Withdrawal

Inside the tent, shimmering light spilled from a fissure as tall as a man. Yet on the rug before it, there was not a soul to be seen—only the relic resting quietly in place. Directly across the fissure, bathed in that expanse of radiance, Chen Chuan sat in deep meditation. Beneath the sheltering glow of the relic, the Confluence night had become remarkably peaceful. None of the usual taints had emerged from the fissure, nor had any entities prowled close to covet the opening. From this, he had deduced that the rosy light possessed an isolating, concealing effect. And so he had decided to step through the fissure and see for himself. As long as he did not stray far from the gap, he could retreat in an instant should any danger arise. Back when Fumu had split apart, he had briefly crossed over into this realm to search for its split sub-body. But that visit had lasted only moments—he had retrieved the sub-body and returned immediately, without lingering. Having come over again, he decided to test cultivating here. After all, meditating across a rift could never compare to being here in person. Even though this meant exposing himself to heavier taint, he had no need to worry about that for the time being thanks to his Second Self. Besides, he had discovered that wherever the rosy light fell, the taints were shielded just the same. To be safe, he had instructed Hongfu in advance to alert him to step back outside at the slightest anomaly. Yet perhaps because he had remained near the opening under the mantle of the rosy glow, nothing native to this realm came looking for him through the entire night; it was as though they all overlooked this small patch of ground. Right at that moment, Chaoming let out a chirp from inside the tent across the fissure. Chen Chuan opened his eyes, bright light welling within his gaze. After another full day and night of cultivation, his spirit had attained complete self-perfection. Perfection differed from person to person. Some were constrained by talent; even upon reaching their personal perfection, they remained quite far from breaking through that boundary. Others possessed the capacity to reach the threshold, yet lacked the external resources required to propel themselves over it. On the path of upward advancement, personal talent and external conditions were equally indispensable. Now, both conditions were met. His true self alone was already sufficient to ascend higher, and he had an assortment of medicines on hand to facilitate the climb. If he so wished, he was fully capable of taking that step upward right now. And yet... He glanced at his Second Self. One final step remained: to once again fuse the power of the Second Self into his body. Only when the two became one, forging an unprecedented foundation, would he move to shatter that ultimate limit. Lifting the Xuejun Saber from his lap, he rose to his feet and stepped out through the fissure. Without looking back, he simply swept the long saber behind him, instantly knitting the rift shut. After a quick wash, he dressed properly, picked up his wide-brimmed hat from the side and set it firmly on his head, gathered the relic, and stepped out of the tent. Xu Chan and the team members were waiting outside. The moment Chen Chuan walked out, everyone sensed an unusual aura radiating from him—something indefinable, yet powerful enough to stir a flicker of trepidation in their hearts. But in the span of a single breath, the sensation seemed to vanish. The others assumed it was merely an illusion or a passing mental clash. Only Xu Chan looked slightly surprised; then, as if realizing something, he could not help looking up at Chen Chuan a few times more. Stepping out, Chen Chuan first glanced downward. The insect swarm below had dwindled to scattered stragglers that posed hardly any real threat. He also noticed the birds circling in the sky and cast a look toward the distant airship. "Looks like they've arrived." Xu Chan walked over and said with a solemn expression, "Supervisor Chen, we're all ready." Chen Chuan gave a slight nod. "Old Xu, any problems?" Xu Chan's reply was resolute and firm. "None at all!" According to the plan, he would carry the relic and advance swiftly toward the Great Shun camp, thereby drawing out the former imperial house's forces. Chen Chuan would trail behind to intercept and eliminate the enemy's pursuing elite units. Although the relic would inevitably draw creatures of the Confluence, Xu Chan's strength was more than enough to handle such situations. Chen Chuan handed the relic to him. Xu Chan accepted it solemnly and stowed it into a pack he carried. Chen Chuan then looked toward the others. "How are preparations on your end?" "Supervisor, we're just about set." "Then let us begin." Chen Chuan extended a hand toward Xu Chan. "Old Xu, see you at the post." Xu Chan clasped his hand. "See you at the post." He released his grip, took a step back, and saluted, while the others likewise gave Chen Chuan a solemn salute. Chen Chuan returned the salute. The group dispersed immediately, moving swiftly through their final preparations before departure. Once Xu Chan had gathered everything he needed, he called out a final farewell to Chen Chuan and the others, then leaped down from the mingqiu first. After hitting the ground, he brought up his speed without delay. Before long, trailing a wisp of kicked-up dust across the undulating terrain, he receded from view. Yet the direction pointed out by the beam of rosy light still marked his position with absolute clarity. Two of the scout birds that had been circling above their heads suddenly broke away from the flock and flew off in pursuit of the glow. After watching him depart, the others finished packing up the tents in short order, gathered their gear, saluted Chen Chuan in farewell one by one, and set off from the site as well. They would take a separate route, though they would not stay too far from Xu Chan and would maintain contact with him via telegraph, ready to provide support or rendezvous if necessary. Once they were gone, several more scout birds followed after them, leaving only a single bird still wheeling above Chen Chuan, seemingly left behind specifically to keep watch on him. The scout birds clearly could not discern the relative importance of specific individuals; they judged solely by visibility and headcounts. Those aboard the distant airship might be able to tell the difference, but it seemed their primary focus remained on the one carrying the relic. Seeing the others vanish into the distance, Chen Chuan stood alone for a brief moment. He returned to pack his belongings, stowed everything into his travel bag, and patted Chaoming, who waited obediently in place. He then broke into a run toward the mingqiu's tail, sprinted all the way to the tip, vaulted forward into the air, executed a midair flip, and landed firmly on his feet. Glancing back once at the colossal creature, he tugged at his overcoat, turned, and accelerated into a rapid stride in a chosen direction. His general heading aligned with Xu Chan's, with the three groups maintaining a fixed distance between them. The difference was that the route he had chosen offered the highest probability of encountering the enemy's elite pursuing forces. Looking at a map, he was currently at the southernmost edge. Above the others lay numerous mountain ranges and ravines, terrain largely unfavorable for rapid overland movement. Where he ran, however, was a comparatively open stretch of plains and rolling hills, ideal for deploying and pursuing troops. Therefore, if the former imperial house sent ground forces to intercept them, they would certainly come from the south. Dropping troops by airship was an alternative, but the same obstacle applied: the high mountains and canyons of the Confluence teemed with fiercely aggressive flying creatures that would never yield to foreign airborne intruders, but would swarm to drive off and attack them. Advancing across the plains remained far easier. Furthermore, with the northern approach blocked by treacherous peaks, there was no need for the former imperial house to dispatch another detachment from that side; at most, they would post a force to seal off a few passable mountain defiles. After maintaining a steady pace for about half a day, Chen Chuan came upon a sparse patch of woodland before a creek valley. The trees bore gnaw marks and had lost most of their leaves—clear signs of devastation wrought by the insect quicksand. Even so, a good number of plants had survived. At the far edge of his vision, faint patches of green were already discernible. His earlier judgment had been correct: pressing forward in this direction would lead to dense forest. He picked up his pace slightly. As his speed increased, the scout bird trailing behind accelerated to follow. But this time his pace was a fraction too swift, and even the bird struggled to keep up, straining with all its might to pursue from behind. Another twenty minutes passed, and he felt the foliage around him growing progressively thicker. Reaching this point, he peered up through the canopy and saw the bird still relentlessly in pursuit. He decided to dispose of it first. Accelerating again, he burst into the lush woodland ahead in an instant. Obstructed by the branches and leaves, the scout bird could no longer track his path clearly, so it naturally dipped lower. Yet it had evidently undergone disciplined training; it kept strictly beyond striking range and dropped no further, merely easing its speed slightly. Right at that moment, a dark shadow plunged diagonally from above. Chaoming stooped at blinding speed from high altitude, his talons slamming with a sharp crack into the scout bird's head and neck! Over the past several days, Chaoming had been continuously nourished by the relic and stimulated by the radiance from across the fissure. His size had already grown a full ring larger than before entering the Confluence. This was not merely an increase in bulk, but an expansion of mutated tissue; his combat prowess had multiplied several times over. That single strike snapped the large bird's neck clean through, sending it tumbling out of the sky. After snapping several branches on the way down, it crashed heavily onto the earth with a dull thud. Chaoming circled overhead, beating his wings and letting out several excited cries. Chen Chuan walked over to the spot where the bird had fallen. At a glance, he spotted a bronze ring on its leg, inscribed with the old-era character "Wei." Yet as he drew closer, a sharp, pungent odor drifted up, so intense that it made him halt and hold his breath.