Imperial Cultivation

Chapter 1656: Chapter 1652: Projection

”You really live up to your reputation, you old sly fox!”

”This is only the most basic stuff, hardly worth mentioning, isn’t it?”

”Hmph!” Li Hongzhao said, ”Now that you know where Senior Sister Zeng is, what can you even do? Get there ahead of her? Even if you grab that Divine Artifact first, it’s useless to you.”

”I’m not thinking of getting it, I just want to see it with my own eyes,” Chu Zhiyuan said.

Li Hongzhao slanted him a look and snorted, ”You tell me, should I believe that?”

Chu Zhiyuan smiled and shook his head. ”Whatever the case, if there really is danger, I can still save her.”

”Let’s hope she doesn’t run into a Ninth Transitions Spirit Venerable.” Li Hongzhao’s brows drew together slightly. ”I feel the odds aren’t great. Anyone with the guts to go after a Divine Artifact—or rather, anyone capable of finding one—probably isn’t some ordinary Spirit Venerable.”

Chu Zhiyuan nodded.

A Divine Artifact really was very likely to draw Ninth Transitions Spirit Venerables. If a Ninth Transitions Spirit Venerable showed up, the other Spirit Venerables would naturally fall back and stay far away.

In the end, the ones left would be the Ninth Transitions Spirit Venerables—and not just a single one.

By then, his Jade Pendant might not work.

He himself was very close to the Ninth Transitions realm now, closer and closer, just one step short.

But in the end, he was not Nine Transitions.

Fortunately, what he used was Divine Essence. If he really faced a Ninth Transitions Spirit Venerable, he might not necessarily lose.

Thinking this, he said in a low voice, ”I need to advance as fast as possible. These next few days I have to focus on cultivation, I won’t be coming over.”

”You’re going into seclusion?”

”Mm.”

”Where are you closing up?”

”Inside the Divine Domain. I won’t be coming out for a while.”

”You don’t need me as protector?” Li Hongzhao said. ”What if you run into a Ninth Transitions Spirit Venerable inside the Divine Domain?”

Chu Zhiyuan said, ”If there really is a Ninth Transitions Spirit Venerable, you being there just makes things harder.”

”Don’t know a good heart when you see one!” Li Hongzhao rolled her eyes at him. ”Just be careful!”

Chu Zhiyuan smiled and nodded.

Then he glanced once toward the interior of the Phoenix Secret Land, his expression somewhere between a smile and not.

...

Inside the Phoenix Secret Land, in a great hall.

Song Chaoge stood side by side with a refined, dignified young girl at a tall desk, both of them studying a Jade Pendant lying upon it.

The Jade Pendant was crystal-clear and warm to the touch, as if a spring were flowing within.

Song Chaoge looked at the girl. ”Yun’er, what do you think?”

”What does Master think?” the refined, dignified girl said. ”Can I carry it with me?”

”Whatever Zhiyuan’s attitude toward the Court, as far as we’re concerned, he’s still someone we can trust.” Song Chaoge said, ”He wouldn’t harm you.”

The refined, dignified girl nodded lightly. ”Then I’ll wear this Jade Pendant.”

”Quite a few of the Court’s Tribute bear it and were saved by it once.” Song Chaoge said, ”They’re full of gratitude to him, and full of admiration.”

”Yet the Court still doesn’t trust him?”

”Mm. Because of his origins, the Court ultimately will never fully place their trust in him.”

”The Court really is heartless, isn’t it?”

”There’s nothing to be done.” Song Chaoge shook his head. ”Aside from our four bloodlines, the Court won’t trust anyone.”

”What about Little Junior Sister?” Zeng Yun shook her head. ”This time they’ve hurt Little Junior Sister’s feelings too.”

”If Hongzhao and Zhiyuan weren’t acquainted, they probably would have let her go in this time.”

”So she was dragged down by Mr. Chu?”

”Mm.”

”Little Junior Sister isn’t going to cut ties with Mr. Chu.”

”With her temperament, of course she won’t... And this so-called opportunity may not actually be one—it could be danger. So you should carry this Jade Pendant if you can; at a critical moment it could very well save your life.”

”Master, doesn’t the Court have its own Divine Artifacts?”

”The Court’s Divine Artifacts might not work when the time comes. What if they don’t? Only with double protection can we be sure. This Jade Pendant may contain some little trick of Zhiyuan’s, but it won’t endanger your life.”

”Then the Court...”

”We’ll just act as though we know nothing of the subtle ties between the Court and Zhiyuan. What matters is your life.”

”Yes, Master.” Zeng Yun nodded solemnly.

”Then go in. Be careful. If anything seems off, use the Jade Pendant at once.” Song Chaoge said, ”Don’t try to be brave. If it doesn’t work out, then so be it. The Divine Artifact belongs to the Court; your life belongs to you.”

”Yes.” Zeng Yun smiled. ”Master, don’t worry. My luck’s pretty good.”

Song Chaoge snorted. ”Luck is the least reliable, the most unstable thing. Go on in.”

”Disciple takes her leave.”

Zeng Yun cupped her fists and bowed, tucked the Jade Pendant into her sleeve, and stepped into a Light Gate in the wall of the great hall.

The next instant, she had already appeared within the Divine Domain, right outside the cave that had previously suppressed the Four Fierce Beasts.

She came to the mouth of the cave, closed her bright eyes, and stood motionless.

Chu Zhiyuan had already left the Phoenix Secret Realm and now stood at the foot of a Dragon Mountain.

This was the third Dragon Mountain.

He paid no attention to this Dragon Mountain’s height or size, ignored the Strange Beast upon it, and simply walked forward, beginning to move earth, stone, and vegetation.

At the same time, he was also monitoring Zeng Yun.

Through the Jade Pendant, it was as if he stood at Zeng Yun’s side, watching her every move.

He saw the aura around Zeng Yun become strange, her figure float up, turning into a wisp of light smoke that skimmed over the mountaintop and toward the far side.

Chu Zhiyuan’s spirits lifted.

As expected, none of the bloodline Inheritors of the Phoenix Secret Realm were weak.

This Lightweight Body Technique of Zeng Yun’s was very unique.

He seemed to attach himself to Zeng Yun’s body, feeling the scenery streak past before her eyes and the mountain winds howling.

His heart stirred slightly.

Could it be that Zeng Yun had developed a sense for the Taixu Tower?

Was she really that formidable?

Zeng Yun kept gliding toward the northeast, passing peak after peak, river after river.

She seemed to be invisible; the strange birds and Strange Beasts flashing past around her all took no notice of her.

The Spirit Venerables she passed likewise seemed not to see her.

Chu Zhiyuan quickly understood: Zeng Yun’s aura was being concealed.

This was definitely not simply Suppressing a Spirit Venerable’s aura with a Miracle Technique, or else the Strange Beasts would have attacked her already.

Strange Beasts don’t attack the powerful; they avoid them on their own—but they never let the weak go.

If you suppress your Spirit Venerable aura, that’s equivalent to being weak, and will inevitably draw Strange Beast attacks.

Yet she hadn’t been attacked.

That proved the aura being suppressed wasn’t just Spirit Venerable qi, but her own presence as well, as if she had vanished from the world itself.

He was very curious whether this was some Spiritual Artifact protecting her body, or the power of a Court Divine Artifact.

As he moved earth and vegetation on the Dragon Mountain, he kept an eye on Zeng Yun’s side, the two tasks not interfering with each other in the slightest—his Dual Use was relaxed and effortless.

He kept walking forward, turning the mountain peak into a basin.

And Zeng Yun kept flying forward.

Zeng Yun flew for half a day, then stopped on the summit of a mountain.

Chu Zhiyuan’s curiosity rose.

He didn’t know why Zeng Yun had stopped, and his Divine Eye cleared as he gazed that way.

Guided by the Jade Pendant, the Divine Eye ignored distance, pierced through a thousand mountains and rivers, and slowly settled upon Zeng Yun, sweeping over her surroundings in passing.

The Divine Eye’s greatest strength had always been its ability to see past and future.

He had never realized it could see this far—at least a thousand li.

Through what the Divine Eye showed him, there was a sky-piercing giant tower standing in the Void before Zeng Yun.

The giant tower was half-hidden, half-visible, with one half outside this Void and one half within.

Chu Zhiyuan’s spirit leapt: this was the appearance of the Taixu Tower!

Only, compared to the Taixu Tower, the hazy Taixu Tower before him was dozens of times larger, its presence astonishing.

He immediately fell into a quiet contemplation, his eyes growing ever clearer, penetrating to the soul.

A moment later, his bright eyes returned to normal, his expression thoughtful.

Was this the Taixu Tower’s projection?

Hazy and indistinct, towering and exalted, like a Taixu Tower magnified several dozen times.

If he hadn’t seen the real Taixu Tower before, he would very likely have taken this Taixu Tower as the real one, never thinking it was just a projection.

Or even an illusion.

This wasn’t the true Taixu Tower.

But it was somehow related to the Taixu Tower. Through it, he should be able to locate the Taixu Tower itself.

Zeng Yun’s expression suddenly changed slightly. She turned her head and saw a figure appear in midair.

The figure moved with astonishing speed, and in the blink of an eye it was on the summit, no more than ten meters away from her, watching her curiously.

It was a gaunt middle-aged man, short of stature, his face full of wrinkles, yet his eyes were brimming with vigor.