Su Kuo reached out and grasped to his side. The surrounding field rippled with invisible waves, and a coiled-pattern phoenix-wing hammer was raised into his hand.
At that moment, the crowd suddenly felt a rumbling vibration from beneath their feet, as though the entire plain were trembling ceaselessly.
Before long, a fierce blast of wind pressure swept toward them as a mass of crimson fire plunged into the military encampment, arriving before the central command tent in just a few fleeting flickers.
Only then did everyone see clearly that it was an extraordinarily magnificent, massive horse of solid crimson.
Standing there, Su Kuo was a full six meters tall, yet this massive horse measured ten meters from head to tail, its back rising almost level with his brow.
The mane along its neck billowed like flame, and each strand of its fluttering tail carried flickers of light. Its exhaled breath seemed laden with sparks, radiating a baking heat merely by standing there.
This was Su Kuo's mount, named "Xunchilong." A divergent breed from the Confluence, it had grown up alongside him from youth, eating and sleeping with him. It was likewise a limit-breaking creature, possessed of the ability to leap into the sky and tread upon air, capable of lending him immense assistance in battle.
At this moment, he vaulted onto the saddle, and Xunchilong instantly brimmed with eagerness. With a tug on the reins and a shrill whinny, the beast stomped its four hooves and leaped skyward bearing him aloft. At the apex of its leap, a ring of air exploded beneath its hooves, stomping upon the atmosphere itself and thundering with rolling detonations as it galloped straight toward Chen Chuan and his companions.
On the battlefield, after punching Zhao Zhenye back, Chen Chuan slowly drew back his fist. Across his knuckles, a faint purple aura flashed and vanished, and the colossal phantom faded away along with it.
Then he stood straight, entirely as if nothing had happened, and continued walking toward the central command tent.
Others present might not have understood just how formidable Zhao Zhenye was, but Mr. Zhuan and Mask knew all too well, and both were left momentarily stunned.
They had never expected Zhao Zhenye to be knocked back by Chen Chuan with a single punch; it felt completely unreal.
Mask said excitedly, "What did I say? What did I tell you?"
Mr. Zhuan grunted in acknowledgment. Though he spoke no further words, an inexplicable gleam stirred in his eyes.
After taking another dozen or so steps forward, Chen Chuan suddenly seemed to sense something. His eyes flashed with a faint glimmer of purple, though his attention was soon drawn by the commotion over at the central command tent.
Ever since they emerged from the fissure, a powerful aura had lingered over the central command tent, and a pair of eyes had watched them from beginning to end, as if ready to erupt at any second. That was why he had maintained a measured, steady pace all along—and now, that aura had grown far more overwhelming than before.
Just then, a fiery red light appeared in his field of vision, streaking through the sky like a meteor toward them. He came to a halt, and those behind him stopped as one.
Once that blazing light reached midair, it abruptly paused, revealing a black-armored general astride his steed. He pulled the reins, the horse's forelegs rearing high while its hind hooves planted firmly upon the atmosphere.
After halting for a brief instant, the fiery steed surged once more. As though crossing gorges and leaping ravines, it took several bounds through the sky before hurtling downward laden with colossal force. Yet when man and horse struck the ground, an impact clearly backed by immense mass and momentum produced only the light clatter of hooves—feather-light, disturbing not a speck of dust, with no trace of clunkiness.
Zhalnike and his companion wore looks of marvel and admiration, while the rest turned solemn.
They could see that the horse had clearly attained a formidable level. A black-armored general soaring through the sky astride his steed, treading air to strike down upon the earth—merely imagining such a spectacle made it clear how difficult an opponent he would be.
A horn blew, and the troops of the former imperial house who had previously closed in pulled back to either side, opening up a wide clearing between them.
Sitting upright in the saddle, reins pulled taut, Su Kuo held the coiled-pattern phoenix-wing hammer in a reverse grip. His gaze fell upon Chen Chuan, his voice grave and solemn. "You must be Mr. Chen? I had not thought Jibei Dao concealed a xuanji martial artist of the realm of the Longevity View such as yourself."
The realm of the Longevity View?!
At those words, the hearts of both sides shuddered.
Those on the side of the former imperial house found it somewhat easier to accept; after all, Chen Chuan had just beaten Zhao Zhenye, and they already had their own assessments of his strength. Still, hearing Su Kuo state it outright sent a tremor of dread through them.
This was the realm of the Longevity View! Upon reaching this realm, one's power never regressed, battle energy became practically inexhaustible, and the person stood upon the very same plane as Su Kuo. Factor in that the opposing side possessed far more xuanji martial artists than their own, and this battle would not be an easy one...
Meanwhile, the Great Shun martial artists showed expressions of surprised delight. Hu Kan stared with wide eyes at Chen Chuan before him. Xu Chan tightened his grip on his sword hilt, his spirited gaze blazing even brighter.
Mask murmured, "No wonder... No wonder—"
Mr. Zhuan felt a sudden wave of understanding, a strange look coming into his eyes. "Old Tang, do you know who I'm thinking of?"
Mask said, "I know, I know." His voice trembled with excitement. "Old Zhuan, I think—"
Mr. Zhuan cut him off. "Never mind that for now. Focus on what's before us. Not a single one escapes today!"
"Right!"
Su Kuo looked at Chen Chuan and said, "Mr. Chen, with our two armies locked in confrontation today, to avoid needless casualties, how about we each restrain our subordinates and settle this between the two of us alone? What do you say?"
This was a method often used in the old era to decide battles. Generally speaking, if a martial artist in the realm of the Longevity View went on an uninhibited slaughter, hardly anyone could stop them without matched martial prowess. To spare unnecessary slaughter among the ranks, deciding the outcome through a duel between top-tier combatants was an approach both sides widely accepted.
Chen Chuan looked across at him. In truth, though ordinary martial artists were typically no match for one in the realm of the Longevity View, as long as someone could hold the front line, ordinary martial artists were by no means useless.
Sometimes, merely watching from the periphery could pin down a portion of the enemy's energy and attention.
After all, those present were Fourth Limit martial artists. In sufficient numbers, they were far from irrelevant; otherwise, he wouldn't have brought so many along today. Why would he surrender such an advantage?
What was more, Su Kuo might be able to restrain his own subordinates, but he could not restrain a certain someone who had abruptly left.
He said, "My apologies, General Su Kuo. This is a clash between two armies, not a venue for personal dueling."
Hearing his refusal, Su Kuo showed no anger, only a touch of regret at being unable to face Chen Chuan in a fair duel. "In war between two armies, every advantage must be seized," he said. "Mr. Chen's choice is beyond reproach. In that case, let each rely on his own means."
As he spoke, a light as crimson as vermilion ink erupted from his body, casting a deep red glow over the surroundings.
From Chen Chuan steamed platinum luminous vapor, rising toward the heavens and expanding outward in shifting billows, its fringes like thick, impenetrable clouds.
The ambient daylight of the Confluence falling from above was repelled by the two luminous auras, leaving only their mutual spiritual radiance clashing and gleaming against one another.
Tens of thousands of soldiers stood across the undulating plain, silently watching the two men. For a time, nothing could be heard but the snap and flutter of flags in the wind.
Gai Shuhe watched from ahead, his expression grim. Aside from Chen Chuan, the opposing side had five other martial artists—an overwhelming advantage. If it came down to a direct clash, he could hardly guarantee his own safety. Furthermore, unlike last time, Su Kuo was the commander-in-chief, and the imperial house's embroidered-uniform envoys were watching by his side. If he simply turned and fled, the crime of desertion in the face of the enemy would stick to him permanently.
Even if he did slip away, if both of them survived, it might be fine, but if anything went wrong, not even the Gai clan could exonerate him. In his heart, he couldn't help resenting Zhao Zhenye's departure; had that man remained, this would be an entirely different situation.
After facing Chen Chuan in standoff for a moment, Su Kuo brought the long hammer across his front and leaned slightly forward. Synchronized with his mind, Xunchilong lightly stomped its four hooves, setting the ground faintly trembling. In the next instant, it surged with explosive force like a mass of blazing fire, charging forward with a rolling heatwave and crossing an immense distance in an eye-blink. The air in its path was violently shoved aside, carving out a distorted wake as dust and gravel were torn from the earth and sucked into the tempestuous slipstream.
Just before closing in on Chen Chuan, Xunchilong swerved slightly, evading a head-on collision course. Su Kuo raised the colossal hammer outward, and with a flare of dazzling deep-crimson brilliance, swung it violently downward at him!
There was no great trickery to this move; it merely harnessed Xunchilong to augment his own strength and speed, pushing his explosive power to the absolute limit. Rings of distorted atmosphere could be seen rippling around the hammerhead.
Facing this strike, Chen Chuan did not dodge, nor did he even summon his external visage. Thrusting the Xuejun Saber into the ground, he turned slightly sideways and drove a punch directly into the hammerhead.
This punch carried no rigid force, but yielding power; every shred of energy seemed to drive straight into the surface of the hammer all at once, without spilling the slightest fraction outward.
Su Kuo instantly felt a tremendous resistance push back, and the force transferred into his mount, Xunchilong. The steed let out a shrill whinny and was brought to a dead stop. Its hooves churned, yet it could not advance even half a step further, while the long hammer shaft bent into the curve of a crescent moon.
The sight sent a shudder of terror through the surrounding officers, especially Gai Shuhe and the embroidered-uniform envoys, whose eyes filled with sheer horror. Such power—
Sensing that the martial artists behind Chen Chuan were already stirring, Su Kuo knew he could not remain stalemated in place. Rather than stubbornly pushing against the blow, he yielded to the momentum and pulled back. At that moment, Xunchilong stomped its four hooves and wheeled around in a complete circle on the spot.
Though colossal in size, the horse completed this turn with nimble grace and blistering speed. As it spun around, the long hammer was swept through a full rotation with it, borrowing that momentum to lash back from the opposite direction!
This too was a rider channeling his mount's momentum, yet this strike was not the least bit weaker than the last. Dense white shockwaves wrapped around the deep crimson aura.
Chen Chuan reached out and seized the hilt of the Xuejun Saber. As the hammer descended, he drew the blade from its scabbard in an instant, stepping forward to sweep it upward against the long hammer. Spiritual flames detonated at the point of impact, showering sparks in all directions. The force of the saber deflected the hammerhead slightly aside, and with another step, Chen Chuan leapt inside, gripping the hilt with both hands as he slashed straight ahead!
Chapter 1027