Martial Cultivator

Blood continued to spill from the middle-aged daoist’s chest, and Chen Chao gripped the incomparably sharp broken saber, thrusting it into the middle-aged daoist’s body one after another. Even with so much blood spilled, the middle-aged daoist in front of him still showed no signs of dissipating life force. He only appeared to grow somewhat weak, and the emotions in his eyes became somewhat peculiar.

It was as if the blood pouring out of him was not his own, as if he was not the one at a disadvantage right now.

After stabbing his saber several times, Chen Chao also felt that something was off. He raised his head to look at the middle-aged daoist again. The latter had no emotions on his face. When Chen Chao looked at him, there were no signs of life on that face.

Chen Chao furrowed his brow. Sure enough, a moment later, the middle-aged daoist in front of him instantly shrank, his daoist robe suddenly did not seem to fit anymore. He became extremely small, leaving only a piece of human skin that fluttered down from mid-air, falling from midair.

The oversized daoist robe did the same, fluttering in mid-air, swaying with the wind.

Chen Chao still held the broken saber in his hand, but his adversary was nowhere to be seen.

However, Chen Chao’s eyes remained fixed on that daoist robe.

But in the next moment, the robe vanished instantly from right under his eyes. It was as if it had never appeared.

When he saw the daoist robe again, it had already reappeared on the edge of the cliff. The middle-aged daoist stood at the cliff’s edge, looking at Chen Chao below. He had a calm and composed demeanor as he said, ”In terms of brute force alone, although you aren’t necessarily invincible in this world, you’re not far from it either. However, people from the Three Schools, especially us daoist cultivators, how can you barbaric martial artists understand the profundities of our daoist spells?”

The middle-aged daoist had fallen into a disadvantage twice. It no longer had anything to do with carelessness. Even before the real life-and-death struggle, he was already at a disadvantage. He had virtually no advantage, but he had countless daoist spells. These magic spells might not ensure his victory in this battle, but they could probably protect him from defeat.

Especially the daoist spell he had just displayed, it was the so-called incarnation of Daoism. It was extremely mysterious. Cultivators at an ordinary cultivation realm might not be able to discern its profundities. But it was with this daoist spell that he had pulled himself out of the jaws of death.

Chen Chao felt the waning of the aura in his body and realized that his time of one incense stick was already nearing its end. In both exchanges, he had thought he could completely kill the middle-aged daoist. But in the end, he had not been able to achieve his wish, which left him somewhat reluctant.

At this moment, he still had a final chance. If he could seize it, there was still a possibility of killing the other party. If he could not seize it, then there was nothing more to be said. It seemed that he was destined not to keep the other party here today.

He might even end up dying here.

The middle-aged daoist also noticed the change in the aura within Chen Chao’s body at this moment and smiled, as if breathing life into dead wood. He burst forth with endless vitality again and looked at Chen Chao, saying, ”It seems your time is almost up.”

The middle-aged daoist had an idea about Chen Chao’s sudden increase in strength. Although he did not know of any secret art that could allow a martial artist to leapfrog realms and fight, he naturally knew that whatever the secret art was, it must have a time limit.

Now, that time limit was almost up.

”Some things cannot be smoothed over by temporarily being at the same level. The profoundness of the cultivation realm has to be explored step by step; fostering growth prematurely is not orthodox.”

The middle-aged daoist was not in a hurry to make a move for now since Chen Chao’s aura was increasingly waning. If the other party did not make a move, he was happy to engage in idle talk and drag out the time.

After so many years of cultivation, although he was proud, he was not a fool. He knew when to do what. Moreover, the current situation had already caused him to lose face many times. There was no need to care about this one more time.

Chen Chao did not make a move either, just silently watching the middle-aged daoist.

The middle-aged daoist looked at Chen Chao and remained indifferent, ”A youngster like you, although your cultivation realm is a bit inferior to my daoist temple’s Yun Jianyue, you’re not far behind either.”

This statement was also a compliment, but it lacked much praise. Although he acknowledged Chen Chao’s remarkable abilities, when he spoke, it was still as if he were talking about ordinary matters.

Chen Chao said, ”Even if you kill me, how will your Dao heart be after today?”

If they were outside, their identities were worlds apart, and it would be difficult for them to have a chance to meet in a short time. However, at this moment, the situation had created an opportunity for the two of them to have an equal conversation, albeit very briefly. The middle-aged daoist said, ”After you die, I can treat everything as if it never happened. I can even sever this memory. Since I can’t remember, there won’t be a problem.”

”You guys really have a lot of daoist spells, but can you believe these words yourself? There aren’t many people in this world who cultivated to your cultivation realm, right? In the end, you were toyed with by a junior until such a wretched state, will you not have any ideas in your heart? Will a heart demon not occupy your Dao heart?”

Chen Chao narrowed his eyes, patiently holding back the urge to speak, as if he was not worried about the issue of the aura in his body dissipating.

The middle-aged daoist was silent for a long time, and finally, he slowly said, ”I’ve cultivated for hundreds of years, yet my mind is still not calm. My cultivation is still lacking.”

Chen Chao hit the nail on the head, saying, ”I don’t think it’s because of the current situation that your heart is in turmoil, but because your heart has never been calm.”

The middle-aged daoist was taken aback, looking at Chen Chao, his expression becoming somewhat strange. After a moment, he slowly said, ”Indeed, that’s the case. I have a hindrance in my heart and it has never been calm before.”

”I am somewhat curious, what exactly is it that has prevented your, a great daoist sage’s heart, from being calm until now?”

At this moment, Chen Chao no longer seem to have the intention of attacking again. He and the middle-aged daoist actually started chatting here.

The middle-aged daoist stood at the edge of the cliff. Before he said anything, the black ox became somewhat anxious and spoke up, ”Daoist Master, why are you chatting with him?”

It knew that Chen Chao had an immortal medicine on him, and that was a treasure. Perhaps after finding that immortal medicine, they could find out where other spiritual herbs were located.

But the daoist sage did not immediately kill Chen Chao. Instead, he started chatting leisurely with him. Goodness, was this what should be done now?

The middle-aged daoist ignored it, he just said indifferently, ”In this world, all cultivators have their own desires. Eternal life is the ultimate pursuit for most people, but before attaining eternal life, worldly troubles abound. There are always so many things one wants to do but cannot, and things one wants to obtain but cannot.”

If one could not obtain it, they would naturally be distressed.

Once distressed, there would be no such thing as a calm heart.

The middle-aged daoist in front of him was like that.

Chen Chao said with a smile, ”Let me think, you should be an important person in the Infatuation Daoist Temple, but you still have desires that are unfulfilled. Could it be that you wanted to become the temple master but couldn’t?”

Initially, this was just a casual remark from Chen Chao. However, he keenly detected a slight furrowing of the middle-aged daoist’s brows. There were some emotional fluctuations.

He did not answer the question. Although this was something that many in the Infatuation Daoist Temple speculated, no one would be foolish enough to use this question to inquire about his thoughts.

He had never said it to any outsider.

Chen Chao continued, ”Why couldn’t you take the position of the temple master? Was it because your cultivation realm was lacking? Or was it something else?”

”I suppose there’s no need for leaders of your sects to have any so-called virtues, right?”

Chen Chao spoke slowly, his voice not loud, as if he was figuring out how to deliver a harsh blow to the middle-aged Daoist’s Dao heart.

The middle-aged daoist said indifferently, ”I previously heard that you have a sharp tongue. Looking at it now, it seems that it’s indeed sharper than your saber.”

”I think that’s right. If words could kill, ten of you wouldn’t be my match.”

Chen Chao smiled, ”Anyway, since you believe you can definitely kill me, why not tell me the secrets in your heart?”

The middle-aged daoist did not answer this question. He just turned to look at the black ox.

The black ox immediately lay down, covering its ears with its hooves as it muttered, ”Daoist Master, I can’t hear anything, I can’t hear anything!”

Although it was just a black ox, it was quite clear-headed. It probably knew that if it knew this daoist master’s secret, it would be very troublesome as long as it was still alive. Moreover, in the future, it might start cultivating at the Infatuation Daoist Temple as the daoist master suggested.

The middle-aged daoist did not bother with its comical behavior. He just looked at Chen Chao and said calmly, ”You’ve said so much, probably thinking to take advantage of my distraction and then make a move?”

Chen Chao said frankly, ”Do you think I can really kill you right now if I make a move?”

The middle-aged daoist shook his head, clearly indicating it was unlikely. Chen Chao said, ”That’s right, I can’t even kill you, what are you worried about?”

The middle-aged daoist smiled slightly, his thoughts unknown.

Chen Chao said, ”Keeping the secret hidden in your heart, never telling anyone, in this state, I’m afraid you will always feel unsettled no matter what. Could it be that you feel the temple master has always been better than you, stronger in all aspects, so you’ve never been able to give rise to any ideas?”

The middle-aged daoist furrowed his brows and said, ”He’s strong?”

The black ox, who covered its ears in an attempt to avoid hearing those secrets, had an ugly expression. It did not want to listen to these secrets. Having lived for so many years, it was well aware that the secret to longevity was minding one’s own business.

Chen Chao smiled and said, ”It is said that the temple master is the number one figure in the foreign lands’ Dao society, with a profound cultivation. There are even rumors that he is the top cultivator among the foreign land cultivators...”

”Just baseless rumors. Where would such talk come from?”

The middle-aged daoist’s eyes showed signs of anger. Over the years, the thing he could not get over the most was why the temple master was chosen as the temple master and not himself.

Furthermore, when they were young, they were the most outstanding duo among their peers. He even felt that he was stronger than the temple master, at least by a small margin. When studying daoist magics, he progressed faster than the temple master. Everything seemed to indicate that he was better than the temple master and naturally should have become the temple master of the Infatuation Daoist Temple.

But that was not the case.

A fierce light flashed across the middle-aged daoist’s eyes, and a surge of aura began to rise within his body.

Looking at him in this state, Chen Chao said calmly, ”I don’t know which of the two of you is stronger, but one thing I’m clear about is that if it were the temple master, he definitely wouldn’t be as shameless as you are.”

The word ”shameless” was emphasized heavily by Chen Chao!

The middle-aged daoist looked at Chen Chao, his gaze sharp as a sword, with a fierce aura churning in his eyes.

Suddenly, Chen Chao shouted, ”It’s done!”

His voice was extremely loud, causing the surroundings to tremble. The middle-aged daoist lost his composure in that instant. Although he did not know what Chen Chao meant by ”it’s done,” he quickly reacted in an instant. A terrifying aura surged out from his daoist robe, instantly dispersing the clouds that had gathered around with great difficulty. A gust of fierce gale arose, as if countless sharp blades were cutting through the air.

The winds whimpered between heaven and earth.

His attack was terrifying, but after launching the attack, he seemed dazed for a moment. It was clear that he chose to attack subconsciously, without being thoroughly prepared at all.

Chen Chao suddenly dissipated below the cliff. When he reappeared, he was already situated amidst the raging winds.

He swung his saber and cleaved apart the fierce winds barbarically.

His figure continued to advance.

The middle-aged daoist stood at the cliff, calmly watching Chen Chao’s figure.

The fierce wind raged between heaven and earth, constantly billowing their clothes.

As Chen Chao continued forward, he thought to himself, ”The timing has come.”

……

……

Meanwhile, below the cliff, in that coffin, the young girl stood atop it, calmly looking up. With her visual prowess, she could naturally see what was happening at the cliff’s edge. Chen Chao’s final attack naturally would not do much.

The real killing move still relied on her.

The young girl was dressed in white, resembling the snow on the mountain, enduring for thousands of years.

Sensing the change in the atmosphere, she began to speak to herself, ”An immortal medicine, I owe you a life, but I can’t repay you just yet. So before repaying you for this life, I’ll naturally give you some interest.”

”Just a Nepenthe Realm, that’s all...”

The two words ”that’s all’, came out of the young girl’s lips very casually, as if she were talking about an ant.

That’s all.

Along with these two words, she bent her finger and a droplet of water suddenly appeared in front of her.

Then, her bent finger flicked out slightly.

The water bead suddenly left the bottom of the cliff.

Shooting towards the sky!