The tip of the rapier was reflected in Chen Chuan's eyes; in the next instant, it seemed poised to pierce straight through.
Without altering the swing of the saber in one hand, he raised his other hand and deflected the thrust. The jin of the Cloud Collapsing Palm erupted in an instant. The attacker's blade instantly shattered, and beneath the sideways blast of force, the assailant's entire arm blew apart as well. Meanwhile, ahead of him, as Chen Chuan's saber sheared across a neck, a head was already lopped off.
In an instant, he had killed two and grievously injured a third. Just at that moment, however, a deafening crash sounded from ahead. A mounted commander in full barding and armor, the plume atop his helmet fluttering, burst through the dense fog. Borne along by the galloping momentum of his charge, the spear in his hand thrust fiercely toward Chen Chuan.
Chen Chuan was right at the moment his jin had been expended and had no way to pull back in defense, but gazing at the rapidly closing spear-tip, his eyes remained completely calm—for at this moment, he was not alone.
Chen Bitong's figure suddenly appeared ahead. Bringing a spear across in a horizontal block, he intercepted the side of the thrusting spear. Yet the jin behind that thrust was peerlessly fierce; in a split second, Chen Bitong's spear shattered inch by inch, and a stifling tightness struck his chest. Even so, the thrusting spear did not deflect by even a fraction, showing just how formidable the newcomer was.
Even so, that obstruction caused the mounted general's forward charge to falter for an instant. An unimpeded thrust fell a beat behind, no longer able to achieve the near-perfection in both timing and power it had originally possessed.
Gaining this fleeting opening, Chen Chuan adjusted his breath just in time, raising his saber in an upward slash and parrying the spear with a loud clang!
Sparks flew as the weapons collided with a metallic shriek of scraping metal. Even though the spear had already been blocked once, the residual force still drove Chen Chuan backward several meters.
Chen Bitong had already flanked the mounted general, striking a palm toward his waist. But just as the String-Void Jin was about to connect, the warhorse beneath the general unexpectedly reared a hoof and sidestepped, carrying its rider away from the point of greatest impact; even if the strike landed now, its jin could not be fully delivered.
Chen Bitong's palm strike seemed to carry through, but an afterimage of him had already manifested on the other side of the horse, driving a fist forward. This time, however, the general had found an opening. Drawing the saber at his waist, a backhanded slash sheared straight through the afterimage.
Yet the moment the slash cleared, Chen Bitong's figure materialized above him, stamping a foot toward his head. These rapid, continuous shifts forced the mounted general to keep redirecting his jin, to the point where an ordinary combatant would have had no time left to parry.
At this virtually inescapable juncture, it was once again the steed beneath the general that dropped to its knees, evading the blow for the second time just before the jin could detonate.
Such unity of horse and rider was truly breathtaking to behold.
Yet at that exact moment, Chen Chuan, positioned in front of the steed, raised his saber and struck!
This was the advantage of having two people. No matter how formidable the opponent was, between the clashing of jin and the transitions from offense to defense, openings always emerged. Once seized and struck, with the destructive force of Mind Jin, the outcome of the battle would hardly remain in doubt.
Yet the mounted general was not alone either. The horse suddenly reared backward, using its own head and neck to intercept the path of the saber stroke, while the general flipped off its back. Right at that split second, several spears were hurled in from outside the fissure, flying with uncanny accuracy directly toward Chen Chuan and Chen Bitong.
Chen Chuan's gaze did not waver. With a sharp hiss, the warhorse's head was sent flying by the Xuejun Saber. Wheeling his blade, he parried the incoming spears with a clang, while Chen Bitong also raised a hand to deflect his share.
Yet from that brief contact, both could tell that these spears had been thrown from at least half a li away.
The throwers outside the fissure could not possibly see them, yet the throws were astonishingly precise. This was likely due to a spirit link connected to the mounted general—an offensive contingency prepared in advance.
Having abandoned his horse and landed, the general leveled his spear, delivering a lightning thrust at each of them. As they parried, he retreated backward. With every step he took, javelins rained in from outside to keep Chen Chuan and Chen Bitong at bay. Within just a few strides, he backed out of the fissure. It appeared that having failed to score a kill in one strike, he intended to withdraw immediately.
Chen Chuan pressed forward at once, flashing past and surging out of the fissure.
Just as Chen Bitong was about to give chase, a rapier suddenly lunged at him from the side. The person Chen Chuan had grievously wounded earlier seemed to possess a technique for concealing both body and spirit; having crept aside, the assailant now struck from the shadows once more, apparently wielding a backup weapon. But Chen Bitong did not even glance at him, deflecting the thrust offhandedly as a surge of String-Void Jin traveled along the blade.
Cracking detonations instantly rattled throughout the attacker's body, and a violent gout of blood erupted from his severed arm. He plunged from midair, not dying immediately upon hitting the ground, but twitching incessantly as he lay there.
Yet the distraction had served its purpose. Chen Bitong fell a step behind. By the time he exited the fissure, he saw the mounted general retreating into the dense fog down the mountain, with Chen Chuan already closing right behind him and slashing down with his saber.
Only the very tip of the blade made contact, yet the jin imbued in it sheared straight through the armor on the man's back, cleaving a long fissure from top to bottom.
Without glancing back, the general released a burst of power, accelerating slightly more, and vanished into the dense fog.
Whistling through the air, several spears flew straight before Chen Chuan. He merely raised an arm to protect his face; as the spears struck his body, the instant they made contact with his clothing and skin, they shattered into fragments from the shock and fell to the ground.
This was his imitation of the soft-and-hard external conditioning technique. While it could not match the display of Chang Kuanghai's Tianshu Fist, standard variations combined with Mind Jin were enough to produce an even greater protective effect.
He felt a slight pang of regret. The Xuejun Saber had yet to reawaken, meaning his jin could not be fully transmitted; otherwise, that slash just now would have done far more than merely split the enemy's armor.
At that moment, he saw dense swarms of White Plague emerging all around, surging toward the mountaintop. Knowing his chance had passed, he stopped the pursuit and cast a glance down the mountain. Through the mist, he could faintly make out the fleeing commander heading beneath a large banner, where an equestrian general of clearly higher rank sat upon a mount.
After a deep, lingering look, he did not linger outside, but retreated into the fissure. The White Plague creatures charged fearlessly after him.
This assault lasted about ten minutes. When it subsided, the ground before the fissure was piled high with corpses, leaving hardly any room to step, and the air was filled with a foul stench.
Chen Bitong said, "We can pile some of these bodies at the entrance and burn them. The airflow in front of the fissure moves outward, so this will hold them off for a while and allow us to recover some stamina. Captain Chen, I have oil drums prepared in the vehicle. You can have Assistant Fang and the others bring them to you."
Chen Chuan said, "I'll see to it."
He turned and walked out. A short while later, he returned carrying two drums of oil. By then, Chen Bitong had already moved most of the corpses to the front of the fissure. Chen Chuan poured the algae oil over them and lit it with a lighter. Raging flames flared up instantly. Because the airflow rushed outward, billowing thick smoke quickly blanketed the mountain path.
Looking outside, Chen Chuan said, "Teacher Chen, that person just now was no slouch. But with their current forces, unless a martial artist arrives in person, even if they breach Center City, they probably wouldn't cause much damage. Their objective probably isn't so simple, is it?"
Chen Bitong shook his head and said, "This is likely just their vanguard. Once a breakthrough is made, follow-up forces will be mobilized. But even if only a small vanguard breaches the perimeter, the political significance would be immense.
"Ever since the former empire was overthrown and the Republic of Great Shun was founded over ninety years ago, these remnants have never breached the blockade, never once entering Great Shun from the Confluence.
"However, if a unit were to penetrate into Center City and inflict a measure of damage, it would vastly bolster their military morale and unite their ranks.
"And once it happens the first time, there can be a second."
Chen Chuan thought about it and couldn't help but nod. He understood the reasoning. A contest between two powers was not merely about victory or defeat on the battlefield; it was also about maintaining domestic rule. Especially for a ruling faction like the former imperial house, it had to continually project military force outward to relieve internal pressures and conflicts.
With a solemn expression, Chen Bitong said, "Precisely because the significance is so great, they will do everything in their power to break through our blockade, regardless of the cost. We are in for a grueling battle."
Chen Chuan said, "Then let them come."
Still, he looked down the mountain again. While he was confident they could hold out if they continued defending like this, it was far too passive. The enemy would always retain the initiative to deploy at leisure. As a fighter, he had no fondness for sitting there taking hits without striking back.
So, turning the thought over, he said, "Teacher Chen, I saw that the commanding general's banner is very close to us, right at the foot of the mountain. Since this is only their vanguard, can we charge down and find a way to slay their commanding general?"
Hearing this bold idea, Chen Bitong did not dismiss it as fanciful, but gave serious thought to the possibility. He said in a deep voice, "It's not out of the question."
Though a risky move, it was worth attempting, because the enemy would never expect them to charge down.
Moreover, when he arrived, he knew that the General of State Subjugation dispatched by the enemy on this campaign was currently locked in a standoff with the martial artists of Center City, which meant the enemy possessed no one with overwhelming power capable of suppressing them.
He said, "At this distance, with sufficient preparation and enough surprise in our action, there is indeed a chance of success."
Chen Chuan said, "Teacher Chen, let me take the lead on the frontal assault this time—I'm faster. Teacher Chen, you can make use of the fissures. I'll draw their attention up front, while you can take advantage of the chaos to slip forward and look for an opening. We don't have to force it either; if there's no opportunity, we pull back."
Chapter 562