Nan Shuguang sensed something was wrong and immediately raised his arms to block. At point-blank range, their fields collided and shattered in an instant, followed by a fist blazing with cyan light and flame slamming into his forearms.
His distracted state had slowed his reaction by half a beat, and Shan Yuchuan had moved far too fast. In that hurried instant, he had no time to gather the outer layers of his spiritual fire, managing only to mass the spiritual fire within his body to barely shield himself.
Yet he immediately realized that the force was not meant purely for destruction; rather, it carried tremendous propelling momentum. In the blink of an eye, he was blasted off the top of the fortress.
He hurtled several kilometers into the distance before crashing down, bouncing across the earth and plowing several craters into the ground.
Shan Yuchuan landed right behind him, shrouded in rich cyan flame and light, gazing at the figure in the crater ahead.
A crimson glow spread out from the pit. Nan Shuguang had already risen to his feet.
Dense scales now surfaced across his body, intertwining into heavy, intricate armor. He stood at least twice as tall as before, his head and face enclosed in a crocodilian helmet mask. Looking immensely imposing, he gripped a long-handled whip in his hand.
The reason Shan Yuchuan had not unleashed destructive force in that punch was partly out of concern that their clash would damage the fortress. Furthermore, while he knew his opponent walked the path of the Aberrant Visage, he did not know what aberrant power Nan Shuguang possessed. He had acted prudently, opting simply to launch him away.
Now seeing the external visage the man revealed, he swiftly deduced that what Nan Shuguang visualized was likely "Officer Croc."
Ever since childhood, he had been fascinated by legends of immortals and gods; after becoming a martial artist and realizing the link between the two, he had paid even closer attention to such lore.
Most aberrant powers of an Aberrant Visage were tied to the entity visualized. Under the Longevity View realm, practitioners typically possessed only a single aberrant power without many spontaneous variations, so even if there were deviations, it would not stray too far from expectations.
Seeing no physical changes on Shan Yuchuan, who simply stood there with a faint, indistinct outline behind him, Nan Shuguang said slowly, "Visage of Man..."
Though his expression appeared composed, he was deeply anxious inside. If he had not seen wrongly, the two streaks of light that had flown past moments ago were clearly the spiritual fires radiating from martial artists traveling through the air—and immensely powerful ones at that.
How could martial artists of such caliber appear here?
Every sign today suggested that the battle outside had likely been meticulously orchestrated and ignited by the faction behind Shan Yuchuan, with the aim of sparking a war against the former imperial house.
His school had sent him here precisely to prevent such an occurrence, yet it had happened all the same.
He urgently wanted to send word back, but...
Shan Yuchuan pulled off his white gloves and tossed them to the ground. He gave a solemn warning: "Mr. Nan, do not be distracted. Before a victor is decided, I will not let you leave."
With that, the light and flames around him erupted once more, the towering figure behind him instantly solidifying as he charged at Nan Shuguang again.
At 6:25, the train came to a steady halt at the station inside the First Fortress. The light flickering across the train cars' exterior only now gradually faded.
A line of middle- and high-ranking officers and neatly formed ranks of soldiers stood waiting. Shan Yuchuan's adjutant stood at the very front. As the train came to a stop, they saw a tall, upright figure wearing a military overcoat and a peaked cap step out.
"Salute!"
Stepping out, Chen Chuan also raised his hand and returned a military salute to them all.
The adjutant walked up with his assistant, saluted, and said, "Mr. Chen, on behalf of General Shan, we welcome your arrival."
Chen Chuan's identity was not suitable to be made public at the moment, so the adjutant addressed him only with a vague title. Among the welcoming party, only a few senior officers knew who he was; most only knew that an important figure had arrived, without knowing his exact identity.
Chen Chuan nodded in acknowledgment. He turned his gaze toward a certain direction, where he could clearly sense a fierce battle raging several kilometers away.
The adjutant glanced in the direction Chen Chuan was looking and said in a low voice, "That should be General Shan. He is clashing with Mr. Nan." Pausing briefly, he explained, "Mr. Nan is the supervisor sent over by the Municipal Council these past two days."
Relying solely on his senses, Chen Chuan could tell that Shan Yuchuan was a cut above, dominating his opponent in the clash. However, his opponent seemed to be holding back a hidden card, waiting for an opportunity. The outcome would be decided shortly.
He paid it no further attention. Now that he was here, even if Shan Yuchuan were to lose, the ultimate outcome would not change in the slightest.
Casting another glance toward the continuous rumble of artillery fire, he asked, "How is the situation on the front line?"
The adjutant immediately answered with gravity, "The enemy launched a surprise assault on us at nightfall, and we are currently counterattacking. Because it was unclear whether General Conquering the North Zong Chi of the former imperial house joined the attack, we sent out a distress signal. Two martial artists have already answered the call, swiftly pulling back from the Ring of the World to head to the front line as reinforcements."
Chen Chuan nodded slightly. The adjutant was very circumspect, speaking without leaving the slightest flaw. Every word spoken here would be recorded and compiled into a post-battle report for submission.
Chen Chuan, however, had no need to give an account to anyone; merely deigning to abide by protocol was already showing them ample respect.
Looking around, he said, "Take me to the highest vantage point here."
The adjutant immediately replied with a solemn voice, "Yes! Mr. Chen, please follow me."
At the encampment of the former imperial garrison, General Conquering the North Zong Chi stood atop the city wall, gazing out at the flashes of light flickering in the distance. The rumbling roar of artillery had not ceased since it began.
Clad in dark armor and a dark helmet, he appeared to be in his early thirties, with silver slanting brows and crimson pupils. His face was strikingly handsome and refined, and faint traces of pale purple markings ran across the skin of his neck—a manifestation of his lineage from the former imperial house.
Ever since negotiations with Great Shun began, the former imperial court had consistently pressured him, an advocate of war, to exercise restraint. They insisted that they must not provide Great Shun with an excuse to wage war, and instructed him to strictly rein in the officers and troops under his command.
Not only that, the army supervisor dispatched by the court had bypassed him entirely, directly conscripting most of the commissioned warriors in the north who owned manors and factories, concentrating them inside fortresses built in the rear to ensure no clashes would occur with Great Shun.
Airships patrolled daily, keeping watch not so much against Great Shun as against their own people.
At this moment, an Embroidered-Uniform Emissary stood upon a nearby battlement. Her presence served both as support for Zong Chi and as surveillance over him.
Zong Chi sighed inwardly. On the surface, the imperial court's approach seemed sound: with no organized forces left on the periphery, large-scale clashes with Great Shun's garrison should have been impossible. It seemed as though accidents could be prevented this way.
Yet this was merely wishful thinking on the part of the upper echelons. If Great Shun truly intended to act against them, contracting their lines would accomplish nothing. Just as now—since they had virtually no troops left outside, this entire situation could only be an act directed and staged by Great Shun.
And ironically, because they had pulled all their forces back, they had no means of intervening in the situation outside. Even if he were to dispatch soldiers now, the other side would naturally treat it as an offensive reinforcement. Thus, this battle was entirely unavoidable.
He said, "Instruct the officers: prepare for battle."
"Understood!" The lieutenant general cupped his hands in salute.
The Embroidered-Uniform Emissary spoke up then: "General Zong Chi, readying the troops for battle is permissible, but imperial orders take precedence. You must not act rashly. Do you understand?"
Zong Chi replied in a deep voice, "Rest assured, Emissary. As long as the enemy does not attack our forces, my army will naturally hold its ground."
The army supervisor standing on the ramparts as well said, "I believe this is merely a misunderstanding. Once dawn arrives, we will provide an explanation to the other side."
Zong Chi did not answer. Smoldering resentment filled his chest. With the two armies locked in combat, he was forced to huddle here and prepare to offer obsequious apologies to the enemy. When had he ever fought such a humiliating battle!
Right at that moment, he suddenly sensed something and saw two streaks of light streaking toward them.
His expression hardened instantly. Grabbing the dagger-axe beside him, he leaped forward with agile grace, landing firmly atop the forward parapet.
The Embroidered-Uniform Emissary also vaulted upward, landing atop the eaves of the gate tower. Crouching on one leg, she peered intently into the distant sky through her veil.
Boom! Boom!
Two streaks of brilliance tore across the sky and plunged down like meteors, slamming into the ground before the garrison encampment. The earth quaked violently as two massive craters appeared. Amidst splattering dirt and dust, two towering figures radiating wild, blazing spiritual fire emerged. Each stood four to five meters tall—twice the size of Zong Chi.
Both wore Great Shun military-issue greatcoats, and each exuded a fierce, sharp martial presence.
The one on the left was burly and stocky, with a square face, large eyes, and a full beard, puffing on a pipe large enough to be used as a weapon. The one on the right had sharp eyes; by contrast, his build was somewhat leaner and taller, his posture straight as a ramrod, his right hand already resting upon the sword at his hip.
The burly man was named Hong Ancheng, and the swordsman was named Zhu Kongqi. Like Zong Chi, both were martial artists who had attained the Longevity View level.
Having spent long periods battling enemies at the Ring of the World and constantly encountering massive aberrant creatures behind the convergence zones, their physiques had inevitably trended toward enormous growth.
Zhu Kongqi first glanced at Zong Chi standing across from them, then eyed the Embroidered-Uniform Emissary atop the gate tower before casually retracting his gaze.
"Old Hong, let's wrap this up quickly. Wan Ke might have been recalled by the former emperor's edict, but I suspect he hasn't gone far. If he shows up, things will get troublesome."
Hong Ancheng gave a hearty laugh. "No need to worry. I just received word that that person has already arrived and is stationed in the rear. With him watching our backs, even if Wan Ke comes, he'll just be throwing his life away."
"Oh? He's here?"
Zhu Kongqi felt instantly reinvigorated.
Securing that person's participation meant they had enlisted what was arguably the most destructive martial artist in the world below the upper-echelon powers. To his mind, from the moment that man set foot on the battlefield, the outcome of this battle was already foreordained.
"Indeed, so we can't drag our feet either!"
Hong Ancheng laughed once more. His burly frame sank low into a forward stance, hands raised toward the front, light flaring in his palms.
Zong Chi watched coldly as the Embroidered-Uniform Emissary's face shifted in alarm. She immediately leaped away from the ramparts. The next instant, a massive, blazing torrent of light surged toward the former imperial army's encampment!
Chapter 1387