Imperial Cultivation

Chapter 1260 - 1256: The Source

"...Alright!" Huang Zhengyang gritted his teeth, "I’ll go with you!"

"Don’t be ridiculous, Brother Huang." Chu Zhiyuan shook his head with a smile.

Huang Zhengyang snorted, "I’ll bring along some experts, the top Court Honored Experts from the department!"

"If it weren’t so dangerous, I’d be eager for you to bring several Court Honored Experts with me. As for now, just forget it."

"Think we’re a burden?"

"If you’re not around, I can still escape if I can’t fight. You know my Qinggong."

"Don’t bother with us when the time comes!"

"Haha..." Chu Zhiyuan laughed.

Huang Zhengyang stood up, paced back and forth, his expression fluctuating.

He secretly sighed that Chu Zhiyuan was right.

If they go together, they’ll just be a burden.

But he couldn’t bear the thought of watching him face danger alone.

Even though the Unparalleled Light Skill could allow him to escape danger in time, it still felt uncomfortable.

This made the Evil Extermination Department look too useless.

He glanced at the handsome young man.

The handsome young man hesitated.

"Speak!" He glared.

The handsome young man stammered, "Or perhaps we seek help from the Court?"

"Seek help from the Court?" Huang Zhengyang said coldly, "Bad idea!"

"Yes," the handsome young man bowed his head.

Chu Zhiyuan smiled and said, "Brother Huang, I actually think it’s a good idea."

Huang Zhengyang scoffed, "Brother Chu, don’t you know our Evil Extermination Department’s current situation? It’s already riddled with criticism."

Chu Zhiyuan said, "The demons outside the city have been resolved, isn’t that the merit of the Evil Extermination Department?"

"Resolving the demons is our duty, but taking so long to resolve it is a crime!"

"That’s too harsh."

"There are too many people inside the Court watching the Evil Extermination Department, criticizing us as useless drunkards and incompetents."

"We should still seek help if needed."

"Even seeking won’t help. They won’t agree, I know them best."

"It’s because there’s no evidence," Chu Zhiyuan smiled, "No evidence, relying only on my intuition and empty words, isn’t reliable?"

Huang Zhengyang smiled bitterly.

Chu Zhiyuan hit the nail on the head.

Even though Chu Zhiyuan had killed many demons and achieved great feats, there were still many in the Court who were displeased with him, didn’t trust him, watched him with scrutinizing eyes.

The root lies in his identity: Disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect.

There are too many in the Court who are wary of the Four Great Sects, as if they’re always on the verge of rebellion, making it puzzling to him.

The Four Great Sects have always helped the Court suppress demons, never endangering the Court’s peace.

Why would the Court keep such a strict guard against the Four Great Sects?

Chu Zhiyuan said, "Let’s give it a try. It might actually work."

"Alright, then I’ll give it a try!"

Huang Zhengyang figured it didn’t matter if it was embarrassing at this time, inviting top experts to get to the bottom of it was most important.

Chu Zhiyuan bid farewell and left.

He swiftly returned to his small courtyard, pacing with his hands behind his back under the moonlight.

Zhu Lingyun had already appeared in a small town, asking people for the location of Dongning City and continued on his way.

He transformed into a flicker of shadow, swiftly disappearing, appearing over ten miles away, then another flicker disappeared, appearing dozens of miles away.

Soon he reached another small town and continued to inquire about the location.

Chu Zhiyuan nodded with satisfaction.

Zhu Lingyun’s speed was fast enough; he could arrive at Dongning City by midnight.

What is this danger really coming from?

Is it a trap set by the Evil Sect, or does some Evil Venerable possess an Evil Artifact similar to the Seven Killings Sword?

He walked a few laps and sat back in his bedroom, placing the Golden Sword on his lap and began to refine it.

Miao Jing Spirit Water was stronger, unknowingly purifying and strengthening his spiritual power.

Thus, refining the Golden Sword felt more smooth and effortless.

He became one with the Golden Sword, feeling the change in its spiritual nature.

The current spiritual nature of the Golden Sword was like a ten-year-old child.

It was curiously exploring the world.

Observing and experiencing the world through the Golden Sword.

The more it understood the world and the rules of heaven and earth, the more it could harmonize and unleash its power stronger.

Chu Zhiyuan speculated that the factors determining the strength of the Golden Sword are twofold: its spiritual nature and his own merit and Faith Power.

Now merit is increasing, but Faith Power isn’t, and the spiritual nature is also strengthening.

The Golden Sword is getting stronger.

But if one wishes to transform it into the Emperor’s Sword, besides spiritual nature, the key factors are merit and Faith Power.

The power formed by the transformation of merit and Faith Power can propel the Golden Sword towards becoming the Emperor’s Sword.

Otherwise, no matter how abundant the spiritual nature, it cannot transform into the Emperor’s Sword.

Currently, there is a lack of opportunities to gain large amounts of merit and Faith Power; merely killing the Undying Evil Venerable is not enough.

After refining the Golden Sword, he began practicing the Second Layer of the Human Element Skill.

Visualizing the Spiritual Abyss Twelve Peaks within the Jade Sea and Sky where the Lao Gong Acupoint is located.

Through spiritual power, to fix the Spiritual Abyss Twelve Peaks so they never retreat or dissipate, then the Second Layer of the Human Element Skill is achieved.

Currently, once he retracts his spiritual power, the Spiritual Abyss Twelve Peaks vanish within the Jade Sea and Sky.

He temporarily sees no hope of success in his practice, as the point at which quantity transforms into quality is too distant.

...

The next morning, just as he pushed open the door into the courtyard, there came a knock at the door from outside.

He stepped forward to open the courtyard gate, and outside stood Huang Zhengyang in a mystic robe.

Huang Zhengyang’s face, as pure as Crown Jade, looked solemn, and he clasped his fists in salute.

Chu Zhiyuan clasped his fists and said, "Brother Huang, so early? Have you had breakfast?"

"Not yet," Huang Zhengyang stepped into the courtyard, shaking his head, "There’s no ambush over there."

He went straight to the stone table and sat down, speaking in a deep voice, "I requested assistance from the Court and brought four Honored Experts. They explored last night and confirmed that there’s no ambush, likely not an Evil Sect’s scheme."

Chu Zhiyuan laughed, "The Court even supported top Honored Experts?"

Huang Zhengyang’s tense face eased into a smile, "I was surprised too. As soon as they heard you sensed danger, they believed it and dispatched four top Honored Experts without hesitation. Truly strange!"

Chu Zhiyuan chuckled, "Seems they understand me well."

Huang Zhengyang nodded.

The Court’s power is everywhere. They definitely know Brother Chu’s prowess.

That’s why they always withheld the secret technique.

"No ambush..."

Chu Zhiyuan pondered.

Zhu Lingyun stood with hands behind his back on a mountain peak, his Insight covering fifty miles around.

There were no other figures surrounding the Undying Evil Venerable Statue.

The Undying Evil Venerable Statue was just a cluster of golden mist, flickering between light and darkness, like a fetus breathing in the womb.

Indeed, there was no ambush, no presence of evil demons.

As a clone, Zhu Lingyun possessed both Super Sense and a keen intuition for danger.

He sensed the danger stemming from this gentle and peaceful Undying Evil Venerable Statue.

Compared to all the Undying Evil Venerable Statues he had seen, the danger was tenfold or a hundredfold greater.

He felt a strong impulse to stay far, far away from this statue.

Huang Zhengyang looked eagerly at Chu Zhiyuan.

Chu Zhiyuan slowly said, "The danger comes from the Undying Evil Venerable Statue."

"That’s easy to handle!" Huang Zhengyang said, "Seal the area within ten miles of the Divine Statue, and forbid anyone from approaching it, we won’t go near it either."

Chu Zhiyuan pondered.

Though this is a clumsy solution, it’s a good one.

Sealing a ten-mile radius requires a fair amount of manpower and legitimacy, which only the Court can manage.

Huang Zhengyang snorted, "Can it really affect anything beyond ten miles?"

Zhu Lingyun flickered to appear ten miles from the statue, then immediately vanished, reappearing sixty miles away from the statue.

Super Sense could no longer illuminate the statue.

Thinking it over, he flickered to appear ten miles away, re-illuminating the Undying Evil Venerable Statue.

The Undying Evil Venerable was still flickering with golden light, like the breath of an unborn child.

He shivered, suppressing the urge to flee.

Chu Zhiyuan shook his head, "Ten miles won’t do, at least fifty miles."

"Fifty miles... fifteen miles away is Dongning City, I’m afraid..."

"So I absolutely must go," Chu Zhiyuan sighed, "Otherwise, Dongning City will suffer."

Huang Zhengyang snorted, "Evacuate all the citizens of Dongning City now!"

Chu Zhiyuan smiled and shook his head.

That’s impossibly idle talk; it’s unfeasible.

Huang Zhengyang said, "Since this Divine Statue is the source of danger, let the Honored Experts destroy it."

"Can they destroy it?"

"The Court should have Spiritual Treasures. I can’t mobilize such Spiritual Treasures, but they should be able to."

"Then we can give it a try," Chu Zhiyuan said.

Through Zhu Lingyun, he personally sensed the danger from the Undying Evil Venerable Statue, so he didn’t want to act recklessly.

"Good, leave it to me!" Huang Zhengyang said, "You take a rest first."

Chu Zhiyuan clasped his fists.

Just as Huang Zhengyang was about to leave, a clear voice sounded, "Director, there’s urgent news."

"Come in!" Huang Zhengyang shouted.

A handsome young man crossed the threshold into the courtyard—indeed, the same handsome young man from before.

He clasped his fists in salute, glancing at Chu Zhiyuan.

Huang Zhengyang waved his hand, "Brother Chu is no outsider. Speak directly, what news!"

The handsome young man showed a worried expression, "Director, outside they’re all saying there’s a Cave Mansion fifteen miles from Dongning City."

"What Cave Mansion?" Huang Zhengyang asked.

The handsome young man said, "Golden Sun Cave Mansion, said to contain ancient inheritance, making it invincible."

"People actually believe this?!" Huang Zhengyang sneered.

Chu Zhiyuan said, "Fifteen miles from Dongning City?"

The handsome young man nodded, "Exactly as they say."

Huang Zhengyang sneered repeatedly, shaking his head in disbelief, finding the rumor too foolish to believe.

Chu Zhiyuan said, "How far is the statue from Dongning City?"

"Fifteen miles," Huang Zhengyang said.

Chu Zhiyuan shook his head, "Remarkable, is this the work of demons?"

Huang Zhengyang paused, then said, "Aimed at the Divine Statue?!"

Chu Zhiyuan slowly nodded, "Absolutely so."

Huang Zhengyang gritted his teeth in hatred, "So despicable, so vicious!"