Martial Cultivator

The ordinary worshipers in the temple naturally did not know what was happening. Looking at the brilliant, enormous Buddha image, they thought it was a manifestation of the Buddha’s divine power. Many of the pilgrims even knelt down right there on the mountain path and began to bow, murmuring prayers.

Whether monks or daoists, they all had followers across the world. Sometimes, no matter how many profound teachings were shared, they might not be as effective in solidifying belief as these occasional so-called divine manifestations.

Chen Chao stood on the mountain path, gazing up at the enormous Buddha image. He could feel the sword intent rising in front of him. After a brief silence, he more or less guessed what was going on.

That sword intent was very familiar, for he had witnessed it a few days ago.

The one who unleashed that sword intent could only be the current era’s number one sword cultivator, the Sword Sect’s Sect Master.

Thinking about the growing rumors circulating in the world these days, Chen Chao’s expression became complicated. If the Sword Sect’s Sect Master truly fully comprehended that final sword strike, the storm it would arise across the world could already be foreseen.

After coming back to his senses, Chen Chao realized he did not want to miss this battle. Even though he was not a sword cultivator, he still did not want to miss this pinnacle battle of the current age.

Though he did not know which eminent monk of Deercry Monastery was the one to face the Sword Sect’s Sect Master, since he drew his sword, this battle was already destined to be extraordinary.

Chen Chao quickly walked toward the front temple, passed through the courtyard, and arrived at the back gate. The middle-aged monk from earlier was still sitting there, silently meditating. When he saw Chen Chao, the monk looked up and said calmly, “Benefactor, please wait.”

Deercry Monastery allowed worshipers to enter and exit freely, but entering the mountain pass gates of Deercry Monastery was not so easy.

Chen Chao said, “I was invited here.”

The middle-aged monk looked up at Chen Chao and asked, “Who is Benefactor?”

Chen Chao smiled and replied, “Left Guard Commander of the Great Liang’s Divine Capital, Chen Chao”

Upon hearing this name, the middle-aged monk looked at the visitor for a moment and lamented, “Turns out it’s Commander Chen.”

Deercry Monastery had always had a good relationship with the Great Liang, though it did not mean that all the monks in the monastery harbored pure goodwill toward the Great Liang. At the very least, they needed to maintain a good outward relationship.

“Martial Uncle had already given word. If Commander Chen arrives, you may enter the mountain pass gates. However, it seems that Commander Chen has arrived quite late.”

As the mountain-guarding monk of Deercry Monastery, he had received the news when the white-browed old monk returned many years ago. Originally, he had thought that Chen Chao would come soon, but he had not expected to wait for so long.

During this time, many things had already happened.

Chen Chao smiled and said, “I have been tied up with worldly matters, so I truly couldn’t come sooner.”

“Commander Chen, if you wish to go up the mountain now, I’m afraid you’ll have to wait a bit. There’s an unexpected guest on the mountain who’s currently trespassing.”

The middle-aged monk gave a bitter laugh. Deercry Monastery had been peaceful for many years, who would have thought that now a guest had arrived, one who was very unreasonable.

Chen Chao smiled and said, “Exactly what I wanted to see.”

The middle-aged monk glanced at Chen Chao without stopping him, saying, “Then please feel free, Commander Chen”

Chen Chao walked past the middle-aged monk but soon turned back to ask, “May I ask, Master, who is blocking the Sword Sect’s Sect Master at the end of the mountain path?”

“This kind of unparalleled great sword immortal in the world, how could an ordinary monk stop him? Right now, it is Master Pingdu, the abbot of the monastery, who has taken action,” the middle-aged monk answered slowly.

Chen Chao said with vicissitudes of emotion, “A Great Bodhisattva.”

Among the three schools, he had already met the Dean, the leader of scholars. Now, it seemed he was about to meet the leader of Buddhism here. Once he met the Temple Master of the Infatuation Daoist Temple, he would have met them all.

Chen Chao smiled to himself. These big shots of the cultivation world had once felt so distant, but now they did not seem so far away.

“Thank you, Master.”

Chen Chao stepped out through the gate and onto the mountain path.

From a distance, he could make out the back view of the middle-aged man carrying the peachwood sword, as well as the withered old monk sitting still on the mountain path.

……

……

The Sword Sect’s Sect Master stood on the mountain path, hands clasped behind his back, and did not take any action. Yet, the entire mountain path surged with sword qi. Countless streams of nearly invisible sword qi filled the sky, surging toward the enormous, radiant Buddha image.

Among the many cultivation paths, martial artists were in the dust, being looked down upon. On the other hand, sword cultivators, with their unmatched killing power, were often regarded as the strongest cultivators of the current era.

In the eyes of sword cultivators, whether it was the practitioners of the three schools or other cultivators like qi refiners, their intricate and varied techniques, while seemingly divine or saintly to the untrained eye, were definitely met with disdain by most sword cultivators.

As the strongest sword cultivator in the world, the Sword Sect’s Sect Master found such methods particularly loathsome. From the moment the radiant Buddha image appeared, he had resolved to cut it down with a single strike, ensuring it would not exist in front of him.

Thus, with his initial sword strike, the Sword Sect’s Sect Master used sixty percent of his strength. Though it seemed effortless, there were likely very few cultivators in the world capable of stopping it.

Countless streams of sword qi invisible to the naked eye transformed into flying swords, overwhelming the radiant Buddha image. In a brief moment, they collided one after another with the Buddha image, yet failed to pierce through. Instead, the sound of crackling resounded through the air.

On the mountain path, the sound of swords breaking filled the air.

Countless flying swords crashed into the golden body and shattered.

The entire mountain echoed with the sound.

Sitting on the mountain path, the old monk Pingdu, pressed his palms together, his expression one of compassionate serenity.

The Sword Sect’s Sect Master spoke calmly, “Master indeed has some skill.”

The old monk Pingdu chuckled and said, “After cultivating for many years, though this old man isn’t skilled at killing people, I’ve learned a thing or two about enduring blows. Sect Master’s sword may be the sharpest in the world, but it may not truly break this old monk’s golden body.”

“It’s too soon to say such things. Since Master is so confident, allow me to test just what Master’s Great Bodhisattva realm looks like.”

The Sword Sect’s Sect Master took a deep breath, ignoring the still-shattering flying swords. With a slight lift of his hand, streams of sword qi surged out from his sleeves, spreading in all directions. Along the entire mountain path, countless fragments of rock rose from the ground, rushing toward the sky.

They coalesced into an immense, towering sword, its tip aimed at the radiant Buddha image!

With a slight wave of his hand, the Sword Sect’s Sect Master sent the massive sword formed from broken stones hurtling toward the Buddha image. In that instant, the pervasive sword qi abruptly condensed, surging into the stone sword.

The old monk Pingdu who was seated on the mountain path started swaying as the stone sword barreled toward him, his entire body shaking as if he might topple over at any moment.

At this moment, this Great Bodhisattva seemed like a lone leaf in a raging storm, on the verge of being swallowed by the turbulent waves at any time.

Standing on the mountain path, Chen Chao watched the scene unfold, his heart shaking.

No wonder cultivators throughout the world harbored such indescribable feelings toward sword cultivators.

The mountain path was a scene of wind and swirling clouds; a magnificent and imposing sight.

If the Sect Master’s first sword strike had only carried sixty percent of his strength, this time it was an unreserved eighty percent.

The stone sword pierced into the chest of the radiant Buddha image, driving deeper and deeper, yet the Buddha image showed no reaction. It seemed resigned to its fate, allowing the sword to bore through its body.

The worshipers on the mountain path looked up at this scene, incomparably shocked. The radiant Buddha image indeed resembled a divine miracle, but what was that massive stone sword now thrusting into it?

The old monk Pingdu’s trembling grew more pronounced, as if this leader of Buddhism was on the verge of defeat.

Yet, at that very moment, to everyone’s surprise, the old monk Pingdu who was in a precarious situation suddenly stopped shaking. He slowly raised his head and let out a soft sigh, saying, “A Bodhisattva can bring salvation to all beings but cannot reform Sect Master. In that case, this old monk must become an angry Vajra!”

As the old monk Pingdu’s words fell, this abbot of Deercry Monastery raised his head. Then, in an instant, he suddenly opened his eyes.

Within the pair of eyes, golden light shone brilliantly.

The radiant Buddha image behind him simultaneously opened its eyes as well. Its once compassionate and serene Bodhisattva visage transformed into the fierce countenance of an angry Vajra!

The Vajra gripped the hilt of the stone sword embedded in its chest with both hands and, exerting immense force, began slowly pulling the sword out of its body.

The Sword Sect’s Sect Master lifted his head, his expression unchanged, though the sword intent in his eyes burned even more intensely.

The stone sword, which had been partially withdrawn, now slowly pushed its way back into the Buddha image’s body.

This was a showdown.

On a smaller scale, it was a clash between the Sword Sect and a Buddhist monk. On a grander scale, perhaps it was a battle between sword cultivators and Buddhism itself.

The stone slabs beneath the old monk Pingdu’s feet shattered, the cracks spreading across the mountain path to reach the Sword Sect’s Sect Master.

The Sword Sect’s Sect Master still stood with his hands clasped behind his back, but his long robe now swayed faintly.

……

……

Chen Chao stood on the mountain path, watching the ongoing struggle between the two. Despite the gap in their cultivation realms, Chen Chao could tell that the abbot of Deercry Monastery was beginning to fall into a disadvantage.

Although the old monk was revered and deeply learned in Buddhist teachings, indeed seemed to be as he had described himself - not particularly skilled in combat.

On the other hand, the Sword Sect’s Sect Master was undoubtedly one of those who were most skilled in fighting.

The old monk Pingdu sighed. Though he had transformed from a benevolent Bodhisattva to an angry Vajra, the disparity remained. The fact that he had lasted this long was already commendable.

If the fight continued, it was clear he would lose.

Sword intent surged anew in the Sect Master’s gaze. The stone sword suddenly advanced, and the radiant Buddha image could no longer hold it back, allowing the sword to pierce straight through its chest.

The radiant Buddha image began to crumble, collapsing like a tall building.

Gasps of shock echoed across the mountain path.

The Sword Sect’s Sect Master turned a deaf ear to the commotion, his focus solely on the old monk Pingdu before him. He asked, “Are you still going to stop me?”

The old monk Pingdu smiled and replied, “If this old monk were to say yes, would Sect Master truly dare to strike this old monk down with a single sword?”

The Sword Sect’s Sect Master remained expressionless.

To say he intended to kill this Buddhist leader, even if he was the Sword Sect’s Sect Master, he likely would not dare to act so rashly.

After all, once he took action, it would mean inciting enmity with the entire Buddhism.

To put it another way, if Deercry Monastery truly wished to stop him, they could mobilize all the powerhouses within the monastery. Even if he was a great sword immortal, it would be nearly impossible for him to retreat unscathed.

”This humble one has but this one wish in life. I hope Master will grant it.”

The Sword Sect’s Sect Master looked at the old monk Pingdu with a complicated look in his eyes.

Before the old monk Pingdu could respond, a sigh suddenly echoed in the air.

”Since you’re so persistent, then come and listen to some idle words.”

The voice was ancient and weathered, as though it had traveled through countless years to reach this moment.