Book 3, Chapter 330: Duty
Chen Chuan stood still at the edge of the gap with his saber. After waiting for a while, he saw three warriors reaching the mountaintop on horseback. Once they arrived outside the gap, they got off and walked over.
The leader was in full armor and had a mask covering his entire face. In his hands, he held a spear with a white tassel. Clearly, he was a royally appointed warrior.
His rank might be the same as the Iron Monster’s, though based on how dangerous his mental energy felt, Chen Chuan had a feeling that he was stronger. The two people behind him were his retainers.
Upon entering the gap, the royally appointed warrior immediately saw Chen Chuan, and his gaze changed. Without any hesitation, he transformed, and white tentacles made of mutated tissue crawled out of his body.
This was not a random encounter in the wild. The royally appointed warrior knew that there was something wrong on the mountain and had come here to solve the problem, so he didn’t bother holding back and immediately got into peak condition.
Chen Chuan went forward with his saber. He moved in a relaxed manner, as if he wasn’t worried about the warrior transforming in the slightest.
Just as the warrior’s mental energy started transforming and had yet to merge with his body, Chen Chuan’s eyes flashed, and he launched a Mind Shattering Hammer straight at the warrior.
Before this, he still needed to use his weapon as a medium for this technique, but now, he could attack remotely.
The royally appointed warrior became dazed for a short moment.
During that time, Chen Chuan arrived near him. With a quick swing of his saber, he delivered a diagonal slash. The saber flashed, and the tall warrior was cut in half, along with his armor.
Everyone present could see Chen Chuan’s movements clearly. They were incredibly rhythmic, and the entire process had a relaxed air about it.
To the other two cavalrymen, Chen Chuan had just walked over and performed a simple swing, which sent their general’s spear and upper torso flying.
Before his body even fell on the ground, they saw another flash, and the warrior’s head was sent flying too.
While Chen Chuan was doing the final slash, a powerful gust blew within the space, causing his hair and clothes to dance. The head started rolling out.
The two retainers were shocked. They didn’t expect their general to be beheaded in a single move. Their opponent this time was, without a doubt, far stronger than what they could handle.
But the imperial military system stated that retainers had to share honor and death together with their generals. They couldn’t run.
If they died together with their general, their families would be taken care of. If they fled, not only would they be court martialled, but their families would also be punished. The two had no other choice but to charge at Chen Chuan with their spears.
Chen Chuan didn’t care about why they attacked. Since they were his enemies, he wasn’t going to show mercy. With a step forward, he met their attacks. As two saber flashes cut through the air, he killed the two men in an instant.
Once he got rid of them, he brandished his saber and straightened his back.
A wave of emotion rose in his heart. If he had been at the same level of strength as when he first went to the merged space, he would have ended up in a difficult fight against these three opponents instead of being able to take them down instantly.
Aside from learning more techniques, the fact that his strength had visibly grown also played a huge part.
He observed the enemy weapons. Aside from the warrior’s sword having some appeal, the others had no collector’s value.
Finding it somewhat regretful, Chen Chuan went forward to pick up the sword before returning to Chen Bitong.
“They won’t be coming here again anytime soon. Let’s continue our conversation, Instructor Chen.”
Chen Bitong met his gaze. “What else do you want to know?”
“I’d like to know how you knew a gap or rift was going to appear here. Also, why was the imperial army right on the other side? Is there some kind of connection?” Chen Chuan asked.
Chen Bitong didn’t bother hiding the truth. “If I want a propagated offspring to locate places with pure essence, I need a gap or rift to expand to a certain degree.
“The gaps formed naturally after the Fu-Mu Entity starts propagating are incredibly unstable.
“But if we have someone from the other side of a gap working with us to do some leading of energies around, we can stabilize a gap or rift.
“We made use of the royal family’s desire to invade Central City when the Fu-Mu Entity propagated. We communicated with them and arrived on time. We also got the Iron Gem Stakes that came from the same cultivation nest to bring out a stable rift.”
“Are you saying that you contacted the royal family?” Chen Chuan asked.
“The royal family could also figure out the general time of the Fu-Mu Entity’s propagation. After the gap appeared on the World Ring, the royal family was bound to do something during that time and try to barge into Central City.
“Instead of letting them invade us on their own, it was better to meet with them and pick a place. Then, it’d be easier to control them and block them at the rift.”
Chen Chuan understood what he was saying. Chen Bitong made use of the royal family, but it was impossible for him to have done this alone. Someone must have helped him.
“I won’t let them charge out of our gap. From the moment I opened it, I intended to guard it with my life until it closed,” Chen Bitong said sternly.
Chen Chuan knew that Chen Bitong wasn’t lying. If no martial arts masters appeared, Chen Bitong would indeed be able to stop the imperial army from getting out.
As long as he stood in front of a rift and gaps, he could move freely. He could also use his mind to activate that power. Even the people at the same level as he was might not be able to win against him.
At the very least, they wouldn’t be able to fight him when he used the Flying Dragon Force in front of the rift and the gaps.
Chen Bitong then looked outside. “I’m not the only one. Did you see the people who came with me? They were all once my subordinates, but were heavily wounded and went through some physical modifications. When they came with me today, none of them were thinking about going back alive.”
“What about Fang Zhixin?” Chen Chuan asked.
“His father served with me, and he also died because he was corrupted. I told him not to come, but he insisted and hoped that we could change things together,” Chen Bitong replied.
Chen Chuan nodded. After some thinking, he said, “I have another question. I know you can control where the gaps appear, but how did you know where the propagated offspring would appear?
“According to what I know, there’s no pattern to where a propagated offspring appears. Aside from the first wave, even the World Ring Defense System needs time to identify where they will appear.”
Chen Bitong shook his head. “I don’t actually know, but there’s a way to guide them to appear where you want. Do you remember me using the Fu-Mu Entity’s domain resources during your lessons?
“I used a certain thing to form a connection with the Fu-Mu Entity’s mind. Over the month, that connection continued growing stronger.
“While it doesn’t affect the Fu-Mu Entity itself, when it propagates, the chances of a propagated offspring appearing near this thing are quite high.
“If the propagated offspring doesn’t show up nearby, it makes it easy to lure one out of a stable gap.”
Chen Chuan understood what he meant. Chen Bitong had been preparing for this for a long time.
“I have one final question. What exactly happened to you when we were fighting?” Chen Chuan asked.
Chen Bitong met Chen Chuan’s gaze and said grimly, “I know what you’re trying to ask, Captain Chen, but I didn’t form any deal with the existences from the other world. This is where I draw the line.
“You must remember to never form any deals with the existences from the other world. Even if those deals look like they’re beneficial for you, all of them contain consequences you won’t be able to bear.
“While I was confident that I could win against many people, if I wanted to successfully implement my plan, I knew that the power I currently possess wasn’t enough, and I might be unable to last to the very end. That’s why I made a choice.
“Do you remember the Image Engravers I told you about?”
Chen Chuan nodded.
“The Image Engravers enter a person’s consciousness to change them, but I never told you that a person with a strong will and stable mental energy can choose to be corrupted to make use of their power.
“But Image Engravers aren’t independent entities. They have some form of connection with a higher being, and their power comes from that higher being.
“That’s why, if you do this, you’re borrowing power from that higher being, and it might come to retrieve its power at any moment.
“I lured it over after drawing the power from the other world in the rift. If one can’t suppress the Image Engraver’s borrowed power, they’ll end up as another person.
“While I have my own fixation and my corrupted self might have the same goal as I do, I won’t be me anymore, and I don’t know what I would end up doing. That’s why I would rather have someone stop me before that happens.”
Chen Bitong pushed himself off the ground slowly. When he straightened up, all his wounds were gone.
He looked at Chen Chuan and said frankly, “We prepared a catalyst. The moment a propagated offspring enters the gap we prepared, it will go to a place with pure essence. As the gap expands, the rift leading to the pure essence will be torn open.
“Captain Chen, I’ve done what I needed to do. You’re free to choose how to punish me now.”
Then, he turned to the gap. He was standing proud and tall.
“I’ve defended the World Ring my entire life, and I’ve never let a single enemy I can defeat leave. Even when a gap appeared in the World Ring, that fact did not change. I hope that you can give me a chance to perform my final duty.”
