Chapter 598 - 328: Forceful Severance

Chen Chuan was focusing most of his attention on Chen Bitong when a brilliant light suddenly appeared before him. In that instant, his Spiritual Perception blurred for a moment, and he briefly lost all sense of the outside world.

Having experienced something similar before, he immediately realized he had been pulled into a Rift.

But he didn’t feel the need to stop his attack. Even as the light mingled with the dust from the collapsing building, he could still vaguely make out the figure opposite him. He shifted his feet, his body weaving through the swirling dust and flashing light, and threw a punch straight at his target.

A hand, shimmering faintly with light, reached out from the dust, perfectly positioned to block the incoming fist. But just as they were about to make contact, the fist suddenly opened into a palm. It deftly slid past the blocking hand, then pressed inward, attempting to force the arm back.

His opponent reacted just as quickly, raising his arm to block with his outer elbow. The two collided, and Power instantly radiated outward.

Now in close quarters, the two exchanged several rapid blows. Their movements and the dispersing Power constantly churned the violent air currents and swirling dust, creating a continuous echo of roaring explosions.

But just then, Chen Chuan suddenly saw his Second Self flicker. An inexplicable Spiritual Power seemed to be transmitted from an extremely distant place.

The light in a certain direction seemed to brighten slightly. Then, with a massive tremor, a huge, sunken, luminous hole abruptly formed there.

Not only that, but he felt that as the void appeared, Chen Bitong’s spirit underwent some kind of change. It seemed to have a connection to that place. It felt as if the two were attracting each other, with a growing tendency to merge.

His opponent’s strength was also increasing. After exchanging another blow, he looked up and met Chen Bitong’s eyes. His own gaze hardened.

One half of the man’s face now wore an expression that was a mixture of cold indifference and madness, yet the eye behind the half-mask remained calm.

The Power from his opponent suddenly erupted. Chen Chuan didn’t take it head-on, cautiously retreating several steps. Just then, another gust of air swept through, and the dust and bright light obscured both their figures.

Chen Bitong’s voice came from the other side. "He has come for me, Captain Chen. If I do anything drastic, you must stop me. If I can’t control myself, then kill me."

As he spoke, his voice started out normal, but toward the end, it gradually lost its inflection and emotion, as if he were merely continuing to speak out of conscious inertia.

Chen Chuan waved a hand, brushing away the dust in front of him. When he looked again, he felt as if he were seeing a different person. Although Chen Bitong’s appearance was unchanged, his spiritual aura seemed to have undergone a fundamental transformation.

Combined with what he had just said, he realized the man’s body might have been possessed or infected by that "He." But he hadn’t been completely taken over yet, so he had to be stopped now.

Without the slightest hesitation, he leaped forward, reaching out and making a grasping motion toward the man’s abdomen.

Chen Bitong felt a tearing sensation inside his body, as if something were churning within him, and he involuntarily faltered.

However, his String Void Power immediately moved to defend his organs and fortify his muscles and bones. With a turn of his Power, the thing inside was blocked, unable to tear into him at all.

But even though he suppressed it, he had still paused for an instant. In that moment, Chen Chuan seized the opportunity to rush forward. He reached out, grabbed the man’s wrist, and a stream of Capturing Force immediately seeped in.

Chen Bitong let out a low roar. His internal String Void Power erupted, blocking the invading Force. He then violently raised his other hand, which glowed faintly, and threw a punch at Chen Chuan.

This time, however, Chen Chuan didn’t dodge. He raised his arm to block. BANG! He stopped the glowing hand and didn’t retreat a single half-step!

Chen Bitong involuntarily froze. His gaze fell and met a pair of deep, calm eyes.

As Chen Chuan withstood the punch, the Second Self behind him faded until it was almost invisible. His overall endurance was reduced by nearly two-fifths; he could only block two more punches at most. ’But that was enough!’

He reversed his grip—CRACK, CRACK!—and seized both of Chen Bitong’s arms. A surge of Capturing Force penetrated deep inside, making him shudder. His internal defensive Power was now stretched thin, and the Raccoon Cat Strange Talk within his body let out a howl and began to thrash about.

Chen Chuan then fiercely yanked him, dragging him away from the luminous void. After retreating a few steps, he smoothly executed a shoulder throw, slamming him violently onto the ground.

A deep, ground-shaking roar erupted from Chen Bitong’s chest, as if he were no longer a man but something else entirely. His entire body even began to emit that same faint glow.

Chen Chuan was completely unfazed. BOOM! He smashed a fist onto the man’s head, Power surging inward.

No matter how formidable that power was, it wasn’t unbeatable.

To draw this power in from that other world, one needed to gather sufficient Spiritual Consciousness. If one’s mind couldn’t focus, it was naturally impossible, unless the opponent was already a Fighting Master.

After this blow, Chen Bitong’s head shook violently. But his body seemed to be undergoing some kind of transformation; his head was completely unharmed by the impact of the Freehand Force. The faint glow on his body, however, vanished for an instant.

But a moment later, it reappeared on his palms, and he tried to grab Chen Chuan’s arm. Without hesitation, Chen Chuan smashed another punch into him, causing him to falter once more.

A glint flashed in Chen Chuan’s eyes. In an instant, his hands shot out, grabbing both of the man’s arms. He twisted his hands, unleashing his Capturing Force without any restraint.

With a series of CRUNCHING sounds, he broke both of the man’s arms. The light above his palms immediately dissipated.

He spun around, came to Chen Bitong’s front, and knelt on his body. His fist came crashing down. A faint light seemed to flicker in Chen Bitong’s eyes, but it was immediately smashed into nothingness, and he was left dazed. The light vanished.

Afterward, he rained down punch after punch, relentlessly pummeling him. Each time, he smashed the man’s head back down as he tried to lift it. The thunderous impacts echoed endlessly throughout the Rift.

After countless punches, as he raised his fist again, a weak voice came from beneath him.

"Stop."

Chen Chuan felt that the man’s aura had returned to how it was before. The unstable spiritual fluctuations had also calmed down. Most importantly...

He glanced to the side. The brightly lit hole had vanished at some point.

He slowly lowered his hand, stood up, and backed away.

To his surprise, the Raccoon Cat Strange Talk had also returned from the other man’s body. It seemed to have eaten something and was now sleeping peacefully. A thought stirred in his mind.

Chen Bitong lay there. He struggled to take a few breaths and said, "Captain Chen, aren’t you afraid I’ll keep fighting you after I recover?"

Chen Chuan stood there, looking at him. "If I can beat you once, Teacher Chen, I can beat you a second time."

A hint of admiration appeared in Chen Bitong’s eyes, along with a bit of melancholy. After a moment, his broken arms gradually healed, and he propped himself up into a sitting position.

Just then, Chen Chuan suddenly heard the sound of footsteps and clanking armor in the distance.

Their current location should be the middle of the Rift. Since people from the Old Imperial Family had been here not long ago, the other side likely led to the Merging Land. The newcomers were undoubtedly from the Old Imperial Family.

Sure enough, a short while later, shadowy figures emerged from the dust and light behind them. Their identities could be confirmed by the weapons they carried.

These were the Samurai and Soldiers who had been waiting here. After their previous attempts to charge to the other side of the Rift had failed, they had stopped rushing in and were waiting for reinforcements from the rear.

This Rift had been confirmed from the very beginning to lead into Central City, and it was the most stable of all the current Rifts. They would not give it up so easily.

A strange disturbance had occurred in the middle of the Rift, so of course they would come to investigate.

Chen Chuan turned to face the direction the newcomers were approaching from. After a short wait, rows of armored Soldiers and a few Samurai gradually emerged from the light and dust.

They saw Chen Chuan standing before them at a glance, but before they could react, a powerful Spiritual Shock washed over them.

The Soldiers were instantly struck as if by a hammer. One by one, they lost consciousness on the spot. A series of thuds followed as bodies hit the ground, and soon all the newcomers lay scattered on the floor.

Chen Chuan glanced back at Chen Bitong and saw he was still recovering. He then looked toward the other side and started walking that way.

After a few dozen steps, he felt himself pass through a thin barrier. A thin mist appeared before him. He took a few more steps and peered out through the fog.

Only then did he discover that the Rift’s exit on this side was located at the top of a high ridge, with a mountain path leading down.

But as he looked further into the distance, his expression hardened. Below the mountain was a dense expanse of military camps.

Although the dense vegetation of the Merging Land and the shrouding mist made it impossible to see the exact numbers, the camp stretched as far as the eye could see, a clear sign that the force was massive.

’Is this... the army of the Old Imperial Family?’

Just then, a squad of men seemed to notice the movement up above. They were pointing upward as some of them began to hurry up the mountain.

He thought for a moment, then turned and went back into the Rift.

Chen Bitong was now sitting up, leaning against a Long Spear that had been thrust into the ground.

Chen Chuan walked a few steps, saw the man’s peaked cap on the ground, and bent down to pick it up. He dusted it off and walked over to hand it to him.

Chen Bitong took the cap. Under Chen Chuan’s watchful gaze, he put it back on and adjusted the brim. Then he met the other man’s eyes and said, "Captain Chen, you saw?"

Chen Chuan nodded. "Teacher Chen," he said, "what exactly are you trying to do? Can you explain now?"

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