Atlas of Heaven and Earth

Chen Bitong stared at Chen Chuan for a moment, then nodded. He didn't say much, but his expression turned serious as he gestured around, "Captain Chen , do you see these?"

Chen Chuan's gaze lowered. He had felt something was strange when he saw them from a distance, but now that he was closer, he realized that these things weren't human. They were some kind of modified creatures.

They were roughly the size of apes, hairless, and covered in a thick layer of cocoon-like skin that felt very resilient. They had narrow eyes and protruding mouths with sharp teeth for tearing.

Chen Bitong said, "These things are called "White Plague." They're a Bio-weapon frequently used by the Old Imperial Family. Wherever the Old Imperial Family's Army goes, they bring these things along. We often dealt with them on the front lines. They're not a big threat to us, but there are some things you need to pay attention to…"

After listening to his explanation, Chen Chuan understood that the Old Imperial Family had developed these modified creatures to cope with new forms of warfare. They usually accompanied the main army, and the Old Imperial Family Army often used them to probe for firing points, fill trenches, or carry explosives to blow up armed vehicles.

The disgusting thing was that these creatures carried a kind of bacteria. Once they got into the rear, they could cause a large-scale epidemic, so none could be allowed to pass.

At that moment, Chen Bitong looked outside and said, "Captain Chen , they're coming up again."

Chen Chuan took a few steps outside and looked through the Fissure. He saw these modified creatures charging out of the mist, heading towards the summit from all directions. These things were agile and powerful, moving very nimbly on the mountain path, and the whole process was eerily silent.

He scanned the area and immediately noticed that more than ten White Plague had swollen bellies. These creatures had a sac in their abdomen, which was usually used to hold explosives.

However, before he could act, Chen Bitong suddenly threw the Spear in his hand. It flew across hundreds of meters in an instant, pinning one of the White Plague to the ground. Then, he threw several more spears in succession, intercepting all the White Plague carrying explosives halfway.

Chen Chuan released his fingers, then walked to the edge of the Fissure with his blade drawn. By this time, several creatures had charged up and were leaping into the interior. Seeing this, he spun around.

A flash of light arced through the air, and several White Plague were sliced in two in mid-air. A large amount of blood containing some kind of putrid odor splattered down, leaving traces of corrosion on the ground.

However, these modified creatures never felt fear, and more kept charging up.

These things were advantageous because of their agility, speed, and numbers. On the battlefield, a single oversight could lead to a breach, but they were far from a match for him. With a flash of his blade, he could affect a large area, and in just a few breaths, he had killed all the creatures that had charged up.

However, these things were expendable, and the enemy didn't seem to care about saving them. So, after one wave, another wave surged up, still mixed with a few carrying high explosives.

He didn't need to worry about those; Chen Bitong would eliminate them in advance by throwing spears.

Although using Spiritual Power to eliminate them would be the most convenient, as it wouldn't give these things a chance to charge up, it wasn't worth it to use it on these creatures. Spiritual Power was slow to recover after being consumed, and they needed to save it to deal with subsequent attacks.

The physical exertion was secondary. With their resilience, they could withstand days and nights of high-intensity combat without any problem, and Yi Mu's reproduction wouldn't last that long. Before long, reinforcements would arrive from the rear and set up interception positions in front of the Fissure.

All they had to do was block the enemy's offensive during this time.

After ten minutes, after continuously beheading more than ten waves of attacks, these things finally stopped coming up.

The mountain path and the Fissure were now filled with a pungent bloody smell and a foul odor. The swarms of insects and small creatures that used to fly around this area were now nowhere to be seen.

Chen Bitong remained serious and vigilant, reminding him, "Captain Chen , they were probably trying to figure out our strengths and weaknesses just now. Skilled fighters will definitely follow up later, so be prepared."

Chen Chuan said, "That would be great."

He wasn't afraid of fighting people. In his view, all the enemies he faced now were resources for advancing his Spirit.

In fact, in the battle with Chen Bitong just now, he had greatly elevated his Spirit by another level. The previous improvements were far from comparable to this one, so he was now very much looking forward to strong opponents from the other side, hoping that these people could help him reach that higher level.

At this moment, in the military camp at the foot of the mountain, a military general wearing exquisite Armor and a helmet with ornaments was riding on a horse, looking up with his adjutant, occasionally exchanging words.

Around them were more than ten Imperial Retainer Warriors and hundreds of elite soldiers. Besides these people, there were also seven or eight military Advisers, and a trusted flag officer was proudly riding on the side, holding a large flag that now only had ceremonial significance, waving in the wind.

They were currently discussing how to recapture the Fissure.

If that high ground wasn't the most suitable place to open the Fissure, they wouldn't have chosen the location here, because that would be asking for trouble.

And now they had indeed encountered a situation.

However, since they had confirmed that it led to the interior of Central City, they couldn't give up.

Although they couldn't see the specific situation clearly due to the fog, they had been able to confirm from the previous attacks and the White Plague's repeated probes that only two people in front had martial power worth paying attention to.

Jibeidiao Central City was now in trouble, and news from the city was constantly being transmitted to them, so they believed that Central City being able to send out two people close to the Martial Artist level to guard this place was already the limit, and there shouldn't be any more support in the short term.

In other words, as long as they eliminated these two people, they would basically be able to open the door to the interior of Central City.

The previous attacks, whether by the vanguard or the Imperial Retainer Warriors , had not been successful, which was enough to show the enemy's formidable Strength. Therefore, this time, the adjutant decided to personally lead a team to take this place.

After discussing, the adjutant rode out, and with a wave of his hand, three close aides bypassed him and rushed up the mountain ahead of him.

Several minutes later, Chen Chuan , standing at the front end of the Fissure, noticed something and glanced outside. Through the fog, he could vaguely see two figures appearing on the mountain path.

These two people weren't wearing armor, but were dressed in old times ancient clothes, black clothing underneath, and tight-sleeved, cross-collared short jackets on top. One was tied with a red silk ribbon, and the other wore a jade-inlaid headband, both looking very capable.

On the left was a woman, holding two tassel-hung Long Swords, her face looking somewhat delicate. On the right was a man in his thirties, holding a silver-plated long spear.

However, he sensed that there should be a third person here, but they were hiding in the shadows and couldn't be seen for the time being.

Chen Bitong came up to take a look and said, "This is the attire of the general's personal guards. These people are usually descendants of convicted officials who have undergone rigorous and brutal training since childhood. Only by making meritorious contributions can their crimes be reduced. If they make great contributions, sometimes the entire clan will be pardoned, so their fighting will is very tenacious. The appearance of these people means that our opponent is at least an assistant general."

Although this was the lowest rank among generals, being able to hold this position meant they were Martial Artists who could use Spirit to influence external forces, so they had to be careful. "If they attack, they won't have any scruples like I do."

Chen Chuan suddenly thought of a question and said, "Master Chen , I remember that most of the Old Imperial Family's territory is in the Convergence Zone. If "Pure Essence' is blocked by the World Ring, then where do their Martial Artists come from?"

Chen Bitong said, "They are involved with the existences on the other side and worship something. Not only can they obtain "Pure Essence," but they can also bypass this restriction through some kind of ritual and method.

As far as I know, there are many Companies secretly supporting the Old Imperial Family in order to obtain what they need, and even some countries are secretly communicating with them to facilitate the cultivation of their own Martial Artists , while they give some technical and resource-based returns.

The Old Imperial Family's ability to not be wiped out until now, and the fact that the overthrown old empires around the world can still survive on the other side, is inseparable from the support of these people, because some people need them to exist."

Chen Chuan suddenly understood. At this time, he heard the sound of horses' hooves coming from the mist below the mountain. Listening to the sound, the horses were stepping on the mountain road as if it were flat ground, as if the person and the horse were one, and were gradually accelerating, vaguely carrying a sense of oppression. Although it was coming from the bottom of the mountain upwards, it gave people a sense of being unstoppable.

Chen Bitong said solemnly, "They're coming."

Before the person on the horse had appeared, the two attendants who had previously stood there had a stern look on their faces, and they broke into the Fissure one after the other.

The one rushing in the front was the delicate woman. With a clang, the double blades were unsheathed. After entering the Fissure and seeing Chen Bitong and Chen Chuan , she turned her Blade flash and immediately slashed at Chen Chuan , who was standing in front.

Chen Chuan calmly watched the double blades, reached out and grabbed the hilt of his Long Sword, but stood still. As the blade was about to fall on him, he suddenly raised his eyes, and a snow-bright light swept across. The woman had already been cut apart, along with her blades.

The other man holding the spear had also rushed out at this moment. He seemed to ignore the death of his comrade. Taking advantage of the moment he swung his blade, the long spear thrust over.

However, Chen Chuan took a step forward to the side, and at the same time, the Long Sword that had been slashing out diagonally was brought back smoothly. However, just as the blade reached his neck, a Thin sword suddenly protruded diagonally from the shadows beside him, stabbing straight at his eyes.