Martial Cultivator

The gathering of demonic clouds signaled that a great demon had already arrived nearby, having detected their presence.

“Run.”

Without hesitation, Yu Xiyi spat out the word and bolted forward at full speed. Chen Chao cursed under his breath and quickly followed. All the bravado from earlier had just been jokes, when faced with a great demon, their best option was naturally to flee.

Even at their peak, they would not stand a chance against a great demon, let alone now, when both of them were barely clinging to life. If they fought, it would only result in their two heads rolling.

The two sped through the snow, quickly covering several miles.

Yu Xiyi was still somewhat considerate and chose not to ride his sword, or else Chen Chao would have been left behind to face the demon alone as a sacrifice.

However, after running dozens of miles, they could still feel the oppressive aura bearing down on them. A great demon, a powerhouse who had stepped fully into the Nepenthe Realm, was not something they could simply outrun by sheer will.

So, after covering a few dozen miles, they both stopped in unison, realizing they had no other way out.

Chen Chao hesitated for a moment, turning to glance at the black cloud looming in the distance. He said quietly “Why don't you leave first? Your flying sword is fast, you might actually make it out alive. Later, when you've sorted things out and become a sword immortal, you could come back and avenge me by killing that demon. It's not too much to ask.”

Yu Xiyi had a disdainful look, “Your Father isn't interested in avenging anyone.”

Chen Chao shifted gears and said, "Then I'll run first, and you hold him off. Once I've achieved success in my cultivation, I'll definitely come back and avenge you."

Yu Xiyi's mouth twitched slightly, seemingly at a loss for words.

But then, both of them burst into laughter.

They knew that no matter who ran first, death was likely inevitable. It was just a question of who would die first and who would die later. Staying and fighting together might actually give them a sliver of hope.

Yu Xiyi exhaled deeply and said softly, "I have a way to kill him, but there's only one chance; fleeting and quick. We need to seize it perfectly."

Chen Chao raised his eyebrows and said helplessly, "I always knew you cultivators had all sorts of tricks. Unlike me, I've only got this saber at my waist."

Yu Xiyi ignored him and continued on his own, "I have a great talisman from the Sword Sect. It contains the full-strength attack of a great sword immortal, but it can only be used once. After that, though it may kill him, timing is critical. Also, once this talisman is used, if we encounter another great demon, we're as good as dead."

Chen Chao thought for a moment and then said quietly, "Do you still remember that piece of paper?"

Yu Xiyi nodded his head.

That piece of paper was something they had discovered together long ago. But Yu Xiyi was focused solely on the sword path. Although he knew it contained many hidden secrets, he had not paid it much mind. But now, that paper could prove invaluable.

The two exchanged a glance, nodded at each other, and said no more.

Chen Chao slowly drew his saber from its sheath, gripping Cloud Mud tightly.

In the blink of an eye, the dark cloud had approached just before the two of them. As the demonic cloud dispersed, a towering dharma idol appeared in front of them.

Seeing this scene, Chen Chao cursed loudly, "How is this so fucking outrageous?!"

Yu Xiyi also smiled bitterly. Neither of them had expected that the great demon before them would be so cautious. To deal with two cultivators who had not even reached the Nepenthe Realm, he had summoned this massive dharma idol right from the start, showing none of the arrogance typical of a great demon.

Despite the frustration, Yu Xiyi quickly delivered a sword strike. The sword qi of Wild Grass surged, and before the towering dharma idol could act, this strike had already pierced through the air!

A verdant green hue spread across heaven and earth.

Wild grass was after all one of the most resilient and tenacious lifeforms in the world. Even when scorched by wildfire, it could still spring back to life with the arrival of spring.

Wildfire could not burn it all, and the spring wind would bring it back to life.

Yu Xiyi's strike was also infused with boundless life force. Amidst the wind and snow, it felt entirely out of place.

However, though this sword strike was powerful, it began to falter after slicing through the wind and snow. Before reaching the dharma idol, it started to weaken, eventually being engulfed by the vast demonic qi in the sky and dissipating into the wind and snow.

The gap was still too large, and on top of that, Yu Xiyi's current state was extremely poor.

Chen Chao let out a sigh, this outcome was expected.

After a brief pause, that dharma idol brought down an incomparably massive palm from the sky.

It blotted out the sun!

In an instant, it seemed like the sky had turned dark.

A burst of saber energy exploded, and in that moment, Chen Chao slashed with his saber!

Although Yu Xiyi's previous sword strike had failed, it did not affect his resolve. As Chen Chao struck with his saber, Yu Xiyi also followed up with his sword.

A flash of sword light similarly illuminated heaven and earth.

The two of them joined forces, resisting a great demon!

However, the saber beam shattered in an instant, and the sword light dimmed as well. In front of that massive hand, their efforts seemed almost laughable.

As the saber beam and sword light broke apart, the giant palm pressed down.

Chen Chao cursed under his breath, his entire body's qi surging as he slashed once again.

In that moment, a faint dragon's roar echoed through the heavens.

Dragon Rearing Head!

As Chen Chao straightened his body, a cold, indifferent voice echoed from within the wind and snow.

"Mhm?"

The snowstorm shattered in all directions, and the immense pressure bore down, making it difficult for Chen Chao and Yu Xiyi to breathe.

Fortunately, Chen Chao's strike had halted the descent of the giant hand.

Yu Xiyi pulled out the Sword Sect’s great talisman, and a stream of sword qi slowly landed on it.

Between heaven and earth, an ethereal sword intent began to gather.

The great demon whose whereabouts were unknown sensed this powerful and terrifying sword intent. Although it had only just begun to reveal itself, it was already fearsome enough.

However, the sword intent flickered and soon became intermittent.

Yu Xiyi's face turned pale as he spat out a mouthful of blood, the sword intent on the Sword Sect's great talisman quickly dissipating.

But he gritted his teeth and forced another stream of sword intent into it.

The great demon had been watching Yu Xiyi closely. Seeing this scene, it understood that Yu Xiyi lacked the strength to fully activate the talisman, and was barely holding on.

Since that was the case, it could not allow Yu Xiyi to activate this Sword Sect great talisman.

His figure vanished, the dharma idol remained unchanged, but his true body had already appeared within the snowstorm.

It was a tall man.

After a few steps, he was already in front of Yu Xiyi. One hand reached out, demonic qi surging, aiming to destroy the Sword Sect's great talisman before Yu Xiyi could fully activate it.

The other hand slammed down fiercely toward Yu Xiyi.

Seeing this, Yu Xiyi shouted, "Chen Chao?!"

At the same time these two words were yelled out, Yu Xiyi spat a mouthful of blood essence, sliding back several yards.

At the same time, Chen Chao who was next to him also coughed up blood but rushed toward Yu Xiyi in an instant.

The great demon was somewhat confused, what kind of play was this?

No matter how far Yu Xiyi retreated, that stream of demonic qi would continue to pursue him. Even if Chen Chao blocked it, it would not matter because he would kill Chen Chao first, and then Yu Xiyi.

But as Chen Chao blocked in front of Yu Xiyi, a single page floated into the air.

It blocked right in front of him.

Countless dazzling golden lights appeared between heaven and earth at that moment.

Illuminating the snowstorm!

The great demon's demonic qi was entirely consumed, then reflected back by the golden light, causing him to stagger and retreat continuously.

Yu Xiyi's figure flashed past, arriving to the side as he once again summoned the Sword Sect's great talisman.

It was not that he could not activate the talisman, he simply aimed to ensure that if he was going to use it, the great demon before him would be slain on the spot.

But the prerequisite was... it had to hit him.

Therefore...

Yu Xiyi took a deep breath.

The great talisman was activated.

Sword intent surged endlessly between heaven and earth.

A sword that might be the most terrifying in the world had descended into the mortal realm!