Imperial Cultivation

Chu Honglin and the twelve Venerables traveled like thirteen wisps of smoke, graceful yet incredibly fast.

They seemed to be shrinking the earth into inches, appearing leisurely but actually moving with extraordinary speed.

Chu Zhiyuan, with his heightened senses, saw spiritual clouds gathering in the sky.

Wherever they passed, the spiritual clouds in the sky continuously condensed, with the previous clouds not yet dispersed and the subsequent clouds already forming.

At first glance, it looked like thirteen silver dragons winding and roaming in the sky.

The twelve Venerables held a rather indifferent attitude towards Chu Zhiyuan.

As Venerables, their status was already transcendent, and they possessed a natural arrogance.

Chu Zhiyuan, this Ninth Prince, was about to go to the Phoenix Dynasty to become a consort, essentially a hostage.

It was likely that he would never return to the Jade Canopy Dynasty in his lifetime, so his noble status was merely fleeting.

Moreover, he was only at the Transformation Intent Realm; one could not become a Venerable without reaching the Transformation Divinity Realm.

Therefore, they only nodded slightly to Chu Zhiyuan, addressed him as Ninth Highness, and said no more.

Chu Zhiyuan also had no intention of befriending them.

Mister Zhu and the other two, as enshrined officials of the Imperial Observatory, also remained calm and detached.

Chu Zhiyuan walked shoulder to shoulder with Chu Honglin.

Chu Honglin's speed was extremely fast, and he did not accommodate Chu Zhiyuan's cultivation level.

Because he knew the details of Chu Zhiyuan's Moon Silk Frost Garment, he was not at all worried that Chu Zhiyuan would not be able to keep up.

Chu Zhiyuan's expression was relaxed and natural as he walked shoulder to shoulder with Chu Honglin, his breathing even.

This made the Venerables extremely curious.

Especially since his breathing remained steady, as if he didn't need to exert any effort.

Chu Zhiyuan, however, had no intention of explaining to them, as a prince still needed to maintain some arrogance.

The group of fourteen sped towards the south, and in half a day, they arrived at a mountain range.

This was precisely the Flying Cloud Mountain Range.

The mountain gate where the Flying Cloud Sect was located was here.

After they entered the mountain, they immediately restrained their aura and focused their energy, quietly approaching, wanting to scout out the Flying Cloud Sect.

Under the influence of heightened senses, the spiritual clouds above their heads all dissipated, no longer appearing.

If he didn't have heightened senses, he wouldn't be able to discover them or feel their aura.

The Transformation Divinity Realm truly had a qualitative difference from the Transformation Intent Realm.

No wonder the Transformation Intent Realm could only be called experts, while the Transformation Divinity Realm could be called Venerables.

Silently, they moved towards the mountain gate of the Flying Cloud Sect.

They had all seen Chu Honglin's map and knew the location of the Flying Cloud Sect's mountain gate.

They went deep into the forest, avoiding branches, leaving no traces or aura.

Chu Zhiyuan suddenly frowned and looked at Chu Honglin.

Chu Honglin's expression turned solemn, and he transmitted his voice secretly: "Is something wrong?"

Chu Zhiyuan's lips moved, and he also used secret voice transmission: "There's a Great Devil!"

Chu Honglin's face immediately darkened, and his eyes stared intently at him.

Chu Zhiyuan nodded slowly.

Chu Honglin transmitted his voice secretly again, and Chu Zhiyuan's lips also moved.

The two discussed for a while.

Chu Honglin suddenly waved his hand.

Everyone quietly stopped, silently, their eyes all turned over.

Chu Honglin waved his hand again.

Everyone slowly gathered together.

Chu Zhiyuan naturally wouldn't reveal his abilities in front of them, keeping his lips tightly shut and not saying a word.

Chu Honglin slowly said, "I and the Ninth Highness will go ahead to scout out the situation; everyone, please wait here for now."

"Your Highness, let me go with you," a middle-aged man said in a low voice.

Chu Honglin shook his head: "It's enough for me and the Ninth Highness to go. If something really happens, I will let out two long whistles, and you can rush over to save me."

"\n... Be very careful."

"Understood." Chu Honglin nodded solemnly.

The twelve Venerables watched Chu Zhiyuan and Chu Honglin quietly disappear into the depths of the forest.

They exchanged glances, all with expressions of doubt.

Mister Zhu and the other two did not find it strange, closing their eyes and remaining motionless.

"Mister Zhu?" The middle-aged man who spoke earlier lowered his voice.

Mister Zhu, with his eyes closed, said faintly: "Although this Ninth Highness's cultivation is low, his martial skills are strong. In terms of attack methods, he is not inferior to any of us."

The middle-aged man said in surprise: "Is he really that strong?"

"It is said that he beat the two princes of Yuanzhen to a pulp, truly remarkable."

"Those two Yuanzhen princes were naturally skilled to be able to come over, but they still suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the Ninth Highness."

"Then we have underestimated this Ninth Highness."

"Prince Gan is extremely cautious this time, mobilizing all of us who are Upper Three Revolutions Venerables. How could he act out of personal considerations and allow the Ninth Highness to hold us back?"

No matter how much Prince Gan valued the Ninth Highness, it was impossible for him to jeopardize the important matter because of the Ninth Highness.

After all, the Ninth Highness was soon going to the Phoenix Dynasty and would almost never be able to return.

There was really no need to take this extra trip and earn a little more credit.

Therefore, it was not to let the Ninth Highness come and gain merit, but to have a use for him.

They vaguely felt that this time their actions had changed because of Chu Zhiyuan.

"Let's still perk up our spirits; I'm afraid this Flying Cloud Sect won't be so easy to take down."

"Yes, let's not capsize in the gutter; that would be a joke, especially with Prince Gan and the Ninth Highness here."

If a Prince and a Highness were to perish here, they would have no face to stay in the imperial court.

— —

Chu Honglin and Chu Zhiyuan drifted along, lightly passing through the branches and weeds.

They conversed via secret voice transmission while speeding along.

"Are there really two Great Devils?"

"The Soul Pearl's sensing should be correct."

"Two Great Devils..."

"It should be possession... The Great Devil possessing a Demon Sect expert and practicing Demon Arts is a perfect match... If they could become an elder or even the sect master of the Flying Cloud Sect, that would be even more perfect!"

Chu Honglin's face was extremely gloomy.

When he thought of what Chu Zhiyuan had said, he immediately felt that this guess was probably already true.

Because if he were the Great Devil, doing this would indeed be the best course of action.

The Great Devil went to the imperial city to possess someone in order to gather information and understand the strengths and weaknesses of the dynasty.

Becoming an elder or sect master of the Flying Cloud Sect and establishing the Thousand Machine Pavilion to gather all kinds of information could also achieve the same goal.

On the contrary, it would be more concealed, safer, and without the Imperial Observatory coming to interfere, it would be even better.

This was actually the best place to strike.

Chu Zhiyuan said: "However, they may not necessarily have become the sect master or elder."

After possession, one's aptitude would be affected, and cultivation would slow down.

Even if they practiced Demon Arts, they would still be inferior to other Demon Sect disciples.

However, the Demon Sect has a Heritage Pearl that can absorb cultivation and cultivation experience, and then quickly improve.

If the Great Devil were to obtain the Heritage Pearl after possession, then becoming an elder might not be difficult.

This requires sufficient luck.

"This needs to be clarified." Chu Honglin said in a deep voice: "If the Flying Cloud Sect is like this, what about the other Demon Sects? If I don't figure this out, I won't be able to eat my meals properly!"

Chu Zhiyuan smiled and said: "Fifteenth Uncle, you are thinking too highly of them. No matter how powerful the Demon Sect is, they can't overturn our Chu clan's empire."

The Demon Sect has many eyes and ears, and is strange and unpredictable, but compared to the Four Great Sects, they are still not worth mentioning.

Otherwise, the imperial court would not so easily investigate and suppress the Demon Sect.

"Alas..."

The two continued to quietly approach, and soon came to a stop on a mountainside.

On the opposite mountainside, buildings and houses faintly appeared in the shadows of the trees.

This was where the Flying Cloud Sect's mountain gate was located.

Chu Zhiyuan suddenly perked up and said in a low voice: "A Great Devil is coming out!"

The two immediately concealed their aura even deeper, slightly closing their eyes and only glancing at the opposite side with the corners of their eyes.

Two middle-aged men were drifting out of the opposite mountainside and speeding towards the distance.

Chu Honglin was not in a hurry to track them. With the Soul Pearl, Chu Zhiyuan could follow behind the other party.

Moreover, he could also use the Soul Pearl to lure the other party over.

After a quarter of an hour, Chu Honglin and Chu Zhiyuan chased after them.