Warning on the Return Journey

Chen Chuan slowly drew back the Xuejun Saber, the surging spiritual radiance around his body gradually subsiding into calm. At that moment, the water suspended in the night sky collapsed with a deep rumble. Swept by the surrounding air currents into a heavy spray of mist and water droplets, it poured down in a roaring deluge over the island. As the downpour neared his body, a rising thermal updraft pushed it aside. He glanced up at the sky. The aqua-blue fire of spirituality that had lingered within the water currents was now drifting apart, dissolving into specks of fluorescence that illuminated the night sky with a dazzling brilliance. The fire of spirituality of the man he had brought down was uniquely dense and cohesive. Even when severed from conscious control, it lingered without dissipating for a short while, suggesting that his realm of cultivation was likely very close to that of the Longevity View. If Chen Chuan hadn't managed to fell him in a single explosive burst, and the man had escaped into the open sea, it likely would have turned into a prolonged war of attrition—and there was no guarantee Chen Chuan could have kept him here. Reversing his grip on the saber, Chen Chuan rested it behind his back and walked slowly toward Takoda. The man lay on the ground, wisps of platinum-white light seeping from his chest. Chen Chuan arrived before him and looked down. Takoda's mutated tissue had been tempered to be remarkably tough and resilient, and something appeared to have absorbed a portion of the blow, sparing him from dying on the spot. Chen Chuan noticed a broken little pendant on the man's chest—a twisted horn-like object about the size of a finger. It looked like a relic; that was surely it. His assessment was correct: this was a relic from Takoda's tribal collection, gifted to him by his people, capable of dispersing a portion of damage when facing mortal peril. However, its rank was not particularly high, so at most it could reduce a fatal wound to a critical injury; it could not restore his combat capacity. Takoda's fingers twitched faintly. His chest rose and fell as he gave a weak cough, blood spilling from his lips. Beneath him, blood and rainwater had merged into a spreading pool of crimson. He had theorized how Chen Chuan might break his technique, yet that purest speed and most direct power had already surpassed the limits of his perception. It wasn't something mere technique could compensate for. Perhaps from the very moment they met, the outcome had already been decided. Takoda even realized that even if he had joined the other two in their fight from the very beginning, the outcome likely wouldn't have been any different. His eyes shifted to Chen Chuan standing beside him, and he forced out a strained voice: "I lost... I'm willing to pay the price. Everything on me is your spoil of war..." He coughed once. "Mr. Chen, I hope... I hope you can honor your earlier promise and send my remains back to the Federation. I want to rest in peace within my tribe." Chen Chuan said calmly, "I'm afraid your wish won't be granted. Even if I sent your body back, the New Light Cult would only dissect it into materials for their laboratories. You are destined never to return to your tribe." Coughing, Takoda replied agitatedly, "Even so, my corpse should be enough to make up for this failure's losses." Chen Chuan said, "Do you think your tribe will still have a chance to integrate into the Federation that way? You're thinking too much of them again. Let me tell you under what circumstances they would ever accept you: only when you pose a threat to them, when you make them feel afraid. If a piece of meat can pick up a knife on its own, it can make others think twice. Without a knife, it's just meat." His gaze settled on Takoda's face. "You believe your death can buy an honorable reward, but have you considered that you still aren't a Federation citizen after all? Even if you die now, to them it's nothing more than one dead First Folk. You couldn't even earn their respect while alive; do you expect their conscience to suddenly awaken after you die? I read your dossier. You've read many books from the Federation, but I don't know if you've read the writings of the New Light Cult. I happened to glance through them on my way here. Based on their usual methods, as long as you were alive, they held some wariness; your tribe could at least scrape by, because they still needed to hypocritically win you over. But if you die, I honestly cannot see any reason for your tribe to be allowed to survive. Perhaps the moment word reaches them will be the moment of your tribe's extinction." Takoda's body trembled slightly, as if something within him was struggling violently. His face grew deathly pale, and he stammered in protest, "No, that's not true... The cornerstone of civilization is the consensus of all good people. We respect truth, justice, and each other's dignity. It doesn't change because of race, nation, or culture. It is—" Chen Chuan stepped forward swiftly and brought his foot down on Takoda's face. With a crunch, he knocked him unconscious, cutting off the voice instantly. He gave it some thought. If he had killed the man with that slash, so be it. But since he hadn't died, it would be better to hand him over to higher authorities. If the higher-ups had a way to reshape his thinking, all the better; if not, there was no loss. At the very least, he possessed the Raging River lineage, which held value in itself—it could be considered helping the First Folk preserve their cultural legacy. He turned around. Guided by his thoughts, Kazama Kagetora's long saber and Takoda's two battle axes floated over to him. After examining them briefly, he had them gather together, then surveyed the surroundings. Although these men each carried a suitcase, none held much inside—merely basic medicines for stamina replenishment and recovery. Evidently, they hadn't intended to spend much time on this mission. On the other hand, the corpses of these martial artists couldn't simply be left here. If consumed by the surrounding devil's algae, there was no telling what mutations might arise. Even the blood left behind would likely cause plenty of trouble, so they had to be taken along. He emptied the suitcases, packed the severed remains into them, locked them shut, and gathered the rest of the belongings. He then scooped up Takoda and strode toward the sea. After two steps, his figure suddenly accelerated, kicking up an explosive plume of mist as he parted a trench across the sea's surface and shot into the distance. At that moment, Hongfu became a red blur and swiftly settled upon him, while up in the sky, Chaoming let out a cry and flew off alongside him. On the return journey, he moved a bit faster, and just over an hour later, he returned to the ship waiting in nearby waters. Once aboard, he instructed the orderly, "Send a telegram to the Government Affairs Department. Tell them that things here have been cleared out. Also, request that Haidong Dao Center City dispatch a few more airships to conduct a thorough patrol around this area." "Yes, sir." Chen Chuan had the suitcases moved to the lower deck, strictly forbidding anyone from opening them. Takoda was placed in an adjoining cabin; with the constitution of a martial artist, since he hadn't died on the spot, he wouldn't perish anytime soon even left unattended. With the mission accomplished, the cruise ship ceased its forward voyage and began heading back. By daybreak—the morning of the seventeenth—the orderly knocked on his cabin door and announced, "Mr. Chen, there is an urgent telegram from headquarters." Chen Chuan set down the hot drink he was sipping and took the telegram. After scanning it, his eyes narrowed slightly. He pondered a moment and said, "Send another telegram back inquiring about developments after this. Tell them to relay any news to me immediately. In addition, in my capacity as a member of the security team, I request full access to all coastal intelligence channels. Any similar situation detected anywhere at sea must be reported to me at once. And..." He paused briefly. "Notify Master Fenghe to keep a close watch on Haidong Dao Center City at all times." "Understood." The orderly hurried back at a jog. Chen Chuan turned and walked back to the cabin window. The contents of the telegram revealed that Mr. Zhuan had previously spotted Zhao Zhenye's trail, and suspected he was preparing to sabotage the Skyline, so Mr. Zhuan had gone straight after him. Regarding Zhao Zhenye's situation, Mr. Mask had mentioned earlier when Chen Chuan was chatting with Mr. Zhuan that Zhao Zhenye might not have been in peak condition last time due to cultivating a certain secret art, which was why their clash had ended in mutual injury. Yet even so, Zhao Zhenye had subsequently overpowered both Senior Fang and Principal Yao single-handedly. So now, had his condition recovered? Had he mastered that secret art? It was hard to say, but the probability was high. If that was the case, Chen Chuan needed to hurry over to reinforce Mr. Zhuan. With his support, their odds would undoubtedly be much better, and they might even settle the matter once and for all. However, on the vast ocean, tracking down two martial artists was extraordinarily difficult, which was why he had instructed all coastal personnel along the route to keep watch and report any anomalies immediately. Yet after waiting another full day, no word came, nor was there any news of an attack on the relay stations housing field creatures. Chen Chuan felt that simply waiting like this was not a viable plan; not only was it inefficient, but rushing over after receiving word might come too late. After careful consideration, he summoned the orderly again. "Send a dispatch: Given the urgency of the situation and the unknown whereabouts of the saboteur, I propose that Haidong and Jibei Dao conduct a complete field signal self-check test, and recommend activating the contingency plan." Because the date for establishing communication between the two Daos had already been publicly announced, changing it abruptly would invite rumors and exploitation. While it wouldn't cause major disruption, it would still serve as a pretext for attack, so keeping the schedule unchanged was preferable. Once the fields of the two Daos were linked, he would instantly be informed of everything along the route, making it far easier to locate their target. As for the so-called contingency plan, they had prepared vessels carrying cultivated field creatures to temporarily substitute for relay stations; if a certain node was sabotaged, it could be replaced promptly. In fact, relying solely on these ships was enough to transmit the field signals, though it was not as stable as a fully established biological field. The orderly immediately went to send the dispatch. Just minutes later, a reply arrived from Jibei Dao: "Proposal received. We are currently coordinating with Haidong Dao. A definitive response will be provided before noon today."