Imperial Cultivation Chapter 1258 - 1254: Threat

With a grin, Lu Gengshen handed back the broken sword: "Nephew, you’re just teasing us!"

"We’re truly not skilled enough," Li Xinhe remarked with self-mockery, "failed to detect its danger."

Qi Qingmei possessed keen intuition, and Chu Zhiyuan’s was equally sharp, without question.

Neither of them detected anything wrong—not due to their noble hearts, but from their blunted perceptions.

Chu Zhiyuan grasped the broken sword and lightly flung it upward.

It shot straight into the sky, climbing over ten meters before halting, then plummeted downward.

With hand seals formed, Chu Zhiyuan pointed directly at it.

A golden orb the size of a palm materialized, gleaming like polished bronze, racing toward the broken sword.

"Buzz!"

The golden light smashed into the broken sword, echoing like a massive bell rung fiercely in the empty air.

Li Xinhe and his companions abruptly sensed the ground quaking as though an Earth Dragon writhed beneath, struggling to stay upright.

The two steadfast middle-aged men paled in an instant, blood spurting from their seven orifices, collapsing lifeless moments later.

Lu Xiaolu and the rest channeled their full power desperately, just managing to hold their ground.

Hovering above Chu Zhiyuan’s head, the Demon Suppressing Divine Tree manifested in the void.

The ethereal Divine Tree rustled in the breeze, sprinkling gentle starlight everywhere.

Suddenly, vitality surged through everyone, the dizziness vanished at once, and they steadied themselves firmly.

Starlight seeped into their bodies, akin to the Ganlin Technique refreshing their minds, bringing cool clarity to their thoughts.

They gazed upward at the broken sword hurtling through the sky.

Each clash with bursts of golden light sent it flying higher, unleashing thunderous booms every time.

Experts from the Four Sects far off tumbled down one by one, dropping into cross-legged positions to circulate their energy against the assault.

Chu Zhiyuan performed more hand seals; following additional golden bursts, his waist-mounted Golden Sword unsheathed itself, quivering excitedly in mid-air before charging at the broken sword.

"Whoosh!"

The shrill wail pierced straight through everyone’s eardrums.

The Demon Suppressing Divine Tree over Chu Zhiyuan’s head shook rapidly several times in the void.

Thick starlight rained down like falling snow.

This starlight revitalized all present, turning the shrill wail into mere irritating noise without further harm.

The distant Four Sects experts, upon hearing the wail, rolled their eyes back and fainted outright.

The Golden Sword stabbed into the broken sword’s hilt, unleashing blinding golden radiance that swallowed the broken sword whole.

Moments later, the golden light withdrew into the Golden Sword as the broken sword fragmented into bits, scattering to the earth.

Chu Zhiyuan broke into a smile.

"Is it destroyed?" Lu Xiaolu drifted closer, inspecting the shards on the ground.

She stooped to grab a piece, studying it closely.

The shard looked dull and lackluster, covered in a dusty film, bereft of its former shine.

She flicked it away, dusted her palms, and shook her head: "It’s already useless."

The piece lacked the chilling aura that once quickened her pulse; it was merely ordinary scrap metal.

The Golden Sword sheathed itself, and Chu Zhiyuan blurred through the valley.

He slapped the back of nearly every Four Sects expert, channeling True Yuan into them.

Upon his return, they blinked their eyes open one by one, glancing around in confusion.

Lu Gengshen burst into laughter: "Nephew Chu, your skill rivals Old Li’s Ganlin Technique!"

He flashed a toothy grin at Li Xinhe: "What do you say, Old Li?"

Li Xinhe chuckled heartily.

Lu Gengshen snickered: "Seems Old Li isn’t buying it."

Li Xinhe huffed: "Old Lu, must you be so small-minded?!"

Zhou Chongming cautioned: "Wonder if other Evil Sects possess such wicked treasures—Zhiyuan, stay vigilant."

Lu Xiaolu giggled lightly, waving it off: "Doesn’t he spot them first, denying them any shot at using their wicked treasures?"

Their wicked treasures never even activated before his detection, granting him the upper hand.

Chu Zhiyuan replied gravely: "Uncle, rest assured, I’ll remain extremely careful."

Zhou Chongming nodded approvingly.

Qi Qingmei urged: "Junior Brother, you can head out now. Leave the cleanup to us."

"Thank you, Senior Sister." Chu Zhiyuan nodded and saluted Lu Gengshen and Li Xinhe: "My gratitude, Uncles."

"Nephew, no need for such formality—it’s trivial." Lu Gengshen laughed.

Li Xinhe dismissed it with a smiling wave.

Chu Zhiyuan turned to Lu Xiaolu: "Senior Sister, I’m off now."

Lu Xiaolu reminded: "You haven’t forgotten what I told you, right?"

"Understood." Chu Zhiyuan smiled.

He offered another bow to the group and vanished in a blink.

"That Qinggong..." Lu Gengshen shook his head.

Li Xinhe sighed: "Can’t even approach it."

"The affair isn’t over," Zhou Chongming chuckled: "We should rush to the next spot without delay."

Lu Gengshen hurriedly replied: "Right, right, let’s move fast before word spreads and they flee, sparking huge problems!"

"Let’s rush there now!"

...

Chu Zhiyuan made his way back to his modest courtyard in the Heavenly Sword Branch, strolling back and forth with hands clasped behind him.

Within the emptiness of his mind, a sphere of deep black radiance was wrapped in Miao Jing Spirit Water, gradually contracting.

The black light orb, about the size of a fist, was diminishing at a snail’s pace.

This black light orb had been sealed inside the shattered sword, radiating intense chill.

Had it not been drawn into the Golden Sword and dispersed within the Miao Jing Spirit Water, likely no one in the valley would have lived.

In a moment, it could shatter their souls, leading to instant death.

This mass of black brilliance represented pure death power, unadulterated death energy.

He had no idea how this death energy formed, yet he understood it stemmed from Wanxiang Sect’s cultivation.

Wanxiang Sect utilized forbidden methods to gather the malevolent qi and resentments from the masters they slew, transforming them into death energy that solidified within this fractured sword.

Thereby making the death energy in the broken sword increasingly potent and terrifying.

Little surprise they felt so assured in slaying him.

Pacing with hands behind his back, he shook his head.

This death energy surpassed mere martial skills. Absent the Miao Jing Spirit Water, regardless of one’s cultivation level, none could withstand the death energy’s corrosion, perishing with souls withered away.

Since Wanxiang Sect wielded such malevolent and ruthless cursed items, what of the other Evil Sects?

...

As dusk fell, remnants of the sunset lingered.

Huang Zhengyang’s small courtyard.

Soft twilight bathed the small courtyard, along with Chu Zhiyuan and Huang Zhengyang seated before the flower beds.

Across a stone table, the pair faced one another.

"Sigh..." Huang Zhengyang placed his teacup down and sighed once more.

Chu Zhiyuan sipped his tea in silence, smiling: "Brother Huang, that’s your tenth sigh."

Huang Zhengyang gave a wry smile and shook his head: "The Director wore out his tongue trying, yet failed to sway the four Princes."

"No point in pushing," Chu Zhiyuan smiled, gesturing at the shattered sword pieces on the table: "What sort of cursed treasure is this, exactly?"

Wanxiang Sect remained ignorant of this cursed treasure’s true source.

Zhou Chongming and his group were clueless, as were all the Four Great Sects regarding its beginnings.

Huang Zhengyang lifted a fragment, inspected it briefly, then returned it to the stone table: "I’ll head back to investigate and consult someone."

"Please do, I’m keen to learn more."

"No trouble at all, just a quick task... does it really possess such might?"

"So it’s said." Chu Zhiyuan replied, "Yet we wiped out Wanxiang Sect beforehand, denying them any chance to deploy it."

"I’ve never heard of Wanxiang Sect owning such cursed items." Huang Zhengyang’s face darkened: "If Wanxiang Sect has them, what about the other Evil Sects?"

"Giant Spirit Sect didn’t," Chu Zhiyuan noted, "Though perhaps they lacked the moment to unleash it before annihilation."

Huang Zhengyang picked up another shard, studied it awhile, then shook his head: "Never laid eyes on it or heard tales... I’ll make inquiries."

Chu Zhiyuan remarked: "I suspect not every Evil Sect has them, but plenty surely do."

"Deeply troubling," Huang Zhengyang’s expression grew grave.

These cursed treasures seldom target average masters—too extravagant—reserved for peak experts or key figures.

He counted among them.

Facing such cursed treasures head-on, could he truly flee?

Flee once, twice, or even multiple times, but one slip would likely mean death.

The danger loomed far too immense.

This realization made sitting impossible; he rose sharply.

"Brother Chu, stay put, I’ll return shortly."

He gathered every fragment from the stone table into his sleeve, whirled around, and marched off.

Chu Zhiyuan observed his departure, shut his eyes, and turned his attention to the tiny Black Pearl in his mind.

The black light sphere had compressed into a small Black Pearl the size of a grape, profound and enigmatic.