Imperial Cultivation

Chapter 758 - 754: Surveillance

He had considered the possibility that the Demon Clan would retaliate this time.

But he hadn’t expected that they would send so many expert fighters from the Demon Clan.

Clearly, they wanted to take revenge for the previous two encounters in a surprising way.

Normally, their actions indeed could fulfill their deep-seated grudge.

But it was unfortunate for them to encounter someone like him.

The Great Demon Suppressing Seal doesn’t care about numbers; whether it’s one or ten, there’s no difference when the net is cast.

These sixteen expert fighters from the Demon Clan were utterly powerless under the Great Demon Suppressing Seal.

To counter the Great Demon Suppressing Seal, either your cultivation is high enough, you have a special treasure, or you detect the danger early enough to avoid it.

Once you’re surrounded, no matter how great your skill is, you can’t use it.

Trapped in the golden net, like a fish caught, it’s incredibly hard to escape.

The golden net blocks blood and energy, cutting and intercepting, making it even harder to unify them.

With disrupted blood flow and hindered breath, strength cannot be exerted; no matter how unwilling, it’s just a futile struggle.

"Ah—!"

"Damn it!"

"Who are you?!"

...

The roaring voices continuously resounded, blood-red eyes glaring at Chu Zhiyuan, wishing to devour him.

Chu Zhiyuan ignored them, focused on punching, and shouted, "Let’s all act together and finish them off!"

Xie Zhuang and the others had initially stopped, but after hearing this, they turned around and rushed at them, throwing fist seals and sword shadows.

Chu Zhiyuan relentlessly chased the handsome youth and, after a few more punches, the handsome youth finally fell, unable to rise again.

His glaring eyes slowly dimmed, filled with unwillingness and doubt.

Chu Zhiyuan stopped, halting the Great Brightness Fist, revealing a smile.

He understood what puzzled this handsome youth.

Surely puzzled why he couldn’t stir True Yuan to break through the limits and reach the Divinity Transformation Realm, which would lead to being expelled by the Grotto Heaven.

Also puzzled as to why he couldn’t perform the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Technique.

Furthermore, puzzled why his soul couldn’t leave his body and return to the Demon Abyss.

The sun formed by the Haoyang Demon-suppressing Mirror suddenly brightened, and a ball of seven-colored light flew into his forehead, integrating with the Haoyang Demon-suppressing Mirror.

This ball of seven-colored light was only visible to him, neither Xie Zhuang and his six companions, nor anyone else, could see it despite their frenzied attacks.

Chu Zhiyuan sensed the joy conveyed by the Haoyang Demon-suppressing Mirror, his brow relaxed, and his lips curved upward.

Eyes ablaze, he looked at the remaining fifteen as if seeing fifteen Strange Flowers and Fruits.

Xie Zhuang and the others stopped and turned to look at Chu Zhiyuan, their expressions invigorated.

"Your Highness!" Xie Zhuang respectfully clasped his hands, "Thank you, Your Highness, for saving us!"

Chu Zhiyuan chuckled, "Xiao Zhuang, this wasn’t really a rescue, you could have escaped yourselves."

The more significant the favor, the less you should show it; instead, offset it to solidify the gratitude.

This is human nature.

"It’s different," Xie Zhuang replied, "If we had just escaped, all our efforts would have been in vain, and it would disappoint the Emperor’s high hopes."

Chu Zhiyuan chuckled again.

His gaze fell on the Black Pearl, raising his voice, "Don’t touch it!"

Xie Zhuang and the six were preparing to clean up the battlefield, gathering the Demon Clan’s expert fighters together to carry them out.

In the process, they intended to pick up the Black Pearl and hand it to him.

Xie Zhuang asked, "Your Highness, is there something strange about this Black Pearl?"

He felt nothing unusual; the Black Pearl was silently embedded in that piece of wood, showing no movement.

Chu Zhiyuan shook his head, "Extremely dangerous, best to stay away, avoid touching it."

"Your Highness," a young man spoke, "That guy’s already dead, all dead, still can’t touch it?"

No matter how bizarre or powerful the pearl, it requires activation.

Now that the Little Demons are all dead, who would activate the Black Pearl?

Chu Zhiyuan shook his head, "Don’t touch it."

He sensed a strong aura of danger.

"Listen to Your Highness!" Xie Zhuang commanded solemnly.

The other five reluctantly agreed.

They gathered the sixteen Demon Clan experts together, arranging them neatly in two rows.

"Stay away from there," Chu Zhiyuan gestured to the Black Pearl, "the further away, the better."

"Let’s move it farther away!"

The young man who spoke earlier casually flicked his sleeve.

That piece of wood instantly flew, landing among a pile of rocks ten feet away.

The pile of rocks consisted of over a dozen stones, each two human heights tall, all oddly shaped, rugged, and menacing.

"Boom!"

The explosion that followed instantly shattered these stones into dust.

The violent force spread around.

Xie Zhuang and the others were flung into the air, spitting Blood Arrows as their bodies glinted with radiant light.

The Flowing Cloud Treasure Clothes deflected much of the force, yet the residual power still severely injured them.

"Thud, thud, thud, thud..."

With a series of muffled sounds, they dropped to the ground, grimacing in pain.

White light flashed over Chu Zhiyuan as the Moon Silkworm Frost Robe dissipated the violent energy.

He stood steadfastly, helplessly shaking his head at the young man.

The young man wiped the blood from his mouth corner, "My fault, couldn’t help myself!"

"You, you!" Xie Zhuang sighed, shaking his head, "We didn’t fall to the Little Demons, almost fell to you!"

"Heh...," the young man scratched his head, sheepishly looking at the others.

The group glared at him, displeased with his recklessness.

Xie Zhuang shook his head silently.

Reckless and careless.

As a Spirit Guard, to be so lacking in front of the Ninth Prince, it’s indeed shameful.

Chu Zhiyuan said, "We should leave now, move immediately, we can’t stay here."

"Your Highness, do you mean..."

"There might still be Demon Clan experts around, such commotion will surely alarm them, and besides, if they do surround you, in your current state, you’d have to expel yourselves."

"Understood."

"Bring the corpses," Chu Zhiyuan instructed, "that’s an achievement too."

The Demon Clan corpses are extremely valuable.

They often use the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Technique before death, shattering themselves.

Studying Demon Clan corpses helps in further understanding them.

After thousands or even tens of thousands of years of entanglement, humanity has never truly understood the Demon Clan.

The Demon Clan always infiltrates the human world, while humans cannot penetrate the Demon World.

"Understood," Xie Zhuang solemnly agreed, waving to the others, "Hurry up!"

The six, gritting their teeth, enduring the pain in their internal organs, bent down, each picking up several corpses.

Chu Zhiyuan said, "You go ahead, I’ll stay behind and check."

"Your Highness..."

"In case there are indeed Little Demons left, I can hold them off." Chu Zhiyuan waved them on, "Go on, go on."

"...Understood," Xie Zhuang reluctantly agreed.

The main reason is, given their current state, staying would only be a burden, not a help.

Chu Zhiyuan watched them gradually move away, disappearing into the dense forest in the distance.

He turned back to look around.

Scanning the surroundings, his gaze landed on a distant mountain peak.

On that peak, behind a giant rock, a Heavenly Demon crouched.

He was strikingly handsome, slender, draped in a gray robe, blending into the rock.

Without Super Sense, it would be nearly impossible to detect this Heavenly Demon’s presence.

This Heavenly Demon was a true observer; even when the other Demon Clan experts fell, he remained motionless, watching quietly, showing no emotional fluctuation.

Chu Zhiyuan suspected that this Heavenly Demon had only one goal: to figure out the situation. Even though the other side previously killed those Demon Clan experts, he didn’t make a move, just watched in silence, devoid of emotion.

Chu Zhiyuan surmised that this Heavenly Demon had only one goal in mind, to figure out the situation. Even if he and his group seemed to be in a mess and within easy reach, the demon had no intention of attacking them.

Their gazes seemed to meet behind the rock, and the Heavenly Demon’s expression slightly changed before he turned and left.

Chu Zhiyuan’s face darkened.

If he escapes, there would be trouble. The Demon Clan would stop at nothing to kill him, ensuring he won’t live.

Thinking of this, he felt worried, and yet an inexplicable anticipation for future conflicts emerged within him.

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