Martial Cultivator

“I met Martial Uncle in the desolate north and we talked. Neither of us managed to persuade the other.”

Yun Jianyue smiled, a strange emotion in his eyes; he had once regarded Daoist Wuyang as a genuine elder.

But at that time he would not have imagined things would come to this.

Ye Zhihua said softly, “Martial Uncle and you remain fundamentally different.”

Yun Jianyue smiled, “If Martial Uncle returns to retake the Infatuation Daoist Temple’s temple master position, and if his thinking matches mine, then I will gladly return the temple master seat to him.”

Ye Zhihua said, “You are still young; you have held this position too briefly and lack a deep foundation in the mountain. If Martial Uncle insists on taking back the temple master seat, it will be difficult for you to keep it.”

Daoist Wuyang had occupied the temple master position at Infatuation Daoist Temple for many years; even now countless people in the mountain would still support him, not only the young disciples but also old daoists who do not meddle in temple affairs.

On that point Yun Jianyue had almost no chance of victory.

Yun Jianyue said, “What I contend for is not the position of temple master.”

Ye Zhihua nodded; she understood the distinction.

“So I asked Chen Chao to help me kill Martial Uncle.”

When he said this, Yun Jianyue was calm, but the emotion in his eyes was complicated; not as placid as his words.

To the world at large Daoist Wuyang might not be a good man, but to Infatuation Daoist Temple and to Yun Jianyue personally, he could not simply be a villain.

Ye Zhihua was somewhat surprised; she naturally knew what kind of person her junior brother was, and it was not easy to make him decide this.

“Has Martial Uncle Wuyang taken another step forward?”

Ye Zhihua exhaled a turbid breath, trying to calm herself. If Daoist Wuyang were still only a great daoist sage, then no matter how slim the odds, Yun Jianyue would have faced him on his own. But now, seeing that he even had to seek outside help, it could only mean one thing: Daoist Wuyang was no longer at the realm he once was.

It should be noted that Daoist Wuyang had already been the undisputed number one figure of Daoism; one of the few top powerhouses of the current age. Now, having advanced another step...

Yun Jianyue said, “In today’s world, there are only three people who are clearly known to be above Nepenthe. One is that Demon Emperor in the north, the second is the Sword Sect’s Sect Master who comprehended that perfect sword move during closed-seclusion, and the last is Martial Uncle.”

Ye Zhihua’s mood grew even heavier.

Such an existence, could even a Yun Jianyue, together with Chen Chao, stand a chance?

“I know Martial Uncle’s temper a little. If you refuse to bow and persist like this, Martial Uncle would truly kill you.”

Before, the disciples in the temple had always seen Daoist Wuyang as kind and mild. No one thought he carried any airs because they had never touched his reverse scale. Once that reverse scale was touched, he would not hesitate to eliminate them without mercy.

And that reverse scale was the Infatuation Daoist Temple

Yun Jianyue’s current actions were no different from poking at Daoist Wuyang’s reverse scales.

Yun Jianyue nodded, not denying it. During their encounter in the desolate north, Martial Uncle had ultimately refrained from striking, already giving Yun Jianyue his last chance. ṟАNốꞖĘṦ

This time, upon meeting again, if he still persisted in this way, there was nothing more to say.

“Not just a struggle of great Dao.”

Before Ye Zhihua could speak to dissuade him, Yun Jianyue spoke first: “Martial Uncle is in the wrong, so I cannot back down.”

“If Martial Uncle is allowed to go on doing as he pleases, later not only will the martial artists in the north who have resisted the demons for two hundred years die in large numbers, but after the demons break through the Northern Frontier Great Wall, how many civilians in Great Liang will die is impossible to calculate, because the tally cannot be reckoned.”

Yun Jianyue’s eyes grew firm. “To kill Martial Uncle, I’ll let Martial Uncle down, but that is all there is to it.”

Ye Zhihua no longer spoke, only lightly took the hand of her junior disciple beside her.

“In fact, there is still a chance of success. Yu Xiyi recently broke through, and is now also a great sword immortal. Chen Chao promised me that if he breaks through, he will bring him along.”

Yun Jianyue said, “It seems like the same story, I just don’t know if the ending will be the same.”

After saying this, Yun Jianyue looked toward his senior sister, and suddenly froze.

”What?”

Ye Zhihua spoke softly.

“These days, I haven’t really taken a good look at the woman before me. But looking now, Senior Sister has grown even more beautiful.”

This was originally straightforward flattery, but for some reason, Yun Jianyue was completely sincere, no one could claim he was lying.

Ye Zhihua smiled faintly, saying softly, ”If you think she’s beautiful, then just look a few more years.”

Yun Jianyue nodded, clasping the hand of his senior sister, murmuring, “I also cannot bear that this might be the last glance.”

......

......

The cold wind blew incessantly. A middle-aged daoist, his temples already somewhat gray, walked slowly from north to south, making his way steadily, and now had just reached within Qingshan Prefecture.

The sky was uncooperative that day, with a drizzling rain falling on the already soft earth. Traveling in it meant that every step sank into mud.

On a section of the official road that wasn’t in good condition, a jumble of footprints lay scattered, some deep, some shallow.

Occasionally, a traveler would pass by and almost automatically curse at the wretched weather. In such conditions, few people were willing to venture out, though many had no choice due to their livelihood.

The middle-aged daoist walked quietly on one side, neither fast nor slow.

But if anyone observed closely, they would notice that each time he took a step, the sole of his shoe never came into contact with the ground, not even leaving a single footprint.

After walking along the official road for half a day, the drizzle began to intensify. The middle-aged daoist without an umbrella remained completely dry; not a single drop touched his robe.

The wind and rain could not get close to him.

Fortunately, there were few pedestrians at the time; if someone had seen this, they would surely have thought it an extraordinary matter.

After passing this section of the official road, the middle-aged daoist would enter the deep mountains, and after crossing a few more, he should see a small town. Behind the town was a mountain.

It was like Yun Jianyue, his time spent cultivating was not too long, so he could still remember where he came from. But a middle-aged daoist like the one before him, who had cultivated for over a hundred years, had long since forgotten his origin.

But to be honest, his origin was something the middle-aged daoist had deliberately forgotten.

His Great Dao existed only in front of him; what lay behind was never important.

However, before entering the deep mountains, he encountered a young monk in black at the end of the road.

The middle-aged daoist did not stop, only glanced ahead and continued walking.

At this moment in the world, there were actually very few monks willing to wear black. The most famous one had long since returned his soul to paradise.

Yet the monk in black seemed deliberately waiting for the arrival of someone. Seeing that the daoist would not stop, he patiently waited until the daoist came alongside him. Then, as they brushed past each other, he turned and walked forward together with the daoist.

“Since Temple Master has already gone out to sea, why return?”

The monk in black was not too silent; he soon spoke, bluntly and straightforwardly.

The middle-aged daoist’s face showed no expression; he casually said, “How this penniless daoist thinks and acts is my concern, what does it have to do with you?”

The monk in black smiled faintly, speaking softly, “Since what Temple Master seeks is the Longevity Dao, seeing the scenery you can see out at sea should be for devoted cultivation. But, you experienced life and death to return, this is not easy, nor is it necessary.”

That Immortal Sea had many rumors, but those who went there never returned. Someone like this daoist, who went and came back, was truly rare.

“Looks like you know a lot about that place. Was it the old monk at the temple who told you?”

The middle-aged daoist glanced at the monk in black. Although he spoke, it was clear he was not really interested.

The monk in black smiled, but did not answer.

Suddenly, the middle-aged daoist stopped.

Because on the road ahead, a stretch of lotus flowers had appeared, each blossom pure white and fully open.

The middle-aged daoist frowned slightly.

“I wish to ask the temple master to stop and listen to a few words from this lowly monk.”

Before he finished speaking...

The sea of clouds suddenly churned, and a terrifying heavenly lightning bolt struck down, directly destroying the patch of lotus flowers before him.

Beside it, an ancient tree that was previously harmed when the city gate caught fire, now had arcs of purple electricity flowing along its trunk, before exploding with a loud bang.

“This penniless daoist does not care what relationship you have with that monk in black, or even if you are simply that monk’s reincarnation; none of that can stop this penniless daoist.”

The middle-aged daoist quickened his steps. He did not wish to linger here, and if the monk in black before him were not from Deercry Monastery, with some connection to that old monk who had lived countless years, he would likely have already died.

For a daoist of the current caliber, a monk, whether a Vajra of Buddhism or a great Bodhisattva, made no difference.

The monk in black was flung backward some distance, yet he still strove forward, smiling, and said, “Temple Master, this world and you already have no obstacles between you. Why still intervene?”

As he spoke, golden light erupted from the monk in black. Some Buddhist scriptures, of unknown origin, began to circle him.

The middle-aged daoist did not turn his head. A thick bolt of heavenly lightning fell directly from the sky, striking the monk in black.

The terrifying flash of lightning engulfed the monk in an instant.

Only after opening several hundred feet in distance did the middle-aged daoist turn his head, and seeing the lightning fade, he looked at the monk, still standing, but his black robes now tattered. He said calmly, “If you insist on blocking this penniless daoist from returning home, then this penniless daoist can only send you to meet the so-called Lord Buddha.”

The monk, with his vajra body, now could not stop fresh blood from flowing from his skin, looking utterly miserable.

The monk in black looked at the middle-aged daoist and sighed endlessly.

The middle-aged daoist sneered, “Want to change the heavens? With this penniless daoist here, the heavens remain as they are. They cannot change.”

Before his words finished, he had already moved a thousand feet away.

Daoist magic ability: Shrinking Earth to Inches. Ordinary daoist cultivators could perform this at will; at his realm, it was completely under his control.

All in the span of a single thought.

The monk in black stood in place, no longer intending to take action. Moreover, although the previous attack of the middle-aged daoist appeared ordinary, its true power was unusually terrifying.

Even if he could weave words as beautifully as lotuses blooming, if the other insisted on not listening, then all words were nothing but useless nonsense.

Standing there, the monk in black shook his head and sighed, “If I had only devoted these years to proper cultivation, there would have been no need to speak of principles. That old ox-nosed doesn’t like listening, I don’t like speaking, so in the end, it will just be a matter of pressing down this guy’s head and asking whether I make sense..”

Before he finished speaking.

The monk in black suddenly raised his head. Because in his perception, the sky above suddenly radiated a sharp sword intent.

Far in the distance, in the sky, a big and tall man was standing amidst the sea of clouds.