Immortals of the End Times

Chapter 98: A Heart of Ice is Hard to Guard, Fifth Level of Qi Refining
"Taking advantage of my misfortune, coercing and luring you to join Crimson Flame Peak—only my senior sister could pull off such despicable tactics."

Inside the Frost Palace, after listening to Zhao Wuji's retelling, Hua Qingshuang's eyes grew even colder: "Relying on the cave master's favor, she has become increasingly unscrupulous."

"Peak Master."

Just as Zhao Wuji was about to speak, Peak Master Hua flicked his sleeve and interrupted him, saying, "Let's put this matter aside for now."

She lightly traced a line with her jade-like fingers, causing frost to condense in the air and revealing a map of the Northern Territory. "Yunfeng Cave Heaven actually colluded with Yanling Cave Heaven of the North Sea to launch a surprise attack. Even Wushang Cave Heaven had no choice but to temporarily set aside past grievances and form an alliance with us. At this time, you should understand the gravity of the situation."

"Yanling Cave Heaven?"

Zhao Wuji's pupils contracted slightly as he recalled the information he had read in the "Chronicles of the Cave Heavens," "Could it be that immortal sect outside the Southern Heaven that specializes in the Flame Technique?"

He suddenly realized, "It is rumored that when you went to fight, you were ambushed. Could it be that the cultivators from Yanling Cave Heaven laid an ambush?"

“Indeed!” Hua Qingshuang said coldly, “Otherwise, even if the old immortal Yunfeng were to go mad with his life nearing its end, he wouldn’t dare gamble the fate of the entire grotto-heaven.”

After hearing this, Zhao Wuji realized how dangerous the day had been.

It turns out that Yunfeng Cave Heaven knew it was doomed to defeat, so it secretly colluded with Yanling Cave Heaven to set an ambush.

In the middle of the battle, the Flame Spirit cultivator suddenly launched an attack, and Hou Baichang, the master of Lone Cloud Peak, was the first to be hit and suffered heavy injuries.

Hua Qingshuang and Elder Yu fought their way out, but at the most critical moment, the Supreme Mother of the Supreme Cave Heaven, Fei Yunzi and other cultivators unexpectedly came to their aid.

"To cover Peak Master Hou's retreat, I lured away Old Ghost Yan Zi alone."

Hua Qingshuang shook her head slightly, "If I hadn't already broken through to the tenth level of Qi Refining, I would have been in danger this time."

Her eyes flashed with an icy light. "That fiery array is fierce and scorching. If my Xuanbing spiritual energy is exhausted, the backlash from the cold poison within my body will surely lead to my death and the annihilation of my Dao."

"However, this time it turned out to be a blessing in disguise." Hua Qingshuang's lips curled up slightly. "With you dispelling most of the cold poison, and with the tempering of that great formation, my Xuanbing spiritual energy has temporarily become more harmonious and unified."

With a slight flick of her sleeves, she said, "Only then could I break through the formation and escape."

"It seems that the situation is truly fraught with danger." Dai Zhiyun sighed and looked at Zhao Wuji.

"Thanks to Junior Brother Zhao for dispelling the cold poison from the Peak Master."

"It's also because the Peak Master is incredibly powerful," Zhao Wuji said politely.

"The war is not over yet." Hua Qingshuang's tone suddenly turned serious. "You must also be prepared at any time. Although Yunfeng Cave Heaven suffered a great loss this time, Yanling Cave Heaven is still very strong."

Currently, the Xuanxiao Cave Heaven of the Yun Kingdom and the Qingming Cave Heaven of the Yu Kingdom have also temporarily ceased hostilities and are observing the situation. This peaceful state may not last more than a year or two before a larger war breaks out.

Hua Qingshuang's eyes were like frost as she swept over the two of them: "During this peaceful period, you two need to intensify your cultivation."

"Border frictions have not ceased, and the Supreme Grotto-Heaven may send disciples to visit in the future. At that time, a contest of magic and skills will be inevitable."

"Is someone from the Supreme Grotto Heaven coming?" A glint flashed in Zhao Wuji's eyes, and he immediately clasped his hands in agreement.

In the journey of cultivating immortality, a year or two passes in the blink of an eye.

In such a short period of time, ordinary cultivators often find it difficult to make any progress.

After all matters were discussed, Zhao Wuji volunteered: "Peak Master's injuries have not yet healed. May I allow you to administer acupuncture treatment again?"

He secretly intended to use the techniques of acupuncture to treat his injuries and help him recover.

"No need."

Hua Qingshuang waved her wide sleeves lightly, "The cold poison has temporarily subsided; the remaining injuries can be treated with rest." Her tone was calm, but it left no room for argument.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Wuji had no choice but to give up.

Although the two were not master and disciple, there was still a hierarchy between them.

Since the peak master was unwilling, he, the healer, could only sigh helplessly.

However, the cold poison in the other party's body has only subsided temporarily. As long as he continues to cultivate the Six Revolutions Profound Ice Technique, it will continue to grow, and he will still need to take action in the future.

The palace doors closed softly, and Zhao Wuji and Dai Zhiyun's figures gradually disappeared into the distance.

Hua Qingshuang's gaze sharpened slightly, lingering on Zhao Wuji's retreating figure for a moment before quietly withdrawing it.

She naturally understood the concern in Zhao Wuji's eyes, and a warmth rose in her heart.

just
The previous acupuncture treatments, where skin touched and breaths were similar, stirred her long-dormant Dao heart.

This emotional turmoil left her feeling both unfamiliar and helpless.

"It's best to keep your distance unless absolutely necessary."

She lightly brushed her snow-white sleeves, a chill emanating from them.

Only by returning to a state of undisturbed tranquility can one lay the foundation for focused concentration and breakthrough.

"What a pity." She frowned slightly. "The situation has changed drastically, and the cave master's promised Mind-Concentrating Pill..."

Suddenly, Yan Lan's face from Crimson Flame Peak appeared before my eyes.

"It's time to make a trip to Crimson Flame Peak."

Half an hour later.

Inside the Crimson Flame Palace, the lights flickered, casting swaying shadows throughout the hall.

The sleeves of the emerald green robe trailed down, the magnificent robe flowing to the ground, and the frost spread silently beneath her feet, standing in stark contrast to the fiery aura surging around Yan Lan.

Amidst the interplay of ice and fire, the spiritual pressure within the hall suddenly intensified.

"Burning Heart Finger injures my peak's disciple, Senior Sister Yan, you are truly impressive." Her cold eyes were like blades, her voice like frost, and the temperature in the hall plummeted.

Yan Lan sat on the Crimson Flame Throne, her crimson robes billowing, and scoffed upon hearing this: "What? Junior Sister Hua is feeling sorry for me?"

She lightly tapped the armrest with her fingertips, and fire patterns flowed around it. "Since this Xiao Zhao is not your personal disciple, why not give him to your senior sister? Such a clever and handsome boy is being wasted on you, who is always facing your cold face."

Hua Qingshuang's eyes suddenly turned cold: "Senior Sister, are you so thirsty? Is it because you can't bear the fire poison and need to find someone to release it?"

"Hmph!" Yan Lan's face darkened, and fiery energy flickered at her fingertips. "Junior Sister's escape this time is nothing more than the pot calling the kettle black." She sneered, "As long as neither of us can cultivate the Nine Revolutions Primordial Technique, we will both be walking on thin ice."

"The cave master would not distribute Concentration Pills, let alone the Nine Revolutions Primordial Chaos Technique."

Hua Qingshuang suddenly spoke coldly, each word like ice, "Even if there were, it would only be bestowed upon Hou Baichang, whose loyalty far surpasses that of you and me."

Yan Lan's red eyes suddenly narrowed as she heard the "Concentrating Spirit Pill," and the fire patterns in her eyes flickered uncertainly.

She had already figured out the key to it.

The reason I only stirred up a dispute among the disciples and didn't truly break ties with Hua Qingshuang was because I had a plan: to let Hua Qingshuang go out and fight to see if she could win that opportunity from the cave master.
But now.
The crackling fire illuminated their faces, casting a mixture of light and shadow. The interplay of ice and fire within the hall momentarily froze.

"It seems," Yan Lan suddenly withdrew the fiery aura surrounding her, narrowing her eyes probing, "Junior Sister also received the secret message from 'that side'?"

Hua Qingshuang did not answer; as she turned away, ice crystals fell to the ground with a chilling sound.

"Senior sister, take care of yourself."

Yan Lan frowned, staring intently at the cold and beautiful figure that had disappeared into the distance. As her snow-white robe fluttered, she was reminded of the aloof little girl who had always hidden behind her when she first entered the mountain gate.

once Upon a time
"hateful!"

A burst of crimson flames erupted, incinerating the remaining ice energy within the hall with a single palm strike.

The flames swept across the jade throne, leaving only a wisp of smoke curling upwards.

Time flies, and more than four months have passed in the blink of an eye.

It was late autumn, and withered leaves were falling everywhere. The frost on Cold Moon Peak was getting heavier, and the whole valley seemed even more desolate.

Zhao Wuji stood in the valley, setting up a simple formation with withered branches and broken stones.

As his hand gestures shifted, a spiritual rune flowed from his palm and disappeared into the formation.

"start!"

Instantly, the array patterns lit up, and the surrounding spiritual energy seemed to be drawn towards the center of the array.

In a short while, the spiritual energy within the formation had condensed into a thin mist, more than 50% denser than usual.

Zhao Wuji stepped into the formation, feeling the surging spiritual energy around him, and nodded slightly: "This small spirit-gathering formation can be considered a success, not bad, not bad."

With the blessing of this small spirit-gathering array, even if he finishes the imperial wine soon and his spiritual talent deteriorates to the Azure Cloud level, his cultivation speed will not be much worse than that of the Golden Light spiritual talent.

However, the only thing to worry about is attracting the attention of the Spirit Monitoring Hall. Such gathering of spiritual energy will inevitably lead to abnormal consumption of spiritual energy. If it is discovered, it may expose his current cultivation level.

With a thought, his current progress in immortal cultivation appeared within the Yin-Yang Pearl—[Qi Induction Level 5 (58/300)]

After more than four months of diligent work, the imperial wine stored in the official residence in the capital of Xuan Kingdom was almost empty.

His cultivation level also improved by leaps and bounds.

Zhao Wuji felt the surging spiritual energy within his body, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

Reaching the fifth level of Qi Induction is comparable to the former emperor Zhang Zhaoming, empress, national teacher, and supreme mother of the Xuan Kingdom, people who once had to look up to them.

Suddenly, the spiritual energy within the formation dissipated like smoke. He looked down at the scattered withered branches and broken stones on the ground; these objects used to set up the formation had lost all their spiritual power.

“In the end, it’s just a shortcut,” he sighed. “We still need to refine proper array plates and array flags to set up a long-lasting array.”

The art of formation in "The Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends" emphasizes that everything can be used as a formation.

In classic Chinese literature, the Monkey King's golden cudgel can be used to create formations on the ground to protect Xuanzang from the White Bone Demon, all with a casual wave of his hand.

unfortunately
He is currently only a beginner in this skill, and of course has not reached the level of being able to use it with ease.

Furthermore, the formation cannot be maintained for too long, and it requires many items as a medium for setting up the formation, rather than simply drawing a circle on the ground to form a formation.

To enhance the power of the formation and extend its duration, a better set of formation plates and flags is still needed. The stronger the medium, the longer the formation will last.

However, the advantage of the formation technique lies in its versatility and adaptability.

Zhao Wuji can now easily set up spirit-gathering arrays and fire-gathering arrays, as well as illusion arrays and sword arrays.

Unlike ordinary array masters who need to spend their lives studying classic texts, the difference in their levels is like heaven and earth.

Just as he was pondering this, a flash of inspiration suddenly pierced the air—

A paper crane gracefully arrived, following the spiritual energy of the authentic inheritance token, and descended straight into the valley.

"Ok?"

Zhao Wuji caught the paper crane with his palm. As it unfurled, a message appeared: "The spirit-eating insects in the Class B spirit mine have erupted in a riot! Senior Brother Zhao, please come to my aid immediately!"

"A riot of spirit-eating insects?"

His eyes suddenly sharpened, and his sleeves shattered the remaining formation.

He made a hand seal to draw in his energy, then soared into the air and instantly disappeared from the valley.

In a short while, the B-shaped mine came into view.

Gray mist billowed at the cave entrance, and dozens of gray-clad disciples were fleeing in a disheveled state. They were all covered in dust and dirt, with their exposed skin torn and bleeding. Some of them had bruises and bite marks all over their bodies, and their magical pickaxes were still dripping with sticky fluid mixed with blood.

At the cave entrance, three disciples in green robes stood ready, holding magical artifacts. The leader, seeing Zhao Wuji land, immediately bowed with joy.

"Senior Brother Zhao!"

Zhao Wuji flew down, his enhanced spiritual senses, strengthened by his martial arts mastery, extending to five hundred feet, allowing him to clearly hear the teeth-grinding gnawing sounds coming from deep within the mine.

Within the densely packed holes in the rock wall, faint blue insect shadows could be seen wriggling, and even some gray-robed disciples who had not escaped were letting out screams.

Zhao Wuji waved his sleeve and said decisively, "Gray-robed disciples, all retreat a hundred feet. Blue-robed disciples, follow me into the cave to wipe them out."

My child is on holiday today, so the next chapter update will be a little slower, probably around 1:30 PM. Please vote with your monthly tickets, and I'll keep writing!
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(End of this chapter)