Atlas of Heaven and Man.

Chapter 1432 Gathering the Crowd to Ruin the City

Ming Chengzi said, "I was just guessing at first and couldn't be sure yet, but after hearing what Xuanji told me, I now know what Emperor Wenguang is planning."

He raised his head and said with a hint of apology, "Xuanji, I am not yet able to speak frankly about this matter."

It's not that I'm unwilling to speak, but if my guess is true, then speaking out now would actually benefit Emperor Wenguang. I can only say one thing: Emperor Wenguang has a grand scheme in mind.
And at this moment, they should still be within the Netherworld!

Chen Chuan's eyes flickered slightly. Recalling some of the information Ming Chengzi had told him before, he could roughly guess what Emperor Wen Guang was planning.

He considered for a moment and asked, "Gao Gong, is it possible to stop this scheme?"

Ming Chengzi shook his head, saying with a hint of regret, "If I had been more alert beforehand, there might still be a chance, but now it's probably too late."

Chen Chuan hummed in agreement. He didn't need to know the specifics; it was enough that he knew Emperor Wen Guang was indeed very likely still in Youdu.

He said to Ming Chengzi, "Gao Gong, there's no need to be upset. As an emperor, Emperor Wen Guang has enough resources and trump cards at his disposal to support his actions. If we didn't know beforehand, it would be difficult to stop him. But even if he achieves his goal, will it really be as he wishes? It's not necessarily true."

Upon hearing this, Ming Chengzi thought about it and couldn't help but nod. Now he was no longer alone, but had made contact with the Da Shun government.

The power of the Great Shun Dynasty far surpasses that of the old imperial family. Some things that are important to us are nothing to the Great Shun Dynasty.

After considering this, he felt a little more invigorated, and at the same time, his attitude towards Chen Chuan changed somewhat.

Previously, he only regarded himself as a collaborator, but now he was thinking about what would happen after the destruction of the old imperial family. With the external calamity approaching, he also needed to find a way out, and the person in front of him seemed to be a good choice after getting to know him for some time.

After a moment's thought, he said with a slightly more respectful tone, "Xuanji is absolutely right. I was too narrow-minded. I will cooperate fully in the future and follow Xuanji's lead."

Mu Xiaoren glanced at him, and his initial intention to deal with him lessened slightly, but he would still continue to keep an eye on this person.

As they spoke, the three entered the fusion zone and continued their journey back, returning to Youdu before nightfall.

The attack on Youdu is still ongoing, but it has made significant progress compared to when they left.

The thick and dense black fog above Youdu has been largely removed, and it now appears quite thin.

This allowed the city of Youdu below to be observed. Under the continuous bombardment of cannons from the rear and the rhythmic attacks of more than ten Dongxuan Temple monks, this city, which could accommodate tens of millions of people, had become dilapidated and its field reaction had become sluggish and heavy.

Even so, it doesn't feel like it can be completely broken through in just one or two days.

The moment he returned, the avatar he left behind transformed into a beam of purple light and entered his body, simultaneously sending a message to everyone that he had returned.

The news spread, and morale visibly rose.

Chen Chuan's track record speaks for itself, and each time he makes a move, his undeniable strength convinces everyone.

If he were present, he would undoubtedly act as a stabilizing force. As long as Chen Chuan was there, everyone felt that their side was sure to win. So, with his return, everyone could unleash their full potential without any reservations.

After observing the battle situation and finding no major problems, Chen Chuan told Mu Xiaoren and Ming Chengzi to go and rest, while he went to a heavily guarded airship at the rear.

Upon his arrival, the guards immediately raised their hands in salute: "Commander!"

Chen returned the greeting and entered the cabin. The space was large, and three of the five active consciousnesses used to simulate the changes in the ritual were here.

Wen Mingzhong stood to the side, wearing a cage-like barrier on his head that covered his entire body. His mind was connected with the active consciousness, constantly correcting any deviations.

Chen Chuan didn't disturb him. He gestured to his assistant not to remind him and walked to a chair to sit down and wait.

After about twenty minutes, Wen Mingzhong broke out of this state of concentration.

He was clearly exhausted; his hands trembled as he fumbled for a pill and swallowed it, which slightly lifted his spirits.

At this moment, he also saw Chen Chuan standing to the side, took the connecting wire off his head, turned around and walked over, greeting him, "Commander."

Chen Chuan asked, "Mr. Wen, how is the situation?"

Wen Mingzhong used the lower realm token to transmit this information over.

Chen Chuan soon saw that the information about the Youdu ritual on his previous realm had been quickly updated.

He saw two shifting red lines appear above, extending directly from outside Youdu City inwards to the most crucial center of the ritual, while another line was extending, also originating there. When all three lines converged, they would perfectly divide the Youdu City ritual into three parts.

Wen Mingzhong said, "Commander, we have found two routes to enter the area, and we are now trying to find a third one. We should be able to succeed by tomorrow morning at the latest."

Chen Chuan had thought it might take a few more days, but he didn't expect the progress to be so fast. He said, "Mr. Wen, you are very efficient. Thank you for your hard work."

Wen Mingzhong was very frank, saying, "Without the successive attacks from all the Dongxuan disciples, even with the secret map given by the commander, I wouldn't have been able to find it so quickly."

Another factor is the opponent's own weaknesses. Looking at the blueprints, there are many places where relics can be placed. I personally deduce that this set of secret rituals contains quite a few level one and two relics. At the beginning of its setup, it was designed to withstand an attack from more than ten Xuan-level martial artists for more than half a month.

If the staffing is in place and they can operate at full capacity, they should have no problem holding us off for the next few days.

However, during the attack, we discovered that at least 20% of the secret envoys did not participate or play a role, resulting in a reduction of nearly one-third of the defensive strength, which had a significant impact on the overall situation.

My personal guess is that this is because the ritual has not been properly repaired for a long time, and there are not enough ritual masters.

Chen Chuan nodded. He thought this was normal. These secret rituals were originally arranged by the Fulong Sect. They involved a great deal of profound knowledge of secret rituals and may have left behind a backup plan known only to him as a check and balance.

You might say that patching things up is fine, but if there are overall deficiencies or problems in certain areas, it's not so easy to fill them in. The best option is to separate that part outright.

In any case, this situation is advantageous to them.

He glanced at the diagram on the boundary marker. Although Ming Chengzi said it was too late to stop Emperor Wen Guang's actions, he figured that the sooner the better and there was no need to be thorough in every aspect.

Now that there are two paths to break through, he no longer needs to wait. He lets Wen Mingzhong continue, while he activates the Lower Realm Token to send these two routes to all the fighters participating in the attack, instructing them to penetrate the ritual core and destroy it.

After relaying the order, he stepped out of the airship, rose into the air, and stretched out his palm towards Youdu City diagonally below.

The light in his palm flickered, and more and more terrifying energy gathered into it.

Then a powerful beam of light shot downwards, landing directly above Youdu, and immediately the densely packed ritual fields converged on the direction of the breakthrough.

With a deafening roar, the collision of the two forces sent a wave of dust rippled across the entire outer perimeter of Youdu, visually making it appear as if the entire city had been crushed to the ground by a single blow.

The moment the ritual began, the fighters of Dongxuan Temple who received his order took immediate action, each transforming into a streak of light and rushing in from the marked path in groups.

Their speed was unbelievable, passing through the gaps in the ceremonial field like lightning.

Wherever they passed, without them even having to lift a finger, large numbers of ritual masters and civilians in the city collapsed to the ground. Those who were closer were basically reduced to ashes by the expanding spiritual fire.

It's like a paper cutter, swiftly slicing the entire secret ritual from two directions and converging it towards the center.

At this very spot, General Yuchi Bin stood guard, wielding an axe.

He is over three hundred years old and has been a veteran general since the mid-Ding Dynasty.

During the fall of the Ding Dynasty, he had already resigned from his official post and retired to seek a breakthrough in the higher realms in the depths of Jiao Rong. However, at the critical moment, he heard of the fall of the Ding Dynasty and had to return to save the country because of his original vow. However, he was still a step too late. When he returned, he only saw the imperial family retreating to Jiao Rong.

He was a senior general with high prestige, and was deeply trusted by emperors of past dynasties and the two Yuan clan ancestors. This was because he was appointed as the Grand General, not because of his own great strength.

Since failing to break through, he also gave up some things. Compared to two hundred years ago, although he has not regressed, he has not progressed much either.

He had always kept in mind the kindness the late emperor had shown him, and even though he had been loyal to the dynasty for over two hundred years, he still did not intend to break his vow.

At this moment, several spiritual impacts rushed in from both sides. With a loud shout, their bodies rapidly expanded, transforming into a demon god general who was over thirty feet tall, with six horns on his head and wearing heavy armor.

A dense, deep brown flame emanated from his body, stimulating the defensive power of the ritual field and effectively blocking the incoming spiritual light and fire.

But at that very moment, a warning signal suddenly appeared above. A beam of light fell from the sky, and at that very moment, a gap appeared in the entire field because of his collision with the impact.

Everything is just right.

The next moment, a blinding beam of light that almost filled the field of vision crashed down!
……

……

(End of this chapter)