Imperial Cultivation

Chapter 1157: Chapter 1153: Destruction

Why do they borrow the power of the Evil Venerable?

Is it to raid the Imperial City at night and scale the city walls?

He held the Shadowless Divine Sword, silently hidden in the shadows, quietly observing them.

After contemplating, he retreated silently, pulling back a hundred meters away without a sound.

A Light Gate flashed, and Chu Liezhao emerged from it.

The Heavenly Illusion Pavilion flew from his palm and landed on the peak of the nearby mountain.

Chu Zhiyuan floated back, the Shadowless Divine Sword returned to its sheath, and he approached those people.

At this moment, they merely glanced at Chu Zhiyuan as he approached, then withdrew their gaze.

As if seeing an acquaintance, there was no need for vigilance and concern.

Chu Zhiyuan sat beside a slender middle-aged man and whispered, ”When do we start?”

The slender middle-aged man gave him a sidelong glance, impatiently saying, ”Why the rush!”

Chu Zhiyuan apologetically said, ”Hehe... we’re going to...”

The slender middle-aged man snorted, ”When the moonlight is at its peak, that’s when the Evil Venerable can descend, no need to hurry.”

Chu Zhiyuan smiled, ”Can the Evil Venerable really break into the city after descending? These darn city walls are quite troublesome.”

The slender middle-aged man turned his head to give him a sidelong glance.

Chu Zhiyuan smiled awkwardly.

The slender middle-aged man snorted, ”The Evil Venerable is not us. With incredible power, how can a mere city wall stop the Evil Venerable! ... Kid, your body is the strongest. After the Evil Venerable descends, you’ll undergo rebirth. Once the Evil Venerable leaves, your cultivation will progress by leaps and bounds, rapidly becoming a top expert!”

Chu Zhiyuan showed a bitter smile, ”I just fear I might not withstand the Evil Venerable’s power.”

”There won’t be a problem,” the slender middle-aged man patted his shoulder, but a flash of sympathy flickered in his eyes.

Chu Zhiyuan nodded vigorously, ”I can definitely do it... Once the Evil Venerable arrives, the Imperial City will be reduced to ruins. With the Imperial City gone, the entire Dynasty’s end isn’t far off!”

”It’s not that easy,” the slender middle-aged man said, ”Don’t think we’re just having the advantage outside the city; once inside, there are plenty of top experts.”

Chu Zhiyuan displayed doubt and disbelief, ”So many experts, still handled by us like this?”

”Hehe... They just cherish their lives; the more top-notch they are, the more they cherish their lives!”

The slender middle-aged man sneered with a sarcastic expression.

”No wonder!” Chu Zhiyuan showed an expression of sudden realization, then asked, ”Will the other sects also summon their Evil Venerables?”

”That I don’t know, but our Evil Venerable is more decisive and formidable.”

The slender middle-aged man looked proud and disdainfully curled his lips, ”The first sip of soup is naturally ours!”

Chu Zhiyuan also looked proud, ”Our Giant Spirit Sect is destined to become the number one sect!”

The slender middle-aged man patted his shoulder, extremely satisfied, ”XiaoHe, precisely so!”

Chu Zhiyuan smiled and stepped back, his gaze burning as he looked at the statue, slowly drawing his sword halfway from its sheath before stopping and pressing it back in.

He floated over to the statue, inspecting it.

Human head and body, handsome in appearance, with the only difference from a human being the legs.

Three legs, tripod-like.

Three feet shaped like hooves, round and wide, resembling an elephant’s toes.

Seeing this form, Chu Zhiyuan vaguely guessed this Evil Venerable specializes in strength, likely possessing extraordinary might, with limitless power.

Based on what the middle-aged man said, it was clear this descent was different from before.

The Evil Venerable from the Evil Sect usually descends onto statues, granting power to the demons through them, causing their strength to surge and become more formidable.

But this descent was different, utilizing the statue to descend onto a human body.

Without needing to say more, it was clear this would be more troublesome.

He turned and looked at a young man among them.

The young man sat solemnly, appearing stern, with a relaxed aura.

The slender middle-aged man regarded himself as that young man and said those words.

That young man was the vessel for the Evil Venerable’s descent.

Under Super Sensing Illumination, his uniqueness was clearly visible.

From the outside, he seemed no different than anyone else, but internally, he was entirely different.

Whether in the body’s strength or the spirit’s intensity, he far exceeded other demons.

The strongest impression left on Chu Zhiyuan was an exceptionally pure feeling.

His body and mind were pure and unsullied, without a trace of impurity or blemish.

Pure and purer, bright and fresh.

Much like how the Glazed Blade Scripture described the body as pure and flawless, like glazed glass.

This rare trait was evidently a necessary condition for hosting the descent.

With such characteristics, cultivating the Glazed Blade Scripture would undoubtedly be twice as effective with half the effort.

He couldn’t help but feel a tinge of regret.

Such talent warranted admission to one of the Four Great Sects, like the Heavenly Sword Sect, yet it was wasted, ending up in the Evil Sect’s hands.

He floated closer, feeling the youth’s aura, his expression turning solemn.

That tinge of regret completely vanished.

He sensed a hint of the statue’s aura on the young man, an aura belonging to the Evil Venerable.

Thus, he could infer that the transformation of the youth was due to the Evil Venerable’s power.

The Evil Venerable used some method to cleanse the youth’s body into its current state, akin to the method of forging a sword.

In this way, even if the youth hadn’t killed anyone or employed the method of consuming essence blood, his spirit was already influenced, like a clone of the Evil Venerable.

This must not be allowed to continue.

He shook his head and floated behind the youth, placing his palm on the youth’s back.

The youth suddenly sensed something amiss.

At this critical moment of life and death, his extraordinary talent shone, making him feel uneasy.

In that instant, his spiritual power was fully activated, breaking free from the illusion realm of the Heavenly Illusion Pavilion, seeing the reality.

But in the next moment, Chu Zhiyuan’s power had already infused into his back.

The power belonging to the Evil Venerable Statue, able to control his body, entered instantly.

He was momentarily stunned.

The just risen Gang Qi suddenly dispersed, then was swiftly infused by the power of the Demon Suppressing Divine Tree.

In the next moment, golden light suddenly erupted from his body.

Golden light burst from his nostrils, eyes, ears, mouth, and hair.

His eyes widened, the golden light within them grew increasingly bright, eventually becoming like two small suns, impossible to gaze upon directly.

”Pop.”

A crisp sound echoed from within his body.

His eyes extinguished instantly, and the golden light rapidly retreated.

He sat quietly in place, motionless, already dead.

But moments later, he suddenly moved, opening his eyes.

His gaze was calm and composed, looking at Chu Zhiyuan.

Chu Zhiyuan felt as if he was looking in a mirror.

The youth floated away.

Chu Zhiyuan drew out the Shadowless Divine Sword, gracefully gliding through each evil demon.

...

At dawn, Ding Huanchun and his group opened the city gates, preparing to welcome those entering the city.

This time, the City Guards had increased to a hundred.

A hundred City Guards arranged in formation, creating an impressive aura.

The entering citizens, under the gaze of these hundred City Guards, were so tense their limbs stiffened, faces tingled, daring not to linger, wishing to bolt and flee.

The City Guards formed into three groups, one checking the citizens traveling alone, one checking those with carriages, the third standing by with swords, ready to draw them at any moment.

The intense pressure made the citizens not only tense but also reassured.

Ding Huanchun turned his head, looking around, his gaze following the wide official road forward, all the way to the far end, into the depths shadowed by the trees on both sides, yet he did not see Chu Zhiyuan.

A nearby City Guard whispered, ”Sir, do you think Mr. Chu might have met with an accident?”

”Shut your stinking mouth!” Ding Huanchun glared at him.

Another City Guard chuckled, ”Stop talking nonsense, Mr. Chu is no ordinary expert, he’s renowned in the Heavenly Sword Sect.”

”Old Huang, you know this?”

”My second uncle has connections with the doorkeeper of the Heavenly Sword Branch, Mr. Chu isn’t well-known in our Imperial City, but among the Four Great Sects, his fame is already formidable, his rise unstoppable.”

”It’s not that there haven’t been other experts from the Martial Arts Sects deployed, but their outcomes pale in comparison to Mr. Chu’s.”

”In martial arts, one must ultimately rely on true skill, strength is clear and unmistakable.”

”Mr. Chu will be fine, those evil demons can’t do anything to him!”

While they were talking, Ding Huanchun suddenly happily saw Chu Zhiyuan approaching from afar.

Chu Zhiyuan landed in front of him, smiling, ”Brother Ding, today’s setup is quite grand.”

Ding Huanchun smiled, ”I reported to the General last night, the General has agreed to deploy a large number of experts.”

Chu Zhiyuan said, ”Wise, ... Brother Ding, come with me.”

Ding Huanchun followed without hesitation.

Behind him, there were also four experts from the City Guards.

They quickly arrived at the grove, saw the Evil Venerable Statue, and the ground littered with corpses.

Chu Zhiyuan pursed his lips, recounting what he saw, omitting the matter of the youth.

Ding Huanchun’s face darkened.

As a City Guard responsible for combating evil demons, he naturally knew the power of the Evil Venerable Statue.

The fact that the Evil Venerable Statue dared to be near the Imperial City, what was the intention?

Chu Zhiyuan said, ”Brother Ding, it seems the evil demons truly intend to invade the Imperial City in force, the military and Court must be prepared.”

Ding Huanchun solemnly said, ”I will report to the General immediately!”

As he departed, he instructed the four City Guards to protect the scene here, then cupped his hands to Chu Zhiyuan and hurried away.