On the side of the former imperial household, a disc embedded in the ceiling of the airship suddenly cast off wisps of faint light.
Yuan Congye and the others all glanced upward, none of them showing the slightest surprise.
The object mounted up there was one of the sacred relics they had brought on this expedition. One of its functions was precisely to block prying eyes from other relics.
Now that it was shining, it indicated that its power had been activated.
At this moment, they could all sense that something seemed to have been extracted from them.
Every martial artist of the Dongxuan View possessed an exceptionally high intensity of existence, making them acutely aware of any shift within themselves. In a situation like this, some information concerning them had evidently been gathered by the opposing relic.
Yet it was nothing of concern; they could all tell that these were, at most, superficial details.
While sacred relics could indeed be utterly unreasonable in certain respects, their effects also depended on the tier of their target. If both sides were of comparable tiers, even relics had to abide by certain laws.
For instance, though some relics could restrict or harm martial artists, they could not kill them outright with a single stroke.
And most investigative relics were incapable of seizing everything in an instant, relying instead on a gradual process.
The first things investigated by a relic were typically widely known information, which was easy to gather. But once deeper layers or personal, unique memories were touched, it was no longer so simple.
Now, as their own sacred relic took effect, they felt that although the drain of superficial information had not slowed, it had clearly been warped into something even they themselves could not understand.
Consequently, everyone remained calm. In such a brief span of time, it was impossible for the enemy to have uncovered much.
Most importantly, once triggered, the sacred relic above them did not merely create interference—it would also rebound against the enemy, even dulling their cognitive faculties.
On Chen Chuan's side, he promptly relayed the intelligence he had just gathered through the boundary credential to Jiang Linghuai and Mu Xiaoren.
Yet the moment the two received it, they immediately noticed that the incoming data was vanishing from their memories at a rapid pace. More than that, even after the information disappeared, the process did not halt; pieces of their own memories began slipping away as well.
Though this occurred at a very sluggish rate, and the forgotten details were utterly trivial, the effect might deepen over time.
They promptly reported this phenomenon to Chen Chuan.
Upon receiving their report, Chen Chuan deduced that the interference relic on the other side was continuously exerting its effect.
He himself had not been significantly affected, perhaps because his reception of information had not been severed, effectively canceling the effect out. In that case, it was of no great concern. He could use his boundary credential and spiritual power to repeatedly transmit the information to both of them. So long as he did not forget, it was as if Jiang and Mu had not forgotten either, while simultaneously arresting the erosion of their personal memories.
He immediately used his spiritual power to relay the acquired information to them once more.
One could say that before both sides had even formally engaged, a round of clash had already unfolded through relics.
This also revealed that the former imperial household was thoroughly prepared, having likely accounted for various contingencies. Although called remnants, they were in truth a formidable state and undoubtedly possessed ample experience in team warfare.
Taking advantage of the remaining moments before the enemy's arrival, he sent a message to Hong Ancheng and Zhu Kongqi, instructing them to watch for enemies who might strike at the rear at any moment.
In the gathered intelligence, he had spotted two Longevity View martial artists. Those two were unlikely to join this frontline clash, making it highly probable they would launch a surprise assault on the rear.
Given the disparity in numbers, he might not be able to turn back and deal with them, leaving the matter entirely in the hands of Hong and Zhu.
Upon receiving the message, the two acknowledged it and declared they would certainly hold the outpost.
Chen Chuan said, "There is no need. If the enemy proves too formidable or a stronger opponent appears, I authorize your retreat."
The critical battlefield was right here. So long as they won, however much territory the enemy seized behind them would have to be surrendered back. But if lives were lost, they were gone for good. That was why, as soon as he assumed the role of supreme commander, he had ordered the bulk of the troops to pull back.
Both men indicated their understanding.
After concluding the transmission, Chen Chuan promptly contacted Wen Mingzhong. "Mr. Wen, are there any issues on your end?"
Wen Mingzhong replied, "No issues. Everything that needed to be arranged is in place. However, Officer Chen..." His tone grew grave as he cautioned, "This anomaly was brought from the General Bureau. It is extremely ferocious. Please take extra care shortly."
Chen Chuan said, "Understood."
Next, he glanced ahead, confirming the enemy's coordinates once more through Chaoming's vision. Tapping his boundary credential, he transmitted a set of preset coordinates calculated by Fengsha to the railway artillery battery at the rear.
With that done, he took a couple of steps toward a crate, gripped the release clasp, and pulled. The panels of the crate swung outward at once, revealing the external implant resting inside.
He released the Xuejun Saber, letting it hover at his side, and stepped into the parted back of the implant.
As he slipped inside, the external implant enveloped him in swift succession.
The implant's active conscious entity possessed an immense database that could assist him in analyzing complex tactical conditions on the field and formulating strategies—a powerful auxiliary aid, and above all, an extra layer of defense.
Though such armor was dispensable to him in his current state, even a sheet of paper had its purpose.
Once the implant sealed completely, the golden veil beneath the conical helm draped down. The plates of armor across his body expanded and contracted like a breath, then clung seamlessly to the contours of his body.
Reaching out, he took the Xuejun Saber back into his grasp.
From the sky above, Chaoming gave another piercing cry.
Chen Chuan turned around and looked outward. In just this short interval, the silhouettes of the airship fleet had already emerged in the distant sky.
The enemy had no intention of concealing themselves. Strings of belted lanterns lining the hulls were lit one by one, sketching the colossal outlines of the airships against the midair gloom.
In the dark of the convergence zone, the things that had been writhing deep in the shadows actually receded slowly under the crimson glow of those lamps.
At that moment, bursts of intense light suddenly detonated ahead of the airships. Close behind the flashes came a rumbling, shrill screech and muffled explosions, after which plumes of green aerosol blossomed across the sky, swallowing nearly half the heavens.
The rail artillery at the rear had opened fire. Yet the ordnance used was no standard shell; inside were not high-yield explosives, but mutated microbial strains engineered by Great Shun's Technology Department.
These agents were specifically designed to combat the active species of the convergence zone. They could parasitize and rapidly dismantle the living structures within target organisms, weakening or even dismantling their regenerative capabilities and resistance from the inside out.
The payload took effect almost immediately. The wyverns and multi-finned fish circling the airships began to teeter and veer after plunging through the mist, before raining down from the sky like falling hail.
Simultaneously, the airships' advance slowed.
Chen Chuan's figure drifted slowly upward until he reached an altitude level with the airships. Wisps of platinum-gold radiance emanated from his body, casting their brilliance in all directions.
The spiritual fire enveloped him like a viscous current of liquid, appearing exceptionally calm and stable.
Jiang and Mu also floated into the air, drifting at a distance to Chen Chuan's left and right.
Gazing at Chen Chuan's figure facing the airship fleet ahead, Jiang Linghuai felt a surge of fervent, impassioned emotion rising inexplicably in his chest.
Mu Xiaoren settled into combat readiness with remarkable speed. In a clash like this, he naturally viewed himself as a pawn on the board, prepared to throw himself into the breach whenever called upon.
Under the gaze of the trio, the vast bank of mist suddenly churned and parted toward either side.
A figure over two meters tall stepped onto the prow terrace of the lead airship.
The man wore no faceplate and appeared only around thirty years of age, possessed of heroic features and a sharp, commanding intensity between his brows.
He was clad head to toe in heavy black-scale armor, with a dragon-horn crown upon his head and beast-swallowing, cloud-pattern pauldrons covering his shoulders. Over his torso draped a brocade flood-dragon red-cloud robe, cinched at the waist by a dark-purple jade-wound sash that whipped in the wind. A longsword hung at his left hip, and he held a red-tasseled Chaofeng Imperial Army Spear, exuding an imposing majesty.
Behind him stood a massive black-and-red war standard, swaying in the air currents, inscribed with four characters: General of Agile Cavalry.
Without question, this man was none other than General of Agile Cavalry Yuan Congye.
Behind him and across the other airships, armored commanders of the former imperial household emerged from behind the clouds one after another. Battle flags unfurled, accompanied by the thunderous roar of war drums.
Yuan Congye's gaze locked onto Chen Chuan at the very first instant. He had originally intended to deliver a few words urging surrender, but upon meeting the deep, tranquil gaze in Chen Chuan's eyes, he immediately abandoned the notion.
Snatching up the spear at his side, he did not mount his steed, but stepped straight through the empty air. Beneath the watching eyes of both sides and the rolling thunder of drums, he rode a cloud of black light across the sky, charging directly toward Chen Chuan.
Upon closing the distance, he leveled the spear shaft, his black armor clattering as he thrust toward Chen Chuan. In that instant, his entire being dissolved into a swift streak of black light shooting forward.
Chen Chuan raised the still-sheathed Xuejun Saber horizontally before him, the platinum-gold flames about him blazing brighter, like a midday sun ascending into the sky.
In the very next instant, the two figures collided. A dazzling flare flashed across the heavens, and Yuan Congye was sent hurtling backward like a shooting star, vanishing into the distant sky in the blink of an eye.
No one had even registered what had just transpired; it was as if that sliver of time had vanished into thin air, followed only belatedly by a thunderous detonation.
Chen Chuan floated suspended aloft without giving half a step, both hands still held in a forward slashing posture.
He was no longer who he had been when he first entered the Dongxuan View. Over these past few months, he had grown stronger with each passing day. With his foundation being what it was, even the slightest increment marked a tremendous leap forward. Now that his metamorphosis was near completion, his display of might was overwhelmingly staggering.
Yet when his strike connected with Yuan Congye, he could tell it had inflicted little real harm on the man—whether due to a relic or special abilities remained unclear.
At the same time, he realized that a strange force was hindering him, locking him in place and preventing him from launching a follow-up attack.
Chapter 1401