Atlas of Heaven and Man.

Chapter 1291: Determined and clear-minded

Fan Zhentong said: "The explanation? If you want more details, it is that the Ranming Zhenren said that when the Lu Tianshi was stabilizing the secret ritual, he might face an external enemy."

Therefore, if Master Lu was being held back by the opposing side at that time, it would have been easier to cut off his path back. The Federation recognized this as an excellent opportunity.

Chen Chuan said, "But I accidentally learned that this Master Lu may have discovered a loophole in the World Ring. So when he went to the outer heavens, it wasn't to stabilize any secret ritual, but actually to maintain the World Ring."

After hearing this, Fan Zhentong remained silent for a moment. He didn't ask Chen Chuan where he had heard the news, but simply said in a deep voice:

Whether this is truly the case, I am not sure, and the intelligence gathered by the visiting delegation is insufficient to verify it. However, the security of the World Ring is indeed a concern for us, and this issue was emphasized during the negotiations. The Federation solemnly promised us that, regardless of the situation, they would prioritize the security of the World Ring.

Of course, this promise wasn't made to our delegation, but rather to the upper echelons of our Great Shun. This is because upper echelons worldwide are not isolated from each other, especially when it comes to matters concerning the safety of the global ring.

So, in this matter, perhaps we at the higher-ups know the real inside story, but allow me to say something…”

He said slowly, "The way those above view things is different from ours; they stand at a higher level. If there are greater interests at stake, or if they believe the gains outweigh the losses, then they will agree to the federal decision."

Furthermore, it should be considered that if the Federation is truly determined, then no matter what reasons the Heavenly Secrets Sect may have, they will do it.

Moreover, considering what you said, Director Chen, from the perspective of some people's thinking, it actually makes them even more necessary to deal with it.

"If Master Lu can patch up the loopholes, it means he can find them too. The Federation won't allow such a huge threat to appear on its territory. Besides, even if this problem does exist, wouldn't it be better to replace him with a controlled Master Lu?"

After hearing this, Chen Chuan thought for a moment, looked up and said, "Thank you, Mr. Fan. You have resolved some of my questions."

Fan Zhentong shook his head and said, "No need to thank me. This is not a good thing. Sometimes the more you know, the more you worry, and the more you lose your original purity. You can't do things as openly as you used to."

He looked at Chen Chuan: "Director Chen, if you really want to know the truth, it's actually quite simple. Perhaps we don't know what the Tianji Sect has done, but some people do."

The Celestial Mystery Sect collaborates with the international investigation team, as they are also part of the guardians of the World Ring and should have detailed records of every change to the World Ring.

If you have the means, you could go there and ask; perhaps you'll get the answer you're looking for.

Chen Chuan nodded unconsciously; he did indeed have this plan in mind.

"Thank you, Mr. Fan."

Fan Zhentong looked at him and said, "Director Chen, if you have any questions on this journey away from the federal territory, you can ask me."

Chen Chuan looked at him and nodded.

After the conversation ended and Fan Zhentong left, Chen Chuan used the boundary token to contact Gao Ming, who was on another airship, and asked him to send a telegram to the international investigation team to try to find out some things.

Because it involves internal information of the international investigation team, it would be difficult for others to ask about this matter. However, he has always had a good relationship with the international investigation team, so there is no difficulty in this matter.

Meanwhile, in the federal capital, Aurelien Palace, Sovereign Hall.

Cassian and Orin, two government staff members, along with the State Advisor, several internal affairs personnel, and some representatives from the military, stood at a war table.

The light screen above projected down, displaying the upper body images of several people.

"Siefert Drachholm, Chief Security Officer of Deepsea Spiral Corporation; Igor Karnelov from Norros Church Tower Whale Corporation; and Klaus Field, Plenipotentiary Representative of Giant Plants,"
Cassian smiled and said, "They all agreed to join the fight against the Heavenly Secrets Cult."

At this point, Orin added a sentence:
"The Federal Government has received information that Archbishop Cyrus Morton of the Primitive Church and Pope Ilosser of the New Light Church have set off. This operation will be carried out under the guise of a joint effort between the two factions. Also, Hiroyuki of the Kojuku Temple is on his way and will eventually join our ranks."

The military representative said, "So this time we've gathered a total of six Throne Fighters?"

"Yes, this is without counting the personnel sent by our Federation."

One of the staff members asked, "Has the original company responded yet? Haven't they received our invitation?"

Cassian replied, "The original company has already responded. They informed us that the chief consultant, Xiang Boqing, died not long ago, so they are no longer able to participate in this matter."

"Xiang Boqing is dead?"

Those present were somewhat surprised. One of them frowned and asked, "An excuse?"

Olin continued, "I'm afraid it's not an excuse."

Because the original company has already cancelled all of his identities in the Federation, and we have confirmed this with the Fighters' Council, all agreements signed with him are now invalid. If he hadn't found a way to escape the ritual, then…” He paused, “the outcome might have been like this.”

"How is this possible?" Everyone present found it incredible.

This is a Throne Fighter, how could he possibly die so easily? And who could possibly kill him?
Cassian said, "The Original Human Company didn't say anything, but we have a few guesses. Maybe Xiang Boqing was commissioned by the Original Human Company, or maybe he wanted to find a new path, so he went to the other world and now his whereabouts are unknown."

There is also the internal strife within the original company, because Gao Xinwen, a key figure in the company and its vice president, died not long ago.

We understand that Xiang Boqing and Gao Xinwen were quite close, and it's highly likely that he was purged during the company's internal power struggle. Regardless of the reason, it's certain that he no longer exists.

"Is this so..."

No one present pressed further, because even without the Throne Fighter, the Original Human Company still possessed a higher-level power structure. Given the current situation, they could no longer force the Original Human Company to take sides.

At this point, Orin said, "Gentlemen, although we are one person short of the original manpower, it seems that the forces we currently possess are sufficient to complete this operation."

Everyone agreed.

In addition to the six individuals mentioned above, the federal government will also be sending three Throne Fighters this time. They are: Executive Council Advisor Vico Durant, West Coast Congress Representative Drian Crosal, and Military Senator Wells Van Turner.

Ostensibly, their mission is to ensure the safety of the World Ring and the operation itself, but they can also use this pretext to join the battle if necessary.

The military representative glanced at the map, then looked up and asked, "Where is the Da Shun delegation?"

"The two delegations have left Serranocha and should now be in the western ocean."

Cassian glanced at his watch. "They should arrive in Gesefitu by this time tomorrow."

Everyone subconsciously looked at the clock on the wall. According to the operation schedule, they would officially begin their operation after the Da Shun delegation left the territory of the Federation.

In the Western Ocean, within just one hour, Gao Ming received intermittent replies from the international investigation team. After receiving all the information, he quickly entered it into the boundary certificate and then passed it on to Chen Chuan.

Chen Chuan received the materials and read them carefully. The information provided by the international investigation team was very detailed. It contained telegrams exchanged between the Tianji Sect and the international investigation team over the past sixty years, as well as the investigation reports made every year afterward.

From the above, it can be seen that the Tianji Sect has maintained contact with the international investigation team.

As one of the main guardians of the World Ring, the international investigation team has detailed records of various changes to the World Ring, and it can be seen that some of the content it provides is basically consistent with the statements made by the Tianji Sect.

Telegrams couldn't truly capture the whole picture, so the final document was signed by the leader, Meteora. This proved that the Celestial Cult hadn't caused any harm to the World Ring, and that the Celestial Master's actions had actually prolonged the World Ring's existence.

After reviewing these documents, Chen Chuan basically confirmed the authenticity of the matter, especially since the head of the international investigation team was the most trustworthy person.

After learning all this, he felt that he might need to change his goal this time. Instead of dealing with a primitive sect, he wanted to stop the Federation's operation.

If it weren't for Master Lu of the Heavenly Mystery Sect going out to fight against extraterrestrial demons sixty years ago, today's great collision might have come much sooner.

If the Heavenly Secrets Sect hadn't continued to do the same thing sixty years later, or simply ignored it, the Federation wouldn't have had the opportunity to seize it.

Perhaps that Celestial Master had his own reasons for doing so, or perhaps he intended to establish secret rituals within the religion, but his actions in fact maintained the world's ring and delayed the arrival of the other world, and everyone in the world owed him a debt of gratitude.

Therefore, the Tianji Sect should never be treated this way.

He slowly stood up.

A certain light appeared in his eyes.

If he were to actually go and stop them, he would likely have to face several Throne Fighters at the same time. Just thinking about this possibility made even him feel a sense of pressure.

He had fought Xiang Boqing before and knew the strength of the Throne Fighters. Fighting one would be fine, but if he faced several, the difficulty would increase exponentially.

But this pressure did not overwhelm him; instead, it invigorated and excited all the mutated tissues in his body.

He glanced at the vast, surging ocean outside, now just waiting to leave the federal territory.

……

……

(End of this chapter)