Martial Cultivator

The man's complexion had no trace of color, it was a sickly kind of pale. This abnormal paleness was not considered normal. Presumably, the daoist technique that this man cultivated appeared to be distinct from the majority of daoist techniques in the world.

As if understanding what Chen Chao was thinking, the man dodged the saber light before saying calmly, "In the southern great marsh, there exists a clan called the Shaman Clan. They have resided in the mountains for generations and are most skilled in witchcraft. This form of magic spell differs from those commonly known; apart from their own clan members, they only accept two outsiders in each generation. I happen to be one of the two."

Chen Chao was thoroughly confused. Despite benefiting from Xie Nandu, he had also read many books in the academy. But he knew nothing about this so-called Shaman Clan. If Xie Nandu were present, he might be able to explain the origin of this Shaman Clan or something.

After Chen Chao's blade slashed past, he suddenly said with realization, "You originate from such a remote place, even if things are exposed, it won't lead back to the true source either."

The man smiled and nodded, not concealing anything, "Dealing with matters that could shake the foundation of a dynasty, how can one not be more careful?"

Chen Chao remained silent, then swiftly lunged toward the man. The broken saber in his hand rapidly slashed out, and the bright saber light emerged once again. However, this time, as it illuminated the entire room, Chen Chao suddenly discovered that two puppets had appeared in front of the man, each with a different expression.

Crying and smiling.

The crying-face puppet held a purple-glowing iron chain in its hand, while the smiling-face puppet held a large drum in its hands. However, it was evident that the drum skin was not made of cowhide but rather a piece of genuine human skin.

Chen Chao was not entirely sure about what kind of existence this Shaman Clan in the southern region was, but judging from the scene before his eyes, he had a general understanding. It was definitely not some orthodox sect.

After summoning the two puppets, the man floated in the distance and showed no intention of taking action again. Judging by his current cultivation level, he did not need to be overly concerned about dealing with the young martial artist who was merely at the Bitter Sea Realm.

Especially considering the common belief that martial artists have a single-minded approach, aside from their robust physique, they are not skilled in other magic spells.

Two wooden puppets, each puppet had strength equivalent to the Great Beyond Realm.

The crying-face puppet made the first move, its iron chain radiating a purple glow resembled a wandering dragon as it swept toward Chen Chao. Chen Chao's expression turned serious. Faced with this puppet whose strength was comparable to the Great Beyond Realm, he did not have much confidence. He swung his broken saber, perfectly intercepting the iron chain.

However, as the two collided, a tremendous force instantly traveled from the blade to the hilt. Chen Chao's hand holding the saber was suddenly throbbing with pain. One had to know that he had endured more body tempering than the average martial artist at the same realm. Yet, unexpectedly, a simple collision caused Chen Chao to feel a sudden, intense ache. Putting all else aside, this crying-face puppet before him likely possessed divine strength.

He had never been aware of the situation of the Shaman Clan in the Southern Regions, and naturally, he did not know that the most crucial aspect of their witchcraft was to select two living individuals when entering the sect. While the two were still alive, their skin would be peeled off to make a large drum. Then, before they breathed their last, high-quality wooden pieces would be attached to their bodies, creating two wooden puppets. However, after this process, nightly soaking with a special potion was necessary until the wooden pieces on top of them took root, becoming inseparable. At this point, the two living individuals would lose their intelligence and become immensely strong, thus turning into puppets.

This method had similarities with the spirit-summoning techniques of the qi refiner lineage. However, the Shaman Clan's approach was more ruthless and defied the natural order.

Chen Chao's broken saber was sharp enough, but it failed to leave the slightest mark on the iron chain glowing with purple light. On the contrary, as the chain swung away, it lunged back and collided heavily onto Chen Chao's body. Despite his sturdy physique, Chen Chao's body swayed slightly from the impact. Simultaneously, the smiling-face puppet struck the large drum with a heavy blow. While the world fell into silence, Chen Chao spat out a mouthful of blood at that moment.

His complexion also turned extremely pale at the same time.

This large drum was designed for spiritual attacks, hence no sound emanated from it. Furthermore, at the moment of striking, it precisely targeted the moment when Chen Chao's mental state was shaken, dealing a heavy blow to him.

However, Chen Chao differed from ordinary martial artists. At least, the white mist within his body was currently scouring through his meridians, making Chen Chao's injuries much lighter than expected.

But before Chen Chao could catch his breath, the iron chain glowing with purple light attacked once again. This time, Chen Chao chose not to confront the chain head-on. Originally, he intended to evade it, but unexpectedly, the chain behaved like a venomous snake, relentlessly pursuing him. It made Chen Chao feel a sense of despair.

Dodging the iron chain by flipping over, the entire house was not as fortunate. At this moment, one side of the wall collapsed with a thunderous crash, becoming fragmented, and then two supporting wooden pillars that held up the entire house also snapped.

In an instant, the entire house collapsed with a loud bang.

Amidst the ruins, two figures appeared successively. It was precisely the crying-face and smiling-face puppets.

However, a third figure failed to appear.

The pale-faced man furrowed his brows slightly, emitting a faint snort. The two puppets were attuned to his intentions. The crying-face puppet immediately raised the iron chain in its hand and slammed it heavily into the ruins. With this strike, the entire Left Guard's office seemed to tremble.

Hearing the commotion, the officials were about to gather over to this side when they heard a voice sounding out..

"Step back!"

It was Chen Chao's voice.

It's not that Chen Chao was unwilling for them to help, but this successor of the Southern Region's Shaman Clan already had half a foot into the Nepenthe Realm. Even if the entire Left Guard's office came together, they were likely not his match. In that case, why rush forward to their deaths?

As the voice fell, a figure rushed out of the ruins.

A youth in black clothes rushed out.

However, just as Chen Chao burst out, the crying-face puppet swung the iron chain once again, smashing heavily toward Chen Chao's back.

On the other side, the smiling-face puppet also delivered a heavy punch directly onto the drum skin.

Chen Chao's mind surged.

Unable to dodge in time, he was struck by the iron chain of the crying-face puppet from before.

Chen Chao once again heavily fell onto the ruins.

However, he quickly wiped away the blood from the corner of his lips and stood up.

Looking at the man strolling leisurely, Chen Chao asked, "Do you really think you can kill me and then quietly leave the Divine Capital?"

The man shook his head indifferently, "Coming to this office, I already had the mindset of certain death. Rest assured, after you die, I'll definitely follow suit. So, even if you want to seek help right now, I won't stop you."

It was not his first time going out, so he naturally had a clear view of Chen Chao's previous actions. However, he did not mind because he had already embraced the idea of certain death. Therefore, even if Chen Chao sought help now, he would not be bothered.

"I have many means. In this final battle of my life, I actually hope you can show some real skills and let me fully display everything I've learned in my lifetime."

The disparity between the two was an entire major realm, not to mention that his other foot had almost stepped into the Nepenthe Realm. It would not be difficult to kill Chen Chao at this moment. But Chen Chao wanted the other party to showcase even more techniques, even requiring his opponent to showcase their strongest side.

Chen Chao lowered his head and looked at the broken saber in his hand, remaining silent.

The two puppets, one crying and one smiling, coordinated seamlessly. One in motion and one at rest, it was practically perfect. Resisting either one of them was extremely difficult, let alone when both attacked simultaneously.

However, before he could contemplate further, in the next moment, a chain swung towards his body once again. This time, Chen Chao did not dodge, but he also did not raise his saber to clash with the chain. Instead, as the chain approached, he reached out to grab the chain emitting a purple light. An immense force instantly struck, almost causing Chen Chao to lose his grip on the thick iron chain. At the same time, without waiting for any reaction from the smiling-face puppet, Chen Chao directly threw his broken saber straight at the big drum held by the smiling-face puppet.

The man smiled and said, "This is not a solution to break the deadlock."

Chen Chao did not say much. He just tugged strongly, instantly straightening the chain of purple light, like a straight and sharp sword.

The crying-face puppet possessed immense strength. At this moment, it firmly held the chain emitting a purple light with both hands, resisting Chen Chao with its strength. On the other side, the smiling-face puppet punched away the broken saber, and its fist seemed poised to land on the surface of the big drum once again.

At this moment, for some unknown reason, Chen Chao suddenly released the iron chain. He leaped to catch the broken saber that was knocked flying, and without stopping, he arrived in front of the smiling-face puppet. With the broken saber in hand, he swung it down again, and with his other hand, he clenched his fist, aiming for the smiling-face puppet's face.

The man watched this scene without much panic, maintaining a faint smile without speaking.

As Chen Chao landed a punch on the smiling-face puppet, powerful and forceful, the puppet did not attempt to evade. It forcefully absorbed the impact with its face.

Chen Chao's physique was exceptionally resilient, but even with the force behind this punch, he could not break the puppet.

Then, the puppet's hand came back, throwing a punch toward Chen Chao.

The two clashed in this exchange of punches and kicks, but after a moment, Chen Chao's figure suddenly distanced itself, no longer entangled with the opponent.

The man watched this scene and burst into laughter, "Putting aside that you're just a martial artist, even if you were a sword cultivator, without sufficient killing power, you wouldn't be able to cut through my two puppets. Besides, who did you find for help? I haven't heard of any remarkable sword cultivators in this Divine Capital."

Chen Chao remained silent, enduring another heavy attack from the iron chain.

He seemed powerless to defend himself against the alternating assaults of the two puppets.

However, at that moment, the sound of a sword cry resonated from afar.

A flying sword swiftly approached in mid-air, accompanied by a series of sword cries.

The man turned his head in confusion. He had just claimed that there were no remarkable sword cultivators in the current Divine Capital. Yet, the sound of the sword at this moment seemed to have delivered a solid slap to his face.

Chen Chao looked at the familiar flying sword and muttered, "Mountain Creek?"

During the heavy snowfall before, on his way from the Sublime Bright Mountain to the Divine Capital, the girl who had been studying and training swordsmanship in the Divine Capital had informed him that she had given names to all nine of her flying swords. Of course, Chen Chao only knew one of them, named Mountain Creek.

Now that the flying sword has arrived, does that girl also come?

The answer is undoubtedly yes.

Xie Nandu had arrived, holding an oiled paper umbrella, appearing not far away.

This final disciple of the dean of the academy was now standing at a distance, looking at the scene over there.

As the flying sword Mountain Creek arrived, another flying sword also arrived in the snowy night as promised.

Xie Nandu murmured, "Light Rain."

The two flying swords, Mountain Creek and Light Rain, approached the two puppets from the left and right, each restraining one respectively.

This was her second flying sword. The man's expression changed slightly, somewhat puzzled, "Two lifeblood flying swords?"

There were myriad sword cultivators in the world, a sword cultivator having more than one lifeblood flying sword was already like the feather of a phoenix and horn of a Qilin, there were not many at all.

But such sword cultivators were already very rare, why would there be one in the Divine Capital?

Was this a retainer from the Heavenly Imperial Institution?

There were not many cultivators nurtured by the Great Liang Dynasty in the first place, could there be such an outstanding sword cultivator among them?

The man was somewhat absent-minded, but then, he felt even more shocked.

The third flying sword pierced through the wind and snow, with a bright sword light, appearing here.

At the same time, the girl spoke softly, "Desolate North."

The name of this flying sword was vastly different from the names of the previous two, named Desolate North, revealing the girl's ambition completely.

Three flying swords, at this moment, made the man's mind instantly defenseless. How many sword cultivators in the world possess three lifeblood flying swords?

But before he could figure it out, the fourth flying sword suddenly appeared!

The girl spoke again in a soft voice, "White Deer."

The name of this sword originated from the White Deer Prefecture, something that anyone who heard the name was likely to know. The girl was born into the White Deer's Xie Clan, it was reasonable to use the name to remember her origins.

Four flying swords?

The man was now even more dumbfounded, looking at the four flying swords before him, his expression becoming ugly to the extreme.

Among sword cultivators in the world, having two flying swords was already extremely rare, and simultaneously possessing three lifeblood flying swords is even more uncommon. Now, this sword cultivator who appeared here not only had three but four lifeblood flying swords, making it truly astonishing.

After seeing the four flying swords, the man began to search for the location of the sword owner he was looking for. However, looking around, all he could see was a girl holding an umbrella?

Was this girl the sword owner of these flying swords?

But why did he not sense an especially strong sword qi?

The four flying swords swept out, simultaneously restraining the two wooden puppets. This was a rare sight for the man.

However, he soon saw the fifth flying sword that he least wanted to see.

The sword was slender and light, thin as a cicada's wing, looking like a snowflake. It emerged from somewhere and flew directly towards him.

Five flying swords?!

At this moment, the man was already profoundly shaken.

However, when that flying sword shot towards him, the man realized that although these flying swords had an imposing momentum and their sword qi was quite sharp too, they could not truly be said to be brimming with sword intent.

Sword qi and sword intent were different. The former varied in quality depending on the sword cultivation method the swordmaster cultivated. There were all kinds of sword qi, making it difficult to evaluate. However, sword intent needed a long grinding process. Three years, five years, or even ten years, it was all different. Whether sword intent was abundant truly needed the support of cultivation realm.

"Where did this freak come from?"

Feeling perplexed, at the same time he was dodging the flying sword, the man also developed strong emotions towards the flying swords' sword owner.

The young girl before him did not have a high cultivation realm, and the killing power of her flying swords was quite ordinary too. But it was already extremely rare to be able to control so many flying swords at the same time.

After a little thought, he already knew the girl's identity. She should be the last disciple of the Dean, the final one out of the 72 disciples.

The Xie Family's genius daughter, Xie Nandu.

Regarding this top scorer in the literary examination at the Myriad Willow Convention, the man had some knowledge of her. However, looking at it now, she actually became a sword cultivator. Furthermore, she controlled more than just one flying sword, but several flying swords.

It was just that the cultivation realm of this young girl was still lacking. These flying swords were truly lacking in killing power.

……

……

Xie Nandu had nurtured more than just five flying swords. However, due to her current limited cultivation base, controlling nine flying swords was truly a bit beyond her capabilities. Therefore, only five flying swords appeared at the moment.

"A genius sword cultivator? But sadly, her cultivation base is shallow, what can she do?"

The man spoke with a nonchalant smile.

Chen Chao glanced at the distance and felt a headache. The Divine Capital was not lacking in powerful cultivators, but why did only this young girl come?

This young girl's cultivation level was actually lower than him.

"Combine the four flying swords in one area!"

In his panic, Chen Chao immediately spoke up.

Without hesitation, Xie Nandu quickly directed the four flying swords toward the smiling face puppet.

Taking advantage of this moment, Chen Chao held onto the iron chain, continuously scaling upward, and arrived in front of the crying face puppet, throwing a punch.

A vigorous aura tore through the surroundings. This was Chen Chao's full-powered punch.

The crying face puppet emitted a faint purple light all over its body, but under this punch, it still did not budge an inch.

Chen Chao's expression was ugly.

What the hell was this?! This was too sturdy, right?!

However, in the next moment, his other hand gripped the broken saber tightly, already having slashed out, directly slicing across the crying-face puppet's chest.

In the blink of an eye, a crack appeared on the puppet's body in the end.