Martial Cultivator

Actually, the closer he got to the Myriad Heaven Palace, the colder the weather became. It was not that the location of the Myriad Heaven Palace was much colder than other places, but rather because this journey had taken longer than expected. Now, winter was fast approaching.

This made Chen Chao involuntarily sigh. Year after year in the mortal world, spring, summer, autumn, and winter, continually alternating. It seemed that if you really thought about it, there was nothing particularly meaningful about it.

It was just continuous repetition.

Ordinary people, with only a few dozen springs, summers, autumns, and winters to live through, would grow weary of it too. How much more so for those cultivators who lived through several hundred of them.

But for those who grew weary, there were also those who could not bear to part with it.

When there are people and things you care about in this world, you could live through hundreds of springs and autumns without feeling bored. But if you did not, then even one more day or night would make you feel that life is dull and uninteresting, and you might prefer to leave early.

Chen Chao could not help but think of a story he had read in a book before. It was about an invincible sword immortal who, having supported many sword cultivators alone for years, had lost all attachment to the mortal world. But when the chance to leave came, he saw that without him, the world might fall into ruin. So, he decided to stay.

Chen Chao sighed. ”Living a lifetime for others, it’s truly pitiful.”

But then he immediately chuckled, remembering that in the end, the sword immortal found the woman he loved and developed a fondness for duck eggs.

When you have something to care about, you would not tire of living for a thousand or ten thousand years.

Chen Chao murmured, ”To gain someone’s heart, and never part for a lifetime?”

After saying that, he shook his head self-mockingly. ”How melodramatic.”

He walked along the road, pausing intermittently, muttering to himself, almost like one of those village fools who were ignored by others, muttering words and looking disheveled.

However, perhaps even Chen Chao did not notice that, as he walked, faint traces of light emanated from his body and surrounded him like an aura, making him appear as if he were a deity.

If it were not for the fact that he traveled mostly through deep mountains and old forests, places rarely touched by human presence, he would have likely been worshiped as a deity by now.

However, even so, as Chen Chao walked through the mountains and forests, the demons far and wide around him sensed an indescribable aura. They felt it, then developed fear, and gradually moved farther and farther away.

This scene continued for half a day, until the setting sun began to dip in the west, and only then did it slowly dissipate.

Chen Chao only realized it belatedly, then discovered that his whole body had broken into a cold sweat.

He was a bit confused himself. Having reached this level of cultivation, how could he still sweat from walking?

But he did not pay much attention to it. He casually found a small stream to bathe in, changed into a fresh set of clothes, and continued on his way.

However, after walking a bit further, he suddenly felt refreshed. Chen Chao had not quite figured out why, but he noticed that the flow of the qi within his body was faster than before. His meridians had expanded, and they were no longer the same as they had been before. Did this mean that he had unknowingly taken another step forward in his cultivation?

Chen Chao narrowed his eyes, somewhat puzzled. Could it be that his cultivation had improved due to his earlier battle with that old man?

But even Chen Chao found it unbelievable. That fight had not helped him in the slightest.

Still, he vaguely guessed it might be related to his state of mind.

Among the cultivators of the Three Sects and more, they practiced both cultivation and the heart. However, in reality, long years of sitting meditation were never as effective as a moment of sudden enlightenment.

Otherwise, there would not be cases where later generations surpassed their predecessors and stood at higher peaks.

But such things did not often happen with martial artists.

Of course, this was one of the reasons martial artists were often looked down upon by cultivators.

The key here was that this sudden improvement in his cultivation had occurred without any prior realization. Chen Chao was also confused himself.

Such things were rare.

But Chen Chao was not the type to dwell on it or get caught in a mental trap.

Otherwise, he would end up like that little girl, suffering from a deeply rooted mental demon.

Such things, once was enough.

Not dwelling on it, Chen Chao felt refreshed and quickly approached within a few dozen miles of Myriad Heaven Palace.

As the leader of the Great Peace Dao lineage, the Myriad Heaven Palace and Infatuation Daoist Temple seemed to have the same calm, unambitious nature at first glance. However, in reality, the Infatuation Daoist Temple might seem ordinary, but it was essentially a high tower built within a humble room, while Myriad Heaven Palace truly cultivated the heart and established the Dao in the mountains and wilderness.

The fundamental difference between the two meant that once the Myriad Heaven Palace lost its position as the leader of Daoism, it could never catch up to Infatuation Daoist Temple over the past few hundred years.

Because the Myriad Heaven Palace had always been too passive and content with fate.

A group of Daoists who did not seek immortality or fight for the Dao, how could they compare with the ambitious and cunning Infatuation Daoist Temple?

Before leaving the Divine Capital, Chen Chao had specifically asked Xie Nandu for her opinion on the Myriad Heaven Palace. Her answer had been rather strange, as she had personally said that the fundamental reason why the Myriad Heaven Palace had reached this point was precisely because of its lack of ambition.

Similarly, the Deercry Monastery had no ambition, but it had always been the leader of Buddhism, with countless exquisite sutras available only there. As a result, for many years, Deercry Monastery had never lacked incense offerings or young disciples. But after the Myriad Heaven Palace could no longer hold onto the Dao Ancestor’s hand-written notes, the entire sect had nothing truly attractive left.

However, its foundation still existed, and it should not be underestimated.

As Chen Chao was nearing the Myriad Heaven Palace, he encountered a group of pilgrims; both old and young. Among them, the elderly man had white hair and walked with a cane, while the young girl was a delicate little thing of about five or six years old. She had two braided pigtails and was very adorable.

There were also a young man and a married couple.

It seemed to be a three-generation family on a journey.

The elderly man walked at the front, his steps slow, while the young man behind him did not rush him. He simply watched the stone path beneath his feet. Occasionally, an insect crawled across the stones, and he lowered his head, following its steps with his gaze.

The woman behind him was full of smiles.

The little girl, hopping along behind her mother, was full of youthful joy.

The middle-aged man at the back was carrying incense and candles and he also wore a smile.

When Chen Chao reached the mountain path, he slowed his pace, maintaining a respectful distance, neither too close nor too far. He was not in a rush to go up the mountain, and the reason he stayed away was to avoid causing any trouble.

In truth, more than anything, he simply did not want to disturb this family’s journey up the mountain.

But soon, the middle-aged man turned his head and glanced at Chen Chao, then turned back and said something. The white-haired old man at the front stopped walking and sat down to rest on a stone at the side of the mountain path.

The middle-aged man looked at Chen Chao with a smile and nodded in greeting.

Chen Chao thought for a moment, then walked toward the family.

The middle-aged man stepped aside, and the woman picked up the little girl.

Chen Chao nodded to the man and passed by. But just as he walked past the woman, the little girl struggled to look at the saber at Chen Chao’s waist and muttered, ”Saber... saber...”

The woman smiled apologetically and was just about to speak when the girl suddenly lunged toward Chen Chao.

To be precise, she lunged at the saber on Chen Chao’s waist. The woman could not hold her back and cried out in alarm.

Chen Chao reacted quickly and caught the little girl, letting out a sigh of relief.

The girl nestled in Chen Chao’s arms, her short hands still reaching for the saber at his waist.

The woman let out a sigh and apologized repeatedly while moving to take the child back. But to her surprise, the girl clung tightly to Chen Chao’s clothes, refusing to be taken away by her mother.

The woman began to sweat from anxiety and the man also joined in trying to coax the child. But no matter what they did, the little girl would not let the couple take her back.

The woman looked at Chen Chao, full of apology. ”Sir, please don’t take offense. My little girl has always liked these sorts of things since young. At home, she has a whole pile of wooden sabers and swords. We really don’t know who she learned it from. When she saw the saber at your waist, she just couldn’t help herself...”

As she spoke, the woman finally managed to pull the little girl back. But the child immediately started crying and screaming at the top of her lungs. No matter what they did, they could not calm her down.

Frustrated, the woman was about to spank her. But fortunately, the man kept persuading her.

He really had no choice but to try and persuade her. After all, this was his own daughter, his precious little girl. Normally, he could not even bear to scold her, let alone let someone else lay a hand on her.

Chen Chao suddenly asked, ”Are you all also here to offer incense?”

Was that not obvious?

The man nodded.

Chen Chao smiled and said, ”Then would you mind if I carried this little girl up the mountain? Once we’re up the mountain, I can show her the saber?”

Afraid they might misunderstand, Chen Chao quickly added, ”I’ll be walking with you all.”

The man glanced at his wife.

She looked down at the little girl in her arms who was still crying nonstop. In the end, her heart softened, and she said worriedly, ”Would it be too much trouble for you, Sir?”

Chen Chao shook his head as he reached out to carry the little girl. The little girl leaned toward him, nestling into his arms.

Seeing this, the woman said suspiciously, ”This lass usually doesn’t like strangers. What’s going on today?”

Chen Chao picked up the little girl and asked with a smile, ”What’s your name?”

The little girl opened her mouth. Her cheeks were still streaked with tears, but she said in a childish voice, ”Ning Qingnian.”

Chen Chao reached out and wiped the tear streaks from her face.

Suddenly, the little girl leaned in and kissed Chen Chao on the cheek.

The whole group burst into hooting laughter.

Chen Chao blushed a little.

As they walked up the mountain, Chen Chao walked slowly. For some reason, the little girl’s mind no longer seemed to be on the saber. Instead, she kept staring at Chen Chao’s face, as if somewhat absent-minded.

When they neared the gates of Myriad Heaven Palace, a young girl had just stepped out. Then she saw the young man in black on the mountain path.

Her eyes widened, first with surprise, then tears immediately welled up and streamed down her face.

The sight left Chen Chao stunned.

The young girl turned and hurried back inside, wiping her tears as she walked, crying softly and aggrieved, ”Master, he’s such a terrible, terrible person. He didn’t come to see me for so long. Now he’s finally here, and he even has a daughter!”