Imperial Cultivation Chapter 1401 - 1397: Tragic and Fierce

Prince Zhuang said, "If it turns out to be a false alarm, that’s actually a good thing."

Prince Cheng laughed, "Zhuang, do you trust Chu Zhiyuan?"

"I’ll trust him this time," Prince Zhuang said. "If it’s not accurate this time, then there’s nothing more to say, right, Lord Huang?"

Huang Zhengyang said, "Although Mr. Chu always says that the heavenly secrets are unpredictable and what one sees may not be accurate, I believe this time Mr. Chu can see it rightly."

"Good, if he does accurately this time, we will certainly not let his help go unrewarded," Prince Zhuang said.

"Thank you, Prince!" Huang Zhengyang solemnly clasped his hands and saluted them.

Prince Zhuang waved his hand.

Huang Zhengyang clasped his hands again, "I, your humble servant, take my leave."

He slowly withdrew from the main hall.

After exiting the hall, stepping over the golden threshold, he stood on the steps, turned to look at the clear blue sky, and took a long breath.

The four princes stared together, their eyes like lightning, making him feel like he was on pins and needles, as if carrying a mountain on his back.

He looked at the sky and smiled.

At least he managed to fight for Brother Chu this time, it seems there is no problem.

If it truly comes true, the rewards this time will not be light; they will be substantial.

The four princes also need to seriously consider whether to only use Brother Chu this once.

In the future, will they still need to rely on Brother Chu?

Now, with the Divine Artifact failing, Brother Chu can temporarily replace some of its wondrous uses.

For the Court, Brother Chu can be said to be an indispensable assistance.

If they don’t form good relations, how will they ask for favors from Brother Chu in the future?

...

Chu Zhiyuan appeared in the courtyard of Xiao Ruoling within Profound Yin Palace.

Xiao Ruoling and Shen Hanyue were practicing sword training and stopped upon seeing him appear.

Shen Hanyue went to brew tea, and Xiao Ruoling, feeling sweaty, went inside to change clothes.

The three sat by the stone table and talked.

Seeing Xiao Ruoling’s serious expression, Chu Zhiyuan knew the situation was dire even without using the Donghuan Saint Technique.

Xiao Ruoling sighed lightly, "A master from Li Huo Palace attacked Senior Sister."

"Did they succeed?" Chu Zhiyuan asked.

Shen Hanyue smiled proudly, "The Palace Master and the Elders were prepared and took the opportunity to viciously deal with the masters from Li Huo Palace, reportedly disabling two Seventh Transition Venerables!"

Chu Zhiyuan raised an eyebrow, "Was this a luring strategy?"

"It should be so," Xiao Ruoling nodded gently.

Shen Hanyue snorted, "Li Huo Palace fell for it immediately, truly fools!"

"Junior Sister!" Xiao Ruoling frowned slightly. "Do not underestimate the enemy!"

Shen Hanyue pouted, "But really, such an obvious trap, they didn’t see through it and walked right into it. Isn’t that foolish!?"

"They are still quite formidable," Xiao Ruoling said. "They won’t let it rest and will definitely think of ways to regain face."

As she spoke, she fell into thought, considering how they might retaliate.

Chu Zhiyuan smiled, "You are merely disciples of Profound Yin Palace, not the Elders or the Palace Master. Don’t worry about so much, just focus on your cultivation."

"If a fight truly breaks out," Xiao Ruoling said, "we’ll likely lose some of our senior sisters."

"Yes, that’s certain," Shen Hanyue nodded.

The strengths of the two palaces are quite similar, and if they truly fight, casualties are inevitable.

Chu Zhiyuan asked, "Has anyone not returned yet?"

"Seems all the senior sisters have returned, none are left outside," Xiao Ruoling said.

"Then there’s no problem," Chu Zhiyuan smiled, "Li Huo Palace won’t dare directly attack here, surely?"

Profound Yin Palace must have the Sect’s Sacred Artifact, and if Li Huo Palace is comparable, they won’t attack in vain.

This way, a fight won’t break out.

"Li Huo Palace will not let it go," Xiao Ruoling shook her head, "Their actions are fierce and tend to extremes."

Chu Zhiyuan looked at Shen Hanyue.

Shen Hanyue said, "They are capable of anything; they might just attack our Profound Yin Palace."

Chu Zhiyuan was surprised.

Xiao Ruoling gently nodded, "In the case of ordinary sects, even stronger than Li Huo Palace, they wouldn’t act this way, but Li Huo Palace would."

Chu Zhiyuan frowned.

His eyes suddenly became vacant, and moments later, they returned to clarity, shaking his head.

"Have they attacked?" Shen Hanyue asked urgently.

Chu Zhiyuan slowly nodded.

The future he saw before wasn’t like this; now it has changed.

Such change surely means he unknowingly altered the future.

This is not unusual when using the Donghuan Saint Technique.

"Heh, they really attacked?!" Shen Hanyue turned to Xiao Ruoling, "Li Huo Palace’s boldness is indeed formidable."

She snorted, "Isn’t this bringing trouble upon themselves!"

Chu Zhiyuan said, "They aren’t entirely unprepared; they have powerful Spiritual Artifacts."

Shen Hanyue was curious, "Did they break through our defenses?"

Chu Zhiyuan slowly nodded.

Shen Hanyue’s expression changed slightly.

Xiao Ruoling frowned, "They can break through our defenses?"

Chu Zhiyuan said, "They have a Spiritual Treasure, which can concentrate the power of all Li Huo Palace masters into one point, with tremendous power."

"Such a Spiritual Treasure exists!" Shen Hanyue exclaimed, "Why have I never heard of it?"

If they had known about this Spiritual Artifact, Profound Yin Palace’s response would have been different.

They wouldn’t have been passive in defense but instead proactively attacked Li Huo Palace fiercely.

Chu Zhiyuan said, "It might be a newly obtained artifact or was hidden all along, or perhaps it has a high cost... This time, they truly seem furious."

This ambush probably infuriated them completely, prompting a retaliatory strike at all costs.

Shen Hanyue tilted her head in thought, "To defend against them, either we don’t give them a chance to use the artifact, or we attack early and disable their masters first."

Xiao Ruoling’s expression grew serious.

This called for direct confrontation.

It would be extremely brutal.

Chu Zhiyuan said, "If we knew beforehand they had this, there would be many ways."

"What ways besides preventing them from using the artifact?" Shen Hanyue asked, "Enhancing our defenses? That seems useless."

Xiao Ruoling softly said, "They use this artifact for surprise attacks, hoping to break in suddenly when we’re unprepared and gain the upper hand amidst our chaos."

She grew more confident, slowly saying, "After they use this move, their consumption should be significant, making them weak."

Shen Hanyue clapped, "Yes! We can seize the opportunity to counterattack, catching them off guard!"

As she said this, her smile bloomed, "They would never expect this move, thinking we would panic, not that we’d counterattack."

Xiao Ruoling gently nodded, looking at Chu Zhiyuan.

Chu Zhiyuan’s eyes suddenly became vacant.

Moments later, they cleared, and he nodded lightly, "This move is indeed effective, disrupting their rhythm... However, there are still many casualties."

Shen Hanyue curiously asked, "How many of our senior sisters died? What about us?"

Chu Zhiyuan sighed and shook his head.

"Many senior sisters died?" Shen Hanyue frowned, snorting, "What about Li Huo Palace? How many of their masters died?"

"Mutual destruction," Chu Zhiyuan shook his head, "and other masters got involved."

"Did Li Huo Palace call for reinforcements?" Shen Hanyue asked.

Chu Zhiyuan shook his head, "It doesn’t seem like Li Huo Palace called them."

"Taking advantage amidst chaos," Xiao Ruoling said coldly.

Chu Zhiyuan nodded, "Looks like Profound Yin Palace and Li Huo Palace have hidden adversaries, too... Both Li Huo Palace and Profound Yin Palace see many disciples fall by their hands."

He didn’t expect it would be like this, shook his head, and sighed, "There are even Spirit Venerables involved."

The faces of both women turned solemn.