Because of the airship's machine-gun strafing from above, the surging White Plague creatures could not be intercepted on the road, so wave after wave of them swarmed into the fissure.
Many of the White Plague had explosives concealed within their bellies. Some charged too far ahead and were spotted from a distance by Chen Chuan and Chen Bitong, who killed them with hurled stones.
Yet others detonated their explosives the moment they caught sight of the two men, causing massive explosions to ring out in rapid succession as shockwaves tore through the space one after another.
This tide-like charge lasted for a full half-hour. Perhaps the army had exhausted its White Plague, or perhaps they assumed the two had already retreated, for the onslaught finally came to a temporary halt.
However, the droning hum of propeller blades overhead remained clearly audible, indicating that the airship had not moved off and was still hovering in place.
Only a few steps away from the exit on the opposite side, Chen Chuan and Chen Bitong sat on two fractured concrete pillars.
Before them stood the partially collapsed walls of a building, swept inside during the fissure's earlier expansion, which had just provided them with cover.
Chen Chuan waved away the soot swirling toward him on the air currents and said, "If they had used this method earlier, they might have forced us to retreat."
Chen Bitong said, "They wouldn't have done that. They didn't want us retreating backward; that would only have made dealing with us more difficult.
"Besides, an attack that concentrates massed firepower diminishes the standing of their warriors—something they utterly despise. They won't resort to it unless their own repeated attempts have ended in failure.
"When you went down just now, Captain Chen, you must have seen that they were organizing an offensive against us. Even if they had failed this time, had their commanders managed to pull back intact, they still wouldn't have done this. They would have merely mobilized forces from elsewhere."
Chen Chuan nodded.
So their choice just now had been the right one.
Had they waited for the enemy to march up, the foe would certainly have been fully prepared. The chief and vice commanders were genuinely powerful, and with subordinates coordinating around them, their advantage against the two of them would have been substantial.
Even if the commanders couldn't eliminate them right away, seeing the tide turn against them, they could have retreated just like last time, and Chen Chuan and Chen Bitong might not have been able to stop them.
Next time, they would inevitably muster or assemble even greater forces, making things progressively harder to handle.
Fortunately, killing them ahead of time created a gap in the enemy's strength. While the machine guns and artillery were fierce, they posed little real threat to fighters of their caliber. That barrage just now was more like an outburst provoked by fury and humiliation.
Chen Bitong glanced outside and said, "It seems we still have a bit of time. Let me explain a few things to you first, Captain Chen."
Seeing his solemn expression, Chen Chuan said, "Please go ahead, Teacher Chen."
Chen Bitong said, "Now that the barrier isolating the pure substance has been torn open by the split sub-body, a breach has been created. As long as the breach in the Ring of the World remains unsealed, the scope of this opening will gradually expand, and pure substance will continuously disperse outward for some time to come.
"The first to be affected will be Jibei Circuit Center City and its surrounding area, since the breach is right here.
"If your spiritual power is high enough, Captain Chen, you will be able to sense the drifting pure substance. If you react swiftly enough, you can seize some of it. But if you are careless, you might miss it entirely.
"To make an analogy, pure substance is like fish swimming in water—you must find a way to catch them from within the rushing torrent.
"However, the pure substance disperses very rapidly. It will soon spread across Great Shun and even to every corner of the world. In the meantime, others will compete with you for it, so if you intend to claim any, you cannot afford to be slow.
"Once Center City discovers the situation, they will certainly seek to seal the breach and dispatch personnel to gather the pure substance. If you delay too long, your opportunities to obtain it will diminish.
"Therefore, the earliest period is a window of opportunity. At that time, practically no one will stand in your way. You must seize that moment.
"The amount of pure substance a fighter requires corresponds to their strength—the stronger you are, the more you need. If you miss this chance, who knows how long you will have to wait in the future."
His voice lowered. "Signing an agreement with those people is a last resort, but by then, you will no longer have autonomy over yourself."
Chen Chuan pondered this in his heart. Perhaps this was precisely why Teacher Chen remained at the limit of a fighter and had never taken that next step.
He was unwilling to walk that path.
Just then, Chen Chuan felt the intense glare around them flicker, and the previously violent air currents seemed to abate slightly.
Chen Bitong glanced around. "Without the split sub-body, the fissure can no longer sustain such massive volume; it is closing on its own now. It will close faster than it expanded. Make sure to leave in good time later, Captain Chen, lest you become trapped here."
Even as he spoke, the two heard the sound of propeller blades outside gradually receding, as though the airship was withdrawing.
The two exchanged a look, knowing something new had certainly developed.
They stood up from the concrete pillars, stepped around the scattered biological debris and pitted craters across the ground, and walked toward the edge of the fissure.
Gazing outward from here, they saw that the fog over the mountain path had thinned considerably, and the departing silhouette of that airship was relatively clear.
Farther away, however, where the military camp had stood, an even more colossal airship had appeared. On the envelope of the airship was a prominent character—"Gai"—surrounded by decorative patterns and emblems.
Upon seeing this character, Chen Bitong's expression shifted in an instant. Filled with vigilance and wariness, his body even tensed for a second. He said in a deep voice, "It seems I may run into an old rival this time."
Chen Chuan looked over. "Does that 'Gai' represent someone?"
Chen Bitong replied, "When the former imperial house retreated into the Confluence back then, around thirty noble and merit families departed alongside them."
These thirty-odd families had wielded immense power in the old era, and the Gai family was one of them. The Gai ancestors had served as dukes and marquises across generations, and virtually every dynasty saw high-ranking military commanders arise from their bloodline; their heritage stretched back into antiquity.
Chen Chuan nodded in understanding. That was certainly extraordinary. When dynasties changed throughout history, the new regime typically inherited much from the previous one, including classics and records, imperial collections, precious medicinal ingredients, and the like. If nothing else, when the Republic of Great Shun was founded, a significant portion of its earliest foundation had been seized directly from the former imperial house.
And these nobles had grown and flourished alongside the imperial house, enjoying lavish benefits in the past. Even after retreating into the Confluence, they likely still retained many treasures and legacies left by their forebears.
Chen Bitong said, "In this generation of the Gai family, there is a man named Gai Shuhe, a few years younger than me. From the time I was stationed in the Confluence to when I later guarded the Ring of the World, I crossed paths with him many times.
"We clashed no fewer than twenty times, mostly ending in stalemates. The last time I fought him was seven years ago. That time, I won and dealt him a grievous wound.
"I heard that upon his return, he declared that unless he cultivated beyond the limits and attained trans-limit arts, he would never appear on the front lines again. And the pattern around that character 'Gai' on the airship is his personal emblem..."
He said with utter gravity, "It must be that news of my appearance here drew him over. If so, he is genuinely confident he can defeat me. Perhaps... he has already mastered trans-limit arts and become a martial artist."
Over on the opposing side, that airship came to rest at the mooring point within the military camp, while the soldiers below formed neat, orderly ranks.
In front of them, the remaining commissioned warriors and military counselors dismounted from their steeds. Removing their helmets and cradling them in the crooks of their arms, they looked solemn and apprehensive, as if awaiting someone of immense stature.
Once the gangway lowered, a figure stepped out from the airship. The man possessed jade-pale skin, deep-set eyes, and a tall, slender bridge to his nose. His lips were thin, a short beard lined his lower jaw, and a somber, sinister cast clouded his brow.
He appeared to be only in his thirties, with a scar running from his chin up along his cheek. Standing well over two meters tall, he wore a hairnet on his head and a dark purple martial arts uniform embroidered with silver thread.
Behind him followed a young woman in her twenties, bright-eyed and fair-complexioned. She wore a belted martial uniform, tied her hair in a high ponytail, and carried a spear reversed in her grasp, her features bearing a slight resemblance to his.
The moment the man stepped down, he suddenly turned his head toward the mountaintop several kilometers away. Then, straight toward that direction, he abruptly threw a punch. And as he unleashed that strike, a faint luminescence radiated from his entire body.
Inside the fissure, Chen Chuan and Chen Bitong simultaneously sensed a jolt of impending danger. Immediately after, the powerful air currents ahead split apart, as if a tremendous burst of jin was blasting directly toward them.
Stepping forward, Chen Bitong also drove a punch straight out, a faint shimmer of light flickering across his fist as well.
Right before his fist, a deafening detonation erupted instantly, sending air currents howling and dispersing outward through the fissure.
Chen Chuan's gaze narrowed slightly. If his eyes served him right, that punch had been delivered across space by utilizing the fissure's translocating properties.
Moreover, within his spirit, he seemed to perceive a pair of razor-sharp eyes piercing through the mist and the fissure, gazing directly upon the two of them.
The person who threw the punch had to still be down at the base of the mountain, yet he had transmitted his spirit and fist jin across such a vast distance. This was not something mere technique could accomplish; it also represented power that surpassed human limits.
Chen Bitong's expression grew exceedingly solemn. "It seems my fear was justified. Being able to convey his fist jin here with such ease means he is already a martial artist. That strike just now was merely a greeting to me.
"Captain Chen, we cannot clash with him head-on."
As he spoke, the glaring light inside the fissure wavered once more, shrinking substantially further.
He glanced back over his shoulder and said, "Fortunately, the fissure will soon close. He won't rush in alone to do anything, nor would he take such a risk. This time, he is almost certainly here for me. Captain Chen, go back.
"What comes next... is my battle."
Chapter 565