In stark contrast to Great Shun's soaring momentum, a pall of gloom hung over Anye Palace in Youdu.
In the battle of Yaolan Pass, all the primary commanders who took the field had perished. Ever since retreating into the convergence zone, the imperial court had never suffered such catastrophic losses.
This had undoubtedly shaken the foundation of the state. That very day, Youdu issued an imperial summons to garrisons across all regions to march to the defense of the crown, yet barely anyone answered the call.
It was not necessarily that the garrisons everywhere were entirely unwilling to act as loyal subjects. Rather, to coordinate with the offensive of Chen Chuan and his comrades, Great Shun had reinforced its forces across various convergence zones and pushed steadily into former imperial territory across the board.
This maneuver placed immense pressure on the former imperial house's regional garrisons. Furthermore, Great Shun was not merely putting on a show; it had launched genuine, full-scale assaults, leaving every battlefront hanging by a thread.
The regional lords dared make no rash moves either. Struggling even to protect themselves, how could they possibly spare troops to march to Youdu in defense of the crown?
Moreover, the Conservative Faction had continually attempted to coax these regional lords into surrendering. Although the lords had not agreed, they remained hesitant and wavering, leading them to fight with little conviction or enthusiasm.
It had to be said that although the Conservative Faction's actions were the last thing the Enterprising Faction wished to see, they objectively delayed, divided, and undermined the former imperial house.
Of course, there was no shortage of loyal subjects among them, but most were lacking in real military strength. In fact, the more loyal they were, the weaker they tended to be, as Youdu had long since concocted ways to suppress and weaken them.
Currently, the most powerful regional force within the Ding Dynasty was undoubtedly Prince Yi.
This man was Emperor Wenguang's biological uncle. Beneath him were two Dongxuan View Xuanji martial artists, and he enjoyed the staunch backing of Huining Temple of the Chan Cult. Consequently, Youdu not only dared not conscript his forces, but even feared that he might march troops into the capital under the guise of answering the imperial summons.
At this moment, outside the gates of Anye Palace, the officials waiting outside swarmed forward upon seeing several Grand Secretaries emerge from Qingyun Pavilion.
Yet the Grand Secretaries only shook their heads.
Grand Secretary Hong glanced at the crowd and said in a grave voice, "Disperse, all of you. His Majesty has his own plans."
Grand Secretary Shi added, "Gentlemen, return to your respective yamens and attend to your duties. As subjects, we must share our sovereign's burdens rather than add to the turmoil."
With that, the five Grand Secretaries departed in their carriages.
Helpless, the officials could only disperse. Although they had learned nothing from the Grand Secretaries, the men had appeared composed, and the reigning emperor was known to be deeply calculating. Paradoxically, this outward calm brought an inexplicable measure of reassurance to their hearts. More importantly, there was nothing they could do anyway; they could only wait and see, holding out for as long as they could.
***
On Chen Chuan's side, after securing the fortress and settling all necessary affairs, he took Jiang Linghuai and Mu Xiaoren and made their way toward Mount Panquan, where the northern shortcut was located.
Besides hoping to meet with Mingchengzi, he intended to personally inspect this passage in preparation for the upcoming military operation.
He had originally wondered if they might even run into the man, yet the moment they reached the northern foothills of Mount Panquan, he spotted a gaunt, slender figure standing atop a boulder in the distance. Evidently, he had been waiting there for them all along.
Chen Chuan instructed Jiang and Mu to wait above, while he floated down from the sky, landing atop the boulder where the man stood.
The Xuanist offered a formal Xuan Cult bow and said, "Mingchengzi, an unaffiliated sanren, greets Xuanji Chen."
Chen Chuan cupped his fist in return. "Greetings, Gaogong Mingcheng. I have already seen the jade talisman you delivered through Prince Chunxuan. You have indeed demonstrated great sincerity."
Hearing this, Mingchengzi wore a faint look of surprise. Although he had marked out the route, he had not detailed the deeper secrets behind it.
"Oh? Does that mean your esteemed side already understands the subtle marvels of this place?"
Chen Chuan nodded slightly.
"Good, wonderful!"
Far from feeling he had lost bargaining chips, Mingchengzi looked delighted.
The more this was true, the clearer it was that Great Shun was thoroughly prepared for this campaign, and the greater the certainty of destroying the former dynasty.
Chen Chuan looked at him. "Your sect arose during the Feng and Qi Dynasties and enjoyed over seven hundred years of unbroken heritage. Yet according to Prince Chunxuan, is Gaogong Mingcheng the sole survivor remaining of your sect?"
Mingchengzi let out a heavy sigh, speaking with deep grief and regret. "The downfall of my sect was not ordained by heaven, but born of human calamity. Internal strife flared first, followed by external aggression. With both disasters striking together, how could it not perish? Now, I alone remain to shoulder the shame of our entire lineage."
At this, an apologetic expression crossed his face.
"Forgive my lack of composure. Commander Chen likely has little interest in such dust-covered past events and idle complaints, so I shall speak no more of it."
Hovering above, Jiang Linghuai felt quite disappointed, thinking to himself that he actually loved listening to such stories.
Mu Xiaoren remained impassive, though he had clearly tilted his head slightly earlier and now slowly straightened up again.
Mingchengzi turned serious. "Since your esteemed side was already aware of this secret path, I shall not embarrass myself further with it."
Shaking his sleeve, he produced a parchment scroll.
"Back when the Ding Dynasty conquered this ancient capital, the majority of the esoteric rituals were entrusted to our Fulong Faction to arrange. I, too, took part in that work.
"Whenever our sect laid out esoteric rituals for the imperial court, we would willingly excise our own memories to earn the monarch's trust, and for over seven hundred years, not a single secret was ever leaked. Later, discord arose between Emperor Wenguang and our sect, and he orchestrated a purge against us under the charge of regicide and treason."
He sneered coldly. "The tyrant believed that by razing our mountain gates and burning our records to ash, the secrets of the esoteric rituals would remain forever concealed. Little did he realize that our sect had already foretold the transition between the old and the new, predicting turbulence in the Ding Dynasty's succession. Therefore, they planted a safeguard in me alone.
"If our sect remained unharmed, I would harbor no dissenting thoughts; but should our sect fall, all my former knowledge would be restored in full. Now, I have drawn from memory every esoteric ritual established by our Fulong Faction inside and outside Anye Palace in Youdu, and I hereby present them to your esteemed side."
With that, he stepped back, raised the scroll with both hands, and bowed as he presented it to Chen Chuan.
Chen Chuan reached out and accepted it, unfurling it to inspect the contents. He possessed a solid understanding of esoteric rituals; though he could not unravel every intricate detail at a glance, he could grasp the general structure and was certain this was no fabrication.
Rolling the scroll back up, he nodded and said, "Then I must thank Gaogong Mingcheng. This intelligence will indeed be of great use to our forces. Once we take Youdu, I will faithfully report your meritorious contributions to the state."
Mingchengzi shook his head. "I seek no merit. As long as the former dynasty is overthrown, Emperor Wenguang slain, and our sect's annihilation avenged, that will be enough."
Chen Chuan nodded slightly and asked, "May I ask, Gaogong, since this diagram reflects arrangements from over a century ago, is it possible the layout has been altered over the past hundred years?"
Mingchengzi puffed out his chest. "Xuanji need not worry. Our sect's esoteric rituals are intricately interlinked, cyclical, and endlessly subtle. Unless completely razed and rebuilt from scratch, it would be utterly impossible to alter even a single detail.
"Emperor Wenguang has occupied the throne for merely twenty years. In just twenty years, how could he possibly unravel the esoteric legacy of the Fulong Faction?"
His words were filled with pride, demonstrating immense confidence in his sect's esoteric rituals.
Hearing him mention Emperor Wenguang, Chen Chuan asked further, "How much does Gaogong Mingcheng know about this former emperor?"
A look of loathing and disgust crossed Mingchengzi's face. "Emperor Wenguang calls himself the 'Immortal Azure Crane.' He originally walked the path of Xuanji martial arts and was never destined to ascend the imperial throne; at most, he would have been dispatched to the frontiers as a general.
"Yet by preaching theories of transition between the old and new orders, he secured the support of Dayuan Temple of the Chan Cult, which allowed him to seize the throne. Emboldened by this, he dared to wipe out our sect. Not only did he burn our ancestral court at Mount Buqu to the ground, but he also seized our sect's treasure, the Cloud-Scraping Lotus Root.
"With that treasure in hand, he has studied it day and night, hoping to master our sect's secret arts and break through to a higher realm. Heh, as if it were so easily mastered! Beyond the secret arts, it requires our sect's esoteric rituals as well."
At that point, he looked at Chen Chuan. "My sect is destroyed, its lineage severed, with no hope of revival. In this campaign, so long as the former emperor is slain, I am willing to grant that relic to you, Xuanji."
Chen Chuan said, "We can discuss that later. I have another matter to ask of you, Gaogong. In arranging to meet me here, did you anticipate that the imperial household might flee north via this route?"
"Precisely!"
Mingchengzi grew visibly energized at the mention of this.
"Throughout history, whenever dynasties found themselves powerless to turn the tide, they always escaped along this path in the end. Emperor Wenguang will be no exception!"
He pointed downward. "In my view, as long as an ambush is laid here, they can be rounded up in one fell swoop.
"However, Emperor Wenguang will likely dispatch scouts beforehand to ensure his escape route is secure.
"If your side moves in, you risk alerting the enemy prematurely. I am willing to watch over this path myself. If they attempt to pass through here, I will certainly deliver them into your hands!"
Chen Chuan studied him for a moment and asked, "Gaogong Mingcheng, how shall we stay in contact when the time comes?"
Mingchengzi produced an origami crane. "When the time comes, I will send this to find your side. Simply ensure no one intercepts it."
Chen Chuan took it. "Then I leave this place in your care, Gaogong."
It was not that he placed complete trust in the man, but rather that he had no fear of Mingchengzi playing tricks.
After submitting the operational plan, headquarters had also established deployments at the Haixi Dao choke point. Even if members of the former imperial house managed to slip through here, they would still be intercepted there. The forces there would not need to fight to the death; simply stalling for half a day would allow the main force ample time to arrive.
Hearing Chen Chuan's words, Mingchengzi adopted a solemn expression and bowed once more. "Rest assured, sir. I shall not fail this grave trust."
Chen Chuan nodded and questioned him further about internal affairs within Youdu, primarily concerning key commanders currently in service, the ancient gods supporting the former dynasty, and other such matters.
Mingchengzi was indeed thoroughly knowledgeable on these topics, possessing an especially clear understanding of the various deities' attitudes toward the former dynasty and the closeness of their relationships.
After hearing all this, Chen Chuan gained a clearer judgment of the situation in Youdu, which would greatly benefit their upcoming battle deployments. However, he refrained from asking about the secret diagram bloodline; having only just met today, they did not fully trust each other, and that could wait until later.
Once the conversation concluded, he took his leave of Mingchengzi and drifted back up into the sky, saying to Jiang and Mu, who were waiting there, "Let's go."
After putting some distance between them, Mu Xiaoren remarked, "Commander, that man has an ulterior motive."
Chen Chuan hummed in acknowledgment. He, too, could sense that Mingchengzi seemed to be concealing something. But he had no intention of probing deeply into it; as long as the man's ultimate objective was to deal with the former imperial house, it did not matter much if he kept a few things hidden.
Chapter 1416