The following morning, the Youdu frontline received fresh instructions from the war operations command center: the next military objective was to wipe out Prince Yi of the former dynasty, who remained entrenched on Huya Islet.
The dispatch added that the intelligence department would deliver detailed information shortly, requesting that the frontline headquarters draft an operational report based on the specific situation once received.
After receiving the directive, Chen Chuan gave it some thought. Counting Prince Yi himself, there were only three Dongxuan View martial artists on Huya Islet in total.
If it was merely a matter of eliminating the prince and his faction, there was effectively no difficulty.
However, Prince Yi likely had the backing of the Chan Sect. And once the Chan Sect was involved, matters became complicated.
Of the six great temples of the Chan Sect, with the exception of Xiaojue Temple, most were currently situated in the convergence zone, likely supporting one another. The exact number of High Chanists in their ranks remained unknown, and most importantly, they commanded a certain amount of higher-tier power.
In truth, ever since losing the struggle between the two faiths more than eight hundred years ago, the Chan Sect seemed to have learned its lesson. It never came into direct, open confrontation with secular regimes, at most exerting influence from the sidelines to facilitate a timely withdrawal. Thus, it was virtually impossible for the Chan Sect to take action on Prince Yi's behalf—he simply was not worth it. Even so, the higher-ups could not draft their plans without considering the worst-case scenario.
Yet since eliminating Prince Yi was an established strategy, when it came to his command on the ground, all they needed to consider was how to strike.
His preferred approach was simply to concentrate all available forces, launch a swift raid on Huya Islet, and seize it outright, without fretting over what the Chan Sect might think.
Naturally, the landscape might shift after the Great Impact, but if one hesitated over that, nothing would ever get done.
Even thinking this way, he still summoned Mingchengzi to consult him, as the man was well acquainted with both the convergence zone and the Chan Sect.
Upon hearing that the next step was to eliminate Prince Yi, Mingchengzi voiced strong support.
"Xuanji, you need not worry. Although the Chan Sect wields great power in the convergence zone, it also has many foes. While our Xuan Sect has scattered to the four winds, our coreligionists are still numerous, and our feud with the Chan Sect has never ceased.
"Furthermore, when the Chan Sect entered the convergence zone in the past, they aggressively subjugated spirits and monsters within the realm to incorporate them as followers. This action deeply offended the ancient deities, and to this day they keep each other in check. Under such circumstances, there is no chance they would make an enemy of Great Shun over a remnant of the fallen dynasty."
Chen Chuan nodded. Yet hearing Mingchengzi mention that the Chan Sect had long been at odds with those deities suggested that, when it came to standing against otherworldly entities, the two sides might actually share common ground.
However, that was a matter for the future. As frontline commander, his duty was to handle the tasks right before him.
Because the specific intelligence had not yet arrived, he was in no rush to finalize a strategy. He decided to attend to the rift in Haixi Dao first and resolve this matter upon his return.
Thus, he left behind an avatar of power, summoned Mu Xiaoren and Mingchengzi, and took flight from Youdu. Exiting through the Anbei Dao central city, they traveled all the way to Haixi Dao and arrived before that modest lake.
Jiang Linghuai had been ordered to garrison here three days earlier and had already received telegram notice of their arrival. Seeing them now, he stepped forward and saluted. "Commander."
Chen Chuan asked, "General Jiang, any irregularities?"
Jiang Linghuai replied, "None. No one has emerged from here over the past few days, nor has the rift opened. People from Haixi Dao did come to inquire, but I informed them that this area has been designated a military control zone and will be dealt with in accordance with regulations later, so they turned back."
Chen Chuan nodded slightly. Designating this place as a military control zone was naturally well founded. Prince Yong had perished in battle here, and for someone with such extraordinarily active aberrant tissue, there was no telling whether scattered remnants might contaminate the land or local wildlife.
Once the war ended, the entire area would have to be cleansed, and unauthorized personnel would be strictly barred from entering.
Approaching the edge of the water, he retrieved the black talisman tool obtained from Emperor Wenguang.
The moment it was brought out into the open, he felt a faint vibration in his hand, as if it were about to break free and fly off.
Now he could be certain this object was indeed the key to opening this place.
Relaxing his fingers, the talisman tool took flight on its own, darting to the center of the lake and coming to a standstill.
Moments later, the stones scattered along the shore began to vibrate softly. A beam of blue light arose above the lake's surface, and then the atmosphere over the water caved inward. The spot where the talisman tool hovered seemed to collapse inward deeply, generating a prominent atmospheric vortex.
Several breaths later, with a rumbling boom, a massive fissure tore open in the center, and threads of blue brilliance spilled forth from within.
Yet the fissure was not exceptionally large, and halfway through expanding, it seemed on the verge of collapsing back inward, contracting at great speed.
Seeing this, a phantom silhouette suddenly materialized behind Chen Chuan. A giant hand reached inward, seizing the edge of the fissure with sudden force. As the silhouette advanced inward, another hand reached out, bracing against the opposite edge of the tear. Then, exerting strength through both arms, it steadily forced the opening apart.
The fissure flickered erratically before gradually widening before the three of them, finally stabilizing once it reached roughly twenty meters across.
Watching this, Mingchengzi marveled inwardly. To accomplish such a feat required more than just the raw strength to resist the rift; one also had to possess a certain degree of understanding regarding the opening and closing of rifts.
And being capable of this proved that Chen Chuan had entered and exited the other side repeatedly. Such capability was not something ordinary individuals could possess. He felt increasingly convinced that casting his lot with Chen Chuan had been the right choice.
Chen Chuan dispersed his external visage and probed the area with his senses. He could readily perceive that the wisp of purple qi he had previously cast inside lingered within, confirming that the other side was indeed the realm he sought.
He gave an instruction to Jiang Linghuai: "General Jiang, we are going inside. Please continue to guard this spot and ensure no one enters. If you receive no word from us within three days, notify Supervising General Fan by telegram."
Jiang Linghuai saluted. "Rest assured, Commander. With me here, I guarantee not a single soul will slip through."
Chen Chuan nodded and took the lead inward, with Mingchengzi and Mu Xiaoren following close behind.
The light shimmered faintly, and the scene before their eyes shifted in an instant. The three found themselves standing within a crevice between mountain cliffs, with only a sliver of sky visible above and ahead.
The talisman tool was floating directly above the crevasse. Reaching up, he plucked it from the air, and at the same moment noticed that the wisp of purple qi he had sent through was hovering here as well.
From the looks of it, it seemed to have been repelled and expelled. The young Xuanist from that day could never have possessed such ability; this meant either that this realm was remarkably unique, or that an expert dwelt within.
With a shift of thought, he retrieved the wisp of purple qi, then walked along the crevice toward an open terrace ahead and looked outward.
How to put it? That first glance brought him no small amount of wonder.
The vividness of the landscape far surpassed the outer world, as if the very essence of heaven and earth had condensed here.
The lake was jade-green and crystal clear to the bottom, rippling with shimmering waves. The sky was an immaculate azure, free of the slightest impurity, while radiant sunlight cascaded down, bathing the scenery in a warm layer of golden glow.
From where they stood, a narrow path wound downward to the great lake below, where stone pillars rose from the lakebed, their protruding tops forming a causeway spanning the water's surface.
Across the lake stood a sheer, towering cliff face, into which a winding cliffside stairway had been chiseled. At the very summit perched a temple-palace seemingly constructed of gold and white jade; even across such a distance, the exquisitely detailed patterns and reliefs adorning its pillars and walls were clearly visible.
After observing for a few moments, Mingchengzi spoke with absolute certainty: "Xuanji, the configuration of the mountains and waters here aligns strictly with Xuan principles while remaining untainted by worldly conventions. This was unquestionably laid out by a senior master of our Xuan Sect.
"Moreover, this is an 'Exterior Heaven.' Xuanji, look here..."
He pointed upward with a finger. "By the terminology of Great Shun, we should already be standing within the world across the rift."
Chen Chuan looked up. A faint glint flashed between his brows, and in an instant, his celestial vision pierced through the clear sky to the space beyond the celestial canopy. There, the boundless firmament seemed to have a boundary, accompanied by a layer of dazzling, scorching brightness.
Indeed, they were within the world on the other side.
Yet he knew that the field of a powerful entity would continually expand outward, ultimately forming an independent, enduring realm.
In the records of the Tianji Sect, this was precisely what was known as an "Exterior Heaven." To construct such a realm, however, undoubtedly involved higher-tier power.
At that very moment, inside the temple-palace across the lake, a young Xuanist was drawing in sand with a tree branch, teaching two young children to recognize characters and understand principles.
Just then, he sensed activity outside. Glancing over, he calmed the two children, rose to his feet, and bowed toward the rear of the temple-palace, saying, "Martial Uncle, the rift has opened. It seems visitors have arrived from Great Shun's side."
A warm, gentle voice carried from within: "Honored guests have arrived. Go greet them on my behalf."
"Yes, Martial Uncle."
The young Xuanist bowed, turned, and exited the temple-palace. Catching sight of the figures across the water, he rode a streak of light down from the cliff.
On the mountain path, Chen Chuan was surveying his surroundings, in no hurry to wander about.
After all, this was someone else's realm. Even with confidence in his abilities, caution was warranted.
Mingchengzi stood nearby, observing to see if any ceremonial traps or obstacles barred their path.
Just then, they saw a thin streak of radiance heading in their direction. However, the newcomer possessed only the strength of an ordinary Xuanji martial artist and had deliberately slowed his pace as he approached, so the three merely watched without reacting.
Before long, the light arrived before them. As the luminescence subsided, a young Xuanist appeared. Bowing to the three, he spoke respectfully: "This one is Ji Shaoyou. Greetings, Xuanji Chen, Gaogong Mingcheng, and General."
Chen Chuan had recognized him the moment he arrived: this was the young Xuanist who had accompanied Emperor Wenguang that day and opened the rift.
Yet compared to that day, his vitality and spirit were noticeably different, almost as though he were an entirely different person.
Mingchengzi looked at him and suddenly asked, "Are you a disciple of the Duanchen Sect?"
Chapter 1446