Martial Cultivator

Though Daoist Zhenye was a cultivator at the Nepenthe Realm, his physique was no match for Chen Chao’s. In fact, even when Chen Chao had been at the Bitter Sea Realm, his physical strength would likely have been weaker than Chen Chao too. If not for the special daoist robe he was wearing, that single punch might have shattered his body completely.

Even with the daoist robe, Daoist Zhenye still felt immense discomfort, his entire body trembling as his organs shook from the impact.

Most cultivators in the world looked down on pure martial artists, but no one would ever underestimate a martial artist who had already stepped into Nepenthe. Furthermore, with a peerless martial artist like the Great Liang Emperor who had already shocked the world, it had long since made other cultivators cautious not to belittle the powerful martial artists of the current era.

Daoist Zhenye had always thought he had regarded martial artists seriously enough, believing Chen Chao’s cultivation realm to be insufficient, which was why he underestimated him a little. He never expected Chen Chao to advance so quickly to Nepenthe.

Such speed had never been seen before.

Daoist Zhenye spat out a mouthful of blood essence and tried to create some distance between himself and Chen Chao once more. But to his surprise, Chen Chao followed right on his heels. He did not hold back either, his fists raining down relentlessly, each punch heavy and forceful. It was as though he intended to pummel Daoist Zhenye to death with his fists.

Having started as a warden, Chen Chao had dealt with demons for a long time and knew how to conserve energy. He rarely fought without consideration like this, but every time he did, it was only when he was filled with great anger. The last time he had fought like this was on Clearwater Mountain, where he killed that Mountain Lord with his bare fists.

Daoist Zhenye’s internal qi was in disarray, and in such a short amount of time, he could not condense his qi at all.

He could only endure as Chen Chao’s fists pummeled his body over and over again.

But soon, Daoist Zhenye seized the opening when Chen Chao threw a punch, and suddenly opened his mouth wide, spitting out a golden mysterious light. A brilliant golden core was spat out by him.

The golden core was only about the size of an egg, but overflowed with a boundless aura in an instant.

This was the secret treasure he had cultivated for many years, kept hidden within his body, never shown to outsiders. Now, with no other options, he summoned this item to buy some time for him to gain breathing room.

The golden core floated between Chen Chao and Daoist Zhenye, separating the two.

However, in the next moment, Chen Chao threw another punch, smashing the golden core with force, causing it to shake violently. The surging aura was suppressed and compressed by the terrifying power of his punch.

Daoist Zhenye’s pupils contracted as he looked in disbelief at the scene before him. That golden core represented his lifetime cultivation. How many years has it been since he had stepped into Nepenthe? Could ordinary people compare to so many years of cultivation? Now, this young martial artist standing before him, even if he had only recently stepped into Nepenthe, how could he possess such destructive power?

Chen Chao exhaled a mouthful of white mist, swirling around his mouth and nose. This mist, a secret art, had already given him an advantage over others in the same realm before he stepped into Nepenthe. But the true threshold for this technique only came when one entered the Nepenthe Realm.

It was only when he stepped into the Nepenthe Realm that Chen Chao realized the true mystery of the white mist was far beyond what he had imagined.

It was then that he believed it - martial artists could indeed cultivate magic spells, and it was no mere fantasy.

Martial artists of the present day could not cultivate magic spells simply because they lacked such a secret art.

In other words, perhaps many years ago, martial artists were already advancing along both the martial path and magic spells. It was only later, for reasons unknown, that they lost one of those paths, which left today’s martial artists with unparalleled physiques but no magic spells at their disposal.

This white mist secret art did not record any profound magic spell, yet its very existence allowed cultivators to rediscover the lost path.

And that was enough.

The golden core trembled, instantly radiating brilliant light, attempting to force Chen Chao back. But Chen Chao merely cast a cold glance at it, and in that instant, Cloud Mud, which had remained sheathed all this time, suddenly flashed out of its scabbard. 𝘳𝖆ＮΟВƐṤ

The snow-bright saber blade illuminated the entire Historical Pavilion.

This straight saber did not lose to any flying sword in the world in terms of sharpness. With a single slash, it slashed toward the golden core.

The golden core instantly dimmed, and the dazzling radiance that had once surrounded it suddenly dispersed, forcibly torn apart by that single strike.

With a loud boom, the two finally collided.

Crack-

The golden core was split in half by the saber.

”No!”

Daoist Zhenye spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, letting out a pained howl.

The destruction of his golden core meant that years of bitter cultivation were virtually wasted. This was even more agonizing than killing him.

Chen Chao sneered coldly, forcefully halting his saber mid-strike. He did not take the opportunity to cut down this Infatuation Daoist Temple daoist, but instead slanted his blade and slashed toward his arm.

Like slicing through tofu, Cloud Mud effortlessly cut off one of Daoist Zhenye’s arms.

Blood spurted forth as Daoist Zhenye’s face contorted with pain.

Before he could even scream, Chen Chao’s fist had already smashed into his mouth. With just one punch, every single tooth in his mouth was shattered.

Chen Chao casually tossed Cloud Mud aside, letting it fall to the ground. Only then did he grab Daoist Zhenye’s remaining arm and forcefully snap it.

“Mmff... mmff...”

At this moment, Daoist Zhenye’s mouth was full of shattered teeth. He wanted to say something, but found it difficult to speak.

Chen Chao broke several of Daoist Zhenye’s ribs with a few sharp strikes before raising an eyebrow and saying, “Are you regretting it now? Wishing you had used magic spells from the start instead?”

Daoist Zhenye swallowed the fragments of his own teeth with difficulty before speaking in agony, “Do you really dare to kill me?! I come from the Infatuation Daoist Temple. If you kill me, you won’t have a good end!”

Chen Chao ignored him. He simply grabbed him by the collar and hurled him against a distant wall.

The impact caved the wall in.

Chen Chao slowly walked over to this Infatuation Daoist Temple daoist and said calmly, “This official already told you, those who kill the people of Great Liang without authorization must pay with their lives!”

Placing one hand on Daoist Zhenye’s forehead, Chen Chao smashed a fist into his face. “But don’t worry, you won’t die that quickly. At the very least, before you die, I’ll make sure you regret everything you’ve done.”

Blow after blow rained down, as if the person before him was not a daoist sage but a dead dog.

“You want to test our Great Liang’s bottom line? I’ll make sure the people behind you understand that the Great Liang’s bottom line has never changed.”

Chen Chao had no idea how many punches he had rained down. By now, Daoist Zhenye’s face was unrecognizable.

Without examining carefully, one could hardly even tell it was a face anymore.

Chen Chao’s gaze was unwavering. Since his uncle had entrusted him with protecting this world before he left, then he would look after the Great Liang well.

……

……

Several minutes later, the sounds within the Historical Pavilion faded into silence. The Crown Prince, who had been waiting outside all this time, stared at the tightly shut doors, his expression complicated.

Creak...

The newly appointed teenage historian pushed open the doors and stood at the entrance.

Chen Chao stepped out, carrying a bloodied, mutilated head in his hand.

He did not look at the Crown Prince. Instead, he turned to a eunuch and asked, “Where are the rest?”