Martial Cultivator

This great battle in front of the Sword Sect naturally drew the attention of countless sword cultivators the moment it began. The key was that sky-piercing sword qi, there was no attempt to conceal it. Even if the sword cultivators used their backsides to think, they would know it was their own Sect Master drawing his sword again.

“Who is the Sect Master fighting?”

Some sword cultivators woke from seclusion. Feeling that boundless sword qi, they were momentarily bewildered.

“Could it be that stinking brat Yu Xiyi has come back again?”

In the current world, they truly could not figure out who else would dare to be so bold as to come to the Sword Sect to challenge this number one person in the sword dao, whose sword dao realm was destined to be unmatched.

“No. It’s that Lord Warden Commander visiting the Sword Sect.”

Some sword cultivators who knew the details began explaining the course of events to their fellow disciples.

“Wasn’t it said that this Lord Warden Commander has been in closed-door cultivation in the Divine Capital? How has he appeared again now?”

“He has already reached the end of Nepenthe. He is only one step away from the Fuyun Realm. Appearing now, he most likely wants to use this battle to step into a brand new realm.”

“Why would someone like Sect Master agree to this?”

“That Lord Warden Commander is so young, and he’s already about to become a cultivator of that realm? That’s a bit too unbelievable. Has anyone in history ever done such a thing?”

The sword cultivators of the Sword Sect discussed animatedly. Regarding Chen Chao’s actions, there was admiration and some confusion, but even more shock.

If Chen Chao truly became a cultivator of that realm at this age, it would be unprecedented.

“I’m afraid it won’t be that easy. Martial artists have always had a difficult path of cultivation. For him to reach the end of Nepenthe at this age is already astonishing... though, it’s hard to say. He has already created so many miracles. If there’s another one now, it doesn’t seem impossible to accept.”

After saying so much, what these sword cultivators truly wanted was to witness that battle. But unfortunately, from the very beginning, the two had gone deep into the sea of clouds, leaving behind no trace.

They were destined to miss that battle.

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The young Song Xun, who had yet to recover from his shock, listened to the voices of his fellow disciples and finally gathered his thoughts. He looked at his master in confusion. “Master, the one fighting the Sect Master is a young man?”

The old sword cultivator nodded and smiled. “Yes, a very young man. Even younger than Yu Xiyi. Yet someone so young is already one of the strongest powerhouses in this world.”

Song Xun thought for a moment, then asked curiously, “That would be the Lord Warden Commander you mentioned before, Master?”

In recent years, Chen Chao’s reputation had grown greater and greater, not only among martial artists, but even among young sword cultivators. After hearing of his deeds, it was hard not to feel admiration for him.

When Song Xun had first come up the mountain, he had already heard of Chen Chao’s name from his master. But at the time, he had been wholly focused on practicing the sword, thinking only of the Sword Sect’s Sect Master, and had indeed paid no attention to others.

“Master, can he win against the Sect Master in this battle?”

The moment Song Xun asked this question, he felt conflicted. In his heart, the Sect Master was incomparably powerful. If his master’s answer shattered that belief, what then?

“If both sides fought at full strength, without suppressing their realms, not resting till death, the Sect Master would certainly win. But at the same realm, it’s hard to say. Besides, even if he can’t win this time, as long as that Lord Warden Commander doesn’t die, sooner or later, there will come a day when the Sect Master will lose to him.”

Although he was a Sword Sect disciple and also a sword cultivator, the old sword cultivator had always conducted himself rigidly and methodically, and in matters like this, he was unwilling to gloss things over.

Most cultivators in this world could actually see it clearly, although the current Sword Sect’s Sect Master was the publicly acknowledged strongest powerhouse of the human race, Chen Chao, this Lord Warden Commander, was far too young and had reached his current height far too early. As long as he was given time to grow, surpassing the Sword Sect’s Sect Master was only a matter of time. It was even very possible that this Lord Warden Commander might one day become the strongest powerhouse in history.

After all, he was still young, and youth meant limitless possibilities.

Song Xun let out a gasp, “So impressive?”

The old sword cultivator glanced at his disciple, a trace of pity in his eyes. In this era, it was a kind of sorrow for all young people to live in the same era as Chen Chao. One of the Twin Pillars of Daoism, Yun Jianyue, was already so outstanding. Placed in any era without Chen Chao, he would have been enough to stand at the very peak. Unfortunately, being born in this era meant he was destined to be suppressed by Chen Chao, his brilliance overshadowed by him.

And this disciple of his, logically speaking, would not reach such a height in the future. But not wanting to stand out was one thing, while wanting to stand out yet having a great mountain pressing overhead, preventing you from doing so, was another matter entirely.

This would indeed be the sorrow of all young cultivators of this era.

For some reason, after thinking for a moment, Song Xun suddenly smiled. “Master, being able to witness such an extraordinary person is a good thing!”

The old sword cultivator looked at his disciple, hesitated for a moment, then reached out and rubbed his head in relief, saying softly, “A broad mind is a good thing. Having no troubles for a lifetime is always a good thing.”

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There were always things in this world that would be remembered for a very, very long time. Like back in the Divine Capital, when Daoist Wuyang joined forces with the Sword Sect’s Sect Master, only to be defeated by the Great Liang Emperor. Or even earlier, when the Great Liang Emperor crossed the desolate north and had his first clash with the Demon Emperor.

The current battle might not compare to those two, but it would still be remembered. Even if the Sword Sect’s Sect Master did not care for it, Chen Chao would remember it for a long time.

Above the sea of clouds, the two stood facing each other.

The Sword Sect’s Sect Master, who had devoted his entire life to the sword dao, had now reached this realm. With a mere thought, nothing in heaven and earth could not become a sword.

Within the sea of clouds, countless strands of cloud qi intertwined with sword qi. Or rather, they had already become sword qi.

Facing the Sword Sect’s Sect Master, Chen Chao’s expression was incomparably grave.

This battle, although at the same cultivation realm, was clearly a life-and-death battle.

Chen Chao straightened his back slightly. A dragon’s roar slowly rose behind him, and a snow-white true dragon phantom gradually appeared, positioned behind Chen Chao, raising its head to look toward the firmament.

With his blood vitality already boiling, Chen Chao at this moment was like a great mountain, standing across heaven and earth.

Seeing this scene, the Sword Sect’s Sect Master instead felt some emotion. He had practiced the sword for many years. Although in these years he had steadily advanced, his greatest regret was that during those years he had spent too much time in seclusion and had not fought the strongest powerhouses of his era. For example, Daoist Wuyang, at that time, he had been regarded as the undisputed number one powerhouse of the foreign lands, while the Sword Sect’s Sect Master had been considered the only person who might defeat him at the same cultivation realm. Yet in those years, the Sword Sect’s Sect Master had never truly had a hearty and unrestrained battle with Daoist Wuyang.

As for their only exchange, it had merely stopped before things got serious.

And as for the battle with the Great Liang Emperor, although it could be called a hearty and unrestrained fight, in truth, it had come a bit too late.

Moreover, there were too many other factors involved, making that battle far from truly satisfying.

Now Daoist Wuyang was already dead, and the Great Liang Emperor was nowhere to be found. The Sword Sect’s Sect Master had become the strongest powerhouse of that era, but standing there alone, he felt a certain loneliness.

And in these recent days, a thought had been spreading in his heart, even to the point of being somewhat uncontrollable.

He had merely been forcibly suppressing it.

“Sect Master, it’s time to return to your senses.”

Chen Chao’s voice suddenly rang out within the sea of clouds. The young martial artist looked at the Sword Sect’s Sect Master, who had drifted off in thought. He was neither angered by this lapse nor did he treat it as disrespect.

The Sword Sect’s Sect Master said calmly, “Then I will first raise a sword and see just how capable you, the strongest martial artist of this age, truly are.”

As he spoke, strands of sword intent slipped out from his sleeves, spreading in all directions, and in an instant filled the entire firmament.

Then the Sword Sect’s Sect Master lifted his gaze slightly, and that overwhelming sword intent surged toward the snow-white true dragon phantom behind Chen Chao.

For a moment, the sword intent was chilling, and the sea of clouds scattered.

The might of the number one person in the sword dao was fully revealed at this moment.

If Yu Xiyi were here to witness this, he would likely start cursing, saying that this Sect Master only knew how to put on airs.

But Chen Chao said nothing.

He looked at that endless sword intent and narrowed his eyes slightly. The qi within his body had already been pushed to its peak. That aura, which had nearly fused several cultivation paths together, flowed continuously through his body, nourishing all directions.

The Fuyun Realm above Nepenthe, this was not the first time Chen Chao had faced it. Previously in the desolate north, he had already dealt with the Demon Emperor. After that, outside the Infatuation Daoist Temple, he had even joined Yu Xiyi and Yun Jianyue to kill a Fuyun cultivator.

He had no inner demons.

Yet even so, at the very beginning, Chen Chao still could not withstand the surge of that myriad sword intent.

For an ordinary sword immortal, being able to summon a single river of sword qi would already be astonishing. But the Sword Sect’s Sect Master in front of him, each strand of sword intent was itself a river of sword qi. As these thousands of sword intents moved together, it was as if countless rivers of sword qi were flowing within the sea of clouds.

Like a galaxy in motion.

The white true dragon behind Chen Chao roared incessantly, but the qi it unleashed was almost negligible within that endless sword intent.

The snow-white true dragon was pierced through by the myriad sword intents, shattered into pieces!

The Sword Sect’s Sect Master smiled and asked, “What are you still probing?”

Chen Chao took a deep breath and said nothing. Behind him, a towering dharma idol had already appeared, with countless suns, moons, and stars revolving around it.

Like a divine being.

The Sword Sect’s Sect Master raised his head slightly, looked at this scene, and said with some emotion, “So this is the method you intend to use against the Demon Emperor?”

Chen Chao said calmly, “Whether it will be useful, I do not know.”

The Sword Sect’s Sect Master shook his head and smiled. “Hard to say. But if you can withstand my sword, then you can give it a try.”

As he spoke, the Sword Sect’s Sect Master put two fingers together to form sword-finger. Cloud qi slowly gathered at his side, condensing into a flying sword.

Then the Sword Sect’s Sect Master grasped that flying sword and gave it a seemingly casual swing. Yet in truth, he had already delivered a sword strike.

Watching that sword travel forth, the Sword Sect’s Sect Master sighed, “A shame you do not train in the sword.”

Such an outstanding young man, how good it would have been if he were a sword cultivator.