The moment the white mist tore open, Chen Chuan and the others were finally able to see the layout within.
Anye Palace was an imperial citadel built in a traditional, cardinal layout. Its surrounding walls were long and straight, with several great halls arranged along the central axis.
To the south of the citadel, as well as on its eastern and western flanks, vast expanses of lakes and lush greenery encircled the grounds. Of these, the southern sector was the largest in scale.
That was presumably Yunmeng Court, where Emperor Wenguang usually resided.
Within the court stood several high knolls crowned with exquisite palaces and pavilions. At this moment, beams of light descending from beyond the heavens could be seen falling right onto that spot.
By now, the vapor was already slowly closing back up. Yet in that fleeting glimpse, a host of immortals and deities could be seen riding the clouds and mist, escorting a carriage toward the luminous rift at the zenith of the sky.
However, their progress appeared quite sluggish, as if pressing forward against immense resistance; even the sleeves and ribbons of the deities and the canopies and pennants above fluttered backward in the wind.
Chen Chuan keenly perceived that the surrounding anomaly was contracting, seemingly converging in that direction.
Even so, blocked by the ritual, they still could not immediately enter.
"It truly is an ascension ritual..."
Seeing this, Mingchengzi's gaze flickered through several shifts before he added, "Indeed, it is so."
Chen Chuan glanced at him. "Grand Master Mingcheng, you seem to know something about this? Does it relate to what you mentioned earlier?"
Mingchengzi nodded repeatedly. Then, with a flicker of his silhouette, he split into two in the blink of an eye. One avatar, holding an instrument, went forward to work on cracking the esoteric ritual.
The other remained beside Chen Chuan and said, "If I am not mistaken, this was originally a secret art of immortal ascension co-created by the forebears of our Fulong Faction and the Duanchen Faction, summoned during the reign of Taizu of the Feng Dynasty.
"Back then, Feng Taizu wished to ascend as an immortal rather than remain in the mortal world, intending to abdicate in favor of his successor. Hence, both our factions gave their utmost support, and our Fulong Faction even presented an ancient sovereign's rite of ascension.
"This esoteric ritual not only required numerous relics, but also the refinement of an inner demon, as well as someone in the upper layer to guide the passage and multiple Real Men to provide protection. At the time, it could be said to have gathered the strength of the entire nation to fulfill this rite."
Right at that moment, Mingchengzi's avatar activated another instrument, tearing open another gap in the dense fog.
Chen Chuan saw that the carriages ahead were still advancing slowly. He asked, "Did Feng Taizu succeed in ascending to immortality through this?"
Mingchengzi shook his head. "Whether he succeeded is nowhere recorded in our texts. I only know that, fearing future generations might imitate it, both of our factions jointly discarded this ritual, leaving only rough records in our ritual manuals. That was why I did not recall it earlier."
Looking at the celestial procession, he said, "From what I see now, what that false emperor is employing must be this very ritual method. Yet I know not where he obtained it."
Chen Chuan said, "If predecessors could devise such a secret art, there is no reason successors could not do the same.
"My colleague informed me that this anomaly has existed for roughly a century. If the former dynasty began preparing for this a hundred years ago, it would hardly be surprising that they have achieved something by now.
"The present age is quite unlike the past. We are in a state of constant flux, and technology far surpasses what existed back then. Many ideas that could not be applied in the past can be utilized today."
Mingchengzi agreed wholeheartedly. "The Commander speaks truly."
Chen Chuan then glanced at Mu Xiaoren and tapped the position of his boundary credential. Catching his meaning, Mu Xiaoren immediately constructed a mental domain, drawing in the spirits of everyone present, including Mingchengzi.
Within this domain, Chen Chuan asked Mingchengzi, "Could the Grand Master explain this esoteric ritual in detail?"
Mingchengzi replied at once, "Naturally. The line describing this phase of the ritual goes: 'Wash away mortal dust to shed the former womb; invert the three names to initiate the true rite.'
"For an ancient sovereign to achieve immortality, he had to sever three mortal names: 'God, Sovereign, and Father.'
"From what I have observed of Emperor Wenguang's actions, every step aligned with this ritual.
"The first path is the Father's name. In the ritual, a filial son must regard him as a father. Prince Qiong was a rare filial son, so along this path, Emperor Wenguang likely used him to dissolve the Father's name.
"The second path is the Sovereign's name, which was what Xuanji and I witnessed. I suspect Emperor Wenguang promised Prince Yong the succession, leading Prince Yong to view him as his sovereign. That prince was subsequently intercepted by Xuanji and faced certain death—likewise serving to slay the aspect of the sovereign.
"The third is the God's name, which is the most difficult. Here, someone must regard him as an immortal deity. Ancient emperors acted as true gods, and when successors usurped their positions and slew their mortal godheads, the divine breath ascended to heaven, thereby severing the God's name as well.
"Once all three names are severed, a unitary primordial spirit emerges. If one has previously imbibed precious elixirs and divine waters, has relics to protect them, and follows the divine summons to enter the Upper Court, from that moment on, one stands ranked among the immortals and gods."
Saying this, he sighed. "Our sect's supreme treasure, the 'Cloud-Touching Lotus Root,' possesses many divine marvels. It later fell into the hands of this fatuous monarch, and I expect it will be employed here."
Hearing his explanation, Chen Chuan turned the thoughts over in his mind. Viewed by this method of pursuing the upper layer, none of the elements were missing—the venue, precious materials, relics—and on top of that, there were anomalies and an esoteric ritual. The preparations were even more thorough.
Mingchengzi added, "Among these three names, the first two are manageable. Only the last is exceedingly difficult: there was no succeeding god to slay him. Thus, according to my esoteric ritual calculations, he used an anomaly to slay it, which could also accomplish the severing of this name."
Chen Chuan agreed with this deduction. Looking at the dark vapor condensing from the populace throughout Youdu above, he asked, "Grand Master, what is that up there? Is it related to the ritual?"
Mingchengzi looked up as well. "At first, I did not know what he intended. Now it seems the spirit and vitality of the entire city's soldiers and civilians are linked to him; he has effectively taken them hostage.
"Most of Youdu's commoners believe in the ancient deities—tens of millions of soldiers and civilians, tens of millions of believers.
"If his ascension fails and his divine spirit is destroyed, every soldier and civilian in the city will perish. Such a loss is something the deities are unwilling to accept. Were I in their place, I would rather flank and protect him, seeing him off on his way."
No wonder, Chen Chuan thought to himself, that after fighting all the way here, not a single ancient deity had shown up, showing only a few faint auras at most.
By doing this, Emperor Wenguang had virtually bound these deities to his side to safeguard himself.
And as for ascending to immortality, he naturally cared nothing for the fate of the subjects beneath him.
Wen Mingzhong had assessed that this ritual was established a century ago, which meant the Yuan clan had begun scheming for this ever since they retreated into the convergence zone.
It was merely officially set in motion in Emperor Wenguang's generation.
Chen Chuan pondered for a moment, then asked, "Looking at all of Emperor Wenguang's actions, they were made only after we launched our assault. If we had not come, would he have had a different arrangement?"
Mingchengzi agreed. "He surely had another path, but the opportune moment had not yet arrived. Your side's arrival merely forced this fatuous monarch to activate the ritual ahead of schedule."
Mu Xiaoren spoke up at this point. "If all the believers throughout the city were slaughtered beforehand, would those deities still remain bound by him?"
Mingchengzi shook his head. "When deities make a promise, a covenant is established beforehand. If we slay the people, it has nothing to do with the fatuous monarch; it would only incite the deities' hostility toward us and make them protect him all the more fervently.
"Besides, even if every soldier and citizen in this city were killed, there are over a billion people across the broader realm. Who can say whether others have also been drawn into the ritual? Could we possibly wipe them all out? Even if one could stomach such ruthless cruelty, it is not something that could be done in haste."
Chen Chuan nodded. Although it was impossible to say whether Mingchengzi's words matched Emperor Wenguang's actions down to the last detail, the overall picture was likely just as he described.
He asked, "Then let me ask you, Grand Master Mingcheng: can this ritual be disrupted?"
Mingchengzi thought it over, hesitating briefly before answering, "It is possible. The method he is using to achieve ascension is not orthodox. From the moment the rite begins, tribulations are bound to descend, and demons will come to devour him. Hence, he requires deities to protect him, and furthermore, he must find a body to shelter himself.
"Without these two, the rite naturally cannot succeed—"
Chen Chuan nodded. "So as long as we can dispel the deities' interference and shatter that sheltering body, we can interrupt this ritual and drag him back down to the mortal realm."
Hearing this, Mingchengzi was shaken. "Xuanji, the logic holds, but—"
Chen Chuan said, "Does Grand Master Mingcheng believe that once he reaches the upper layer, he will no longer be able to meddle in worldly affairs, or perhaps we could rely on Great Shun's upper-layer powers to slay him?"
Mingchengzi hastily said, "I bear the enmity of my sect's annihilation against Emperor Wenguang. If there were a chance to kill him, how could I be unwilling?
"It is just that I have examined it: this inner demon is atypical. If we merely stand watch here, we might wait for quite a while. But if we breach the ritual and charge in, we might have only a few minutes. Emperor Wenguang has those deities guarding his path, and he must carry various treasures on him as well. In such a fleeting moment, I fear we will not be able to bring him down."
Chen Chuan said, "Yet if we do not act today, once Emperor Wenguang reaches the upper layer, he will surely conceal his traces so we cannot easily find him.
"And the Great Impact—the external tribulation of which you spoke—will arrive within a year. When that time comes, this man will certainly find a way to return. Rather than face this wretch then, we might as well end him before that happens!"
He knew full well that once this man attained the upper layer, handling him would no longer be so simple.
Originally, the former imperial household possessed two upper-layer powers. If Emperor Wenguang also ascended, the threat to them would be all the greater. Now that an opportunity presented itself, he was determined to give it a try.
Within the halls and pavilions of Yunmeng Court, after Emperor Wenguang was escorted out by the immortals' carriage, the hosts of deities soon departed with them. Inside the great hall, only a few palace attendants remained, along with the dazed, blank-faced Prince Lin sitting upright in his seat.
At this moment, a wisp of human-shaped azure smoke drifted up from thin air in the hall, bearing a silhouette that looked somewhat similar to Emperor Wenguang. It suddenly transformed into the shape of an immortal crane, circled overhead several times, and then plunged into Prince Lin's body.
In that instant, Prince Lin's eyes suddenly cleared. He rose from the couch and strode outward with bold steps.
Once outside the hall, he saw that the luminous mist covering the upper reaches of Youdu had vanished entirely. Instead, a colossal radiant beam shone down from above, cloaking his body.
Gazing upon this sight, he could not help letting out a laugh and proclaimed, "I am Wenguang! Today, I shall ride the light upward and attain my immortal seat!"
As he finished speaking, another bell toll rang out from outside, and the entire hall shook as if the earth were trembling and the mountains quaking. Giving a profound smile, he leaped from the ground and soared into the sky, chasing after the vanguard carriages in the heavens.
Chapter 1435