Immortals of the End Times

Chapter 93: Counterattack to Establish Authority, Empress Terrified

Newcomers should give the team leader three times the benefits as a sign of respect!

This is clearly extortion.

As Zhao Wuji was observing coldly, Yu Zishan, who was sitting cross-legged on the blue stone, lightly tapped his knee with his fingers. Four layers of spiritual power emanated from his body like a tide, and he said with a smile, "Junior Brother Zhao."

He deliberately drew out his words: "Others would have to pay three times, but for someone as talented as you, excelling in both alchemy and swordsmanship..."

Suddenly, his sleeves trembled, and his aura intensified: "Two Dragon-Tiger Pills will suffice! Don't say I didn't take care of you, Senior Brother."

Zhao Wuji's clothes fluttered in the spiritual power, yet he remained completely still.

He slowly and methodically pulled out three source crystals from his waist:
"In the market, one Dragon Tiger Pill is worth eleven Source Crystals."

He flicked his fingertip, and the source crystal jingled: "Senior Brother Li's gift just now was only one piece."

He smiled, looked up and stared directly at Yu Zishan: "I'm presenting this threefold reward, please accept it, senior brother. You've worked hard leading the team these past few days."

Seeing this, the disciple from the Spirit Herb Garden, though heartbroken, reluctantly took out three Source Crystals from three different places on his body, preparing to hand them over.

The feigned gentleness on Yu Zishan's face vanished instantly, and the sinister look in his eyes was like the hiss of a venomous snake.

The air around us seemed to freeze, and even the mountain breeze held its breath.

Seeing this, the square-faced cultivator immediately took advantage of the situation and angrily pointed his halberd, shouting, "Junior Brother Zhao, don't be ungrateful! Senior Brother Yu asked you to offer the Dragon Tiger Pill as a token of respect, so you'd better offer it properly. Only those who know when to yield are truly wise."

He hadn't finished speaking yet.

"Zheng!"

A cold glint appeared like frost in the twelfth lunar month, and a thin layer of frost covered the withered branches and fallen leaves on the ground.

The square-faced middle-aged cultivator felt a chill before his eyes and a coldness at his fingertips. Looking down, he saw a severed finger fall to the ground silently. The wound was frozen and the blood vessels were sealed. An astonishing chill rushed up his meridians to his elbow.

Only when the pain reached their brains did the screams shatter the silence of the mountain forest.

"what!--"

The sharp-beaked cultivator surnamed Li staggered back three steps, nearly falling to the ground.

The disciples of the Spirit Medicine Garden turned ashen-faced, and the Source Crystal in their hands fell to the ground with a "thud".

"How brave!"

Yu Zishan laughed in anger, his spiritual power surging like a raging torrent, his blue robe fluttering wildly. "Junior Brother Zhao, it seems you think that just because you defeated those trash like Fei Yun from Crimson Flame Peak, you're already a top figure among the true disciples?"

Zhao Wuji twirled his fingertips, and the Cold Soul Sword hovered in front of him, its blade emitting a three-foot-long frost-like light. He held three Origin Crystals in one hand and made a sword incantation with the other, saying calmly, "Junior Brother, have you ever thought that way? With your strength, Senior Brother Yu, you could be competing for the position of Grand Preceptor of Xuan Kingdom at the end of the year. Why bother bullying the weak here?"

Before he could finish speaking, his pupils suddenly contracted, and his powerful spiritual sense abruptly detected a slightly familiar aura fluctuation.

He instantly recognized the aura as belonging to the Empress of Xuan Kingdom, and his mind raced in an instant.

It seems that Yu Zishan's intentions are not simply to demand benefits, but rather to create conflict by demanding benefits, forcing him to take action and achieve certain goals.

"It seems the Empress has completely doubted me and wants to observe my actions to see what magical artifacts and methods I use? But since she's not taking action herself, she must have some reservations."

His expression remained unchanged. "I'm willing to give up three source crystals. It just depends on whether Senior Brother Yu is willing to make a friend."

"Too late!"

Yu Zishan suddenly stood up, pointed at the square-faced cultivator who was groaning in pain, and said with icy eyes, "I said I would ensure the safety of the team members, but you dared to hurt Junior Brother Wang. Today I will teach you a lesson and let you know how to respect your senior brother!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the jade talisman in his sleeve shattered.

In an instant, the mountain wind froze like lead, and the withered leaves seemed to hang in mid-air, frozen in place.

Zhao Wuji suddenly felt a heaviness all over his body, as if he were being subjected to heavy spiritual pressure. He almost lost his balance and his feet sank three inches into the ground.

Sinking Technique!
In that instant, Yu Zishan waved his sleeve, and three sword lights instantly materialized, drawing eerie trajectories in the air.

A single strike aimed straight for the throat, ruthless and vicious.

A slanted, sharp bend in the knee, insidious and cunning.

The last one exploded in mid-air, turning into hundreds of tiny red needles.

Zhao Wuji swiftly drew his sword, causing the Cold Soul Sword to hum and tremble, instantly splitting into countless strands of sword net, like a sudden rainstorm rushing towards the three blades of light.

"Ding Ding Ding-"

The gleaming white light of the Cold Soul Sword clashed with the crimson flying knife in mid-air, sparking sparks and creating a lively scene of flashing blades and shadows. This sparked a burst of red and white spiritual energy, resulting in a fierce and evenly matched battle.

Although Zhao Wuji's cultivation level was slightly lower than his opponent's in terms of spiritual power purity, the quality of his Cold Soul Flying Sword was superior to that of his opponent's flying knife. Thus, he did not suffer any loss.

"Hmm?" Yu Zishan's expression changed. "He has some strength, no wonder he's so arrogant."

A fierce glint flashed in his eyes, and suddenly he brought his two fingers together, creating a bright blue water blade that spun out with a piercing whistle!

Just as the water blade was about to hit him.

"Shh!"

Zhao Wuji's body suddenly sank into the ground, leaving only an earth-遁 (earth-遁 is a type of talisman) floating to the ground.

The ground was immediately rippling with earthy yellow waves, and the hard rocks softened like mud.

The water blade missed its target.

Earth escape technique!
A rapidly rising mound of earth, like an earth dragon drilling a hole, quickly moved towards the bluestone on the ground.

"Want to escape?"

Before Yu Zishan's cold laugh could finish, a mound suddenly rose up three zhang away, and a figure emerged from the ground.

"A trifle—"

Yu Zishan sneered, having anticipated this, and pointed a finger. Instantly, the magical throwing knife broke free of the sword light and slashed back, landing precisely on the figure's thigh. "Pfft!—"

The figure suddenly shattered like a reflection in the water, disintegrating into a large splash of water that scattered and fell to the ground.

"Water Mirror Technique?!"

As Yu Zishan's expression changed and a sense of alarm suddenly arose in his heart, the real Zhao Wuji had already shot out from the other side of the mound.

Three golden rays from his sleeves shot out like meteors, aiming straight for his throat, heart, and dantian—three vital points!
"not good!"

Yu Zishan's pupils contracted sharply, and cold sweat beaded on his back.

He, a dignified cultivator at the fourth level of Qi Refining, was actually forced into a state of chaos by a junior brother at the third level. This sense of oppression was just like facing a genius of the same realm from Lonely Cloud Peak!
"rise!"

As he roared, he unleashed his magical artifact, the "Crimson Maple Shield." A palm-sized maple leaf swelled in the wind, transforming into a fiery red barrier several feet in diameter.

"Ding--"

The Cold Soul Sword, like a silver dragon spitting its tongue, had a point of cold light at its tip that seemed to solidify, and it was firmly nailed to the center of the shield.

The shield was instantly covered with spiderweb-like ice patterns, and the blazing maple leaves even formed frost flowers. The magical artifact's aura dimmed at a visible speed.

Before Yu Zishan could even breathe a sigh of relief, the Cold Soul Sword suddenly vibrated with a "hum".

"Shhhhh!"

Hundreds of icy sword energies, as thin as hair, suddenly erupted, twisting the maple leaf shield like a tangled net of swords!

"How can it be!?"

Just as Yu Zishan was about to make a hand seal to counterattack, he was horrified to find that his meridians suddenly felt as heavy as lead, and the spiritual power in his dantian was also out of control. Even the flying knives were trembling in mid-air and all of them stopped firing.

Click! !

The protective shield was shattered, and the maple leaf shield was broken.

Yu Zishan looked up in alarm, only to meet Zhao Wuji's eyes, which were as cold as an icy pool.

The next moment, his robes were ripped open, his skin was torn open, and ice crystals formed on the wounds.

"Senior Brother Yu, I'm here to help you!!"

Just then, Senior Brother Li, with his pointed mouth and monkey-like face, let out a fierce shout, and his magical copper hammer lit up with spiritual light, about to strike Zhao Wuji on the back of the head.

"Ridiculous!"

Zhao Wuji casually flicked his sleeve, and the sobering stone inside suddenly burst forth with azure lightning, roaring out like a blue dragon emerging from the sea.

"clang!"

The copper hammer ritual implement shattered upon impact, scattering fragments everywhere.

"Pfft!"

The lightning bolt continued its relentless advance, piercing directly through the left shoulder of the cultivator surnamed Li, creating a cloud of blood mist before flashing back into Zhao Wuji's sleeve.

The movement, sometimes releasing and sometimes retracting, is like a dragon wagging its tail.

At this moment, the scene in the forest suddenly became quiet.

But Zhao Wuji stood solemnly beside Yu Zishan, the tip of his Cold Soul Flying Sword pressed against Yu Zishan's throat, frost already spreading to his chin.

The cultivator surnamed Li knelt on the ground, clutching his shoulder, blood gushing from between his fingers, his expression one of agony.

The square-faced senior brother Wang, who was covering his injured hand and hadn't yet made a move, witnessed the terrifying scene before him with a look of utter astonishment, feeling as if he had fallen into a dream.

In the end, he was the one who only lost one finger, seemingly the least injured.

"Brother Zhao, Brother Zhao, spare my life!"

The disciples of the Spirit Medicine Garden were terrified and immediately knelt down, staring at Zhao Wuji in utter fear.

Zhao Wuji's spiritual senses stirred slightly, and he realized that the wisp of phoenix breath was still hidden in the forest, which put his mind at ease.

It seems that the empress really doesn't intend to take action herself; the situation isn't beyond repair yet.

"Senior Brother Yu"

He suddenly chuckled, his eyes beneath his sword-like brows like a cold pool reflecting the moon: "Although the fourth level of Qi Refining is strong, you have only just stepped into the mid-stage."

The sword tip moved slightly forward, pressing a line of blood into the opponent's throat: "Junior brother, when I was at the second level, I could defeat three third-level opponents, but now..."

"What harm is there in severing four layers?"

"The key is whether it's necessary to go to all this trouble."

Yu Zishan's heart felt heavy, his eyes flickered rapidly, and he suddenly sneered at Zhao Wuji, "Junior Brother Zhao is indeed worthy of being favored by Peak Master Hua. His sword control is amazing, but does Junior Brother dare to kill us?"

"Ha ha ha ha."

Zhao Wuji suddenly burst into laughter, his laughter indescribably carefree and unrestrained. He said calmly, "Senior brother, you flatter me. Why go to such lengths?"

He suddenly grabbed with his palm, and a recording bead flew up from among the withered branches and leaves on the ground.

It fell into his palm, spun around, and released the fleeting images that had just appeared.

"The whole story behind today's events is contained within this. Junior brother believes that the custom of showing respect to one's senior brother is a common practice, but it will never be recognized by the Hall of Punishments."

He toyed with the image-recording bead, a smirk playing on his lips, and stared at Yu Zishan, whose face was incredibly grim, saying, "Senior Brother Yu, you don't want the Hall of Punishments to find out about your secret of bullying your fellow disciples, do you?"

Yu Zishan's face flushed a deep liver color as he said, enunciating each word clearly, "What do you want?"

Second update, 6400 words. Requesting monthly votes. Extra chapter tonight.

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(End of this chapter)