Martial Cultivator

Yu Xiyi was profoundly shaken and asked, "Senior, you single-handedly fought against two great demons, killed one, and severely injured the other?"

Liu Banbi took another sip of wine with great satisfaction, and carelessly said, "It's not such a big deal. Since you're the sword master of Wild Grass, in a few more years, when you step into the Nepenthe Realm, wouldn't you be able to chase after three to five great demons?"

Yu Xiyi chuckled softly, "Senior is too kind."

Liu Banbi finished the entire flask of wine in one go, then sighed with satisfaction, and closed his eyes to rest.

After a moment of silence, Yu Xiyi seemed somewhat hesitant, but soon opened his mouth to recount the events he had learned earlier.

Liu Banbi abruptly opened his eyes, "What the hell?! The Emperor is in the desolate north?"

Yu Xiyi was startled by Liu Banbi, but quickly nodded, asking with some confusion, "Senior, you didn't know?"

Liu Banbi looked towards the north, cursing under his breath, and then slowly said, "No wonder, I was wondering why those demons seemed to be on stimulants. Turns out that it was His Majesty who ventured deep into the desolate north."

Yu Xiyi was silent.

Liu Banbi said with vicissitudes of emotion, "In that case, you should head south immediately and not linger."

"What about you, Senior?"

Yu Xiyi said, "Senior, you're already severely injured. I'm afraid staying behind won't be of any help. It's better for me to accompany Senior and head south together."

Liu Banbi shook his head, "I can't leave. Since His Majesty is still in the desolate north, then I certainly can't leave. Take advantage of the fact that the second wave of demons hasn't arrived yet, hurry and leave. You already have such a formidable sword path cultivation at your age, it won't take many years before you become an extraordinary sword immortal of your generation. Don't die here."

Yu Xiyi insisted, "At this moment, the demons might not necessarily be able to discover Senior's trace. If we are cautious, we should be able to head south and return to Great Liang."

Upon hearing this, Liu Banbi suddenly raised his head to look north. Exhaling a turbid breath, he smiled and asked, "Is there still wine?"

Yu Xiyi was somewhat puzzled but still took out the last few flasks of wine, placing them in front of Liu Banbi.

Looking at the flasks of wine arranged in a row in front of him, Liu Banbi smiled wryly, "Look at it, it's like holding a memorial ceremony for me?"

Yu Xiyi could not find words to respond.

"Meeting you is considered fate, but since you come from the Sword Sect, you naturally need a master to guide you. I, as a halfway convert, don't have much ability to guide you. Your companion sword is the Sword Qi Mountain's Hundred Year Sword, it's better than my Embracing Cicada. So, I won't leave my companion sword to you. Besides, later I might have to wield my sword to kill. Without this sword, I wouldn't have the confidence in my heart. Consider these few flasks of wine my debt to you. If I am fortunate enough to survive, I'll repay you for sure."

Liu Banbi took another sip of wine, smiling as he said, "Also, I have one more request. If I really die and you really return to Great Liang alive, make a trip to the Divine Capital. The dean of the academy is my teacher. Ask him a question for me: whether, in his heart, was his student a disgrace or not?"

After saying this, Liu Banbi suddenly pushed Yu Xiyi and resolutely said, "Leave!"

Yu Xiyi staggered backward, but before he had the chance to speak, a dark cloud had already appeared on the horizon.

A strong demonic aura was currently approaching!

That was a great demon!

Liu Banbi laughed heartily and slowly stood up. He did not look at Yu Xiyi, he just gazed at the dark cloud, speaking to himself, "If I have a 30% chance of winning, I'd let you wait a while. Watching this great battle would benefit your Sword Dao, which can be considered repaying the favor of those flasks of wine. Unfortunately, I only have a 10% chance of winning right now. If I let you stay, you'll only get to see me being toyed by him, getting beaten with my head down. I don't want to embarrass myself, so I can still hold him off for a while. You leave first, consider it me protecting a junior sword cultivator."

Yu Xiyi's expression changed slightly. Though his cultivation realm was not high, he could clearly see that Liu Banbi was an arrow at the end of its flight, carrying severe injuries. Facing a great demon in his prime, victory was practically impossible. Even if he stayed, it would be of no avail; he would only be sacrificing his own life too.

The best choice would be for Yu Xiyi to leave without any hesitation.

"Don't burden yourself with unnecessary guilt. If you can't win, just run. In such matters, who can criticize you? Of course, if you were a sword immortal and ran away, Your Father would definitely curse your eighteen generations of ancestors!"

Liu Banbi rolled up his robes, slowly wiping his companion sword, Embracing Cicada, his expression indifferent.

Dying was not a big deal.

Yu Xiyi remained silent. Except, he was rooted to the spot, unwilling to move an inch.

Liu Banbi could feel Yu Xiyi's hesitation without even turning his head. He shook his head and sighed, "Silly child."

After saying this, he ignored everything, and unleashed a sword strike at the dark cloud in the distance.

His sword qi was still swift and fierce, but any discerning eye could see that this sword attack from Liu Banbi was far from his peak state. Regardless whether was it his vitality and spirit, or his sword qi, they were far from his peak at this moment. When the sword slashed through, it slowly dissipated before reaching the dark cloud.

As the dark cloud gradually dispersed, a great demon appeared in front of Liu Banbi.

That towering figure stood in midair, and also somewhat lamented, "Liu Banbi, what a fine sword immortal!"

Before his words faded, the great demon instantly manifested a thousand-foot-tall dharma idol, reaching the sky and standing on the ground, like a demon god descended upon the world!

Liu Banbi cursed loudly, "Have you no shame? Faced with the current me, you still need to be so fucking cautious?! Are you really scared that I might cut you down with a single slash?!"

"Liu Banbi, your killing power is terrifying. This venerable one had better exercise caution."

The great demon spoke, his voice shaking the surroundings!

Liu Banbi laughed coldly, the flying sword in his hand, Embracing Cicada, trembled slightly, and the sound of cicadas resounded again.

……

……

Yu Xiyi had been watching this scene all along. It was unknown whether he was awed by the splendor and magnificence displayed by these two Nepenthe powerhouses, or because he had been pondering something else. In any case, at this moment, this young sword cultivator did not move for some time.

After a moment, he returned to his senses. Without hesitation, he reached out, bringing his two fingers together, and swiped across his glabella.

A bloodstain appeared.

Then, sword qi faintly appeared between heaven and earth.

Yu Xiyi took out a bright green talisman, suspended it in front of him, and then his fingertip swiped across his glabella, and a hint of blood landed on that talisman. He extended his hand to swipe across it, and sword qi erupted between heaven and earth!

Countless sword intents slowly rose from the talisman, diffusing and spreading, covering a radius of hundreds of miles.

Sensing this sword qi, Liu Banbi turned around with a puzzled expression, narrowing his eyes..

"The Sword Sect's great talisman?!"

As a sword cultivator, how could Liu Banbi not know the origin of this talisman? Among all the sword cultivators in the world, only the Sword Sect's lineage could create such a great talisman. It required a great sword immortal to personally draw it, then seal it using a secret technique, and later pass it on to future generations for safekeeping, to be unleashed when needed.

It was tantamount to a full-powered attack from that great sword immortal!

Liu Banbi looked at the talisman which had already started continuously emanating sword qi. He opened his mouth and asked hesitantly, "Which great sword immortal is this from?"

Yu Xiyi was currently exerting all his efforts to unleash this incomparably precious Sword Sect's great talisman. Originally, he was too occupied to respond, but he still gritted his teeth and said, "When this junior left the sect to travel, the sect master bestowed it!"

The Sword Sect's sect master.

Mentioning this name, even someone as accustomed to storms and waves as Liu Banbi could not help but be momentarily lost in thought. Who was the strongest in the world? Perhaps every cultivator has their own opinion - the Demon Emperor in the North, the Temple Master in the South, and many others. However, if we talk about the strongest sword cultivator in the world, countless sword cultivators, willingly or unwillingly, have to admit one thing: the Sect Master of the Sword Sect, that great sword immortal who had not shown his face for many years, he was the leader of this world's Sword Dao; the unrivaled figure among sword cultivators in the true sense.

Liu Banbi lamented, "If I could witness the grandeur of the Sword Sect's sect master before I die in this lifetime, I wouldn't have lived this life in vain."

As Liu Banbi spoke, the sword qi from the Sword Sect's great talisman in front of him had already dissipated. The overwhelming sword qi scattered in all directions, blotted out the skies, and covered the earth, saturating the air with a dense sword qi!

The great demon who had just manifested his dharma idol also fell into a trance when he felt this incomparably fierce sword qi.

Great sword immortal!

......