Celestial Human Diagram

In the Merging Land, at the Jibei Dao command post, telegrams flew back and forth. The commander, Qiao Weiting, stood before a combat map, studying the markers indicating troop movements.

Just then, a communications officer stepped forward and handed him a report. "Sir, half an Hour ago, we detected unusual movements among the Old Imperial Family’s forces."

Qiao Weiting took the report and glanced at it. His voice grew grim. "The Nobility’s private soldiers?"

Ever since the Fumu fission began in Central City, their primary mission here had been to contain the Old Imperial Family’s forces.

Under this pressure, the number of troops the Old Imperial Family could commit toward Central City was limited.

But the Nobility’s private soldiers were another matter entirely. They were highly independent and existed in a co-ruling partnership with the current Old Imperial Family. Unless a conflict escalated to the scale of a national war, they typically didn’t get involved in the fighting.

For them to be moving now was highly unusual.

He said, "Have our assets find a way to get to the bottom of this. Immediately."

"Yes, sir!"

Qiao Weiting waited for about ten minutes before his adjutant and the communications officer who had just left came rushing back, a telegram in hand. He was surprised. "That was fast."

"Our asset sent it moments later," the adjutant told him, handing over the telegram. "They lost an Assistant General on the front lines."

Qiao Weiting froze, reaching for the telegram. "But we aren’t engaged with them..." Then, it dawned on him. "A Rift?"

"Yes, sir!" the adjutant said. "They found a Rift leading to Central City but met with heavy resistance. An Assistant General was killed."

"Is this confirmed?"

"Confirmed!"

The adjutant was visibly excited. They had been fighting the Old Imperial Family for a long time, and a victory of this magnitude was still a rare occurrence.

A titled general like that was normally surrounded by layers of protection, not to mention being a formidable warrior themself. Even if outmatched in a direct confrontation, they could usually withdraw. To have one slain on the front lines... If this news were broadcast to every garrison, it would be a tremendous boost to morale.

After reading the telegram, Qiao Weiting pondered for a moment. ’So that explains the mobilization of the Nobility’s private soldiers. Is that all it is? Or...’

"Report! Urgent telegram from High Command!"

Another communications officer entered, saluted, and swiftly presented the telegram to Qiao Weiting. The commander’s expression turned grave as he immediately took it.

After reading it, his expression became graver than ever. He looked up and said, "Immediately forward this message and all related intelligence to the Defense Department and the Central City Administrative Affairs Hall! Tell them to prepare their defenses, and they must be fast!"

"Yes, sir!" the officer shouted his acknowledgment and immediately ran out.

Qiao Weiting glanced at his watch. ’I hope that’s enough time.’

Inside the Rift, Chen Chuan glanced outside. He knew that even if he and Chen Bitong teamed up, they would be no match for a Fighting Master. He said, "Teacher Chen, there’s still time to leave."

But Chen Bitong shook his head, his tone firm. "Captain Chen, I told you, I will fight here until the very last moment. I am not going back."

Having said this, he suddenly spun around and threw a punch at Chen Chuan. BOOM! A faint light pulsed from his fist.

Chen Chuan reacted on instinct, thrusting a palm forward to meet the attack. Fist and palm collided in an instant.

The next moment, a wave of power surged through him, shoving him backward. Simultaneously, a stream of Spiritual Power carrying a wealth of information flooded into his mind.

He was pushed all the way out of the Rift before he could steady himself. When he looked up, he met a gaze filled with expectation and a solemn trust.

"Go back, Captain Chen."

With those words, he saw Chen Bitong turn and stride deeper into the Rift.

Hearing those final words, Chen Chuan stopped in his tracks, not taking another step inside. He knew this was Chen Bitong’s own choice, and he respected it.

Just then, an incredibly powerful current of air gusted out, causing the tips of his hair to stream backward.

He watched as Chen Bitong’s figure strode into the Rift, disappearing into the mist and light. A moment later, the entire Rift flickered violently a few times, then sealed shut completely.

He stared at the large, empty space before him. On the other side was a flowing river, the sound of its current now exceptionally clear. He glanced down. At his feet lay the half-face mask Chen Bitong had dropped, resting on the large banner that had been blown out by the gust of air.

He bent down, picked it up, and wiped the dust off with his hand.

"Captain Chen?"

Chen Chuan turned to see several security personnel standing dozens of meters away. Behind them were freshly dug trenches, as well as hastily erected barbed wire and barricades. They must have been the response team dispatched to seal off the area.

They were looking at him with expressions full of awe.

They could see that Chen Chuan’s military greatcoat was torn in several places, bearing scorch marks and stains. His clothes and cap were spattered with blood, clear evidence of a horrifically brutal battle.

Chen Chuan looked around. The scabbard for his Snow Monarch Blade had also been swept out by the current. ’At least I won’t have to get another one custom-made.’ As he was about to retrieve it, he saw Fang Zhixin walk over, pick up the scabbard, and hold it out to him, a questioning look in his eyes.

Chen Chuan watched him calmly. A look of dejection filled the other man’s eyes. After Chen Chuan took the scabbard, Fang Zhixin stepped away. At that moment, several men in trench coats and fedoras walked up. "Assistant Fang, you’ll be coming with us now, won’t you?"

Fang Zhixin took one last look in the direction where the Rift had been, then nodded, allowing the men to place him in handcuffs. He then left with them.

Just then, another person stepped forward, gave Chen Chuan a salute, and presented an item with both hands. "Captain Chen, Specialist Liang had us give this to you."

Chen Chuan glanced at it. It was a vial of Recovery Potion. He accepted it and looked up at the sky. A blood-red glow still lingered overhead. The Fumu fission was clearly far from over.

「In the Lower City District.」

An armed Lianwei Zhongyu convoy was making its way through the area.

But unlike in the main city districts, the road conditions and environment here were extremely complex. They couldn’t always take the shortest route and frequently had to make turns and detours. Sometimes, they even had to stop and negotiate with people.

This was because most of the tunnels in the Lower City District were controlled by various gangs and factions. Everyone was wary of such a heavily armed convoy passing through. Some factions they had already negotiated passage with even went back on their word at the last minute and refused them entry.

Che Gaoyi’s expression was cold. Although he was displeased, he knew he couldn’t resort to force here. The moment they did, all subsequent routes would become obstructed. No one would trust them again; they would use all their strength to stop them.

Their mission was to escort something out of the city, not to start a war. Getting bogged down here was the last thing they needed, so each time, they chose to take a detour.

But this only made their journey longer.

He knew that if they were delayed any longer, the moment the fission waves above subsided and the Processing Bureau had free hands, they would likely be trapped here for good.

After more than an Hour of stop-and-go travel, he looked to the seat beside him, where a portly, middle-aged man in an imported suit was sitting. He asked, "Mr. Pan, how much longer until we’re out?"

Mr. Pan’s head was beaded with sweat; it was hard to tell if it was from anxiety or the heat. Hearing the question, he hastily replied, "Mr. Che, half an Hour at most. The people holding the next section of the road are old friends of mine. They’ll never stand in our way."

He wasn’t just making empty promises. The next leg of the journey was smooth; the factions along the route let them pass without making any trouble.

After traveling a while longer, Mr. Pan looked outside and said excitedly, "Mr. Che, it’s just ahead! There’s an exit right in front of us. Once we go through, we’ll be out of Central City."

Che Gaoyi didn’t share his excitement. He calmly spoke a few words into his Realm Token, and a scout vehicle immediately drove ahead. A few minutes later, an urgent voice came from the Realm Token, "Mr. Che, there’s a Processing Bureau checkpoint at the exit ahead. They say the exit has been sealed and they won’t let us pass."

Che Gaoyi’s expression darkened. "The Processing Bureau? What would the Processing Bureau be doing here?" As he spoke, he shot a cold glance at Mr. Pan.

Mr. Pan was instantly flustered. He hurriedly explained, "Mr. Che, I don’t know! It has nothing to do with me! This is a safe passage that the higher-ups of the Iron Fist Association and Lu Tong Logistics spent years establishing. There’s no way the Processing Bureau should know about it."

Che Gaoyi understood. ’Someone secretly leaked the information.’ He didn’t waste time dwelling on how this could have happened. All he cared about was getting his cargo out.

He asked into the Realm Token, "Can we force our way through?"

The voice on the other end of the Realm Token replied gravely, "Mr. Che, we’ve scouted it out. There’s a Third Limit Fighter on guard. We could try to break through, but it would definitely alert the entire Processing Bureau. We wouldn’t be safe even after getting out."

Che Gaoyi narrowed his eyes. ’At a critical time like this, the Processing Bureau must be stretching every resource to its limit. Yet they still stationed a Third Limit Fighter here. That shows how important they think this location is. They must have received solid intelligence.’

He thought for a moment, then asked, "I remember you saying there was another route besides this one?"

Pan quickly said, "Yes, yes, there is another one. It’s much deeper underground, but... it’s near the Plague Cult’s territory. It... it might be a little dangerous."

Che Gaoyi had heard of the Plague Cult, but he didn’t care. His men were all equipped with Protective Clothing and masks. He said, "We’ll take that route."

The entire convoy immediately changed course. About ten minutes later, they turned into a tunnel situated even deeper underground.

Che Gaoyi looked around. This place was indeed different from the others. There were no Sun Vines, and almost no light at all. As the headlights swept across them, he saw walls covered in dense drawings. They looked like nothing more than messy graffiti, but after staring at them for a few moments, he felt an inexplicable sense of unease welling up inside him.

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