https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-830-The-Search-for-Self-Perfection/12982965/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-832-Unique-Reasons-for-Alternate-Forms/12982978/
Chapter 831: Concealed Light in the Desert Wind
Chapter 831: Concealed Light in the Desert Wind
An off-road vehicle was driving across the desert, with Chen Chuan sitting in the back seat. Along the way, all he saw were vast stretches of barren land. At first, he occasionally spotted herders, but eventually, even they disappeared, leaving only the distant figures of a few wild horses.
The territory of the Besa Khanate was vast, and Shahrhan was not close to Barkut. By car, it would take about half a day to reach there.
Of course, he could travel much faster on his own, but this journey was likely to lead to a conflict with another Fighter. The strength of the opponent was unknown, and he did not dare to underestimate them just because they were from a small country. Moreover, this was abroad, and the situation was unpredictable, so there was no need to expend too much energy before the battle.
He had arrived at the Barkut Capital City in the morning, and the matters inside the city took less than two hours to resolve. Afterward, he set off immediately, and it was now around 5:30 PM, almost evening in the Besa Khanate.
Suddenly, the wind picked up, and sand and dust were swept up from the ground. The driver, seeing the distant scenery becoming blurry and the sky darkening, turned around, removed his scarf, and shouted loudly, "Sir, a sandstorm might be coming. Should we find a place to take shelter?"
Chen Chuan asked, "How long does the sandstorm usually last here?"
The driver coughed out some sand and replied, "This season, it won't last too long, but it should still take a couple of hours."
Chen Chuan asked, "How far is it to Shahrhan?"
"About two to three hundred kilometers."
Chen Chuan nodded and said, "Then find a place to take shelter. I'll walk the rest of the way."
The driver was taken aback but did not argue. He nodded obediently.
Before setting out, he had been instructed not to ask or interfere with what this person intended to do, just to follow orders. He put his scarf back on and stopped the car.
Chen Chuan pushed open the car door and stepped out. He glanced at the sky, which had turned incredibly yellow due to the impending sandstorm, blending the sand and the sky into a single hazy mass.
This time, he was traveling across an open desert, so he had brought Chao Ming, who had been following him. However, the strong wind made flying difficult, and they needed to find a place to take shelter.
He signaled upward, and Chao Ming let out a piercing call, then lowered its altitude and slowly landed to one side.
Chen Chuan looked forward, holding his hat with one hand. A faint light shimmered around him, and then he vanished from the spot. Moments later, a rumbling sound like thunder echoed across the desert, as if the sandstorm had been split in two, the dust swirling wildly before settling back down. At the forefront, a faint glow resembling lightning flashed and then disappeared into the distance.
Chen Chuan continued his sprint forward. As the sky grew completely dark, he arrived at the base of a sand cliff in the middle of the desert.
This place should be Shahrhan, one of the former sacrificial sites of the Besa Khanate. Even with the sandstorm obscuring the view, he could see the lights shining from above from a distance.
Due to the limited information from the Great Shun's intelligence, he had initially thought this area would be heavily guarded. However, upon arrival, he found that apart from some watchtowers on the sand cliff, there were no defensive fortifications or bunkers outside, making it seem too simple to be the main stronghold of a resistance force.
He considered that this might be because they believed a Fighter was protecting the place, so additional defenses were unnecessary.
This reasoning wasn't wrong. With the Besa Khanate's limited military strength, they couldn't deploy many troops here, and even if they did, they wouldn't stand a chance against a Fighter in the open wilderness. A battle between two Fighters would be meaningless for ordinary soldiers.
As the sandstorm intensified, he stopped and took out a mask that resembled jade, with a vertical red stripe between the eyebrows. He put it on, and the red scarf fluttered in the wind. The sand and dust flew past his cloak, but when they reached a certain distance from his body, they lost their momentum and floated there, then began to swirl around him, creating a void in the dense sandstorm from a distance.
With the mask in place, he held the Snow Queen Saber and moved forward.
On the sand cliff, there were many sentries in the watchtowers, wearing windproof masks and fully covered, but they appeared quite relaxed. They leaned against the sand walls, drinking kefir and chatting with their companions, occasionally bursting into laughter.
Whenever the sandstorm arose, it was their most relaxed time. Who would come during a sandstorm? This was highly unrealistic. Besides, who would dare to attack a stronghold with a Fighter present?
If the Fighter from Barkut were to come, they would have done so already. According to their Guardian Deity, the deity of Barkut had long become a lackey of the Great Shun, like an old wolf in the wilderness, whose fangs and claws were no longer sharp, and whose fur was bald, only able to howl from within the city, casting venomous eyes outward but not daring to come out and fight the fierce beasts that invaded their doorstep.
The people of Besa Khanate firmly believed in this doctrine, thinking that their guardian deity would lead them to freedom from foreign interference and make their country completely independent. They envisioned a prosperous nation under the protection of Mahamaya.
Within the sentry post, there was a fighter who was clearly more vigilant than the others. He paced with a sharp gaze, occasionally glancing outside. When he looked out again, his expression suddenly tensed, and he quickly crawled to the observation port, peering intently. After a few moments, he shouted, "Someone's coming! Get up, quickly! Get your guns ready!"
The armed militants, who had been drinking kefir, scrambled to their feet in a panic, grabbing their guns and aiming downward. However, due to the darkness and the swirling sand below, visibility was poor, and their shots were blind and chaotic, serving little purpose other than to boost their courage and create a sense of panic.
The fighter ran to the lamp position and swept the searchlight back and forth several times before adjusting it. Finally, he managed to illuminate Chen Chuan.
Chen Chuan didn't dodge or even look up; he continued walking at his original pace. But the fluttering red scarf and the vertical red scar on his mask startled those above.
For some reason, the leader felt a surge of fear and shouted, "There! Shoot! Shoot!"
Instantly, various firearms on the cliff erupted with flashing muzzles in the darkness. However, despite the searchlight, the militants' marksmanship was poor due to the distance, and not a single bullet hit Chen Chuan.
As Chen Chuan gradually approached, their accuracy improved slightly. At this moment, the machine gun on the cliff also opened fire, but the bullets slowed down after entering a range of several dozen meters, eventually falling weakly into the soft sand.
The leader's eyes widened, and his body trembled as he swallowed hard. He silently retreated a few steps and then turned to run inside.
Chen Chuan had already reached the bottom of the cliff. With a leap, he instantly appeared on the platform over twenty meters high. After he stood firm, those above froze for a moment before erupting into frantic shouts. They aimed their guns at him and fired relentlessly, even after their bullets ran out, they kept pulling the triggers.
But the next moment, as if swept by an invisible force, they all went limp and fell in unison, their eyes rolling back. The surroundings suddenly became quiet.
Chen Chuan glanced forward and then followed the leader's footsteps into the sandstone building.
He walked at a normal pace, but after a few steps, his figure seemed to flicker, appearing abruptly in the distance before flickering again.
Inside the building, there were still guards and militants, but as Chen Chuan walked by, they collapsed one by one. Only the dull thuds of bodies hitting the ground could be heard.
After walking for a minute or two, Chen Chuan reached a spacious dome hall where the leader had run to. The leader, half-crawling and half-running, approached a tall figure seated in front and said, "Mahamaya, there... there..."
Before he could finish, he lost consciousness and collapsed, his face slamming onto the ground.
After a while, footsteps approached from outside, and Chen Chuan's silhouette appeared at the hall entrance. He looked forward and saw a tall, scarred man with a bare upper body, pouring kefir into his mouth. The liquid flowed down his scarred chest.
Fighters usually abstained from alcohol, and a little alcohol had no effect on them, let alone fighters. There were deeper reasons for this, and most people respected this tradition. Fighters could easily heal their scars, so any visible scars were intentionally left.
The man before Chen Chuan seemed to have strayed from the path, either due to a vow taken during a limit break or his natural character.
Chen Chuan thrust the Snow Queen Saber into the ground and entered the hall. Looking at the man, he said, "You must be the Besa Khanate's Al Tamur. I've come to retrieve the Great Shun's property. I hope you will return it to us."
Al Tamur took another sip of kefir, crushed the cup in his hand, threw it aside, and wiped his mouth. He stood up from his seat, saying, "I knew it. The Great Shun government wouldn't sit still. All those negotiations were lies. I knew they would send someone."
As he straightened his body, his field domain suddenly expanded, colliding with Chen Chuan's biological field domain. At the edge of the compressed field, fine cracks appeared.
"You Great Shun people took so many resources and talents from us. You sucked our blood and flesh, and now you're unwilling to give back a piece of broken stone?"
He took out a jade fragment from his pocket, tossed it in his hand, and slammed it into the armrest, embedding it. "Want it? Sure, bring something to trade!"
...
...
(End of Chapter)
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