Chapter 387: The Ritual Mark
Chapter 387: The Ritual Mark
Xu Xianwen's senses were incredibly keen. Upon seeing that his initial tactic was ineffective, he quickly changed his approach, retreating to a safer distance and provoking Chen Chuan by hurling various broken objects from the ancient temple towards him.
Chen Chuan remained vigilant, wielding his knife to deflect each incoming object.
But these seemingly random objects carried an unexpected weight and force, revealing Xu Xianwen's skill in throwing.
Chen Chuan became more cautious, realizing that these forces were not without purpose and likely served as a prelude to a more deadly attack.
Indeed, moments later, a muffled sound echoed, followed by a gust of wind, and a towering statue with glaring eyes appeared, gradually growing larger as Xu Xianwen pushed the broken statue from the shrine towards him.
The statue stood at an imposing height of five to six meters, its six arms stretched outwards, each holding a weapon in a grappling pose, blocking a significant portion of Chen Chuan's view. Instead of dodging, Chen Chuan swiftly raised his knife and lunged forward, slicing through the massive statue with a burst of blade light. The statue, subjected to the concentrated force, shattered into pieces and collapsed backwards.
As the fragments scattered, Chen Chuan's instincts kicked in. He swiftly deflected an incoming staff spear with his knife, but the force felt peculiar, as if it had been thrown.
Suddenly, Xu Xianwen's brow twitched, and Chen Chuan realized that he had closed the distance. Xu Xianwen extended one hand to push away the knife blade while the other hand thrust towards him.
Chen Chuan remained unperturbed. With a swift motion, he drew a short knife from his waist and slashed at Xu Xianwen repeatedly, using a dragging force to counter the stabbing attack.
Surprisingly, Xu Xianwen made no attempt to dodge, allowing the knife to cut through his arm and head. His outstretched hand relentlessly reached for Chen Chuan's face, ignoring the potential danger.
Chen Chuan calmly turned his head, feeling a sharp energy graze his cheek. With his cutting space compromised, he abandoned his knife, clenching his fist and delivering a powerful punch to Xu Xianwen's face.
The impact sent Xu Xianwen flying, crashing into the temple wall and creating a large dent. As the sun began to rise, the temple was bathed in natural light, making the interior significantly brighter.
Chen Chuan bent down to retrieve his short knife, noticing that the Boundary Vessel was now silent, apparently destroyed. It was clear that Xu Xianwen's actions had been aimed at sabotaging it.
However, Chen Chuan didn't dwell on this. Protecting the Boundary Vessel was not his primary concern, and he hadn't even considered it during his retreat.
Moreover, the Processing Bureau must have already pinpointed their location and direction by now. Even without this information, they could easily trace their path by following the trail of destruction.
Chen Chuan sheathed his knife and exited through the broken wall. Behind him, half of the temple wall collapsed with a thunderous roar, sending clouds of dust and smoke billowing and causing his hooded cloak to flutter.
Xu Xianwen, already on his feet, stood at the edge of the hill, his eyes fixed on Chen Chuan. He wiped the blood from his mouth, his arm, face, and even his head bearing deep knife scars, the flesh torn and bones exposed. Yet, the wounds were rapidly healing, closing and sealing themselves.
Chen Chuan's attack had caused Xu Xianwen to lose a significant amount of blood, which seemed to disappear, likely due to the ritual's effect. A preliminary estimate suggested a loss of about one-tenth of his blood.
Xu Xianwen wasn't concerned about the blood loss. With the release of his heart's essence blood, his body swiftly regenerated the missing blood, restoring him to a complete state in a short time.
A lasso hung from Xu Xianwen's right hand, attached to the staff spear he had retrieved. With a simple tug, he reclaimed the weapon, prepared for any potential combat.
However, instead of engaging Chen Chuan again, Xu Xianwen chose to retreat, leaping down the hill and disappearing into the distance. Chen Chuan followed swiftly, soon reaching an open area. Ahead lay a clear lake surrounded by white reed flowers swaying in the breeze. The morning sun cast a golden-red hue over the lake's surface.
Chen Chuan watched as Xu Xianwen's figure rapidly receded down the hill, and he too leaped down in pursuit.
"As we drive towards the two individuals, following the route of the Tier Three Combatants, oh my, what's that...?"
In the jolting vehicle, he witnessed a building on a distant hill collapsing with a mighty crash, and couldn't help but get excited. "Look, it must be them!"
Ladies and gentlemen, can you imagine this?
The two individuals left a trail of destruction in their wake. Walls were toppled, vehicles overturned, and trees snapped like twigs. It was almost unbelievable; they were like two armored trucks produced by the Feng Hai Corporation!"
After a smooth sponsorship plug, he seamlessly transitioned back to his emotional state, "I feel my whole body trembling. I'm heading towards their direction, but I don't know if this will anger them. They might suddenly leap onto my car in the next moment and take my life..."
As he spoke, he nudged the driver, "Buddy, don't be afraid. I'm with you!"
The driver, already tense from driving, shuddered at the touch, nearly driving into a pit. He yelled, "Can you please stop touching me!" but it only elicited a burst of reckless, excited laughter.
As his report continued, more and more people noticed him, and the number of viewers behind the Boundary Vessel rapidly increased, especially when they learned that one of the participants in this incident was Chen Chuan. It sparked even more interest. Those who had watched the arena tournament quickly joined in.
The Processing Bureau also took note of the situation. Captain Guan glanced and asked, "Have our people arrived?"
"They're on their way there!"
Captain Guan considered for a moment and decisively ordered, "Allocate some resources to that reporter. Let him get a clearer view and understand the situation there first."
Although Chen Chuan started late, the open terrain provided an unobstructed view. He gradually increased his speed, quickly closing the distance with the person. Then, with a flick of his wrist, he threw out several pebbles.
Xu Xianwen sensed the wind from behind and immediately sidestepped, but this inevitably slowed him down. Soon, he felt the pursuit catching up, and he let out a shout, holding his gun with one hand and turning to thrust it backwards!
Chen Chuan tilted his head to dodge, pushing his saber forward. Xu Xianwen twisted his body, crossing his gun in front to block the saber. The kinetic energy collided, and the surrounding grass and leaves were flattened in a large area.
Chen Chuan, riding the momentum, pressed his saber and pushed Xu Xianwen back several steps. Then, with a series of rapid and powerful slashes, he continued the attack.
Xu Xianwen, having taken a hit from the kinetic energy, was at a disadvantage. He retreated while blocking the attacks, creating deep pits with each step, making it difficult for him to escape quickly.
Through their previous engagements, Chen Chuan had become familiar with Xu Xianwen's fighting style and roughly understood his breathing rhythm.
Although Chuan's kinetic energy changes were impressive, he knew what kind of force he was dealing with. He understood what approach to use to counter it.
He didn't have to think of a temporary solution; his teachers had already provided mature advice. But knowing and applying it in battle were two different matters.
He took a deep breath. Through the recent engagements, the fruits of his cultivation in recent days were evident. His altered organism throughout his body was active and excited, and he was in his best condition.
After several more slashes, he sensed a slight breathing gap in his opponent. With a loud shout, his altered organism layers rotated, gathering kinetic energy into his saber. Then, he slashed downward!
"Crack!" The staff-sword was directly cut in half. The saber's momentum continued, slicing downward from the centerline, cutting a deep gash across Xu Xianwen's face, chest, and abdomen.
However, when the saber's tip cut into his flesh, it encountered resilient muscles that didn't allow for a deep penetration.
Xu Xianwen's face contorted with ferocity. He threw the two broken gun barrels towards Chen Chuan, who deflected them with a twist of his saber.
Xu Xianwen leaped backward, creating some distance between them. Blood flowed from his body, drop by drop, onto the muddy ground below. But in the blink of an eye, those wounds quickly closed and healed under the nourishment of his essence blood.
At this moment, he revealed a ferocious smile towards Chen Chuan. He tore off his tattered outerwear, exposing his upper body with beautiful muscle definition and solid fullness. Ritual tattoos adorned his chest and back.
These were the Serpent Sect's embedded religious rituals, enhancing his life force and allowing him to withstand large amounts of medication. Even if he was severely injured, he could quickly recover.
But the true purpose didn't end there.
As he watched Chen Chuan advance with his saber, he took a deep breath. Simultaneously, the ritual tattoos on his body suddenly disappeared, and his face and body surface revealed altered organisms resembling cobalt scales, covering his exposed body.
He crossed his arms, directly blocking the long saber. The point of contact emitted a sound like the clash of gold and iron.
...
...
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
