Breakout

The airship above continued to climb, yet the crew aboard remained on edge. Although the airship was equipped with machine guns and incendiary bombs, along with heavy armor plating, they still felt trepidation facing a powerful fighter like Chen Chuan. If someone like him used specialized throwing implements, he was entirely capable of threatening an airship within a certain distance. Fortunately, the man below made no hostile moves. Having carried only enough fuel for a round trip, they did not linger to keep watching Chen Chuan once they reached a safe altitude. Instead, their propellers whirred as they turned and headed back the way they had come. Chen Chuan watched the airship gradually recede into the distance, paying it no further mind. He had not forgotten their objective: someone needed to carry word of what happened here back, forcing the former imperial house to make the necessary response. He considered the situation. In the Jibei Circuit Confluence, the former imperial house likely could not muster too many elite operatives. The two waves he had slaughtered were probably the vast majority of the elite fighters they could deploy into the field. Even if they had forces left, after suffering a setback like this, they would never keep feeding them in wave after wave. Not to mention, it was already too late. After this, they would carry the relic and break out toward the periphery of the uncharted territory. Even if military units blocked their path, without elite fighters to pin them down, stopping them would be next to impossible. Thus, if the other side still wished to seize the relic, only a martial artist could salvage the situation. Right then, he caught a faint rustling against the leaves. Rain had finally begun to fall. He turned back at once and located the remaining horses. Although that fine mount had been shredded by canister shot earlier, he had brought more than one riding horse this time precisely for replacements, along with several pack horses. These horses had trailed behind during the earlier charge, but he had previously subdued each one with his spiritual field, and with Chaoming watching from above, there was no chance of them bolting off on their own. He brought out the raincoats and rain covers. After putting his own on, he draped covers over all the horses, then cut out a piece to fit onto Chaoming as well, settling the bird on the back of a pack horse. Then, leading out another riding horse, he mounted up and continued rushing toward the moving glow. Ahead of him, Xu Chan was sprinting at top speed. Tilting his head, he dodged a sniper round streaking toward him, then raised his arms and swept left and right, batting aside numerous rifle bullets fired from both flanks to harass him. Suddenly, a figure dropped down from the trees ahead. Before the person could even touch the ground, Xu Chan snapped his arm back and flicked it forward. With a swish, a long rapier shot out, impaling the attacker through the skull and pinning him to the trunk. Without a second glance, he jerked his arm, reeling the rapier back. The body thudded to the foot of the tree, already lifeless. Yet just as he retrieved the rapier, a figure lunged from the grass. Xu Chan seemed to have anticipated it; the moment the person showed his head, a throwing knife flashed across. With a wet squelch, it sank into the attacker's neck. Clutching his throat, the man collapsed without a sound. Xu Chan did not pause for a second, continuing his sprint. Along the way, he had killed over a dozen such assailants. They were not particularly powerful, but they excelled at stealth, concealment, and setting traps. While they posed little direct threat to him, they served their purpose as hindrances, since there was no telling if a formidable expert was lurking among them, waiting to strike the moment his guard dropped. However, he kept his spiritual field spread across his surroundings at all times, detecting any stir the instant it occurred. At the same time, he kept a constant watch on his flanks and rear. He knew the actions of those ahead were clearly meant only to delay and obstruct, which meant the real killing blow had to be coming from elsewhere. Yet having sensed no one approaching from behind, he understood at once: it was not that no pursuers had come, but that someone had eliminated them for him. Everything was proceeding exactly according to the plan they had drawn up. At this stage, he had no need to worry about anything else; he only needed to face the enemies in front of him. After covering some more distance, the harassment ahead gradually lessened. Even so, he did not lower his guard, doubting that the enemy would simply give up. Sure enough, rustling sounds echoed through the woods ahead, followed by hairless, ape-like creatures with protruding muzzles bounding out of the trees one after another. They charged toward him with blinding speed. A single glance told him these were "White Plagues," biological weapons frequently employed by the former imperial army. Such creatures could spread disease and typically carried high explosives inside them. Seeing so many rushing head-on, he ceased pressing forward and immediately darted to the side, then sharply pivoted in another direction after only a few meters. His caution was proven right. He had barely cleared the area when a thunderous explosion roared from the ground he had just left. A violent blast wave sent splintered branches and debris pelting all around. Bombs had clearly been planted in advance and detonated remotely, just waiting for him to plunge into the trap. He was not out of danger yet. The moment he reached the other flank, he swerved once more. As expected, another blast erupted there, yet his wealth of experience and sharp judgment allowed him to evade both unscathed. By now, the White Plagues had surged close. He knew their bellies could also conceal explosives that would detonate under sufficient internal or external stimulus. He had no intention of letting them draw near. Throwing knives flicked from his hands one after another, pinning them dead mid-stride. Shrieks and howls echoed continuously along the trail. Meanwhile, he dodged whistling bullets from time to time, hurling stones in counterattacks. Before long, his throwing knives were completely exhausted. Unfastening his raincoat, he drew short throwing spikes from the buckles of his belt, continuing to clear his path by hurling them. Yet soon, the spikes were spent as well, while the number of White Plagues around him showed no sign of thinning. At this point, he no longer conserved his spiritual energy. Light spilled from his eyes, and an invisible shockwave instantly rippled out in all directions. This form of attack was indeed the most efficient. The charging beasts collapsed in swaths. Evidently, they carried no protective talismans or gear—not due to enemy oversight, but by deliberate design, meant to deplete his spiritual power. Even knowing that, in a critical moment, he had no choice but to use it. After bursting forward a certain distance, he felt a faint mental exhaustion creeping in. He pulled out a vial of medicine and drank it down to maintain and revitalize his spirit, bracing himself for the next wave of assaults. Yet the anticipated attacks failed to materialize; it seemed he had broken through the containment perimeter in a single burst. He was somewhat surprised. Could this mean... their plan had succeeded? Considering it, he felt this was highly likely. If Chen Chuan had wiped out all the pursuers behind them, then without powerful fighters spearheading the interception ahead, the resistance would only reach this intensity at most. It would slow him down, but it wouldn't pose any fatal threat. Perhaps his deduction was correct, as he encountered no further incidents along the rest of the way. He did not stop even after night fell, running straight through until dawn, by which time the rain overhead had all but ceased. Just then, the sound of flapping wings caught his ear. Looking back, he saw Chaoming soaring overhead, letting out a sharp cry down at him. At the sight of the bird that accompanied Chen Chuan, a wave of relief washed over him! According to his prior plan with Chen Chuan, if everything went smoothly, Chen Chuan would catch up within the radiance's reach in good time, though keeping a certain distance to watch for any subsequent enemy units that might pursue them. Chaoming's arrival, along with the quiet journey, proved that the plan had gone without a hitch. Now, he needed to find a spot to leave the relic, depart on his own, and let Chen Chuan take over the rest. As for why they hadn't simply had Chaoming fly it back, the relic drew Confluence creatures like a magnet and invited constant attacks; carrying it without sufficient self-defense capabilities was out of the question. He retrieved the relic, found an active tree he recognized, and placed the item inside a hollow in its trunk. In this way, the plant could protect the relic, and there was no fear of it wandering off within a short time. Having settled this, he stepped back a few paces. According to their agreement, what came next was none of his concern; he only needed to break out of the encirclement on his own. He faintly guessed that Chen Chuan's arrangement held a deeper purpose, but he didn't delve into it. A man should only take on what his abilities allowed; doing his own duty well was enough. Casting a backward glance, he offered a salute. "See you at the base," he murmured, then turned and vanished into the woods. Roughly half an hour after his departure, the rapid clatter of hooves approached from afar and came to a halt. Chen Chuan dismounted, stepped up to the active plant, and extended his spirit. The tree shuddered twice, and the relic rolled out onto the ground. He bent down, picked it up, and studied it in his palm. From this moment forth, he would be the one carrying it forward. Having wiped out most of the enemy elites, the next person to arrive was very likely that General of State Subjugation. Although Xue Shou had said that the general would be intercepted by two Great Shun martial artists, he had also mentioned that while the overarching situation was sound, variables could easily arise in the details. Things could never unfold entirely according to plan—otherwise, Xue Shou wouldn't have gone out of his way to leave Chen Chuan a wisp of spiritual power. Chen Chuan pondered for a moment, looked down at the spiritual imprint on his hand, and said, "Teacher Xue, I have a question regarding limit breakthroughs I would like to ask you."