Imperial Cultivation Chapter 1569 - 1565: Vitality

The Elephant Beast was startled and was about to flee, when it discovered that the Cyan Bird merely glanced at it and made no move.

The Elephant Beast relaxed a little, suddenly feeling its courage swell somewhat, and did not hurry to escape.

It closed its eyes, pretending not to see the Cyan Bird, while secretly watching it in the dark.

At the slightest stir of wind or grass, it would bolt.

But the Cyan Bird only gave it that single glance and then no longer looked over, as if it hadn’t seen it at all.

It let out a breath of relief.

It seemed the Cyan Bird truly wouldn’t attack it; Chu Zhiyuan hadn’t been wrong.

This Grotto Heaven was indeed full of subtleties, under Chu Zhiyuan’s influence.

It slightly opened its eyelids; its vertical pupils were like golden threads.

The Dragon Fish in the Jade Sea were still swimming about at leisure, yet had not left the bounds of the Four Symbols Pure Yuan Formation.

It was not that they couldn’t leave—the Four Symbols Pure Yuan Formation had no power of confinement.

Rather, they didn’t want to; circling around, whenever they were about to drift out of that range, they would turn back again.

It was obvious they could sense the difference in Spiritual Energy and chose to linger where the Spiritual Energy was denser and more refined.

This was an instinct born from evolution.

Chu Zhiyuan’s voice echoed in its mind: "Well? Not bad here, is it?"

"They aren’t fighting," the Elephant Beast snorted, "but will it always stay that way?"

"Don’t worry," Chu Zhiyuan said. "Are you going to keep staying inside, or come out and explore with me?"

"I’ll go out," the Elephant Beast said.

Though reluctant in a thousand ways, it still didn’t want to remain in a Grotto Heaven that belonged to Chu Zhiyuan.

If Chu Zhiyuan were to die, it wouldn’t be able to escape either.

Its own life still needed to be held in its own hands to feel secure.

Right then its vision flared, and it reappeared on Chu Zhiyuan’s left shoulder.

Chu Zhiyuan smiled and said, "Then let’s keep going forward."

With the Elephant Beast as company, it was equivalent to having another pair of eyes—its response to danger was keener and more composed.

He had been continuously analyzing and penetrating into the nature of the Dragon Fish; even though he had invested a Dragon Ball, his harvest was immense.

The Dragon Fish were like a key that had opened the door of resurrection.

The Yin Yang Du E Secret Scripture he had cultivated in the past also possessed the ability to reverse life and death.

That relied on seeing through Life and Death Qi, thereby manipulating and inverting it, using Lifespan as the price.

The Dragon Fish’s reversal of life and death, however, did not follow that path.

The crux lay in that strand of Abnormal Power.

As long as he could figure out the true nature of that strand of Abnormal Power and then cultivate it, he could reverse life and death without paying any significant price.

His brows suddenly lifted; he halted atop a mountain peak, lost in thought.

A gentle breeze flowed, making his green robe flutter and snap.

He stood on the summit with his hands clasped behind his back, deep in contemplation.

Back in Biyuan Heaven and in Outer Heaven, when running the Yin Yang Du E Secret Scripture, he too could see Life and Death Qi.

Yet the Life and Death Qi in Biyuan Heaven and the other heavens was particularly thick and robust; the price to invert and reverse it was far too high, tenfold or even a hundredfold of that in the Little Outer Heaven.

So it was something he would absolutely never employ.

But now things were different.

With the Inner Universe, within the Jade Sea and Sky there was already flourishing vitality, sufficient to accommodate living beings.

If he were to reverse life and death here, would he still have to pay such a high price?

The thought stirred him, and he grew somewhat excited.

The Elephant Beast crouched on his left shoulder; sensing the shift in his mood, its lazily wagging tail came to a stop, and it looked at him curiously.

Chu Zhiyuan suddenly lifted his head to look at the sky.

A chubby Silver Sparrow flew across the heavens, radiant with silvery light, exceedingly beautiful.

The Elephant Beast also glanced up, then withdrew its gaze.

It had never heard of this Silver Sparrow, nor did it feel that the creature was particularly dangerous.

The aura on its body was not that vigorous.

Chu Zhiyuan stared at it intently, his expression grave.

Seeing him like this, the Elephant Beast raised its head once more; its eyes again turned into vertical golden disks. It watched for a while before looking away again.

There truly wasn’t much to see.

Chu Zhiyuan’s aura had been completely reined in, as cleanly as if he had merged into the mountains and rivers themselves.

This particular peak was a jagged spire, like a sword about to pierce the firmament.

After the Silver Sparrow swept past, it suddenly banked and folded, its body diving downward.

Its originally round body began to compress as it fell, growing longer and thinner.

From a plump ball it transformed into an arrow, shooting straight at Chu Zhiyuan.

Chu Zhiyuan shook his head.

The Spring Sun Sword appeared in his palm; with a low "hum" it unfolded, and he gave it a gentle swing.

A strand of Sword Aura precisely struck the Silver Arrow, colliding with it head-on.

The Sword Aura was like a spring breeze brushing the face.

The Silver Arrow formed from the Silver Sparrow seemed wholly unaffected, its speed undiminished as it reached Chu Zhiyuan.

Chu Zhiyuan reached out and caught it; in the next instant it vanished into his palm and reappeared within the Jade Sea and Sky.

The Elephant Beast’s eyes went wide, its tail stopping mid-swing, seeing that the Silver Sparrow was already dead.

This Silver Sparrow was far too frail before that Sword Aura, utterly unable to withstand a single blow.

Then the Elephant Beast saw the state inside the Inner Universe.

The Silver Sparrow drifted down onto the Jade Sea, returning to its original rotund form.

Its silvery white wings drooped, its body spread flat, bobbing and rolling on the surface of the sea.

It was completely dead.

Chu Zhiyuan’s Swordsmanship looked gentle, yet its power was truly astonishing.

The Dragon Fish had been unable to endure it, let alone this obscure, feeble Silver Sparrow.

Chu Zhiyuan’s expression was solemn; his thoughts tightened slightly.

He activated the Yin Yang Du E Secret Scripture.

Life and Death Qi manifested within his vision; he harmonized the two currents, causing them to invert, reversing its life and death.

A moment later, the Silver Sparrow suddenly opened its eyes.

Their silver gleam was bright and lively.

Its silver wings folded, and it shot up into the sky, leaving the Jade Sea and flying aloft.

It chirped a few times in the heavens, then flew into the distance, toward the mountain peaks and forests.

In the end it landed on a Dragon Tree.

Watching this, the Elephant Beast snorted inwardly—this little fellow had sharp eyes indeed, immediately recognizing the Dragon Tree’s extraordinariness.

Chu Zhiyuan closed his eyes and gently shook his head.

This experiment proved that within the Inner Universe, one truly could reverse life and death, and it was much easier than outside.

However, the Lifespan consumed was no less than before, and what was consumed was still his own Lifespan.

Fortunately, this Silver Sparrow’s Life Force was weak, its strength low; it had only cost him three days of Lifespan.

Compared to a Spirit Venerable’s long Lifespan, three days were like a drop in the ocean.

But what if it were some other powerful creature?

The Dragon Fish’s Abnormal Energy made him all the more covetous; he wanted even more to uncover its essence.

The Divine Eye had already seen the Dragon Fish’s past and present lives, seen its transformations.

The origin of everything was a mass of strange blood falling from the Void.

The strange blood happened to land on it; it felt as though it had been killed in an instant.

But dead, it lived again; alive, it died again—after several cycles of life and death, it finally turned silver.

Within its body there appeared that strand of Abnormal Energy.

That Abnormal Energy allowed it to drive Purple Lightning and to die and rise again.

Thinking of this, Chu Zhiyuan suddenly said, "What other Strange Beasts or strange items have obtained True Dragon Blood?"

The Elephant Beast said, "I haven’t heard of any others. You’re looking for True Dragon Blood?"

"Mm."

"Dragon Mountain," the Elephant Beast said. "Most of the True Dragon Blood fell on Dragon Mountain."

"Dragon Mountain..." Chu Zhiyuan nodded slowly.

It seemed he needed to move Dragon Mountain in its entirety into his Inner Universe.

If he brought the entire Dragon Mountain inside, then with his control over the Inner Universe, he should be able to obtain True Dragon Blood.

At that time, through the True Dragon Blood, could he condense that strand of Abnormal Energy and thereby obtain an Undying Body?

And then there was Heavenly Dragon Introduction; it was said that if cultivated to the Extreme Realm, it too could achieve an Undying Body.

Could it be the same strand of Abnormal Energy?

Countless thoughts surged through his mind, and he felt spirit light overflowing.

Unwittingly, his understanding of Heaven and Earth, of the world, became more complete.

He thus sensed that the Sixth Transitions seemed to be right before his eyes, clearly visible.

With just a little more effort, he would be able to step into the Sixth Transitions.

He couldn’t help but smile.

Such speed of advancement—especially being able to progress so swiftly after entering the Fifth Transition—was truly astounding.

It seemed this Grotto Heaven must be thoroughly explored; the harvest it held far exceeded his imagination.