Celestial Human Diagram

On the other side of the Rift.

After Astrid ducked into the Rift, she found it difficult to find her way back on her own due to her missing equipment—specifically, the sensor-grapple from her armor. She had to rely on a signal from the other side.

She currently had her eyes closed, breathing long and deep, focusing all her effort on sensing the Rifts that appeared intermittently around her. 'Faster, faster...' she urged silently.

This was one side of the Rift, a part of the Rift itself. Deeper inside, it might connect to another world, and every moment she lingered increased her risk of danger.

In fact, she could already feel her body being subjected to some kind of unknown encroachment.

She had been fine when her armor was protecting her, but she had been forced to abandon it to escape. This left her completely exposed and defenseless in this place.

She believed Sigrid would definitely find a way to get her back. Not only was the corporate Implant in her body too valuable to lose, but the corporation would never abandon the combat data from this battle either.

Just then, she suddenly sensed something awakening far behind her, a feeling that sent a tremor of dread deep into her heart.

'Faster, faster!'

Just as she was growing extremely anxious, she suddenly sensed a familiar signal fluctuation coming from an open Rift ahead. Without a moment's hesitation, she leaped toward it.

But before she left, she glanced back, as if trying to discern what that thing was. Unfortunately, she could see nothing but a vast expanse of white light.

Several kilometers from where she had just been, Gongying Changxiu's headless body lay on the ground, his head resting a short distance away.

The tentacle that had dragged him in was coiled around his body. It looked like some kind of octopus-like plant, and its tendrils were burrowing into his torso and head, seemingly sucking something out.

But after a moment, the thing began to tremble violently. Its own fluids could be seen flowing back into Gongying Changxiu's body. It tried to pull away, but was powerless to do so.

In just a few minutes, the creature turned pale and withered, finally collapsing motionless on top of him.

A moment later, from the severed ends of Gongying Changxiu's neck and torso, fleshy tendrils began to extend, slowly exploring outward.

As if drawn to each other, they eventually touched. Then, his head was dragged, bit by bit, back to his body.

Once the two severed sections of the neck were pressed together, they twisted and adjusted under the pull of the tendrils until they had completely fused.

After another few minutes, Gongying Changxiu's eyes snapped open. The once-vacant gaze slowly regained its luster, and a strange, eerie smile crept onto his lips.

He brushed the withered tendrils off his body and stood up.

He stretched his neck, and the last traces of the bloody seam quickly sealed and vanished.

His aura was now far more imposing than before. His eyes had become incredibly deep, and faint wisps of black smoke drifted from his body. His disheveled hair had grown down his back, obscuring most of his face.

The Secret Transmission of Wind Forest Hall, the Feeding Ghost God Skill!

The Spiritual Power cultivated at Wind Forest Hall wasn't meant for attacking others, but was stored up to nourish the Wind Forest Ghost. Core disciples of Wind Forest Hall who had passed through the Ghost Gate would nurture a second consciousness within their bodies.

When the host suffered a grievous injury that caused one consciousness to perish, the other would take over the body, repair it by any means necessary, and bring it back to life.

After undergoing this transformation, they would attain the "Ghost Body," and their strength would surpass its previous level. Their Spiritual Power in particular would see a great leap forward, but this was an advancement bought at the price of a "Death Tribulation."

After the Ghost Body, one still had to pass the trial of the Celestial Body. Only by transcending the Celestial, the Human, and the Ghost to perfect the Divine Body could one truly set foot on the path of the Sword Sect.

To complete this process, one needed not only a powerful opponent but also for one's body to remain largely intact after being slain. The conditions were, therefore, extremely demanding.

Since returning from Wind Forest Hall's Ghost Gate, Gongying Changxiu had yet to encounter an opponent in the Outer Ocean capable of killing him. That was why he had come directly to Jibei Dao Central City, seeking an opportunity during the opening of the Celestial Gate. And the very first person he had sought out was Chen Chuan.

He had brought four of his juniors with him this time, partly to ensure his body would be left mostly intact.

Judging by his current situation, he had apparently fallen into the other side of the Rift. His four juniors had failed to carry out his instructions.

He glanced at the withered tendrils on the ground and smiled. The outcome, however, had been a good one.

His cheeks were now incredibly gaunt. The smile made him look just like a malevolent demon.

The human body dies, and the Ghost Body replaces it. This was not without a cost. The human and ghost merged, consuming all Essence Blood to perfect the self, but in exchange, he gained even greater strength.

He sensed the flickering Rifts before him. Relying on his newly elevated Spiritual Power, he perceived the correct path after a moment. He took a step forward, and with a flash, he emerged from the Rift and found himself standing on a wide street.

But this wasn't where he had been before. He leaped to a high vantage point, identified the surrounding buildings, and cross-referenced them with the map in his Lower Realm Token. After confirming his direction, he sped off.

Before long, he arrived at the original battle site, but it was already empty. All that remained were a few patches of blood on the ground and a Broken Blade stuck in the earth.

He didn't sense his Flowing Swiftly here, so he left without hesitation and returned to the vehicle he had arrived in.

He walked up, grabbed the handle, and ripped the entire car door off, tossing it aside. Then, he pulled a Cross Lance from inside, twirled it in his hand, and slammed its butt on the ground with a THUD.

This Cross Spear, named "Ghost Dance," was the most suitable weapon to use after attaining the Ghost Body.

After the Ghost Body, the next pursuit was the Celestial Body.

He fumbled around in the car again and took out a suitcase. When he opened it, a round-headed flying insect emerged.

The creature's antennae twitched, as if it had sensed something. It vibrated its wings and, fighting against the strong wind, slowly flew off into the distance. He glanced at it and followed.

Inside the command center, Specialist Liang and the others watched with grim expressions as Chen Chuan walked up to Chang Kuanghai. It was safe to say they were all focused on this battle.

To be honest, they weren't demanding that Chen Chuan defeat Chang Kuanghai. As long as he could tie him down, they could send in other personnel to retrieve the fission sub-body once they arrived.

It was difficult to say for sure who was stronger, Gongying Changxiu or Chang Kuanghai. Fights between Fighters depended not only on their foundations and combat experience, but also on their individual styles, characteristics, and even their split-second decisions in battle.

Chen Chuan had managed to defeat Gongying Changxiu, but that didn't necessarily mean he could take down Chang Kuanghai. This man practiced the "Celestial Forgiveness Fist," and his powerful Horizontal Training was designed for breaking enemy lines and killing generals on a battlefield. While it couldn't be said that Chang Kuanghai's raw power definitively surpassed Gongying Changxiu's, he was certainly the toughest nut to crack.

Specialist Liang thought for a moment and said, "Have someone brief Captain Chen. Tell him about his opponent's background and characteristics."

"Yes, sir."

Although the members of the rapid response team that had just arrived had all been killed, there were still Domain Creatures left in the nearby vehicles, which were sufficient to relay communications.

A notification soon appeared on Chen Chuan's Realm Token. He glanced at it and understood. Looking up at the towering figure, he said, "You said you were waiting for me here?"

Chang Kuanghai said in a low voice, "You should remember Wei Wusheng. He and I are from the same school."

Chen Chuan nodded. He had already guessed as much when the data showed his opponent was from the Celestial Forgiveness Gang. However, this man wasn't just waiting for him out of revenge. He likely had a similar purpose in mind.

Chang Kuanghai then said, "You must have felt it. With the Celestial Gate open, Fighters like us need a suitable opponent to reach new heights. But such opponents are hard to find."

He paused briefly. "My master watched your fight with Junior Wei. He predicted back then that you would be able to fight me within two years."

He looked at Chen Chuan and said gravely, "He wasn't wrong. If I could, I would have given you more time. But the moment has come, and I can wait no longer."

Chen Chuan looked at him, then at the massive Rift behind him. He gripped the Snow Monarch Blade and drew it from its sheath once more. "Mr. Chang," he said sincerely, "this is truly inconvenient. I have matters to attend to today, so I'm afraid I won't be able to entertain you for long."

Just then, behind them, a corporate mercenary team arrived nearby and found a high vantage point to take up positions.

Not far away was the largest and most stable Rift currently in Central City. There was bound to be a fission sub-body there. That was their target.

They poked out their guns, aiming the muzzles at the two men in the distance. Even though they were Third Limit Fighters, they were still vulnerable to long-range firearms.

But now was not the time to act. The two men in front of them were undoubtedly at their full combat strength. Besides, there were other corporate mercenary teams in the vicinity—competitors, in other words. They had to choose the right moment to strike carefully.

Chang Kuanghai reached out and grabbed the axe stuck in the ground beside him, pulling it free. The axe was almost as tall as he was, over three meters long, and looked incredibly heavy. Yet in his hand, it felt as light as straw. He began to walk down from his high perch.

Chen Chuan raised the Snow Monarch Blade and moved forward to meet him.

After Chang Kuanghai came down, he waited until they were a little closer. Then, holding the long axe in one hand, he swung it at Chen Chuan. With a sudden WHIR, a powerful sound of tearing air erupted. The air itself seemed to shatter, sending snowflakes scattering as if everything in its path had been cleaved in two.

Chen Chuan lowered his center of gravity, staggered his feet, and blocked upward with the Snow Monarch Blade held in both hands!

The two weapons crashed together. With a BOOM, a shockwave of air burst outward from them, blasting all the snow off the ground.

Chang Kuanghai was surprised to see Chen Chuan block his attack without yielding a single step. Ever since he had perfected his Horizontal Training, aside from his master, Yu Hongming, he had never met anyone who could face his Axe Stance head-on.

A smile spread across his long, rectangular face. This immense strength, this combat style—this was exactly the opponent he had been hoping for.

"Good!"

He let out a resonant shout, swung the axe again in a wide arc, and brought it whistling down once more!

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