Martial Cultivator

The wind and snow of the desolate north grew heavier. Under its cover, the once-ravaged land of the desolate north had turned into a vast stretch of white.

It was as if the snowy plains of the past had returned.

After the heavy snow had fallen, it was almost as if the battle where the two emperors once fought to the death here had never happened at all.

Most things in this world were like that.

Nothing was remembered forever, nothing was passed down endlessly.

Even word of mouth had a time when it was cut off.

When night fell, in the pitch black, faint light illuminated a small area nearby. Inside a snow cave, a few pieces of wood, hard to find in the desolate north, burned with difficulty. The warmth they gave off allowed the two people sitting before the fire to feel some measure of heat.

Monk Xuankong, wearing a gray monk’s robe, had a pale complexion. Though he had hardly taken part in the previous battle, his injuries were still severe. After all, it had been a great demon who struck him, and besides, his cultivation realm was not high to begin with.

Chen Chao, still dressed in his thin black shirt, sat before the fire, calmly watching the flickering flames.

Monk Xuankong opened his eyes and looked at the young Warden Commander, who was still burdened with many curses from the world. After hesitating for a moment, he slowly asked, “Lord Warden Commander, if not for this destitute monk at that time, would Your Excellency have been able to kill that demon princess?”

Chen Chao glanced at Monk Xuankong, but did not rush to reply. Instead, he tossed another twig into the fire, then stretched out both hands, warming the dampness from them.

Monk Xuankong thought for a bit, then said self-deprecatingly, “This destitute monk has spoken too much.”

“This official and Autumn, if one must say there is a difference in superiority, in truth there is not. I have known her for quite some time, and we have crossed blades more than once. In today’s world, if this official were to claim second place in understanding her, then throughout Great Liang and the outside world, there would be no one who could claim first.”

“This official and she have always been on even footing. But in today’s battle, perhaps because she thought victory was already in her grasp, and with so many great demons supporting her, she grew somewhat careless. this official seized the chance to strike a heavy blow. Naturally, once such an opening was created, her chances of winning only grew smaller. If no one else interfered, this official felt there was a seventy percent chance of killing her this time.”

At this point, Chen Chao narrowed his eyes. Seventy percent certainty was already enormous. At that time, he had hesitated for a long while, debating whether to kill this demon princess outright. Though it would come at great cost, Chen Chao still glimpsed a sliver of hope that he could walk away alive.

But in the end, after much hesitation, Chen Chao gave it up. Beyond the fact that Monk Xuankong was still present, there was also the truth that Autumn had never been a simple cultivator. Until the very last moment... no, even at the very last moment, Chen Chao could not guarantee he would truly kill her completely.

If this world was a book, then someone like Autumn would surely be painted in heavy strokes of rich ink.

”Master, do not take it to heart. If not for you, this official would likely have died earlier.”

Chen Chao rubbed his brows, looking somewhat weary.

Monk Xuankong thought for a while before slowly nodding. He naturally understood the reasoning, but at the same time, when he looked at Chen Chao now, there was a deeper sense of respect in his gaze.

”Lord Warden Commander, what a heavy burden truly rests on your shoulders.”

Monk Xuankong said, ”For a figure like you, if you were born in the foreign lands, you would probably not need to do anything. All you would need is to cultivate diligently.” ＲåΝȪᛒÊS

At the end of Nepenthe in his twenties, one of the few martial artists in the world. Such a figure, in the foreign lands, would only need to do one thing.

Diligently cultivate, quietly cultivate - just cultivate.

For such a person, to live one more day was to add one more measure of significance to existence.

They did not need to do anything else, only to live, only to slowly walk forward on the Great Dao. For their sect, that alone was of immense value.

This was why the Infatuation Daoist Temple had remained the leader of Daoism for so many years - because at the root of it, every generation’s temple master of the Infatuation Daoist Temple had been among the most powerful cultivators in the world.

Daoist Wuyang, who in the eyes of the world had long passed away; Chief Enforcer, slain by Chen Chao; and now, Yun Jianyue, the youngest temple master in the history of the Infatuation Daoist Temple.

These few, whether in the foreign lands or in the whole world, would find no opponents.

The first two need not be elaborated on, for they had long been renowned great cultivators of the world. But after them, when Yun Jianyue, merely at the Nepenthe Realm, became the new temple master, many at the time likely assumed the Infatuation Daoist Temple was beginning to decline. Yet who could have imagined that in just a year or so, Yun Jianyue would step into the end of Nepenthe, halting the temple’s downturn.

This was the most direct effect of a powerful cultivation. Such a person only needed to live.

Living itself was valuable.

But by comparison, though Chen Chao had also advanced swiftly over the years, compared to those others, his path had been far harsher.

It was very tiring.

Chen Chao smiled and said, “Surname Chen, flowing with the blood of the Chen imperial family. Naturally, when I look at the people of Great Liang, it’s like looking at my own children. My Chen Family has sat on the throne for more than two hundred years. I suppose we have not let the people down, and the people have not wronged our Chen Family either, everything is mutual.”

The Great Liang Emperor, and the current Crown Prince, were all one family. To outsiders, there was no difference; they were their last reliance.

Monk Xuankong asked curiously, “Lord Warden Commander, have you ever benefited from the people?”

Chen Chao thought for a moment, then said calmly, “Back then, many in the Divine Capital wanted to remove this official from the position of Lord Warden Commander. The ones who spoke up for this official were precisely the common folk.”

“Just for a few words, Lord Warden Commander would be willing to dedicate a lifetime?”

Monk Xuankong was very curious. Could Chen Chao really be someone who would do all that just for a few words?

One had to know, the impression he gave the world was that he was a man who would retaliate for every slight.

“Those words only make this official feel gratified, not regretful. As for why this official does these things at all, it lies with His Majesty.”

Chen Chao smiled. “I suppose Master already knows the answer.”

Monk Xuankong nodded. Though not a worldly person, even they had thought back then, during the great upheaval in the Divine Capital, that the Great Liang Emperor would likely kill Chen Chao. After all, his position was special. For the throne, for the stability of Great Liang, killing him seemed the best choice.

At that time, familial affection was the least noteworthy thing.

But who would have thought, that the Great Liang Emperor, in that position and at that time, solved it all with just a few words: “I do not mind.” It silenced the murmurs of the crowd.

“His Majesty treats me like a son and nephew. This official is merely returning the favor, willingly.”

Some people remember even the slightest wrong done to them, waiting for the day to retaliate. But if someone shows a little kindness, they remember it too, for a long time.

Chen Chao was such a man.

Monk Xuankong sighed. “It seems that in this world, it is rare to find such purity in someone of the stature of His Majesty or Lord Warden Commander.”

Chen Chao narrowed his eyes and smiled. “Perhaps it’s in the blood, what they call family tradition.”

Monk Xuankong had originally thought to sincerely compliment Chen Chao. But now, as if something revolting had been eaten, he could not speak a word. His face looked very unpleasant.

Chen Chao watched him and laughed to himself, then took out a jug of alcohol, drinking alone.

Monk Xuankong looked at the young man and spoke up, asking, “Lord Warden Commander, may this destitute monk have a jug?”

Chen Chao was surprised. “A monk can still drink?”

Monk Xuankong smiled. “Back then, someone said, ‘Wine and meat pass through the intestines, but Buddha remains in the heart.’”

Chen Chao remembered that these words had originally been spoken by the Great Liang’s Nation Teacher, the monk who had once left Deercry Monastery and chosen to involve himself in worldly affairs. He was considered the first cultivator from the foreign lands to truly have close contact with the secular world.

Chen Chao took out a jug of alcohol and handed it to Monk Xuankong, saying, “Previously this official visited Deercry Monastery and met the Abbot. But I still want to know, how do you monks truly view that Nation Teacher?”

Monk Xuankong smiled. “Lord Warden Commander, this question has actually been debated within the temple for many years.”

“Oh...”

Chen Chao took a sip of alcohol, waiting for the rest.

“Over the years, it seems the matter has developed into two completely opposing views within the temple, with an equal number of monks supporting each side.”

Deercry Monastery had secluded itself for many years, and among all the sects in the world, it was the place that cared least for worldly affairs. Over so many years of major events, their presence was rarely seen. Everyone knew they were monks truly beyond the mortal world. But no one knew that after that black-robed monk left the monastery and went on to do so many things, Deercry Monastery had almost one foot stepping into the mortal world.

Chen Chao clicked his tongue. “Why does this official feel like that Nation Teacher was deliberately trying to drag Deercry Monastery into the mess?”

Monk Xuankong glanced at Chen Chao. What Chen Chao did not realize was that this casual remark was exactly what he himself had been pondering over these years.

“The methods of staying aloof from the world may not have been entirely correct. That senior saw the problem and chose this path to provoke thought within the monastery.”

Monk Xuankong sighed. “If that is indeed the case, then that senior was truly a person of great vision.”

Chen Chao also said, “If that is indeed the case, then His Majesty, and the Nation Teacher as well, must have long been dissatisfied with this world.”

The demon race bullying humans, cultivators treating ordinary people like pigs and dogs—by any measure, this is not a good world.

Of course, different positions naturally bring different thoughts.

Monk Xuankong spoke earnestly, “What this destitute monk most admire about Lord Warden Commander is that, regardless of the state of the world, it likely does not affect you much. Yet Lord Warden Commander is still willing to do so many things because of it.”

Chen Chao finished the jug of alcohol, shook his head, and laughed. “Master, your words really go down well with the alcohol.”

Monk Xuankong also took a sip, his complexion regaining some color. He set down the jug seriously, clasped his hands, and said softly, “This destitute monk wishes to walk this path alongside Lord Warden Commander.”

Chen Chao clutched his forehead, sighing repeatedly. “It’s over. With Master saying this, one or two jugs of alcohol just won’t be enough.”