Chapter 625 - 364: The Plan

On Qingding Mountain, Chu’an managed to capture a few more wisps of Pure Essence, but they were all rather thin and weak.

Although he gained some benefits, it didn’t quite meet his high expectations.

The old man believed that his Spiritual Power was probably insufficient. Being unable to capture it was one thing, but not even being able to see it was a matter of his own limitations.

He sighed. "It seems you’re indeed lacking a little something. This might be a bit too soon for you."

Chu’an didn’t think it was entirely his fault. He frowned and said, "Teacher, could someone be snatching it from me? Since you bought this information, it means we might not be the only ones who know about it."

The old man said, "That’s not impossible, but anyone capable of snatching it at that level would have to be someone who has pushed their physical body and Spiritual Cultivation to the absolute limit.

"Such individuals usually hold important positions in various governments and corporations. And what’s the situation in Central City right now? The Fumu has split, the Old Imperial Family has troops stationed outside the city, and mercenaries hired by various companies are running rampant. All the top experts are either protecting high-ranking officials or dealing with crises. They simply don’t have the spare time for something like this.

"Besides, while corporations and governments use these people, they also keep a very tight leash on them. They arrange for regular Domain check-ups to make sure nothing unusual is happening. Under these circumstances, even if they knew Pure Essence was appearing, would they really dare to act on it?

"Even if there is someone like that, there’d be one or two at most. After consuming Pure Essence, a small amount is fine, but if a large amount accumulates, it needs to be refined and assimilated. No one can swallow it all in one go. Some of it is bound to leak through."

Chu’an was still unwilling to give up. "Teacher, can’t you capture it for me? Since Pure Essence can be preserved, surely it can also be collected through other means?"

The old man shook his head. "The kind that can be preserved is usually what has been scattered and has settled, or what has been gathered using special methods. If I were to capture it, it would just be absorbed by me, whether I wanted it to or not.

"At my age, my Mutated Organization has long since entered a dormant period, so consuming it would be useless. Besides, as I’ve said, Pure Essence is like bait. After absorbing it, you’re more easily targeted by those entities. If you can’t reach a higher level to resolve that crisis, the gain isn’t worth the risk."

He then closed his eyes to sense for a moment. Feeling the vibrations from the Rift weakening, he added, "But you don’t need to be anxious. We still have plenty of time. Your Spiritual Power is also being trained in the process of capturing it. The dissipation of Pure Essence happens in stages. What you’ve encountered is likely just the first stage. Once this passes, there should be more in the second stage."

"How long will that take?"

"It could be ten or twenty minutes, or it could be one or two Hours. It depends on the Pure Essence itself. It’s hard to say for sure."

Chu’an was confused. "Depends on the Pure Essence?"

The old man said, "You can think of Pure Essence as a kind of spiritually active body. It doesn’t have its own independent consciousness, but it does have its own behavioral patterns. In fact, it wouldn’t be wrong to even think of it as one of those entities."

Chu’an thought for a moment, and the association he made sent a slight chill through him.

The old man looked at him and said, "Don’t let your imagination run wild. There are some things you might not be able to understand right now. The same goes for me. But when the time comes that you can understand, you naturally will."

Aboard the Airship, Chen Chuan was continuously absorbing the Pure Essence leaking from the Opposite World. His body was like a bottomless abyss, dissolving and fusing with the essence within.

The old man had said that absorbing too much Pure Essence required time to assimilate. Chen Chuan didn’t feel that at all.

After merging with his Second Self, his physical condition had been elevated far beyond that of an ordinary person. The moment Pure Essence entered his body, it was absorbed, almost skipping the assimilation process entirely.

However, he could now feel that the Pure Essence, which had been appearing intermittently at first, was gradually becoming scarcer.

From what Chen Bitong had told him, this substance likely didn’t arrive in a continuous stream but rather in stages. He didn’t know the specific reason why, but it didn’t matter. He just had to wait.

As he sat quietly, however, he seemed to sense something. A harsh noise filled his ears, but it wasn’t coming from his Realm Token.

A thought crossed his mind, and he knew the reason.

With the increase in his Spiritual Power and the enhancement of his physique, his own Domain’s perception of the outside world had grown sharper. Now, it seemed he could sense information from the Domain without even using the Realm Token.

He thought for a moment, then removed the Realm Token from his ear. Looking outside, things were blurry and flickering at first. But as he focused his gaze, the neon lights within some of the tall buildings below gradually came into focus.

In that moment, it was as if his senses could piggyback on something to reach farther away. At the same time, however, countless sounds and images flooded in.

This was because the vast information within the Domain of information had all merged, and he was absorbing it all at once without any way to properly sort or distinguish it.

In theory, if he could overcome this and find a method, he could completely free himself from the constraints of the Realm Token. But there was no need. The Realm Token was a very useful tool. It amplified these senses and also allowed him to see things that were normally adrift outside.

He saw the massive fissure in the zenith, the one he could only see after taking special medicine. Something like grains of sand seemed to be leaking out from it. These things, which he normally couldn’t touch, began to fall onto his body as he watched, and his Second Self began to show signs of turning ethereal.

Extraordinary senses weren’t necessarily a good thing. Before one’s strength reached a certain level, it was crucial to find a way to block these things out.

Therefore, he put the Realm Token back on, reined in his externalized Domain and spirit, and adjusted his breathing, preparing to welcome the next wave of Pure Essence.

This time, however, he had only been sitting for a few minutes when a contact alert sounded on his Realm Token. After accepting the call, a voice came through. "Captain Chen, this is Liang Guanghai."

Chen Chuan said, "Specialist, what is it?"

Specialist Liang asked, "Captain Chen, where are you now?"

Chen Chuan said, "I’m on an Airship belonging to the Sky Shark Airship Company, located in the Deep Unexplored District."

Specialist Liang sounded slightly surprised. "On a Sky Shark Airship? That actually makes contact convenient. Captain Chen, the Defense Department has a plan that we might need your cooperation to execute."

Chen Chuan said, "Please go on, Specialist Liang."

Specialist Liang said, "First, go to the Airship’s information relay station. There’s something I want you to see. I’ll have the Airship crew grant you clearance."

Chen Chuan acknowledged and ended the call. He focused his senses for a moment; there was no activity from the other side yet. But even if the Pure Essence arrived now, he had experience from his previous absorptions and could capture it even while on the move.

After coming up from below, he saw two supervising officers walking toward him from a stairwell. One of them stepped forward and said, "Captain Chen, we’ve received a message from the Defense Department. We are to give you our full cooperation. Please come with us."

Chen Chuan gave a slight nod and followed the two men to the front section of the Airship’s Upper Layer. The Domain organism used for information relay was located there.

Once there, he could clearly transmit and receive messages from all directions. However, what they wanted to show him this time required significant Domain information resources, so they had to cut some of the non-essential communication channels.

Since the two men were not authorized to know what came next, they finished their arrangements, gave him a salute, and withdrew, leaving him standing there alone.

Chen Chuan looked ahead. After a moment, a light shone down, revealing a series of slightly blurry images. They depicted the current standoff between Xu Chan’s group and Wu Qi.

He involuntarily focused his gaze on Wu Qi. ’An active Consciousness Body?’

’And this building... it looks like the inside of some corporation...’

Another thought crossed his mind, and he had a sudden realization.

However, possibly due to Domain interference and data transmission issues, the scene he was watching wasn’t smooth. It was often a blurry, flickering, frozen frame that would abruptly jump to the next one.

Even so, he could make out the general situation and deduce the power levels of both sides from certain details.

He watched for a while, then contacted the other side again. Specialist Liang’s voice came through. "Captain Chen, did you see it?"

Chen Chuan said, "I saw it. Specialist, what do you need me to do?"

Specialist Liang said, "The situation is rather complex. The Processing Bureau’s active Consciousness Body, ’An Shield,’ detected some abnormal signals. Our three departments, along with others, have formulated a plan. This plan requires a Fighter with both the right strength and abilities to execute it.

"I originally thought we could let you continue resting, Captain Chen, but the other departments strongly recommended you as the one to carry out the plan. They believe you are the most suitable person for the job.

"So, before we proceed, I’d like to ask: Captain Chen, do you still have the stamina for it?"

Chen Chuan replied, "No problem for now."

Specialist Liang said, "Alright. I’ll have some restorative medicine sent to you. I’ll send the plan over shortly. After you’ve reviewed it, give me a definitive answer."

Chen Chuan agreed.

After the call ended, he heard a notification chime from his Realm Token. Apparently, they had sent the plan over.

He took a look, and his eyes flashed. He read it again, and after finishing, he read it one more time from beginning to end.

This plan... how to describe it... was incredibly bold and extremely risky. It also required meticulous and precise coordination. If they could pull it off, it would indeed solve the problem once and for all.

But if any single part of it went wrong...

He thought for a moment, then looked up, placed a hand on his Realm Token, and contacted Specialist Liang again. "Specialist, I’ve seen the plan. I’m willing to carry it out."

Specialist Liang’s voice was grave. "Captain Chen, have you thought this through?"

There was not a hint of hesitation in Chen Chuan’s voice. "I have."

"Good. Captain Chen, given that this plan requires multi-departmental cooperation, we’ll give you another two Hours to rest and prepare.

"It’s currently... 9:25. The plan will commence in two Hours. I’ll have people coordinate with you. From this moment on, we will remain in constant contact. Captain Chen, please make sure you stay in peak condition."

Chen Chuan said slowly, "I will."

...

...