Immortals of the End Times

Chapter 99: The Insect Swarm Devours the Spirit, Zhi Xia Makes a Choice
Chi chi chi chi——

Deep within the mine, swarms of eerie blue insects, like viscous poison, seeped from the cracks in the rocks.

Each spirit-eating insect is no bigger than a thumb, but it has six pairs of serrated mandibles. When it gnaws at the spirit ore wall, it makes a "crackling" sound, as if thousands of blunt knives are scraping and grinding bones.

The insects' shells glowed with a sickly blue light, and their abdomens were translucent, revealing undigested fragments of source crystals—all mineral essences swallowed whole.

Many Source Crystals are actually obtained by hunting Spirit-eating Insects each year.

"Help! Help me—!"

A gray-robed disciple who had fallen behind the mine stumbled and fell, instantly overtaken by the swarm of insects. The protective shield released by the talisman in his hand flickered a few times before being torn apart like thin paper.

The swarm of insects frantically crawled into the seams of the trouser legs.

Countless wriggling blue spots suddenly swelled up under the skin of his legs, like boiling pustules bursting under the skin. They dried up in the blink of an eye, and even the bone marrow in his legs was sucked away. His screams instantly echoed throughout the mine.

"Mystic Ice - Condensed Edge!"

Just then, a cold voice came from the mine entrance.

In an instant, the Frost Soul Flying Sword flashed in like cold lightning, first severing the legs of the screaming gray-robed disciple and freezing them.

Immediately following, a flash of sword light transformed into seven streams of azure light that pierced into the swarm of insects!
Wherever it passed, frost cracked, and the front-row spirit-eating insects were frozen into ice shards before they could even hiss.

Zhao Wuji stepped into the mine and saw the swarm of blue insects surging in like waves, their gnawing sounds deafening.

A cold glint flashed in his eyes, and he formed a sword shape with his fingers.

Frost filled the sky!

As the Frost Soul Flying Sword unleashed its light, the insects in the rear row, which had just flapped their wings to escape, were already turned back and strangled by the sword light. Like silk threads, it transformed into an ice net and spread down, tearing several frost cracks in the insect swarm like a plow sweeping through a den, and freezing them to the ground!

"Such powerful sword control!"

"Senior Brother Zhao truly lives up to his reputation as a master of both alchemy and swordsmanship!"

The three disciples in green robes rushed into the cave and were shocked and impressed by the sight of a large number of spirit-eating insects being slaughtered.

There was nothing left for them to do; they could only pick off the few spirit-eating insects that popped out.

"Ice Blast".

Just then, Zhao Wuji let out a low shout, and the seven suspended ice swords shattered, exploding into a shower of ice spikes like a torrential downpour.

"Ding Ding Ding-"

The swarm of insects was instantly impaled on the rock wall. Before the azure insect blood could even splatter, it froze into ice beads, and fragments of source crystals rolled out of their bellies, clattering and tumbling to the ground.

The cave suddenly fell silent, a chilling atmosphere filled the air, and frost mixed with insect blood congealed on the ground into tear-like ice streaks.

"Senior Brother Zhao, is it really true that you only have the strength of the third level of Qi Refining?"

"I feel like this is the combat power level of the mid-stage Qi Refining stage."

The three disciples in blue robes stood frozen in place, their Adam's apples bobbing.

Some of them had seen their senior brother, who was in the mid-stage of Qi Refining at Lonely Cloud Peak, use his sword technique. He needed to form hand seals to gather momentum, and although his power was great, it was nowhere near as smooth and flowing as Senior Brother Zhao's.

Watching Senior Brother Zhao wield his sword, it was truly effortless... his killing was as poetic as poetry!
"What are you still doing?"

Zhao Wuji flicked his sleeve to disperse the icy mist, retrieved his Frost Soul Flying Sword, glanced at the lingering rustling sounds deep within the holes in the rock wall, and said with a slight smile, "The rest... you can go and practice."

Several disciples in green robes immediately obeyed the order and swiftly charged in, wielding their magical artifacts.

Zhao Wuji walked up to the gray-robed disciple whose legs had been severed and frozen, squatted down, and with a flash of cold light from the golden needles at his fingertips, instantly sealed several major acupoints at the severed legs of the gray-robed disciple.

Secretly activating medical techniques, a wisp of life force quietly enters the opponent's meridians, while simultaneously increasing proficiency.

"Thank you very much, Senior Brother Zhao."

The disciple on the ground was ashen-faced, but he forced himself to lift his head, his eyes filled with a mixture of gratitude and bitterness: "If it weren't for Senior Brother's intervention, I would probably be doomed today."

Zhao Wuji was about to get up when he suddenly stared intently at him: "You are... the young master of Minister Liu's family?"

The gray-robed disciple trembled, and said in a hoarse voice, "I didn't expect that Senior Brother would still remember someone as insignificant as me."

He forced a bitter smile and said, "We entered the cave together back then."

"That dashing young nobleman from back then."

Zhao Wuji sighed softly, recalling how the other man had once spent a fortune at Qianxiang Pavilion, inviting him to listen to music in the brothel. He patted the man's shoulder and said, "After you recover, go back to Xuan Kingdom and find a job."

"Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother."

The disciple nodded heavily, but his eyes were lifeless.

With his Crimson Flame Spiritual Talent, if he could endure several years of hardship in this mine, he might have been able to break through to the second level of Qi Refining and advance to the Azure Robe realm through a minor competition.
It's all destroyed now.
Zhao Wuji waved to his disciples: "Take them out and take good care of them."

At this moment, the disciples of the Spirit Monitoring Hall and the Spirit Mine Division filed in, each holding a spirit testing plate and a spirit sealing bag. After respectfully bowing to Zhao Wuji, they began to collect the scattered fragments of source crystals and monitor the flow of spiritual energy within the mine.

Zhao Wuji's gaze swept over several human skins that had been completely devoured not far away, and he sighed inwardly.

Do cultivators need to mine?

needs.

Not only is it necessary, but it also requires the cultivators to do it themselves.

These mineral veins, tempered by spiritual pressure over millions of years, are now comparable in quality to magical artifacts.

Ordinary iron picks are not only difficult to use, but the slightest carelessness can also trigger a surge of spiritual energy, blasting people to the point of being obliterated.

Not to mention dealing with ferocious creatures like spirit-eating insects, which are impossible for ordinary disciples to resist without the aid of talismans and hand seals. However, whenever an insect swarm occurs, even ordinary gray-robed disciples find it difficult to cope.

Even so.
Zhao Wuji looked into the depths of the mine, where the spiritual energy was more than ten times richer than that of the outer gate.
For those gray-robed disciples struggling at the bottom, this place was nothing short of a sacred place for cultivation.

Therefore, despite knowing the dangers inside the mine, every year there are gray-clad disciples who risk their lives to apply to enter the mine.

However, with the dual supervision of the Spirit Monitoring Hall and the Spirit Mining Bureau, it is difficult for mining disciples to secretly take source crystals out.

Since taking over the post of guarding the Yi-zi mining area, Zhao Wuji has always used the Yin-Yang Pearl to secretly absorb spiritual energy whenever he enters the mine.

Over the course of several months, more than five hundred strands of Yin and Yang energy have been quietly transformed, which, if converted into source crystals, would be equivalent to more than ten pieces.

However, he always exercised restraint and dared not seize excessively.

Those old foxes in the Hall of Spirit Control have such keen senses that a slight misstep could arouse suspicion and cause trouble.

After handing over the details of the insect infestation, Zhao Wuji flew directly to the Affairs Hall.

"Junior Nephew Zhao is indeed remarkable!" Deacon Xiong stroked his beard and laughed. "He has eliminated three insect swarms in three months, earning another two hundred minor merits."

"Practice makes perfect," Zhao Wuji said modestly, waving his hand. Then he frowned. "But the frequency of these insect swarms is strange. Is it like this all the time?"

Deacon Xiong's smile froze, and he lowered his voice: "It's all because of the fluctuations in spiritual energy caused by the cave array a while ago, which disturbed these beasts deep in the mine."

He shook his head and sighed, "These spirit-eating insects are fine when they lie dormant deep inside, but I'm afraid they won't be able to keep quiet anytime soon."

"Why not wipe them out completely?" Zhao Wuji pressed on.

"It's not that we can't remove them, it's that we dare not," Deacon Xiong sighed, his withered fingers producing a spiritual vein map, which he pointed to for Zhao Wuji. "In this age of declining Dharma, less than one in ten ancient spiritual veins remain. What were once level four spiritual veins are now barely level two. Level three spiritual veins have fallen to the bottom."

He pointed deep into the mine: "Although these spirit-eating insects feed on spirit ore, they are like woodpeckers; while they are munching, they can actually slow down the petrification and decay of the spirit veins."

He traced a spiritual pattern on the map with his fingertip. "What's even better is that after they multiply into a large population, we can wipe them out once more and extract the source crystals from their bodies. These crystals are actually purer than those obtained by mining directly."

Zhao Wuji's eyes flickered slightly, and he had already understood the key to it.

That's it
Although the spirit-eating insects are ferocious, they are the key to maintaining the last spiritual vein of the cave.

If they were to exterminate them completely, even this tiny bit of spiritual energy would likely dissipate, and the grotto-heaven would be unable to continue.

Thinking of this, he took out his waist token: "I'll trouble you, sir. Six hundred and fifty minor merits, of which five hundred can be exchanged for one hundred major merits."

After claiming credit for his work, he went to the library to borrow some ancient books that could improve his medical and array-building skills.

The jade steps in front of the Sutra Repository gleam.

Old Hu was leaning against the desk with his eyes closed, resting, when suddenly his nostrils twitched twice, and he sat up straight with a start.

"Junior Nephew Zhao!" He narrowed his old eyes, his voice tinged with urgency, "Last time I reluctantly shared a cup of 'Drunken Immortal' with you. When will I get to taste your wine, which is even better than imperial wine?"

Zhao Wuji straightened his clothes, smiled and bowed: "Don't be in a hurry, Steward Hu. To be honest, my good wine is already empty."

He looked troubled. "I'll visit that drinking buddy again next time I leave the cave and shamelessly ask him for some more."

His eyes darted around, and he added, "How about you give me another gourd of 'Drunken Immortal'? I can use it as bait and maybe get more back."

"Bullshit!" Old Hu jumped up from his chair in anger, his beard trembling. "I already made an exception by giving you a cup! Now it's your turn to bring back a gourd as a tribute to me!"

Zhao Wuji shook his head and sighed softly, "That wine is truly precious; my drinking buddy must have very little left."

He shook his head regretfully, "Without fine wine to tempt him, it would be difficult to arouse his thirst for alcohol and make him give up his beloved drink."

Inside the Supreme Grotto-Heaven, in the Purple Cloud Palace, wisps of green smoke curled upwards.

The light gauze curtains swayed gently in the breeze. The Supreme Mother sat serenely on the jade platform, her face veiled by a white gauze, revealing only a pair of deep, unfathomable eyes.

She gently stroked the jade slip on the table with her slender hand, her voice warm yet carrying an undeniable authority: "Zhixia, in five months, you and Fang will travel to Linlang Cave Heaven. You will be the leader of this friendly competition and magical contest."

"Yes!"

Nan Zhixia clasped her hands together on her stomach and bowed respectfully. Her moon-white skirt remained perfectly still, but as she thought of Zhao Wuji in that cave, her fingertips trembled slightly in her sleeves.

"I've heard."

The old mother's tone softened slightly as she took out a scroll of secret reports. "Your fiancé, Zhao Wuji, whom you were betrothed to in the mortal world, is quite famous in the Linlang Cave Heaven now."

She pushed the secret report to the side of the table. "The peerless master of both swordsmanship and alchemy, the strongest disciple under the Flower Peak Master of Cold Moon Peak. Although he was not accepted as a true disciple by the Flower Peak Master, he has already mastered the essence of the Profound Ice Sword Technique!"

Nan Zhixia lowered her eyes and accepted the secret letter. Her long eyelashes cast a shadow under her eyes. The words "third level of Qi cultivation" and "peerless mastery of both alchemy and sword" on the secret report shocked her.

With her exceptional talent in the Purple Light realm, she had only managed to cultivate to the third level of Qi Refining after a year.

"Wuji, you are truly remarkable. He was right to insist on seeking immortality back then."

"I will not force you."

The Supreme Mother suddenly rose from the jade platform, her jade hairpin tassel swaying gently. "But if you can use this old affection and relationship to develop Zhao Wuji into a secret agent for my Supreme Grotto Heaven."

She paused, then smiled and said, "To gain some intelligence advantage for the future of the Cave Heaven."

The meaning was clear even before the echo faded.

Nan Zhixia remained expressionless, her delicate hands clenched tightly, and she bowed deeply: "This disciple understands the proper conduct."

When we left the main hall, the autumn sun was shining brightly.

Looking at the crescent-shaped marks on her palms where her fingernails had dug, she suddenly realized how ridiculous her current situation was.

She couldn't bear to use Dongtian's sincere and unrestrained nature as a spy, dragging the other party into a quagmire later. Yet, she also wanted to seize the opportunity to climb up and break free from her constraints.
In the distance, Fang Shimei's giggles suddenly rang out. Her eyes flashed with a sharp glint, a far cry from the gentle and well-mannered young lady of the Nan family she once was in the Xuan Kingdom's capital.
(End of this chapter)