Imperial Cultivation Chapter 1273 - 1269: Exchange of Blows
Previously on Imperial Cultivation...
Upon arriving at Qingyun City, Xiao Ruoling found herself before a magnificent courtyard.
A plaque bearing the elegantly inscribed characters 'Profound Yin Courtyard' hung above the entrance, its calligraphy distinctly feminine.
"This is indeed a separate courtyard from the palace," Xiao Ruoling remarked. "The message has been dispatched, and we should receive a response shortly."
Chu Zhiyuan inquired, "How long until we have the results?"
"Within the hour, the Court will receive the news and can act swiftly. By tomorrow morning, we should have our answer," Xiao Ruoling replied.
Chu Zhiyuan gave a slow nod.
Xiao Ruoling then asked, "Shall we proceed with our plans now?"
Chu Zhiyuan shook his head. "No need to rush."
Xiao Ruoling commented, "If there’s no urgency, we wouldn't need to send messages from here. We could return to the Profound Yin Palace. Shall we head back?"
"Let's return," Chu Zhiyuan agreed.
From this point forward, he would be able to teleport here directly, arriving whenever he desired.
The two figures then drifted towards the Luo Family residence.
As they moved, Xiao Ruoling, embraced by the gentle breeze and bathed in moonlight, chuckled softly. "Does my husband wish to wait for him to cause a disturbance below, thereby applying pressure to the Court?"
Chu Zhiyuan let out a soft chuckle in response.
Xiao Ruoling turned her head, her bright eyes gleaming as she gazed at him. "If he harms some innocent people because of this, will you feel guilty, my love?"
"My lady," Chu Zhiyuan said with a smile, "are you attempting to persuade me to act with haste?"
"If you act hastily... it will disrupt your plans and fail to place adequate pressure on the Court."
Xiao Ruoling knitted her brows slightly.
She mused to herself that if she were in his position, she too would find the decision quite challenging.
On one hand, sufficient pressure needed to be exerted upon the Court; on the other, causing harm to innocent civilians would lead to guilt and regret.
It seemed nearly impossible to balance both objectives, implying one would have to be sacrificed.
Ultimately, it might become necessary to eliminate the threat posed by Zhuo Yifan prematurely to alleviate the pressure on the Court.
The Court was unlikely to impart any secret techniques.
Chu Zhiyuan smiled and stated, "I shall devise another method."
Xiao Ruoling gazed at him, her bright eyes curious. "What alternative method do you have in mind?"
"Let us first ascertain if it is feasible," Chu Zhiyuan replied with a smile.
His heart and spirit concentrated, allowing him to clearly perceive the unfolding situation involving Zhu Lingyun.
Zhu Lingyun was advancing rapidly, and by dawn, he was expected to recover his peak condition.
Xiao Ruoling pouted. "You're keeping secrets!"
"I am unsure if it will succeed. If it does not, I will need to borrow the strength of your Profound Yin Palace once more."
"In that case, at least tell me."
"I cannot disclose it yet."
"How annoying!"
Xiao Ruoling playfully glared at him.
Chu Zhiyuan smiled, drew her into his embrace, and then vanished in a flash, reappearing within the small courtyard of the Luo Mansion.
Xiao Ruoling departed the courtyard to bid farewell to Senior Sister Luo. Upon her return, the pair vanished in an instant.
The very next moment, they materialized within the Imperial City of Biyuan Heaven.
The Imperial City was a metropolis that never slept; myriad lanterns dispelled the bright moonlight, bathing the entire city in a warm glow.
The streets teemed with activity, and he and Xiao Ruoling, their appearances subtly altered, mingled with the crowds, appearing as an ordinary couple.
...
Wanxiang Cliff
The bamboo forest stretched out like a verdant sea, its green waves surging.
In a secluded courtyard nestled halfway up the mountain, a handsome middle-aged man strolled with his hands clasped behind his back.
One hand was held behind him, while his right hand tightly clutched a round jade pendant roughly the size of half a palm.
The jade pendant emanated a subtle, soft glow.
Etched on either side of the jade pendant were stylized eyes, one partially open, the other partially closed, with light subtly emanating from them.
At that precise moment, a clear voice called out from beyond the courtyard's confines: "Master Zhuo, a messenger has arrived with a letter for you from outside the cliff."
The handsome middle-aged man responded in a deep voice, "Enter."
He then tucked his right hand back into his sleeve, concealing the jade pendant from view.
The courtyard gate swung open, and a young man of unremarkable appearance entered.
He cupped his fists in a respectful salute and approached with the letter. "A woodsman from the mountain delivered this, requesting that Master Zhuo open it personally."
The handsome middle-aged man glanced at the letter and pursed his lips.
The young man placed the envelope on a stone table, offered another cupped-fist salute, and then departed, closing the gate behind him.
The envelope rested on the stone table, bearing only the inscription: "For Zhuo Yifan’s eyes only".
The handsome middle-aged man, Zhuo Yifan, fixed his gaze upon these words, scrutinizing them intently.
The handwriting was elegant, possessing an air of untamed flair.
He frowned, examining it several times before shaking his head.
His memory held no record of such a distinctive script, leading him to conclude it belonged to a stranger.
To be a renowned figure residing on the cliff wasn't an uncommon scenario for someone to express admiration through writing.
With a swift motion, he unsheathed his sword, delicately slicing open the envelope before carefully extracting the letter and unfurling it.
His countenance immediately shifted, darkening considerably.
The two characters inscribed upon it struck him with particular intensity: "Descent".
Any association with these two characters, whether noticed by the sect's patrols or even fellow disciples, signaled an irreversible downfall, a plunge from which recovery was impossible.
Therefore, it was paramount that this discovery remained concealed!
Furthermore, the audacity of this individual to pen a letter issuing threats was akin to actively seeking their own demise!
A frigid, electric glint emanated from his eyes as he tightened his grip on the Jade Pendant in his right hand.
A wave of internal annoyance washed over him.
This Divine Communication Spirit Jade proved to be far less convenient and significantly more intricate than he had initially conceived.
The Divine Embryo intended to descend into Biyuan Heaven necessitated an immense reservoir of power for its complete awakening and ultimate arrival.
His current capabilities allowed for only a sixty to seventy percent descent, a state already considered quite stable. However, persistent issues had surfaced, particularly in recent times.
He was aware of two prior failures, incidents where the individuals were detected by patrollers due to unsuccessful descents.
Within the sect, Elder Hu had already perfected a Miracle Technique, capable of identifying the anomalies during a failed descent with unerring accuracy.
Consequently, the peril associated with descending had escalated multifold, posing a constant threat of cultivation being crippled and expulsion from the sect.
To circumvent such a fate, absolute smoothness was required in every step.
Achieving an eighty to ninety percent descent would render the process exceptionally secure, a true descent.
While the secret technique fell short of this, the Divine Communication Spirit Jade offered a potential pathway.
Yet, he had never anticipated that the Divine Embryo manifested by this Spirit Jade would demand such an extraordinary expenditure of power.
A magnitude far exceeding his wildest imaginings, and it remained unactivated to this day.
And now, someone had apparently discovered his descent and was leveraging this knowledge for coercion.
Could this be considered extortion?
Had they genuinely uncovered his descent, or were they merely probing for information?
Should he comply, it would be an implicit admission of his descent.
However, what if he chose to disregard the threat?
His expression flickered with indecision before he finally clenched his jaw, clutching the Jade Pendant, and ascended from his modest courtyard. He then proceeded southward, traversing the mountain ridges for approximately fifty miles.
At length, he halted atop a summit, surveyed his surroundings, and inquired in a hushed tone, "Where is the individual?"
Suddenly, Chu Zhiyuan materialized behind him.
Zhuo Yifan spun around, drawing his sword with the intent to strike.
The sword's tip gleamed ominously.
Before Chu Zhiyuan’s very eyes, an overwhelming torrent of sword shadows erupted, so dense that evasion seemed impossible.
Each beam of sword light radiated a chilling aura, imbued with a terrifying, unendurable power.
In that fleeting moment, despair consumed him, leaving him no recourse but to close his eyes and await his end.
He formed a series of hand seals, applying gentle pressure.
The sword light harbored an Illusionary Realm.
And it contained duality within its illusions.
The overwhelming, densely packed sword light was an illusion, as was the singular beam of light.
The actual strike, however, was a fusion of more than a dozen sword lights, effectively projecting over a dozen swords simultaneously.
This was his inaugural experience with the full might of the Undying Evil Venerable, and indeed, its potency was astounding; a single sword strike possessed such formidable power.
Yet, he had mastered the Heavenly Yuan Technique, possessed three clones, the Miao Jing Spirit Water, the Demon Suppressing Divine Tree, and the Power of Merit.
These combined assets rendered him exceptionally resilient against Spiritual Attacks.
Furthermore, the Dragon Soaring Bell was securely housed within his mind.
He effortlessly shattered the illusion, then vanished from his position, reappearing directly behind Zhuo Yifan.
While in You Meng Heaven, his True Yuan was subject to influence, this did not extend to the Earth Origin Technique or the Great Demon Suppressing Seal.
And Zhuo Yifan, with fierce eyes, abruptly unleashed a flurry of more than a dozen sword strikes to the side.
He harbored no intention of engaging in discourse, solely desiring to eliminate the witness and dispatch Chu Zhiyuan.
However, the direction of his thrusts deliberately avoided Chu Zhiyuan.
Chu Zhiyuan reformed his hand seals once more, condensing the Great Demon Suppressing Seal, channeling the aura of both the Demon Suppressing Divine Tree and Merit.
Chu Liezhao slowly emerged, a cold smirk gracing his lips.
Despite this, Zhuo Yifan persisted with his attacks, instantaneously consolidating one sword from the dozen, and continuing his relentless assault.
Intricate sword lights wove a dense tapestry in the air.
Yet, without exception, each strike narrowly missed Chu Zhiyuan.
It was as if they were intentionally circumventing him, or perhaps he was employing some peculiar and unsettling martial art.
With a smile plastered on his face, Chu Zhiyuan watched Zhuo Yifan's every move. He carefully analyzed the young man's movement technique, attempting to gauge his actual cultivation level and combat prowess.
Moments turned into minutes as time sped onward.
Zhuo Yifan had unleashed more than a hundred sword strikes, his Sword Qi filling the air, crisscrossing and lingering without dissipating.
Chu Zhiyuan couldn't help but marvel at the stark contrast between You Meng Heaven and Biyuan Heaven.
He mused that such Sword Qi would never have been able to sustain itself for so long in Biyuan Heaven.
It was as if they had the ability to condense and remain suspended indefinitely.
Chu Zhiyuan discerned the underlying reason for this phenomenon.
The Spiritual Energy in You Meng Heaven was more quiescent and less prone to dissipation.
Concurrently, its potent spiritual power, intertwined with the Sword Qi, facilitated its condensation, preventing dispersion and allowing it to persist for an extended duration.