Martial Cultivator

As the sea of clouds began to churn, the Sword Sect’s Sect Master’s sword intent instantly reached its peak. This unrivaled leader of the world’s sword path who had come to the Divine Capital without carrying a sword took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

Threads of sword qi flowed out from his mouth, spreading in all directions.

Above the sea of clouds, countless ravines appeared in an instant once more. Invisible sword qi surged forth like an unstoppable torrent, tearing through the sea of clouds, bringing away a vast expanse of clouds at the same time too.

The countless streaks of sword qi swept forward together, resembling a stampede of ten thousand horses; an awe-inspiring phenomenon never before witnessed in the world.

The Sword Sect’s Sect Master stood with his hands behind his back. This was merely his opening strike, but the moment this opening move appeared, it was enough to overshadow the pinnacle sword arts of most sword immortals in the world.

No matter how others viewed the Sword Sect’s Sect Master, whether with admiration or criticism, the fact remained unchanged: he was the number one sword path grandmaster in the world.

From a young age, he had practiced the sword, gifted with extraordinary talent. Among the sword cultivators of his generation, he had never been defeated.

In preparation for this battle, he had traveled far, seen countless sights, and elevated his condition to his peak state. Now, facing the Great Liang Emperor, he stood at the absolute pinnacle state of his life.

The grandeur of this strike could not be described using words.

The vast expanse of sword qi hurtled toward the Great Liang Emperor in an instant, crashing toward that peerless martial artist.

A deafening explosion echoed across the entire sea of clouds.

The Great Liang Emperor gazed at the countless strands of sword qi, sensing their sharp, lethal intent. He remained unfazed. With a single sweep of his sleeve, boundless vital energy transformed into an endless torrent that surged forth to meet the incoming sword qi head-on.

Sword cultivators were renowned across the world for their killing prowess. When cultivators of the same realm encountered a sword cultivator, they would often harbor great apprehension. Few dared to confront sword cultivators head-on in combat.

Moreover, this sword cultivator before them was no ordinary sword cultivator, but the world’s highest grandmaster of the sword path, the master of Sword Dao. Even the Temple Master of the Infatuation Daoist Temple would likely avoid clashing with him head-on.

Yet, the Great Liang Emperor appeared utterly unconcerned. He neither dodged nor retreated, instead charging straight at the Sword Sect’s Sect Master.

The qi of these two powerhouses collided above the sea of clouds, and in an instant, countless gusts of wind howled. At the same time, the sea of clouds between them was torn apart, reduced to fragmented strands, looking very tragic.

But this destruction was far from the end. As the clouds were shredded, the terrifying energies and sword qi intertwined, obliterating everything in their vicinity.

In mere moments, countless strands of sword qi were shattered in the chaos.

Suddenly, the sky above the clouds erupted in brilliance as countless sword lights emerged in the wake of the dissipating sword qi.

The Sword Sect’s Sect Master’s opening strike appeared ordinary, but in truth, it was anything but ordinary. The sword qi was merely an appetizer, the sword lights that followed were the true centerpiece of the feast.

Even as the world’s greatest sword immortal, even if he was the Sword Sect’s Sect Master, he could not afford to lower his guard in the slightest when facing an opponent like the Great Liang Emperor. From the very beginning, he was fully alert, unleashing 120% of his strength.

The boundless sword light illuminated the sky, then rapidly descended like countless meteors streaking across the daylight, looking extremely grand and awe-inspiring. Yet, for the Great Liang Emperor, such a sight was not something good.

It was because the target of those sword lights was him. If the meteors were to crash into the earth, he was that earth.

The first meteor arrived before the Great Liang Emperor, carrying an overwhelming, razor-sharp intent.

The Great Liang Emperor waved his sleeve, shattering the incoming sword light into fragments. He allowed the scattered remnants to flow around him as he took a few steps forward, deeper into the countless meteors, effortlessly destroying the dazzling sword lights one after another.

Even if there were a meteor shower in this world, not a single meteor would fall upon the Great Liang Emperor.

This strongest martial artist in the world walked leisurely amidst the chaos, and in just a few moments, more than half of the meteors had been obliterated. The Sword Sect’s Sect Master remained expressionless; he had long anticipated this outcome. After all, the man he was facing was comparable to the Demon Emperor back then. If such an opponent could be slain in an instant, why would he have needed to prepare for so long?

In the blink of an eye, the majority of the meteors had been shattered by the Great Liang Emperor. As for the remaining ones, whether by the Sword Sect’s Sect Master’s design or simply their trajectory, they merely brushed past the Great Liang Emperor without so much as grazing him.

The Great Liang Emperor remained unscathed, yet the sea of clouds around them was now a scene of utter devastation.

Everywhere, scattered remnants of sword qi, scattered sword light, and shattered sword intent filled the skies.

At this moment, the Sword Sect’s Sect Master finally extended his hand, forming a sword seal. He then said softly, ”Arise.”

With that single word, the scattered fragments of sword light and qi within the clouds surged upward in an instant, coalescing into a vast river of sword qi that roared toward the Great Liang Emperor.

The sword qi river surged forward, its turbulent currents surpassing even the mightiest rivers in the world.

The terrifying sword qi swept through the sea of clouds, scattering them further into the distance.

The Great Liang Emperor’s hair began to billow, and his emperor robe fluttered loudly at this moment.

Yet, this peerless martial artist showed no intention of retreating. He simply stood there atop the sea of clouds, watching as the torrent of sword qi, carrying boundless sword intent, bore down upon him.

The river of sword qi drew ever closer to the Great Liang Emperor, and in an instant, the distance between them was less than ten feet.

The Great Liang Emperor could already feel countless streams of violent sword qi piercing toward every inch of his body, as if innumerable swords were ramming into his body at this very moment.

If it were any other cultivator, they would likely have retreated by now. But the Great Liang Emperor was not only one of the strongest powerhouses of the current era, but also the sole pure martial artist. For such a martial artist, the toughness of their body was far beyond the comparison of ordinary cultivators. Thus, he did not dodge or evade, allowing the sword qi to strike his body directly.

In an instant, the sound of sword cries resonated through heaven and earth.

The river of sword qi was akin to an enormous and majestic sword, engulfing the Great Liang Emperor.

The Sword Sect’s Sect Master furrowed his brows slightly, his expression showing a trace of confusion.

A tremor rippled through the sea of clouds as the river of sword qi suddenly shattered, like a colossal sword breaking apart. Countless fragments scattered in all directions at this moment.

A terrifying surge of energy burst forth, pushing away the remnants of sword qi and sweeping directly toward the Sword Sect’s Sect Master.

The Sword Sect’s Sect Master frowned as his figure glided backward, retreating several thousands of feet in the blink of an eye.

This opening strike of his had been executed to the fullest expression of its beauty and form. Yet, unfortunately, his opponent was none other than the Great Liang Emperor.

Thus, the result fell short of his expectations.

The Sword Sect’s Sect Master took a deep breath.

The Great Liang Emperor appeared in the distance, still looking calmly at this number one sword cultivator of the current age, saying nothing.

The battle between the Sword Sect’s Sect Master and the Great Liang Emperor had finally begun.

The Sword Sect’s Sect Master initially wanted to follow up his failed opening strike with a second sword attack. However, to his surprise, while he was gathering momentum for the second strike, the Great Liang Emperor had already stepped forward from the sea of clouds. With each step he took, his aura surged higher. After just a few steps, his imposing presence was nearly on par with that of the Demon Emperor the Sword Sect’s Sect Master had previously encountered.

The Sword Sect’s Sect Master could not help but marvel inwardly. There were likely only two individuals who were the strongest in the world.

One was the monarch of the human race; the other was the emperor of the demon race.

There might be distinctions in their strength, but compared to these two, all other powerhouses likely fell at least half a realm short.

The Sword Sect’s Sect Master took a deep breath. Facing the Great Liang Emperor, he was prepared to unleash another sword strike. But before he could make his move, the Great Liang Emperor had already appeared before him, pushing his palm out in what seemed to be a casual move. The Sword Sect’s Sect Master hastily condensed a flying sword in front of him, aiming its tip at the Great Liang Emperor’s palm. Yet, the moment the two met, the flying sword condensed in front of him began to shatter, breaking apart inch by inch.

The next instant, the Sword Sect’s Sect Master was sent flying, transformed into a streak of light that shot through the air at incredible speed, vanishing thousands of miles away in the blink of an eye.

The Great Liang Emperor watched as the Sword Sect’s Sect Master disappeared from his sight, and was not in a hurry to pursue him. Instead, he walked forward slowly, as if leisurely admiring the grand scenery of the land.

Outside the Divine Capital, cultivators who had been keeping a close watch on the battle had no way to enter the city. They could only widen their eyes and stare at the skies, hoping to catch even the faintest glimpse of what was happening.

But despite their efforts, all they could see were occasional flashes of sword light from the depths of the sea of clouds, nothing more.

At that moment, when they saw a streak of light shoot across the skies of the Divine Capital and plummet into the distance, they were utterly stunned.

Some vaguely made out that the streak of light resembled a human figure.

“It seems to be... the Sword Sect’s Sect Master?!”

”How could this be possible?!”

Outside the Divine Capital, a sudden uproar erupted. No one could believe the scene unfolding before them. Who was the Sword Sect’s Sect Master? That was the number one sword immortal in the world!

Although that Great Liang Emperor was also unbelievably powerful, he could not have forced the Sword Sect’s Sect Master to retreat so quickly after the battle had only just begun, right?

The cultivators engaged in fervent discussion. The Sword Sect’s Sect Master had already been forced back thousands of miles.

Meanwhile, the Great Liang Emperor continued his unhurried walk atop the clouds, gazing down at the vast and magnificent lands below.

Thousands of miles away, the Sword Sect’s Sect Master came to a stop atop a towering mountain peak. Looking into the distance, this number one sword cultivator’s expression turned incomparably solemn.

He had played out the course of this battle countless times in his mind. But he did not expect reality to deviate so significantly from his expectations right from the very beginning.

The Great Liang Emperor was merely a martial artist. Even if he was the strongest martial artist of the current era, this should not have been the outcome.

But why...

The Sword Sect’s Sect Master took a deep breath, pushing aside the distracting thoughts. He calmed himself once more.

Gazing at the distant skies, the Sword Sect’s Sect Master slowly raised his hand.

Countless streaks of sword light began to radiate from his body once again.