Celestial Human Diagram

The tip of the foil was reflected in Chen Chuan’s eyes. It seemed as if it would pierce him in the next instant.

Without altering the momentum of his blade swing, he raised his other hand and deflected. The Power of his Cloud-Breaking Palm erupted instantly. The attacker’s Long Sword shattered in a flash. As the Power surged through, it blew the man’s entire arm apart. At the same time, Chen Chuan’s blade sliced across another enemy’s neck, sending a head flying.

In a single moment, he had killed two men and grievously wounded a third. But just then, a thunderous sound erupted from ahead. A Cavalry General in full armor, his horse likewise armored and his helmet plumed, burst through the mist. Carried by the momentum of his charge, he thrust his Long Spear straight at Chen Chuan.

He was in the middle of unleashing his Power, leaving him unable to defend himself. Yet, as he watched the spear tip draw near, his gaze remained perfectly calm. Because at this moment, he was not alone.

Chen Bitong’s figure suddenly appeared before him. He held a Long Spear horizontally, blocking the side of the incoming weapon. However, the Power behind the thrust was incomparably fierce. Chen Bitong’s Long Spear shattered inch by inch in an instant, and he felt a stifling pressure in his chest. Even so, the enemy’s Long Spear didn’t deviate in the slightest, a testament to the attacker’s formidable strength.

But this block had slowed the Cavalry General’s charge for a crucial instant. It made the originally unstoppable thrust a beat slower, robbing the near-perfect strike of its flawless timing and force.

Seizing the opening, Chen Chuan adjusted his breathing, raised his blade in an upward counter-slash, and with a CLANG, parried the Long Spear!

CLANG! Sparks flew as the Weapons met, accompanied by a grating screech. Even though the Long Spear had been deflected once, its remaining force still pushed Chen Chuan back several meters.

Chen Bitong appeared at the Cavalry General’s flank and threw a palm strike at his waist. But just as the String Void Power was about to connect, the general’s steed lifted a hoof and sidestepped. This allowed its master to evade the point where the Power was most concentrated. Even if the blow landed now, its full force could not be unleashed.

Chen Bitong’s palm strike appeared to continue, but his illusory double materialized on the other side of the horse, throwing a punch. This time, however, the general found an opening. He drew the blade from his waist and, with a backhanded swing, slashed the illusion apart.

But the blade had barely passed when Chen Bitong’s figure reappeared above him, stomping down at his head. This rapid series of attacks forced the Cavalry General to constantly redirect his Power; normally, he would have been too late to defend.

At this seemingly inescapable moment, it was once again the general’s steed. The horse actually dropped to its knees, for the second time evading a strike in the instant before its Power could be fully released.

The synergy between man and horse was truly a sight to behold.

At that moment, however, Chen Chuan, positioned in front of the horse, swung his blade!

This was the advantage of fighting as a pair. No matter how powerful the opponent, there were always openings during the clash of Power and the shift between offense and defense. Once such an opening was exploited, the destructive nature of Heart Force would leave no doubt as to the battle’s outcome.

But this Cavalry General was not fighting alone. His horse suddenly reared its head, using its own neck to block the blade’s path. The general himself flipped backward. At that precise moment, several javelins were hurled from beyond the Rift, flying with incredible accuracy toward both Chen Chuan and Chen Bitong.

Chen Chuan’s expression remained unchanged. With a sickening SLICE, the Snow Monarch Blade sent the warhorse’s head flying. The blade’s arc continued, parrying an incoming javelin with a CLANG. On his side, Chen Bitong also raised a hand to deflect the other projectile.

From the impact, both men could tell the javelins had been thrown from at least two hundred and fifty meters away.

The men who threw them were outside the Rift and shouldn’t have been able to see their targets, yet their aim was unerringly precise. This had to be due to a Spiritual Power connection with the Cavalry General—a pre-arranged follow-up attack.

After dismounting, the Cavalry General raised his Long Spear and, in a flash, thrust once at each of them. As they parried, he began to retreat. With every step he took, more javelins were thrown from outside to impede Chen Chuan and Chen Bitong. After just a few steps, he was outside the Rift. It seemed his plan was to withdraw immediately if his initial strike failed.

Chen Chuan immediately pressed the attack, dashing out of the Rift in a flash.

As Chen Bitong moved to follow, a Thrusting Sword lunged at him from the side. It was the man Chen Chuan had grievously wounded earlier. He seemed to possess a technique for concealing his presence and spirit, having hidden himself away only to launch another sneak attack, this time with a spare weapon. But Chen Bitong didn’t even glance at him. He blocked casually, sending a surge of String Void Power down the length of the blade.

A series of violent CRACKS and POPS erupted from all over the man’s body. A torrent of blood sprayed from the stump of his severed arm as he fell through the air. He hit the ground but didn’t die immediately, his body twitching uncontrollably.

But the delay had served its purpose. Chen Bitong was now a step behind. By the time he emerged from the Rift, he saw the Cavalry General retreating into the dense fog down the mountainside. Chen Chuan was right behind him, bringing his blade down in a vicious chop.

Only the very tip of the blade made contact, yet the Power imbued in it shattered the man’s back Armor, carving a long fissure from top to bottom.

The Cavalry General didn’t even look back. A burst of energy erupted from his body, increasing his speed as he quickly vanished into the dense fog.

Just then, with a WHOOSHING sound, several more javelins shot through the air, converging on Chen Chuan. He simply raised a hand to shield his face. The moment the projectiles touched his clothes and skin, they were shattered by a powerful vibration, their pieces falling harmlessly to the ground.

This was his simulation of the Horizontal Integration of Hard and Soft Method. While it couldn’t replicate the full effect of Chang Kuanghai’s Celestial Forgiveness Fist, this simple variation, when combined with his Heart Force, was more than enough to produce an impressive display.

’It’s a shame,’ he thought with some regret. ’The Snow Monarch Blade hasn’t woken up yet, so my Power isn’t at its peak. Otherwise, that last strike would have done more than just crack his Armor.’

He then saw dense hordes of White Blights appearing all around, surging up toward the mountaintop. Realizing he’d lost his chance, he gave up the chase. He cast a glance toward the foot of the mountain. Through the mist, he could faintly make out the fleeing Cavalry General joining a group under a large banner, where another, clearly higher-ranking, general sat mounted on a horse.

After taking one last, deep look, he didn’t linger. He retreated back into the Rift, with the White Blights fearlessly charging in after him.

The assault lasted for about ten minutes. By the time it subsided, the area before the Rift was piled high with corpses, leaving almost no room to stand. A nauseating stench permeated the air.

Chen Bitong said, "We can pile some of these bodies at the entrance and set them on fire. The air current in front of the Rift flows outward, so the smoke should hold them off for a while and give us a chance to recover our strength. Captain Chen, I have some barrels of oil in the vehicle. I can have Assistant Fang and the others bring them to you."

Chen Chuan said, "I’ll get them."

He turned and left. A short while later, he returned carrying two oil barrels. By then, Chen Bitong had already moved most of the corpses to the front of the Rift. Chen Chuan poured the algae oil over them and lit it with a lighter. A great fire immediately roared to life. Since the air current flowed outward, billowing black smoke quickly shrouded the mountain path.

Chen Chuan looked outside. "Teacher Chen, that man from earlier was strong. But with their current level of strength, unless a Fighting Master were to come in person, they wouldn’t be able to cause much damage even if they broke into Central City. Their objective can’t be that simple, can it?"

Chen Bitong shook his head. "This is likely just their vanguard. If they break through, their main forces will follow. But even if only a small advance unit gets in, it would have immense political significance.

"In the ninety-plus years since the founding of the Dashun Republic after overthrowing the Old Empire, these remnants have never once broken through the blockade. Not once have they entered Dashun from the Merging Land.

"But if even one of their units breaks into Central City and inflicts a certain amount of damage, it would be a huge boost to their army’s morale and help unite their internal factions.

"And if it happens once, it can happen again."

Chen Chuan thought for a moment and nodded. He understood the logic. The contest between two factions wasn’t just about military victory or defeat, but also about maintaining their own rule internally. A ruling class like the Old Imperial Family, in particular, needed to constantly project its military power outward to relieve internal pressures and conflicts.

Chen Bitong’s expression was grim. "It’s precisely because the stakes are so high that they will try to break our blockade at any cost. We have a hard fight ahead of us."

Chen Chuan said, "Then let them come."

But he looked down the mountain again. ’Even though I’m confident we can hold this position, it’s too passive,’ he thought. ’The enemy can maneuver their forces at will. As a Fighter, I don’t like being in a situation where I can only take hits without striking back.’

A different idea occurred to him. "Teacher Chen," he said, "I saw their command banner is very close, just at the foot of the mountain. Since this is only their vanguard, what if we charge down and try to assassinate their commanding general?"

Hearing this bold idea, Chen Bitong didn’t dismiss it as fantasy. He seriously considered the possibility and said in a low voice, "It’s not impossible."

It was a risky move, but it was worth a shot precisely because the enemy would never expect them to charge down.

Moreover, he knew that the enemy’s General of Conquest was currently in a standoff with the Fighting Masters from Central City. This meant the opposing force lacked anyone with the absolute power to suppress them.

He said, "At this distance, with sufficient preparation and the element of surprise, there is a real possibility of success."

Chen Chuan said, "Teacher Chen, let me lead the main assault this time. I’m faster. You can make use of the Rift. I’ll draw their attention, which will give you the chance to sneak forward and look for an opening. We won’t force it. If no opportunity presents itself, we’ll retreat."

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