Chapter 118 (1): Morning Light (Part One)

Chen Chuan fixed his gaze on the Flying Head, drew the Halberd Pistol, aimed at the forehead, and pulled the trigger.

Bang!

Sparks flew from the muzzle.

Startled, the Flying Head squealed and flew up. Its long hair immediately blocked Chen Chuan’s vision.

Chen Chuan was sure he had hit it, but the bullet seemed to pass right through the head, as if what he saw was an illusion. He tightened his grip on the saber hilt and swung it one-handed where he thought the creature would be.

The Flying Head screeched. When Chen Chuan shot it, the bullet seemed to have done nothing, but when he cut into it with the saber, he felt a slight resistance. The attack seemed to have landed on something floating in the air, but it was lacking in physical presence and did not feel like a good hit.

Almost at the same time, Chen Chuan noticed that his second self had blurred out even more. From this, it was clear that he had injured the Flying Head, though the damage was minor.

Once the Flying Head flew out from behind the canopy, it refused to come down and stayed around the top of the temple.

Chen Chuan cast a glance behind the canopy and saw blood, flesh, and bone so mangled that they resembled red sludge. He could not tell what they originally were.

He faced the Flying Head. His gun had proved useless, as expected, but he had managed to land a hit with his saber. The difference might be due to the Frost King Saber possessing mutated tissue. Still, the amount was not enough.

If that were the case...

Chen Chuan took a few steps back. When the Flying Head saw him leaving the canopy, it made a few more circles in the air before diving down to the pile of flesh and blood.

Chen Chuan struck his saber into the floor and waited for the Flying Head to come down. Suddenly, he reached out, as if to scoop something up. Then, he pressed his fingers together and grabbed the Flying Head’s long hair to force the thing to a stop.

He perked up. It was just as he predicted. Since he had enough mutated tissue, he could touch the creature.

But there was a price to pay for that. His second self blurred out even more.

Chen Chuan just ignored it. He grabbed the Flying Head with both hands, and with a shout, channeled strength from his core and back to step backward. Slowly, he dragged the creature from the pile of flesh and blood. The head kept struggling and squealing in protest.

The Flying Head was not big, but it packed a lot of power.

Since Chen Chuan needed his second self to absorb the mysterious damage, he did not overlap with him. Instead, he engaged in a tug-of-war with his own strength. Fortunately, his mutated tissue proved its worth. He was no longer the same Chen Chuan from the past; even relying solely on his own strength, he was enough for the task.

Chen Chuan regulated his breathing and used the hair as leverage while he pulled the Flying Head backward hand-over-hand. Once he was close enough, he grabbed the head and pulled it into his arms.

The Flying Head was shocked and started struggling desperately. It exhibited such strength that Chen Chuan almost lost his footing. He kept his calm, though, and did not relax his hold.

The head nearly broke free a few times, but Chen Chuan always managed to return it to his embrace by overlapping for only an instant with his second self. A long time later, his arms suddenly lost their grip. He looked down and saw that the head had vanished.

Chen Chuan slowly straightened up and patted his clothes. He did not think that the Flying Head was dead. Supernatural beings were never that easy to exterminate. It must have gone away because the time of the offering was over.

It was bound to reappear during the next offering. It was only when the head did not come during an offering that it could be considered to have been exterminated.

Chen Chuan went to the altar and pulled the Frost King Saber out before leaving the temple.

“Mr. Chen, you’re out!”

When Gu Mingde saw Chen Chuan walk out, he stopped the agents behind him from approaching and went forward alone. He checked Chen Chuan from head to toe. Once he was sure that Chen Chuan was fine, some of the grimness on his face disappeared. “How was it, Mr. Chen?”

Chen Chuan cast him a glance, then at the people behind him. “Captain Gu, everyone, this is going to be a long battle. I stopped the thing from eating, but we can’t stop offering sacrifices. Otherwise, it’s just going to fly off somewhere else. During the next offering time, I’ll stop it again.”

“I sent a telegram to the rear. They’ll bring the things you need. We have plenty of resources, so as long as the method works, we can keep this battle of attrition going,” Gu Mingde declared.

“Exactly. You’re facing the greatest risk here, Mr. Chen. We’re just standing guard. We have no right to complain.”

“True. Don’t worry, Mr. Chen. We’ll give you the best support!”

Chen Chuan nodded. “You’re right. With all of you as my support, I can focus on taking that thing down.” He gave them all a fist-and-palm salute. “I’ll have to rely on all of you for everything out here.”

They saluted him as well.

Chen Chuan went to the side of the temple and checked on the yellow jade. Half of its surface had turned black. Once he put it back into his pocket, he sat down.

He had not noticed it during the battle, but after the Flying Head disappeared, some power started stimulating the mutated tissue in his body. Chen Chuan started using his breathing technique to guide its growth.

The effects were much stronger than those of the medicine he took on a daily basis. If he hadn’t already reorganized the structure of his mutated tissue, this growth would have led to the deformed growth Cheng Zitong mentioned. Instead, it was now a tonic to him.

When the agents saw him sitting by the temple with his saber, they thought that he was resting. They were at a high risk of losing their minds just by getting close to the Flying Heads, while Chen Chuan had faced off an entire swarm along with the source of the Flying Heads. The pressure on his psyche had to be exceptional, so they wondered how he had managed to deal with it.

Their movements became lighter so that they would not bother him.

When noon arrived, the people at the foot of the mountain brought some sacrifices and people to kowtow during the offering. Fortunately, they did not need to go into the temple.

Once it was almost time for the sun to set, some people went into the temple with Chen Chuan to place a sacrifice on the altar, only to see Flying Head carcasses all over the floor. They were shocked by the sight, because they knew just how hard to kill these things were. When they cast their eyes on Chen Chuan again, their gazes were filled with admiration.

“Sorry for the trouble, everyone,” Chen Chuan said.

“It’s no trouble at all. What we’re doing is nothing compared to you.”

After the exchange of pleasantries, they left. They forwent the chance to observe the place a little more because they knew that every extra moment meant danger for them. They just entered and left, but they were already feeling sick and nauseous. Their heads were swimming.

Once they went outside and stood under the sun, they felt alive again, and they wondered just how Chen Chuan managed to stay inside for so long and even last through the whole ceremony.

Chen Chuan sat down on a step and propped the Frost King Saber diagonally against the wall. He looked up. The sunlight shining from above was the only source of warmth.

𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

He sat alone in the temple from the days of old and seemed to become one with the place. But his eyes remained clear. The Frost King Saber also looked like it was ready to reveal its sharp edge at any moment.

Time trickled by, and the light slowly faded away. The temple gradually sank into darkness.

The first ceremony was at 6:30 a.m., while the other was at 6:30 p.m.

Chen Chuan checked his watch before standing up. It was almost time for the evening ceremony. He lit up the torches fixed to the temple walls, and light filled the temple.

The swaying light from the fire, the elongated shadows, the fallen stone statue in the back, and the torn bodies made the place look like the set of a horror movie.

Suddenly, the bound goat on the altar started trembling. Its flesh ripped open, and blood gushed out. It flowed in all directions.