Chen Chuan took it into his hands and inspected it. Sensing a faint resonance between it and the fissure, he concluded that this object was likely a ritual implement.
Aside from keys and locks, the former imperial household had most probably intended to use this item to help stabilize the expanded fissure.
He asked Lan Shengu about it as well, and the consultant agreed with his assessment. Lan Shengu added, however, that the implement likely served other purposes too—most probably as an artifact meant to communicate with that ancient god.
Chen Chuan put the object away for the time being, intending to settle the matters in the Confluence first before dealing with this.
The Great Shun personnel remained busy throughout the entire afternoon. Since humans could not safely remain in the Confluence at night, they carried out an orderly withdrawal as dusk gathered, returning to the secret vault through the fissure.
In truth, some supplies on the plain could not be moved in time—particularly munitions sufficient to supply several armies.
Even if they had no use for them, they could not leave them to the former imperial household. Still, clearing them out was simple enough work that could easily resume tomorrow.
Having suffered this devastating blow, the former imperial household simply could not muster enough high-level power to deploy here again. Nor would they contest a few supplies. If someone were willing to come under cover of darkness to detonate those munitions, that was fine too—it would save them the trouble.
Once everyone had withdrawn into the fissure, Chen Chuan took one last look at the grand banner standing high above, emblazoned with the words: "Aid the Realm, Subdue the Tyrant Court." Then, carrying the phoenix-wing long hammer captured from Su Kuo, he turned and stepped through the rift.
By now, numerous lighting lamps had been lit within the vault. During the day, the Yangzhi City Civil Affairs Department had organized substantial manpower and vehicles to assist in receiving and transporting the personnel and supplies seized from the former imperial household.
He Fen was waiting there. After watching Chen Chuan set down the long hammer, he stepped forward, saluted, and reported, "Section Chief, the search team has been located. Both men are safe and sound."
Chen Chuan shifted his gaze and saw Ren Xiaotian and Lu Ke standing there, keeping a wide distance from the others.
Smiling, he walked over and greeted them, "Senior Brother Ren, Little Brother Lu, I'm glad you're both unhurt. Thanks to the two of you, we were able to act in time."
Lu Ke had originally been thrilled to see Chen Chuan again, but as he watched him approach, an inexplicable sense of constraint came over him, leaving him momentarily at a loss for words.
Ren Xiaotian, wearing dark sunglasses that covered most of his face, said, "It was nothing. Everything was within our abilities." He added, "Little Brother Lu coordinated very well."
Chen Chuan nodded and said with a smile, "Little Brother Lu, well done."
Seeing that Chen Chuan spoke just as he always had, Lu Ke immediately relaxed. He scratched his head sheepishly and said, "It was mostly thanks to Big Brother Ren. I was just lending a hand."
Chen Chuan said, "Bring out anyone you know as soon as possible. If there's any favor you need, tell me directly."
Lu Ke nodded heavily. "All right!"
Chen Chuan continued, "I still remember that you love Shazhen soda best. I'm quite nostalgic for that taste as well. Little Brother Lu, when you have time, let's get a drink together again."
"Great!" Lu Ke had not expected Chen Chuan to remember such a thing. Touched and energized, he said, "Brother Chen, when the time comes, let's drink our fill together!"
Chen Chuan smiled, thinking to himself that this was how it should be. There was no thick barrier of estrangement between them.
Turning to Ren Xiaotian, he said, "Senior Brother Ren, I won't waste words. I'll treat you to a meal separately another day. Also, the commission payment for this assignment won't be meager."
Ren Xiaotian replied, "A bit more would be good. I'm looking to change cars."
Chen Chuan smiled again. That was an easy matter; he could simply arrange access to internal procurement channels on the grounds of hiring cooperative government armed personnel.
Knowing Chen Chuan had plenty on his plate, the two chatted for just another moment before walking away together.
Chen Chuan then looked toward He Fen, who was waiting to one side. Seeing his gaze shift, the director hurried over.
Chen Chuan said, "Director He, your Yangzhi Disposal Bureau did a great deal of preparatory work beforehand, which allowed our operation to proceed so smoothly. When the scouting team sent word, you acted decisively and handled everything properly."
He Fen replied with hasty modesty, "Our abilities are modest, so we can only handle minor tasks and run errands; we cannot decide anything of consequence. Speaking of hard work, it all belongs to you, Section Chief Chen—devising strategies, slaying enemy commanders on the field, and routing the enemy across a thousand li. If not for you, Supervisor Xu, and the other gentlemen, nothing we did would have mattered."
Chen Chuan said, "Every single person is an indispensable link. I have already instructed that your contributions be recorded in detail. Old He, I will put in a commendation for you and the colleagues of the bureau afterward."
Thoroughly thrilled, He Fen snapped to attention and saluted. "Yes! This subordinate thanks the section chief!"
Chen Chuan nodded. He Fen was tactful; having spoken his piece, he saluted once more and took his leave.
Chen Chuan then summoned the heads of the various departments. After inquiring about a few matters, he dismissed them to their tasks.
He then ordered the surrounding personnel to pull back to a certain distance. Picking up the Xuejun Saber, he walked toward the unoccupied sector of the temple.
Earlier, he had sensed a mental impediment in this area, but as he walked forward this time, that strange sensation did not return.
He gave it some thought. If anything was different, it was that he was carrying the statuette with him; the object likely served as a kind of transit pass.
After a dozen or so paces, a wide corridor appeared ahead. The two walls were packed with numerous high-relief carvings, each showing only an upper torso, with the lower body merged directly into the stone wall. Every face bore a contorted, grotesque expression.
At first glance, the sight seemed eerie and terrifying, but once one saw enough of them, it felt ordinary. Yet as he walked past, the stone statues seemed to come alive, slowly turning their heads to gaze at his back, accompanied by the sound of muffled whispers.
Chen Chuan glanced at his second self. There was no sign of blurring or dissolution, which proved this was no illusion.
These things were truly moving.
A flash lit between his brows as he peered closely. He saw fine, blood-red veins running through the stone figures like human blood vessels.
He saw with absolute clarity that this was unmistakably the "divine blood." Yet what carried it was not the statues themselves, but tiny parasites. Evidently, these parasites had permeated the statues, fusing with the stone.
Instinctively sensing that allowing such things to persist was unwise, he focused his thought, and light burst from his body. His entire person was like a miniature sun advancing through the passage.
As the brilliance radiated outward, the blood-red matter inside the statues instantly blackened and withered. The statues froze mid-motion, their surfaces fracturing with hairline fissures before crumbling and falling from the walls.
As he walked on, the carvings collapsed one after another, their shattered fragments littering the corridor behind him.
After covering a long distance, Chen Chuan halted his steps. He now stood on a suspended platform.
Surrounding him was an expansive cavern that seemed hollowed out from the belly of a mountain.
Here, the most eye-catching feature was a colossal statue. The material was unrecognizable, but judging by the torso alone, it bore a striking resemblance to the depictions on the parchment and the small idol.
He stood thirty to forty meters above the ground, yet the statue extended from the floor straight up past his vantage point, forcing him to tilt his head back to take it in. However, its head and many outstretched arms had been severed.
The surface of the statue bore conspicuous cleave marks from massive weapons, along with visible fractures. Moreover, thick, long chains bound its form.
Affixed to the chains were sheets of yellow esoteric ritual paper, each roughly three chi long. After countless years, some had decayed into fragile scraps, leaving only partial esoteric diagrams and inscriptions faintly legible. The style seemed to carry hints of both Chan and Xuan traditions.
He observed the scene. Judging from the markings on the chains, innumerable talisman papers must have originally blanketed the bindings. Now, only scattered remnants remained. This was not the work of temporal decay, but of someone forcibly tearing them away.
In all likelihood, it had been done by the people of the former imperial household.
Chen Chuan glanced down, leapt, and landed lightly on the cavern floor. Once steady, he looked behind him and noticed several niches carved into the rock wall mere meters away, within which sat a desiccated corpse.
From the skeletal structure and withered flesh, it appeared to be a martial artist—likely a guard stationed here during life. The spirit had long since vanished, leaving behind an empty husk.
Surveying the surroundings further, he found that there were over twenty such niches of varying sizes. The smaller ones still contained husks, but the larger niches were completely empty.
Traces remained where heavy objects had once rested, leading him to suspect that those bodies had probably been taken away by the people from the former imperial household when they visited.
He walked around the statue and soon arrived at its rear. There, he found rows of small idols, similarly bearing cleave marks, as well as dense piles of white bones. The idols and bones had been haphazardly tossed together.
The skeletons had all had their upper bodies severed, reminding him of the half-statues in the cavern corridor.
Judging by the freshness of the traces, this was not from the distant past; it was likely a sacrificial rite conducted by the former imperial household. As for why, he was not inclined to dwell on it.
He looked up once more. For the Xuan and Chan traditions to have bound this statue with such solemn care back then, it seemed this truly was a "high god," just as Lan Shengu had suggested. Yet even so, the statue's head had still been cleaved away.
Were it to appear today, the people of this era could leave it with an equally profound impression.
As he observed it, his peripheral vision caught something. The force field around his body expanded, and he slowly ascended through the air until he reached the back of the statue's severed neck. There, a neatly carved, square niche held a small, palm-sized box.
With a focus of his gaze, the object drifted out smoothly, floated toward him, and was caught firmly in his hand.
Chapter 1037