With a blade driven through the neck, any martial artist forced into such dire straits was essentially facing certain death. A mere burst of jin from the opponent would be enough to destroy the skull or sever the head entirely from the torso.
In truth, Kazama Kagetora had run into the same dilemma as Ian—despite possessing a wealth of secret arts and profound skill, he had found no opportunity to bring them to bear.
His opponent was simply too powerful and too fast. Even though Kagetora had bolstered his physical capabilities across the board through sheer suicidal resolve, it had seemingly accomplished nothing. Between them still lay an insurmountable gulf.
With his ghostly eyes fixed on Chen Chuan, who had stepped through empty air and hovered virtually suspended in midair, Kagetora curled two fingers of his free, massive hand and snapped his wrist, suddenly thrusting it toward Chen Chuan’s back.
Simultaneously, a sharp, erratic gleam of spirituality flared at the tips of his knuckles.
This strike was exceedingly covert, aimed squarely at Chen Chuan’s blind spot. What was more, aside from this single limb, every other muscle and bone in Kagetora's body remained completely still, and the blow was fast enough to ensure that Hongfu, standing at a distance, would have no time to intervene.
He had originally reserved this technique as his final trump card. Once Chen Chuan drew close, a single thrust would suffice to pierce through the fire of spirituality. Unleashed to its fullest potency, it might even impale them both together. That way, even if he failed to take his opponent down with him, he could inflict grave injuries on Chen Chuan—ensuring that upon his defeat, Chen Chuan would be in no condition to fight Takoda over there.
The light at Chen Chuan’s glabella flickered faintly. Even without manifesting his spirit visage, the presence of his Heavenly Eye brought every stir around him into clear perception. The instant his opponent made a move, he noticed it.
This strike was undeniably swift, visibly delivered with suicidal desperation. The fire of spirituality was condensed to near solidity, heedless of defending any other part of the body.
Yet it was still not fast enough.
Chen Chuan executed a nimble spin. The edge swept through Kazama Kagetora’s neck, and with a subsequent flick of the blade, a brilliant arc like moonlight flashed past. A severed head and a severed forearm flew into the sky almost at the same instant.
The entire sequence of motions flowed as effortlessly as water across smooth stone, executed with consummate ease. Only after the slash swept past did his body descend from the air. Once his feet touched the ground, he did not even look back, striding forward. After a few paces, he gave his blade a light flick, and two dull thuds echoed behind him.
Lying on the ground, Kazama Kagetora’s severed head watched Chen Chuan’s receding back, the light in his eyes dimming rapidly to gray.
His colossal torso could no longer remain upright either, crashing down with a resounding thud. Wisps of vapor then curled from the corpse, dispersing in the wind to reveal his original physique.
Standing aside, Hongfu faced Takoda in the distance, holding her yanling saber at her flank. From beginning to end, she had not taken part in the attack.
Chen Chuan walked straight toward Takoda and said, "Mr. Takoda? I assumed you would make a move."
In somewhat stiff Great Shun speech, Takoda replied, "I never join others in ganging up on an opponent. That is not gentlemanly conduct."
Gazing at Chen Chuan’s masked face, he added, "If I am not mistaken, you must be Section Chief Chen Chuan of Jibei Circuit?"
He said in all earnestness, "I know full well that your actions are for your country. I respect such conduct, for I, too, fight for my tribe. Each of us has something to fight for, and I believe a man like you deserves a fair chance."
Chen Chuan looked at him and said, "Mr. Takoda, you are mistaken. You and I are not the same. I know with certainty that my actions have meaning, but as for yours... do they truly accomplish anything?"
A convert's fervor showed on Takoda’s face as he answered resolutely, "They are meaningful. I have strived toward this all my life. The civilized world has opened its gates to me, and I will lead my people to embrace that sacred light."
Having said that, he sighed softly and continued with an apologetic tone, "Mr. Chen, I am truly sorry. For my people's sake, I had no choice but to carry out this mission. If you die in this battle, I promise I will not desecrate your corpse. Likewise, if I fall, I hope for equal treatment."
Chen Chuan nodded. "As you wish."
Takoda slowly raised the axes in his hands and added, "Also, allow me to correct you: my name is Semper, and I am a citizen of the Federation."
Chen Chuan regarded him with a calm expression.
Takoda spoke no more. He stood motionless, yet a hazy mist began to drift around him, thickening by the second, until a colossal figure appeared in the air above him.
It was a half-human, half-serpent entity. Its tail extended out from Takoda's body, its form coiling upward to hover in midair. Wisps of the fire of spirituality could be seen threaded through its body like silken cords.
At that moment, the ground beneath their feet trembled faintly. The earth cracked and groaned as slender jets of water surged forth, rushing noisily toward the colossal figure and merging into it. As more and more water converged, the giant manifestation swelled in size.
Chen Chuan looked up. The internal fire of spirituality shone through the churning water like scattered starlight, outlining a radiant skeleton and network of meridians that glittered against the night like stars, presenting a strikingly gorgeous sight.
He knew that the First People had once handed down three lineages—High Mountain, Raging River, and Sun—to the Federation. That did not mean, however, that these traditions had completely vanished from the First People's tribes.
Judging from how the man had emerged from the sea earlier and had now staged such a display, what he possessed was very likely the Raging River lineage.
Given the current state of the First People, he might well be the only martial artist among them who still commanded this heritage.
Indeed, Takoda practiced the Raging River lineage. In the vicinity of seawater, his abilities were visibly enhanced, granting him the advantage of home ground. That was why he possessed the confidence to face Chen Chuan alone.
In truth, while Chen Chuan had been fighting the other two, Takoda had already begun laying the groundwork. While he claimed he would not join a gang-up, he was not overly pedantic; he still made every combat preparation required.
With a single thought, the towering half-human serpent overhead surged violently toward Chen Chuan’s position.
Watching the incoming deluge, Chen Chuan remained still. Hongfu lifted her arm, the yanling saber flashing with cold glints. As the red tassel on her blade whipped through the air, the charging figure was cleaved apart by an invisible blade jin, surging off to both flanks.
Yet the creature did not stop. It continued plowing forward, its severed mass apparently inconsequential. Swerving behind them with a toss of its head, it recombined, reared upward into the air, and plunged downward once more. Just as it reached the ground, the red figure spun on the spot, her crimson robes blossoming like fire. The colossal manifestation was held at bay by a swirl of scarlet blade-light, disintegrating into torrents that scattered in every direction.
Yet under the guidance of the fire of spirituality, these rushing streams immediately recondensed, assembling anew into that massive apparition as though the prior damage had meant nothing at all.
Neither Takoda nor Chen Chuan moved. They stared at each other, each observing the other’s maneuvers and counter-tactics.
Seeing that his exploratory assault yielded little result, Takoda pivoted sideways, channeled his jin, and with a swift flick, hurled one of his battle axes toward Hongfu.
The axe flew straight through the swirling water without being impeded in the slightest; instead, penetrating the torrent seemed to accelerate it, lending it even greater momentum.
Witnessing this, Hongfu’s bright, animated eyes shifted. She spun gracefully, evading the axe while simultaneously swinging her saber to once more block the giant apparition formed of water.
Chen Chuan watched the axe fly past Hongfu toward him and raised the Xuejun Saber to parry. The aqua-blue fire of spirituality upon the axe face ground violently against his platinum-gold flames, sending the axe whistling far into the distance. Only then did the screeching tear of sheared air catch up.
Yet after spinning a few times in the distance, the axe actually reversed direction and flew back toward Takoda.
Among the materials forged into these battle axes was resonance stone. Weapons crafted from it could attract one another within a certain distance, and once infused with mental force, they could wheel and return across a fixed range according to their wielder’s will.
Takoda caught it with a crisp slap. Spreading his arms, he stepped forward and whipped his body into a full rotation, hurling both axes one after the other toward the front.
Right then, an instinct warned him. He tilted his head aside as a flash of light whipped past his ear—a prismatic projectile that had skimmed by and immediately looped back toward him at blistering speed. Drawing a bone knife from his waist, he deflected it with a sharp clang.
On the opposite side, after knocking aside the two battle axes with two saber strikes, Chen Chuan no longer stayed in place, stepping forward in steady advance.
Without requiring a single word from him, Hongfu grasped his intent. She twirled forward, her skirt blooming like a lotus as a flash of crimson light from her yanling saber parted the waters ahead.
Takoda watched Chen Chuan advance. He had seen clearly earlier that Chen Chuan had slain both opponents through close-quarters, explosive bursts. Thus, he believed that to overcome this adversary, he had to avoid melee combat at all costs and deny him any opening to close the distance.
Furthermore, even with the disparity in power across those two clashes, Chen Chuan could not possibly have emerged without expending stamina.
Dragging out the battle was bound to work in his favor. So long as he could wear down his enemy while preserving himself, his chances of victory were substantial.
He was brimming with confidence on this front. His lineage emphasized union with nature; neither the fire of spirituality nor the external visage was meant for direct clashes, but rather to bridge and bond with the natural world.
In the perception of the First People, the self was insignificant; only through communion with the spirits of nature could one become great.
Now, opening his arms, he fell backward, his entire body dissolving into the churning mass of water behind him.
Chapter 980