Atlas of Heaven and Man.

Chapter 1421 The Ceremony Gate Opens and the Town is Sealed

Upon receiving the order, Wen Mingzhong immediately used the boundary token to begin directing the six elite secret service teams.

These group members wore uniform esoteric Buddhist attire, with esoteric symbols painted on their clothes and skin. The members maintained a certain distance from each other, forming a stable resonance field.

At the same time, they will combine and connect with the diffusion fields of other groups by changing the ritual operation methods and adding or removing ritual ornaments according to the specific situation, so as to complete different ritual tasks.

After they began their operation, the support staff brought various secret instruments and objects into the site and, according to the requirements of the secret instrument team, either buried them deep, hung them high, or placed them in fixed positions.

This creates a three-dimensional ritual framework with varying heights and a neat, orderly arrangement.

Those standing on higher ground on the periphery then ignite the surrounding ritual materials. The flames and rising smoke, drawn by some force, converge towards the very center of the ritual area at a higher elevation.

Since most of the ritual objects were made of metal, they created unique reflections under the light of flames and lamps, shimmering continuously.

After a while, these things began to tremble gently on their own, releasing waves of tingling energy.

At the same time, many ritual objects floated up from their original positions and moved and rotated along a special and regular trajectory.

After looking at it for a while, Wen Mingzhong reported to Chen Chuan: "Commander, according to the blueprints provided by the commander, every arrangement is now perfectly integrated into the ceremony nodes. If this step is successful, the rest will be much easier."

The markings on the secret ritual diagram provided by Chen Chuan were very detailed, which allowed them to be targeted and accurately locate key points.

It's not impossible for me to find them myself, but that would take a very long time. It's impossible to find and confirm the function of all the secret nodes within five hours.

Chen Chuan said, "Mr. Wen, just go ahead and do it. I'll be here keeping an eye on things."

Wen Mingzhong said "okay," apologized to Chen Chuan, left, and personally inspected each bonfire. Only after confirming that there were no problems did he return and instruct his men to continue.

It's no wonder he's so cautious. They currently have two options: one is to reinforce the original sealing ceremony, and then deal with it after the old dynasty is overthrown.

This method is relatively simple, but it also has its risks. It's difficult for them to be certain that Youdu doesn't have a special way to trigger the anomaly.

Furthermore, even with reinforcement, the foundation still relies on past sealing rituals. However, in their view, the ritual's power has greatly diminished due to the erosion of time and human damage.

On the contrary, the continuous deaths of Xuanji martial artists on the battlefield in the past few days have been stimulating this anomaly, and it has shown signs of struggling to emerge.

If more people are killed or injured on the field, it's hard to say that problems won't arise.

Another option is to capture it directly. Seal this anomaly and bring it back to the headquarters of the esoteric sect; it might be transformed into a new weapon.

With the help of the secret plan blueprints, there is a certain possibility of success, but the risks are also considerable. If it fails, the anomaly might escape, which might be exactly what the old imperial family wanted.

Upon hearing the two options, Chen Chuan chose the second one without hesitation.

In his view, such uncontrollable risks on the battlefield should never be left unchecked. He would rather detonate them proactively and deal with them in advance than let them remain and hinder them later.

Such a solution is precisely what makes it quite difficult.

Wen Mingzhong's expression became very serious at this moment. Detecting anomalies of this level is extremely difficult, especially an anomaly that is already very "mature". There is really no room for error.

Even with the ritual blueprints provided by Chen Chuan, he wasn't absolutely certain. A ritual master before him had died because of his overconfidence.

This person thought he had figured out the anomaly's changes, but he overlooked the fact that the massive impact was approaching every moment, and the anomaly was also changing. He would not make the same mistake again and would take this variable into account.

If this anomaly is successfully resolved, it will be an extremely valuable qualification within the Secret Buddhist Administration, and a precious asset to leave to future generations. He was very grateful to Chen Chuan for giving him this opportunity.

His attention was highly focused; his mind was both active and calm at this moment. He systematically issued commands to each member of the secret service through the boundary token.

At this moment, he is a commander who oversees the overall situation. Not only must he be thoroughly familiar with the specific operations of each person, down to the smallest detail, but he must also correct and adjust each step based on the active changes of abnormal substances on site.

This requires him to maintain a peak mental state throughout the night and also to have enough physical strength to get through the entire night. This is a huge test for an ordinary person like him, so he took a special secret medicine in advance, which was enough to support his physical and mental exertion today.

Chen Chuan stared down. Wen Mingzhong had told him that there was a possibility of failure this time, which meant that the thing might break through the encirclement, and he would confront it immediately.

Anomalies are difficult to deal with once they appear, but with higher-level power, they can be suppressed. Even if his Xuan Kong Fire cannot eliminate it, it can suppress it for a while, thus giving the opponent another chance.

Even if this anomaly targets him, he can simply use it to improve his appearance.

Just then, the sound of propeller blades came from outside; it was the old imperial family launching a night attack.

Judging from the sounds, the number of airships attacking this time was far greater than the previous two nights, possibly a move coordinated with this anomaly. He didn't go to check; the defenses had been arranged during the day, with Chao Ming there to coordinate, unless Xuanji martial artists from the Changsheng Temple and Dongxuan Temple appeared on the other side. But if the old imperial family really made this choice, they would be more than happy, as it would be perfect for swallowing them whole.

As time passed, the noise outside grew louder and louder, to the point that those on the fortress side could feel a clear and continuous tremor, which showed just how intense the battle was.

Wen Mingzhong and the members of the Miyi team turned a deaf ear to this and focused all their attention on the current blockade.

They have now successfully secured every key node and set up a simple temporary barrier around it.

The next step is the most crucial one.

They moved a large, green, double-eared urn over and placed it in the center of the area.

This is the most important ritual artifact; we'll need it to capture this anomaly today. Previously, some powerful anomalies were also captured using similar artifacts.

In reality, it's less about "capturing" and more about "transferring." They create an environment that makes the anomaly feel comfortable and conducive to its growth, keeping it inside and unwilling to come out for a while.

Generally, more ferocious anomalies have an instinct to pursue their own strength, and will not actively attack targets that enter the field.

However, they won't give benefits out of thin air. This is actually a form of constraint. If you accept the benefits I offer, then you must abide by my rules to a certain extent. This achieves the purpose of control.

However, before doing all this, the abnormal field must first be disrupted. The abnormal field must be made aware that resistance will result in losses, or that losses have already occurred, so that it will be easier for it to accept the benefits offered.

After the double-eared urn was placed, the six ritual teams stood in different positions, connecting their own field with the field created by the ritual objects.

As they stood still, a transparent field, seemingly composed of mist, began to appear within the space shrouded by the ritual objects in the center where they had gathered.

One can see that densely packed esoteric inscriptions have appeared on it, and several layers inside and out are constantly swirling. This is because, through their series of arrangements, the sealing ritual that was originally laid out on a flat surface has been presented in a spherical form.

This operation greatly simplifies the observation and operation of esoteric rituals. It is a new technique developed by the General Bureau of Esoteric Buddhism in the new era, combining ancient esoteric rituals.

Each person held up a ceremonial pole, aiming it at several key positions.

Those watching couldn't understand the ceremony, but they could see that their movements were fluid and rhythmic, and their spiritual resonance was also very harmonious, which made them feel very comfortable.

Just by looking at this, you can tell that the current process is going very smoothly.

Wen Mingzhong then stood in front of the double-eared urn. He took a few deep breaths. The previous arrangements were all completed. What he needed to do now was to take the initiative to break the seal and bring out the anomaly ahead of schedule.

This is the real test for them; if they don't do well, no matter how meticulous the previous arrangements were, it will be useless.

He glanced at his watch, then observed the changes in the field, and said, "Unseal!"

The six team members simultaneously inserted the ceremonial poles they were holding into the spherical ceremonial field in front of them.

In that instant, the ritual rod seemed to enter a physical form, flashing a faint golden light upon contact with the ritual, and the front end of the rod disappeared directly, as if it had entered another space.

Chen Chuan and everyone present could feel that the ground beneath their feet and the surrounding air were vibrating violently, which caused the energy field and spiritual power of many people to spill outward.

However, they tacitly kept these things close to their bodies, so as not to disturb the field in between.

About a minute or two later, the ritual group stopped moving, and a thud could be heard, as if the ceremonial pole had been pushed all the way down.

The scene was quiet for a moment, and even the tremors stopped.

Just then, it seemed as if something shattered, just as the ritual space formed by the condensation of mist dissipated with a passing gust of wind.

Then, with a hiss, a large spray of steaming blood gushed out.

The blood quickly turned into a hazy blood mist, within which a headless figure dressed in armor could be seen kneeling.

Its figure was enormous, resembling a small mountain, and it exuded a strange aura.

Most of the people in the room had a slight change in expression, because at that moment, they felt that the heads on their shoulders were about to fall off, as if they would fall off with the slightest push.

……

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(End of this chapter)