Imperial Cultivation Chapter 1587 - 1583: Dissuasion

Chu Zhiyuan looked at the Elephant Beast.

The Elephant Beast was full of smugness.

Chu Zhiyuan sighed. "Impressive, what Array is this?"

The Elephant Beast said proudly, "Four Symbols Condensing Yuan Array."

"Still a Four Symbols Formation? Could it be that the Four Symbols Formation has many branches?"

"The Four Symbols Formation is broad and profound, with endless marvelous uses. With just a slight change it becomes a completely different Array. You wouldn’t understand."

"Hehe... Fine, I don’t understand. Then can this Array contain all of my power?"

"Even doubled, it’s no problem!"

"So that means I can inject power several times, then draw it out in one burst. Wouldn’t that be even stronger than me striking personally?"

Hearing this, the Elephant Beast rolled its eyes and snorted, "At your Realm, the key to the strength of your power isn’t how much, but how pure."

"Exactly." Chu Zhiyuan nodded with a smile.

Once one reached Spirit Venerable, the difference in Realm came from the purity of one’s Spiritual Essence.

And what he cultivated was Divine Essence, superior to Spiritual Essence by several grades.

So even though he was at Sixth Transition, he possessed the might of a Seventh Transition.

With the blessing of the Heavenly Sword on top of that, even a Seventh Transition might not be his match.

Spirit Venerables of the Eighth and Ninth Transitions were often old antiques; their hearts likely already stilled, no longer stirred by anything, too lazy to move.

He estimated that within this Grotto Heaven, it would be hard to have any Spirit Venerables of the Eighth and Ninth Transitions.

Even if there were, they wouldn’t be inclined to act.

If they truly did make a move, his Jade Pendant would be useless.

Without his Jade Pendant, he would certainly die; with it, it might be of some use.

Of course, it might also have the opposite effect.

Thinking of this, Chu Zhiyuan shook his head.

There is no such thing in this world as something perfectly flawless, all benefit with no drawback.

"This one!" Chu Zhiyuan said slowly. "Engrave this on all of them."

The Elephant Beast flickered and snatched up another floating Jade Pendant, beginning to carve.

The Flying Knife went out once more and also began carving.

...

Heaven-Reaching Sect

Chu Zhiyuan suddenly appeared.

He saw Zhang Ji Yuan and Ning Dongge pacing back and forth in the main hall, faces excited, so he smiled and said, "Senior Brothers, what’s going on?"

"Junior Brother, great news!"

"What’s so joyful?"

"That brat’s fallen!" Zhang Ji Yuan chuckled. "He perished together with that old bastard!"

Chu Zhiyuan’s brows lifted.

Ning Dongge shook his head. "That fellow still eventually figured out Little Ding’s true strength and made his move."

"Heh, it was quite a show!" Zhang Ji Yuan said. "And that kid Ding really did have a trump card—he almost turned the tables."

Ning Dongge said, "He indeed had a secret technique on him and killed that guy. But that old codger also had a trump card. At the moment of death he dragged Little Ding down with him, perishing together."

Zhang Ji Yuan said, "We originally thought Ding would actually manage a counterkill—that would’ve meant a huge surge in Cultivation."

Chu Zhiyuan nodded. "He’d plotted for a long time, and originally it was almost a sure thing. But when it comes to killing and fighting, there’s no such thing as a sure thing."

"That’s a case of cleverness backfiring," Zhang Ji Yuan grinned. "Serves him right!"

Ning Dongge shook his head.

Chu Zhiyuan said, "Is Ding Shaojun truly dead?"

Ning Dongge said slowly, "We saw it with our own eyes—body and soul both annihilated. That Evil Demon’s methods were vicious as well—his body and soul were annihilated too."

Chu Zhiyuan let out a sigh and shook his head. "A pity about that talent of his."

"Good aptitude with a crooked mind is what’s truly frightening," Zhang Ji Yuan said. "He even managed to fool us; that’s genuinely terrifying!"

Chu Zhiyuan nodded.

This Ding Shaojun, young in years yet deep in scheming, could be called gifted.

If he didn’t have the Donghuan Saint Technique, he really might not have uncovered Ding’s background.

In terms of scheming, he himself was no match for Ding Shaojun.

If Ding truly entered the Heaven-Reaching Sect, the consequences would be hard to predict.

Ning Dongge said, "We can finally breathe a little easier."

They had been watching Ding Shaojun constantly, their heartstrings taut the entire time.

Now that they’d seen Ding Shaojun and that Evil Demon perish together, they could finally let out a long breath.

Zhang Ji Yuan said, "By the way, Junior Brother, how is it inside that New Cave Heaven?"

"More dangerous than we’d thought," Chu Zhiyuan shook his head. "Do you two want to go in and take a look?"

"Lots of people want to go in and try their luck," Zhang Ji Yuan said. "Shall we go in and see?"

Chu Zhiyuan said, "You two had best not go in."

"It’s that dangerous?"

"Even I have to tread carefully inside," Chu Zhiyuan said.

He then carefully described the dangers he had experienced, making the two of them repeatedly turn pale.

Zhang Ji Yuan chuckled. "So that means a lot of people are going to die?"

Chu Zhiyuan frowned. "Has the entrance to this New Cave Heaven already leaked?"

"Everyone who should know already knows," Ning Dongge said. "This kind of secret can’t be hidden. Once the Profound Yin Palace knew, we followed, and Li Huo Palace knew even earlier."

Chu Zhiyuan immediately heard the implication.

This place had been revealed to the Heaven-Reaching Sect by the Profound Yin Palace; the relationship between the two sects was indeed close.

"Junior Brother, then we won’t go," Ning Dongge said. "No need to take that risk."

"But..." Zhang Ji Yuan looked eager to give it a try.

Chu Zhiyuan’s eyes suddenly became vacant.

Zhang Ji Yuan and Ning Dongge hurriedly straightened their postures, forcing themselves to endure the discomfort as they watched him solemnly.

Chu Zhiyuan quickly returned to normal and shook his head. "Senior Brothers, don’t go into the Grotto Heaven, or your Cultivation will be ruined."

The future he saw was constantly changing as he intervened.

For those far from him, it wasn’t so bad; but the futures of those by his side were constantly altered by his influence.

The farther from him, the smaller the impact.

Right now, what he saw of these two was that after entering the Grotto Heaven, they barely made it back, saved by him.

But he was not a god after all. His action was already a bit late; he saved their lives but failed to prevent their grievous injuries, their Cultivation completely abolished.

"Who did it?" Zhang Ji Yuan’s eyes bulged.

Chu Zhiyuan said, "A Strange Beast in the shape of a snake, which drilled up from underground to launch a sneak attack. You didn’t even have time to react before you were swallowed into its belly."

He shook his head. "I relied on the Heavenly Sword and, after expending a great deal of power, barely split open the snake’s abdomen to drag you out. But by then your Meridians were completely destroyed, your Cultivation ruined, and your faces disfigured as well."

"That bad?" Zhang Ji Yuan exclaimed.

Ning Dongge said, "After being swallowed into that strange snake’s belly, you must’ve been corroded for a while, right?"

Chu Zhiyuan slowly nodded.

Zhang Ji Yuan and Ning Dongge both turned slightly pale.

"Too miserable!" Zhang Ji Yuan shook his head. "What did I end up looking like?"

Chu Zhiyuan laughed. "Half your face was destroyed, leaving only the other half."

"Hiss..." Zhang Ji Yuan shuddered. "Brutal!"

Chu Zhiyuan said, "Senior Brothers, that place is far too dangerous. Who knows how many will die."

"They say there’s a Divine Artifact?" Ning Dongge said. "So everyone wants to go in and try their luck."

Chu Zhiyuan said, "Do you two know anything about this Divine Artifact?"

"We have no record of such a Divine Artifact, so we don’t know if it’s real," Ning Dongge said. "But it’s very likely to be."

"A Divine Artifact is something that can found a Dynasty. Who wouldn’t covet it?"

"Senior Brother, does our Heaven-Reaching Sect have a Divine Artifact?"

"How could we? If we had a Divine Artifact, we would have long since occupied a stretch of heaven and earth and guarded it. We wouldn’t be like this now."

"Isn’t this Heaven-Reaching Hall of ours a Divine Artifact?"

"It doesn’t count."

"Spiritual Artifacts also have strengths and weaknesses. Our Heaven-Reaching Hall is a top-tier Spiritual Artifact, but it doesn’t reach the level of a Divine Artifact."

"It’s said that in the Divine Domain, a Divine Artifact can suppress the Thirty-Six Heavens."

"That sounds far too mystical—hard to believe."

"Do we have any items of the Divine Race?"

"There should be some in the Inheritance Hall."

"It just depends on when Qingyu can reach Venerable and open the Inheritance Hall."

Chu Zhiyuan’s gaze shifted into the distance, toward the direction of the Profound Yin Palace.

When he arrived at the Profound Yin Palace, he found a strange atmosphere pervading the entire place.