Celestial Human Diagram

Chen Chuan lowered his center of gravity, bringing his long blade up with both hands to parry. The blade and axe collided once more. The impact sent a shudder through both of them, scattering billowing clouds of snow and dust.

Chang Kuanghai grew even more excited. He used the force of the impact to swing his long axe high once more. He held the handle with one hand at the pommel and the other near the axe head, his whole body tensed as if pulling it upward with all his might. After a brief pause, he put his full strength into his arms and brought it crashing down in a massive cleave!

A distant look entered Chen Chuan's eyes. He had seen a similar move from Wei Wusheng before. The only difference was that one had used a hammer, and the other, a great axe.

He had no intention of dodging. He mobilized the Mutated Organization within his body and, after gathering his power for a moment, spun and swung his blade. The two sharp gleams of steel collided with a BOOM, and it was as if a bomb had detonated between them. Vast clouds of smoke and dust billowed up and rolled outward.

In the Defense Department command center, most eyes were fixed on their battle. This splinter entity was of the utmost importance—in some ways, even more so than the standoff outside the city.

The raw power of their head-on confrontation made hearts pound in the command center, a thrilling mix of terror and excitement.

They had just witnessed the might of Chang Kuanghai's long axe, a single sweep of which could send a fully-manned armored vehicle flying. Yet Chen Chuan had blocked it without yielding an inch. And now… the two of them were actually evenly matched!?

After those three parries, Chen Chuan could feel that this man's strength was nearly equal to his own. Factoring in his weapon, the difference was practically negligible. His opponent's spirit was also incredibly strong and resilient, impossible to shake.

He had never encountered an opponent like this before.

Without hesitation, he once again loosened the restraints on his Mutated Organization, giving himself a slight edge in raw strength.

Chang Kuanghai's fighting style was clearly aggressive. Seeing his axe blocked again, he put his back and waist into it, rotating the axe in his hands and bringing it around in another diagonal cleave at Chen Chuan.

In the face of this attack, Chen Chuan appeared to maintain his previous fighting style, turning his blade to block. This time, however, he didn't meet it head-on. The instant the weapons touched, he suddenly retreated, redirecting the force of the axe to the side in an attempt to pull it off course.

His technique might have been crude at first, but after so long at the academy—where he sparred with Hong Fu nearly every day before he started focusing on his Spiritual Power—his application was now perfectly smooth, if not brilliant. The move came without any warning, completely unexpected.

However, the redirection wasn't entirely successful. The moment Chang Kuanghai felt the shift in Chen Chuan's force, he immediately retracted his own. His ability to release and retract such immense strength at will spoke to his incredible control over his body's Power.

But he was a fraction of a second too slow. Chen Chuan seized the opening, twisting his blade against the axe's shaft and sweeping it outward. Even if the move didn't disarm Chang Kuanghai, it would at least knock his weapon wide.

Chang Kuanghai, of course, wouldn't let that happen. He used Force Application to pull his axe back. The two weapons twisted and shifted, pushing against each other as their strength clashed once more. However, he quickly discovered that the strength Chen Chuan had just unleashed was even greater than before, forcing the axe slightly off-center. He scrambled to regain control.

Chen Chuan stepped forward, flicking the tip of his blade upward as if to pry the axe away. If he succeeded, he could charge through the opening and get inside Chang Kuanghai's guard.

Chang Kuanghai seemed to anticipate his move. With a low grunt, he put his strength into his arms and pressed the axe down, intending to pin the Long Blade and block Chen Chuan's center line. Recalling the strength Chen Chuan had just shown, his muscles bulged, and his own power surged.

A glint flashed in Chen Chuan's eyes. With a twist of his wrists, the blade that was meant to flick upward instead pulled back, circled around, and slapped flat against the back of the axe head. He then added his own strength to Chang Kuanghai's downward press!

BOOM! Their combined strength slammed the axe into the ground, creating a large crater. More than half of the axe head was buried.

Chen Chuan immediately pressed forward, his blade sliding along the axe handle. In an instant, he had closed the distance to Chang Kuanghai and raised his blade to slash!

Even though he now possessed superior strength after loosening the restraints on his Mutated Organization, he hadn't opted for a head-on clash. Instead, he had been tactical. It was the principle of 'using softness before hardness, and bending before going straight.'

Seeing he had no time to pull the axe free, Chang Kuanghai made a decisive choice. He let go of the axe and crossed his forearms to block. The blade struck his arms, but his muscles only dented slightly, and the edge failed to break his skin.

But while the blade couldn't cut him, the Power behind the strike could still penetrate. A potent surge of Power rushed into his body. However, the muscles in his arms rippled, and the invading Power was completely neutralized, leaving him largely unaffected.

Chen Chuan had anticipated this. Pressing his advantage, he instantly delivered three consecutive slashes, each one imbued with a different type of Power and linked together in a flawlessly smooth sequence.

Chang Kuanghai blocked all three slashes with his arms, cleanly neutralizing the invading Power each time. His feet seemed rooted to the ground, and he didn't retreat a single step.

At this point in the fight, the Rift beside them suddenly flashed with light. The sound of innumerable flapping wings followed as hundreds, or even thousands, of hard-beaked birds swarmed out.

The birds had long, sharp beaks lined with teeth, their eyes glowed red, and their talons were razor-sharp. They poured out in a mad frenzy, and the two fighters were standing directly in their path.

Yet neither man seemed affected in the slightest. They continued to trade blows, and the overflowing aura and Power from their clash instantly killed swaths of birds that drew near, sending them falling from the sky like rain.

Just then, Chang Kuanghai suddenly clapped his hands. The birds on either side of him instantly exploded in mid-air, sending a shower of blood splattering toward Chen Chuan.

Chen Chuan remained completely unfazed; the blood was instantly repelled from his skin upon contact. He didn't miss the opening. Raising his blade, he lunged forward, stabbing Chang Kuanghai near the collarbone. The tip pierced flesh.

He had used his Drilling Force in that strike. Even against someone who practiced Horizontal Training, it should have been enough to pierce straight through. However, after the blade entered smoothly, it met a layer of tough resistance that grew stronger the deeper it went. Realizing there was more to his opponent's Horizontal Training than met the eye, he decisively pulled his blade back.

As Chen Chuan retreated, Chang Kuanghai suddenly clenched his fist. Visible, wave-like ripples rose from his feet and converged at the surface of his knuckles. Then, he threw a ferocious punch.

Chen Chuan took two steps back, his breath suddenly turning scorching hot. He raised his blade and thrust forward again, the tip meeting the fist. Another shudder ran through both of them, and they each fell back to dissipate the Power that had been transferred from their opponent.

Chang Kuanghai glanced at his fist. A deep gash had been torn open, revealing knuckles as hard as jade beneath the curling flesh. But in that brief moment, the wound knit itself shut. By the time he lowered his hand, it was completely healed.

The exchange appeared complex, but their attacks and defenses were executed with incredible speed, all within a matter of seconds. As a result, the Domain feed to the command center was a blur, and the viewers could only vaguely discern that neither fighter had gained a decisive advantage in this bout.

Chen Chuan held his long blade ready, his gaze fixed on Chang Kuanghai. It was clear this opponent had no fancy or flashy techniques—only incredible strength, speed, and an indestructible body. His combat style was pure to the point of extremity.

His spirit was the same—reserved and incredibly pure. He never used his Spiritual Power offensively, but it was as incomparably firm and stable as his physical Horizontal Training. Chen Chuan had included the impact of his God-Shaking Hammer in every one of his recent attacks, yet his opponent had borne them without the slightest tremor.

'How should I put it? This fighting style would be a nightmare for any ordinary Fighter. If you can't overwhelm him, you simply can't win. No amount of effort would change that.'

'But that doesn't mean he's without weaknesses.'

'I noticed it just now. Even though he blocked my blade with his bare hands, he was still careful to protect his face. He also avoided letting the blade touch his joints.'

'Those spots might be tough enough to withstand an ordinary person's attack, but against someone with comparable strength, he has to protect them. Those are the openings I can use.'

Just as the two fighters were sizing each other up, the distant Rift began to act strangely again. Another swarm of flying creatures from the Opposite World burst forth. Then, with a deafening ROAR, the Rift itself suddenly doubled in size. This meant that even larger creatures could now pass through.

Neither man looked toward it, but both were instantly on guard. A moment later, a subtle change came over both their expressions. They both sensed that their spirits had suddenly become more… active.

For Chen Chuan, the feeling was even more pronounced. Guided by his Spiritual Clarity Reflection Technique, the amount and speed at which he was absorbing essence had increased dramatically.

As his mind raced, understanding dawned.

The Rift was stabilizing, turning this location into a major nexus for the exchange of matter and spirit between the two worlds. The essence was part of the Opposite World, so naturally, it was now seeping through in massive quantities.

And because the two of them were so close, they were the first to reap the benefits.

Although large Rifts still existed over in the Ji Yang District, those were on the periphery of Central City and led mostly to the Merging Land—an intersection point between the worlds, rather than a direct gateway to the Opposite World. Therefore, their current location was actually the closest point to the source.

This was undoubtedly a benefit. But both men knew that a prize like this was far better enjoyed by one person than shared by two. They slowly raised their heads and looked at each other.

...

...

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!