Imperial Cultivation

Chapter 1344 - 1340: Precaution

There happens to be no defense; it seems like a knife is held against your throat, yet you can’t see it.

Clearly, the intuition is that experts from Dan Yang Heaven will arrive and wreak havoc, but they are nowhere to be found, unable to defend against, only awaiting death.

This unease and anxiety made him unable to sleep well at night.

A nightmare startled him awake twice in the middle of the night, both times frightened by news of a city being massacred.

"Huh..."

He exhaled a long breath, wanting to vent the anger born from his sense of powerlessness.

"...Let me have another look."

Chu Zhiyuan rubbed his brows, feeling a faint pain in the center of his forehead.

Even a day later, the fatigue from casting the Donghuan Saint Technique hadn’t dissipated.

His eyes stared intently at Huang Zhengyang, his gaze quickly turning hollow.

Feeling uncomfortable under Chu Zhiyuan’s vacant stare, Huang Zhengyang longed to turn away and leave.

Yet he remained motionless, fearing to disturb Chu Zhiyuan’s spellcasting.

He didn’t know Chu Zhiyuan could see the future; Chu Zhiyuan had always given him the impression of being all-powerful, fostering a sense of inexplicable hope within him.

He restrained his urge to flee, staring fixedly at Chu Zhiyuan’s vacant eyes without blinking.

The Golden Pupil emitted seven-colored light.

Time accelerated forward.

A moment later, Chu Zhiyuan’s eyes regained clarity, his sword-like brows furrowing.

Huang Zhengyang hurriedly asked, "How is it?"

Chu Zhiyuan pondered, weighing the pros and cons, slowly saying, "I vaguely saw a bit of a blurred shadow; you received news that Flower God Sect masters appeared again, destroying four villages."

"Damn, they’re here again!"

Huang Zhengyang’s face turned dark as iron, his eyes shooting cold lightning.

He thought for a moment, "Can you see clearly when they’ll appear?"

Chu Zhiyuan thought for a moment, his face pale, slowly saying, "In ten days... a village named Black Tree Village."

"Slap!" Huang Zhengyang slapped his palm fiercely, "Good!"

He gritted his teeth, "I’ll invite a few Tribute masters, bring that special Spiritual Artifact, and keep watch there!... Catch this guy when the time comes, interrogate him thoroughly, find out everything!"

Chu Zhiyuan’s eyebrows tightened, eventually shaking his head unwillingly and sighed, "That’s all I can see."

"That’s enough, Brother Chu, don’t push yourself, we have a name, we can catch him!"

"The other three villages might not be saved."

Actually, Black Tree Village is the first to be destroyed; guarding here can catch that guy.

Huang Zhengyang said, "We’ll do our best; we aren’t omnipotent."

Chu Zhiyuan slowly nodded, rubbing his forehead, "Brother Huang, I’m heading back now."

"Quickly go rest, are you alright?"

"It’ll be fine after a couple of days."

"Then hurry back, don’t overexert yourself, don’t get hurt, your skill is too important."

"Please keep this secret for me."

Huang Zhengyang pounded his chest a few times, "This mouth of mine, you can rest assured!"

Chu Zhiyuan smiled and nodded, "I’m leaving now."

Huang Zhengyang hurriedly waved his hand.

Chu Zhiyuan waved his hand, and the next moment vanished; the hall instantly became empty.

"Summon someone!" Huang Zhengyang shouted.

A middle-aged man stepped in softly, offered a fist salute: "Director."

"Find out if there’s a Black Tree Village around the Imperial City, no matter what, find it for me!"

The middle-aged man, lean and sharp, shook his head: "Director, as far as I know, within a hundred miles of the Imperial City, there’s no Black Tree Village."

"None?"

"I am quite certain, there’s no Black Tree Village."

"Then expand outward and keep searching, no matter what, find it for me! It must be found within three days!"

This Mo Qiuqiu has the ability to remember everything he sees; he remembers all the villages within a hundred miles.

If he says there isn’t, then there really isn’t.

Clearly, this Black Tree Village lies beyond a hundred miles from the Imperial City.

In any case, this Black Tree Village must be found quickly, to allow for a calm arrangement.

"Director, three days?"

"Three days isn’t enough?"

"I’ll go to the Six Ministries to investigate now!"

"Quick, quick, remember, only three days!"

"Understood."

...

"Princely Heir, the one chosen for the imperial throne isn’t the Fifth Prince, ha, your calculations were off."

Chu Zhiyuan, upon suddenly appearing in Xiao Ruoling’s Glazed Heaven courtyard, was greeted by Shen Hanyue’s mocking laughter.

"Not the Fifth Prince?" Chu Zhiyuan asked.

Shen Hanyue nodded vigorously, giggling, "It’s the Sixth Prince!"

Chu Zhiyuan turned to Xiao Ruoling.

Xiao Ruoling gently nodded.

Shen Hanyue huffed, "Princely Heir, do you really not believe my words?!"

"It’s actually the Sixth Prince..." Chu Zhiyuan said in surprise.

"So you calculated wrong!" Shen Hanyue laughed charmingly, "Even you can be wrong, ha!"

She was overjoyed; Chu Zhiyuan making a mistake was something that greatly pleased her.

Chu Zhiyuan floated up to stand on the roof ridge’s raingutter, looking down at the Imperial Guard not far away.

His eyes quickly turned vacant, blinking restored them to normal.

Shen Hanyue asked: "Did you see anything? Are you going to change your words?"

Chu Zhiyuan shook his head, "It’s indeed the Fifth Prince who ascends to the Emperor."

"Then what about the Sixth Prince?" Shen Hanyue asked, "Can they change after being chosen?"

Xiao Ruoling softly said, "Will there be conflicts after their selection?... Senior Sister Guo won’t allow it, right?"

Senior Sister Guo’s cultivation crushes all within the Glazed Heaven.

If she intervenes, it’s impossible for the result of the Heaven Worship Ceremony to be overturned.

Chu Zhiyuan shook his head, "It’s indeed the Fifth Prince who will be Emperor."

Shen Hanyue tilted her head to ask, "Can’t the Princely Heir see what really happened?"

"Just a rough idea..." Chu Zhiyuan said, "The Sixth Prince’s cultivation leads to deviant practice."

"Ah—!?" Shen Hanyue exclaimed in surprise, "Quite the coincidence?... Is it their tricks?"

Chu Zhiyuan said, "This I don’t know, only dimly seeing the result."

"Deviant practice..." Shen Hanyue shook her head, "Too coincidental, it must be a conspiracy, by the Fifth Prince?"

She looked at Xiao Ruoling, "Senior Sister, right?"

"Not necessarily the Fifth Prince, the culprit could be someone else... Once the Sixth Prince has an accident, obviously there would be renewed contention, maybe the Fifth Prince was just lucky, and the imperial throne fell on him."

Shen Hanyue tilted her head to ponder, "Hmm..."

Chu Zhiyuan said, "Once the Sixth Prince succumbs to deviant practice, the previous methods no longer work, the final result of the Heaven Worship Ceremony no longer holds authority; the imperial contention will intensify, chaos will ensue."

Heaven favors a certain Prince, yet this Prince succumbs to deviant practice.

Does this mean heaven chose incorrectly? Or was it not heaven’s choice?

In any case, such a method can no longer win the people’s trust, returning once more to a period of strife.

Xiao Ruoling asked: "Dear, when will the imperial throne change hands?"

"In one month," Chu Zhiyuan replied.

"One month..." Xiao Ruoling thought, "Then inform Senior Sister Guo, keep an eye on the Sixth Prince, prevent him from succumbing to deviant practice."

"Originally, Senior Sister Guo intended to stay for a month," Shen Hanyue agreed, "Keeping him under watch for a month shouldn’t be a problem."

Xiao Ruoling looked at Chu Zhiyuan, "No mistakes, right?"

Chu Zhiyuan said, "If there’s still a problem, then it must be fate; we can’t help."

He never aspired to be a savior, merely to assist those around him when possible.

Shen Hanyue said, "Just worry that Senior Sister Guo won’t believe, thinks we’re speaking nonsense, neglects it."

"There’s nothing to be done then," Chu Zhiyuan said, "It would also be fate."

Shen Hanyue said, "Senior Sister, talk to Senior Sister Guo well, Senior Sister Guo listens to you."

"Mm." Xiao Ruoling agreed.

A quarter of an hour later, she approached Guo Mingxue, expressing her concerns, best to stay by the Sixth Prince’s side.

Guo Mingxue agreed without hesitation.

Yet Xiao Ruoling said to beware of the Sixth Prince’s excessive cultivation, succumbing to deviant practice.

Guo Mingxue chuckled, but nodded, indicating she would watch carefully.

Xiao Ruoling internally shook her head.

It’s hard to know how much Guo Mingxue truly listened.