The newcomer opposite him was tall and burly, with thick eyebrows and large eyes, appearing to be around forty years old. His expression was resolute, his brow slightly furrowed with evident sternness, giving the impression of someone not easily approached.
After glancing at Chen Chuan, he surveyed their surroundings. He seemed to notice something, and a faint look of surprise crossed his face.
Right at that moment, he detected something. Pointing a finger into the distance, a beam of light flashed out with astonishing swiftness. Over on the distant ridge, the leader of the Blood Hunt Cavalry was still watching the scene; before the man could even react, he was engulfed by a burst of radiance.
With a thunderous roar, that hilltop detonated amid blinding flashes. Scorching, ash-covered rocks and gravel sprayed high into the sky before tumbling back down. When the smoke and dust finally cleared, nothing remained.
The man cast a critical glance at the blast site before turning back. Striding toward Chen Chuan, he introduced himself, "Section Chief Chen, I am Fan Zhentong."
Chen Chuan had practically deduced his identity the moment he appeared. "Deputy Leader Fan, greetings."
This man was an accompanying martial artist from the Great Shun delegation's first envoy team, and his cultivation had unequivocally attained the realm of the Dongxuan View.
Fan Zhentong said sternly, "Section Chief Chen, let me ask you: since you received the telegram, why didn't you evacuate? Do you know how dangerous this was?"
Chen Chuan replied, "Thank you for your concern, Deputy Leader Fan, but I have my duties, and I have matters I must see through."
Fan Zhentong's expression remained stern, yet the sharp edge in his gaze softened slightly. Glancing around once more, he asked, "Dealt with?"
Chen Chuan nodded. "Dealt with."
Fan Zhentong studied him. Even though he had already guessed the outcome, hearing it confirmed firsthand still filled him with a touch of incredulity.
Although both the Dongxuan View and the Longevity View fell within the tier of Bearing the Profound Mechanism, within this realm, clearing each barrier marked an enormous leap. Just as a martial artist who had recently broken the limit could not compare to one at the realm of the Longevity View, ascending another tier only widened the gap further.
Under normal circumstances, even a fraction of a Dongxuan View martial artist's power was not something a fighter below that realm could contend with.
Moreover, judging from the aftermath, the battle had concluded very quickly, and Chen Chuan appeared completely unscathed. How could he not be astonished?
He fell silent for a moment before speaking again. "It seems both the domestic leadership and the delegation drastically underestimated you, Section Chief Chen. However..."
He continued with gravity, "I must warn you: a Dongxuan View martial artist is far from simple. What came today was merely a severed portion of limbs. Had another portion been detached, you might not have made it through. You cannot harbor any mindset of relying on luck in the future."
Chen Chuan nodded and responded with equal solemnity, "Deputy Leader Fan, thank you for the warning. But please believe me, I arrived at this decision after thorough consideration, not out of momentary impulse."
Although he had never clashed directly with a Dongxuan View master in their prime, he had fought against the husk of Yuwen Yuanqi. Furthermore, while studying that "Compendium," he had read passages authored by martial artists at this realm, who frequently discussed the profundities of this stage. Thus, he was by no means ignorant of what it entailed.
Naturally, to say he had been completely confident would be untrue. Combat was a contest over a hairsbreadth between life and death; absolute certainty never existed. Moreover, this enemy had clearly come for him. Even if he had fled, it would not have guaranteed safety; sooner or later, he would have had to face this hurdle. He could not expect people like Fan Zhentong to rush to his aid every single time.
It could be said that having reached his current stage, many things were simply unavoidable. Only by confronting them head-on could future trouble be settled once and for all. Therefore, this fight was one he had to take!
Fan Zhentong clearly did not entirely agree with his reasoning. Shaking his head, he said, "Section Chief Chen, the lives of those First People cannot be mentioned in the same breath as our Great Shun citizens, and compared to a martial artist like you, they are even more insignificant. You are a talent nurtured by Great Shun; there is no need to risk your life over matters that do not touch our core interests. Some things are meant to be abandoned when lost. Protecting yourself is the only way to better uphold Great Shun's interests."
Chen Chuan met his gaze and replied, "Deputy Leader Fan, I thank you for coming to my aid this time. But regarding how specific matters ought to be handled, I have my own judgment."
Fan Zhentong looked at him and pursued the matter no further, only saying, "Since everything is fine on your end, I shall take my leave. After this defeat, they shouldn't be coming again. Still, Section Chief Chen, do take care of yourself."
With that, he turned and walked away. A few steps brought him to the edge of the cliff. Suddenly, his entire form collapsed like a heap of crumbling sand, resolving into a pool of vivid, dazzling blood. Just like the severed palm seen earlier, this blood swiftly disintegrated into countless fragments and grains before vanishing without a trace.
Chen Chuan stood atop the mountain, watching the drifting dust.
Upon entering the Dongxuan View, a fighter underwent what could truly be called a brand-new metamorphosis. Even after Yuwen Yuanqi died, his corpse could still assemble itself back together. And from what Chen Chuan had witnessed today, merely activating a portion of flesh and blood seemed sufficient to simulate a complete individual capable of fighting independently. This granted him a far more direct appreciation of the power native to this realm.
Back then, the Compendium had emphasized that a martial artist's personal existence would gain a tremendous surge in strength at this realm. Now it seemed entirely worthy of that claim.
In truth, during the battle just now, the greatest pressure had not stemmed from direct hand-to-hand combat, but from that crushing mental aura that bore down upon him right from the start.
This force had significantly hindered the full exertion of his combat strength. Whether moving or throwing punches, he had been unable to unleash his power at full capacity, as if fighting under a staggering burden.
Judging from the Compendium's descriptions, this had to be a unique mental coercion generated by an elevation in one's life tier. If an ordinary Longevity View martial artist were subjected to this pressure, they would likely be immobilized or stripped of normal mobility. The adversary would only need a single punch to kill them, leaving no chance for any subsequent clash.
Yet the enemy likely had not anticipated that Chen Chuan's own mental power was sufficient to withstand the coercion while retaining unhindered mobility.
All things considered, he had not even utilized some of his capabilities in the fight just now. For instance, the power of his spiritual visage. It wasn't that he hadn't wanted to use it, but the attack speed of the spiritual visage was simply too slow compared to the rapid exchange between the two of them; it could not intervene in their battle at all.
This made him realize that once combat reached a certain speed, a spiritual visage struggled to get involved. An advantage existed, but not an overwhelming one, unless he could find a way to elevate it. Still, had he not clashed with such a formidable opponent, even if he had recognized this issue, the realization would not have been so direct or deeply etched.
As for the Pure Spiritual Light that he hadn't deployed, he had not yet cultivated it to a deeper level, making it difficult to execute smoothly during high-intensity confrontations. That was an area he needed to reinforce going forward.
One had to admit that even though the adversary had arrived as merely a fraction of limbs, it had fully displayed the sheer might of a Dongxuan View martial artist. Had the opponent arrived with their entire body, Chen Chuan likely would have had to merge with his second self to stand a chance, perhaps even drawing upon the Mystic Void Fire. In truth, he had already resolved beforehand that should an authentic life-or-death crisis arise, he would not hesitate to deploy it.
Overall, though taking this risk had been somewhat hazardous, the gains were considerable. By testing himself against this enemy, he had attained a clearer understanding of his path forward.
His gaze grew sharp as he looked out into the distant sky. Truly, only by engaging with sufficiently formidable opponents could one discern one's own vulnerabilities and flaws.
Even though his combat prowess no longer suffered setbacks or regression, many things could not be realized behind closed doors. Clashing with enemies, honing and tempering through combat—only this could purge impurities and bring him closer to perfection.
He turned around, walked a few paces, pulled out the Xuejun Saber embedded there, and headed back toward the cavern entrance.
The battle just now had altered the terrain of the entire mountaintop. Only the esoteric ritual set up at the entrance remained largely intact, shielded by a layer of power owing to its connection with the greater esoteric ritual.
Though this ritual hadn't ultimately been triggered, now that it was arranged, leaving it in place was a sound choice.
The relic, however, could not simply be left lying there. With a wave of his hand, he drew it into his grasp, slipped it inside his coat, and walked into the cavern entrance. Nodding to Gui Zihan, who was waiting there, he proceeded all the way into the depths of the esoteric ritual.
The team members were all waiting there. Seeing him return unharmed, they were filled with joy. Glancing at the crowd, he said, "The invading enemy has been repelled. The alert is temporarily lifted. Everyone may return to your duties."
Fan Zhentong had said they wouldn't come again, and this assessment was likely accurate. For someone at the realm of the Dongxuan View to mobilize was certainly no trivial matter; otherwise, they would not have dispatched merely a portion of limbs.
Upon hearing his words, everyone finally let go of their hanging hearts. The esoteric ritual group and the technical specialist team were especially elated, as they could now resume their prior research.
After offering him a salute, everyone dispersed.
Chen Chuan returned to his tent. Chaoming had obediently waited here as instructed. Seeing him enter, it let out a chirping cry. Chen Chuan walked over, stroked Chaoming's head, and sat back down on the cushion. Taking out a cloth, he wiped away the dust that had settled on the Xuejun Saber.
As he wiped it, he pondered why he had felt it inappropriate to use the Xuejun Saber earlier. At first, he had thought that because the enemy wielded mental pressure, the mutated tissue inside the blade might be adversely affected. In reality, however, as long as he held the weapon and channeled his spirit through it, the opponent would have had no way to influence it.
Therefore, that wasn't the reason.
Reflecting carefully now, that sense of impropriety was most likely an instinctive dread that the blade's uniqueness might be exposed during the clash.
He had no idea what was hidden within the Xuejun Saber, but anything capable of cleaving fissures was certainly extraordinary, perhaps even entwined with secrets of higher echelons.
He wasn't sure whether those severed limbs remained linked to the original body or whether they could perceive and transmit back information about the battle. Nevertheless, using the blade less meant reducing the risk of exposure, so his choice had unquestionably been the right one.
Having cleaned the saber, he set it aside.
He did not know how long it would take Elder Gale to gain control over the esoteric ritual, but for now, all he could do was wait here. In the meantime, it was also a good opportunity to cultivate in peace for a while.
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Chapter 1093