As the two Grand Forms unfolded, Chen Chuan was enshrouded in radiant beams of light, and the strikes that followed naturally packed far greater destructive power.
The secret arts of the Purist Faction possessed an intensely repressive efficacy against otherworldly beings; in the past, unleashing them almost always produced miraculous results.
Yet this time, the Wanderer before him was far from ordinary. Facing such an onslaught, it still did not give ground in the slightest.
Whether it was the force field of the Grand Firmament Forms or the lethal light of the Grand Radiant Light Forms, the creature took every bit of it head-on without missing a single blow, seemingly unaffected.
Yet Chen Chuan saw clearly that through some uncanny method, it was dispersing the damage outward into the surrounding crystalline mist and the fragments shattered from its earlier body.
Though those things appeared detached from it, in reality they remained parts of its body. The ingenious part lay in how this dispersal not only shed excess baggage and boosted its combat prowess, but also let the seemingly useless remnants share the burden of external damage.
In an exchange of offense and defense, nothing was more exhilarating than a brilliant counter and shift of tactics from an opponent.
At that moment, he exhaled softly, a keen light gleaming in his eyes as rays of clear light radiated from his fists and palms.
Pure Spiritual Light!
Previously, because he had not cultivated Pure Spiritual Light for long, it was difficult to employ in an evenly matched fight. Even if he could use it, he had to find a way to build momentum—just as when he had fought that Dongxuan View martial artist, where wielding it had proved exceedingly difficult.
Yet as he obtained sufficient resources for cultivation and his mutated tissue deepened its metamorphosis day by day, his mastery over this secret art had advanced alongside it.
Originally, as the Wanderer withstood the power of the two Grand Forms, the scattered crystalline mist and tissues around it would slowly dissipate after taking the impact. But the moment Pure Spiritual Light appeared, it was like adding fuel to a fire, igniting them with a roar—they flickered, burst into iridescent brilliance, and then melted away into nothingness.
Under the furious barrage Chen Chuan unleashed in rapid pursuit, these remnants dissolved faster and faster. The surrounding prismatic radiance flashed ceaselessly, virtually illuminating the entire night sky in a display both magnificent and dazzling.
As the two clashed at blinding speeds, they trailed ribbon after ribbon of spiritual luminescence across the sky, lingering without dispersing and mesmerizing all who saw.
At the same time, rumbling sonic booms thundered through the air, looking and sounding for all the world like startling clusters of fireworks erupting out of nowhere.
Yet however breathtakingly wondrous the spectacle was, those around had no leisure to admire it. The airships hovering above the Blockade Hall were buffeted by the displaced air currents generated by their clash, drifting backward and outward.
The esoteric ritual specialists were pushed to the verge of complete collapse from exhaustion. Those carrying replenishment supplies fared comparatively well; powerful auxiliary implants allowed them to keep at it without pausing for an entire day, and even if they faltered, there were work shifts to rotate them out.
Specialists like them, however, had only so many qualified substitutes. Even though not much time had elapsed, maintaining zero margin of error took an immense toll on both mind and body.
Not only them, but even Mr. Weiss on the field was affected. The erosive field emanating from that crystalline mist had intensified several times over compared to moments ago. If he wished to preserve his current body, his only choice was to withdraw as far away as possible.
Inside the temporary hotel, Capa stood by the window watching with keen interest. The ritual tasked with suppressing the Blockade Hall was repeatedly jarred into cracking open breaches under the shockwaves of their clashes.
And whenever this happened, tendrils of mutated tissue seized upon the ritual's momentary slackening, transferring underground from the body he had left behind inside the ritual to merge into his current form.
Relying on the mutated tissue to disperse on its own was impossible, as commanding every scrap of mutated tissue demanded the coordination of substantial spiritual power—and at present, the vast majority of his spiritual power was locked down by the relic. Thus, transferring it this way was the most cost-effective and least noticeable method.
As thread after thread integrated into his person, his body grew steadily sturdier, and his strength slowly recovered.
This had been his plan all along: when Covington and that entity grew desperate to break out, they would inevitably clash with Center City. A confrontation at their level would certainly tear gaps and fissures in the ritual, making it easy for him to transfer his power.
In truth, had he joined the others in trying to break out at the start, though escape was not guaranteed, his odds of survival would have been far higher.
Yet relying on raw brute force was not his style, nor did he consider either of the two trustworthy. What he truly enjoyed was exploiting the situation and slipping through the cracks, savoring the process above all else—otherwise, he wouldn't have waited until now.
By his most optimistic estimate, transferring over a fifth of his mutated tissue would already have been a success. Yet now, with Chen Chuan joining the fray, the combat intensity had abruptly spiked to an entirely new tier, and the outcome had far exceeded his expectations.
Still, the chances of transferring all of it were slim, and even if he succeeded, it was not certain he would truly be able to escape.
For he had discovered that the relic inside him did not just suppress his spirit—it likely served as a beacon as well. If a specific ritual were conducted, his location could be tracked. That was not an insurmountable problem; certain items could mask his whereabouts.
Conveniently, such an item could be found in the Ancient Museum, a piece of information he had gathered from past conversations with visitors.
He gently set down the emptied glass in his hand. With the battle raging fiercely overhead, it was the perfect time to pay that place a visit.
Thanks to Covington's earlier aberrant power siphon, guests and security guards alike were virtually all gaunt and dazed. Even if they had not perished on the spot, they had essentially been reduced to walking corpses, rendering the previously tight security measures utterly useless.
Though reinforcements were being dispatched, they wouldn't arrive anytime soon.
Before stepping out the door, he even had the composure to neaten his hair and clothes. Only then did he leave the hotel.
Boom!
A blinding flash illuminated the sky once more. Looking up, he saw one figure sent hurtling into the distance while another pursued in rapid chase.
He smiled faintly and offered an elegant bow toward Chen Chuan's direction in the sky.
When Chen Chuan defeated Covington moments ago, the Grand Radiant Light Forms and Grand Firmament Forms had encompassed him as well. Though he had concealed his presence with his field, Chen Chuan could not possibly have failed to notice that faint void. Yet Chen Chuan had chosen not to trouble him first, pursuing that other entity instead.
Whether intentional or not, he considered himself indebted for the favor, and his pride would not permit him to pretend it had never happened. Having offered his salute, he strolled unhurriedly toward the Ancient Museum.
High above Center City, the two figures remained locked in combat. Chen Chuan had steadily settled into his rhythm; his opponent's tenacity and combat prowess allowed him to unleash his full might without reservation.
Every punch and kick he threw carried ever-greater power and blinding speed. After he drove forward with another punch, the Wanderer seemed incapable of withstanding his sheer force, flying backward until—boom!—it slammed right through the boundary of the ritual's coverage.
A colossal, jagged rift was torn open across the canopy of the sky.
The violent disturbance sent fierce tremors rippling through the Blockade Hall, the Ancient Museum, and several surrounding rituals below.
Seeing the gaping tear in the ritual, the administrators were shocked and hurriedly directed Alu to stabilize the ritual and prevent all the captive entities from breaking out.
Someone called out, "Instruct Mr. Weiss and Mr. Rossard not to mind that battle for now! Have them do everything they can to help stabilize the ritual and suppress the prisoners escaping from the other blockade halls!"
It was a measure born of sheer necessity. Something was amiss with the scarlet skull; so far, none of the mercenary squads sent in had managed to retrieve it. As a result, the resonance showed no sign of stopping, and prisoners continued breaking free from the ritual one after another.
Alu reported at that moment, "Both gentlemen have agreed to cooperate."
Only then did the administrators breathe a sigh of relief. But seeing the Wanderer and Chen Chuan fly out of Center City one after the other, and mindful of the Wanderer's unique nature, their hearts sank, gripped by unease. Someone asked instinctively, "Do we pursue?"
Ryan looked at the display on the wide panoramic screen, where the silhouette of Veia Center City and the western horizon were clearly visible. Watching the two streaks of light vanish into the distance in an instant, he shook his head. "We can't catch them."
He paused. "No one can."
Then he added, "But at least we can count on Mr. Chen. With the strength he has shown, he should be able to intercept the Wanderer."
Meanwhile, Chen Chuan burst out through the ritual in close pursuit. Once beyond the bounds of the ritual, faint cracks of light and shadow began flickering around the Wanderer's body, looking like nascent fissures about to tear wide open.
Chen Chuan's eyes flickered slightly. He knew that without the suppression of the city's field and ritual power, if left unchecked, the entity might truly open a passage to the world on the other side.
Naturally, he could not allow that. Surging along his opponent's flight path, he expanded the two Grand Forms outward, obliterating any lingering force attempting to pry open the fissures wherever he passed.
Thus, wherever the two traversed, faint fissures would faintly manifest, only to be shattered by the following light an instant later.
Moments later, the pair flew across Lake Qiyuan outside the city. In the night, the clear, tranquil waters reflected two flashing rainbows of light. Then a violent blast of displaced air swept past, and the entire lake surface shattered in turbulent ripples, breaking into countless kaleidoscopic shards of light.
Chen Chuan stared ahead. Out here in the open, he no longer felt oppressed by that encompassing presence, nor were there any prying eyes upon him. Now, he could finally employ more of his methods.
With a thought, a faint purple luminescence flashed through the mutated tissue across his body. His speed surged abruptly, bringing him alongside the Wanderer in the blink of an eye, and he drove a fist straight toward its head.
Chapter 1155