Martial Cultivator

Chapter 444: Dragon Rearing Head

Chen Chao with a saber in hand and Chen Chao without it are like heaven and earth.

Perhaps not many people know that the Great General who had been stationed in the Northern Frontier for decades and had now returned to the soil, was actually a master of the saber. However, he had not wielded a saber in years in the North and had not carried one since then, so not many are aware of this fact. In reality, this Great General had created thirteen forms of saber technique, yet they remain unnamed. When he previously imparted his technique to Chen Chao, he did not hold back but shared his secrets in its entirety.

There were plenty of martial artists in the Great Liang Dynasty who used sabers, but few truly regarded the saber as their life. Since Chen Chao was one of them, the Great General naturally took a liking to him. Before this, although Chen Chao also used a saber, he did not pay attention to saber techniques. With the Great General's thirteen forms in hand, his combat abilities had improved greatly. However, along the way here, he had not encountered a truly formidable opponent worth treating seriously. Hence, these thirteen saber forms were now being showcased to the world for the first time.

The girl had been keeping a distance from Chen Chao before he drew his saber, showing no intention of getting closer. While demons typically had stronger physiques than martial artists, this girl likely had other considerations, which was why she preferred not to get close to him.

Chen Chao began with the first form of the thirteen saber forms. Since the Great General had not named it, Chen Chao fittingly called it "Awakening From Hibernation." As soon as he unleashed Awakening From Hibernation, the saber's energy surged, slicing the ancient tree in front of him into two halves. Chen Chao then kicked the severed tree, sending it flying towards the girl.

The girl was unmoved by the ancient tree and made no movements. When the ancient tree arrived in front of her, it was shredded by her demonic qi, becoming irregular pieces of wood.

Amid the scattered wood fragments, her gaze remained fixed on Chen Chao. This mysterious girl's killing intent hadn't diminished, yet she seemed to lack any magic artifacts. After a moment's hesitation, she pressed her hands down. The world seemed to freeze as countless ancient trees unexpectedly suspended in midair. Just as Chen Chao was about to breathe a sigh of relief, these trees instantly converged, wrapped in demonic qi, forming a massive log that hurtled toward Chen Chao.

Leaves fell with rustling sounds.

Like there was a downpour.

With no room to retreat, Chen Chao used a move designed to break formations. Though precise, this saber strike did not split the log immediately. Forced to continue, Chen Chao executed several more forms, each strike building on the last. Finally, he managed to split the massive log. However, at that moment, the fallen leaves suddenly swirled up like thousands of flying swords, ravaging Chen Chao's body.

Before long, Chen Chao's body was covered in cuts, with blood flowing freely.

A leaf even grazed Chen Chao's throat, leaving a thin, bloody line.

Chen Chao swung his saber in a sweeping motion, shredding the leaves around him. However, before he could catch his breath, the girl had already moved in front of him at some point in time. Her jade-like hand pressed down on his head, clearly intending to crush it just as Chen Chao had tried to do to her earlier.

Chen Chao slashed upward with his saber, but the girl's other hand struck the back of his blade, causing it to vibrate violently and nearly slip from his grasp.

Chen Chao gripped the broken saber tightly, the webbing between his thumb and index finger instantly tore apart.

At this moment, Chen Chao had a hunch that the girl's seemingly delicate body was likely far stronger than his own.

Chen Chao was in shock. Although his physique was not the strongest in the world, it was unmatched among martial artists in the Great Beyond Realm. Yet the girl's body toughness surpassed his by a wide margin.

How could Chen Chao know that the girl in front of him had not expended much effort on her physique? Her physical resilience was entirely due to her bloodline. The physical disparity between the demon race and the human race was immense over a hundred years. Moreover, this girl was no ordinary demon but one with a genuine mutated variant bloodline.

However, Chen Chao had no time, nor did he think about her origins. As the girl's five fingers exerted force, his broken saber slashed upward again. He had already used all thirteen forms of the saber technique, but now it was as if a true dragon was raising its head, its might overwhelming!

Even the broken saber emitted a faint dragon's roar at this moment.

Having mastered the Great General's thirteen forms, Chen Chao had not ceased his own research. Based on his experiences slaying demons and referencing the thirteen forms, he had been developing a new saber technique. Although he was still exploring it, he was now forced to use it prematurely.

The powerful saber qi forced the girl to release her grip. She kicked Chen Chao and used the momentum to retreat, landing back on a tree branch.

Despite her meticulously planned attack failing, the girl did not show much anger. Instead, she asked curiously, "What's the name of that move?"

Chen Chao looked up, panting heavily. The saber qi dissipated, but he was satisfied with the current outcome. He grinned and replied, "Guess?"

Dragon Rearing Head

This was the name Chen Chao had given his own saber technique, but he saw no need to tell the girl in front of him.

The girl sneered, "You have some skill, but you must die today."

Chen Chao remained unfazed. "You're also at the Great Beyond Realm. Your physique may be powerful, but killing me won't be easy. How about we gamble our lives again? I reckon that you have an extraordinary background; probably the offspring of some great demon. As for me, my life is worthless. Want to bet?"

Unbeknownst to him, Chen Chao's words were prophetic; the girl's origins were far more extraordinary than he imagined.

The girl was expressionless, "Do you think you can trade your life for mine? Have you forgotten that you couldn't even draw your saber earlier?"

Chen Chao chuckled, "Times have changed."

The girl fell silent, her gaze on the young martial artist in front of her growing more complicated. She had started with an air of ease, but now she had to use all her skills and still could not kill him. This was anything but normal.

Were all human martial artists like this nowadays?

This thought flashed through the girl's mind. Given her extraordinary background, she naturally did not believe that there were many youngsters who could rival her. However, this young martial artist might just be one of the most amazing youths in the human race.

Perhaps even the most amazing.

"What's your name?" Chen Chao asked with a smile.

The girl spoke indifferently. Although her eyes were still filled with murderous intent, she was no longer in a hurry.

Chen Chao spoke impatiently, "Are we fighting or not? If not, I'm leaving."

The girl replied coolly, "You can try."

Chen Chao chuckled, "Then I'm really leaving?"

The girl did not speak.

Chen Chao landed on the ground but did not dare turn his back.

The girl asked, "Why aren't you leaving?"

Chen Chao smiled, "Tired, resting for a bit."

The girl remained silent, perhaps contemplating her next move or deciding to let him go.

Chen Chao also stayed silent.

The two paused temporarily and were in a standoff.

"How about we introduce ourselves? Just staring at each other like this isn't getting us anywhere."

Chen Chao smiled and said, "I actually want to know about your origin. How about we become friends?"

The girl remained expressionless. "You're probably thinking about how to kill me right now. Why would we be friends?"

Chen Chao waved his hand dismissively, "Not at all, not at all. I'm not the kind of person who enjoys killing."

The girl sneered coldly.

But what happened next completely unsettled her. The young martial artist in front of her suddenly extended his hand and placed it at his nose to sniff.

The girl instantly flew into a rage. "You're courting death!"

She lunged forward, releasing a boundless demonic qi.

The killing intent was immense, blotting out the skies and covering the earth!

Chen Chao swung his saber, unleashing a surge of saber qi to counter the demonic qi. In the instant when the saber qi collided with the demonic qi, Chen Chao suddenly withdrew and used the momentum to fly backward, retreating over a thousand feet away in a flash.

Standing in the distance, the young martial artist waved and smiled "Goodbye!"

The girl stood in place, first glancing down briefly, then watching the young martial artist's retreating figure. She murmured softly, "Do you really think you can run away?"