Chen Chuan lowered his hand. As the light washed over him, a powerful gust of wind whipped the hem of his coat.
He gazed at the fissure, which stood a full ten meters high. Even standing here at such close range, he could clearly feel the intense, corruptive intrusion radiating from within.
According to Gao Xinwen, they had been searching here for more than a decade without success.
Thinking optimistically, they might have seized an opportunity to slip into some convergence zone, meaning there was still a chance they were alive. But if they had entered the world on the other side, there was truly no telling what the outcome might be.
Just then, flickers of dark shadows appeared, seeming to probe outward. Without the ritual barrier in place, these things naturally sought to emerge.
Yet the moment they made contact with Chen Chuan's spirit and field, they seemed scalded. Wisps of white smoke sizzled off them, and they shrank back in an instant.
Gao Xinwen had already resigned himself to his fate. But watching Chen Chuan's back as the young man appeared intent on looking inward, a thought stirred in his mind. He spoke up: "The institute lacked the capability, so of the several expeditions we sent inside, none yielded any results unless they stayed near the entrance.
"But someone like you... you might actually find them."
He desperately hoped Chen Chuan would step right through, perhaps meeting the same fate as his sister and vanishing forever. Yet he was destined for disappointment. Chen Chuan had no intention of going in; instead, he turned around, looked at him, and asked, "What exactly is this so-called bloodline?"
Hearing him bring this up, Gao Xinwen's face twisted into an expression of revulsion. He scoffed, "Bloodline? That's something from the opposite side! In essence, you are no different from the things over there. You will pollute everything, strip every human being in this world of their right to survive! You shouldn't even exist in this world!"
Chen Chuan had no interest in correcting his views, nor was there any point in arguing with a man about to die. However, he caught one specific word. "You? As in plural?"
"Yes, you lot."
Gao Xinwen glared at him. "You want to know?" He let out a cold laugh. "Go find the answers yourself. I'm not explaining a thing to you. I may have lost today, but don't think you can make me bow my head."
Chen Chuan asked again, "Back then, aside from you, who else was involved?"
Gao Xinwen shook his head.
Chen Chuan nodded. He flicked his finger, and a pebble shot through the air. With a dull thud, it struck Gao Xinwen squarely in the chest.
It was the very same pebble that had struck his predecessor's chest back then, now returned to its owner—landing in the exact same spot.
Gao Xinwen instantly froze where he stood, his expression completely blank. A moment later, his body pitched forward. With a dull crash, he collapsed face-first onto the ground, never to make another sound.
Chen Chuan stood quietly, looking down at the sprawled body.
Ever since he learned that Progenitor Company might be his enemy, he had been constantly preparing, treating them as a formidable foe.
Now that the mastermind behind it all had fallen before him, he could not help but feel a wave of relief and ease wash over him.
This could be considered an accounting settled—both for his former self and for who he was now.
There were still many unclear details regarding the matter, but they were of little consequence. As his strength continued to rise, he would uncover the truth sooner or later.
Suddenly sensing something, he looked outside.
After a long while, the sound of footsteps echoed from beyond the entrance. A man walked in—none other than Gao Xinjian, president of Progenitor Company.
Behind him followed a tall woman: Gao Yueying, the doll he had met before.
Upon entering and taking in the scene, Gao Xinjian first rested his gaze on Chen Chuan before slowly shifting it downward to Gao Xinwen's corpse. He sighed. "Xinwen, it seems you lost after all."
He looked up at Chen Chuan. "Mr. Chen, I deeply regret what Xinwen did. I imagine you still have questions about what took place back then. Regarding those matters, I happen to know a fair bit. Would you like to hear it?"
Chen Chuan said, "Are you willing to tell me, Mr. Gao?"
Gao Xinjian gave a slight nod. Behind him, Gao Yueying stepped forward and handed Chen Chuan a storage sheath.
Chen Chuan took it and slotted it into his boundary credential. Immediately, a stream of records scrolled past his eyes.
Documented within were most of Gao Xinwen's operations targeted against him, along with historical records from more than ten years ago.
These largely aligned with what he already knew, especially regarding the past, perfectly corresponding to the movements of this body's parents.
Yet there was still one question lingering in his mind.
He asked, "Mr. Gao, I have one question. Why did he do all this? And what is this so-called bloodline, really?"
Gao Xinjian replied, "That is a long story. Mr. Chen, if you truly wish to know, come with me to a certain place, and I will explain everything to you."
At that moment, Gao Yueying tapped the boundary credential by her ear. Before long, the institute's director hurried out. He walked up to Gao Xinjian and said respectfully, "Mr. Gao."
Gao Xinjian spoke in a familiar tone. "Old Meng, good to see you're here. Take us to Laboratory No. 1."
The director nodded. "Understood. It has been preserved all this time. Mr. Gao..." He glanced at Chen Chuan, giving him a respectful nod. "Please follow me."
Leading the way, he guided them through a side passage off the main hall. It was obvious that hardly anyone ever came here; the materials and decor were all in the style of several decades ago.
None of the four uttered a word. After rounding several turns in the corridor, the director said, "We've arrived."
He stepped up to a door fitted with a wheel lock. Reaching out, he turned it several rotations to the left and right.
Moments later, the sound of internal mechanisms clicking into place resonated through the hall, followed by a low, rumbling vibration as the heavy door slowly slid inward.
He asked Gao Xinjian and the others to wait outside for a moment, then took out a flashlight and walked inside alone. Fumbling around along the wall, he pulled a master switch. With a series of loud thumps, industrial lights flickered on one after another, followed by the hum of the ventilation shafts starting up.
Chen Chuan saw a spacious hall furnished with numerous heavy, old-fashioned wooden desks and chairs.
Once the stagnant air inside began to circulate, they walked in.
Chen Chuan looked around and noticed that both walls were covered in countless photographs and documents, densely layered and overlapping in immense quantities. Judging by their contents, most seemed to date back to the era of the Grand Alliance.
Gao Xinjian took in the sight and murmured with nostalgia, "It's been so long since I last came here. It's just as it used to be."
Sensing that they had private matters to discuss, the director said, "Sir, I will take my leave for now. If you need anything, just call for me."
Gao Xinjian said, "Thank you for your trouble, Old Meng." Once the director stepped outside, he turned back to Chen Chuan, gesturing toward a chair. "Please, have a seat."
After the two sat down, Gao Yueying set down the case she was carrying. Using a small scoop, she took out some powdered tea, poured it into a tea bowl, and brewed it with specially prepared water. She then added various medicinal pastes and powders, pouring more water over them in turns. Distinct layers of different colors and jade-like pastes built upon one another, making the bowl of tea rich in tone and substance.
Once it was prepared, she brought it over and presented a bowl each to Chen Chuan and Gao Xinjian.
Gao Xinjian picked up his bowl and took a sip.
Chen Chuan did not touch his.
Seeing this, Gao Xinjian took no offense. He set down his bowl and gestured toward the wall. "You see those? All of them are relics left behind from the Grand Alliance era."
He sighed wistfully. "That was truly a magnificent and turbulent age. Though I didn't participate personally, I learned a great deal from my predecessors, and even now, I hold deep reverence for it.
"And all of this—"
He swept his gaze across the room. "All of these are records and materials gathered by the Gao family's forebears, documenting much of what occurred back then.
"The Grand Alliance was established to confront the intrusion from the opposite world. The world's major nations, corporations, and factions all took part, and our Gao family was among those invited.
"The Grand Alliance accomplished several momentous undertakings back then: establishing the International Coalition Government, founding the Grand Alliance Guard, compiling the fighting syllabus, setting up a unified martial arts academy, and more.
"I presume you are already familiar with all of this, Mr. Chen, so I won't dwell on it. However, there were certain far more secretive matters that, to this day, remain known only to vital nations, global mega-corporations, the five major martial arts styles, the old and new religions, and a select few affiliated organizations."
At this point, his tone grew solemn.
"The entities from the world opposite are terrifyingly powerful. Once we consolidated the records from various nations and religions, our understanding of them reached a new level, and we realized that relying solely on our existing strength would make it nearly impossible to contend with them.
"Fortunately, we weren't left entirely without hope. Look at this—"
Gao Yueying walked over to the side, switched on a projector, and displayed an image.
Chen Chuan looked up. The projection showed a piece of translucent jade covered in intricate, dense patterns.
A single glance was enough to tell him it was no ordinary object; it seemed to possess something that instinctively drew him in.
Gao Xinjian said, "We do not know where this object originally came from. The old religions of the world all claim that their founding patriarchs received it as a divine gift.
"It possesses inconceivable power. We believe that many of the ancient techniques and secret doctrines of the old religions trace their ultimate origin back to this very item.
"Various sects and former imperial households across the world each had their own unique names for it. After the Grand Alliance was established, great importance was placed on this object. Through a series of measures, similar relics scattered across the globe were brought together, and technical experts from many nations and corporations, esoteric cultists, and martial artists were invited to study them jointly.
"During this process, it was discovered that beyond the diverse knowledge assimilated by the old religions in the past, it very likely records information regarding the composition of a higher form of life, as well as the secret elements necessary to become one. Later, in our East Continent, we adopted the designation given by the Xuan Religion, calling it the 'Celestial Being Diagram.'"
Chapter 1261