After Hu Kan took the banner, members of the Disposal Bureau searched the surrounding area and discovered that many of the remains likely belonged to members of the punitive army who had pursued this imperial force all those years ago.
These men had probably fallen in here together and were ultimately unable to escape. Now, however, the bones were jumbled together, making it impossible to tell one from another.
Chen Chuan gave instructions for the matter to be documented so that, once the operation concluded, the Yangzhi Municipal Government could meticulously identify and properly lay these remains to rest.
Meanwhile, Lan Shengu seized the time to head inside and swiftly set up unravelling rituals. Once finished, he led the others to several other problematic locations. At the same time, he requisitioned several Disposal Bureau personnel to assist him; even if they knew nothing of esoteric rituals, they could still help clear away surrounding obstacles and haul heavy ritual implements.
Yet at every turn, they encountered all manner of sinister and bizarre sculptures. Mo Xiaoyi whispered softly, "Brother, why do the statues here look so terrifying?"
Lan Shengu replied, "This was likely originally a sacred site of the Makan people. Later, the Imperial Court took advantage of this place to establish the secret depository, saving themselves a lot of effort."
"Oh."
Lan Shengu sounded nonchalant, but he knew this place was far from simple. The former imperial house had likely only utilized half of it. As for the other half—he glanced toward the deeper recesses, sensing that something might be concealed there. But since it had nothing to do with either the secret depository or the fissure, he chose not to elaborate. He could always remind them after this was all over.
Half a day passed before Lan Shengu and his cousin finally broke the existing rituals across various points and reconfigured the arrangements. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he approached Chen Chuan and reported, "Section Chief Chen, the fissure has stabilized and is guaranteed to point back to its original destination. However, because the key-lock was destroyed and we have no way to coordinate with the other side, widening the passage will likely take a bit more time."
The group now stood before the fissure. A shimmering mass of light flickered on the stone wall—the very passage left behind by the former imperial house all those years ago. But the light was faint and barely half the height of a man, clinging tenuously to existence. An ordinary person would struggle to squeeze through, and anyone tall and solidly built could not pass at all.
Chen Chuan glanced at it. If he struck it with the Xuejun Saber, he could certainly tear the rift open, but with so many people present, it was inconvenient to resort to that method.
He asked, "How long to expand it further?"
Lan Shengu looked back and said, "The ritual implements have limited endurance. Ensuring nothing breaks while widening a passage large enough for everyone to pass will probably take another seven or eight hours."
The leader from the former imperial house had actually been preparing to do the same thing and had already set things up for a while; Lan Shengu had merely adapted and repurposed the man's groundwork. If not for that head start, it would have taken even longer.
Chen Chuan said, "So you're saying if we don't care about preserving the ritual implements, we can widen the passage immediately?"
Lan Shengu hesitated for a moment. "Yes, but doing so might only last a few minutes, and after that, the fissure itself might collapse..."
Chen Chuan said, "Do it."
Seeing that his mind was made up, Lan Shengu pressed no further. "I'll get to it right away."
In barely ten minutes, everyone felt the temperature inside the cavern begin to rise, accompanied by a faint prickling sensation on their skin. The fissure ahead then began to emanate a brighter glow, steadily expanding outward. But once it reached about three meters across, it ground to a halt, unable to stretch any further.
Lan Shengu returned and said, "Chief, this is the best we can do for now. It should hold for about an hour or two."
Hu Kan commented, "Still doesn't look big enough." Not to mention the sheer number of hulking men present, he was also carrying the massive battle banner; leaving it behind here would feel as though something was missing.
Chen Chuan said, "If it's not big enough, we'll just pry it open wider."
He stepped forward. Under everyone's watchful eyes, two colossal, semi-translucent hands suddenly manifested behind him. With heavy thuds, they gripped the edges of the fissure and slowly began pushing and tearing it outward.
The ground began to tremble faintly, followed by deep rumblings reverberating through the entire cave, as if the mountain itself could scarcely bear his immense power. Beneath that force, the fissure steadily and inexorably expanded outward.
Chen Chuan's gaze was fixed ahead as the intensifying light from the opposite side fell upon his face and body.
Back when he had taken refuge inside the fissure, Wei Guochan had attempted to shatter its barrier—precisely because martial artists inherently possessed a certain ability to traverse fissures.
Some martial artists with uniquely powerful spiritual force could even tear fissures wide open to cross directly to the other side of the Ring of the World.
Yet such feats usually only allowed the practitioner themselves to pass through. To rip open a massive breach required not only extraordinarily formidable spiritual power as a foundation, but also an intimate, profound understanding of the connection between the two worlds.
And Chen Chuan happened to possess every single one of those prerequisites.
As he steadily applied his strength, before long, a colossal opening stretching more than thirty meters across came into view.
Behind him, the others watched the spectacle with looks of sheer shock. Martial artists could indeed tear fissures, but the display Chen Chuan showed now was nothing short of staggering.
The two enormous hands slowly faded away. They could not help but look up: Chen Chuan stood at the very front in casual attire, holding the Xuejun Saber in one hand and keeping the other in his pocket. The piercing skylight and howling winds from the opposite side poured through together, illuminating his upright, towering back and the red scarf tied to the saber's hilt fluttering in the breeze.
As the bright light flooded into the cavern, the scenery on the other side grew increasingly distinct. The fissure opened right upon an elevated slope. Looking down from here, one could see an endless expanse of military encampments sprawling across the plain, along with flying beasts soaring back and forth across the sky.
Their spirits jolted.
The army of the former imperial house!
They truly were here!
Chen Chuan turned his face slightly. "Gentlemen, follow me."
With that, he stepped forward. The surface of the fissure rippled like water as his figure vanished into it.
Without hesitation, everyone strode forward, stepping into the fissure one after another. Hu Kan gave an excited shout, shouldering the great banner and following right behind.
Meanwhile, inside the central command tent on the Dongqing Plain, a massive sand table terrain model of Yangzhi City in Jibei Dao was laid out in the center. Su Kuo was discussing detailed tactical deployments with his staff advisors and generals.
Just then, a long, drawn-out horn sounded. Su Kuo gave a nod, and an attendant immediately rolled up the tent flaps at the front, opening up the view. Looking out, they saw bursts of bright light flashing atop a distant knoll.
At the other end of the camp, Zhao Zhenye was cultivating in his quarters, hovering cross-legged in midair. At that moment, sensing something, he immediately descended, stepped out of his tent, and looked outside.
A massive fissure was flashing atop the distant knoll like bound lightning. Moments later, six silhouettes of varying heights strode out from within, and the figure walking at the very front caused his pupils to contract sharply.
The winged beasts in the sky let out piercing screeches. Horns echoed back and forth across the plain, and war drums thundered. More and more soldiers poured out of their tents, while courier horses galloped frantically through the encampment, kicking up plumes of dust. In an instant, the entire plain seemed to boil into clamor and uproar.
Having emerged, Chen Chuan swept his gaze across the surroundings until it settled upon a distant high ground where the grand standard of the central army stood tall. Tightening his grip around the Xuejun Saber, he strode in that direction.
Behind him, the five martial artists matched his pace, moving forward in unison. Though thousands upon thousands of troops filled the plain around them, not one of them spared the surrounding army so much as a second glance.
The wind over the plain suddenly intensified. Hu Kan glanced around, let out a thunderous shout, and slammed the flagpole into the hilltop. Caught in the gale, the enormous banner unfurled with a sharp snap.
High above the Melded Lands, the eight great characters—"Deliver the Realm, Smite the Tyrannical Court"—fluttered boldly before the eyes of the imperial army.
Su Kuo stepped out of his tent. Looking toward that banner, his gaze locked onto those eight characters, and he murmured slowly, "The First Punitive Army..."
Troops below began converging on the knoll from all directions. Cannons mounted on earthen berms were wheeled forward, and numerous combat airships detached from mooring towers, heading straight for the elevation.
Before long, booming roars erupted as dozens of cannons fired simultaneously. Shells streaked across the sky, raining down toward Chen Chuan and his companions. Yet when they struck the collective field that linked the group together, it was as if hitting an unyielding bulwark; every single projectile shattered in midair, leaving behind successive bursts of dark, exploding dust.
All at once, something flashed at the base of the knoll. Even with their acute eyesight, none of them could get a clear look.
Mask warned, "Something's coming!"
Chen Chuan seemed completely oblivious, his pace unbroken as he continued forward. Just then, an illusory silhouette abruptly materialized in midair overhead, shrouded in a sinister red Spiritual Fire as it plummeted toward him at blinding speed.
Yet midway through its descent, a colossal hand suddenly materialized from thin air, snatched the silhouette, and slammed it into the ground with a thunderous crash. Immediately following, a massive fist hammered down!
BOOM!
The spiritual glow covering the figure shattered in an instant, and the overwhelming force smashed the entire creature to pulp!
Chen Chuan did not spare it a second look, stepping directly over the mangled corpse. Seeing this, Zarnik and his companion cheered with feral excitement and trampled right over it as well.
The others, while amazed, could not help casting their eyes down. Though the body was pulverized, its shriveled, withered remnants still hinted at its true origin.
Was this... a yaogui?
Chapter 1025