Martial Cultivator

Watching the Demon Emperor depart into the distance, the great demons in the wind and snow remained silent, unsure of what to do. As they gazed at the Great Liang Emperor who was about to head south, they hesitated, not knowing whether they should take any action.

In the end, none of them spoke, and none of them made any moves. They simply watched the two emperors leave.

Soon, a figure appeared within the wind and snow.

It was the High Priest of the demon race. This figure, who held a position of great authority among the demons, had been absent during the previous battle. No one knew where he had gone at that time, but now he had returned, albeit a little late.

All the great demons looked at the High Priest, a strange glint flashing in their eyes, wondering if he had brought any decree from His Majesty.

But the High Priest merely glanced at the numerous great demons present, waved his hand, and said indifferently, "Everyone, leave."

With just those two words, he said no more and headed toward the royal city.

The great demons felt some regret but did not say anything. Soon, the demonic clouds dissipated, and the great demons left one after another.

The Demon Emperor was still alive, and this demon territory was still under his rule. Whatever decisions he made, no one dared to defy him, because defying him would certainly result in punishment by the Emperor.

The earlier battle, though thunderous and fierce, did not truly harm His Majesty. Everyone knew that he had not been seriously wounded, and the scene back then would not be repeated.

This battle did not change anything, the demon territory remained as it was, and His Majesty was still the Emperor.

……

……

In the wind and snow, the Demon Emperor and Autumn were walking slowly. This father and daughter pair walked at a leisurely pace, not because the Demon Emperor was gravely injured, but simply because he did not want to walk too quickly. Perhaps he was reluctant to return so soon to that demon royal city, where he would resume his role as the lonely monarch.

Autumn thought for a moment and then asked, “Royal Father, what are you thinking about?”

She sensed that something was off with the Demon Emperor's mood. Being of his blood, they often shared an unspoken connection in moments like these.

The Demon Emperor smiled faintly, “We just feel a bit of regret.”

Autumn furrowed her brows and probed, “Royal Father wanted to fight the Great Liang Emperor, not that great sword immortal?”

The Demon Emperor nodded calmly, “Although that sword user is very strong as well, but he's not straightforward enough. He wanted to use Us to hone his Sword Dao, so We gave him the opportunity, to see how far he can go.”

Autumn lamented, “Royal Father, won't this end up nurturing another formidable enemy for the demon race?”

The Demon Emperor looked toward the distant royal city and shook his head. “We gave him a chance, but he'll eventually repay Us in some way. In the end, it's just a trade, though it leaves Us a bit unsettled. But since we've reached this point, one can't afford to act too freely.”

Autumn was silent for a moment before softly saying, “Royal Father seem like you really want to be friends with that Great Liang Emperor.”

This conclusion was one she had mulled over for a long time. Initially, she found it hard to believe. After all, the demon race and the human race had been arch-enemies for generations; opposing each other from birth. It was rare, if not impossible, for a demon and a human to become friends, let alone the leaders of both sides.

The Demon Emperor stopped, reached out to pat Autumn's head, and said with a smile, "You're very clever."

Autumn asked in confusion, "But why?"

"Who else in this world besides him is worthy of being Our friend? These fools, or those timid human cultivators? We have seen the world for so many years, and only he's qualified to become Our friend," the Demon Emperor said calmly as he looked ahead, a hint of regret in his eyes.

The only person in the world worthy of being his friend could only end up as his enemy.

"As one ascends higher, friends naturally become fewer. Humans have a saying, 'the heights are unbearably cold.' That's probably this logic. Standing at the peak of the mountain, what you see is naturally the peak of another mountain," the Demon Emperor lamented softly. "Everyone in the world needs friends, but not everyone can have them."

Autumn pondered these words carefully.

The Demon Emperor chuckled and teased, "Give that young martial artist some time. Maybe one day, he'll become your only friend."

Autumn frowned and replied, "I just want to kill him."

The Demon Emperor reached out to pat Autumn's head again and smiled, "Don't be so quick to decide. In this world, nothing is set in stone. While fighting, who knows, you might just become friends. But the prerequisite is that neither of you end up like me and Chen Che, sitting in such positions where even if you want to be friends, it's impossible."

Autumn was silent.

The Demon Emperor spoke softly, "Your temperament is just like your consort mother's. You never listen to anyone."

The Demon Emperor had many offspring, but not all of them were born to the same consort. Autumn's consort mother had Autumn this one child.

Although Autumn was deeply loved by the Demon Emperor, her relationship with her other siblings was rather ordinary.

At the mention of her consort mother, Autumn wanted to speak but swallowed the words back.

The Demon Emperor knew what she was thinking and calmly said, "Endure a little longer."

Autumn asked, "Does Royal Father feel disappointed?"

The Demon Emperor smiled, "We don't care about such things."

Autumn asked again, "What does Royal Father care about, then?"

The Demon Emperor shook his head and said softly, "Sometimes, We don't even know what We care about."

By now, the two had arrived in front of the royal city. The guards had long since knelt down, not daring to lift their heads to look at the Demon Emperor.

Standing before the city gate, the Demon Emperor suddenly turned and looked in the direction of the Onan River, his eyes a snowy white, filled with a sense of regret.

……

……

The Sword Sect's Sect Master, dragging his heavily injured body, caught up with the Great Liang Emperor and group. From a distance, this Sword Sect's Sect Master said softly, "Greetings, Your Majesty."

The Great Liang Emperor looked at the world's number one master of Sword Dao and gave a calm smile, "When will We get to see the sword strike that Sect Master held back?"

The Sword Sect's Sect Master remained silent and just clasped his hands in thanks. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Traveling thousands of miles to challenge the Demon Emperor, if not for the presence of the Great Liang Emperor, the Demon Emperor would likely have gone on a killing spree.

Even if he could have fought the Demon Emperor to the point of serious injury, he would have ultimately died, bleeding out in the demon territory.

He had come to hone his Sword Dao and had no desire to die in the demon territory.

The Great Liang Emperor simply smiled and said no more.

The Sword Sect's Sect Master glanced at Yu Xiyi and said calmly, "Returning to the sect?"

Yu Xiyi shook his head. "This disciple still has unfulfilled desires and wishes to travel a bit longer."

The Sect Master nodded. "I hope you find clarity. Otherwise, all the years of effort from the Sword Sect will be in vain, and you would have failed this Hundred Year Sword."

Yu Xiyi bowed silently.

Only then, did the Sword Sect's Sect Master bow to the Great Liang Emperor before transforming into sword light and disappearing into the horizon.

Afterward, the group arrived in the desolate north.

Yu Xiyi bade farewell to Chen Chao, "You're right, I'm going to see her."

Chen Chao nodded and smiled, "When we meet next, will you be a real sword immortal?"

Yu Xiyi laughed heartily, "If that's the case, I'll reward you with a sword."

Chen Chao said indifferently, "By then, I'll just chop you dead with one slash."

Yu Xiyi's laughter faded as he solemnly bowed to the Great Liang Emperor, saying earnestly, "Next time there's a great battle, I wish to follow in the footsteps of Sword Immortal Liu."

The Great Liang Emperor waved his hand, "Step into Nepenthe first before talking."

Yu Xiyi smiled, threw out his flying sword, and flew away. But soon a voice echoed from the sea of clouds, "Sword Cultivator Yu Xiyi, from this day forth, I'm a citizen of Great Liang!"

Chen Chao looked up and muttered, "What's this? He still thinks he's something special?"

Xie Nandu replied softly, "He seems a bit more impressive than you should be."

"Hah?"

Chen Chao frowned, "Why are you siding with him?"

Xie Nandu ignored him.

Meanwhile, the Great Liang Emperor listened to the bickering between the two, a smile appearing on his face.

It reminded him of a certain pair of young lovers from the past.

But unfortunately, he was no longer young, and the woman who had stood by his side had also been gone for quite some time.

Thinking of this, the Great Liang Emperor felt some regret. On this journey north, he had not seen any beautiful flowers.

……

……

Approaching Coldgate Pass.

The Great Liang Emperor waved his hand at Chen Chao and Xie Nandu.

The two understood and walked ahead, soon entering Coldgate Pass.

Then, only these two remained at the gate.

The Great Liang Emperor and that young monk.

The young monk clasped his hands together, "This destitute monk also wishes to take his leave from Your Majesty."

The Great Liang Emperor looked at the black-clad monk who resembled a departed friend, a hint of sadness reflecting in his eyes.

The young monk lowered his head, not looking at this emperor.

The Great Liang Emperor said nothing, he just remained silent.

The young monk turned to leave.

Except, his steps were slow.

The Great Liang Emperor watched him for a long while before saying softly, "We have a white hat."

The young monk's footsteps paused, but he did not turn around, continuing to walk forward on his own.

The Great Liang Emperor smiled faintly.