Breaking the Nether Seal

Inside the train carriage, Yuan Conglai woke up with a sudden start. He had just had a nightmare, but he could no longer remember its specific contents. He looked out the carriage window. Pitch darkness met his gaze, accompanied by the rhythmic clatter from outside and the gentle jostling beneath his seat, telling him the train was still running through a tunnel. It felt like the soundest sleep he had enjoyed in a very long time, and his spirits were much refreshed. Seeing that he was awake, his aide offered a cup of water. "Have some water, Your Highness." Yuan Conglai took it, shielded his face with his sleeve, and took several sips. Once his thirst was somewhat slaked, he asked, "Zikang, where are we now?" "We have crossed Wankou Bridge and will soon reach Stone Waterfall Path," the aide said. He spread out a map and pointed to the location they were approaching. Seeing this, Yuan Conglai realized they were already far from their starting point and could not help feeling surprised. "How long have I slept?" "Twelve hours." Yuan Conglai was astonished. "That long?" At the same time, worry surfaced on his face. "By today, the puppet dynasty's soldiers must have drawn even closer to Youdu." His aide consoled him, "Do not fret, Your Highness. In another four hours, we will reach the end of the tunnel. So long as we determine whether Great Shun troops are active in the area, we can return to report our mission." Yuan Conglai gave a bitter smile. "Zikang, I would rather that place were already blocked by Great Shun forces. That way, even if it cost me my life, it might stiffen Father's resolve to hold the city." "Your Highness must never think such things!" The aide hurriedly urged, "Your Highness, you must not entertain that thought. His Majesty is not merely the sovereign of our nation; he is also Your Highness's father. True filial piety lies in preserving one's kin, not in treating death lightly. If Your Highness throws away your life for a momentary gratification, that is no filial duty." Yuan Conglai could only smile ruefully. "You speak truly, Zikang. It was just a fleeting grievance spoken in haste. When the imperial decree bears down upon me, no matter how stubborn my words or how hardened my heart, my body dares not disobey." The aide let out a soft sigh. In truth, he had wanted to persuade Yuan Conglai to look for a chance to escape if the tunnel exit was unguarded. Regrettably, His Highness would never listen to him, and with the guarding outriders watching their every move, finding an opportunity would be nearly impossible anyway. Silence fell over the rest of the journey. Another four hours passed, and they finally emerged from the tunnel and stepped off the train. The captain of the outriders left one man behind to watch over them while leading the others to release strange-breed birds into the air to scout in all directions. After Yuan Conglai and his aide waited for an hour, the birds all returned, not a single one missing. Seeing this, Yuan Conglai asked, "How does it look?" The captain replied courteously, "We must scout again during the day. Only if daylight reveals nothing can we be certain there is no danger, and we must remain stationed here. Naturally, Your Highness need not do so; you may return right now." "We can return?" Yuan Conglai was taken aback. At that moment, he felt a sudden reluctance to go back. Raised from infancy deep within the imperial palace, his poor health and the Emperor's disfavor had kept him excluded from hunts, garden outings, and similar royal activities. Until now, he had never traveled so far from home. Though he had done nothing of note along the way, during this brief respite he had been spared the stifling imperial etiquette and freed from the cold confinement of Shaohua Palace, experiencing an unprecedented sense of ease. His aide said, "Your Highness, let us go." "Yes," Yuan Conglai said. "Let us head back. I must still report to Father." A touch of resolve returned to his eyes as he walked back the way they had come. *** Outside the walls of Youdu, Great Shun's advance had entered its third day. Another single day's march would bring them to the foot of the city. The closer they drew to Youdu, the stiffer the resistance became. Now, airship formations attacked nearly every two to three hours, accompanied by Xuanji martial artists answering the call to protect the throne. Their actions were not entirely futile; they did succeed in delaying Great Shun's advance to some degree. Yet Great Shun had deliberately allowed this. Martial artists of the Longevity View level barely showed themselves on the battlefield anymore, leaving ordinary martial artists to take up the fight. The goal was to draw out and wipe out the Xuanji martial artists from within Youdu bit by bit. If Youdu stopped sending them, that would be fine as well; they could only watch helplessly as Great Shun pushed steadily forward. Above a fortress in the rear, Chen Chuan watched the skirmishes ahead. Chaoming's form darted vigorously through the sky. Each time it swept across the heavens with full force, an enemy airship came crashing down. Even when opposing Xuanji martial artists intervened, they struggled to keep pace with its speed in midair. After all, while ordinary Xuanji martial artists could fly, their internal reserves of energy were limited. Unable to sustain prolonged aerial combat against Chaoming, they could only succumb to its dominance. Even if they possessed ranged techniques, Chaoming was shielded by the protective barrier formed from its relic, which worked in tandem with the spiritual radiance of its body, leaving it entirely fearless. Chen Chuan nodded to himself. Two days ago, Chaoming's execution of techniques had still been somewhat unpolished, but now it was growing increasingly adept. Actual combat truly was the sole path to rapid growth. Meanwhile, the many Dongxuan View martial artists who had arrived with the army kept watchful eyes on the direction of Youdu from the rear, guarding against any sudden raids from the enemy. However, before actually reaching Youdu, it would likely not be their turn to act. Prior to coming here, they had reviewed Chen Chuan's previous performances, where he had almost always ended battles in the shortest possible time. Furthermore, the headquarters' operational directive called for a swift, decisive victory. Thus, they had expected that under his leadership, everyone would be thrown into the fray right from the start. They had not anticipated that once the fighting actually began, his approach would be exceptionally steady and measured. Chen Chuan would never make such a reckless choice. Although their current advantage in strength made victory highly probable, that did not guarantee there would be no casualties. Every single person present today was a future pillar of the Progressive Faction in confronting the Great Impact; losing even one would be a grievous blow. The enemy was not without means to threaten them. For instance, the ritual used to attack him on that final day had possessed immense destructive power. He had confirmed afterward that it was a type of life-sacrificing ritual, wherein every fallen officer and soldier of the former imperial household had served as kindling to fuel it. As the capital, Youdu was extremely likely to possess such rituals. Thus, he preferred to advance at a measured pace and arrange esoteric rituals in the rear to counter them. After all, so long as a ritual's effects were understood and one was willing to commit the necessary resources, even if it could not be completely suppressed, ways could be found to disrupt and weaken it. *** Meanwhile, in the direction of Youdu, five Senior Grand Secretaries stood atop the Crane Soaring Watchtower, the tallest observation tower before the city walls. Elder Hong said, "It looks like the rebel army is about to reach the sealing site, is it not?" The ritual master beside him answered respectfully, "In reply to the Grand Secretary, the rebels advance with great momentum; they are certain to reach that place within a quarter of an hour." Elder Hong stroked his beard and nodded. "Keep a close watch. Do not let the officers and soldiers who died these past few days sacrifice their lives in vain." The ritual official hurriedly said, "This subordinate obeys. By midnight tonight at the latest, there will be movement." Elder Hong gave a slow nod of approval. How could they not realize that Great Shun had been deliberately grinding down their active forces over the past two days? But by the same token, they were using the lives of those officers and soldiers to stir the inner demon suppressed outside Youdu. Having seen enough, the elders descended from the watchtower and returned to the palace city to attend to state affairs. When night fell, the ritual official arrived to deliver his report: "My Lords Grand Secretaries, the rebel army has pitched camp. The site where the inner demon is suppressed lies precisely two li behind their camp. If activated, it will surely strike a heavy blow against them and shatter their morale." Elder Shi asked, "Has the rebel army noticed anything?" The ritual official replied, "Our scouts have checked several times and seen no movement." He raised his head and added, "Had they detected anything, this subordinate believes the rebel army would not have pitched their camp right over it." Elder Shi said, "Reasonable." He waved a hand, and the ritual official bowed and withdrew. He then added, "We can only hope that inner demon can inflict heavy damage upon the rebels, or perhaps halt their advance." The other elders shared the same hope. They harbored no illusions of destroying the invading enemy outright with this alone, but if it could throw Great Shun into disarray and make them think twice before advancing so unscrupulously, that would count as a success. *** At Great Shun's encampment, Chen Chuan stood atop a fortress. Not far before him, numerous ritual masters surrounded a pit where the earth, stone, and covering debris had already been cleared away. Beneath it lay a massive wellhead paved over with stone slabs. Clear ritual tracings and sealing talismans etched across the nodes were plainly visible. A gathering of Dongxuan View martial artists from the camp stood around the perimeter, their eyes fixed on this site of containment. They had already heard that the anomaly suppressed here was an unknown Headless General. It was said that once this Headless General emerged, it would sever the head of whoever was closest to it and place it atop its own neck. In doing so, it paid no heed to the victim's cultivation realm. So long as one had not yet attained higher-level power, even a Dongxuan View martial artist would be decapitated. Of course, a Dongxuan View martial artist would not perish from losing their head; it would regrow in an instant. Yet once tainted by this anomaly, there was no shaking it off. Every time its voice sounded with the question, "Where is my head?", it would reappear to claim your head once more. The former imperial household had grown so harassed and exasperated by it in the past that they ultimately had the Dragon Supporting Faction seal it beneath the earth, keeping its existence a secret. When the martial artists first heard this, all of them found it thoroughly repulsive. If targeted by such a thing, even if it could not kill you outright, it would harass you day and night, giving you no peace. Worse yet, if left unresolved, it would grow progressively stronger until it truly possessed the power to claim your life. Jiang Linghuai asked at this point, "Mr. Wen, could we deploy that 'Retainer' to deal with this anomaly?" Wen Mingzhong shook his head. "It is true that anomalies sometimes entangle and consume one another. But generally speaking, the stronger consumes the weaker; two anomalies of comparable energy levels cannot manifest in the same area. Therefore, I cannot use the 'Retainer' to suppress it." "Comparable to the Retainer?" Jiang Linghuai could not help growing more wary. He had witnessed firsthand how terrifying the Retainer was; he had not expected this anomaly to reach such a level. No wonder Youdu regarded this as a trump card. Wen Mingzhong touched his boundary credential, exchanged a few words with the ritual team below, and then said, "Director, it has been confirmed. The abnormal matter below is highly active and will emerge by midnight tonight at the latest—five hours from now. Shall we begin the purge now?" Chen Chuan glanced down and gave the order: "Begin."