Chapter 527 - 524 Crown Jade
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The power contained within this Golden Venerable Statue made him somewhat apprehensive.
Staying in the Prince Mansion, he felt uneasy; if that vast power suddenly erupted, it might harm the mansion.
Even with Weng Qifeng guarding it, a sudden surprise attack might still cause damage.
He strolled to the back garden of the Prince Mansion.
In a small pavilion on the lake in the back garden, Chu Qingyan and Chu Minghou were playing chess.
He fixed his eyes on the chessboard, reached out to take some fruits, eating while pondering.
In another small pavilion on the lake, Bai Ningshuang was guiding Chu Yi and Li Suyue in playing the zither.
Chu Zhiyuan sat down beside Chu Qingyan.
Chu Qingyan turned his head to look at him, stroking his beard with a smile: "What brings you here, youngster?"
Chu Zhiyuan smiled and said, "Uncle, I’m planning to set out to wipe out a few Evil Sect lairs."
Chu Qingyan paused, stroking his beard, frowning: "Acting so soon?"
Chu Zhiyuan said, "The branches and leaves have been pruned enough, it’s time to strike at the root."
He speculated that the Outer Heaven Power behind these Evil Sects was akin to the Divine Dao.
The fewer followers, the less power can be exerted.
First eliminate their followers, then target their roots, minimizing the risk to the greatest extent.
"Hmm..." Chu Qingyan stroked his beard, pondering, "Still very risky."
Chu Zhiyuan looked at him with a smile.
"What are you looking at me for?" Chu Qingyan grunted.
Chu Zhiyuan said, "Uncle, you were personally involved in the campaign against the Yuding Sect, right?"
"You want to know about that battle?"
"It’s said that the Emperor’s Sword was deployed, yet couldn’t wipe out the Yuding Sect?"
"That’s a colossal joke." Chu Qingyan sneered, "The Emperor’s Sword excels at cutting down these demons!"
Chu Zhiyuan raised an eyebrow.
Chu Qingyan said, "People see the Yuding Sect still exists, so they assume the Emperor’s Sword couldn’t sweep away the Yuding Sect lair that time."
Chu Zhiyuan seemed thoughtful: "Is it because the Yuding Sect had more than one lair, so it revived again?"
"You finally get it!"
Chu Zhiyuan frowned: "Then what about the power of these demons?"
"Very strong, even a Grandmaster couldn’t handle them."
"What about a Grandmaster Second Layer?"
"That I don’t know," Chu Qingyan shook his head, "You can try it yourself."
"Still too risky," Chu Zhiyuan smiled, "I want to get some life-saving treasures."
"You rascal..." Chu Qingyan chuckled, "You’re already at Grandmaster Second Layer and still so cautious."
Chu Zhiyuan smiled and said, "Precisely because I’m at Grandmaster Second Layer, I must be even more careful, can’t let a small mistake lead to disaster, that would be too unjust."
"Makes sense," Chu Qingyan chuckled, taking a small piece of jade from his sleeve and handing it to him: "Here, this is what you want, isn’t it?"
Chu Zhiyuan looked at the small piece of jade.
This piece of jade was square, only as long as a finger joint, even though it was lustrous and moist, it still had an ancient and worn feel.
Chu Zhiyuan immediately noticed its peculiarity, there were strange Feng patterns and inscriptions embedded in it.
Just like his Qingying Sword.
The Feng inscription read "Control," and there were two Feng patterns.
He had never been able to understand the mystery of the Feng patterns, even as a Grandmaster, he still couldn’t discern the intricacies.
He just faintly felt that it was channeling an Outer Heaven Power, not the power of this world.
"This is Crown Jade, right?" Chu Zhiyuan asked.
Chu Qingyan nodded, "It’s said to be one of the ornamental jades from the crown of the Great Phoenix Emperor, possessing exorcism properties, perfect for dealing with those Outer Heaven Demons."
Chu Zhiyuan reached out to take it, smiling, "Thank you, Uncle!"
The moment he touched it, a strange sensation enveloped him, akin to being wrapped in a mother’s embrace, giving rise to an inexplicable sense of security.
The Feng patterns within the Crown Jade were gently flashing, exerting their power.
"No need to thank me," Chu Qingyan waved his hand, "This is bestowed by the elder brother, delivered to you through me."
Chu Zhiyuan faced the direction of the Imperial Palace and clasped his hands in salute, "Thank you, Imperial Grandfather."
"Don’t mess up, if you can’t win, then run." Chu Qingyan said, "And also..."
He then recounted how the campaign against the main altar of the Yuding Sect was conducted back then.
Chu Zhiyuan listened intently, occasionally asking questions, probing into details.
After hearing Chu Qingyan’s account, he gained a clearer understanding of the main altar of the Evil Sect.
He planned to see how the main altar of the Huaisu Sect differed from the Yuding Sect.
If the two were similar, it would be easier afterwards.
If different, then he’d have to be extremely cautious.
——
In the minds of the people in Yujing City and the entire Da Jing, the Southern Border is a barbaric land.
Situated within endless mountain ranges, the mountains are not only high but also almost without paths.
The continuous mountain ranges are shrouded in a miasma, like mist and smoke.
Being in it, one would inevitably succumb to the poison, quickly in three to five days, slowly in ten days to half a month.
Thus, the Southern Border has always been a forbidden zone for the people of Da Jing, fearsome upon hearing.
In the mountain ranges of the Southern Border, it’s sparsely populated, eerily quiet, with only occasional bird calls and beast roars.
At noon this day, the sunlight was blazing.
The silence among the Southern Border mountains was shattered by the sound of rapid hoofbeats.
"Bang bang bang bang..."
Amidst the rapid, rain-like hoofbeats, two beams of golden light traversed the mountain paths overgrown with weeds, trees, and rocks.
The golden light finally halted before a forest at the foot of a mountain.
Two horses appeared.
They stood steadily on the spot.
With golden yellow bodies, they shone in the sunlight, appearing majestic.
It was the Heavenly Dragon Divine Horse.
On the back of one Heavenly Dragon Divine Horse sat Chu Zhiyuan.
He wore a purple robe, his expression calm, gracefully dismounting to the ground.
A saber and a sword were slung on his back, the Bright Moon Saber on the left shoulder, the Qingying Sword on the right shoulder.
He patted the heads of the two Heavenly Dragon Divine Horses and waved his hand.
The two Heavenly Dragon Divine Horses turned and disappeared into the forest.
Chu Zhiyuan exhaled deeply.
The miasma floating around was inhaled into his lungs and quickly neutralized by the Spiritual Energy.
Proving that a Grandmaster could pass through the Southern Border unscathed.
The surrounding miasma wasn’t strong.
Even for ordinary people, entering the Southern Border wouldn’t be an immediate death sentence; timely medication could neutralize the mild poison.
He looked around this secluded place, thinking that if not for Xu Haode leading the way, he almost wouldn’t have found it.
He floated into the forest and soon reached mid-mountain, where he found Xu Haode.
Xu Haode was lying on a sturdy bamboo, arms crossed, his body gently swaying with the bamboo, looking extremely leisurely.
Sensing Chu Zhiyuan’s presence, he flipped up and sat, saying with a smile, "The Princely Heir arrives quick, I’ve just gotten here not long ago."
Chu Zhiyuan landed beside him on the Green Bamboo: "Is it here?"
His Super Sense had already gained Insight into the entire mountain and found an anomaly.
However, he hadn’t seen the location of the main altar, only the vast sea of Green Bamboo Forest.
The anomaly was a trace of someone having walked there, the branches and leaves on the ground were firmer, and the surrounding bamboo shoots were glossy, signs of repeated friction.
But the area around the anomaly was an empty bamboo forest, with nothing more.
"There, look." Xu Haode pointed: "There’s an Array there, invisible to the eye."
"Mr. Xu also understands Arrays?"
"A bit," Xu Haode waved his hand, "Otherwise, it would be impossible to find them, need this."
He took out a small black stone from his sleeve, as dark as charcoal: "This is the treasure for breaking Arrays."
He threw the small black stone.
The small black stone shot out a hundred meters in the air and suddenly disappeared mid-air.
Then, Chu Zhiyuan’s vision flickered, revealing a valley.
This valley blended perfectly with its surroundings, also planted with Green Bamboo.
From the front, it showed no anomalies, only from the side could one see the bamboo forest recessed, forming a valley.
"Impressive, right?" Xu Haode said, "This Array is quite marvelous."
Chu Zhiyuan said, "Your treasure is more impressive."
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