Imperial Cultivation

Chapter 255: Chapter 252: The Origin

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Li Hongzhao glared at him with hatred.

Chu Zhiyuan smiled in response.

Su Qiuyan, watching from the side, shook her head and vanished in an instant, leaving only the two of them in the courtyard.

Chu Zhiyuan said with a smile, ”Your Highness, I have won another round.”

”Hmph, it’s just reclaiming a round,” Li Hongzhao scoffed. ”And what if you find him?”

”Finding him will break Da Meng’s scheme, allowing Da Lie to rein in at the verge of disaster.”

”Ridiculous!” Li Hongzhao curled her lips disdainfully.

Chu Zhiyuan chuckled, ”This Prince is a prodigy of the Da Lie Dynasty and has influence before the Emperor.”

”State affairs of the Court are not meant for a Prince to meddle in, let alone just a Prince!”

”Your Highness, you are the Ninth Princess of Da Meng, ranked ninth, yet as a princess, you still heavily interfere in Da Meng’s national affairs?”

”How could I be the same as him!”

”Is it because of the Phoenix Cry Nine Heavens Technique?” Chu Zhiyuan smiled, ”The Phoenix Cry Nine Heavens Technique leads directly to a Great Grandmaster, so you are treated as a Great Grandmaster?”

”... More or less,” Li Hongzhao snorted.

He revealed the intricacies with a single sentence.

Due to the Phoenix Cry Nine Heavens Technique, she prematurely enjoyed the power and status of a Great Grandmaster.

The only one among the princes and princesses assured of stepping into the realm of a Great Grandmaster cannot have the same status as the other royal heirs.

Chu Zhiyuan said, ”This Prince is the most gifted among the princes.”

”You convinced him?”

”Rescuing him alone is enough!” Chu Zhiyuan laughed. ”You bound him and even impersonated him. If he doesn’t hold a grudge, he’d truly be a saint!”

”Personal grudges shouldn’t interfere with state affairs of the Court.”

”Haha...” Chu Zhiyuan laughed heartily, ”Your Highness can really bluff. Would you not let personal grudges be affected by state affairs?”

”...”

”For instance, between us, if Da Meng and Da Jing weren’t adversaries, could we be real friends?”

”Impossible!” Li Hongzhao snorted without hesitation.

Just looking at him was annoying, making her teeth itch.

Chu Zhiyuan chuckled, ”You’re not being honest.”

Li Hongzhao sneered coldly.

Chu Zhiyuan said, ”This time, the Da Lie Dynasty won’t join you in error or cause trouble again.”

”What about the Da Guang Dynasty?” Li Hongzhao retorted.

”There’s also Da Guang?” Chu Zhiyuan looked at her in surprise.

Li Hongzhao glanced sideways at him, trying to discern if he was genuinely unaware or pretending.

”Haha...” Chu Zhiyuan clapped his hands and laughed, ”Your Highness really thought I didn’t know Da Guang was also with you?”

Li Hongzhao furrowed her brows and glared at him, wanting to draw her sword, but his appearance was just too infuriating.

In this world, only he dared to tease her like this.

Chu Zhiyuan said, ”The Da Lie Dynasty and the Da Guang Dynasty have long been archenemies. You being able to unite them is indeed a skill.”

”My Da Meng certainly has great capabilities.”

”It must have cost you a great deal, right?”

”Do you want to know?”

”Never mind, the costs now will all go down the drain. What a pity.”

”Feigning sincerity, Chu Zhiyuan, you’re so hypocritical!”

”I genuinely think it’s a pity for you,” Chu Zhiyuan smiled. ”It must have been an enormous cost, just one step short but failing at the last moment.”

Li Hongzhao curled her lips, sneering inwardly.

Indeed, it had cost them dearly, giving both the Da Lie and Da Guang Dynasties a sapling of the Undying Tree.

The fruit of the Undying Tree is called the Immortal Fruit, prolonging life by ten years after consumption.

Even the Phoenix Immortal Pill only extends life by one year.

This Undying Tree exists solely in the Forbidden Garden of the Da Meng Imperial Family; nowhere else in the world can it be found.

The Undying Tree had already been sent over; the only thing not handed over was the method of nurturing it, how to thrive, and how to fruit, all requiring unique methods.

Thus, there was no fear of Da Lie Dynasty or Da Guang Dynasty reneging.

Their emperors were not like Da Jing’s or Da Meng’s, not all were Great Grandmasters, their lifespans weren’t as long.

The more powerful the emperor, the more they feared death.

Ten years of lifespan was enough to entice them into taking risks.

Moreover, if Da Jing truly counterattacked, Da Meng was there at the forefront, so they didn’t have much to fear.

Da Meng had depicted Da Jing’s strong north and weak south, strong west and weak east situation clearly, dispelling their awe for Da Jing.

Now, Da Jing was just an empty shell, especially in the Eastern Territory, having no combat power; even if they took action, they couldn’t harm Da Lie or Da Guang.

Chu Zhiyuan, with Insight, observed her and noticed her expression, frowning once he realized the issue might be troublesome.

It seemed necessary to first ascertain what Da Meng had given to Da Lie and Da Guang before addressing the matter.

That would be up to the Prince.

He now stood on Da Jing’s side, harboring extreme hatred for Da Meng, eager to return and shift Da Lie’s stance.

Li Hongzhao snorted, ”Alright, since you’ve rescued him, let’s consider this matter concluded.”

Chu Zhiyuan smiled.

This was definitely lip service.

How could it be concluded, surely she was searching for his flaws, looking for a chance to strike back.

”Chu Zhiyuan, do you know about Lu Yaofeng?”

”Lu Yaofeng... never heard of him.” Chu Zhiyuan’s heart secretly trembled, sensing an unusual feeling.

”Then forget it,” Li Hongzhao said. ”I’ll find someone knowledgeable to ask; you, being young, wouldn’t know, which is normal.”

”Who is this Lu Yaofeng?”

”A Great Grandmaster of our Da Meng.”

”Why would I know him?”

”Over a thousand years ago, he came to the Da Jing Dynasty from Da Meng and fell in love with a girl, but in the end, the girl died unexpectedly, and he lived a solitary life, a tragic figure, a Great Grandmaster... perhaps the longer he lived, the more suffering he endured.”

Chu Zhiyuan said, ”Lu Yaofeng...”

The more he pondered the name, the more his heart raced with fear.

Finally, he found the source of danger.

He always felt something was amiss, sensing a deadly danger from the east, always searching for who or what power it was.

Unexpectedly, it was linked to this person, a Grandmaster from a thousand years ago, who should have been dead by now.

Then why did his name alone make him shiver, uneasy, with intuition endlessly warning him?

He smiled calmly, ”Are you searching for Lu Yaofeng’s remains, or perhaps his Cave Mansion?”

Li Hongzhao said, ”If you help, we can explore this Cave Mansion together.”

Chu Zhiyuan laughed, ”How do we split the spoils?”

”Talking about profit in everything, your demeanor is truly repulsive!... What about half each?” Li Hongzhao snorted, ”If we get the Secret Manual, both can read it, and anything else will be split equally.”

”Alright,” Chu Zhiyuan agreed readily. ”Then tell me, approximately where is Lu Yaofeng’s Cave Mansion?”

”I have a map, but I’m not sure how far off it is.” Li Hongzhao retrieved an ancient map from her sleeve.

She slowly and carefully unfolded it on the stone table.

Chu Zhiyuan stepped forward to examine it.

Although the map was ancient and differed from current ones, the direction was not a problem.

The Cave Mansion’s location was indeed directly east.

He looked up at Li Hongzhao.

Li Hongzhao smiled, ”How is it?”

Chu Zhiyuan sighed, ”Just who is this Lu Yaofeng? Why not tell me more?”

”He shook Da Meng with the Qiankun Six Absolute Palm, known as the world’s best palm. If not for being trapped by love, he wouldn’t have left Da Meng for Da Jing and died in a foreign land.”

”After the girl died, why didn’t he return to Da Meng?”

”Maybe he wanted to stay near the girl.”

”What was the girl’s identity?”

”... That, I don’t know.”

”It would be better to find out,” Chu Zhiyuan smiled.

But internally, he felt both grave and excited.

Grave because Lu Yaofeng was too dangerous, excited because he finally found the source of danger, no longer having to expend effort searching.

Now he could completely put his mind at ease.

”Let’s both do some inquiring,” Li Hongzhao said. ”Although it’s not that necessary, we are looking for Lu Yaofeng’s Cave Mansion, not the girl’s, who died so many years ago.”

Chu Zhiyuan insisted, ”It would be better to clarify first.”

”Alright, alright, as you wish,” Li Hongzhao snorted.

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