Emerging from the secret vault, Chen Chuan had not yet returned to the front lines when he received a dispatch sent from Jibei Dao midway through his journey. It reported that Gai Shuhe had been captured and was currently being escorted to Anbei Dao.
Previously, Chen Chuan had been responsible solely for the military forces deployed against Youdu; the garrisons in the various regional central cities did not fall under his direct command. In principle, however, he held the authority to inquire into regional affairs and requisition personnel.
The person he cared about most was Gai Shuhe. He needed to extract news of Chen Bitong from this man—dead or alive, there had to be an answer.
After the fall of Youdu, he had asked the regional military garrisons to watch for him.
A regional warlord of notable strength like Gai Shuhe was naturally a prime target to begin with.
While the Conservative faction might have paid mere lip service to his request, the central city garrisons aligned with the Progressive faction took it very seriously—and Jibei Dao had been exceptionally attentive.
When assaulting the Gai clan, the troops had initially run into considerable difficulties. The clan had constructed numerous underground bunkers and permanent fortifications throughout the mountains, using esoteric rituals and the natural terrain of the convergence zone to mount layer upon layer of defense.
Ever since the breach of Youdu, enemies who resisted to the bitter end like this had been rare.
Yet beneath the Gai clan's outward show of desperate resistance, Gai Shuhe himself had never intended to stay. As early as when Great Shun's army bore down on Youdu, he had begun plotting his escape.
Once he confirmed that Great Shun's pugilists had been thoroughly drawn to that front, he led his clan members in a swift retreat—and what was more, his escape route headed toward the perilous open sea.
Under ordinary circumstances, Great Shun might well have let him go. The sea was far too hazardous; even if the man made it there, there was no guarantee he would ever return, making it pointless to squander resources on a pursuit.
Chen Chuan, however, had explicitly asked for him. Moreover, because the Ministry of National Security was the superior authority over the National Central Police Office, Chief Inspector Huo Zhuifeng had personally stepped in to track down and capture the fugitive.
Chen Chuan checked the time. Being transported via dedicated military transit corridors, the prisoner would arrive in at most two days.
He immediately sent a telegram thanking Huo Zhuifeng, informing him that he would await their arrival in Anbei Dao.
With his avatar handling affairs on the front line, he decided to remain aboard a military airship moored outside Anbei Dao's central city.
Inside the main cabin hall, a beam of sunlight streamed through the porthole, bathing Chen Chuan in its warm radiance and filling half the cabin with golden light.
After lingering in the convergence zone for so long, such natural light felt exceptionally comforting and welcoming.
Chen Chuan leaned back in his seat, a steaming drink resting on the table before him as he looked out at the sky. He wondered whether such scenery would still be visible once the Great Impact arrived and the two worlds merged.
After finishing his drink, he took out the six Heavenly Being secret diagrams retrieved from the vaults and lined them up side by side on the table.
Just then, his hand paused. Sensing something unusual, he lowered his gaze, picked up one of the jade slips, and examined it closely.
This was one of the three slips Mi Zhuzi had given him. Though he had only glanced at them briefly before, he could sense that it was slightly different from when he had first seen it.
The fine fissures on its surface seemed to have tightened fractionally, and the entire piece felt slightly smaller than before.
It was an exceedingly subtle change, yet as a Cave Mystery View pugilist, he could clearly distinguish the difference.
His thoughts stirred. From the look of it, was this object repairing itself?
That seemed highly probable. By comparison, the three secret diagrams from the Chang dynasty were noticeably smaller. Could that mean the Chang dynasty's three diagrams had gradually repaired themselves after being used?
Then how had the fractures formed in the first place?
Considering that Emperor Wenguang and his two sons had most likely obtained their secret diagram bloodlines from them, could the damage be related to that process?
And how had that been accomplished?
Furthermore, when Emperor Wenguang handed them over to the Duanchen Sect, he had seemed unconcerned that the sect might acquire the same bloodline. Was that because the presence of these fractures rendered them unusable?
Yet even if that were true, the Xuan Sect had still accepted them.
Chen Chuan recalled what Gao Xinjian had said when discussing the Heavenly Being diagrams: many methods and secret transmissions of the Old Faith may have originally traced back to these diagrams.
In that case, perhaps the Duanchen Sect had hoped to comprehend something from them. Did it have to do with the markings etched upon the surface?
He studied the slip, unable to say for sure, though he felt it was certainly not that simple.
Now that the Duanchen Sect had handed them over without hesitation, claiming they were of no further use, was that merely a polite excuse, or had they genuinely exhausted their secrets?
Beyond the esoteric arts of former dynasties, it was said that even certain biological technologies had been derived from them.
He pondered the matter. Perhaps his method of observation was wrong—could they need to be examined in the world across?
He felt that was very likely.
Still, this was his first time handling such items, and there was no telling what strange changes might occur if he brought them across rashly, so he was in no hurry to experiment.
In truth, he harbored a suspicion: these things might not be meant for pugilists at his current level at all, but rather something required by upper-tier powers.
If that was the case, many things would make sense.
He shifted his thoughts. He would soon be joining the Supreme Security Advisory Group. Once there, he would surely have access to channels that revealed the truth, sparing him the need to guess.
Putting the items away for now, he rose from his seat, drew his Xuejun Saber, and slashed open a spatial fissure. Stepping inside, he resumed his cultivation.
Two days later, the airship carrying Huo Zhuifeng reached Anbei Dao and docked at the same mooring tower.
Carrying a large case, Huo Zhuifeng boarded Chen Chuan's airship. When they met, he unlatched the case, revealing Gai Shuhe, who had only his upper torso remaining.
"Commander Chen, I've caught your man and brought him to you. I took the liberty of wiping out the rest of the Gai clan, though one of Gai Shuhe's daughters is currently unaccounted for, dead or alive."
He explained that the Gai clan had prearranged an escape route in that region. Most of them had scattered in panic and were easily dispatched, but one of Gai Shuhe's daughters had seized a few seconds while Huo Zhuifeng was briefly delayed to leap decisively into the sea, vanishing without a trace.
That ocean was treacherous, and Huo Zhuifeng had sensed several formidable mutated species drawn in by the clash of their domains. Exercising caution, he had opted not to plunge in after her, choosing instead to bring Gai Shuhe back.
"That is a minor matter," Chen Chuan said. "I troubled you greatly this time, Chief Inspector Huo."
In truth, had it not been to find Chen Bitong's whereabouts, Chen Chuan would hardly have cared where a mere Pacifying General fled. As for the rest of the clan, their destructive potential was negligible, and once driven far from Great Shun's territory, they were hardly worth fretting over.
"No trouble at all," Huo Zhuifeng said. "Frankly, this Gai Shuhe is quite good at hiding. He gave me a bit of fun."
Chen Chuan turned his gaze toward Gai Shuhe in the case. Seeing that the man was still conscious, he asked, "Gai Shuhe, I sought you out for one reason. Do you remember Chen Bitong?"
Gai Shuhe had been at a loss as to why Chen Chuan had targeted him. Hearing that name, his eyes shifted, and realization finally broke through.
"Chen Xuanji... is looking for Chen Bitong?" he rasped.
"Yes." Chen Chuan nodded. "Is he dead or alive? I need an answer from you."
Gai Shuhe hesitated.
Huo Zhuifeng let out a dry chuckle from the side. "Commander Chen, I have techniques for searching the mind. If it doesn't involve complex secrets and we only need this, it's quite simple. Hand him over to me and I'll make him spill it—though there might be a few mild aftereffects."
Gai Shuhe's expression changed at once. As a Visage of the Divine pugilist, he knew full well there were countless ways to torment him, and holding his tongue was completely pointless. He blurted hurriedly, "Wait!"
He paused, then said with vague reluctance, "I buried him in Yinling... but I fed him a life-prolonging pill. He might not be dead yet."
"Yinling?"
Hearing that, Huo Zhuifeng's cynical air vanished, replaced by solemnity. "The urn punishment," he said in a low voice.
He explained to Chen Chuan that the so-called urn punishment involved severing a martial artist's limbs, feeding them a life-prolonging pill, placing them inside an earthen urn, and burying them deep underground.
Because of the life-prolonging pill and a martial artist's naturally unyielding willpower, this torment could drag on for an exceptionally long time.
The punishment preyed on that very strength. Those with immense willpower were said to survive for up to ten years without dying. But the firmer one's will, the greater the agony endured, until the mind inevitably broke. Under such circumstances, a quick death was far more merciful.
Chen Chuan could easily imagine it. When a person was buried in pitch darkness with no hope of rescue, even if their body remained alive as the years passed, their sanity would likely shatter first.
Still, he had to search for him.
"Where is Yinling?" Chen Chuan asked.
"I know the place," Huo Zhuifeng said. Straightening up, he adjusted his hat. "The Chen Bitong you're asking about is Teacher Chen, right? I've heard of him. Commander Chen, let me come along. I never leave a job half-done."
Chen Chuan looked at him and nodded. "Very well, Chief Inspector Huo. Let us go together."
With their course decided, they set out at once. Because the location was near the Haixi Dao convergence zone, they first flew north to Haixi Dao and entered the convergence zone from there.
Once inside the convergence zone, they had no need for transport vehicles. Flying through the air under their own power, they arrived at Yinling in less than half an hour.
It was a range of crimson ridges, starkly distinct from the surrounding landscape. Traces of military installations remained, though the site was now deserted.
Descending from the sky, the two landed on the highest crest of the ridge.
Huo Zhuifeng swept his gaze downward. He could perceive the presence of earthen urns buried below, likely numbering in the thousands.
"The urn punishment was used primarily by the fallen dynasty to punish rebels and bitter enemies," he said. "This punishment went on for over a century. Who knows how many are still down there drawing breath."
"Three."
Through his spiritual perception, Chen Chuan gave an exact number.
"Three people are still alive. One was placed nine years ago, one a year ago, and another... four years ago." As he spoke, his gaze turned toward a specific spot below.
Chapter 1469