Imperial Cultivation

These four Spirit Venerables weren’t from Biyuan Heaven; they looked more like they were from You Meng Heaven.

Chu Zhiyuan immediately understood: the Evil Extermination Department had passed the news along.

The four men wore spotless white robes, gliding over the ground as if flat, slowly and lazily closing in.

"So it’s here?"

"It should be this thing! Spectacular, as expected!"

"It does have the air of a Divine Artifact. So why is no one here?"

They looked around in all directions.

They didn’t spot Chu Zhiyuan, nor did they spot the Tribute from the Biyuan Heaven Imperial Palace.

"Something’s off. Since the news got out, how could there be no one?"

At the very least, the one who spread the news should be here.

"Could it be a trap?"

They didn’t rush closer; instead, they pressed their backs together warily, forming a formation, lightning-like eyes sweeping the surroundings.

A middle-aged man with a long, narrow face took a Jade Flute from his bosom and raised it to his lips.

A thread of flute sound floated out, spreading, with several more threads following close behind, diffusing and overlapping.

The distant flute sound slowly drew nearer, like slow waves coming in from far off, gathering close and finally overlapping into a heaven-toppling tsunami, crashing against the shore in fury.

The raging waves smashed against the shore, overwhelming heaven and earth, impossible to evade.

Chu Zhiyuan shook his head and flickered out of sight, avoiding the surging waves of sound.

The Tribute of the Imperial Palace, shrunk in like a stone and fused with the mountains and forest, was unable to move.

When Chu Zhiyuan reappeared at the mountaintop where he had been before, the flute sound had already vanished.

The long-faced middle-aged man put away the Jade Flute with a cold laugh. "So there was someone watching. Hmph, hiding quite deep!"

If not for the help of a Spiritual Artifact, they wouldn’t have discovered him!

The four headed toward that Imperial Palace Tribute.

Seeing this, the Tribute leapt up, turning into a wisp of light smoke drifting off into the distance.

"Trying to run? Heh!"

The four suddenly accelerated; in the blink of an eye they had him surrounded.

This Tribute was a kindly-looking old man; he gazed helplessly at the four white-robed middle-aged men, clasped his fists, and said, "Please, make a bit of way!"

"State your name!" the long-faced middle-aged man said in a deep voice.

The kindly old man said helplessly, "I cannot casually reveal my name."

"Don’t dare speak your name, sneaking around—what are you plotting?!"

"I haven’t offended you seniors, have I?"

"Who said you haven’t?"

"I was so far away, and I didn’t make a move. How have I offended you seniors?"

"You’re here to pass the word, aren’t you?" the long-faced middle-aged man said coldly. "You spread the news about this Divine Artifact, didn’t you?"

The kindly old man said, "This Divine Artifact’s news hardly needs me to spread it, does it? Didn’t you seniors come here after hearing of it?"

"Hm—?" Another middle-aged man frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

The kindly old man said, "I also came after hearing the news."

"Then why were you running?!"

"Seeing you seniors arrive, I could only be smart about it and withdraw on my own."

"If you really wanted to leave, there was no need to sneak about like that. You could have gone openly!"

The kindly old man gave a bitter smile. "I’d like to be open about it, but I was afraid of causing a misunderstanding with you seniors!"

Chu Zhiyuan stood in ambush and nodded slightly.

This Imperial Palace Tribute handled things very deftly, forcibly turning an unfavorable situation around.

But in this world, especially within the Divine Domain, reason weighs less than fists.

Talking won’t settle anything; in the end it will still be resolved by fists.

"Since you don’t want to skulk about, why don’t you dare tell us your name?" the long-faced middle-aged man said coldly. "Which Heaven are you from?"

"Alas..." The kindly old man said helplessly, "Very well. I am Cheng Qingyun of Wind and Cloud Heaven."

"Wind and Cloud Heaven?" The four middle-aged men frowned and stared at him.

The kindly old man said solemnly, "I don’t know which Heavens you four seniors hail from?"

"Hmph, you have no need to know!" the long-faced middle-aged man said coldly. "So Wind and Cloud Heaven has received the news as well?"

The kindly old man said solemnly, "I should have received the news a step earlier. At present, everyone up and down Wind and Cloud Heaven knows where the Divine Artifact lies."

"They all know the Divine Artifact is here?"

"Exactly."

"Then why are you the only one here?"

"As far as I know, several groups of experts came long ago."

"And where are they now?"

"They all left."

The long-faced middle-aged man let out a chuckle. "Left? They saw the Divine Artifact and all left? You expect us to believe that?"

The kindly old man sighed. "You seniors can try it yourselves."

"Then we’ll try. You’re not allowed to leave!"

"...Fine." The kindly old man said helplessly, "I’ll stay right where I am, then."

He drifted back, landing once more on a giant rock halfway up the original mountain.

His gray long robe was almost one with that boulder; if you didn’t look closely, you’d easily overlook him.

The four middle-aged men exchanged a look; they didn’t attack directly, but instead floated toward the giant tower.

The kindly old man was only a Perfect Venerable; they could crush him easily, and he wouldn’t escape even if he tried.

Soon as they drew near the giant tower, they were all bounced away, spitting Blood Arrows in midair.

They had no defenses raised, unaware of how formidable and dangerous the giant tower was.

Suddenly struck, they bore the tower’s power full-on; their internal organs suffered severe damage.

The kindly old man didn’t use the chance to escape; the hint of a cold smile flashed at the corner of his mouth before his expression returned to normal.

After the four Spirit Venerables spat blood in midair, they all dropped.

They fell for over thirty meters in one go before stopping, hovering again, their faces all pale as paper.

They stared at the giant tower in lingering terror, then looked at one another.

Then they turned their gazes to the kindly old man halfway up the distant mountain.

"So that’s how it is!"

"Try again!"

"Yes, try again!"

They charged at the giant tower once more, and once more were bounced away.

And then once again.

After three heavy blows, the aura of three of them had clearly weakened by half.

At this moment, two men drifted in from afar: a lean, handsome youth, and a burly, powerfully built middle-aged man.

They stood at a distance, not hurrying closer, studying the four Spirit Venerables who had arrived earlier.

The four previous Spirit Venerables wore gravely pale faces, frowning as they looked at them.

The kindly old man laughed to himself inwardly.

He didn’t rush to leave; making a move now would only make him an easy target.

Chu Zhiyuan stood on the mountaintop, watching this side, secretly nodding.

The news had spread, and these Spirit Venerables were acting quickly.

Soon more and more Spirit Venerables would come to join the struggle; it would only grow livelier.

And these two Spirit Venerables—especially that handsome youth—were actually a Sixth Transition Spirit Venerable.

So young and already at the Sixth Transition; he was quite the prodigy, only a shade inferior to Chu Zhiyuan himself.

The four middle-aged men exchanged a look and drifted back, opening a passage between the two Spirit Venerables and the giant tower.

The two Spirit Venerables looked at the giant tower, then at the four pale and weakened Spirit Venerables.

The long-faced middle-aged man snorted. "Let me tell you ahead of time, you can’t get close to this Divine Artifact. No one can do anything about it."

"Can’t get close? Mm, this is the Divine Artifact?" the young man said. "It’s not fake, is it?"

"It should be the Divine Artifact."

His companion, the burly middle-aged man, spoke in a deep voice.

The young man said, "The legend says the Divine Artifact is here, but legends aren’t necessarily reliable, are they? How do we prove this is the Divine Artifact? What if someone is deliberately scheming, tossing out a fake to toy with us? ...The real Divine Artifact has already been taken away, and this fake is used to draw our attention, giving them time to refine the Divine Artifact!"

The burly middle-aged man said, "Why don’t we test it ourselves?"

"Old Liang, have a look."

"Alright." The burly middle-aged man agreed readily and drifted toward the giant tower.

He glanced at the four Spirit Venerables a hundred meters away, then continued charging toward the tower.

He was then bounced away by the giant tower toward the handsome youth, and smoothly drifted back, without spitting any Blood Arrows.

This left the long-faced middle-aged man and his three companions quite disappointed; they hadn’t thought this fellow would be so cautious.

He had obviously kept some strength in reserve, guarding against a powerful backlash. Otherwise, taking such a sudden hit from such a force, he would certainly have been severely injured.