Chapter 747: Absolute Slash

After Assistant Ling spoke, the two flowers beside him began to hiss. Their branches snaked along the tree trunk beneath his feet, slowly creeping toward Chen Chuan.

These were Heart-Disturbing Flowers from the Merging Land. The name might not sound particularly aggressive, but they were in fact ferocious plants that preyed on small- to medium-sized animals. Furthermore, their pollen had a potent effect, disrupting one’s senses and mind.

Of course, none of this was real. Yet here, in the lifelike simulation created by Hong Fu, everything that appeared would manifest with real-world consequences.

Chen Chuan immediately sensed that on top of absorbing Hong Fu’s Power, his Second Self was showing even more signs of fading into illusion.

‘He knew that if Assistant Ling could summon these, he could summon other things as well. As long as the Domain’s resources weren’t depleted, this could go on indefinitely. As the vice-principal’s assistant, and with newly granted higher authority, he could likely mobilize most of the academy’s Domain resources.’

‘So he couldn’t let this fight drag on. He had to end it quickly.’

After blocking another of Hong Fu’s attacks, he noticed that in just that short time, her power and speed had increased yet again, however slightly.

He glanced at Hong Fu’s cold, indifferent eyes. ‘If Hong Fu could attack without restriction, I would be completely outmatched. Her true self is definitely beyond the Third Limit.’

‘Even if I managed to destroy this projection of her, as long as the main Consciousness Body and its spirit remained, she could simply reform.’

‘Fighting like this, there was no chance of victory. No wonder Assistant Ling chose this as the battlefield. He was clearly determined to win.’

‘However…’

His gaze deepened. ‘Since I dared to come here, I obviously came prepared. I’ve already considered how to fight an enemy like Hong Fu within the academy.’

In that instant, with a shift of his will, he had his Second Self bear the full brunt of the Domain’s assault.

Without the resonance of the Domain, he seemed to phase out of the entire scene in an instant.

From Assistant Ling’s perspective, just as Hong Fu’s blade was about to strike Chen Chuan, it passed straight through his body, as if his figure had suddenly turned illusory.

Chen Chuan looked up. He was still standing in the Sky Garden, but the scene from before—the True Form Tree, the two strange flowers, even Hong Fu herself—had vanished.

The spot where Assistant Ling had been standing was also empty, with no one in sight.

For a moment, it was as if he were the only person standing there.

This was his first time viewing the contents of a Domain from an outsider’s perspective. He had a flash of insight: ‘When someone falls into a Domain generated by an active Consciousness Body, it’s like they enter a separate Domain Space. That’s how it can manifest those scenes and objects that seem both illusory and real.’

‘So far, the only ones I’ve seen capable of this are Fumu and Hong Fu.’

‘And Hong Fu specializes in combat.’

‘But if I just maintain this state, it means I’ve exited their constructed Domain Space. They can’t attack me, but I can’t reach Assistant Ling either.’

‘I could probably leave right now if I wanted to. Even if Hong Fu broke free from the Domain Space to pursue me, as long as her power isn’t raised beyond its current limit, I’m confident I could escape.’

‘But Assistant Ling just opened a passage to the Merging Land, which means he’s prepared to retreat whether he succeeds or fails. If I don’t deal with him today, he’ll most likely get away for good.’

‘But since he has revealed his hostility, I can’t just let him escape.’

‘So…’

With another shift of his will, he once again opened himself to the Domain. Instantly, he merged back into the Domain Space, returning to his original position. He saw the giant True Form Tree, Assistant Ling standing on a branch above, and the flash of a blade that had just swept past his side.

He ignored Hong Fu as she shot past him. Instead, he lowered his stance, gripped the hilt of the Snow Monarch Blade, and fixed his eyes on Assistant Ling above. He stomped down hard, shattering the sturdy tree trunk beneath his feet.

In that instant, the world seemed to slow to a crawl.

Shattered bark and splinters of wood drifted slowly outward. His upper body leaned forward, and he began to surge toward Assistant Ling.

Hong Fu landed behind him. She spun, red sashes fluttering, and sent her blade arcing toward the back of his neck. Her Sword Stance was perfectly fluid, without a hint of hesitation, and her movements were exquisitely graceful.

But Chen Chuan’s eyes remained fixed on Assistant Ling, with no intention of turning to block. He simply severed his connection to the Domain once more. The blade passed harmlessly through his illusory form. After evading the strike, he reconnected to the Domain, stepping back into its reality. To an outside observer, it looked as if his figure had merely flickered for a moment.

As he charged forward, the Sword Scabbard seemed to remain suspended in place as the Snow Monarch Blade was drawn, inch by inch. Wisps of shimmering light emanated from the exposed edge of the blade.

After several steps, with a loud BOOM, a shockwave erupted around his body.

Meanwhile, Hong Fu continued her pursuit. But every time she swung, the glint of her blade passed straight through him. As he sprinted forward with all his might, the red flash of her attacks flickered around him like a scarlet ribbon.

In Chen Chuan’s vision, the two spaces flickered back and forth: one moment, an empty Sky Garden; the next, a world teeming with bizarre creatures.

But his gaze never wavered from his target. As the Snow Monarch Blade was fully drawn, the cold, sharp glint of its edge pointed straight ahead.

On his end, Assistant Ling watched Chen Chuan charge forward, completely unaffected. His pupils constricted. In theory, he could alter the terrain and environment at will, but Chen Chuan was simply too fast. He had no time to invoke any changes, not even enough to send a message.

He spun, a Meteor Hammer suddenly appearing in his hand. Harnessing the momentum of his rotation, he flung it. BANG! The hammer head tore through the air, flying in a straight line toward the spot between Chen Chuan’s brows.

Chen Chuan neither dodged nor retreated. Riding his forward momentum, he flicked the Snow Monarch Blade upward. A simple tap against the hammer head sent it flying. The impact didn’t slow his charge in the least, and his sword hand remained perfectly steady.

At that moment, his eyes flashed as he instantly unleashed his Mutated Organization. His speed surged, becoming so fast that he even outpaced the pursuing Hong Fu, causing her next strike to hit empty air. His body blurred, becoming little more than an afterimage as he appeared before Assistant Ling and swung his blade!

Assistant Ling had intended to slow him down, but he had failed. Now, it was too late for any other move.

He raised the short blade attached to the other end of the Meteor Hammer’s chain, parrying the Snow Monarch Blade. It was clearly another Mutated Weapon. Upon impact, Power from the clash surged into both of their bodies.

The thick tree trunk beneath Assistant Ling’s feet immediately cracked and splintered, bark flying everywhere. The Power he used was called Piercing Void Force. It was a technique for both offense and defense; when an opponent’s Power entered his body, as long as he was in contact with another object or standing on solid ground, he could transfer the vast majority of the force away, leaving himself unharmed.

When attacking, he could concentrate his entire body’s Power into a single point and unleash it with several times its normal force, a trait that perfectly complemented his Meteor Hammer. The short blade he held was part of a set with the Meteor Hammer, and he wielded them with great proficiency, allowing him to transfer his own Power completely.

As for Chen Chuan, with his Second Self absorbing the incoming Power, he was completely unaffected. He made no attempt to diffuse the impact, instead pouring all of his strength into the attack. This was no friendly sparring match, so he didn’t need to hold back. After the first slash came another, as swift as a thunderclap.

Although Assistant Ling had taken minimal impact from the Power, the collision revealed his raw strength was insufficient. Yet, his speed somehow managed to keep up with Chen Chuan’s, and he blocked the second slash just in time.

However, as he moved, fine wisps of bloody mist could be seen seeping from his skin. It was clear he had used some kind of Secret Technique or perhaps taken a drug to forcibly unlock his potential.

Chen Chuan had no intention of giving him any opportunities. After the second slash, his breath suddenly grew scorching hot as he activated the Furnace Breathing Method. White steam rose from his body, and in that instant, his physical prowess surged to another level!

In a clash like this, being even a fraction faster was enough to decide the outcome. Techniques, forms, and even Power became secondary. All that mattered was pure strength and speed!

But at that moment, the thick tree trunk beneath Assistant Ling’s feet seemed unable to bear the force of their exchange and, with a loud KRAK, shattered completely.

His expression was calm, for this was intentional. From the very first clash, he had sensed he couldn’t withstand Chen Chuan’s assault, so he had been channeling all the force into a single point beneath his feet. Now, he used the trunk’s collapse to drop backward.

As he fell, he gave a slight twist of his waist, his arm tugging on the chain in his hand.

With that tug, the Meteor Hammer tore through the air, whipping toward the back of Chen Chuan’s head. Simultaneously, a red shadow flashed as Hong Fu caught up, her Yanling Blade slashing at his neck. If he didn’t pull back his blade, he would be struck by both attacks.

A glint flashed in Chen Chuan’s eyes. A faint light bloomed on his blade. He spun, and an impossibly fast arc of light streaked across Assistant Ling’s body like a bolt of lightning. A head flew into the air!