"A yaogui is no longer human. It lacks our thoughts and desires. To cultivate into the upper ranks, one must first hold onto the self. Without the self, all diligent cultivation comes to naught.
"Many predecessors, upon sensing they were about to become yaogui, would end their own lives to grant themselves a closure of their own choosing. This path is also the final destination of many martial artists.
"Yet among them, some were unwilling to accept such an end. They bound themselves to this fissure to shelter descendants, hoping to buy time until those who came after found a solution."
Fenghe Shou said, "This too is a trial, an exceedingly protracted tempering. If one can hold fast to their 'True Form and original intent,' they can hold out for decades or even a century. But if they fail to resist, both body and mind are forfeited. Seeking release in vain, they plunge into the world of yaogui in a single day.
"That predecessor failed to hold fast, and went where he should not have gone.
"When we enter the path, we advance boldly with fierce resolve, charging forward without looking back. Yet upon reaching the profound depths, we walk on thin ice, filled with reverence, no longer able to act willfully."
He looked around. "Here, too, will be the resting place of my fate. What I chose is the Visage of Man, so perhaps I can preserve myself longer than those predecessors."
With that, he walked forward, quickly disappearing into the brilliant light.
Chen Chuan glanced around, then walked in as well, carrying his saber. Emerging on the other side, he found the light had actually weakened somewhat. This was likely due to the abundant alga-like plants all around, which seemed to absorb the pervasive glow.
Yet that was not what mattered most. He now stood upon an elevated, relatively broad terrace. Below the terrace stood several massive, distinctly shaped silhouettes that blocked the light from further away. There were roughly a dozen of them.
Looking ahead, Fenghe Shou said, "Across six hundred years, with the exception of founder Chandao and the ninth, twelfth, and fifteenth masters, all other masters and predecessors who attained the realm of Blade Master met their quiet self-termination here."
Chen Chuan looked outward. The figures before him were colossal and relatively close to the elevated platform, requiring him to raise his head to see them entirely.
Only a handful still retained a human outline; the rest were twisted into bizarre, eerie forms that resembled the legendary yaomo.
He asked, "Then where did those others go?"
Fenghe Shou replied, "Founder Chandao may have ventured deep into the world across in search of the Dao. How he fares now, I do not know. The other masters did not wish to bring about their own ends. Apart from one who remained to guard the fissure entrance, the rest chose to follow the founder to seek the Dao. Yet none of them ever returned—and I do not wish for them to return."
Chen Chuan looked at the light filtering between those gigantic figures and agreed with his words. Could a path truly be found on the other side? If not, so be it. If they returned, that would be the truly terrifying scenario.
"Mr. Chen, today we shall battle here," Fenghe Shou said, turning around. "Though this is a spar, I will not hold back." With a grave expression, he drew his long saber, held it at his waist, and bowed to Chen Chuan. "Waves Hall, Fenghe Shou."
Chen Chuan likewise drew his blade from its sheath. Instead of holding Xuejun Saber in hand, however, he thrust it into the ground, raised his hands, and cupped his fists in return. "Purist Faction, Chen Chuan." Since it was a martial sparring match, he stood here today purely in his capacity as a martial artist.
Fenghe Shou straightened. A faint glimmer flickered across his body before it was replaced by a deep-blue, wave-like radiance. Under its shroud, his entire figure seemed to blur. A faint rumble of thunder emanated from the blade. He chanted softly: "Cold light attends life and death; the blade knows only the fleeting instant."
As the words rang out, he suddenly pivoted. His wide sleeves billowed outward as he slashed through empty air. A sudden burst of brilliance erupted from the blade, and an arc of blade light condensed from the fire of spirituality instantly crossed dozens of meters, flying straight for Chen Chuan.
Chen Chuan stared fixedly at the incoming light. With no intention of dodging, he swatted outward. The highly condensed fire of spirituality wrapped around his palm smashed it to pieces.
Only a thunderous crack echoed through the air from the sweep of his arm.
Theoretically, because an arc of spiritual light unleashed by a blade drew upon a portion of the weapon's mutated tissue and was concentrated to an extreme degree, dispersing it head-on required not only superhuman reaction speed, but multiple times the power.
Tactically speaking, taking it head-on was disadvantageous. Yet such an uncompromising method of defense inevitably forced the opponent into greater caution, even driving them to abandon their prepared offensive strategy to some extent.
On Chen Chuan's side, shattering the enemy's momentum with a direct blow caused his own aura to surge abruptly. White, steam-like vapor rose and swayed across his body.
Fenghe Shou looked stern. That strike of his had been extremely fast. To swat it aside demanded exceptional reaction speed, swiftness, and a foundation so robust that its owner could disregard the expenditure. Just as he had anticipated, this was an opponent who warranted absolute seriousness. Victory would not lie in speed, but in patience and steadiness.
He needed to find a suitable opening.
Then...
Though thoughts raced through his mind, his hands never faltered. Shifting from a one-handed to a two-handed grip, he raised the saber level with his eyebrows, tip pointed forward, and angled his body while sinking his weight back. He settled into Waves Hall's Tide Severing Stance.
Yet just as he was searching for an opportunity, his gaze suddenly shifted. He took a swift step back, for Chen Chuan had abruptly burst forward right before him.
With a boom, the ground ahead exploded violently. Both of their fields ruptured and shattered at the same instant, carving out a sloping crater where they collided.
As the dust cleared, Chen Chuan stood in place, platinum-white vapor shimmering over his fist. He glanced at Fenghe Shou, who held his saber firmly. Had it been Long Xiang or Wei Guochan standing before him just now, dodging that blow would have been impossible. Yet this man had evaded it with a single step.
It was not purely a matter of speed; rather, Fenghe Shou possessed a spiritual premonition of danger that allowed him to evade in advance.
Had that been all, Chen Chuan could have adjusted his follow-up, catching up within a step or two. Yet Fenghe Shou had also projected the false impression that he was still standing where he was, drawing out Chen Chuan's fully committed strike. This was undoubtedly another application of mental technique.
Having retreated into the distance, Fenghe Shou flicked his blade, as if to ward off any further advance. Vast billows of mist rolled outward from his body, concealing his form within.
Chen Chuan stood motionless. The rolling mist crashed against his biological field and could push no further, parting to flow around the sides and overhead, leaving only faint ripples at the boundary of his field.
Chen Chuan narrowed his gaze at the mist. His opponent was resourceful. That blade flick had severed his spiritual perception, allowing the mist to serve as an effective cover. Otherwise, conjuring it would have been useless.
Suddenly, the mist surged violently, as if driven by some tremendous force, before blowing outward with a roar. In an instant, a semi-tangible silhouette appeared above—Fenghe Shou.
At that moment, he appeared as massive as the silhouettes behind him, swinging the equally colossal Wenlei Saber straight down at Chen Chuan!
Though separated by dozens of meters, the sweeping blade came crashing down right before him. Nor was it a mere illusion. The fierce wind pressure kicked up vast clouds of dust and ash, and the torn air instantly grew scalding hot.
Chen Chuan's eyes turned profoundly calm. Looking up at the descending giant blade, he chose not to dodge. He knew that as a Blade Master, his opponent's mastery of sword forms was consummate. Retreating now would only surrender the initiative and hand his opponent an opportunity.
Planting his feet apart and dropping his center of gravity, white vapor steaming and fiery radiance flaring from his body, Chen Chuan watched the massive blade drop, crossed his forearms, and braced upward!
Boom!
The entire terrace shuddered as the blade fell, sending huge billows of dust rolling into the air. Yet against the colossal blade shadow, Chen Chuan's seemingly diminutive form stood as solid as a mountain.
Just as he had anticipated, though the abruptly enlarged blade appeared to carry vastly magnified force, the core contest still came down to the fire of spirituality. The spiritual radiance it carried had not expanded; it remained the same as before.
Now, as the two clashed and mutually eroded, scattering showers of sparks, the flames upon the blade vanished first due to the disparity in their foundations.
Seeing this, Chen Chuan's eyes flashed. His fist, wrapped in platinum-white vapor, slammed outward into the semi-tangible blade shadow, knocking it violently upward.
With that strike delivered, he pushed off the ground with tremendous force, rocketing forward like an artillery shell. When the bundle of spiritual fire enveloping his body collided with the gigantic silhouette, it shattered it in an instant.
Bursting through, Fenghe Shou's true form was revealed. Without pausing for a breath, Chen Chuan drove forward, his clenched fist crashing straight toward him.
Fenghe Shou's expression changed slightly, and he brought his saber across to parry in the nick of time. With a boom, even though he stood over four meters tall—more than twice Chen Chuan's size—the sheer force transmitted through the blow made it impossible to hold his ground. He was driven backward involuntarily. Though he managed to keep his footing, the blue flames upon him swayed violently.
Chen Chuan pushed forward with relentless footwork, pressing his entire weight in as he threw another punch. With a crack, the strike was parried by the saber once more. Yet under the continuous clash of power, the blue radiance flickered like a candle in the wind. Chen Chuan pressed in close, hammering blow after blow onto the defense.
Under this overwhelming barrage, the blue radiance finally gave way, scattering abruptly. The follow-up punch slammed into the blade, driving the weapon hard into Fenghe Shou's chest. Layer upon layer of jin poured through into his body. In the next instant, amid a colossal detonation, he tumbled through the air and went flying off the platform!
Chapter 806