The previous young cultivator with such significance, who did not view the Great Liang Dynasty with hostility, was that Saintess of the Myriad Heaven Palace. She was one of the core disciples of the two lineages of Daoism, yet she was naive and carefree, solely focused on sampling all the delicacies in the Divine Capital. Unlike those foreign cultivators, she never held any disdain for either the Divine Capital or the Great Liang Dynasty.
People like Zhu Xia were rare, and cultivators with a distinguished status like Zhu Xia, who could still behave the same way, were rarer.
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Now, there was another person, Yu Xiyi. This sword cultivator had a clear and pure gaze, free from any impurities
"That year, I went up the mountain, then took the sword, and then went down the mountain."
That world-renown event of acquiring his sword, Yu Xiyi casually explained it all in one sentence. It did seem to match his personality.
Chen Chao waited for a while but received no further elaboration. He furrowed his brows: This young sword cultivator before him had a very peculiar temperament.
Yu Xiyi glanced at Chen Chao and asked with a smile, "I have a question. You defeated Song Changxi and became the champion, which means many young cultivators from the foreign lands in this generation would want to kill you. Why did you choose to leave the Divine Capital instead of staying there?"
Chen Chao casually said, "How can that many people know about my decision to leave the Divine Capital? You were just lucky to run into me, others wouldn't be so lucky."
Yu Xiyi found his answer interesting.
"Then where are you headed?"
Looking at the distant mountains where a rainbow appeared, Yu Xiyi found it very strange because it did not rain earlier. Any observer would find the sudden rainbow peculiar.
Chen Chao responded, "Isn't this Cang Prefecture?"
Yu Xiyi frowned and said, "Of course I know this is Cang Prefecture, but where in Cang Prefecture are you going?"
Chen Chao shook his head. He was not prepared to reveal the answer to this sword cultivator.
Taking a look at the saber sheath hanging from Chen Chao's waist, Yu Xiyi fell silent for a moment before saying, "I heard that a great war has begun between the northern demon race and the human race. I actually want to go North and take a look, but I'm not daring enough to go."
Chen Chao asked, "Why?"
"Because I fear that if I go to that damn place, I won't ever want to leave again. But given my current status and cultivation realm, I'll quickly end up dead."
As the sword owner of Sword Qi Mountain's Hundred Year Sword, Wild Grass, Yu Xiyi had immense fame among the younger generation. The northern demon race would naturally know his name too. Once he stepped onto that Great Wall, he would definitely become the target of the demon race and would find it difficult to leave.
Those demon race experts would keep on attacking, all the way until they killed him in the end.
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Chen Chao sighed and said, "Speaking of which, I should indeed delay going over there. Perhaps I should never go there in my lifetime."
Foreign cultivators did not have much feelings towards the northern demon race. Very few cultivators would actively venture North to kill demons in that bitterly cold land.
Yu Xiyi raised an eyebrow and said, "You seem somewhat dissatisfied, thinking that it doesn't make sense."
Chen Chao did not speak. Although he had royal blood flowing in his veins, just as he had said before, he was merely a bastard. No matter what, this world and the seat of the emperor would not belong to him. He should not be emotionally affected by such matters. However, for some unknown reason, he could not help but think of that woman.
He previously never thought that the woman would be like that.
Hence, he did not speak.
Yu Xiyi thought about it and said very seriously, "Cultivators of the human world often let the human world down."
……
……
Cang Prefecture, located in the southern part of the Great Liang Dynasty, seemed somewhat desolate. The climate in this provincial capital was not considered cool. But fortunately, it was already autumn and it was not too hot.
The two of them chatted along the way, stopping from time to time. Although Chen Chao had not informed Yu Xiyi of his destination, if Yu Xiyi kept following him, sooner or later, Yu Xiyi would find out where Chen Chao was going. For Yu Xiyi, he had chosen to wander the world. If he was not in a rush to head North, he could go wherever he pleased.
"These years, I have been slaying demons non-stop. This Wild Grass looks ordinary, but in reality, it has a very stubborn temperament. It chose me back then, yet even after all these years, I still haven't completely gained its trust. This really infuriates me."
Yu Xiyi would occasionally talk about Sword Dao, but Chen Chao showed no interest at all. He just responded occasionally, "I have a friend who would love to hear you talk about these."
"That girl from the academy? I heard she has gone to Sword Qi Mountain now. What's with a good girl like her wanting to become a sword cultivator? Has she lost her mind from all the studying?"
In order to attract most people's attention, Xie Nandu's departure from the Divine Capital had not been concealed. So, the news spread quickly. Now, many people already knew that she was at Sword Qi Mountain to obtain a sword and that the academy was producing another sword cultivator. This matter could no longer be kept secret.
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"Why would a young girl train in the sword?"
Yu Xiyi casually said, "And what about you? Why are you a martial artist?"
Given Chen Chao's cultivation realm at his age, he could be considered a top talent among foreign cultivators. However, precisely because of this, his cultivation talent was generally regarded as outstanding. A genius like this would tend to cultivate other paths, which would fare much better than becoming a mere martial artist.
Chen Chao did not answer this question. He did not answer Xie Nandu back then, and now, he naturally would not answer this sword cultivator whom he had just met either.
That matter was a sore spot in his heart.
Several days later, the two arrived before a city.
This county town was called Rainwater City, which was the capital city of Rainwater Construct, situated in a valley.
Cang Prefecture had twelve commanderies, categorized into upper and lower commanderies. Upper commanderies referred to those with sufficiently large territories, better terrain, and fewer invasions from demons. The taxes each year was substantial and it was naturally easy to be an official in this place. Hence, they could be called upper commanderies. Conversely, some commanderies were the opposite in every aspect and could only be considered lower commanderies.
Rainwater Commandery was a lower commandery. This provincial capital had poor terrain and frequent demon sightings. In fact, the size of the provincial capital was not much different from that of a county town. In terms of population, it could not even compete with some prosperous county towns.
When they arrived here, it was already night. The two stood on a cliff, only able to see scattered lights that were quite sparse, unlike what should be expected in a provincial capital.
Not all places were as peaceful and prosperous as Tianqing County, where the people lived contentedly and were not troubled by demons. In many, many places in the Great Liang Dynasty, the common people still lived difficult lives. This Rainwater Commandery was one of those places.
Yu Xiyi looked up, he could sense very thick demonic energy in the surroundings.
Wild Grass started humming slightly.
This flying sword had killed too many demons. Now that it sensed demonic qi, it naturally became rather excited.
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Yu Xiyi placed a hand on the hilt and retracted the sword qi. His sword intent was too strong, if he let the sword qi scatter freely, those demons would inevitably scatter and flee.
Among all cultivators in the world, daoist lightning techniques were most effective against demons. However, sword cultivators were notorious for not making any sense. With a flying sword in hand, everything would be slashed. To demons, the fear of sword cultivators was even greater than that of those daoist cultivators who excelled in lightning techniques.
After all, although sword cultivators did not particularly restrained demons, they were unreasonable and deadly when they strike. If they wanted to kill, they would carry it out, how could there be any hesitation?"
Chen Chao said, "Maybe someone in that city will get eaten tonight."
Yu Xiyi nodded, "As a matter of fact, they are quite unfortunate. They will be trapped here for life, unable to escape."
Ordinary commoners usually lived in the same place for generations. Unless there was some opportunity, they rarely left the place they were born and raised. Firstly, it was because they felt nostalgic about their homeland. On the other hand, it was because they were physically weak. Once they left the city, the outside world was even more dangerous. They were likely to become a meal for those demons outside the moment they went outside of the city.
After all, existences who could afford to spend large sums of skygold currency to hire those cultivators were very rare.
Chen Chao pressed onto the hilt of his saber and the qi within his body began to flow as he adjusted his breathing.
Yu Xiyi looked at him and asked with some curiosity, "Are you going to kill demons?"
Chen Chao said, "Why not?"
He quickly understood Yu Xiyi's thoughts and said calmly, "You may think these demons are very ordinary and unworthy of your sword. But their existence posed a great threat to these ordinary civilians."
Yu Xiyi raised an eyebrow, thought about it for a moment, and said with a nod, "You make a valid point."
Then, he felt a bit guilty.
His sword was very strong, so naturally, he would think about killing demons he deemed worthy of being killed. Over the years, as he traveled the world and killed demons, he would target increasingly stronger demons. How could he concern himself with these ordinary demons?
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However, in reality, stronger demons rarely preyed on ordinary people for food. Instead, it was often the lower-level demons that posed the greatest threat.
Yu Xiyi smiled faintly and said softly, "In that case, shall we eliminate the demons on sight?"
As he spoke, the flying sword Wild Grass unsheathed from its scabbard, stirring up a surge of sword intent.
Sword cries lingered incessantly between heaven and earth.
Wild Grass flew through the air, moving in accordance with Yu Xiyi's thoughts. Due to the vast difference in their cultivation levels, he did not have any apprehensions. He simply expanded his sword sense and enveloped all the nearby demons.
In an instant, it seemed like a massive circle appeared between heaven and earth. Within this vast encirclement, demons were scattering everywhere in fear, trying to escape. But no matter how much they wanted to leave, they would all immediately die under a streak of sword intent.
The sword intent was very casual, yet brimming with vitality.
It was like a resilient wild grass.
As Yu Xiyi unleashed his sword, he casually said with a laugh, "My Sword Dao actually originates from the word 'insignificance'. That's why, when I went up the mountain to obtain the sword, out of all the swords on the mountain, it took fancy on me. Actually, it also knows that it's fundamentally the same as me."
Chen Chao did not hear these words, he just watched Yu Xiyi and asked rather curiously, "It's said that sword cultivators have unparalleled killing power in the world. Are other cultivators unable to defeat them?"
Yu Xiyi looked at Chen Chao, absorbed in thought.
Chen Chao gripped his saber and grinned, "Sword cultivators are truly admirable."
Upon hearing this, Yu Xiyi was initially taken aback, but soon burst into laughter.
Chen Chao looked at the young sword cultivator in front of him and said nothing.
The previous young cultivator with such significance, who did not view the Great Liang Dynasty with hostility, was that Saintess of the Myriad Heaven Palace. She was one of the core disciples of the two lineages of Daoism, yet she was naive and carefree, solely focused on sampling all the delicacies in the Divine Capital. Unlike those foreign cultivators, she never held any disdain for either the Divine Capital or the Great Liang Dynasty.
People like Zhu Xia were rare, and cultivators with a distinguished status like Zhu Xia, who could still behave the same way, were rarer.
Ad
Now, there was another person, Yu Xiyi. This sword cultivator had a clear and pure gaze, free from any impurities
"That year, I went up the mountain, then took the sword, and then went down the mountain."
That world-renown event of acquiring his sword, Yu Xiyi casually explained it all in one sentence. It did seem to match his personality.
Chen Chao waited for a while but received no further elaboration. He furrowed his brows: This young sword cultivator before him had a very peculiar temperament.
Yu Xiyi glanced at Chen Chao and asked with a smile, "I have a question. You defeated Song Changxi and became the champion, which means many young cultivators from the foreign lands in this generation would want to kill you. Why did you choose to leave the Divine Capital instead of staying there?"
Chen Chao casually said, "How can that many people know about my decision to leave the Divine Capital? You were just lucky to run into me, others wouldn't be so lucky."
Yu Xiyi found his answer interesting.
"Then where are you headed?"
Looking at the distant mountains where a rainbow appeared, Yu Xiyi found it very strange because it did not rain earlier. Any observer would find the sudden rainbow peculiar.
Chen Chao responded, "Isn't this Cang Prefecture?"
Yu Xiyi frowned and said, "Of course I know this is Cang Prefecture, but where in Cang Prefecture are you going?"
Chen Chao shook his head. He was not prepared to reveal the answer to this sword cultivator.
Taking a look at the saber sheath hanging from Chen Chao's waist, Yu Xiyi fell silent for a moment before saying, "I heard that a great war has begun between the northern demon race and the human race. I actually want to go North and take a look, but I'm not daring enough to go."
Chen Chao asked, "Why?"
"Because I fear that if I go to that damn place, I won't ever want to leave again. But given my current status and cultivation realm, I'll quickly end up dead."
As the sword owner of Sword Qi Mountain's Hundred Year Sword, Wild Grass, Yu Xiyi had immense fame among the younger generation. The northern demon race would naturally know his name too. Once he stepped onto that Great Wall, he would definitely become the target of the demon race and would find it difficult to leave.
Those demon race experts would keep on attacking, all the way until they killed him in the end.
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Chen Chao sighed and said, "Speaking of which, I should indeed delay going over there. Perhaps I should never go there in my lifetime."
Foreign cultivators did not have much feelings towards the northern demon race. Very few cultivators would actively venture North to kill demons in that bitterly cold land.
Yu Xiyi raised an eyebrow and said, "You seem somewhat dissatisfied, thinking that it doesn't make sense."
Chen Chao did not speak. Although he had royal blood flowing in his veins, just as he had said before, he was merely a bastard. No matter what, this world and the seat of the emperor would not belong to him. He should not be emotionally affected by such matters. However, for some unknown reason, he could not help but think of that woman.
He previously never thought that the woman would be like that.
Hence, he did not speak.
Yu Xiyi thought about it and said very seriously, "Cultivators of the human world often let the human world down."
……
……
Cang Prefecture, located in the southern part of the Great Liang Dynasty, seemed somewhat desolate. The climate in this provincial capital was not considered cool. But fortunately, it was already autumn and it was not too hot.
The two of them chatted along the way, stopping from time to time. Although Chen Chao had not informed Yu Xiyi of his destination, if Yu Xiyi kept following him, sooner or later, Yu Xiyi would find out where Chen Chao was going. For Yu Xiyi, he had chosen to wander the world. If he was not in a rush to head North, he could go wherever he pleased.
"These years, I have been slaying demons non-stop. This Wild Grass looks ordinary, but in reality, it has a very stubborn temperament. It chose me back then, yet even after all these years, I still haven't completely gained its trust. This really infuriates me."
Yu Xiyi would occasionally talk about Sword Dao, but Chen Chao showed no interest at all. He just responded occasionally, "I have a friend who would love to hear you talk about these."
"That girl from the academy? I heard she has gone to Sword Qi Mountain now. What's with a good girl like her wanting to become a sword cultivator? Has she lost her mind from all the studying?"
In order to attract most people's attention, Xie Nandu's departure from the Divine Capital had not been concealed. So, the news spread quickly. Now, many people already knew that she was at Sword Qi Mountain to obtain a sword and that the academy was producing another sword cultivator. This matter could no longer be kept secret.
Ad
"Why would a young girl train in the sword?"
Yu Xiyi casually said, "And what about you? Why are you a martial artist?"
Given Chen Chao's cultivation realm at his age, he could be considered a top talent among foreign cultivators. However, precisely because of this, his cultivation talent was generally regarded as outstanding. A genius like this would tend to cultivate other paths, which would fare much better than becoming a mere martial artist.
Chen Chao did not answer this question. He did not answer Xie Nandu back then, and now, he naturally would not answer this sword cultivator whom he had just met either.
That matter was a sore spot in his heart.
Several days later, the two arrived before a city.
This county town was called Rainwater City, which was the capital city of Rainwater Construct, situated in a valley.
Cang Prefecture had twelve commanderies, categorized into upper and lower commanderies. Upper commanderies referred to those with sufficiently large territories, better terrain, and fewer invasions from demons. The taxes each year was substantial and it was naturally easy to be an official in this place. Hence, they could be called upper commanderies. Conversely, some commanderies were the opposite in every aspect and could only be considered lower commanderies.
Rainwater Commandery was a lower commandery. This provincial capital had poor terrain and frequent demon sightings. In fact, the size of the provincial capital was not much different from that of a county town. In terms of population, it could not even compete with some prosperous county towns.
When they arrived here, it was already night. The two stood on a cliff, only able to see scattered lights that were quite sparse, unlike what should be expected in a provincial capital.
Not all places were as peaceful and prosperous as Tianqing County, where the people lived contentedly and were not troubled by demons. In many, many places in the Great Liang Dynasty, the common people still lived difficult lives. This Rainwater Commandery was one of those places.
Yu Xiyi looked up, he could sense very thick demonic energy in the surroundings.
Wild Grass started humming slightly.
This flying sword had killed too many demons. Now that it sensed demonic qi, it naturally became rather excited.
Ad
Yu Xiyi placed a hand on the hilt and retracted the sword qi. His sword intent was too strong, if he let the sword qi scatter freely, those demons would inevitably scatter and flee.
Among all cultivators in the world, daoist lightning techniques were most effective against demons. However, sword cultivators were notorious for not making any sense. With a flying sword in hand, everything would be slashed. To demons, the fear of sword cultivators was even greater than that of those daoist cultivators who excelled in lightning techniques.
After all, although sword cultivators did not particularly restrained demons, they were unreasonable and deadly when they strike. If they wanted to kill, they would carry it out, how could there be any hesitation?"
Chen Chao said, "Maybe someone in that city will get eaten tonight."
Yu Xiyi nodded, "As a matter of fact, they are quite unfortunate. They will be trapped here for life, unable to escape."
Ordinary commoners usually lived in the same place for generations. Unless there was some opportunity, they rarely left the place they were born and raised. Firstly, it was because they felt nostalgic about their homeland. On the other hand, it was because they were physically weak. Once they left the city, the outside world was even more dangerous. They were likely to become a meal for those demons outside the moment they went outside of the city.
After all, existences who could afford to spend large sums of skygold currency to hire those cultivators were very rare.
Chen Chao pressed onto the hilt of his saber and the qi within his body began to flow as he adjusted his breathing.
Yu Xiyi looked at him and asked with some curiosity, "Are you going to kill demons?"
Chen Chao said, "Why not?"
He quickly understood Yu Xiyi's thoughts and said calmly, "You may think these demons are very ordinary and unworthy of your sword. But their existence posed a great threat to these ordinary civilians."
Yu Xiyi raised an eyebrow, thought about it for a moment, and said with a nod, "You make a valid point."
Then, he felt a bit guilty.
His sword was very strong, so naturally, he would think about killing demons he deemed worthy of being killed. Over the years, as he traveled the world and killed demons, he would target increasingly stronger demons. How could he concern himself with these ordinary demons?
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However, in reality, stronger demons rarely preyed on ordinary people for food. Instead, it was often the lower-level demons that posed the greatest threat.
Yu Xiyi smiled faintly and said softly, "In that case, shall we eliminate the demons on sight?"
As he spoke, the flying sword Wild Grass unsheathed from its scabbard, stirring up a surge of sword intent.
Sword cries lingered incessantly between heaven and earth.
Wild Grass flew through the air, moving in accordance with Yu Xiyi's thoughts. Due to the vast difference in their cultivation levels, he did not have any apprehensions. He simply expanded his sword sense and enveloped all the nearby demons.
In an instant, it seemed like a massive circle appeared between heaven and earth. Within this vast encirclement, demons were scattering everywhere in fear, trying to escape. But no matter how much they wanted to leave, they would all immediately die under a streak of sword intent.
The sword intent was very casual, yet brimming with vitality.
It was like a resilient wild grass.
As Yu Xiyi unleashed his sword, he casually said with a laugh, "My Sword Dao actually originates from the word 'insignificance'. That's why, when I went up the mountain to obtain the sword, out of all the swords on the mountain, it took fancy on me. Actually, it also knows that it's fundamentally the same as me."
Chen Chao did not hear these words, he just watched Yu Xiyi and asked rather curiously, "It's said that sword cultivators have unparalleled killing power in the world. Are other cultivators unable to defeat them?"
Yu Xiyi looked at Chen Chao, absorbed in thought.
Chen Chao gripped his saber and grinned, "Sword cultivators are truly admirable."
Upon hearing this, Yu Xiyi was initially taken aback, but soon burst into laughter.
Chen Chao looked at the young sword cultivator in front of him and said nothing.
