Teacher Xue looked at Chen Chuan and said, "Although Principal Yao and that colleague of mine should already be prepared outside, many things in this world are fraught with variables and uncertainties. We cannot calculate everything with absolute certainty; we can only be sure that our odds of winning are currently in our favor.
"Therefore, this wisp of my spirit will remain by your side to guide you away from certain situations and help you fend off external intrusions."
Chen Chuan nodded. After a moment of thought, he consulted Xue Shou again. "Teacher Xue, did the Consortium and the Linax Federation never consider in advance that martial artists might step in to seize it?"
Xue Shou said, "Of course they did. At the corporate base here in the Jibei Dao confluence zone, there is an active conscious entity capable of holding off a martial artist for a brief time. Once they confirm that their subordinates or partners have secured the item, and a martial artist from the other side steps in to take it, they can mobilize it in accordance with emergency protocols.
"Defeating Wei Guochan is out of the question, but stalling him isn't difficult. That way, they could carry the item back.
"Yet even in that scenario, it would not hinder our operation—and that active conscious entity might not even manage to bring the relic entity back."
He smiled and said, "After all, anything can happen in the confluence zone. When facing a martial artist from the former imperial house, it is only natural for things to go awry, isn't it?"
Chen Chuan understood. From the look of it, the original plan also included setting a trap for that active conscious entity. If this plan succeeded, Great Shun would hold absolute top-tier dominance in this sector of the confluence zone.
After all, much of Great Shun's strength was tied down by the former imperial house. If they could break through the stalemate here in the confluence zone, the benefits would feed back to the central city, and many difficulties that had stalled in the past could finally be pushed forward.
He said, "Teacher Xue, in that case, once the insect quicksand passes, I will find a way to break out."
Teacher Xue said, "How you do it is up to you. From this moment on, I must focus on maintaining the cohesion of this wisp of spirit to keep it from dissipating prematurely. If you run into trouble, you can try communicating with my spirit through the imprint."
Chen Chuan raised his hand and looked. On the palm of the hand that had held the green mandarin earlier, there was a faint blue shimmer. This was likely where Teacher Xue's spirit resided.
When he looked up again, Xue Shou had already vanished.
He stood where he was, lost in thought for a moment. Although Teacher Xue had explained everything clearly, he remembered that Teacher Xue had a chronic habit of running late. Would he be late in this matter as well?
That was hard to say.
And just as the man had said, the world was full of variables. Even if he wasn't late, this operation could hardly be called foolproof.
Thinking along these lines, he felt that if he truly wanted to ensure nothing went wrong, he still had to rely on himself.
His spirit was now merely a hair's breadth from reaching perfection. Once he achieved that and fused with his second self, he could attempt to break through to a higher limit.
In truth, this had always been part of his plan.
With the Ring of Worlds soon to close, the cultivation environment would drop by an entire tier compared to before. He had to stay ahead of it, and the confluence zone offered a vastly advantageous setting for cultivation.
Not to mention that this relic was right here.
He glanced outside, zipped up the tent, and drew the Xuejun Saber. With a single slash, he cut open a fissure. As the light spilled out from within, he sat down before it.
Meanwhile, at that very moment, somewhere in the confluence zone upon a high slope of sparse woods, a knight held high a banner that snapped in the wind. Beneath the banner sat a young Auxiliary General mounted upon a magnificent dragon-nosed horse, closely surrounded by over a hundred elite cavalrymen.
His sharp gaze pierced through the slits of his helmet, watching the distant insect tide churn and surge.
Hoofbeats sounded ahead as several horses galloped in from outside. These were scouts they had previously sent out to reconnoiter. This time, however, a man was being dragged behind one of the horses.
Major General Therbier was semi-conscious. He felt himself being dragged forward, scraping relentlessly against the uneven ground and gravel. Such rough treatment was undoubtedly torment, yet in his heart he felt immense relief—for this was far better than being gnawed to pieces alive by those insects.
Back then, relying on the protective items on his person and special medicines that stimulated potential, he had broken out of the range of the raccoon dog urban legend. Afterward, he had stubbornly held out within the ant swarm for four days and even reached the outer edge of the insect tide. But once he arrived here, his stamina was finally exhausted, and he collapsed.
Had these scouts of the former imperial house not spotted him and managed to drag him out of the swarm, all his previous efforts would have been in vain.
Even so, only half of his head remained intact. The flesh on his limbs and torso had been almost completely devoured, reducing him to a skeleton clinging to scraps of meat. Only his tenacious will to live had enabled him to protect his vital organs until the very end.
Therefore, as long as he could ingest high-energy nutrients and rest immersed in nutrient fluid, he would be able to make a full recovery after some time.
Suddenly, he felt his body jerk to a halt, and all the hoofbeats ceased. Scattered, unfamiliar words followed. After a moment, someone seemed to issue an order, whereupon hands roughly dragged him up, tied him to a tree, and forcibly poured a vial of medicinal liquid down his throat.
This stimulated the last shred of his vitality, restoring some alertness to his mind. Slow hoofbeats approached before him. He opened his eyes to see a former imperial general mounted high upon a horse, clad in helmet and armor, clutching a spear. The general looked him over and asked, "You barbarian—what is your origin?"
Beside the general stood an interpreter, who repeated the question first in the language of the Linax Federation and then in the lingua franca of the Corporate Coalition.
Major General Therbier looked at him and answered directly in Great Shun speech, "I am a general of the Linax Federation, Ingram Therbier. In accordance with the regulations of the Grand Alliance, I request treatment and respect commensurate with my rank."
"Someone from the Linax Federation?"
A hint of contempt and disgust showed in the young general's eyes.
"What, did you come for the relic as well? Most likely. From the look of you, did you lose?"
Though he seemed to be asking, his tone carried absolute certainty.
Major General Therbier said, "It was not our fault. This is not our home ground, and we did not understand every variable. Many unexpected developments caught me and my forces completely unprepared—such as this insect tide."
The young general neither agreed nor disagreed, asking instead, "Where is the relic now? In the hands of the Consortium? Or in the hands of those rebellious traitors?"
Major General Therbier said, "Right now, it has most likely fallen into the hands of a Great Shun officer."
"What rank is he? How strong is he?"
Major General Therbier did not answer directly. Instead, he said, "I have learned a great deal about this person. I can share detailed information with you, but I want a guarantee."
The young general seemed utterly disdainful. "Look at you—you would rather face the insect swarm than turn back to fight your enemies." He pointed his spear at Therbier. "A cowardly rat like you dares bargain with this general?"
Major General Therbier felt immense fury in his heart, but he had always been pragmatic, capable of bending to circumstances. Besides, he was in the hands of others, so he said with forced calm:
"We, the Linax Federation, and Great Shun have always been adversaries. And I know your situation—you were forced by the Great Shun government to withdraw into the confluence zone. Our two sides have a natural basis for cooperation.
"I am a major general. In the rear, I still possess a base camp and a sizable force. As long as you are willing to treat my injuries, I can provide personnel and intelligence so we can seize that relic together..."
Before he could finish, a sharp crack sounded. A spear thrust abruptly through his skull, pinning him to the tree behind him.
The young general said slowly, "Even without cooperating with you, the prize will still be mine." He yanked the spear free and added, "Dispose of him. Cleanly."
"Understood!"
Soldiers stepped forward immediately, dousing Therbier's body with oil and setting it ablaze.
The young general looked up at the rosy glow tinting the sky. Their contingent was merely the vanguard. Farther out, the grand army of the former imperial house was encircling the area from three directions. The sole opening lay in the direction of that unbreached Great Shun camp.
And this gap was intentionally left open: neither overrunning the camp nor allowing it any chance to regroup, but rather keeping it pinned while striking and intercepting any reinforcements that might arrive. Once the insect quicksand ceased, their forces would close the net around it and seize the relic.
Another day passed. Chen Chuan concluded a full night of cultivation, consumed some nutrition paste, fed Chaoming, and stepped out of the tent. He looked around.
Though the insect tide persisted, it had noticeably thinned compared to two days ago. At this rate, it would likely disperse entirely within a day or two, at which point he would need to be ready to act.
He turned his gaze toward a certain direction. There stood a bare, rocky crag. If he remembered correctly, the Linax Federation's camp lay near that mountain.
Without him realizing it, the earthworm had actually crawled all the way here.
After a moment of thought, he walked over to Xu Chan and pointed in that direction.
"Old Xu, see that mountain? There's likely a camp established earlier by the Linax Federation over there. According to what the Skinner confessed, Supervisor Wen's remains were left there by him. Since we're already here, I plan to go take a look."
Xu Chan looked in that direction. "Supervisor Chen, are you confident?"
Chen Chuan said, "I calculated the distance. If I pick up my pace, it will take a few minutes at most to get there. I'll just go check. If I can't find them, I'll return immediately."
Chapter 751