Martial Cultivator

Over at the reception hall, when Gao Qiu heard the sound of hooves, he did not hesitate at all and immediately wanted to leave. He was not particularly afraid of Song Lian, but the problem was that someone had already said earlier that the young Lord Warden Commander had long since come up the mountain.

A martial artist who had yet to step into the end of Nepenthe could be disregarded, but what could he do against a martial artist who had already stepped beyond Nepenthe?

However, Gao Qiu soon discovered that perhaps he had thought too much. After Song Lian, this martial artist who had already set one foot into the end of Nepenthe, made his move, his blood vitality surged powerfully, and his vigorous aura spread out directly, sealing off every possible route of retreat.

Gao Qiu’s expression was ugly, and the daoist qi within him surged continuously. Although he had been an itinerant cultivator by origin, what he actually cultivated was orthodox daoist cultivation methods. Yet at this moment, when his daoist qi overflowed, there was nothing peaceful or balanced about it. Instead, there was a trace of something demonic and strange.

Whether they were sect masters or great cultivators, every one of the sect cultivators present had an exceptionally discerning eye. How could they fail to see what was going on?

Based on this alone, it could actually be said that the Autumn Sound Sect’s collusion with the demon race was already a certainty.

At this moment, their emotions were all complicated and varied. Before coming, they had simply thought that since this was Ying Prefecture and the Autumn Sound Sect had been rising day by day, even if it could not later be compared with the Morning Dew Sect, it would definitely be able to rank immediately behind the Morning Dew Sect. But after this disturbance, whether the hell the Autumn Sound Sect would even still exist after today was now impossible to say!

At the beginning of the battle between Song Lian and Gao Qiu, these cultivators had thought that Song Lian, who had yet to step into the end of Nepenthe, could at most hold Gao Qiu back and prevent him from leaving. At that point, the question would be whether they as guests, should make a move and whether they should lend that Divine Capital Commander a hand. But now, they saw that Song Lian was not at a disadvantage at all. In fact, he was even faintly suppressing Sect Master Gao in the fight.

This scene left quite a few people feeling incredulous.

On the path of cultivation, once one reached the later stages, the differences between realms became increasingly greater. These two clearly had an enormous difference in realm, yet the result was actually like this?

This enormous contrast left some people completely unable to understand, while others felt frightened by it. When had this Great Liang Dynasty already reached such a point?

The cultivators who had originally intended only to watch the show and remain uninvolved now began wondering whether they should step in and help.

Especially when they saw the Autumn Sound Sect cultivators scattering in all directions and rushing down the mountain, quite a few cultivators began wondering whether they should stop them.

However, by this point, it was also easy to see one thing clearly: a sect like the Autumn Sound Sect indeed still lacked quite a bit of foundation. These disciples seemed to have very little sense of belonging?

Just as this thought arose, an Autumn Sound Sect cultivator suddenly shouted, “Wicked official, don’t you dare hurt our sect master!”

Following this shout, quite a few Autumn Sound Sect cultivators rushed out from all directions.

As for Sect Master Gao Qiu, putting everything else aside, he had always treated people warmly on Yin Mountain in his daily life, and therefore quite a few Yin Mountain cultivators had become his followers.

At this moment, with the truth still unclear, their first choice was still to believe Gao Qiu.

This made the faces of those cultivators from other sects who had just had those thoughts grow somewhat hot.

The slap in the face seemed to have come far too quickly.

However, by this point, some cultivators had already been planning to make a move.

At this moment, Song Lian was struggling alone. If they made a move, they would inevitably gain the goodwill of the Great Liang Dynasty.

No one would refuse such a thing.

But very soon, a burst of hoofbeats completely jolted them awake.

A magnificent warhorse leaped up the steps and arrived at the mountaintop. Several Autumn Sound Sect cultivators nearby suddenly attacked, intending to surround and kill the warhorse and the person riding it.

But a flash of cold light passed through the air.

A middle-aged general clad in armor wielded a great halberd and swept it directly across. Those cultivators who encountered the tip of the halberd were split in two in an instant, their bodies severed from head to toe!

The cultivators might never have been to a battlefield, but most had at least heard one saying: among military generals, anyone who dared wield a great halberd could only be a first-rate fierce general of the present age!

As for the man before them, putting his cultivation realm aside, just the killing intent that seemed to have emerged from a heap of corpses was enough to make it difficult to breathe with just one glance.

The tall martial general who had killed several Autumn Sound Sect cultivators with a single sweep of his halberd urged his horse forward and finally reached the summit of Yin Mountain, which countless cultivators regarded as an immortal abode of cultivation.

Many foreign sect cultivators stared at the tall martial general sitting astride his horse, the great halberd in his hand continuously dripping blood, and for a moment, they were somewhat dazed.

Even if some history could no longer be heard of, in the recorded historical annals, there had never been an incident of a secular military force riding into a cultivation sect.

Even before today, when military officials of the warden faction had destroyed the Green Algae Sect, it had never been as shocking as a military force trampling Yin Mountain today!

The cultivators present could naturally guess the identity of this military force. They knew that these were the Great Liang frontier army that fought the demon race in the north, but they had never imagined that one day these men could truly abandon the demon race in the north and head directly south!

Soon, a second rider appeared here.

This rider wore white armor and carried a silver spear, with a young face.

“Listen well, everyone. Cultivators outside the Autumn Sound Sect, do not move, lest you be accidentally injured!”

The arrival was naturally Gao Xuan.

Unlike Li Changling, he had to say what needed to be said, lest things become troublesome later.

Li Changling could not be bothered with so much. This commander of the Northern Frontier cavalry had already engaged several Autumn Sound Sect elders at this moment. The realms of those cultivators were all quite high. They had simply taken Li Changling for an ordinary general, never imagining that this fierce general’s cultivation had already reached such a level.

Li Changling was not courteous either. He swung his great halberd, and one cultivator was directly split in two by it.

After that, figure after figure continued to appear on the mountaintop, each one riding a horse, each one filled with killing intent.

This scene was destined to remain in the cultivators’ memories for a very, very long time.

Gao Xuan said softly, “Autumn Sound Sect, all who refuse to surrender shall be killed!”

The young general’s words were spoken lightly, but they were filled with killing intent, making the cultivators shudder with fear.

But the response of those cavalrymen that followed was what truly left the cultivators with an unforgettable memory.

They did not respond. They merely ran their battle sabers across the skirts of their armor.

There was only the sound of blades.

Gao Xuan glanced at the cultivators over there, casually thrust his spear through an Autumn Sound Sect cultivator who tried to approach him, then slowly withdrew his silver spear and exhaled a breath of stale air.

It was as though at this very moment, all the pent-up humiliation suffered by the Northern Frontier frontier army for more than two hundred years had finally been completely released!

......

......

On the mountain path in the rear mountain.

Chen Chao, dressed in black, and Yue Xin slowly climbed the mountain.

The sounds of fighting from ahead had already reached them. The entire Yin Mountain had now fallen into chaos.

Yue Xin sighed emotionally. “I never thought Your Excellency would actually mobilize the frontier army from the Northern Frontier.”

Chen Chao smiled. “Are you wondering why? An Autumn Sound Sect, putting everything else aside, this official alone could easily deal with it. Even if this official was unwilling to make a move, the warden faction would be more than enough. So why go to such lengths to mobilize that frontier army? You should know that once they move, there will certainly be criticism from the court. After all, this is something that has never happened in more than two hundred years.”

Yue Xin was indeed puzzled, but merely said, “Your Excellency naturally has your own plans. This subordinate cannot figure them out, but I choose to believe in you.”

Chen Chao smiled and said on his own, “The frontier army heading south brings enormous trouble, but in this matter, it is they who have been wronged. If they have anger, then they should vent some of it. This trip south, putting everything else aside, will strengthen the morale of the army in the Northern Frontier even further.”

After a pause, Chen Chao added, “Of course, at this moment, this official also feels very happy. If someone bullies you and you fight back until they beg for mercy, how could you not be happy?”

As far as this matter was concerned, there were indeed troublesome consequences, but they were not something Chen Chao needed to consider. As the Great Liang’s Lord Warden Commander, he needed to consider what the common people thought and what the soldiers thought. As for those who held official positions, they could be placed further down the list.

“But why was Zhao Wuyan so easily persuaded by Your Excellency? From what this subordinate saw, he seemed to be quite highly valued on the mountain.”

At times, Yue Xin could not help but admire this immediate superior. Whether it was his methods or his judgment, both were beyond what she could match.

It had been the same when she saw Zhao Wuyan on the mountain before. In just two or three sentences, he had convinced Zhao Wuyan to do that thing.

Chen Chao smiled. “A person like Zhao Wuyan may not have much awe for the imperial court, but he has ambition. This official promised him an official position, so naturally he would be willing to work for this official.”

Yue Xin frowned. “But can someone like that really be used with confidence?”

Chen Chao glanced at the woman, thought for a moment, and said, “There is a saying among scholars. It was not originally about this matter, but it is worth hearing: ‘When discussing lust, judge the deed, not the heart; judge the heart, and there has never been a perfect person throughout the ages. ‘When discussing filial piety, judge the heart, not the deed; judge the deed, and there has never been a filial son in ten thousand years.’”

“With someone like this, in the future, he can simply be kept away from anything important. If he can handle ordinary matters properly, then use him. If he develops ulterior motives, kill him.”

Chen Chao sighed emotionally. “Recognizing people and putting them to use has never been easy. You need to cultivate yourself well.”

Yue Xin nodded thoughtfully.

Chen Chao glanced into the distance and rubbed his head. “Still, speaking is the easiest thing in the world. This official also quite like moving my lips, but there’s no way around it. There is always someone who has to...”

Before he could finish, a figure swept down from the end of the mountain path. In the blink of an eye, he was already before Chen Chao, moving so quickly that he was almost impossible to see clearly.

A fierce wind swept up, yet Chen Chao’s clothes merely fluttered. His entire body remained motionless, like a stone statue.

Even ripples appeared before him, instantly stopping the person in front of him.

At this moment, Yue Xin could clearly see the newcomer’s features. He was an unremarkable-looking middle-aged man. Without needing to make much of a deduction, it was clear that this person was the second sect master of Yin Mountain.

Likewise, a cultivator at the end of Nepenthe.

Such a realm should make one an unparalleled powerhouse no matter where one was.

Yet at this moment, he stood before Chen Chao, this Fuyun martial artist.

Chen Chao looked at him and said with a smile, “First time meeting, do take care of me?”

After saying this, Chen Chao raised his head and looked toward the mountains, sensing the surging demonic qi over there. He sighed emotionally, “Turns out it’s a demon lord.”