Imperial Cultivation

Chapter 787: Chapter 783: Advancement

He initially speculated that it was the people of the Eldest Prince and Second Prince causing trouble, pushing the people of the Third Prince forward.

This could not only ruin the future of Young Marquis Ming, but also sever one of the Third Prince’s limbs, making the Third Prince lose favor in front of the Emperor, an action that kills three birds with one stone.

Later, as he learned more about the Eldest Prince, Second Prince, and the Emperor of the Phoenix Dynasty, he gradually shifted his suspicions to others.

The current Emperor of the Phoenix Dynasty, highly renowned, wise and decisive.

He was chosen as a Prince Consort by the Emperor, so the Eldest Prince and Second Prince dared not openly oppose it.

It would mean opposing the Emperor.

Such obviously shady tactics are easy to trace, but they dare not employ them, after all, the Emperor’s intelligence network is unrivaled in the world.

Putting aside internal matters, the biggest suspects are the Yuanzhen Dynasty, Demon Clan, and Demon Clan.

The Demon Clan and Demon Clan due to their bloodline, the Yuanzhen Dynasty to sabotage the political marriage.

What about this assassination attempt?

This assassination attempt felt somewhat inexplicable.

Why would the Demon Clan want to assassinate Young Marquis Ming, just to falsely incriminate the Jade Dynasty?

This seems very far-fetched no matter how you look at it.

So, was it not the Demon Clan?

But clearly, there is a Heavenly Demon involved.

He felt enveloped in a fog, even with Super Sense, he could not see clearly.

He sensed the direction in which the remaining people were heading.

Unexpectedly, they did not go toward the city gate but instead converged from all directions to a certain house.

He silently mused that these guys were truly reckless, were they not afraid of being tracked by the City Guard?

As he had just started to have these thoughts, he saw these people entering the house and heading to a pond in the backyard.

This pond wasn’t large, a circular pool ten meters in diameter, with clear water and visible fish swimming.

Red fish and green grass.

The verdant water plants swayed like willows in the wind, the fish darting about agilely within them.

By the pond was a brown mat, on which a small, emaciated elder in brown clothes sat cross-legged.

White hair and wrinkled skin, his eyes dim, and stature stooped.

His life seemed like a dying candle in the wind, ready to be extinguished with a gust.

The elder in brown clothing glanced at them, took a brown bead from his chest, and placed it into the water.

Like a drop of ink into the water.

As the brown bead entered the water, a red color rushed out, instantly spreading throughout the pool.

The pinkish pool water was both beautiful and somewhat eerie.

They stepped into the pool water.

Continuously walking inward, the water level rose from their knees to their waists, then up to their necks, eventually submerging their heads, leaving only their hair floating.

Finally, even the hair sank.

The elder slightly squinted his eyes, seemingly drifting into sleep.

The backyard fell into silence, time seemed to stand still, and even the wind could not penetrate.

...

”Splash!”

The peace was shattered as nine heads emerged from the water.

Nine men returned to the ground from the pool, white steam rose from their bodies, quickly evaporating the moisture.

The elder in brown reached into the pool, retrieved the brown bead, carefully stored it back in his chest, and closed his eyes as if falling asleep.

The nine middle-aged men cupped their fists in salute to him, quietly withdrawing.

Chu Zhiyuan sensed their transformation.

Their previous aura had completely vanished, making them appear entirely refreshed, without even a trace of True Yuan.

It seemed these nine men were commoners unfamiliar with martial arts, unable to enter the path of Cultivation.

The Super Sense illuminated the elder.

A brown mist enveloped his entire body, making it difficult to see clearly.

This brown mist wasn’t caused by the brown bead but was due to his own Cultivation.

When the brown bead left him and was placed into the pool, he attempted to see clearly.

Yet, the elder’s body was still surrounded by brown mist.

Therefore, perhaps this brown bead has already integrated into him, merging with True Yuan.

Or perhaps the brown bead was condensed by his True Yuan.

This elder was clearly a Venerable.

The Phoenix Imperial City indeed lived up to its name, with a number of Venerables far exceeding his expectations.

The brown bead possessed a wondrous ability to cleanse aura.

Enabling evasion of tracking.

But this elder was not a Heavenly Demon, the Haoyang Demon-suppressing Mirror showed no reaction.

In direct combat, this skill wasn’t very useful, but in assassination, it was remarkable.

While he was using Insight, he conversed with Uncle Nine Chu Hongwei.

Chu Hongwei occasionally shook his head regretfully.

Chu Zhiyuan could tell Chu Hongwei harbored intense killing intent towards Fan Yaohui.

Clearly, Fan Yaohui posed a great threat within the military, greatly affecting the battle between the two armies.

”Zhao’er, if given the opportunity, make sure to eliminate Young Marquis Ming!”

Chu Zhiyuan said, ”Uncle Nine, I will look for an opportunity.”

Chu Hongwei smiled, ”Your mind works swiftly, you will surely find an opportunity!”

Chu Zhiyuan said, ”Uncle Nine, have any of our military leaders been assassinated by the Phoenix Imperial City?”

”...None at all,” Chu Hongwei shook his head. ”They disdain such acts, they would rather our leaders become stronger, to put more pressure on them.”

Chu Zhiyuan slowly nodded.

Chu Hongwei frowned at him, ”Zhao’er, what do you mean by this?”

”Uncle Nine, I’ve been pondering why they would want to assassinate Young Marquis Ming.”

”Why?” Chu Hongwei grunted, ”To frame us, of course!”

”What good does framing us do?” Chu Zhiyuan said, ”Is it to disrupt my marriage with the Twelfth Princess?”

Chu Hongwei replied, ”The Phoenix Imperial City believes we are responsible, how could the marriage proceed? This achieves Yuanzhen Dynasty’s goal!”

”This assassination might also involve the Heavenly Demon.”

”...Heavenly Demon...then perhaps the Yuanzhen Dynasty led the operation, and the Heavenly Demon further fueled the flames afterward?...even deliberately involved the Heavenly Demon to absolve themselves of guilt?”

He did not doubt Chu Zhiyuan’s judgment on the Heavenly Demon.

Through correspondence with Chu Honglin, he knew that Chu Zhiyuan’s perception of the Demon Clan was extremely keen, beyond the reach of ordinary people.

Heavenly Demons are adept at hiding, but they can’t escape Chu Zhiyuan’s detection.

”If the Phoenix Imperial City determines that it’s our Jade Dynasty, how will they retaliate? I’m afraid it’s not just canceling the marriage, right?”

”Retaliate? ... They will retaliate!”

Chu Hongwei’s face turned gloomy.

Chu Zhiyuan said, ”How will they retaliate?”

”Assassinate our generals!” Chu Hongwei gritted his teeth and said, ”What a despicable and vicious plan!”

”So Young Master Xiao Ming cannot be killed?”

”... Fortunately, Zhao’er, you didn’t seize the opportunity to strike.” Chu Hongwei looked at him helplessly, ”You little rascal, you’re still being evasive when talking to me!”

”Uncle Nine,” Chu Zhiyuan smiled and said, ”I just realized how insidious the Yuanzhen Dynasty’s strategy truly is.”

If they really succeeded, the Jade Dynasty and the Phoenix Imperial City would not be allies, but would immediately become sworn enemies.

At that time, the Phoenix Imperial City would certainly assassinate the generals of the Jade Dynasty.

The loss of generals would have a significant impact on the Court.

Once it disturbs people’s minds, the army might be shaken.

Once the army is shaken, those sinister people will seize the opportunity to stir up havoc.

Who knows if a Flood Dragon can emerge amidst the turmoil, wreaking havoc upon the world?

We must guard against it.

”At least now we see it clearly, so we can resolve it!”

”How to resolve?”

”Expose their plans in advance!” Chu Hongwei snorted, ”I also have people in the Court of the Phoenix Dynasty.”

Chu Zhiyuan smiled and said, ”Uncle Nine, you’re impressive.”

Chu Hongwei waved his hand proudly, ”Not everyone in the Phoenix Imperial City wants a fight, some hope for peace among the Three Dynasties, with fewer losses of soldiers and civilians.”

Chu Zhiyuan nodded slowly.

The human heart is complex; not everyone thinks the same.

There are always some compassionate people who hope for peace in the world.

——

Chu Zhiyuan closed his eyes and sat on the couch, focusing his mind in his consciousness, diving into the Haoyang Demon-suppressing Mirror.

The space inside the Haoyang Demon-suppressing Mirror is vast, like outer space.

Within it, clusters of rainbow lights shine, like stars scattered in the Void.

These are the memories, inheritances, and emotions of the Demon Clan experts.

He had previously avoided these light clusters, not wanting to affect his mental state.

Now that he had reached the Divinity Transformation Realm, his mind had developed defenses, and the Three Transformations of the Heavenly Dragon had strengthened his soul, he felt a stirring interest.

Thus, he focused his mind on the farthest rainbow light cluster.

The farthest was the Heavenly Demon he had just slain through Body Seizing Technique.

In a flash, he found himself becoming that Heavenly Demon.

...

Awakening slowly, his eyes were confused, lost in a trance, half-real, half-illusory.

For a moment, he was Chu Zhiyuan, then Chu Liezhao, and then the Heavenly Demon Zhao Feiliu.

Chu Zhiyuan couldn’t help but recall the life of this Heavenly Demon.

How he was born into the Demon World, how he trained arduously, ultimately becoming a Venerable, how he fell, and then practiced the Body Seizing Technique again.

How he lived under the identity of his host, Hu Hengyang, training tirelessly, acting low-key.

All along, living as a carpenter unnoticed in the Imperial City, even secretly killing his wife and child, becoming a lone person.

Thus, eliminating any risk of exposure.

Gathering information, working covertly, ultimately being recruited by the Yuanzhen Dynasty to become a spy for them.

One piece of information, with two uses.

Truly perfect.

He never engaged in actions, only gathering intelligence.

This time, for a highly classified mission, he was finally activated.

Never expected that everything would go smoothly, only to be thwarted at the last critical moment.

Never thought he would fall within the Imperial City.

But death was just that, anyway, he could return to the Demon Abyss after dying.

With this thought, he fell into oblivion, unaware that he couldn’t return to the Demon Abyss but was instead captured into the Haoyang Demon-suppressing Mirror.

Thus, completely vanishing from the world.

After witnessing all this, Chu Zhiyuan felt an unnamable anger.

The emotions of the Heavenly Demons were no different from humans, also having the same passions and desires, within the Demon World, also having joys, angers, sorrows, happiness, human relations, loneliness, and pain.

Yet, the Heavenly Demons viewed humans as pigs and dogs.

Killing Hu Hengyang’s wife and child, without a shred of mercy, as if it were no different from slaughtering chickens.

This condescension filled him with hatred.

A Heavenly Demon among humans would never consent to mediocrity, always harboring murderous intent.

To stop Heavenly Demons from killing, one must first kill the Heavenly Demons.

Thinking of this, aside from his anger, he felt a strong killing intent arise.

How many Heavenly Demons were there in the Imperial City, and was each as callous and ruthless?

He gazed at the other rainbow light clusters within the Haoyang Demon-suppressing Mirror’s space.

The one he touched earlier was still flashing with rainbow lights, unaffected.

In the end, he refrained from touching the others.

Instinctively feeling it could be problematic, touching too many memories in a short time could have repercussions.

After regaining clarity, he closed his eyes again, starting to sort out his internal body.

The Light Talisman emitted a gentle light, enveloping him, transforming the pure Spiritual Energy falling from the sky, then absorbing it into his body, merging it with his True Yuan.

The little white Flood Dragon within the Shan Zhong was exceptionally lively, its swimming speed suddenly increased.

An hour later, he opened his eyes again.

He had a contemplative look in his eyes.

His cultivation had suddenly advanced a significant step, this hour surpassing his efforts over these days.

What was the reason?