Martial Cultivator

Seeing the sudden appearance of this black-robed young man, Daoist Zhenye quickly guessed his identity.

The most outstanding young martial artist of this generation in the Great Liang Dynasty, Chen Chao.

His identity was unique. He was both a military official of the Great Liang Dynasty and a member of the Chen royal family, the half-brother of that Deposed Emperor.

Daoist Zhenye let out a cold laugh. “This penniless daoist thought no matter what, I wouldn't get to see you on this trip. This penniless daoist was sure you were destined to keep hiding from me.”

Chen Chao heard the words but paid no heed to the Daoist Zhenye before him. Instead, he looked at the teenage boy and beckoned him over. The teenager hesitated only briefly before walking toward Chen Chao. Daoist Zhenye did not stop him, simply allowing him to get close to Chen Chao.

Chen Chao reached out and gently ruffled the boy's hair before glancing at the two corpses lying nearby. They were precisely this teenage boy's father and brother.

“I'm sorry.”

Chen Chao opened his mouth, his voice light, tinged with weariness.

The boy shook his head and simply asked, “Lord Chen, may I stay and watch?”

Chen Chao replied, “You're already the historian of our Great Liang. What if what happens next is not to your liking?”

The boy answered seriously, “Before His Majesty left, he once asked my father a question. Now my father is dead, but the answer remains the same.”

Chen Chao nodded and said no more, pulling the boy behind him.

Only then did he finally turn to face that Daoist Zhenye.

The young martial artist remained silent for a moment before speaking. “Earlier, on the long street, that daoist killed a Great Liang commoner. It was the man who sold honey dates at the honey dates stall.”

Daoist Zhenye sneered. “Oh? Had dealings with him before?”

“Not exactly, but I did buy honey dates from his shop before.”

Chen Chao then pointed at the two corpses before him and said calmly, “Two historians of Great Liang, both dead at the hands of Daoist Master too.”

Daoist Zhenye let out a cold laugh. “Stubborn and ignorant. They deserved to die.”

Chen Chao nodded, seemingly lost in thought. “Someone like Daoist Master, seated high atop a mountain, naturally sees the common people as mere ants. Life and death, why bother caring? Killing a few people, a few dozen, even a hundred, what difference does it make? But it seems Daoist Master has forgotten something.”

Daoist Zhenye frowned slightly. “What is it?”

Chen Chao spoke slowly. “This is the Divine Capital. They were the people of Great Liang and officials of the imperial court. Daoist Master killed them, so you must pay with your life.”

Daoist Zhenye was momentarily stunned before bursting into laughter, as if he had just heard the most hilarious thing in the world. “Do you even hear yourself? Pay with my life?”

“Why don't you go ask that Crown Prince, does he dare to demand this penniless daoist's life?”

Chen Chao shook his head and took a few steps forward. “No need for such trouble. This official can make that decision myself.”

Before the words even finished, Chen Chao's figure had already vanished from where he stood. When he reappeared, he was less than a few yards from this Daoist Zhenye.

Within the Historical Pavilion, killing intent filled the air.

Daoist Zhenye frowned slightly. He had never expected this young martial artist to have such audacity, to actually dare attack him.

It was not that he did not understand Chen Chao's personality. If anything, given what this young martial artist had done in the past, making a move now was entirely within reason. But what puzzled him was Chen Chao's cultivation realm.

After all, he was merely a martial artist at the Great Beyond Realm currently. Such a martial artist might have some reputation in the world, but that depended on who he was standing in front of.

In front of him, what did a martial artist like that count for?

Daoist Zhenye quickly returned to his senses and curled his lips into a smile: Since you're not afraid of death and insist on attacking, then this penniless daoist will kill you today to prevent another peerless martial artist like the Great Liang Emperor from appearing in the world.

With this thought, Daoist Zhenye waved his large sleeve, and several of the purest daoist auras manifested in front of him, practically pushing forward barbarically.

Considering the disparity between them, Daoist Zhenye did not use any refined daoist techniques, thinking that his qi alone would be enough to suppress and kill this young martial artist, who seemed to be ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth.

However, what he did not expect was that due to his casual response would actually later lead to great consequences later on.

Several streams of daoist aura landed on Chen Chao, but the young martial artist, who had not drawn his saber, showed no intention of dodging. Instead, he charged forward, relying solely on his physical body.

Soon, Daoist Zhenye could feel the overwhelming pressure coming at him head-on, sensing that this young martial artist's blood vitality surged like an abyss.

Chen Chao pressed his palms against the qi in front of him. His five fingers curled like hooks, as though grabbing onto something, before suddenly tearing apart with his arms. With a tug, he tore the qi in front of him apart.

At this point, Chen Chao was less than ten feet away from Daoist Zhenye, and it seemed as though he would be closing in on him in the next instant.

Daoist Zhenye snorted coldly. Though he determined that Chen Chao was still just a Great Beyond Realm martial artist, he was not willing to let him get too close. Daoist Zhenye swiftly retreated, putting distance between himself and the martial artist.

Creating distance from a martial artist was common sense among cultivators of the time, no one would be foolish enough to engage in close combat with a martial artist.

But in the next moment, his eyes widened in shock.

A terrifying and immense aura erupted from the tip of Chen Chao's fist, expanding like a thunderclap, pushing forward in layers. In the blink of an eye, it had crossed the more than ten-foot distance and arrived in front of Daoist Zhenye.

Daoist Zhenye's robe rippled as if the surface of a lake was being disturbed by the wind, unable to calm down. The terrifying aura had already passed through his robe and landed on his body in an instant.

With a muffled thud, Daoist Zhenye staggered backward involuntarily.

"Nepenthe?!"

Feeling the terrifying qi that had struck him, Daoist Zhenye finally realized that the young martial artist before him, at some point, had already reached this level of cultivation.

He was somewhat shocked, likely not having anticipated that this young martial artist would progress so quickly.

The entire foreign lands recognized Yun Jianyue as a young prodigy, yet he had merely glimpsed the threshold of Nepenthe right now. He was still in seclusion, it was unknown when he would be able to step into Nepenthe.

But who could have imagined that this young martial artist had also been in closed-seclusion for a long time, and upon emerging, he had already reached Nepenthe.

A hint of murderous intent flashed across Daoist Zhenye's eyes. Such a genius could not be allowed to live.

However, before he could fully form this thought, a face suddenly appeared before him. It was a rather pale face, weary and tired, with exhaustion visible at his glabella.

Daoist Zhenye was struck with immense shock in his heart. He tried to retreat, but before he could, a fist slammed into his chest. Chen Chao's powerful punch was heavy and without any flashiness. It directly caved Daoist Zhenye's chest in.

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