Martial Cultivator

The courtyard fell into brief silence before several yells suddenly erupted.

Some figures reacted instantly, dashing toward the distance, while others charged straight at Chen Chao.

Even in this short moment, their swift reactions proved the cultivators of the Glaze Temple possessed exceptional combat instincts.

Chen Chao ignored those fleeing cultivators. Instead, he casually shattered the skull of one attacker with a slap, then drew his saber and slashed at another.

Splitting into two with a single slash.

Stepping over the blood-soaked ground, Chen Chao remained expressionless.

In this courtyard, apart from the Nepenthe cultivator who had yet to show himself, none of the other cultivators were worth his attention.

Half a moment later, a streak of light shot into the sky, fleeing into the distance. The Nepenthe cultivator who was holding down the fort here, after learning that the intruder was Chen Chao, had no intention of staying. In an instant, he had already chosen to retreat.

Chen Chao looked up at the streak of light, his brows furrowing slightly. “Running?”

Gripping his saber, he leaped onto the rooftop and slashed toward the distant figure.

A dazzling, snow-white saber light burst forth, cutting through the night sky like a brilliant, radiant line drawn between heaven and earth.

The saber light moved faster than its wielder, intercepting the fleeing cultivator before he could leave the commandery city.

Chen Chao soared into the sky, his second saber slash followed.

A colossal saber force descended abruptly, crashing down directly above that Nepenthe cultivator’s head.

The purple-robed daoist assigned to guard this place looked up at the massive saber force descending upon him, his expression grim. He kept retreating, trying to evade the strike. But for some reason, he remained trapped under the pressure of that saber light from start to end.

The purple-robed daoist kept falling back, yet no matter how much he retreated, he could not escape the blade.

The ground beneath the street began to crack, a fissure spreading rapidly. After all, this purple-robed daoist was a Nepenthe cultivator.

From within the billowing sleeves of his daoist robe, several talismans surged forth, forming a floating array in front of him.

The saber force came crashing down, colliding with the talisman array. In an instant, a violent energy burst forth from the impact, causing the formation to tremble before rapidly unraveling.

The purple-robed daoist was instantly sent flying backward, slamming heavily into the city wall, unable to move.

He struggled to lift a hand, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, and forced himself out of the wall. Yet before he could make any move, a black figure suddenly collided into him. Caught off guard, he was once again smashed into the wall.

Pain wracked his entire body, and only then did he finally get a clear look at the person before him.

It was a young man who was not considered very handsome.

It was precisely Chen Chao.

This young martial artist who had only recently stepped into Nepenthe glanced at the purple-robed daoist. Without saying a word, he threw a heavy punch at this purple-robed daoist in front of him. With just one punch, it caved his head inward.

After that blow, the purple-robed daoist’s consciousness blurred into darkness.

……

……

Half the households in the commandery city lit their lamps once more.

It was all because of that thunderous sound from Chen Chao earlier, which had startled the entire city awake. Even those deep asleep had been roused by the yell too.

The common people hurried to light their lamps. The more timid ones crouched by their windows, listening intently to the sounds outside.

The bolder ones simply pushed open their windows, looking out into the streets, wanting to find out what major event was unfolding tonight.

As for those who were even bolder, they went as far as opening their doors at this moment, wanting to join the fun.

A man had just opened his door when he noticed that his lantern was gone. He was about to curse when he suddenly spotted a piece of skygold coin in front of his doorstep. Picking it up, he carefully tucked it into his pocket. But just as he lifted his head, he heard the sound of approaching footsteps in the distance.

A group of constables, clad in black official robes, their sabers hanging at their waists, and their boots stomping in unison, came rushing down the long street. They spread out, stopping approximately every twenty paces. One of them happened to stop right in front of the man’s house.

Seeing the constable at his door, the man spoke up before the official could say a word, asking boldly, “You look unfamiliar. You’re not usually stationed here, right, Sir Constable?”

The constable glanced at him and replied rather stiffly, “Get inside. Don’t poke your head around.”

The man was fearless to begin with. Seeing that the constable was at least willing to talk, he became even more chatty. “I heard someone shouting about some Lord Warden Commander just now. Did some big shot arrive?” ”But isn’t it a bit too late for that? What kind of big shot shows up in the middle of the night? And this level of grandeur, tsk tsk...”

The man was not unfamiliar with big shots. Not long ago, a high-ranking official from the provincial government had visited Yingchun Commandery, supposedly the second-in-command of the entire prefecture. That was quite the spectacle at the time. But compared to tonight, it seemed far less impressive.

Tonight, the silent streets were not limited to just one or two, it seemed the entire city was like this.

It must have been a high-ranking official from the Divine Capital who had arrived.

The constable initially had no intention of responding, but after hearing the man’s remark, he could not help but reply, “What grandeur? The Lord Warden Commander has arrived in Yingchun Commandery to eradicate the devils of the Glaze Temple.”

The constable’s superiors had not classified this matter as confidential. Otherwise, he would not have been informed about it either.

The man was taken aback. “The daoists from Glaze Temple? When did they become devils? I’ve never heard of them committing any evil acts?” ”If they really were devils, with how close Yingchun Commandery is, wouldn’t we have suffered long ago?”

The constable sneered. “What do you know? These fiends have been abducting civilians all across the Great Liang prefectures. The only reason they haven’t touched you lot is that they don’t want to alert anyone. If you lived a bit farther away, you’d have been their victims already.”

Hearing this, the man took in a sharp breath and then furiously declared, “Fiends like them deserve to die! They must be eradicated!”

The constable glanced into the distance and chuckled. “Exactly. But these demons wield powerful magic spells, how can ordinary people stand any chance against them? Fortunately, the Lord Warden Commander personally came from the Divine Capital to wipe them out completely. Once they’re gone, the common people will be safe.”

“You’d best hurry back inside and lock your door. Those fiends are ruthless and don’t see you all as human. If a fight breaks out, no one’s going to be looking out for you.”

Before the constable even finished speaking, the man had already shrunk back inside and slammed his door shut.

The constable was momentarily stunned, still not processing what had just happened. The man stuck his head out again, looked at the constable, and reminded him, ”Sir Constable, you should be careful too. Don’t go losing your life muddleheadedly.”

The constable waved his hand and said impatiently, ”Got it, hurry up and get inside.”

Even though he said this, there was still a smile on the constable’s face.

……

……

Tonight, the entire Yingchun Commandery was filled with many more constables. Dressed in official robes, they moved through the streets and alleys, informing the civilians of this entire city of what was about to happen.

Some of these constables came from the local warden’s office, but more of them were sent by the warden of Qingshan Prefecture, from various other states and counties. Now gathered in Yingchun Commandery, their job was to handle basic law enforcement and maintain order.

Meanwhile, the imperial city’s retainers and a group of powerhouses, who had already gathered around the various Glaze Temple hideouts, rushed in as soon as they saw the fireworks.

In an instant, the fighting broke out.

Wei Changming wielded an iron spear. Although he was not on a battlefield charging forward, which made his spear lack some of its usual power, it still swiftly pierced through the body of a Glaze Temple cultivator.

After piercing the man’s body, Wei Changming did not stop. Instead, he pushed the cultivator forward, continuously impaling several more cultivators like a string of sugar-coated haws.

His face expressionless, he pulled the spear out of his last victim and did not even bother to wipe the blood off. Instead, he let out a turbid breath, straightening his posture a little.

Since leaving the Northern Frontier Army, he had transformed into a butcher. It seemed as though every day he was slaughtering pigs and cows, but there was always a sense of frustration stuck in his chest, unable to escape. This was especially true after discovering the actions of the Glaze Temple, which filled him with rage. All of his emotions were completely unleashed tonight.

”Kill! Kill every last one of these bastards!”

Wei Changming roared and threw himself back into the battlefield, killing wildly.

……

……

After about an hour, the sounds of killing gradually subsided. Wei Changming pulled the iron spear out of a corpse and instructed, ”Take the civilians to the commandery government office and take good care of them.”

Someone obeyed the order and left.

Wei Changming stepped out of the blood-soaked courtyard and onto the long street, where a middle-aged man had just arrived.

The warden of Qingshan Prefecture.

The warden of Qingshan Prefecture looked at Wei Changming and said, ”Two people deliberately let others go. They have already left the city.”

Wei Changming clasped his hands in a salute, saying nothing more. There was no need to say anything further.

The Qingshan Prefecture warden thought for a moment and then asked, “What did the Lord Warden Commander say? Where should we go now?”

Wei Changming’s expression was complex as he slowly replied, “The Lord Warden Commander’s orders are clear. We are to leave the city immediately and head toward the Glaze Temple.”

The Qingshan Prefecture warden froze.

“If the Glaze Temple’s temple master has arrived here, should the Lord Warden Commander stay behind alone to deal with it?”

His face turned ugly as he frowned. “Is this His Excellency’s decision? Why didn’t you try to persuade him? Why let His Excellency take such risks?!”

Wei Changming’s face darkened. Hearing the complaint, he suppressed his anger and said, “Do you think I didn’t try to persuade him? His Excellency has made up his mind. What can I do? Follow the orders!”

……

……

Chen Chao sat atop the city wall, staring at the few lights scattered across the city, remaining silent.

After a long while, the young Lord Warden Commander stood up, looked at the head on the wall, and casually kicked it out.

As he watched the head roll off into the night outside the city, Chen Chao stretched lazily, his face expressionless.

Wei Changming and the others had already arrived beneath the city wall, looking up at the young Lord Warden Commander above.

He had a lot he wanted to say, and he still wanted to persuade this young Lord Warden Commander.

Chen Chao glanced at them, shook his head, and said calmly, “Wei Changming, take your people and head toward Glaze Temple. Don’t rush. When it’s time to go up the mountain, this official will give you guys a signal.”

“After you go up the mountain, kill every last one of the Glaze Temple’s cultivators. Leave no one alive.”

Wei Changming’s lips moved, but in the end, he just clasped his hands and said, “This lowly official will not fail in my duty, and will return as soon as possible!”

Chen Chao shook his head and said indifferently, “No need. After you’re done killing, return to the Divine Capital with them.”

Chen Chao rubbed his head and murmured, “What follows next is for me to handle.”