Martial Cultivator

A figure in black passed through a battlefield. The great battle was already over, and judging from the looks of it, Great Liang had claimed victory. There was no other reason, just seeing that the field was covered with demon corpses and not a single Great Liang soldier's body was evidence enough.

The Great Liang's frontier army had always upheld a tradition: once a great battle ended, if they had won, they would certainly carry away the corpses of their comrades-in-arms, never leaving them in the desolate north to become wandering souls.

Even if they were defeated in battle, should the frontier army later come upon the battlefield, they would bury the bones of their comrades nearby, so that they would not be left to rot beneath the open skies.

But over so many years, the soldiers of the frontier army whose corpses were never found and thus rotted away, turning to white bones, were still far, far too many.

That figure in black walked amid the demon corpses, then rubbed his brow somewhat wearily.

Since entering the desolate north until now, even if the frontier army soldiers could not be said to be fighting every day, this figure in black had, from the time he entered the desolate north until now, likely fought at least a dozen times. The most perilous, naturally, was that time when several great demons joined forces. Afterwards, though he had not encountered a situation quite like that again, from time to time he still crossed blows with the demons' great demons, which left Chen Chao somewhat tired.

Yet all throughout his journey, Chen Chao had never thought of hiding his whereabouts. Aside from wanting to ease the pressure on Great Liang's other powerhouses, he also had a small intention: to tell Xie Nandu, I have already arrived in the desolate north. You can set your mind at ease and put all your focus on commanding troops and waging war. Outside your battlefield, you need not worry about anything.

At this point, Chen Chao had already handled most of the other matters, and those he had not dealt with for the time being did not require his attention. If, later on, there came a time when many things demanded his presence, then even if the northern campaign reached a stalemate, he might not be able to appear here.

Chen Chao knew nothing about leading troops in war. Not that he was born dull, on the contrary, he was not at all stupid. If he were willing to devote effort and study diligently, he likely would be no worse than men like Gao Xuan. Except, Chen Chao felt he already had too many things on his shoulders. Besides, with Xie Nandu in the north, such matters could be left to her.

Chen Chao sensed the remnant auras between heaven and earth that still lingered. Though they appeared tangled and mixed, in truth there were only two.

Both auras were exceedingly domineering.

These two auras came from the two emperors of this world, the supreme figures standing at the very peak of the demon race and the human race.

It could be said that the matters of the world all lay within the scope of their thoughts. To say that everything was decided with but a single word from them would not be too much of an exaggeration.

Sensing the auras, Chen Chao's mind began to continuously deduce the battle between these two Emperors on that day. Though a long time had already passed, traces of those auras still remained. Coupled with Chen Chao's cultivation realm now, although it was impossible for him to know every detail of that battle, by observing fragments and signs, he still managed to glean much that was useful.

"So it turns out you both took a step forward."

Chen Chao's expression was somewhat complicated. The two emperors had long been existences at the very end of Nepenthe. Taking a step forward naturally meant breaking through Nepenthe and reaching an even higher realm.

In these thousand years among the human race, no cultivator had ever been clearly recorded to reach that realm. Presumably, it was the same on the demon race's side. Yet now, Chen Chao was utterly certain that in that final battle, both emperors had each taken a step forward, becoming cultivators of a higher existence.

The Great Liang Emperor had now disappeared without a trace, while the Demon Emperor remained seated within the Demon Realm.

This was the only one in the world above Nepenthe.

Chen Chao's mood was somewhat heavy, though it was not something that he could not accept.

In this era, whether it was Yun Jianyue or Chen Chao himself, both had traversed a long road in an extremely short time. They were geniuses. But was the Demon Emperor any less so?

Could it be that only they were allowed to take steps forward, while others must stand still and halt their advance?

There was no such logic.

It was only that while Chen Chao could accept this reality, he still found it troublesome.

The Demon Emperor had become a towering mountain before him, one he would likely have to resolve someday.

Because after the Great Liang Emperor's departure, Chen Chao himself had become the highest mountain of Great Liang, the final reliance of all.

"Still need more time."

Chen Chao shook his head. He did not think himself inferior to anyone, but he still needed much more time.

After all, the Demon Emperor was now the strongest powerhouse in this world.

Chen Chao was a powerhouse, but he was not yet the strongest.

Thinking of this, he gripped his saber.

When he came back to his senses, Chen Chao suddenly noticed that not far away, there was a person.

It was a middle-aged monk with a sorrowful expression, wearing a gray monk robe patched in many places. One could not tell how many years he had worn it.

Chen Chao looked at him and sensed a familiar aura, from which he judged that he was from Deercry Monastery.

In the past, the relationship between Great Liang and Deercry Monastery had been very good, because the Nation Teacher had come from there. But recently, some problems seemed to have arisen. Because of Chen Chao's actions outside the mortal realm, they had begun to feel some concern.

Thus, Deercry Monastery's attitude toward Great Liang had lately become quite subtle.

Although the elder monk Pingdu still treated Chen Chao fairly well, there was another old monk in Deercry Monastery who was still alive. Though he seldom involved himself in worldly affairs, when it came to matters concerning the survival of Deercry Monastery, many within the temple would likely heed his opinion.

Because of all these reasons, Chen Chao felt it rather strange to encounter a monk of Deercry Monastery here.

That middle-aged monk noticed Chen Chao looking his way. He pressed his palms together and softly said, "This humble monk is Xuankong. I pay my respects to Lord Warden Commander."

Chen Chao silently nodded in return, without foolishly asking how the other knew his identity.

"Master, instead of cultivating quietly in the monastery, what business brings you here?"

Chen Chao glanced at the middle-aged monk. In truth, he understood. Since he had been able to cross the Northern Frontier Great Wall, it meant that the General's Office had already verified his identity and found nothing amiss.

The middle-aged monk was calm and straightforward, saying plainly, "This destitute monk did not come here to fight the demons, but only to see what the battlefield of that past great battle was truly like, to understand what sort of contest took place between the two mighty existences who represented the end of cultivation."

Regarding the monk Xuankong's candor, Chen Chao instead found himself somewhat appreciative. Turning his head, he looked at the monk before him and asked with a smile, "Then what did Master see?"

Monk Xuankong shook his head and said softly, "This destitute monk has cultivated bitterly for so many years, yet has only just barely reached the realm of Nepenthe. Not to mention those two emperors, even compared to Lord Warden Commander, this destitute monk is far inferior. Though this destitute monk has watched for a long time, I have never been able to discern any true essence."

Chen Chao remained silent.

The monk Xuankong smiled and said, "Lord Warden Commander's realm is profound, and in your cultivation there are faint traces of His Majesty's shadow. Together with the bloodline connection, I fear you can perceive far more than this destitute monk. I hope Lord Warden Commander will not begrudge giving some guidance."

Chen Chao asked, "What does Master wish to know?"

The monk Xuankong asked, "Has Lord Warden Commander discerned the outcome of the battle between the two emperors?"

At present, the Demon Emperor was holding down the fort in the Demon Realm, while the Great Liang Emperor had vanished without a trace. Many, simply looking at this result, could already guess that in that battle between the two emperors, it was most likely the Demon Emperor who prevailed over the Great Liang Emperor. Yet though people looked at it so, and guessed so, the answer still required proof.

Chen Chao looked at the monk Xuankong and said calmly, "What Master wishes to know is His Majesty's whereabouts?"

The monk Xuankong glanced at Chen Chao, then sighed and said, "Back when His Majesty was still present, we never truly considered what it would be like if His Majesty were no longer. But now that His Majesty is absent, and the demon race has gone to war with Great Liang, this destitute monk..."

Before the monk Xuankong could finish speaking, Chen Chao looked at him and said indifferently, "What does Master fear? So long as this official is still alive, there will always be a place for Master to cultivate in peace under the heavens."

The monk Xuankong looked at Chen Chao without speaking. The young martial artist before him was not yet thirty, but in the blink of an eye, it seemed as though the weight of the entire world had already fallen upon his shoulders.

How could they, who had lived decades or even centuries, not feel ashamed?

The monk Xuankong said softly, "Lord Warden Commander has worked hard. This destitute monk hopes that one day I may offer what little strength I can."

Chen Chao did not take it to heart. The monks of Deercry Monastery immersed themselves in cultivation and meditation. To have them leave their temple was no easy matter. Perhaps only on the day when all of Divine Continent was sinking would those monks leave Deercry Monastery. But by then, who could say if it would already be too late?

Not all matters in the world could wait. Just like with the woman one loved, if one did not tell her, and merely waited, when one turned back, that girl might already be standing beside another man. Turn back again, and perhaps she would already be holding a child by the hand.

Chen Chao glanced at the horizon and shook his head. "Master, go quickly. Linger even a moment longer, and you may find it hard to leave."

At that moment, the monk Xuankong also glanced into the distance. With a single look, he saw the demonic qi surging like waves. It was clear that another great demon was heading toward them.

The target was naturally Chen Chao.

The monk Xuankong furrowed his brows and asked, "Lord Warden Commander cannot handle it?"

Chen Chao was startled, then reacted with a smile. This monk Xuankong's meaning was very clear: if Chen Chao could handle it, then there was no need for him to leave. But if Chen Chao could not, then it seemed he himself would not be able to escape either.

Chen Chao laughed and said, "Since Master is unwilling to leave, then you can only watch as this official commits the sin of slaughter here."

The monk Xuankong said solemnly, "Those who ought to be slain, those demons who ought to be slain, killing them is not committing the sin of slaughter."

Before the words had even finished, the aura around Chen Chao was already surging forth. His blood vitality was like an abyss, boiling without end.

Among martial artists, there was a special saying: each martial artist was like a walking cauldron furnace. To judge the killing power of a martial artist, one need not look at their realm, merely at how fierce the fire within that furnace burned.

And at this moment, Chen Chao, this furnace...

Its fire blazed to the heavens.