Imperial Cultivation Chapter 1222 - 1218: Execution

Without a verbal push, he merely gazed coldly at Zhong Lingyun.

He Lingchuan pressed on, "Plans can’t keep up with changes, Brother Zhong. We can’t delay any longer, or this effort will all be wasted."

"...Fine." Zhong Lingyun clenched his teeth, "Let’s head to the north gate instead!"

He glanced back at Zhu Lingyun, "Mr. Zhu, should we enter through the north gate?"

Zhu Lingyun shook his head, "You two take the north gate. I’ll enter right here."

"Mr. Zhu, you..."

"I’ve just broken through another layer recently. Activating the secret technique could mask our actions better."

"But..."

"If it fails, I’ll switch to the north gate as well. You head north, and we’ll rendezvous at the North City pier."

"...Very well then." Zhong Lingyun nodded in resignation, "Brother He, let’s move."

"Mr. Zhu, stay safe until we reunite." He Lingchuan added, "Be cautious, and don’t let the treasure slip away."

"Understood." Zhu Lingyun displayed an irritated look, flicking his hand dismissively, "You’d better move fast, or you’ll lose your chance."

Shaking their heads, the pair floated off into the distance, vanishing gradually.

Zhu Lingyun skimmed across the treetops, exiting the woods, touched down on the official road, and strode ahead boldly.

A handful of travelers still hurried along the official road, eager to reach the city before nightfall.

Once darkness fell without entering the city, peril would loom large.

Rumors had spread of unrest beyond the Imperial City lately, bandits prowling everywhere, demanding utmost vigilance.

Zhu Lingyun dropped in behind them, marching forward briskly.

Before long, he reached the South City Gate outskirts, where entrants queued up one after another.

Four City Guards, their eyes glowing with golden radiance, stood guard on either side, working in pairs to inspect city-bound travelers in shifts.

Forty-eight City Guards formed ranks against the venerable city walls, their gazes locked sharply on every incomer.

Ding Huanchun lingered by his sword, sweeping his eyes ceaselessly.

His eyes landed on Zhu Lingyun, swept over him, then shifted away.

Zhu Lingyun exuded a feeble presence, like a novice with basic martial skills and meager cultivation.

Such young folks abounded, nothing unusual.

Not all possess the aptitude for martial pursuits; those with average gifts often quit midway.

When Zhu Lingyun’s turn came, the four pairs of Candle Demon Eyes passed over him, gesturing him through.

Zhu Lingyun strode calmly past the gate into the city, inwardly filled with wonder.

This unique aura proved truly remarkable, purging all evil energy entirely and evading detection by the Demon Suppressing Divine Tree’s aura.

Inside the city, he pressed northward directly, weaving through crowded thoroughfares.

As celebratory lanterns flickered to life, he reached the northern pier.

Vast vessels on the Imperial City’s river surged toward the gates, docking at the pier once cleared.

The pier brimmed with linked shops, thronged by travelers and traders in constant motion, vibrant and chaotic.

Hawkers’ cries echoed back and forth, creating deafening clamor.

Zhu Lingyun wandered casually along the way, deploying his Super Sense to monitor within and beyond the city walls, zeroing in on He Lingchuan and Zhong Lingyun especially.

After a hundred paces, he shook his head, a chilly smirk curling his lips.

He Lingchuan and Zhong Lingyun, gravely wounded already, had fled the scene.

They wielded secret techniques after all—potent Evil Venerable arts boasting extraordinary escape prowess.

Their scheme to blend into the chaos got exposed, drawing covert pursuit from Evil Extermination Department elites.

Their power fell short indeed, stemming from incomplete descent.

The Evil Venerable’s strength recovered only halfway, dooming their Imperial City breach.

Yet he felt no rush to depart or chase these two Evil Venerables down; he lingered on.

Convinced they harbored contingencies, he expected them to devise entry for the strange treasure hunt.

Hands behind his back, he sauntered the street until midway, when a youth abruptly approached with a bow, "Mr. Zhu."

Zhu Lingyun halted, eyeing him with curiosity.

A lanky, average-built lad grinned obsequiously, clasping fists in salute, "I’ve been sent to receive Mr. Zhu."

Zhu Lingyun inquired, "Sent by whom?"

"The Divine Venerable’s command." The skinny youth whispered.

"Which Divine Venerable?"

The skinny youth mouthed wordlessly, "Wanxiang."

Zhu Lingyun nodded, "Lead on."

The skinny youth guided ahead swiftly to an inn.

At the inn’s rear, he ushered Zhu Lingyun to a waiting carriage.

Several hefty round wooden casks adorned the carriage, coated in purple varnish, emitting a faint aroma.

Zhu Lingyun’s brow furrowed; he knew exactly what those barrels held.

The skinny youth murmured softly, "Mr. Zhu, pick a barrel and conceal yourself inside."

"Hide in there?"

"Soon, these barrels head to a destination for exchange."

"Where? Exchanged for what?"

"I know nothing more." The skinny youth shook his head lightly, "My task is just to have you climb into a barrel."

Super Sense revealed the barrels’ pristine cleanliness outwardly.

Regardless of appearances, their interiors reeked of prior soaking.

Without Super Sense, it might pass, but possessing it made endurance impossible.

With that thought, he scoffed, declaring, "No need for such hassle; I’ll enter straightaway."

The skinny youth stared in shock.

Zhu Lingyun stated, "I’ll cling beneath the carriage; handle the rest without concern."

"But..."

"Quit yapping!"

"...Yes." The skinny youth, unwilling to provoke, yielded at last.

Zhu Lingyun ducked low, sliding under the carriage and pressing flat against its bottom, stock-still, while a voice whispered in the skinny youth’s ear: "Good to go—proceed as planned."

"We still wait two quarters of an hour." The skinny youth replied.

"Fine."

…

He Lingchuan and Zhong Lingyun stumbled into woodland, propping against massive trunks before collapsing wearily to sit, breaths coming in quick, ragged gasps.

"What cursed luck!" He Lingchuan let out a heavy sigh, fuming, "Those fools from the Evil Extermination Department have wised up at last."

Zhong Lingyun shut his eyes, statue-still, laboring to steady his breath.

He Lingchuan questioned, "Brother Zhong, will it work?"

"It will." Zhong Lingyun affirmed with a nod, "He can’t ignore the lure and will chase the Strange Treasure for sure."

"Heh heh..." He Lingchuan chuckled.

Mid-laugh, blood trickled from his mouth’s edge, halting him in frustration.

Zhong Lingyun instructed, "Circulate your cultivation now. Hang on at least till he emerges. Once the Strange Treasure’s ours, we flee to You Meng Heaven and ditch these shells."

"Right, endure till he exits!" He Lingchuan rallied, laughing once more, "The Strange Treasure will slay him, won’t it?"

"Yes, no escape for him." Zhong Lingyun replied, "Even surviving, he’ll ruin our scheme."

"Brother Zhong, we’re truly vile." He Lingchuan cackled, "He’s sharp, too bad for him."

Zhong Lingyun shot him a look.

He Lingchuan betrayed zero remorse; rather, he yearned for Zhu Lingyun’s demise.

Suddenly, both whipped their heads toward one direction.

A youth stood there already.

In the dim twilight, the strikingly handsome youth poised silently amid the trees, leaves dappling his head from a nearby branch, observing them wordlessly.

He Lingchuan bellowed, "Who goes there?!"

The handsome youth spoke coolly, "You never should have come."

With those words, his hands wove seals.

Golden light coalesced overhead, shaping into a Golden Dragon.

This arm-length, arm-thick Golden Dragon hung clumsily suspended in the air.

His hands kept sealing as golden streams converged, birthing more Golden Dragons successively.

Nine Golden Dragons merged abruptly into one compact Golden Dragon.

Merely half-arm long and forearm-thick, yet brimming with vigor and speed.

It zipped lithely at Zhong Lingyun; as he evaded, it surged ahead unbelievably swift, burrowing through his chest and out his back, then lancing He Lingchuan.

"Uh..."

Both went rigid.

They glanced down at their torsos, discovering no apparent injuries.

Still, they sensed their hearts cease pulsing, vitality flooding out from the core.

Like massive punctures in their hearts, power leaked away torrentially, a dam burst open.

Before Chu Liezhao materialized the Haoyang Demon-suppressing Mirror, its face rippling with brilliant golden glow.

As their forms crumpled earthward, rainbow-hued souls detached, striving upward only to get yanked into the Haoyang Demon-suppressing Mirror.

Chu Liezhao grinned.

Two more Evil Venerable souls harvested!

Meanwhile, Chu Zhiyuan sat legs crossed upon his bed in the Heavenly Sword Branch’s modest yard, inwardly eyeing the twin globs of Merit Golden Light within the Demon Suppression Divine Palace.

These vast, dazzling Merit Golden Light masses represented immense merit indeed.

Thrilled, he visualized the Spirit Peak inside his Spring Acupoint, hastening progress on the Earth Origin Technique’s Second Layer.

He yearned to reveal the Second Layer of the Earth Origin Technique’s mysteries and might.

Alas, true grasp demanded mastery first.