Imperial Cultivation

Chapter 214: Chapter 211: Murderous Intent

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Chu Zhiyuan and his group of nine wove through the bustling crowd.

Compared to the cleanliness of the Inner City, the Outer City was a bit chaotic and noisier, possessing a more wild vitality and vigor than the Inner City.

They moved like fish, seamlessly through the crowd, and soon arrived outside a courtyard.

At this moment, a scene of carnage unfolded within the courtyard.

Over a dozen people were locked in a fierce battle, fighting fiercely with no clear winner in sight.

Chu Zhiyuan was quite puzzled.

On the ground lay eight Yuding Sect experts, four dead, four still alive, eyes wide open, staring intently at the battle raging on.

Beside them lay two barely breathing experts from the Military Suppression Department.

Their clothes were torn, as if they’d been hit by an explosion, their faces speckled with black dots, resembling ants crawling all over.

Chu Zhiyuan frowned.

This seems like the Yuding Sect experts used the Jade and Stone Burning technique.

The remaining experts from the Military Suppression Department, numbering three, were being besieged by twelve Yuding Sect experts, on the defensive and in dire straits.

Chu Zhiyuan frowned.

Three Grandmasters against four Grandmasters, plus eight Innate Masters, two of whom wield Breaking Gang Divine Weapons.

The swordsmanship of these two Innate Masters was exquisite, coordinating with the four Grandmasters, making it very difficult for the three Grandmasters from the Military Suppression Department.

More importantly, these three Grandmasters from the Military Suppression Department were also in tattered clothes, with faces full of black spots.

They were all devastated by the Yuding Sect’s Jade and Stone Burning technique, but they were stronger and hadn’t fallen, struggling to maintain their standing.

So weak, barely holding on with one breath and the resilience of a Grandmaster, having lasted until now was truly remarkable.

The Yuding Sect at this stronghold was more numerous and prepared, having set an ambush and immediately using the Jade and Stone Burning technique.

...

In the alley outside the courtyard, four experts from the Military Suppression Department lay on the ground.

In the shadows, four experts from the Secret Shadow Sect lurked, looking on with cold smiles at the four experts from the Military Suppression Department.

Chu Zhiyuan quickly gauged the situation.

The experts from the Military Suppression Department had sent a signal for help, but the four experts who came to help were ambushed by the Secret Shadow Sect.

They used these four dying experts from the Military Suppression Department as bait, waiting for more experts from the Military Suppression Department to arrive.

Chu Zhiyuan’s face darkened, and as he moved quickly, eight streaks of white light flew out from his sleeve.

Four shot toward outside the wall, four shot toward inside the wall.

”Bang bang bang bang!”

”Pop pop pop pop!”

”Who goes there? Come out!”

The four Grandmasters of the Yuding Sect had their left hands shattered; their speed and power were immense, but against the Heart Inquiry Saber Skill and Sword Control Technique, they had no chance to resist. They were sent flying, their hearts shattered into minced meat, dead in an instant.

As the four Grandmasters fell, the remaining eight Innate Masters cried out in disarray.

Chu Zhiyuan and Huang Shiron drifted into the small courtyard and landed at the edge of the battleground.

Chu Zhiyuan drew his sword: ”Master Huang, let’s finish this quickly!”

”Alright!” Huang Shiron snorted.

After her extraordinary performance with that previous sword, she had gained a deeper understanding of swordsmanship and her confidence grew.

Chu Zhiyuan extended his hand.

A black stone the size of a fist flew into it, and he crushed it to pieces and shot them out.

”Bang bang bang bang...”

With a series of muffled thuds, the Yuding Sect experts on the ground all died, leaving no survivors.

”Damn it, they must die!”

”Slay them!”

”It’s either them or us!”

”Yuding!”

”Yuding!”

Seeing this, the remaining eight Innate Masters showed no fear, instead abandoning the three Grandmasters of the Military Suppression Department and charged forward with bloodshot eyes, shouting furiously.

Chu Zhiyuan’s face darkened; this was a sign of the Jade and Stone Burning technique.

He flashed, Near and Far Steps pushed to the limit, instantly appearing before them, his longsword turning into a brilliant light.

The eight Innate Masters of the Yuding Sect momentarily froze, their ferocious expressions turning blank, and a small red dot appeared at their foreheads.

The small red dot rapidly expanded, finally becoming a bloody hole, oozing red and white substances.

Their eyes quickly dimmed, the anger and viciousness in their expressions fixed, their pupils lifelessly staring at Chu Zhiyuan.

Huang Shiron ruefully sheathed her sword.

Chu Zhiyuan looked at the three approaching Grandmasters from the Military Suppression Department and cupped his fist: ”There are still some wounded outside, Mr. Guo, we’ll take our leave first.”

”... Princely Heir, your great kindness speaks for itself!” Guo Xun, no longer the elegant and handsome man he was, pulled a corner of his mouth and solemnly cupped his fist.

Chu Zhiyuan nodded, cupping his fist: ”We still have a long way to go, we’ll speak more in the future, farewell.”

”Yes.”

Chu Zhiyuan and his group of nine floated out of the small courtyard, heading toward the second location.

Zou Fang quickly caught up, handing the cleaned eight flying knives back to Chu Zhiyuan.

Chu Zhiyuan tucked them back into his sleeve, speeding up their journey.

...

An hour later, Chu Zhiyuan and his group of nine reappeared deep within the pine forest near the South City Gate of Yujing.

His face was somber.

He replayed the scenes of these five locations in his mind.

The Grandmasters of the Yuding Sect indeed hadn’t reached the Fifth Layer Heaven.

But the power they displayed was shocking, all possessing secret techniques that granted them great power at a certain cost.

His Insight saw that these secret techniques nearly all involved burning their essence blood, sacrificing some part of their body.

In the five strongholds he observed, the Yuding Sect experts all used these secret techniques.

Their power surged, even doubling, rising from the Third Layer Heaven to the Fifth Layer Heaven, unafraid of death, trading life for life.

The power of Jade and Stone Burning used by the Innate Masters was astonishing, the blood mist formed by their explosive deaths severely injuring Grandmasters.

They had Secret Shadow Sect experts secretly protecting them.

Once experts from the Military Suppression Department responded to a signal for help, they were ambushed by Secret Shadow Sect experts and fell, unable to rise again.

Some Secret Shadow Sect experts intended to lure in more people, while others directly killed the Military Suppression Department reinforcements.

At these five locations, a total of ten experts from the Military Suppression Department were lost.

This left Chu Zhiyuan’s face dark, his heart heavy.

Ten experts from the Military Suppression Department met their end, separated by death forever.

They were all talented disciples from the Four Great Sects, with bright futures ahead of them, who came responding to a call for aid, only to fall victim to the Secret Shadow Sect’s trap.

Now they lay cold on the ground, never to awaken.

An inexplicable feeling stirred in his heart, a sense of heaviness, reluctance, discomfort, and anger.

Usually composed, even he couldn’t help but feel a surge of fury.

When he approached Chu Qingfeng, he found his expression calm.

After all, none of the six teams had any personnel losses; some Yuding Sect cultists managed to escape, but experts with the Summoning Order were tracking them, escape was impossible.

Chu Zhiyuan felt that five people per team was too few.

The intention was not to send too many and scare the snake, five seemed the most suitable, and each team was led by top Grandmasters.

Logically, it should have been enough.

But the Yuding Sect cultists couldn’t be measured by normal standards; they were forged in seas of blood, exceptionally skilled in battle, and couldn’t be assessed by their realm alone.

He then shook his head.

Compared to his own overwhelming force, their struggles seemed to be the norm.

He was, instead, the anomaly.

The miracle techniques he practiced were all top-tier, the Dragon Subduing Scripture made his body incredibly powerful, beyond human, and the combined Heart Inquiry Saber Skill and Sword Control Technique were indefensible, plus the Earth Origin Technique and Heavenly Yuan Technique complemented each other.

Any one of these would dramatically increase someone’s strength if practiced, let alone someone who practiced them all.

Particularly, the combination of Heart Inquiry Saber Skill and Sword Control Technique resulted in unimaginable power.

More importantly, his Super Sense aided him, enabling him to strike first, not giving them the chance to use their secret techniques.

This led to his overwhelming victory as if cutting through dry leaves.

”Uncle Grandmaster, let’s wipe out the Secret Shadow Sect too.”

”Hm—?” Chu Qingfeng looked at him.

Chu Zhiyuan said, ”They’re even more troublesome than the Yuding Sect. With them assisting, the Yuding Sect is exasperatingly difficult to eliminate; it’s best to take them out first.”

”What the Fourth Prince says is right.” The thin, purple-robed old man snorted, ”These cultists deserve to die!”

Their expressions remained indifferent, showing no sign of emotion over the losses of the Military Suppression Department experts, as if accustomed to it, or perhaps expected it.

”The Secret Shadow Sect is indeed quite troublesome,” Chu Qingfeng frowned.

Chu Zhiyuan said, ”Once the four gentlemen locate them, pass their positions to me, leave it to me!”

Dozens of experts from the Military Suppression Department quietly listened to Chu Zhiyuan and Chu Qingfeng converse.

Before this battle, hearing Chu Zhiyuan’s bold words might have made them secretly chuckle, thinking him too arrogant.

But after seeing the comparison between the five teams, they knew how formidable he really was.

His realm wasn’t the highest, but his lethality was unparalleled.

Worthy of being the foremost Princely Heir of Da Jing’s Imperial Family!

”Fourth Prince, what boldness!” The thin, purple-robed old man clapped, ”No problem, we’ll locate them momentarily.”

Chu Qingfeng looked at Chu Zhiyuan.

Chu Zhiyuan said calmly, ”If they’re not eradicated, the Yuding Sect will infiltrate Yujing or even the Inner City again in the future!”

”Are you sure?”

”Yes.”

”...Alright then.” Chu Qingfeng looked at the four purple-robed elders behind him, ”Within fifteen minutes, provide their location to the Fourth!”

”No problem!” The thin, purple-robed old man chuckled.

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