Imperial Cultivation Chapter 1545 - 1541: Benefits

This is the unique ability of the Cyan Bird.

Even the Elephant Beast probably doesn’t know that the Cyan Bird has such invisibility powers.

After the ten throwing knives, he gestured with his fingers in that direction.

The Seven-Colored Light Saber shot out, like a laser, towards that patch of void.

"Screech!"

"Screech!"

...

In the midst of the screams, a dozen feathers fell from the void.

These feathers first appeared illusory in the air, then slowly became real.

Then they were carried to Chu Zhiyuan by the ten throwing knives.

Chu Zhiyuan laughed heartily and said loudly, "Until we meet again."

The few original feathers, along with the dozen now, were all collected into Jade Sea and Sky.

Once inside Jade Sea and Sky, its aura and internal structure were thoroughly penetrated by him.

Inside the feathers, countless dense patterns faintly carried a pattern.

Chu Zhiyuan rearranged and arrayed these patterns in his mind.

In the end, he shook his head.

They couldn’t form a divine script.

But they vaguely had the shadow of a divine script, just a step away from forming one.

He stood by the pit, lost in thought.

Some of these strange beasts existed before the Divine Race, some during.

So is this little Cyan Bird from before the Divine Race, or is it concurrent with them?

If it was before the Divine Race, wouldn’t it mean that the divine script predated the Divine Race?

He frowned in contemplation, finally shaking his head, dispelling the thought of using the Divine Eye to insight into the Cyan Bird’s past now.

Divine Essence and spirit were greatly consumed; it was indeed unwise to concentrate the Divine Eye once more.

Even if he were to forcefully activate the Divine Eye, it wouldn’t last long, and might not trace back too far into ancient times.

He could only wait for the next opportunity.

Luckily, with the feathers, he wouldn’t worry about losing their trail.

With this thought, he no longer had the intention to engage, disappearing without a trace in a flash.

The next moment, he appeared in front of the Elephant Beast Cave Mansion.

A flash of white light, and the Elephant Beast appeared on his left shoulder, its tail gently swaying.

Two feathers, jade-green like true jade, appeared in Chu Zhiyuan’s hand.

"This is..."

"Yes, it’s it."

"Impossible!"

"Take a look, they’re not that terrifying."

"Didn’t you only encounter one bird?"

"First, it was one, then, failing to beat me, it called friends and brought four more."

"...Let me see."

The Elephant Beast extended a paw to take the jade-green feather, its bright red, moist nose sniffing it.

Chu Zhiyuan tilted his head, smiling as he watched.

The Elephant Beast looked up at him.

"How is it?"

"Can you really beat them?"

"To the former me, seeing them was a running for life, but to me now, I can fight them, even force a retreat."

"...I’ll only believe it when I see it with my own eyes."

"How about tomorrow?"

"Okay."

...

"I’ve found out, Prince Zhuang and the others propose to make you a Tribute, for the New Cave Heaven."

"Isn’t there no rush to explore the New Cave Heaven? Taking it slow should be fine."

"For some reason, the Court seems in a hurry." Li Hongzhao said, "You possess unique abilities that no other Tribute has, of course, they have to ask for your help. If you refuse them, they can’t say anything anyway, so they might as well make you a Tribute, offering benefits that you can’t refuse."

Chu Zhiyuan nodded slowly.

The two were seated in the small courtyard of Li Hongzhao within the Phoenix Secret Realm at this time, sitting across a stone table in a pavilion, tasting tea.

Li Hongzhao said, "This is indeed a great opportunity to ask for something substantial."

"If the Four Great Sects entered the Cave Heaven together for exploration, would the Court agree?"

"I think it’s possible, it’s not an unreasonable condition."

"Not unreasonable?"

"Not really; the Court is, after all, in need of you, and their own exploration of the Cave Heaven has been unfruitful, lacking progress."

"No progress at all?"

"Apart from our lineage obtaining the Demon Suppressing Divine Tree, the other three lineages have gained nothing." Li Hongzhao said with a proud smile, "They’re nearly frantic with anxiety... and that Demon Suppressing Divine Tree was even brought about with your help, further proving your significance."

Chu Zhiyuan nodded.

Indeed, he had a distinct advantage in such matters that others could not remotely match.

"With your Four Sects involved, you’d be even more dedicated."

"The other three lineages haven’t fallen for it, have they?"

"It doesn’t seem so at the moment." Li Hongzhao let out a cold laugh. "But I believe they will eventually lose patience."

As time passes, the pressure on the other three lineages will build.

Then they won’t be able to resist taking desperate measures, going to the Dragon Mountain Lineage.

"I have no intention of proposing that condition," Chu Zhiyuan said.

He had seen a corner of this Cave Heaven and knew how formidable these strange beasts were.

He could manage it because he was a Fifth Transition Spirit Venerable, with Super Sense and Divine Eye complementing, along with Cloud Dragon Fist, these miraculous techniques from the Divine Race aiding him.

If it were another Spirit Venerable, even at Sixth or Seventh Transition, they might not withstand these strange beasts.

The Four Great Sects entering would inevitably lead to heavy casualties.

He wouldn’t be able to shield them while being constantly overwhelmed.

"Will the Heavenly Sword Sect be willing, not complaining to you? For them, it looks like a tremendous opportunity!"

"I’ve already spoken to them in advance."

"They agreed verbally, saying no blame, but deep inside, they felt annoyed."

"Inevitable."

"What conditions do you plan to propose then?"

"What I want, the Court won’t give; what the Court can give, I don’t need," Chu Zhiyuan stated.

"Or is it that you find them unremarkable?" Li Hongzhao chuckled, "Your vision is high."

Chu Zhiyuan said, "What about the Divine Artifact? The Court’s Divine Artifact isn’t ready yet, is it?"

Li Hongzhao shook her head, "That’s a secret among secrets. Whether it’s ready or not, I’m not sure, but I believe it’s not yet complete."

Chu Zhiyuan nodded, "But I fear the Court might be deliberately setting a trap, seeing who would fall into it."

"It’s quite possible, with fiction and reality intertwined, ensuring that the next time a Divine Artifact has issues, people dare not act rashly," Li Hongzhao nodded, "So, will you serve as a Tribute?"

"Still considering," Chu Zhiyuan said.

The most crucial is the Golden Sword.

Even though he has reached Fifth Transition, even with Divine Essence in hand, he hasn’t given up on the Golden Sword.

The Heavenly Sword Secret Scripture’s path seems to him another great road, distinct from the Divine Race.

Even if he truly mastered the Divine Clan Martial Arts, it wouldn’t be right to forsake this path.

Two paths provide a steadier ground.

If the Divine Clan Martial Arts fail, the Heavenly Sword Secret Scripture remains a fallback.

After all, he is not of the Divine Race, and there’s no guarantee he could train their martial arts to a profound Realm.

The Heavenly Sword Secret Scripture, however, differs.

It aligns extremely well with him, and its cultivation path is clear and distinct; following the methods leads step by step upwards.

Also, the power of the Heavenly Sword Secret Scripture is nearly limitless, its power increasing with merit, almost without limit.

This path, however, is destined to be a long one, far slower than cultivating the Divine Clan Martial Arts.

A lengthy accumulation over many years is needed to reach sufficient potency.

Currently, its strength is far less than Cloud Dragon Fist, Qiankun Sword Technique, or even Flying Knife.

The reason being his recent neglect in garnering public approval and sentiment, letting himself fade from people’s minds.

Human nature is changeable and forgetful.

Avoiding public attention for a while means soon being overshadowed by other matters.

Becoming a Court Tribute should count as the first step, a legitimate first step.

"In my opinion, stop considering it, just accept. There’s no downside," Li Hongzhao advised, "The Court doesn’t have much leverage over Tributes of the Spirit Venerable level."

Chu Zhiyuan pondered.

Li Hongzhao said, "Actually, serving as a Court Tribute has one most significant benefit for you."

"What benefit?"

"The Court’s Imperial Treasury houses many collections," Li Hongzhao said, "Storing many strange items from various Cave Heavens and from across generations."

Chu Zhiyuan said, "The impressive ones have surely been taken long ago, haven’t they?"

"For others, the remaining strange items might not be of much use, as their origins and purposes are unknown. But you’re different," Li Hongzhao smiled, "Your secret technique can discover what others can’t."

Chu Zhiyuan nodded with a smile.

Now, not only does he have the Donghuan Saint Technique, but also the Divine Eye.

Tracing history, reversing the river of time, he could see the distant past.

These strange items indeed hold great allure for him.