Martial Cultivator

One monarch had long been on the mountain path, not far from the Infatuation Daoist Temple, while the other monarch was still on his way up.

These two had met in the desolate north before, engaging in a battle with no clear winner.

Now, upon meeting again, there was an additional person, the Temple Master of the Infatuation Daoist Temple.

These three individuals could likely decide many things in this world.

Sometimes the world seemed vast, filled with countless people. Yet, at times, it felt small, requiring only two or three people to nod their heads to steer the direction of this world.

The Demon Emperor looked at the Great Liang Emperor still climbing the mountain and said with a smile, "You've indeed taken a few steps forward again."

The Great Liang Emperor also remarked, "And so did you."

The casually spoken words concealed terrifying information. Both monarchs had already advanced extremely far. For cultivators who had made such progress in cultivation, progressing further was a very difficult thing. However, from their conversation, it was not hard to guess that they had gained insights from their previous battle and had each taken another step forward.

This answer made the Temple Master furrow his brows.

The Demon Emperor chuckled, "When can we have another battle?"

The Great Liang Emperor looked at him calmly, "If you wish, today."

With those words, killing intent arose on the mountain path.

The Demon Emperor's emperor robe fluttered without wind, and a boundless demonic qi slowly emanated. Throughout the Infatuation Daoist Temple, all the cultivators sensed this terrifying aura. Everyone was stunned on the spot, and the Temple Master's expression turned grim. He could clearly feel that the Demon Emperor before him was now even more unrestrained than before.

The Great Liang Emperor stood on the mountain path, his expression unchanged, but his blood vitality surged like a deep abyss. His aura continued to climb to its peak, like a deity standing in the world. The aura of a peerless martial artist was displayed to the fullest expression of its beauty and form by him.

Were these two monarchs going to clash again?

The auras of both men continued to expand outward. The Temple Master had no choice but to take several steps back to avoid the aura emanating from the Demon Emperor, leaving space for these two to fight.

Both of them belonged to the strongest individuals of the current era. If they were to truly battle here, perhaps the Infatuation Daoist Temple could remain unharmed, but the mountain might not survive.

However, once these two had set their minds on battling again, no one could dissuade them, so the Temple Master saw no point in trying to convince them otherwise.

The Demon Emperor glanced at the Great Liang Emperor, then suddenly took a step down the mountain. Without backing down, the Great Liang Emperor also took a step up the mountain. They exchanged a glance, and in the middle of the mountain path, countless blue stones suddenly shattered, leaving the path in ruins in an instant.

The Temple Master sighed, thinking that repairing the mountain path afterward would be troublesome.

But this was only the beginning of the confrontation between the two monarchs; far from reaching its most intense phase.

Suddenly, with a crack, an ancient tree thick enough to need several people to embrace it snapped abruptly. As this ancient tree broke, others followed suit one after another. Under the pressure of the two monarchs' auras, countless ancient trees shattered, sending a myriad of wood fragments and grass debris flying toward the sky like countless swords, scattering in all directions.

The Temple Master waved his sleeve, blocking the debris and stones flying toward the Infatuation Daoist Temple, and sighed again.

The standoff between the Great Liang Emperor and the Demon Emperor continued, but it seemed neither had any intention of escalating the fight further. Though the commotion seemed great, it was merely a probe.

Even so, it was already exceptionally terrifying. The disciples of the Infatuation Daoist Temple watched from a distance. Though they could not see the two monarchs, the palpable sense of dread from the terrifying auras was enough to leave them in awe.

……

In the back mountain of the Sword Sect, there was a cave dwelling already overgrown with green vines. Now, the leaves trembled slightly, and the vines shook continuously. A wind swept out from the cave, gently brushing against the vines, causing countless leaves to fall and several slits to appear on the vines, with green sap slowly oozing and dripping onto the ground.

A tall figure emerged from the cave and stood at the entrance, looking up at the sky. In the distant sky, there seemed to be a scene of clouds churning. The person's eyes were filled with sword intent that was continuously being born and extinguished. Given his realm, he naturally understood what was happening far away. The immense demonic qi undoubtedly belonged to that person, while the other torrential blood vitality looked like that other person.

This person who knew full well what was happening stood with his hands behind his back; incredibly calm.

"Fighting once in the desolate north wasn't enough; they want to fight again in the human world?"

He murmured to himself, a hint of amusement in his tone.

"Forget it. I'm not interested in being a spectator. Even if we really come to blows, now's not the time either."

Shaking his head, that person turned and walked back into the cave.

……

……

On the mountain path, the two monarchs suddenly withdrew their auras.

The Great Liang Emperor said, "Pointless, it's still just probing."

The Demon Emperor shook his head with a smile, "With you here, We are truly worried they might take the opportunity to make Us stay here forever."

The Great Liang Emperor said nothing, merely looking silently at the Temple Master at the highest point.

The Temple Master smiled bitterly, "If Your Majesty truly intends to do this, the Infatuation Daoist Temple will naturally assist, but what are the chances of success?"

The Great Liang Emperor replied, "As We said before, there's no such possibility."

The Temple Master understood and felt a bit regretful.

But he also knew that attempting to completely kill the Demon Emperor would inevitably come at a terrible price to the Infatuation Daoist Temple.

The Demon Emperor was difficult to kill, no matter where he was. If it were that easy, the human race would not have been on the defensive all these years but would have advanced north long ago.

"Since Your Majesty isn't here to fight, what's your purpose?"

The Temple Master looked at the Demon Emperor and said softly, "It seems Your Majesty has something to discuss with the other Majesty. Should this penniless daoist take my leave first?"

The Demon Emperor said, "On this land, there seem to be things that neither he nor you can decide alone. But if you both agree, it seems to be valid."

Among the many sects in the foreign lands, while there was no definitive statement on which was the number one sect or who was the strongest powerhouse, the foundation of the Infatuation Daoist Temple was evident, and the Temple Master remained the cultivator who held the most power.

The Great Liang Emperor remained silent.

The Temple Master then solemnly said, "Your Majesty can discuss your matters now."

……

……

Deercry Monastery

The sound of chanting filled the air, and a faint buddhist light enveloped the entire temple.

However, while the chanting echoed throughout Deercry Monastery, it did not reach a small temple halfway up the mountain.

This small temple appeared very ordinary, with only a clay statue enshrined inside. Before the statue sat an old monk in meditation.

The old monk was very old, and his gray monk's robe was covered with cobwebs and dust. Perhaps the robe was not originally gray, but had accumulated so much dust that its original color was indistinguishable.

The old monk's eyebrows were also very long, like two vines hanging down from his face to the ground.

It was unclear how long the old monk had been sitting there without moving, nor how long it had been since he last opened his eyes. When he finally did open them, the dust on his eyelids slowly fell, making it seem as if a statue had come to life. His eyes were full of vicissitudes, indicating he had lived for many years, though exactly how many years was unknown to anyone.

The old monk slowly stood up, causing the dust on his body to fall as well, filling the small temple with a cloud of dust.

He walked slowly to the temple entrance and then sat down again, as if those few steps had exhausted all his strength.

Sitting on the doorway, the old monk looked up at the demonic qi in the sky, mumbling to himself in a way that was too faint to be understood.

As his lips moved slowly, tangible scripture words began to appear, illuminating the small temple with brilliant buddhist light. The more radiant the light, the older and more ancient the monk appeared, as if he did not belong to this era, but was a relic from a previous one.

In Buddhism, there is the concept of a great bodhisattva, akin to a great daoist sage in Daoism or a great sword immortal among sword cultivators. Yet, even the old abbot of Deercry Monastery could not achieve what this old monk did: casually speaking and producing such resplendent buddhist light.

The radiant light appeared rapidly and then quickly dissipated. The old monk sighed deeply, then sat on the threshold, gradually falling into a drowsy state.

Over the many years, he had spent his time sleeping; this was not the first time.

Before long, a young girl suddenly appeared in front of the small temple. She glanced up at the sky. But after a brief look, she lost interest and turned her gaze to the old monk. She frowned at the sight of the dusty, wrinkled face before her and suddenly lamented, "You're so old now."

The old monk could barely hear what the girl was saying, but the voice seemed familiar to him. He strained to open his cloudy eyes and looked at the girl, who had appeared out of nowhere.

After a moment, the old monk's eyes widened in disbelief. He spoke softly, "It's you... you're still alive..."

The girl stared at the old monk, a hint of disdain in her voice. "You're too old. The last time I saw you, your face was round and smooth, and your bald head was pleasant to touch. Why do you look like an old tree stump now?"

The old monk did not know what to say. Except, tears streamed from his cloudy eyes as he murmured softly, "It really is you..."

The girl ignored his words and continued talking to herself, "I slept for a long time. When I woke up, everyone I knew was gone. I didn't expect to find you still here, but you're too old."

The young girl repeated the word "old" many times. No one likes being called old, but the old monk seemed indifferent. He just sighed softly and lamented, "Many, many years have passed."

The girl sighed too, "Yes, many years have passed. Everything is different now. Everything feels so strange."

The old monk suddenly said softly, "I can't live much longer."

The girl frowned, "No, you can't die. If you die, I won't have anyone left that I know."

The old monk sighed, "But I'm not you. I can't live that long."

The girl suddenly asked, "Did you not tell anyone?"

The old monk nodded, something unspeakable in his eyes. "I'm very scared."

The girl furrowed her brows but did not say anything.

Even a cultivator at the level of the old monk had something he feared greatly. What could it be?

Suddenly, the girl understood, "So that's why you refuse to leave this place."

The old monk nodded and said softly, "Even though I'm almost dying from old age, I'm not willing to die as well."

The girl shook her head, "Don't worry, we'll change this."

The old monk asked, "We?"

The girl smiled, "Seems like I misspoke. I've made a new friend."