The Holy Mountains of Atua stretch for countless miles, spanning the land. The connected mountain ranges are as far as three days’ journey, and the main peak rises tens of thousands of meters into the sky, piercing through the clouds. The upper half of the main peak is completely submerged in the clouds, and the peak itself is a freezing wasteland where even active origin power would be silent.
The inner world is divided by the sea of clouds, and the areas above the clouds are often perilous realms. Therefore, the holy site of Atua is not built on the highest peak, nor do they have the capability to build there. Even if one were to ascend to the highest peak, even a giant war god could not last long; only Qian Ye could move freely above the sea of clouds.
The Holy Mountain and the holy site of Atua are connected, situated on a smaller peak beside the main one, with its top several hundred meters below the boundary of the cloud sea. The holy site itself is located on the gentle slopes descending from this smaller peak.
About two thousand Atuans live in the holy site. Their houses are all constructed from huge, cut stones, each house being exceptionally tall, with entrance halls at least ten meters high.
Entering the holy site of Atua, Qian Ye felt as if he had entered a realm of giants. Some mansions were built up to three stories, looking truly magnificent.
Building their stone houses so high was not out of ostentation, but rather to accommodate the appearance of a giant war god within the family.
Atuans are tall and lanky, and the more powerful giant war gods can grow to six or seven meters. With a single reach, they can touch the ceiling of a ten-meter-high room. Thus, the construction of the stone houses was quite reasonable.
In the inner world, the Atuan tribe is essentially at the top of the food chain. Aside from some rare ferocious beasts, they have no rivals. Their long lives and comfortable living conditions have led them to pass the time through building and sculpting.
Thus, every stone house Qian Ye saw was adorned with bas-reliefs and wall carvings. The stone houses themselves were not enough, and on one side of the settlement stood hundreds of thick stone pillars, all carved with the handiwork of the Atuans. Whether it was the various ferocious beasts depicted in bas-relief or the totems of their own tribe, they were all lifelike and aesthetically pleasing, a stark contrast to their rugged appearance.
Qian Ye followed the Atuan warrior guiding him to the highest point of the holy site. There, a massive stone hall over a hundred meters tall stood, with thirteen stone pillars erected in front of it, each carved with the emblems of different families.
This was the holy temple of all Atuan tribes, linked to the Holy Mountain.
Entering the holy temple, one’s eyes were met with an enormous, empty hall. At the end, on a high platform, stood an altar identical to the one Qian Ye had seen in the Spurke tribe’s settlement, only much larger.
Before the altar, a row of elders stood, their attire indicating they were the elders of the Monroe tribe. On the other side of the temple, more than a dozen giant war gods stood. Considering the several giant war gods who had already fallen in battle, the Monroe tribe originally had over twenty, making their strength far greater than the Spurke tribe, rightfully earning the title of the Guardian Saints.
Opposite the giant war gods were some warriors of status and position in the tribe. Su Shi was among them, albeit standing at the end. If Su Wen had not perished, she would undoubtedly have held a place of honor, possibly even a high one.
As Qian Ye reached the center of the hall, the elders approached. The oldest among them, scrutinizing Qian Ye, waved his hand, casting a cloud of mist that gradually turned into a deep, dark red upon landing on Qian Ye.
The elder’s face changed, and he immediately knelt, exclaiming, “There is no mistake, you are the savior foretold by the Holy Spirit. We, the Guardian Saints, and all the Atuan tribes, have awaited you for 1,200 years!”
Qian Ye was taken aback, feeling that the timeline was off, but considering the low level of civilization of the Atuans, perhaps they did not have a clear way to measure time. It was also possible that Rex or Andoja had manipulated things in the shadows, deliberately blurring the timeline?
However, the timeline was not the most important thing. Qian Ye said solemnly, “The Holy Spirit has given me a revelation, guiding me to the Holy Mountain. Here lies the ultimate secret to resist the Black Devils.”
Seeing the solemn and focused demeanor of the Atuan warriors, Qian Ye had to adjust his tone to match.
The elder said, “You have indeed heard the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The secret left by the Holy Spirit has been known only to the elders of the Guardian Saints, passed down through generations.”
Qian Ye felt a bit speechless, thinking that since they called this place the Holy Mountain and had settled here, the greatest likelihood was that the secret was on the Holy Mountain, and he could have guessed as much without Rex’s guidance.
The elder rose and led Qian Ye to a window on the side. Through the nearly hundred-meter-tall, massive window, one could see the towering main peak of the Holy Mountain reaching up to the heavens.
“All the legacies of the Holy Spirit lie on the summit of the Holy Mountain. No Atuan has ever been able to reach the peak, so you must go alone to find the secret of the Holy Spirit.”
Looking at the distant, massive peak, Qian Ye was somewhat troubled. In such a vast place, where would he find a small secret?
But the Holy Peak was a sacred, inviolable place for the Atuans. They would never step foot within its bounds, so how could they know where Rex’s secret was hidden?
With no other choice, Qian Ye prepared to climb the mountain and search for himself.
At that moment, hurried footsteps sounded outside the hall. An Atuan warrior rushed in, declaring, “The Mother Tree has detected the presence of Black Devils!”
None of the Atuan warriors panicked; their faces filled with anger instead.
A giant war god pounded his chest, emitting a high-pitched battle cry. Instantly, the entire holy site began to stir. Large and small Atuan tribesmen emerged from all directions, even some clearly young ones, armed and gathering in the square.
Only the elders remained calm, addressing Qian Ye, “You can accompany me to the Mother Tree Forest to see which Black Devils have arrived.”
The invitation was perfect, as Qian Ye wanted to see what the Atuan Mother Tree looked like. A Mother Tree capable of detecting and tracking Qian Ye was no simple matter.
Leaving the hall, the elder led Qian Ye to a forest halfway up the mountain. This forest, lush and verdant, appeared no different from others, except for a few particularly tall trees, significantly higher than the rest, standing out prominently.
As they approached, Qian Ye’s gaze was drawn to these giant trees. At the edge of the forest, Atuan warriors guarded vigilantly, their defenses tight.
The elder explained, “The Mother Tree is the eye of the Atuans, watching over the entire land and monitoring any potential destroyers and devils. Therefore, we always send our best warriors to guard here and protect the Mother Tree.”
The guarding Atuan warriors bowed respectfully upon seeing the elder, stepping aside to let them pass.
Within the forest, a path wound its way toward the giant Mother Trees. Each tree had a small wooden hut beneath it, housing the woodsmen.
The woodsmen were a unique profession among the Atuans, living in the Mother Tree Forest from a young age, spending their lives with the Mother Tree. In exchange for their lifelong solitude, they gained the ability to communicate with the Mother Tree, seeing events happening elsewhere through it.
This ability, typically possessed only by a few elders, allowed the woodsmen to serve as constant sentinels for the tribe, earning them great respect.
The elder and Qian Ye approached one of the Mother Trees, the one that had detected the Black Devils, or the Eternight experts.
After a brief conversation with the woodsman, the elder placed his hand on the Mother Tree, closing his eyes.
Moments later, the elder opened his eyes and said, “I have found the trail of the Black Devils. The Mother Tree’s attention is now focused on that area. You can try to see it too.”
Qian Ye, mimicking the elder, placed his hand on the Mother Tree. Though Rex had said he had given Qian Ye the ability to communicate with the Mother Tree, he still needed to test it.
When Qian Ye’s hand touched the Mother Tree, he felt as if he were immersed in warm water, a sensation of warmth spreading from his feet to his mind, causing a slight blurriness, similar to the feeling when he drank the sacrificial wine at the Spurke settlement, but more intense.
Once his consciousness merged into the warmth, it was quickly accepted. Qian Ye understood that the warmth was the Mother Tree’s consciousness, confirming Rex’s claim that it had indeed accepted him.
Relaxing slightly, Qian Ye’s consciousness left his body and merged into the Mother Tree. The scenery around him changed, with mountains and forests flashing by, eventually settling on a particular forest.
This forest was composed of countless images, overlapping each other. After a while, Qian Ye realized that each individual image was the view of a different tree, combined into a large panoramic view by the Mother Tree’s consciousness.
In the center of the forest, several peculiar trees were being cut down. Correspondingly, the Mother Tree’s imagery would show a small, black square. However, the Mother Tree used other trees’ perspectives to fill in the gaps, maintaining a relatively complete picture.
Several Eternight experts were cutting down the trees, clearing a space. Others were processing the wood, cutting it into thick planks to build wooden huts.
Most of these experts were spider-demons, but surprisingly, about half of them were vampires!
Since the Twilight War, although Medanzo had defected to the Parliament, Qian Ye had rarely encountered vampire experts in battle. He was unsure whether it was because the number of vampires following Medanzo was too small or if the Parliament still did not fully trust them, unwilling to deploy them.
During the invasion of the inner world, Qian Ye had seen very few vampires in the Eternal Flame’s army. The sudden appearance of several vampires in the forest was indeed unexpected.
A vampire emerged from behind a tree, entering the view of the Mother Tree. As he appeared, the image formed by the Mother Tree began to distort and waver.
The vampire expert suddenly hummed, turning to look directly at Qian Ye.
In that instant, Qian Ye’s expression changed, his gaze becoming deep and icy. It was the King of Darkness, Medanzo!
It could be said that the fall of the Blue King was due to Medanzo’s betrayal. Without his treachery, the Demon Emperor, no matter how powerful, could not have wiped out a large portion of the vampires in one fell swoop.
In the Twilight War, Medanzo played a crucial role. By blocking the channel to the Night Queen, he allowed the Parliament’s army to act with impunity.
Qian Ye never expected to encounter Medanzo in the inner world.
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