Martial Cultivator

That was a slender, tall young man with long, snow-white hair and a pair of snow-white horns on his head. The horns resembled the white deer antlers Chen Chao had seen in Yellow Dragon Prefecture, though with slight differences. The man glanced at Chen Chao, who was pale and weak, and said with a hint of suspicion, “I thought you had three heads and six arms. Turns out that you don't.”

Chen Chao looked off into the distance: turns out that I'm really going to die here?

Despite his thin appearance, the young demon cultivator in front of him exuded a formidable aura. With just a glance, Chen Chao could tell that this individual was a powerhouse who had already stepped into the Great Beyond Realm. It was just that his aura was still significantly weaker than that of Yuan Ling, let alone Autumn.

If Chen Chao had not been injured, he would have dared to say that he could strike this opponent dead without even using his saber. But in his current state, he was not sure he could even handle a demon cultivator of the Bitter Sea Realm, let alone a genuine Great Beyond Realm demon cultivator.

Exhausted and on the brink of collapse, this was the most accurate portrayal of Chen Chao's current condition.

Seeing that Chen Chao did not respond, the young demon cultivator was not in a hurry to attack either. Instead, he took a few slow steps by the riverbank and asked,“I heard that Her Highness personally sought you out, but she actually failed to kill you. Did Her Highness let you go?”

Chen Chao grinned and replied, “Why don't you think it's me who let her go?”

The young demon cultivator let out a cold laugh. "Still trying to be stubborn? You humans are all the same, so hypocritical."

"And you demons aren't much better. So many of you coming after Your Father when I'm hanging by a thread, do you really think that's honorable?" Chen Chao scoffed coldly. "If Your Father weren’t injured, I'd twist your head off with one hand."

The young demon cultivator did not seem to mind and continued, "Regardless, you're fated to die by my hand. Oh right, remember the name, the one who killed you is Tian Zhen."

Chen Chao spat on the ground and cursed, "What kind of shitty name is that?"

Tianzhen let out a faint "Oh" as a cold light flashed across his eyes, and he prepared to cross the river.

With a few indifferent words exchanged, it was now time for action.

The icy river between them was not wide, and chunks of ice already floated on its surface. As Tian Zhen began to walk forward, the river surface started to freeze again, and the ice spread quickly. In just an instant, the river was completely frozen, and Tian Zhen had already arrived in the middle of the ice river.

The distance between the two shrank.

Chen Chao's face was pale, and he merely rested his hand on the hilt of his saber, saying nothing, making no other moves.

Tian Zhen saw this and sneered again. "What's wrong? You don't even have the strength to draw your saber now?"

Chen Chao simply looked at him without replying. His beautiful eyes held little emotion. Even though it seemed like death was drawing closer, Chen Chao was not particularly afraid.

This was not the first time he had faced a life-and-death situation.

The icy river was not wide, and Tian Zhen had already crossed it, arriving on the riverbank. He was only about ten feet away from Chen Chao.

Chen Chao feigned drawing his saber. Tian Zhen gave a cold laugh, having already seen through his opponent's plan to wait for the right moment to strike. In an instant, Tian Zhen moved back instead of forward, widening the distance between them. He did not want to risk taking on what could be a final desperate strike from Chen Chao, knowing full well that this man had killed Yuan Ling and escaped from the princess herself. He was not someone to be underestimated.

Even though Chen Chao was seriously injured now, Tian Zhen would not lower his guard.

However, just as Chen Chao drew his saber halfway, he slammed Cloud Mud back into its sheath with a heavy thud. With a forceful step, he left a deep pit beneath his feet, his entire body shooting forward like an arrow, crashing directly into Tian Zhen.

Tian Zhen's expression changed slightly, unable to dodge in time, and he was sent plunging into the icy river by Chen Chao's impact.

The freshly frozen surface of the river shattered once more, creating a massive hole, and sending water splashing everywhere!

In just a moment, blood began to spread through the river, though it was soon dispersed by the icy current, leaving only faint traces.

Tian Zhen was struck hard by Chen Chao's blow to his chest and felt his demonic qi dissipate suddenly. He barely had time to react before struggling to the surface of the river, only to be met by the young man in black smashing his fist into Tian Zhen's forehead, forcing him back under the water.

Had this punch been delivered when Chen Chao was at his peak, Tian Zhen would likely have sustained serious injuries. But at this moment, the punch carried more of an air of humiliation. When Tian Zhen surfaced again, blood was seeping from his body, and he simply stared at the young martial artist before him.

The series of battles Chen Chao had fought had already left his body riddled with wounds. Those injuries had not had time to fully heal and had merely been temporarily staunched. Now, they reopened again. The cold river water stung his bleeding wounds, but it invigorated Chen Chao instead. The pain he felt now was nothing compared to the agony he had endured during his years of body tempering.

Tian Zhen was considered an anomaly among the demon race. Even within the younger generation, he was quite renowned, but his physical strength had never been considered outstanding. This weakness stemmed from an inherent flaw in his race. However, Heavenly Dao compensates for both strengths and weaknesses. While lacking in physical prowess, Tian Zhen's race possessed an innate superiority in demonic arts.

After regaining his composure, Tian Zhen waved his hands, causing the surface of the ice river to freeze once again. Chen Chao found himself instantly immobilized, unable to move the half of his body that was exposed above the ice. Though things had not started well, Tian Zhen had now stabilized the battle. All that remained was to cut off the head of this young martial artist. If he succeeded, Tian Zhen was certain he would gain immense fame within the demon race, perhaps even replacing the void left by Yuan Ling's death.

Tian Zhen picked up a piece of ice and, with a swipe of his hand, shaved off the snow, forming a sharp ice blade.

He was ready to use the ice blade to sever Chen Chao's head and claim the glory that would be his alone.

Chen Chao simply stared at him, unable to move, as if he were nothing more than a fish on the chopping block awaiting slaughter.

It was a feeling that was hard to accept.

But in many situations, one had no choice but to accept it.

……

……

In the next second.

Tian Zhen's expression suddenly changed.

The ice beneath Chen Chao shattered, and Cloud Mud broke through, hurtling straight toward Tian Zhen's chest.

Oftentimes, Cloud Mud was more like a flying sword than a saber. Unlike most long sabers in the world, its blade had an almost imperceptible curve, making it resemble the straight blade of a flying sword. So, when Cloud Mud sliced through the air, it looked more like a flying sword speeding forward. This sight caused Tian Zhen to momentarily lose focus.

The distance was too close, and Chen Chao had attacked too suddenly. The speed at which Cloud Mud flew was too fast. Tian Zhen barely managed to shift his body to the side, but Cloud Mud still pierced his shoulder. The immense force sent him staggering back several feet before he could finally stop.

"You actually know how to use flying sword techniques..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Chen Chao had already broken free of the ice, using the gap created by Cloud Mud's impact. He charged toward Tian Zhen again, slamming into the hilt of Cloud Mud, driving the straight blade deeper into Tian Zhen's body, leaving only the saber hilt visible. Chen Chao grabbed hold of the two horns on Tian Zhen's head and spat a mouthful of blood directly onto his face, blurring his vision.

Then, Chen Chao punched Tian Zhen in the chest, causing it to cave in.

Tian Zhen's physique was too fragile. In front of a martial artist like Chen Chao, he was almost too weak to withstand a single blow.

After just a few punches, Tian Zhen's chest was a bloody, mangled mess; a sight too gruesome to bear.

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But after several punches, the qi Chen Chao had painstakingly gathered was quickly depleting again. Not caring about settling any scores, Chen Chao gritted his teeth, grabbed the hilt of Cloud Mud, and grinned savagely. "Even if Your Father is going to die, I'll die at the hands of those genuine big shots. Who the hell are you to think you're worthy of taking Your Father's head?"

Chen Chao spat a mouthful of blood onto Tian Zhen’s face.

Then, gripping Cloud Mud tightly, he yanked downward with all his strength. The blade, one of the sharpest weapons in existence, sliced through Tian Zhen's body as effortlessly as cutting through tofu, splitting his body in two.

Exhausted, Chen Chao looked at Tian Zhen, whose face was filled with disbelief. Finally, he drove Cloud Mud into his heart, shredding this Great Beyond Realm demon cultivator's internal organs.

This time, even his demon bead did not have the chance to leave his body and was utterly destroyed.

Chen Chao spat another mouthful of blood, his face as pale as paper.

Though this battle seemed to end quickly, it was far more perilous than his previous fights against Yuan Ling and Autumn. It was because Chen Chao had few options left. He was only left with a meager amount of qi, and to ensure victory, Chen Chao did not even dare to use the sheet of paper. One wrong move, and everything could have been lost.

He could not afford to make a single mistake.

If he did, he would undoubtedly die today.

Struggling, he pulled out the now snow-white Cloud Mud from Tian Zhen's body. Chen Chao could not help but glance at it twice. Although Cloud Mud had long been connected to him, he still felt as if it did not completely belong to him. Perhaps it was because the aura of its previous owner still lingered, or maybe because the blade had a spirit of its own and had not yet fully submitted to Chen Chao's will.

Just now, Cloud Mud had drawn itself from the scabbard. Though it was guided by Chen Chao's qi, the result far exceeded his expectations.

It should not have been so fast.

It was like Cloud Mud had acted on its own will, which was why that strike had been so unexpectedly effective.

Chen Chao was really curious about what kind of person the previous owner of this saber had been.

Shaking his head, Chen Chao gradually returned to his senses.

Returning the saber to its sheathe, Chen Chao's consciousness grew hazy.

At this point, he was truly at the end of his strength.

Chen Chao climbed back onto the riverbank again, and just as his vision blacked out, he collapsed.

In a daze, he heard the sound of footsteps.

Then a surprised voice rang out in his ear, “How do I keep running into you everywhere?”

“Tsk tsk, looks like you’re about to die. Your luck is worse than Your Father's, punk.”

A man who looked just as pale as Chen Chao crouched down and looked at the unconscious young martial artist before him. He furrowed his brows as he observed the blood continuously flowing from Chen Chao's wounds and remarked, "We really are in the same boat, aren't we?"