Atlas of Heaven and Man.

Chapter 1427 Rifting Light and Darkness

The other end of the fissure is located at Fenghou Ferry in Haixi.

Although it's called Haixi Road, it's actually not far from Anbei Road. It's located a little north of the border between Anbei Road and Haixi Road.

If we go from the intersection, it's too far, and we might not even be able to find the exact location. So, returning to the central city of Anbei Province and then going there from there is the most convenient and closest option.

This time, Chen Chuan not only brought along Ming Chengzi, who was familiar with the situation of the old imperial family, but also Jiang Linghuai and Mu Xiaoren, two colleagues who had worked with him before.

However, as the highest-ranking commander on the front lines, he couldn't completely abandon the situation here. Therefore, he would leave behind an avatar of his power to oversee the overall situation.

With the current strength of Youdu, it is impossible for them to launch a powerful counterattack. If they could, they would have done it long ago, and they wouldn't be forced to the point of being helpless even at the foot of the city walls.

Of course, it cannot be ruled out that the other party's plan was to transfer him away and then launch a desperate operation.

From a tactical standpoint, this situation is only theoretically possible. To actually implement it would be too complicated, meaning that one would have to follow the opponent's script every step of the way, and even a slight deviation would be disastrous, making success virtually impossible.

Even if that were the case, the two places are not actually far apart, and he could rush back in time after receiving the report.

He and the three others emerged from the fusion ground, without using any means of transportation, and flew directly through the air. After about ten minutes, they passed Anbei Road and entered Haixi Road.

Since it was already night, they could see that the lights on the ground gradually became sparser and then disappeared. However, the dividing line between the earth and the sky was still clear in their eyes, and the various terrain outlines could also serve as good directions.

There are almost no man-made structures here, and only a few observation stations and anchorages along the way.

This is why successive dynasties have always arranged the exit for fleeing outwards in the Haixi Road, and this has remained largely unchanged from beginning to end.

Due to the vast territory and sparse population, a single central city is simply not enough to contain all the fissures. Many canyons and ravines may contain fissures that are either stable or unstable.

Naruko also believes that a rift that allows enough people or those with sufficient power to cross it could not have been opened temporarily, because it is not stable enough.

Therefore, the old imperial family must have used some pre-existing loopholes, or simply found an ancient ritual to repair and activate it, in order to achieve their escape goal.

Chen Chuan agreed with this view, and neither option could be decided in a short time, which gave them ample time to travel and prepare.

Meanwhile, King Qiong was sitting on a train heading to Haixi Road. This time, he was once again dispatched by Emperor Wenguang to pave the way for the Northern Hunt.

He had already set off more than half a day before Emperor Wenguang departed.

This time, instead of traversing the dangerous surface, they went through an underground passage that had been suspected of existing. Sure enough, this led directly to Panquan Mountain, allowing them to avoid Da Shun's notice throughout the journey.

He stayed by the side of Prince Qiong, but his brows were always furrowed.

Seeing that he was deep in thought, King Qiong couldn't help but ask, "Zikang, what are you thinking about? Are you worried that there might be an ambush ahead? As a son, I am here to lead the vanguard for my father. I will take on any dangers myself."

After saying that, he didn't forget to offer comfort:
"Since Father has allowed us to take this tunnel, we should be safe along the way. Zikang need not worry too much."

The official sighed: "Your Highness, have you ever considered why, if this tunnel exists, you were prevented from leaving before, but are now being allowed to leave?"

King Qiong was stumped by this question. In fact, he had considered this idea before, but he was unwilling to think about it in depth.

He hesitated for a moment and said, "I suppose it's because I wasn't considered capable by my father before, so he used this method to test me. Yes, that must be it. Later, I returned safely, and my father entrusted me with important responsibilities."

This time, I will not let Father and Mother down.

Seeing his resolute expression, he thought to himself, "Your Highness, you are so filial to His Majesty, but His Majesty may not treat you the same way. He may only see you as a pawn to be discarded."

He had thought about it. Since the matter was already beyond repair, as an official of the Prince's Palace, he and Prince Qiong were bound together by fate, and he had to find a way out no matter what.

At the hour of Xu (7-9 PM), they finally arrived at the North Pass, a place they had been to before.

The accompanying guards immediately got out of the carriage to investigate, without King Qiong needing to say a word or give any instructions at all.

About half an hour later, one of the accompanying eunuchs approached him and said, "Your Highness, His Majesty's arrival is imminent. Please prepare yourselves to welcome him with the utmost respect."

King Qiong was startled, delighted, and overwhelmed with indescribable excitement. He said, "I will go to greet you immediately."

Upon hearing this, the official was somewhat surprised. Could it be that their emperor would really come here? Or perhaps he had guessed wrong?
He accompanied Prince Qiong to greet them, but less than half a quarter of an hour later another train arrived. Sure enough, he saw Emperor Wenguang get off the train, accompanied by Empress Cao and the other concubines and princes.

"Could I have really guessed wrong?"

I try to shift my thoughts, but I always feel like I've missed something, yet I can't quite remember it.

Meanwhile, in the opposite world, more than twenty airships were flying through an airspace filled with blinding light. Yongwang stood by the porthole of the mainship, watching the blurry things that occasionally flashed by in the light outside.

Then he heard a series of thumping sounds, followed by a slight tremor in the floor. He then saw a small, bright red ball roll over and come right up to his feet.

The ball had two eyes; after blinking, they suddenly closed tightly as if startled. Upon seeing him, it seemed very frightened, curling up into a tight ball.
Prince Yong raised his head and looked across the hatch. There stood a little boy, about two or three years old, looking at him with some curiosity. He remembered that this should be one of his younger brothers, who had not yet been made a prince because he was not married yet.

"Your name is A-Fu, right?"

Prince Yong reached out and snatched the ball out of thin air, then waved to the small figure opposite him.

The little boy came running over, then he picked him up and held him in his arms, handing him the ball. "Here you go!"

Ah Fu happily took the ball and said in a childish voice, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

"You know me?" Prince Yong asked, somewhat surprised.

Afu nodded. "My mother taught me to call him 'Royal Brother' when I see him and to be respectful to him."

Prince Yong laughed, turned to the porthole, took two steps closer, and asked, "Look, what's outside?"

Afu turned his head to look. There were some blurry things outside the porthole, but as they got closer, a distorted face with hollow features was suddenly pressed against the window, as if it might burst through the porthole at any moment, which was very frightening.

But the face only appeared for a moment before disappearing in a flash. The last thing the two saw was a lingering look of terror on its face.

Then, a hazy, enormous object appeared outside the porthole, its shadow lingering on the cabin floor, walls, and two people for quite some time before disappearing.

"Brother, what is that?"

Prince Yong said, "Those are gods and demons, things we could all become."

"So ugly."

Upon hearing this, Prince Yong laughed heartily, "To be able to become like this is something countless people dream of."

Ah Fu, let me tell you, being fixated on appearance will only restrict you, and is what you see necessarily what you think it is really like?

As he spoke, he pointed to the ball in Afu's hand. This thing wasn't a ball at all, but something similar to a pangolin. It was only because it had amazing elasticity when curled up that it became a toy for children.

Afu thought for a moment, then turned her head away: "I don't want to."

Prince Yong laughed again. At that moment, he saw a slender figure standing at the cabin door, and A Fu called out, "Mother Consort."

He remembered that it was Consort Yue. She used to be just a palace maid, introverted and timid, always hesitant and afraid to speak loudly. Now, standing there, she looked worried but dared not show it.

Prince Yong put Afu down. Then, as if remembering something, he took a jade pendant from his waist and handed it to him, saying, "Here you go, Afu. If you ever need anything, you can use this to come find me."

Afu thought for a moment, then reluctantly handed the ball to him, saying, "Brother, Mother said we shouldn't take things from others for nothing. Here, give Adu to Brother; it's very well-behaved."

Prince Yong laughed again, took the red ball, patted his head, and said, "Go."

Afu ran back quickly, but Consort Yue held her son's hand, then curtsied to him before turning and leaving.

Prince Yong stood there pondering. He couldn't help but think that although his father valued him highly, he had not yet made any substantial promises.

Although he could try to obtain a title, it would be somewhat unstable if the emperor consistently refused. Therefore, he could tolerate the princes if they remained obedient, but if they harbored any inappropriate thoughts...

With a forceful squeeze of his five fingers, the small ball in his hand exploded into a cloud of blood mist with a snap.

At that moment, he suddenly sensed something, turned his head and saw flowing light mist and a huge void in front of him, which meant that he was about to get close to the exit.

He perked up, strode out of the cabin, stood on the open deck of the Fangzhang, glanced around, and then told the captain to halt the airship formation temporarily so he could scout out the situation on the other side.

He then leaped towards that spot, and the light around him suddenly faded, revealing a gray earth, snow-capped mountains, and azure sky.

He stopped in mid-air, warily surveying this unfamiliar landscape.

……

……

(End of this chapter)