An intensely blinding radiance erupted across the sky, illuminating the entire coastline in an abnormal brilliance as if night had instantly turned into day. Every person present was engulfed in this blazing light that seemed capable of melting away the accumulated gloom.
Before those witnessing it could even react, the ground rumbled violently in succession, as though a powerful earthquake had struck, accompanied by a ferocious shockwave that swept outward in every direction.
Laden with billowing dust, the blast surged over the New Light Cult believers in the distance. Those standing closer were instantly swept away, while those farther off were violently knocked off their feet, tumbling across the ground.
The New Light Cultists observing from a hill on the opposite end also lost their footing when struck by the initial blast of air, staggering backward several paces before managing to halt.
Even so, the trailing gusts pinned their beards, hair, and outer cloaks tightly against their bodies, while fine pebbles and grit pelted them with sharp clatter, forcing them to raise their hands to shield their faces.
On the other side, wisps of blue Spiritual Fire surfaced over Gui Zihan as he sped forward along the path carved out by the receding light. Yet even though he spared no effort and pushed his strength to the utmost, he was still left far behind.
After pursuing for some time, he finally arrived at the scene. Before him, a faint, shadowy coastline seemed to emerge.
A fine sweat coated his brow. Flying in this manner consumed far too much energy, and the distance had been unexpectedly long; had he not taken copious doses of medicine beforehand, he would never have held out this far.
Just then, a piercing flash of light suddenly burst forth, compelling him to raise a hand to shield his face.
The glare washed over him in pure white. Sensing danger, his Spiritual Fire flared outward, blocking out the ensuing shockwave entirely, though his body still shook violently from the impact.
Moments later, the tremors subsided. He looked up to see a towering pillar of dust and smoke billowing ahead, obscuring everything from view. Sensation stirring within him, he glanced back over his shoulder to find a long tunnel cutting through the mist behind him—the very path he had followed here.
That lengthy trail seemed to stretch all the way back to the airship fleet. Now, following the explosion, the root supporting the fog appeared to be gone, and vast sheets of mist were slowly dissipating outward along that vacant tunnel.
Taking a breath, he turned his gaze back toward the land. There stood a hazy figure around whom all dust and shockwaves were repelled, forming a circular, invisible barrier. Only the fluttering red ribbon on the long saber was exceptionally striking.
He stared fixedly at the figure, his chest heaving continuously—not merely from physical exertion, but shaken to the core by what he had witnessed.
*Longevity View...*
*Is the disparity truly this vast?*
He could not help but tighten his grip on his ancient sword.
Meanwhile, atop the hill on the opposite side, the New Light Cultists waited for quite some time before sensing the tumult around them finally die down.
They waved their hands and coughed several times, then peered into the distance. The towering entity that had already fully formed was now nowhere to be seen. The earth looked as if struck by a meteorite, cratered by an enormous circular pit clearly discernible even from where they stood.
Amid the swirling dust and lingering smoke, a figure resembling a god or demon hung suspended in midair, wrapped entirely in platinum brilliance. The conical helmet with its hanging curtain of light and the billowing cloak bore the unmistakable hallmarks of Great Shun.
Their breathing grew ragged, for they knew full well the true purpose behind what they had done today.
Chen Chuan seemed to sense their gaze at that moment and cast a glance toward that distant hill.
Seeing his gaze sweep toward them, the New Light Cultists shuddered violently, terrified out of their wits, and immediately spurred their horses to flee.
Chen Chuan did not move in midair. Only a cone-shaped object flew out, wheeled in a circle around him, and darted forth in a flash.
The fleeing cultists had no time to react. In mere moments, their heads burst open in a rapid staccato of pops, and their bodies collapsed lifeless to the ground, scattering blossoms of crimson blood across the dirt.
Chen Chuan drew back his gaze and looked down at the fissure below. The power of that entity had emerged from within it, and its vessel had continually drawn energy from its depths.
Yet another entity from the opposite side.
He recalled the past; the strength of this entity was not much different from the one he had encountered back in the Lower City, except that its power had not yet crested. However, he himself was now a world apart from who he had been back then.
An entity that had once demanded everything he had to defeat could now be dispatched with nothing more than a simple spiritual impact.
As for the fissure, it was clear that it had been pried open by force through a ritual.
However, he remembered that every state in the Federation possessed a Center City. The nearest Center City was not too far from here, and by all rights, it should have absorbed all surrounding fissures into itself—unless there was a ritual barrier isolating it, or some power capable of tearing open fissures independently.
Such circumstances were not unheard of; entities from the opposite side inherently possessed this capability, for example.
Having dealt with fissures many times, he had extensive experience, so he could tell that this fissure would not last very long. In a few hours at most, it would disappear, leaving no trace behind except to those with unique abilities or skilled in esoteric discernment.
But how could he let the other side off the hook so easily?
Making a gesture, the active conscious entity within his conical hat promptly responded, swiftly recording the fissure.
Ordinary boundary credentials and cameras struggled to capture scenes like this due to energetic interference, but his external implant was inherently capable of withstanding the power of the Fourth Limit, allowing it to record the scene with crisp clarity.
Naturally, merely recording it would achieve little on its own. Even if submitted to the Federation, it would become an unresolvable muddle. Even if there were genuine political will within the Federation to investigate, it could never be settled in short order. A delay of several years would be considered brief, and in the end, it would most likely be swept under the rug without any resolution.
Hence, he had no intention of handing it over to the Federation. This time, he planned to contact the International Investigation Delegation upon his return.
Since others could use this organization against Jibei Dao and him, he could turn around and use it to target this incident.
Members of the International Investigation Delegation were bound by oath and could not simply turn a blind eye, especially when presented with indisputable evidence. Certain matters went unnoticed as long as they remained behind closed doors, but once brought into broad daylight, they became issues of immense gravity.
And by securing the moral high ground, he would prevent anyone from using the incident to mount a counterattack.
Chen Chuan noticed Gui Zihan in the distance and gave him a nod. Then, with a blur of his figure, he vanished and reappeared at the spot where the fog had originated.
He saw dried corpses blanketing the ground. Judging by their attire, they were unmistakably First People.
Gui Zihan drew near and took in the scene before him, his eyes narrowing. Over a thousand corpses lay strewn across the ground, all having died in the exact same manner. The sight stirred unpleasant memories.
He looked up and asked, "What happened to them...?"
"From the looks of it, they died in a ritual," Chen Chuan said. "The specifics will have to be confirmed by the esoteric ritual investigation team."
He then said to Gui Zihan, "Mr. Gui, I must trouble you to make a trip back and notify the airship fleet as soon as possible to send a detachment from the esoteric ritual team here."
These matters were not irrelevant to them. Public opinion here was controlled by the Federation West Coast Faction. Before the investigation delegation intervened, they could easily sling mud at the Great Shun delegation, and ordinary citizens would have no way to tell truth from falsehood. Thus, they had to report the matter openly and immediately to safeguard the delegation's reputation.
Gui Zihan did not understand why Chen Chuan was taking on something seemingly unrelated to them, yet he showed no aversion to the move; on the contrary, a hint of approval entered his eyes as he looked at Chen Chuan.
Just then, something caught his attention ahead. Looking up, he saw a glimmer of dawn peeking over the horizon through the dispersing dust and smoke.
Taking a deep breath, he clasped his sword and bowed solemnly to Chen Chuan. Gathering his momentum for a moment, he kicked off the ground and shot into the sky as a streak of flowing light, heading back.
After he left, Chen Chuan waited on site. He had thought someone might come to erase traces, or at least take a second look.
Yet no one came. The orchestrators of the incident seemed to have forgotten about the place, or perhaps all the handlers on the ground had already perished here. After all, there was no Skyline coverage here; without anyone transmitting messages outward, those pulling the strings had no way of knowing what had transpired.
A long while later, the thrum of propeller blades reached his ears. A dense swarm of airships appeared on the horizon; by all appearances, the entire fleet was heading in this direction.
Delegation Leader Xie stood aboard the flagship, gazing at the sprawling coastline. Though deviating toward this area had taken the delegation off their original course, continuing along their prior heading might well have led into further hazards. Here, by contrast, with Chen Chuan having eliminated the trouble ahead, safety was unquestionably far higher.
Furthermore, after hearing Gui Zihan's report, Xie's sharp instincts had immediately grasped the potential pitfalls. Bringing the fleet here also meant bringing representatives of the Federation East Coast Faction along to serve as firsthand witnesses, ensuring they would not be caught on the back foot in the impending battle over public opinion.
As the airship fleet drew closer, everyone aboard beheld the morning sun rising ahead. Its light bathed the bows of the vessels, making it seem as though they were forging forward directly into the dawn.
Many stepped out of the cabins, gazing upon this vast land with stirred hearts.
After a journey of nearly a month, they had finally reached their destination: the Linax Federation—or as it was recorded in the ancient texts of the Eastern Continent, the Ying Continent.
Chapter 1062