Martial Cultivator

The voice was not loud, yet every sword cultivator across the mountain heard it clearly.

Especially when they saw that terrifying aura rising skyward from somewhere behind the mountain, one after another, the sword cultivators widened their eyes.

They all knew who the owner of that unfamiliar voice was.

Meng Sangshan suddenly lifted his head, disbelief written across his face. “What... what is he trying to do?”

Jiao Xinchen frowned slightly, this was his nature to begin with. He said nothing, only turned to glance toward the back mountain as well.

But Yu Xiyi burst into hearty laughter and cursed, “You little punk, you really don’t take the usual path. I like that!”

The Sword Sect’s Sect Master was the number one figure in Sword Dao, having already crossed that threshold of Nepenthe and become one of the few supreme powerhouses in the world. Others could only look upon him with reverence and fear.

Yet these two - Yu Xiyi, who dared to draw his sword against him, and Chen Chao, a martial artist standing at the very end of Nepenthe, though a realm lower - still dared to challenge the Sword Sect’s Sect Master.

Indeed, if the two of them did not possess such temperaments, they would never have become such close friends.

......

......

The Sword Sect’s Sect Master stood beneath the pavilion, feeling the terrifying aura radiating from the young martial artist outside. A hint of admiration flashed in his eyes.

This generation of youths, be it the one before him, or Yu Xiyi who resided in his mountain, or that young abbot of the Infatuation Daoist Temple each of them would have been unmatched and unrivaled in any era.

To think that such figures had all gathered in the same age was truly extraordinary.

Even though he had devoted his entire life to the sword, he occasionally found this fact unbelievable. Such an age was indeed rare.

“Yu Xiyi competed in the sword against me while I suppressed my cultivation. But if you wish for me to draw my sword, I may not be so restrained.”

The Sword Sect’s Sect Master understood Chen Chao’s intent, but he did not believe that even if he unleashed his full sword, the other could withstand it.

Chen Chao said nothing. He merely lifted his foot, attempting to take another step forward.

He was already standing outside the pavilion. One more step, and he would enter it.

But whether he could take that step was another matter entirely.

The Sword Sect’s Sect Master gazed at Chen Chao, sword intent intensifying in his eyes. Outside the pavilion, sword qi gathered, and in an instant, the wind howled and clouds surged.

The density of sword qi was something no other great sword immortal in the world could achieve.

Those countless strands of sword qi struck first against Chen Chao’s raised leg. With a tearing sound, his trouser leg was shredded by the cutting air. 𝙍αNÓ𝐛Ëꞩ

The sword qi surged forward again but collided with another terrifying aura emanating from Chen Chao. The two forces intertwined, waging a fierce battle within this tiny space.

Chen Chao furrowed his brow, while the Sword Sect’s Sect Master narrowed his eyes.

There was a difference of an entire realm between them. If the Sword Sect’s Sect Master did not allow it, even something as simple as stepping into the pavilion would not be easy for Chen Chao.

But Chen Chao insisted on advancing.

The qi within his body surged from his acupoints, coursing through his meridians before converging into a torrential current that swept madly toward one point.

Chen Chao lifted his head and looked at the Sword Sect’s Sect Master. The latter met his gaze.

In the next instant, the rushing qi within Chen Chao’s body gathered at a single spot. Chen Chao stepped out calmly.

The Sword Sect’s Sect Master narrowed his eyes.

A more terrifying sword qi shot out from his eyes.

The pavilion suddenly trembled and Chen Chao’s foot only moved half a step down.

With a crack, the bluestone beneath Chen Chao’s foot suddenly shattered, and the cracks in the stone had the sharpest of edges.

Clearly, they had been cut by the terrifying sword qi.

Several cuts also appeared on Chen Chao’s boots.

At this moment, his black robe flapped violently, torn by the collision of his own qi and the sword qi.

From the front, the pavilion seemed calm, but in truth, the entire structure was being battered. The blue tiles above it continuously fell, yet before touching the ground, they crumbled into dust.

This area had long been crisscrossed with sword qi.

Sweat began to form on Chen Chao’s forehead. Though his expression looked calm, it was clear that the situation was far from relaxed.

Even facing someone who had long surpassed Nepenthe and become the unparalleled supreme sword immortal of this era, Chen Chao did not take a single step back.

The Sword Sect’s Sect Master’s expression grew serious.

Because while the sword qi and qi were clashing, he had already sensed something extraordinary.

The sword intent in his eyes intensified.

The entire back mountain moved slightly as the sword intent surged from his eyes.

Chen Chao’s face was covered in sweat, droplets sliding down his cheeks, but dissipating before reaching the ground.

Endless sword qi swirled around his boots, as if holding up a massive mountain.

Yet in reality, the sword qi was not that fragile, and Chen Chao’s boots were not that heavy.

Another crack.

A pillar supporting the pavilion suddenly broke.

But the pavilion did not collapse.

Then another pillar also broke.

Next, all the pillars suddenly fractured at the same time.

Yet the pavilion still hung above the Sword Sect’s Sect Master.

At the same time, Chen Chao’s foot landed heavily, and the young martial artist stepped directly into the pavilion.

Both were now under the same roof.

A flicker of unusual look flashed across the Sword Sect’s Sect Master’s eyes. Moments later, all the sword qi and qi completely dissipated.

The mountain path returned to calm.

Only the pavilion remained suspended in the air.

Chen Chao wiped the sweat from his forehead and exhaled heavily. As soon as he opened his mouth to spit out a turbid breath, fresh blood ran down the corner of his mouth.

Clearly, in this brief confrontation, Chen Chao had gained no advantage.

He had even been seriously injured.

But the fact remained: he had entered the pavilion.

Looking at the Sword Sect’s Sect Master who had remained standing there, Chen Chao gave a faint smile. “If the Demon Emperor were here, this official could not have entered.”

The Sword Sect’s Sect Master did not speak.

Chen Chao continued, “This official has not deceived Sect Master.”

Finally, the Sword Sect’s Sect Master nodded slightly. Though he had not harbored killing intent during the earlier clash, he had indeed used a cultivation realm beyond Nepenthe. Yet he had still been unable to stop Chen Chao.

“The Demon Emperor’s power is beyond extraordinary; indeed rarely seen in this world.”

The Sword Sect’s Sect Master spoke calmly, “At this moment, I cannot kill him.”

Before Chen Chao could respond, the Sword Sect’s Sect Master shook his head again. “Daoist Wuyang once lent me the sword of the Dao Ancestor. He owes me a debt. Although it has already been repaid in the Divine Capital, I am still unwilling to make a move against him now.”

Chen Chao frowned, his expression stiffening.

He looked at the Sword Sect’s Sect Master, opening his mouth, then hesitating.