Martial Cultivator

Chen Chao and Autumn had already fought more than once, so the two of them were actually extremely familiar with each other. This time, the interval since their last battle was the shortest yet.

In their last fight, Chen Chao had been forced into a swift battle, because Monk Xuankong had been present. If he did not resolve Autumn quickly, then that monk would very likely have died there on the spot.

Thus in that battle, the weight of his strikes, the firmness of his resolve, were all beyond anyone’s expectations. Autumn had not anticipated it either, and had nearly suffered a grievous wound.

But after that battle, Chen Chao fought bitterly day after day, while Autumn recuperated and nourished herself. Their conditions could be said to be worlds apart.

Yet as for so-called condition, it was difficult to say it clearly. Just like now, though Chen Chao had fought continuous battles and consumed much of his qi flow, once his fighting spirit accumulated, it only grew denser. Against Autumn, that aura was not weaker at all. On the contrary, it made Autumn somewhat unable to withstand it.

In this world, many things could not be judged by common reasoning. Moreover, the young martial artist before him, who was never an ordinary man.

He was brimming with killing intent.

Autumn’s offensive was sharp and unrelenting, without the slightest sign of restraint. She knew that the young martial artist before her did not have much qi left in his body. Therefore, from beginning to end, Autumn did not give him the slightest chance to catch his breath.

Martial artists and cultivators were different. Excluding qi refiners, once daoist cultivators stepped into the end of Nepenthe, the qi circulating in their bodies practically formed a bridge with heaven and earth. With the lift of a hand or the movement of a foot, they could easily draw upon the momentum of heaven and earth against an enemy. Just this one point made them utterly different from martial artists. And though martial artists appeared in many ways no different from cultivators in later stages, in terms of qi consumption there was still a great disparity. For martial artists, qi consumed was truly consumed, it required time to recover.

Chen Chao blocked Autumn’s tricky sword, then immediately countered with a saber strike from an equally tricky angle, but that too failed to land.

Then Chen Chao clenched his fist and smashed it forward with force, striking Autumn squarely in the chest. Autumn furrowed her brows slightly, feeling the layered accumulation of qi within the strike, and spat out a mouthful of foul blood.

The Chen Chao before his eyes was still a little too terrifying.

Autumn gripped her flying sword and swept it backward, tearing Chen Chao’s robes, leaving a long bloody gash across his torso.

By this point in their clash, neither of them wished to test the other further. If it was time to kill, then kill. If it was time to bring out their trump cards, then bring them out.

From then on, their battle had fewer tricks. More often, it was simply the two of them fighting in the most straightforward and brutal way.

Each brought out all the means at their disposal.

For a time, the wind and snow seemed to halt, and terrifying soundwaves blasted through heaven and earth. This forced Song Lian and the others to retreat far away, not daring to get too close to the two of them.

After all, just the fluctuations of their qi were enough to make them feel dread.

And dread was one thing, but if they were caught in it, even powerhouses at the end of Nepenthe like them would find it hard to escape unscathed.

Between Nepenthe and the end of Nepenthe, there had long been said to be a natural chasm, nearly impossible to cross.

Sensing that the qi within his body was running low, Chen Chao took a deep breath. After forcing Autumn back for a moment with a punch, he gripped Cloud Mud in his hand and sent out a saber strike.

As the saber strike cleaved out, a strand of robust qi as thick as an infant’s arm surged forth between heaven and earth, crashing down toward Autumn. This was him showing no mercy, holding nothing back—an oppressive force no ordinary cultivator could withstand.

Autumn furrowed her brows slightly. She had calculated that Chen Chao’s qi had long since reached its limit, yet she had not expected that this young man had never been one to shortchange himself. At this moment, he still dared to pour out all of his qi without reservation. Thus, for a time, between heaven and earth, avalanches of snow thundered down.

Countless drifts exploded and rolled from high peaks, surging in mighty torrents, their momentum terrifying to behold.

If it were merely an ordinary avalanche, that would be one thing. But this avalanche was not ordinary, it carried Chen Chao’s terrifying cultivation within it. Years of training, at this moment, lent their force to the overwhelming avalanche, all surging toward Autumn.

Autumn’s eyes turned snow-white. She gripped her flying sword tightly. That flying sword called Autumn Beyond the Tower hummed at this moment, drawing forth a black line that spread outward ahead of her.

It was as if Autumn was going to cleave apart the avalanche before her with a single sword, to make Chen Chao realize who among the young of this generation truly stood unrivaled at the top!

But in the next instant, the vast momentum of the avalanche swallowed Autumn whole. She could not evade, her entire body swept along by the avalanche, leaving her with no control over herself.

Chen Chao exhaled a turbid breath and continued swinging his saber, filling the avalanche with killing intent.

Since it had come to this point today, all schemes were meaningless. Then it was time to see if he could cut down this princess of the demon race here and now!

In truth, whether the ultimate outcome of this great war was the Great Liang’s victory or the demons gaining the upper hand, compared to Autumn’s life or death, it all paled into insignificance. If Autumn were to die here, then even if Great Liang were to perish, it would still count as Great Liang’s great victory.

With Autumn’s death, after the Demon Emperor, the demon race would have no decent emperor to be found. No matter which prince of the demon race eventually ascended the throne, none of them would measure up to Autumn.

Conversely, if Chen Chao were to die here, the logic was the same.

It could be said that the outcome between these two would determine the course ahead for both the human race and Great Liang. ᴛhis chapter is ᴜpdated by NoveIＦire.net

Back then, the battle between the Demon Emperor and the Great Liang Emperor had decided the present fate of Great Liang and the demons. Now, the life and death of these two young people would likewise decide the future of both sides.

Chen Chao continuously swung his saber, the terrifying saber qi merging into the wind and snow, forming a killing formation to trap Autumn.

At this moment, Autumn was like a small boat amidst a raging storm, as if she could capsize at any moment.

Chen Chao narrowed his eyes. Though the current situation was beyond his expectations, it was still a very good outcome.

Struggling amidst the snowstorm, Autumn likely knew by now there was no other way out. After casting a glance at Chen Chao, she slightly parted her lips.

As Autumn opened her mouth, a heaven-shaking tiger’s roar burst forth!

A massive white tiger suddenly appeared within the wind and snow, its massive claws endlessly smashing apart the saber qi.

The corners of Chen Chao’s mouth twitched, his face turning somewhat pale.

This was not the first time he had seen Autumn’s true form.

To see her true form meant only one thing - the current Autumn had no other options left. Her true form was her final trump card.

Forcing Autumn to this point meant that she truly intended to fight to the death.