Martial Cultivator
chapter-544

What should have been a straightforward conflict between young cultivators somehow developed in an unexpected direction. Xie Nandu and Chen Chao became the most sought-after figures in the desolate north, with nearly half of the young demon cultivators focusing on these two. This in turn caused the Twin Pillars of Daoism, who were listed on the Latent Dragon List, to be somewhat ignored.

Yun Jianyue and Ye Zhihua, who occupied the top two spots, had actually been managing relatively well these days. Both were among the most extraordinary young talents of their generation, and unless someone specifically targeted them, not just anyone in the desolate north could pose a threat to these two.

Putting Yun Jianyue aside, just Ye Zhihua, for instance, only struggled because she had previously encountered Autumn. Had it been any other demon genius, they would not have been able to push her into such a desperate situation, leaving her heavily injured.

But now, with their injuries improved and traveling together, they were not in any particular danger.

During these days, the two had not been wandering aimlessly. Instead, they had explored the ruins of two relatively major sects from the desolate north. One of these sect ruins belonged to a Daoism lineage, specifically to the Longevity Dao lineage, which had once held a rather high position in the foreign lands. The sect was originally located in the south, but the sect leader at the time disregarded the opposition of his disciples and insisted on moving the entire sect to the desolate north. The whole sect was eventually wiped out in the desolate north, with no survivors. At the time, this decision was seen as madness by the daoist lineages. Led by the Infatuation Daoist Temple, they nearly expelled the sect from Daoism for being crazy. However, the temple master of the Infatuation Daoist Temple at that time suppressed the matter because he did not have the heart to do so. Even so, when daoist disciples mentioned this sect, they mostly regard it with disdain and, more than anything, confusion. Why would they abandon the pursuit of the Longevity Dao only to fight a life-and-death battle with the demon race in the desolate north? Was it really just for the sake of those insignificant ordinary people?

While they explored the ruins of that sect, many other daoist disciples were also coming and going, most of them seeking treasures within the sect ruins. Upon seeing Yun Jianyue and Ye Zhihua, those disciples first paid their respects. But then, they felt uneasy, unsure of what the two were thinking.

Fortunately, Yun Jianyue remained silent throughout, which allowed them to relax. They quickly searched the ruins and then left. With people constantly coming and going, it felt as though Yun Jianyue and Ye Zhihua were merely watching a fleeting spectacle.

Yun Jianyue stood quietly in front of the crumbling great hall, gazing at the great hall and the mound of skulls in front of it, lost in thought.

This scene here was roughly similar to that of the Small Hill Sect, but the number of dead cultivators was greater, and the sight of the mound was even more striking.

When the crowd thinned out a bit, Yun Jianyue asked softly, "Do you think one day our temple will end up like this?"

Only Ye Zhihua was at his side, and naturally, he was asking her.

Ye Zhihua replied calmly, "No one can escape life and death. We are nothing more than a river that doesn't know where it will flow."

Yun Jianyue smiled and asked, "What is the thing that Senior Sister wants to do most in this life?"

"Seek the Dao, pursue eternal life."

Ye Zhihua's answer was simple, consisting of only those six words.

Yun Jianyue looked at his senior sister and said quietly, "Eternal life is hard to attain. Reaching the end, loneliness will be inevitable. Does Senior Sister think that such a life would still be fine?"

Ye Zhihua turned her head to look at Yun Jianyue, her eyes filled with complex emotions.

Regarding her junior brother, Ye Zhihua had once thought she understood him well, but for some reason, she later felt as if she had never truly known him.

"I have a question I've been wanting to ask you."

After a brief silence, Ye Zhihua looked at Yun Jianyue and said, "To cross the Bitter Sea, they say one must let go of attachments to truly reach the Great Beyond. But it seems like your attachments have always remained. Was crossing the Bitter Sea not difficult for you?"

Yun Jianyue smiled, "Has Senior Sister never thought that while the path everyone has walked proves to be viable, it doesn't necessarily mean it's correct? Even if it is correct, it doesn't mean it's completely right. For a thousand years, cultivation has been this way, but how was cultivation a thousand years ago?"

"No one knows. These rules we follow today were just figured out by our predecessors a thousand years ago. Maybe they were wrong from the start?"

Ye Zhihua frowned and said, "Are you questioning the daoist predecessors of the past?"

Yun Jianyue asked curiously, "Why can't they be questioned?"

"Even the so-called Dao Ancestor isn't necessarily perfect."

Ye Zhihua remained silent.

Yun Jianyue also stopped speaking, once again gazing at the debilitated great hall.

"Yun Jianyue."

Ye Zhihua looked at him intently, her eyes fixed on her junior brother.

Yun Jianyue responded with a soft "hmm."

"The Temple Master holds you in such high regard. You are very likely to become the leader of Daoism in the future. It's not good for you to be thinking like this."

Yun Jianyue's voice was calm, devoid of emotion. But in reality, Yun Jianyue could sense the concern behind her words.

Yun Jianyue understood what she meant, but for some reason, he remained silent, merely gazing at the dilapidated great hall.

"Before, when you went to find that demon princess, you could have retreated unscathed. Why did you push yourself?" "Did you know then that the person she was going to kill was Chen Chao? But since you knew it was Chen Chao, why did you still act that way?"

Ye Zhihua stared at Yun Jianyue. The attitude of the foreign lands toward Chen Chao, and that of Infatuation Daoist Temple toward him, was clear without needing to be said.

Yun Jianyue shook his head, honestly replying, "At the time, I didn't know. But afterward, I didn't regret it."

"When I left the temple, I told the Temple Master that during this northern journey, I won't kill any human."

Ye Zhihua said calmly, "Is that the same thing?"

Yun Jianyue thought for a moment and then said solemnly, "Some people walk steadily on their path, and there's nothing wrong with that. But there are always those who will unjustly criticize them, and soon, everyone's words can forge false truths. Then, everyone claims that person is in the wrong. In fact, they aren't wrong at all, but no one cares anymore. Even those who have never met them will say they're wrong, blindly believing hearsay as fact. This kind of thing happens often, but that doesn't make it right. I've met him, and I don't think he's done anything wrong. It's just that we stand on opposite sides of the river, and sometimes all we can do is watch. But now we're in the desolate north."

Yun Jianyue added softly, "This junior brother doesn't want to do those things."

Ye Zhihua remained silent.

"The fact that he survived an encounter with that demon princess surprised me. I heard he was injured at the time too."

Yun Jianyue recalled the first time he saw Chen Chao. After some thought, he said with vicissitudes of emotion, "He truly resembles His Majesty, the Great Liang Emperor."

These were words Yun Jianyue only shared with her. If he had spoken them to other cultivators from the foreign lands, he would have likely earned himself a great deal of scorn.

"Just like the predecessors of this sect, what they did wasn't wrong either, yet they were later labeled as heretics and madmen. This junior brother thinks that it's very unreasonable."

Yun Jianyue spat out a turbid breath.

As if he was somewhat tired.

Yun Jianyue smiled and said, "At the very least, we must behave like humans, right, Senior Sister?"

Ye Zhihua simply looked at him quietly.

Yun Jianyue chuckled softly, "I’ve grown to admire His Majesty, the Great Liang Emperor. He was willing to sacrifice his eternal legacy for the courage to remake the world."

……

……

In truth, when the young demon cultivators split into two groups to search for Chen Chao and Xie Nandu, a true big shot from the demon race's royal city had already crossed the Onan River and was heading toward the desolate north.

The demon race, Great Liang, and the foreign lands all knew long ago that the so-called matters between the younger generation were merely words. Otherwise, a great demon would not have attacked Yun Jianyue earlier, nor would there have been a great demon pursuing Chen Chao.

When your opponent produces an extraordinary genius, the natural course of action is to eliminate them as quickly as possible to avoid future troubles.

Moreover, in this struggle, the demon race had already lost a true genius.

Thus, it was clear that things would not end peacefully.

In front of the demon race's royal city, a tall, green-haired man walked out from the city. He quickly arrived at the Onan River, paused for a moment, bowed respectfully toward the distant snowstorm, and then strode across the river, heading for the desolate north.

By the riverbank, the Demon Emperor continued watching the snowstorm. Autumn also sensed the vast and boundless aura fading into the distance. She asked uncertainly, "Is it that member of the green ape clan?"

The Demon Emperor nodded. "It's Yuan Ling's uncle. Yuan Ling was raised by him from a young age. Though they aren't father and son, they're as close as if they were."

Autumn remarked, "Means that he's determined to kill him."

"As I mentioned earlier, pulling one thread can set the whole situation in motion. This is just another form of war. However, compared to the usual battles involving tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of soldiers on both sides. This time, fewer people are involved, but it's certainly a fresh approach."

The Demon Emperor slowly smiled. "At first, I thought he wouldn't come, but in the end, he couldn't rest easy about that young man. So, tell me, should your royal father go meet him?"

Autumn countered, "Royal Father, aren't you worried the two of you might end up becoming the main characters?"

The Demon Emperor laughed. "We would love to see you be the main lead, but unfortunately, Our dear daughter hasn't been living up to expectations."

Autumn frowned slightly.

The Demon Emperor burst into loud laughter. "Since that's the case, We will just continue watching."

……

……

Xie Nandu and her group once again encountered a group of young demons.

Gao Xuan glanced at their numbers and smiled bitterly.

Wang Kuan showed no reaction and just cast a glance at Xie Nandu.

Xie Nandu's expression remained calm.

However, a flying sword slowly appeared, hovering before her.

Though there was a trace of fatigue between her brows, it disappeared in an instant.

……

……

In the distance, atop a snow-covered hill, a thick black cloud blanketed the sky, demon qi swirling ominously.

A tall, slender middle-aged man stood on the hill, as if there was an abyss behind him.

More precisely, perhaps it was a purgatory.

The middle-aged man gazed indifferently at the sword light far away, his eyes emotionless. Lowering himself to kill a young man who had not even reached the Great Beyond Realm was not something worth much effort.

Just as he was about to drift away with the black cloud toward the distant horizon, he suddenly stopped.

Because at some point in time, a figure suddenly appeared in front of the snow hill.

He looked like a scholar.

In fact, he was just that - a scholar.

The most famous scholar in the world.

He just stood there quietly amidst the wind and snow.

Looking at the snow hill ahead.