Imperial Cultivation

Chapter 1343 - 1339: Dan Yang

"Bang!"

The experts of the Evil Extermination Department were all sent flying, crashing into trees that shook violently, branches trembling and leaves falling.

At the instant the Strange Flower vanished, an invisible, immense force swelled and spread from where it had been, like raging waves surging into the sky.

Chu Zhiyuan lifted his head, staring at the place where the Strange Flower had disappeared.

Huang Zhengyang’s face was dark: "Was that the Undying Evil Venerable?"

Chu Zhiyuan said slowly, "Brother Huang, have you ever seen something like this before?"

"First time."

Chu Zhiyuan turned his head to look at the experts around them who were all scrambling back to their feet.

The crowd that rushed over were all clutching their chests, circulating True Yuan to ease the suffocation.

Everyone had been injured by that blow.

They each shook their heads and spoke up one after another:

"Mr. Chu, this is my first time seeing such a thing."

"First time."

"Never seen it before."

...

Huang Zhengyang’s face was so dark it looked like it could drip water.

He understood very well what this meant: a new Undying Evil Venerable.

More importantly, this one likely wasn’t an Undying Evil Venerable from You Meng Heaven!

Chu Zhiyuan shook his head.

"Brother Chu, can you use a secret technique to track him?"

"He left no traces."

"Damn it, he didn’t leave any trace when he descended either."

Huang Zhengyang’s face was gloomy as he cursed in resentment.

When the Undying Evil Venerables of You Meng Heaven descended, they would erect a Divine Statue.

By contrast, the Undying Evil Venerables of You Meng Heaven were actually easier to deal with.

Chu Zhiyuan shook his head: "I’ll see if I can at least track where he descended."

"That would be best." Huang Zhengyang hurriedly said.

Chu Zhiyuan lowered his head and glanced at the Golden Sword at his waist.

This time, from slaying that fiend, the Golden Sword had obtained an astonishing amount of Merit.

This Merit was equivalent to killing ten Undying Evil Venerables.

The man’s cultivation was indeed stronger than an Undying Evil Venerable’s, but not stronger than ten of them added together.

So why did killing him grant so much Merit?

He pressed down these thoughts and focused on the East Huan Saint Technique.

He first took a deep breath, letting his mind sink into the Void; spiritual power gushed forth, transmitted from the three clones of Chu Liezhao and the others.

A Golden Pupil at his brow bloomed with Seven-Colored Light.

Under the crowd’s gaze, his eyes gradually turned empty, as though he were immersed in memories.

They didn’t dare speak, only circulated True Yuan while waiting.

They exchanged glances with one another.

After a few breaths, Chu Zhiyuan floated up, gliding forward in midair as if riding the sky.

The crowd followed close behind.

Seeing that his eyes were still vacant and lifeless, Huang Zhengyang didn’t dare speak to disturb him, only followed.

They went straight south for ten li to a desolate valley.

Several bare, childlike hills formed this valley.

Inside the valley, Strange Stones jutted everywhere; almost not a blade of grass grew.

Chu Zhiyuan came to a halt, clarity returning to his gaze.

After entering the valley, everyone kept looking around, searching for any traces.

But aside from the towering Strange Stones, no other traces existed.

No sign of heavy impact, no abnormal energy lingering.

Huang Zhengyang finally spoke: "Brother Chu, this place is...?"

Chu Zhiyuan drifted down before a slab of bluestone in the valley and flicked his sleeve.

This bluestone was perfectly square, the size of a bed, totally different from the grotesquely shaped stones around it.

As his long sleeve swept past, a gust of force rolled all the dust off the bluestone.

The surface of the bluestone instantly revealed densely packed floral patterns.

These patterns were not carved; they seemed like natural veins.

At a glance it was as if a mass of flourishing blossoms were surging out from within the stone.

These flowers seemed to come alive, about to drill out through the surface of the bluestone.

"This is...?" Huang Zhengyang was puzzled.

Chu Zhiyuan said, "Doesn’t Brother Huang find these flowers familiar?"

"The one from just now?" Huang Zhengyang recognized it.

Chu Zhiyuan said slowly, "He first appeared right on this stone."

"Fell from the sky?"

"He emerged from inside this stone."

"Came out of the stone? How bizarre!"

"Brother Huang, look into where exactly he came from."

"I’ll go back and investigate, see if there’s any record."

Chu Zhiyuan’s expression was grave.

This guy had directly ascended, leaving him no way to use the East Wall Sacred Technique.

As things stood, he could only wait for Huang Zhengyang’s investigation.

He had started to rely on this technique now.

...

Chu Zhiyuan appeared in a courtyard within the Glazed Heaven Great Wei Ninth Princess Mansion.

The sun hung high; the sunlight was bright and clear.

Xiao Ruoling and Shen Hanyue were practicing martial arts in the courtyard, dressed in white combat uniforms, fists and palms flashing.

When they saw him appear, the Palm Shadow Fist Seals vanished at once.

Both women had snow-white skin with a rosy glow, bright, sparkling eyes, and brimming vitality.

Shen Hanyue couldn’t wait to share: "Princely Heir, Senior Sister Guo really persuaded the Emperor to hold a Heaven-Sacrificing Grand Ceremony and invite the Heavenly Chosen Emperor."

Xiao Ruoling nodded lightly: "Senior Sister Guo’s words still carry quite some weight. The ceremony will be held tomorrow."

Such a somewhat absurd idea had been approved this quickly.

It required the Emperor’s consent as well as the ministers’ approval; for it to pass so fast, the court must be united from top to bottom.

Only someone with sufficient prestige could have pulled this off.

"So hasty?" Chu Zhiyuan smiled. "So that means you won’t be staying here very long?"

"Mm, once the Heaven-Sacrificing Grand Ceremony ends, I figure Senior Sister Guo will be leaving."

Shen Hanyue said, "Princely Heir, you haven’t come for three days. They’ve been preparing for four days already, that’s not rushed."

"Four days..." Chu Zhiyuan said.

"Will Senior Sister Guo really return to the Imperial Palace that soon? What if those Princes don’t abide by the result of the ceremony?"

"I doubt they’ll be able to stir up any big waves." Xiao Ruoling gently shook her head.

Chu Zhiyuan said, "Whichever side she supports, the overall situation is basically settled."

Guo Mingxue, as the most powerful deterrent in Great Wei, was equivalent to the Emperor’s Sword of a Little Outer Heaven.

Whichever side she supported, that side would be able to sit the seat securely.

Shen Hanyue said, "I don’t think they’ll be willing to accept it that easily."

Xiao Ruoling said, "Then they can only sneak around in the shadows, unable to stir up any great waves."

"You can still capsize in a gutter." Shen Hanyue refused to accept that.

Xiao Ruoling laughed. "With such terrible luck, how could they possibly draw the imperial throne?"

Chu Zhiyuan said, "When will the imperial throne of Great Wei be passed on?"

Xiao Ruoling said, "According to Senior Sister Guo, once the choice is made, to avoid accidents, the new Emperor will ascend the throne within a year."

Chu Zhiyuan fell into thought.

After pondering for a moment, he still decided to use the East Wall Sacred Technique.

He drifted up onto the roof and looked toward the distant Imperial Palace.

The Imperial Palace buildings were three meters higher than those here, and the palace walls in particular rose high, blocking his line of sight.

Super Sense was also blocked outside the wall by an invisible force.

This was the power of that National Guardian Spiritual Artifact.

He didn’t forcibly probe inward with Insight; his gaze shifted to a squad of Imperial Guards before the palace gate.

The Golden Pupil deep between his brows lit with Seven-Colored Light, and his eyes became empty and unfocused.

Xiao Ruoling and Shen Hanyue drifted to his side, white clothes like snow, sleeves fluttering.

A moment later, Chu Zhiyuan’s gaze cleared. He turned his head to Xiao Ruoling and sent Sound Transmission into Secret: "It’s the Fifth Prince who ascends."

He drifted down to the ground, and the two women floated down after him.

"The Fifth Prince..." Xiao Ruoling murmured via Sound Transmission into Secret.

Shen Hanyue heard it perfectly clearly as well.

"The Fifth Prince?" Shen Hanyue said. "So that means the Fifth Prince will be chosen?"

Chu Zhiyuan sent Sound Transmission into Secret: "Eight months from now, the Fifth Prince takes the throne."

Shen Hanyue exclaimed in amazement, "Princely Heir, your ability is getting more and more impressive."

Because of that Strange Stone from before, she no longer found it so hard to believe that Chu Zhiyuan could see the future.

Chu Zhiyuan smiled. "It’s an ability that stems from that Strange Stone."

"To be able to see the future..."

"It’s only one possible future. Once it’s spoken aloud, it stops being accurate."

"That’s true too."

"Let’s train." Chu Zhiyuan said.

The three of them began Cultivation.

Chu Zhiyuan could still feel the tremendous progress each time he cultivated the Taihao Jade Void Scripture.

His physique was still rapidly improving.

He wanted to raise his physique to its limit as quickly as possible to see if he could approach the threshold of Spirit Venerable and thus push the door open.

The next morning, he quietly left and returned to the Heavenly Sword Branch.

Then he met Huang Zhengyang.

Huang Zhengyang’s expression was grave. He rose from behind the desk, came up to him, and sighed. "That fellow should be from Dan Yang Heaven."

"Dan Yang Heaven..."

He had never heard of this layer of heaven.

"Two thousand years ago, there was one recorded appearance."

"And none since?"

"No further records."

"What Evil Skill does he practice, and what’s his background?"

"The last one to appear was the same sort of guy. He should have been an expert of the Flower God Sect, and he should have been cultivating the Taihua Thick Earth Technique."

"Dan Yang Heaven... Flower God Sect... Taihua Thick Earth Technique..." Chu Zhiyuan shook his head.

He had never heard even the slightest scrap of information about them.

"That fellow stirred up a huge turmoil. In the end he actually charged into the Imperial City without scruple, was taken down and thoroughly interrogated, yet in the end he still managed to escape back."

"Who took him down?"

"Several Tributes joined forces, using an Array combined with special Spiritual Artifacts. It took an immense effort."

Chu Zhiyuan said, "Doesn’t seem that strong, does he? ...Oh, I get it. That guy must’ve gone on a reckless Cultivation binge first, felt he was invincible under heaven, and only then dared to charge into the Imperial City."

Though the Golden Sword was powerful, it was hard to say it could withstand several Tributes stationed in the Imperial City joining forces, plus Spiritual Artifacts.

Especially since those Artifacts were by no means ordinary Spiritual Artifacts.

"Exactly."

"So did they find a way to deal with him?"

"No."

"..." Chu Zhiyuan was at a loss for words.

"Ai..." Huang Zhengyang sighed. "Those people from the Flower God Sect are even more terrifying than the Undying Evil Venerable."

Chu Zhiyuan said, "There was one incident two thousand years ago and none after. Maybe that guy just came here by chance, and no more of them will come."

"Let’s hope so." Huang Zhengyang shook his head, his face quickly darkening. "But I can’t shake this sense of unease."

His intuition told him that more experts from the Flower God Sect would arrive.