Imperial Cultivation Chapter 1246 - 1242: Methods

You Meng Heaven harbors more than just one or two Undying Evil Venerables.

Dong Muyu cocked her head and inquired, "Junior Brother, do you have any other ideas?"

"The Sect Leader has a solution," Chu Zhiyuan responded.

Dong Muyu asked, "What solution?"

Chu Zhiyuan grinned, "Since they masked their faces, they aren't nobodies."

"Exactly!" Dong Muyu slapped her forehead, "What was I thinking!"

Chu Zhiyuan questioned, "Senior Sister, where are those guys' bodies?"

Dong Muyu answered, "The Elders have them surrounded, ready to burn them. Leaving them around is too dangerous."

Chu Zhiyuan nodded.

"Want to check them out?"

"Let's go see."

Dong Muyu stated, "I'll fetch Junior Sister Hongzhao, and we'll head there together."

Chu Zhiyuan nodded.

She departed with graceful steps and swiftly returned alongside Li Hongzhao, as the three proceeded from the courtyard to a square.

North of Heavenly Sword Peak lay a vast square, laid with White Jade Stone.

The fierce north wind found itself greatly diminished by the unseen barriers shielding Heavenly Sword Peak.

Nearby, the bamboo grove on the mountain whipped wildly, resembling turbulent waves in the Jade Sea, while Heavenly Sword Peak basked in a mild breeze.

Right then, a heap of firewood rose a meter high with a two-meter-wide circular base upon the White Jade Square.

This circular stack resembled an altar, topped with nine black-robed corpses.

The nine bodies lay arranged in precise order.

Lu Wanshan along with four middle-aged men positioned themselves before the stack, intently scrutinizing it.

Behind them, Ding Chonglou and over a dozen young men stood rigidly at attention.

Footsteps prompted Lu Wanshan to turn his gaze.

He beckoned with a wave, "Zhiyuan."

Chu Zhiyuan stepped closer, offered a fist salute to the Sect Leader and four Elders, and gave a nod to Ding Chonglou and the rest.

"Perfect timing; I was going to summon you for a look anyway." Lu Wanshan gestured at the nine corpses, "These fellows perished in a bizarre manner—spot anything odd?"

Chu Zhiyuan swept his eyes across them, advanced for a closer inspection, and furrowed his brows, "No internal wounds... my Demon Suppressing Saber didn't deliver a killing blow, no injuries inside or out; their deaths are truly peculiar."

Lu Wanshan remarked, "They all dropped dead at the same instant; must be the Undying Evil Venerable's doing."

Chu Zhiyuan agreed with a nod, "The Undying Evil Venerable excels at spirit secret arts—likely tampered with their spirits beforehand?"

"Spot on, Zhiyuan; these nine aren't Evil Sect elites," Lu Wanshan declared gravely.

Chu Zhiyuan arched a brow.

Li Hongzhao questioned, "Sect Leader, are they powerhouses from Major Sects?"

Lu Wanshan let out a sigh, speaking deliberately, "They hail from the South Star Sect and the Purple Bamboo Sect."

Ding Chonglou noted, "Li, both South Star Sect and Purple Bamboo Sect rank as second-rate sects."

Li Hongzhao pressed, "Really from Major Sects?"

Ding Chonglou nodded deliberately, face grim.

Handling Evil Sect members would prove simpler, yet involvement from Major Sects spelled major complications.

Li Hongzhao suggested, "Then we confront them outright?"

Ding Chonglou shook his head with a sigh, "Likely unrelated to the sects themselves—it's the Undying Evil Venerable at work."

"Leave that aside for now; first, we need to uncover why they ambushed Brother," Li Hongzhao urged, "Without that, we'd be the villains for slaying their experts without cause, turning it into a grave offense."

Ding Chonglou jolted, creasing his brow in deep thought.

Li Hongzhao turned to Lu Wanshan.

Lu Wanshan uttered slowly, "Our sect shares no grudges with those two sects."

Li Hongzhao highlighted, "No grudges, yet we slaughter their nine experts outright... Sect Leader, these count as nine Venerables; how many does their sect even possess? ... This could stir pity across all Martial Arts Sects, sparking suspicion and fury against us, right?"

Lu Wanshan nodded.

Xu Qianfan scowled, "Senior Brother, Hongzhao's point holds true; we recognize them as victims too, but others may not—we must prepare for the worst."

"The hearts of men are fickle." Li Hongzhao shook her head softly.

She cast a glance toward Chu Zhiyuan.

However, Chu Zhiyuan remained fixed on the nine corpses, abruptly shouting, "Back away!"

Everyone froze in shock.

Chu Zhiyuan's command echoed once more, "Fall back ten meters!"

While speaking, he gripped the shoulders of Li Hongzhao and Ding Chonglou, darting to the square's edge in a flash.

Lu Wanshan bellowed, "Retreat, retreat!"

His roar boomed like a massive bell, resounding through hearts and souls.

Disciples and elders alike withdrew over ten meters in unison.

"Boom!"

The whole stack crumbled entirely into powder, black dust blanketing the area within ten meters around.

The White Jade pavement inside ten meters turned riddled with pits, just like a beehive.

Lu Wanshan and the four other elders wore darkened expressions, eyes locked intently on the churning dust.

The other dozen disciples showed grim looks too, still gripped by residual terror.

Despite thousands of years of erosion, the White Jade ground stayed flawlessly smooth and tough beyond belief.

If they hadn't dodged that abrupt mighty strike in time, wouldn't their bodies have ended up pitted like the White Jade ground?

Lu Wanshan snorted coldly, "What a cunning Undying Evil Venerable, such a devious trick!"

He required little deduction to realize this was the handiwork of the Undying Evil Venerable.

Xu Qianfan let out a breath, "Zhiyuan's alertness saved us this time; otherwise, we'd have lost all dignity!"

"Our lives would even have been at stake," an elder remarked while shaking his head, "Far too vicious."

By now, the White Jade surface had blackened completely, pulverized into dust.

The blast from those nine corpses unleashed power far exceeding expectations.

Even shielded by Gang Qi, they might not have endured, their lives hanging in peril.

"Zhiyuan, we owe you our lives," Xu Qianfan declared.

The Demon Suppressing Divine Tree hovered above Chu Zhiyuan's head, suspended in emptiness, casting down starlight gleams.

His hands shaped a seal, face etched with gravity.

Li Hongzhao lightly knitted her brows, "Looks like we'll have to deny it all."

Xu Qianfan sighed deeply, "Things being as they are, denial is our sole choice—the corpses are obliterated, no proof remains; thankfully, outsiders remain ignorant of this matter."

Another elder commented, "But that leaves no path for deeper investigation, does it?"

Xu Qianfan glanced at Chu Zhiyuan, "Zhiyuan, your view?"

Chu Zhiyuan affirmed, "I'll track their trail, pinpoint that Undying Evil Venerable's statue, and shatter it for lasting peace."

"Locating it would be perfect," Xu Qianfan replied, "Yet the Undying Evil Venerable proves hard to find, doesn't he?"

This scheme proved insidious and brutal, ambushing all unaware, underscoring the Undying Evil Venerable's dreadfulness.

Chu Zhiyuan replied, "I've crossed paths with him before; I won't allow him to keep roiling the waters."

"Proceed," Lu Wanshan commanded sternly, "Request whatever support you require."

Chu Zhiyuan shook his head, "Hongzhao's aid will be enough."

"When do you leave?"

"Immediately," Chu Zhiyuan responded, "The sooner the better."

"Go then," Lu Wanshan urged, "Stay cautious; avoid carelessness."

"Understood."

Chu Zhiyuan clasped his fist, laid it upon Li Hongzhao’s shoulder, then vanished.

Xu Qianfan sighed, "Zhiyuan’s Qinggong is truly phenomenal."

"Exceptional talent, abundant fortune, vast secret arts," Lu Wanshan grinned, "He's the blessing of our Heavenly Sword Sect."

Xu Qianfan sighed, "Without Zhiyuan this time, we'd be totally baffled."

Ding Chonglou nodded unhurriedly.

True Yuan flowed steadily through his meridians, already perfectly fluid.

Cultivation swiftly regained strength.

…

Chu Zhiyuan and Li Hongzhao flickered into view within the cave.

Li Hongzhao’s phoenix eyes roamed the cavern thoroughly, "Any clues lingering here?"

Chu Zhiyuan nodded, "This location holds importance; two trails exist, and we've only uncovered one."

"What's their true scheme?" Li Hongzhao queried, "Why target Brother Chonglou?"

Chu Zhiyuan shook his head.

Li Hongzhao pressed, "To refine an Evil Skill by devouring Brother Chonglou?"

"From current signs, it doesn't appear so." Chu Zhiyuan departed the cave, skimming over the canopy.

Li Hongzhao drifted beside him like a celestial maiden, "Then what's the intent?"

Chu Zhiyuan explained, "Likely to seize Brother Ding alive."

"Capture Brother Chonglou alive, for what next?"

"Countless possibilities," Chu Zhiyuan shook his head, "Impossible to confirm."

He quickened his pace, but Li Hongzhao matched him seamlessly; after half an hour, they perched atop a mountain crest.

Both peered afar at a gleaming golden statue.