Martial Cultivator

Time always passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, it was spring; blink again, and it was summer; then blink, and it was autumn.

There had been so much news these days. The young temple master of the Infatuation Daoist Temple, Yun Jianyue, had reached the end of Nepenthe and become a great daoist sage, while the other of the Twin Pillars of Daoism, Ye Zhihua, had broken through the Great Beyond and arrived at Nepenthe. Both were among the most outstanding geniuses in Daoism history, and it was no longer shocking that they had reached this stage.

Especially with Yun Jianyue reaching the end of Nepenthe and becoming a great daoist sage, it was an incredibly inspiring event for daoist cultivators. As the Infatuation Daoist Temple’s stance toward Great Liang had gradually softened compared to before, Daoist cultivators began to vaguely worry about Daoism’s position in the world.

For many years before, daoist cultivators had been the most confident on this land, because behind them stood the Infatuation Daoist Temple and its temple master, who could be considered the leader of cultivators in the world. But with the passing of that temple master and the rise of the Great Liang, everything seemed to be changing.

No one wished to descend from a high position, for they had grown accustomed to looking down on the world.

Fortunately, the decline of Daoism did not last long. Yun Jianyue’s breakthrough stabilized the trend of decline, and daoist cultivators firmly believed that under the leadership of this young temple master, Daoism would soon return to its former glory.

Many daoist cultivators, carrying treasures, wanted to visit the Infatuation Daoist Temple to meet the young master, but they soon received news that Yun Jianyue had still not returned to the Infatuation Daoist Temple.

After leaving the Myriad Heavens Palace, the young temple master had gone to Ying Prefecture.

Ying Prefecture, among the nine prefectures of Great Liang, had always carried a special reputation. Throughout history, literati and scholars had regarded it as the dwelling place of immortals, and legendary tales of immortals descending had always occurred there.

It was a place filled with legend.

Even now, although cultivators knew they could not cross the immortal sea beyond Ying Prefecture, countless cultivators each year still set out by sea in search of immortals.

Among them were many elderly cultivators, too frail to extend their lifespan through breakthroughs. They sought the traces of so-called immortals in the final years of their lives, hoping to gain some immortal legacy to lengthen their lifespan.

But until now, there had been no reports of success.

......

......

Beyond Ying Prefecture lay a port called Immortal Seeking Port. Many cultivators set out to sea from there, never to return.

Everywhere at the port were countless farewell scenes. Most were elderly cultivators standing at the port, saying goodbye to their juniors, boarding ships, and setting out to sea, leaving the younger generation behind with tears in their eyes.

Eternal life was hard to attain, and life and death were uncertain. No cultivator wanted to simply return to being a handful of earth.

A young daoist stood on an empty plot not far from the port, watching for a long time, and finally walked toward a nearby tea pavilion.

The tea shop owner was a middle-aged man. Seeing the daoist robe, he came over to greet him warmly. The young daoist only ordered a pot of ordinary tea, which the man did not mind. As he served the tea, he even curiously asked, “Daoist, are you here to see off an elder?”

Having been here for a long time and seen countless similar scenes, the middle-aged man felt little fear of these so-called immortal masters.

The young daoist shook his head. “This humble daoist is preparing to set out to sea and take a look.”

The middle-aged man was even more shocked at this. He looked at the young daoist, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke cautiously, “You are still so young, Daoist. Why take such a risk?”

The young daoist did not answer. After pouring himself a cup of tea, he quietly asked, “Have you ever seen a middle-aged daoist, somewhat disheveled, pale, roughly a year ago, he looks like...”

The young daoist spoke slowly, describing the person he was searching for in detail, enough that anyone who had seen him would know exactly who he meant.

“I have seen him.”

The middle-aged man thought for a moment, then nodded firmly. “I remember clearly. That day, after that daoist came, he took a small boat and went out to sea alone. The sea was rough, and few would take a small boat by themselves, so it left a deep impression on me. That daoist indeed looked a little disheveled, but his bear was extraordinary. I always felt he was someone remarkable.”

The young daoist nodded. Indeed, Daoist Wuyang had gone out to sea. In fact, this was already known to him from the demon bead that Chen Chao had provided. In the vision within the demon bead, Daoist Wuyang had been struck into the deep sea by the Chief Enforcer, and theoretically should not have survived. But the young daoist still wanted to see for himself, and even set out to search.

“That daoist and you are...?”

The middle-aged man asked curiously.

The young daoist said, “A senior of my sect.”

After saying this, he hesitated for a moment and asked, “After that daoist, has anyone else set out to sea from here, also a daoist...”

This time, he was describing the Chief Enforcer.

The middle-aged man shook his head, indicating he had not seen him before.

The young daoist did not seem disappointed by the answer. In fact, it was better that no one had seen him. If someone had, it would not match the way Chief Enforcer acts.

After nodding, the young daoist said no more and began slowly drinking his tea. Half an hour later, he took a piece of skygold coin from his bosom and prepared to leave.

The middle-aged man hurriedly said, “One pot of tea, how could it cost so much?”

The young daoist shook his head and said nothing.

The middle-aged man did not insist, knowing that these immortal masters were not short of money, but he still said kindly, “In any case, no one has ever returned from the Immortal Sea. Even if your senior went missing overseas, you should not risk it yourself. After all, your senior might be...”

He did not finish the sentence, but his meaning was clear.

The young daoist said nothing and rose to leave on his own.

The middle-aged man watched the young daoist’s back and sighed.

......

......

At the port, the young daoist spent money to buy a small boat. It was not large, and even on this calm sea, few fishermen would dare to choose such a boat. Beyond lay the so-called Immortal Sea, from which no one had ever returned.

But because the young daoist paid enough, no one could refuse. He stood at the bow, and strangely, without rowing, the boat moved forward on its own. The fisherman who sold the boat did not find this unusual, as too many cultivators came and went here.

Today it was fine. In the past, it would not have been a matter of buying, it might have been taken by force.

The small boat went out to sea. The young daoist stood at the bow, looking at the endless sea, feeling the wind blow past him. His mood was unexpectedly calm.

After about half a day, the young daoist suddenly sat down and reached out to touch the late-autumn sea. His palm met the water, feeling the cold, though it was unknown what he was thinking.

After some time, the sea ahead began to grow restless, and far off, towering waves could be seen.

The small boat slowly stopped.

What lay beyond the Immortal Sea was the subject of countless legends. Some said it was an immortal island where immortals dwelt. Others said it was another continent inhabited by cultivators, though of a different world.

These remained mere legends because perhaps some had gone beyond the Immortal Sea, but none had ever returned.

No one returned, so there were naturally no answers.

The young daoist stood up again, looking out at the sea. He took a deep breath, and the small boat beneath his feet set off once more in that direction.

As he approached the waves, the young daoist stretched out his hand, releasing a stream of the purest daoism aura from his robe. It spread across the sea, flowing outward.

Before this aura, the sea gradually calmed, as if a path was being opened up.

The small boat continued forward, but soon progress became extremely difficult.

The aura entering the sea was immediately swallowed, which made the young daoist frown in surprise.

Although he had heard the legends of the so-called Immortal Sea before today, it was only upon actually arriving that he truly realized how incomplete those stories were. This sea was far more terrifying than he had imagined.

He was now an existence at the end of Nepenthe, truly one of the most formidable existences in the world. Yet before this Immortal Sea, he still felt a profound sense of helplessness.

Feeling the terror of the waves ahead, the young daoist, who had held high hopes that Daoist Wuyang was still alive, now felt deeply disheartened.

The world held Daoist Wuyang in high regard, but certainly no one respected him more than the young daoist standing before the sea.

Although Daoist Wuyang was not his master, he had always regarded the young daoist as his disciple and had devotedly trained him over the years. That was why the young daoist understood Daoist Wuyang’s strength and terror far more than anyone else.

Yet no matter how much he revered Daoist Wuyang in his heart, before this Immortal Sea, he could not believe that Daoist Wuyang could survive here.

Standing before the waves, the young daoist no longer dared to move forward. He knew clearly that if he forced his way ahead, he would surely be buried in these waters.

Perhaps there was a chance for survival,

But only a glimmer.

A faint, tiny glimmer.

The Yun Jianyue stared silently at the Immortal Sea, his eyes growing immeasurably deep.

......

......

On the other side of the sea, the waters were calm. On a sandy beach of an island, a deranged daoist walked back and forth in tattered robes.

Suddenly, as if he had thought of something, or seen something, his eyes became clear, shedding all delusions and confusion.

He stood barefoot on the sand, looking out at the distant sea. Though there was nothing on the water, he seemed to see something.

The insane daoist’s eyes were gentle, as if he were looking at the most treasured junior of his own, finally achieving great success.

“Ah Yue, you are very impressive.”

He narrowed his eyes and laughed loudly, the sound carrying across the island.

After a long while, the deranged daoist walked toward the distant part of the island, where thin mist floated, obscuring the view, but it seemed as though countless eyes were watching him.

The insane daoist’s steps were light and quick, and he even hummed a nursery rhyme taught to him by his master in childhood.

“The White Jade Capital in the sky, oh, what a grand place.”