Imperial Cultivation

"Not that strong?" Chu Honglin frowned at him.

Chu Zhiyuan slightly closed his eyes, chanting strange syllables with low voice, his two palms forming seals respectively.

The movements of forming seals were so skillful, as if practiced for a long time, quickly forming each seal, and then gently combining them.

His body quickly donned a layer of faint golden light, becoming solemn and dignified.

A ball of golden light descended from the void, as big as a fist, condensed into a small net.

The golden net, the size of a handkerchief, lightly floated toward Chu Honglin.

Chu Honglin extended his hand, letting it fall onto his palm.

The golden net instantly permeated his palm.

"Hmm—?"

He suddenly frowned, looking at his palm, feeling as if it had detached from his body, losing connection.

Within the palace, Chu Zhiyuan dared not use Super Sense, just concentrating and staring.

"Uncle Fifteenth, how does it feel?"

"Strange! Very strange!"

"Then let's try again!"

Chu Zhiyuan formed seals with both palms respectively, slightly closing his eyelids.

His lips moved, producing strange notes.

Simultaneously, he visualized a strange pattern in his mind.

This pattern seemed like hundreds of peony flowers fused together, layers of wrinkles intertwined, dense yet without any orderliness.

He knew that merely visualizing this pattern would challenge most people if not directly inherited into their minds and remembered.

Too complexed, too dense, it surpassed the limits of memory, making one dizzy with overwhelming intricacy.

He felt that if not for his photographic memory, it would soon become obscure.

Even when inherited, poor memory would soon blur it, eventually making it unusable due to minor inaccuracies.

Moments later, a hidden golden light emanated from him, solemn and dignified.

Both hands formed seals and pressed each other, creating a new handprint.

Once the new handprint was formed, a ball of golden light appeared in the void, quickly condensed into a golden net.

This golden net was twice the size of the previous, floating down toward Chu Honglin.

This time, Chu Honglin did not extend his right hand but his left.

The golden net melded into his left palm.

His face slightly changed, frowning: "Indeed very strange!"

"Uncle Fifteenth, how is it strange? Hurry and tell me!"

Chu Honglin thought for a while, finally shaking his head: "Why don't you try it on yourself?"

"...All right." Chu Zhiyuan then performed it again.

This time he made the golden net even smaller, only half the size of a palm.

Chu Honglin chuckled.

As the golden net floated toward him, Chu Zhiyuan suddenly accelerated, rushing forward to shield Chu Honglin, reaching out to block the golden net.

Chu Zhiyuan instantly felt as if his left palm was not his own, losing control.

It was as if it was amputated, completely losing the hand.

Chu Zhiyuan dared not use Super Sensing Illumination on others but could use it internally.

Under internal observation, the golden net descended, enveloping his left palm.

The left palm was like a fish caught in a net, unable to move.

When Primordial Energy flowed in, the qi that should have flowed into his palm's meridians directly entered the golden net, absorbed by it, making the net brighter.

The blood originally flowing into his palm was also absorbed by the golden net, making it brighter.

Chu Zhiyuan looked at Chu Honglin with surprise.

Chu Honglin was frowning, staring at his palms, with energy surging within.

His palms began to gradually brighten.

Amidst the gentle white light, the golden net slowly emerged on his skin.

The white light and golden net contended and entangled together.

Slowly, the white light grew brighter, while the golden net began to dim.

As one decreased and the other increased, the white light suddenly burst forth, destroying the golden net, causing it to disappear in the air.

"Whew—!"

Chu Honglin shook his palms, the regained feeling of control was too wonderful.

Only through loss and retrieval can one truly appreciate beauty.

Chu Zhiyuan also began to activate the Great Brightness Fist, holding its fist power without releasing it.

A ball of white light appeared in the void, condensed into a Fist Seal, with light fist contending with the golden net for a moment, then breaking through and dispersing it.

Chu Zhiyuan also sighed in relief.

The enveloping isolation feeling of the golden net was too frightening.

This Great Demon Suppressing Seal was too domineering, its power was somewhat astonishing.

Now just able to deploy it, even before Entering Intent, it already possessed such power.

"How is it?" Chu Honglin laughed: "Didn't make the wrong choice, did I?"

"Thanks, Uncle Fifteenth!" Chu Zhiyuan laughed: "Its power truly deserves its reputation as number one!"

Chu Honglin said: "It actually exceeded my expectations. In some ancient records, the Great Demon Suppressing Seal is truly a miracle technique that can restrain the Heavenly Demon, its power considered number one."

"If it's so powerful, why did the Demon Suppressing Spirit Mountain lose the inheritance?"

"Clouds gather and disperse, prosperity must decline, life must end, the Demon Suppressing Spirit Mountain is no exception, just as those ancient sects that flourished once faced the same outcome."

"Is it because of the decline of spiritual energy?" Chu Zhiyuan asked.

"As the Demon Realm grew, spiritual energy indeed got consumed, but this is not the fundamental reason for the ancestral sect's extinction."

"What was the cause?"

"The passage of time and the change in human hearts," Chu Honglin shook his head: "Most sects perished due to internal conflicts."

Chu Zhiyuan frowned.

Chu Honglin said: "Like the Demon Suppressing Spirit Mountain, it was destroyed due to internal strife, causing the Six Demon Subduing Scripture's total loss."

"Internal conflicts…" Chu Zhiyuan frowned: "Such a sect usually had a mature inheritance system, preventing internal conflicts, right?"

"If it really worked, there would not be so many sects with inner turmoil," Chu Honglin snorted: "Just like the imperial throne struggle, if there was an Eldest Imperial Prince inheritance system, would it prevent the struggle?"

Chu Zhiyuan remained silent.

Even if the Eldest Prince becomes Crown Prince, it cannot completely stop other princes' ambitions.

Unless like Little Outer Heaven, directly recognizing the Emperor through the Emperor's Sword.

But the cultivators in Outer Heaven are strong, not allowing a weapon spirit to select an emperor.

"Alright, this matter is beyond our concerns. This Great Brightness Fist mutually aids it as well, the Great Brightness Fist helps comprehend it, and it aids in understanding the Great Brightness Fist."

"The Heart of Brightness, the Heart of Compassion," Chu Zhiyuan nodded: "Along with the intention to vanquish demons."

He pondered over the withered old man.

Sitting cross-legged in the void, this void was black, opened by the golden light around him.

Was this blackness darkness?

Was the golden light compassion amid darkness, or anger, or killing intent?

What did the notes chanted by the withered old man mean, and what language was it?

"Uncle Fifteenth, is there any record about the Demon Suppressing Spirit Mountain? I'd like to read it."

"Let's go, we'll leave first." Chu Honglin said: "I'll hand it to you later."

"Yes."

——

Fifteenth Prince's Mansion

The small courtyard, brightly lit, in which Chu Zhiyuan was sitting in a small pavilion, drinking wine while reading a scroll.

Ancient Gou Xuan Records, a book that records the anecdotes of sects from ancient times.

Brought by Chu Honglin from Diwu Academy for him.

He read in it about the records on Demon Suppressing Spirit Mountain.

Demon Suppressing Spirit Mountain was a mortal foe of the Demon Clan.

In ancient times, countless demons died at the hands of the Demon Suppressing Spirit Mountain disciples.

Upon seeing the Demon Suppressing Spirit Mountain disciples, demon experts fled like mice from cats.

Had it not been for the scarcity of Demon Suppressing Spirit Mountain disciples, perhaps the Demon Clan would have been wiped out by them already.

The favorite activity of Demon Suppressing Spirit Mountain disciples was killing demon clan disciples, extremely bloodthirsty, more like a demon clan than the demon clan itself.

Demon Suppressing Spirit Mountain disciples could not descend from the mountain unless reaching the Divinity Transformation Realm, and once they did, wreaked havoc within the Demon Clan.

Therefore, some speculate that the extinction of the Demon Suppressing Spirit Mountain might be heavily linked to the Demon Clan.

Chu Zhiyuan suddenly smiled.

Finally finding in the book, that the chant of the Demon Suppressing Spirit Mountain disciples was in an even older language, in the Divine Language.

And it was rumored, the Six Demon Subduing Scripture originated from the Divine Race.