Chen Chuan and the Federation officer followed the priest uphill for a while, soon passing the Audience Chamber of the Divine standing off to one side.
During his previous visit, Chen Chuan had met with the High Priestess there. He had not proceeded any further up at the time, not out of any disrespect on her part, but because Hatikan Grand Temple was normally open only to Kawatua's Grand Chieftain and members of the priesthood for routine worship; anyone else wishing to enter had to wait for specific festivals.
Now, however, both of them were invited inside, as the area behind the fissure was the only venue suitable for their battle.
The higher they climbed, the more the two men could appreciate the sheer grandeur of the temple.
Hatikan was the earliest temple built by the First People and remained the largest temple structure in the entire world to this day. A grand edifice claiming the entire peak of a majestic mountain was nearly impossible to rival even in antiquity, and likely nothing like it would ever be seen again.
Spanning several millennia of uninterrupted construction and expansion, it was nothing short of a miracle.
Reaching the top of the stairway, the two stepped onto the plaza before the main gate. Due to the steep incline, sights that could not be seen from below now appeared before them.
Flanking both sides stood two rows of thick sacrificial pillars for nature spirits. With their potent spiritual power, both men could easily perceive the nature spirits coiled atop them.
These beings may originally have been mere creatures possessing some degree of spiritual power, but over eons of worship, they had assumed forms reflecting mythical beasts imagined by the mortal mind, along with their own unique intellect and temperaments.
They noticed the two approaching from below, and the moment the men's gazes swept over them, their bodies instantly went rigid.
This was because they could sense the tremendous might dwelling within the pair—a power operating at a tier far higher than their own, rivaling what they had wielded only in their absolute prime.
Staring at the arrivals, they silently muttered in their hearts: "Apuchaymi."
"Apuchaymi" meant "demigod," the ancient title used by the First People themselves; the term used nowadays was actually borrowed from the Federation.
As they watched Chen Chuan and the officer stroll calmly past their perches, a flicker of complex emotion surfaced in the spirits' eyes.
In their zenith, countless First People had offered them worship, enabling them to sustain their intellect and personalities, maintaining their sense of self even while absorbing energy. That had been their golden age. Yet with the decline of the First People, their resistance to aberrant erosion had grown progressively weaker—unless they were willing to abandon their original selves.
Thus, having deteriorated step by step, they could now only barely preserve the appearance of low-tier nature spirits. Formidable and awe-inspiring though their visages remained, in truth they might not even best a single Sacred Land Warrior.
Their presence here owed to their status as the First People's most steadfast companions, bound to share life and death with them. For Kawatua—especially the Quezatec people—abandoning other nature spirits meant very little, and they hardly cared about how the remnants of the other two dynasties felt about it.
Chen Chuan and the officer glanced at the nature spirits before looking away. These entities posed virtually no threat, operating at a level equivalent only to the most ordinary martial artists—or perhaps even less. To them, the spirits were little more than stage dressing meant to heighten the sacred ambiance.
Passing beyond the sacrificial pillars, two colossal statues of the First People flanked their path, coated in ornate, colorful paint and radiating an ancient, magnificent air. Directly ahead of them stood a pair of massive stone gates exceeding thirty meters in height.
Drawing closer, they saw intricate, ornate ritual motifs branching like leaves and vines across the stone doors. The power of the ritual field sent rippling waves through their own fields.
Upon reaching the gates, the elderly priest gestured for them to halt. He proceeded forward alone, appearing to offer up a prayer.
Chen Chuan and the Federation officer fixed their eyes on the stone gates, both silently calculating whether a full-power strike of their own could shatter them.
The moment the thought arose, both felt a subtle premonition and glanced sideways at each other, clearly realizing that the other was pondering the exact same thing.
This was only natural. Wherever martial artists went, their first impulse was to consider an escape route or gauge whether the terrain might constrain them, regardless of whether the place was friendly or not.
The Federation officer smiled and introduced himself. "Mr. Chen, I am Wells Fantner. It is a pleasure to be your opponent. That raid before in Kawatua left quite a deep impression on me. I can hardly wait to face you in direct combat."
Chen Chuan studied him. "New Light Cult? Primitive Sect?"
"Neither."
Fantner replied, "I belong to the Federation military. I heard about what you did, so I took the initiative to request this assignment. I want to see whether I can defeat and kill you in an official battle."
He spoke without the slightest hesitation or concealment, maintaining a polite, practiced smile all the while.
Chen Chuan could tell that Fantner was expressing his genuine inner thoughts; the man's desire for battle burned intensely, completely unhidden.
Curiously, though Fantner's spiritual tier clearly marked him as a martial artist of the Dongxuan View level, his words placed him in the posture of a challenger. Was it because this incarnation did not carry his full might? Or was there another reason?
Chen Chuan said earnestly and sincerely, "If it is just yourself, I am afraid you will fall short."
Fantner stared at him for a moment, then smiled again. "I will verify that for myself."
By then, the priest ahead had finally finished his prayer. The instant his voice ceased, the patterns carved across the colossal stone gates flared with light, and the doors parted soundlessly.
This was not accomplished by any mechanical contraption, but purely by ritual power. The moment they opened, brilliant light spilled outward from within, bathing the entirety of the Avenue of All Spirits behind them in gold. Below, the First People dropped to their knees one after another.
The elderly priest turned around with a weary look. "Gentlemen, please. My guidance ends here. The High Priestess awaits you inside." The Sacred Land Warrior behind him repeated the words in both languages.
Chen Chuan and Fantner walked in together. Crossing the magnificent main hall, they found another broad, elongated flight of stairs ahead. Yet the sheer scale of the steps and surrounding space was so immense that one could easily imagine it meant for giants.
Braziers burning along both flanks illuminated their ascent.
As they stepped onto the stairs, Fantner asked, "Mr. Chen, before I came, someone entrusted me to ask: have you given any further thought to the matter of the Ascending Stairway?"
Chen Chuan glanced at him. "Are you a member of the Ascending Stairway, Mr. Fantner?" Without waiting for an answer, he added, "I have no interest in it."
Fantner looked at him and said, "Mr. Chen, I know what you are. That is why I can understand your refusal to join the Ascending Stairway—you possess that privilege. Yet it is precisely for that reason that I wish to cross blades with you, to see how you truly differ from the rest of us."
The remark seemed rather cryptic, but upon hearing it, Chen Chuan could not help recalling certain things, realizing that Fantner had likely misunderstood something.
Even so, Chen Chuan had no intention of holding back in this duel. Once the battle concluded, whatever the man believed would hardly matter.
After that brief exchange, neither man spoke again. They ascended continuously, reaching the summit of the stairs some ten minutes later.
A dazzling radiance burst before their eyes, engulfing both of them in its glow. At the same time, a surge of air swept toward them, stirring their hair and clothes, while the red streamers on the Xuejun Saber billowed rhythmically.
Without question, they had arrived before the fissure. Past this point lay the ancestral holy land of the First People.
Yet to the surprise of both men, the radiance emanating from the fissure carried no sensation of aberrant corruption whatsoever.
Chen Chuan glanced at his second self; there was not the slightest sign of blurring or dissipation. Everything harmful to them seemed to be held at bay by an unseen force.
This fissure was the most thoroughly controlled he had seen to date. Vast in scale, it was entirely anchored onto a stone wall, with not a single boundary-crossing creature in sight outside. Yet sensing closely, one could detect the branching pathways of aberrant flora running deep within the rock face, their woven structure firmly binding the fissure.
It showcased the First People's consummate mastery over aberrant vegetation—a pity that it was applied solely within religious sanctuaries rather than converted into true martial power.
The High Priestess stood before the fissure. Today, she was in full ceremonial regalia, donned in the complete vestments of her station: a towering feathered crown inset with a golden solar disc, as well as a cleft crystal gemstone symbolizing the fissure.
Tassels from her headdress draped down to her shoulders, and her mantle was embroidered with intricate geometric patterns and depictions of the myriad spirits in vivid hues. Along its hem, tiny gold bells and beast fangs jingled softly in the currents of air, emitting a melodic, mystical chime.
Against the towering gate of the fissure, her figure was remarkably diminutive, appearing almost insignificant. Yet her profound, boundless spiritual force was currently linked to an immense creature, making her impossible to overlook.
She spoke: "Welcome, gentlemen. I thank you both for your efforts toward the future of Kawatua. Ikus says that the victor shall receive a gift."
Fantner smiled. "I look forward to it."
Chen Chuan remained silent.
The High Priestess turned and waved the scepter adorned with bright plumage in her hand. A silhouette of a feathered serpent manifested within the light, spreading two colossal, phantom wings wide.
The protective barrier over the fissure was instantly stripped away. The light turned violently scorching in an instant, and both men simultaneously felt a fierce surge of intrusive force.
"Please follow me," said the High Priestess. With quick, short steps, accompanied by the clatter of bells and bone ornaments upon her robes, she walked into the fissure.
Chen Chuan tightened his grip on the Xuejun Saber and followed alongside Fantner, their silhouettes soon swallowed by the brilliant expanse of light and shadow.
Chapter 1230