Atlas of Heaven and Man.

Chapter 1435 The Curtain Opens and the Immortal Descends

Upon hearing Wen Mingzhong's assessment, Chen Chuan took it very seriously, stopped, and asked, "Mr. Wen, do you think this anomaly will have any impact on us?"

Wen Mingzhong said, "Considering the scope of the abnormal field and the depth of its roots, this anomaly must have been set up long ago."

I just did a quick calculation using my active consciousness, and this anomaly has likely existed for a century.

He paused for a moment, "The investigation I just commissioned has returned with a report. As per my request, that martial artist checked on quite a few of the unconscious Youdu people as quickly as possible."

And everyone examined is now connected to this anomaly.

He said in a calm and composed tone: "If that is the case, I have a bold speculation that the people who have lived in the city for more than a hundred years are likely to be involved with this anomaly."

Chen Chuan raised an eyebrow. More than a hundred years ago? That was when the old dynasty occupied Youdu.

Could it be a defensive ritual? Or does it serve some special purpose? He recalled Emperor Wenguang's series of strange actions before; could there be any connection between the two?

Out of caution, he asked Wen Mingzhong a question:
"Does this anomaly affect us? If so, can we estimate the extent of its impact?"

Wen Mingzhong said, "If a commander wants to maintain an unusual situation in the long term, then he must have a target to target, regardless of whether the outcome is good or bad."

Since we did not have any large-scale conflict with Youcheng during this period, it can be inferred that its target was not us, and the anomaly itself is not directly related to us.

Chen Chuan nodded slowly. He trusted Wen Mingzhong's professional skills, and besides, he also did not sense any signs of danger.

He said, "Mr. Wen, please continue to keep an eye on things and let me know as soon as possible if anything happens."

"Yes, command."

After Chen Chuan finished the conversation, his figure slowly came to a stop. At this moment, they had arrived in front of the clouds and mist.

He pointed his finger, and a spiritual shock surged into it, creating ripples in the mist. However, it did not trigger a strong field response, which seemed rather unusual.

But it's more likely that there was originally a ritual set up here, which has now triggered an anomaly in the earlier plantation, causing the latter to cover the former, which would be very troublesome.

Judging from what Wen Mingzhong told him, this anomaly might be very large in scale and involve many people. The purpose of the old imperial family is unknown, but it certainly cannot be eliminated by normal means. We must find a way to find the key to it.

Ming Chengzi was at the very front, and he also realized that there might be something unusual involved, which was what the Xuanjiao called the inner demon.

He frowned and stroked his beard, thinking of many things. If what he expected was true, this inner demon might not be able to be eliminated for the time being, and he would have to wait.

Although he couldn't participate in the rituals outside Anye Palace, the good thing was that the anomalies didn't hinder his observation. This meant that once he found a path and the inner demons were no longer an obstacle, he could immediately break through and quickly break in.

He observed carefully and silently calculated in his mind.

The Fulong Sect had actually investigated this place in secret in the past.

It wasn't that they wanted to do anything, but rather that they had a good understanding of emperors. The actions of the faction that supported the emperor were a kind of constraint, and it was inevitable that some emperor would be dissatisfied and that there would be a conflict of interest with them. Therefore, they took some precautions in advance.

In fact, this was the reason why Naruko was able to survive.

After he left, he took with him all the relevant records from the sect and analyzed them in depth, waiting for the day they would come in handy.

So when he said he had a way to crack it, he wasn't exaggerating.

Just then, everyone suddenly heard a long, resonant bell tolling, a sound that seemed to emanate from the sky.
Everyone looked up and saw a strange sight.

The sky seemed to have cracked open, and a dazzling beam of light, which should never have existed, shone down from above. Wherever the light touched, the dust and grime disappeared, and everything was renewed. Trees sprouted new buds and branches, and green leaves gradually grew.

Then, from that gap, various mysterious and wonderful sounds came out, and at the same time, flower petals accompanied by a strange fragrance drifted down from the sky, and the sounds of carriages and horses could be faintly heard among them.

After a while, shadowy figures appeared in the sky. It seemed that there were immortals and gods driving chariots and carrying various ceremonial regalia in the auspicious clouds. They descended along the beam of light and entered the fog outside Anye Palace without encountering any obstacles along the way.

As Chen Chuan watched this scene, he could clearly sense that it was not some kind of immortal, god, demon, or monster from another world.

The Ring of the World is not just for show. Even in this merging zone, the things on the other side cannot easily project their power here. This must be the anomaly in front of us at work.

At this moment, within the Yunmeng Garden, many pavilions and halls were bathed in a golden light. Suddenly, the upper part of the main hall seemed to roll up like a curtain, slowly dissolving. Flowers and garlands rained down from above, and celestial music filled the air.

Suddenly, a cloud-borne carriage appeared, accompanied by countless goddesses and goddesses on both sides. They were all dressed in crane-feather robes, some holding whisks, some carrying dragon staffs, some holding gourds, and some holding lotus branches. Above them, a feathered canopy was raised, and their postures were elegant and graceful.

Furthermore, attendants, pageboys, and female officials followed behind, carrying incense burners, flower baskets, trays, and precious vases.

Upon seeing this sight, Emperor Wenguang was overjoyed. He stood up from his seat and exclaimed, "The celestial guests have arrived! Today I shall ascend to heaven and become an immortal!"

Another bell rang, and the aerial chariot, seemingly moving slowly, arrived inside the palace in an instant.
Beside the carriage, a deity shouted loudly, "The auspicious time has arrived! We have come to welcome Your Majesty to ascend to heaven!"

"May Your Majesty ascend to heaven!"

"May Your Majesty ascend to the heavens!" All the immortals and gods repeated the same tone and showed the same smile.

"Good, good, good! Ascend to immortality! Ascend to immortality!"

Emperor Wen Guang appeared extremely excited and was about to step forward and board the carriage.

Consort Teng stepped forward to stop him: "Your Majesty, please don't be hasty. This matter cannot be rushed. Please drink this cup of Ascension Water first." As she spoke, she brought up a golden cup the size of a human head.

Emperor Wenguang was somewhat surprised to see that it was completely empty.

"My beloved concubine, there is no water here."

Consort Teng smiled alluringly and said, "Your Majesty is a divine being, so the cup must be filled with Your Majesty's holy blood."

Emperor Wenguang suddenly realized, "So that's how it is! Bring the sword, bring the sword!"

"Your Majesty, please."

Consort Teng handed the small knife she had prepared to Emperor Wenguang.

Emperor Wenguang took it and, without hesitation, cut open his own arm and poured his blood into it. Soon, the golden cup overflowed, and at the same time, a tempting fragrance emanated from it.

Just as the blood in the cup was about to overflow the rim, he shook his sleeves, threw the knife aside, and then eagerly picked up the cup, tilted his head back, and drank it down.

Crimson blood dripped from the corner of his lips, flowing in a line down his gray-white clothes to the floor, and finally seeping out at his feet.

Ignoring the blood on his lips, he asked urgently, "My beloved concubine, what else do you need me to do?"

Consort Teng smiled and said, "Please, Your Majesty, change your clothes."

Emperor Wenguang said, "Very well, come and help me change my clothes."

Immediately, many female immortals and attendants came up carrying a washbasin and escorted Emperor Wenguang to the couch behind the desk.

At this point, the voices of the immortals and gods outside urging Emperor Wenguang to ascend to immortality grew increasingly urgent.

Emperor Wenguang seemed to be getting impatient as well, "My beloved consort, please hurry, I can't wait any longer."

"Your Majesty, it will be soon, it will be soon."

At this moment, the curtains on both sides were suddenly lowered, covering them all, but the figure of Emperor Wenguang could still be vaguely seen through the light inside.

Then Consort Teng stepped forward, opened Emperor Wenguang's hair bun, letting his hair fall loose. She then grabbed his hair with one hand, picked up a knife with the other, and slashed it. Through the curtain, it was seen that she lifted Emperor Wenguang's head, then turned around, put it in a basin, washed it a few times, and the fragrance became even stronger.

After the figures in the tent washed the headless body, the curtain was lifted, revealing Emperor Wenguang sitting there expressionless, his face deathly pale, and he remained silent.

Consort Teng helped him walk forward and whispered in his ear, "Your Majesty, you have ascended to heaven."

As the two descended the steps, the immortals and deities parted to either side, bowing to them and chanting in unison, "Ascending to immortality, ascending to immortality..."

After helping Emperor Wenguang into the carriage, just as they were about to depart, Consort Teng said, "Wait! His Majesty is ascending to heaven; how can he be without protection? We beg Prince Lin to escort him!"

A palace attendant shouted, "Prince Lin has arrived!"

Several palace guards strode over, carrying a flat couch on their shoulders. A young man sat on it. He was a man of imposing stature with sideburns like spears, but his eyes were lifeless and he looked dazed, as if he were just an empty shell.

Prince Lin was carried to the palace in a short while, but instead of being helped onto a carriage, he was placed on the throne where Emperor Wenguang had previously sat.

Then another bell rang out, and all the immortals and gods turned their heads to look at Emperor Wenguang on the carriage.

Consort Teng smiled slightly and said, "The time has come. Your Majesty is ascending to heaven."

Suddenly, a cloud of mist rose from the carriage and the assembled immortals, carrying them together toward the gap in the sky.

At that moment, a long, drawn-out bell rang throughout the entire city of Youdu. All the soldiers and civilians in the city, whether they had fainted or were hiding, had wisps of mist rising from their bodies, which condensed into an unprecedentedly huge pillar of energy that shot toward the gap above.

Chen Chuan also noticed this scene, and at the same time, he saw that even the anomaly seemed to be shimmering like ripples in water.

Upon discovering this, Ming Chengzi's eyes snapped open. He grabbed a ritual artifact and hurled it forward. Wherever the artifact passed, the layer of white mist was easily torn apart, revealing glimpses of what lay within.

……

……

(End of this chapter)