Only moments after Gao Xu spoke, the thing struck the esoteric ritual once more.
This time the impact was even greater. Chen Chuan could clearly sense the entire airspace rocking and pitching like a small boat on ocean waves, and the golden radiance of the surrounding talismans showed signs of scattering.
Gao Xu and Long Xian wore solemn expressions. Firm though the esoteric ritual was, if they allowed this creature to keep ramming it without taking any action, there was no telling how long it could hold.
Chen Chuan stood within and watched. After a moment of thought, he asked, "If this thing was lured here by Ming's divine qi, that must have been arranged before his visage body was destroyed, right?"
"Precisely," Gao Xu said.
Long Xian said, "Ming lacked the ability to control otherworldly demons. This must have been done around the time our Heavenly Lord visages were shattered. Afterward, once Senior Brother Chonghua severed the Tianji Plate, there was no way he could have managed it."
Chen Chuan said, "If so, even if Ming had succeeded in imprisoning or killing you all, he would still have had to face this otherworldly entity. What method did he intend to use?"
Long Xian said, "Eldest Senior Brother used the hidden power within the Pufang Mirror earlier to shatter Ming's spiritual visage—" He looked at Gao Xu. "Presumably, that was meant to deal with a situation like this."
Gao Xu pondered for a moment before saying, "Eldest Senior Brother never mentioned this to us, so presumably Ming was unaware of it as well."
Chen Chuan turned it over in his mind. Ming had sought to become the Celestial Master, so he would not have exposed himself prematurely; moreover, holding the mantle of Celestial Master would undoubtedly allow him to command far more resources.
Therefore, he guessed that within Ming's plan, this entity was likely intended to solidify his standing.
Either repelling an otherworldly foe before the crowd, or staging a performance alongside the Federation to join forces in slaying the thing, thereby securing righteous legitimacy.
A clever calculation.
Yet now, without the Federation's "support," they would have to resolve this matter themselves.
Just then, the esoteric ritual shuddered violently once more. Golden talisman light flashed erratically, and the jade pillars let out groans as if on the verge of fracturing.
Gao Xu looked grave, realizing they could not let this continue. He said, "There is no other way. If this goes on, the esoteric ritual might not hold. Our only option is to take a gamble: open a gap and let it in."
Chen Chuan nodded slightly. He understood this approach; the best way to deal with such things was to let them in. Once inside this world, the overarching power of the Ring of the World would inevitably weaken it. Purging a portion of it might then frighten the creature into retreating.
As for dealing with entities of this kind, he had handled them many times before and possessed ample experience. Reaching out, he drew the Xuejun Saber once again.
Although he had wielded the Xuejun Saber throughout the battle earlier, Gao Xu and Long Xian, confined within the fissure, had been unable to observe many details. Up close, however, both of them sensed something and could not help casting a second glance at it.
Still, this was clearly no time for distractions, so neither said anything.
Gao Xu said, "In a moment, I shall use the Pufang Mirror to pull back a corner of the esoteric ritual. It will surely enter. Junior Brother, honored guest, I must steer the ritual arts shortly, so the task of slaying it will fall to the two of you."
Long Xian said, "Rest easy, Senior Brother."
Gao Xu nodded. It was not that he placed great faith in Long Xian, but rather that he trusted Chen Chuan. The strength Chen Chuan had displayed earlier had thoroughly convinced him, and that was the key reason he dared to open a gap in the first place.
Sending his divine qi into the Pufang Mirror, he carefully parted a sliver of a gap. Immediately, the thing could not wait to seep inside.
What entered first was likely just an insignificant "feeler," but even so, an intense sense of oppression rolled down, making it clear that the entity occupied an exceptionally high tier.
The three looked up. Something seemed to be crawling down. At first, their senses could discern no definite shape, but as it came into contact with the breath of the material world, it gradually began morphing into a visible form.
Chen Chuan adjusted his breathing. This creature was stronger than imagined. He had no idea how Ming had planned to handle it back then; perhaps it would have required the controlled Tianji Plate as well, channeling the full power of the Tianji Sect's esoteric ritual to withstand it.
As for him, if he wanted to purge it in a single stroke, he might need to employ his second self this time.
As the thought crossed his mind, the spiritual fire upon him naturally emerged.
Yet at that very instant, the infiltrating "feeler" jerked to an abrupt halt. An instant later, it shrank back at alarming speed, and the shadow blocking the opening of the upper airspace vanished alongside it.
Gao Xu and Long Xian were taken aback. Then they sensed a vast, majestic wave of divine qi descending toward them, beneath which that immense entity actually crumbled and dissolved into nothingness.
"Celestial Master?!"
Both broke into looks of boundless joy. Long Xian exclaimed in utter excitement, "The Celestial Master has returned!"
Chen Chuan raised his head to look. The dazzling expanse of sky across from them seemed to suddenly transform into the Silver River of stars. Amid the starlit glow, a beam of clear, golden light shone down.
Then a figure appeared within the light. As the radiance drifted outward and dispersed, his true appearance was revealed.
The man wore a dark cyan-gray robe, a horsetail whisk resting in the crook of his arm. His countenance carried an untrammeled, serene air. His hair was bound in an old-style topknot, neat yet slightly casual, and a long beard streaked with a few strands of white drifted down to his chest.
This was the first time Chen Chuan had ever seen someone wielding power of the fifth limit. Looking up, he saw facial features that were distinct yet soft, eyes deep and bright. In his brow, there was the spirited vitality of youth, the steadiness of middle age, and the placid detachment of elder years, making it impossible to determine his age from outward appearance alone.
Standing before him, Chen Chuan felt no crushing pressure of higher-tier power. What the man imparted was, more than anything, an ethereal sense of emptiness.
To put it more concretely, it was as if he were merely a shadow, yet his physical body undeniably existed right there.
Chen Chuan had a moment of realization: it seemed that the Celestial Master before him was not his entirety, but rather an "incarnation cast into the mortal world."
Gao Xu and Long Xian hurried forward to pay their respects.
Chen Chuan raised both hands as well, offering an old-style cupped-fist salute.
Heavenly Master Lu gave his whisk a gentle sweep, signaling the two to dispense with formalities. Then, with a faint smile, he nodded to Chen Chuan. "Please wait a moment, honored guest, while I attend to a few internal matters of our sect."
Chen Chuan nodded and said, "Celestial Master, please do as you see fit."
Heavenly Master Lu reached out and plucked from the air; a treasured mirror appeared in his hand. He tapped it lightly and tossed it aside. In an instant, it soared into the sky above and vanished.
Yet the trembling esoteric ritual stabilized as a result. The errant golden light returned to the talismans, and immediately a wash of skylight spilled down. The esoteric ritual here seemed to lose all boundary with the open sky outside; one could no longer tell in the slightest that this was within a fissure.
Heavenly Master Lu glanced toward the golden rainbow Chonghua had transformed into outside, as well as the Tianji fish wandering in the open. With another wave of his whisk, both the golden rainbow and the Tianji fish flew back in an instant.
The two objects circled and chased each other back and forth. After a moment, clear light dispersed, coalescing into a plume of mist in their midst. The mist gradually formed the shape of a person, and once it fully condensed and settled, it resolved into Chonghua's original form.
Straightening his dark robe, he bowed respectfully toward Heavenly Master Lu above. "This disciple greets the Celestial Master."
Heavenly Master Lu said, "Though your aptitude is extraordinary, the path of the Divine Visage was never the road you were meant to walk; it never truly aligned with the secret transmissions of our sect. This time your foundation was damaged and your cultivation depleted, leaving you essentially with no way forward. However, you divined heavenly secrets and helped the sect weather this catastrophe—a deed of immense merit. You now qualify to practice our sect's highest secret transmission. Later, I will mend your foundation for you. If you cultivate with dedication, you shall surely achieve something of note."
Chonghua showed neither grief nor joy at those words. Maintaining his respectful posture, he said, "This disciple thanks the Celestial Master."
Heavenly Master Lu nodded slowly, seemingly quite pleased with his composure. He then cast a glance outside, an arc of lightning seeming to flash through his eyes.
Chen Chuan noticed that the direction Heavenly Master Lu looked toward happened to be the one taken by the departing Federation airships.
At the very same moment, the Federation airship fleet was already far from Tianji Peak.
Just then, a sudden gale whipped up from nowhere, sweeping in like a rolling tide. The sky darkened instantly, and the entire fleet seemed caught in the grip of an invisible, colossal force, hurtling out of control into the distance.
Everyone aboard felt the world spinning, overcome by dizziness. By the time their heads cleared, they discovered to their shock that the entire fleet had, bafflingly enough, already been swept right out of Weishu Continent.
Looking out through the porthole toward Tianji Peak in the far distance, Fantner had eyes full of dread. He guessed that the Celestial Master must have intervened; only a higher-tier power could wield such overwhelming might.
He also felt somewhat fortunate that the other party had not done anything to them, seemingly showing mercy. Yet he had an uneasy feeling that this affair would hardly end here.
"Report!"
A communications officer came up behind him, saluting breathlessly.
Fantner asked, "What is it?"
The officer whispered something. Fantner's expression changed slightly, and he immediately hurried toward the medical bay.
Arriving at the first-class cabin where Durant had been resting, he saw Roberts standing off to the side, his expression shifting erratically. And where Durant should have been lying, only a human-shaped pile of ash remained.
Fantner's heart gave a violent jolt. He glanced at Roberts, and seeing that the man showed no inclination to speak, asked the nearby medical staff, "Is there video footage?"
"Yes, yes!" The medic nodded hurriedly.
Fantner immediately turned and walked out, stepping up to a field screen to take a look.
He saw that when Roberts entered earlier, Durant was still conscious, and the two appeared to be discussing something. Then, as if out of thin air, a bolt of lightning materialized in the cabin, and in the next instant, Durant was reduced entirely to ash.
He stared fixedly at the screen for a moment. A method like this could only be performed by a higher-tier power—it had to be the work of that Celestial Master. At that thought, his heart thumped wildly; theoretically, snuffing him out would be just as effortless for such a being.
Without a word, he turned on his heel and walked away. Only a single thought remained in his mind: to leave the airship immediately. He did not dare linger here for another second.
Meanwhile, within the esoteric ritual of the fissure, Heavenly Master Lu withdrew his gaze. Turning to Chen Chuan with a faint smile, he said, "This is hardly a fitting place to receive a guest. Honored guest, please step this way so we may converse."
Chapter 1329