Free Web NovelChapter 427: Chapter 157: Ritual Tattoos
Xu Xianwen’s senses were incredibly sharp. When he saw this approach still wasn’t working, he immediately changed tactics, retreating to a safe distance and flinging various broken objects from the old temple at Chen Chuan.
Chen Chuan didn’t let his guard down. He swung his blade to deflect every object that came flying his way.
Though they seemed to be tossed casually, the projectiles were imbued with heavy, shifting Power. It was clear that Xu Xianwen was also skilled at throwing.
He grew even more cautious, knowing this display of Power was no mere distraction. It had to be a prelude, with the real killing blow hidden behind it.
Sure enough, a moment later, a dull thud echoed as a wave of air pressure washed over him. A huge, glaring statue loomed larger and larger before him—Xu Xianwen had shoved the dilapidated idol from its shrine.
The statue stood a good five or six meters tall, its six arms spread wide, each brandishing a weapon. It nearly blotted out his entire field of view. He didn’t dodge. Instead, he raised his blade with both hands and viciously slashed forward!
A flash of blade-light bloomed within the old temple, instantly cleaving the massive statue in two. By deliberately Emitting Force, he caused the two halves to shatter into fragments that flew backward.
As the fragments sprayed outward, he suddenly sensed something. With a flick of his blade, he parried the Staff Sword thrusting at him from the side. The force behind it felt strange, however, as if it had been thrown.
His brow twitched. He suddenly realized Xu Xianwen had used the distraction to close the distance. Xu Xianwen pushed his blade aside with one hand and thrust toward his face with the other.
Chen Chuan, however, was completely unfazed. In a fluid motion, he drew the short blade from his waist and unleashed several slashes. He knew a simple thrust could be blocked, so he used a dragging, cutting Power with these strikes.
Astonishingly, Xu Xianwen made no attempt to dodge, allowing the blade to slice into his arm and head as his outstretched hand continued to press relentlessly toward Chen Chuan’s face.
He calmly tilted his head, feeling a sharp pressure graze his cheek. Having lost the space to continue his slashes, he instantly dropped his short blade, clenched his fist, and slammed a punch into Xu Xianwen’s face.
BOOM! Xu Xianwen was sent flying, smashing a huge hole in the temple wall. As dawn was breaking, light streamed in from outside, suddenly illuminating the temple’s interior.
As Chen Chuan bent to retrieve his short blade, he noticed the Realm Token had gone silent. ’It must have been destroyed,’ he realized. ’So that was Xu Xianwen’s goal all along.’
He wasn’t concerned, though. It wasn’t his job to protect it, so he hadn’t given it a second thought while fighting.
Besides, the Processing Bureau surely knew their location and direction by now. Even if they didn’t, it would be easy enough to follow the trail they’d left.
Blade in hand, he walked through the hole. Behind him, half of the old temple’s wall came crashing down with a RUMBLE, sending up a billowing cloud of dust that made his coat flutter.
Xu Xianwen had already picked himself up and was standing at the edge of the hillside. He stared at Chen Chuan and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. His arms, face, and chest were covered in deep gashes, the flesh peeled back to reveal bone. Yet, the wounds were already closing at a visible rate.
But these weren’t the true injuries Chen Chuan had inflicted. Because of the ritual’s effect, a large amount of the blood he’d lost had simply vanished. He estimated he was down by about a tenth.
A loss like that was nothing to him. By releasing his heart’s Essence Blood, he quickly regenerated the lost blood, returning to his peak state in moments.
A rope was tied around his right wrist, the other end attached to his Staff Sword. With a simple tug, he retrieved it. He had only dared to throw his weapon because he was prepared.
This time, however, he chose not to re-engage Chen Chuan. After one last, deep look, he suddenly turned and leaped off the mountainside.
Chen Chuan immediately gave chase. Ahead, the terrain opened up into a clearing, and beyond that lay a clear lake surrounded by reeds. White reed blossoms swayed in the breeze blowing across the water. To one side, the nascent dawn painted the lake’s surface in hues of gold and red.
Watching Xu Xianwen’s figure rapidly retreating down the slope, he too leaped down and gave chase.
On the other side of the hill, an SUV sped through the forest. A man in the back seat was incessantly urging the driver, "Faster! Go faster!"
He was Hu Ying, a reporter for Quick Step News.
He had just learned through an inside source that Motie Mountain had been attacked by armed thugs and that one of the people fighting back was the man who killed Wei Wusheng outside the ring.
Upon hearing this, he immediately recognized it as an opportunity!
The area had been cordoned off and information was being deliberately suppressed, making it nearly impossible for the outside world to get firsthand news.
Since they happened to be nearby, he immediately had the driver detour toward the duo’s suspected chase route. It was dangerous, but if he could successfully report on it, the payoff would be unprecedented.
"We’re driving along the path taken by the two combatants, following the battle route of two Third Limit fighters—oh my god, what is that..."
From the rattling vehicle, he saw a building on a distant hill suddenly collapse. He was involuntarily thrilled. ’Look, that has to be them!’
Can you all even imagine this?
"Everywhere these two have passed is a wreck—walls toppled, vehicles overturned, trees snapped in half! It’s unbelievable. They’re like a pair of Iron Horse armored trucks made by the Fenghai Company!"
After that slick sponsor plug, he slipped right back into the moment. "I can feel myself trembling all over. I’m heading right for them, but who knows if this will provoke them. They might just leap over my car at any second and take my life..."
He then gave the driver a nudge. "Don’t be scared, man. I’m right here with you!"
The driver, already on edge, jumped at the touch and nearly drove into a ditch. He yelled, "Can you stop touching me!" But his outburst only triggered a peal of wild, excited laughter.
As his broadcast continued, he attracted more and more attention. The number of viewers on the Realm Token platform climbed rapidly, especially when word got out that Chen Chuan was one of the people involved. Viewers who had watched his last match at the ring quickly tuned in.
The Processing Bureau also took notice of the situation. Captain Guan glanced at the feed and asked, "Have our people arrived yet?"
"They’re on their way!"
Captain Guan thought for a moment before giving a decisive order. "Allocate some resources to that reporter. Give him a clearer view so we can get a better handle on the situation."
Although Chen Chuan had gotten a later start, the open terrain and unobstructed view allowed him to gradually increase his speed. He quickly closed the distance and flicked several stones with his hand.
Xu Xianwen heard the whistle of air behind him and sidestepped to evade, but the maneuver inevitably cost him speed. Sensing his pursuer closing in, he shouted, spun around, and thrust with his Staff Sword in one hand!
Chen Chuan dodged with a tilt of his head and drove his blade forward. Xu Xianwen released a burst of Power, bringing his Staff Sword up horizontally to block the attack. As their Power clashed, the surrounding grass flattened in a wide circle.
Using his forward momentum, Chen Chuan pressed his attack, forcing Xu Xianwen back several steps before unleashing a series of continuous, powerful slashes.
Xu Xianwen had come out worse in their last exchange of Power and was now forced to parry while retreating. Each step he took gouged a deep pit in the earth, which only made it harder for him to disengage.
Through their previous clashes, Chen Chuan had grown familiar with Xu Xianwen’s fighting style and had gotten a feel for his breathing rhythm.
His opponent’s control over his Power was impressive, but once Chen Chuan understood what kind of Power he was using, he knew exactly how to counter it.
He didn’t have to improvise; his instructors had already given him sound advice. But knowing what to do was one thing; applying it in the heat of battle was another entirely.
He took a deep breath. The battle was bringing out the fruits of his recent training. The Mutated Organization throughout his body was active and energized; he was in peak condition.
After a few more slashes, he detected a fractional pause as his opponent shifted his breathing. With a great shout, the layers of his Mutated Organization whirred, channeling all his Power into the blade as he brought it down in a final slash!
KACHA! He cleaved the Staff Sword in two. His Sword Stance didn’t falter as the blade continued its downward arc along Xu Xianwen’s centerline, carving a long, deep gash from his face down to his abdomen.
But as the tip of the blade bit into flesh, he felt an incredible resilience in the muscles beneath; it didn’t cut as deeply as he’d expected.
Xu Xianwen’s face twisted into a ferocious snarl. With a flick of his wrist, he threw both broken halves of his weapon at Chen Chuan, who simply rotated his blade to bat them aside.
Xu Xianwen leaped back, creating distance between them. Blood streamed from his wounds, dripping onto the dirt below. But in the blink of an eye, nourished by his Essence Blood, the gashes sealed themselves shut.
He shot Chen Chuan a savage grin and ripped away his shredded outer shirt, revealing a powerful, well-defined torso. His chest and back were covered in lines of ritual tattoos.
This was a body-inscribing ritual of the Secret Snake Sect. It not only enhanced his Life Force but also allowed his body to process massive amounts of drugs, enabling him to recover quickly even from grievous injuries.
But that wasn’t its true purpose.
As he watched Chen Chuan advance with his blade once more, he took a sharp breath. The ritual tattoos on his body vanished, sinking into his flesh. In their place, a cyan, scale-like Mutated Organization emerged, covering his exposed cheeks and torso.
He crossed his arms, blocking the incoming Long Blade. The impact rang out with the sharp clang of metal on metal.
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