Martial Cultivator

On the mountain path, the three individuals capable of determining the fate of the world remained outside the daoist temple, but the daoists within the Infatuation Daoist Temple were already extremely tense. The auras outside the temple had yet to dissipate, and even those cultivators who were previously unaware of the current situation could now sense that the situation was not simple.

Yun Jianyue stood not far from the temple entrance, while a group of young cultivators followed behind him. Seniors with different cultivation realms and seniority were standing all over the mountain. Whether they had been in closed-seclusion or not, all were now paying close attention to the situation outside the temple.

"Senior Brother Yun, who exactly has arrived? That was demonic qi just now, right?"

A disciple finally could not hold back and asked softly. The Temple Master had already gone outside, and the seniors in the temple were unlikely to attend to them at this moment. Therefore, Yun Jianyue was the only one who might know some things.

Yun Jianyue had been deep in thought, and this question from a junior brother broke his train of thought. He shook his head and said slowly, "Considering how cautious the Temple Master is and the fact that so many seniors in the temple are on high alert, who else could it be but the Demon Emperor?"

Demon Emperor.

These two words carried an immense weight, and as soon as Yun Jianyue uttered them, the young cultivators behind him held their breath, their expressions growing much more solemn. It might be difficult to determine the strongest among the human race, but there was almost no doubt about who was the strongest in the demon race.

That ruler of myriad demons in the North, who was even regarded as invincible by most people.

Now that he appeared outside the Infatuation Daoist Temple, what did this mean? And what could the Infatuation Daoist Temple possibly do in response?

Yun Jianyue glanced at his fellow disciples and shook his head, speaking softly, "Don't overthink it. With the Temple Master and the seniors present, if they can't hold him back, then it will be our turn."

After saying this, Yun Jianyue stopped looking at his fellow disciples but instead turned his gaze towards the distant Scripture Library. Compared to the situation outside the temple, he was more concerned about what that young girl was doing at this moment.

……

……

On the top floor of the Scripture Library, the vast space held only a single bookshelf, and on that shelf, there was just one thin booklet.

Zhu Xia stood by the window, gazing at the distant mountain scenery in silence.

Ever since she entered the Scripture Library that day, she had gone from the first floor to the top floor, reading many daoist techniques. However, when it came to reading this so-called supreme daoist scripture, she did not seem to be in a hurry. For several days after reaching the top floor, she just stood by the window, looking into the distance day after day.

If those two daoist nuns knew about this, they would probably sigh in resignation again.

After an indeterminate amount of time, Zhu Xia suddenly turned around and walked to the bookshelf. She reached out and took down the booklet.

The origins of Daoism were shrouded in mystery. Neither the records of Myriad Heaven Palace nor those of Infatuation Daoist Temple could clearly trace it back. This booklet's origin is similarly obscure, but both the Longevity Dao and the Great Peace Dao regard it as personally written by the Dao Ancestor, making it the highest daoist scripture. This is why both sides fought so fiercely over it. However, this text contains no specific daoist techniques. Rather, it consisted of the Dao Ancestor's reflections on cultivation and his understanding of the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth.

The Dao Ancestor's insights were something every daoist cultivator dreamed of and fervently desired. Any daoist who knew they had the chance to study this text would seize the opportunity without a moment's hesitation. However, Zhu Xia seemed indifferent. She waited a long time before finally opening the booklet.

There were no supernatural phenomena; only some black ink writing on the pages.

Zhu Xia lowered her head and glanced at it.

Then she froze.

Why would this Daoist scripture be talking about this?

It started with a story, an encounter that the Dao Ancestor had experienced.

Zhu Xia furrowed her brows, her curiosity piqued by the words.

It was a very intriguing story.

……

……

The young girl lingered outside the small temple for a long time, talking a lot with the old monk. Finally, feeling a bit tired, she got up and was about to leave.

The old monk suddenly said, "If you ever get the chance, I suggest you visit the Divine Capital."

The girl turned to look at him, the term "Divine Capital" was unfamiliar to her.

The old monk smiled, "I forgot, back then, that city didn't exist yet. But now it does. The people there are different from us. You might find more friends there."

The girl shook her head, "Not just anyone can be my friend. I have very strict criteria."

The old monk thought for a moment and then said slowly, "There's a man there who should be very suitable to be your friend. There's also a boy whom I think you'll like."

The girl glanced at the old monk, a bit skeptical.

The old monk sighed, "I haven't made much progress over the years, but I've lived a long time and gotten better at reading people. If they can't be your friends, it'll be very difficult for you to find others."

The young girl thought for a moment and then nodded, "I'll go and take a look."

The old monk did not say anything more. He just nodded, got up, and returned to the small temple. Sitting on his meditation cushion, he seemed to transform back into a statue.

The girl stood outside the temple and turned into a wisp of white smoke, dissipating into the air.

……

……

Chen Chao stood vigil in front of the small furnace, watching his broken saber. It was now the seventh day. Countless demon beads had been thrown into the furnace, yet the broken saber showed no visible change, except for becoming red-hot. As Chen Chao continued to extend his divine sense towards the saber, he felt a noticeable burning sensation, likely due to the increasing temperature of the blade.

This was a situation that the old man had not talked about before. Chen Chao did not know if it was normal, so he could only do his best to maintain the connection. Initially, it was not too bad, but as time went on, even Chen Chao found it increasingly unbearable.

Divine sense is something that correlated with one's cultivation level, but it was not solely dependent on it.

Therefore, Chen Chao could not find any other method to alleviate the burning sensation and could only endure forcefully.

These past few days had been extremely agonizing for Chen Chao.

Fortunately, after several days, the old man returned with the cut pieces of the Thousand Year Glacial Stone.

He opened his palm, revealing a piece of the Thousand Year Glacial Stone, about the size of his thumb, lying quietly in his hand.

Chen Chao smiled bitterly and said, "Senior has profited quite a bit this time."

The old man snorted, "Do you think this is some transaction? The more, the better? The amount needed must be precise. If it's even slightly off, the entire process will fail, and you can forget about reforging your saber."

As he spoke, the old man threw that piece of Thousand Year Glacial Stone into the furnace and then asked, "How have things been these past days?"

Chen Chao replied helplessly, "Every time I connect my mind with this broken saber, it feels extremely painful, as if there's a fire burning in my head."

The old man raised an eyebrow, "Suffering is part of the process. How can you achieve anything without enduring hardship?"

Chen Chao sighed and did not say anything more.

The old man then added, "The handle of this broken saber is no longer usable. Take out that pair of deer antlers. This old man will make a new one for you."