Imperial Cultivation Chapter 1250 - 1246: Effortless

With a smile, Chu Zhiyuan cupped his fists: "Brother Huang, I’ll take my leave."

Huang Zhengyang declared gravely: "I’ll go seek the Director. I’ll give it my all, and we’ll see if it succeeds."

Chu Zhiyuan cupped his fists once more.

Huang Zhengyang accompanied him right to the Evil Extermination Department’s gate.

Right as Chu Zhiyuan prepared to depart, two middle-aged men draped in enigmatic cloaks hurtled over from the distance, resembling a pair of dark cranes soaring elegantly to land close by.

"Director Huang." They halted suddenly, cupped their fists in greeting, their complexions ashen.

Chu Zhiyuan knitted his brows.

He sensed the pair were already wounded, enveloped by a subtle bloody aroma.

Huang Zhengyang creased his forehead: "Old Zheng, Old Sun, what happened to you both...?"

The plump-faced middle-aged man cupped his fists and reported: "Director, a divine statue of an Undying Evil Venerable has shown up beyond Ben City. Old Sun and I spotted it and planned to inform you, but shadowy experts chased us down, and we just managed to flee."

"Yet another Undying Evil Venerable!" Huang Zhengyang’s expression turned grim: "Are the wounds severe?"

The broad-faced middle-aged man shook his head: "Nothing major, but that Undying Evil Venerable’s divine statue must be shattered at once, or the folks in Ben City could..."

The plump-faced middle-aged man added: "The Undying Evil Venerable won’t let those commoners off, Director—it’s critical!"

Chu Zhiyuan stated: "Brother Huang, I’ll head there to check it out."

Huang Zhengyang didn’t waver: "Brother Chu, I’m relying on you! ...Old Zheng, Old Sun, guide Brother Chu there—he can deal with the Undying Evil Venerable!"

From within his robes, he retrieved a jade vial and flung it toward them: "Use this."

The plump-faced middle-aged man snatched the jade vial, uncorked it, and shook out two crimson elixirs.

He passed one to the broad-faced middle-aged man and swallowed the other himself.

Chu Zhiyuan observed the crimson elixir dissolving right away in the mouth, turning into a rush of scorching vitality that instantly boosted the blood circulation all through their bodies.

Their blood raced faster, mending the prior wounds rapidly, while True Yuan also churned vigorously.

The duo shared a look, then faced Chu Zhiyuan and cupped their fists: "Are you Mr. Chu Zhiyuan?"

In the Evil Extermination Department, Mr. Chu’s stunning feats and mighty battle prowess were famous for ages.

If it had been anyone else, they’d waver, but upon hearing it was Chu Zhiyuan, no suspicions arose.

"Yes, it’s Chu." Chu Zhiyuan affirmed with a nod: "Since time is of the essence, shall we depart now, sirs?"

"Mr. Chu, come with us!"

They cupped fists toward Huang Zhengyang before pivoting, like twin black cranes, darting off into the horizon.

Chu Zhiyuan cupped his fists to Huang Zhengyang and soared after them.

The Golden Sword on his waist sprang forth again.

——

Chu Zhiyuan strode alongside the two middle-aged men, each resting a hand on their shoulders.

The trio morphed into a beam of radiant light, gliding smoothly ahead.

The landscape blurred past them, their velocity leaving the pair in stunned admiration.

"Mr. Chu, imagine if we possessed such Qinggong!" The plump-faced middle-aged man exclaimed in wonder.

Chu Zhiyuan laughed lightly: "Mr. Zheng flatters me; I just have a knack for Qinggong... how many pursuers were there?"

"Eight!" The plump-faced middle-aged man replied gravely: "Luckily their cultivation wasn’t too strong, or we’d never have gotten away."

"We’ve slain four already." The broad-faced middle-aged man huffed: "They battled like madmen, resorting to suicidal techniques when they realized they couldn’t halt us!"

Chu Zhiyuan nodded: "Total domination of mind and soul... that’s the dread of the Undying Evil Venerable."

The plump-faced middle-aged man warned: "Mere control over eight experts for now—if ignored, Ben City’s entire populace might fall under sway, and then..."

He shook his head, face heavy with worry.

The broad-faced middle-aged man continued: "Enthralling one city’s people to assault neighboring towns—unimaginable horror!"

Chu Zhiyuan agreed: "Truly horrifying!"

He reckoned the Undying Evil Venerable lacked the power to seize control over a whole city’s inhabitants yet.

It demanded far too much spiritual force.

The smartest tactic was dominating a handful of elites, expending minimal spiritual force for maximum impact.

Yet no point voicing it.

Who could predict the true extent of the Undying Evil Venerable’s control?

What if it poured vast spiritual force to dominate an entire city’s masses?

Each of these Undying Evil Venerables followed their unique cultivation paths, rendering their tactics and behaviors completely unpredictable.

"They’re here." Chu Zhiyuan pointed with his chin.

From afar, six red-robed middle-aged men emerged, their robes fluttering like six crimson clouds drifting nearer.

When they got within a few meters, they thrust out their palms, crafting six crimson hand seals.

Those hand seals looked rather faint and shaky.

They pressed on with more palm strikes, generating another set of six seals that blended into the first batch and combined seamlessly.

The crimson hand seal grew a bit more solid.

Next, yet another six seals merged in.

With every layer of overlapping seals, the formation gained solidity, and after multiple layers, all six resembled red jade carvings.

Six flying knives burst from Chu Zhiyuan’s sleeve, tracing varied arcs through the sky, evading the six hand seals, and stabbing straight into the hearts of the six red-robed middle-aged men.

Upon facing the flying knives, the red-robed men’s faces twisted in shock; some pulled back, others dodged aside, some leaped high, and some dropped low.

But their dodges only seemed to guide them directly onto the knives’ paths, which nailed their hearts precisely and burst out from their backs.

The knives then quivered mid-air, flinging off the blood from their edges, before agilely slipping back into Chu Zhiyuan’s sleeve.

Zheng Sun and his partner stood stunned.

They observed the entire scene, frozen in awe, as those six flying knives acted like sentient creatures, incredibly clever ones at that.

The blades had foreseen the six men’s moves, positioning ahead to meet them perfectly.

After impaling the hearts, they scornfully shed the blood and withdrew.

Those six knives resembled six supreme Martial Arts masters, far superior to the red-robed middle-aged foes, dispatching them with ease.

Rumors of Chu Zhiyuan’s Demon Suppressing Sword Skill being matchless and one-of-a-kind had reached their ears.

This marked their first glimpse of it in action.

"Let’s go."

Chu Zhiyuan glided forward without pause, paying no heed to the fallen red-robed men.

"Mr. Chu, what a brilliant sword technique!"

"Is this the Demon Suppressing Saber?"

"Yes, it is the Demon Suppressing Saber."

"Its reputation is truly deserved! Remarkable!"

"Don’t flatter me." Chu Zhiyuan grinned, then sped up abruptly: "The Undying Evil Venerable already knows we’re here, the distance isn’t far, right?"

If not, those red-robed middle-aged men wouldn’t have intercepted them so precisely.

"It’s about ten miles away now," the round-faced middle-aged man answered. "How will you handle it, sir?"

"Simply fight our way through," Chu Zhiyuan declared. "Destroy the statue first, and then we’ll discuss other matters."

Abruptly, he halted.

At this point, they perched on a mountaintop, spotting a distant golden glow.

Chu Zhiyuan instructed: "Gentlemen, stay here and observe, lend support if necessary."

"This..." The pair wavered.

Focusing their sight afar, they discerned the radiant golden statue.

Even a brief concentration stirred inner turmoil, emanating straight from the Undying Evil Venerable’s statue.

Chu Zhiyuan warned: "If I’m overpowered, you two retreat and fetch aid from Director Huang. If we all charge in and fail, we’re doomed!"

The round-faced middle-aged man responded gravely: "Mr. Chu, alright, we’ll watch from here... and be careful!"

Chu Zhiyuan smiled and nodded.

His form drifted forward steadily, racing toward the golden statue.

The square-faced middle-aged man murmured deeply: "Old Zheng, will Mr. Chu be alright?"

"Just watch," the round-faced middle-aged man shot back. "And behold Mr. Chu’s true prowess!"

"So confident?"

"I believe there’s no problem!"

While they talked, six more red-robed middle-aged men burst from the woods below, charging at Chu Zhiyuan.

Six flying knives flew from Chu Zhiyuan’s sleeve once more, dispatching them effortlessly.

Then, the longsword on his waist morphed into a beam of clear light, flashing through the air toward the statue.

The golden statue unleashed a surge of radiance, erecting a golden barrier of light.

Yet the golden light shield failed utterly to stop the clear light; it slipped through without a sound, hitting the statue and unveiling the crystalline sword.

The see-through sword danced elegantly over key spots amid the expanding golden glow.

"Bang!"

The golden statue shattered into a puff of dust, swallowing the translucent sword.

"This..."

The two looked at each other, shock mirrored in their gazes.

They could hardly fathom how the Undying Evil Venerable’s statue crumbled so effortlessly.

They found themselves unable to shake off the suspicion that the statue might be counterfeit, wondering if they had veered onto the incorrect path.

"This..." The square-faced middle-aged man stood speechless: "This..."

"What an extraordinary Mr. Chu!" The round-faced middle-aged man exclaimed in wonder, "Remarkable!"

"Could it be real?" The square-faced middle-aged man questioned, "Is this truly the statue of the Undying Evil Venerable?"

"Let’s go, let’s take a look," the round-faced middle-aged man said as he levitated upward.

The square-faced middle-aged man swiftly followed behind.

They arrived at the spot shortly after, spotting Chu Zhiyuan positioned solemnly at the place where the statue had previously been.

The statue's former location lay reduced to fine dust, already swept away by the gusting wind.