CHAPTER 180.2: FURNACE (PART TWO)

Tan Wang could feel the bound saber being dragged forward, and he refused to let go, but when he tried pulling it back, he felt his center of gravity falling forward, just as Chen Chuan’s right hand came for his face. It came at him so fast that, in the blink of an eye, it practically touched him.

Sensing danger, his pupils shrank. He threw his head back, and his neck muscles rippled to stretch longer, and his head practically folded behind him to avoid the attack. Then, he brought his arm up to knock away Chen Chuan’s palm.

If anyone stood behind Tan Wang, they would see a smile on his flipped over head.

All his anxiety was gone. Once Chen Chuan’s offense was over, he would use the Secret Python Cult’s Python Bind Technique with his flexible limbs and modified joints to seize Chen Chuan in a lock. The moment he had Chen Chuan in his grasp, he would be crushed to death unless he was much stronger than he was.

Chen Chuan could sense that this manner of fighting was bad for him, because he couldn’t pose enough of a threat to Tan Wang while barehanded.

Once Tan Wang weathered this rapid onslaught, he would fight with melee techniques honed through years of experience. Chen Chuan would then end up on the defensive and would have a hard time controlling the flow of the fight.

Due to that, he didn’t persist. Instead, he adapted to the situation by driving his knee up. After Tan Wang blocked it, he used the force from the parry to move back, duck down a bit, bring his arms up, and grab the saber hilt. While his legs moved, he twisted his waist and brought the saber up.

This time, all of his mutated tissue drove him forward, and the strength they generated was so great that he sank into the mud.

Tan Wang sensed a powerful force coming at him, and his expression changed. If he didn’t let go of the saber, there was a high chance that he was going to be lifted from the ground. Even if he didn’t, this clash would likely lead to the general-model snake limbs getting severed.

Once he realized that he was unable to keep the saber under his control, he gave up on it and pulled back all the snake limbs. Meanwhile, he turned around like a coiling snake and shot forward to arrive in front of Chen Chuan with his arms spread wide.

He was going to grab his waist and legs.

Chen Chuan had his arms up, exposing his face, so there was no way he could block in time. All Tan Wang needed to do was grab him, and he could achieve his original goal.

But to his surprise, Chen Chuan didn’t actually put all his strength into bringing his arms up to reclaim the saber. With the remaining strength, he took a step back and jerked his wrists back. At the same time, he lowered his center of gravity and brought the saber down in a thrust. Tan Wang narrowed his eyes and dodged to the side. But Chen Chuan twisted his waist, using the momentum to move his arms, and flipped his wrists again to deliver a horizontal slash in the direction Tan Wang moved.

Tan Wang had to do a sideways flip to avoid it.

With one hand holding the saber, Chen Chuan managed to force Tan Wang back. He pulled the blade back and grabbed it with both hands while holding the tip pointing at Tan Wang.

Tan Wang’s expression soured. Once again, Chen Chuan was in control of the fight. This meant Tan Wang had to resort to a method he had never wanted to use.

Through a certain breathing technique, he could stimulate his mutated tissue to increase his fighting power for a short amount of time. But while Tan Wang could handle the strain, his implants might not.

But even if he didn’t do that, his implants might not last much longer. He believed that he had figured out the upper limit of Chen Chuan’s strength. If he could increase his fighting power a little more, it would be enough for him to end the fight. So, he spread his arms, and all his respiratory valves opened.

Suddenly, Tan Wang’s back and chest rose and fell rapidly, while his eyes became bloodshot. Chen Chuan instantly realized that he was using some sort of technique to stimulate his mutated tissue.

This had to be Tan Wang’s killing move. If that was the case, then it was time for him to use that too.

Chen Chuan sucked in a long, deep breath and used the Furnace Breathing Technique. In an instant, as he used both the guided internal and external breathing techniques, all the energy he had stored over the past month was released from his mutated tissue and spread through his body.

He started burning up, and steam rose from his body. It blended with the rain, swirling in the wind.

Chen Chuan lowered his center of gravity and charged forward to deliver a slash that cut apart the rain.

Tan Wang was shocked. Chen Chuan’s speed had increased by yet another level, to the point where he was practically unable to see him clearly. He could only dodge and widen the distance between them based on instincts.

But the saber kept chasing after him like an avalanche. He used an arm to block it, but the moment he touched the blade, he felt his arm give way, and his pupils shrank in horror. As quickly as he could, he retreated.

Chen Chuan stood where he was instead of giving chase. He just swung his saber, and his movement was followed by a thud.

An arm fell from the air.

He had made the slash with the Furnace Breathing Technique and the Heavy Slash Force, something he had never used in the fight. After he poured refined force into the Frost King Saber, it started vibrating.

Tan Wang’s breathing quickened. His wound closed rapidly as his muscles rippled, yet after losing an arm, not only did his fighting power decrease drastically, his balance was also affected. His implants became even less cooperative after the highly-intense moves he performed just now as well.

A flash of lightning tore through the sky, lighting it up. Tan Wang’s vision blurred, but he could still see Chen Chuan walking over with his saber in hand. He seemed to be swathed in swirling steam, making his face obscured. Countless raindrops fell on his saber and scattered into an even finer spray.

The thought of fleeing crossed his mind, but Chen Chuan disappeared again, and Tan Wang stepped back. Yet due to his loss of balance and waning stamina, he was slower than before.

Shing!

A huge gash appeared all the way from his chest to his stomach. When he finally planted his feet on the ground, he staggered before bending his back and squatting down. Blood and interstitial fluid splattered on the ground.

He pushed against the ground while cradling his stomach to force himself back on his feet. Then, he stumbled into a run.

Chen Chuan plunged the Frost King Saber into the ground. He walked over, grabbed Tan Wang’s hair, and yanked him back, forcing his face skyward. Chen Chuan clenched a fist and brought it high up before saying, “Mr. Tan, I remember you asking me once whether I’d be willing to go with you to Central City as your servant.”

He brought his fist down and smashed it against Tan Wang’s face. A few teeth, mixed with blood, flew into the air.

“This is my answer.”

Tan Wang cackled, as if he was mocking Chen Chuan.

At that, Chen Chuan brought his fist down again and again. He kept swinging until the bones of Tan Wang’s face and his teeth were shattered. Only a mangled mess of flesh and blood was left. Once he lost consciousness, Chen Chuan let go and let him fall on the mud.

As Chen Chuan stood in the rain, he took a moment to regulate his breathing. Steam escaped through his mouth, and the burning heat in his body finally calmed down. Then, he looked at the sky to feel the lightening rain on his face.

This storm was about to end.