Chapter 649: Addressing
Chapter 649: Addressing
After more than an hour, an off-road vehicle came to a stop at the foot of Qingding Mountain.
Chen Chuan and Chang Dong stepped out of the vehicle.
Chen Chuan said, "This place might be suitable."
Chang Dong looked up, then scanned the surroundings, and commented, "It's quite remote and at a high altitude. It looks good from here. Let's go up and take a look."
The two climbed the stone steps to the top of Qingding Mountain. Chen Chuan said, "This is the Mo God Temple I mentioned."
Chang Dong took a look and said, "Judging by the style, the worship here must have lasted for several hundred years, right? But the main structure seems to have been rebuilt in the past few decades." He stomped his foot, "The materials used are solid; it's good enough to be a training ground."
Chen Chuan nodded. The Mo God Temple was a place of martial arts heritage, and he had once sparred with San Cheng Huang here. The ground remained intact after a bout between two Third Limit Fighters, indicating that special materials were used in its construction.
Chang Dong didn't rush inside. Instead, he stood there, gazing into the distance, and realized that most of the Central City was visible from this vantage point, making it one of the highest points in the city.
"It's indeed a great spot," he said, "but..."
He looked at the main hall, walked inside, and gazed up at the Mo God statue. Suddenly, he said, "It's empty inside."
Chen Chuan followed his gaze, and it was clear that Chang Dong was not referring to the statue itself.
The emptiness was relative to the solidity of the statue. He said, "Mr. Chang, are you saying there used to be something inside?"
Chang Dong nodded. "Nowadays, there are still many religious beliefs in various places. During the Cold Period, worship was merely a spiritual and mental solace. But in the Changing Period, there might be a real possibility of the appearance of certain entities.
"Some of them are beings that came through the fissures from the other world, and some are born in our world as the two worlds approach. There should have been such entities inside this statue..."
Chen Chuan wasn't surprised, as he was well-versed in strange tales and considered an expert in this field. These entities often had connections to religion and rituals.
Chang Dong took a few steps forward and looked at the incense on the altar. He twirled his finger in the incense, "Focusing Incense. Someone must have tried to gather spiritual power here in the past few months. Perhaps because of this, the entity inside was taken away. Long-served entities sometimes follow the incense if they sense that their abode is no longer reliable."
"In the past few months..."
Chen Chuan looked at the incense and couldn't help but think of the time three months ago when the Tianmen was open. He turned and asked, "Mr. Chang, will this have any impact?"
Chang Dong said, "It's hard to say," as he looked at the statue. "Perhaps only those who worshipped at that time know."
After observing for a while, he turned around. "This place is suitable, but we are of the Pureline Sect, and using an old religious site as a base is a little inappropriate. Plus..." He patted his belly, "I think taking over and renovating this place will cost a lot. Why don't we check out some other places too?"
Chen Chuan laughed and agreed.
After leaving this place, the off-road vehicle drove through the city and stopped at the edge of Hong Sheng District.
This time, Chen Chuan brought Chang Dong to the small hill where Wu Laoshi used to live.
"This used to be a commercial development zone, but it was completely abandoned later. I had a Wu Yi teacher who lived on this hill, and he still lives there."
Chang Dong looked around and saw only a burned-down ruin. He said, "I don't want to disturb him."
"I don't think he'll mind."
The two climbed the hill, and after years of strong winds, not much was left.
Chang Dong looked outside and confidently said, "This place must have been infected by something."
Chen Chuan said, "I checked the situation here. Mo Lan Corporation planned to develop a commercial zone, but later, the company had some issues, and people who came here mysteriously fell ill. So, this place was abandoned again."
Chang Dong looked at the ground, bent down, and scooped up some soil with his hand, as if feeling something. After a while, he stood up and dusted off his hands.
"There must have been something planted here."
Chang Dong used his hand to gesture, "Yes. It's a plant, and its roots spread throughout this area. If I'm not mistaken, there should be root cavities below, with remnants that continue to affect the surrounding area."
Chen Chuan asked, "What could it be?"
Chang Dong shook his head. "It's hard to say without seeing it, but it must be something from the Fusion Zone or the Bio Lab. He looked at Chen Chuan, "Logically, your Handling Bureau should have information about this."
Chen Chuan said, "I checked, but it's too far back. Many archives were sealed, and I couldn't access them due to my low position. I'll look again when I get back."
Chang Dong waved his hand. "It's fine if you can't find it. That thing is long gone, and this place is probably just one of its cultivation and hatching grounds. These invasions have almost no effect on us fighters. Staying here for a year is less invasive than spending a night in the Fusion Zone."
Chang Dong let out an 'um', deep in thought. After a while, he patted his belly and said, "I think this place will do. It's remote and spacious, and these infections still have an intimidating effect on ordinary people, which can act as a barrier.
Moreover, this place has been abandoned for at least two to three decades, so I think the price for this area should be cheaper. After all, the funds allocated from above are limited, and I need to use them sparingly."
Chen Chuan said, "If there's anything I can help with, Mr. Chang, please let me know. I'm also a member of the Pureline Sect."
"I can handle these trivial matters, Manager Chen, you don't need to worry," Chang Dong said with a smile. "Our fellow fighter should be arriving in a few days, and with her help, I'll have all the assistance I need."
Chen Chuan didn't insist, as he indeed had many other matters to attend to. Moreover, the existence of this outpost had never been about funding or venue; it was still about martial power.
As long as he diligently cultivated and improved his strength, it would be the greatest help to the sect.
"Let's settle on this location then," Chang Dong said, turning to Chen Chuan with a serious tone. "There's another matter I need to discuss with you, Manager Chen."
"Please go ahead," Chen Chuan said.
Chang Dong said, "As I mentioned before, our Pureline Sect established this branch here because of a target who nearly caused its downfall, right?"
Chen Chuan nodded.
Chang Dong sighed, "That target was originally one of us from the Pureline Sect, and we had high hopes for him as a talented individual.
At the time, he had done some bad things, but certain high-ranking members within the sect tolerated his behavior due to his natural gifts and abilities. They believed that with proper cultivation, he could become a pillar of the sect in the future. So, they only gave him symbolic punishments.
However, this person became increasingly excessive, going from bad to worse. Many of his actions crossed the line of what we could tolerate."
He shook his head and continued, "As you know, the sect had already valued him highly, but we underestimated him. In that battle, almost all the members of the branch and the sect who were sent to capture him were wiped out.
Later, when the sect reviewed the incident, they realized that if he wanted to escape, no one could have stopped him. He intentionally revealed his whereabouts."
Chen Chuan's eyes flashed with understanding. If that was the case, it wasn't a counterattack after being surrounded but a premeditated slaughter.
He asked, "What level was this person?"
Chang Dong's voice turned solemn as he replied, "Fifteen years ago, when he was not yet twenty, his spirit and body had already reached the state of perfection. With his talents, he might have crossed that threshold by now."
"If he could cross that boundary, there must be someone supporting him from the shadows," Chen Chuan said.
He thought of Chen Bitong, who, despite his talents, lacked sufficient resources and couldn't break through that limit.
"Let's not talk about him for now," Chang Dong said. "Due to the danger this target poses, some members within the sect are responsible for searching and hunting him down.
What I want to say is that since the branch suffered a near-total defeat, the true situation is no longer clear.
Most of our fellow fighters' bodies were found, except for one person who was never discovered, even after extensive searches. Most people believe that he sacrificed himself elsewhere.
But recently, someone spotted him, and through various channels, we've learned that he might still be in Central City. So, we need to find him and ask him about the situation."
As he spoke, he took out a photo and said, "This person."
Chen Chuan took the photo and examined it. It was a young man in his twenties with a long face, squinting and smiling, showing a mouthful of white teeth. He wore an orange-yellow spotted open-collar shirt, appearing confident and playful.
However, if this photo was taken over a decade ago, this person would be around forty now.
On the back of the photo was a name: "Tian Rui."
"I'll keep an eye out," Chen Chuan said.
"Mhm," Chang Dong replied. "The Handling Bureau should have an easier time finding people. There's no rush; after all, fifteen years have passed. It's just that..."
He sighed, "We owe it to our fallen comrades to provide them with some closure."
Chen Chuan nodded.
Chang Dong looked around and said, "Let's head back."
Chen Chuan got into his car and drove back to the mansion in Wuding District. After getting off at the entrance, he bid farewell to Chang Dong and returned to the mansion.
Upon entering the living room, he picked up a box of Purity Substance from the corner and headed upstairs.
He thought to himself that these Purity Substances should be enough, but even though the issue here was resolved, he still needed to ponder his mental cultivation.
If he could find a crack, it would be ideal. He recalled Cao Xuelang mentioning that there might be hidden treasures in the wild, and those places could potentially have cracks. If necessary, he might consider searching for them there.
However, there was another possibility.
He put down the box and looked towards a corner of the room where the Snow Lady Saber still lay dormant.
...
...
(End of Chapter)
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