After securing the concrete results of the ritual, the members of the operational team beat a hasty retreat.
To their minds, this operation had been meticulously planned, covertly executed, and swiftly withdrawn from—taking under two minutes from start to finish. It could practically be described as flawless.
Yet before they had made it more than a few strides, an invisible wave suddenly rippled across them. The heads of most among them spun violently; stumbling and collapsing forward for a few paces, they crumpled onto the ground.
They had actually equipped items to defend against spiritual impacts beforehand. However, according to Eros's arrangements, a counter-ritual still needed to be prepared to guarantee foolproof success.
Yet they had balked at the exorbitant cost and hassle, deeming the step unnecessary and omitting it. Consequently, the vast majority of them were instantly incapacitated.
Only a single martial artist dispatched by the Federation's operational department remained where he stood. Though he hadn't taken part in the action itself, he was an informed party to the affair, tasked with providing cover for the personnel's withdrawal if necessary.
This time, however, he had no way to help even if he wanted to. The spiritual power of Gui Zihan, Wang Tongshan, and Ka Zhijie had locked onto him immediately.
The instant he made the slightest move, the three of them would strike without hesitation.
While the situation here was brought under control, further security forces were stationed behind the operational team. They had no idea what had happened; they only knew they had received a distress call from the vanguard and seen their colleagues collapse one after another from afar.
They instantly raised their barrels and aimed toward the group, though they held their fire. Only the third limit fighters among them surged forward at high speed.
These men were elite professional troops. They didn't care which side was in the right or wrong; they only knew that their own people had to be protected and could not be taken away and held at will by the delegation.
In fact, if their side truly was at fault, they had all the more reason to do so, as it would help them shirk responsibility after the fact.
At that moment, personnel from both sides converged toward the middle ground. While the Federation rear guard knew a fraction of what was occurring, it was essentially still an unexpected contingency to them. Great Shun, on the other hand, had a complete operational plan in place, allowing their personnel to deploy much faster.
Yuan Qiuyuan, Qin Qingque, Su Wei, and Wei Dong stepped forward at once, bracing directly against the incoming fighters.
Gui Zihan also stepped down from the vehicle and looked across to the other side of the road. When the approaching fighters saw him from afar, the mutated tissue within their bodies began spontaneously resisting advancing any further, even before they drew close, causing their pace to slow involuntarily.
Realizing they had lost their chance, the fighters on the other side stopped as well.
Taking advantage of this opening, the delegation's escorts rushed to the scene at top speed, promptly seizing the fallen men and securing the objects they held in their hands.
The technical expert team stepped forward swiftly to measure and take rubbings of the ritual array below, snapping photographs and drafting sketches. The entire operation was methodical, swift yet orderly.
At that moment, an airship descended slowly overhead. Because the delegation had previously suffered an attack, the Federation Administration had specifically dispatched an official this time to coordinate and handle unforeseen incidents.
Having noticed the commotion from above, they didn't know what had transpired, but sensing that something was amiss, they immediately decided to come down and negotiate with the delegation to see if they could minimize the incident and contain it within a manageable scope.
Delegation Leader Xie contacted Chen Chuan. "Section Chief Chen, it appears things went just as you foresaw. How do you intend to handle this?"
Chen Chuan replied calmly, "Keep a copy of the evidence, then hand the rest over to the Federation. Let's see how they deal with it first."
He knew these men were merely the ones pushed to the forefront; killing them all would achieve little. The crux lay with the people behind them. If the Federation could offer a satisfactory explanation, he could afford them some face and avoid making too great a scene.
Yet he knew full well the Federation wouldn't be able to provide a clear explanation, nor would they give a satisfactory answer. In the end, he would have to handle it himself.
"All right," Delegation Leader Xie said. "We'll proceed like that for now."
When the administrative official on the airship landed, he initiated discussions with Delegation Leader Xie.
As he walked up, his body subconsciously tensed, bracing for harsh interrogations from Delegation Leader Xie.
After all, not long had passed since the attack on Delegation Leader Xie, and now another incident like this had occurred. The Federation's promises and security guarantees carried very little credibility.
To his surprise, however, the latter did not make things difficult for him, handing over the captured personnel and evidence.
The official immediately made a solemn vow, swearing he would get to the bottom of the matter no matter what.
Delegation Leader Xie expressed his gratitude in a thoroughly official tone, after which the Great Shun delegation returned to their vehicles as though nothing had happened. Ten minutes later, they arrived at the banquet hall.
Upon entering the banquet venue, greeters immediately stepped forward to usher the group into the main hall. An assemblyman was delivering a speech at the podium; seeing the members of the Great Shun delegation arrive, he smoothly steered his remarks toward them and led the applause, prompting welcoming claps to reverberate across the hall.
After speaking a few more words, the assemblyman invited Delegation Leader Xie to step up and address the room.
Chen Chuan glanced around. Most of those present today were prominent politicians and wealthy merchants, along with socialites and glamorous celebrities.
Though quite a few fighters had arrived—including two martial artists whose military background was obvious at a glance—Crossal hadn't shown up as advertised. It was unclear whether he was avoiding meeting Chen Chuan or had been delayed by other matters.
As Chen Chuan stood there, many people couldn't help casting glances in his direction.
The looks in most eyes held a mix of curiosity and awe, for he clearly possessed destructive power on par with a Throne martial artist, yet he was not bound by the accords.
This meant that a person wielding supreme martial might—someone who could slaughter them all at any moment—was standing right among them.
Just contemplating it sent shivers down their spines, even if such an occurrence was exceedingly unlikely in the capital.
Lately, various nations and corporations had been seeking every possible way to pass a supplementary agreement. Yet unless Great Shun relented, no amount of urging would make a difference—not to mention that a global treaty of this scale had never been concluded in a mere year or six months.
They could only try to "persuade" Chen Chuan to agree through various channels, but that avenue had been thoroughly blocked by Gao Ming. They couldn't even arrange a meeting with Chen Chuan, let alone convince him.
Now that he was present in person, not a single one among the numerous advocates in attendance dared to approach him.
Finding no sign of Crossal and having no interest in the people present, Chen Chuan strolled off to the side by himself. At that moment, his expression shifted slightly, for he noticed that the seed he had cast out had begun moving again.
Suddenly recalling something, he glanced at his watch and tapped his boundary credential, causing lines of data to populate the light screen.
Calculated according to the ritual calendar of the Primordial Sect, tomorrow appeared to be their monthly Prayer for Food Day.
Occasions of such ceremonial significance were typically when rituals were held.
Meanwhile, "Lao Zheng" opened his eyes. He found himself still in the pitch-black hold of a vessel, though he could sense the hull moving forward rather than staying moored as it had before.
He remembered clearly that he had been given medicine three times in total, meaning three days had elapsed.
Over the past few days, his body felt somewhat replenished; the concoctions administered to them clearly contained nourishing tonics.
He didn't dwell on it and closed his eyes once more.
Once darkness had fallen completely, the ferry arrived at the Daluo Peninsula, the largest peninsula on Lake Chickland.
After the vessel docked at the pier, the thirty-odd people aboard filed off.
Every one of them was emaciated to the bone. As they disembarked, their steps were unsteady. Some couldn't even keep their footing and collapsed to the ground, but under the urgent prodding and driving of the handlers, they struggled back to their feet and stumbled after the line.
Lao Zheng glanced back. Three more boats had arrived at the pier one after another. If each held thirty or forty people, that totaled well over a hundred.
Before they had walked very far, their strength gave out. The handlers stopped driving them and instead administered some medicine.
Lao Zheng could tell this was a restorative stimulant, one capable of sustaining a minor state of heightened arousal for roughly a day. Afterward, their depleted bodily faculties would decline drastically. Thus, the sacrificial ritual had to be taking place within twenty-four hours.
Once the occupants of the several boats were gathered together, everyone was blindfolded and loaded onto transport vehicles.
Relying on the perceptions of his mutated tissue, Lao Zheng sensed they were heading uphill at first. Soon, however, the ambient temperature plummeted, feeling as though they had entered the belly of a mountain. At the same time, a strange fragrance wafted in, sending everyone slipping into unconsciousness once again.
He, too, slowly closed his eyes.
When he awoke, he was in a space resembling a circular arena. People sat scattered across the stands; each of them had been washed clean and dressed in a black hooded robe.
To their left and right were two immense square pools emitting faint wisps of vapor and giving off a strange odor.
Directly in front of them stood an arc-shaped object concealed behind a golden curtain. Several people were standing there conversing. The one in the very center was a petite woman, also dressed in a robe, only hers was golden, matching the curtain.
Judging by the skin exposed on the backs of her hands and the silvery-white strands of hair peeking out from the cowl, she was well advanced in years.
A tall figure beside her said, "Madam, these people will serve as the sacrifices for your initiation ritual."
The woman seemed somewhat repulsed. "They look far too frail."
"The great entity cares only for the ritual itself, not the quality of the offerings. It will not affect the ritual's efficacy, so rest assured."
The figure explained further, "Once the ritual succeeds, you will obtain 'basal nature' and receive the great entity's gaze, thereby becoming one of us."
The elderly woman still seemed somewhat uneasy. She asked, "Could I take a look first? I would like to see that great entity with my own eyes before the ritual."
The tall figure glanced at her, then over at Lao Zheng and the other sacrifices, and smiled. "Of course."
Chapter 1191