Imperial Cultivation Chapter 1257 - 1253: Broken Sword

Chu Zhiyuan cupped his fists in a respectful salute.

Lu Gengshen let out a deep sigh, "Nephew Chu, it’s truly embarrassing—we had to call you here for assistance."

"Master Lu, it’s only a minor skill of mine. I’m delighted to lend a hand."

"It’s because we’re all so useless." Lu Gengshen shook his head.

"Come on, Old Lu!" Meng Xusheng chuckled, "Zhiyuan isn’t an outsider, no need for all this politeness!"

He grew solemn, "Zhiyuan, can you track him? He’s vanished without a trace, and that severed arm detonated, erasing every clue."

He indicated the stone wall, "This trap shrugs off even the Treasure Sword; we can’t crack it and are completely stumped."

"Uncle, I’ll chase him down," Chu Zhiyuan glanced toward Li Xinhe, "Is Junior Master Li okay?"

Lu Gengshen laughed, "Junior Sister Qi handled it, so he’ll be fine for sure. Old Li’s handsome looks are safe."

He shook his head again, "Old Li was way too careless this time!"

Meng Xusheng roared with laughter, "Who’d have guessed Ji Qingyun was this ruthless? No matter his martial skill, he can’t regrow a limb—yet he blew it up!"

A Venerable’s body far outstrips ordinary mortals. A lost limb can reattach in three to five days and heal fully.

Yet a Venerable lacks the power to regenerate limbs; once destroyed, the arm is lost forever, leaving permanent disability.

Exploding the arm means totally giving up any hope of recovery.

Few can make such a brutal choice so fast.

Ji Qingyun proves himself the ruthless Sect Master of Wanxiang Sect.

"Whew—!"

Li Xinhe expelled a long breath of impure air, his eyes opening as he turned to clasp fists at Qi Qingmei, who slowly drew back her jade palm. "Junior Sister Qi, thank you!"

Qi Qingmei gave a faint smile.

Lu Gengshen said, "Old Li, wash your face fast—you look scary right now."

Li Xinhe quickly wiped his face, saw brown powder on his hand, and dashed to the nearby pool.

Seeing his reflection, he recoiled in fright and scrubbed fiercely.

Qi Qingmei turned to Chu Zhiyuan, "Younger Brother, that wasn’t the thing you mentioned, right?"

Lu Gengshen replied, "Probably not, or our injuries wouldn’t be so minor."

"That power doesn’t match it." Zhou Chongming stated, "So where is it?"

"If we can’t find it, it’s fine," Meng Xusheng said, "Just kill Ji, and no one will know how to use it—no threat left."

"Makes sense." Lu Gengshen nodded, eyeing Chu Zhiyuan, "Nephew Chu, need any help?"

Chu Zhiyuan smiled, "Let Senior Sister Lu come with me."

Lu Xiaolu declared, "Then let’s go quick—slay him fast to end any future worries!"

"Several Masters..." Chu Zhiyuan clasped his fists.

"Hurry off, come back soon." Lu Gengshen urged, "You’re so calm while I’m anxious to death!"

His anxiety burned, yet Chu Zhiyuan’s steady pace made urging impossible.

Chu Zhiyuan smiled and cupped his fists.

Lu Xiaolu laid her small hand on his shoulder, and the duo vanished in a flash.

Li Xinhe stood straight, shook lightly, and steam billowed, drying the water beads for a fresh feel.

His face gleamed like crown jade, the tiny pits from before gone.

He checked his image in the pool, touched his face, and sighed in relief.

"Haha..." Lu Gengshen laughed, "Old Li, scared of losing that pretty face, huh?... You looked horrifying just now!"

Li Xinhe ignored him, clasping fists solemnly at Qi Qingmei.

Qi Qingmei waved her jade hand, surveyed the area, "Clear this up fast, then keep searching—question some to find that thing."

"Yes, we must locate it!" Lu Gengshen said, "Can’t just stand idle."

Li Xinhe dropped his hands, swallowing his embarrassment, "That round bead before was probably it... We wiped out too many Wanxiang Sect disciples at once, couldn’t gather enough power, so effect was weak."

"Old Li’s right." Lu Gengshen said, "Grab a few to ask, Junior Sister Qi—sorry for the hassle."

Qi Qingmei frowned lightly, nodding softly.

"I will!"

Lu Gengshen moved like a swift dragon, flashing forward to haul two men before Qi Qingmei.

These two middle-aged men had pale faces and lay unconscious.

Wanxiang Sect experts themselves, they’d been struck down personally, now with faint breaths, on the verge of death.

Lu Gengshen positioned them upright on the ground like sturdy pillars, darting swiftly around them while repeatedly slapping their chests and backs using both palms.

Each one endured precisely eighteen blows.

Once the eighteen strikes finished, Lu Gengshen stepped back to his spot, clapped his hands, thrust out his chest, and grinned with pride.

The faces of the two middle-aged men, previously pale with a golden tint, now flushed rosy, appearing completely unharmed.

Meng Xusheng chuckled, "Old Lu, your Ganlin Technique truly is remarkable."

Lu Gengshen beamed proudly, "Thank you, thank you."

Li Xinhe snorted, "Enough, don’t interrupt Junior Sister Qi’s secret technique anymore."

Qi Qingmei shaped seals with her hands, resembling white jade peonies blooming at her chest.

The Bright Moon Divine Sword released a soft white glow, gentle like moonlight, and drifted toward her delicate fingers.

Her slender fingers danced, mimicking white peonies that slowly folded shut before blooming once more.

Gentle light drifted into the emptiness, shaping two peonies that softly descended upon the foreheads of the two middle-aged men.

Once the two radiant peonies entered their brows, the men gradually opened their eyes.

Cold glints flashed instantly in their eyes as they yearned to strike, only to discover their bodies remained immobile.

Qi Qingmei let out a soft sigh and stated calmly, "Your Wanxiang Sect possesses a Treasure of extraordinary power, one that demands the united strength of the entire Wanxiang Sect to unleash—is it a Treasure Bead?"

A sharp cold light burst from their eyes, accompanied by mocking laughs of scorn.

Qi Qingmei softly shook her head.

Lu Gengshen appeared deeply disappointed, "Not it? Really not it?... Then what could it be?"

He fixed a fierce glare on the pair and snorted, "Forget that Treasure now—you’d better spill where it truly hides."

Qi Qingmei inquired, "Does Ji Qingyun carry it?"

The two shut their eyes, letting out sneers of contempt.

"Not with Ji Qingyun." Qi Qingmei softly shook her head.

"That complicates things." Meng Xusheng furrowed his brow, "Somewhere in this valley?"

Qi Qingmei focused briefly, then nodded lightly, "Yes, inside the valley."

Meng Xusheng pressed, "Which section of the valley—east, west, south, or north?"

Qi Qingmei gazed intently at the two men with eyes closed and murmured softly, "The southern area."

"South it is, then..." Meng Xusheng swiveled to eye the valley’s southern region.

Besides a water basin, a statue stood there as well.

"Perhaps that divine statue?" Meng Xusheng wondered aloud.

Qi Qingmei pondered for a moment before gently shaking her head.

Zhou Chongming asked, "Hidden in the water basin?"

Qi Qingmei fixed her stare on the two middle-aged men, eventually nodding faintly.

"Really in the water basin?" Everyone whipped their heads around to gaze at the basin simultaneously.

The modest water basin, roughly ten meters across, gleamed like a mirror, mirroring the surrounding rock walls.

Lu Gengshen glanced at Li Xinhe, "Old Li, notice anything earlier?"

With those words, he bounded toward the basin’s rim.

Li Xinhe trailed right behind.

Both bent over the edge, peering downward.

The water sparkled with clarity, fish at the depths gliding as though through empty space.

Clusters of deep green water weeds swayed delicately, akin to willow branches swaying in a breeze, twirling elegantly.

Their gazes swept the basin floor like lightning bolts, yet detected no trace.

Just an assortment of pebbles and fine sand lay at the bottom, with nothing more.

"I’ll dive in to check." Lu Gengshen plunged forward, diving headlong like a fish plunging into the basin’s depths.

Fish scattered in panic, sediment and rocks stirred up, turning the pristine water murky in an instant.

"Idiot!" Li Xinhe cursed, "Old Lu, hold on!"

But Lu Gengshen, submerged below, heard nothing and prowled the basin floor meticulously, inspecting every inch.

The ten-meter-wide circular basin got thoroughly combed in short order.

Lu Gengshen required no air and persisted in patrolling the bottom.

Zhou Chongming and Meng Xusheng stayed back, remaining near the two middle-aged captives.

Zhou Chongming vigilantly watched the pair.

Meng Xusheng then questioned, "Does it resemble a stone?"

Qi Qingmei gently shook her head.

Meng Xusheng probed, "About palm-sized?"

Qi Qingmei shook her head.

"Smaller than that?"

Qi Qingmei shook her head.

"Larger?"

Qi Qingmei nodded.

"A sword?"

Qi Qingmei nodded faintly.

"A sword!" Meng Xusheng exclaimed in sudden delight.

Li Xinhe, positioned by the basin, caught the words and yelled, "Old Lu, it’s a sword!"

Lu Gengshen burst from the water, landing lightly while clutching a fractured sword, corroded and speckled with rust.

Merely a third of the blade remained, revealing a verdant tint under the rust, unmistakably an relic from ancient times.

"Is this the one?"

His garments fluttered slightly, vapor rising as they dried instantly; then he swung it cautiously, movements tender.

Not from fear of shattering it, but dread that its might proved overwhelmingly fierce, endangering himself.

Qi Qingmei gazed at the two middle-aged men, her luminous eyes sparkling, and moments later, she nodded softly, "That's it."

Zhou Chongming along with the other four fixated on her stunning face, and upon seeing her nod, they grinned right away.

"We've finally located it!"

"All that effort wasn't in vain!"

"If we failed to discover this, we'd have labored pointlessly and felt too embarrassed to show our faces."

Li Xinhe remarked, "But what do we do with this item?"

"Hand it to Zhiyuan." Lu Gengshen declared, "He can deal with it."

"Right, pass it to him... Not sure if he's overtaken Ji Qingyun yet."

A silhouette flickered into view as Chu Zhiyuan materialized.

One hand clamped onto Lu Xiaolu's slender shoulder, while the other gripped Ji Qingyun's.

Ji Qingyun's eyes were already shut tight, and upon release, he plummeted directly downward.

"Bang!"

His body crashed hard against the earth.

Lu Xiaolu chuckled, "Settled in a single strike!"

Chu Zhiyuan eyed the shattered sword clutched in Lu Gengshen's grasp, then turned to Zhou Chongming.

Zhou Chongming gave a subtle nod.

Chu Zhiyuan grinned, "Is this the one?"

"Junior Sister Qi confirmed it, so no doubt about it." Lu Gengshen passed it along, "Still puzzled as to why it feels so malevolent."

Chu Zhiyuan stretched out to grasp it, his brows knitting instantly.

The Miao Jing Spirit Water within his mind jolted fiercely all of a sudden.

Chu Zhiyuan grasped at once that this fractured sword radiated baleful aura, potent enough to unsettle the spirit.

With a light flick, he made the rust flake off rapidly, while the verdant patina crumbled away.

In mere moments, it gleamed fresh and pristine, with complex designs subtly emerging, seeming to sprout naturally from the blade itself instead of being etched on.

Chu Zhiyuan creased his forehead, gave it a quick scan, then offered it to Zhou Chongming, "Master Uncle, could this be some relic sword from antiquity?"

Zhou Chongming refused to accept it, merely peeked at it before shifting his gaze to Qi Qingmei.

Qi Qingmei reached out her elegant hand to seize it, only to return it promptly to Chu Zhiyuan.

Chu Zhiyuan beamed, "Doesn't this blade carry a sinister vibe?"

"Its malevolent aura weighs too heavily." Qi Qingmei shook her head, "Likely an ancient sword."

Li Xinhe spoke up, "Allow me to give it a go."

Chu Zhiyuan passed the sword to him.

Once Li Xinhe took hold, he hefted it with care, probed it thoroughly, shook his head, and forwarded it to Lu Gengshen.

Lu Gengshen accepted it, gave it a swing, looking equally baffled, "What's so odd about it?"

Chu Zhiyuan chuckled, "Perhaps Master Lu and Master Li brim with righteous Qi, holding its influence at bay."

In truth, their perception simply lacked the required keenness.