Martial Cultivator

Infatuation Daoist Temple Master, these few words were spoken lightly. But in reality, they carried the weight of Mt. Tai.

This was the leader of Daoism, one could even say the leader of the entire foreign lands.

Although the current Infatuation Daoist Temple Master was no longer Daoist Wuyou but rather Daoist Yinli, and perhaps not as powerful as the former, he was still a Great Daoist Sage at the end of Nepenthe. No matter how one looked at it, he was not someone who could simply be killed on a whim.

Moreover, if someone of such status were to be killed, how would the foreign lands react?

Yu Xiyi stared expressionlessly at Chen Chao. “You’d better not have gone mad.”

Chen Chao looked at Yu Xiyi and smiled. “Do I look like a madman?”

Yu Xiyi tilted his head back, shook his head, and muttered, “If you didn’t go mad, then Your Father must be hallucinating. Looks like I woke up too fast, got to go back to sleep for a bit.”

With that, Yu Xiyi got up to leave. Chen Chao remained seated, paying him no mind. Instead, he casually lifted his teacup and took a sip.

After standing for a moment, Yu Xiyi sat back down and stared at Chen Chao. “Just you and me, can we really kill him?”

Both of them were at the Nepenthe Realm, and were first-rate powerhouses of the current era. But when it came to a Great Daoist Sage like Daoist Yinli, it was another matter entirely to talk about killing him.

Chen Chao took another sip of tea, silent.

Irritated, Yu Xiyi said, “Bring me two jars of alcohol.”

On the side, Yu Qingfeng overheard this and tilted his head, looking over at his master with a questioning gaze.

Chen Chao smiled. “Didn’t you hear? Go fetch two jars of alcohol for Great Sword Immortal Yu.”

Yu Qingfeng responded with an ”Oh” and, along with He Liang, each carried over a jar of alcohol.

After opening the jar, Yu Xiyi hugged it and tilted his head back for a deep drink.

Looking at this scene, Chen Chao smiled at Yu Qingfeng and said, “Go bring another jar of alcohol.”

Yu Qingfeng nodded without saying anything. Whatever his master said, he simply followed, there was no need to ask anything.

After taking a large gulp, Yu Xiyi set down the jar and looked at Chen Chao. “How do you plan to kill him?”

Chen Chao smiled. “With a saber or a sword. Is that very hard?”

Hearing this, Yu Xiyi turned his head and shouted, “Hey, someone bring some peanuts over, your master is already drunk, and he hasn’t even had a drink yet.”

He Liang was completely confused. What? How could someone be drunk without drinking?

Yu Qingfeng, on the other hand, covered his mouth, finding this sword immortal far too amusing.

Chen Chao shot Yu Xiyi a look before finally saying seriously. “Although Yinli sits in the position of Infatuation Daoist Temple’s Temple Master, there aren’t many in the temple who truly accept him; his seat is unsteady. But the reason I want to kill him is that this old ox-nosed daoist once orchestrated the Wei Family’s flooding of half of Wei Prefecture. Who knows how many Great Liang citizens died because of him.” ℝἈƝổ𝖇ÈṤ

Yu Xiyi frowned. “You mean the great flood of the 11th year of the Tianjian?”

That year, many things had happened. Yu Xiyi had gone to Sword Qi Mountain to retrieve the Hundred Year Sword Wildgrass, while Wei Prefecture had been struck by a catastrophic flood.

Although Yu Xiyi was a foreign lands cultivator, he had still heard about it.

”With that said, there is indeed a reason to kill him, but how can he be so easy to kill? Are you planning to bring that Great General back from the North?” ”Or perhaps trying to convince the academy’s Dean?”

The Great Liang Dynasty currently has only two people who can be considered top-tier powerhouses: the academy’s Dean, who has been a Saint for many years. Although he had never really made a move, his combat power would not be low.

As for the current Great General of the Northern Frontier, after the Great Liang Emperor disappeared, he firmly became the top martial artist in the Great Liang Dynasty, even perhaps the number one martial artist in the world.

Chen Chao shook his head. ”It’s impossible for the Dean to take action. After all, his identity is different. As for the Great General, even though the desolate north has become a forbidden area, I don’t dare to have him march south. If something goes wrong, it would be a complete wipe for us.”

”Then kill my ass!”

Yu Xiyi snorted coldly. ”With just the two of us?” ”We may be in the Nepenthe Realm, but even if we combine forces, can we really cause any damage to that fucking Infatuation Daoist Temple Master?”

Chen Chao laughed and scolded, ”Can’t you have a little confidence in yourself?”

Yu Xiyi remained expressionless and raised his middle finger at Chen Chao.

Chen Chao burst into laughter.

”Seriously, though, without someone at the end of Nepenthe helping, don’t you think it’s a bit overconfident for the two of us to think we can kill him?”

Although Yu Xiyi was a sword cultivator with a proud spirit, he was still aware of what could and could not be done. It was not something that could be accomplished simply by wishing it.

Even if both he and Chen Chao were extraordinary experts in the Nepenthe Realm, attempting this task did not leave much odds for success.

Chen Chao smiled, ”Then, what do you think we need to make this happen?”

Hearing this, Yu Xiyi thought seriously for a long time before giving an answer. He said, ”At least one more person is needed, and they can’t be an ordinary Nepenthe. It has to be someone with a similar level to us. But where the hell are you going to find someone like that? Does Great Liang have someone like that? ”If the Great Liang doesn’t, should Your Father go to the Sword Sect and look for one? Do you really think anyone would dare to wade through this mess with us?”

Chen Chao was indifferent. He simply poured himself another cup of alcohol before speaking, ”Since you’ve agreed, it’s possible to do this.”

Yu Xiyi could not be bothered to respond to Chen Chao. Instead, he looked toward the bamboo building, thinking about when he might also get some of the Sword Qi Mountain’s green bamboo to build himself a house, especially since he would be staying in this Divine Capital for several years.

Chen Chao was not in a hurry to speak either. He just picked up a few peanuts that Yu Qingfeng had brought over not long ago and began eating. He was truly munching on peanuts now.

After a moment, Chen Chao smiled and said, ”Actually, it’s definitely not just the two of us who want to kill him. Even within the Infatuation Daoist Temple, there are people who want him dead too.”

Yu Xiyi raised an eyebrow. ”What nonsense are you spouting?”

Although the current Master of Infatuation Daoist Temple, Daoist Yinli, did not have the same prestige as the previous Daoist Wuyang, it was hard to imagine anyone within the Infatuation Daoist Temple would harbor murderous intent toward him.

Chen Chao did not offer any explanation. He just pointed to the other jar of alcohol on the table, smiling as he said, ”You’ll know soon enough.”

……

……

Outside the Divine Capital, the sky was clear for miles.

A young daoist arrived at the city gate. He stood under two severed heads that were long since dried, but were still hanging there, staring at them for a long time. In the end, he made no move and simply stepped forward, walking into the grandest city under the heavens.

After entering the city, the young daoist was quickly stopped by someone at the side of the street. An ordinary-looking middle-aged man smiled at him and said, “Are you Daoist Yun?”

The young daoist wearing a dark red daoist robe glanced at him and did not speak.

The middle-aged man smiled again. “By order of the Lord Warden Commander, I’m here to receive Daoist Master and take you to meet the Lord Warden Commander.”

Yun Jianyue was momentarily stunned before asking, “Chen Chao?”

The middle-aged man nodded. “It’s precisely Lord Warden Commander Chen.”

Yun Jianyue let out an “oh” and said indifferently, “Seems like he knew I would arrive today?”

The middle-aged man shook his head. “The Lord Warden Commander is not an immortal. How could he predict Daoist Master’s movements? He simply had me stationed here early to wait for Daoist Master. No matter which gate Daoist Master entered from, someone would be there to bring Daoist Master to meet the Lord Warden Commander.”

Yun Jianyue asked curiously, “Then how did you recognize me?”

“The Lord Warden Commander said that once we saw Daoist Master, we would naturally recognize you. At first, I was also worried, what if I mistook someone else? But the moment I laid eyes on Daoist Master, I knew it had to be you. Daoist Master’s transcendent bearing... I doubt there is another like you in this world.”

The middle-aged man lifted the carriage curtain and said softly, “If Daoist Master is willing, please get in. The Lord Warden Commander has been waiting for a long time.”

Yun Jianyue did not hesitate and quickly entered the carriage.

The carriage slowly set into motion, heading someplace.

Sitting inside, Yun Jianyue listened to the noisy sounds of the city, which was different from the noises in the temple. Yet, he did not find them unpleasant. Instead, an unfamiliar feeling arose within him.

He could not quite put the feeling into words, only that it felt somewhat familiar.

Perhaps something buried in the deepest part of his bloodline was being awakened by these sounds.

Whatever the case, he felt at peace in this moment.

……

……

Before long, the noise outside gradually faded, and the carriage came to a stop. Yun Jianyue lifted the curtain for a glance just as the middle-aged man spoke: “Daoist Master, we have arrived.”

Yun Jianyue stepped out and saw a bamboo building in front of him. The bamboo building was entirely green. It looked like it had already stood for some time, yet the bamboo remained lush and vibrant. A single glance was enough to tell it was no ordinary structure.

A breeze suddenly swept past, and sounds from within the bamboo building stirred. Listening to them, Yun Jianyue felt even more at ease.

A quiet retreat amid the bustle.

At that moment, someone stepped out from the building, clad in black, a saber hanging at his waist.

A familiar face.

Yun Jianyue looked at him, but his expression was complicated.

Meanwhile, Chen Chao smiled and said, “To have a Daoist Sage like you visit my humble bamboo house; an unexpected honor.”

Yun Jianyue replied coolly, “You’ve been waiting here for me all along.”

Chen Chao did not bother with pleasantries and simply smiled and said, “Everything you want to know, I have the answers right here. If you don’t ask me, who else can you ask?”

Yun Jianyue said nothing. Instead, he glanced inside the bamboo building, sensing a trace of sword qi within.

Chen Chao said, “An old friend.”

Yun Jianyue probed, “Yu Xiyi?”

Chen Chao nodded.

Yun Jianyue frowned. “That matter is probably not something that should be discussed in front of outsiders.”

Chen Chao shook his head. “He’s no outsider. You’ll understand soon enough, you need him.”

Yun Jianyue lamented. “In terms of cultivation talent, I don’t lose to you. But when it comes to scheming and intrigues, I’m far lacking. Even at this point, I still can’t tell what you’re planning. Just what are you up to?”

Chen Chao chuckled. “I’ll reveal the secret soon enough, and then you’ll see for yourself.”

Yun Jianyue shook his head but said no more, following Chen Chao inside.

No matter what Chen Chao wanted to do today, he had to uncover the truth behind that matter. Otherwise, this trip to the Divine Capital would have been in vain. As for whatever conditions Chen Chao might have, he would deal with them as they came.

This sort of thing had to be taken one step at a time.