Atlas of Heaven and Man

Chen Chuan stood at the edge of the rift, holding his blade. After waiting for a moment, he saw three mounted warriors approaching the summit. Upon reaching the rift, they dismounted and walked towards him.

The one in the lead wore full body armor, including a face-covering helmet, and carried a white-tasseled spear. His appearance immediately marked him as an elite Duty-Bound Warrior.

This man's rank was likely similar to the Iron Wraith Chen Chuan had encountered before. Judging from the mental pressure he exerted, his strength might even be greater. Behind him were two attendant warriors.

Upon entering the rift, the Duty-Bound Warrior immediately spotted Chen Chuan. His eyes behind the helmet seemed to flicker slightly, and without the slightest hesitation, he initiated his self-transformation. White, mutated tendrils of flesh instantly sprouted from his body.

To the two mounted warrior attendants behind, it seemed he simply walked forward and made a single, simple cut, and their lord's spear and upper body went flying.

Before the severed body could fall, the blade flashed again, and the head, still connected to the upper torso, also flew off.

Chen Chuan maintained his final striking pose. A gust of wind swept through the rift, ruffling his hair and clothing, while the severed head rolled away in the distance.

The two Duty-Bound Warriors were horrified. They never imagined their lord would be slain in a single exchange. The opponent they faced was clearly far beyond their ability to handle.

However, under the old Imperial military system, warriors like them shared the fate of their lord. They would rise and fall together, with no possibility of escape.

To die in battle alongside their lord would ensure their families were well cared for. If they fled, they would face military justice, and their families would suffer as well. Therefore, the two men had no retreat. With bloodshot eyes, they braced their spears and charged forward.

Chen Chuan paid no heed to their intentions. Since they were enemies, he would show no mercy. Stepping forward to meet them, he unleashed two more flashes of his blade. In an instant, both men were cut down on the spot.

After finishing off the three, he flicked his blade and straightened up once more.

A wave of emotion washed over him. If this had happened back in the convergence zone, facing three enemies like this would have been a bitter struggle. But now, it was merely a blink of an eye.

Besides mastering more techniques, his own strength had also significantly increased.

He then examined the weapons of the fallen. Aside from the Duty-Bound Warrior's sword, which had some value, the rest were worthless.

Slightly disappointed, he retrieved the sword and returned to Chen Bitong, who was still leaning against the rock.

"Teacher Chen, they won't be coming anymore. We can continue our conversation."

Chen Bitong looked up at him. "Captain Chen, what else do you want to know?"

Chen Chuan said, "What I want to know is… how did you know the rift would open here? And why is it that the old Imperial army from the convergence zone just happened to be on the other side? Is there some connection here?"

Chen Bitong didn't hide anything and directly answered his questions:

"Because to split the sub-body and find a place with 'pure substance,' the rift must be expanded to a certain extent.

Rifts that naturally form after the Fumu splits are very unstable.

But if someone on the other side of the rift cooperates with us and provides some guidance, we can find a way to stabilize it.

So this time, we took advantage of the old Imperial family's desire to break into the central city during the Fumu's split. We sent people to communicate with them in advance and, at the appointed time, simultaneously activated the Ironclad Jade Pillars from the same cultivation cave, thereby guiding out a stable rift."

Chen Chuan looked at him and slowly said, "So, Teacher Chen, you had prior contact with the old Imperial family?"

Chen Bitong said, "The approximate time of the Fumu's split and reproduction is clear to the other side. After a gap appears in the Ring of the World, the old Imperial family will definitely take action, most likely trying to break into the central city.

Rather than letting them break through on their own, it's better to determine a location in advance so that we can control it and block them at the rift's entrance."

Chen Chuan understood. They had used the old Imperial family as a pawn. And this whole thing couldn't have been done by Chen Bitong alone; there must have been others cooperating with him.

Chen Bitong then said solemnly, "Captain Chen, I won't let these people cross this rift. From the moment the rift opened, I will guard this place until it closes."

Chen Chuan knew he wasn't exaggerating. If there were no martial artists present, Chen Bitong could indeed do it.

Before the rift, he could evade and shuttle, and he could also mentally manipulate that kind of power. Even some people at the same level of strength would probably not be his opponents.

At least, they couldn't withstand the Flying Dragon Fist force he unleashed before the rift.

"It's not just me," Chen Bitong turned his gaze outward, "Do you see those people who came with me?

They were all once my subordinates, but each of them suffered severe injuries. So they volunteered for physical modifications. Everyone who came here with me today didn't plan on returning alive."

Chen Chuan asked, "What about Assistant Fang?"

Chen Bitong said, "His father was once my comrade-in-arms and died from the same infection. I advised him not to come, but he insisted and hoped to make this change with me."

Chen Chuan nodded, thought for a moment, and asked, "I have another question. Even if the rift's location can be controlled, how did you know the split sub-body would fall in this location?

As far as I know, the appearance of split sub-bodies is mostly disordered. Except for the first wave, even the Defense Department can hardly fully determine it later on."

Chen Bitong shook his head and said, "Actually, I don't know, but there is a way to guide it. Do you remember when I borrowed the Fumu's field resources during training?

After borrowing the field resources, I used something to establish a connection with the Fumu's spirit, and over a month, this connection would become deeper and deeper.

Although it won't cause any impact to the Fumu itself, the probability of it giving birth to a split sub-body containing this kind of thing when it splits will become very high.

And if the split sub-body doesn't appear nearby, as long as there is a nearly stable rift here, it will easily attract them to come here."

Chen Chuan now understood. It turned out that Chen Bitong had already started preparing at that time.

At this moment, he looked at Chen Bitong and slowly said, "Then the last question, what was the situation that appeared on your body when I fought you just now?"

Chen Bitong looked up and said in a deep voice, "Captain Chen, I know what you want to ask. I have not reached any deals with the existences on the other side. That is my bottom line.

Captain Chen, you must remember, never make any deals with the existences on the other side, even if they seem beneficial to you on the surface, there are unbearable prices behind them."

After a pause, he said, "Although I am confident in winning against many people this time, I believe that the power I currently possess is still not enough to successfully execute the plan and may not last until the end, so I made another choice.

Do you remember the 'Stained Ones' I told you about?"

Chen Chuan nodded.

Chen Bitong said, "I told you that the Stained Ones would sneak into people's consciousness to change them.

But what I didn't tell you is that people with strong willpower, especially those with sufficiently stable mental power, can actively infect themselves and then use its power for their own purposes.

However, the Stained Ones are not separate existences, but are connected to a higher existence, and power also comes from there.

So this approach is equivalent to borrowing power from a certain existence.

But He will come back to claim His power at any time.

So when I drew power from another world in the rift, He was attracted to it. If I can't suppress the power of the Stained Monster, then I will become another person."

At this time, his voice was low, "Although this person may still have the same goal as me because of the obsession in my heart, it won't be me anymore, and I don't know what else I will do in the end, so I would rather have someone stop me before that."

Saying this, he supported himself with both hands and slowly stood up from the ground. After he stood up straight, the original injuries were no longer visible.

He looked at Chen Chuan and said frankly, "We had prepared some kind of primer in advance. As soon as the split sub-body enters the rift, it will look for the place with 'pure substance'. If there are no accidents when the rift expands, the opening with pure substance should have been torn open.

Captain Chen, I have done what I should do. It is up to you, Captain Chen, to decide how to deal with me, but..."

He looked to one side of the rift, his back incomparably straight.

"I have guarded the Ring of the World for a lifetime and have never let an enemy that I can deal with slip through, even if the Ring of the World has a breach. I hope Captain Chen, you can give me a chance to fulfill my last duty."

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