Atlas of Heaven and Man.

Chapter 1420 The Mysterious Spirit Removes the Seal

Inside the train carriage, Yuan Conglai suddenly woke up.

He just had a nightmare, but he can't remember the details of the dream.

He looked out the window; it was pitch black outside. He could hear rhythmic sounds coming from outside and feel the jolts coming from under his seat, knowing that the train was still traveling in the tunnel.

He felt he hadn't slept this well in a long time, and his energy had improved considerably.

Seeing that he was awake, the attendant handed him a cup of water and said, "Your Highness, please have some water."

Yuan Conglai took the drink, covered it with his sleeve, and drank several mouthfuls. After quenching his thirst, he asked, "Zikang, where are we?"

The official said, "We've passed the bay entrance bridge and are about to reach the stone waterfall path." He spread out the map and pointed to the location they were about to arrive at.

Upon seeing this, Yuan Conglai realized that they were already quite far from where they had started, and asked in surprise, "How long have I been asleep?"

"Six hours."

Yuan Conglai was surprised. "It's been that long?"

At the same time, a look of worry appeared on his face. "Today, the troops of the false dynasty are probably approaching Youdu again."

The official comforted him, saying, "Your Highness, do not worry. In two more hours, we will reach the end of the tunnel. Once we have ascertained whether there are any Da Shun soldiers there, we can return to report."

Yuan Conglai said with a wry smile, "Zikang, I would rather that place had been blocked by the people of Da Shun. That way, even if it costs me my life, it would give Father the determination to hold on."

"Your Highness, you must not think that way."

The official quickly advised, "Your Highness, you must not think like that. His Majesty is not only the ruler of the country, but also Your Highness's father. Filial piety lies in protecting one's parents, not in taking one's life lightly. If Your Highness treats your life lightly for the sake of pleasure, this is not the way of filial piety."

Yuan Conglai smiled bitterly, “Zikang is absolutely right. I was just venting my frustrations. Now that the imperial decree is pressing down on me, no matter how tough I am or how ruthless I am, I dare not disobey.”

He sighed. Actually, he wanted to advise Yuan Conglai that if there was no one guarding the tunnel entrance, they should try to escape.

Unfortunately, His Highness wouldn't listen to him, and with these sentries in charge of guarding the area, it would be difficult for them to find an opportunity.

They remained silent for the rest of the journey. Two more hours passed before they finally emerged from the tunnel and got off the bus there.

The scout captain left one man to guard them, while the others, under his leadership, released a series of exotic birds to search the surrounding area.

After Yuan Conglai and his companion waited there for half an hour, all the birds flew back, not one missing.

Upon seeing this, Yuan Conglai asked, "How is it?"

The scout captain replied politely, "We need to investigate again during the day. If nothing happens during the day, then we are safe. We also need to stay here. Of course, Your Highness does not need to do this. You may return now."

"Have you gone back yet?"

Yuan Conglai was taken aback; at that moment, he suddenly didn't want to go back.

He grew up in the inner palace from a young age. Due to his health condition and the emperor's dislike, he was basically excluded from activities such as hunting and garden tours. Therefore, he has never traveled such a long distance.

Although he did nothing, during this period he did not have to endure royal etiquette or be confined to the cold Shaohua Palace. Instead, he felt an unprecedented sense of freedom.

The attendant said, "Your Highness, let's go."

Yuan Conglai said, "Yes, let's go back. We still need to report back to the Emperor." His eyes hardened, and he walked back the way he came.

Outside Youdu City, this is the third day of the Da Shun army's advance. They will reach the city after another day's journey.

The closer they got to Youdu, the more resistance they encountered. Now, almost every two or three hours, a squadron of airships would arrive, including some Xuanji warriors who came to defend the king.

These people's actions were not entirely meaningless; they did indeed slow down the progress of the Da Shun side to some extent.

In fact, Da Shun intended to do so, and there were almost no more fighters at the level of the Longevity Temple in the arena. Instead, ordinary fighters were sent up to fight. This was to lure out the Xuanji warriors in Youdu City step by step and annihilate them.

If Youdu stops doing this, then so be it; we can only watch them move forward step by step.

Above the fortress behind, Chen Chuan watched the battle ahead. Chao Ming's figure was very active in the sky. Every time it moved with all its might, an enemy airship would be knocked down.

Even if the mysterious martial artist on the other side were to step in, it would be difficult to keep up with its speed in mid-air.

After all, although ordinary Xuanji martial artists can also fly, the energy in their bodies is limited, and they cannot hold out against Chaoming in the air for long, so they can only be suppressed by it.

Even if there were any remote means, Chao Ming had a protective shield formed from the remnants of the past, which, combined with the spiritual flames on his body, made him completely fearless.

Chen Chuan nodded in agreement. A couple of days ago, Chao Ming was still a bit rusty in using his skills, but now he's becoming more and more proficient. Real combat is the only way to improve one's strength.

Meanwhile, the numerous Dongxuan Temple fighters who arrived were keeping an eye on the direction of Youdu, guarding against a possible surprise attack. However, they probably wouldn't have a chance to make a move until they actually arrived in Youdu.

Before they arrived, they had seen Chen Chuan's performance in the previous two battles, and he almost always tried to end the battle as quickly as possible. Moreover, the command's strategy this time was to fight a quick battle. Therefore, they thought that under his leadership, they would probably send all of them to charge forward at the beginning. However, they did not expect that after the battle actually started, his style was unusually steady.

Chen Chuan would not make such a choice. Although they have a high chance of winning given their current strength advantage, there is no guarantee that there will be no casualties.

It's important to understand that everyone present today is a pillar of the progressive faction in their future fight against the Great Bombardment; sacrificing even one of them would be a loss.

The other side was not without means to threaten them; for example, the ritual that attacked him at the end that day was extremely lethal.

He later confirmed that it was some kind of sacrificial ritual, and every single one of the fallen generals of the old imperial family became fuel for the ritual.

As the capital city, Youdu is highly likely to have such rituals, so he prefers to proceed slowly and set up secret rituals in the rear to counter them. After all, as long as the effects of the ritual are known and one is willing to invest in it, even if it cannot be completely suppressed, one can still find a way to disrupt it and weaken it.

Meanwhile, in the direction of Youdu, the five Grand Secretaries were standing on the highest peak in front of the city, the Crane Soaring Pavilion.

Grand Secretary Hong said, "It seems the rebel army is almost at the place of suppression."

The ceremonial officer beside him respectfully replied, "Your Excellency, the enemy forces are quite formidable and will arrive there within a short time."

Grand Secretary Hong stroked his beard and nodded, "Be careful, lest the soldiers who have died in battle these past few days have lost their lives in vain."

The official in charge of the secret service hurriedly replied, "Your subordinate obeys the order. There should be some activity by midnight tonight at the latest."

Grand Secretary Hong slowly said "Okay".

They were well aware that Da Shun had been deliberately depleting their manpower over the past two days, but they were also using the lives of these soldiers to incite the inner demons suppressed outside Youdu.

They had no interest in lingering there, so they descended the tower and returned to the palace to handle their affairs. Later that night, the official in charge of ceremonies came to report:
"Elders, the rebel army has already set up camp. The place where the inner demon is suppressed is just two miles behind the rebel army camp. If we can launch an attack, we will surely be able to severely damage them and shake their morale."

Grand Secretary Shi asked, "Have the rebels made any discoveries?"

The official replied, "Several reconnaissance missions have been conducted, but no movement has been observed." He then looked up and said, "If they had indeed been spying, I believe the enemy would not have set up camp here."

Grand Secretary Shi said, "That makes sense." He waved his hand, and the official in charge of the secret ceremonies bowed and withdrew.

He added, "I only hope that the inner demon can inflict heavy damage on the enemy army, or perhaps halt their advance."

The Grand Secretaries shared this hope. They didn't expect to eliminate the invading enemy so easily, but if they could disrupt the Great Shun's operations and prevent the enemy from advancing so recklessly, then they would consider it a success.

At the Da Shun encampment, Chen Chuan was standing atop a fortress. Not far in front of him, many ritual masters were surrounding a pit, the soil, rocks, and obstructions on top of which had been cleared away.

Below, a large well ring covered with stone slabs appeared, on which clear esoteric patterns and sealing inscriptions on the nodes could be seen.

The fighters from the Dongxuan Temple in the camp were all standing around, watching this place of suppression.

They had already heard that the anomaly being suppressed here was an unknown headless general.

It is said that once this headless general appears, he will remove the head of the person closest to him and place it on his own head.

This doesn't care about your cultivation level. As long as you haven't acquired higher-level power, even a Dongxuan Temple fighter can have their head ripped off. Of course, even if a Dongxuan Temple fighter has their head ripped off, they won't be afraid, as it will grow back in an instant.

Once you're infected by this anomaly, there's no escaping it. Every time you hear the cry of "Where is my head?", it will reappear to take your head. The old imperial family was so bothered by it that they eventually had the Fulong faction suppress it underground to keep it a secret.

Everyone who heard this felt extremely disgusted.

If you get entangled with something like this, even if it doesn't kill you, it can keep you from having a moment's peace. The key is that if you can't get rid of it in time, it will become stronger and stronger, and in the end, it may really take your life.

Jiang Linghuai then asked, "Mr. Wen, is it possible to use that 'diner' to deal with this anomaly?"

Wen Mingzhong shook his head. “Anomalies do sometimes intertwine and merge with each other. But usually, it’s the stronger one that absorbs the weaker one. Two anomalies of similar energy levels cannot appear in the same area. So I can’t use ‘diners’ to control it.”

"Comparable to diners?"

Jiang Linghuai couldn't help but become a little wary. He had personally witnessed the diners' prowess, but he hadn't expected that this anomaly could reach this level. He thought to himself that it was no wonder Youdu would use this as a trump card.

Wen Mingzhong then placed his hand on the boundary marker and exchanged a few words with the secret instrument team below, saying, "Commander, it's confirmed that the abnormal substance below is highly active and will appear no later than midnight tonight, which is five hours away. Should we begin the cleanup now?"

Chen Chuan glanced down and ordered, "Let's begin."

……

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(End of this chapter)