Imperial Cultivation

Chapter 560: Chapter 556: Prevention

The two large purple sandalwood boxes were quickly presented before him.

Zou Fang stepped forward to open them.

Inside were numerous Venerable Statues, arranged neatly.

In Chu Zhiyuan’s eyes, these Venerable Statues were intertwined with dense red threads.

Quite different from the scattered red threads within the Venerable Statue he currently possessed.

He smiled, ”Not bad.”

The red threads on these Venerable Statues varied in thickness, some long, some short.

This indicated that many had already reached nearby.

Based on the distribution of these red threads, he could roughly deduce the location of their Main Altar.

As for the specific location, that was hard to pinpoint; one couldn’t rely solely on them to determine it.

The Main Altar was filled with arrays.

Let’s see the progress on Xu Haode’s side.

The three women rushed over upon hearing the news, seeing him eagerly examining the Venerable Statues inside the box.

Shen Hanyue pursed her lips and said, ”These Venerable Statues sure are grotesque.”

Xu Yingying said, ”And they even have human faces on them; are these the true faces of those Venerables?”

Xiao Ruoling gently shook her head, ”Probably not, right?”

She vaguely felt that these weren’t their true appearances, estimating that they wouldn’t reveal their real faces.

Chu Zhiyuan closed his eyes, opened them again, and shook his head, ”They shouldn’t be their true faces; it’s a deformation based on their cultivation techniques.”

This was purely his intuition.

Xu Yingying tilted her head, ”So through these statues, can we discern the characteristics of their cultivation techniques? ... But it seems useless, right?”

”It’s of no use to me, but to ordinary Martial Arts masters, there’s use.”

In front of me, they would die in an instant, without any power to resist.

But to ordinary Martial Arts masters, they are still very formidable and terrifying.

Knowing their backgrounds and martial arts skills is indeed important.

Xu Yingying suggested, ”Why not write a book on their martial arts and disseminate it widely.”

”Good idea!” Xiao Ruoling clapped her hands.

Xu Yingying proudly winked at Shen Hanyue, her smile curved like a crescent.

Shen Hanyue humped, ”Smart of you!”

She, too, thought the idea was good.

Chu Zhiyuan nodded, ”Very well, I’ll try to write it.”

He looked at Xiao Ruoling, ”I’ll first make a trip back to Yujing, is there anything you want me to bring back?”

”Going back?” The three women were all surprised.

Chu Zhiyuan said, ”I’ll execute a surprise attack and sweep Yujing over again.”

He remained vigilant against these evil sect followers, continually pondering what they intended to do.

They were habitual killers; suddenly ceasing their assassinations, staying still, surely they were brewing a greater move.

”That’s good!” Xu Yingying praised, ”Do it a couple more times, and they’ll be thoroughly terrified.”

He laughed, ”Ruoling, inform the Imperial Guard outside that many evil sect followers have already infiltrated Tianjing City, probably planning disorder. Have them prepared.”

”These followers want to kill others?” Xiao Ruoling furrowed her delicate brows.

Chu Zhiyuan said, ”Very likely, they should have received the news.”

He had been pushing for a joint campaign by the three dynasties to eradicate the evil sect, which should have spread by now.

The evil sect followers were ruthless, unafraid of death, but it didn’t mean they were stupid.

They also had their share of cunning minds; those Venerables were not fools.

They certainly aimed to disrupt the plans.

One was to kill him; the other was to force Da Meng to disagree, creating immense pressure on Da Meng.

How to pressure Da Meng? Naturally, through slaughter.

That’s their expertise, a skill they readily employed.

Xu Yingying slightly furrowed her willow-like brows, ”They want to indiscriminately kill people in Tianjing City?”

Shen Hanyue gritted her teeth, ”This bunch of heartless beings!”

Xu Yingying snorted, ”They were heartless to begin with, ... so what do we do?”

”Before I leave, I’ll clean up a bit,” Chu Zhiyuan said, ”However...”

He pondered, ”I’m just afraid Da Meng won’t appreciate it, but rather be humiliated and enraged.”

This tactic of the evil sect was risky, it might frighten the officials of Da Meng, or it might anger them, pushing them to enthusiastically advance the three-dynasty joint eradication agreement.

If not in Tianjing City, but rather killing in other places, it certainly wouldn’t scare the officials; instead, would provoke them.

So they must be planning a large-scale massacre in Tianjing City.

”Then...” Xiao Ruoling whispered, ”Wait and see?”

If they acted before the evil sect followers started slaughtering, Da Meng’s citizens and officials wouldn’t have personal anguish and would indeed blame him for meddling.

Yet, if acted after the evil sect followers’ slaughter, they would be grateful.

Chu Zhiyuan thought for a moment, shook his head, ”It feels wrong; I should try.”

Xiao Ruoling sighed in relief and quickly said, ”Inform Li Hongzhao first then.”

Acting after the evil sect’s killings was indeed prudent, but required a cold heart.

The Princely Heir was still benevolent.

Chu Zhiyuan nodded, asking Zou Fang to prepare paper and a brush as he wrote a letter.

——

Inside Chengtian Hall, Li Hongzhao, donned in a yellow robe, sat behind the Dragon Desk, her beautiful face solemn.

She had always exuded an extraordinary aura, and now, wearing the yellow robe with a stern expression, she embodied complete imperial majesty.

Beneath the platform, several middle-aged or elderly men in purple robes were engaged in intense debate.

The focus of their debate was the negotiation terms with Da Jing and Da Zhen.

Li Hongzhao watched coldly.

She saw a delicate-featured eunuch enter the hall, standing motionlessly behind a coiling dragon pillar.

The elderly eunuch with eyebrows and beard all white beside her slowly approached.

The young eunuch handed a letter to the elderly eunuch, then quietly retreated.

Li Hongzhao glanced at the elderly eunuch.

He approached near the Dragon Desk, his lips moved, then presented the letter.

The several top ministers continued their debate, their keen senses caught sight of the scene over there.

Li Hongzhao opened the letter, scanned it with a glance, and furrowed her sculpted brows.

She glanced at the ministers in purple robes and said lightly, ”Esteemed ministers.”

The ministers immediately ceased their arguments.

”Chu Zhiyuan’s letter states that the evil sect followers are planning a massive slaughter in Tianjing City, reminding us to be alert.”

”The Fourth Prince of Da Jing, Chu Zhiyuan?” an elderly man with a round face spoke slowly.

Li Hongzhao nodded.

The round-faced elder said gravely, ”Isn’t this his way of pressing us, trying to get us to agree to that three-dynasty coalition against the evil sect?”

Li Hongzhao looked at the others.

A middle-aged man with a square face and handsome appearance clasped his fists, ”Minister Qi, I have a fair understanding of this Fourth Prince. He is upright in his actions; he wouldn’t resort to bluffing intimidation. If he said this, there must be grounds.”

The round-faced elder huffed, ”He isn’t an evil sect follower; how could he know what they intend to do?”

He had always thought of the evil sect followers as fleas hiding in dark corners, posing limited threats.

No need for such fanfare, instead causing public panic; simply instruct the Skyfly Detectives to focus on hunting these followers.

Issuing more arrest warrants would almost extinguish these followers’ arrogance.

The evil sect wasn’t something that could be thoroughly eradicated, like cutting one batch of chives after another.

There was truly no need to sign any agreement with Da Jing or Da Zhen, giving these followers too much attention.

Li Hongzhao looked at the others.

”Your Majesty, I believe the Fourth Prince’s letter might be killing two birds with one stone, applying pressure as well as potentially having good intentions. Perhaps he really foresees the evil sect followers preparing for trouble.”

”We just don’t know how much of it is goodwill and how much is opportunism.”

Li Hongzhao smiled lightly, ”The ministers’ words are profound, so how should we respond?”

”Deploy the City Guards, assign more personnel to key locations, as a deterrence.”

”Find ways to sweep away the followers in advance, mobilize the Skyfly Detectives.”

”Or we could invite the Fourth Prince to assist,” the dignified middle-aged man added, ”And simultaneously invite other extraordinary talents for help.”

Li Hongzhao smiled, ”Brilliant!”

She intentionally wanted to invite Chu Zhiyuan for assistance.

She understood how acute Chu Zhiyuan was at sensing the evil sect followers.

But this would reveal too much weakness, making Da Meng appear incapable.

If other extraordinary talents were invited simultaneously, it would demonstrate her love for the people, broad-mindedness, and adept use of talents from all walks of life.