Martial Cultivator

From the Northern Frontier Great Wall, down south to the Divine Capital, after Xuanling Commandery, there were no military strongholds further south. Going north from the Divine Capital, the terrain was flat to begin with. Although it was not as cold as the North, it was still mostly plain; lacking steep passes. Therefore, when the human race built the Great Wall at the Northern Frontier, it consumed countless manpower, but it was a necessary undertaking. If not done, the vast open land to the north would leave the human territories defenseless, making the situation even more challenging.

About eight hundred miles from the Divine Capital, there was a small town named Yellow Mud. This town was remote, and the residents had probably never left the town for generations. There was no appointed warden guarding the town. If they were unfortunate and a demon passed by here, it could wipe out all the hundred or so residents of this small town. However, for some unknown reason, despite two hundred over years since the founding of the Great Liang Dynasty, this small town had never experienced any demon troubles. The townspeople were even skeptical about the rumors of demons ravaging in the Great Liang Dynasty.

After all, they have never witnessed it and had not faced any such threats. But there was some yearning for that Divine Capital that was only eight hundred miles away.

Occasionally, when merchants visited the small town, many people gathered around to eagerly listen to stories that only existed in the Divine Capital.

In the small town, there was only one tavern called 'Spring Breeze House.' On this New Year's Day, it had already opened for business. According to past years, there would be hardly any diners today. However, unexpectedly, a merchant from the Divine Capital arrived at this place and decided to take a break here. This immediately attracted a considerable crowd, making the Spring Breeze House seem somewhat lively.

The merchant from the Divine Capital sold some outdated porcelain items that were no longer popular in the Divine Capital. However, they sold well in this remote and impoverished town. The merchant instructed his men to set up a stall at the entrance of the tavern while he took a seat inside, ordering a pot of average alcohol.

On the second floor, there were already more than a dozen townsfolk eagerly watching the middle-aged merchant.

The merchant smiled faintly, "If you want to hear stories, there aren't many stories from the Divine Capital during this festive season. But if you insist, do you know about Xuanling Commandery?"

The townspeople of Yellow Mud had heard a bit about the military stronghold and quickly nodded.

Taking a sip of his wine, the middle-aged merchant slowly said, "The entire Xinliu Prefecture recently experienced a change in government officials. The governor, Lord Fang, has been taken to the Divine Capital for questioning. Now, in Xuanling Commandery, every government office, big and small, has new faces. The entire commandery has undergone a complete turnover of officials. Do you know why?"

Actually, this was not a significant event, at least in the Divine Capital; almost everyone was already aware of it. However, in this small town, Yellow Mud, it seemed that not a single person knew about this matter.

"Tell us, what happened?"

Some townsfolk could not contain their curiosity and began to ask.

The middle-aged merchant remained calm and slowly explained, "In the year when His Majesty ascended the throne, which was over a decade ago, he personally issued an edict to recruit soldiers for the Northern Frontier. The imperial decree clearly stipulated the amount of money for those who enlisted in the military to go to the Great Wall in the Northern Frontier. It detailed how much compensation the government should provide each month for those who died. All the amounts were specified. However, who would have thought that in Xuanling Commandery, the officials embezzled and misappropriated countless silver? It's tantamount to drinking human blood!"

"Isn't this kind of thing common? Those officials, who doesn't pocket a bit of extra money?"

The middle-aged merchant smiled, "Of course, it's not uncommon. In the Great Liang Dynasty, who can accurately count the number of officials, how many are honest, and how many are corrupt?"

The townsfolk nodded one after another, agreeing with the sentiment. The Great Liang Dynasty had been established for over two hundred years, during which the imperial court had dealt with numerous corrupt officials. However, even if such incidents occurred a hundred times, it was impossible to completely eliminate all corrupt officials and scoundrels from a dynasty. During the reign of Emperor Lingzong, there was even a saying that honest officials and corrupt officials were like two rivers of Great Liang, Xiang River and Yan River. Both were large rivers running through the north and south of Great Liang, but the water quality differed greatly. One river was clear, while the other was turbid and carried mud and sand, often causing floods downstream.

Emperor Lingzong's statement went like this, "Do not favor one because the water is clear, nor neglect the other because the water is turbid."

This statement stirred up a great controversy at the time, prompting extensive discussions within the imperial court and the public. Although there was no conclusive decision, it indicated the difficulty of purging corrupt officials from the officialdom.

"The persistence of these common issues for so long has made everyone accustomed to them. Even His Majesty who sits high up on the throne in the Divine Capital may not be aware of the hardships of the common people. With deception and manipulation, although our Great Liang Dynasty seems mighty, how many more years can it last?" The middle-aged merchant continued speaking without waiting for the townsfolk's response. "But His Majesty won't stay in the Divine Capital forever. One day, when he leaves the Divine Capital, can't he see it?"

At this point, the townspeople looked at each other in confusion. They had not really considered the possibility of the Emperor, who was high and mighty in the Divine Capital, leaving the Divine Capital one day.

"His Majesty left the Divine Capital, headed for the desolate north, ventured deep into the thirty thousand miles of the desolate north, and engaged in a great battle against the Demon Emperor!"

The middle-aged merchant took a sip of wine to moisten his throat before continuing, "Thirty thousand miles of the desolate north, which emperor have ventured there?"

Just hearing about the legendary figure stirred the emotions of the townsfolk.

"His Majesty went alone into the thirty thousand miles of desolate north?"

Someone asked with a hint of doubt in their words.

The middle-aged merchant nodded, his eyes filled with admiration and longing. "Our dynasty has produced several great rulers. Initially, it was believed that Emperor Lingzong, with his extraordinary talent, had only the late Crown Prince who could possibly match him. But who would have thought that our current emperor is just as exceptional..."

Venturing deep into the thirty thousand miles of desolate north, battling the Demon Emperor, and returning unscathed, followed by breaking through the encirclement of the entire Demon race on the way south, the tales of such a human monarch were enough to ignite the passions of those who heard them. To witness such a scene firsthand would undoubtedly be a breathtaking experience.

The middle-aged merchant finished the entire pot of alcohol, savored the taste, and finally licked his lips, savoring the memories.

……

……

Just as everyone was seated and engrossed in their conversation, a middle-aged daoist in daoist robes slowly went up to the second floor of the tavern. His appearance was ordinary, but an aura of detachment surrounded him. One glance and it was clear that he was no ordinary person.

Arriving at the second floor, he stood outside the group of common folks, listening with interest for a moment. Then, he walked over to a table near the edge of the second floor and sat down, facing a man across the table.

Looking at the hot tea on the table, he said with vicissitudes of emotion, "Your Majesty is indeed Your Majesty. Over the past few years, we have underestimated Your Majesty."

The man glanced at the middle-aged daoist and chuckled, "I've thought about it, but never expected that Temple Master would personally come."

Though the two had never met face to face, they already knew each other's identities at this moment.

One was the current emperor of the Great Liang Dynasty, and the other held the most prestigious position in the foreign cultivation world, the Infatuation Daoist Temple's Temple Master.

A human monarch and a leader of the Daoism, both were equals in terms of their cultivation realm and status.

However, it remained uncertain whether the Great Liang Emperor was currently seriously injured, and whether the Temple Master before him was in his prime.

The Temple Master said softly, "Your Majesty's return from the thirty thousand miles of desolate north has indeed brought glory to our human race. If Your Majesty were a member of the foreign cultivation world, I'm afraid your prestige would have surpassed even mine by now."

The Great Liang Emperor remained unmoved, simply gazing at the hot tea on the table. Even with the appearance of the Temple Master, it could not prompt this Great Liang Emperor to personally pour tea for him.

With a knowing smile, the Temple Master continued, "How is Your Majesty's noble body?"

In the end, this was the sentence laden with killing intent.

The Temple Master had come all the way from the Infatuation Daoist Temple millions of miles away, and naturally, it was not just to meet the Great Liang Emperor. Given his status, there were hardly any characters worthy of visiting personally. Over the years, he had seldom ventured out of the Infatuation Daoist Temple. For this Temple Master, most of the foreign cultivators could hardly fathom his current realm.

However, everyone knew that the Temple Master was undoubtedly a figure at the pinnacle of the Nepenthe Realm, a true great sage of Daoism.

And the return of the Great Liang Emperor from the desolate north had already demonstrated his formidable might.

Now, would there be a battle between these two?

The Great Liang Emperor looked silently at the Temple Master in front of him and said calmly, "Returning from the desolate north was no easy feat, not to mention the assassination attempt in Xuanling Commandery. Nonetheless, Gan Yong's final sword displayed some grandeur of a true sword immortal."

The Temple Master remained noncommittal and just slowly said, "Thirty years ago, Gan Yong, as a sword immortal, disregarded all sword cultivators in the world. Given his talent and age, a bit of arrogance wasn't an issue. However, he forgot that all sword cultivators in the world ultimately look up to that towering mountain. Are only the sword cultivators of the Sword Sect true sword cultivators? Therefore, when Gan Yong lost his sight in both eyes afterward, it was to be expected. But that he could comprehend that realm with his final sword was beyond this daoist's expectations."

It was difficult to say whether anyone had been secretly observing the assassination attempt in Xuanling Commandery. However, in matters of the world, as long as it was something this Infatuation Daoist Temple Master wanted to know, few could hide it from him.

The Great Liang Emperor said, "It's precisely that sword that We wanted to see. Otherwise, how could he have executed it?"

The Temple Master smiled without uttering a word. Naturally, he did not think the Great Liang Emperor was boasting. He had reviewed the assassination attempt afterward, whether was it the Buddhist Vajra or the old daoist sage, neither of them could be considered a formidable force. What truly mattered was Gan Yong, the sword cultivator. However, the timing and manner in which he unleashed his sword had a significant impact on the situation.

Unfortunately, Gan Yong who comprehended the sword for thirty years, ultimately failed to meet those expectations.

"Oftentimes, even this humble daoist wanted to probe how powerful a first-rate martial artist like Your Majesty is."

The Great Liang Emperor looked at the Temple Master without immediately talking.

The Temple Master continued to gaze at the teapot, watching the white mist rise and gradually dissipate between them.

However, a moment later, the dissipating white mist suddenly condensed in mid-air. In front of the two figures, it transformed into white threads.

The Temple Master smiled and said, "Daoist spells are vast and numerous. In the first half of this humble daoist's life, I felt that achieving mastery in a single daoist technique was sufficient. However, after years of practice, progress became difficult. In my free time, this daoist explored many more daoist techniques in the three thousand daoist classics to continue cultivating. Some were challenging to master, and I'm unsure of their power after cultivating it. This daoist would like to request for Your Majesty to test them out."

Looking at the threads in front of him, the Great Liang Emperor remained silent. However, as the threads surged towards his body, they suddenly broke apart and turned into green smoke, dissipating once again.

The Temple Master's eyes glinted as he saw this scene. He seemed much more excited than before, but soon his eyes dimmed.

This emotional fluctuation appeared and disappeared quickly on his face.

With a wave of his sleeve, the mist dispersed. The Temple Master asked, "May I ask one thing, Your Majesty?"

The Great Liang Emperor shook his head, "It's difficult."

Both of them were extraordinarily intelligent individuals of the current era. There was no need to explicitly express certain things; they understood each other's intentions.

The Temple Master sighed, "The timing isn't right?"

The Great Liang Emperor responded, "He's more formidable than you imagine."

The Temple Master said, "Then let it be like this in the years to come."

The Great Liang Emperor shook his head.

Let it be.

Not let it be.

The Temple Master frowned, "Is that knowingly doing something impossible?"

The Great Liang Emperor answered calmly, "If you don't do it, you won't know what the result will be."

Listening to these words, the Temple Master pondered for a long time, while the Great Liang Emperor remained motionless.

Perhaps the civilians nearby did not know, and the people of the entire Yellow Mud Town were unaware, but at this moment, if an accident happened to one of these two individuals, the fate of the entire Great Liang Dynasty might change today.

Suddenly, the Temple Master said, "This town has not been disturbed by demons for over two hundred years. It seemed strange before, but now, I don't find it surprising."

The Great Liang Emperor revealed the reason with a single statement, "Over two hundred years ago, a Great Sword Immortal sacrificed himself here. His sword intent remained on his companion sword. That sword happened to be named Yellow Mud."

The ordinary folks naturally did not know that somewhere in this town hid the flying sword of a previous generation's Great Sword Immortal. They could not perceive the constant presence of sword intent that filled heaven and earth either. It was the fundamental thing that demon feared and, of course, the reason why the Great Liang Emperor chose to settle here.

Whether was it the desire to witness the Great Sword Immortal's sword of Gan Yong or choosing to wait for the Temple Master at this moment, both reflected the yearning for the demeanor of a Sword Immortal in the heart of the Great Liang Emperor.

The Temple Master sighed, "Your Majesty has acted without due consideration."

The Great Liang Emperor shrugged it off, "After finally leaving the Divine Capital, isn't it normal to be impulsive once? It's a rare opportunity."

The Temple Master asked, "Isn't Your Majesty afraid this might be the last time?"

The Great Liang Emperor smiled, "We are also afraid it might be the last time. That's why We want to give in to personal feelings once."

The Temple Master fell silent. This middle-aged daoist looked at the Great Liang Emperor before him, and his eyes became extremely complicated.

The Great Liang Emperor finally picked up the teapot and poured himself a cup of tea.

He still did not pour tea for the Temple Master across from him.