Atlas of Heaven and Man.

Chapter 1428 Snow Lake Reflecting the Sky's Crack

It was daytime, and Prince Yong was currently atop a snow-capped mountain peak. Strong gusts of air gushing from the fissures were causing the snow on the summit to swirl around.

Snowflakes fell heavily on the hillside, threatening an avalanche, but he ignored them. Looking up, he felt a touch of warmth from the light that was so different from the world on the other side.

"The big day..."

That kind of light could never be seen in the Land of Fusion, where the sky is always gloomy and dark, and the sky above Youdu is filled with thick fog, with only lamplight distinguishing between day and night.

And the sky behind the great sun, although the land where they meet is also very vast and boundless, it was this azure sky above his head that allowed him to truly feel a sense of infinity.

All of this brought him a very novel feeling.

After all, the Merged Land was formed by the collision of two worlds, and many places were not suitable for habitation. There were also troublesome mutated creatures everywhere. The closer one got to the other side of the world, the harsher the living environment became. Therefore, most people only lived on the side of the Merged Land closer to the Old World.

But if we're talking about the most suitable place to live, it's still Old Land.

The colors of the sky and earth here are more vibrant and there is a sense of order in all things, unlike the chaotic and alienated place that is filled with chaos.

The only downside was that once he arrived here, he felt the alienated organization had become quite lethargic. Was this because it was far removed from the other world? But it still felt more pleasant overall.

No wonder the dynasty was first established here; Youdu was merely a choice made under duress. He secretly resolved that once he ascended the throne, he would find a way to reclaim this territory.

After a few moments of contemplation, his eyes became wary again; he hadn't forgotten that this place was now part of the Great Shun territory.

His gaze swept across the distant horizon, then over the rough, unmelted snow-covered ground and the icy lake.

Apart from a few lurking animals that can be sensed underground, there are almost no other living beings left.

Moreover, powerful life forms tend to stand out more here.

Although he didn't see anything, he didn't relax. He raised his hand and gestured, and a martial artist from the Xuanji Sect who followed him out released a series of exotic birds.

These alien species look no different from ordinary birds of the Old World. They are not conspicuous when they disperse. Their specially cultivated organs can detect strong field reactions from hundreds of kilometers away and can distinguish various abnormal points. People or things that try to hide by camouflage cannot escape their eyes.

Although the search was time-consuming and seemed to delay their journey, it was something they had to confirm, because once they were out of the rift, they could only keep moving forward; there was no turning back.

Half an hour later, these strange birds flew back one after another, but found nothing unusual.

In that case, he could go back and report. As for how to proceed afterward, where the rift leading to the North Sea was, or how to open it, he didn't know; these were all matters for his father, the emperor, to arrange.

He left the mysterious martial artist standing still, turned around, flew back into the rift, landed on the Fangzhang ship, and went straight to the cabin where Emperor Wenguang was.

He clasped his hands in a fist salute to the beaded curtain hanging in front of him, and said, “Father, Mother, I have seen that there is nothing unusual outside. I would like to ask Father for instructions on where to proceed from here on.”

Emperor Wen Guang said, "Prince Yong did not do a bad job. Let's go north. A hundred miles away, there is Anbo Lake. There is a path there."

"My son, take your orders."

Prince Yong's spirits lifted. It turned out that it was only a little over a hundred miles away, which wouldn't take much time at all. It seemed that they would soon be able to escape danger.

He immediately returned and ordered the fleet to set sail again. Before long, the Fangzhang slowly emerged from the crevice, with twenty slightly smaller airships flying on both sides. Once outside, they dispersed outwards.

After they all emerged, the rift behind them seemed to have completed its mission, flashing a few times before quickly closing and disappearing in a final flash.

On another, more distant peak, there is a field monitoring station.

Chen Chuan stood in front of the field screen, with Jiang Linghuai, Mu Xiaoren, and Ming Chengzi standing behind him.

The screen is currently displaying a scene of an airship fleet.

It would be very easy for the Dongxuan Sect fighters to trigger the opponent's senses if they directly observed these scenes. However, he had Chaoming go to the sky to observe from a distance.

With the lost items on its body and the power it gained from the Ikus bloodline, Chaoming could effectively conceal itself when observing its target. Everything it saw could also be transmitted through the boundary token it wore and the temporary field stations erected along the way.

Mu Xiaoren's gaze fell on the Fangzhang, and he said, "An airship of such high specifications and complete facilities can only be a royal vehicle."

Ming Chengzi, however, was very confident and said with certainty: "This boat carries the imperial seal of the Yuan Dynasty. If the imperial relatives and officials were to use it, it would be an act of usurpation. Emperor Wen Guang is ruthless and narrow-minded. Even if he were to make a show of it, he would never allow his officials to use it. Therefore, I dare to say that Emperor Wen Guang must be on this boat!"

Chen Chuan then saw the crack close, but it showed no sign of moving.

At his speed, he could get there in no time if he set off now. He needed to know where the group was going and whether there really was a rift ahead. If so, he had to determine its location first.

His gaze shifted and landed on Prince Yong, especially noticing the prince's eyes, which gave him a strange feeling. Could this be... the Secret Chart bloodline? He could try to weigh it later.

Two quarters of an hour later, the fleet arrived outside Lake Anpo. This lake was not very large, only about a hundred acres, and it was currently frozen over.

Emperor Wenguang saw a young Taoist priest gazing at the landscape not far away and said, "Shaoyou, can you figure out how to activate the fissure buried here?"

The young scholar looked at it for a while, smiled slightly, and said with certainty, "Your Majesty, the key lies in those lakeside stones."

Emperor Wen Guang praised, "Your master recommended you here, and you certainly have some ability."

The lakeside is filled with naturally formed rocks. At first glance, they seem unremarkable, but if someone knowledgeable in esoteric arts looks closely, they will discover that these rocks are actually arranged in a special way.

Activation is also very simple; you just need to break some of the stones that are used to obstruct the view and block the ritual.

Emperor Wenguang rose from his seat, walked forward, and stood with his hands behind his back on the airship platform. He said, "Since your master sent you here, you will be my Imperial Advisor from now on. You will be the one to open the rift." As he spoke, he threw a black talisman at him.

The young scholar accepted the gift, bowed, and said, "Thank you for the reward, Your Majesty. I will go now."

"King Yong".

Emperor Wenguang called out again.

Prince Yong quickly clasped his hands in greeting: "Father, I am here."

Emperor Wen Guang said, "Times have changed. The false dynasty has deployed many scouts within our territory. You must guard the surrounding area well. When the rift opens, do not let anyone get close."

Prince Yong said confidently, "Father, rest assured, leave it to your son."

Emperor Wenguang said, "Go."

The young Xuan Shi bowed to Emperor Wen Guang, then lightly touched the ground with his toes, and with a flash of white light, he instantly appeared on the lake surface.

Prince Yong clasped his hands in a fist salute, took two steps back, stepped out of the airship, and came to a high altitude, where he ordered the surrounding airships to be arranged in four directions to be on high alert.

Actually, he wasn't too worried. He was familiar with Da Shun's defense methods. Most of their forces were concentrated on the border and Xuanhuan. Most of the central cities were guarded by only one or two Xuanji warriors. There might be artificial alien species with higher combat power in the city, but they wouldn't come out most of the time.

Even if he really did come, as a martial artist from the Dongxuan Temple, he could easily handle it.

At this moment, the young Xuanshi slowly landed on the lake surface. With a flick of his fingers, the lake stones either shattered out of thin air or flew to the side. In just two minutes, he cleared away all the obstacles blocking the ritual.

He tossed the jade tablet in his hand again, pointed it with his finger, and a spherical blue light emanated from it. Centered on the tablet, a field expanded outwards.

Meanwhile, Ming Chengzi, who was watching this scene, couldn't help but exclaim, "Is this the Thunder Ritual? This is a ritual that has been lost since the Chang Dynasty."

He thought for a moment, stroked his beard, and said, "I once heard my teacher say that after Emperor Taizu of the Ding Dynasty ascended the throne, he seized three secret treasures from the previous dynasty, but no details of them have been revealed since..."

He looked ahead again, “This rift may well have been left by the previous dynasty. Yes, no wonder the sect placed one end of the rift here instead of closer to the west. So that’s why they had this purpose.”

As they were talking, the blue light in the lake gradually became dazzling, and a faint crack appeared.

After seeing this, Chen Chuan stopped watching. He walked out of the monitoring station, glanced at the distant sky, and disappeared in an instant with a flash of light. After a while, a rumbling sound came from the mountaintop.

Meanwhile, Ming Chengzi, Jiang Linghuai, and Mu Xiaoren also transformed into beams of light and followed.

Yongwang saw the crack gradually expand and spread across the entire lake surface. He also rose into the air to prevent any interference. Overall, he was quite relaxed because he sensed nothing unusual.

Even if it were true, he was not afraid. Although he felt he might not be able to defeat that mysterious general, he believed it wouldn't be difficult to hold him off for a moment.

Just as he was thinking this, he suddenly seemed to sense something, turned around and saw a ball of spiritual light rushing towards him.

Because of the speed of the attack, he only had time to raise his arms to block in front of him. At the same time, a phantom appeared outside his body, and light rushed onto him instantly, causing him to fly outwards uncontrollably. Finally, he crashed into a mountain wall with a loud bang.

When the force of the impact dissipated and he burst out of the shattered mountain wall, he found that he had already flown far away from Lake Anbo, and even the huge Fangzhang ship had become a small dot in front of him.

He was both shocked and furious. When he looked up, his pupils contracted, and he saw a figure shimmering with white-gold light hovering above the lake.

……

……

(End of this chapter)