Imperial Cultivation Chapter 1355 - 1351: First Probe

He had never imagined this demon would be so formidable; even bound by the God-Binding Rope, he could still go for Jade and Stone Burning, almost dragging him down as a scapegoat.

He turned his head to look toward the forest across the mountain.

But he couldn’t see Chu Zhiyuan’s figure.

He knew Chu Zhiyuan was preparing to perform the Ascension Technique, needing to hide his form to avoid being discovered and alerted.

He suddenly whipped his head around to look.

He saw the headless corpse embedded in the tree trunk suddenly flash with light.

Strands of light swiftly shuttled across the surface of the corpse.

The light formed patterns, and the patterns grew denser and denser, vaguely forming a rose.

The rose shone brilliantly, suddenly flaring, dazzling to the point of being impossible to look at directly.

Then it suddenly dimmed.

Extreme brightness and extreme darkness were separated by only an instant.

The blinding light turned into a beam of light, shooting straight up into the sky, punching through the firmament and vanishing from sight.

"Damn it!"

Huang Zhengyang stomped his foot viciously.

The demon had escaped!

Even using the God-Binding Rope, he still managed to escape, escaping back to Dan Yang Heaven!

No matter how powerful the Spiritual Artifact, it could not withstand the erosion of time; the God-Binding Rope was growing older and older, on the verge of collapse.

From what he knew, the God-Binding Rope was already tottering and could not endure being Mastered many more times.

There might be only three chances left, or even just two.

This attempt that failed to capture the demon was a wasted use.

He was still too weak!

Anger and unwillingness surged through his chest; he wanted nothing more than to throw his head back and roar at the sky.

With his current ability, he could no longer Master the God-Binding Rope, which meant he had lost the chance to capture the demon and force out information.

This was a failed operation.

"Boom boom boom boom..."

The muffled booms were like thunder; one transparent blossom after another fought with the Strange Beasts, wild winds carrying sand and grass branches rolled and surged, blocking out their sight.

His body trembled lightly, anger driving him almost mad.

Yet he was powerless.

For now, all he could do was see whether the six Tributes could exterminate those two demons.

At this point, he no longer hoped to capture them alive, only to behead them so they could not wreak further havoc.

If even one actually escaped, that would be true failure.

The disaster they would cause would be his responsibility.

He turned his head to look toward the forest on the opposite mountainside.

In the woods halfway up the mountain, he still could not see Chu Zhiyuan’s figure.

He guessed inwardly that Chu Zhiyuan must have already performed the Ascension Technique.

"Haha..." A loud laugh suddenly rang out.

Immediately, a mass of blinding radiance spread outward, forming a violent force that blasted the six Strange Beasts away.

At the same time, two transparent and brilliant roses shot off into the distance, unbelievably fast.

The six Strange Beasts were in midair and had no time to give chase; they could only watch helplessly as the two transparent roses drifted farther and farther away, about to disappear beyond the range of their sight.

"Chi! Chi!"

Two soft whistles suddenly sounded.

Two crimson blood columns suddenly shot up from within the two transparent roses, soaring into the sky, vivid and eye-catching.

The transparent roses suddenly dimmed, revealing two silhouettes.

Those two figures were wrapped in bands of light; these bands of light formed the petals of roses.

Their heads had already rolled to the ground, and their bodies spouted blood columns, emitting soft "chi chi" whistles.

Their bodies flew for a dozen meters, then lost all strength and stopped, falling to the ground with a "thud."

The bands of light on their bodies rapidly grew brighter, then suddenly swelled and turned into a mass of blinding radiance.

The light mass contracted once, then shot up into the sky, forming a straight light pillar that pierced the firmament and vanished.

Huang Zhengyang’s taut body relaxed all at once; he let out a long breath and cursed viciously: "Bastards!"

The two demons had ultimately failed to escape.

He turned his gaze toward Chu Zhiyuan.

There was no need to ask; he knew these two severed heads were the work of the Golden Sword.

He sighed inwardly at how the Golden Sword’s power was growing ever more terrifying—impossible to defend against, ghostly and unfathomable.

Forcing himself to endure the pain all over his body, he lifted off lightly, skimming the treetops to reach the opposite peak, dropping into the woods halfway up the mountainside and coming to stand before Chu Zhiyuan.

Chu Zhiyuan was sitting cross-legged, utterly still, with a dignified, solemn air.

His hands were clasped in a peculiar mudra beneath his lower abdomen, and any trace of aura radiating from his body was completely absent. His spiritual presence vanished; it was as if the person standing before them was merely an empty husk. Should it not have been for his incredibly slow, elongated, and faint breathing, one might have assumed him to be deceased.

Huang Zhengyang exhaled a long sigh, then quickly stifled it, careful not to emit any sound. He understood that Chu Zhiyuan was currently employing the Ascension Technique, tracing the path of those three streaks of light that had vanished into the heavens; his soul was set to ascend towards Dan Yang Heaven.

The soft swishing of robes filled the air.

The six elders wore grim expressions; their once rosy complexions had paled, appearing almost ashen. They remained silent and solemn, not uttering a single word as they approached Huang Zhengyang's side.

Huang Zhengyang raised a hand preemptively, signaling for them to refrain from speaking. Had this been prior to the battle, they might not have heeded Huang Zhengyang's directive. However, in this moment, they silenced themselves, offering no comment as they fixed their gazes intently on Chu Zhiyuan.

The four formidable figures from the Mysterious Robe Evil Suppression Bureau also drifted closer, their faces pale and their auras diminished—they had not emerged unscathed from the recent conflict.

An elder with a round face finally could not contain his unease and sent a secret sound transmission: "Xiaohuang, what is this...?"

Huang Zhengyang replied with a secret sound transmission, his voice lowered: "The Ascension Technique. Brother Chu's Heart and Spirit have followed them."

"So, this is the Ascension Technique?"

All six Tributes turned their curious gazes towards Chu Zhiyuan. Not long ago, a great commotion had arisen, with whispers that the Court had personally bestowed a Miracle Technique upon Chu Zhiyuan to counter the Undying Evil Venerable—this was indeed the Ascension Technique. They had heard tales of this technique but had never witnessed it firsthand.

Now, observing Chu Zhiyuan in his current state, they studied him with intense curiosity, carefully probing his condition.

One of the elders could not help but send a secret sound transmission: "To utilize this Ascension Technique is far too perilous!"

"This Xiao Chu clearly places immense trust in Xiaohuang."

"If he did not trust him, he would not dare to employ it. At this very moment, even the slightest misplaced gesture could prove fatal."

"Can the Ascension Technique truly locate those three fiends?"

"It should be able to. We underestimated those three fiends entirely; we have brought shame upon ourselves today!"

"The one that appeared earlier was significantly weaker than these three, and now we are facing three at once!"

"We were caught off guard!"

"Whether we were careful or not, the outcome would likely have been the same—we still would have been unable to restrain them."

"It is a disgrace!"

"There is nothing more that can be done. Our abilities are inferior; all we can do is lament our helplessness!"

The six elders engaged in a fluid, unspoken debate through their secret sound transmissions.

Suddenly, Chu Zhiyuan's eyes snapped open.

Two frigid beams of light shot forth; his pupils were no longer visible, replaced by an unseeable brilliance. Simultaneously, a colossal power descended from the heavens, bearing down like an immense mountain and plunging directly into Chu Zhiyuan's body in an instant.

A profound and majestic force radiated outwards from his body as the epicenter, spreading with incredible speed. An overbearing aura surged like furious tempestuous waves crashing against the sky, exerting such pressure on their chests that they struggled to breathe, forcing them to stagger backward.

"Brother Chu?" Huang Zhengyang called out anxiously.

The sharp light within Chu Zhiyuan's eyes contracted, and the violent aura receded in an instant, all drawn back into his body. The raging torrents transformed into a gentle breeze, as if they had never manifested.

Chu Zhiyuan offered a faint smile. "I have found them."

Huang Zhengyang inquired swiftly, "It is Dan Yang Heaven, correct?"

Chu Zhiyuan nodded slowly. "Dan Yang Heaven, the Flower God Sect—this was a meticulously planned incursion."

Huang Zhengyang questioned, "Incursion?"

"They established an Array over there and utilized the Array to transport their experts."

"Those scoundrels!" Huang Zhengyang spat through gritted teeth. "Can that Array be dismantled then?"

Chu Zhiyuan tilted his head. "There is no need to rush its destruction."

Huang Zhengyang appeared taken aback.

Chu Zhiyuan continued, "Even if the Array is destroyed, they can simply construct another. We must shatter their confidence completely."

"And how precisely do we achieve that?" Huang Zhengyang asked with urgency.

He cast a glance at the six Tributes and said with a sense of helplessness, "If this situation repeats itself, if another three arrive, I fear..."

The formidable power of the Flower God Sect demons far exceeded their comprehension; even the combined might of the six Tributes' Array could not suppress them. Should four or five, or even six of them appear, the likelihood of stopping them would diminish even further. The mere thought of the potential devastation they could unleash sent a shiver down his spine.

Chu Zhiyuan offered a subtle smile. "I will investigate more thoroughly and uncover their vulnerabilities. There is always a solution to be found."

"Excellent!" Huang Zhengyang ground his teeth, his voice filled with fierce resolve. "If we can give them a thorough beating, that would be even more satisfying."