Chen Chuan stared at the Flying Head, drew his Martial Halberd, and instantly aid the muzzle at the creature’s forehead before pulling the trigger.
BANG!
A burst of fire erupted from the muzzle.
The Flying Head seed startled. It let out a sharp cry and shot upward, its long hair flaring out and completely obscuring his vision.
Chen Chuan was sure he had scored a direct hit, but the shot seed to have passed straight through its head as if it were just a phantom. In that sa mont, his other hand gripped his blade’s hilt, and guided by instinct, he slashed upward!
The Flying Head shrieked again. While the gunshot had seed useless, this ti the blade made contact. He felt a faint resistance, as though he had struck sothing ethereal, but it was followed by a hollow sensation of not cutting anything solid.
Almost simultaneously, he noticed the signs of dematerialization on his Second Self deepen for a split second. ’So I did hurt it,’ he realized instantly, ’but it seems the effect was minimal.’
The Flying Head now shot out from behind the gauze curtain, circling high above without coming down.
Chen Chuan’s eyes swept over to where the Flying Head had been. Below, there was a sludge-like mass of gore and bone fragnts, making it impossible to identify what—or who—it used to be.
He looked back up at the Flying Head. ’The gun really is useless, but the blade can touch it. The difference is probably the Mutated Organization in the Snow Monarch Blade. It’s just that there might not be enough of it in the blade.’
’In that case...’
He deliberately took a few steps back. When the Flying Head saw him move away from the spot, it circled briefly before diving back toward the pile of gore.
Chen Chuan plunged his Long Blade into the ground. As the entity descended before him, he suddenly shot out a hand as if to catch sothing. His fingers closed, and he seized a handful of the Flying Head’s long hair, jerking the creature to a dead stop in midair.
His spirits surged. ’Just as I thought. I can touch it directly because my own body has enough Mutated Organization.’
This ca at a price, however. At that exact mont, the dematerialization of his Second Self grew noticeably more pronounced.
He paid it no mind, grabbing on with both hands. With a sharp grunt, he engaged his core, digging his feet in and stepping backward one by one, slowly dragging the thing away from the mass of gore. The creature thrashed wildly, letting out shrill squeals.
The creature wasn’t large, but the strength it exerted was considerable.
He needed to reserve his Second Self to ward off so unknown, invasive harm, so Chen Chuan chose not to rge with it this ti. He was grappling with the entity using only his own physical power. Fortunately, his Mutated Organization hadn’t developed for nothing. He was worlds stronger than he used to be, and for now, his own strength was proving sufficient.
He adjusted his breathing slightly, using the hair to pull himself forward, hand over hand, drawing steadily closer. Once he was near enough, he let out a shout, seized the head itself, and locked it in a tight hold against his chest!
The Flying Head appeared terrified and began to struggle with all its might. The force was so imnse it threatened to lift him off his feet, but his expression remained calm, his grip never slackening for an instant.
During the struggle, the creature nearly wriggled free several tis, but he managed to regain control each ti by montarily rging with his Second Self. After a long ti, he suddenly felt his arms go limp. He glanced down to see that the thing had vanished without a trace.
He slowly straightened up and dusted off his clothes. He didn’t believe it was destroyed. ’These kinds of monstrosities aren’t so easy to eliminate. It’s more likely that the Priest’s ti is simply up.’
’But it will certainly reappear when the Priest begins again. Only when it fails to appear after the Priest is it considered truly destroyed.’
He walked to the altar, pulled the Snow Monarch Blade from the ground, and turned to leave.
"Expert Chen’s out."
Seeing Chen Chuan erge, Gu Mingde held up a hand to stop the n behind him and walked forward alone. He looked Chen Chuan over, and his expression relaxed slightly when he saw he was unhard. "Expert Chen, what’s the situation?"
Chen Chuan looked at him, then at the n behind him. "Captain Gu, everyone, this is a war of attrition. I’ve stopped the creature from consuming its blood sacrifice, but the Priest here cannot be stopped. Otherwise, it might flee elsewhere. When the next Priest begins, I will act again to stop it."
Gu Mingde said, "I’ve already sent a telegraph to the rear. The items you need will be here soon, Expert Chen. We’re well-supplied. As long as your thod works, we can wear this ghostly thing down, no matter how long it takes."
"That’s right. Expert Chen is taking the biggest risk. We’re just standing guard out here. What do we have to complain about?"
"Exactly! Don’t you worry, Expert Chen. We’ll be right behind you!"
Chen Chuan nodded. "You’re right. Having you all backing up is what allows to focus on dealing with that thing inside." He cupped his fist. "I’m counting on you for everything out here."
The n solemnly returned the cupped-fist salute.
Chen Chuan walked off to the side. He took out the piece of Yellow Jade and glanced at it; half of it had already turned black. He put it away and sat down.
He hadn’t noticed it during the battle, but now that the Flying Head was gone, he could feel a wave of power stimulating the Mutated Organization in his body. He imdiately began to regulate it with his Breathing Technique.
’This is far more potent than my usual dicine.’ If he hadn’t already refined the structure of his Mutated Organization, this surge might have triggered the abnormal growth Cheng Zitong had warned him about. As it was, however, it was nothing but a powerful tonic.
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