Zhao Zhenye searched intently through the memories left behind by that woman, and Chen Chuan's silhouette finally surfaced in his mind, along with the sequence of their clash.
Yet all of it had been perceived through her perspective—unintuitive in many regards, and seemingly missing certain fragments. Even so, he knew himself well enough; fragmented as the impressions were, he could reconstruct the general course of events.
Toward the end, however, there appeared to have been some sort of interference. A crucial stretch of memory was completely missing, and immediately after that gap, he caught a sudden glimpse of a brilliant radiance engulfing him.
At that point, his consciousness froze for an instant before returning to normal.
*Did I die because of that?*
A complex look flickered in his eyes.
From those fierce, violent fragments, it was evident that his opponent had met force with force, pressing him on the defensive from beginning to end. It could be said that he was defeated in the most unvarnished, indisputable manner imaginable, with nothing left to chance.
It was clear that he had pushed himself to the absolute limit throughout the battle, yet even so, he had lost.
*Chen Chuan, was it...*
He bowed his head in contemplation. He remembered that this person had become a martial artist not long ago; he himself had been in the vicinity when it happened, which meant it had been two years at the absolute most.
In just over a year, to have attained such formidable power—what staggering talent.
He then recalled that after he left the Purist Faction, they had deliberately selected and groomed several promising talents. But their ages did not match up; those individuals were at least ten or more years older than Chen Chuan.
He drew a deep breath. His original plan had been to pull off some major incident before formally executing his greater scheme, displaying his full strength in the process.
If it became known that he had reached the Longevity View, neither the Purist Faction nor the higher-ups of Great Shun would overlook him. They would surely dispatch powerful martial artists to encircle and eliminate him, making it entirely natural for him to lose his life through a deliberate "oversight."
Meanwhile, the presence backing him would inevitably find a way to revive him for the sake of the plan. Though extremely perilous, he had to take that risk to accomplish his goal.
Though deviations had occurred along the way, the end result remained the same.
That presence had vanished completely from his body, and he had gained his freedom. From now on, she could not establish direct contact with him and could only proceed according to their predetermined plan, no longer able to influence or dictate his actions.
When that time came...
He looked up at the sky over the Confluence, his gaze turning cold. But to achieve that, one final piece was still missing.
He stretched his limbs slightly, then turned his inner vision toward the crystal wrapped in layers of budding flesh within his glabella. This was the woman's complete essence from her worldly embodiment. Now, it was entirely under his control—meaning the item he had bartered from the former imperial house had not gone to waste.
Reaching this step, his original concept was no longer an illusion, but something achievable.
His first attainment of the Longevity View had not been flawless. Strictly speaking, it was power provided by the parasitic woman, which had inextricably bound her to him until they could hardly be separated.
He was never satisfied with that arrangement, as he believed he could reach that realm on his own without outside interference. Fortunately, having stepped into that realm ahead of time had objectively deepened his grasp of its underlying power.
And his greatest strength had always been inferring the whole from a part and innovating upon the old; whenever secret arts or techniques came into his hands, he would adapt and refine them into whatever suited him best.
On one occasion, he obtained the secret art "Lodging Sensory Body," which the Convergence faction had acquired from the Chan Sect, sparking an idea. Originally, the Chan Sect masters used their own bodies as cages to seal away otherworldly monstrosities, slowly subduing and refining them to comprehend the Dharma. In the hands of the Convergence faction, however, it allowed the host and entity to achieve a tacit cooperation, and at times even draw upon that entity's power against foes—effectively granting double the strength.
After long contemplation and exploration, he conceived an entirely new approach. He proposed to the presence lodged within him that he would first discard his previously attained realm and cultivate anew to reach the Longevity View once more. Once he succeeded, combining it with her power would grant him dual strength as well.
The parasitic woman raised no objection. Having successfully attached herself to Zhao Zhenye, her purpose was fulfilled; no matter how hard he struggled, he could not rid himself of her, and a stronger Zhao Zhenye would only benefit their plans.
However, discarding his former power drastically reduced his strength, leaving him depleted for a period. It was during that very window that the former imperial house demanded he fulfill his promise to help seize a relic.
En route, he was ambushed by Mr. Zhuan and Mr. Tang, sustaining heavy injuries. By the time he faced Yao Zhiyi and Fang Yunshan, he was already a spent force, barely able to hold them off. When he saw Chen Chuan join the fray, he realized that fighting any longer would force him to draw upon the woman's power, undoing all his efforts. Thus, he had made the sensible choice to withdraw.
Only recently had he finally reclaimed the power he had given up.
Yet what he commanded was solely his own power. Now that the parasitic woman was destroyed and her worldly anchor had fallen into his hands, he could use it to capture more otherworldly monstrosities and continuously strengthen it, restoring it to its original level. When that day came...
He clenched both fists. He would command dual power entirely subservient to his own will.
*Hm?*
Amid these thoughts, he noticed dust rising in the distance. A troop of armored, spear-bearing cavalry was riding toward him, and on the distant slopes, a temple-like structure was faintly visible.
*Have I... crossed into the territory of the former imperial house?*
Narrowing his eyes, he walked forward to meet them.
***
Out upon the Outer Ocean, Chen Chuan spent several days inspecting the relay stations along the Skyline one by one.
The field information channel was functioning without issue now, but there was no telling if complications might arise on the day of the connection, so he remained at sea.
Over these past few days, he also took the opportunity to digest what he had gained from his battle with Zhao Zhenye.
Defeating Zhao Zhenye head-on had yielded immense rewards. Opportunities to battle—or rather, fight to the death against—such a formidable opponent were rare, for it meant staking one's very life on the line.
This time, he truly had left himself no way out, fighting with his back to the wall, which fully unlocked his latent potential. Of course, he had done so only because he possessed the confidence and certainty to back it up; without a single chance of winning, he would have preferred to take a step back.
He was already advancing toward the Longevity View, and battling a martial artist of that caliber gave him a far deeper understanding of the realm.
Through this battle, his resonance with his second self had deepened, making substantial progress until it nearly overlapped with his current strength. Not to mention, he had gained another power he could hold as a trump card—a bountiful harvest indeed.
Once this affair was settled, if nothing else came up, he would make an all-out push for the Longevity View.
On the evening of the twenty-first, having concluded several days of inspections, he arrived at Erwen Island.
It was inconvenient for him to enter Haidong Dao Center City, as any martial artist entering a Center City had to register in advance. Given his post, the officials of the Government Affairs Hall would surely arrange a reception for him. With both Center Cities already swamped with matters during this period, he had no desire to cause unnecessary fuss.
Fenghe Shou had learned in advance that Chen Chuan would visit as a guest, so he had been waiting at the harbor before the beach early on.
The moment Chen Chuan arrived, Fenghe Shou welcomed him into the newly refurbished Langtao Arena.
Throughout Chen Chuan's journey, the climate of the islands along the way had been warm. Yet upon arriving at Erwen Island, he found it clad in silver, the roofs and tree branches weighed down with thick snow.
Fenghe Shou remarked, "Entering late December, heavy snow always falls over the island, only to warm up rapidly by the year's end. It has always been so."
*Could this be due to the fissure?* Chen Chuan mused. Still, with the wind and snow drifting outside while a glowing brazier burned within, it carried a much stronger festive atmosphere for the coming new year.
The two sat down before a low table. A nearby attendant stepped forward with light, hurried paces to pour sweet dew into their cups.
As it was nearly dinner time, after they chatted for a brief spell, the limping chef from before emerged, serving up plate after plate of exquisite, delicious fare.
All the ingredients this time had been provided by Haidong Dao Center City, exceptionally fresh and offering a rich variety.
Fenghe Shou was now enjoying the perks of joining the Center City. At the very least, beyond what came from his own fissure, the Center City supplied him with plenty of ingredients, sparing him the frugality of the past.
After the establishment of Haidong Dao Center City, the large field organism would gradually gather and integrate most of the unowned fissures in the surrounding area, including the one belonging to Anyao Arena. Haidong Dao had dispatched a garrison into the Confluence on the other side of the fissure to open up territory, establish defense lines, and steadily harvest resources from within.
After sampling several slices of tender fish, Chen Chuan set down his chopsticks and looked out through the open veranda door.
Dusk had deepened into night, but Erwen Island was brightly illuminated all around, casting a vivid glow over the nearby waters.
Though the Center City was invisible from here, one could sense the vast field radiating from that direction.
Just then, a field screen on one side of the hall flickered a few times and lit up, displaying the current scene across the Anying Archipelago.
Since Erwen Island had long been integrated into Haidong Dao Center City's unified field as one of its primary cluster field entities, information from that area was received with great clarity.
On the screen, a large crowd of young indigenous locals danced around bonfires, singing and celebrating. It was a bonfire party held to celebrate the field connection between the two Dao Center Cities, starting tonight and lasting until tomorrow morning.
At midnight tonight, the field between the two Center Cities would officially be linked, at which point an even grander celebration would take place on the island.
Fenghe Shou raised his cup of sweet dew with both hands. "Section Chief Chen, allow me to toast you."
Chen Chuan lifted his cup in return, toasting from across the table before taking a sip.
Fenghe Shou glanced at the dances on screen and commented, "Section Chief Chen, those dances have plenty of rugged vigor, but lack refinement. I have specially prepared a few performances for you here." With that, he clapped his hands.
Chapter 994