Imperial Cultivation Chapter 1247 - 1243: Difficult to Deal With

The sun lingers high in the eastern horizon.

Beneath the glaring sunlight, the golden statue erupted in a brilliance far outshining the sun itself.

Golden rays supplanted the sun entirely, bathing every peak across a ten-mile span.

Li Hongzhao’s phoenix-like eyes gleamed: "Is this the statue of the Undying Evil Venerable?"

Chu Zhiyuan nodded with grave slowness.

The golden sword hanging at his waist buzzed with joy, like a child spotting tasty treats, its gaze alight with eager impatience to surge ahead.

Li Hongzhao let out a soft chuckle: "Intriguing, this must be an illusion technique, right? Quite the formidable illusion technique."

Her phoenix eyes shimmered with vibrant hues.

The Phoenix Bloodline power stirred within her, surging fiercely and shattering all illusions before her eyes.

The radiant golden statue appeared to birth an entire miniature realm.

Within that realm, phoenixes led flocks of birds in flight, with her and Chu Zhiyuan each mounted on a phoenix, gliding unbound through the skies.

Her unique true yuan flowed, causing the miniature world to waver, fading in and out of sight.

Chu Zhiyuan had warned her beforehand that the Undying Evil Venerable’s statue wielded mind-bending powers and illusionary arts.

Without that foreknowledge, she might have dismissed this realm as utterly alien to their world, convinced of its reality.

"Seemingly real yet illusory," Chu Zhiyuan remarked: "The core art of the Undying Evil Venerable, the Spirit Secret Technique."

With a light laugh, he turned: "Not so sure it’s fake now, are you?"

Li Hongzhao replied: "We’re standing right here, yet we’re shown over there—could there be two of us? It’s fake on sight."

Chu Zhiyuan shook his head with a smile: "Without the Phoenix Bloodline, even witnessing this wouldn’t raise the slightest doubt."

"That’s truly formidable." Li Hongzhao said: "Can it seize minds just with this?"

Chu Zhiyuan affirmed with a nod: "Even stronger secret arts await. Draw nearer, and you’ll feel them yourself."

"Let’s go!" Li Hongzhao brimmed with zeal.

The Phoenix Bloodline shines in battle drills but stays hidden in daily life.

Now, she could unleash it freely, filling her with thrilled anticipation.

Chu Zhiyuan smiled and shook his head: "Don’t embarrass yourself later."

"You think too little of me?" Li Hongzhao shot him a sidelong glance: "Come on, let’s check it out!"

Chu Zhiyuan reached out his hand.

Li Hongzhao glided forward elegantly, her robes billowing as though she treaded on clouds.

Side by side with Chu Zhiyuan, they crossed multiple peaks, reaching the closest one.

Adjacent to the golden statue’s peak, a close-up view of it instilled profound awe.

Towering a hundred meters high and over thirty meters across, it loomed grandly atop the mountain, seemingly afloat in the void.

Distant glimpses hid its power, but up close, its overwhelming might pierced heaven and earth.

Li Hongzhao’s smile intensified abruptly, her face alight with delight as she stared vacantly afar.

Chu Zhiyuan shook his head in helpless amusement.

His hands formed seals, and he intoned softly: "Dismiss!"

Li Hongzhao’s smile stiffened, shifting to shock as she whipped her head toward Chu Zhiyuan: "This... is genuinely terrifying!"

She had just revisited Little Outer Heaven and Yujing, where Chu Zhiyuan became a stranger to her.

Ambition had blazed within her then, certain she could crush him underfoot, shatter the realm’s limits, and claim supremacy in the Imperial Family.

The instant she snapped awake, it dawned that it was mere illusion, with no prior inkling of deceit.

"Mighty, isn’t it?" Chu Zhiyuan chuckled.

Li Hongzhao nodded in genuine admiration.

She frowned slightly: "But does this illusion alone allow mind control?"

Chu Zhiyuan explained: "Step by step: the illusion first cracks your mental defenses, and once fully off-guard, it stealthily reshapes your thoughts, beliefs, even memories."

"...That horrifying?"

Chu Zhiyuan declared: "Slaying without a trace—that’s the Undying Evil Venerable, impossible to guard against."

"How do we resist it?" Li Hongzhao scrutinized the golden statue.

Chu Zhiyuan scanned the surroundings.

Li Hongzhao asked: "Others here too? Has it ensnared more experts?"

Chu Zhiyuan denied with a shake: "Just those nine for now... let’s smash this thing first and observe."

Li Hongzhao pointed out: "Destroy it, and those nine’s deaths become a mystery, won’t they?"

Chu Zhiyuan grinned.

Li Hongzhao queried: "Why the smile? Did I miss something?"

Chu Zhiyuan shook his head with a smile: "Your ideas stem from the Da Meng Emperor or the Court, yet we aren't the Court—we're merely a Martial Arts Sect."

Li Hongzhao furrowed her brows slightly, lost in contemplation.

Despite her sharp mind, she still hadn't broken free from that trap.

At these words, realization dawned on her swiftly—she'd been applying Court protocols to a Martial Arts Sect.

Heavenly Sword Sect, as one of the Four Great Sects, had no need for the Court's strict formality.

Chu Zhiyuan continued: "Those nine are fated to vanish, likely struck down by Evil Demons or Demons; such events abound in this world."

"... Sigh, nothing else for it." Li Hongzhao let out a helpless sigh.

Chu Zhiyuan tapped his waist, and the golden sword burst forth impatiently, morphing into a beam of golden light hurtling at the statue.

"Bang!"

"Bang bang bang bang..."

…

Waves of golden sword qi erupted from the Golden Sword, slamming against the golden radiance pouring from the statue.

Like an impenetrable golden barrier, the light enveloped the statue completely, standing firm against the Golden Sword's assaults.

The Golden Sword's strikes appeared utterly powerless.

Collisions between sword light and the golden shield boomed like thunderous drums, jolting their very souls.

Li Hongzhao creased her forehead.

Her heart pounded fiercely with each impact, her True Yuan unable to quell the turmoil.

With a soft huff, she remarked, "Your sword grows ever mightier!"

The sheer force within the Golden Sword was staggering, leaving her unsettled merely from the clashes.

Chu Zhiyuan nodded with a grin, "It's advancing rapidly, that's for sure."

As if comprehending his praise, the Golden Sword surged with fervor.

The sword aura around its blade thickened, shifting from mere golden glow to purple gold, evolving from a translucent form into a majestic Purple Gold Sword.

"Clink clink clink clink..."

Metallic clashes rang out fiercely, pitting the true Golden Sword against the golden shield.

"Can you break through?" Li Hongzhao eyed the unchanging golden shield, which seemed eternally unyielding.

Chu Zhiyuan replied, "It's nearly done."

With that, his left hand pressed to her back, channeling a soothing chill.

Li Hongzhao gazed curiously at the golden statue as its radiance exploded, like a blazing sun crashing before her, dazzling beyond measure.

She narrowed her eyes instinctively, a booming rebuke thundering in her ears: "Bold!"

In the next breath, her sight flared brighter—the statue's golden light coalesced into a humanoid figure mid-air, while another golden form peeled away from the statue itself.

Fusing together aloft, the two silhouettes sharpened into a lifelike, imposing presence.

A striking young man emerged, radiating dominance.

His features were chiseled, brows thick and bold, eyes profound, nose prominent, aura icy and authoritative.

Draped in a golden sheen, his gaze gleamed with godly luster, face etched with stern frigidity.

He cast a icy sneer toward Chu Zhiyuan.

Chu Zhiyuan's face hardened.

This time, the Undying Evil Venerable had taken solid form, unlike prior mere projections of might.

A perilous vibe emanated from this youth.

His hands wove intricate seals, bracing for a dire foe.

Overhead loomed the silhouette of the Demon Suppressing Divine Tree, branches rustling, sprinkling starlight.

The Golden Sword vanished in a flash, only to reemerge before Chu Zhiyuan, launching at the golden youth.

"Clink clink clink clink..."

The crisp peals persisted as the golden youth lifted his palm like a sharpened edge, nimbly parrying the Golden Sword.

It echoed the ring of clashing steel.

Chu Zhiyuan yanked Li Hongzhao nearer: "Let’s go!"

They flickered away into nothingness.

Moments later, Zhu Lingyun materialized nearby in the void, hands weaving seals.

Chu Liezhao arrived on his heels, summoning the Haoyang Demon-suppressing Mirror into his grasp.

The golden youth faltered abruptly, snared by Zhu Lingyun’s arcane art.

Instantly, the Golden Sword lanced through his forehead.

"Ah——!"

A piercing wail tore across the skies, echoing far beyond the clouds.

Now concealed behind a mountain, propped against a rocky face, Li Hongzhao puzzled over the cry that reached her.

Her vision blurred, her soul teetering on the brink of departure.

A refreshing chill surged in the next instant, anchoring her soul firmly.

Chu Zhiyuan's look grew grave; he shook his head.

Even with the Golden Sword impaling its brow, slaying the Undying Evil Venerable proved impossible—this foe was relentlessly vexing.

Right then, Chu Liezhao withdrew the Haoyang Demon-suppressing Mirror, his palms forming seals once more.

A golden dragon, arm-sized, materialized before him.

In the void, a colossal golden dragon breathed forth a brilliant golden radiance upon the diminutive golden dragon, rendering it semi-transparent as it morphed into a hazy golden rivulet hurtling toward the golden youth.

The golden youth halted briefly mid-air, unleashing a furious roar before vanishing in a flash, reappearing instantly before Chu Zhiyuan.

Chu Zhiyuan and Li Hongzhao vanished.

He vanished right after.

Chu Zhiyuan and Li Hongzhao materialized atop a mountain summit, and he pursued, appearing moments later.

Then, he was suddenly frozen in place.

Zhu Lingyun swung the golden staff, her gaze icy as she watched the Golden Sword pierce his brow; the unwillingness in his eyes faded, his form dissolving into a spectrum of vibrant lights that the Haoyang Demon-suppressing Mirror swiftly ensnared.

In that instant, Chu Zhiyuan and Li Hongzhao disappeared once more, reverting to their prior spot.

Li Hongzhao's face drained of color, her phoenix eyes wide with bewilderment and stupor.

PS: Last day, requesting monthly votes.