Martial Cultivator

Long before the hundred-man group from the Divine Capital set out, many young cultivators from the outer realms had already arrived at the desolate northern plains. They had not been granted permission to enter the Great Wall, and even though many were sincerely eager to see this barrier that spanned between the demon race and the human race, they were still denied entry.

During this period, some cultivators from major sects were dissatisfied and insisted on forcibly entering the Northern Frontier Great Wall. The soldiers at the checkpoint found themselves in a difficult position. If these were genuine demons, they would have been met with immediate hostility. However, since they were fellow humans who were from the foreign lands that they had a delicate relationship with, the soldiers were unable to make a decision. Fortunately, the news quickly reached the General's Office. Soon after, a formidable cavalry unit of about a thousand soldiers, led by a cavalry general, arrived at the checkpoint and conveyed the Great General's military order.

Unauthorized personnel were not allowed to take a single step into the Great Wall!

The harshness of the wording left those cultivators somewhat stunned.

In the past, things were different. Back then, the Great Liang had no choice. Forget about this Great Wall, even if it was the imperial city, they could enter as they pleased. However, things were far more complicated now.

The renowned cultivator who was leading his sect's juniors was about to lose his temper upon hearing these words. However, before he could speak, a row of divine crossbows on the city wall had already been aimed at the cultivators in front of the pass.

These divine crossbows were killing machines meticulously crafted by the Ministry of Works over ten years. For over two hundred years, they had been continually reworked, and now they were at their twelfth generation. Their killing power was terrifying. If a cultivator at the Great Beyond Realm was targeted by these crossbows, even if they were lucky enough to dodge a bolt, they would have no chance of survival if all the crossbows fired simultaneously.

Adding to this, there were also a thousand cavalry soldiers who were all brave martial artists. In a fight, even he could not guarantee that he could escape unscathed.

After realizing the result reluctantly, the renowned cultivator could only leave some harsh words and lead his sect's disciples to the previously agreed-upon pass and enter the desolate north from there.

The tranquility of the following days did not mean that peace would last forever. A few days later, a group of daoist cultivators from the Two Rites Temple sought to enter the Northern Frontier Great Wall again but were still refused. Just as they were about to clash with the frontier army, a streak of light appeared on the horizon, and another group of daoist cultivators, all young faces, arrived not far away. The leader of this group wore a dark red daoist robe and had a tall, ethereal appearance.

The Two Rites Temple cultivators quickly recognized that this new group was from the Infatuation Daoist Temple. The leading young daoist soon stepped forward, made a respectful bow, and asked excitedly, “May I ask if it's Senior Brother Yun?”

Of the two Daoism lineages, the Two Rites Temple and the Infatuation Daoist Temple both belong to the Longevity Dao lineage, so they could address each other as fellow sect members.

Yun Jianyue nodded and smiled, saying, “It's precisely this lowly daoist.”

Upon hearing Yun Jianyue’s confirmation, all the young cultivators from the Two Rites Temple turned to look at him.

The reputation of the Twin Pillars of Daoism was resounding among the younger generation outside the sect, especially Yun Jianyue, who was currently ranked first on the Latent Dragon List and was an idol for countless young cultivators. As fellow daoist cultivators, seeing this daoist prodigy was naturally exciting for them.

Yun Jianyue glanced ahead and asked gently, “What brings Fellow Daoists here?”

Hearing Yun Jianyue’s question, the young daoist responded with frustration, “We simply wish to enter the Great Wall to see what kind of barrier could prevent the demon race from advancing south, but they kept refusing us entry! Senior Brother Yun, give a verdict on this.”

Yun Jianyue asked, “Before leaving your sect, did your sect leader not explain the rules for this journey?”

The young daoist was taken aback. He had expected that Yun Jianyue, being from the Infatuation Daoist Temple, would speak up for them no matter what. He thought that with the Infatuation Daoist Temple involved, Great Liang would have to give them some consideration. However, Yun Jianyue did not seem inclined to offer any help due to sect affiliation and instead asked this question right away.

The young daoist stood awkwardly to the side and did not say anything.

Yun Jianyue smiled and said, “Junior Brother, you got something wrong. It's not the barrier itself that prevents the demon race from advancing south, it's these people on the walls. If you were willing to fight alongside them in the Northern Frontier one day, you would likely be allowed entry.”

After saying this, Yun Jianyue gave a respectful bow to the senior from the Two Rites Temple in the distance, who nodded in return. Although Yun Jianyue was a junior, his status was extraordinary, and his cultivation level was not necessarily lower than his. His humility was commendable.

After the exchange of courtesies, Yun Jianyue led his fellow disciples from the Infatuation Daoist Temple around and away.

He planned to head alone into the plains to search for his Senior Sister who had been on his mind, while his fellow disciples would wait for further instructions.

After they had walked a few miles, one of the Infatuation Daoist Temple disciples stepped forward, and asked in puzzlement, “Senior Brother Yun, why didn't you speak up for our fellow daoists? Instead, you helped Great Liang out of their predicament?”

Yun Jianyue glanced at him without answering, simply looking at him.

The Infatuation Daoist disciple’s expression changed slightly, and he asked in surprise, “Did this Junior Brother say something I shouldn't have?”

Yun Jianyue slowly nodded.

“Senior Brother, this junior brother was just asking a question. There's no need to be so petty, right?”

The Infatuation Daoist disciple was somewhat confused, this was not like the Yun Jianyue he knew.

Yun Jianyue sighed, shook his head, and brought up an old matter. “I just suddenly remembered that I had told you before not to speak of that incident with the Saintess. Not only did you not listen, but you also made things worse by embellishing the story. I was just thinking, since the desolate northern plains are said to be lush with grass and water, it might be quite nice to bury you there.”

The Infatuation Daoist disciple's face froze, and he said pitifully, “Senior Brother... this junior brother knows I was wrong…”

Yun Jianyue ignored him, instead looking into the distance and softly lamenting, “Let's see again after I meet Senior Sister. You all claimed you would keep your lips tightly sealed, but in reality, everyone's a blabbermouth. None of you can be trusted."c

……

……

Ye Zhihua was likely among the first young cultivators to arrive at the desolate northern plains. After leaving the Divine Capital, she traveled north without stopping and reached the desolate north just a few days later.

Facing this endless expanse of the desolate northern plains, Ye Zhihua's expression remained calm. With the heavy snowfall obscuring everything, finding a hint of green was nearly impossible.

Ye Zhihua did not particularly like such places. She enjoyed watching the moon and the morning glow at Infatuation Daoist Temple but disliked the heavy snow, especially such a heavy snowfall.

However, she was already here, so she could only take a look.

Since both the human and demon races had withdrawn their troops due to their arrival, no signs of their presence could be found on this snow plains. After all, a heavy snowfall was enough to cover all traces. Yet, after walking a few steps, she stopped and looked at the snow-covered ground. With a stirring of her mind, an invisible sword seemed to slash forward, revealing a trench. In the trench, there were numerous corpses, all clad in armor and wielding sabers.

However, the sabers were broken and there were also demon corpses next to them.

It appeared to be a human army that had fought to the death with the demons.

Ye Zhihua glanced at the corpses and quickly looked away. She then raised her head and spotted a lone figure on a distant snowbank.

It was also a woman, but her eyes were completely white, lacking pupils.

It was a demon.

Ye Zhihua silently raised her hand, and a wisp of firefly light appeared at her fingertip, transforming into a radiant butterfly that fluttered around her finger.

The demon woman in the distance remained unmoved by Ye Zhihua's actions.

Ye Zhihua had not expected to encounter a demoness so soon and was even more surprised that she could not see through the woman's aura. It seemed that killing her would not be easy.

However, after a moment, the butterfly at Ye Zhihua's fingertip took off and flew towards the distant demoness, stirring up the wind and snow as it went.

The demoness sneered. Facing the powerful aura emitted by the butterfly, she merely glanced at it. The wind and snow behind her roared and soon, countless snowflakes turned into sharp blades, shooting towards the butterfly.

Without exchanging a word, the two women already engaged in combat.

The demoness on the snowbank looked at Ye Zhihua, watching the snowflakes shattering the butterfly. The young demoness then crossed through the wind and snow and arrived in front of Ye Zhihua. With a casual motion, she extended a hand, and Ye Zhihua quickly reacted, forming a complex daoist seal with her hands. A barrier soon appeared in front of her. However, as soon as the demoness' palm touched the barrier, there was a faint cracking sound. Ye Zhihua frowned and slid backward across the snowfield for dozens of yards.

This was partly due to the demoness' fierce attack and partly because Ye Zhihua had chosen to retreat to reduce the impact.

After creating some distance, Ye Zhihua once again activated her daoist spells, conjuring numerous ice spikes in front of the advancing demoness.

Yet the demoness showed no concern. With a surge of demonic qi, the ice spikes in front of her suddenly shattered and scattered.

Ye Zhihua's expression shifted slightly. Even with such a brief exchange, she could feel that the demoness' demonic qi was not weaker than her own. This realization struck her deeply, she knew her cultivation level was among the best of the young generation of humanity, and it was rare to find someone comparable. But the demoness seemed to be even stronger.

Was she truly of the younger generation?

Growing increasingly curious about the demoness' identity, Ye Zhihua asked, "Who are you?"

Her voice cut through the wind and snow, reaching the demoness' ears.

With a blank expression, the demoness uttered a few words, "Why would a dead person deserve to know my name?"

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