Martial Cultivator

Onan River

The Onan River was regarded as the mother river by the demon race. Legend had it that countless years ago, a mother beast gave birth to a cub by the banks of the Onan River. The young beast grew up there, and one day, it awakened its intelligence by the river. Gradually, it discovered a method of cultivation, learning to absorb the essence of heaven and earth for its own use. Later, it even created some demonic art and passed it on to other wild beasts, marking the origin of the demon race.

The demon race’s descendants revered this fierce beast as the Demon Ancestor, and the Onan River had since become a sacred site for countless years.

Though the demon race and the human race had been in conflict for many years, with the occasional victory, no battle had ever reached the Onan River. The demon race's royal city lay beyond the river, and if the human army ever reached its banks, it would signify the demon race was on the brink of extinction.

The human army had never come close to the river, and few human cultivators had ever returned unscathed after reaching the Onan River. The most recent person to do so was Chen Che, the current Emperor of the Great Liang Dynasty.

Chen Chao looked at Yu Xiyi and said, "Right now, the demon race's attention is all on the desolate north. No one would expect us to head towards the Onan River."

Yu Xiyi nodded, "Precisely so."

Chen Chao could not help but sigh, "You really are bold."

Yu Xiyi smiled, "If we really must die, dying at the Onan River wouldn't be too bad."

Chen Chao’s face remained expressionless, "I don't want to die."

Yu Xiyi was still smiling as he gazed into the distance and said nonchalantly, "Heading down south is nearly impossible, and the road up north won't be any easier. Venturing deeper into the demon race's hinterland might be unexpected, but whether we make it out alive will depend on how much our lives are worth."

Chen Chao frowned and said, "Even if we make it to the Onan River alive, the demon race will still see it as an act of provocation. By then, it won't just be a matter of one or two great demons."

Yu Xiyi struggled to sit up, smiling as he said, "Not necessarily. Right now, all their attention is focused on the desolate north. We don't have to get close to the demon race's royal city. If we head to the lower reaches of the Onan River, we might even slip past right under their noses. By the time they can't find us and think we've left the desolate north, we can head south again. That's at least a much better situation than we're in now."

Chen Chao thought for a moment, narrowing his eyes, "There's some logic to that."

Yu Xiyi ignored him, tossing a Sword Essence Pill into his mouth, chewing it with difficulty, and after swallowing it with effort, he squinted and smiled, "Do you have the guts?"

Chen Chao sneered, "They all call me Chen the Bold. If there's one thing I don't lack, it's guts."

Yu Xiyi smiled without saying a word.

Chen Chao carried him onto his back once more, grinning, "Then let's make a trip to the Onan River."

……

……

The south was teeming with the figure of demons, blocking the way for many young human cultivators, indirectly trapping large numbers of human cultivators on the desolate northern plains.

Compared to the young demon cultivators, the human cultivators here were neither superior in cultivation realm nor in numbers.

Fortunately, judging from the casualties on both sides, none of the most talented human cultivators had suffered any major setbacks, whereas the demon race had already lost Yuan Ling. This might explain why the demon race had mobilized so early.

Chen Chao and Yu Xiyi traveled north, running straight for the Onan River, encountering relatively few troubles along the way. The closer they got to the river, the fewer demons they saw. Along the way, they came across several human cultivators, but the two avoided making contact. Given their sensitive status, it was better not to interact with those cultivators, as any contact might implicate them.

But during their journey, they overheard many things they had not known before.

Chen Chao asked, "What's the deal with that young monk from Deercry Monastery?"

By this time, Yu Xiyi had recovered quite a bit and was able to walk on his own. Hearing the question, he thought for a moment before responding softly, "It's said that he's a disciple of that very old monk. He' spent years cultivating in seclusion at the temple and has never appeared in the world before. He's practicing some kind of reclusive meditation. No one knows why he's come to the desolate north now, but his cultivation realm shouldn't be low. After all, he's one of Deercry Monastery's hidden treasures. However, he's not well-known, so he probably won't attract much attention. Anyway, the ones drawing all the attention now are you two, the problematic couple."

Chen Chao frowned, "Can you watch your mouth?"

Yu Xiyi burst out laughing.

The two crossed a snowy mountain, the wind and snow rushing at their faces, revealing a vast and boundless plain before them.

Chen Chao stretched out his hands and exhaled, but felt no warmth, only a sense of futility.

Yu Xiyi sighed, "Now that I think about it, I really don't think we should die here."

Chen Chao saw through Yu Xiyi's thoughts and said, "You still can't let go of that woman."

Yu Xiyi did not try to hide it and said straightforwardly, "That's right. For years, I sealed away those memories, so I naturally won't know if I can't remember. But now that I've suddenly recalled them, it feels like I haven't seen her in such a long time. Even though she's already married, I still want to see her one more time. We won't even have to talk, just seeing her from a distance would be enough."

Yu Xiyi smiled, "Maybe after seeing her, I'll finally be able to move on."

Chen Chao teased, "Oh? You're letting go that quickly? I was hoping you'd linger on this for a few more decades, so when I move ahead of you, you'd never be able to catch up in this lifetime."

Yu Xiyi said seriously, "I still have to thank you for what you said."

Chen Chao waved it off as if it were nothing.

The two exchanged a smile and continued on their way.

……

……

A middle-aged man with green hair had been running wildly for a long time before he finally arrived at the battlefield.

The wind and snow had already erased most traces of the battle, but the long ravine stretching for who knows how many miles remained. As for the snow mountain that had been cleaved in two by a sword, it was impossible to hide.

Standing beside the ravine, the middle-aged man from the Green Ape Clan sensed the remnants of sword qi and demonic qi lingering in the air. He furrowed his brows and muttered, "A Great Sword Immortal?"

His expression grew serious. Detecting the traces of a great sword immortal in the wind and snow was not a good sign. No matter how much of an advantage the demon race held over the human race, when faced with such an absolute disparity in cultivation realm, he knew there was not much he could do.

After searching the snow for a long time, he finally found a single finger bone in an inconspicuous area.

It was the only trace left after that demon had been slain by the great sword immortal with one strike.

The man with green hair frowned, watching the finger bone in his palm as it instantly shattered into countless pieces. Each fragment bore extremely neat cuts that were unmistakably left by a sharp weapon.

It was truly a great sword immortal.

Now certain, the green-haired man's face remained expressionless as he walked to the spot where Chen Chao and Yu Xiyi had previously stood. After a moment's hesitation, he began tracking the two, following their trail southward.

His figure soon disappeared into the wind and snow, and could no longer be seen.

Shortly after his departure, a young monk dressed in black robes arrived at the scene. Monks in the world rarely wore black, the last one whose reputation shook the world was the demon monk who had served as the Nation Teacher of Great Liang.

The monk held a string of ash-colored prayer beads in his hand. Aside from that, he carried no other adornments.

The young monk's face could not be considered handsome, and even saying that he had delicate features would be a stretch. He was the kind of person who, if thrown into a crowd, no one would be able to pick out. However, the young monk's eyes were calm; as serene as still water.

Standing before the snow-covered mountain that was cleaved apart by a single sword strike, the young monk felt the wind and snow mixed with residual sword qi sweeping over him. With a slight sigh, he murmured softly, “It's so rare to send out a sword strike, but alas, it was just a sword strike.”

The young monk glanced southward, shook his head, and then turned to walk northward.

In the snow, what he left behind were not footprints, but a field of lotus flowers.

……

……

Knowing that the Great Liang Emperor had already gone north, Xie Nandu and her companions turned south. With Liu Banbi and Wei Xu by her side, there was nothing much to worry about. Returning safely to the Northern Frontier Great Wall should not be too difficult.

Liu Banbi seemed like he wanted to say something but held back in the end. Sheathing Embracing Cicada, he casually followed behind the group.

Wei Xu was as steady as ever. However, after only half a day, this Mr Wei from the academy suddenly stopped in his tracks and looked toward the wind and snow. Liu Banbi also straightened up, his expression serious.

Gao Xuan noticed the unease of the two Nepenthe powerhouses and grew tense as well, thinking that another great demon might be blocking their path ahead.

But as the wind and snow dispersed, an emperor robe appeared before them.

Gao Xuan reacted the fastest, immediately dropping to one knee and shouting, “This humble general greets Your Majesty!”

The remaining few members of the academy all bowed in respect too.

But all of them were equally shaken.

After all, the one who had arrived was none other than the Great Liang Emperor himself.

Wei Xu and Liu Banbi also bowed slightly. Especially Liu Banbi, whose eyes were filled with admiration as he looked at the Great Liang Emperor standing amidst the wind and snow.

The Great Liang Emperor walked slowly toward them, glanced at Gao Xuan, and said calmly, “Rise.”

Only then, did Gao Xuan stand, though his expression remained excited. If it was before the Great Liang Emperor had appeared in the desolate north, the Northern Frontier Army only held awe for him. Ever since the Great Liang Emperor had crossed the desolate north alone, the majority of the Northern Frontier Army now felt a genuine admiration for him.

In the over two hundred years of Great Liang Dynasty history, or even further back, the only one who had crossed the desolate north alone was this very emperor.

“Gao Xuan? When We were in the Divine Capital, We already knew of you. Back in the day, Xiao Hezheng gave Us a list, and your name was near the top.” “We'll all grow old and die. In the future, whether it's the Northern Frontier or the Great Liang, it will depend on young people like you.”

The Great Liang Emperor glanced at Gao Xuan and said only one sentence, yet it left Gao Xuan unable to remain calm.

The Great Liang Emperor then looked at Liu Banbi, smiling, “Liu Banbi, when will you step into the realm of Great Sword Immortal?”

Liu Banbi chuckled, “Now that Your Majesty mentioned it, I'd better hurry.”

The Great Liang Emperor simply smiled and said no more.

Finally, this Great Liang Emperor turned to Xie Nandu and asked calmly, “Follow Us?”

The purpose of his journey north was clear without needing to be said.

Xie Nandu did not hesitate and nodded.

Gao Xuan hesitated, wanting to speak but holding back.

Understanding Gao Xuan's thoughts, the Great Liang Emperor unexpectedly made a joke, “It's not as if he's the man you’re fond of, what are you following for?”