Martial Cultivator

“He’s a temple master, and I am a temple master. We were both glorious in the past, and the future won’t necessarily be worse. But now that he has surpassed Nepenthe, it’s a bit troublesome.”

Yun Jianyue looked at Chen Chao, thought for a moment, and said, “I’ll do my best to handle this matter. As for other things, I may need to borrow your strength.”

Chen Chao smiled. “That’s fine. But don’t let me run into that old daoist in the Divine Capital before I even get to the Infatuation Daoist Temple.”

Yun Jianyue thought for a moment and said softly, “Given Martial Uncle’s temperament, he won’t go to the Divine Capital lightly. Back then, even that time, he thought everything was foolproof...”

That scheme had seemed flawless to Daoist Wuyang; he could find no fault. But in the end, he still lost to the Great Liang Emperor.

A single misstep.

In terms of both cultivation and disposition, this great daoist sage still could not surpass that unmatched martial powerhouse.

Chen Chao squinted. “I’m skeptical about this. Now that he’s crossed into Nepenthe, he probably considers himself invincible in the world aside from the Demon Emperor. If he wants to kill me, he’ll just do it, he probably won’t overthink things.”

Yun Jianyue wanted to argue but stopped. After thinking it over, he realized that in terms of cunning and guile, he was like a child compared to Chen Chao, so he said no more.

“If that’s the case, I may not have enough time.”

“If that’s the case, I may not have enough time.”

Chen Chao said with a sigh, “Yeah, if that stubborn old daoist really refuses to follow the rules, I honestly don’t have much of a way out.”

He had two trump cards - one he had known about before, and one he hadn’t.

But now, whether he knew or didn’t know, both hands were empty.

The only thing he could rely on now was the saber at his waist.

Chen Chao looked down at it, feeling deeply frustrated. Damn, it’s already not easy to reach the end of Nepenthe. He lifted his eyes, how many people in the world could stand in front of him and speak so boldly? As soon as he looked up, two people were standing there. One was almost invincible in the world; the other, by coincidence, was also almost invincible.

The reason people say “almost” is because the two of them hadn’t faced each other yet.

But everyone else outside of them, could do nothing against either.

Chen Chao suddenly spoke, “How about you teach me your lightning techniques?”

In Daoism, lightning techniques had the most lethal power. Rumor had it that they were not weaker than the flying swords of sword cultivators.

Yun Jianyue narrowed his eyes and said, “Alright.”

Chen Chao didn’t expect him to agree so readily, and for a moment, he was almost dazed.

“I’ll trade it for your white mist.”

But Yun Jianyue’s next sentence completely shut down any further words Chen Chao might have had.

The corner of Chen Chao’s mouth twitched. Fine, whatever.

In reality, neither Yun Jianyue nor Chen Chao actually needed what the other had, because neither of them would ever walk the other’s path.

With everything said, Yun Jianyue stood up, ready to leave and return to the Infatuation Daoist Temple.

“Before Martial Uncle goes to the Divine Capital, he will definitely return to the temple first. Someone like him always acts in order; he would never disrupt it.”

Yun Jianyue smiled. “Besides... never mind. You’ll see when the time comes.”

There were some things he didn’t explain.

But Chen Chao understood clearly.

But he still said with concern, “Your Martial Uncle might not be willing to kill you, but he certainly would have no hesitation killing me.”

Yun Jianyue smiled but said nothing this time.

......

......

The auras in the desolate north had completely dissipated, making the sky look much clearer than before. At least no longer gray and dirty as it had been.

Snow continued to fall on the ground, and the accumulation grew thicker and thicker.

The desolate north had become a vast expanse of white, looking very clean.

The final battle between the demon race and Great Liang actually did not occur at Yixian Tide, but at Twenty-yard Plain, where Gao Xuan had led the army. At that time, all of the demon race’s attention was focused on Yixian Tide, treating Twenty-yard Plain as a mere diversion by the woman, never realizing that her true target was here.

Gao Xuan’s decisive victory there was arguably the most crucial achievement of this battle, but everyone knew that the greatest credit belonged to that woman.

Gao Xuan stood before a plain, watching the soldiers under his command begin to collect the bodies of their fallen comrades. He sighed. The sight of so many vibrant lives disappearing was truly unpleasant.

But compared with the alternatives, being able to bring back their comrades’ bodies was already no small feat.

Being able to return home was ultimately a good thing.

“What are you thinking?”

A voice sounded by his ear, pulling Gao Xuan’s thoughts back. He turned and saw a young man in black standing beside him, though he didn’t notice when he had arrived.

”Lord Warden Commander...”

Before he could continue, Chen Chao waved his hand with a headache. “We’re not exactly close, but we’re not strangers to this extent either.”

Gao Xuan smiled and let it go.

Chen Chao said, ”After this war, with the desolate north’s restrictions gone, how long can peace really last?”

Gao Xuan shook his head. “Not a single day will be truly peaceful. But a battle of this scale probably won’t happen again anytime soon. What will follow are tests and small-scale skirmishes. In the desolate north, has there ever been a day without bloodshed?”

Over all these years, who knows how many lives Great Liang and the demon race have lost here in the desolate north.

Chen Chao nodded. “It’s been hard work.”

The martial artist like Gao Xuan were the real reason Great Liang’s civilians could live in relative safety. How they lived, or how well, was up to Chen Chao and his soldiers.

Gao Xuan smiled. “The great demons you’ve killed this time in the desolate north outnumber what we’ve taken down in at least the past ten years. From this perspective, we’re not on your level.”

“We” and “you” here referred to the frontier army and the warden faction.

Chen Chao said, “We’ve been one family for a long time.”

Ever since Ning Ping came here to serve as Great General, the distinction between “you” and “me” had already disappeared.

Gao Xuan laughed. “Exactly.”

Chen Chao rubbed his brow, then suddenly smiled. “In about half a month, the first batch of weapons forged by the Ministry of Works will arrive at the Northern Frontier. You can take a look then.”

The swordsmiths at Sword Qi Mountain had been in the Divine Capital for more than a year. Aside from teaching apprentices, most of their work involved iterating weapons. The Great Liang’s frontier army used the Ministry of Works’s equipment before, but now these craftsmen had become some of the finest in the world, and naturally, their weapons were different.

The demon race’s bodies were inherently stronger than humans’. Ordinary swords and sabers, no matter how sharp, couldn’t do much damage to them. This iteration of weapons would help the border army significantly.

Less effort, more efficiency.

Gao Xuan said sincerely, “For this, I truly have to thank you.”

Chen Chao replied, “It was His Majesty who started it. I’m just finishing what he didn’t.”

Mentioning the now-absent Great Liang Emperor, Gao Xuan sighed deeply. In fact, it wasn’t just him, probably everyone in the Northern Frontier army held the emperor in the highest regard.

That crossing of the desolate north had already won the Great Liang Emperor admiration from all.

Of course, Chen Chao himself was no exception.

During the desolate north campaign, Chen Chao had, almost without realizing it, already earned the loyalty of most of the border army.

Chen Chao said, “To truly win this war, the border army alone won’t suffice. The whole of Great Liang must join in, working together.”

Gao Xuan nodded.

Chen Chao took a deep breath. “I know this is a difficult task.”

“But since someone wants it done and has entrusted it to me, then I’ll do it.”

He patted Gao Xuan on the shoulder, squinting as he smiled. “Feeling any pressure?”

Gao Xuan said calmly, ”You’ve got the heavens holding us up. This little patching and fixing is nothing.”