Imperial Cultivation

In a daze, he arrived at a magnificent valley.

In the valley were strange flowers and exotic herbs, above were flying creatures, and in the middle, people came and went.

These divine beings all flew in the air.

Even children only half a person tall traversed the sky as if walking on flat ground.

The buildings in the valley, some with flying eaves, some with hanging eaves, some with carved beams, some with rough wooden beams, varied in style.

In front of these buildings, various strange flowers and exotic herbs were planted, and exotic beasts roamed among the plants.

Chu Zhiyuan felt like a flying creature, sweeping across the valley overhead.

His gaze was suddenly captured by a scene.

His spirit was greatly lifted.

The elephant beast on his shoulder unknowingly looked toward him with a titled head.

Chu Zhiyuan’s slightly closed eyes suddenly opened, a sharp light bursting forth, startling the elephant beast.

It quickly leaped onto a grass tip, staring at Chu Zhiyuan.

Chu Zhiyuan excitedly looked at the elephant beast, "Where did this come from?"

He then extended his hand.

The elephant beast glanced at his palm but did not come over.

Chu Zhiyuan stretched his hand again.

Only then did the elephant beast leap into his palm.

Man and beast connected again in heart and spirit, able to communicate directly in their minds.

"Where did this come from?"

"Found it, is it divine?"

"Not of the divine race."

"Hmm—?"

"Do you recognize this place?" Chu Zhiyuan projected what he had seen in his mind before.

So the elephant beast also saw the valley.

The elephant beast’s eyes flickered, tilted its head, then shook it.

Chu Zhiyuan laughed, "Could this place be Dragon Mountain? Look at that valley: it’s big enough, deep enough, the mountains on either side high enough."

"I haven’t entered Dragon Mountain, can’t recognize it."

"Can you record what you see and hear into this jade pendant, is it from the divine race?"

"It should be the divine race, they don’t use paper and pen, prefer this kind of jade talisman."

"Divine race..." Chu Zhiyuan pondered.

He activated the Donghuan Saint Technique and looked at the jade pendant.

Time traced back.

He saw this piece of jade being excavated from underground, polished, then falling to a divine youth.

The young divine’s voice was tender, yet extremely active, going everywhere between heaven and earth.

Ultimately, he intruded into a secret realm, and during the chase, dropped the jade into a rolling river.

The river constantly washed it, then it fell into the elephant beast’s hands.

Seeing this, Chu Zhiyuan’s expression became grave.

This mighty river was the very one where he stood, and the elephant beast picked it up by this riverbank.

From the drop of the jade pendant to being picked up by the elephant beast, over a thousand years had passed.

Over a thousand years buried in riverbank silt, eventually unearthed by a flood.

Buried so long because the river changed course, shifted positions.

This mighty river, influenced by invisible forces, constantly changed direction.

When seeing this, Chu Zhiyuan was amazed.

What kind of power could alter such a vast river’s course?

He looked up at the mighty river.

Time traced back.

After a while, his empty eyes returned to normal, shaking his head.

It’s the mountains causing it.

Dragon Mountain truly has mysterious wonders.

Moreover, he vaguely judged, that valley was probably within Dragon Mountain.

He turned to the elephant beast, "I want to go to Dragon Mountain!"

"You’re looking for death!" The elephant beast’s voice echoed in his mind with urgency.

Chu Zhiyuan said, "I have an unavoidable reason to go!"

"Is it to obtain divine clan martial arts?"

"Precisely."

"Then you’re delusional, divine heritage won’t be in paper and pen."

"That’s not necessarily," Chu Zhiyuan said, "How did I get my Cloud Dragon Fist?"

"Your Cloud Dragon Fist isn’t true divine clan martial arts!"

"Haha..."

If not true divine clan martial arts, how could divine essence expel spiritual essence?

He had no doubt about the authenticity of the Cloud Dragon Fist, just felt he might not have grasped the true essence, not found the foundation of divine clan martial arts.

The mysteries of Cloud Dragon Fist he couldn’t decipher. To decipher, he needed to find the foundation of divine clan martial arts, the core.

These are almost transmitted orally, not recorded in writing.

But divine languages are mysterious; outsiders can’t learn them, they might not record in divine script.

More importantly, among the youths practicing martial arts in the valley, he saw familiar movements—the Nine Techniques of Spirit Abyss.

This is the heritage of the Taiqing Primordial Sect.

He suddenly hypothesized the valley could likely be where the Taiqing Primordial Sect is located.

His mastery of the Taiqing Primordial Sect’s Three Elements Technique was proficient; progress was currently slow.

And the Heavenly Yuan Technique was the foundation of everything.

If he could find better cultivation methods, advance the Heavenly Yuan Technique, the cultivation realm would naturally rise swiftly.

Once reaching the Fifth Transition or Sixth Transition, he’d have confidence to deal with Song Wantao.

More crucial, the Spiritual Abyss Nine Forms he saw differed somewhat from his own practice.

He knew the Spiritual Abyss Nine Forms were divine clan martial arts, later transformed into the Spiritual Abyss Twelve Forms by heavenly beings.

He’d also seen images of Spiritual Abyss Nine Forms, but what he saw now differed from what he’d seen before.

What truly was the problem?

Reaching that valley, could he unravel the true mysteries of the Spiritual Abyss Nine Forms?

"I want to follow this river upstream, but..." Chu Zhiyuan sighed, "The riverbanks are fine, but above the river it’s dangerous."

"Hmph, at least you know."

"What is above?" Chu Zhiyuan said, "You once went to Dragon Mountain, followed the riverbank, right?"

"Yes."

"Then by following the riverbank, can you reach the foot of Dragon Mountain?"

"Do you think there’s nothing by the riverbank, allowing you to walk however you please?"

"Is there something formidable blocking the way along the riverbank?"

"You can defeat me, but you definitely won’t defeat them!"

Chu Zhiyuan laughed, "Just what kind of formidable figures are there?"

"You can still laugh!" The elephant beast was somewhat exasperated, "Encounter them, you’ll laugh no more, won’t even have the chance to laugh, life will end soon!"

Chu Zhiyuan laughed, "Then I really want to know what’s so formidable?"

"You needn’t know what makes them formidable, only that they can kill you."

"So many years have passed, surely they’re no longer there?"

"I’m here, why wouldn’t they be?"

"Didn’t you leave with the divine race?"

"We’re not of the divine race, why would we follow? Moreover, they don’t want us!"

"Divine race’s pets also follow, right?"

"Cannot follow." The elephant beast snorted, "Many pets were abandoned, so best not let them see you."

"Why?"

"Your aura resembles the divine race, they’ll definitely kill you!"

"I see..." Chu Zhiyuan smiled, "Do you also have enmity with the divine race?"

"No."

"Not ’no’, right?" Chu Zhiyuan laughed, "Otherwise, why attempt to kill me earlier?"

"You attacked me first!" The elephant beast snorted.

Chu Zhiyuan was taken aback.

The elephant beast snorted, "The power on that flying knife is yours, you thought you’d hide it from me?"

Chu Zhiyuan clasped his fists, "My apologies, that was to help a friend."

If the elephant beast had no murderous intention, a flying knife containing a thread of his heart and spirit wouldn’t strike.

"Hmph, they disturbed my peaceful sleep, so they had to die, in short, if you want to seek death, go ahead, I’m not accompanying you."

"Aren’t you curious if they’re still there?"

"Not curious at all!"

"Help me get there, I’ll aid your cultivation."

"...Who needs your cultivation aid!"

"Haha..." Chu Zhiyuan laughed heartily, "You’re hard to trick; am I easy to trick? If you had no request, would you engage with me?"

"...Going to Dragon Mountain is indeed seeking death."

"Let’s first get there, then see if we can enter, how about it, ...you managed before, can you do it now?"