On the fortress battlements, the lookout blew a piercing blast on his whistle as he watched the figure drifting across the sky.
Even now, a squad of twenty men remained garrisoned at Fort Grayani, local militiamen enlisted by the state government.
They were not disciples of the New Light Cult. The site had simply been leased out to the cult as a covert redoubt for hoarding supplies and transferring personnel. The squad members knew this full well, but they never pried.
To the New Light Cult, having an official military force of the Federation serve as cover made operations far more convenient and helped misdirect scrutiny whenever suspicion was drawn.
Soldiers rushed onto the upper works of the fortress, raising their rifles toward the airborne figure.
Their expressions were fraught with tension. This was a remote border area where news rarely penetrated; they had no idea what was up there and were merely following military orders from their commanding officer.
Chen Chuan paid no heed to the jittery soldiers. Standing high in the air, he cast several sweeping glances at the ground below before leveling his index finger downward. A gleam flashed at his fingertip, and in that instant, a beam of light pierced clean through the earth.
Immediately following it, a colossal, muffled explosion rolled through the bedrock, sending the ground undulating like waves.
A disheveled figure then burst through the earth and shattered stone from below, leaping into the open air.
When Durozier had heard the whistle earlier, he had intended to ignore it. But the bombardment that followed had made it impossible to stay below in peace.
He had initially been furious—his favorite piano had been ruined in the blast. Yet the moment his eyes landed on Chen Chuan, his face drained of color, terror and dread flooding his gaze.
He clearly recognized Chen Chuan. A flurry of thoughts raced through his mind in a fraction of a second. The fire of spirituality erupted around his body, and turning on his heel, he shot toward the distant horizon like a streak of light.
Uncertain whether Skarson was also beneath the fort, Chen Chuan had kept his previous strike primarily an exploratory concussive blast, holding back most of his strength.
Seeing someone emerge and bolt on sight, he immediately knew he had likely hit the mark. Furthermore, the New Light Cult vestments the man wore indisputably confirmed his affiliation. Chen Chuan’s fingertip flickered once more.
A beam of platinum radiance overtook Durozier in the blink of an eye, detonating midair with a thunderous roar. Amid the billowing gale and flash of the explosion, Durozier—his lower body blasted completely into pieces—plummeted from the sky, tumbling across the ground before finally coming to a halt.
Struggling to push his torso upright, he looked up with a mixture of shock and terror at the figure floating slowly toward him.
In truth, even at this point, he had not entirely lost the ability to flee.
Yet the gulf in their strength was simply too vast. The fire of spirituality on his body had offered virtually no protection whatsoever; he had no chance of escaping the man's grasp. Thus, he chose to remain right where he was.
Reaching into his coat, he produced an identification card and spoke in halting Great Shun speech: "Wait! I am an adviser to the Federation Covert Operations Directorate!"
Chen Chuan glanced at it. It was indeed a credential from the West Coast Covert Operations Directorate. However, many prominent government figures on the West Coast were members of the wicked New Light Cult, so the two roles were by no means mutually exclusive. More likely, this identity had been procured solely to facilitate cult operations.
Moreover, Chen Chuan took note of the wisps of tentacle-like mutated tissue sprouting around the man’s waist. These features were familiar—such mutations commonly occurred among the warriors and nobility of the Former Imperial House.
In other words, this man was no longer purely human.
Noticing his gaze and mindful of his opponent's background, Durozier’s expression shifted again. He hastily explained, "I come from the old nobility, but I have already become a Federation citizen! My files can be found in the government archives."
Chen Chuan asked, "Where is the member of the International Investigation Delegation whom you attacked?"
Durozier hesitated. He was no diehard fanatic of the New Light Cult, having joined only midway through his life; he had not even undergone the core rituals. Considering his own survival, he decided to confess.
"Nine days ago, I received word instructing me to assist a high-ranking cult official in intercepting a member of the International Investigation Delegation who came here," he said. "Because that man was extremely powerful, I approached him first to engage him in conversation and draw his attention, after which that senior cult figure made his move to capture him. In the end, he was taken away by that high-ranking official. He is not here."
Chen Chuan asked, "Where is he? What is that high-ranking official’s name?"
Durozier paused briefly before saying, "The man is called Samaruga. He oversees a sacrificial altar in Sannoy State for the cult. I imagine the captive was likely taken there. That site is open to the public; Mr. Chen can look it up through any government directory."
Chen Chuan said, "You know who I am?"
With a touch of awe, Durozier answered, "Yes. Ever since Mr. Chen set foot upon this soil, the cult has paid immense attention to you. Virtually all of us have reviewed your dossier. In all the time I have spent in the cult, the only other figure granted such importance was Akhtawa, who stands on the side of the First People."
Chen Chuan asked, "Apart from you, how many New Light Cult members are here?"
Durozier answered truthfully, "There were sixty-five before. A group left to escort ritual supplies, leaving only fifteen behind. They were all brought here by me—two chefs, a bartender, a violinist, a painter, a dog handler, two telegraph operators, and the rest are my maidservants. They joined the cult only because of me and know nothing of its secrets."
Chen Chuan asked several other key questions, all of which the man answered without evasion. When the interrogation concluded, Durozier suddenly felt his body float upward, drifting toward Chen Chuan. He dared not resist, submitting completely to the other man’s whim.
Chen Chuan glanced at him and flew back with him in tow. He intended to keep this person by his side—partly to prevent news from leaking, partly to allow further questioning along the road, and also because the man served as crucial physical evidence.
As for the radio station inside the fortress, the earlier spiritual impact and violent tremors had been more than sufficient to wreck any delicate machinery.
And as for the soldiers, as he departed, they rolled their eyes back and collapsed to the ground one after another; none of them would be waking up for at least a day or two.
Chen Chuan returned to the members of the investigation delegation, who had observed the entire exchange clearly from a distance.
Having worked alongside martial artists for years, they easily recognized that the fleeing man had been a martial artist. To see such a figure subdued almost instantaneously filled them with boundless awe.
Chen Chuan said, "According to his confession, Mr. Skarson may have been taken to an open sacrificial altar in Sannoy State."
"The Sannoy State altar?"
The person in charge immediately said, "I know that place. It is one of the three largest public proselytizing sites of the New Light Cult. If we head out right now, it will take two days."
Chen Chuan said, "Very well. We leave immediately."
***
Lunovira Center City, the Great Shun Diplomatic Mission in the Federation capital.
Delegation Leader Jiang Hongzhi was conferring with key members of his team. Both deputy delegation leaders and Fan Zhentong were seated in their places.
Deputy Delegation Leader Chu Zhixian spoke up: "Section Chief Chen has already secured the fragment of the Jiuhe Gui, yet he has not had the leisure to send it out. Shouldn't we dispatch someone to liaise with him and transfer it back to our homeland first, lest long nights invite troublesome dreams?"
Deputy Delegation Leader Tu Haisheng replied, "In my view, the specific arrangements for returning it to the homeland should be decided by the Second Delegation itself. We each have our own mandates and need not meddle."
Chu Zhixian countered, "Although the two delegations have separate assignments, it is only proper that we assist one another."
Fan Zhentong sat quietly without speaking.
Delegation Leader Jiang said, "Since the Second Delegation has not sent us a telegram, we shall adhere to our prior agreement and leave full discretion in their hands. The Federation has honored its commitment, which means we can proceed to the next round of negotiations."
"Delegation Leader—"
Chu Zhixian pressed on, "I have word forwarded from the intelligence department. Section Chief Chen met privately with Ryan of the Carverdi family. The meeting took place in a containment chamber, and no one knows what they discussed."
He looked around at the individuals seated at the table, emphasizing his words: "Section Chief Chen never submitted a report explaining the matter to us."
Tu Haisheng turned to Delegation Leader Jiang and said, "There should be logs recording Section Chief Chen's whereabouts. If he did not inform us, it was likely inconvenient to disclose at the time, and he will probably report it to the homeland afterward."
"However—"
Chu Zhixian protested, "Given that he met with someone from the Carverdi family in private, can we still place our full trust in him? The Carverdi family is extremely likely to be entwined with sensitive elements, and now the Jiuhe Gui is—"
Fan Zhentong suddenly broke his silence. "Although I have met Section Chief Chen only once, I know he is not that sort of person."
Chu Zhixian looked at him and fell silent.
Jiang Hongzhi spoke up: "According to protocol, Section Chief Chen is under no obligation to report to the First Delegation. If there are any concerns, Delegation Leader Xie will handle them. There is no need to discuss this further."
He looked toward the two deputy leaders, his tone turning solemn. "The second round of negotiations is crucial. It touches upon our core interests—"
Just then, a communication alert arrived through their boundary credentials. Under ordinary circumstances, no one would disrupt their meeting unless the matter was urgent. Jiang Hongzhi accepted the connection at once and asked in a low voice, "What is it?"
A voice came through: "Delegation Leader, an intelligence report just came in from a covert division. You and the others need to review it."
With that, a dispatch was transmitted to each person's boundary credential.
Jiang Hongzhi inspected it. The message indicated that Chen Chuan was presently traveling alongside members of the International Investigation Delegation toward a public sacrificial altar of the New Light Cult.
This was at the behest of the International Investigation Delegation to look into Skarson's disappearance, and the Second Delegation had already provided notification of this beforehand.
Even so...
Chu Zhixian said, "Delegation Leader, anything involving the New Light Cult is highly sensitive. Will Section Chief Chen's actions have an impact on our upcoming round of negotiations?"
Fan Zhentong turned his gaze toward Jiang Hongzhi and asked, "Delegation Leader Jiang, do you need me to make a trip?"
Chapter 1129