Atlas of Heaven and Man.

Chapter 1470 Only Through the Shadows Can One Know the Traces
Having emerged from the secret hideout, Chen Chuan had not yet returned to the front lines when he received a message from Jibei Province stating that Gai Shuhe had been captured and was being transported to Anbei Province.

Chen Chuan was only in charge of the army in Youdu. The garrisons in the various central cities in the region were not under his command, but in theory he had the authority to inquire about and conscript personnel.

His primary concern was Gai Shuhe; he needed to find information about Chen Bitong from this person—whether he was alive or dead—there had to be an answer.

After capturing Youdu, he asked the local army to keep an eye on this person.

Local warlords with considerable power, like Gaishuhe, were the primary targets of this campaign.

His concern for the conservatives may have been perfunctory, but the progressives took it very seriously, especially the garrison in the central city.

The attack on the Gai family initially encountered many difficulties. The family had built numerous bunkers and permanent fortresses in the mountains, relying on the geographical advantages of the Miyi and Jiaorong areas to defend themselves layer by layer.

Since the fall of Youdu, it has been rare to see an enemy so stubbornly resisting to the end.

However, while the Gai family appeared to be putting up a desperate resistance, Gai Shuhe himself had no intention of staying. He had already begun planning his escape when the Shun army approached Youdu.

Once he confirmed that the fighters of Da Shun had been clearly attracted there, he led his family members to retreat quickly, and the retreat direction was the extremely dangerous sea.

Under normal circumstances, Da Shun would probably let him go, since the sea is too dangerous and the person might not be able to come back. There's no need to waste resources on this.

However, since Chen Chuan specifically requested this person, and the Security Affairs Department is the superior department of the National Police Agency, Chief Inspector Huo Zhuifeng personally came forward to arrest the person.

Chen Chuan checked the time. Since they were using a military-only passage, the person could be delivered in two days at most.

He immediately sent a telegram to Huo Zhuifeng to express his gratitude, and then informed him that he would be waiting for him in Anbei Road.

Since he had a backup plan to handle matters at the front, he decided to stay temporarily on a military airship outside the central city of Anbei Province.

Inside the main cabin, a ray of sunlight shone in through the porthole and fell on Chen Chuan, who was sitting there, filling half of the cabin with golden light.

Spending a long time in a place where people mingle, this kind of light feels especially warm and comfortable.

Chen Chuan leaned back in his chair, a steaming hot drink on the table, gazing at the sky outside. He wondered if he would still be able to see this scene after the Great Collision and the merging of the two worlds.

After finishing his hot drink, he took out the six Celestial Diagrams he had obtained from the secret treasure and placed them side by side on the table.

Just then, he made a slight movement, as if he had made a discovery. He looked down and picked up one of the pieces to examine it.

This was one of the three that Mi Zhu Zi had given him. Although he had only glanced at it briefly before, he could sense that it was slightly different from when he had seen it before.

The fine cracks on it seem to have narrowed down a bit, and the whole thing feels smaller than before.

In fact, these are extremely subtle changes, but as a martial artist from Dongxuan Temple, one can distinguish the differences.

A thought struck him: Could this thing be self-repairing?
It seems highly likely, because compared to the others, Chang Chao's three secret maps appear relatively small. Could it be that Chang Chao's three secret maps were used and then repaired?
But how did the cracks form?
Considering that Emperor Wenguang and his two sons may have obtained the so-called secret map bloodline from above, could it be related to this?
So how was this achieved?
Furthermore, Emperor Wenguang entrusted this to the Duanchen Sect, seemingly unconcerned that the Duanchen Sect might obtain the same bloodline as him. Was it because of these cracks that it was unable to utilize this knowledge?

Even so, the Xuanjiao sect still accepted it.

Chen Chuan remembered that when Gao Xinjian explained the Diagram of Heaven and Man, he told him that many of the old religion's methods and secret teachings may have originated from this secret diagram.

So perhaps the Duanchen Sect wanted to glean some insights from these patterns on the surface. Could they be related to these patterns?

He looked at it, unsure, but felt it was definitely not that simple.

Now that the Duanchen Sect has handed it over to me without hesitation, saying that it is no longer of any use to them, is this just polite talk, or do they really think they have thoroughly understood what's above?
Besides the secret techniques of the old kingdoms, it is even said that some biotechnologies were obtained from it.

He thought for a moment and realized that his observation method might be incorrect. Perhaps he should take it to the other world to observe it?
He felt there was a very high probability.

However, this was his first time encountering this thing, and it was hard to say whether taking it with him would cause any special changes, so he wouldn't try it rashly.

He actually had a guess that this thing might not be something they should be using at this stage, but perhaps something needed by the higher-ups.

If that's the case, then many things become clear.

He thought to himself that he would soon be joining the Supreme Security Advisory Group, and once he got there, he would have access to many things without having to guess.

He put his things away for the time being, stood up from his seat, picked up the Snow Lord Blade, cleaved open the crevice, entered it, and continued his previous cultivation.

Two days later, the airship Huo Zhuifeng was on arrived in Anbei Road and landed on the same anchor tower.

He arrived at Chen Chuan's airship carrying a box. After the two met, he opened the box, revealing Gai Shuhe, who was only half of his body.

"Commander Chen, I've captured the man. I'll hand him over to you now. I've also taken care of the rest of the Gai family. Only Gai Shuhe's daughter is currently missing." He explained that the Gai family had set up a trap there beforehand. Most of the people only knew how to panic and flee, and were easily wiped out by him. Only Gai Shuhe's daughter, during the few seconds he was delayed, decisively jumped into the sea, and her whereabouts are now unknown.

That ocean was no good place, and he sensed that some powerful alien species were drawn to the two of them by their field of energy. Out of caution, he did not go down to investigate, but simply brought Gai Shuhe back.

Chen Chuan said, "This is just a small matter. I'm sorry to trouble Chief Inspector Huo this time."

To be honest, if it weren't for finding Chen Bitong's whereabouts, he might not have cared about the whereabouts of a general who conquers the country. As for the others, their destructive power was extremely limited, and if they had already left the territory of Da Shun, they were not worth paying much attention to.

Huo Zhuifeng said, "It's not too troublesome. To be honest, Gai Shuhe is very good at dodging, which has brought me some fun."

Chen Chuan turned his gaze to Gai Shuhe in the box. Seeing that the other was still conscious, he asked, "Gai Shuhe, I'm looking for you about something. Do you remember Chen Bitong?"

Gai Shuhe couldn't understand why Chen Chuan was targeting him, but after hearing the name, his eyes changed slightly, and he finally realized the reason.

He said, "Is Chen Xuanji looking for... Chen Bitong?"

“Yes.” Chen Chuan nodded. “Whether he is dead or alive, I need you to give me an answer.”

Gai Shuhe hesitated for a moment.

Huo Zhuifeng chuckled and said, "Commander Chen, I have a way to search the mind. If it doesn't involve other things, as long as you know this, it's simple. You hand him over to me, and I can make him confess. There will just be some aftereffects."

Gai Shuhe's expression changed upon hearing this. As a divine being, he knew very well that there were too many ways to torment him, and there was no point in keeping quiet. He quickly said, "Wait a moment."

He paused for a moment before saying somewhat vaguely, "I buried him in Yinling, but I gave him a life-saving pill, so he may not be dead now."

"Yinling?"

Upon hearing this, Huo Zhuifeng's nonchalant expression turned serious, and he said in a deep voice, "Urn punishment."

He explained to Chen Chuan that the so-called "urn punishment" was to chop off the martial artist's hands and feet, give him a life-saving pill, and then place him in an urn and bury him underground.

Because of the life-saving pills and the generally strong will of warriors, this process may take a long time.

However, this punishment took advantage of this point. It is said that those with strong willpower can survive for ten years, but the stronger their willpower, the more torture they will suffer, and in the end they will collapse. So in that situation, it would be better to just die.

Chen Chuan could imagine that when a person is buried underground in darkness and no one comes to rescue them, after a while, even if that person survives, their mind will probably break down first.

But eventually, you have to find someone.

He asked, "Where is Yinling?"

Huo Zhuifeng said, "I know this place." He straightened up, adjusted his hat, and said, "Is the Chen Bitong that Commander Chen asked about that Teacher Chen? I've heard of his name. Commander Chen, let me go with you. I, Huo Zhuifeng, never do anything without a cause."

Chen Chuan looked at him, nodded and said, "Alright, Chief Inspector Huo, let's go together then."

Once they made their decision, they set off immediately. Since the place was close to the junction of Haixi Road and Haixi Road, they first went north to Haixi Road and then entered the junction from there.

Upon arriving at the fusion site, no transportation was needed; they could simply fly through the air and reach Yinling in less than half an hour.

This is a reddish-brown mountain range, quite different from its surroundings. There are some military installations visible, but there are hardly any people there now.

After the two landed from the sky, they stood at the highest point of the mountain.

Huo Zhuifeng glanced down and could sense that there were rows of earthenware jars below, probably numbering in the thousands.

He said, "The urn punishment was mainly used by the last dynasty to punish rebels and enemies. This punishment lasted for more than a hundred years, and I don't know how many are still breathing down there now."

"Three."

Under Chen Chuan's spiritual perception, a very accurate number was given.

“There are still three people alive. One of them is from nine years ago, one is from one year ago, and the other is from four years ago…” As he spoke, his gaze turned to a certain place.

……

……

(End of this chapter)