Martial Cultivator

Chen Chao quickly burst out of the snow that had buried him, but by the time he emerged, Autumn was already standing in the distance.

Without hesitation, Chen Chao threw a punch across the air. His immense qi surged, creating a massive fist-shaped force that formed between heaven and earth, rapidly descending towards her.

With Autumn as the center, an area of several dozen feet began to compress under the pressure, with the wind and snow compacting into crystalline ice.

However, this scene did not last long. The ice quickly shattered, exploding into countless shards that scattered in all directions.

Standing in the center of this vortex, Autumn merely smiled faintly. She tapped her toe on the ground and leaped into the air, ignoring the massive fist force as she soared up. Suspending in mid-air, it seemed as though a new world had formed around her at this moment. She walked effortlessly through the sky as if it were solid ground.

The demon race princess glanced down at Chen Chao and smiled. "Aren't you afraid that if you don't draw your saber now, you won't be able to do so when you need it?"

Without waiting for Chen Chao to respond, Autumn stomped heavily. Chen Chao felt as though the space above him had vanished. It was as if a massive mountain was suddenly crashing down on him at this moment.

The ground around him began to sink, gradually forming a large pit with Chen Chao at its center.

Chen Chao looked up at the woman high above him.

Autumn nodded slightly, then slowly pressed her hands downward.

Under the immense pressure of the surrounding force, Chen Chao who was originally still able to stand firm, now had to bow his head.

His clothes, especially at the shoulders, had already torn in several places, revealing numerous holes.

Chen Chao lowered his head and smiled.

Autumn was using the power of heaven and earth to suppress him. It was a clever idea, but both of them were severely injured and nearly evenly matched. If she insisted on forcing the situation, it would undoubtedly become a protracted battle, with the outcome depending on who could endure longer.

Chen Chao was not very worried.

But in the next moment, the sudden descent of the woman above caught him by surprise.

Autumn fell from the sky, landing a foot on Chen Chao's shoulder.

Chen Chao's legs nearly buckled, as if he would collapse to his knees at any second. However, in that critical moment, he gritted his teeth and stood up, straightening his body.

He then reached out to grab Autumn's ankle, but she kicked out, reappearing before him. She grabbed Chen Chao by the collar and effortlessly tossed him upward. Chen Chao's body wavered, struggling to stabilize himself in mid-air, but the woman was already upon him like a shadow. She delivered a heavy punch to his abdomen.

Chen Chao winced in pain, but still managed to grab hold of Autumn's other hand, then lunged forward, attempting a headbutt.

Autumn tilted her head, unwilling to engage in such childish antics with Chen Chao. However, this left their positions somewhat awkward, and for a brief moment, Chen Chao even caught a whiff of a strange fragrance. But in the next instant, pain shot through Chen Chao's abdomen, forcing him to fall back.

But even at this point, Chen Chao showed no intention of drawing his saber, which only made Autumn more cautious.

She had already seen how cunning Chen Chao could be. He was not someone to be underestimated as just another ordinary young man. If she did, she might really end up dead by his hand.

Autumn struck Chen Chao hard, sending him crashing into the snow. But as she prepared to press the attack and finish him off, Chen Chao had already vanished into the snow.

However, with Autumn’s heavy step, the surrounding snowstorm exploded instantly, forcing Chen Chao to reveal himself again.

The two were now separated by several dozen yards.

Chen Chao looked at Autumn and said with a hint of helplessness, “Even with injuries like this, you're still so relentless. Just how much do you want to kill me?”

Autumn had made a considerable effort earlier, which had undoubtedly consumed a lot of her energy. Such a fierce attack would eventually lead to exhaustion, and she would sooner or later fall into a weakened state. Chen Chao had previously sheathed his saber to leave a way out for himself. But if the woman before him continued to be so reckless, he would have to deploy that backup plan sooner rather than later.

At present, Autumn seemed like a raging fire fueled by a fierce wind. Although the blaze was intense, once the wind passed and the combustible materials were consumed, Autumn would likely fall into decline.

But since Chen Chao could see the current situation clearly, Autumn could naturally understand clearly too.

“You want to kill me, but that doesn't mean I'm ready to die,” Chen Chao exhaled a mouthful of white mist. He let the mist circulate through his body and smiled, “Autumn, I'm also curious about what lies beyond your human exterior.”

Autumn sneered, “Do you really think you have what it takes?”

Chen Chao chuckled, “Who knows.”

Autumn remained silent, as if finding it rather boring, and merely furrowed her brows.

Chen Chao slowly drew his saber. As Cloud Mud emerged just an inch from its sheath, a humming already echoed between heaven and earth.

When talking about swords and sabers, people only spoke of sword cultivators with admiration. They would say that the movements of a sword cultivator were supremely elegant, how the mere shift of a sword would produce a continuous melody of sword cries, and how a single thrust could lead to a river of sword qi that stirred the heavens. These impressive and visually striking techniques were mostly associated with sword cultivators. Martial artists like Chen Chao were rarely mentioned in such glowing terms. It was already considered high praise if they were not labeled uncouth.

Grace and refinement were qualities that seemed worlds away from them.

Yet at this moment, as Chen Chao drew his saber, there was indeed a trace of elegance. Though he was far from being a figure of ethereal grace, this young martial artist, with his mind focused and determined, made a striking impression. His black hair was blown by the wind, and his already tattered black robe fluttered fiercely.

Autumn said with curiosity, “What's this? Are you planning to reveal your trump card now? Hoping to kill me with one decisive strike?”

Chen Chao remained silent. As he continued to draw his saber, a grating sound began to emerge from the wind and snow behind him. Countless tiny snowflakes were sliced in half by the subtle aura concealed within the storm as they approached Chen Chao.

If one had sharp enough eyes, they would see that the cuts on those snowflakes were remarkably neat.

Autumn was expressionless, but after a brief moment, she muttered to herself, "It actually resembles sword qi."

Chen Chao paid her no heed and continued to draw his saber slowly.

He recalled listening to the Sword Immortal Liu Banbi talk about Sword Dao, where he learned that a sword cultivator must harbor a breath(qi) within their heart. At the time, he was entirely ignorant of Sword Dao and could not grasp the mysteries involved. But after ascending Sword Qi Mountain, where he reforged his saber, he began to vaguely comprehend certain aspects of sword qi through the process of sword forging. Only then did he realize that this so-called breath was not exclusive to sword cultivators, nor was it something that could only be nurtured within a sword sheath.

In truth, every cultivator, regardless of their sect or discipline, should possess such a breath.

Now, Chen Chao intended to rely on this breath to engage in a second battle with the demon race princess before him.

In the first battle, he had been cornered and forced to defend himself passively. But in this second battle, he was not going to let that happen again.

No martial artist in the world would willingly remain on the defensive, passively taking a beating.

Even when constrained by circumstances, they would just bide their time, patiently waiting for the right moment. Martial artists have always been meant to advance boldly, without caring about the consequences.

Chen Chao no longer wanted to wait for the right moment, he wanted to act impulsively for once.

This decision was actually contrary to his usual principles, but perhaps after witnessing the shocking sight of that towering skeletal mound at the Small Hill Sect, Chen Chao was unwilling to show any further restraint toward the demon princess standing before him.

"Drawing your saber? If I don't allow you to draw it, how could you possibly draw it?!"

A sudden thunderclap echoed beside Chen Chao's ears, reverberating through heaven and earth. Autumn had somehow already pierced through the wind and snow, appearing right in front of him. This demon princess' complexion was slightly pale, and she held a snow sword in her hand. Without hesitation, she struck toward Chen Chao's wrist with her palm.

The last time they met, Autumn had prevented Chen Chao from drawing his saber, and he had indeed been unable to do so. Was history about to repeat itself?

At this moment, Cloud Mud was already partially unsheathed, its gleaming white blade glinting in the space between heaven and earth.

However, as Autumn's palm thrust forward, it barely advanced a few inches before several thin, mysterious lines of blood appeared on her wrist. Autumn frowned slightly, her eyes turning white once more, and only then did she perceive a scene almost invisible to the naked eye.

Surrounding Chen Chao, countless saber lights had materialized, forming striking white lines that stretched conspicuously across heaven and earth.

The sharpness of that aura was not inferior compared to the sword qi of the average sword cultivator.

Chen Chao frowned and looked up.

The saber intent in his eyes flickered in and out. In an instant, countless sabers were already slashing forward.

Holding her snow sword, Autumn mercilessly slashed ahead, clashing with those invisible saber lights.

For a moment, the surrounding area was filled with the incessant sound of thunder, and countless gusts of wind and snow howled violently.

Chen Chao was still drawing his saber.

As Autumn swung her sword, her arm pressed down on the wrist of Chen Chao's saber-drawing hand.

A surge of powerful demonic qi rushed out, forcing the half-drawn Cloud Mud back into its sheath. However, the downward momentum soon halted, and Chen Chao glanced at Autumn with an expressionless face.

The latter's eyes had long lost their pupils, turning completely snow-white.

Two powerful auras converged on Cloud Mud, with one person determined to draw the saber, while the other was equally determined not to let it be drawn.

But this time was different from the past; the gap in their cultivation levels was no longer as great as before.

Chen Chao gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his arm as the countless energies within his body converged into his arm. With a sudden upward lift, Cloud Mud was now two-thirds of the way out of its sheath.

Autumn frowned.

Hence, the snowstorm grew even heavier.

But in the end, Autumn could not stop Chen Chao's saber from fully leaving its sheath.

A saber beam materialized between heaven and earth.

Autumn did not retreat with her snow sword but instead took advantage of the momentum to pierce Chen Chao's abdomen with it.

However, before she could pull out the snow sword, a saber bean had already transformed into a giant dragon, roaring through the wind and snow.

Autumn had no way to dodge. Her body initially staggered back a few steps, then became unsteady, and soon after, she was forced to retreat hundreds of feet.

The saber bean continued to push her backward, sending her flying.

A trench appeared on the ground, continuously extending forward.

The crackling sounds lingered incessantly.

Chen Chao relentlessly advanced along the trench, the tip of his saber aimed directly at Autumn.

Autumn remained expressionless. Even as her body was uncontrollably propelled backward, there was not the slightest trace of panic on her face.

As the undisputed number one of the young generation of the demon race, she did not care about any young cultivator in the world.

After finally drawing his saber, Chen Chao exhaled a deep breath of turbid air, feeling a sense of relief. Although he knew this strike would not bring him victory, it still brought him a considerable amount of inner comfort.

From Tianqing County to the Divine Capital, and even earlier, from the Divine Capital to Tianqing County, he had always felt a certain discomfort. It was something indescribable, perhaps dissatisfaction with the state of the world or maybe just frustration with his own fate. Whatever it was, that discomfort had been buried deep within his heart for many years.

Now, forcibly drawing the saber, although not necessarily the wisest decision for the current battle, Chen Chao was acutely aware that as long as he walked away from this battlefield alive, Nepenthe would be just within his reach, with few obstacles left.

Maybe it was because, despite walking the martial path, he had never truly been considered a pure martial artist?

Chen Chao smiled to himself. Who cares?

In this world, all one seeks is a sense of freedom.

If freedom for a lifetime is too difficult, then how about just for a moment?

Chen Chao felt it was entirely possible.

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