Imperial Cultivation

Chapter 1481: Chapter 1477: Ambition

Meng Yunyin smiled and said, ”Brother‑in‑law, how long will it take you to master it?”

Chu Zhiyuan thought for a moment, then smiled. ”It shouldn’t take too long.”

”Then how long is ’not too long’?” Meng Yunyin pressed.

Chu Zhiyuan closed his eyes, and his surging aura instantly swelled outward, like raging waves crashing into the sky, forcing them to retreat involuntarily.

Only Zhu Yuxia remained standing in place.

Plus that Forget Sorrow Valley expert who sat dazed in his seat and could not move.

The other women all retreated to the entrance of the main hall, stubbornly holding their ground without stepping outside.

They felt they were no longer being shoved by waves, but crushed beneath a mountain.

Their breathing grew harder and harder, their vision gradually dimming.

Chu Zhiyuan seemed to be shrouded by rising mist, the fog growing thicker and thicker until he could no longer be seen clearly.

They turned to look and discovered that only the space around Chu Zhiyuan had its light twisted, making him impossible to see.

Just as Zhou Qingyu felt she was about to faint, the Jade Pendant in her bosom again streamed forth gurgling Qing Qi, jolting her spirit and restoring her clarity.

The gurgling Qing Qi flowed without cease, and the external pressure vanished without a trace.

”Brother‑in‑law, are you about to master it right away?”

Meng Yunyin sent a Sound Transmission into Secret to Xiao Ruoling.

Xiao Ruoling gave a slight nod.

”Can he really master it this fast?” Meng Yunyin said. ”We know this secret technique is not so easy to cultivate.”

After seeing it, they had already pondered over it, discussed it with each other, and tried practicing it.

This secret technique’s cultivation route was extremely intricate, looping around and around until one first tangled oneself up.

To master it in a short time was nearly impossible.

Grandmaster Zhu managing it in a single day was already jaw‑dropping—no wonder she could achieve Spirit Venerable; her talent was indeed astonishing.

”He should be able to.” Xiao Ruoling smiled faintly.

She knew Chu Zhiyuan’s temperament—if he wasn’t certain, he would not act like this.

”This time really widens the eyes.” Meng Yunyin clicked her tongue in praise via Sound Transmission into Secret.

Xiao Ruoling’s smile blossomed like a flower.

”Hoo—!”

A single exhalation echoed around the main hall without end, like a Dragon Roar, resonating for a long time.

They felt their bodies suddenly relax, the suffocating feeling of being pressed beneath mountains vanishing all at once.

The air instantly turned fresh and invigorating; one breath seemed to penetrate deep into their organs.

Their vision cleared completely; no more bouts of darkness.

Chu Zhiyuan smiled and said, ”It’s done. Senior Zhu, shall I test the effect?”

”As expected of you, Mr. Chu,” Zhu Yuxia’s smile was like a blooming flower. ”Then hurry and see whether you can dissolve the Forget Love Pill.”

If before becoming a Spirit Venerable she had seen such talent from Chu Zhiyuan, there would have been bitterness in her heart, her envy and jealousy hard to suppress.

After attaining Spirit Venerable, such thoughts no longer arose—only admiration.

Chu Zhiyuan stepped forward and pressed his palm to the back of the middle‑aged man, pouring a gurgling stream of qi into his body.

The qi condensed by this secret technique was neither pure Spiritual Essence nor True Yuan; it was a current akin to nature’s spiritual energy.

The purity of Spiritual Essence far surpassed True Yuan, so the qi transformed from Spiritual Essence likewise far exceeded True Yuan, becoming like gurgling spring water, like Jade Marrow.

This caused the effect of this secret technique to increase tremendously.

As the gurgling clear spring poured into his body, the man gently trembled, his complexion rapidly flushing red.

Strands of white vapor threaded from his hair, condensing into a white cloud above his head.

His face was flushed as if drunk, a faint mingled scent of sweetness and bitterness wafting from him.

The bitter‑sweet scent quickly spread through the entire main hall; upon smelling it, their hearts immediately stilled.

It was as if a heart had sunk to the bottom of the water, and all things suddenly drifted far from them.

Past events like clouds, recent matters like smoke.

Everything no longer seemed so real, becoming insignificant.

At this moment, the white cloud above the middle‑aged man’s head gradually turned into a dark cloud.

”Hold your breath!” Zhu Yuxia snapped.

The women’s hearts tightened; they hurriedly held their breath, guarding themselves so that this bitter‑sweet aroma could not invade.

Chu Zhiyuan withdrew his palm and flicked his sleeve in passing.

The dark cloud above the middle‑aged man’s head immediately drifted out of the main hall, slowly floating up toward the sky.

The dark cloud rose higher and higher until it disappeared.

Chu Zhiyuan nodded in satisfaction. ”It should be fine now.”

Zhu Yuxia took a measuring look at the middle‑aged man.

At this moment, he seemed like an entirely different person.

Although he maintained a righteous, even‑tempered state, the feeling he gave off was utterly different.

”It truly is different!”

Zhu Yuxia let out a light laugh, dazzlingly bright, and glided forward two steps.

With each step forward, her bright eyes sparkled, growing ever more radiant.

The other women tactfully averted their gazes in advance.

Zhu Yuxia said, ”Who are you?”

The middle‑aged man’s eyes darted about, doing everything he could not to look at Zhu Yuxia.

”Hehe...” Zhu Yuxia giggled.

This was completely different from his calm, steady gaze earlier—he no longer dared to meet her eyes.

”Now that’s more like it!” Zhu Yuxia said with a coquettish laugh. ”Where else can you hide?”

She stepped forward again, now within arm’s reach.

The middle‑aged man’s acupoints had been sealed; he couldn’t move a muscle and could only roll his eyes.

But when Zhu Yuxia was close enough, even if he tried to turn his eyes elsewhere, he could still see her.

”Forget Sorrow Valley truly has a Forget Love Pill?” Zhu Yuxia asked softly. ”Something this harmful must have side effects when taken, no?”

The middle‑aged man’s gaze began to shift toward her.

Zhu Yuxia chuckled lightly. ”Your cultivation was hard‑earned, and yet you’re to sacrifice it for nothing?”

The middle‑aged man’s eyes flickered.

Zhu Yuxia said, ”If it’s for cultivation, then death is death. But to abandon yourself for the sake of others—that’s far too foolish, far too naive, isn’t it?”

The middle‑aged man’s eyes burned.

Zhu Yuxia said, ”After taking the Forget Love Pill, perhaps you become dull and stupid?”

The middle‑aged man’s gaze wavered like flames.

Zhu Yuxia shook her head. ”They don’t even see you as a person, only as a tool to be discarded at will. And you still want to keep their secrets?”

The middle‑aged man’s eyes began to fill with bloodshot veins.

Zhu Yuxia reached out and slapped his chest, then said, ”Who is he?”

”Song Wantao!”

”Song Wantao of Forget Sorrow Valley...” Zhu Yuxia turned her head to look at Lu Qingfeng.

Lu Qingfeng’s expression shifted slightly. ”A young Venerable of Forget Sorrow Valley. He achieved Undying Evil Venerable at fifty‑nine. I didn’t expect him to become an Evil God so quickly—he should be under eighty!”

”To become an Evil God before eighty—seems he’s quite the prodigy, and his luck is really something!” Zhu Yuxia snorted.

Achieving Evil God was even harder than Spirit Venerable; without overwhelming luck, it was impossible.

For this Song Wantao to become an Evil God so young, both his fortune and talent were astounding.

Chu Zhiyuan said, ”No wonder his ambition is so great. What is he trying to do?”

Zhu Yuxia looked at the middle‑aged man. ”Song Wantao has already become an Evil God; what more does he want?”

The middle‑aged man said slowly, ”Grandmaster Song seeks to achieve Immortal Evil Emperor!”

”Heh, what grandiose words!” Zhu Yuxia chuckled.

Lu Qingfeng frowned. ”Delusional. After the Divine Race vanished, how could an Evil Emperor ever appear again!”

Chu Zhiyuan raised a brow.

He faintly guessed that this Evil Emperor must be a Realm from the era of the Divine Race.

Now that the Divine Race had disappeared, Spirit Venerable had become the highest Realm.

Zhu Yuxia snorted. ”He wants to become Immortal Evil Emperor—how does he plan to accomplish that?”

”A Divine Artifact,” the middle‑aged man said slowly.

”A Divine Artifact?” Zhu Yuxia looked at Lu Qingfeng. ”Is that possible?”

Lu Qingfeng frowned in thought.

Zhu Yuxia said, ”You’ve never heard of such a method, have you?”

Lu Qingfeng shook her head. ”Never heard of it. Never heard of anyone becoming an Evil Emperor.”

Zhu Yuxia said, ”When the Divine Race still existed, how did one achieve Evil Emperor?”

Lu Qingfeng said, ”Back then, it was a straight path of cultivation, just like cultivating up to Spirit Venerable.”

”In that case, this method must be something Song Wantao concocted himself, yet he insists on trying it out.” Zhu Yuxia snorted. ”He really does have wild fantasies!”

Lu Qingfeng let out a sigh.

He had already succeeded—Profound Yin Palace and Li Huo Palace really did end up fighting. If not for Chu Zhiyuan’s help, Profound Yin Palace would be suffering greatly right now.

And by then, they might not even have been able to keep their Divine Artifact safe.