Chapter 118: Morning Light
Chapter 118: Morning Light
Chen Chuan's eyes fixed on the flying skull, and with a swift move, he drew his halberd gun and aimed it at the urban legend's forehead, pulling the trigger.
Bang! A flash of fire erupted from the muzzle.
The flying skull seemed startled, letting out a shrill cry, and suddenly took flight. Its long hair, caught in the draft, obscured its entire field of vision.
Chen Chuan was certain he had hit his target, but it seemed to have passed right through the skull, as if it were just an ethereal figure. Simultaneously, his other hand gripped the hilt of his sword, and relying on his instincts, he slashed upwards!
The flying skull emitted another shriek. The previous gunshot seemed to have had no effect, but this time, as the blade made contact, he felt a slight resistance, as if he had struck something fleeting, yet the sensation was one of emptiness, as if he hadn't made solid contact.
At almost the same moment, he noticed a brief intensification of the etherealization on his "Second Self," and he immediately realized that he had indeed inflicted damage on the creature, albeit seemingly insignificant.
The flying skull darted out of the canopy, hovering above without descending.
Chen Chuan glanced aside and saw that beneath the spot where the flying skull had perched, there was a mess of blood, flesh, and bones, making it impossible to discern what it had been.
He turned back to the flying skull, realizing that the gunshot had been ineffective, but the sword, on the other hand, could touch it. The difference between the two, he surmised, was likely due to the presence of transmutation organs in the Snow Lady Sword. However, the transmutation organs in the sword might not be sufficient.
If that was the case...
He deliberately took a few steps back, and the flying skull, seeing him move away from that position, hovered momentarily before diving back towards the pile of blood and flesh.
Chen Chuan plunged his long sword into the ground and waited for the skull to descend. Suddenly, he reached out, as if grasping something, and with a firm grip, he seized the flying skull's hair, halting it mid-air.
His spirit lifted, confirming his suspicion that the abundance of transmutation organs on his body enabled him to directly touch the creature.
However, this came at a cost, as the etherealization on his "Second Self" suddenly deepened.
Ignoring this, he grabbed the skull with both hands, shouting as he exerted force with his waist and back, stepping backwards while pulling the creature away from the mass of blood and flesh. The creature struggled and emitted shrill cries throughout the process.
Despite its small size, the creature exerted considerable force.
Since he needed his "Second Self" to withstand unknown assaults, Chen Chuan chose not to merge with it this time. Instead, he relied on his own strength to grapple with the creature, and fortunately, his transmutation organs were not in vain, making his current strength sufficient for the task.
He adjusted his breathing slightly, using the hair to pull himself forward with alternating hands, gradually closing the distance. Once he was close enough, he shouted and grabbed the skull, enveloping it tightly in his embrace!
The flying skull seemed startled and struggled fiercely, its strength threatening to drag Chen Chuan along. Yet, he remained calm, maintaining the pressure.
During the struggle, the creature nearly escaped several times, but Chen Chuan controlled it by momentarily merging with his "Second Self." After a while, he suddenly felt the creature vanish from his embrace. He looked down and saw the flying skull had disappeared abruptly.
Chen Chuan straightened up, brushing off his clothes. He didn't believe the creature had been eliminated; urban legends were not so easily eradicated. It was likely that the sacrificial time had simply passed.
But once the next sacrifice was made, the creature would undoubtedly reappear. Only when it failed to show up after the next sacrifice could it be considered truly vanquished.
He walked to the altar, drew out the Snow Lady Sword, and turned to leave.
"Chen Chuan is out," said Gu Mingde, stopping the person behind him and approaching alone. He examined Chen Chuan, relieved to see he was unharmed. "Chen Chuan, how is it?"
Chen Chuan looked at him and then at the crowd behind him. "Captain Gu, everyone, this is a protracted battle. I've prevented the creature from feeding on the sacrificial blood, but we can't stop the sacrifices here, or it might go elsewhere. During the next sacrifice, I'll intervene again."
"I've already sent a telegram to the rear," Gu Mingde said. "The items Chen Chuan needs will be brought here soon, and we have ample supplies. As long as the method works, we can keep fighting this ghost thing."
"Yes, with Chen Chuan facing the greatest danger, we're just standing guard here. What's there to complain about?"
"That's right, Chen Chuan, rest assured. We'll be your strong support!"
Chen Chuan nodded. "Well said, everyone. With your support, I can focus on dealing with that thing at the forefront."
"With a respectful fist salute, he said, "I'll leave the matters outside to you all."
The group returned the gesture with solemn fists.
Chen Chuan walked to the side and took out the yellow jade pendant. Half of it had already turned black. After putting it back, he sat down. During the battle, he hadn't noticed, but after the flying skulls were dealt with, he could feel a force stimulating the transmutation organs within his body. He began to regulate them using his breath control technique.
The effect was far more potent than when he took the medicine daily. If he hadn't already understood the structure of his transmutation organs, this might have led to the abnormal growth that Cheng Zitong had mentioned. But now, it only served as a supplement.
Seeing him leaning on his sword, sitting motionless, the group thought he was resting, which they all understood well. After all, they could easily lose their sanity just by getting close to those flying skulls, but Chen Chuan had faced an entire group, including the origin of the flying skulls. The pressure he endured must have been immense, and they wondered how he managed to get through it.
So, they moved with extreme caution, afraid of disturbing him.
At noon, people from the foot of the mountain brought some sacrificial offerings and climbed up. Some were also assigned to perform the bowing and offering rituals. Fortunately, they didn't have to enter the temple; they could do it from outside.
As the evening approached, some people followed Chen Chuan into the ancient temple and placed the offerings on the altar. When they saw the ground covered in flying skulls, they were momentarily shocked, knowing how troublesome these things could be. Their gaze towards him was filled with admiration.
"You've troubled yourselves, everyone," Chen Chuan said.
"It's no trouble, Expert Chen. How can our little task compare to what you've done?"
After a few polite exchanges, they couldn't afford to linger and had to leave. They knew they couldn't stay here for long. Even after a short while, they felt uncomfortable, nauseous, and dizzy.
Once they stepped out into the sunlight, they felt like they had been reborn. They couldn't help but sigh in relief, wondering how Chen Chuan had endured being inside for so long.
Chen Chuan sat down on a platform, leaning his Snow Lady Sword against the side. He looked up; the sunlight filtering through above might be the only warmth in this place.
He sat quietly in this temple from the old era, seemingly becoming one with it. Yet, his eyes remained bright, and the long sword by his side seemed ready to unleash its sharp edge at any moment.
As time passed, the light gradually dimmed, and the temple fell into darkness.
The two sacrifices were scheduled for 6:30 am and 6:30 pm, and the time was approaching.
Chen Chuan checked his watch and stood up, seeing that it was almost time. He lit the torches on the temple walls, and the place was soon illuminated by the flickering flames.
In the wavering firelight, elongated shadows, toppled stone statues, and the surrounding remnants of flesh and blood made the atmosphere even more eerie and terrifying.
Suddenly, the bound sheep on the altar began to tremble. Its skin tore open, and blood seeped out, flowing in all directions.
Chen Chuan looked up at the altar, and after a moment, the torches flickered violently. Then, abruptly, the flying skull emerged from the shadow above, plummeting straight towards the offerings below. Its long hair floated, like a large shadow descending.
Chen Chuan took two steps forward, instantly crossing the five to six-meter space. With precise accuracy, he whipped his leg upwards, striking the skull. With one kick, he swept it off the altar.
The flying skull, interrupted from its feast, let out a familiar shrill cry. It tried to approach the altar again, but Chen Chuan stood there, persistently driving it away with kicks and blows, preventing it from getting close. After countless times of kicking it away, the flying skull finally disappeared once more.
Chen Chuan stood for a while, then took out the yellow jade pendant from his pocket. Seeing that it had turned entirely black, he gently crushed it with his fingers, and it crumbled into dust.
During this encounter, the yellow jade had shielded him from some of the damage. Tomorrow, he would have to rely entirely on himself.
However, he could clearly feel that this time, the flying skull's appearance was much shorter than the previous one, indicating that the method was highly effective.
He waved his hand and stepped outside, updating Gu Mingde and the others on the situation. Then, he went to the tent they had prepared for him to rest, silently guiding his transmutation organs.
The next morning, he entered the ancient temple again, and the process was similar to the previous day. Each time, he successfully repelled the flying skull from the sacrificial offerings.
On the third day, after some adjustments, Chen Chuan entered the ancient temple once more. When the sacrifice appeared and the flying skull manifested, he successfully drove it away again. This time, the flying skull only lasted a few minutes.
He had a premonition that the next time might be the moment to completely eradicate this menace.
As the day progressed, it seemed to drag on, and by dusk, it was time for another sacrifice. Suddenly, a team member outside shouted, pointing towards the mountain, "Captain Gu, look!"
Gu Mingde turned to look, his expression startled. Dozens of black dots were flying in from all directions, and upon closer inspection, they were all flying skulls. He estimated there to be around forty to fifty of them.
He immediately realized, "These must be from other bases of the Flying Head Sect. It seems Chen Chuan's plan is working!" He shouted, "Prepare to engage!" and added, "Try to keep these things from entering the temple!"
The team members responded loudly, raising their guns and firing at the approaching skulls. Over a hundred people had gathered on the mountain, and the deafening gunshots startled countless birds. Occasionally, a flying skull would be shot down, but about a third of them managed to squeeze through the opening and into the ancient temple.
Gu Mingde's gaze turned towards the temple, his expression grave. They had done all they could; it was now up to Chen Chuan to deal with those inside.
Inside the ancient temple, Chen Chuan was waiting for the flying skull to reappear. Normally, handling it wouldn't be difficult, but with the intrusion of the other flying skulls, he felt a sense of interference.
He had a premonition that once the flying skull's origin came into contact with fresh flesh and blood, it might recover, which would be troublesome.
In this critical moment, his eyes flashed, and he rushed forward, grabbing the flying skull's origin and holding it under his arm. He then drew his gun, turned, and fired. The continuous gunshots startled the flying skulls, and he emptied his pistol in one go. Discarding the gun, he held the skull and charged forward with his sword, slicing through the air.
With each swing of his sword, a flying skull fell. When the last flash of blade light passed, the vast hall was free of any flying skulls.
At that moment, he heard a deep sigh in his ear, and simultaneously, a pile of ashes and black hair fell to the ground.
Chen Chuan noticed that his second self seemed to have suffered a severe blow, rippling like water waves and almost fading into nothingness.
At the same time, the transmutation organs in his body also experienced an unprecedentedly intense stimulation.
He frowned, realizing that his breathing technique was no longer sufficient.
Taking a deep breath, he removed his camouflage cloak and began practicing the Righteous Free Fighting technique right there. After a few rounds, he felt he couldn't keep up with the growth rate of the transmutation organs, so he tried to imitate other power pole techniques and the special force techniques taught by He Xiaoxing.
He practiced repeatedly, and as time passed, he realized it might still not be enough. So, he drew the Snow Lady Sword and, in coordination with his breathing, continuously executed the heavy slash technique. The sword's power overflowed, its blade shimmering with light, and even the remains of the flying skulls on the ground shattered under the force of his strikes.
He continued his relentless attacks throughout the night, finally sheathing his sword as the first ray of morning light shone from above. At that moment, he raised his head, and a faint glimmer seemed to flash in his eyes.
He exhaled deeply, sheathed his sword, and stood there, thinking. First, he cleaned up the ashes and black hair on the ground, straightened his clothes, slung the sword over his shoulder, and headed outside.
The team outside had been anxiously waiting, their faces etched with worry. They, too, had not slept all night.
After the flying skulls entered the ancient temple, Chen Chuan had not reappeared as he usually did, and they had no idea what had transpired within. With the dawn breaking, if he didn't show up soon, they would have to find a way to intervene.
Just then, they heard footsteps, and those who were sitting stood up, their eyes fixed on the temple entrance.
As the footsteps grew clearer, they saw Chen Chuan emerge from the shadows, sword in hand, his figure transitioning from obscurity to clarity until he stood bathed in the morning light.
...
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(End of Chapter)
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