Here to Open the Sea and Sky

Zhuoya Island was an island located along the latter stretch of the maritime route between Jibei Dao and Haidong Dao. Roughly an irregular oval in shape, it lay somewhat off the beaten path, yet it remained the largest island in that part of the sea. At the center of the island stood a gently sloping mountain with broad, open terrain all around, which was why it had been chosen as a relay station for field communications this time. Just as noon approached, a black speck appeared in the sky above. Shimmering streams of silvery-white light flowed around Zhao Zhenye as he hovered overhead, looking down across the entire island. This was the nearest relay station he had encountered along his journey. He gazed at the field creatures spreading their branches atop the mountain peak. Extending a finger, a flickering glow instantly lit up at the tip. Destroying this place did not require much power; a mere fraction was enough. A moment later, a spark of the fire of spirituality plummeted straight down. Dropping among the field creatures, it burst into a gigantic glare with a deafening roar, and raging flames flared up immediately afterward. Startled, the nearby staff immediately scrambled to extinguish the blaze. Yet the fire was tremendous and, driven by a hidden force, swept across the entire area in an instant, rendering everything they did completely in vain. Zhao Zhenye paid them no attention. The moment the fire of spirituality detonated inside, it destroyed all the field-radiating capabilities of those creatures; even without the fire, they would have been useless. However, he knew that even if this place was destroyed, it did not mean the node had been entirely disabled. There should still be backups in the vicinity. Closing his eyes, he felt for the surrounding fields. After a long while, he glanced toward a certain direction. With a stamp of his foot, he detonated the air beneath him and shot through the sky toward that spot. At that very moment, the field communication between the two Center Cities, which had been growing increasingly smooth, suddenly blurred. After flickering several times, the display cut out completely. Inside the Government Affairs Department building of Jibei Dao, Qi Weizhao had been watching in front of the screen. Seeing this happen, his expression did not change; he merely instructed in a low voice, "What is the situation? Verify it immediately." A short while later, the communications personnel below reported the incoming information upward. Qiao Yang came over to Qi Weizhao's side. "Chief Administrator, we've found out what happened. The relay station on Zhuoya Island came under attack. Judging from the stream interruption, the entire relay station's field may have been destroyed." "The cause?" "Still being confirmed, but it is very likely the work of that martial artist reported earlier—the one intending to sabotage the Skyline Project." Qi Weizhao asked in a heavy voice, "Are the casualties severe?" "Fortunately, when field creatures are activated and operating, the surrounding area must be kept clear of personnel. The incident happened so suddenly that no one was at the scene. They are currently putting out the fire." Qi Weizhao thought for a brief moment, then said, "Field communication must be restored as quickly as possible." Qiao Yang answered immediately, "Chief Administrator, there are still four days left. We have backup creatures and carrier vessels. Performing an emergency relocation for a section is entirely feasible. Provided there is no interference, securing communication by the twenty-second should not be an issue." Qi Weizhao shook his head. "First and foremost, we must guarantee the safety of personnel along the entire line. The enemy won't stop at destroying just one place." He added sternly, "Immediately instruct all nearby personnel to evacuate as much as possible." Qiao Yang hesitated for a second, then said, "Understood." After Qi Weizhao waited for the orders to be sent below, he asked again, "Where has Section Chief Chen reached?" Qiao Yang said, "The latest news came half an hour ago. For now, it's not clear where he has arrived." On the field screen, Yao Zhiyi spoke up: "Section Chief Chen is likely tracking that person down. We might as well relay the situation to the relay stations and telegraph offices along the route, telling them to alert all parties immediately upon any sighting, without worrying about specific information leaking out." Qi Weizhao nodded. Though doing so might cause some details about the Skyline Project to leak, the sudden severance of the connecting field's signal could not be concealed anyway. As long as field connectivity was ultimately secured on the twenty-second, everything would be fine. Therefore, he decisively sent telegrams to explain the matter to Haidong Dao, then had the various relay stations keep watch on all developments along the way. At the same time, he instructed Qiao Yang to put out other news as much as possible during this period and keep a close eye on all information channels, doing everything in his power to prevent anyone from capitalizing on the incident to stir up trouble. Knowing the gravity of the matter, Qiao Yang said, "Chief Administrator, I'll go arrange it right away." *** Elsewhere, after Zhao Zhenye departed, he continually sensed the shifting strength of the fields as he moved, stopping and starting, until he finally spotted a large ship steaming toward his location. The vessel was rather distinctive in design, with numerous tiers. Piles of greenish-gray field creatures could be seen clustered on the middle deck. Facing toward it, he could already detect strong field signatures coming from the vessel. This place was not far from Zhuoya Island. Without a doubt, this was a replacement vessel intended for field connectivity. In that case, he would destroy it before moving on elsewhere. He arrived above the ship, the silvery-white light in his hand flaring up. Just as he was about to completely eradicate the field creatures below, he suddenly sensed something. Snapping his hand up to block, a violent flash detonated before his eyes with a deafening boom. The radiance flickered rapidly several times before gradually dispersing, and the stream of light on his arm was mostly eroded away. He glanced at his arm and quickly turned his head. Across the surface of the sea, a figure had appeared at the edge of his vision, walking in his direction. Wrapped around the figure was a scarlet scarf that fluttered distinctly in the ocean breeze. At the sight of this silhouette, he paid no further attention to the ship. Instead, he turned around and fixed his eyes upon the newcomer. Chen Chuan strode forward over the ocean waves. Sensing that the field signal from the distant ship had connected with his boundary credential, he said, "I am Chen Chuan, Section Chief of the Jibei Dao Defense Department. Report the situation here to the Center City, then steer farther away. I have things covered here." Having received his transmission and spotted the figure hovering in the sky, the crew aboard the vessel realized danger was imminent. The ship promptly began turning about. However, there was no way they could pull away that quickly, so they could only move as far off as possible while attempting to establish a link with the surrounding field. After speaking, Chen Chuan closed the comms line and continued walking forward. Arriving close by, he raised his head and looked up at Zhao Zhenye suspended high in the air. Shrouded in silvery-white flowing radiance, Zhao Zhenye looked down from above and said, "Section Chief Chen, I did not expect you to arrive so quickly. From this direction... you must have encountered those two already. Turn back. With your strength, you cannot stop—" "Hm?" Another burst of bright light surged right in front of his eyes. Crossing his arms, he blocked it at once. With a resounding boom, another sphere of brilliant light detonated in midair. Before this force could completely dissipate, he suddenly saw a fist erupt directly before him. With a solid crack, an immense impact struck his cheek and blasted him flying into the distance, only coming to a halt after hurtling over a thousand meters. Pulling his fist back, Chen Chuan hovered in midair. He looked up and said calmly, "What was that you just said about what I cannot do?" Zhao Zhenye turned his head back and stared intently at him, his expression turning solemn. When that strike landed just now, he had once again unleashed the restrained power within him—and this time, it was not done intentionally, but had surged forth of its own accord. That was because of an instinctual sense of danger Chen Chuan's spirit imparted to him. He could sense that facing Chen Chuan seemed even more threatening than facing Mr. Zhuan and his companion together. It seemed that if he wished to accomplish the purpose of this excursion, he would have to eliminate one more target. The silvery streams of light flowed around him, the vapor behind him drifting in and out of view as his body slowly rose higher into the air. Chen Chuan looked at him, then tossed the suitcase aside, letting it drop into the sea. Seawater could not dampen the sound from that object, so it did not matter where it landed. Then, his own body drifted slowly upward as well until he was level with Zhao Zhenye. This was not flight forced through field manipulation, but rather an invisible force field enveloping his entire body that buoyed him up. Seeing this, Zhao Zhenye's expression turned even more solemn. Was this... the Grand Firmament Forms? Beneath his bangs, his eyes grew serious. Behind him, a massive vapor emerged, faintly displaying the outline of a humanoid silhouette. Chen Chuan fixed his gaze upon his opponent. His second self had merged into his body the moment he sighted him. Yet the instant his blow landed, he had felt a surge of tremendous power bursting from the man, which was why he had not pressed the assault further. Judging from his past experience battling the yaogui and Yuwen Yuanqi, his opponent genuinely possessed the strength of the Longevity View realm. That meant he was no ordinary adversary—he surpassed every enemy Chen Chuan had ever encountered before. Back then, the yaogui had been left with only residual instinctive consciousness, and Yuwen Yuanqi had at most been a broken shell stripped of his spiritual power. Even then, they had been far from easy to handle. Zhao Zhenye, on the other hand, was an authentic Longevity View martial artist whose physical condition remained completely intact, to say nothing of his combat experience and martial skill. Therefore, Chen Chuan had to unleash his greatest power in the shortest time possible and bring every available condition to bear if he was to have any hope of overcoming his foe. If he pushed into a complete, all-out burst, compared to when he had first begun, he could currently sustain it for about one minute. In other words, he had to defeat his opponent within a minute. In fact, it might not even take that long. If he could not suppress his opponent within several breaths, there might be no fight left for him to wage afterward. He had discussed matters with Hongfu on the way here and drawn up a tactical plan, but that was only on paper after all. Whether it could succeed depended on the actual circumstances. Well then— He drew a deep breath. At this moment, violent transformations erupted both within and without his body. First—the release of alien tissue— Next... the Heaven and Earth Furnace breathing method... Then... the Grand Firmament Forms... the Grand Radiant Light Forms— And finally—a gleam flashed between his brows, and a towering spirit manifestation condensed and manifested behind him. Its countenance and form wavered between illusion and reality, draped in a magnificent suit of bright armor, with sashes fluttering at its shoulders and waist. Holding a spear in one hand and a long saber in the other, as it appeared, the vertical eye in the center of its forehead opened, shedding spiritual light. A wisp of platinum spiritual flame swept swiftly across its entire body, enveloping it from head to toe, its brilliance blazing across the sea and sky. Standing before the spirit manifestation, Chen Chuan stood amid shimmering rings of light like a radiant sun. Grasping the unsheathed Xuejun long saber, he raised it slowly, pointing it forward.