Imperial Cultivation Chapter 1188 - 1184: Resolution

Chu Zhiyuan clasped his hands together and inquired, "Brother Ding, were you successful in borrowing the requested treasure?"

"The Great General graciously agreed to loan it," Ding Huanchun responded, "though only for a short period of two weeks."

A brow arched on Chu Zhiyuan’s face, "Two weeks..."

Ding Huanchun sighed with a hint of bitterness, "Even if the Evil Extermination Department fails to neutralize these demons within that window, the artifact must be returned regardless."

Chu Zhiyuan countered, "Even if they are purged, what assurance is there that they won't infiltrate the Imperial City again?"

"Alas..." Ding Huanchun admitted with a helpless expression, "The General Mansion has its own need for this artifact."

Chu Zhiyuan glanced toward Su Lingxuan and Zhou Chaoyang.

"Actually, suppression is a simple matter if one possesses a treasure capable of neutralizing the Evil Venerable’s influence," Su Lingxuan noted. "The difficulty lies in the fact that such elite items are already claimed by others."

Chu Zhiyuan probed, "Are there many such treasures within the Imperial City?"

"To my knowledge, at least three exist," Su Lingxuan sneered, "but they belong to various princes, making them impossible to borrow."

Chu Zhiyuan offered a slow, deliberate nod.

Su Lingxuan shook his head, "Without access to these items, suppressing this Jade Pendant is a mammoth task!"

Chu Zhiyuan pondered for a moment, "I have a potential solution, though it is not entirely guaranteed to work."

"What is this method?" Ding Huanchun asked immediately, his tone brimming with anticipation. "It is certainly worth an attempt."

Having developed significant faith in Chu Zhiyuan’s capabilities, he felt confident that if anyone could resolve this, it would be him.

Chu Zhiyuan explained, "I intend to use a unique magic technique to embed the aura of my Demon Suppressing Saber into an object... Brother Ding, do you have access to White Jade?"

"Why White Jade specifically?" Ding Huanchun queried urgently.

Chu Zhiyuan clarified, "I mean to seal the aura of the Demon Suppressing Saber into a Jade Pendant."

"Hold on," Ding Huanchun interrupted quickly.

He gestured for a nearby City Guard to approach, ordering him to secure two high-quality Jade Pendants from within the city walls.

The young guard offered an affirmative nod and sprinted toward the city gate.

"Regarding this method..." Su Lingxuan hesitated.

Zhou Chaoyang added, "Mr. Chu, while your aura is undeniably unique, attempting to stifle the Evil Venerable’s will might be..."

Chu Zhiyuan flashed a smile, "Even if this aura cannot fully suppress the Evil Venerable’s will, it should at least be sufficient to provoke it, would that not suffice?"

"...It is certainly worth a trial," Su Lingxuan conceded after a brief pause.

The energy emanating from Chu Zhiyuan’s Demon Suppressing Saber was, without question, beyond the ordinary.

Ding Huanchun’s eyes brightened, "As long as it can force the aura to reveal itself, that is plenty!"

Their primary objective was not to suppress the Jade Pendant, but merely to expose its presence.

If the pendant is present, the threat is verified.

The City Guard acted with haste; even before their conversation had concluded, he had returned.

"General." He slid forward, producing two palm-sized White Jade Pendants from his sleeve that gleamed with an oily luster.

Ding Huanchun nodded with approval and presented them to Chu Zhiyuan, "Sir, do these meet your standards?"

Chu Zhiyuan took one piece, shut his eyes, and maintained a deathly stillness.

The group watched him with intense focus.

Seconds later, the interior of the jade began to pulse with a Golden Light, resembling the slow infusion of molten gold.

As the process continued, the Golden Light grew dense and vibrant, eventually transforming the piece into a shimmering gold medallion.

Its texture hardened, losing the soft translucence of the original jade.

Chu Zhiyuan opened his eyes, nodded in approval, and passed it to Ding Huanchun, "Test it for yourself."

He drifted to a distance, withdrew his Dustless Tears from his sleeve, and held it against his chest.

Slowly, he began to approach.

Ding Huanchun clutched the gold token, his heart pounding against his ribs.

Success would mean returning the Great General’s treasure while keeping their own strategy intact; failure would prove catastrophic.

As Chu Zhiyuan closed to within a single meter, his chest erupted in a blinding, brilliant Golden Light.

Chu Zhiyuan paused, shaking his head in disappointment, "Too close for comfort."

Ding Huanchun, however, was ecstatic as he gazed at the gold medal in his palm.

The metal glowed with an effervescent Golden Light.

He looked back at Chu Zhiyuan’s shining chest and laughed heartily, "Excellent! Truly excellent!"

Su Lingxuan and Zhou Chaoyang observed the display with expressions of profound admiration.

Chu Zhiyuan revealed the Jade Pendant.

It radiated a scorching Golden Light, too intense to behold directly.

This light was significantly more potent than the gentle luminescence of the golden medal.

Chu Zhiyuan sighed, "The sensing distance is only one step, which is quite inconvenient."

Ding Huanchun interjected quickly, "It is more than enough! It will serve our purposes perfectly!"

Chu Zhiyuan leveled his gaze at him.

Ding Huanchun beamed, "We simply require every citizen entering the city to carry such a gold medal; it is hardly a burden at all!"

"Very well."

Chu Zhiyuan took up the second jade piece, closed his eyes, and centered his focus.

Before long, the jade underwent the same transformation, becoming an indistinguishable gold medal.

Chu Zhiyuan handed it over, "Keep one on each side and ensure the security protocols are handled with caution."

"Naturally," Ding Huanchun chuckled. "Those carrying these medals must remain ready to deploy at a moment's notice."

...

Chu Zhiyuan sat upon his bed in the quiet courtyard, gripping the Dustless Tears.

His Super Sense attempted, unsuccessfully, to penetrate the golden glow inside the relic.

What exactly was the scale of this Evil Venerable’s will? Could this entity even be compared to his own creation, the clone Chu Liezhao?

With that thought, he stood, exited the villa, and ventured into the wilderness.

Traveling through a different gate, he moved ten miles out into the countryside.

At the mountain's base, a Light Gate manifested, and Chu Liezhao emerged.

He received the Dustless Tears from Chu Zhiyuan and exchanged it for a small Jade Bottle.

Chu Zhiyuan secured the bottle within his silver ring. He already knew from his clone that it contained a Life-Extending Pill.

The efficacy of this pill was still under investigation, and he needed this data for comparative analysis.

Chu Liezhao took the Dustless Tears, stepped back through the portal, and instantly arrived at a peaks in the Outer Heaven.

Seated cross-legged atop a colossal boulder, he focused his energy into the pendant. The aura of a Nine Transitions Venerable surged outward with terrifying power.

The pendant flared into a miniature sun of golden brilliance.

A violent energy clashed with his own pressure.

Chu Liezhao’s expression darkened as he felt the sheer magnitude of the golden light—it was a match for his own power.

This was merely an essence sealed in a small trinket; to face the original master would be a dire encounter.

Even as a Nine Transitions Venerable, he realized the master of this light might have reached the peak of Nine Transitions perfection.

Their True Yuan was purer and more vast than his own. In a confrontation, he would have no choice but to rely on his Heavenly Dragon Bloodline to secure victory.

He withdrew his energy, and the pendant dimmed, reverting to its bland, stony appearance.

He transited through the Light Gate, returned the item to Chu Zhiyuan, and vanished again.

Chu Zhiyuan exhaled in quiet relief—the cultivation realm was, fortunately, only at the Nine Transitions stage.

He had harbored fears that it might have reached the Spirit Venerable level.

Still, he wondered: among the Evil Venerables, was this the ceiling of their power? How did it measure against the Undying Venerable?

After brief contemplation, he returned to the city and headed toward a secluded residence near the Heavenly Sword Branch—the Guanghan Palace Villa.

Tucked away from the main thoroughfare, it offered the serenity he needed.

Upon announcing his presence, he was promptly escorted into Lu Xiaolu’s private courtyard.

The grounds were meticulously maintained, featuring sparse but fragrant flora that lingered in the cool air.

He was led into a small pavilion overlooking the garden.

As he took his seat, Lu Xiaolu wasted no time, "Junior Brother, the Palace Master has already forwarded the ancient text you requested."

She vanished briefly into the house, returning with a small box which she handed to him.

Chu Zhiyuan opened it to reveal a thick, weathered volume. The pages were yellowed and brittle with centuries of age.

He handled the book with immense care as he began to flip through the chapters.

He quickly navigated to the records regarding the Undying Evil Venerable.

As the details came to light, his expression hardened into one of grim realization.

Lu Xiaolu softly asked, "It is terrifying, is it not?"

Chu Zhiyuan looked up, his tone grave, "Can you verify the accuracy of these records?"

"It is considered authoritative, as any falsehood would have resulted in its destruction long ago," Lu Xiaolu replied. "Manuscripts of this antiquity are exceedingly rare, even within our own palace."

Chu Zhiyuan offered a slow, heavy nod, "Indeed, this is quite troublesome—extremely troublesome."