Martial Cultivator

Chen Chao and Yun Jianyue sat down in front of the bamboo building. Yu Xiyi looked at Yun Jianyue in his dark red daoist robe, then at the jar of alcohol that had already been set on the table. Finally, he could not hold back anymore and stared at Chen Chao as if he were looking at a madman. "You're planning to have him kill Yinli?"

Yun Jianyue had just taken his seat. Hearing this, he only furrowed his brows slightly but said nothing.

Chen Chao smiled. "Don't scare him off."

Yu Xiyi sneered. "Anyone you manage to fool into coming here, do you really think I could scare them away?"

Chen Chao only smiled and said nothing, instead turning to Yun Jianyue. After pouring him a drink, he said with a smile, "The last time we met was probably in the desolate north. I didn't know at the time, but later I learned a bit about what happened. Before that demon race princess came looking for trouble with me, you stopped her once. If you hadn't, I reckon that I'd probably be dead now. So, I owe you one, this cup is to toast you."

Hearing this, Yu Xiyi let out a dissatisfied snort. "And what about Your Father?!"

Chen Chao nodded, raising his cup with a grin. "You're both my saviors, I owe both of you a toast."

Yun Jianyue did not touch the cup. Instead, he said calmly, "I didn't know it was you at the time. But in the desolate north, if it was a demon I was facing, I would have acted regardless. No need for thanks."

Chen Chao chuckled. "You're noble and upright; naturally above such trivialities."

Yun Jianyue got straight to the point. "Since you insist on discussing this in front of him, then I'll ask, how did Temple Master die?"

Yu Xiyi's interest was piqued as well. He knew that this matter was something many people in the world were likely paying attention to.

But Chen Chao was in no hurry to answer. Instead, he said, "His Majesty has only just set out on his journey, and your Infatuation Daoist Temple is already stirring up trouble. No matter how you look at it, this doesn't seem reasonable, does it?"

Yun Jianyue said calmly, "I don't make the decisions in the temple. There are many things I cannot stop."

Chen Chao asked, "And if you were in charge? Would you still oppose our Great Liang?"

He looked at Yun Jianyue intently, his tone serious.

Yun Jianyue said, "There's nothing to discuss."

Chen Chao shook his head. "What if I say you must tell me the answer before I tell you what you want to know?"

Hearing this, Yun Jianyue did not give an answer right away. Instead, he said, "If you're hoping for the Infatuation Daoist Temple to submit to Great Liang, that's impossible. There are many seniors in the temple who would never accept such a thing. After all, the Infatuation Daoist Temple has remained detached from worldly affairs for many years. How could it change so easily?"

Chen Chao smiled. "I never thought about having the Infatuation Daoist Temple submit to the Great Liang. But if you were in charge, could the Infatuation Daoist Temple and Great Liang coexist peacefully?"

"For example, when our Great Liang fights against the demons in the North, could the Infatuation Daoist Temple refrain from stabbing us in the back, or even send people to assist?"

This was what Chen Chao cared about the most. Otherwise, he would not have gone through all this trouble.

Nor would he be sitting here discussing things with Yun Jianyue face-to-face.

Yun Jianyue said, "If I were the Temple Master, I naturally wouldn't allow such things to happen, nor would I permit others in the temple to do so. As for aiding the Great Liang, I can only promise that I'll show up in the Northern Frontier."

Yun Jianyue had always been different from most cultivators in the world. He was a rare genius, yet his way of thinking differed from the traditional mindset of most cultivators. That alone was already remarkable.

Chen Chao said, "Since that's the case, then this is exactly what I wanted."

Yun Jianyue frowned. "What makes you think I can become the Temple Master?"

Chen Chao raised an eyebrow. "If you didn't have that ability, you wouldn't be here in the first place."

"But without a valid reason, I won't join you in killing the Chief Enforcer."

Now that Yun Jianyue understood Chen Chao and Yu Xiyi's intentions, he also made his own stance clear. If there was no absolute reason to kill Yinli, he definitely would not act.

Chen Chao said, "I'll naturally give you the reason."

After saying this, Chen Chao glanced at Yun Jianyue and said calmly, "Daoist Wuyang was killed by Yinli."

Chen Chao was very calm when he said this sentence, but Yu Xiyi did not feel calm at all upon hearing this.

His eyes widened in shock - he had never expected this answer.

In contrast, Yun Jianyue remained quiet, staring into Chen Chao's eyes as if trying to discern the truth from them.

Chen Chao asked, "You don't seem too surprised?"

Yun Jianyue replied, "I had considered the possibility, but hearing it from you isn't enough."

Chen Chao said nothing. He simply reached into his robe and took out a small wooden box, placing it on the table. Then, he opened it in front of the two, revealing a demon bead inside.

“We're old friends. Back then, when I was falsely accused by those qi refiners, it was this iteming that served as evidence to clear my name. Otherwise, I'd have long since died in the dungeons of the Court of Judicial Review. Although this demon bead isn't the exact one from back then, seeing it still brings back memories. This one contains the recorded scene of Daoist Wuyang's murder. Take a look?”

Chen Chao pushed the bead toward Yun Jianyue. Yun Jianyue's expression grew complicated. Although he had long suspected that the Chief Enforcer had killed the Temple Master, there had never been any concrete evidence. But now, with the proof placed right before his eyes, he could not help but feel rather shocked.

After all, while there had always been discord between the Temple Master and Chief Enforcer, they were still fellow apprentices. By all logic, it should have been impossible for them to turn on each other. Yet the truth was laid bare - the Chief Enforcer killed the Temple Master.

There was no way to fake this.

After watching, Yun Jianyue pushed the box back and got straight to the point, asking, "What conditions must I meet for you to give this to me?"

Chen Chao smiled. "I've already stated my terms."

Yun Jianyue frowned.

“With this item, there shouldn't be any problems with you succeeding as the new temple master. After all, you will have killed a traitor guilty of treason. By merit alone, the position should rightfully be yours. Given your current cultivation, no one can find fault with you either.”

Chen Chao spoke with a smile - he had already paved the path for Yun Jianyue.

Yun Jianyue said, "You've certainly thought things through."

Chen Chao asked, "If I give this to you, what do you plan to do?"

Yun Jianyue replied, "Take it back to the temple and publicly announce the Chief Enforcer's crimes."

Chen Chao asked, "Kill or not?"

"Naturally, he must die."

Yun Jianyue said, "The Chief Enforcer must die."

If someone like him was left alive, it would naturally be illogical.

Chen Chao smiled. "But will that Daoist Yinli surrender quietly?"

Yun Jianyue said, "The elders of the temple will naturally take action."

Chen Chao shook his head. "Not necessarily."

"You think this way. But would they think this way? Who is Daoist Yinli? A great daoist sage, an existence at the end of Nepenthe, one of the top few supreme powerhouses in the world. I suspect that even if someone in the Infatuation Daoist Temple knows about this, they'll probably just watch indifferently for the sake of the temple. They may even try to persuade you to forget this matter. It's even possible that they'll lock you up somewhere and urge you to focus on your cultivation. You must understand, an internal conflict within a sect can lead to its downfall. How many times has something like this happened?"

Chen Chao stared into Yun Jianyue’s eyes, shaking his head as he said, "You don't need to answer me. Just think about it yourself, is this scenario possible? And if it truly is, how would you break the deadlock?"

Meanwhile, Yu Xiyi drank his wine on his own, listening to Chen Chao's words. He only felt a headache coming on and did not want to think too much. What he was focused on now was simply whether Yun Jianyue would agree to join them in killing Daoist Yinli, and if so, how much chance the three of them would have of succeeding.

Thinking about it, Yu Xiyi even felt a bit excited. After all, killing a great daoist sage, who was also one of the most powerful experts of the era, was thrilling in its own way.

Yun Jianyue said, "Wouldn't causing internal strife within the Infatuation Daoist Temple and weakening its strength be the outcome you most want to see?"

Chen Chao did not speak.

Yun Jianyue continued, "What you said makes sense. Given the Chief Enforcer's current cultivation realm, even if the elders in the temple wanted to kill him, they would have to pay a steep price. Their focus is solely on cultivation, seeking to attain the Dao and achieve immortality. They likely won't concern themselves too much with this matter. For the sake of the Infatuation Daoist Temple, they will choose the option with the least cost. So in the end, the most likely outcome is still the Chief Enforcer taking full control of the Infatuation Daoist Temple."

Yu Xiyi sneered. "You ox-nosed daoist bastards are always like this: afraid of this, afraid of that, never decisive."

Yun Jianyue glanced at Yu Xiyi and said calmly, "Your Sword Sect isn't much better."

Yu Xiyi furrowed his brows.

Chen Chao said, "You have to kill him, and I have to kill him too. So we do it together."

Yun Jianyue asked, "Why?"

Chen Chao smiled. "Revenge, of course. What's the point if I don't kill the enemy myself? Otherwise, what? Wait for him to die of old age? Wait for him to succumb to illness? Either way, he'd be dead, right?"

"That man caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of the Great Liang's people. He must die by my hand. Otherwise, if I dream of those people at night, I wouldn't know how to face them."

Yun Jianyue's expression grew complicated.

While Yu Xiyi remained indifferent.

Chen Chao said, "Stop overthinking it. Do you really think this will be easy? This means me and him risking our heads to get it done. We're not afraid, what are you scared of?"

Yun Jianyue finally nodded, looking at Chen Chao, and said, "Tell me your plan."

Hearing this, Chen Chao let out a long breath. This matter was considered settled.

Sword intent flickered in Yu Xiyi's eyes as he unconsciously licked his lips. Killing a great daoist sage, this was way too interesting.

While Chen Chao smiled bitterly and said, "Off to risk our lives again."

Yun Jianyue looked at Chen Chao but said nothing.

There were not many of the world's top young geniuses. Amongst the three of them, while Yu Xiyi was slightly older, he was still considered young.

Yet even so, for the three of them youngsters to join forces to kill one of the strongest cultivators alive was an exceedingly rare event.

More than that, the three of them were not even from the same place.

If this story ever made it into the history books, it would surely be recorded in bold, vivid strokes.

The prerequisite was that the story had to be known to people.

Chen Chao raised his cup. The two before him also lifted theirs at the same time. Smiling, Chen Chao said, "Let’s hope that next time we fight side by side, it won't be against a human."