Imperial Cultivation Chapter 1184 - 1180: Kill Again

"What seems to be the problem?" Chu Zhiyuan inquired.

"If the statues of the other Evil Venerables are destroyed, it severs their reserves of power. Doesn't that effectively crush the Evil Sect and erase their influence for good?"

"Hmm. And what about the Undying Evil Venerable?"

"That is a different matter. Not only can the Undying Evil Venerable's statue not be shattered, but even if it were, he would simply descend once more."

Chu Zhiyuan’s brow furrowed. "Then how do we halt their arrival?"

Lu Xiaolu replied, "Legends suggest there is no true way to stop them; one must merely confront them as they occur. Sealing the statue, warding it off, or obscuring it from sight are all potential options. The key is anonymity."

Chu Zhiyuan pondered this while frowning.

He could not accept that they were truly unstoppable; he felt convinced that a solution had simply eluded everyone thus far.

Tilting her head, Lu Xiaolu asked, "Junior Brother, are you intent on discovering a way to defy it?"

Chu Zhiyuan gave a slow nod.

"Were it someone else, I would urge them not to squander their vitality," Lu Xiaolu let out a soft laugh. "But for you, Junior Brother, perhaps there is a path. If you require assistance, just let me know—don't hesitate to lean on me!"

Chu Zhiyuan offered a smile. "How could I be distant with you, Senior Sister? Is there an authentic record available for me to study?"

"I shall send a message to the Palace Master to have the senior sisters fetch it for you," Lu Xiaolu answered, "though you must understand that the manifestation of the Undying Evil Venerable Statue is an ancient phenomenon. It has been an age since it last appeared."

"Strange, isn't it?" Chu Zhiyuan remarked.

Lu Xiaolu nodded, "Such wicked manifestations never occur without a cause."

"I suspect a shift in the heavens is at fault," Chu Zhiyuan noted. "If that is the case, things will become quite dire."

Lu Xiaolu’s expression turned somber. "Could that truly be it? A celestial shift would be highly troublesome indeed... We must prepare ourselves."

Chu Zhiyuan nodded again. "I have already discussed this with the Sect Leader. While there is no definitive proof yet, it is best to be vigilant."

"I will inform the Palace Master," Lu Xiaolu added.

...

After sharing a meal, Chu Zhiyuan and Lu Xiaolu went their separate ways outside the tavern.

With urgent matters demanding their attention, they pledged to meet again when evening fell.

Chu Zhiyuan wandered aimlessly until he arrived outside the city walls.

Ding Huanchun remained stationed there, observing the travelers entering the city alongside the City Guards. Seeing Chu Zhiyuan approach, he stepped forward and saluted.

The pair exchanged polite greetings.

Chu Zhiyuan looked around. "How have things been over these past few days?"

"Alas..." Ding Huanchun sighed repeatedly, "The volume of people entering the city has dropped significantly."

Chu Zhiyuan gave a slight nod.

It was an unavoidable, if temporary, reality.

"Evil demons are wreaking havoc, slaughtering at will," Ding Huanchun noted. "If we fail to purge them, how can the authority of the Court be maintained?"

The demons were growing increasingly bold and destructive, outstripping anything seen previously.

"We should have this resolved within a month," Chu Zhiyuan said.

"A month?" Ding Huanchun said with surprise. "The Evil Extermination Department is active, and elite experts from various Sect groups are rushing in. Will it really take that long?"

Chu Zhiyuan shook his head. "These creatures do not merely wait to be harvested. They ambush, hide, and engage in tactical retreats. The situation is far from a total sweep."

"Why do you not take the field yourself, Mr. Chu?" Ding Huanchun asked.

He remained convinced that with Chu Zhiyuan’s deep mastery, dispatching demons would be as trivial as butchering poultry.

Chu Zhiyuan just smiled in response.

"Do you not desire the Lifespan Extension Pill?"

"I harbor no such delusions."

"Are you not going to compete for it?" Ding Huanchun lowered his voice. "Beyond Huang Sizheng, it appears Qi Sizheng also intends to join the fray."

Chu Zhiyuan nodded acknowledgeably.

"To be blunt," Ding Huanchun continued, "their methods are far from upright. They rely solely on the resources of the Evil Extermination Department and the Demon Hunting Bureau, unlike you, Mr. Chu."

Chu Zhiyuan looked at him, a faint smile on his face.

He could not tell if Ding Huanchun’s indignation was genuine or if there were ulterior motives at play.

Ding Huanchun snorted, "If I were in your shoes, Mr. Chu, I’d pay them no mind. I would slaughter such a bounty of demons that neither the Department nor the Bureau would have anything left to claim!"

He was certain Chu Zhiyuan possessed the keen sense to locate and kill the demons at will.

He could easily intercept and eliminate them long before the others could arrive.

"Brother Ding, pray take care," Chu Zhiyuan warned. "The demons are about to turn desperate. Vigilance is essential."

The Lifespan Extension Pill was currently being refined; it would reach completion soon, at which point its true power would be revealed.

Ding Huanchun gestured toward his City Guards. "Would they dare strike at us?"

The ranks of the City Guards had swelled to forty-eight members, a much stronger force than before.

They were stationed right against the city gate.

Small bands of demons posed no threat, and in the event of a mass assault, they could safely retreat behind the city fortifications.

Chu Zhiyuan signaled with a nod.

Ding Huanchun pivoted to look.

A host of figures emerged from the forest flanking the road, darting across the canopy toward them.

Ding Huanchun’s eyes widened, his head whipping around as he roared, "Over sixty of them! Damn it, how did this many converge here? Is the Evil Extermination Department blind?!"

The Department should have intercepted a group of this magnitude long before they reached the gates.

"They must have bypassed the Department’s sweep," Chu Zhiyuan said. "I will go and check them."

He surged forward, turning back for a moment, "Increase the scrutiny of the civilians! Do not let them file into the city just yet."

Ding Huanchun’s expression faltered as he surveyed the civilians lining up.

There were thirty-two in total—twenty on foot and twelve on horseback.

Proper documentation would take time, preventing a hasty entry.

Normally, getting these civilians inside was the safest course of action.

It felt wrong to leave them exposed as prey. Why would Chu Zhiyuan insist on delaying their entry?

Could there be something sinister about these thirty-two people?

The thought struck him, and he grew serious. "Su Ren, Li Ninghe, lead the vanguard! Old Wang, stay alert, watch the gates! Do not let a single one slip past!"

"Understood!"

The City Guards moved as one.

They watched with awe as Chu Zhiyuan floated toward the encroaching demons, his Golden Sword in hand.

The blade erupted with a dazzling radiance, a golden torrent rushing forth to meet the enemy.

"Kill him!"

The demons, seeing a lone challenger, grew ravenous, desperate to claim his life first.

They felt that to leave such an arrogant man alive would be an affront.

But the golden light pulsed with an ethereal power that left them disoriented.

A sudden, sharp pain struck their foreheads, and then all was lost to darkness.

Chu Zhiyuan’s blade carved a path through them, and in a heartbeat, he stood behind the ranks of the demons.

In a span of moments, he had pierced their formation entirely.

With a chorus of thuds, twelve demons collapsed into the forest, leaving the grass trampled and bloody.

"Damn it, finish him!"

"Form up, surround him!"

"His swordsmanship... it’s unnatural!"

The mockery had evaporated, replaced by genuine terror.

They had never anticipated such a swift defeat, nor the terrifying potency of the Golden Sword.

Chu Zhiyuan was surprised by the blade’s efficiency himself, but he dived back into the fray without delay.

Golden flickers danced.

More bodies hit the forest floor.

By the time Chu Zhiyuan emerged from his third strike, their numbers had withered to a mere eleven.

"Sir, this..."

"Lord Ding, what kind of technique is Mr. Chu using?"

The City Guards, finally relaxing from their defensive posture, began to chatter with admiration.

The aggression they had felt diminished, replaced by a sense of victory.

Chu Zhiyuan flickered across the path again, golden light snaring the remaining fleeing demons.

As each one was struck, they stalled, and he darted between them to finish the task.

He felt the public recognition of the Golden Sword rising significantly.

He peered toward the City Guards and the civilians; he finally understood. To empower the blade, one must vanquish evils in the eyes of the public.</p>