Qi Qianyang had thought the power he gained earlier was enough to deal with Chen Chuan, but he never expected to be sent flying with a single slash right off the bat. So returning this time, he had unleashed all of that accumulated power.
This fusion was not a crude, simple boost in physical strength, but a genuine integration with his being, elevating his spirit and technique alike. After all, with sufficient mental power coupled with extraordinary physical capability, he could execute many fine and intricate maneuvers.
However, gaining such a massive boost all at once required a certain degree of acclimatization. Fortunately, the more jin impacts his Fuming Jin absorbed, the more complete his mutated tissue became. Having endured wave after wave of jin impacts just now, combined with his current regenerative capacity, his resilience and defensive strength had taken a tremendous leap forward.
Seeing that Qi Qianyang bore no obvious injuries and instead seemed far more active—distinctly stronger than before—Chen Chuan guessed he had employed some special secret art.
Yet he did not fear a powerful enemy; only a strong opponent could help him climb to greater heights.
He stood there holding his saber, the white vapor steaming upward around him growing denser, gathering overhead without dispersing.
Qi Qianyang finally came to a halt before him. Wisps of steaming vapor were also wafting from his body—evidently, he too was using the Furnace Breathing Technique.
Unlike Chen Chuan, however, the vapor drifting from Qi Qianyang consisted of wisps of black smoke resembling drifting ash.
Reaching down, Qi Qianyang unhooked an expandable whip from his waist. With an outward flick, its overlapping collapsible rings snapped open with a swish.
As the two readied themselves to fight, the people from both Linakes and the Consortium stood around the perimeter, their eyes fixed on them.
In their view, whether it was Chen Chuan or Qi Qianyang, both were immensely threatening. Since the two were engaging first, there was no need to interfere. The death of either would be good news; if both perished together, so much the better.
Up on the hillside, Xu Chan and the three captains also saw what was happening, while Captain Lyu and the others still had not recovered from the shock Chen Chuan had given them.
What had they just witnessed?
Everything had unfolded too quickly. In just that brief span, a portion of the main forces of Linakes and the Consortium had been ruthlessly battered down and slaughtered by Chen Chuan like brittle weeds.
They suddenly had a feeling that Chen Chuan alone could resolve the problem before them, and that their envisioned rescue and support seemed wholly unnecessary.
Below, after a momentary standoff, Qi Qianyang made the first move. Lowering his upper body with arms outstretched, he spun forward. The power of his entire body drove the whip in his arm, and the lash swept out in a wide circle with a loud snap, producing a series of rumbling booms as it whipped through the air—an extraordinarily astonishing display of force.
Chen Chuan neither dodged nor retreated. Stepping forward to meet it head-on, he flicked the Xuejun Saber upward with a backhand strike, cutting right into the whip's arc. At the point of contact, two faint gleams flashed instantly.
A whip possessed immense flexibility. If one section were struck, typically the remaining length would snap around to strike the enemy or wrap around their weapon, allowing the whip wielder to yank and disarm them.
Yet this time, the moment the two weapons clashed, a burst of jin surged from the Xuejun Saber, severing the smooth transmission of force along the whip midway. Thus, even if the rear segment whipped around, it carried no lethal force at all. Moreover, since this slash was an upward sweep imbued with a lifting and deflecting jin, the tail end of the whip was bounced straight into the air.
Seeing his attack thwarted, Qi Qianyang's eyelids twitched. Shaking his arm while spinning around again, he pulled the whip back. A whip had great reach and could attack from afar, but to unleash its maximum power, it had to be kept whirling and cracking to transmit jin—a process that inevitably required unbroken momentum to sustain.
Now, an opening appeared, and Chen Chuan seized it immediately. Following the motion of the retracting whip, he surged inward straight into the inner circle, closing the distance in an instant, and thrust his saber forward!
Qi Qianyang's eyelids twitched again. Knowing he could not let Chen Chuan advance any further, he pivoted in reverse, sweeping the rear segment of the whip around to block the incoming Xuejun Saber.
In that instant, the whip turned from supple to rigid, suddenly as hard as solid rock.
*Bang!*
A loud burst sounded at the point of contact, and faint light flared and vanished continuously along the friction, like flickering sparks.
However, because the force built up in the whip had not reached its peak, it held rigid for only a fraction of a second before its strength waned. The incoming blade light angled abruptly, slashing through the revealed opening.
Qi Qianyang's expression changed. Originally, he had fancied his odds against Chen Chuan, believing that after their previous clash, his Fuming Jin could now withstand Chen Chuan's jin. That was why he had gone all out right from the start, intending to catch Chen Chuan off guard and seize the upper hand.
Yet he discovered that the jin Chen Chuan used this time was different from before. This miscalculation forced him on the defensive right after the very first exchange.
At their level, once such an error occurred, turning the tables was almost impossible. Thus, he was left with no choice but to passively parry and defend.
He spun backward once more, whipping his weapon around to lash out and deflect the relentless, pressing blade light. With each clash, the surrounding air vibrated and warped.
Yet his situation grew increasingly dire. Every inch the blade advanced magnified the danger; Chen Chuan was systematically stripping away his outer perimeter layer by layer. Once Qi Qianyang's body was enveloped within the strike zone, decapitation would be the inevitable outcome.
At this point, every ounce of his power was devoted to fending off each blow. He had neither the spare strength nor the window of opportunity to try anything else; he seemed doomed to wait helplessly for death.
Naturally, he refused to resign himself to death. His eyes suddenly flushed blood-red, his skin turned crimson, and traces of blood-red aura seemed to emerge within the billows of black smoke. He was preparing to unleash his final trump card—he had never anticipated being driven to such extremes right from the start.
Just then, a flash of light glinted as a short spear flew into the fray. Chen Chuan shifted his blade angle, and with a metallic *clang*, deflected the spear away.
Seeing this, the red light in Qi Qianyang's eyes faded, and he seized the opportunity to pull back and open up ample distance. Glancing over, he saw Heros sitting up from the ground—he was the one who had hurled the short spear. Qi Qianyang couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
Heros's body was still covered in cracks; evidently, his injuries had not yet healed. He had intervened because he recognized Qi Qianyang's peril—if Qi Qianyang died, likely no one left on the field could stand against Chen Chuan. So he had thrown the spear at the opportune moment to help him escape the crisis.
Chen Chuan also cast a glance at Heros, but his gaze remained placid, before turning back to Qi Qianyang.
Qi Qianyang chuckled, shook his whip open once more, and stared at Chen Chuan with utmost seriousness. This time, he would not repeat his earlier mistake.
Right then, however, a clamor erupted from the distance. Within the dense forest, huge swarms of birds and flying insects surged into the sky in all directions, darkening the heavens.
This drew the attention of both combatants and everyone around them. The Confluence was fraught with danger; no change could be lightly dismissed.
These creatures appeared to be fleeing something, sweeping rapidly over their heads like passing storm clouds. In addition, beasts lurking in the forest bolted out in panic. The scene struck everyone with an ominous foreboding.
Moments later, the ground began to tremble faintly, followed by a rushing, rustling roar—sounding both like surging tides and like massive quantities of sand churning together.
Qi Qianyang's expression changed. Having lived in the Confluence for a long time, he was familiar with many of its phenomena. He already guessed what it was; though he had never encountered it personally, he had heard tales of it.
A dozen seconds later, everyone saw a black line appear on the distant horizon, swiftly spreading and rolling outward like ocean surf. With their astonishing eyesight, they soon saw clearly that it was no wave of water at all, but a dense, boundless sea of black beetles.
And now, these creatures were heading straight toward them!
Chen Chuan's eyes narrowed.
Was this... insect quicksand?
The two most terrifying swarms in the Confluence were the Emang and the insect quicksand. Whichever it was, when it arrived, it truly blotted out heaven and earth. No matter how powerful you were, if you fell into it, you would be devoured to the bone in an instant.
Insect quicksand was exceedingly rare. For it to appear here now, it was most likely drawn by the relic.
The faces of everyone present drained of color. Even those unfamiliar with what it was knew they had no chance of withstanding such a colossal swarm.
Qi Qianyang looked toward Chen Chuan and said, "Supervisor Chen, looks like our duel will have to be postponed." With that, he spun around and sprinted swiftly toward a certain spot.
When Heros was knocked down earlier, the relic had fallen from him and rolled to the side. Qi Qianyang's target was precisely that item.
At the same time, he let out a whistle, and the giant bird circling in the sky descended lower, clearly preparing to grab the item and withdraw.
Yet after running just a few steps, he sensed something behind him. Turning back to block, *bang!* A pebble exploded against his swung whip. But the force behind it was so immense, like an incoming cannon shell, that it jerked the hand holding the whip, nearly making his running body lose balance and stumble a few paces sideways.
Glancing back, he saw a flash of blade light slashing straight at him, showing no intention whatsoever of retreating or calling a truce. Cursing inwardly, he turned back and lashed his long whip forward, the whip sweeping out in a massive arc from back to front toward the incoming figure!
*Boom!*
At the point of clash, a thunderous detonation of exploding air erupted.
Yet this time, it wasn't only where the two weapons met. Beneath their very feet, as if something had awakened, a vast expanse of the ground began to heave upward with a low, rumbling groan, while the relic tumbled down into one of the fissures torn open in the earth.
Chapter 743