Martial Cultivator

Chen Chao drew a long streak through the air, like a meteor, shooting rapidly toward the front.

As for Daoist Qian Ji who was flying over with his hands behind his back, upon discovering Chen Chao, he had not intended to strike immediately at first. But what he did not expect was that Chen Chao gave him no chance at all and instead charged straight at him.

Daoist Qian Ji’s daoist robes billowed in the fierce wind. His entire body pulsed with flowing qi, and countless complex daoist runes appeared all around him.

Yet the color of these runes was black, bearing none of the qualities a daoist sage should possess.

Then again, that made sense, Daoist Qian Ji was never the most orthodox daoist cultivator. He had once been a prominent figure in the heretical path, only later subdued by Daoist Yinli, which earned him a daoist identity. Though he did study some daoist classics afterward, his foundation still lay in heretical techniques. In recent years, he even cultivated using human blood. Even if he knew some daoist techniques, he could by no means be considered a proper daoist cultivator.

But at this moment, Chen Chao had no intention of thinking that much. He had already turned into a meteor and was charging straight toward the Daoist Qian Ji before him.

The vigorous aura unique to a martial artist collided in midair with Daoist Qian Ji’s qi outside the city. There was no thunderous explosion as one might expect, instead, it was strangely silent.

Like two leaves brushing against each other. Even if there was a faint sound, no one could hear it clearly.

Just moments after the collision, a strange expression appeared on Daoist Qian Ji’s face that did not look old.

In the next instant, he actually took a half-step back of his own accord.

The qi within this young martial artist was far more boundless and violent than he had imagined.

That feeling was like a crashing wave slamming into the rocks on the shore.

Daoist Qian Ji’s body was not resilient. Facing this surging qi, although there was an equally terrifying aura blocking in front of him, he still felt a stinging sensation in his body.

After putting some distance between himself and Chen Chao, Daoist Qian Ji finally felt a bit better.

Then this temple master of the Glaze Temple did not hesitate at all. A black chain instantly emerged from his palm, like a giant black python, lashing toward Chen Chao’s body.

Around that iron chain floated the complex daoist runes, giving off a strange feeling.

Chen Chao dodged the lash of that iron chain, then retreated several dozen feet. Cloud Mud instantly left its sheath, and a saber light flashed in the night sky.

Daoist Qian Ji narrowed his eyes at that majestic saber light. With a swing of the chain in his hand, those complex runes suddenly separated from the metal chain and wrapped toward the saber light.

From a distance, they looked like black moths.

Everywhere was filled with a strange aura.

The saber light was unable to land. After being entangled by those moths, it seemed to be devoured, and very quickly dissipated completely.

And those runes did not dissipate because of that, but instead collided toward Chen Chao’s body.

The pitch-black runes carried a strange flavor. Chen Chao could even feel an endless baleful aura on them. It was unknown how many resentful souls had been condensed within these runes. When the runes approached, Chen Chao could even hear countless screams, causing his mind to become momentarily dazed.

These runes that had gathered countless resentful souls even had an effect on one’s mind at the most fundamental level.

Chen Chao retreated several dozen feet, but those runes still pursued relentlessly, and eventually even directly adhered to his body.

Seeing this scene, Daoist Qian Ji nodded in satisfaction and sneered, “I thought you were some kind of young genius, but you’re nothing more than this.”

Those runes were not ordinary, they were a secret art derived from his own cultivation method combined with daoist secret techniques. He had spent great effort perfecting them and had now forged his own path.

But this path was destined to be a narrow, winding one. Whether it could reach the end, even Daoist Qian Ji himself did not know. Yet aside from this, he likely had no other way.

Chen Chao’s body was wrapped in countless runes. His black robe was instantly burned through in several places, making sizzling noises continuously, and black smoke kept seeping out.

Chen Chao felt an unprecedented sensation. On those runes, it was as if countless hands were tugging at his essence blood and flesh, and there was even a feeling of being forcibly dragged into hell.

Chen Chao could clearly feel that at this moment, those runes of Daoist Qian Ji were devouring his essence blood and life force.

If this continued, it likely would not be long before Chen Chao would be drained into a dried corpse by those runes.

Chen Chao tried to tear off one of the runes with his hand. But no matter how hard he tried, the rune could not be pulled off. In fact, even his palm began to emit black mist.

Chen Chao looked down at his palm. That black mist had already seeped into it and was now spreading downward through his meridians, eroding him continuously.

If he did not stop the black mist from penetrating further into his body, Chen Chao feared he truly would die here.

And Daoist Qian Ji, perhaps feeling certain of victory, did not plan to do anything further. He just stood there watching Chen Chao, as if intending to watch him die in pain.

“Stop struggling. This eminent self spent half a lifetime researching this technique. How could it be something you, a brat, could just break through at will?”

Daoist Qian Ji’s voice reverberated throughout the night sky, filled with smug satisfaction.

“So this is the so-called Lord Warden Commander of Great Liang? No more than this. For you to die in this eminent self’s hands, this eminent self even feels it sullies my hands.”

“But since the Temple Master regards you as a great threat, then if this eminent self kills you, I suppose the Temple Master will be quite pleased.”

As an existence who had reached the end of Nepenthe, Daoist Qian Ji had never regarded the Chen Chao before him as anything noteworthy. The current situation confirmed that belief.

Just as he had expected.

Chen Chao was in immense pain at the moment, but his mind remained very clear, because once that black aura invaded his meridians, it quickly encountered the white mist already present within his meridians.

Those sinister black qi, upon encountering the white mist, were instantly devoured without even the slightest resistance. Chen Chao’s palm also quickly returned to normal.

Immediately after, Chen Chao circulated the white mist through his meridians. Before long, the runes covering his entire body began to fall off.

Seeing this scene, Daoist Qian Ji was somewhat surprised, but at the same time, he understood that this young martial artist must possess some unspeakable secret.

He moved, and the metal chain in his palm once again coiled toward Chen Chao.

But this time, it met Chen Chao’s saber.

Cloud Mud was a peerlessly sharp weapon in the world. As the blade suddenly slashed out, a snow-white arc of saber light descended, striking the pitch-black iron chain head-on.

Countless sparks exploded in the air, like a burst of brilliant fireworks.

Daoist Qian Ji’s expression remained unchanged, and the metal chain suddenly split into several lengths, forming a metal cage that trapped Chen Chao within.

Wraiths began to rise from the metal chains, emitting all manner of eerie sounds.

They sought to disturb the mind.

But Chen Chao remained unmoved. He just narrowed his eyes slightly, holding Cloud Mud horizontally in his hand before slashing out with one stroke.

This time, the white mist clung to the saber’s edge and crashed toward that black cage.

With a series of searing hissing sounds, the metal cage began to collapse.

Daoist Qian Ji flashed forward, and just as Chen Chao shattered the cage, he struck down with one palm. Billowing black qi poured from his palm, aiming to engulf Chen Chao completely.

But before the black qi could restrain him, Chen Chao threw a punch straight at Daoist Qian Ji.

Daoist Qian Ji remained unmoved. Though Chen Chao had managed to break through his runes, he did not believe the gap between them was one that Chen Chao could truly overcome.

Several runes immediately appeared before him, blocking Chen Chao’s punch, and in the same instant, his palm came down on top of Chen Chao’s head.

Black qi surged from his body, enveloping the entire sky in that area.

Chen Chao was naturally engulfed in the black qi too.

After Daoist Qian Ji’s palm landed on Chen Chao’s head, endless black qi was about to flood into his body. Yet at that very moment, a sharp intent emerged from beneath his palm.

Daoist Qian Ji felt a sudden sting.

Without hesitation, he quickly retracted his palm.

But by then, a gash had already appeared on his palm.

But what flowed from it was black blood.