Imperial Cultivation

Chapter 1368 - 1364: Hidden Move

The gaunt old man slowly scanned the crowd, his gaze falling on Zhou Tianji.

Zhou Tianji’s body involuntarily tensed.

Though both were Venerable Ninth Transitions, the differences between them remained vast.

The gaunt old man spoke in a deep voice, "Tianji, you have always been wise and meticulous. What do you think?"

"Second Elder, I respectfully follow the orders of the Sect Hierarch and the Elders."

"At this point, don’t hide your talents. You’ve come this far; you understand him better and far exceed us. Share your thoughts!"

"Yes, Your Highness... I really want to kill this Zhu Lingyun, but I also have concerns."

"Concerns about the Divine Venerable?"

"Oh, Tianji, yes the Divine Venerable is strong, but we’re not weak either—you needn’t worry too much."

The burly old man waved his hand dismissively.

"Yes, Third Elder." Zhou Tianji cupped his fists slightly.

The gaunt old man frowned. "Junior Brother, don’t interrupt!"

He spoke gently, "Tianji, continue."

The burly old man pursed his lips, feeling that the atmosphere within the Sect was off, fearing and changing color at the mention of the Divine Venerable.

Even a stable mental state trembles at the mention of the Divine Venerable.

Because of the overwhelming desire to achieve the status of Divine Venerable, they imagined the Divine Venerable as overwhelmingly powerful, like an omnipotent god.

The Divine Venerable is just a Divine Venerable, a step above Venerable—not a god!

The Divine Venerable can also be deceived and make mistakes; they are not all-knowing or all-powerful.

See how afraid they are!

Under the gentle and encouraging gaze of the gaunt elder, Zhou Tianji continued, "According to what I’ve heard, the Divine Venerable acts as they please, life and death happening on a whim—even the Divine Venerable may not know how they will act."

The gaunt elder nodded, "Yes, that’s how it’s said."

A middle-aged man chuckled, "Achieving Divine Venerable status means breaking free from all restraints, acting freely. Just imagine the thrill!"

Another middle-aged man laughed, "If I reached Divine Venerable, I would release my soul, roam free, unbounded and carefree!"

"If I achieved Divine Venerable, then no worldly troubles could touch my heart—a true life’s joy!"

...

The gaunt elder waved his hand, "Enough, silence—everyone quiet! Tianji, continue."

Zhou Tianji spoke solemnly, "My greatest concern is that the Divine Venerable might not react as we predict. If Zhu Lingyun dies, the Divine Venerable might wipe out both us and the Green Bamboo Sect."

The hall fell silent instantly, a pin-drop could be heard.

They couldn’t accept this idea but were startled, as if doused with cold water.

Coldness enveloped them.

The gaunt elder said, "Hmm, if that’s what you mean, then Zhu Lingyun cannot be killed?"

Zhou Tianji said, "He must be killed, but before we do, several matters must be clarified."

"Which matters?" The burly elder laughed, "A whole bunch of things—quite troublesome, right? Or maybe just one clean swipe, neat and tidy!"

Zhou Tianji looked at the gaunt elder, and seriously stated, "First, we must figure out who he really is, whether his name is actually Zhu Lingyun."

The crowd erupted.

"His name might be fake too?"

"Exactly. He claimed to be from Biyuan Heaven, then revealed he’s from You Meng Heaven. If he can fake that, why not his name?"

"Even his sect might not be real—not necessarily from Wanxiang Cliff!"

"Damn it, this guy hasn’t spoken a single truth—he deserves to die!"

Zhou Tianji said, "What Master Cheng mentions is right, his sect might not be genuine either!"

The burly elder laughed, "Hey Tianji, you hesitate to kill him, right? Are we expected to release him merely because he mentions having the Divine Venerable backing him? That’s ridiculous!"

"Third Elder, discerning his reality makes it irrelevant—if it is, he can be killed, not just one Venerable, but even ten would not be spared. But rashly killing him without knowing the truth—if what he says is true, and not mere bluster, bringing the Divine Venerable upon us—it would be too late for regret... ultimately, better not to risk small losses for large gains."

The burly elder furrowed his brow and shut his mouth.

He found Zhou Tianji’s words reasonable—indeed, it wasn’t worth risking small for large losses.

Still feeling indignant deep down, turning to a stronger yearning for the Divine Venerable.

The gaunt elder sighed, "Tianji, your words make sense, but how can we unravel his truth and lies? Head to Biyuan Heaven?"

"We must go to Biyuan Heaven." Zhou Tianji nodded.

The burly elder said, "Even in Biyuan Heaven, it’s challenging to figure this guy out, right?"

"I trust that Biyuan Heaven doesn’t have many Venerable Ninth Transitions. Sketch his portrait and inquire—should suffice."

"What if he’s indeed from You Meng Heaven?"

"If the people of Biyuan Heaven don’t recognize him, then he’s likely from You Meng Heaven."

"Tianji, what if both heavens he mentioned are false? Neither Biyuan nor You Meng Heaven—how will we investigate?"

Zhou Tianji gave a bitter smile, "Master Cheng, if that’s the case, we indeed have no way to act."

A middle-aged person sniffed, "In my opinion, simply subdue him, seal his acupoints, use torture and interrogate—why trouble to investigate?"

Zhou Tianji shook his head, "Interrogation is futile—how do we discern truth from falsehood?"

"Damn it, we’re stuck because of him!"

Everyone displayed anger and frustration.

Finding themselves in a predicament like never before, caught in a dilemma.

Both wanting to kill and being plagued by concerns.

Yet knowing matters about Biyuan Heaven, cannot be let go.

The gaunt elder said deeply, "Then let’s investigate in Biyuan Heaven—we should uncover the truth."

"Second Brother, a larger number of disciples must be dispatched." The burly elder said, "If too few, it may take too long."

"Hmm." The gaunt elder nodded, "Leave today—the sooner, the better."

"Yes." Zhou Tianji cupped his fists.

...

Zhu Lingyun listened to all this, revealing a smile.

At this moment, he continued to walk with Mo Huaiyuan, moving further inside.

They passed by the valley’s center, resembling a grand hall as majestic as a blooming flower.

Observing this grand hall up close, one felt increasingly its ingenious design.

It was a palace constructed of White Jade.

At the flower petals’ center, the flower’s core was a grand hall, surrounded by elongated, curved palaces.

These palaces were large enough not to be narrow inside.

Layer upon layer of elongated palaces encircled the central core hall, which wasn’t dark.

This was where its ingenuity lay.

In front of the palace lay a plaza with nine petal-shaped platforms, also made of White Jade.

With the same material as the palace, they corresponded, giving a sense of unity.

The ancient tree revealed that these platforms were the array for entering and exiting Biyuan Heaven.

Zhu Lingyun didn’t waste the opportunity; concentrating, he used Insight on the platform.

Through Insight, beneath the platforms were strange patterns, as well as on the palace’s wall.

He pieced these patterns together in his mind, forming nine flowers.

These nine flowers varied in style and position but connected to certain powers of the sky.

They channeled a mysterious power from beyond the Void, enabling cross-dimensional abilities.

"Mr. Zhu?" Mo Huaiyuan saw Zhu Lingyun’s steps slow, then chuckled urgingly, "Just a few more, nearly there at the guest quarters."

He especially guided Zhu Lingyun away from the central hall, avoiding the plaza, and staying far from the nine platforms.

To prevent Zhu Lingyun from seeing more.

"Alright, let’s continue." Zhu Lingyun smiled.

The power of the Lao Gong Acupoint flowed from the palm, moving into the Spring Acupoint, merging with the Earth Power, silently drilling into the ground.

The Earth Power encased itself, merging entirely, indistinguishable, undiscoverable.

This was the Earth’s Power’s subtlety—originating from Earth, hidden within Earth.

He was certain expert Venerables couldn’t detect anything amiss, uncertain if Spirit Venerables could.

So far, he’d yet to meet a Spirit Venerable face-to-face, unsure of their reality.