When Qian Ye returned to the holy land, another contingent from the Atuva tribe had arrived. The other Atuva encampments were quite distant, and even with the instant communication between Mother Trees, it would take them at least ten days or more to reach here.
The Mammon clan, newly arrived, had brought nearly three thousand individuals, almost all the adults in the tribe, and even some of the near-adult children. According to the elders, only a few hundred elderly and young ones remained in the tribe.
It was a mass exodus, and it was said that other tribes had done the same.
The Atuva people were mobilizing their entire population. The remaining elders did not have much life left; they could barely raise the eldest children to adulthood, after which the new generation would have to care for their younger siblings.
Now, with four tribes concentrated in the holy land, the area was becoming crowded, with temporary shelters set up in several squares. As Qian Ye passed through one of the squares, he suddenly caught a strong whiff of fresh blood, not the stench of decayed blood from the injured.
Following the scent, he entered a stone house nearby and saw two Atuva warriors on the bed, one old and the other a vigorous young man. Several elder physicians were busily pouring a mixture of various herbal juices into the wounds on their chests. The herbal juice had an almost miraculous effect, instantly stimulating the regeneration of flesh, sealing the wounds in a matter of moments.
However, Qian Ye noticed that the potion was extremely overbearing. Its restorative effects were mediocre, relying entirely on consuming the Atuva’s own life force to achieve its healing. The ratio of life force consumed to the achieved efficacy was drastically imbalanced, often requiring a hundred units of life force to yield just one unit of healing.
The sole advantage was its rapid effectiveness, allowing the strong warrior to return to battle within an hour. But for the elder, his already scant remaining lifespan was now nearly depleted, and he could die at any moment.
Qian Ye pulled aside one of the physicians and asked, “What is happening here?”
“Transplanting combat crystals?” the physician pointed to the strong warrior and said, “Aya doesn’t have a combat crystal, but Old Father Mula does. We are transferring Mula’s combat crystal to Aya so that he can contribute on the battlefield.”
The Atuva contribution involved self-detonation on the battlefield.
The fate of the elder without his combat crystal was clear: he would not live long.
Qian Ye did not stop them; the transplant was already complete. He rushed to the main hall, where he found an elder from the Monroe clan and asked, “Why transplant combat crystals?”
The elder, recognizing Qian Ye, led him to a window overlooking the gathered warriors of the clans below. “The brave warriors of all tribes have arrived. As guardians, we, the Monroe, must play a significant role in defending the holy peak.”
“The Monroe have already sacrificed much in previous battles.”
The elder remained calm. “We should be the first and last line of defense for the holy land. We should sacrifice the most and achieve the greatest victories in every battle. If the holy land is invaded, our clan should fight to the last person, regardless of age or gender. This is our duty and our faith.”
No matter how much Qian Ye tried to persuade him, the elder remained resolute. In truth, Qian Ye knew that by now, all suitable combat crystals had likely been transplanted.
Gazing at the Atuva warriors in the holy city, Qian Ye sighed inwardly. “Perhaps we should abandon the holy peak.”
“How can that be possible?”
“The holy land is, in fact, an extension of the holy peak. I have been to the summit, where the divine spirits dwell, and I know what is there. We can take those things now and reclaim the holy peak later.”
To Qian Ye, the true value of the holy peak lay in the unique trees that produced Illusion Origin Force. He had already extracted some of the tree sap and stored it in the Book of Black, using it to replenish Dawn Origin Force. The unique properties of the Illusion Origin Force allowed it to be directly combined with the Dawn Origin Force, and the conversion process took less than half a day. All Qian Ye needed to do was return to the holy peak once more and collect all the sap.
After the sap was exhausted, it would take the unique trees hundreds of years to regenerate fully.
Qian Ye was not afraid that the Illusion Origin Force would be discovered. Anathua’s battle with the Three Holy Mountains meant that the power of the Illusion Origin Force was well-known. What worried him was that if the unique trees were found, someone among the Eternity Night might deduce the cultivation method from their structure.
The Eternity Night was never short of geniuses, like Anwen. And Anathua had already cultivated the Illusion Origin Force, earning the title of Lord of the Eternity Night.
But the emergence of another Anathua was uncertain, while the survival of the Atuva clan was an immediate concern.
So, Qian Ye wanted to lead the Atuva away, ceding the holy land to the Eternity Night. This way, the balance of attack and defense would shift. Even if the Eternity Night seized the holy peak, they would still be unable to find their way back immediately. Qian Ye had the time to deal with them.
More importantly, Qian Ye’s Origin Force was growing stronger by the moment, thanks to the Illusion Origin Force. His Dawn Brilliance was now equivalent to a 22nd-level power, just a step away from becoming a Celestial King. With Dawn Brilliance as a foundation, he could finally make rapid progress on the Eternity Night side, advancing towards the Overlord realm in no time.
Given a little more time, Qian Ye was confident he could even challenge the Eternal Flame.
Yet, to his surprise, no matter how he argued, the elder refused to leave the holy land, vowing to protect it to the death, even if it meant fighting to the last person.
Asked for the reason, the elder simply said, “This is our faith.”
Qian Ye had met Rex and Anathua and had also learned about the history and legends of the Atuva clan. He had discovered a hidden truth.
The history and wisdom of the Atuva were, in fact, guided by Rex and Anathua. In their journey toward enlightenment and civilization, the belief in defending the holy peak and resisting the destructive black devils had become deeply ingrained in their spirit. On the other hand, Qian Ye also noticed that the Atuva’s thrift, simplicity, and reverence for nature had traces of external influence.
Thrift and frugality were virtues in times of scarcity, but for the Atuva, who stood at the top of the food chain in this inner world, such traits were unnecessary and hindered social progress. Their worship of nature also impeded the use of tools and prevented the emergence of large-scale production, keeping them in a primitive state.
Qian Ye suspected that Anathua’s goal was to keep the Atuva simple and steadfast in their faith.
The true mission of the Atuva was to block the powerful figures of the Eternity Night and prevent them from obtaining the dark essence.
The Atuva were supposed to be the chosen ones of the inner world, but their destiny had been altered by Rex and Anathua, turning them into a tool to counter the Eternity Night Council. They would never know that what they were guarding to the death was not the holy peak, but the survival of another race in another world.
For a moment, Qian Ye hesitated about revealing the truth to them. But when he saw the bright and pure light in the elder’s eyes, he suddenly understood what faith truly was.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage