Celestial Human Diagram

Specialist Liang stared at the ranks of the cavalry formation. 'They've come, as expected,' he thought.

The remnants of the Old Imperial Family had always dreamt of restoring their rule and reconquering this world.

With the Fumu's recent schism and the breach in the World Ring, it was inevitable the Old Imperial Family would try to meddle. The only question was how much power they would commit this time.

Fortunately, they weren't unprepared.

This was the northern part of the Ji Yang District, one of Central City's most unstable regions. Given the relatively flat coastline opposite it, Central City had established numerous military installations here and stationed an army.

Upon detecting the anomaly ahead, the airships already patrolling the sky immediately flew toward it.

From the rear, a thunderous roar erupted as the garrison's artillery began to fire. However, the shells seemed to pass through a phantom image when they hit the sea's surface, striking nothing and only causing the water to explode outward.

This was because although the Rift appeared close, the merging of the two worlds was not yet complete. The Cavalry Army had not yet crossed over; what was leaking through for now was merely an image of light and sound.

Just then, the central column of cavalry parted. Beneath a forest of banners, a towering figure seated on horseback emerged, trotting forward and crossing through the Rift.

He was completely covered from head to toe in thick armor, his face obscured. A bright light reflected from the plates on his chest. Man and horse together stood nearly five meters tall, crowned by a plume of white feathers. He held the reins in one hand and a black iron long spear adorned with a white tassel in the other, held in a reverse grip.

After leaving the formation, he slowly advanced in their direction.

By now, the airships had arrived nearby. The muzzles of their underside machine guns spat fire, opening up on him.

But the bullets seemed to strike something invisible, erupting in flashes of brilliant light around his body before falling away.

More artillery shells landed nearby, sending up huge columns of water. Yet the Knight seemed unfazed, continuing his unhurried advance. His horse's hooves trod upon the ocean tide, splashing through the waves as if he were walking on the sea itself.

The Cavalry Army behind him advanced in unison. The broad formation of knights stretched as far as the eye could see, moving like a great wall. The unique, imposing grandeur of a classical army washed over the battlefield.

Specialist Liang stared at the towering figure, at the banner on his back and his magnificent armor. 'This is an officially conferred General of Conquest from the Old Imperial Family!'

The title General of Conquest was bestowed by the Old Imperial Family, signifying that its holder possessed the power to conquer an entire nation single-handedly.

In the new era, a person like that would be called by a different name... a Fighting Master!

He asked, "Has *he* arrived yet?"

His female assistant replied, "Not yet."

Specialist Liang sighed internally. The man had promised to arrive by noon, but more than three hours had passed, and there was still no sign of him. If that figure on the other side were to charge, their army wouldn't be able to stop him.

'If he really can't make it, then we'll have to...'

But at that very moment, the opponent suddenly reined in his horse, its hooves coming to an abrupt halt.

Because a man had appeared before him, seemingly out of nowhere. He wore a blue plaid shirt and was maturely handsome, though he had a world-weary and somewhat dissolute air. With his hands in his pockets, he let out a breath. "Glad I made it in time."

He glanced casually at the cavalry formation in the distance, then looked up at the figure high on his horse. He smiled and cupped his fist. "The name is Xue Shou. I'm here to ask for your guidance."

But after he spoke, the Cavalry General remained motionless.

Xue Shou, too, stood there, seemingly at ease.

For a moment, the only sound was the surging of the ocean tide.

A flickering light began to emanate from both of them. The seawater beneath their feet visibly formed a depression, as if it were sinking away from where they stood.

Specialist Liang let out a sigh of relief. This was the Fighting Master the Capital had sent as reinforcements, taking the situation in Jibei Dao into account.

The enemy knew that as long as there was an equally powerful force on this side, a battle was not guaranteed to break out.

Without sufficient incentive, individuals of this caliber would not easily make a move outside the Merging Land. The enemy's Cavalry Army wouldn't truly charge their prepared positions either.

This Cavalry Army was most likely just a feint, meant to pin a portion of their forces down here.

So, if there was no movement here, they were likely looking for a breakthrough point elsewhere. This was a classic application of orthodox and unorthodox tactics.

'So where will it be?'

He looked at the Central City display on the light screen. Whatever they did, the breakthrough would have to come from an already-formed Rift, and it would have to be a relatively large one.

This was also related to the splintered avatars. If not retrieved in time, they would remain outside and continuously expand their own living environment, gradually tearing the Rift wider, making the breach larger and more stable.

Therefore, timely retrieval of the splintered avatars was crucial. However, they were currently encountering varying degrees of resistance. Fortunately, the command center had just dispatched a large number of backup support personnel. Hopefully, the situation would improve.

After about ten minutes, a voice from the watchtower announced, "Obstructions at twenty-three target locations have been cleared, estimated retrieval within thirty minutes. Five locations are under assessment. One response unit has been routed and has lost combat capability. An emergency team is currently engaging the obstructing target."

Upon hearing this, Specialist Liang immediately ordered someone to pull up the specifics of that location.

On the light screen, a nearly stable Rift flickered. In front of it stood a figure nearly three meters tall with his arms crossed. He had a long, square face, thick brows, and sharp eyes, and looked to be in his late thirties. Merely standing there, he exuded a powerful and imposing aura.

Within a half-kilometer radius in front of him lay more than twenty defeated members of the response unit. The surrounding area was littered with smashed firearms and vehicles, one of which was engulfed in roaring flames.

Information from the watchtower was used to display the man's identity on the light screen:

Chang Kuanghai, disciple of the Celestial Forgiveness Gang's Changsheng Hall.

At this moment, the emergency team that had arrived later was attempting to kill him.

This team consisted of two Third Limit Fighters, three gunmen, and two logistics members. It was sufficient to deal with an ordinary Fighter, but the current situation was dire.

Because they had to get to the splintered avatar behind the Rift, the two Fighters had no choice but to charge forward despite their uncertainty. One of the Fighters slashed at Chang Kuanghai's arm with his blade, but it only left a white mark.

In return, his wrist was grabbed. With a CRACK, it was crushed. The other team member seized the opportunity to thrust his sword at the man's neck.

But Chang Kuanghai didn't move an inch. His neck only dented slightly. With a casual wave of his hand, half of the team member's face shattered, and he was sent flying into the distance.

The team member whose wrist was caught immediately drew his pistol and fired repeatedly at Chang Kuanghai's face from point-blank range. But it was useless. The bullets only created small dents before bouncing off.

Before he could continue, a massive fist smashed into his face, and he fell backward in a spray of blood.

Chang Kuanghai looked at the team member he had sent flying and said in a deep, sonorous voice, "You are not the ones I am waiting for. Go back."

The team member asked in a slurred voice, "Who... are you waiting for?"

Chang Kuanghai didn't answer. He simply crossed his arms again, standing firm with his back to the Rift.

In the command hall, Specialist Liang watched the scene. 'Celestial Forgiveness Fist...' he thought silently.

The martial arts of the Celestial Forgiveness Gang were passed down from the Old Imperial Family's Celestial Pity Army. The Celestial Forgiveness Fist, specifically, was a Horizontal Training Boxing Technique used to charge and break enemy formations.

To slaughter cities and annihilate kingdoms—only then is there heavenly pardon. Such was the origin of the name "Tianshu."

An ordinary Fighter was no match for this man.

His appearance here and now made one suspect a connection to the Old Imperial Family that had shown up earlier—especially with a formed Rift behind him and an escaped splintered avatar on the other side.

He had to be dealt with as soon as possible!

He asked, "What other emergency teams are nearby and available for deployment?"

The watchtower queried for a moment, then responded, "The nearest emergency team is twenty kilometers away. At best speed, it would take them fifteen to twenty minutes to arrive... A combat squad from the Defense Department has been located on standby within seven kilometers."

Specialist Liang glanced at the details and saw that it was none other than Chen Chuan's squad. He asked, "Is their communication channel clear?"

"The squad's signal has been steady on our platform."

Specialist Liang hesitated for a moment, then looked up and said, "Have Captain Chen lead his team to deal with this target!"

Inside the mansion, after the Celestial Gate opened, Chen Chuan had seen no obvious activity in the vicinity and was checking the platform for information. Just then, the entire squad suddenly received an order from the Defense Department.

His three team members looked at him. "Captain?"

Chen Chuan checked the location marked on the map. It wasn't far. "We're heading over immediately," he said, tossing the armored vehicle's keys to Qin Qingque. "Executioner Qin, you drive."

"Yes, sir!"

The four of them were already prepared. At the command, they immediately left the mansion, leaving ten Sword Guards behind. With the machine gun defense network available to them, they were more than enough to handle ordinary threats, provided a Rift didn't open directly on top of them.

But just as the group walked out, before they could get in the vehicle, Chen Chuan seemed to sense something. He stopped and looked out toward the road.

At the far end of the road, a group of people dressed in the ancient combat attire of the Outer Ocean was approaching. The one in the lead had short hair and wore round-framed glasses. He was dressed in a red top and black bottoms, a long blade with a green scabbard tucked at his waist.

The group consisted of five people, almost all of whom were Third Limit Fighters.

Yuan Qiuyuan, Qin Qingque, and Su Wei saw them too. Their expressions turned grim. They fanned out to the sides, drew their firearms, and made a hand signal toward the mansion behind them.

The man in the lead raised a hand, and those behind him halted in unison. He alone continued to walk forward.

He stopped about twenty meters from Chen Chuan's group, gave a slight bow, and then straightened up with a warm smile.

"My name is Gongying Changxiu. Mr. Chen, I trust you've received my challenge?"

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