Upon hearing the voice, the red ocular lenses of Iron Crow's external implants flickered several times. He turned his head to look and saw that the person who had called out to him was a remarkably portly fat man.
This man possessed a thick, heavy chin where folds of flesh were piled up, hiding his neck entirely from sight. He stood a full three-plus meters tall. With so much fat on him, his black formal suit—which should have been well-tailored—strained tightly around him. A dainty red bow tie was neatly knotted, yet compared to his bloated upper torso, his lower body appeared startlingly slender.
The man stood a fair distance away. A stream of data scrolled across Iron Crow's external implant display, showing that he was situated on a hillside five kilometers off.
Generally speaking, martial artists were acutely sensitive to the gaze of their peers. Just moments ago, had he not observed the battle through his external implants, he believed the two combatants might well have noticed him.
This man likely possessed corresponding techniques as well, which was why Iron Crow had failed to detect him beforehand.
That voice just now in particular—it had sounded as though it were spoken right beside his ear. It was a specialized technique of mental transmission; typically, practitioners who wielded such power followed the path of the Visage of the Divine.
He fixed his gaze on the figure, attempting to search his database for the other's background, but found no matching data.
The fat man actually snapped his fingers, and in a melodious, magnetic voice that seemed entirely incongruous with his bulk, he said, "With that person being so formidable, Mr. Iron Crow, I have a little suggestion regarding how we might proceed."
"Who are you?" Iron Crow asked with utmost vigilance. The other had called out his moniker right off the bat—he had clearly come prepared.
"Pardon my manners."
The fat man offered him an impeccably formal bow; his bloated frame looked surprisingly nimble. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am a member of the Primitive Sect, codenamed 'Gluttony.'"
The holographic screen before Iron Crow flickered, finally retrieving some files regarding the Primitive Sect and Gluttony.
There wasn't much, however. Given his clearance level, such an absence was rare, likely meaning certain details had been left out of the system for specific reasons.
Even so, he was familiar with the Primitive Sect.
He said, "The Primitive Sect is meddling in this matter as well?"
The fat man waved his meaty paw, smiling with an utterly harmless expression. "Mr. Iron Crow, don't be so tense. The Throat of the Star Spirit is such a juicy piece of meat—did your Covert Operations Directorate really think you could swallow it whole? Oh, and by the way, you saw that gentleman just now, didn't you—"
He feigned an exaggerated look of wonder. "Formidable, isn't he? That sheer, unadulterated strength and speed... you know what that means in a fight. Whether it's you or me, if either of us went in alone, we wouldn't fare any differently than Master Baishi."
He grinned, showing a mouthful of gleaming white teeth. "Why don't we cooperate first?" Here, he spread his hands. "Once we've toppled the obstacle, we can decide who gets what. What do you say?"
Iron Crow didn't find the proposition appealing. As an agent of the Operations Directorate, he naturally mistrusted everyone. In the past, his absolute strength had allowed him to disregard others, but this man posed a significant threat.
Secret Palace martial artists were always few and far between.
The emergence of such a figure inevitably involved certain interest groups and complex maneuvers, signaling that another power had entered the arena.
This was hardly good news.
Yet one thing the other man had said was entirely correct. He had watched that battle just now; on his own, there was simply no way he could pose any threat to Chen Chuan. He needed someone to coordinate with him.
For now, he knew of one person he could temporarily trust: a Secret Palace martial artist from the Gigagods Flora Company. But having set out later, that person might not arrive until a bit later.
Gluttony caught onto something. He chuckled and said, "Mr. Iron Crow isn't making a move... Hmm—" He rubbed his fleshy chin, a cunning gleam flashing in his eyes. "You're waiting for someone, aren't you? Another Secret Palace martial artist?"
Iron Crow offered no answer, responding only with cold silence.
Gluttony didn't mind. He seemed thoroughly certain of his deduction, smiling as he said, "Then let us wait. Wait for the person Mr. Iron Crow is expecting. And there's no need to worry about them making off with what's inside the Throat of the Star Spirit. Once the sacred land opens, its gates will remain open to everyone for a period of time."
"Opens?" Iron Crow caught the word sharply and raised his head. "You know what's going on inside?"
Gluttony's eyes flickered. "A little bit."
***
On the other side, as Chen Chuan walked into the cavern, he was met by eyes filled with awe and veneration. Everyone watched him in silence.
Most of them hadn't truly grasped what had happened out there, for it had all unfolded far too quickly. Yet every single one of them had seen crystal clear how Chen Chuan's final punch shattered a spiritual visage over twenty meters tall.
To them, it was a scene straight out of myth. Even the third limit fighters present could not help but be stunned by the spectacle.
Gui Zihan had seen Chen Chuan display his power before and had assumed it was simply the standard strength possessed by any martial artist of the Longevity View. But witnessing today's battle, he suddenly understood: not all martial artists at this level were like this.
Before setting out, he had also looked into the situation in the Federation. Master Baishi of the Mind Intent School was exceedingly famous because of his ceaseless challenges across various lands. Even if there were cases where a martial artist's reputation exceeded their true capability, anyone acknowledged by so many martial artists worldwide and sought out for sparring was clearly no imposter. In truth, anyone capable of reaching the Longevity View could hardly be a fraud. Yet in just a few short seconds, the fight had concluded.
He looked at Chen Chuan. When the gap grew wide enough, it was no longer a matter of trying to catch up—one could only look up in awe.
Chen Chuan himself didn't dwell much on the battle. Compared to his clash with Su Kuo, his strength had grown once more, allowing him to command the full force of his body with greater mastery. Moreover, his opponent had been one who leaned toward technique.
When physical constitution didn't differ too drastically, technique might still offer hope of turning the tables; but once that disparity reached a certain threshold, relying on technique became an even greater liability.
Setting aside the Visage of the Divine, had the other walked the path of the Visage of the Aberrant, he might not have been beaten to the brink of death by a single blow so easily.
Noticing that some people had only just unwrapped their nutrition paste, Chen Chuan realized they had likely been resting while waiting for him. He said, "Take a rest and recuperate. We'll set out shortly."
"Yes, sir!"
The group sat down once more. There was no need to scout around here anyway; not knowing what lay inside, none dared to wander recklessly.
Chen Chuan took a seat on a padded folding stool nearby and poured himself a cup of hot drink. The battle just now had hardly depleted his energy—he hadn't even manifested his spiritual visage—so a warm beverage was more than enough to replenish him.
Just then, he saw the lively young First People boy run over to him, holding out something wrapped in leaves with both hands.
Chen Chuan glanced at it. It was clearly a kind of fruit powder used to refresh the mind and restore stamina. It would do little for him, but he did not decline the kind gesture. Smiling, he reached out to take it and said, "Thank you."
Awan looked at him with a mixture of curiosity and reverence. Using the translator provided to him by the team, he summoned the courage to ask, "The elder said you are a Divine Guard. Is that true?"
Chen Chuan understood what he meant. Martial artists among the First People were usually called Sacred Land Warriors, and those at the level above were Divine Guards.
For Elder Gale to make such a judgment, he might well have seen similar figures in the past. Back when the tribal priest brought him here, he was undoubtedly the most knowledgeable person in the tribe.
Chen Chuan smiled and said, "I am not a Divine Guard, because Great Shun does not worship gods."
Awan asked in bewilderment, "Then who protects you?"
Chen Chuan looked around and said, "Only ourselves." He paused. "All of us."
Awan didn't quite understand, but he felt it sounded deeply formidable.
Chen Chuan said, "Actually, it's not just me. If I remember correctly, your First People have someone like that as well. Hmm, his name is Kwasak."
The one-eyed elder was listening to their conversation from across the way. Hearing that name, his expression shifted, and he said, "Kwasak, the 'Wilderness Walker'! I met him many years ago. He was a deeply powerful and wise Sacred Land Warrior. I heard he went to Great Shun—is he still alive?"
Chen Chuan said, "He is. He even returned to the Ying Continent once, helped many of your kin, and visited many tribes that still existed back then."
The one-eyed elder said, "Then he must have operated mostly in the east."
Chen Chuan nodded. The book had mentioned that his primary sphere of activity was along the eastern coast, as he was a descendant of the eastern Quezatec people. That land was now held entirely by the East Coast Faction, forming the core heartland of the Federation.
"Is he still here now? In Kawatua?"
Chen Chuan said, "I'm not certain of his whereabouts. He did visit Kawatua, but he didn't stay long, as he didn't have a favorable impression of the place."
Tahu suddenly spoke up, "If he is willing to come, we would welcome him."
"Yet he is a Quezatec; he might not be willing to come to us."
Elder Gale said, "If we can re-establish a settlement for our Isutar people, we would welcome this Sacred Land Warrior among us. Mr. Chen, if you ever meet him, could you pass along the message?"
Chen Chuan smiled and said, "If I see him, I will pass the word."
Hearing this, all the First People broke into cheers.
After resting here for half an hour, everyone's stamina was virtually restored, and they set out once more. Perhaps owing to Chen Chuan's recent display of power, the entire party's morale and confidence soared.
Before venturing deeper, the security team left behind several modified bio-creatures for reconnaissance, making it easier to keep track of any developments behind them.
The one-eyed elder continued to lead the way at the very front. The initial stretch of the route was familiar to him, and knowing there was no danger along it, he set a swift pace. Before long, they cleared the outermost zone and turned into a winding corridor honeycombed with caverns.
This time, Chen Chuan brought up the rear. Before departing the area completely, he cast a backward glance toward the cavern entrance, then turned to catch up with the group ahead.
Chapter 1080