Atlas of Heaven and Man.

Chapter 1521 Rifting the Sea to Defend the Long Encirclement

After reporting to the advisory group, Chen Chuan and Ming Chengzi gave him instructions to take care of everything after he left. Then, he took Ling Su and Chao Ming with him and set off for Huan Suo Island that night.

This matter seemed urgent, but it wasn't so urgent that every second counted; otherwise, the other party would have sent a telegram instead of writing a letter.

Therefore, there is no need to rush there and choose to travel by airship.

If he were to take the traditional route to the western continent, it would involve passing through multiple countries, and given his status, it would certainly cause various repercussions, making the journey less than smooth. Therefore, he simply had the airship travel north through the western sea route to the North Sea, which belonged to the traditional territory of the Great Shun Dynasty.

Here, near the polar regions, it's only late February, and most of the sea is covered by thick ice. The sun seems to be just touching the horizon, its light rather dim. The low cliffs along the shore are also covered in frost, and occasionally, when you glance over them, you can see a reflection of thin ice.

He looked out at the horizon from the airship. Because the rifts not only appear on the world's major tectonic plates, but also at the polar regions, there are military bases at both poles.

The southern end has observation posts from various countries, while further north, it remains part of the territory of the Great Shun Dynasty.

More than two thousand years ago, Minghua Temple, one of the six major temples of Chan Buddhism, was built here.

Legend has it that a great demon from outer space descended upon this land, and its body transformed into the polar continent, upon which Minghua Temple was built.

This lineage emphasizes rigorous asceticism and practice, which is accessible to everyone. It is said that after the temple was established, believers and followers would cross icy rivers and snowfields every year to reach it.

Later, this practice gradually became a trend, and it even became a phenomenon of "ten thousand monks paying homage to the ancestral temple". To this day, one can still find the endless rows of footprints stretching from south to north on the snowy ground of Haixi Road.

However, this also proves that this place has been part of the Eastern Continent since ancient times. After the Federation on the other side was established, it fought with the Great Shun for territory here, but ultimately failed to gain the upper hand, only gaining an advantage for a period of time during the internal strife in the Eastern Continent.

After the airship arrives here, it needs to cross the North Sea to reach the next anchorage.

Chen Chuan decided not to go there anymore. He ordered the airship to turn back, while he had Chao Ming restore his original size here and ride on its back. They first headed north, and then turned west.

He didn't rush along the way, but instead enjoyed the scenery he had never seen before. In less than two hours, he arrived at the Western Land. Two hours later, he crossed the land and entered the Western Ocean. After another hour, he saw the distant Huan Suo Island.

This island was one of the original headquarters of the Grand League. The entire island is surrounded by a ring of undulating cliffs that seem to rise from the sea, which enclose the inland area of ​​the island. From a distance, it looks like a white-gold wall, hence the name Huan Suo Island.

In the middle of the island stands a tall tower, the central tower of the island, which is also a defensive fortress.

The island is currently home to fewer than 400,000 people, almost all of whom are early members of the Grand League and their descendants.

Upon approaching, he connected to the field of Huan Suo Island and sent a message.

As an advisor to the Supreme Security Group of Da Shun, he is considered a participant of the Grand Alliance by default within the International Investigation Team, and thus automatically has the authority to enter this area.

It's not just him; high-ranking officials from all over the world receive this treatment. Even high-ranking officials from some small countries can get the respect they deserve here.

The other side immediately replied in Shun language: "Advisor Chen, welcome. Investigation Captain Scalson will come to greet you."

A moment later, a white airship flew out from inside the tower and headed towards him.

After the two sides approached, Chen Chuan got off Chao Ming's back and stood on the platform outside the airship. Chao Ming quickly changed his shape, rapidly shrank, and finally lay on Chen Chuan's shoulder.

Scalson stood at the front, followed by several investigators in uniform. He came up and shook hands with Chen Chuan, his voice tinged with surprise: "Advisor Chen, thank you for coming."

When he sent the letter, he was just trying to ask for help. He didn't really expect Chen Chuan to come. After all, Chen Chuan was an advisor to the Da Shun Security Advisory Group. His country also had to deal with demons from outer space, so he might not have time to come here.

In today's international landscape, although countries around the world nominally respect international investigation teams, this is only true in general matters. When it comes to national interests, they may immediately change their original attitudes, especially major powers, whose attitudes are more pronounced.

Of course, if the investigation team really seeks international assistance, many major countries will be willing to lend a hand, but that will not come without a price.

They themselves do not want this to happen, because in future international affairs negotiations they would lose more autonomy and become completely subservient and tools of major powers. So what they can do now is to ask for help in their own names as members of the investigation team.

Chen Chuan was invited into the cabin, where Skarsson introduced him to his fellow team members.

These people are considered the next generation of the investigation team, and some of them will be stationed in Da Shun. It is very necessary for them to get to know Chen Chuan in advance.

The team members were all very excited. Since the collapse of the major league, there have been very few visits from high-ranking officials of major countries to their island. Not to mention that after Chen Chuan's deeds and achievements spread, he has become the goal that many people aspire to and pursue.

After a brief exchange, the team members left, leaving only Scalson in the main cabin to attend to Chen Chuan.

The airship had already returned to Huan Suo Island. Chen Chuan stood at the porthole and looked down, clearly seeing many wooden houses built on the ring wall. Many people, dressed in thin clothes, were either climbing on the rock face or running with heavy loads; some were leaping off the cliffs and diving into the icy sea; others were undergoing rigorous combat training with training equipment. Outside the ring wall was a vast expanse of ice and snow, but looking into the ring wall, the scenery was picturesque, dotted with classical Yono-style buildings, gardens, and lakes scattered across the green plains, connected by thin, silvery roads.

To hone their physique and strengthen their will, the fighters of Huan Suo Island usually operate on the outer wall and at sea. Only their families, retired members, and logistics and technical service personnel reside within the ring year-round.

Chen Chuan commented, "It's a very beautiful place."

This place is as beautiful as a mythical realm, especially with its surrounding harsh ice and snow, which makes it all the more precious.

Scalson said, "Some members of the investigation team and their families live here. This is not only our line of defense, but also our hometown. We will do everything we can to protect it."

But now we are somewhat overwhelmed, and we urgently hope to receive your help, Consultant Chen.

He spoke without reservation, making no attempt to conceal his own weaknesses.

Chen Chuan understood the predicament the investigation team faced. There was an ancient rift in Huan Suo Island. Although it could not be called an immortal rift, its size was enough to rank it among the top ten in the world.

The reason the Major Leagues chose to have one of its headquarters here was to facilitate control of this rift.

After the collapse of the MLB, Meteora took on the heavy responsibility and held on to the position.

With his abilities, defending this place wouldn't be a problem. However, since he broke through to the upper level, the strongest fighter left in the investigation team is only Changsheng Guan, who can probably only barely cope under normal circumstances. Now that demons are coming in droves, he naturally feels that he can't hold on any longer.

He asked, "Captain Scalson, what's going on? Can you tell me?"

Just then, he heard a loud noise, and the entire island seemed to shake.

Scalson didn't seem to react strangely, as if he was used to the commotion. He said, "I can't really say for sure, Consultant Chen. I'll take you to see it when we get there."

Chen Chuan said "okay." He liked Scalson's way of doing things. He was here to solve problems and didn't need any high-level hospitality. He also had no interest in wasting his energy on such things.

The airship flew towards the central tower, where a smaller, thick, and sturdy ring could be seen around the tower's perimeter.

Scalson said, "That was the sealing ring that was built above the rift. The commander was in charge of the main defense at the time, and we didn't have enough strength, so we could only do some auxiliary work."

The airship slowly descended and came to a stop on the anchor tower beside the rocky outcrop.

Chen Chuan could clearly see from here that the surface of the ring rock was smooth, while inside there was a hazy halo of light, which should be the light seeping out from the cracks.

The fact that we can see these things means that the power of the other world has already spilled over into this area.

While they were observing, a blurry but huge black shadow suddenly appeared inside the ring rock and crashed hard into the wall, producing a loud thud that shook the entire ring rock and island.

"At first we only heard very faint sounds and lights," Scalson said in a deep voice. "But over the past two days, the sounds have grown louder and the lights have become more intense."

Chen Chuan swept his gaze across the entire ring of rocks, and found that about two-fifths of the area was covered in light, which was also visible to be spreading outwards.

He asked, "How long has this been going on?"

"More than four days have passed since we started observing this," Scalson said.

Chen Chuan hummed in agreement, noting that it coincided roughly with the time when the world was invaded by demons.

He glanced at it; this rock ring was set up during the Grand Alliance era, and it wasn't so easy to break through, but this commotion was indirectly affecting the emotions of everyone on the island.

He could sense that most people on the island were anxious and uneasy, and many even felt extreme fear.

He said, "I hope to get to the other side of the crevice and take a look."

Scalson hesitated for a moment and said, "This is beyond my authority, Advisor Chen. Let me take you to see the head of the delegation. This matter requires his permission."

……

……

(End of this chapter)