Chen Chuan’s expression tightened at the sight. But instead of trying to wrench the weapon free, he let go of the hilt and surged forward. In an instant, he was inside Tan Wang’s guard, unleashing a vicious onslaught. Tan Wang met the attacks with only one hand, simply letting his body absorb the blows.

Although Chen Chuan’s Power was considerable—even slightly greater than Tan Wang’s—Tan Wang himself possessed highly resilient Mutated muscles. He could easily dissipate the force from such punches and kicks, meaning they posed little threat. The key was to keep the blade locked down; then the fight would be much easier.

Seeing his attacks were having little effect, Chen Chuan immediately switched tactics. After a punch aimed at Tan Wang’s face was parried, he instantly transitioned from a fist to a palm, grabbing Tan Wang’s wrist and yanking it back. Tan Wang felt a surge of Power trying to penetrate his defenses and immediately tensed and twisted his muscles, forcing Chen Chuan’s fingers to release their grip.

Just then, Chen Chuan’s left hand dropped. With a sharp SMACK, he gripped the middle of the blade. As he twisted his waist to pull on the weapon, he shot his open right palm straight at Tan Wang’s face.

Tan Wang felt the blade, which he had successfully entangled, being pulled away. He refused to let go, and in the struggle to hold on, his center of gravity pitched forward. He saw the palm strike coming incredibly fast, almost upon his face.

His reptilian pupils contracted; he seemed to sense danger. At that moment, he threw his head back. His neck muscles squirmed, and his neck impossibly elongated, allowing his entire head to practically fold onto his back. He dodged the strike and immediately brought up a hand to parry Chen Chuan’s palm away.

Had anyone been standing behind him, they would have seen a smirk spread across his face as his head was tilted back.

’I’m no longer in a rush,’ he thought. ’Once this flurry of attacks from Chen Chuan ends, I’ll immediately use the Secret Snake Sect’s Secret Snake Capturing Technique. I’ll use the high flexibility of my limbs and partially modified joints to grapple him. Once I get a hold of him, unless his Power is vastly superior to mine, he’ll be constricted to death.’

Chen Chuan also sensed that this kind of close-quarters grappling was extremely disadvantageous for him. Unarmed, he posed no real lethal threat to Tan Wang.

All Tan Wang had to do was weather this brief assault, and he would surely retaliate with his experienced close-combat techniques. Chen Chuan would then be forced onto the defensive, no longer able to dictate the flow of the battle.

But Chen Chuan didn’t stubbornly press on. He reacted instantly, raising his knee in a sharp kick. When Tan Wang blocked it, Chen Chuan used the opposing force to leap backward. He bent low, his hands dropping to grip the hilt of his blade. With a quick step and a powerful twist of his waist, he violently swung the blade in an upward arc.

This time, with his entire Mutated Organization surging layer upon layer, the force he exerted was so immense that the muddy ground beneath his feet sank.

Tan Wang felt a powerful, overwhelming force transfer through the blade, and his expression changed. If he didn’t let go, he would likely be thrown into the air. Even if he managed to hold his ground, the struggle would probably snap the generic snake-like tendrils he was using to hold the blade.

Realizing he could no longer hold the blade, he abandoned the attempt without hesitation, releasing the snake-like tendrils. He then spun on the spot, his body coiling like a serpent before he shot forward, pouncing toward Chen Chuan with arms outstretched, ready to ensnare his waist and legs.

Chen Chuan’s arms were still in their upward swing, leaving his entire front exposed. He had no time to block. ’If I can just get in close and grapple him,’ Tan Wang thought, ’I can still achieve my objective.’

But unexpectedly, Chen Chuan still had something in reserve. He took a timely step back, flicked his wrist, and sank his stance, thrusting the long, narrow hilt downward like a spear. Tan Wang’s eyes narrowed, and he was forced to sidestep. Chen Chuan’s waist rotated, driving his arms. He twisted his wrist again, following Tan Wang’s dodge with a horizontal slash.

Tan Wang was forced into a sideways flip to evade the blow.

With a single hand, Chen Chuan swung the Long Blade to force Tan Wang back. He then slowly brought the weapon back, gripping it firmly with both hands, its tip aimed at his opponent from a distance.

Tan Wang’s expression turned ugly. They were right back to the previous stalemate. ’In that case,’ he thought, ’I’ll have to resort to the method I was hoping to avoid.’

He could use a specific breathing pattern to stimulate his Mutated Organization and temporarily boost his combat power. The problem was, while his own body could handle the strain, the generic Implant might not.

’Besides, the Implant won’t last much longer anyway, even if I don’t push it. And I’ve already gauged Chen Chuan’s limits. A small boost in power should be more than enough to finish this.’ Decided, he spread his arms wide as the floodgates of his energy suddenly burst open.

Chen Chuan noticed Tan Wang’s chest and back began to heave at an accelerated rate, and his eyes became bloodshot. He immediately realized his opponent was stimulating his Mutated Organization.

’This must be his final, desperate gambit,’ Chen Chuan thought. ’If so, then it’s about time for me as well.’

He took a long, deep breath and began to circulate the Furnace Breathing Method. In that instant, all the Energy he had accumulated over the past month, driven by the synergy of his internal and external breathing, burst forth from his Mutated Organization and surged through every fiber of his being.

His body instantly became scorching hot. A great cloud of white steam billowed from his skin, mingling with the rain. Whipped by the strong winds, it seemed to spiral upward!

He lowered his center of gravity slightly and then shot forward in a sudden burst. A flash of his blade followed, splitting the curtain of rain!

Tan Wang was horrified. Chen Chuan’s speed had exploded, far surpassing what it was moments ago. He could barely track the movement, forced to rely on pure instinct to dodge and create distance.

Yet the flash of the blade pursued him like an avalanche. He had no choice but to block with his arm. The instant they made contact, he suddenly felt a part of his body go light. His pupils contracted violently, and he retreated in haste.

Chen Chuan remained where he stood, not giving chase. He merely flicked his blade, and with a wet THUD, an arm fell from the air to the ground.

In that last slash, he had coordinated with his Furnace Breathing Method to unleash the Heavy Slash Blade Force, a technique he had never used before. Now, with that Power still coursing through it, the Snow Monarch Blade vibrated faintly.

Tan Wang’s breathing grew ragged. The wound on his stump quickly sealed as the muscles writhed and closed. But missing an arm not only drastically reduced his combat effectiveness, it also threw off his balance. Worse, the series of violent exertions had made his Implant feel even more misaligned with his body.

Just then, a bolt of lightning split the sky, illuminating the world as bright as day. Through his blurred vision, Tan Wang saw Chen Chuan approaching, blade in hand. He seemed to be wreathed in swirling white steam, his face obscured. Countless raindrops hammered against the blade, shattering into a fine mist.

At that moment, the thought of escape involuntarily surfaced in his mind. Then, the figure of Chen Chuan vanished once more. Tan Wang scrambled to retreat, but his compromised balance and flagging stamina made him even slower than before.

SHING! A massive gash was torn open across his chest and abdomen. He stumbled upon landing and fell into a crouch as a torrent of blood and bodily fluids sprayed onto the ground.

He pushed himself up from the ground, clutching his stomach. He managed to get to his feet and began to stumble away.

Chen Chuan plunged the Snow Monarch Blade into the ground and strode forward. He grabbed a handful of Tan Wang’s hair and yanked his head back, forcing his face upward. He balled one hand into a fist, slowly raised it high, and said, "Teacher Tan, remember when you asked if I was willing to follow you to Central City as your servant..."

The raised fist fell, smashing heavily into Tan Wang’s face. Several teeth flew out, mixed with a spray of blood.

"This is my answer!"

Tan Wang let out a gurgling laugh, as if mocking him.

Seeing this, Chen Chuan’s fist smashed down again. One punch after another. He kept swinging, shattering Tan Wang’s facial bones and teeth until his face was nothing but a bloody pulp. Only after Tan Wang lost consciousness completely did Chen Chuan release his grip, letting the man’s body fall into the rain-soaked mud.

He stood there, slowly regulating his breathing. As he exhaled a final wisp of white vapor, the scorching heat in his body gradually subsided. He looked up at the sky, feeling the rain begin to weaken. The storm was almost over.

...

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