Battle Concluded, Awakened in Full

The beam of light spanned the heavens, lingering for a full seven or eight seconds before finally dying down. The glow enveloping Chen Chuan gradually receded, and he lowered his hand. Beneath his feet, an ever-widening chasm cut into the ground, stretching far into the distance. This end of the island had been torn open into a horrifying void; even the vast expanse of ocean in its path had been vaporized clean away. Faint wisps of platinum flames still clung to the edge of the jagged precipice. Moments later, the surrounding sea surged back in like a torrent unleashed, rushing to fill the gaping chasm. Rain began to pour from the sky, as if cleansing the ravaged island. Behind Chen Chuan, his Spiritual Visage spread wide with a dazzling luminescence, encompassing several square kilometers around them. Under the mantle of the Grand Radiant Light Forms and Grand Firmament Forms, nothing within this expanse could elude his perception. Indeed, not the slightest scrap of flesh or blood remained nearby. Yet Xiang Boqing was a Dongxuan View martial artist, meaning it was entirely possible he had hidden portions of his flesh and blood elsewhere. According to Chen Chuan's understanding, however, any flesh capable of reconstructing the martial artist's true self had to be excised beforehand, and that physical absence had to be maintained continuously—it could never be fully regenerated or repaired while detached. The moment the body healed itself to completion, any separated portion was treated by default as an amputated, discarded limb. The only exception was during a clash within the same field, as seen moments ago: though there had been numerous split bodies, none had truly existed as an independent entity. When Chen Chuan had struck Xiang Boqing's body earlier, he had already examined him closely. Xiang Boqing possessed no obvious deficiencies in his limbs or internal organs. That had likely been a deliberate choice to maintain his completeness, for the more complete a body remained, the greater the power it could wield. Therefore, even if flesh had been detached, it was almost certainly a minuscule amount of mutated tissue. The spiritual force such a tiny fragment could draw upon would be exceedingly faint. Reconstructing oneself from it would require a grueling, piecemeal process, all while fending off the mutational invasion that accompanied inward surges of energy. Each stage of reconstruction would only escalate the risk of mutational corruption, making the outcome impossible to guarantee. Even if Xiang Boqing truly managed to return, it was not something he could accomplish anytime soon. For now, he posed no hindrance whatsoever. And even if he did manage to come back, it would simply mean pounding him to dust all over again. With that thought, the half-condensed Spiritual Visage behind Chen Chuan dissolved into billowing smoke and slowly drifted away. That last spiritual impact had been unleashed through the Spiritual Visage itself. Strictly speaking, a Spiritual Visage was a reflection of the physical body: anything the practitioner could do, the visage could replicate. But because it possessed far greater scale, it could store and discharge vastly more energy, yielding far greater power. Chen Chuan adjusted his breathing. He had gained a tremendous amount from this battle; facing such a formidable adversary had forced out every ounce of his latent potential and vitality. He could clearly feel that his present state was at its zenith. Yet this was merely the best condition he could display at the moment; there was still some room for upward growth, and his purple qi could continue to burgeon. Fortunately, he was not far from the true pinnacle now—roughly a month of cultivation should suffice to reach it. This was because the purple qi had already been stirred awake and had recorded this state. With the unique trait of the Longevity View, once a level of progress was attained, it would never regress. Continuing his cultivation from here would yield twice the results with half the effort. For that, he was quite grateful for Xiang Boqing's contribution. He still possessed considerable cultivation resources, which he estimated were sufficient to sustain him until he reached the true peak. As for how to force open that tightly sealed gate ahead... perhaps he would require an even more formidable opponent. With a flick of his intent, the surrounding sand churned. Fragment after fragment of metal, along with the two broken spear-blades, drifted up from the ground and reassembled before his eyes. Fine threads of mutated tissue sprouted within the cracks between the shards, intertwining and gradually knitting together like a wound closing in healing. Inside the manor's castle, Gao Xinwen had originally tried to watch the fight. But after staring for only a short while, the blinding flashes and the stuttering, violently unstable footage left him dizzy and nauseous, forcing him to step aside and await the outcome. Even so, he constantly pestered the backup active conscious entity for updates. At first, the entity assured him that their chances of victory were extremely high and told him not to worry. Shortly after, it reported that Xiang Boqing had seized control of the battle, and later affirmed that Xiang Boqing held victory firmly in his grasp. That had finally brought him a measure of relief. Thinking about it, he felt his panic had been unwarranted. Xiang Boqing was a genuine Dongxuan View martial artist, utterly distinct from cobbled-together biological weapons like Cambor. Exceptional though Chen Chuan might be, he could not possibly match Xiang Boqing at his current stage. Just then, he saw the blinding light on the field screen finally dissipate. He stood up involuntarily; the battle appeared to be over. Taking a breath, he rose and looked toward the display. The first thing that met his eyes was a massive missing chunk torn out of the island. As the view zoomed in, his eyes widened in shock: only Chen Chuan stood there alone. Xiang Boqing was nowhere to be seen. He froze, a chilling realization dawning on him. He scanned frantically left and right, yet found nothing. His voice trembled, laced with furious terror. "Where is Xiang Boqing? Where did he go? Where is he?!" The active conscious entity replied in an emotionless voice, "Mr. Gao, my apologies. No life energy matching Mr. Xiang has been detected." Gao Xinwen gritted his teeth and demanded, "Didn't you say he had the advantage? Didn't you say victory was assured?! What is the meaning of this?!" The entity answered, "Mr. Gao, I am deeply sorry. I cannot alter the outcome. If you are dissatisfied with my performance, please continue to refine my parameters." Gao Xinwen's frame began to tremble uncontrollably. Breathing rapidly, it took him several moments before he said in a heavy voice, "Prepare the airship. I am leaving this place immediately!" The active conscious entity stated, "Mr. Gao, an airship is excessively conspicuous; I do not advise this course of action. Given the target's alertness, you are highly likely to suffer an interception en route." Gao Xinwen barked frantically, "What about the fortress below?! Can it withstand an assault from the target?!" "Based on readings from three minutes ago, the target's energy output exceeds the maximum defensive threshold of all fortifications currently on the island. It is recommended that Mr. Gao take refuge inside the fissure, broadcast a telegram to headquarters, and await rescue." "The fissure..." Gao Xinwen muttered under his breath. After a moment of silence, his bloodshot eyes looked up, and he said, "Transmit the wire to headquarters requesting assistance, and execute Evacuation Plan Two at once." "Understood. Executing Plan Two immediately." Gao Xinwen cast one more glance at the figure on the screen, his gaze filled with wary trepidation and conflicted emotion. Turning on his heel, he hurried toward the lower level of the estate where the railcars were kept. Right now, the fissure was the only sanctuary available to him. Though no one who ventured deep into it had ever returned, taking shelter just inside its perimeter for a brief time should not pose a problem. At that very moment, several individuals identical in appearance to Gao Xinwen headed off in different directions. One boarded an airship to fly out, another fled into the underground fortress, and yet another departed aboard a submarine. These were all body doubles cultivated from his biological matter, or outright replica dolls. From their external appearance, it was impossible to distinguish them from the original. Gao Xinwen did not expect these decoys to fool Chen Chuan completely, but confounding his vision and stalling his advance for even a brief span was enough. Back on the shore, the three weapons had fully reassembled into their original forms within moments. Observing that the fracture lines were now barely discernible, Chen Chuan nodded in satisfaction. By all rights, Xiang Boqing's mutated tissue remained embedded within these armaments. However, as mutated weapons, they had already formed unique egos of their own; relying on these scraps to reconstruct his flesh was out of the question, so Chen Chuan could safely keep them. Just then, he noticed an airship slowly lifting off, heading toward the distant skies. Reaching out, he took hold of the Xuejun Saber and turned. In the next instant, he was already aboard the airship. Only after he took two strides did a booming thunder roll across the atmosphere in his wake. Ignoring the security personnel, he stepped directly into the cabin hall and saw Gao Xinwen seated there. Spotting him, Gao Xinwen sprang up in horror. "You—" Before another word could follow, his head burst open with a bang. Chen Chuan turned and walked away. With a single glance, he had recognized that this was not the real man, but a doll double. It was not that he knew Gao Xinwen well; rather, this figure lacked human scent, and its field was profoundly off. An ordinary person's biological field was extremely faint, but due to personal history and emotion, it was typically intricate and layered. This doll's field, however, was exceptionally pristine, indicating minimal life experience—likely an entity fresh out of the laboratory. Still, since he could not rule out the possibility that Yuanren Company possessed special techniques to deceive perception, he had disposed of it all the same. He walked to the edge of the airship, glanced down at the castle below, and transformed into a streak of light streaking toward it. Without slowing, he crashed directly through the manor's tower and descended into the interior. He then unfurled his field and spiritual force outward. In an instant, he detected several nearly identical versions of Gao Xinwen—some in guest rooms, some in the subterranean bunker, and one aboard a submarine fleeing out to sea. After sensing them, he judged that none were the real Gao Xinwen. They were merely decoys meant to sow confusion and buy time; the genuine Gao Xinwen had likely slipped away beforehand. Yet no matter where he hid—even if he fled into the world beyond—Chen Chuan would hunt him down all the same. Hm? At that thought, he shifted his gaze toward the fissure. After brief contemplation, he released a pulse of spiritual force outward. In that single breath, every Gao Xinwen within range of his perception perished on the spot. He then soared into the air once more, gazing toward the fissure. Pausing for a heartbeat, he transformed into a beam of light and shot straight toward it. By this time, Gao Xinwen had arrived at the research institute via the railcar. He rushed inside, barking urgently, "Open the fissure! Hurry!" The institute director, who had been waiting there, broke into a cold sweat. Hurrying to keep pace, he panted breathlessly, "We just sealed the fissure and activated the ritual under your orders! To undo it now... I'm afraid it will take some time—"