A deafening detonation shook the beach as brilliant light burst in every direction. With the crash of Chen Chuan's fist, the Flame of Spirituality at the point of contact exploded outward.
That punch was never meant to inflict substantial damage on the rotting phosphor; its sole purpose was to pave the way for the subsequent breach of the Xuejun Saber.
The force of the blow instantly scattered the outer layer of the Flame of Spirituality shielding the skull, leaving the head beneath completely exposed. A thin sheet of mutated tissue clung to the bone, presenting a grotesque and hideous sight.
Ignoring the creature's monstrous visage, Chen Chuan swept the long saber resting behind him in a lethal, graceful arc through the air, the platinum-golden radiance coating its blade dense enough to seem nearly solid.
Sensing the suffocating pressure and immense danger radiating from the blade, a vast torrent of the Flame of Spirituality converged around the skull from all directions, while the second inner layer flared into an incandescent inferno, ready to withstand the impending cleaving blow.
Yet the moment the edge was about to strike the bone, Chen Chuan did not chop down. Instead, the blade skimmed past the skull, executing a deft, subtle pivot to slip into the juncture between the head and the body below.
With a gentle flick of the saber, the spiritual radiance—thinned by overextension—was effortlessly parted. The glowing tendrils binding the skull to the body were severed in the same sweep, and the massive head dropped free from the carcass.
With that single stroke, the rotting phosphor was severed from the body it commanded. No matter how formidable its mutated tissue, no matter how vast its Flame of Spirituality, without a physical vessel to sustain them, they were reduced to water without a source, a tree without roots!
Having severed the head, Chen Chuan flicked and scooped with the flat of his blade, launching the massive skull skyward!
Almost in the same breath, a violent shockwave of light detonated from the skull once more!
Down below, Chen Chuan shielded his face with one forearm. His platinum-golden radiance rippled erratically under the brunt of the shockwave, forcing his body back several steps, yet his gaze remained cool and measured as he watched the blast unfold.
He had anticipated that the entity would resort to this simplest and most direct retaliatory measure when cornered. Thus, rather than waiting for the eruption, he had preemptively flung it away, avoiding a direct frontal impact.
The dazzling light pulsed for several moments before gradually abating. In that brief window, the rotting phosphor had already attempted another measure of self-preservation: a long whisker sprouted from the rear of the skull and shot straight out toward the sea. As if snagging onto something within the depths, it yanked hard, dragging the skull hurtling down toward the water at breakneck speed.
Yet the instant it moved, a luminous phantom streak flashed across the distant sky, shearing cleanly through the whisker with a sharp hiss.
The projectile was none other than the prismatic stone!
Deprived of its tether, the skull plunged toward the mudflats. Before it could hit the ground, however, it levitated of its own accord and wobbled as it resumed its flight seaward.
Though it moved with tremendous speed, in Chen Chuan's perception, it was no different from slow motion. He took a single forward step, his body transforming into a streak of light as he closed the distance in an instant.
As he neared, the massive skull opted for another spiritual detonation. Yet before the light could fully burst forth, the tip of the Xuejun Saber flicked it into the distant sky once more. The head shot high into the stratosphere, bursting like a miniature sun hanging overhead.
Chen Chuan stood below with his saber in hand, waiting until the brilliant glow above began to dim. Suddenly, his figure vanished from the sand and reappeared in midair right before the skull. Suspended aloft, he delivered a horizontal cleave!
The strike appeared aimed at killing the creature outright, yet it was executed with calculated leverage. With a muffled boom, the skull was batted far into the distance—in the direction directly opposite the sea.
The rotting phosphor unleashed another spiritual impact in midair. It had no choice; even if the first slash had spared its life, there was no guarantee a second would not follow.
This time, panic clearly drove its actions. The shockwave of light vented outward without restraint, bathing the surrounding sky in blinding brilliance. Though evening had fallen, the world seemed suddenly thrust back into the brightest hour of noon.
The destruction wrought by this blast far exceeded any prior strike, engulfing a large swathe of the adjacent beach. When the light subsided, an enormous section of the mudflat had vanished entirely. From above, it looked as though a gigantic bite had been gouged out of the coastline, while water seeped steadily into the sunken hollow below.
Taking advantage of the blast's recoil, the rotting phosphor had driven itself seaward, actually managing to return to nearshore waters. As the brilliance cleared, it dipped down to plunge into the surf. Yet the very instant the light died, the prismatic stone, which had been lying in wait, slammed into it from the opposite direction, knocking it back into the sky.
While it tumbled sideways through the air, a flash of light heralded Chen Chuan's arrival, blade drawn. Predictably, upon seeing him close in, the rotting phosphor resorted to its familiar defense. But the outcome was identical to before: Chen Chuan's saber angled with a deflective slap, redirecting the skull elsewhere and causing the spiritual shockwave to miss completely.
Over the course of the next half-minute, the skull inhabited by the rotting phosphor never once touched the ground, juggled and deflected repeatedly by Chen Chuan's blade.
Whenever the saber swept toward it, the creature possessed no countermeasure other than venting spiritual shockwaves to protect itself. Under this relentless expenditure, the brilliant light burning within the skull's eye sockets steadily dimmed. No matter how immense the reserves of its Flame of Spirituality, it could not endure such unreserved, continuous exhaustion.
When it erupted once more, Chen Chuan did not even bother to mount a conscious defense. The shockwave of light washing over him merely caused his platinum-golden radiance to flicker lightly.
Having detonated too many times in rapid succession, the power of its Flame of Spirituality had suffered a steep decline. It was no longer strong enough to shake him.
Now was the time to finish it.
He sprang into the air beneath the descending skull, waiting for the precise moment it fell within reach before swinging his saber!
A crescent arc of blade light instantly carved through the outermost field, parting the outer Flame of Spirituality and striking the skull. Yet as the blade drove inward, the rotting phosphor suddenly contracted, and the dimmed radiance across its surface flared with blinding intensity!
This was unmistakably its final desperate gamble. The power it had accumulated was not truly spent; it had feigned exhaustion solely to lure him into striking, intending to inflict a grievous wound in a single counterblow.
Chen Chuan's eyes flashed. In that split second, his Second Self merged seamlessly with him, causing his speed to explode! Before the brilliance could fully detonate, his saber thrust forward along the existing crack in the skull, instantly ripping through the entity's second layer of the Flame of Spirituality and stabbing straight into the brain-like mass of mutated tissue!
The rotting phosphor instantly froze. The flickering Flame of Spirituality shuddered violently before extinguishing like embers scattered to the wind.
Chen Chuan's gaze was cold. Possessing rich combat experience, he had considered beforehand that since this creature could learn and adapt during battle, it would very likely resort to deception at the final juncture.
Through their repeated exchanges, he had already mapped out the timing of its detonations. Thus, rather than waiting for the burst to materialize, he had preemptively destroyed it with a decisive thrust.
With the blade embedded in the creature's core, Chen Chuan twisted his wrist and drew the edge through with the momentum of the strike. Soundlessly, the skull split into two halves. The brain-like mass of mutated tissue inside was cleaved almost completely apart and fell from midair, landing on the sand with a wet slap.
Chen Chuan landed lightly on his feet, flourished his saber with an effortless twirl, and walked forward at an unhurried pace. Exposed before him was an organism formed from countless tangled, twisted strands of mutated tissue, bearing a striking resemblance to a biological brain. Having been largely bisected, it twitched incessantly upon the sand.
Portions of the creature were still desperately sprouting tiny flesh buds, attempting to stitch itself back together. Yet wherever the Xuejun Saber had passed, faint wisps of platinum-golden Flame of Spirituality lingered, inhibiting its growth and regeneration.
By now, the light in the sky was dimming rapidly. Sensing nightfall was near, Chen Chuan gestured with his hand, using his field to lift the twitching mass, and turned back toward the esoteric ritual he had previously laid out. At the same time, he called out to Chaoming, who was keeping watch in the sky.
Upon entering the esoteric ritual, he retrieved the ritual-activation stone and set it atop the pivot stone. After a moment, beams of light radiated in all directions, reflecting between the surrounding stones and instantly activating a complete esoteric ritual.
Just as he finished, the last lingering glimmer on the horizon vanished, plunging the sky and sea into pitch-black darkness.
Night had fallen.
Chen Chuan considered the matter. The creature had clearly chosen dusk to engage him with deliberate intent; its initial assault had likely been a probe. Had it failed to overpower him, it planned to retreat into the sea under the cover of night, knowing from days of observation that he had to contend with the external contamination after dark and would not recklessly pursue.
A clever plan, but a plan nonetheless. It might have decided when to initiate the battle, but it had no say over when it ended.
Though it had seemed on the verge of escaping several times, the entire tempo of the battle had remained firmly under Chen Chuan's control from start to finish without straying a hair's breadth. Combat experience and tactical execution had played the decisive role.
He lowered his gaze to the brain-like mass. The battle was won, but facing such a creature, how was he to extract nourishment from it?
The rotting phosphor was composed of dense, uniform mutated tissue. There seemed to be no distinct vital organ or edible prize.
Was he supposed to consume this mutated tissue directly?
His instincts told him that was not the proper way to ingest it.
After pondering for a while, it occurred to him that this was a semi-spiritual, semi-biological entity, fundamentally different from the beasts he had encountered before. What he needed to harvest might not exist entirely on the physical plane. With this realization, his eyes sharpened. He raised the Xuejun Saber and brought it slashing down upon the creature!
Chapter 900