Atlas of Heaven and Man.

Chapter 1548 The Storm Cannot Be Hidden

The outcome of this naval battle was quickly relayed to the Annam Integration Faction branch.

"After repeated confirmation, we can now confirm that both combat-type active consciousness entities were destroyed instantly. Shi Xian escaped on the spot, and Suria disappeared after only one minute of fighting the enemy."

Subsequent analysis suggests that his body likely suffered a devastating blow during the trip.

After the reporter finished speaking, none of the branch members, including Guo Tongyao, said anything.

According to the initial intelligence, the enemy they were dealing with this time was not the fighters from Dongxuan Temple, so sending Suria was already an overestimation of the enemy.

However, judging from the current situation, the opponent is not only Dongxuan Temple, but also far more powerful than they thought.

They are well aware of the current international situation. None of the surrounding countries have the ability to mobilize such power, so it can be basically ruled out that it is a force from abroad.

If they are from China, they are not stupid. Considering the previous incident, it's not hard to guess that it stems from the will of certain high-ranking figures.

The mere thought of this person's identity made their breath catch in their throats.

Although they used only people from Southeast Asia for this operation, and on the surface it seemed to have nothing to do with them, the person in charge might not care about that, as can be seen from the last incident.

At this moment, they felt a strange fear, because they didn't know when they might suffer the same fate as Deputy Minister Ruan Chengnian.

Guo Tongyao frowned at this moment, but he was not too worried about himself. To avoid the same situation from happening again, he had received a promise from headquarters that he would be protected by some of the upper echelons.

He was thinking about something else at the moment: whether the other party had actually gotten what they wanted from the research institute.
So how much did they actually gain?

If the other party is only here to deal with them, that's actually a good thing, because it means they can't target the higher-ups. But if...

"Vice Minister Guo..."

One of the branch members seemed to have received something from the boundary marker and suddenly looked up and spoke.

Guo Tongyao looked over: "What is it?"

The member said, "We just received a telegram from Dhritarashtra saying that the research institute has disappeared."

"Disappeared?" Guo Tongyao's fingers, which were playing with the fountain pen, suddenly stopped.

"Correct."

Can you confirm this?

The member said, "It was leaked by my informant who was stationed inside Dhritarashtra. The photos will be delivered in two days, but he has been working with us for a long time and there have been no mistakes before. I don't think he would say anything wrong in this matter."

Guo Tongyao thought for a moment, then sighed. This was no longer something they could handle.

He said, "You guys compile all the information, and I'll report it to headquarters immediately."

The airship carrying Chen Chuan returned to the territory of Da Shun a day later. Once there, he parted ways with Huo Zhuifeng and his group and returned to Zhongjing alone.

Upon arriving in Zhongjing, he contacted his advisor, Han Yang, as tracing the remains required his technical support.

However, the person who made the contact was an active consciousness, who told him that he was Han Yang and another consultant from the implantation faction, and that they were currently unable to communicate with the outside world because they were involved in a major technical project within the faction.

Chen Chuan asked, "When did this happen?"

The other party informed me three days ago.

Chen Chuan asked again how long the project would take. The active consciousness said it was uncertain, it could take a few days or as long as half a month.

After ending the contact, Chen Chuanyi suddenly remembered that three days ago was exactly when Huo Zhuifeng entered the research institute.

He felt that this was probably not a coincidence, but most likely a countermeasure by the conservatives.

Even if he obtains the necessary evidence from the research institute, he will definitely need technical means to confirm it. By keeping the person providing the technology temporarily unavailable, the matter can be temporarily halted.

So, should we wait?

He doesn't intend to do that. If it really is a conservative arrangement, then one project can be followed by another. Technological supremacists like the implantation faction will not refuse such a thing.

Even if he were to force his way there now, the other party might not be willing to interrupt their original research.

However, finding out something doesn't necessarily require technical means; he has other methods.

He immediately contacted the Secret Ritual Bureau and learned that apart from the one in charge of the ceremonies in Zhongjing, the other secret ritual masters there all had their own tasks and were not currently in the capital.

Meanwhile, the master of rituals in Zhongjing needed to keep a close eye on the important ceremony beneath Chiqiu, so he couldn't spare the time.

He was already somewhat prepared before hearing the results, and now he can confirm that the conservatives did indeed intervene.

But these alone cannot stop him.

After returning to his own domain, he immediately called out in his mind, and soon Ming Chengzi appeared before him, bowing and saying, "Greetings, Xuanji."

Chen Chuan nodded in acknowledgment, then pointed to the remains laid out on the table. "Master Mingcheng, I need to investigate the people or things related to this. Are you capable of doing this?"

Ming Chengzi examined it and replied, "Although I know the ritual of tracing the origin, this demon is not simple. I fear that my abilities may have been inadequate and may have delayed the important matter of Xuanji."

However, the Duanchen Sect has also made achievements in this area. I can go there and invite a fellow practitioner to come. We can then set up the secret ritual together, ensuring nothing is overlooked.” Chen Chuan asked, “Are you confident, High Priest?”

Ming Chengzi said, "This is not a big deal. I don't think the Duan Chen Sect will refuse."

Chen Chuan said, "Alright, then I'll trouble you, Master Gao, to make the trip."

Ming Chengzi said, "Xuanji, rest assured, I will personally go to invite you, and I will surely receive a reply within two or three days."

Chen Chuan nodded. Ming Chengzi didn't exaggerate; he should be confident about this matter.

If all else fails, he can go to the Heavenly Secrets Sect; there's always a way.

After Ming Chengzi took his leave, he checked the time; it was February 29th.

Chen Xiaojin has a match tomorrow.

He originally thought he was going to miss it, but now that he's back in time, he can go see it in person tomorrow.

He sent a message to his teammates that he had returned, then went upstairs and turned on the field screen to see if there had been any important news in the past few days.

As soon as he opened the app, a message popped up from Kaiyang's side, followed by a notification from the advisory group saying that there was an important meeting at the beginning of next month and that he must attend.

He thought about it for a moment, then looked at the internal reports from the past two days and got a general idea of ​​what was going on.

He then turned off the field screen, and the purple aura around him flickered. He then created a clone of his power to remain there, while he went to the rift to cultivate.

The following day, at the National League Fighting Arena of Wuyi Academy in Sannam Province.

Chen Chuan's power clone came to the scene in person. When he entered, he used his mind to shield himself from external senses, and no one noticed his arrival.

He went to a reserved empty seat in the front row and sat down.

This match didn't receive much attention, since neither Chen Xiaojin nor his opponent were considered strong contenders for the championship.

The two players performed adequately among the participants, generally at the upper-middle level. In addition, neither of them had any powerful backgrounds, so from the perspective of the league and the media, this was just a fairly ordinary match.

Only a handful of reporters were present; most of the seats were empty.

Meanwhile, inside the treatment center, Chen Bitong lay on his hospital bed, having already turned on the field screen and was waiting there.

His health has gradually improved recently, and even though he has no hands or feet, it has not hindered his cultivation.

Although he was unable to move while trapped inside the urn, this did not imprison his mind.

Over several years, he devised a unique method for training alienated tissues.

He believed that the method he had devised could give ordinary people more opportunities, and what initially inspired him to do so was his youngest son, Chen Xiaojin.

He stared intently at the screen until 10 o'clock, when the two students participating in the fighting competition finally took to the stage.

Chen Chuan sat there in the first row, which was also the most dangerous place. Because if the fighters started fighting, it could affect the area outside the arena, and people in the audience might get injured. So, people who weren't capable or brave enough generally wouldn't sit there.

At that moment, someone walked over and sat down next to him.

The man said, "Advisor Chen, do you think this young man has potential?"

Chen Chuan didn't look at the person who came, but said, "What brings Consultant Gu here?"

Gu Xuanbin said, "After all, I am a guest invited by the league, and Consultant Chen was invited just like me." He smiled, seemingly implying, "What you are concerned about, I certainly need to be concerned about as well. I believe Consultant Chen is the same, right?"

Chen Chuan calmly said, "I only care about what I need to focus on. The game has started, Advisor Gu, I'm going to watch the game."

Gu Xuanbin gave him a deep look before turning his head to look at the arena.

On the ring, Chen Xiaojin and his opponent exchanged greetings with clasped hands, and then began to fight after the referee gave the order.

Chen Xiaojin's opponent was a student from the Sichuan West Martial Arts Academy. Despite his tall stature, he was extremely agile and swift in his attacks, which was precisely the style that Chen Xiaojin was not good at dealing with.

Furthermore, his opponent had long arms and legs and was significantly taller than him, making the fight extremely difficult from the start.

Chen Bitong only watched for a short while before realizing that Chen Xiaojin's opponent not only did not underestimate his son, but had also made quite targeted preparations.

In his view, Chen Xiaojin still has many shortcomings, but compared to before, he has made unimaginable progress. He never thought that his youngest son could reach such heights.

Judging from their current performance, the opponent is completely dominating Chen Xiaojin, and the chances of winning seem very slim.

but……

He stared at the screen. It wasn't entirely hopeless. If he could seize that fleeting loophole, perhaps there was still a chance.

Can we seize the opportunity?
……

……

(End of this chapter)