Imperial Cultivation

Chapter 1374 - 1370: Peering into Secrets

The Cloud Stepping Leopard’s gentle and lazy voice sounded in his mind, "What do you think?"

"I originally thought that the elder had an agreement with our sect’s ancestors to guard this place."

"Well, that’s one reason," the Cloud Stepping Leopard said, "I agreed with Xiaofu to stay here for three thousand years."

"Grandmaster Fu?" Zhu Lingyun said, "If it’s Grandmaster Fu, it’s been over thirteen thousand years."

Among the generations of Sect Masters of Wanxiang Cliff, there is only one person with the surname Fu, Fu Jingyong.

This Grandmaster Fu was truly a genius, renowned worldwide. The greatest pity was that everyone thought he could become Spirit Venerable, but he fell just short at the critical moment.

Although he was not Spirit Venerable, his combat power was astonishing, able to retreat unscathed in front of Spirit Venerable.

This Grandmaster Fu had many legendary experiences.

Just mentioning Grandmaster Fu, everyone knows it’s him.

"Thirteen thousand years..." The lazy, gentle voice carried indifference.

"Elder, you can leave now, but you hesitate?"

"Hmm, maybe. But where would I go?"

"In such a vast world, is there any place you couldn’t go?"

"Everywhere is dull, constantly running into people I dislike or things I don’t care for. It’s better to stay here."

Zhu Lingyun mused, "Spirit Venerables can sense each other, so if the elder went elsewhere, you’d sense other Spirit Venerables?"

"You little fellow, you’re quite clever, knowledgeable about Spirit Venerables. Have a Spirit Venerable elder... within Wanxiang Cliff, Xiaoguo perhaps?"

"I’m just speculating," Zhu Lingyun laughed, "Just babbling, forgive me if I’m wrong, elder."

He immediately said, "I’ve never seen Master Guo."

"Yeah, you indeed haven’t seen him; he is already dead, that’s the consequence of being carefree."

Zhu Lingyun’s complexion changed, "Ancestor Guo...?"

"You wouldn’t think Spirit Venerables can’t die, right?"

"Spirit Venerables can die?"

"Spirit Venerables can be superior or inferior, why wouldn’t they die?"

"They have long and endless lifespans, but in the face of time, they eventually fade, what is there to care about?"

"Hehehehe..." A delicate laugh echoed in his mind.

Zhu Lingyun looked at it with doubt.

The Cloud Stepping Leopard had entirely restrained its aura, resembling a lazy big cat, easy to be mistaken for gentle and harmless.

Zhu Lingyun knew its scariness firsthand, naturally, he wouldn’t act recklessly.

Its eyes revealed playfulness, laughing, "Little fellow, you are too naive."

Zhu Lingyun said, "For those not Spirit Venerable, a thousand years is nearly enough to fade."

"To a Spirit Venerable, not to mention a thousand years, one night is unbearable!" The Cloud Stepping Leopard snorted, "They value quick resolve, revenge isn’t delayed overnight!"

Zhu Lingyun was half convinced, "So, more Spirit Venerables die?"

The Cloud Stepping Leopard said, "Of ten Spirit Venerables, six die due to mutual combat."

Zhu Lingyun frowned.

This was completely different from his imagination.

In his imagination, Spirit Venerables are the world’s supreme beings, with the strongest power and nearly endless lifespan.

Such people should be unattached to worldly things, viewing everything lightly.

Gaining great freedom and comfort, from morning in North Sea to evening at South Mountain, uninhibited, leisurely.

But according to the Cloud Stepping Leopard, Spirit Venerables are more unbridled, more willful.

They’ve lost their peace and calmness, their grudges fiercer than ordinary Martial Artists.

The Cloud Stepping Leopard snorted, "People... more frightening than us beasts!"

Zhu Lingyun said, "Master Guo is gone, so do we still have Spirit Venerables at Wanxiang Cliff?"

"What do you think?"

"I don’t know."

"No."

"Really no?" Zhu Lingyun was surprised, then grew solemn, "Fortunately, we still have you, elder."

The Cloud Stepping Leopard chuckled, "You all... becoming less competent."

Zhu Lingyun said, "Elder, do you know how to become Spirit Venerable?"

"I don’t know," said the Cloud Stepping Leopard.

Zhu Lingyun said, "Elder should have seen Elder Guo breakthrough, right?"

"Yeah, I’ve seen many."

"Then what is the key?"

"How would I know what the key is? Your cultivation is complex, various mental methods. I say, the more complex, the less likely to become Spirit Venerable!"

"The more complex, the less possible?"

"Indeed, before becoming Spirit Venerable, everyone must die once," said the Cloud Stepping Leopard, "If they can revive, they become Spirit Venerable, otherwise they truly die."

"Die once?" Zhu Lingyun was stunned.

"I’ve seen it several times, all like this."

"Die once..." Zhu Lingyun closed his eyes and started pondering.

This sentence contained immensely important clues.

The Taihao Jade Void Scripture, when practiced to higher realms, doesn’t seem to cause coma or death.

Then how to achieve Spirit Venerable?

Is it really as Ning Dongge said, merely pushing forward until becoming Spirit Venerable?

The key now is to meet the Spirit Venerables within Heaven-Reaching Sect, otherwise it truly can’t be asked clearly.

"Seems like the Spirit Gate Secret Technique needs to be found."

"Spirit Gate Secret Technique..."

Zhu Lingyun’s eyes burned with intent.

Suddenly he thought of the Cultivation Method of Little Outer Heaven, the last step for Great Grandmaster is to find the secret acupoints.

Could it be that Spirit Venerable is equivalent to the Great Grandmaster of Little Outer Heaven?

If saying like this, then it makes sense.

Find this secret acupoint, then break through it, experiencing life and death.

To be reborn from death, thus revive, shedding mortal bone and achieving spirit bone, then becoming Spirit Venerable.

"That’s all," the Cloud Stepping Leopard said, "Follow me."

After speaking, it leaped lightly into the Void, disappearing.

Zhu Lingyun was stunned, then realized he was also flying out, entering the twisted light and shadow.

Appearing again, he found himself standing in a grand palace.

This palace dwarfed all he’d seen, the dome about a hundred meters high, covering an area like ten football fields.

In the center of the hall, a dark stone tablet stood upright.

The tablet was thirty meters high, ten meters wide, shaped like a sword, resembling a broad stone sword piercing the sky.

He noticed that this stone tablet was borne by a Strange Beast.

This Strange Beast was somewhat similar to the Cloud Stepping Leopard.

He couldn’t help but look at the Cloud Stepping Leopard and then at the stone-carved Strange Beast.

As dark as ink, it was unified with the stone tablet, seemingly carved from the same block of stone.

And this Strange Beast was three parts similar to the Cloud Stepping Leopard, but the other seven parts differed.

The Cloud Stepping Leopard stared at the stone tablet, its tail resting on his foot, the sound ringing in his mind, "Do you recognize the writing on this?"

Zhu Lingyun shook his head, "I don’t recognize it, isn’t it writing?"

"It is writing," said the Cloud Stepping Leopard indifferently, "Take a look at the scroll beside it."

Zhu Lingyun turned to the Northwest corner of the hall, where an overturned square tripod lay.

The black stone tripod was made of the same material as the stone tablet, engraved with rugged patterns.

The tripod was ten meters high, its inverted foot measuring one meter square, with a scroll resting on it.

The scroll was square, just the size of the tripod foot, half a meter thick.

He glanced at the Cloud Stepping Leopard.

The Cloud Stepping Leopard said, "See if you can understand it."

Zhu Lingyun leapt, picked it up, and landed heavily, with a "boom" the ground seemed to shake.

His face turned pale.

This scroll was several times heavier than expected, making his True Yuan sluggish when carrying it.

If it were any higher, he’d have to let go of the scroll in mid-air.

He looked down at the scroll’s cover, the writing was still incomprehensible.

So, he flipped through it page by page.

After flipping through it, he looked up at the Cloud Stepping Leopard, shaking his head, "Elder, still don’t understand, don’t recognize this writing, really writing?"

"Fool!" the Cloud Stepping Leopard snorted, "Thought I finally met a smart one!"

Zhu Lingyun said, "Elder, whose writing is this?"

"You need not know."

"If I don’t know, how would I investigate?"