Imperial Cultivation Chapter 1237 - 1233: Victory

Ji Qingyun furrowed his brow: "Is war about to erupt?"

Zheng Pingzhang whispered softly: "Would the Divine Venerable truly risk battling the Undying Divine Venerable? ... No chance of victory, is there?"

Ji Qingyun pondered deeply while staring afar: "Victory is impossible, yet the fight must happen."

"Simply pull back, nothing more." Zheng Pingzhang looked confused: "No reason to battle to the bitter end, right? ... We won't regret losing the No Heart Sect."

"The No Heart Sect blocks our path!" Ji Qingyun snorted coldly.

Zheng Pingzhang remarked: "Does it truly matter? For the Divine Venerable especially, if No Heart Sect fails, pick another sect instead— it's merely about showing power, no difference."

Ji Qingyun whipped his head around, his fierce gaze shifting from the horizon to land on him.

Zheng Pingzhang rubbed his head: "Was that wrong?"

Ji Qingyun faced forward again, resuming his distant stare.

Zheng Pingzhang added: "We absolutely cannot afford to lose this Divine Venerable too."

Ji Qingyun swiveled to shoot him a fierce glare.

Zheng Pingzhang recoiled his neck and gave his mouth a light tap, offering an awkward grin.

Ji Qingyun huffed: "Stop projecting our mindset onto the Divine Venerable—the Divine Venerable far surpasses us."

"Right, right, the Divine Venerable possesses unmatched might." Zheng Pingzhang nodded in agreement.

Ji Qingyun declared: "To the Divine Venerable, life and death in this realm resemble mere dreams—how do you behave in your dreams?"

"... Nightmares always jolt me awake, with the Evil Extermination Department hot on my heels."

"Useless fool!" Ji Qingyun snorted.

"What about the Sect Master in his dreams then?"

"I never dream." Ji Qingyun stated.

"Hey, everyone dreams." Zheng Pingzhang shook his head in disbelief.

Ji Qingyun explained: "With body-guarding treasures, dreams simply don't occur."

"Which treasure?... Never mind, not now." Zheng Pingzhang shot a look toward distant Zhu Lingyun.

"Mere trinket, no profound mystery, just improves sleep quality."

"Good enough." Zheng Pingzhang exhaled in relief.

"You..." Ji Qingyun sighed, pulling the Jade Pendant from his chest before tucking it away: "Hmm--?!"

His eyes lit up abruptly, focus sharpening on the horizon where an odd sight emerged.

Golden light erupted from Zhu Lingyun's form, faintly unveiling a Purple Bell amid the glow.

"Dong..."

"Dong..."

"Dong..."

Dragons etched on the Purple Bell began to coil and twist, seeming to awaken and poised to leap free from the Copper Bell.

"What's happening...?" Zheng Pingzhang exclaimed in shock: "Has the fight begun already?"

"It has commenced."

"I can't spot a soul!"

Zheng Pingzhang squinted hard, searching for the other figure, the Supreme Divine Venerable.

Ji Qingyun spoke measuredly: "This clash unfolds on a divine level, a battle of spirits."

"Will the Divine Venerable prevail?" Zheng Pingzhang asked urgently.

Ji Qingyun shook his head: "Tough to predict."

Be it the chasm between Non-Venerable and Venerable, or Nine Transitions versus Nine Transitions Perfection, immense divides exist—defeat seems probable for the Divine Venerable.

Zheng Pingzhang suggested: "Shall we get ready to flee?"

"Indeed, prepare at once." Ji Qingyun replied gravely.

Zheng Pingzhang sighed: "Our fortune is truly abysmal... lost one Divine Venerable, now the second hangs in peril."

Ji Qingyun spun to glower at him.

Zheng Pingzhang drew back his neck and smacked his lips, chuckling sheepishly.

Ji Qingyun sighed, fixing his intense stare afar, brows knitting even deeper.

Zheng Pingzhang inquired: "When should we make our escape?"

He noticed the Purple Copper Bell contracting, its dragons accelerating their dance.

"Fall back a mile immediately!" Ji Qingyun commanded.

"Let's move."

The pair drifted rearward, gazes locked on the remote mountain summit.

A mile distant, they halted atop the peak, hunkering amid twin boulders.

Prone behind a massive boulder, exposing just brows and eyes, their sight remained glued to Zhu Lingyun.

From his sleeve, Zhu Lingyun drew forth a Golden Staff the size of a palm.

"Hey, Sect Master, that's your treasure." Zheng Pingzhang murmured.

Ji Qingyun clarified: "No longer mine—it belongs to the Divine Venerable now."

"Is this treasure truly effective?" Zheng Pingzhang wondered aloud in surprise: "Usable right here?"

Ji Qingyun's eyes bulged, yearning to dash ahead for a closer look.

This relic exuded uniqueness, intuition screaming it was no commonplace item.

Still, it had shown no response before, turning into a burdensome burden.

Who knew the Golden Staff held such significance, activated precisely now.

Suddenly, the Golden Staff blazed with radiance.

A torrent of golden brilliance exploded outward, resembling a scorching sun.

"Boom!"

A dull thud echoed as a short, skinny figure materialized in the Void.

The figure hovered in mid-air, but it lacked substance—it was merely a shadow.

The shadow wobbled unsteadily, like someone intoxicated.

The Golden Staff glowed even more intensely.

This radiance outshone the previous burst, resembling two scorching suns plummeting down.

The airborne shadow grew indistinct and hazy.

In the following instant, the Golden Staff blazed forth once more.

Even brighter this time, as though a third blazing sun had joined.

"Boom boom!"

Both Zheng Pingzhang and Ji Qingyun got hurled backward, crashing hard against the rocks behind.

Blood seeped from the edges of their mouths, their faces ashen, twisted in agony.

"This..."

Zheng Pingzhang clutched his head, his muscles spasming, eyes injected with blood, whites turned scarlet.

Ji Qingyun's face appeared ashen white, his lips bearing bite marks, struggling to maintain composure.

He hastily crouched down, resuming his position on the forward rock, gaze locked toward Zhu Lingyun's location.

His voice abruptly sharpened: "Victory!"

Zheng Pingzhang clenched his teeth: "Defeated the Undying Divine Venerable?"

"Yes! The Undying Divine Venerable has scattered! The Divine Venerable triumphed!" Ji Qingyun exclaimed with thrill.

Zheng Pingzhang let out a breath: "Nearly got us killed too... no wonder he made us pull back so far."

Ji Qingyun's eyes blazed: "Defeated the Undying Divine Venerable!"

"Still depended on your treasure, Sect Master." Zheng Pingzhang remarked.

"Shut up! ...Watch your mouth!" Ji Qingyun whipped around to glare at him: "Spout nonsense again, and you'll regret it!"

"Fine, fine, I'll keep quiet." Zheng Pingzhang rubbed the back of his head, lingering fear in his eyes.

His head felt on the verge of bursting apart, poised to shatter any second.

This had obviously reached the absolute limit.

"Fortunate the Divine Venerable didn't push harder, or my head would've burst!"

"... Hmm." Ji Qingyun nodded gradually.

His head throbbed as if splitting into fragments, the pain excruciating; only the Jade Pendant at his chest, releasing a gentle chill to ease his skull, kept him from passing out.

Zheng Pingzhang exclaimed in awe: "That treasure, wielded by the Divine Venerable, amplified its might by more than ten times."

"Truly the Divine Venerable..." Ji Qingyun sighed in wonder: "Unfathomable power, befitting the Divine Venerable!"

He understood better than anyone the terrifying mental consumption of the Golden Staff.

It devoured like a whale gulping water, devouring every thought in an instant, even attempting to engulf his soul.

A single activation had nearly knocked him unconscious, ruling out any repeat.

Yet the Divine Venerable unleashed it three times, each surge mightier than the prior.

His mental prowess defied comprehension.

Unreachable, akin to an abyss separating heavens from earth—no way to bridge that gap.

Zheng Pingzhang failed to contain his exhilaration: "Never imagined the Divine Venerable this formidable, overpowering the Undying Divine Venerable even with the treasure!"

"Indeed."

"That little item, who knew it held such fearsome power." Zheng Pingzhang marveled.

"It's mighty in the Divine Venerable’s grasp." Ji Qingyun stated: "Thank goodness it's with the Divine Venerable."

Zheng Pingzhang chuckled: "Sect Master, the Divine Venerable isn't present."

"You... Come on, let's go pay respects to the Divine Venerable!"

Ji Qingyun shot him a fierce look, vaulted from the rock, and soared over the treetops.

"So very prudent." Zheng Pingzhang shook his head with a grin and trailed after.

Having lost such a treasure to the Divine Venerable, resentment was inevitable—the Sect Master wasn't that magnanimous.

Yet the situation demanded it; none could defy the Divine Venerable—that was the unbreakable rule.

In the Wanxiang Sect, everyone had to abide by it.