Imperial Cultivation

Chapter 1246 - 1242: Methods

The Undying Evil Venerable of You Meng Heaven is not just one or two.

Dong Muyu tilted her head and asked, "Junior Brother, do you have any other ideas?"

"The Sect Leader has a solution," Chu Zhiyuan replied.

Dong Muyu inquired, "What solution?"

Chu Zhiyuan smiled, "Since they covered their faces, they are not nobodies."

"That’s right!" Dong Muyu clapped her forehead, "Look at my brain!"

Chu Zhiyuan asked, "Senior Sister, where are the bodies of those guys?"

Dong Muyu replied, "The Elders are surrounding them, preparing to burn them. Keeping them is a menace."

Chu Zhiyuan nodded.

"Do you want to take a look?"

"Let’s go take a look."

Dong Muyu said, "I’ll call Junior Sister Hongzhao, and we can go together."

Chu Zhiyuan nodded.

She left lightly and soon returned with Li Hongzhao, and the three of them left the courtyard for a square.

A spacious square north of Heavenly Sword Peak, paved with White Jade Stone.

The north wind was largely weakened by the invisible forces enveloping Heavenly Sword Peak.

The bamboo forest on the nearby mountain swayed violently, like waves of the Jade Sea, yet Heavenly Sword Peak enjoyed a gentle breeze.

At this moment, there is a pile of firewood stacked a meter high with a two-meter diameter in the form of a round stack on the White Jade Square.

The round stack is like an altar, with nine black-robed corpses placed on top.

The nine corpses are neatly arranged.

Lu Wanshan and four middle-aged men stood in front of the round pile, concentrating and observing.

Behind them stood Ding Chonglou and a dozen young men, standing solemnly.

Upon hearing footsteps, Lu Wanshan turned his head to look.

He waved his hand, "Zhiyuan."

Chu Zhiyuan approached him, cupped his fist in greeting, saluting the Sect Leader and the four Elders, and nodded to Ding Chonglou and the others.

"You came just in time; I was just about to ask you to take a look." Lu Wanshan pointed to the nine corpses, "These guys died mysteriously, can you see anything unusual?"

Chu Zhiyuan glanced over, moved forward to examine, and frowned, "No internal injuries, ... my Demon Suppressing Saber was not fatal, neither internal nor external injuries, indeed died strangely."

Lu Wanshan said, "They died simultaneously; it should be the handiwork of the Undying Evil Venerable."

Chu Zhiyuan nodded, "The Undying Evil Venerable is most skilled in spirit secret techniques, probably tampered with their spirits in advance?"

"You guessed right, Zhiyuan, these nine are not experts from the Evil Sect," Lu Wanshan said solemnly.

Chu Zhiyuan raised an eyebrow.

Li Hongzhao asked, "Sect Leader, are they experts from Major Sects?"

Lu Wanshan sighed and said slowly, "They are experts from the South Star Sect and the Purple Bamboo Sect."

Ding Chonglou stated, "Li, the South Star Sect and Purple Bamboo Sect are both second-rate sects."

Li Hongzhao asked, "Truly experts from Major Sects?"

Ding Chonglou nodded slowly, his expression heavy.

If they were from the Evil Sect, it would be easier to handle, but Major Sects, it’s extremely troublesome.

Li Hongzhao proposed, "Then directly hold them accountable?"

Ding Chonglou shook his head and sighed, "It’s probably not related to the two sects, it’s the doings of the Undying Evil Venerable."

"For now, let’s not worry about that; first, question why they ambushed Brother," Li Hongzhao said, "Otherwise, we instead become the wrong ones for killing their experts without reason, and it becomes an offense."

Ding Chonglou was startled, frowning and pondering.

Li Hongzhao looked at Lu Wanshan.

Lu Wanshan slowly said, "We have no enmity with these two sects."

Li Hongzhao pointed out, "Without any enmity, directly killing their nine experts... Sect Leader, these are nine Venerables; how many total Venerables are there within their sect? ... This might provoke sympathy from all Martial Arts Sects and bring doubts and anger towards us, wouldn’t it?"

Lu Wanshan nodded.

Xu Qianfan frowned, "Senior Brother, what Hongzhao said is not wrong; we know they are victims too, but they might not think so, we have to guard against it."

"The human heart is unpredictable." Li Hongzhao gently shook her head.

She glanced at Chu Zhiyuan.

Yet Chu Zhiyuan was still staring at the nine corpses, suddenly saying, "Back away!"

Everyone was taken aback.

Chu Zhiyuan’s voice rang out again, "Retreat ten meters!"

As he spoke, he placed his hands on the shoulders of Li Hongzhao and Ding Chonglou, flashing to the edge of the White Jade Square.

Lu Wanshan shouted, "Back, back!"

His voice was like a loud bell, striking the heart and spirit.

All disciples and elders retreated more than ten meters simultaneously.

"Boom!"

The entire round stack turned to powder, with black dust enveloping the surrounding ten meters.

Within ten meters, the White Jade ground became pockmarked like a honeycomb.

Lu Wanshan and the other four elders had gloomy faces, staring tightly at the swirling dust.

The faces of the other dozen disciples were also grim, with lingering fears.

The White Jade ground, after thousands of years of wear, remained smooth and resilient beyond imagination.

The sudden and forceful blow, if not timely avoided, would their bodies be as pockmarked as the White Jade ground?

Lu Wanshan snorted, "What a skillful Undying Evil Venerable, truly a cunning method!"

He didn’t need to guess much to know this must have been the doing of the Undying Evil Venerable.

Xu Qianfan exhaled, "Thanks to Zhiyuan’s vigilance this time; otherwise, we would lose face!"

"Even our lives would be in danger," an elder said, shaking his head, "Far too sinister."

At this moment, the White Jade ground had completely turned black, reduced to powder.

The explosion of these nine corpses was too powerful, far beyond imagination.

Even with protective Gang Qi, they might not withstand it, risking their lives.

"Zhiyuan, we owe you a life," Xu Qianfan said.

Above Chu Zhiyuan’s head already appeared the Demon Suppressing Divine Tree, floating in the void, shedding starlight.

He formed a seal with his hands, his expression serious.

Li Hongzhao gently furrowed her eyebrows, "Looks like we will have to deny everything."

Xu Qianfan sighed, "Looking at it now, we can only deny everything, the corpses are gone, there’s no explanation; fortunately, no outsiders know of this affair."

Another elder remarked, "Yet there seems to be no way to investigate further, right?"

Xu Qianfan looked at Chu Zhiyuan, "Zhiyuan, what do you think?"

Chu Zhiyuan stated, "I’ll find a way to trace their tracks, locate the statue of that Undying Evil Venerable, and destroy it to be at peace."

"Finding it would be ideal," Xu Qianfan said, "But the Undying Evil Venerable is not easy to locate, is he?"

This time, the method was insidious and ruthless, catching people off guard, indicating the terrifying nature of the Undying Evil Venerable.

Chu Zhiyuan said, "I’ve had dealings with him; I can’t let him continue to stir the waves."

"Go ahead," Lu Wanshan said solemnly, "Whatever you need, just ask."

Chu Zhiyuan shook his head, "Hongzhao’s assistance will suffice."

"When do you depart?"

"Right now," Chu Zhiyuan answered, "The sooner, the better."

"Go," Lu Wanshan said, "Be careful; don’t be careless."

"Understood."

Chu Zhiyuan cupped his fist, placed it on Li Hongzhao’s shoulder, and then disappeared.

Xu Qianfan sighed, "Zhiyuan’s Qinggong is truly astonishing."

"High comprehension, good fortune, many secret techniques," Lu Wanshan smiled, "It’s also the luck of our Heavenly Sword Sect."

Xu Qianfan sighed, "This time, without Zhiyuan, we would be utterly confused."

Ding Chonglou slowly nodded.

His True Yuan circulated through his meridians and was already sufficiently smooth.

Cultivation was rapidly recovering.

...

Chu Zhiyuan and Li Hongzhao flashed and appeared inside that cave.

Li Hongzhao’s phoenix eyes scanned the cave up and down, "Is there still a clue here?"

Chu Zhiyuan nodded, "This place is significant; there are two lines, and we only found one."

"What exactly are they up to?" Li Hongzhao asked, "Why kill Brother Chonglou?"

Chu Zhiyuan shook his head.

Li Hongzhao asked, "Is it to practice Evil Skill, devouring Brother Chonglou?"

"Looking at it now, it doesn’t seem so." Chu Zhiyuan exited the cave, gliding atop the treetops.

Li Hongzhao, floating like an immortal alongside him, "Then what is it for?"

Chu Zhiyuan said, "It might be to capture Brother Ding alive."

"Capture Brother Chonglou alive, and then?"

"Too many possibilities," Chu Zhiyuan shook his head, "Can’t say for sure."

He sped up, yet Li Hongzhao still kept pace, and half an hour later, they stopped at a mountain peak.

The two gazed into the distance at a glittering golden statue.