Atlas of Heaven and Man.

Chapter 1295 Standing Tall at the Celestial Pole

August 19th, 5 PM.

Two days have passed since the Federation fleet departed from the capital. At this moment, it is still some distance away from Baind-Weishu Continent, but it is getting very close.

And on the distant horizon, above the boundary between land and earth, one can see a slender, solitary peak rising from the earth and stretching all the way up into the clouds above.

A white, ethereal cloud surrounded the mountain peak, within which flashes of blue-purple lightning seemed to flicker.

Against the backdrop of a pale gray sky and fiery red sunset clouds, the interplay of light and color creates a magnificent and breathtaking scene.

"Uncle Briggs, look! It's spectacular!"

With his arms crossed, Bri looked up at the distant sky and said, "That should be Tianji Mountain, the headquarters of the Tianji Sect. At this speed, we should be able to reach there by tomorrow morning."

At this moment, it wasn't just them watching; senior observers from the consortium, as well as several West Coast legislators, were also standing by the porthole, admiring this beautiful scene.

In the official records of the Federation, this place is called "Mount Kalid," while the Tianji Sect considers it one of the seventy-two famous scenic spots, known as Tianji Mountain, where "purple clouds look eastward and the pillar of heaven soars into the sky."

The Alcana Plateau is the highest plateau in the Federation, but the highest peak is the one right in front of us.

The main hall of the Heavenly Mystery Sect is built on top of this pillar. Although it looks thin from a distance, the pillar is actually extremely magnificent and vast.

What's particularly strange is that you can only see it clearly from a distance; once you get closer, you often overlook it.

At this moment, both the observers of the alliance and the members of parliament were looking greedily at the rich land below the mountain.

As one of the five continents of the Federation, this place has a large population and extremely rich resources. This time, the Federal Government promised them that after Weishu Continent was incorporated into the Federation, they could participate in its development.

In fact, if given enough time, the federal government would rather digest the problem itself than let others benefit from it.

But the great collision is coming soon, and there's not much time left. So we need to develop and extract the value of this land as soon as possible, and transform it into resources that can be used by the Federation.

One observer from the consortium said at this moment: "If this government can seize this rich land, then the one in Aurelion Palace will surely become the greatest governor in the history of the Federation, and his re-election will be a foregone conclusion. It seems that we will still be dealing with the East Coast Party in the next term."

"Is the Heavenly Secrets Sect truly unstoppable?"

Naturally, some people raised questions.

"The above assessment suggests that the federal government has a high probability of winning. Although the federal government has not disclosed specific details to us, it is believed that the federal government may have some kind of leverage to ensure victory."

We'll just have to wait and see.

The observers all agreed wholeheartedly. A victory would be ideal, but a defeat would be welcome, as they would welcome a setback for the powerful Federation. While failing to acquire wealth would be even more regrettable, from another perspective, a loss to the Federation would mean more cooperation with them, so they wouldn't lose out in any way.

Besides, even if we don't get anything, just witnessing what is perhaps the largest battle of superhuman power in nearly a hundred years would make the trip worthwhile.

Meanwhile, in the command center, where Necaxian and Olin were on the highest level of the submarine, they were reading documents and receiving information from various locations.

Robles was only the nominal person in charge of affairs; the actual offensive deployment, mediation, and communication were all handled by them.

Because an astonishing number of airships were accompanying them this time, and to ensure smooth communication in the surrounding area, they moved a massive field creature onto the giant airship.

Every so often they would communicate by telegram, and then the operations room would mark the positions on the operations board in front.

While it would be better to use active consciousness entities to handle these tasks, intelligence suggests that once they enter the lands of Weishu Continent, they might be subject to interference from the ritual fields of the Heavenly Mystery Cult, which are spread throughout the continent. Furthermore, the mental interference from the Throne Fighters during battles is also a problem; the field information might not be as reliable then. They must adapt to these things as quickly as possible.

The attack is tentatively scheduled for the early morning of the 20th. If everyone arrives at the agreed time, they will launch the attack at that time.

At this moment, Orin glanced at the combat board again. Two of the markers were extremely close to them, and the images were practically touching.

He said, "They're here."

Cassian turned his gaze from the table to the two long portholes on either side, where he saw two enormous airships appearing on either side of the "Sky Beast," approaching them.

Behind them, dozens of smaller airships could be seen on each side.

The largest airship coming from the left has an emblem that emits a torch-like light. The airship's design is flamboyant and has a sense of holiness, clearly indicating that it comes from a group of the New Light Church.

On the airship approaching from the right, the emblem is a giant face, which, as it gets closer, is revealed to be composed of seven burning petals, each resembling a distorted human figure.

This is undoubtedly from an original sect's airship fleet.

Cassian glanced around, took a few steps back, and looked out through the porthole at the back, where he saw the reflections of countless airships.

The ships carrying the three Throne Fighters from the Tower Whale, Deep Sea Spiral, and the Giant God Plant Company have also arrived. Orin saw them, glanced down at his wristwatch, and said, "They're all punctual. Now we're missing one."

Kassian said, "If the one from Xiaojue Temple went directly to Weishuzhou, it would be closer to us than to us. He should be waiting to meet us on the other side now. He should send us a telegram when he arrives."

Olin agreed, saying that although the people of Kojukuji Temple were not usually fond of cooperating with others, they would always keep their promises once they made them, so they had always been very reputable in this regard.

As various forces converged, under the setting sun, in the sky dyed red by the afterglow, more and more airships gathered, almost filling the entire field of vision above them.

Seeing such a grand scene, everyone involved in the battle was filled with excitement and exhilaration.

Such a large commotion could not be concealed, so the Heavenly Mystery Sect had already discovered the situation when the Federation's airship force was dispatched.

Inside the Heavenly Mystery Hall, four True Immortals—Chonghua, Gaoxu, Ranming, and Longxian—sat upright on the altar.

Master Gao Xu said, "Li Guo's move this time is likely taking advantage of the fact that the Celestial Master is away fighting against demons, so he took advantage of the opportunity to attack our Tianji Sect. This is not something Li Guo decided overnight; it must be a long-term plan."

Master Longxian sighed and said, "Sixty years ago, the Celestial Master performed this meritorious deed and left a mark on the Xuanhuan at that time. If the Celestial Master performs this meritorious deed again today, the Federation can be expected to recognize it."

Master Ranming said, "Knowing only these two things doesn't necessarily mean you know that the Celestial Master hasn't returned for several days. I've only told Huansuo Island the details. Should we ask Huansuo Island if they leaked the news?"

"No need to ask."

The Venerable Chonghua, seated at the head of the table, slowly spoke: "What's the use of asking? This is a matter within our Heavenly Secrets Sect. Fullness and emptiness are all changes in the Heavenly Secrets. Only by observing these changes and tribulations can one maintain a constant mind."

We will overcome this external calamity ourselves.

All three masters agreed, stating that since arriving in Yinglu, the Heavenly Secrets Sect had never relied on anyone else, and could only depend on themselves.

Meanwhile, those within the Federation have been wary of it for years and have taken precautions.

Master Chonghua glanced upwards, where a long, thread-like object led to the top of the main hall.

"The key to the Celestial Master's journey to subdue demons and monsters lies in ensuring that the Heavenly Secret Thread remains intact. Only in this way can the Celestial Master find an opportunity to return to the world after his battle. We should stay here and protect him well."

As he spoke, he calculated for a moment, his expression solemn: "The red star is not revealed, the dragon and snake lie dormant, and the secrets of heaven are obscure and unfathomable."

The Tianji Sect calculates celestial secrets and fates, and usually does not predict destiny. However, sometimes it can reveal something from the side by observing objects. But now we can't see anything, which is enough to show that the situation is extremely dangerous.

He said, "Now that a great enemy has invaded, I should activate the Starry Sky Ritual to guard the mountain and protect the religion."

All three masters nodded solemnly.

The Heavenly Secrets Sect has thirty-six administrative centers and seventy-two scenic spots, each of which is a key location for a secret ritual, and together they form a vast secret ritual across the entire continent.

This was set up by the Heavenly Secrets Sect over hundreds of years. Just the maintenance over these hundreds of years was a huge burden, not to mention the large amount of secret ritual materials consumed when it was put into use. Therefore, it has not been touched for almost a hundred years since the Great Alliance period. They cannot be sure if there are any flaws.

After the decision was made, the message was immediately sent out from the Heavenly Secrets Hall to various administrative centers and scenic spots.

Upon receiving the message, all the Xuan warriors stationed there sprang into action, activating the secret rituals according to established procedures.

However, an hour later, the four immortals stood on high ground and looked down. They saw that under the sky, little lights began to flicker and light up from the crisscrossing earth, and then more and more of them appeared.

It is now night, the Milky Way stretches across the sky, and the stars on the ground are visible, seemingly connected as one, creating a magnificent and vast scene.

After observing for a while, Master Longxian revealed a delighted expression and said, "Senior Brother, all thirty-six administrative offices and seventy-two scenic spots have responded, and the grand plan is flawless!"

"it is good."

Master Chonghua nodded. This was good news. He had originally planned to address any issues promptly, but now that the routine maintenance seemed to be working without problems, there was no need to do so.

Because once this secret ritual begins to operate, it can continue to function as long as there is a pivot point.

So even if all the administrative centers are destroyed, as long as Tianji Peak here doesn't collapse, they can continue to exist.

They even hoped the Federation would attack those administrative centers, buying them time. After all, as long as the core of the Heavenly Secrets Sect fell, any damage to its branches could be rebuilt.

Master Chonghua looked into the distance, gazing at the direction from which the Federation fleet might arrive. With a slight thought, he silently prayed, "May our Ancestor and all our ancestors protect us and help our Heavenly Mystery Sect safely overcome this calamity."

……

……

(End of this chapter)