Chapter 521: The God

Chief De Jike finished his prayer, stood up and apologized: "Sorry to have kept Lord Lei En waiting."

"It's fine."

Lei En shook his head, noticing that De Jike's Faith Flame had grown a tiny bit—extremely faint, barely detectable without careful use of the Soul Eye—but it lasted only a few seconds, the briefly intensified Faith Flame then faded back to dimness.

He had seen Faith Flames many times, yet rarely encountered this situation.

The Faith Flame reflects one's devotion to the deities; the more devout, the more blazing it is. Unless faith wavers, it normally only grows, with no dramatic fluctuations.

As a descendant‑faithful of the Sun God, De Jike is evidently the most devout, yet his Faith Flame is receding, which can only have one explanation.

That is, doubt has arisen toward the Sun God.

Lei En followed De Jike onward and found that among the bull‑headed people beneath the stone‑pillar totems, some also displayed erratic Faith Flames—certainly not a normal phenomenon.

With doubt lingering, Lei En entered a tall building not far from the stone‑pillar totems; the log‑built structure was simple yet spacious, appearing to be the Sun Chaser Tribe's council hall and the most important place on Bright Cliff.

The Extreme Warrior stayed at the doorway, while only Xika Liusi and Bo Erqi followed inside.

"Lord Lei En, please have a seat."

De Jike warmly invited Lei En to sit at the long table in the center of the hall.

The tables and chairs were fashioned for bull‑headed people, whose adults stand at least 2.5 meters tall; for Lei En, who is under 1.9 meters, it felt like stepping into a land of giants, everything in the room appearing twice as large, and his feet could not touch the ground while seated on the sturdy log chair.

A female bull‑headed person brought a drink; the massive wooden cup resembled a barrel, filled with white liquid that smelled fragrant, reminding Lei En of milk tea.

Unable to refuse the hospitality, Lei En lifted the cup and took two sips—sweet, aromatic, and quite tasty—but the portion was huge; another cup would have been enough for a bath.

He muttered under his breath, glanced at De Jike seated at the head, and smiled, "Chief, Ha Bu should have told you what I'm after, right?"

"Yes." De Jike nodded. "The demon souls of Holy Beetles are of little use to us Sunwalkers, and we rarely hunt them. The two demon souls Ha Bu obtained were merely a chance transaction. If Lord Lei En desires more, you must go to Atas."

"Atas?" Lei En sounded a bit bewildered.

The translator Ha Bu beside him explained, "Lord Lei En, Atas is the Dying Sun Plane."

Seeing Lei En's dawning realization, De Jike's expression grew solemn as he said earnestly, "Atas is the location of my lord An Se's Divine Kingdom; although it is now shattered, outsiders may not enter casually."

He paused, waited for Ha Bu to finish translating, then continued, "Moreover, Atas's area is comparable to the Empire's, and its interior is extremely perilous. Without an experienced guide, it would take three or four years at best to locate Holy Beetles. I heard Ha Bu say that Lord Lei En requires a large number of Holy Beetles?"

"Exactly, the more the better." Lei En admitted graciously.

The Spearwing Knights have been continuously expanding—a long‑term future plan. Even if only one‑twentieth of the Spearwing Knights later advance to Mid-stage, the demand for Holy Beetle demon souls would still be substantial: at least hundreds, possibly thousands!

De Jike showed a faint smile, "Atas teems with Holy Beetles and can certainly meet Lord Lei En's needs. I can personally guide the way, but you must agree to do something for me."

Lei En nodded calmly; it was all as expected.

"Chief, please speak."

De Jike glanced at Ha Bu, as well as Xika Liusi and Bo Erqi standing behind Lei En, evidently not wanting them to overhear.

"You all go out first." Lei En turned and said, "Ha Bu, you too; I'll converse with the chief in the Empire language."

Ha Bu, brimming with curiosity, left with a gloomy expression.

After the three left, De Jike resumed speaking, using somewhat halting Empire language: "Lord Lei En, how much do you know about my lord An Se's situation?"

"Very little; I've only ever heard of His revered name before." Lei En replied honestly, "This is my first time learning of the Sun Chaser Tribe's existence."

"We must thank the Mother Goddess for her protection. Without her mercy, the Sun Chaser Tribe would have long been wiped out by Ge Weng and his followers." De Jike's eyes flashed with hatred, anger, and gratitude—a complex mix. He let out a long sigh, "Lord An Se was once the Mother Goddess's closest ally, wielding great divine power, but Ge Weng usurped his divine office, shattering the Divine Kingdom. It fell for over ten thousand years, surviving only through the bull‑headed people of the Sun Chaser Tribe praying generation after generation, hoping for resurrection someday, yet—"

At this point, the bull‑headed chief's expression was conflicted.

Lei En's Soul Eye also perceived the opponent's intense emotional turbulence, as if confronting an indecisive dilemma; the information in the words confirmed his suspicion that behind An Se's fall lay the black hand of the Sun God Ge Weng.

He waited a while, De Jike still silent, then asked:

"But what?"

De Jike lowered his voice, "Since more than thirty years ago, when my people were praying, we heard a response."

Lei En was shocked; a response to prayer meant a deity was about to revive!

But De Jike showed no joy; a gloom clouded his face as he said in a low tone, "That response was strange—no communication, not even language. I could hear the sound filled with evil and madness, something like, like …"

His face twisted in pain; he could not continue.

Lei En felt a slight chill; he could understand De Jike's plight—millennia of prayers finally glimpsed the dawn of the Sun God's revival, only for trouble to arise. How could one not be sorrowful?

No wonder the bull‑headed people's faith wavered.

After a moment, De Jike regained composure and continued, "My people and I discussed it; that voice certainly wasn't my lord An Se—it resembled a mindless beast!"

"Chief, what do you want me to do?" Lei En asked softly.

De Jike cautiously glanced at the hall's entrance, ensured no one was eavesdropping, and whispered, "When my lord fell, he left a contingency: a secret tomb built in Atas solely for resurrection. The tomb is concealed by the Mother Goddess, even Ge Weng has not discovered it. Only a few of the most devout followers at the time know its location, and the Sun Chaser Tribe's chief is one of them."

"Over the years I have repeatedly ventured to my lord's tomb, hoping to assess his condition, but the tomb is sealed by a massive ancient rune array."

"That was set during the Second Era by the Sun Priests under my lord. The Sun Chaser Tribe lost the Sun Priest lineage millennia ago, and we cannot open the tomb's great door; years of study have yielded no entry."

"I sent a senior druid from the tribe, but even they could not decipher it."

Lei En understood at that point.

"Chief, you wish me to help open the tomb?"

"Yes, but also not." De Jike nodded then shook his head. "We want the tomb opened, but we hope the Lord's mentor—namely that Holy Soul Wizard—can act." He hurried to clarify, "It's not that I distrust Lord Lei En; after all it's my lord's tomb, far beyond what an ordinary wizard can break, so having the Lord's mentor handle it is safer."

Lei En understood perfectly; plainly put, they still didn't trust his own ability. A wizard barely in his early twenties, no matter how renowned, could not match a Holy Soul Wizard's reliability.

He smiled, "If my mentor steps in, the price won't be just a few Holy Beetle demon souls."

De Jike's complexion shifted slightly.

Lei En added, "Moreover, the mentor has pressing matters these years and cannot easily leave Weizelan; I must act in his stead."

"Lord Lei En …"

De Jike was still hesitating when Lei En rose, brimming with confidence, and said, "Chief, rest assured, opening the door—I'm a professional! Even the mentor is no match for me in this regard; in this world, there is no door I cannot open."

The bull‑headed chief was stunned by Lei En's tone.

After a moment's consideration, he finally nodded, "Then it's up to you, Lord Lei En."

"Wait." Lei En raised his hand to stop De Jike, "I said I can open the door, but you also said it's a deity's tomb, extremely dangerous; a few Holy Beetle demon souls are not enough for my brothers and me to risk."

"The arrangements inside the tomb are only for heretics; I will lead the way, so you, Lord, can rest assured," De Jike explained. "After you, Lord, open the gate, you need not go in."

"I don't want to go in either; I'm afraid the one inside won't let me leave," Lei En shook his head and said.

Whether the resurrected in the tomb is the Sun God or not, even without a safe resurrection, it is an extremely terrifying being. De Jike added that the other's voice is filled with evil and madness; if it does not recognize its own followers, it will turn hostile and strike, making escape difficult.

De Jike opened his mouth but could not give any guarantee.

He could only ask, "So, what does the Lord mean?"

The initiative of the deal instantly shifted to Lei En. He gave a faint smile and proposed, "I can follow Your Excellency the Chief into the Dying Sun Plane to reach that tomb. But before that, Your Excellency must first lead the way for me, hunting at least fifty holy beetle souls."

"After arriving at the tomb, I will decide whether to open the gate."

"If I find it too dangerous, I can leave at any time." Lei En saw De Jike looking anxious and said, "When we return, I will report to the teacher, and the teacher will decide whether to act. However, Your Excellency the Chief may have to wait patiently for several years. How does that sound?"

De Jike pondered for a long while, realized he had no choice, and nodded, "Fine."

Lei En smiled, "Pleasant cooperation!"

"Pleasant cooperation."

Two vastly different large hands clasped together; De Jike said "pleasant cooperation" aloud, but his heart was filled with bitterness.

He immediately left the council hall and summoned the Sunwalkers.

Lei En also let the Extreme Warriors rest and prepare for battle.

An hour later, De Jike's forces were assembled. Besides himself, there were two legendary Sunwalkers—a legendary Mid-stage and a legendary initial-stage—leading twenty‑five Minotaurs. The numbers matched the Extreme Warriors, and all were high‑level Sunwalkers.

After the troops converged, De Jike led the way into a towering building atop the mountain, tightly guarded by Minotaurs, which contained a passage leading into the mountain's interior.

The passage was formed by spiraling stone steps, extremely wide, enough for three Minotaurs to walk side by side.

All six peaks of Bright Cliff have such passages that lead directly to the ground, allowing Minotaurs to travel between summit and foot. Yet on the central highest peak, the passage is not for up‑and‑down travel but for descending deeper underground, revealing a massive cavern before them.

The cavern, a hundred meters in diameter, had a dome ten meters above the floor; a stone pillar totem pierced down from the ceiling, its base resting in the middle of the cellar.

Around the pillar, the ground was laid out with a complex rune formation.

Lei En instantly recognized it as a planar portal array, but its details differed from the Storm Sanctuary's portal, seemingly using a different activation energy.

Boom—boom—boom…

From the opposite side of the cavern, heavy footsteps echoed as a herd of Kodo Beasts were led out by Minotaurs. These beasts were larger than ordinary Kodo Beasts, six meters long, fitted with metal armor on their necks and flanks, and bore large sacks filled with fresh water and food.

Lei En scanned the scene; there were over fifty Kodo Beasts, far exceeding the number of Sunwalkers, evidently also equipped for the Extreme Warriors.

De Jike explained, "Atas's sky is shrouded by fractured void, extremely dangerous; flying there easily leads to disorientation, so it's best to stay on the ground. Lord, your warriors' wyverns should not be released unless necessary, lest they get lost."

"Understood, I will have everyone be careful," Lei En replied.

Soon, each Sunwalker and Extreme Warrior mounted a Kodo Beast, forming a line inside the cavern.

De Jike produced eight gold‑like crystals, set into the grooves of the stone pillar totem, placed his hand on them and began channeling holy light power. Beams of tangible light flashed forth, flowing through the totem's engravings like liquid into the ground's rune formation.

Lei En recognized them as Sun Crystals, which are very precious in Ai Lun E Si.

Half a minute later, the entire rune formation was lit by holy light power; the glow rolled back onto the stone pillar totem, space began to warp, and with a boom, a golden portal over five meters tall opened on the pillar's shaft.

De Jike leapt onto his Kodo Beast and was the first to charge in.

Then the other two legendary Sunwalkers, followed by twenty‑five Minotaurs, all riding Kodo Beasts, surged one after another into the golden portal.

"We will go in as well."

Xikaluisi led the Extreme Warriors in a single file, then Bo Erqi, with Lei En the last to enter. The moment they passed through the portal, the surrounding scenery shifted rapidly, layers of void flashing from in front of them to behind; their bodies felt weightless and floated for about ten seconds, after which gravity returned and the Kodo Beast beneath them stepped onto solid ground.

Lei En looked around, realizing he was in another cavern, and the portal behind him was on a massive stone pillar totem, slowly closing.

De Jike rode his Kodo Beast, stepping onto a sloping stone path upward.

At the end of the stone path a huge boulder blocked the way; he leapt down and forcefully pushed aside the several‑meter‑high boulder.

Instantly, a beam of blood‑red sunset light poured in, blindingly bright, causing Lei En to squint.

(End of Chapter)