CHAPTER 500: CHAPTER 497: BAIT

A full moon hung high, its clear light spilling onto Purple Sun Villa, yet unable to penetrate inside.

The lights in Purple Sun Villa were as bright as day.

Chu Zhiyuan stood in the center of a small courtyard, hands behind his back, holding that letter, his eyes tightly shut.

Moments later, he slowly opened his eyes, which shone like cold stars.

His gaze shifted toward the southwest.

The letter was written by the Sect Master of the Demon Heart Sect.

Xiao Ruoling, Shen Hanyue, and Xu Yingying stood beside him, watching him curiously.

"How is it?" Xu Yingying asked.

Chu Zhiyuan nodded lightly: "I’ve found it."

Shen Hanyue said, "Are we really going after the Demon Heart Sect’s Sect Master?"

Chu Zhiyuan nodded slowly: "He’s close enough now, we can make a move."

The Demon Heart Sect’s Sect Master was originally far away, so he couldn’t leave here for long.

Lest the masters of the Evil Sect come, and he can’t protect Xiao Ruoling and the others in time.

Now that a Great Grandmaster from Yao Yue Palace has arrived, he can leave with peace of mind.

More importantly, the Demon Heart Sect’s Sect Master is approaching Yujing.

This is the perfect opportunity.

The Demon Heart Sect’s Sect Master seems intent on entering Yujing City.

Though it’s safer to wait for him to arrive in Yujing City before making a move,

Chu Zhiyuan didn’t want to wait that long.

Who knows what tricks the Demon Heart Sect’s Sect Master might play if given more time.

It’s better to eliminate such a person sooner rather than later.

"Let’s go together," Shen Hanyue said.

Chu Zhiyuan shook his head gently: "Not this time."

"Why not?" Shen Hanyue hurriedly asked. "You don’t really need to make a move, just one look can kill him."

Chu Zhiyuan said, "I don’t know if this is a trap. If it is, I might not be able to protect you."

"So you think we’re a burden," Shen Hanyue snorted.

Chu Zhiyuan smiled without speaking.

Shen Hanyue rolled her eyes at him.

He didn’t even bother to say a perfunctory sentence, which was really infuriating.

Xu Yingying asked, "Could it be a trap?"

"Right now, all the Evil Sects want nothing more than to eliminate me and have secretly joined forces."

"...Then it’s highly likely to be a trap," Xu Yingying said. "Why go to them?"

Chu Zhiyuan smiled.

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.

Xiao Ruoling sighed softly, without trying to persuade him otherwise.

"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."

Chu Zhiyuan nodded.

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."

Chu Zhiyuan readily accepted it.

Xu Yingying had so many treasures she often forgot them herself.

Some she didn’t use much after obtaining them, so she set them aside and slowly forgot about them entirely.

So he had no reason to refuse Xu Yingying’s treasures.

Chu Zhiyuan waved a hand with a smile: "I’ll be back soon, off I go."

He knew that if he delayed any longer, they wouldn’t give up and would try to follow him.

So he simply left immediately.

——

"Let him go alone?" Shen Hanyue turned her head to look at Xiao Ruoling.

Xiao Ruoling said, "Junior Sister, it’s fine."

Shen Hanyue tilted her head at her: "Senior Sister, you’re not worried at all."

Xiao Ruoling laughed, "He acts prudently and won’t do anything uncertain. If he feels there’s a risk, he won’t act rashly."

The Princely Heir hates the Evil Sect monsters, but not to the point where he would risk his own life.

The Princely Heir still has a bright future ahead, with the hope of mastering the Emperor’s Sword.

Once he masters the Emperor’s Sword, all grudges can be avenged. Why rush into action now?

So he won’t take risks lightly. If those so-called traps really posed a threat to him, he wouldn’t step into them.

It’s more likely that they pose no real threat to him.

The common understanding of a Great Grandmaster doesn’t apply to him.

Those who truly understand his power are often already dead, while those still alive can scarcely imagine his strength.

"True enough," Shen Hanyue nodded in agreement.

Xu Yingying said, "Sister Xiao knows him best; he’s the most cautious. How could he possibly take risks?"

Shen Hanyue snorted, "Would you dare say that to his face?"

"Why wouldn’t I dare?"

"Would you really call him cautious now?"

"I’ve called him cautious more times than I can count; what’s the harm?"

"He’s a Great Grandmaster now."

"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."

"...True enough." Shen Hanyue opened her mouth, finally snorting, "I guess you have a point!"

She realized that Chu Zhiyuan really hadn’t changed because he became a Great Grandmaster.

Evidently, he didn’t consider being a Great Grandmaster anything remarkable, nor did he think it worth being conceited about.

She turned her head to see Xiao Ruoling gazing intently toward the southwest, and couldn’t help but shake her head.

Sister Xiao is just putting up a front.

She could say all sorts of things about not worrying, but in truth, she couldn’t help but be concerned.

——

Chu Zhiyuan walked with a billowing purple robe, the moonlight like water.

The Bright Moon Saber God leapt in his mind, as if sensing the nearness of slaughter, filled with excitement.

Behind him followed Zou Fang.

Zou Fang’s cultivation progressed, increasingly like a shadow, hiding within Chu Zhiyuan’s shadow.

People would almost unconsciously overlook him, even if standing right in front of him.

Chu Zhiyuan spoke as he walked: "Have you touched the door of the Great Grandmaster yet?"

Zou Fang spoke softly: "This servant feels close, a faint hint of it."

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."

With a defective body, one cannot normally achieve Grandmastery, let alone the status of a Great Grandmaster.

Yet the Lifeless Scripture turns physical defects into an advantage instead.

Gaining unmatched advantage with a tenfold effort.

Physical defects instead make the cultivation speed ten or even twenty times faster than usual cultivation.

The true marvel of the Lifeless Scripture is that a defective body doesn’t lead to defective True Qi and Gang Qi.

Through a strange and exquisite mental method, the defect is compensated, at least so far it seems compensated.

Moreover, this Lifeless Scripture can also enhance cultivation directly through the method of energy transfer to the head.

Chu Zhiyuan couldn’t help but admire the creator of this mental method; he himself was far beneath such greatness.

Although he couldn’t create such a marvelous method, his comprehension was exceptionally smooth.

Zou Fang tirelessly studied and practiced this method, and with a single guidance from Chu Zhiyuan, he swiftly advanced, stepping far from Grandmaster Perfection.

He vaguely sensed the gates of the Great Grandmaster.

Suddenly, Chu Zhiyuan stopped.

Zou Fang stopped as well, glancing around.

Chu Zhiyuan remained still, closing his eyes.

Zou Fang slowed his breath, quietly listening for any sound around them.

All was calm except for the gentle whistling of the mountain wind through the treetops.

The moonlight painted a light silver wash over everything.

Chu Zhiyuan opened his eyes and sighed: "As expected, it’s not so simple."

Zou Fang didn’t ask further.

Chu Zhiyuan shook his head: "Indeed, there’s a problem."

Zou Fang asked, "Princely Heir, is that Demon Heart Sect’s Sect Master not really the Sect Master?"

Chu Zhiyuan said slowly: "Just bait, with four Great Grandmasters hidden alongside, two from the Evil Sect, ... and two from the True Sect."

His expression turned grave.