Imperial Cultivation Chapter 1510 - 1506: Tracing Back

The Cloud Stepping Leopard’s body transformed into a flickering shadow, gracefully gliding across the sky.

To an outsider’s eye, its silhouette was already invisible.

Zhu Lingyun lay low and pressed closely to its back, perceiving the Vigorous Wind with his Super Sense, yet unable to feel it.

The Cloud Stepping Leopard emitted a peculiar aura, neutralizing the Vigorous Wind.

It traversed the Void without any resistance, light and elegant, with extraordinary speed.

Zhu Lingyun experienced the ultimate in speed, a mysterious heroic feeling welling up within him.

...

The Cloud Stepping Leopard abruptly stopped, motionless, as if it had been standing there all along.

Both man and leopard stood atop a white cloud, gazing down at the abyss encircled by four mountain peaks.

"Down there it is." The Cloud Stepping Leopard’s lazy voice once again resounded in his ear.

Zhu Lingyun solemnly nodded, his gaze bright and fixed below.

The abyss was square-shaped, with sides nearly identical in length, each close to a hundred meters.

It’s hard to believe this was naturally formed; natural mountain peaks could never be so precise and symmetrical.

Looking down at the abyss, it seemed like a piece of black jade embedded between four peaks, deep and pure.

Zhu Lingyun closed his eyes.

His Super Sense extended downward, delving into the abyss further and further while attending to the surroundings.

After a moment, he opened his eyes: "There should be nothing here."

The Super Sensing Illumination revealed an underground river beneath the abyss, rushing away.

The corpse of the Spirit Venerable of the Giant Spirit Sect was not there.

He speculated it might have been carried away by the river.

The Cloud Stepping Leopard’s voice echoed in his ear: "This place isn’t big; if it were here, it would have been found long ago."

"Let’s look further down," Zhu Lingyun said, "There’s a river beneath, let’s follow it, perhaps we’ll find something."

"You can see this river?"

"Yes."

"With your eyes?"

"Yes."

"That’s impossible, isn’t it? Your eyes can’t be better than mine?"

He couldn’t see the river himself; how could Zhu Lingyun see it?

A human eye compared to his own, even if one became a Spirit Venerable, was far inferior.

"I mastered an Eye Pupil Secret Technique; my eyes have changed, they’re no longer mortal eyes, resembling the Divine Eye."

"Of the Divine Race?"

"Exactly."

"Heh, you can boast! Divine Race eyes do more than just see far and deep, they have other marvelous uses."

"Senior knows?"

"Knowledge inherited from ancient times," The Cloud Stepping Leopard’s tone was filled with pride: "These aren’t documented in books."

"What are the marvelous uses of the Divine Eye?"

"The Divine Eye can see both past and future."

"How far into the past and future?"

"The stronger the Cultivation, the further one can see; the weaker, the less. No matter how strong your eyes are, can they see the past and future?"

Zhu Lingyun shook his head.

The Donghuan Saint Technique was directly implanted into Chu Zhiyuan’s mind and couldn’t be transmitted to others.

But as a Clone, Zhu Lingyun, despite having a distinct soul from Chu Zhiyuan, already had independence.

Yet they were still connected.

Chu Zhiyuan could pass it on to the Clone.

The Donghuan Saint Technique was practiced by all three Clones, and they could all perform it.

But such a secret technique wasn’t suitable for revealing to outsiders, not even the Cloud Stepping Leopard.

"Let’s go, in that direction." Zhu Lingyun pointed northwest.

"Can you really see?"

"Then let Senior have a look."

"Let’s go!"

...

An hour later, both man and leopard halted atop a mountain peak, gazing down at the valley below.

The valley was withered and yellow.

No trees, only rocky terrain.

Even in the shaded areas, there was no moss, still barren and dry yellow.

The Cloud Stepping Leopard’s voice sounded in Zhu Lingyun’s ear: "Is there a river here?"

Zhu Lingyun nodded.

"With those eyes, a Divine Eye? You got it wrong?"

"This is the riverbed beneath, already dried up."

"And the water? Couldn’t it have disappeared during the journey?"

"The water was drained when it passed through that patch of crimson forest. Those trees are very peculiar..."

"How big is that forest?"

"The forest isn’t big, but its roots are widespread and consume a lot of water."

"Impossible."

"Without that forest, the river would have extended much further."

"Did you find it?"

"...No."

"I watched him perish and fall into the abyss with my own eyes, there’s no mistake."

"Could it be resurrection?" Zhu Lingyun suggested, "Let’s go back and start over."

"Can’t find him; all those searching Spirit Venerables had strange abilities. Do you think you alone have the Divine Eye?"

"They have Divine Eyes too?"

"You think you’re the only one who can master the Divine Eye?"

"...You’re right." Zhu Lingyun agreed, "Let’s head back."

"Ah... let’s go."

Zhu Lingyun drifted back onto the Cloud Stepping Leopard’s back, the light and shadows around him twisted.

A quarter of an hour later, they reappeared atop a mountain peak, looking down at the abyss below.

Zhu Lingyun turned his head towards the Cloud Stepping Leopard: "Senior, you go first, I’ll stay behind."

The Cloud Stepping Leopard said: "Is there a secret technique you need to avoid me for? Or a Spiritual Treasure? You don’t have any Spiritual Treasures, do you?"

It responded quickly, earning Zhu Lingyun’s silent admiration.

The Cloud Stepping Leopard truly had the ability to discern human hearts, not inferior to human wisdom.

Zhu Lingyun smiled and nodded.

"What secret technique?"

"Forgive me, Senior."

"You’re an interesting little fellow, alright, I’ll go, shall I come to fetch you tomorrow?"

"Senior doesn’t need to come back, I can return on my own."

"Off I go!"

The Cloud Stepping Leopard transformed into a flickering shadow, gracefully soaring through the air, disappearing beyond sight.

Zhu Lingyun shook his head with a smile, waving his hand.

The Cloud Stepping Leopard was hiding behind a white cloud, far away yet able to see this side.

It could certainly see him waving.

"Hmph, this time I’m really leaving!"

The Cloud Stepping Leopard’s voice echoed in his ear.

After waiting a moment, Zhu Lingyun waved his hand again: "Senior, until we meet again!"

"Hmmph." The Cloud Stepping Leopard snorted twice.

This time it truly left completely.

Zhu Lingyun breathed a sigh of relief.

The Cloud Stepping Leopard had eyes different from humans; it was hard to say whether it could detect the Donghuan Saint Technique.

With it nearby, indeed, it wasn’t suitable to perform the Donghuan Saint Technique.

Suddenly, his eyes went vacant.

Moments later, his eyes returned to normal, focusing on the abyss, then slowly closing.

Super Sensing Illumination.

The four mountain ranges all clearly materialized in his mind, from the peaks to the foothills, down to the roots, further downward.

He leapt, diving into the abyss.

Spiritual Essence surged forth, forming a protective bubble around him, isolating him from the Abyssal Water.

He continued descending, his eyes maintaining a vacant state.

Time’s remembrance.

He pieced together the scenes and sounds, roughly reconstructing the past situation.

The Spirit Venerable of the Giant Spirit Sect was a burly, stalwart middle-aged man.

He held a golden sword-shaped long plaque, standing at the edge of the abyss, precisely the plaque retrieved from beneath it.

The sword-shaped long plaque matched the length of a Longsword, twice the width, glimmering with golden light.

His eyes glared at the plaque, murmuring: "This is indeed Divine Clan Martial Arts!"

His face bore an ever-growing smile, unable to contain his excitement, mumbling: "Divine Martial! Hahaha, Divine Martial! Divine Martial! Pfft—!"

He suddenly spat out a Blood Arrow towards the plaque.

Yet as it reached the plaque, it split in two, brushing past it.

"Indeed marvelous!"

He became increasingly excited, eyes shining, fixated on the plaque: "Divine Race Heart Method..."

"Pfft!"

Another Blood Arrow shot into the air, dispersing into a blood mist enveloping the plaque.

But as the blood mist descended upon the plaque, "Poof," it was scattered, spurting towards the surroundings.

The burly middle-aged man’s excitement was uncontainable: "It possesses Spiritual qualities, truly deserving of Divine Clan Martial Arts!... Has the martial art imbued this Golden Order with Spiritual qualities?"

Unable to suppress his excitement, he thrust the Golden Order fiercely towards his own shoulder.