After the helmet and faceguard fell away, the face beneath Yuwen Yuanqi's helm was exposed.
When Chen Chuan saw it, his gaze could not help but narrow. It was not a normal human face at all, but a dense, tangled mass of fleshy tendrils, upon which perched two bloodshot eyes glaring fixedly at him.
The slash that had cleaved into the head severed many fleshy tendrils, yet the severed tendrils writhed and squirmed, seemingly trying to fuse back together. Some had already bypassed the blade and successfully reconnected. Moreover, atop every single tendril, a faint Flame of Spirituality flickered, continuously eroding against the spiritual radiance upon the blade. This had evidently been the source of the resistance his strike had encountered earlier.
At that moment, several sharp twangs rang out as the restraining cords binding Yuwen Yuanqi snapped one after another under the overwhelming strain. The strength Xu Mutang could squeeze out was minimal, only enough to hold him back for these few fleeting moments.
Yet Chen Chuan felt it was more than enough. If he could not seize an opportunity like this, he had no business thinking about defeating this opponent later.
Looking at the Xuejun Saber enveloped and gradually sinking into the tendrils, he had no intention of pulling it back. Instead, his gaze bore into it intently. In an instant, a beam of blinding radiance suddenly burst from the blade, exploding into a violent flash inside the foe's head!
Grand Radiant Light Forms!
With a roaring boom, like dry kindling ignited by a raging fire, Yuwen Yuanqi—who had barely reacted even when his skull was cleaved open—suddenly let out an agonizing, bloodcurdling shriek.
This scream did not issue from a mouth; rather, every tendril constituting his body seemed to be screeching. The sound propagated not only across the physical plane but also manifested psychically. Together with the sonic blast, it coalesced into an almost tangible shockwave, causing even the Flame of Spirituality cloaking Chen Chuan to shudder and flutter, seeming on the verge of extinguishing at any moment.
In the distance, Xu Mutang already had scarcely any strength left to defend himself. Under such an impact, he lost consciousness almost immediately.
Midst his agonized screeching, Yuwen Yuanqi abandoned the warhammer. Raising both hands, he grabbed the Xuejun Saber. The Flame of Spirituality on his body ignited furiously like a conflagration, transforming into a blazing torrent of light that surged wildly along his arms toward the blade, lifting it inch by inch in an attempt to drive it out of his body.
Chen Chuan felt the force pouring through the opponent's arms. He pressed down hard with both hands on the hilt. At the same time, a streak of light seemed to flash across his eyes. In that very instant, his body and the Spiritual Visage above both radiated brilliance outward, bathing the entire mountain peak in this dazzling splendor.
Bathed in this brilliance, not only did Yuwen Yuanqi let out an even more piercing shriek, but even the figure of the golden-armored divine general above flickered between substance and shadow, visibly affected as well.
Seeing this, Chen Chuan directed the Spiritual Visage above to seize the opening. It lunged forward with a thrust of its long spear. The golden-armored divine general barely managed to raise his warhammer to parry, but in that moment, a long saber suddenly materialized in the visage's other hand, slashing squarely into the general's flank.
This strike knocked the golden-armored divine general off balance, sending golden sparks scattering across his armor. Pressing its advantage without mercy, the Spiritual Visage continued hacking at that breach with the saber, quickly battering the Flame of Spirituality there into disarray. Seeing its defense compromised, the golden-armored divine general hurriedly swung the warhammer around to block, but the long spear on the other side seized the gap to stab straight into his face. With a fierce burst of force, it forced his torso to lean back. Taking advantage of his unstable footing, the saber and spear moved up to wedge against the warhammer, knocking it aside, before both weapons crashed down together!
With a resounding crash, spiritual flames rained down like water. Struck heavily on both chest and face, the golden-armored divine general stumbled and staggered backward. Meanwhile, Chen Chuan's Spiritual Visage gathered its momentum, twisting its body as saber and spear wheeled like a gale, repeatedly hammering down upon the opponent. Every blow sent bursts of fire flying, ringing out with dull, thunderous booms.
After being struck solidly more than a dozen times, not only was the divine general's Flame of Spirituality battered to tatters, but the golden armor shattered into fragments wherever the blows landed.
Seeing this, Chen Chuan's Spiritual Visage tossed the saber into the air, caught the hilt with a reverse grip, and flashed forward. It drove the blade straight into the divine general's collarbone. Because that area was no longer protected by the Flame of Spirituality, the blade pierced through his body in an instant, its tip protruding diagonally from his lower back. Without bothering to draw it back out, the visage gripped the long spear with both hands, raised it high, and smashed it directly against his head!
With an ear-splitting boom that echoed in all directions, the golden-armored divine general's head—already stripped of most of its protective spiritual fire—was shattered instantly. His massive form turned ethereal in a flash. After wobbling a few times, with a thunderous rumble, he collapsed into countless plumes of mist, dispersing in every direction.
The collapse of the golden-armored divine general had a profound impact on its host. Dragged down by this backlash, the golden flames on Yuwen Yuanqi flickered erratically like a candle in the wind.
Chen Chuan immediately felt the resistance on the blade lessen significantly. As his strength surged while the opponent's waned, he shifted his center of gravity forward, using the saber to firmly pin him down.
Free from the golden-armored divine general's hindrance, the Spiritual Visage above raised its colossal long spear once more and brought it crashing down toward Yuwen Yuanqi below. The spear shaft slammed violently against his skull. Under the immense impact, Yuwen Yuanqi was forced to his knees, his impact kicking up a plume of dust and gouging a shallow crater into the ground.
Yet the spiritual flames on his body were extraordinarily potent, and most had now gathered at his upper torso; despite such a tremendous blow, they did not scatter.
However, the assault from above did not cease. With no opposition left, the Spiritual Visage could unleash its full power without reservation. The gigantic saber and spear rained down in alternating strikes, relentlessly battering his body with thunderous detonations.
Now even Yuwen Yuanqi could hardly withstand it. Due to the internal disruption caused by the Grand Radiant Light Forms, his concentrated Flame of Spirituality constantly had to mend the breaches dissolved by the brilliance, effectively subjecting him to a simultaneous pincer attack from within and without.
Under the repeated destruction of the barrage from above, a vulnerability was finally torn open, and the long spear smashed into that flaw without mercy.
Without suspense, Yuwen Yuanqi's entire head was battered into paste, pulped fleshy tendrils scattering all over the ground. Under the spear's concussive blow, the Xuejun Saber even sank deep into his chest. Yet even then, his hands still deathly gripped the blade of the Xuejun Saber, refusing to collapse. The spiritual flames upon his body continued to surge upward in waves, trying to mend the damage and resist the crushing force descending from above.
Chen Chuan had already noticed that the opponent's entire body seemed to be composed of these fleshy tendrils, differing only in thickness and length. In such a state, there was no distinction between his head and any other limb, meaning he had no conventional vital points.
Furthermore, wherever his armor remained, it effectively repelled the impact of the Grand Radiant Light Forms. It was like striking a hardened shell with a sledgehammer—effective, but difficult to inflict fatal destruction in the short term.
Realizing this, a thought crossed his mind. He immediately took a step back and dragged the Xuejun Saber along with him. Because Yuwen Yuanqi was gripping the blade with both hands while kneeling, this sudden shift in momentum instantly threw him off balance. Dragged forward, he pitched face-first against the sloping wall of the crater.
And at this precise moment, the long spear above descended in timely fashion, violently slamming him into the shattered ground below and sending the spiritual light upon his back splashing outward in erratic flickers.
Chen Chuan gripped the hilt tightly with both hands, drew it back to his waist, and adjusted the blade's tip slightly, aiming directly at the breach in Yuwen Yuanqi's head. Lunging forward with a forceful step, he thrust with all the strength in his arms!
*Shing—!*
The blade drove straight from deep within Yuwen Yuanqi's neck down into his torso. In that moment, Chen Chuan let out a low shout. Platinum flames surged wildly, simultaneously detonating the powers of both the Grand Firmament Forms and Grand Radiant Light Forms channeled through the Xuejun Saber!
Boom!
Every fleshy tendril on Yuwen Yuanqi's body unleashed an even more horrific screech. The two radiant lights and force fields detonating within caused his body to inflate outward like an expanding balloon. Fine fissures fractured across the armor, and threads of molten-gold radiance spilled out through the cracks.
Right at this moment, a wisp of luminous mist resembling sheer gossamer withdrew from within the body. Spiraling once, it swiftly flew away, piercing through the smoke and dust to surge toward the grand palace on the other side, diving into a lacquered casket set atop a long table.
Deprived of this entity, the Flame of Spirituality upon Yuwen Yuanqi vanished completely in an instant. No longer able to withstand the detonation of inner power, with a violent blast, his entire body burst apart on the spot, disintegrating into countless fragments of flesh and blood.
Yet that suit of armor was remarkably sturdy, managing to preserve its basic integrity even under such an impact. Without a body inside to support it, however, its individual pieces scattered across the ground.
Yet those blasted fragments of torn tendrils were still writhing on the ground, seemingly trying to fuse back together. Under the illumination of the Grand Radiant Light Forms, however, their efforts were entirely futile. After squirming for a brief moment, they blackened and charred, ultimately reducing to a patch of burnt cinders.
Chen Chuan slowly drew the blade back from the armor, the spine of the saber producing a sizzling hiss as it grated against the metal. Once it was retrieved, he straightened, wiped his hand along the blade, and steadied his breathing.
After standing there for a moment, he cast a glance at the ashes on the ground. He surmised that the realm Yuwen Yuanqi had originally reached must have been a tier higher than the Longevity View; only that could explain how his physical body alone could produce such an abundant, seemingly inexhaustible Flame of Spirituality.
However, without sufficient spiritual power, it was impossible to truly draw out the strength slumbering deep beneath—just as someone lacking muscle power naturally cannot lift a heavy object, and managing even a slight tremor would be commendable.
And no matter how formidable a physical body was, without the protection of the Flame of Spirituality, it was merely loose tissue—like an undefended fortress with virtually no defensive capability.
Yet this battle did not seem to be over just yet. He glanced toward the palace, waved his hand to sweep the warhammer and the suit of armor aside, and then strode toward the hall.
Chapter 964