[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-imperial-cultivation":3,"chapter-imperial-cultivation-imperial-cultivation-chapter-500":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Imperial Cultivation",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},1054459,1365,"Chapter 500 - 497: Bait","imperial-cultivation-chapter-500",500,"\u003Cp>A full moon hung high, its clear light spilling onto Purple Sun Villa, yet unable to penetrate inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lights in Purple Sun Villa were as bright as day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Zhiyuan stood in the center of a small courtyard, hands behind his back, holding that letter, his eyes tightly shut.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moments later, he slowly opened his eyes, which shone like cold stars.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His gaze shifted toward the southwest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The letter was written by the Sect Master of the Demon Heart Sect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Ruoling, Shen Hanyue, and Xu Yingying stood beside him, watching him curiously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How is it?\" Xu Yingying asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Zhiyuan nodded lightly: \"I’ve found it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Hanyue said, \"Are we really going after the Demon Heart Sect’s Sect Master?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Zhiyuan nodded slowly: \"He’s close enough now, we can make a move.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Demon Heart Sect’s Sect Master was originally far away, so he couldn’t leave here for long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lest the masters of the Evil Sect come, and he can’t protect Xiao Ruoling and the others in time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that a Great Grandmaster from Yao Yue Palace has arrived, he can leave with peace of mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More importantly, the Demon Heart Sect’s Sect Master is approaching Yujing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is the perfect opportunity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Demon Heart Sect’s Sect Master seems intent on entering Yujing City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though it’s safer to wait for him to arrive in Yujing City before making a move,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Zhiyuan didn’t want to wait that long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who knows what tricks the Demon Heart Sect’s Sect Master might play if given more time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s better to eliminate such a person sooner rather than later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let’s go together,\" Shen Hanyue said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Zhiyuan shook his head gently: \"Not this time.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why not?\" Shen Hanyue hurriedly asked. \"You don’t really need to make a move, just one look can kill him.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Zhiyuan said, \"I don’t know if this is a trap. If it is, I might not be able to protect you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So you think we’re a burden,\" Shen Hanyue snorted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Zhiyuan smiled without speaking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Hanyue rolled her eyes at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t even bother to say a perfunctory sentence, which was really infuriating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yingying asked, \"Could it be a trap?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Right now, all the Evil Sects want nothing more than to eliminate me and have secretly joined forces.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Then it’s highly likely to be a trap,\" Xu Yingying said. \"Why go to them?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Zhiyuan smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hoped it was a trap. It would save him the trouble of seeking them out one by one, and he could take them all down at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Ruoling sighed softly, without trying to persuade him otherwise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Demon Heart Sect’s Sect Master...\" Xu Yingying cocked her head to think: \"He should have a secret technique, which can make people lose themselves or even commit suicide.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Zhiyuan nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yingying took a jade token out from her sleeve and tossed it to Chu Zhiyuan: \"This is the Heart Calming Inscription, it can protect your spirit from being disturbed by external forces.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Zhiyuan readily accepted it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yingying had so many treasures she often forgot them herself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some she didn’t use much after obtaining them, so she set them aside and slowly forgot about them entirely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So he had no reason to refuse Xu Yingying’s treasures.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Zhiyuan waved a hand with a smile: \"I’ll be back soon, off I go.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew that if he delayed any longer, they wouldn’t give up and would try to follow him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So he simply left immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>——\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let him go alone?\" Shen Hanyue turned her head to look at Xiao Ruoling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Ruoling said, \"Junior Sister, it’s fine.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Hanyue tilted her head at her: \"Senior Sister, you’re not worried at all.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Ruoling laughed, \"He acts prudently and won’t do anything uncertain. If he feels there’s a risk, he won’t act rashly.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Princely Heir hates the Evil Sect monsters, but not to the point where he would risk his own life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Princely Heir still has a bright future ahead, with the hope of mastering the Emperor’s Sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once he masters the Emperor’s Sword, all grudges can be avenged. Why rush into action now?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So he won’t take risks lightly. If those so-called traps really posed a threat to him, he wouldn’t step into them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s more likely that they pose no real threat to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The common understanding of a Great Grandmaster doesn’t apply to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those who truly understand his power are often already dead, while those still alive can scarcely imagine his strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"True enough,\" Shen Hanyue nodded in agreement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yingying said, \"Sister Xiao knows him best; he’s the most cautious. How could he possibly take risks?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Hanyue snorted, \"Would you dare say that to his face?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why wouldn’t I dare?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Would you really call him cautious now?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’ve called him cautious more times than I can count; what’s the harm?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He’s a Great Grandmaster now.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So what if he’s a Great Grandmaster?!\" Xu Yingying rolled her eyes and snorted, \"He’s still him, what does being a Great Grandmaster have to do with it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...True enough.\" Shen Hanyue opened her mouth, finally snorting, \"I guess you have a point!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She realized that Chu Zhiyuan really hadn’t changed because he became a Great Grandmaster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Evidently, he didn’t consider being a Great Grandmaster anything remarkable, nor did he think it worth being conceited about.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She turned her head to see Xiao Ruoling gazing intently toward the southwest, and couldn’t help but shake her head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sister Xiao is just putting up a front.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She could say all sorts of things about not worrying, but in truth, she couldn’t help but be concerned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>——\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Zhiyuan walked with a billowing purple robe, the moonlight like water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Bright Moon Saber God leapt in his mind, as if sensing the nearness of slaughter, filled with excitement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind him followed Zou Fang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zou Fang’s cultivation progressed, increasingly like a shadow, hiding within Chu Zhiyuan’s shadow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>People would almost unconsciously overlook him, even if standing right in front of him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Zhiyuan spoke as he walked: \"Have you touched the door of the Great Grandmaster yet?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zou Fang spoke softly: \"This servant feels close, a faint hint of it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Zhiyuan nodded: \"The Lifeless Scripture is indeed ingenious, but it requires enough perception. The one who initially created this scripture was a talent who stunned the world.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a defective body, one cannot normally achieve Grandmastery, let alone the status of a Great Grandmaster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the Lifeless Scripture turns physical defects into an advantage instead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gaining unmatched advantage with a tenfold effort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Physical defects instead make the cultivation speed ten or even twenty times faster than usual cultivation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The true marvel of the Lifeless Scripture is that a defective body doesn’t lead to defective True Qi and Gang Qi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through a strange and exquisite mental method, the defect is compensated, at least so far it seems compensated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, this Lifeless Scripture can also enhance cultivation directly through the method of energy transfer to the head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Zhiyuan couldn’t help but admire the creator of this mental method; he himself was far beneath such greatness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although he couldn’t create such a marvelous method, his comprehension was exceptionally smooth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zou Fang tirelessly studied and practiced this method, and with a single guidance from Chu Zhiyuan, he swiftly advanced, stepping far from Grandmaster Perfection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He vaguely sensed the gates of the Great Grandmaster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, Chu Zhiyuan stopped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zou Fang stopped as well, glancing around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Zhiyuan remained still, closing his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zou Fang slowed his breath, quietly listening for any sound around them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All was calm except for the gentle whistling of the mountain wind through the treetops.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moonlight painted a light silver wash over everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Zhiyuan opened his eyes and sighed: \"As expected, it’s not so simple.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zou Fang didn’t ask further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Zhiyuan shook his head: \"Indeed, there’s a problem.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zou Fang asked, \"Princely Heir, is that Demon Heart Sect’s Sect Master not really the Sect Master?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Zhiyuan said slowly: \"Just bait, with four Great Grandmasters hidden alongside, two from the Evil Sect, ... and two from the True Sect.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His expression turned grave.\u003C\u002Fp>",1368,"2026-06-03T09:58:02.814Z","2026-06-03T09:57:58.105Z",1,"novelbin.me","65dc31b33453b990c24d2b574c9b040b4803cad7b1bf0f595a0a4259a46ed8c3","imperial-cultivation-chapter-401","imperial-cultivation-chapter-499",1378,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fimperial-cultivation-cover.jpg"]