Atlas of Heaven and Man.

Chapter 1556 A Perilous Pass Rejected by a Single Blade
The moment Chen Chuan saw these demons, he knew exactly where that sense of crisis had come from.

At this moment, the Snow Lord Blade in his hand trembled slightly. After slaying that ball of black light, it seemed to have absorbed something from it and became extremely active.

The demons over there also noticed his gaze. Those demons who looked like gods and immortals all looked at the man wearing a fox mask in the middle, as if waiting for him to give an order.

The man remained silent for a long time.

Although Chen Chuan's performance was amazing, theoretically, even the strongest person cannot stop all of them. As long as they eliminate him and break through, the plan can be accomplished.

They had made two preparations beforehand, so that even without Murkadian, they could still temporarily widen the rift.

But he hesitated at this moment because he recognized Chen Chuan.

People like him, who come from the material world, are particularly concerned about the people and things in this world. Since he was originally from the Eastern Continent, he had learned about each of the Great Shun advisors through inside contacts.

Even ignoring Chen Chuan's formidable combat prowess, the sudden appearance of a member of the Supreme Security Advisory Group of Da Shun here is highly unusual, as this is not a key defensive location.

Are the other advisors here too? Or are they guarding behind the rift?
He had to take this into consideration. This time, the people he led were not mindless demons, but some ancient gods he had managed to win over. He could not recruit the ancient gods of the Eastern Continent, but the gods of surrounding countries such as the Fuluo Peninsula, the Shenni Peninsula, and some overseas gods were willing to join his cause.

These people could be considered his direct followers, the reason he was able to establish himself under that person.

He was unwilling to engage in a direct confrontation with the Da Shun advisory group. Even if he could break through, the time he would be delayed would be enough for the other side to seal the rift, making it impossible to do anything afterward.

But he was unwilling to retreat so easily. It was impossible for one person to intimidate them into retreating; it wouldn't make sense, and he couldn't explain it to the one above him. So he turned and gestured to a bird-bodied, human-headed deity:

"Go and contact the rear to see where those advisors from the Eastern Continent are, and whether they are still stationed in their original positions."

Upon hearing this, the deity immediately released the domain and vanished in an instant.

At this moment, an ancient deity exclaimed in surprise, "Geshi, that person... is coming."

The man turned his head and saw a figure enveloped in white-gold light appear in the gradually merging field, holding a knife and standing there. Around him, there was also a huge figure that flickered between reality and illusion.

After realizing the existence of these demons, Chen Chuan did not intend to passively defend himself, but instead took the initiative to attack.

So at this moment, he appeared alone in front of this group of demons.

His gaze swept across them and he saw that these demons had a strong Eastern Continent style, but some parts were not quite the same. He could tell that they were not the true gods of the Eastern Continent, but rather ancient deities who originally had a deep relationship with the Eastern Continent.

Regardless, they are not mindless demons who do not cooperate. Each of them may have their own supernatural abilities. If we stand still and let them come and attack us, that would be the worst thing we can do.

When he came out this time, the advisory group gave him a lost item. If he encountered danger or thought the time was right, he could activate it. This item would resonate with the lost items held by other members of the advisory group, allowing them to arrive quickly.

However, since each node of the World Ring is independent, even if they cross the void at the fastest speed, they will not arrive immediately. Moreover, in order to annihilate this group of demons, they probably will not take action immediately upon arrival. Before that, they will need to hold them off.

However, he did not use this thing at the moment because he needed to first determine whether these were the only demons coming this time, in which case he would need to strike them.

As he sized up the demons, they looked back at him, but none of them moved until they received an order.

The person wearing the fox mask looked at him and said telepathically, "Advisor Chen, I recognize you. I am Ge Zhongyi. I wonder if you have heard of my name?"

Upon hearing this name, Chen Chuan's eyes flashed like lightning as he stared directly at the man's face: "General Chongyi?"

Ge Chongyi was clearly pleased that the man recognized him, and he said with a touch of arrogance, "I didn't expect anyone to remember my name."

Chen Chuan nodded and said, "Of course I remember. General Ge's story is still circulating among the people today."

I heard that at the end of the prosperous dynasty, barbarians invaded from the west. General Chongyi guarded the Daojigu Pass in Longyou, but the enemy was too powerful. Fearing that his troops would be damaged, he did not fire a single arrow and sold the city to the enemy. During this period, hundreds of thousands of local people were massacred.

General Chongyi himself defected to the Feng Dynasty's army and was granted a title of nobility. Afterwards, he returned to Jigu Pass and pretended to worship the people, saying that he had no choice but to withdraw his troops to stop the new dynasty's army and to ensure the safety of millions of people. He even had the literati of the time erect a monument to whitewash his actions.

This act was condemned by his contemporaries, but General Ge, enraged, ordered a manhunt to arrest him and confiscate his writings. Thus, the saying arose: "A million lives were lost in the ravine, yet no one dared to criticize the monument."

Ge Chongyi said expressionlessly, "I have guarded Jigu Pass for sixty years, and for sixty years there has been no war. I have done my duty to them. When dynasties change, where can ordinary people find a place to live? It is already good enough that I have not come to plunder them. If anyone should blame them, it should blame those Western barbarians, not me. Besides, what we seek is eternity and permanence. Where are those who mocked me in the past? They are nothing but a pile of dry bones. How could they harm me in the slightest?"

He looked at Chen Chuan and said, “I advise you not to be bound by your past worldly reputation. Those are just the evils of the old world. Now the two worlds are colliding, and the world is about to change drastically. Why don’t you join my camp, study the true meaning together, and seek a way to live as long as the heavens.”

Chen Chuan looked at him and said with a double meaning, "If you want eternity, I will seek it myself. I follow the path of humanity, but I don't want to be like you, who is not human."

Ge Chongyi's expression turned noticeably gloomy, and the old gods behind him also looked at him with hostility.

Chen Chuan looked over without flinching and tightened his grip on the hilt of his knife. In an instant, the phantom behind him became clear.

At that moment, Ge Chongyi and the demons beside him saw a huge divine general wearing a mask suddenly appear behind Chen Chuan in what seemed like an endless dark void. He held a mace in one hand and a knife in the other, his belt and cloak fluttering wildly, and his whole body was radiating intense white-gold flames.

At this moment, the rift at the back, the divine general in the middle, and Chen Chuan at the front are all on the same center line, giving people a sense of neatness and harmony.

As the divine general appeared, mysterious flames emerged from the halo behind him and exploded outwards with a roar. Clusters of flames then flew out and danced around the rift.

Almost at the same moment, two phantom images of demons suddenly appeared in front of the rift, but they were quickly turned into ashes by the burning Xuan Kong Fire.

Ge Chongyi's expression turned serious. The Xuan Kong Fire, a type of innate five-fold refinement, is almost impossible to counter except by upper-level forces. Especially since Chen Chuan seems to have already mastered the use of this fire scepter, then to pass through the rift, one must get past this person.

Just then, the field shifted slightly, and the deity with a human head and a bird's body suddenly reappeared beside him, saying, "Envoy Ge, those Great Shun advisors are still on duty in their original positions, and there has been no change."

Upon hearing this, Ge Chongyi felt reassured. If that was the case, then there was a fight ahead, because even if those advisors rushed over now, it would be too late.

He immediately sent a telepathic message: "Everyone, capture and kill this man first, then cross the rift!"

At the same time, he issued another call, and the field spread out, causing more mindless demons to appear, from all levels.

These demons are certainly no match for Chen Chuan, but he can use them to attack the Xuan Kong Fire. Maintaining the Xuan Kong Fire is not easy, and once the battle begins, he can use these demons to deplete Chen Chuan's power.

Seeing the densely packed demons appear, Chen Chuan immediately guessed their intentions.

This strategy wasn't actually wrong. In the past, it was quite difficult for him to use the Xuan Kong Fire, and maintaining it required consuming his energy.
However, as his level of human form gradually improved, this amount of consumption became insignificant to him and was no burden at all.

While the other party was making their moves, he had a thought, and a purple phantom rushed towards Ge Zhongyi and the others, trying to replicate the scene he had just performed against Murkadian, instantly killing many of the old gods present.

However, this time, the purple phantom seemed to have crashed into a solid shell. It could be clearly seen that a ring of light membrane flickered around Ge Zhongyi and the other ancient gods, and they were unable to break through it.

Chen Chuan immediately sensed that it was some kind of ritual field, and there might be lost artifacts or other means of assistance.

They must have seen the methods he used earlier, so they took precautions against them.

His gaze sharpened. This battle was unlikely to be easy. The opponent clearly knew how to use group strength, just like the advisors forming small teams, which often allowed them to unleash even greater power.

Furthermore, the other party must have a lot of information about him, while he himself knows nothing about his opponent.

As for the current realm, if we want to break through this level, the clone may not be able to do it, and we must rely on the power of the main body.

He stood still, holding the Snow Lord Blade horizontally in front of him. At the same moment, the Man Form behind him also held his longsword horizontally, and the white-gold light on his body quickly gathered on the blade.

A moment later, he turned slightly to the side, raising his long sword diagonally with both hands. The same was true of the human image behind him. It was evident that the spiritual light there had almost solidified, causing the spiritual senses of the ancient gods opposite him to feel a slight pricking sensation.

Upon discovering this, Ge Chongyi's expression changed slightly, and he telepathically instructed, "Stop him!"

……

……

(End of this chapter)