Imperial Cultivation

Chapter 1242 - 1238: Pursuing the Culprit

Dong Muyu shook her head.

Li Hongzhao said, "Even Brother Chonglou doesn’t know who they are?"

"They were masked, and several guys attacked together!" Dong Muyu snorted and said, "If it weren’t for the Protective Treasure Sword given by the Sect Leader, Brother Chonglou would have lost his life this time."

Li Hongzhao said, "Masked, they must be afraid of being recognized and revenged upon, which means Brother Chonglou knows them... How deep is the enmity? Several people attacking together, this isn’t a personal grudge... Is it for some treasure?"

Dong Muyu shook her head, "But Brother Chonglou didn’t have any treasure."

Li Hongzhao seemed thoughtful and glanced at Chu Zhiyuan.

Chu Zhiyuan said, "Couldn’t recognize the martial arts styles?"

Dong Muyu shook her head, "No."

Chu Zhiyuan frowned.

"If they couldn’t be recognized, then they’re not Evil Demons," Li Hongzhao said, "What is Brother Chonglou’s cultivation level?"

"Sixth Transition," Dong Muyu replied.

"Sixth Transition... With our Heavenly Sword Sect’s martial arts, it’s more than enough to handle a Seventh Transition expert, right? Were Seventh Transition experts attacking him?"

Dong Muyu said, "Yes, Seventh Transition. Brother Chonglou couldn’t remember exactly how many of them there were, maybe six, maybe seven. They ambushed him, launching a sudden and fierce attack. Brother Chonglou was caught off guard and was seriously injured within a few moves, not even able to figure out their styles, only focusing on escaping."

"Seventh Transition experts are never nobodies within the Martial Arts Sect, so they needed to mask themselves, afraid Brother Chonglou would recognize them... If it’s not for profit, then is it a grudge? Brother Chonglou should know who his enemies are, right?"

Dong Muyu shook her head, "Brother Chonglou handles affairs smoothly and doesn’t offend people."

"This is troublesome..." Li Hongzhao frowned.

Chu Zhiyuan said, "Is there a secret technique within the sect to trace them?"

Li Hongzhao said, "Using the residual True Yuan within Brother Chonglou’s body, we can perform a secret technique to track these guys down... But they must have anticipated this."

The advanced and profound Tracking Technique can achieve this to some extent.

Those murderers wouldn’t have overlooked this.

Dong Muyu shook her head, "It seems we haven’t tracked the murderers yet."

Li Hongzhao looked at Chu Zhiyuan.

Chu Zhiyuan said, "Can’t sense the presence of these guys?"

Dong Muyu nodded, "Can’t sense it."

Li Hongzhao frowned slightly, "Did they run far away, completely escaping? Or... did they use some secret technique to conceal their presence?"

"It’s possible." Dong Muyu replied.

Li Hongzhao said softly, "If they’re not Evil Demons, then there are only two possibilities. One is the Martial Arts Sect, and the other..."

She lowered her voice.

Dong Muyu exclaimed, "What else? Junior Sister, why are you keeping us in suspense?!"

"The Court, perhaps?" Li Hongzhao looked at Chu Zhiyuan.

Chu Zhiyuan remained silent.

Dong Muyu snorted, "Junior Brother Chu, you thought of this too?"

Chu Zhiyuan said, "Senior Sister, we all thought of it, and the Sect Leader couldn’t have missed it."

"The Sect Leader didn’t mention this possibility!" Dong Muyu shook her head.

Li Hongzhao said, "If it weren’t you, no other senior sister or senior brother among us would mention it."

Dong Muyu sighed, "If it truly is the Court, then the trouble is immense, and this grudge can’t be avenged!"

Li Hongzhao said, "Senior Sister, if it truly is the Court, what will we do?"

"Let it go, I guess," Dong Muyu said helplessly, "We can’t afford to fall out with the Court; we can’t win."

Li Hongzhao frowned slightly.

Chu Zhiyuan said, "I’ll go ask the Sect Leader first and see what has been found out."

Li Hongzhao took a deep look at him.

This kind of look heralds trouble.

It might end up being wasted effort, getting no credit and even feeling frustrated.

Chu Zhiyuan took on the task voluntarily, showing his commitment and loyalty to the sect.

Dong Muyu hurriedly said, "Junior Brother, don’t be impulsive!... If it turns out to be experts from the Court, you must follow the Sect Leader’s instructions, don’t act on your own!"

Chu Zhiyuan smiled, "Understood."

Dong Muyu said, "You have great talent and cultivation, but such matters aren’t resolved by just high martial arts skills."

Chu Zhiyuan cupped his fist, "Understood, I’m going now."

...

Sect Leader’s Hall.

Lu Wanshan, in a Mystic Robe, sat behind the desk like a mountain, buried in reviewing documents.

Seeing Chu Zhiyuan come in, he gestured for him to sit down first.

After finishing the document in hand, he got up from the desk and descended the steps to sit on a chair opposite Chu Zhiyuan.

"Back so soon?" Lu Wanshan smiled, "How was the Phoenix Secret Land?"

Chu Zhiyuan said a few words, then directly inquired about Ding Chonglou’s injuries.

"Chonglou is fine, his life is not in danger," Lu Wanshan said.

"Have you found the culprit?"

Lu Wanshan replied, "We’re still searching, this grudge must be avenged, but fortunately, Chonglou’s life is not at risk."

"Can Brother Chonglou’s martial arts be retrained?"

Lu Wanshan shook his head, "The injury is too severe, the foundation is damaged, the meridians are destroyed, and it’s very difficult to recover to their original state."

Chu Zhiyuan frowned.

He heard from Dong Muyu that Ding Chonglou was a genius.

Thus, he would inevitably become one of the main pillars of the Heavenly Sword Sect.

Now that his cultivation has been crippled and cannot be restored, the Heavenly Sword Sect has suffered a heavy loss.

Lu Wanshan said, "When walking the martial arts world, such accidents are inevitable. It’s already a blessing to have preserved one’s life."

"If you haven’t caught them yet, and haven’t sensed them..." Chu Zhiyuan said, "Those guys should have fled and gone far away, perhaps no longer traceable?"

"Difficult..." Lu Wanshan sighed, "We’ll do our best, but things don’t always go as planned."

As the Sect Leader, he was no stranger to such matters.

It’s said that heaven is envious of talented people; the more talented a disciple is, the more calamities they face, and the easier it is for them to fall.

From the time he stepped into the Heavenly Sword Sect until now, over the centuries, he had seen many talented disciples perish.

Ding Chonglou was just one among them.

Chu Zhiyuan said, "Sect Leader, I want to find those guys!"

Lu Wanshan pondered, "This matter has already been entrusted to Junior Brother Xu."

Chu Zhiyuan said, "Our Heavenly Sword Sect disciples absolutely cannot take such a big loss without doing anything. My tracking technique is quite good, how can I stand by idly!"

"...Alright," Lu Wanshan said, "Junior Brother Xu and the others don’t know the progress yet, you can go find them."

"Sect Leader," Chu Zhiyuan said, "I wish to act alone."

"You... so be it." Lu Wanshan shook his head and said, "Go find Chonglou first, handle the rest as you see fit, but don’t push yourself too hard."

Chu Zhiyuan asked, "Sect Leader, if it’s experts from the Court, how should we handle it?"

Lu Wanshan furrowed his thick eyebrows and said sternly, "Do not speak recklessly!"

Chu Zhiyuan said, "Understood, then I shall take my leave."

Lu Wanshan huffed, "Don’t act recklessly!"

"Yes." Chu Zhiyuan cupped his hands, got up, and left the hall.

He then found Dong Muyu, asking her to lead him to Ding Chonglou.

...

Ding Chonglou’s small courtyard was about a hundred meters away from Chu Zhiyuan’s.

Dong Muyu knocked on the door, then directly pushed it open and said loudly, "Brother Chonglou, I’m here!"

In the center of the courtyard was a lounge chair, and a young man was lying on it with closed eyes, gently swaying.

The handsome face was full of introspection, the cheeks flush, and the smell of alcohol heavy in the air.

Upon hearing the sound, he groggily opened his eyes and frowned, "Junior Sister Dong, what are you here for again!"

"Drunk again?!" Dong Muyu said irritably, "Drink less!"

"A drunken stupor quenches a thousand sorrows!" he laughed self-mockingly, "In the past, I didn’t dare to get drunk, only focused on hard training. Now I can finally drink to my heart’s content! Haha, interesting!"

"Alright," Dong Muyu shook her head, "Brother Chonglou, this is Junior Brother Chu. He’s here to help you find those guys!"

"Chu Zhiyuan, Junior Brother Chu?" Ding Chonglou tried to open his drunk eyes wide, and inspect Chu Zhiyuan.

Chu Zhiyuan said warmly, "Nice to meet you, Brother Ding. There’s no need to be disheartened. I have a secret technique that can allow you to be reborn from the ashes; no matter how severely your meridians are damaged, they can heal."

Ding Chonglou was taken aback, his bleary eyes brightened.

Chu Zhiyuan smiled and said, "Given your aptitude, Brother Ding, mastering this secret technique and restoring your meridians should be as easy as pie... If you wish to remain in such a drunken state, you probably won’t have the chance."

Dong Muyu hurriedly asked, "Junior Brother, is there really such a secret technique?"

Chu Zhiyuan smiled, "Does Brother have pen and ink? I’ll write it down now."

Dong Muyu swiftly went into the main room, quickly returning with pen, ink, paper, and inkstone all placed on a nearby stone table, and then personally ground the ink.

Chu Zhiyuan picked up the pen and began to write, transcribing the Blood Purification Technique.

The Blood Purification Technique was most appropriate for his condition.

Super Sense had long since detected the state of his body; his internal organs were severely injured and extremely weak.

The most serious issue was the blockage and distortion of the meridians.

Under such circumstances, cultivation was nearly impossible.

It was akin to the Yellow River altering its course, with True Yuan getting lost within, making progress difficult.

This was an invisible injury, the most troublesome kind.

Even with the profound foundation of the Heavenly Sword Sect, they were helpless against such an injury.

However, considering that the Blood Purification Technique was a secret technique meticulously preserved by the Yujing Royal Family, and part of the core heritage of the Ancient Sect Yu Xu Sword Sect, it was not surprising that the Heavenly Sword Sect did not possess it.