Martial Cultivator

The two of them began to climb the mountain.

Except, before the climb, although their qi had shown signs of recovery, it was slow, much like recovering from a severe illness: sickness falls like a mountain, and leaves like extracting silk.

For their qi to completely fill all the acupoints in their bodies, it would likely still take at least half a day.

But neither of them felt this was a bad thing. If their qi had remained suppressed, it would have been far worse for them. Now, although the recovery was slow, it was still far better than before.

Chen Chao always liked to consider the worst possible outcome. This way, if things turned out even slightly better than expected, it would be a gain.

As for Autumn, perhaps this woman never even thought about consequences. If something needed doing, she simply did it.

The two walked along the divine path up the mountain.

As for why it was called a divine path, it was because on both sides of the railings were carvings of countless legendary immortal creatures. In the grand halls above the clouds were immortal cranes and countless immortals, all floating and ethereal, vividly lifelike.

There was also a thin mist covering the divine path, making it look like a heavenly road leading to the immortal realm.

Chen Chao and Autumn walked on this divine path, not too fast and not too slow. Each kept near one side of the railing, glancing to either side to observe the full view of the multi-colored divine mountain.

“A divine mountain, a divine mountain, is it ultimately a sect, or a place of worship and belief?”

Walking on this so-called divine path, Chen Chao still had countless questions in his heart. No matter how he looked at it, this divine mountain did not resemble the sect ruins he had seen before.

Autumn said calmly, “Right now, all you need to worry about is that the methods left behind here won’t be too difficult to handle. Otherwise, with your cultivation, the only thing waiting for you is death.”

Chen Chao frowned. “Can’t you think a bit more positively?”

Autumn suddenly laughed. “Do you think thinking positively will lead to a better outcome?”

Chen Chao’s expression was blank. “Then when we die, you’ll die first.”

Autumn did not seem to mind.

This kind of verbal sparring meant nothing to her.

She only tilted her head up and looked at the divine path that seemed to have no end.

The two of them continued walking slowly. It was not clear how long they had been walking when Autumn suddenly asked with interest, “Chen Chao, when I said I killed your lover back then, you looked like you really wanted to fight me to the death.”

Chen Chao glanced at Autumn and said calmly, “Even if I were inside that mountain, I’d kill you first.”

“A woman, do you really care that much? Then what if you compare her to the throne?”

Autumn seemed a bit bored, speaking more than usual now.

Chen Chao laughed. “What’s so important about the throne?”

Autumn asked again, “Then what if you compare her to the common people of your Great Liang?”

Chen Chao froze for a moment, then fell silent.

Autumn sneered mockingly but did not press further, changing the question. “Chen Chao, you like her this much, but what if one day she falls for another man? What will you do?”

Chen Chao answered as a matter of course, “Hack that man into hundreds of pieces.”

Autumn said nothing, just looked at the young martial artist before her.

Chen Chao looked at her too. Both of these youths had something in their eyes that the other understood.

“I’d probably let go and watch her walk away with someone else.”

Chen Chao seemed a little down. Although it was just a hypothetical, he still felt a little sad.

Everything else in this world could be fought for, but when the woman you liked fell for someone else, you were completely helpless, with no solution at all.

In the end, all you could do was accept it.

Autumn asked, “Wouldn’t it hurt?”

Chen Chao said, “How could it not? Just thinking of her holding hands with another man makes me want to die from the pain.”

”How pathetic,” Autumn mocked.

Chen Chao suddenly reacted, curious. “Why are you asking all this?”

“Curious.”

Autumn said calmly, “Sometimes I’m curious too, what is it like to like someone?”

In her life, from the moment she was born, she had never thought about such things. But some things, just because one did not think about them before, did not mean they would never think about them.

The seven emotions and six desires, they were not only limited to humans. Demons naturally had them too.

Chen Chao clicked his tongue. “A woman like you probably won’t have anyone who likes you in your whole life.”

Autumn was not bothered, she just looked ahead. At some point, they had already walked halfway up. Ahead, a hall could vaguely be seen standing atop the mountain.

That hall did not appear particularly majestic. Instead, it was rather ordinary, a bit unworthy of the grandeur of the divine path.

Looking at the hall, Chen Chao said, “It’s like a well-dressed woman with a chest too flat to look at. Is this the so-called ‘gilded on the outside, rotten on the inside’?”

Though the comment was a bit inappropriate, Chen Chao found it amusing.

Autumn did not reply and simply quickened her pace. At this point, the qi within her had nearly fully recovered.

The two quickly arrived at the end of the divine path. They did not immediately see the hall, what they saw first was a towering tree. Its branches and leaves were dense; the ground was covered in fallen leaves. But some leaves were green, some yellowing, and even some were withered.

And amidst those fallen leaves, near the base of the tree, there sat a skeleton in a cross-legged posture.

The bones were smooth as jade; clearly a great cultivator while alive. Only such a cultivator, upon the dissipation of flesh and decay of clothes, could leave behind bones like this.

Chen Chao laughed. “Sometimes, this is how it is. No matter how high your cultivation, you’ll still die one day. Instead, it’s the plants and trees of this world that continue endlessly.”

Certain special types of vegetation could easily live hundreds or even thousands of years without any problems.

Even at the end of Nepenthe, a cultivator could not possibly live a thousand years.

Autumn stepped on the fallen leaves and walked beneath the tree, looking up. There, at the very top, were two crystal clear fruits, surrounded by spiritual qi.

Chen Chao also looked up, narrowed his eyes, and smiled. “They don’t seem to be ordinary.”

Then he added, “But they probably aren’t immortal herbs either. If they grow a few more years, maybe.”

After all, as someone who had seen an immortal medicine with his own eyes, Chen Chao believed he had the discernment.

Autumn did not bother speaking. With a leap, she stepped onto the tree’s branches. After a few more jumps, reached the canopy, plucked the two fruits, and landed.

Chen Chao cursed, “You wasteful damn woman. Couldn’t you wait a bit longer for them to grow more?”

Autumn sneered, “Who knows when there’ll be a next time?”

Chen Chao couldn’t be bothered to argue. He just stretched out his hand, signaling that she had better hand over one.

“Why should I?”

Autumn glanced sideways at Chen Chao. She never had that intention. You ask, and I should just give it to you?

Who do you think you are, Chen Chao? Are you that impressive?

“Don’t forget, without me, you wouldn’t even have gotten in. You may not be human, but you shouldn’t be ungrateful, right?”

Chen Chao spoke as if it were only natural, even grabbed his saber hilt, as if if she refused, he would start another fight right there.

Autumn raised her eyebrows slightly, she was not worried about this sort of thing. After a brief silence, she probably thought Chen Chao had a point, so she took out one of the fruits and tossed it to him.

Chen Chao caught it and finally smiled. “That’s more like it. We’re on the same side, if something happens later, we’ll have each other’s back.”

Autumn could not be bothered to say anything, she just walked past the large tree outside the hall and arrived before the great hall’s door.

The great hall’s door was not intact, only one half remained.

The other half was now lying quietly on the ground, covered in many fallen leaves.

Chen Chao examined the gap.

Autumn had already placed a palm against the great hall’s door.

Aside from the sound it made, nothing else happened.

Then the two exchanged glances.

”A sword mark.”

”A peerless sword immortal.”

That was the conclusion they drew.

Chen Chao smiled bitterly. “A terrifying existence above Nepenthe, with just one sword strike, split this place open...”

Autumn said, “That Sword Sect’s Sect Master couldn’t do that even with a hundred sword attacks.”

Chen Chao took a deep breath and asked calmly, “If this sword immortal wanted to kill the Demon Emperor?”

Autumn fell silent.

Because the answer was obvious.