Imperial Cultivation

Chapter 1658: Chapter 1654: Confrontation

Who would have thought this Jade Pendant would possess such power.

Earlier, I had sensed something amiss, but I thought Mr. Chu wouldn’t harm me, so I took it as a gesture of goodwill from him and accepted it.

Yet this Jade Pendant could actually intimidate that gaunt middle-aged man into retreating.

What does this signify?

Was it that the gaunt middle-aged man was extremely cautious?

Or was the power contained in this Jade Pendant truly astonishing?

She again scrutinized this Jade Pendant, drawing closer to examine it, concentrating her senses.

The aura contained within it was not intense, but faint, almost imperceptible.

It seemed like it was there, but also seemed like it wasn’t.

She felt that if she was slightly farther away, she might not even notice this aura.

Could such a subtle aura really frighten away that gaunt middle-aged man?

She shook her head again, retrieving the thick incense she had before from her sleeve.

Her palms came together, holding the thick incense, and she once more gathered her aura, causing wisps of fine smoke to spiral upwards, releasing an ethereal and unique fragrance.

While she activated the mystical fragrance, she vaguely worried whether the gaunt middle-aged man might come over to interfere.

After a while, she didn’t see any trace of the gaunt middle-aged man.

She let out a sigh of relief, floated upward, and landed once again on a mountain peak, looking distantly towards the place where the gaunt middle-aged man was.

At this distance, she could still see him clearly.

The gaunt middle-aged man formed seals with his hands, murmuring softly, his eyes emitting a strange light akin to two radiant cold stars, almost impossible to look at directly.

Zeng Yun furrowed her elegant brows.

Looking at the gaunt middle-aged man’s demeanor, could he be trying to control the Divine Artifact?

If he succeeds in controlling the Divine Artifact first, the Court would have no say in it.

Then, even if the Court possesses a Divine Artifact, they might not be able to handle this mystical gaunt middle-aged man who had already manipulated this artifact, and they wouldn’t be able to seize it.

Hence, there is a need to stop him, to sabotage his efforts.

But relying solely on her own abilities won’t suffice; she hoped fervently for the Imperial Palace tributes and the experts of the Four Holy Veins to arrive soon.

Time seemed to crawl slowly by.

She felt as if a long time had passed, and then she heard the sound of fluttering robes, spinning around abruptly.

Three figures floated gracefully like immortals, arriving serenely, bringing with them a gust of wind brushing her face.

The gust of wind caused her robe to flutter with a loud noise.

She let out a sigh of relief, revealing a smile: ”You’re finally here!”

These three middle-aged men were experts from the remaining three veins of the Four Holy Veins, each sensing the aura of the Divine Artifact.

This was an effect stemming from the wondrous capabilities of the artifact.

The three middle-aged men were all extraordinary in appearance; one rugged like a bear, another mighty like a tiger, and the last handsome like a lion.

The longer the bloodline inheritors cultivated, the more deeply they were influenced by their bloodline, causing both their appearance and aura to align closely with the essence of their bloodline.

The experts of the Four Holy Veins could be identified at a glance as belonging to their respective vein.

The lion-like handsome middle-aged man smiled: ”Junior Sister Zeng, have you discovered anything?”

His smile shone brilliantly like snow-white teeth, full of charm and allure.

If ordinary people were to see this smile, they would be utterly entranced, yet Zeng Yun, being a Phoenix Bloodline inheritor, was unaffected, pointing ahead: ”Over there, an extremely formidable individual; I couldn’t take him on.”

”Let’s go, let’s have a look!” The rugged bear-like middle-aged man snorted: ”With the four of us joining forces, what do we have to fear!”

Since the four of them were together, they could utilize the Divine Artifact to form an array, thus amplifying their strength several times over.

This made them exceedingly confident.

They then floated towards the mountain peak, seeing distantly the gaunt middle-aged man muttering softly, with his voice carrying far.

This voice was curiously eerie; though softly murmuring, it resonated throughout the air, traveling far, penetrating deeply into the listeners’ minds.

The four exchanged glances, their expressions sober.

Just from this murmuring voice alone, they could discern the profound cultivation of the gaunt middle-aged man.

The seemingly calm voice worked its way into their ears, triggering a subtle shock through their blood, stirring a sense of spontaneous anticipation, a feeling of impending danger.

Instinctively warning them to leave swiftly, to not venture closer.

”Be careful!”

They initiated Sound Transmission into Secret amongst themselves, cautiously approaching forward.

The nearest distance between them and the gaunt middle-aged man was a hundred meters at a peak.

Upon reaching this peak, they cast a glance upwards, noticing the towering, majestic half of a tower structure.

The other half was concealed by white clouds and the Void.

Seeing this, the faces of the other three middle-aged men altered slightly, their eyes filled with intensity.

They instantly recognized that this was the Divine Artifact they had been seeking together.

Having located it, the next step naturally was to seize the Divine Artifact, to take it out of the Divine Domain and hand it over to the Court.

Observing the gaunt middle-aged man about to seize this artifact, their anxiety deepened.

They absolutely couldn’t allow the gaunt middle-aged man to succeed!

Thus, the four looked into each other’s eyes, nodded lightly, and their figures flickered.

Forming the Four Symbols Mixed Element Formation.

Once they established the array, their aura soared abruptly, resembling a mighty peak towering upward.

This Four Symbols Mixed Element Formation not only combined their strengths, multiplying their powers several times over but also opportunistically borrowed the power of the Court’s Divine Artifact.

Their confidence swelled, believing such mighty power to be beyond human resistance, and no matter how profound the cultivation of the gaunt middle-aged man, he absolutely couldn’t withstand it.

”Woo...” A silver light suddenly darted out from the sleeve of the gaunt middle-aged man.

It paused obliquely above the four, revealing its form as the previous Silver Ring.

The Silver Ring spun slowly as if observing the four.

”Be wary of it; it’s very peculiar!” Zeng Yun hurriedly said: ”Its speed is exceedingly fast, and its strength is both powerful and bizarre!”

”Ignore it for now, attack its master directly!”

”Yes, strike the leader first!”

”Take action!”

The four ascended gracefully as though borne aloft by an invisible force, drifting toward the gaunt middle-aged man.

”Woo!”

The silver light rushed towards the rugged bear-like middle-aged man at the head, like a bright arc across the sky.

”Pop!”

The rugged middle-aged man pushed his palm, effortlessly repelling it a foot away, sending it flying.

The combined forces of the four had transformed into his palm force, firm and resilient, akin to tidal waves crashing against the shore, directly knocking the Silver Ring away.

The power they condensed far surpassed what Zeng Yun had wielded previously.

This odd Silver Ring couldn’t withstand the four’s united strike.

It bounced tens of meters away, then circled back around, shooting towards the four again, its speed doubled from before.

Their forward momentum didn’t waver, and the rugged middle-aged man emitted another palm strike, repelling it again.

Simultaneously, he frowned and said: ”Indeed, it’s unusual!”

The power contained within the Silver Ring had now doubled.

Evidently, it was incorporating the previous force within itself, thereby stacking its strength, making it more potent.

This time it happened this way, next time it would likely be even stronger—would it eventually surpass their combined palm strength?

Meanwhile, they’d already arrived right in front of the gaunt middle-aged man.

The gaunt middle-aged man seemed oblivious to their approach, continually forming seals with his hands, murmuring softly.

Yet having released that Silver Ring, he must have been aware of the presence of the four.

The lion-like handsome middle-aged man spoke in a deep voice: ”Quickly, don’t let him succeed!”

He had discerned that the gaunt middle-aged man was buying time, using the Silver Ring to stall them, thus gaining time for himself.

Clearly, the gaunt middle-aged man could soon complete the manipulation.

If that happens, their efforts would be entirely wasted.

”Woo!”

Silver Ring circled back once more, its speed even faster, with more piercing howls.

The rugged middle-aged man transformed his palm into a fist, the fist power condensed into a small bear, endearing and charming, flying towards the Silver Ring.

”Bang bang bang...” The Silver Ring and the small bear collided repeatedly in mid-air.

The rugged middle-aged man’s face turned sour.

This punch had drained the majority of his power, weakening the efficacy of their formation.

Yet despite this, they had already charged towards the gaunt middle-aged man.

The gaunt middle-aged man suddenly darted away, shooting toward the distance, evading their palm strength and fist power.

His movement technique was incredibly fast, leaving the four pursuing relentlessly but unable to catch up.

While his figure flitted about, his hands continually forming seals, his mouth continuously murmuring softly.

The four grew increasingly anxious, constantly absorbing the artifact’s strength and accelerating continuously.

However, gradually, they sensed something amiss, the murmuring voice at their ears unknowingly grew extremely loud.

They couldn’t hear any other sound anymore, only the murmuring, and surprisingly, the connection with the other three had unknowingly severed.