Martial Cultivator

Hearing this, Ye Zhihua's expression became somewhat complicated.

Yun Jianyue looked at his senior sister and said seriously, “Don't try to kill him.”

Having her thoughts seen through, Ye Zhihua felt rather puzzled. “In a few years, he'll become someone like the Great Liang Emperor. For the sake of the daoist world, he should be killed.

A person like the Great Liang Emperor was terrifying enough to appear even once. The foreign lands would not want to see another person like that appear again.

Yun Jianyue said, “If we're strong enough, someone like him wouldn't be so frightening.”

Ye Zhihua looked into Yun Jianyue's eyes and asked, “But can you truly be stronger than him?”

A daoist genius like Yun Jianyue had few peers who could rival him, but Chen Chao was undoubtedly one of them.

Yun Jianyue smiled and said, “The Great Dao is a long journey, and nothing is certain. But I don't want our rivalry to end through such means. Just trust me this once, Senior Sister.”

Ye Zhihua remained silent.

Yun Jianyue took a few steps forward, reached out to take Ye Zhihua's hand, and said softly, “Besides, what happened to the temple... he might know something. After I break through, I'll go see him.”

Ye Zhihua still did not speak.

"Senior Sister."

Yun Jianyue spoke gently, “In this world, aside from cultivating the Dao, there are many things we ought to remember. Writing the character for ‘human’ isn't difficult; it's just a single stroke followed by another.”

As he spoke, Yun Jianyue traced the character for ‘person’ (人) into Ye Zhihua's palm with his finger.

Ye Zhihua looked at Yun Jianyue and said, “With so many thoughts in your mind, how can you calm your heart to cultivate the Dao?”

Yun Jianyue replied, “Why would I not be able to calm my heart?”

Ye Zhihua was silent.

“The Sword Sect's Sect Master sought to transcend the mundane world with his sword, striving to achieve a sword beyond this world. But as long as one remains in the mundane world, how can the sword transcend it?" "A sword with no ties or attachments has no place to land, and thus it cannot truly succeed. That's why the Sword Sect's Sect Master's final sword strike, reached only ninety percent completion in the end, it could only ever be ninety percent."

Yun Jianyue smiled and said, “Therefore, perfecting the Dao is not about transcending everything but about having persistence in your heart. This idea of having to let go of everything before one can reach the Great Beyond... I'm afraid that's a misunderstanding by us later generations. The predecessors a thousand years ago probably didn't think this way.”

Ye Zhihua asked, “If that’s the case, then why have all cultivators over the past thousand years followed this path?”

Yun Jianyue said, “And how would you explain why, for the past thousand years, anyone who reaches the end of Nepenthe can go no further, and could only march on the spot?”

“Were there cultivators a thousand years ago who surpassed Nepenthe?”

Ye Zhihua's tone grew colder.

Yun Jianyue said, “I don't know. But at the very least, that Emperor should have taken half a step beyond. Otherwise, how could he have withstood that sword strike?”

“The Sword Sect's Sect Master's strike may have ultimately only reached ninety percent completion, but even at ninety percent, it was undoubtedly at the pinnacle of the current era. For the Great Liang Emperor to withstand it, he must have a cultivation realm that surpasses Nepenthe; at least by half a step. Otherwise, if he didn't die under that sword, he should have been severely injured too.”

Yun Jianyue smiled calmly and said, “At this moment, my Dao heart is incomparably clear. The Nepenthe Realm is but a single step away.”

The Temple Master's original intent of the trip to the Divine Capital was to help Yun Jianyue take another step forward. Judging by the outcome, it had indeed achieved its purpose.

Ye Zhihua felt a tinge of dejection.

She had watched as her junior brother walked farther and farther ahead, leaving her behind.

Moreover, it seemed their thoughts and aspirations were gradually diverging as well.

If things continued like this, perhaps one day, the two of them would part ways entirely.

Yun Jianyue turned to look at Ye Zhihua and said, “Senior Sister, while I'm in closed-seclusion, I'll have to trouble you to pay attention to the affairs of the temple.”

Ye Zhihua nodded. “I understand.”

……

……

A disturbance occurred in the thirty thousand miles of desolate north.

The first to notice the change was the Lord Warden Commander stationed at the Northern Frontier Great Wall. As the current Great General of the Northern Frontier, he had always kept a close watch on the desolate north, especially since His Majesty the Emperor was presently there.

Hence, he was the first to detect the change in the desolate north.

At first, a massive beam of light erupted from deep within the desolate north. The beam was at least ten thousand miles away from the Northern Frontier city walls, but was still clearly seen by others.

After half a day, the beam of light continued to spread, its terrifying aura expanding outward. This forced the Lord Warden Commander to order all scouts who had ventured outside the city to return immediately.

By nightfall, as the night fell, the brilliant beam of light still shone brightly before them; incomparably dazzling. Judging by its distance, it had expanded several thousand miles outward again during that one night.

It was now less than three thousand miles from the Northern Frontier Great Wall.

Standing on the city walls, the Lord Warden Commander's expression became extremely complicated.

Gao Xuan arrived here. Looking at the Great General, he asked straightforwardly, "Great General, is this the battle between His Majesty and the Demon Emperor?"

The Lord Warden Commander nodded, sighing, "Two peerless emperors, now completely letting go of everything in an all-out showdown. I'm afraid they are holding nothing back."

Gao Xuan frowned and asked, "Is this upheaval really possible at the end of Nepenthe?"

The Lord Warden Commander smiled and said, "Gao Xuan, since you're not very focused on martial cultivation, you wouldn't know. The end of Nepenthe across the world can be classified into first-rate figures, such as the Sword Sect's Sect Master, the Infatuation Daoist Temple Master, and that old monk from Deercry Monastery. However, both the Demon Emperor and His Majesty are above that first-rate category. If these two were to join forces, I fear that even those three, plus this general and the Dean, would perish at the hands of the two emperors."

Gao Xuan asked in confusion, "It's so terrifying?"

The Lord Warden Commander said meaningfully, "Take war, for example. You might command a million strong troops and have absolute superiority on the battlefield, but if there are a few powerhouses on the other side, the outcome of the battle could be completely rewritten."

Gao Xuan forced a smile and said, "Does that mean that this general should now devote myself to cultivating the martial path, and one day become such a cultivator? It would be more effective than any military strategy?"

"While it may seem like that, you must understand that in this world, out of all the countless cultivators, the human race has produced one such figure: His Majesty, and the demon race only has the Demon Emperor alone. It has nothing to do with how hard you cultivate, even if you spend your entire life, you may never achieve such accomplishments."

The Lord Warden Commander patted Gao Xuan's shoulder and smiled. "Don't think too much. Just do what you're supposed to do."

Gao Xuan pondered for a moment and asked, "Then, according to Great General, will this great battle result in His Majesty decapitating the Demon Emperor, or will the Demon Emperor... slay His Majesty?"

"Don’t ask me. Although I've also reached the end of Nepenthe, I'm still far from someone like His Majesty. I can't see, nor can I fathom it."

The Lord Warden Commander sighed again. The supreme realm of the martial path was the lifelong pursuit of a martial artist like him.

Gao Xuan whispered, "If His Majesty really wins, could we start preparing for a northern campaign...?"

The Lord Warden Commander did not respond, instead speaking to himself, "I fear that by tomorrow morning, the thirty thousand miles of desolate north will become a forbidden zone. No one will be able to step half a foot inside, and anyone who does will immediately die."

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