Chen Chuan glanced at Emperor Wenguang. Going by his aura alone, he was already at the level of the Dongxuan View.
This was likely one of the rare instances since the Sheng Dynasty where someone ascended to the imperial throne as a Xuanji martial artist.
Only in an era where the old gave way to the new and many established norms were shattered could such a thing be possible. Otherwise, no one would tolerate someone wielding infinite lifespan sitting upon the throne.
This meant that all resources would inevitably concentrate around him, and power that was overly centralized and extraordinarily entrenched would in turn suppress the entire society, bringing about unpredictable consequences.
Based on the information provided by Mingchengzi, Emperor Wenguang was talented in his own right. Coupled with his status as emperor, the sheer volume of resources at his disposal could easily elevate anyone to such a height.
As for his actual combat prowess, it was hard to gauge at present. Looking at the man now, however, Chen Chuan could not shake an odd feeling.
Hearing Mingchengzi's demand, Emperor Wenguang cast an appraising glance over him. His expression remained aloof, offering no reply. He quickly shifted his gaze away, seemingly disregarding him entirely.
Finally, he looked toward Chen Chuan. Though he did not speak, the eunuch by the doorway seemed to understand his will, immediately shifting position to face Chen Chuan:
"This must be General Chen, Great Shun's Xuanji General? His Majesty remarks: General Chen does not possess the secret diagram bloodline, yet you could effortlessly suppress Prince Yong. Could it be that you are an immortal reincarnated, a heavenly being born anew?"
Hearing this, Jiang Linghuai and Mu Xiaoren could not help but turn slightly solemn.
At their tier and standing, they naturally knew of the secret diagram bloodline.
What surprised them was that Prince Yong had actually been a bearer of the secret diagram bloodline, and Chen Chuan had defeated him in mere moments. At the same time, they realized the sinister motive behind those words.
They knew full well what such a bloodline signified, as well as how dearly the various factions and the government prized such individuals. If Chen Chuan could overcome someone like that, would he be welcomed upon his return, or met with hostility? And how would other secret diagram bloodline possessors view him? It was hard to say.
For their Enterprising Faction, Chen Chuan's importance now went without saying. Thus, exchanging a glance, they silently resolved to act as though they had never heard the remark.
As for Mingchengzi, Mu Xiaoren was already pondering how to make him swear an oath of silence afterward. If that could not be achieved, then he would find a way to eliminate him.
Chen Chuan's thoughts shifted. It seemed Prince Yong was indeed a possessor of the secret diagram bloodline. As for whether defeating him would arouse wariness among certain people in Great Shun once word got out, he did not care in the slightest.
Prince Yong was the first bearer of the secret diagram bloodline to fall beneath his hands, but he would certainly not be the last.
In today's battle, his opponent had failed to bring out his true power at all, feeling more like a defective product.
If someone who truly mastered the bloodline wished to seek him out, he would welcome them with open arms.
Fixing his gaze on Emperor Wenguang, he said calmly, "Wenguang, you should know that you cannot get away. How you choose to proceed—I hope you think it through."
Emperor Wenguang still remained silent. The elderly eunuch spoke: "His Majesty is the sovereign of a nation, the lord of ten thousand chariots. How could he possibly sue for surrender?"
He said with utmost gravity, "General Chen, His Majesty would never commit an act that brings disgrace upon his ancestors and the altars of state."
Having said this, the old eunuch turned, knelt before Emperor Wenguang, and bowed his head to the floor.
"Your Majesty, this old servant shall depart ahead."
With those words, wisps of blood seeped from his facial orifices. His body tilted and slumped to the ground.
Furthermore, his body seemed to melt rapidly, turning into wax-like slush in an instant. Even his clothes melted away completely, leaving only a rather conspicuous jade pendant behind.
Chen Chuan and the others had noticed earlier that this man was merely an ordinary Xuanji martial artist; it was likely relying on that jade pendant that he had managed to withstand Jiang Linghuai's mental shockwave.
At that moment, Emperor Wenguang rose from his imperial throne. Standing there, he looked at the three of them, an uncanny gleam in his eyes.
Suddenly, wisps of blue smoke drifted from his body, growing thicker and thicker. Within just a few breaths, his entire form dissolved into drifting vapor until it vanished completely, leaving only an off-white Xuanist robe and the jade hairpin from his hair falling to the floor.
The moment he stood up, Chen Chuan's sense of oddity and discordance had spiked to its peak.
And when spiritual vapor emerged from him, Chen Chuan accurately deduced that the Emperor Wenguang before them was likely something akin to a wisp of spirit energy. From the look of it, Emperor Wenguang followed the path of the Visage of the Divine.
Yet previously, it had been completely impossible to tell.
His gaze lingered briefly on the jade hairpin; that was probably the doing of some relic.
Then where was the real Emperor Wenguang? Had he chosen to take the secret trail? Or did he have some other destination?
After taking so much trouble to stage such a performance, Emperor Wenguang surely had some underlying purpose. It couldn't possibly be just for show in front of them.
Jiang Linghuai turned to Mingchengzi and asked with deep suspicion, "Master Mingcheng, was that really Emperor Wenguang?"
He felt an inexplicable weirdness and eeriness permeating the scene, yet unable to grasp the underlying truth, he felt rather frustrated.
Mingchengzi said in a grave voice, "It was that foolish ruler, without question. However..." Stepping forward, he caught a strand of the blue smoke that had not yet dispersed, then squeezed his fingers together. Silvery-white sand trickled down between his knuckles.
"A body shaped from jade sand..."
As though struck by a realization, his brow furrowed tightly.
Turning, he bowed to Chen Chuan. "General, might you permit me to inspect the aft cabin?"
Chen Chuan nodded. "Let us go together."
He had already released his field earlier to survey the airship. Most areas had been laid bare at a glance, with only a small section screened off by an isolating force. That was likely where the major figures besides Emperor Wenguang were located.
Aside from that, there were other peculiar items inside the airship, such as several rare small and medium-sized aberrants, as well as exotic treasures from the convergence zone.
Such things might be precious to ordinary folk, but to them, they held virtually no value.
Walking inward along the cabin hall carpeted with magnificent tapestries, a sealed cabin soon appeared ahead. Scattered around it lay numerous collapsed guards and fierce-looking aberrant creatures.
It was evident that this cabin had likely been moved in as a whole from outside; aside from the currently shut doors and windows, it had virtually no openings.
Jiang Linghuai stepped forward. Under the exertion of his field, the heavy doors twisted, warped, and were forcibly pried open.
With that, Chen Chuan and the others took in the scene inside.
Women dressed in the imperial consorts' attire of the Ding Dynasty lay in pools of blood. Only one woman, adorned in a phoenix coronet and ceremonial robes, stood there clutching a dripping blade.
Seeing the doors open, the woman slowly turned around. Her face was abnormally pale, though her features were dignified and refined. Going by her attire, this had to be Empress Cao.
Upon seeing them, Empress Cao immediately held the longsword to her throat. No one moved forward to stop her. Drawing the blade forcefully across, blood spilled out in an instant. The sword slipped from her grasp, and she crumpled to the floor.
Chen Chuan waited calmly. Moments later, every single one of them dissolved into drifting wisps of smoke just like Emperor Wenguang, leaving behind nothing but silvery sand strewn across the floor.
These people lacked the concealing items Emperor Wenguang possessed, so he had spotted the anomaly at first glance, making any intervention pointless.
Mingchengzi stared fixedly at the sight, his brow furrowing deeper and deeper.
Chen Chuan asked, "Master Mingcheng, did you think of something?"
Mingchengzi did not answer right away. After a moment, he said gravely, "General, I have some clues, but it is unwise to jump to conclusions right now. I believe we ought to return swiftly to Youdu."
Jiang Linghuai asked, "What? A cicada sloughing its shell?"
Mingchengzi shook his head. "It is not that simple. That person earlier was indeed Emperor Wenguang, but only a part of him. As for where the rest might be, that pertains to my conjecture."
Chen Chuan said, "We will know once we return." He turned to Jiang Linghuai. "General Jiang, stay here and guard the Fangzhang. As for the palace maids, attendants, and all the items aboard, before I return, do not let a single person leave, nor allow anyone to approach. As for that fissure, if it opens again, as long as no one emerges from within, pay it no mind."
Knowing what he was guarding against, Jiang Linghuai said sternly, "Rest assured, Commander! As long as Jiang Linghuai stands here, I guarantee nothing will come near or get away!"
Chen Chuan nodded, then said to Mu Xiaoren and Mingchengzi, "We return to the convergence zone first."
With that, he exited the airship, took to the air, and flew back toward Anbei Dao. Mu Xiaoren and Mingchengzi quickly followed.
By the time they returned to Anbei Dao central city, Chen Chuan's external implant received intel relayed from the convergence zone front lines.
He had earlier dispatched an ambush party along that secret path so that if Emperor Wenguang took that route, he would likewise be intercepted.
The report showed they had indeed met with success, having intercepted the imperial entourage bound for Beidaokou.
Since the entourage harbored almost no high-tier martial artists, they encountered no fight of significance.
The report noted that after halting the train, they discovered Emperor Wenguang, his consorts, and others aboard.
They originally thought they had caught the big fish, yet merely minutes later, Emperor Wenguang and all the accompanying members of the imperial family dissolved on the spot into drifting clouds of smoke. Only Prince Qiong and the imperial guards remained intact. All of them had been captured and were currently being interrogated through specialized means.
After reading it, Chen Chuan pondered: *So this group was also a decoy?*
Then where was the man truly? Was he still in Youdu, had he taken another passage, or was there some other reason?
Having considered the matter, he shared the details of the interception with Mingchengzi and asked, "Master Mingcheng, can you discern Emperor Wenguang's true intentions from this?"
Chapter 1430