Emerald rays of twilight haze rose into the night sky above the convergence zone, blanketing all of Youdu beneath them.
This magnificent illumination was cast by the relics of Great Shun.
Beyond the radiance, airships hovered in the sky, their signal beacons flashing steadily.
The hulls of these airships were coated in specialized paint that reflected the glowing haze, dispelling the darkness of the convergence zone and the aberrations dwelling within. At this moment, they were patrolling back and forth, occasionally casting down searchlight beams.
After night fell, Chen Chuan chose not to stay in the imperial palace, taking up quarters instead in a temporary fortress outside.
This was not due to any taboo; people cared little for such things nowadays. The Old Palace Museum in Zhongjing had dedicated night quarters, where anyone willing to pay and book ahead could spend an evening.
His decision to stay outside stemmed from the heavy presence of field interference and psionic disruptions that still saturated Youdu.
The area around Yunmeng Garden was particularly treacherous, where aberrant vegetation began emitting powerful disruptive fields as dusk approached.
Even soldiers who drew near could feel their activity indices surging drastically; the slightest slip could transform them into creatures like Youdu's deceased inhabitants, or even trigger a massive contagion. In such an environment, receiving communications and organizing troop movements was exceedingly difficult.
This problem would have to be left for the national technical departments to resolve later.
Inside the fortress, bright lights burned everywhere. Looking down from high upon the ramparts, they glittered across the earth like stars.
There was no shortage of Youdu algal oil; without needing any shipments from the rear, supplies were more than sufficient to power all electrical needs for the vanguard forces.
Chen Chuan observed for a while, fed Chaoming, rubbed its head, and returned deeper inside the fortress.
A tall stack of volumes sat upon his desk—rare books seized from the archives, many containing secret cultivation methods of the imperial family.
He had already flipped through them earlier. In truth, similar cultivation techniques existed in Great Shun as well; while they differed in minor details, their general principles were largely the same. All they lacked were the corresponding resources.
Moreover, without specialized aberrant tissue, practicing arts exclusive to the imperial house was out of the question; anyone who managed to master them would scarcely remain human anyway. In his hands, they served at most as reference material to broaden his horizons.
Sitting down, he habitually reviewed the day's battle.
Emperor Wenguang's strength had not truly amounted to much. Without relying on relics, he could have been slain in a handful of slashes. Only that receptive spirit visage had possessed any real merit. Even with the formula of transformation, the emperor had likely never truly mastered it beforehand, nor had he possessed the ritual field needed to support it.
That made sense. Even the four zhenren of the Tianji Sect required the Tianji Plate and a grand ritual to control the Extramundane Divine Visage with ease. Had Emperor Wenguang possessed strength capable of matching it, he would have brought it to bear long before.
Looking back, Emperor Wenguang had not been fighting to win; out of options, he had merely resorted to stalling tactics, hoping to endure within that colossal form until his ascension succeeded.
In the end, it possessed only defense and no other advantages, rendering even the Equation for Subduing Demons and Banishing Evils that Chen Chuan had prepared unnecessary.
A Visage of the Divine that lacked variability was hardly worth discussing. Conversely, the Visage of Man he pursued prioritized simplicity: if an opponent could be dispatched with a single strike, a second strike was never needed.
Reaching out, he picked up the Xuejun Saber and unsheathed it, sending a flash of cold light across the room.
The Xuejun Saber had fallen into a deep slumber.
When it had cleaved Emperor Wenguang earlier, it seemed to have devoured something from him. Ever since its last metamorphosis, such occurrences had grown rare.
This was a welcome development.
After wiping the blade clean, he sheathed it and returned it to the weapon rack.
Next, he picked up a pouch and took out the items retrieved from Emperor Wenguang's corpse.
There were roughly a dozen scattered items.
Three of them were clearly imperial signets for routine use, requiring little scrutiny, but another seal caught his eye.
He lifted it and turned it over to reveal eight ancient seal-script characters: "Supreme virtue matches Heaven; ten thousand generations united as one."
"The Imperial Jade Seal of Chengguo?"
Chen Chuan raised an eyebrow. Rumor had it that this seal was destroyed near the end of the Sheng Dynasty, only for the Feng Dynasty to commission a replica, while others claimed the former imperial clan had carried it off to the West Continent long ago.
Yet since Emperor Wenguang had carried it on his person, Chen Chuan suspected it was very likely genuine.
One could question Emperor Wenguang's character, but not his discerning eye. He would never have cherished anything that was not truly exquisite.
Setting the jade seal aside, he saw that most of the remaining items were relics.
Two were immediately recognizable as Grade 1 relics, which Emperor Wenguang had used to withstand several of his attacks.
One took the form of a beast-knob finial, naturally coiled into the shape of a curled creature. If supplied with sufficient psionic power, it would awaken and repel all external force at a critical juncture.
It could block an attack only once per year, though uses could accumulate up to a maximum of three.
As matters stood, using it again would have to wait until next year.
The other relic was an almost transparent, vaporous substance roughly resembling a coiled python. Without inspecting it through psionic power and fields, one could discern its shape only by touch.
As long as one carried it, psionic contact would instantaneously assimilate the user's body into it, transferring them into an independent field where no external attack could reach them.
Yet it was not without cost: it fed on other relics. It had to be fed before each use, consuming at least three Grade 2 relics or one Grade 1 relic per activation, and could be utilized consecutively only twice in a single month.
Chen Chuan shook his head. Probably only an imperial household could afford such extravagance.
Typically, only nations and global megacorporations held Grade 1 relics, and even Grade 2 relics were considered rare treasures in the hands of Dongxuan View martial artists, let alone fed away casually.
Still, in specific circumstances, it could prove useful.
Besides those two, there was one relic he could not quite identify. He picked it up; it was pitch-black on the outside and looked like a fish scale.
He held it in his hand, looked at it for a few moments, and sent his psionic senses probing within.
Hm?
His psionic sense met resistance. This barrier was not innate, but artificially layered onto it.
Giving it a gentle squeeze, a rustle of black powder flaked away, revealing what lay beneath.
Immediately, he felt the aberrant tissue within his body surge with intense yearning.
A thought struck him. A precious material?
***
Great Shun, Tianyuantang Administration Court.
In the lounge, Ren Xinshan pinched the bridge of his nose and the corners of his eyes, took a sip of medicated tea, and quietly adjusted his breathing.
Moments later, another surge of vigor welled up from his aberrant tissue, quickly restoring his vitality.
He had gotten little rest these past few days, returning to the ministry to handle affairs only once and spending most of his time right here.
He was terrified of missing word from the front line and failing to respond immediately.
The military situation appeared to be proceeding smoothly, advancing day by day.
Of course, discordant voices lingered in the command post. Some argued that progress was still too slow and needed to be accelerated, as Great Shun bore enormous burdens each day and had to conclude the war as swiftly as possible.
They believed Chen Chuan was being overly cautious and far too protective of his subordinates' lives; casualties were unavoidable in wartime, and taking Youdu even a day earlier, despite some sacrifice, would ultimately benefit the nation as a whole.
Those voicing such opinions were not necessarily all from the Conservative Faction; some were radicals within the Progressive Faction.
Previous victories had led them to believe taking Youdu would be a trivial matter, leaving them eager for a resounding triumph.
Fortunately, the top brass of the operational command remained clear-headed. They did not adopt these suggestions, leaving the battlefield rhythm and operational tempo in the hands of the frontline commander.
Ren Xinshan had initially wondered whether Chen Chuan might push forward aggressively, as his past style had always been decisive, bold, and fiercely swift.
Yet reality proved that when it truly mattered, Chen Chuan was exceptionally composed, preferring to slow his pace to guarantee victory.
Meanwhile, the Conservative Faction submitted daily reports complaining about the staggering expenditure of supplies from the rear, given that central cities across the country were mobilizing their military forces.
So long as the war dragged on, mobilization would continue, severely affecting the economy and production.
Vice Chancellor Qiao Dingguo had specifically addressed this at a meeting.
He considered it a positive development, an exercise that could serve as a drill for nationwide mobilization. The Great Impact was fast approaching, and conditions then would be a hundred times more complex and difficult than now; if they could not handle this much, how could they confront what lay ahead?
Opposition had diminished substantially after that. Ultimately, as long as the front line kept advancing and securing victories—even minor ones—the clamor of dissent could be suppressed.
Everyone knew that once the former imperial household was completely extinguished, the spoils would be immeasurable. Setting aside the accumulated wealth of the former dynasty, the vast convergence zone that had been developed for over a millennium alone was enough to feast every social stratum of Great Shun.
Not to mention the immense pool of exploitable human resources. Though these people were currently a potential liability, handling them properly would elevate Great Shun's national strength to an entirely new height.
Just as Ren Xinshan was about to pick up some documents from the ministry, hurried footsteps sounded outside the door.
He raised his head, as did Vice Minister Guo across from him. Both detected something unusual in the pace.
A knock sounded, and upon receiving permission, an internal affairs officer pushed open the door and bowed to them.
"Ministers, the command department is convening a meeting. Please follow me."
Ren Xinshan and Vice Minister Guo exchanged glances. Both knew that a shift had occurred on the front. What could it be?
Had difficulties arisen? Or was it something else?
Vice Minister Guo stood up and said, "Let's go. I suspect it's good news."
Ren Xinshan nodded and rose as well. "Counting the days," he murmured, "it's about time."
Chapter 1444