Imperial Cultivation

Chapter 1209 - 1205: Bait

Zhao Ruilin showed a bitter smile.

"Why, reluctant?" Zhu Lingyun looked at him casually.

Zhao Ruilin sighed and said, "Divine Venerable, if I say, the Giant Spirit Sword is lost, you wouldn’t believe it, would you?"

"What do you think?!" Zhu Lingyun replied unhappily, "Why didn’t you lose yourself?!"

"Senior Brother, the Giant Spirit Sword is a Spiritual Artifact refined by you," Sun Haoyang said perplexed, "You should be able to feel it even if it’s lost, right?"

"It was stolen." Zhao Ruilin said.

Hu Chengxiang frowned, "The one who could steal the Giant Spirit Sword, could it be... that guy?"

He looked at Zhu Lingyun, "Divine Venerable, can you steal Senior Brother’s Giant Spirit Sword without being noticed?"

Zhu Lingyun nodded.

Hu Chengxiang said, "Looks like it’s still that guy!... Sneaky and really infuriating!"

Zhu Lingyun’s face turned darker, and he said coldly, "Really lost?"

Zhao Ruilin smiled bitterly, "No matter how bold I am, I wouldn’t dare deceive the Divine Venerable. The Giant Spirit Sword is completely out of contact, and its whereabouts are unknown."

"Looks like it’s him." Zhu Lingyun sneered, "Courting death!"

He pondered for a moment and said casually, "Get a sword, preferably a good one."

Zhao Ruilin pulled out the Longsword from his waist, "This is the long sword I used before; it’s also a Treasure Sword."

The Longsword was flawless, with a shimmering snow-like glow.

Zhu Lingyun said, "Refine it once using the Sacrificial Refining Method of the Giant Spirit Sword."

Without a word, Zhao Ruilin directly activated the Sacrificial Refining Method, treating this sword as he would the Giant Spirit Sword.

Moments later, the Sword faintly emitted a layer of red light.

Then the red light faded into the Sword.

Zhao Ruilin shook his head.

This sword, though a Treasure Sword, wasn’t the Giant Spirit Sword; it lacked Spirituality, unable to fully integrate with the aura he condensed.

No matter how much refinement, it was still a separate sword, and wouldn’t closely connect or blend with his flesh.

Zhu Lingyun said calmly, "Hold on."

After speaking, he closed his eyes, clasped both palms into a strange handprint, and muttered softly.

The three suddenly shivered, glancing around, finding nothing unusual.

The surroundings instantly cooled like falling into an ice cellar.

Eyes turned to Zhu Lingyun.

Zhu Lingyun’s palms underwent strange changes, hazy as if submerged in clear spring water.

His Sealed palms seemed to stir in water, with light slightly distorted.

The biting cold emanated from his body into the surroundings, plunging them into an icy cellar.

Zhu Lingyun suddenly spoke, "Smear heart’s blood onto the Sword, then refine it again."

Zhao Ruilin bit the finger, causing a drop of blood to ooze at the fingertip, lightly wiping it onto the Sword.

At the same time, he started another refinement, as the Sword’s red light and fresh blood merged again into the Sword.

Zhu Lingyun flicked his left index finger lightly.

The sword suddenly flew up, hovering in front of him.

He then formed handprints ceaselessly, pointing at the Longsword, quickly biting the fingertip, oozing a gold-red pearl.

Like a red pearl smeared with gold powder, it appeared unusually distinctive.

The gold-red pearl dispersed in the air, forming a purple-gold mist, commanded by an invisible force to slowly envelop the Longsword.

Sun Haoyang immediately widened his eyes, whispering, "What is he doing?"

Hu Chengxiang shook his head gently.

Zhao Ruilin concentrated, staring intently.

Hu Chengxiang deduced, "Is he tracking through the Giant Spirit Sword towards the opponent?"

Sun Haoyang nodded vigorously.

Seeing Zhao Ruilin silent, Sun Haoyang curiously asked, "Senior Brother, isn’t it?"

Zhao Ruilin softly replied, "He should directly use the Giant Spirit Sword to kill the opponent."

He could feel the icy killing intent, making him sink into a chilling aura combined by killing energy.

Thus, the technique now used wasn’t tracking, but a method of killing.

Sun Haoyang said, "You can kill the opponent without knowing who they are? Shouldn’t you find them first?"

Hu Chengxiang said, "Can’t you guess? Tracking and killing occur simultaneously I suppose."

"Is there such a Miracle Technique in this world?" Sun Haoyang was skeptical.

He hadn’t heard of such a Miracle Technique.

Zhao Ruilin waved his hand, staring at Zhu Lingyun.

Zhu Lingyun continued to form strange handprints, whether beautiful, ancient, bizarre, or eerie.

He was also muttering softly, aligning with the handprints rhythmically.

The hovering Longsword slowly transformed, gradually resembling the Giant Spirit Sword.

"Impressive, this is remarkable crafting right?" Sun Haoyang was instantly excited, exclaiming, "Too mystical!"

Just by aura and handprint, turning a Longsword into a Short Sword seemed too unbelievable.

What a formidable power this was?

Zhu Lingyun’s voice sounded, "Visualize your Giant Spirit Sword in your mind."

Zhao Ruilin solemnly replied, "Yes."

He visualized the Giant Spirit Sword in his mind, trying hard to perceive it.

Zhu Lingyun’s muttering gradually increased in volume, each syllable was strange, ancient yet profoundly impactful.

Sun Haoyang attempted to repeat a sentence but found unable to utter a single word.

The sound was too peculiar.

Zhu Lingyun suddenly ceased forming a handprint, pressing towards the Short Sword.

His hands suddenly brightened, as Golden Light condensed into a small sword shooting towards the Short Sword.

The two swords instantly merged.

"Buzz!"

Suddenly a figure appeared in the Void, and the small sword instantly pierced the heart of the figure.

"Bang!" A dull sound echoed from the Void.

The sound wasn’t loud, but as soon as they heard it, they felt dizzy, their bodies shaking violently, stumbling back uncontrollably.

"Humph!" Zhu Lingyun snorted in interruption.

Their minds instantly cleared, bodies regaining stability, no longer staggering.

"Accomplished?!" Sun Haoyang’s eyes glistened as he stared at Zhu Lingyun.

Zhu Lingyun’s face was somber, shaking his head.

Sun Haoyang puzzled, "Divine Venerable, couldn’t it resolve him?"

Zhu Lingyun snorted, "It couldn’t resolve him, he already mastered the Giant Spirit Sword, the refinement completed!"

"Impossible!" Zhao Ruilin blurted out.

Zhu Lingyun glared at him, "Why is it impossible?"

"Divine Venerable, the Giant Spirit Sword was lost not long ago; it’s impossible to complete refinement in such a short time." Zhao Ruilin said surely.

He initially took a full year to complete refining the Giant Spirit Sword.

Refining the Giant Spirit Sword required patience and diligence akin to water dripping through stone.

The spirit and the Sword Spirit needed gradual merging, no shortcuts, impossible to complete quickly.

Zhu Lingyun snorted.

Sun Haoyang said, "Senior Brother, we couldn’t do it, but the Divine Venerable can."

Zhao Ruilin looked at Zhu Lingyun.

Zhu Lingyun said coldly, "He should’ve used a shortcut."

"How did he shortcut it?" Zhao Ruilin was curious.

Zhu Lingyun said, "Using a secret technique to instantly boost spiritual power, not using the merging method, but employing overwhelming force to master the Sword Spirit."

"So that’s..." Zhao Ruilin understood his words.

One is merging, the other mastering.

One is befriending the Sword Spirit; the other enslaving it.

Two different attitudes, stemming from different strengths.

Sun Haoyang asked, "Divine Venerable, so we can’t retrieve the Giant Spirit Sword anymore?"

Zhu Lingyun snorted, "Kill him, retrieve the Giant Spirit Sword!"

"Yes, kill him!" Sun Haoyang eagerly agreed, "Then how to kill him?"

Zhu Lingyun slightly squinted, glancing around, then far off.

Sun Haoyang had a flash of inspiration, hurriedly suggested, "Using us as bait?"

Zhu Lingyun said calmly, "That’s the only method then."

Sun Haoyang gritted his teeth, "Retrieving the Giant Spirit Sword is vital. We must kill him!... I’ll be the bait!"

Zhu Lingyun said, "Are you prepared for possibly losing your life?"

"If I must die, so be it, no big deal!" Sun Haoyang said, "As long as he’s killed."

Zhu Lingyun glanced at Zhao Ruilin and Hu Chengxiang.

Both faces were unpleasant.

"Divine Venerable..." Zhao Ruilin said, "Junior Brother Sun might not lure him; let me do it."

"Senior Brother!" Sun Haoyang said indignantly, "I’m expendable; you’re not."

"Junior Brother, stop saying," Zhao Ruilin waved his hand, looking at Zhu Lingyun, "I request the Divine Venerable to bestow a life-saving artifact."

"Hmm..." Zhu Lingyun pondered, "I’ll bestow you a secret technique, which inflates strength by two times, but the primordial energy grievously harmed requiring a year or two to heal."

"Thank you, Divine Venerable!" Zhao Ruilin solemnly clasped his fists in gratitude.

Chu Zhiyuan was a mile away, hearing this plan, shaking his head amused.

This Divine Venerable had many secret techniques, but the strength wasn’t as extraordinarily strong as imagined.

The greatest probability was the Divine Venerable’s forte was spiritual power, but after mastering the first layer of the Heavenly Yuan Technique, spiritual power was also his strong suit.