Although Chen Chuan had not used a spiritual impact with this kick, with the purple qi intensely active within his body, the power that erupted far surpassed what he had exerted previously.
Had Igor taken such a kick just moments ago, he would likewise have been blown apart completely. Yet Crossal managed to withstand it through the sheer resilience of his physical body, suffering only a partial detonation of his shoulder.
Moreover, the shattered pieces of flesh squirmed continuously in midair, clustering back toward his body.
Even so, the blow had disrupted his rhythm. Not only was his seemingly solid defensive posture broken, but his movements were also slowed by a beat.
If he possessed no means to save himself or counter at this moment, then the instant Chen Chuan pressed his offensive, Crossal would be utterly broken, unable to bring any techniques to bear.
Just as his situation appeared perilous in the extreme, Fantner, watching from the distance, had a sudden flash in his eyes. A faint, almost imperceptible phantom immediately materialized behind Chen Chuan.
This phantom bore a strong resemblance to Fantner. Its hands surged forward violently, clamping firmly onto Chen Chuan's arm just as he prepared to strike.
This was the "visage projection technique" passed down from the Palanio Faith Region. As a martial artist of the Visage of the Divine, so long as his spirit could directly reach a location, Fantner could project his power there using this secret art.
Although this secret technique lasted for only an instant, employing it at a crucial juncture could produce an immense effect.
The most classic example was during a duel: certain openings were secured only through repeated probing or by paying a deliberate price; if disrupted or obstructed at such a moment, the entire situation would instantly turn.
Just like right now. Chen Chuan immediately felt his arm grow heavy. The power of a martial artist bore down abruptly—and even if it came from a Divine Visage martial artist who did not specialize in brute strength, it was still enough to affect him.
He immediately assessed the situation: if he did not press his attack relentlessly against Crossal right now and finish him off in one breath, once the man recovered his breath and engaged him again, it would be difficult to find another opening like this without merging with his second self.
Because once Crossal realized he could not compete in his normal state, he would definitely choose to merge with his spiritual visage. Fighting him then would be far more difficult.
He had no intention of wasting energy fighting through another round. At this moment, he drew a breath. The active purple qi within his body erupted once more, mobilizing every strand of mutated tissue throughout his frame. His strength surged explosively, and his radiant fist, stubbornly carrying the weight of that phantom, blasted toward Crossal!
Crossal was richly experienced in combat. Even though he had abruptly fallen into a disadvantage, he did not lose his composure. The moment he saw Fantner's phantom appear, he knew Chen Chuan was being restrained.
He immediately adjusted his tactics. Rather than pulling back, he decisively chose to merge with his spiritual visage.
This move was primarily intended to bolster his defense. Once the fusion was complete, his strength would instantly double; if Chen Chuan could only muster what he was currently displaying, Crossal would be more than capable of suppressing him.
This choice was not inherently wrong, for Chen Chuan had indeed been affected. What Crossal never anticipated, however, was that the impact was far from substantial—and under Chen Chuan's explosive surge, his striking speed was even faster than his original punch.
Moreover, perhaps because the spiritual impact earlier had been held in reserve without discharging, under this full-scale eruption, the striking force carried even greater might—accompanied by a billowing plume of purple qi!
The fire of spirituality encasing Crossal's body was torn through unimpeded. Then, spinning ribbons of platinum-gold flame surged into his chest and exploded violently out through his back.
Immediately afterward, the colossal spiritual visage behind him cracked open, casting off radiant rays before shattering completely under the continuous onslaught of light!
To the onlookers in the distance, a flash of platinum-gold light flared, and Crossal was torn apart in midair into countless fragments of flesh and blood, his spiritual visage shattered by the residual force!
Fierce radiance and shockwaves rushed toward them. In a matter of moments, they had witnessed such a spectacle twice in succession.
From their first clash to the end of the fight, including the brief words exchanged, the entire encounter had lasted less than ten seconds.
This time, Chen Chuan had pushed the unique advantages of the Visage of Man to their absolute limit. The combination of speed and power delivered an incomparable impact, evoking a sense of pure, exquisite beauty that even the mostly hostile onlookers could not help but appreciate.
Yet it did not end there. Watching the flesh and blood drifting through the sky, his eyes flashed. He opened his extended fist and swept it outward.
With this motion, a vast cloud of mysterious, ethereal flame, seeming to emerge from the void, billowed outward. The instant the flying flesh made contact, it ignited into flame.
Not only the flesh, but the spirit clinging to it burned as well.
Simultaneously, whether it was the mutated tissue Crossal had concealed on the airship or the traces of flesh left behind across the Federation, the spirit attached to every part ignited in unison, the conflagration spreading deep into the heavens above.
The instant they saw this flame, the Throne martial artists present all felt an acute sense of discomfort.
Especially the Divine Visage martial artists—Pontiff Irose of the New Light Cult, Mordon of the Primordial Sect, and others—sensed the divine qi they had anchored within the firmament frantically sounding alarms to their consciousness.
Gazing at that profound, nebulous flame, their expressions grew grim. What in the world was that?
Ming had been staring intently at the purple qi spreading across Chen Chuan, but now he recoiled in shock. Staring fixedly at the flame, he mouthed silently, "Mystic Void Fire..."
Chen Chuan could see that although Crossal's spirit attempted to resist and sever portions of itself, it was utterly futile. Once the flame caught hold, there seemed to be no shaking it off.
A Visage of Man martial artist like Crossal possessed tremendous direct combat prowess. Chen Chuan knew full well that he would soon face a siege by the entire group, and at that point, Crossal would be more than capable of pinning him down from the front, posing a major threat.
Therefore, having seized this opportunity, he had to eliminate him decisively, even if it meant exposing the Mystic Void Fire.
Yet something unexpected happened. Upon seeing the Mystic Void Fire, the Tianji fish suddenly grew lively. It circled rapidly around him, transmitting streams of information.
Among them, incredibly, was information concerning the Mystic Void Fire itself.
Chen Chuan's heart stirred. This was quite a surprise. To be honest, after obtaining the Mystic Void Fire, he had attempted to study it, but the flame was far too profound, and he had understood very little. Now he was actually receiving relevant insights—though he hardly had the leisure to examine them in depth right now.
He could feel numerous malicious gazes falling upon him, though even more of them were directed at the Tianji fish.
He slowly raised his hand, and the Tianji fish willingly swam up, spiraling around his palm.
Raising his gaze, he looked through the drifting ash in the air toward the figures standing opposite him. "Is this what you want? Then come take it yourselves!"
At that very moment, the journalists and press corps from various nations grew feverish with excitement. Crossal of the Federation had been defeated by Chen Chuan once again—this was colossal news!
Those who could come here were members of the media with access to the highest echelons of the world, so they naturally knew about the previous incident.
Last time, it could be argued that Crossal had used only a portion of his power. This time, as far as they knew, his true self had arrived in person, yet the outcome appeared no different.
Wildly exhilarated, they actively reached out to transmit the news. Under Federation control, they technically could not send out unvetted reports, but virtually everyone present possessed secret channels of their own. It was simply impossible to stop.
As long as they could get the story out, they didn't care even if the Federation found out and punished them afterward. Thus, from the moment the interference ceased, reports poured outward in an endless stream, landing on the desks of government dignitaries and corporate executives across nations.
However, they did not yet realize the full gravity of the situation; they had no idea that Crossal had actually been killed.
The Ayone Channel Alliance News Agency, which was on poor terms with the Federation, had also dispatched personnel here. Holding the compiled dispatch, their chief said, "That's it. Good, get this out immediately! Wait—"
He halted the subordinate about to transmit the report and tapped his head, feeling that the text alone lacked sufficient impact. Rummaging swiftly through his materials, he pulled out the earlier photograph of Crossal being decapitated by Chen Chuan and slapped it heavily onto the manuscript.
"This one! Tell them to send this photo along with it!"
Inside the combat command center of the Sky Behemoth, chaos reigned as well. Nations with delayed intelligence were calling in to ask whether Great Shun intended to renege on the treaty, while Government House was urgently demanding that they eliminate the obstruction before them at once and close the fissure over the Weishu Continent at all costs.
The staff could only forward these messages to Durant and the others.
Just then, a crewman hurried over to Cassian holding a telegram. "Sir, a telegram from Xiaojue Temple."
Cassian, busy replying to dispatches, turned his head immediately. "Well? Where is that Chan practitioner from Xiaojue Temple now?"
The man hesitated.
Cassian gave him a look, took the telegram, and glanced at it, shock instantly washing over his face. He quickly opened a channel to Durant and the others, speaking the moment the line connected:
"Mr. Durant, I must inform you that a telegram just arrived from Xiaojue Temple. Chan Practitioner Guang Yong had already arrived earlier, but he was intercepted and slain along the way, his body destroyed. I'm afraid he will not be able to join the battle."
"Who did it?"
Cassian glanced at the figure hovering in the distant sky, wiped away the sweat pouring down his forehead, drew a breath, and said, "Judging by the direction... it should be the very person we are looking at right now."
Chapter 1307