Celestial Human Diagram

Struck by the immensely powerful slash, the Iron Demon’s body sank, and he immediately contracted his Mutated Organization to stop the blade’s descent.

Chen Chuan didn’t press the attack, though. He withdrew his blade and, before the wound could heal, unleashed another flurry of slashes.

Hampered by his severed bones and muscles, the Iron Demon couldn’t coordinate his movements or properly apply his strength. He could only manage a feeble defense. Under the pressure of Chen Chuan’s relentless Sword Stance, several more deep cuts appeared on his body. He let out a muffled grunt and stumbled backward.

But Chen Chuan showed no signs of stopping. Just as he prepared to continue his relentless assault, the Iron Demon could take no more and unleashed another explosive burst of Power. Only then did Chen Chuan retreat out of range.

He stood his ground and gave his blade a light flick, flinging the tangled tendrils and gory chunks of flesh to the ground.

The wounds on the Iron Demon’s body were healing at a visible rate. The gashes were filled in by rapidly growing tendrils, and his cracked bones knit back together. Within a few breaths, he looked as if he had never been injured.

Chen Chuan’s expression remained placid. He had already noticed something. ’Although the Iron Demon’s speed and strength have increased, the sense of pressure he exudes is actually less than before.’

’In my opinion,’ Chen Chuan thought, ’strength and speed are useless without proper coordination. If you have brute force but lack control and flexibility, or if you can’t command your own body once you accelerate, then technique is out of the question. The Iron Demon is suffering from all of these flaws right now.’

’In other words, his recent power-up is a hindrance, not a help.’

He glanced at the tendrils writhing on the man’s body. ’As a Fighter, the Iron Demon should know this. But perhaps this transformation wasn’t his choice.’

He slowly pointed the tip of his blade at his opponent. The vaporous aura around his body and the glowing mist on his blade began to rise.

’None of that matters to me,’ he thought. ’I just need to complete this mission. Then I can return to Central City and receive guidance to reach the next level of power.’

’But first, I have to cut down what’s standing in my way.’

He flicked his blade and charged forward. Flashes of light erupted as his blade repeatedly clashed with the Long Spear. After just a few exchanges, he could feel his opponent’s Power becoming erratic and his speed starting to lag.

With a sudden turn of his blade, he batted the spear’s shaft aside and followed up with two swift chops. The Iron Demon managed to block them, but his stance was a mess, his center of gravity shifting precariously as he moved.

Using Force Application, he thrust his Long Blade forward, piercing the hollow of his opponent’s shoulder. The Power from the strike penetrated straight to the bone, threatening to tear the muscle and sinew apart from within.

A change flashed in the Iron Demon’s eyes. He desperately mobilized the Mutated Organization in his shoulder to constrict the wound, while the last of the Essence Blood stored in his heart surged forth to rapidly repair the damage.

Seeing the Power gathering at the wound, Chen Chuan’s eyes glinted. He abruptly withdrew his blade and swung it sharply outward.

The strike was as fast as lightning. He had perfectly timed it for the moment the Iron Demon was too slow in mobilizing his Mutated Organization. With a SWISH, the arm holding the spear was lopped off and sent flying into the air!

The Iron Demon’s crimson eyes stared at him, as if he felt nothing at all. He lashed out with his other arm—the Whip Hand—which coiled around Chen Chuan’s body and tried to yank him closer.

Chen Chuan immediately widened his stance, lowered his center of gravity, and planted his feet firmly. He took a deep breath, his skin growing even more scorchingly hot.

He grabbed the Whip Hand with one hand and yanked, pulling it taut. At the same time, he brought his blade up against the appendage and, with a vicious slice, severed it.

Without bothering to shake off the severed limb coiled around him, he pushed off the ground and lunged forward. In an instant, he was upon the Iron Demon. Using his momentum, he plunged his blade into the creature’s abdomen, piercing the outer layer of flesh and sinking deep into its organs until the tip hit the hard spine.

Though the strike didn’t run the Iron Demon all the way through, it sent him staggering back. Chen Chuan grabbed the severed Whip Hand still wrapped around himself and used it to drag his foe closer. Releasing the hilt with his left hand, he slammed a punch into the Iron Demon’s torso. Then, with another powerful tug, he turned and drove his elbow into the creature’s face!

The impact resounded like a clap of thunder. Countless cracks spiderwebbed across the iron mask. The Iron Demon’s head snapped back as a spray of shattered teeth and blood flew from his mouth. He stumbled back, dazed.

But after just a few steps, the Power that had infiltrated his torso erupted. The area reinforced with tough sinew BOOMED and burst open. Though the tendrils instinctively began to close and heal the new wound, the repair speed was now visibly slower.

A glint appeared in Chen Chuan’s eyes. ’Healing injuries consumes Essence Blood. This means his Essence Blood and Divine Constant can no longer keep up with the damage I’m inflicting.’

He stepped forward, gripped the hilt of his Long Blade, and ripped it out with a twist. As the Iron Demon grunted in pain, Chen Chuan grabbed his remaining arm, spun around, and violently slammed him into the ground. The earth erupted in a cloud of dust, a deep crater smashed into its surface.

The Iron Demon spat out a mouthful of blood and tried to get up, but he was only halfway before Chen Chuan kicked him back down. Chen Chuan grabbed his single arm, hoisted his entire body into the air, and smashed him into the ground on the other side.

BANG! Another tremor shook the ground.

The Iron Demon lay there, struggling to rise again, but all that awaited him was another violent slam. Then a fourth, a fifth...

After an unknown number of slams, the Iron Demon could no longer rise. His body had turned a deathly pale, like a corpse that had been submerged in water for too long. The once-full muscles and bones beneath his skin had shriveled, leaving only a thin layer of skin stretched over his frame. His eyes were deeply sunken into their sockets.

His chest heaved in ragged breaths. Above him, a figure stood looking down, but the swirling dust obscured his face.

Chen Chuan stabbed the Snow Monarch Blade into the ground beside him and drew the short blade from his waist. He knelt, placed the edge against the Iron Demon’s neck, and grabbed his topknot with his other hand, pulling his head up. Staring straight ahead, he said, "Go in peace."

With a final exertion of force, there was a sharp SLICE, and the weight in his hand lightened. He stood up, holding the Iron Demon’s severed head.

He sheathed his short blade and held the head up in front of him. He reached out, peeled away the shattered remains of the mask, and revealed the face beneath. It was a bloody, swollen mess, but he could vaguely tell it belonged to a young man. The facial structure seemed familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before.

As he stared, the eyes on the severed head suddenly rolled back. A white object shot out from one of the sockets, lunging straight for his face.

But before it could reach him, a powerful hand shot out and snatched it from the air with a sharp SMACK, stopping it dead.

Chen Chuan’s expression didn’t change as he examined the thing. Its body was covered in folds, resembling an elongated brain. It writhed ceaselessly in his grasp, its front end curling under the pressure of his fingers.

He realized this thing was likely the creature’s true body—some form of activated mutation.

According to Instructor Tian Yu and Advisor Rao, even if its host body was destroyed, as long as this thing survived, the creature would continue to exist. If it found a new body of a comparable level, it could use certain unique methods to quickly return to its original strength.

But the thing itself possessed little power, at least compared to a full-fledged Fighter. A sneak attack was its only real option.

He squeezed his hand, and the thing burst. Under the force of his Power, its tendrils and main body exploded into a fine paste of flesh and blood that splattered to the ground.

’The files said that as long as this thing is obliterated, the threat is neutralized. The rest can be ignored. To be absolutely sure, though, it would be best to burn everything. But my teammates are the priority right now. I can deal with this and come back to clean up later.’

He tied the Iron Demon’s head to his waist. After a moment’s thought, he picked up the mask and placed it back over the face. Then he walked over, retrieved his Snow Monarch Blade, gathered the two Broken Spears, and headed toward the riverbank.

The battle up ahead was still raging, but all four combatants had heard the sounds of the other fight die down. Obscured by dust and vegetation, none of them knew who had won.

The two Duty Samurai had been confident, certain that their Captain would be the victor. However, as a figure emerged in the distance and they saw the head tied to his waist, their spirits were dealt a massive blow. Their once-stable stances fell into disarray in an instant.

The Iron Demon was not just their superior; he was their pillar of strength. They couldn’t imagine their Captain—who in their eyes was invincible and virtually unbeatable—being defeated and decapitated.

Reeling from the shock, their Biological Domains grew frenzied. If they had maintained their defensive posture, they could have held on for some time—how long is hard to say, as long as Chen Chuan didn’t join the fray. But now that their discipline had broken, Yuan Qiuyuan and Qin Qingque immediately found an opening.

Yuan Qiuyuan grunted, "Heh!" His Long Staff shot out like a striking viper, weaving past the Long Spear to tap his opponent on the forehead. With a CRACK, the helmet shattered, and the man’s head snapped backward.

With another great shout, he leaped into the air. He raised the Long Staff high with both hands and brought it crashing down on the Samurai’s skull. BAM! Blood sprayed from the man’s eyes, ears, mouth, and nose. The top of his head caved in completely. He swayed twice, then fell backward, stiff as a board.

Meanwhile, Qin Qingque let out a sharp cry. A glint of cold light pierced through her opponent’s neck guard, driving straight through his throat and out the nape of his neck.

She held the spear there with one hand for a moment before yanking it free, letting the Duty Samurai crumple to his knees and then pitch forward onto the ground. With a flick of the spear’s shaft, she shook the red tassel, scattering droplets of blood in a graceful arc before calmly bringing the weapon to rest.

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