Briggs made a circuit down below, personally inspecting the traces of battle across each site.
As a martial artist specially dispatched by the Martial Artists Council's publication, he possessed the keen observation and judgment required to analyze combat remnants and reconstruct fragments of the scenes in his mind.
After surveying the general combat zone, he swiftly located the area where the final clashes had concentrated. Perhaps calling them battles was generous; it had been a one-sided crushing. Judging by the remaining traces, the engagements had likely concluded in a matter of seconds.
Lily followed closely at his side, snapping photos without pause.
Finally, Briggs arrived at the spot where the New Light Cult's fissure had once manifested. All around him, the wreckage of crashed airships burned furiously. He felt that the ground beneath his feet might well be the exact spot where that man had stood moments before.
By now, he could practically draw his conclusion.
No matter how unbelievable that conclusion seemed, so long as it aligned with everything before his eyes, it was the truth.
He sighed. "Lily, do you know what this means?"
"Uncle Briggs, what is it?"
Briggs looked up toward the sky. This time, he did not offer a hasty opinion. Instead, he said, "We'll see soon enough."
Pausing briefly, he caught Lily by the shoulder. "Let's head back first."
***
Meanwhile, the Great Shun delegation on its journey back to Great Shun also received a dispatch from the clandestine intelligence department.
"Outrageous! Utterly reckless!"
Chu Zhixian's hands were trembling, driven partly by shock and disbelief at the strength Chen Chuan had displayed, and partly by fury over what he had done.
Tu Haisheng looked over at once and said sternly, "Deputy Delegation Leader Chu, watch your words. Section Chief Chen is not your subordinate. Whether his actions were reckless is not for you or me to decide—the state will make that judgment."
Chu Zhixian snorted. "Deputy Delegation Leader Tu, am I wrong? Section Chief Chen is an administrative official appointed by our Great Shun government. Taking it upon himself to act like this proves he doesn't put the nation's interests first! He is completely disregarding the bigger picture!"
Jiang Hongzhi looked toward Fan Zhentong, who was sitting nearby, and asked, "Old Fan, what do you make of this?"
Fan Zhentong replied plainly, "A good thing."
"A good thing?"
Chu Zhixian turned his head toward Fan Zhentong. "Undermining the state's negotiating strategy and letting the hard work of so many of us go down the drain—you call that a good thing?"
Fan Zhentong ignored him, sitting calmly on the sofa without sparing him so much as a glance.
Tu Haisheng said solemnly, "Deputy Delegation Leader Chu, Section Chief Chen acted of his own personal volition. He had already separated from the delegation, and we declared that formally to the Federation. Therefore, your assertions do not hold."
Chu Zhixian sneered. In his eyes, this was mere self-deception. Chen Chuan had been a member of the delegation; even if that was no longer true on paper, could a procedural declaration really wash their hands clean if the Federation sought accountability afterward?
Tu Haisheng turned to Fan Zhentong and asked, "Mr. Fan, do you think Section Chief Chen can return safely?"
Fan Zhentong answered without hesitation, "If the contents of the report are true, then Section Chief Chen will return."
Chu Zhixian scoffed. He said to Jiang Hongzhi, "Leader Jiang, the Federation possesses high-tier powers. If things escalate out of hand, it will trigger the Federation's security apparatus. Given what Section Chief Chen has done, once the Federation takes action, we can forget about him ever coming back. I believe we should be thinking about how to explain this to the Federation and to our superiors back home."
Fan Zhentong maintained his impassive expression and said with absolute certainty, "I say Section Chief Chen will return because the state will protect him. Nor is the situation likely to reach that extreme."
Chu Zhixian gave him a look. Though he didn't voice an objection, he sneered inwardly. Why would Great Shun protect someone who sabotaged diplomacy between two nations and stoked conflict between them? Not throwing him under the bus to take the blame was already generous.
Tu Haisheng asked, "Mr. Fan, may I ask why?"
Fan Zhentong nodded. "The reason is simple. If Section Chief Chen succeeds in preventing the Federation from assaulting the Tianji Sect, then the Tianji Sect will inevitably owe him a favor—including the Celestial Master himself."
Spurred by the reminder, Tu Haisheng instantly grasped the crux of the matter and nodded repeatedly.
In the past, Great Shun had little interaction with the Xuan Cult, and they might even have been considered at odds. But now, an official in the state government had forged a connection with the Tianji Sect and even the Celestial Master; Great Shun would almost certainly find a way to preserve that relationship.
Naturally, the high-level calculations were far more complex than that, but if the benefits were sufficient, the state certainly wouldn't throw him away right off the bat.
Furthermore, even setting that aside, Chen Chuan had faced multiple Throne martial artists on his own and wiped them out. Anyone knew the immense value such a martial artist held for the nation.
Just then, Leader Jiang's assistant walked over and handed him a document. He took it, reviewed it, and looked up. "It's news concerning Meteora, head of the International Investigation Delegation. He is currently in the Federation Capital and has stated that Section Chief Chen was authorized by the International Investigation Delegation, making all his actions lawful."
Tu Haisheng pondered. "The International Investigation Delegation..."
He knew that the International Investigation Delegation indeed had reason to intervene and possessed the authority to grant such legal status, as recognized by all nations.
Yet this was merely a technicality; the final outcome still depended on strength. If the Federation took a hard line, the International Investigation Delegation might achieve nothing and instead wager its own reputation.
After reading through the report, Leader Jiang set it down and said in a low voice, "The Federation hasn't offered any refutation to the delegation's statement. This is unusual. There must be things at play that we aren't aware of. Let us wait for further confirmation."
***
Outside Tianji Peak, Chen Chuan and Durant hovered high in the sky, confronting each other.
Chen Chuan had encountered a fair share of Throne martial artists by now. In his view, although their mastery varied, most Throne martial artists shared a broadly similar aura. But Durant was entirely different.
The dazzling radiance surrounding this man was the most intense he had seen among all Throne martial artists, and it seemed capable of undergoing unpredictable transformations at any moment.
At this moment, Emperor Capa had withdrawn into the distance. His cross-hilted sword had returned to its scabbard, and wearing a faint smile, he quietly waited for the duel between the two.
Up in the sky, Valchi fluttered about. He had enjoyed a splendid show from start to finish and was thrilled beyond measure. And now that the two strongest figures on the entire battlefield were about to clash, his excitement reached a fever pitch.
They were not the only ones. The observation airships from both the Federation and various nations gradually ascended to higher altitudes, scattering at a distance all around the pair, closely monitoring this battle.
By now, observers and journalists from every country grew increasingly certain that all the earlier Throne martial artists had likely been defeated and eliminated from the field.
Barring any unforeseen developments, the ones who would decide the ultimate outcome of this operation were the two before them.
Each onlooker watched with nervous excitement, wondering who would emerge victorious.
Chen Chuan's combat capability had already been proven moments ago. Durant was even less ordinary; his influence frequently hovered within the top five among all known Throne martial artists in the world.
Naturally, influence was not equivalent to absolute combat prowess—it owed much to his standing as a high-ranking Federation official and personal advisor to the Consul. Yet even taking that into account, it proved his actual combat strength was exceptionally formidable.
A colossal phantom outline began to emerge around Durant. Within a single breath, however, bones and flesh fleshed it out from within.
Soon, an immense giant looking as though carved from stone hovered high in the sky. Lightning-like flashes flickered in his eyes, his entire body was coated in thick, ash-white skin, and deep-blue spiritual fire drifted about him.
Though standing nearly a hundred meters tall, his bodily proportions were nearly flawless, lending him an aura both imposing and harmonious.
From his appearance, this was unmistakably the Titan of legend.
And because it possessed absolute physical substance, feeling entirely real, the visual shock it delivered was immense.
"An Aberrant Visage?"
Chen Chuan had seen many Aberrant Visages, but never before had one given him the impression that the visage and the person were one and the same.
At this moment, Durant was the Titan itself; there seemed to be no distinction between them.
Gazing at that colossal figure, Chen Chuan recognized that this opponent was indeed different from the ones before. Moreover, as a high official of the Federation, he deserved proper respect.
With a stir of his will, white-gold radiance flared around him, and a gigantic spirit visage slowly manifested.
In this instant, everyone present beheld a golden-armored spirit visage towering well over a hundred meters into the sky. Behind this visage billowed a cape alongside a flame-like fluttering halo of light, with a saber and a spear held in its left and right hands respectively.
Across from it stood a Titan that belonged only in myth and legend, while not far beside the two rose Tianji Peak, piercing through the clouds and towering nearly into the firmament. This spectacle, looking as if torn straight from myth, profoundly shook everyone present.
The observers and media personnel hastily brought out every piece of recording equipment at their disposal. Regardless of how much footage or imagery they could ultimately capture, even a single clear shot would suffice—missing this would be a lifetime of regret.
Having released his spirit visage, Chen Chuan did not maintain it for long. With a shift of will, the spirit visage slowly retracted, converging back over his physical frame until it merged into one with him.
This was the ultimate technique of the Visage of Man upon reaching the Cave Mystery View: the spirit visage and physical body harmonized as one, instantly doubling his overall combat prowess.
Durant looked up at Chen Chuan. He knew this technique well. Yet the moment he broke through to the Throne realm, he had used a bound oath to forsake a Throne martial artist's ability to activate an animated avatar, trading it for vastly greater power.
Now, his form likewise began to contract gradually, shrinking down to about three to four meters in height. Yet this did not signify a diminution of strength; rather, it rendered him even more agile in combat.
With a flick of his arm, he cast aside the knight's lance in his hand—a Titan required no weapons in battle.
Seeing this, Chen Chuan had no intention of using the Xuejun Saber or other weapons either. He set the Xuejun Saber aside, while his other realm-fused weapons slowly dissolved into his field.
Both combatants stood entirely bare-handed.
After gazing fixedly at Chen Chuan for a fleeting instant, Durant vanished from where he stood. In the blink of an eye, he materialized right in front of Chen Chuan, taking the initiative to attack!
Chapter 1322