Once a creature of the Confluence broke past its tier limits, it ceased to be what it had been. The elevation of its life tier freed it from its former shackles of growth.
Originally, the rotting phosphor might have been merely a mindless conglomerate, but now it had transformed into an organism coalesced of intricate mutated tissues, possessing a conscious mind of its own.
As the ocean mist receded and the creature drew closer, Chen Chuan could make out more details. The skeleton manipulated by the rotting phosphor did not in fact belong entirely to a single beast; certain parts were clearly pieced together from other organisms.
This was particularly true of the two rows of crawling appendages under the ribcage, as well as the bone whips and arms lining its flanks. None of those had originally grown on the ichthyosaur. The prismatic stone from that day must have grazed one of those parts.
Judging by the resilience of these bones, their original owner might well have been a creature that had broken its tier limits as well. Whether it had been killed and devoured by this rotting phosphor or merely scavenged after death was anyone's guess. If the former, the danger posed by this entity had to be reassessed.
The entire skeleton had now arrived above the beach, ghastly pale light flickering around its body.
A martial artist's Flame of Spirituality was forged through self-cultivation and discipline, whereas the Flame of Spirituality in Confluence creatures was forcibly generated through prolonged struggle against the mental world.
Though their sources differed, in essence they were the same. As for differences, a martial artist's Flame of Spirituality was also known as the "One-Embracing True Force"—a highly concentrated mass of energy. The Flame of Spirituality of Confluence creatures, by contrast, was scattered and dilute; yet the sheer quantity of spirituality it commanded was immense, far exceeding what any martial artist could muster.
Chen Chuan reasoned that the rotting phosphor's decision to seek him out proactively rather than wait any longer was likely because it noticed he had been steadily amassing power over this period.
Put in its place, seeing chosen "prey" do such a thing would inevitably make one assume the latter was preparing for battle or some kind of metamorphosis. The rotting phosphor had surely thought along the same lines; rather than waiting, it preferred to make the first move.
It came just in time.
Though slightly earlier than he had anticipated, he was not entirely unprepared. At this moment, his body had an abundant supply of energy, more than enough to handle this battle.
He planted the Xuejun Saber into the ground, gripped the hilt, and slowly drew the blade as he strode forward. At the same time, platinum light billowed and drifted around his body.
As the blade cleared its scabbard, before he could launch an attack, the other side struck first. A slender bone whip flickering with ghastly pale light lashed toward him. He merely lowered his stance, letting the strike whistle harmlessly overhead.
With a spring of his toes, he charged straight toward the front of the rotting phosphor.
The opponent's core was recognizable at a glance: the luminous mass currently hiding within the skull. Destroying that would eliminate the nerve center. Moreover, attacking that point would force it to abandon all else and focus entirely on defense.
Just as he had predicted, upon seeing him launch forward, the bones across its body clattered and rattled, all extending toward the skull in an effort to seal off his path of advance.
Chen Chuan kept his gaze fixed on that spot without the slightest intention of altering his trajectory. Those bones were not its native growth; moving them required the glowing filaments tethered to them. That might suffice against ordinary creatures before metamorphosis, but against him, it was far from enough.
Before those bones could close in, his figure was already before the skull. Blinding spiritual radiance instantly burst from the Xuejun Saber as he slashed downward!
The blade cut through the rotting phosphor's outer field without resistance, but upon contacting the ghastly pale Flame of Spirituality wrapped around the perimeter, it felt like plunging into viscous liquid, meeting slight resistance. Yet as their spiritual lights canceled each other out, the edge pressed inward with unwavering resolve, ultimately striking the skull and biting deep into it!
Just as he was about to shatter this protective barrier in one stroke, however, he discovered an even more dazzling layer of light welling up from beneath, barely holding off the blade's advance.
This was unquestionably emitted by the rotting phosphor itself. With this very first strike, he had already reached its core.
Yet the moment allowed him no room to press further. The Flame of Spirituality on his blade was meeting a massive spiritual counterattack from the opponent, and the dense thicket of skeletal hands around him was closing in.
Chen Chuan's eyes flashed. Far from retreating, he shifted the saber's momentum, slashing across toward the clustering skeletal hands.
Since he could not split the skull in one blow, he would strip away these outer shields first. The creature relied primarily on these bone hands to attack; without them, it would lose its tools for combat.
The Flame of Spirituality channeled into the Xuejun Saber was far more concentrated. The instant it met the thin, diffuse light on the skeletal hands, it sliced through them like hot grease, sending dozens of bone limbs flying into the air. The pale Flame of Spirituality clinging to them scattered, dancing across the sky.
Having eliminated the immediate threat, he used the momentum of his swing to spin midair, sweeping the long blade upward in a great rising slash toward the skull!
Because of the sharp strikes that preceded it, Chen Chuan's resonance with the Xuejun Saber had deepened, causing the Flame of Spirituality upon it to flare up fiercely. Perhaps sensing grave danger, the mutated tissue clustered within the skull shrank violently, unleashing an extraordinarily intense burst of light.
This light was not only blindingly harsh but carried immense force and destructive power—an up-close spiritual impact!
The moment Chen Chuan saw it contract, he knew the situation had shifted. His saber technique transitioned instantly from hard to soft, converting the rising slash into an upward flick. This unexpectedly hoisted the rotting phosphor's entire skeletal frame upward, redirecting its forward-exploding force toward the high diagonal.
When the light erupted, Chen Chuan raised an arm to shield himself, gathering most of his Flame of Spirituality forward in defense. Yet even after evading the brunt of the blast, large swathes of the platinum light over his body melted away, and the shockwave threw him backward, landing him almost in the blink of an eye back where he had started.
He looked up. The burst of light did not vanish in an instant; it flickered persistently. Only a metamorphosed creature born and bred in the Confluence could possess a Flame of Spirituality so deep and squander it so freely. They relied on these vast reserves to break past their limits and withstand the nighttime mental surges of the Confluence.
A fighter had neither the environment nor the conditions to achieve such a feat.
After the light flickered for a few moments, he noticed that the rotting phosphor's field had changed slightly. When the glow finally dimmed, what was revealed made his eyebrows lift.
The rotting phosphor looked completely different from before. The previously bare bones were now covered in layers of mutated tissue resembling muscle fibers and fascia, making it look at first glance like a twisted, freshly skinned monster.
It had likely suffered in the exchange just now and grown these tissues in response.
Chen Chuan fixed his gaze upon it, observing closely. He deduced that by channeling nutrients into the bones, it had drastically enhanced their vitality. The glowing filaments clinging to them had merged deeply with the bone, enabling this mutated tissue to multiply and expand rapidly, closely conforming to the original form of the bones' former owner.
This brought a marked change. In particular, now that the bone whips were clad in flesh, the motion of their swings became far smoother, more natural, and much more versatile. With a flick, one snapped directly toward Chen Chuan.
This time, Chen Chuan did not rely on a simple dodge; with mutated tissue attached, the appendage could generate force from multiple angles and directions.
He dropped back beyond the reach of the whip. The rotting phosphor, unwilling to let him go, seemed to believe this transformation gave it the upper hand and advanced proactively, seeking an opening.
Chen Chuan stared intently at the twisted frame before him. The creature was clearly capable of learning in battle, and its direction was sound; however, this was a genuine fight, and it offered few chances to grow through trial and error.
Though the layer of mutated tissue seemed to increase its combat strength, one could not overlook that these bones were forcibly cobbled together, and the joints linking them remained exceptionally fragile.
As a martial artist, a single glance was enough for him to grasp the opponent's lines of force and the resulting mechanics of its motion. The strategy moving forward was simple.
Having stepped back to a distance, he swung his long blade. Great billows of steam rose from his body, blending into the golden-white radiance as they surged skyward.
Then, with a flicker, he darted to one side, feigning a slash. The movement immediately drew the limbs on that flank into defense. But in a flash of light, he reappeared on the opposite side, compelling the limbs there to react as well.
As he rapidly switched directions several times, not only did the rotting phosphor's center of gravity tilt and wobble, but the connective tissue holding the mismatched parts together began tearing apart with agonizing creaks under the repeated strain. Its body tilted to one side, performing worse than before.
This was entirely natural. Such an unfamiliar mode of force generation required an adjustment period. Right now, every attack from the rotting phosphor committed the full strength of its limbs without holding anything in reserve. It was hardly surprising that it fell into this state.
Chen Chuan would grant it no time to adapt. Seeing its frame stiffen from tearing and tangled tissue, he flashed forward in an instant, penetrating close to its skull with far greater ease than before.
Facing the skull enveloped in ghastly pale light, he drew his saber back, raised his other hand, and clenched it into a fist. A dense Flame of Spirituality flared brilliantly across his knuckles, and he drove a heavy punch straight into the bone!
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Chapter 899