Martial Cultivator

Up ahead of the ferry, great waves surged in the middle of the river. The ferryman looked at the massive swell in the distance, his expression turning utterly grim.

He had sailed this route more than once, but never had he encountered anything like this.

Amid the crashing waves, he could faintly make out a dim silhouette. That should be a massive fish. Its scales shimmered with a silvery-white light.

A fish demon...

Within the borders of the Great Liang Dynasty, there were many demons that preyed on commoners for food. However, their cultivation realms were generally low, and they rarely dared to attack ferries like this one, which had cultivators on board.

But since this ferry had caught its attention meant that this fish demon’s cultivation was not low. In truth, from those towering waves and the overwhelming demonic qi, it was already obvious.

The ferryman glanced at a solemn-looking man beside him and asked in a hushed voice, “Mr Tan, what do you think?”

The man had a tall, burly build and exuded a blood vitality as deep as the abyss. Just one look at him was enough to know he was a martial expert. And indeed, he was; this man had long since reached the peak of the Bitter Sea Realm. He had only failed to cross the threshold to the Great Beyond, wasting many years of his life. Among all the martial experts the ferryman employed, Master Tan was by far the strongest. In the past, it was thanks to him that each journey had been completed safely.

“This fish demon must have been slumbering on the riverbed. It wouldn’t normally show itself or cause trouble. Something must have startled it today, hence the enormous waves.”

Master Tan’s expression remained grave as he murmured, “Let’s hope it’s not the worst-case scenario I’m thinking of.”

The ferryman’s face was filled with worry. There was far too much on his mind, not just whether the cargo on board could be saved, but whether the people aboard could survive at all.

“Mr Tan, if we abandon the ship now, would we have a chance of survival?”

The ferryman gritted his teeth. At this point, he no longer cared whether the cargo onboard would be lost. All he wanted to know was, could they still survive?

Mr Tan shook his head. “Impossible. Once we leave the ferry, we’ll be in the water, exactly where the fish demon thrives. That would only leave us with even less of a chance.”

Though the waves before them were enormous, the fish demon had yet to approach the ferry and still remained at a distance. This, in turn, made Mr Tan feel much more reassured.

“Let’s hope it was merely startled and will soon subside again. If it truly intends to attack us, I fear even I won’t make it out alive.”

Demons within the Great Liang Dynasty were generally not as formidable as those in the demon territories. This fish demon had yet to take on a human form, so in theory, it should not pose much of a threat. But then again, it could very well be some rare variant, one that had already attained an extremely strong cultivation realm before even undergoing transformation.

What troubled him most was the overwhelming demonic qi; it was enough to make even him uneasy.

“I don’t know if there are any other powerhouses on board. If someone could lend a hand, that would be ideal. From the looks of it, I doubt this thing is merely at the Bitter Sea Realm.”

Mr Tan glanced at the ferryman.

After a moment of thought, the ferryman’s eyes lit up. “A young sword cultivator boarded earlier. Maybe...”

Before he could finish, the ferry, which had only just steadied, began to rock violently once more.

The fish demon across the river suddenly leapt out of the water, revealing its true form. It was actually hundreds of feet long, its snow-white scales shimmering under the sunlight. As it surfaced, it opened its massive blood-stained maw, the sharp fangs within each as large as a full-grown man.

Mr Tan felt despair settle in his chest. “It’s attempting to break through to the next realm and take human form. No wonder it suddenly woke up now, we’re going to become its food... it plans to use our flesh and blood to shatter its final shackles!”

The ferryman’s face turned deathly pale. “What do we do...”

”It’s too late.”

Mr Tan took a deep breath and forced himself to remain calm. At once, his qi surged, flowing rapidly through his body, instantly filling every limb and pore.

Mr Tan exhaled a heavy breath and tensed slightly, preparing to leap up and face this mysterious fish demon head-on. He knew the odds were against him, but the ferryman had always treated him well, and he could not stand idly by now. Besides, if he did not act, he would also die here anyway.

But just as he was about to spring into the air, he felt a hand press firmly down on his shoulder at some unknown point in time, forcefully holding him back.

At the same moment, the violently rocking ferry abruptly steadied.

The black-clad young man who had appeared from who-knows-where withdrew his hand and looked toward the fish demon ahead, shaking his head. “You’re no match for it.”

Mr Tan had cultivated for many years. Though his cultivation realm was not exactly profound, he was still a notable figure in the martial world. Never had he expected that this seemingly young man could stop him so effortlessly.

“Senior, please save the lives of everyone aboard this ferry!”

Mr Tan glanced at the rapidly approaching fish demon and could no longer afford to think things through, he urgently pleaded for the young man to take action.

The black-clad young man simply shook his head, a smile on his face. He possessed the calm poise of someone who could remain unfazed even with Mount Tai crumbling before him.

Mr Tan opened his mouth to speak again, but the black-clad young man had already lifted his head, still smiling. “Take a look?”

Before his words had even faded, a flash of sword light suddenly rose into the sky.

It appeared from somewhere on the ferry, slicing through the air at terrifying speed before landing squarely on the head of the fish demon.

With a sputter.

The fish demon in midair was abruptly cleaved in two, bright red blood pouring into the river like a sudden downpour of blood rain.

The fish demon had not even managed to let out a sound before its body was split and dropped lifeless into the water.

The river surface was dyed red.

As for the person who had unleashed that sword strike without ever showing themselves, no one knew where they were.

Mr Tan was already dumbfounded.

What kind of Sword Path powerhouse could so effortlessly slay the fish demon in front of them with such a casual sword strike?

Could it be that there was truly a sword immortal aboard this ferry?

Mr Tan’s gaze instantly grew fervent. Disregarding everything else, just the words “sword immortal” alone, he could not help but feel infinite yearning.

This was a sword immortal!

The ferryman had long since lost the ability to speak.

Chen Chao seemed to know what Mr Tan was thinking. He smiled slightly and said calmly, “The one who attacked is the Sword Sect’s Yu Xiyi.”

His voice was not loud, but it was infused with powerful qi, and echoed across the entire ferry for all to hear.

For a moment, countless voices sounded out.

The merchants who had thought they were doomed all gave orders to search for Yu Xiyi’s whereabouts.

But no one had expected that at this very moment, on the ferry, the young sword immortal had merely returned to the basin of fish and resumed eating.

Hearing Chen Chao’s words, Yu Xiyi only mumbled a few things in response and did not say much.

After eating a few more pieces of fish, this young sword immortal of the Sword Sect looked at the meat before him and smiled. “If I could eat this stuff at every meal, I wouldn’t trade it for being a sword immortal.”

It seemed that mortal delights could still tether someone beyond the mortal world.

But he quickly reacted and laughed. “Come to think of it, I’m already a freaking sword immortal!”