Imperial Cultivation Chapter 1211 - 1207: Nine Transitions

The vast gap in their power levels cannot be bridged simply by greater numbers.

Am I truly able to confront this Evil Venerable?

He pondered briefly before shaking his head inwardly.

His gut feeling warned that this Evil Venerable was beyond his capability.

Gaze dropping, he examined the Golden Sword.

Resting silently within its scabbard, the Golden Sword seemed utterly ordinary and unpretentious.

Through this period of refinement, it had already awakened a trace of spiritual essence.

Even more astonishing.

How could its Realm possibly advance in such a brief time?

Only advancing one more layer in Realm offered any chance of overcoming this Evil Venerable.

Lu Gengshen snorted. "Even if we all join forces, we can't match him?"

Chu Zhiyuan offered a wry smile.

Lu Gengshen furrowed his brow. "Is this Evil Venerable truly so formidable?"

Li Xinhe remarked, "Does that mean we must evade him?"

Qi Qingmei stated calmly, "Win or lose, we must clash with him at least once."

Zhou Chongming proposed, "Then the four of us will charge forward to intercept him. If we can't hold him off, we'll retreat. The rest of you hold back for now?"

"Very well, that makes sense." Qi Qingmei nodded in agreement.

Lu Gengshen and Li Xinhe nodded as well.

The elites from their sects that they had brought along were irreplaceable; losing even one would spell disaster.

Zhou Chongming turned to Chu Zhiyuan.

Chu Zhiyuan replied, "Uncle, my lightness skill is excellent—I can escape easily."

"Good, then stick with us," Zhou Chongming instructed. "We'll encircle him while you watch for vulnerabilities from the sidelines. Pull back swiftly if things turn sour."

"Understood," Chu Zhiyuan acknowledged.

Zhou Chongming relayed the plan to the Four Sects' experts, directing them to withdraw thirty miles and form an Array.

If Zhou's group failed to appear within a quarter-hour after reaching that distance, they were to fall back another hundred miles.

Though puzzled, the group obeyed and dispersed swiftly.

"Let's move."

...

During Insight, Chu Zhiyuan reflected deeply, hunting for a countermeasure.

Meanwhile, Chu Liezhao and Leng Tieya contemplated alongside, pursuing a joint breakthrough path.

Sparks flew as their three minds intersected.

Those sparks ignited into flashes of enlightenment.

A profound realization dawned within him.

Days of rigorous training and myriad insights merged together.

They intertwined, fused, transformed, ultimately crystallizing into an extraordinary comprehension far beyond expectation.

Leveraging this insight, he activated the Golden Sword, channeling the collective essence into it while directing it per the Heavenly Sword Secret Scripture.

Instantly, golden radiance burst from his eyes.

His green robe fluttered wildly as his figure blurred, reappearing a hundred meters distant in a blink.

Then he halted sharply, a grin curving his lips.

"Is that... a breakthrough?" Lu Gengshen glanced at Zhou Chongming.

Zhou Chongming nodded, smiling.

"Nine Transitions for sure," Li Xinhe sighed wryly, shaking his head. "Watching his progress makes me feel utterly worthless."

Qi Qingmei's brows lightly knit as she fixed her gaze on Chu Zhiyuan.

Lu Gengshen asked, "How does Nephew Chu cultivate at such an incredible speed?"

Zhou Chongming smiled subtly. "Zhiyuan devised a distinctive cultivation technique based on our Heavenly Sword Secret Scripture, propelling him forward at breakneck pace."

"Such an incredible technique exists?" Lu Gengshen exclaimed in shock. "Could other sect disciples use it too?"

Zhou Chongming shook his head.

Other disciples simply weren't suited for this approach.

"Truly impressive," Lu Gengshen said enviously. "Heavenly Sword Sect's fortune is enviable."

Zhou Chongming dismissed it with a wave. "We endured endless misfortune before, but now luck has finally smiled on us."

Chu Zhiyuan swiftly reined in his aura, his green robe settling calm.

His eyes gleamed with a soft, warm luster, all edge concealed, gentle as fine jade.

In a flash, he stood before the four.

"Breakthrough?" Zhou Chongming inquired.

Chu Zhiyuan nodded, smiling.

He hadn't anticipated reaching Nine Transitions right before the Evil Venerable showdown.

The period's deep foundations made the breakthrough seamless.

His body's reserves, merged with the profound accumulations from his two clones, sparked a qualitative leap.

Qi Qingmei smiled faintly. "Congratulations on finally attaining Nine Transitions."

Chu Zhiyuan replied, "Even at Nine Transitions, I lag far behind you Uncles and Sister."

Lu Gengshen shook his head. "We've toiled for decades, while you've just begun. If you matched us already, we'd have lived in vain."

Chu Zhiyuan chuckled. "Should I join the fray then?"

"Stay back and guard the Array," Zhou Chongming urged promptly. "The four of us have coordinated countless times—we mesh perfectly."

"Very well," Chu Zhiyuan agreed with a nod.

This aligned perfectly with his intentions.

Gazing forward, he murmured softly, "They're approaching."

Lu Gengshen peered intently, eyes narrowing. "Here they come!"

Far off, Zhao Ruilin streaked like drifting smoke, swelling from a tiny speck to their forefront in mere breaths.

Zhao Ruilin swept them with a glance, frowned yet held back from attacking, instead angling sideways to bypass.

He detected their murderous aura but dismissed it.

His priority was another Evil Venerable, not these peers in realm.

No matter their hostility, unless they struck first, he'd ignore them.

Qi Qingmei called, "Sect Master Zhao Ruilin of Giant Spirit Sect?"

Zhao Ruilin spared them a look and pressed onward, nearly past.

Qi Qingmei and the trio shifted, sealing his route.

"Who are you lot?" Zhao Ruilin demanded gruffly.

"Heh!" Lu Gengshen sneered. "Lu Gengshen of Guiyang Sword Sect, here for your head."

Zhao Ruilin scowled, eyeing the quartet.

Li Xinhe grinned. "Li Xinhe of Fuyun Sect, come to claim your life."

"Zhou Chongming of Heavenly Sword Sect, here to take your life."

Qi Qingmei stated coolly, "Qi Qingmei of Guanghan Palace."

"All Four Great Sects' powerhouses assembled!" Zhao Ruilin sneered coldly. "You honor me greatly."

Lu Gengshen snorted. "Giant Spirit Sect ranks among top Evil Sects, and you its Sect Master—sending one alone would be an insult."

Zhao Ruilin spoke deliberately, "I'm not in the mood for killing today. Stand aside."

"Ha, such hubris!" Lu Gengshen barked a laugh. "Die!"

Whipping out his sword, he lunged, blade flashing to impale Zhao Ruilin's chest.

Zhao Ruilin dodged two paces; the strike merely grazed his afterimage.

"Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!"

Nearly simultaneous, the other three blades assailed his form.

He flickered four times instantly, dodging all four strikes, while unsheathing to thrust at Qi Qingmei.

He zeroed in on their mightiest, the apparent commander.

Qi Qingmei's longsword ignited abruptly, resembling a rising full moon.

Next instant, swords collided.

"Ding..." Zhao Ruilin hurtled back, vomiting a blood arrow in flight.

Chu Zhiyuan applauded inwardly.

Qi Qingmei's lethal instinct shone—decisive, unleashing Bright Moon Divine Sword without pause.

Qi Qingmei chased Zhao Ruilin, her sword light dissolving the blood arrow before slamming him anew.

Zhao Ruilin attempted evasion, yet the lunar blade, soft in glow, struck with blinding speed.

He barely parried crosswise but soared back once more, gushing another blood arrow.

Chu Zhiyuan shook his head.

Post-blood arrow, Zhao Ruilin bellowed in rage, "Seeking death!"

Cold gleam erupted in his eyes, robes swelling, aura exploding skyward.

Chu Zhiyuan shook his head.

Qi Qingmei's ferocious assault had wielded Bright Moon Divine Sword outright.

Zhao Ruilin faltered under it, yielding momentum and sustaining wounds.

In this plight, activating a secret art came too late, diluting its potency.

What should have doubled his cultivation now scarcely boosted it by seven-tenths.

"Ding..."

Qi Qingmei repelled him again, another blood arrow erupting midair.

"Ha ha..." Lu Gengshen guffawed wildly. "That all you got?"

Qi Qingmei yelled, "Everyone, attack together—end him fast!"

She spotted a shadow hurtling from the horizon.

"Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!"

"Ding ding ding ding ding..."

Three sword gleams skewered Zhao Ruilin aloft, only to be battered away in a flurry of clashes.

They crashed down heavily. Zhao Ruilin swung to deflect the luminous moon glow.

"Ding..." Zhao Ruilin launched backward yet again, coughing a blood arrow laced with organ fragments.

Bright Moon Divine Sword had battered him to the brink of collapse.

This was utter supremacy.