Celestial Human Diagram

Gongying Changxiu's body reacted faster than his mind. He swiftly raised Flowing Swiftly to parry, blocking the blade that was almost at his face with a CLANG.

But he immediately felt a vast and powerful force surge into his body. The impact almost scattered his Power, and he stumbled backward involuntarily.

His pupils shrank. 'This kind of power…'

The force of this strike was far greater than before. A Spiritual Shock also slammed into his mind. It wasn't overwhelmingly strong, but it was incredibly solid and condensed, forcing him to defend his Heart Jade.

But his opponent's attack wasn't just about power; the speed had also increased. Before he could rally his own Power, the second strike arrived.

Under these circumstances, he could only rouse his Essence Blood and forcibly muster his Power to block.

He did, after all, possess an excellent foundation. He blocked several powerful slashes in a row, constantly using the surrounding airflow to aid his movements. While retreating to deflect the momentum, he dissipated the waves of tyrannical power, which was the only way he kept his stance from breaking.

But no matter how stable his defense or how great his resilience, if he couldn't stop his opponent's assault, he could only passively endure it. Eventually, he would reach his limit.

After taking another slash from the Snow Monarch Blade, he felt Flowing Swiftly tremble in his hand; he could barely hold onto it. For a moment, he couldn't gather and adjust his Power.

Just then, he glimpsed the flash of the blade coming again. A chill ran down his spine, and the hairs on his body stood on end. He knew that if he couldn't block this strike, he would be decapitated!

At that very moment, his heart began to pound violently. A blood-red glint appeared in his eyes, and his speed suddenly skyrocketed. He leaped back like a flickering shadow.

The Snow Monarch Blade sliced through the air. A pair of broken glasses flew up, then fell to the ground with a SNAP, the lenses shattering into pieces.

Gongying Changxiu had now retreated to his original position. He kept his head lowered as trickles of fresh blood dripped from his forehead onto the ground. DRIP. DRIP.

He said slowly, "Mr. Chen, your martial prowess is very satisfying. Only a battle like this is worthy of being publicized!"

As he spoke, he jerked his head up. But unlike his previous gentle face, his features were now contorted, with blue veins bulging on his forehead. Even on his exposed forearms, tendons stood out like steel cords.

The cut on his brow had already healed in an instant. Only the traces of blood remained, giving him a ferocious and terrifying appearance.

He then took a step forward, pointing Flowing Swiftly diagonally back toward the sky. He turned sideways to face Chen Chuan, taking up one of Wind Forest Hall's solitary combat stances.

At the same time, a faint black aura began to rise from his body. An unseen current stirred the gravel and fine sand at his feet, causing it to swirl around him.

His hair, somehow, had suddenly grown out. In an instant, it went from short to medium-length, partially obscuring his cheeks. As the black smoke rose, it gradually coalesced behind him into what looked like a roaring ghost's face.

Mishiro Ara saw this, his expression grave. "'Ghost Gongying'..."

The four disciples from Wind Forest Hall now had looks of fear on their faces and unconsciously shuffled backward.

They knew that Senior Brother Gongying was now using Wind Forest Hall's Secret Transmission, the Ghost Heaven Power. This was when he was at his most terrifying.

Chen Chuan glanced at the enormous ghost face in the air above and took a breath. Instantly, a white vapor began to emanate from his own body, forming a milky-white mist that spiraled upward, not dispersing even in the wind.

He brought his blade up horizontally before him, its gleaming surface reflecting his deep, calm eyes. In the next instant, he blurred and once again vanished from everyone's sight.

A faint light shone from Gongying Changxiu's eyes. Under the enhancement of the Ghost Heaven Power, his reaction speed and strength had leaped dramatically.

In his perception, the world seemed to slow down. He could clearly see Chen Chuan charging straight toward him, closing the distance bit by bit.

He, too, slowly raised his blade, his body gradually leaning forward as he met and blocked the Snow Monarch Blade.

In the next moment, the world abruptly accelerated. The black and white auras collided in an instant. A concussive blast of air surged outward in waves, and the gales and coalescing light erupting from the nearby Rifts pulsed and flashed violently.

Gongying Changxiu's arms, holding his blade, trembled uncontrollably. The expression on his face grew even more frightful as veins bulged from his skin.

He had expected that using his Secret Technique would allow him to block, or even counter, Chen Chuan. The result, however, was a complete surprise. He felt as if he had slammed into an unbreakable wall, his entire body brought to a dead stop.

A grinding, scraping sound came from where the two blades met. Flowing Swiftly was being steadily forced back, bit by bit.

Sensing something was wrong, he let out a furious roar. Igniting his Essence Blood, he violently shoved outward, knocking the Snow Monarch Blade aside. However, Chen Chuan followed the momentum. The Snow Monarch Blade retracted along the direction of the force, using the opportunity to gather power before accelerating into another slash.

Seeing this, he could only apply force in a downward chop. But this inevitably led to another collision. His body shuddered, and the ghost face above him flickered, showing signs of instability.

He understood in his heart that Chen Chuan had seized the rhythm of the fight. The latter was using his own advantage to force a contest of pure strength.

In a fight, if one could meet each blow with composure, every step could be taken calmly, with full awareness of what came before and what would come next. But now, he had lost the initiative and could only be led by his opponent.

It wasn't a matter of inferior skill, but a problem with his prediction that cost him a crucial moment. Now, Chen Chuan gave him no chance to rally his Power. Before he could even deal with one slash, the next was already upon him.

The Snow Monarch Blade then slid along Flowing Swiftly and rotated, as if to knock it aside. Gongying Changxiu immediately tried to stabilize his blade, but the impact nearly threw him off balance. The Snow Monarch Blade then slid along its spine, gliding smoothly toward him.

Veins throbbed on Gongying Changxiu's face. It was too late to bring his sword back to block. Instead, he twisted at the waist and drew a hidden short blade, intercepting the Snow Monarch Blade with a CLANG.

Originally, this move was called "Yin Locking Storage." The short blade and Flowing Swiftly would form a cross, which could not only block an enemy's incoming attack but also work in tandem to disarm them.

However, the force behind the blade made it difficult enough just to block; he couldn't perform any follow-up actions at all.

Chen Chuan stared right at him. The layers of Mutated Organization within his body activated, and with an outward push, a surge of Power extended through his blade.

Gongying Changxiu couldn't withstand the force. Both his blades were knocked away, and his body tilted backward. At that moment, however, he lifted his foot and swung the sole at the side of Chen Chuan's knee.

This was the Foot Blade Stance. A kick delivered with enough force to sever a person's leg.

However, although the kick landed squarely on Chen Chuan's leg, it didn't have the intended effect. The moment the Power made contact, it was immediately neutralized by layers of Mutated Organization.

Chen Chuan's blade was already pushing forward. But Gongying Changxiu's foot changed from a slash to a hook. Using the point of contact on Chen Chuan's calf, a portion of his own Mutated Organization exerted force, and his body spun half a circle on the spot. After dodging the Snow Monarch Blade's overhead sweep, he thrust his short blade upward toward Chen Chuan's neck!

This was "Life and Death Transformation." Paired with the Foot Blade Stance, it was a move that snatched life from the jaws of death, designed to reverse a desperate situation. Therefore, its execution required the full mobilization of his Essence Blood and Divine Constant to ensure precision and speed.

But before the blade could reach Chen Chuan, a hand caught it out of thin air. With an outward twist—CRACK!—the short blade shattered inch by inch within the five fingers, leaving the space before him empty.

Having committed all his force into the attack, he was momentarily frozen. He then saw Chen Chuan surge forward and ram into him with his whole body. BOOM! An explosive power flooded into him. A series of CRACKS echoed from his body as he was sent flying.

But before he could fly far, a hand grabbed him and yanked him back. At the same time, an icy chill pressed against his neck. He weakly lifted his eyes to look up.

Chen Chuan's gaze fell upon him. "Sorry," he said apologetically, "I'm in a hurry." He flicked the Snow Monarch Blade in a reverse grip. With a SWISH, Gongying Changxiu's head flew from his body.

The ghost-faced smoke above froze for a moment before a howling gust of wind swept through, causing it to dissipate.

But at that very moment, the sharp report of a gunshot rang out from a distance.

Chen Chuan, however, seemed to have anticipated it. He slapped his hand out before the bullet arrived, swatting it to the ground. He then looked in that direction. Another gunshot echoed in his ears. A flower of blood bloomed in the goggles of the long-range sniper on the opposite building. On their side, the rifle in Qin Qingque's hands was held steady, the sound still lingering in the air.

The moment the enemy fired at Chen Chuan, she had reacted instantly and swiftly killed them.

After a glance, Chen Chuan felt something was amiss. He looked down and saw a tentacle-like thing extending from a nearby Rift. It wrapped around Gongying Changxiu's body and head, then yanked them inside.

A glint flashed in his eyes as he stomped his foot down on the Flowing Swiftly in Gongying Changxiu's hand, preventing it from being dragged away as well.

The tentacle quickly retreated with Gongying Changxiu's corpse, and the Rift vanished soon after.

He watched it go, lost in thought. 'That feeling just now, it was almost like… Forget it. Whatever it was, there's no need to dwell on it now.'

He focused inward and discovered that after defeating Gongying Changxiu, guided by the continuously operating Spiritual Reflection, his own spirit had leaped to a higher level. He could now absorb much more essence than before.

'Combat really is useful.'

And the more powerful the opponent, the more they pushed his spirit to new heights. In a battle like this, even his Second Self was driven forward.

'It's still not enough, though.'

He needed even stronger opponents to help him continue his ascent.

Just then, footsteps approached from the perimeter. He glanced over and saw that the four Fighters from Wind Forest Hall hadn't retreated after Gongying Changxiu's death. Instead, with expressions of do-or-die resolve, they all drew their blades and began walking toward him.

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