Martial Cultivator

As his words fell, Chen Chao arrived before a great demon and struck down with a heavy palm. A torrent of terrifying qi force surged out from his palm, scattering the demon’s demonic qi in an instant and pressing him down so hard he could not even stand.

This scene left the other great demons dumbfounded. They were exalted as great demons, commanding thousands under them - when had they ever been suppressed so humiliatingly, rendered immobile by a single martial artist?

Chen Chao’s palm pressed over that great demon’s head, then he swiftly and decisively killed him.

At the same time, the other great demons surged forward, their demonic qi blotting out the sky and sun. In almost an instant, Chen Chao’s figure was completely obscured.

But such a scene did not last long. Merely moments later, the demonic qi suddenly trembled and dispersed in all directions. Chen Chao gripped the arm of Monk Xuankong with one hand, while with the other, he reversed his saber, the sweeping saber qi instantly tearing apart a great demon’s arm.

Blood sprayed everywhere, but not a drop fell on Chen Chao. His surging qi blocked it all outside his body.

Chen Chao exerted his strength, carrying Monk Xuankong as he soared into the sky. Though the great demons knew full well how terrifying this young martial artist was, at this point, not a single one retreated—they all chased after.

Chen Chao let out a cold laugh and stamped heavily. That boot suddenly grew larger and came crashing down like a mountain.

Several great demons joined forces to form a barrier, attempting to block this stomp that carried the power to suppress the world. But they soon realized it was futile. In the end, they scattered in all directions, watching helplessly as the boot stomped a massive pit into the ground.

Although Chen Chao had temporarily rescued Monk Xuankong, he did not dare lower his guard. If it were only these great demons, he would not care in the least—whether fighting while retreating or simply wiping them all out in one fell swoop, it would not be difficult.

The true danger was still Autumn, who had been forced back earlier but now had vanished without a trace.

That demon princess was already extremely difficult to deal with. Now that she hid in the shadows, it became even more troublesome. No one knew when she might suddenly appear and deliver a fatal blow.

“Lord Warden Commander, the situation is dire, do not trouble yourself with this destitute monk.”

Monk Xuankong suddenly spoke, his expression extremely grave. He looked at Chen Chao, hoping he would abandon him and leave.

Chen Chao furrowed his brows but did not speak.

Monk Xuankong said softly, “For the world, it can do without this destitute monk. But it cannot do without Lord Warden Commander.”

Chen Chao said calmly, “In this official’s eyes, there is no distinction in the worth of human lives. Even if Master were not a Nepenthe cultivator, even if Master were merely an ordinary monk of my Great Liang, or a common citizen, this official would not abandon and leave Master behind today.”

Monk Xuankong furrowed his brows and asked curiously, “Why?”

Chen Chao waved his hand to repel a great demon’s attack, raised his brows, and said, “Probably because I want face?”

“Your Father, the dignified Lord Warden Commander of Great Liang, if I cannot even protect an ordinary citizen, how can I protect something like the Great Liang itself.”

Chen Chao’s figure kept moving, darting through the demonic qi. He did not dare to send Monk Xuankong away from his side. He was very clear that the moment Xuankong left his protection, he would immediately be targeted by that slender flying sword.

If Autumn did not strike, then so be it. But if she struck, it would be a deadly killing blow that never missed.

Monk Xuankong sighed and said, “I suddenly understand why Lord Warden Commander acts this way.”

From the very beginning at the Sublime Bright to more recently at the Three Streams Manor, many cultivators of the outside world had expressed confusion, why did this young Warden Commander act like this? But now, Monk Xuankong finally understood. The young martial artist before him was someone who truly regarded those ordinary people, whom cultivators dismissed as less than human, as real human beings.

In his eyes, higher cultivation did not make one more important, nor more valuable to Great Liang.

In his eyes, perhaps even the beggars on the streets of Great Liang were all humans.

“Cultivators sit high upon the mountaintops, treating the common people as weeds, regarding all living beings as pigs and dogs. Looking at it now, it is utterly absurd.” ℞ἈℕÓ𝐛ĚS̈

Monk Xuankong softly said, “We cultivators have let the human world down.”

In truth, Yu Xiyi had said similar words long ago. But Yu Xiyi’s recognition did not mean that other cultivators shared it.

Yet at this very moment, Monk Xuankong had gained this same recognition. That was already no small matter.

“If this destitute monk can return safely, I will surely do what little I can for Great Liang.”

Monk Xuankong moved his lips, but the last half of his words never left his mouth.

If one day he truly had to choose a place to pass away, he wished it would be here.

To meet the Lord Buddha.

To witness the Great Dao.

This instant of sudden comprehension caused the qi within Monk Xuankong’s body to circulate, giving him the faint feeling of taking a small step forward.

Chen Chao sensed it as well. His own qi flowed more swiftly at that moment, and he even faintly heard the sound of buddhist chants.

He shook his head, glanced into the distance, repelled another great demon, and then said softly, “Your Father will yield today first, but not to you. It’s just because I’ve got a burden tagging along!”

As Chen Chao’s words fell, he carried Monk Xuankong and darted into the distance. In the blink of an eye, he had already gone several dozen feet away, about to disappear into the wind and snow.

The nearest great demon frowned, but without any hesitation, gave chase. The next moment, his entire body was blasted backward, a huge hole torn open in his chest, blood gushing out.

Chen Chao’s voice carried distantly through the wind and snow: “Same thing I said before, if you really don’t value your own lives, then this Your Father’s saber will really lop off a few heads.”

Perhaps in this world today, there were very few who could speak like this to the great demons of the Demon Realm.

Maybe there was only this one.

Hearing those words, the great demons all stopped in their tracks. Aside from being shocked at Chen Chao’s terrifying strength, the greater reason was that they had not seen Autumn’s figure.

This demon princess, a demon lord at the end of Nepenthe, had suddenly vanished. This left them uneasy.

If Autumn never appeared again, then even if they relied on their numbers, the outcome in the end would not be good.

Perhaps it would only mean leaving behind a field of corpses.

Only after Chen Chao’s figure was gone did Autumn’s silhouette slowly emerge from the wind and snow. The demon princess’ face was somewhat pale, showing she was injured.

“Your Highness...”

A great demon hastily began to speak, but got only halfway before falling silent. If Autumn were merely the demon princess, he could have sternly demanded an explanation. But clearly, at this moment, Autumn was far more than just the demon princess, she was a supreme powerhouse.

At least among those present, none had the strength or standing to say anything to her.

“He just fought me almost as if staking his life. I was careless for a moment and sustained some injuries, but he’s not doing much better.”

Autumn glanced into the distance, where the wind and snow still howled.

“Then, Your Highness, do we pursue?”

A great demon spoke up, still unwilling to let that young martial artist go.

After all, among the many human powerhouses today, it was precisely this young martial artist who was the most frightening.

Autumn narrowed her eyes and said, “The humans have a saying: ‘Do not pursue a desperate foe.’ If we go after him now, I don’t much care either way, but a few of you are likely to lose your lives.”

The few of them fell silent, knowing that what Autumn said was the truth.

Against a desperate martial artist like this, once he threw everything aside, they feared it would be very hard to gain any advantage.

“Then we’re just going to watch him leave like this?”

A great demon still felt unwilling. After all, they already knew the other side was injured, and within that lay a sliver of opportunity, which they all wanted to seize.

Autumn said indifferently, “Chasing him doesn’t mean we’ll find him. But if we do something else, then he will definitely appear, and it can even disrupt his Dao heart.”

“Your Highness...”

The great demons were all confused. They did not actually know what weakness that young martial artist had.

“So long as one is human, there must be a weakness. He has swept across Great Liang, basking in glory, but his weakness is a woman.”

In Chen Chao’s eyes, the extraordinary women of this world numbered only two.

Whether it was Autumn, or Xie Nandu, both were entangled with him in some way.

But unlike Autumn, a mortal enemy bound in life-and-death enmity, Xie Nandu was Chen Chao’s true weakness. He would never be willing to see anything happen to her.

“If we go kill that woman, then he will naturally appear.”

Autumn narrowed her eyes, but immediately afterward, she also felt a twinge of distaste for her own words. Since when had she become like this?

She faintly sensed that something about it was wrong.

Long ago, she ought to have been the proud princess of the demon race, not a woman thinking such thoughts.

“Where is that woman?”

A great demon spoke, now even more determined to eliminate Chen Chao.

Autumn did not reply. After a long silence, she shook her head and said, “I will go alone.”

She did not know why, but in the end, she still made this choice.

“You all deal with the other powerhouses of Great Liang. I will bring back his head.”

After saying those words, Autumn walked off into the wind and snow, giving them no chance to object.

Everyone remained where they were, all feeling that this demon princess before them harbored some private intentions.