Martial Cultivator

That fifty-thousand-strong Dragon Armor Army swept across the world. There were even rumors that it had once fought the demon race, making the demons suffer heavy losses.

However, after that incident, as later dynasties scrambled to search for Dragonblood Stone, and as craftsmen lacked sufficient confidence in refining this kind of stone, by the time Great Liang was founded, the Dragonblood Stone circulating in the world had already become exceedingly rare.

Daoist Zhanyuan praised him, saying, “Lord Warden Commander truly is well informed.”

Chen Chao asked, “How much is there?”

“If half is lost to wastage, the Dragonblood Stone that currently exists should still be enough to forge one hundred thousand sets of armor!”

Daoist Zhanyuan smiled and said, “That fire spirit vein is different from an ordinary volcano. It is a heaven-and-earth spiritual object. There is no need to worry about exhausting it. As long as the spirit vein exists, Dragonblood Stone can continuously regenerate, it just takes time.”

Chen Chao smiled and said, “But Dragonblood Stone is a treasure for battlefield warfare. But for cultivators, it is of little use?”

“That is right. That is why in the early years, the Mountains and Rivers Sect only mined small amounts and sold them to secular dynasties, never much.”

Chen Chao understood. “Large-scale mining and selling would draw attention, especially from the secular dynasties of the time. If they were to send troops to demand it, a single Mountains and Rivers Sect would likely be unable to withstand it. That is why over the years, aside from certain so-called Great Generals who would exhaust all effort to find Dragonblood Stone to forge a single set of armor for themselves, there have been no organized military units formed.”

Daoist Zhanyuan said softly, “Moreover, once a dynasty below the mountain possessed such a military force, whether it would turn its gaze toward the mountain is hard to say. That is why cultivators on the mountains would never easily sell Dragonblood Stone to the world below. This is something everyone understands tacitly, an unspoken convention that does not need to be stated outright.”

“Then many thanks to Sage for gifting one hundred thousand sets of Dragon Armor!”

Chen Chao suddenly spoke. Furthermore, he was asking for an exorbitant demand. Asking for one hundred thousand pieces meant he had made up his mind to strip the Mountains and Rivers Sect clean of its Dragonblood Stone.

Daoist Zhanyuan smiled bitterly and said, “According to this penniless daoist original intention, I planned to give Genglou Mountain itself as the dowry to Great Liang.”

Chen Chao frowned and said, “Sage, this official do not like hearing a ‘but’.”

Daoist Zhanyuan laughed heartily. “No matter what, the Mountains and Rivers Sect’s treasury currently still holds enough Dragonblood Stone for Great Liang to forge ten thousand sets of armor. As for how much is lost in the process and how many can actually be forged, that will depend on Great Liang’s capability.”

Chen Chao narrowed his eyes and smiled. “That is easy to say. This official can immediately have Song Lian bring people to take it away.”

At present, there were many swordsmiths from Sword Qi Mountain in the Divine Capital. Chen Chao was not too worried about wastage. If even those people could not reduce losses to the minimum, then it would be impossible for anyone else to do so.

Daoist Zhanyuan teased, “So Lord Warden Commander is the type who wants things secured in the bag?”

“Not at all. If it were something else, there would be no rush. But once this item is transported back to the Divine Capital, it still needs to be forged, and afterward transported to the Northern Frontier. All of that takes time.”

At this point, Chen Chao paused for a moment, then smiled and said, “This official still wants to know what that ‘but’ actually is.”

Daoist Zhanyuan hesitated for a while before speaking. “Genglou Mountain was already taken away by Mt. Tai Xuan’s Purple Leaf Grotto through underhanded means half a sixty-year cycle ago. It is no longer property of the Mountains and Rivers Sect.”

Taixuan Mountain’s Purple Leaf Grotto was likewise a major sect in Xinliu Prefecture, belonging to the Longevity Dao lineage. Its grotto lord, Daoist Redsky, possessed a profound realm and had long since stepped into the Nepenthe Realm. Among the ten great cultivators of Xinliu Prefecture ranked by curious onlookers, Daoist Redsky ranked third.

Some days ago, Daoist Redsky had already stepped into the end of Nepenthe. [this guy appeared in chapter 372]

Chen Chao narrowed his eyes. “Turns out that Sage intends for this official to help the Mountains and Rivers Sect collect a debt.”

Daoist Zhanyuan’s smile was awkward. Back then, when Purple Leaf Grotto seized Genglou Mountain, Grotto Heaven Sage had personally gone to demand an explanation, only to return severely injured. He spent several full years recuperating before finally recovering.

After that, as Daoist Redsky’s realm grew ever more profound, the Mountains and Rivers Sect no longer dared to mention reclaiming Genglou Mountain. In the blink of an eye, things had come to the present.

But now it was different. The Mountains and Rivers Sect had ties with Great Liang, and Genglou Mountain ought to be taken back.

Chen Chao smiled and asked, “If Genglou Mountain is reclaimed, would the Daoist still be willing to give Genglou Mountain to Great Liang?”

Daoist Zhanyuan nodded with a smile. “Naturally. It is just that... if Genglou Mountain is reclaimed, would Lord Warden Commander allow the Mountains and Rivers Sect’s cultivators to cultivate on the mountain?”

Chen Chao did not hesitate. “It is a deal.”

The Mountains and Rivers Sect did not care much about Dragonblood Stone, since aside from forging armor, it had no other use. But the fire spirit vein was of great importance to the sect. One had to know that the foundation of the Mountains and Rivers Sect’s cultivation methods lay in fire techniques. Among daoist killing arts, lightning techniques ranked first, and fire techniques ranked second.

That fire spirit vein was of immense benefit to the Mountains and Rivers Sect’s cultivation.

If Genglou Mountain were taken back, it would be extremely important for the sect’s future ascent to becoming the number one great sect in Xinliu Prefecture.

Daoist Zhanyuan probed, “Then when does Lord Warden Commander plan to set out? Or are we waiting for people from the Divine Capital?”

Mt. Tai Xuan was no weak force. Aside from Daoist Hongxiao having stepped into the end of Nepenthe, there was also a sword immortal in the mountain, and there were likely two or three other cultivators at the Nepenthe realm as well.

Mt. Tai Xuan had deep foundations. It was absolutely not something a single Mountains and Rivers Sect could compare to.

Chen Chao did not speak.

Daoist Zhanyuan muttered to himself, ”If that Great Sword Immortal Yu could arrive, then with Lord Warden Commander joining forces with Great Sword Immortal Yu, this matter could be accomplished.”

Chen Chao shook his head and said, ”That would not be necessary. If Yu Xiyi came, then this official would not need to make a move at all.”

Daoist Zhanyuan was momentarily stunned, then nodded in agreement. ”That is also true. Great Sword Immortal Yu’s killing power is astonishing. With him alone, he could probably force the matter through as well.”

”I still remember that imperial court assembly back then. The ones who came to deliver the bell were precisely this so-called Purple Leaf Grotto. These past years, traveling north and south, I have done too many things, and I actually forgot about these fellows. I truly feel like slapping myself hard.”

Chen Chao rubbed his cheek and said with a smiling squint, ”Since that is the case, this official will personally make a trip to Mt. Tai Xuan. New grudges and old grievances will be settled together.”

”However, this Genglou Mountain was seized from the Mountains and Rivers Sect in the first place. How about Daoist Zhanyuan dispatch one or two disciples to accompany this official on the trip? They can serve as representatives of the Mountains and Rivers Sect. This official guarantees they will return alive.”

Chen Chao looked at Daoist Zhanyuan.

Daoist Zhanyuan asked curiously, ”Does Lord Warden Commander intend to storm the mountain alone?”

Chen Chao thought for a moment and said, ”How about this: this official will have Song Lian come to Mt. Tai Xuan to take the Dragonblood Stone away. At the same time, he can first go to Genglou Mountain and reclaim it. This official will head to Mt. Tai Xuan to handle the handover.”

He said it lightly. What handover? You are already going to take back Genglou Mountain first. Is that really a handover?

As for the Dragonblood Stone, Chen Chao was impatient to bring it back to the Divine Capital, so that those swordsmiths could begin forging armor.

Once this armor was completed, it would mean that Great Liang would henceforth have an even stronger corps of troops. Perhaps at some point, it would become the decisive factor in a great war.

Chen Chao did not want to delay for even a moment.

Daoist Zhanyuan gave a bitter laugh and kindly reminded him, ”Mt. Tai Xuan has many powerhouses. With Lord Warden Commander going alone, I fear that it will be...”

The words ”bode ill rather than well” were left unsaid.

He believed that against anyone in this world other than the Sword Sect’s Sect Master and the Demon Emperor, Chen Chao would probably have the ability to retreat unscathed. But to fight an entire Mt. Tai Xuan alone, Daoist Zhanyuan still felt it was uncertain.

Far too uncertain.

Chen Chao smiled and said, ”Sage, are you afraid that this official will die on that Mt. Tai Xuan?”

Daoist Zhanyuan said worriedly, ”These great daoist sects have always had many methods. They are not something a single person can contend with.”

Chen Chao shook his head and merely said softly, ”It seems this official remembers that Purple Leaf Grotto still has an old acquaintance of mine.”