mind.

There may be dead ends, but there is no real danger; it is just like a maze.

With a firm resolve, Zhao Wuji continued his exploration using the Pellets Technique.

After a hundred breaths, the sword pellet suddenly fell into an empty space.

Zhao Wuji raised an eyebrow, sensing the sound of flowing water.

"They have drinks?!"

Just as he was about to recall the sword pellet, he suddenly felt a strange resistance.

The sword pellet seemed to have collided with some round object, bobbing up and down in the wine.

"What is that? It's round too!"

Zhao Wuji felt a strange sensation.

The Ball Manipulation Technique can control anything that is similar to a round or ball-shaped object.

Startled, he abandoned controlling the sword pellet, his hand seals suddenly changed, and he instead activated the pellet-manipulating technique to control the mysterious round object.

The moment the touch came, Zhao Wuji's pupils contracted sharply.

The object, neither gold nor jade, slowly rotated under the influence of magic, as if responding to his call.
"Magical weapon?"

The ball-shaped object suddenly manipulated by the ball-manipulation technique seemed to possess a certain spiritual energy, making Zhao Wuji instantly realize that it should be an unclaimed magical artifact.

"How strange! Did ancient cultivators really enjoy playing with slingshot-like magical artifacts like I did?"

Zhao Wuji temporarily abandoned the blade armor and sword pellet, and tried to drive the pellet out of the hole, fearing that the pellet was too big and would not be able to leave the hole.

But a moment later, his gaze sharpened.

A small, amber-colored stone, about the size of a pigeon's egg, flew out of the hole.

The natural patterns on the surface of this bead resemble wine droplets, subtly revealing the mellow aroma of a thousand-year-old vintage.

The stone ball hovered in front of him, the aroma of wine filling his nostrils, and his spiritual power surged like boiling water, even causing the Yin-Yang Pearl to tremble slightly.

"The aroma alone possesses such exquisite charm?"

With a light tap of his fingertip, his spiritual power combined with the Stone Ball Manipulation Technique, and the wine-like patterns on the surface of the stone ball suddenly lit up, with countless seal characters appearing like swimming fish.

"Sobering Stone - Golden Goblet"

"Three cups lead to the Great Way, a jug brings one into harmony with Nature." "Enjoy the pleasure of wine, but don't tell those who are sober."

"—Left by Lady Liquan"

Zhao Wuji was shocked. This item was actually the Golden Goblet Sobering Stone, one of the four sobering stones left by Li Quan, the wife of the King of Yelang!
The poem about the god of wine recorded therein is only a quarter of the original text, which states that one can improve one's cultivation by drinking wine.

Zhao Wuji had only just begun to manipulate the object, yet he already understood its origins and functions.

Holding this stone in your mouth for three breaths can cure all poisons, especially hangovers.

If you obtain the other three types of sobering stones, and gather all four stones—Heaven, Earth, Human, and Metal—you can set up the Wine God Array. The Heaven Stone represents clarity, the Earth Stone represents turbidity, the Human Stone represents spirit, and the Metal Stone represents evil, thus creating the illusion of "living in a drunken stupor."

Those who enter the formation will have all five senses corrupted by the alcohol poison. Everything they see and hear will be like being drunk. At best, they will be delirious; at worst, they will be trapped in an illusion, and their cultivation will turn into a jar of turbid wine.

"I've never heard of such a drinking game before; it's truly terrifying."

Zhao Wuji turned his gaze to the stone wall, his heart filled with dread.

Behind this wall lies the Wine God Array, which uses spirit wine as a catalyst and mountains and rivers as its foundation, forming a cycle by drawing upon the spiritual energy of the mountains and rivers.

If you forcefully break the formation, you will trigger the formation!

However, Zhao Wuji was more concerned about...
"The outer layer of this stone is made of pine resin that has been refined for thousands of years and iron from meteorites from outer space, making it indestructible."

The core contains a drop of millennia-old wine essence, which can only be extracted with the complete Wine God's Ode. After using this stone to neutralize the wine, it can also temporarily enhance a person's spiritual strength.

Zhao Wuji used the "Pill-Making Technique" for a while, then realized that he could only use it to manipulate the basic functions of the sobering stone.

As for the deeper level, the thousand-year-old wine essence, which was restricted by Lady Liquan, could not be forcibly unblocked by the Pill Manipulation Technique.

This is quite normal. Originally, without the Pill Manipulation Technique, he would not have been able to manipulate this stone. It could only be activated by a cultivator from Yelang Kingdom using a special secret method combined with bloodline.

But the function of this magical artifact is that it is indestructible and enhances spiritual power, which sounds very magical and high-level.

"Is it truly indestructible?"

Zhao Wuji took out a finger bone artifact wrapped with silk threads from his bosom and suddenly sent out a wisp of yin energy.

With a flick of the fingertip, the magical artifact, like a venomous snake spitting its tongue, struck the suspended sobering stone.

"Keng!"

Amidst a piercing clang, the finger bone artifact was violently repelled.

Zhao Wuji reached out and caught it, only to see that the bone armor, which was originally as sharp as a knife, had cracked in several places, and most of the yin energy surrounding its surface had dissipated.

"It truly is indestructible; its level of magical artifact should be much higher than that of a finger bone artifact."

Zhao Wuji carefully examined the sobering stone and found that there was not a single mark left on its surface.

This hangover stone is not only a treasure for detoxification.

Its quality alone, which has remained intact for thousands of years, surpasses thousands of divine weapons and can solve his problem of having no suitable magical artifact!
He was delighted.

"However, this sobering-up function is rather laughable. As a cultivator and a grandmaster of martial arts, while I wouldn't say I'm invincible to alcohol, I certainly don't need a sobering-up remedy after just a couple of sips."
"But the ability to temporarily boost spiritual power after sobering up is incredibly powerful."

Zhao Wuji thought for a moment, then summoned a sobering stone with a faint aroma of wine, and took a small sip.

Upon first sip, the liquor is spicy, then sweet, and finally transforms into a lingering, mellow aroma that stays on the lips and teeth.

Zhao Wuji felt his spine becoming more active, and the azure spiritual light was faintly tinged with gold. The spiritual power within his body was surging and leaping, and even the Yin-Yang Pearl trembled slightly.

"It really can enhance spiritual strength? And this wine truly lives up to its reputation as a premium wine of the highest caliber."

After a moment's thought, Zhao Wuji slipped away and went to the nearby woods.

Not long after, he returned with several freshly carved wooden balls.

The wooden ball is hollow, and the part inside, which is hollowed out with the true energy of the golden needle, can roughly store one or two ounces of spiritual wine.

Zhao Wuji drove the wooden ball into the hole in the stone wall, and soon the wooden ball flew out.

He took it, tilted his head back, and drank it.

The amber-colored liquor exudes a rich aroma. It feels like a spark as it enters the throat, quickly turning into a raging fire within the body, and then transforming into a rich aroma that fills the entire body.

"So spicy—"

Zhao Wuji clicked his tongue and suddenly felt something was wrong. He was slightly tipsy, and the effect was getting stronger and stronger, like waves crashing against the shore. The drunkenness instantly made his mind hazy.

Worse!

This golden goblet of wine, you can't even handle one ounce?
He immediately put the sobering stone in his mouth and silently recited the Dionysian Ode: "Three cups lead to the Great Way, a jug unites with Nature."

The tipsy feeling gradually faded, and my mind slowly cleared.

At the same time, he felt a warm sensation within his body, as if it were burning, and spiritual light surged from his spine, transforming from azure hues into streaks of golden light.
My ranking has been overtaken, guys! Please give me some monthly votes to help me get back in the top spots!


(End of this chapter)