Celestial Human Diagram-Chapter 129 - 117: Annihilation

When Gu Mingde gave the order, everyone sprang into action. They didn’t rush out in a single swarm. Instead, one group moved out first, and after they had covered some distance, the next group followed, with each providing cover for the other.

The forward group would advance for a stretch, then pause to observe before continuing. At every stop, they planted a conspicuous marker, leaving one at every turn in particular, to make it easier for a later retreat or for the trailing groups to catch up.

Chen Chuan’s team was in the rearmost group. However, the advance was swift. By the time it was their turn to move, the first group had already crept into the village.

The first group was cautious initially, but they were surprised to find the area around the village gate completely deserted. The villagers had apparently posted no guards whatsoever.

Once inside, they found a large crowd of villagers gathered in the open area in front of an old temple. Their backs were turned to the entrance as they kowtowed. Among them, a figure who looked like a Shaman was kowtowing and spreading his arms, letting out a long, strange chant. More bizarrely, the sound of drumming was being produced by the villagers striking leather drums with their own heads. The whole scene was both absurd and grotesque.

But it was precisely this fanatical atmosphere that left them completely oblivious to the intruders.

The spirits of the numerous operatives lifted, and they silently praised Chen Chuan’s judgment. ’Coming now was indeed the perfect time,’ they thought. It made their mission much easier.

They nodded to one another and slowly moved apart, each finding a suitable position. When the next group arrived, their numbers swelled to over twenty. They immediately raised their crossbows and unleashed a volley upon the crowd.

Based on intelligence from previously stormed Flying Head Sect strongholds, these people were too far gone, steeped in the long-term corruption of the Flying Head Monsters. There was no hope of saving them. Furthermore, they would frantically attack anyone who wasn’t a member of their sect. A ruthless approach was necessary.

As the people in the back of the crowd fell one by one to the arrows, those at the front finally noticed something was wrong. They spun around, their eyes bloodshot, and charged at the intruders with furious roars.

But it was useless. As more operatives poured in, they fanned out to the sides, forming an advancing arc. No longer concerned with stealth, they began drawing their pistols and firing.

In the rear, some held rifles and net-launchers at the ready, prepared for any Flying Heads that might suddenly appear. In an instant, the village erupted with gunfire.

However, even after they had gunned down every cultist in sight, not a single Flying Head had appeared. The operatives immediately moved in to deliver finishing shots. Two of them approached the entrance to the old temple and peered inside, but just as they did, they both suddenly froze and collapsed to the ground.

Their teammates behind them were startled. As they were about to rush forward, someone grabbed them from behind and said urgently, "Don’t go up there!"

A moment later, to the horror of the others, the two downed teammates scrambled back to their feet. Their eyes had turned completely red, just like the villagers’, and they drew the daggers from their belts and lunged.

Fortunately, their attacks were wild and artless, and they were quickly subdued by the others. Even so, they continued to struggle violently, letting out incessant, furious screams.

Seeing their state, everyone’s expression shifted. Even if they knew the situation wasn’t dire, none of them wanted to end up like that.

A squad leader spoke up. "Everyone fall back. We’ll wait for Expert Chen to handle this." The others readily agreed and retreated, forming a wide perimeter. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

By this time, Chen Chuan had entered the village with Gu Mingde’s group. Gu Mingde was surprised at how easily his team had breached the perimeter, not even needing the Smoke Bombs they had prepared. "They really didn’t leave a single person to guard the gate?" he asked.

’That’s to be expected,’ Chen Chuan thought. ’A phenomenon that robs people of their sanity doesn’t follow normal logic. Absolute loyalty or absolute disloyalty. Anyone who dared not to kowtow during the ritual was probably fed to the Flying Heads long ago.’

He surveyed the scene. About seventy or eighty bodies lay on the ground, almost all of them able-bodied men. There were no women, children, or elderly in sight. For a village, this was highly unusual. Recalling the Flying Heads they’d encountered earlier, he shook his head.

Just then, an operative from the forward team hurried over and reported the situation to Gu Mingde.

Gu Mingde’s expression was grave. He turned to Chen Chuan. "Expert Chen, your thoughts?"

"Leave the rest to me," Chen Chuan said. "But there are likely many Flying Head Monsters inside. If they swarm out, I might not be able to stop them all. Captain Gu, you and your men need to be careful."

"If our weapons can kill it, we can handle it," Gu Mingde replied.

Chen Chuan acknowledged this. Ordinary Flying Heads weren’t difficult to deal with, as long as you could keep your wits about you. "Right, could you lend me a few more guns, Captain Gu?"

Without hesitation, Gu Mingde handed his own unfired pistol to him. Then he reached back. His assistant, Pan Zhong, and another operative from the rear stepped forward and placed their own pistols in his hand. He turned them so the muzzles faced down and offered them to Chen Chuan.

Chen Chuan took the firearms and tucked them all into the sash of his overcoat. Just as he was about to head inside, Gu Mingde called out to him again. He took a blister pack of capsules from his coat and held it out. "Expert Chen, take these with you."

Chen Chuan glanced at it. It was a pack of Calming Pills. This medication had been developed based on the recommendations of consultants from the Administrative Affairs Hall. Dissolving one under the tongue could effectively stabilize one’s mind, and swallowing it in a crisis could help maintain mental clarity.

It wasn’t that the pills were useless. They were quite effective against one or two Flying Heads, as had been proven before. Against a whole swarm and the Flying Head Root Source, however, their effect would likely be limited. Still, he accepted them. "Thank you."

Gu Mingde said solemnly, "Be careful, Expert Chen. If things don’t look right, please pull back. We can regroup and come up with another plan."

Chen Chuan nodded. "Dealing with the Flying Head Monsters might take more than a day. I may need to come out for offerings before each ritual is required. Please be sure to have them ready."

Gu Mingde had already been briefed on the necessary requirements. He said gravely, "We’ll have everything ready, Expert Chen."

Chen Chuan drew the Snow Monarch Blade from its sword scabbard and walked toward the old temple entrance. As he drew near, faint signs of dematerialization appeared on his Second Self. The effect wasn’t as strong as he’d expected, not much different from what he’d felt at the foot of the mountain.

He took out the piece of Yellow Jade that Cheng Zitong had given him and inspected it. He saw that parts of its edge had already turned slightly black. ’It seems this thing really did absorb some of the damage,’ he thought.

He put it away and stepped inside.

Gu Mingde and the others watched with somber expressions as Chen Chuan’s figure gradually vanished into the shadows. The Flying Head Root Source wasn’t something you could defeat with sheer numbers; this task could only be entrusted to an expert.

Once inside, Chen Chuan found himself in a narrow passage carved from the mountain wall. The floor was paved with cracked stone slabs, and lamp sconces were nailed to both walls.

After about seven or eight meters, he saw six people arranged in two rows, shoulder to shoulder. They were prostrated on the ground, kowtowing ceaselessly toward the interior of the temple and mumbling something under their breath, seemingly oblivious to the events outside.

But the moment Chen Chuan entered, he seemed to trigger something. They all sprang to their feet, letting out furious roars and garbled curses.

Chen Chuan watched them charge at him, then simply held his blade horizontally, blocking the entire passage. He then began to push them back.

The men scrambled over each other trying to get at him, but their efforts were completely uncoordinated. The ones at the front couldn’t even reach him, and he easily shoved the whole group back, sending them staggering.

After about three or four meters, they entered the main hall of the old temple. Chen Chuan then gently exerted his Power. With a burst of force, the men were sent flying out in a fan-like spray, collapsing to the ground, unable to rise. They appeared unharmed on the surface, but their internal organs, muscles, and bones had all been shattered. They had completely lost the ability to fight.

Chen Chuan looked up and saw he was in a spacious, domed chamber. It appeared to be a natural cavern that had been artificially modified. Now, however, it was riddled with holes, and the ground was dotted with puddles of foul-smelling water.

Near the ceiling, several large holes allowed daylight to stream in. Those must have been where the Flying Head Monsters flew out.

Straight ahead, where a divine statue should have been, hung a large gauze canopy that draped down from the ceiling. A blurry shadow loomed within it. Most of the Flying Heads were gathered here, with one or two occasionally flitting about the main hall.

On an altar before the canopy was a pile of pig, sheep, and what looked like human limbs. Numerous Flying Heads were crowded around it, gnawing on the flesh and jostling one another. Gory, partially severed entrails dangled from their necks.

A cold glint in his eye, Chen Chuan immediately pulled out his Martial Halberd and opened fire on the feasting heads. Startled, the Flying Heads scattered, zipping frantically through the air.

He emptied the magazine, then drew the pistols Gu Mingde and his men had given him. He fired shot after shot, and by the time he had emptied all four handguns, six Flying Heads had dropped to the floor.

At that moment, as if sensing the gunfire had ceased, the remaining Flying Heads charged him in unison.

Chen Chuan took a deep breath and tossed the empty pistols aside. He waited until the Flying Heads were nearly on top of him, about to engulf him completely. Then, a brilliant flash of his blade erupted, followed by a series of sickening crunches as it sliced through withered skin and bone!

When the light faded, he remained in an upward-slash posture. The Flying Heads that had surrounded him now lay scattered on the floor. One, which had apparently tried to flee in panic, didn’t get far before it suddenly faltered, dropped to the ground, and split in two upon impact, held together by just a shred of skin and bone at the top.

Chen Chuan noted that the dematerialization of his Second Self had deepened slightly, but it wasn’t severe. The Yellow Jade must have been working.

’It looks like two of them escaped just now,’ he thought. ’But they were just ordinary Flying Heads, and only two of them. Gu Mingde’s team should be able to handle it.’

He glanced at the gauze canopy ahead, reloaded the magazine for his Martial Halberd, then advanced with his blade at the ready.

Outside, the operatives remained on high alert. When they heard strange shrieks coming from within, they knew Flying Head Monsters might be about to emerge.

Dozens of guns and crossbows were aimed at the temple’s entrance. A moment later, two black dots shot out from within. Without any need for an order, a cacophony of gunfire erupted—BANG! BANG! CRACK! In addition to pistols, the volley included several shotguns, giving the two escaping Flying Heads no chance to evade. They were shredded almost the instant they emerged, pockmarking the nearby walls with craters. By the time they hit the ground, they were little more than pulp.

Gu Mingde glanced at the remains. Flying Heads escaping from the inside was good news; it meant Chen Chuan’s advance was going smoothly.

Inside the old temple, Chen Chuan had now slowly approached the canopy. He heard a soft chewing sound from within. He slowly extended his blade and lifted the curtain. The Flying Head inside immediately stopped chewing and turned to look at him.

When he got a clear look, his eyes narrowed.

All the Flying Heads he had seen before were hideous, obviously monsters at a single glance. But this one... was the head of a bewitchingly beautiful woman. Her eyebrows were perfectly shaped as if painted on, her lips a dot of crimson, and her eyes shimmered. A waterfall of black hair spilled across the altar. As she saw him, her limpid, autumn-water eyes turned to gaze upon him.

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