"Yo! Yo!..."

The majestic golden eagle soared with the southward airflow, flying along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. It flew over the sparse grasslands of Tamaulipas, past the port of the Red Crow Tribe, crossed the jungle rivers of the Totonac, flew over the bustling spring plowing of various tribes in Golden Bay, until it reached the vast forest sea of the Yucatan Peninsula, arriving at the Canul Salt Village on the western coast.

Its sharp eyes scoured the scene, spotting the fleet with sails and the busy port. It saw the bustling camp under construction and the thousands of "beasts" on two legs, with their dangerous two-meter "sharp horns". Then, its gaze suddenly stopped and fixated on an exceptionally large "giant beast", lying in front of several "Long Feather" two-legged beasts. This giant beast had a red and striking "skin bag" and one especially terrifying "giant eye" that seemed to be staring straight at the sky, looking at it!

"Screech!..."

The golden eagle circled above the jungle coast, letting out a threatening cry, a sound that pierced through metal, seemingly carrying a soul-tearing force. However, the red giant beast not only did not avert its eyes but instead slowly began to swell, resembling a fluffed-up round bird.

So, they were locked in a tense standoff, one in the sky and the other by the seashore. Until a critical point, the red giant beast swelled to its limit, soaring directly up to the golden eagle, towards the sky!

"Ahh!..."

The golden eagle's feathers stood on end, its speed suddenly accelerated. Without looking back, it fled from the flying giant beast, darting into the deep jungles of the East, escaping the "terrifying" coast. Behind it, the red giant beast gradually ascended, opening its blood-red eyes, for the first time overlooking the timeless and wild Maya forest sea!

At this moment, the ascending red "giant beast" overlooked the faintly visible Maya villages in the forest sea, gazed at those ancient city-states with reservoirs, and those century-old observatory ruins.

"!Heavens! In the sky!... Eyes!..."

All the Maya tribespeople who saw it widened their eyes in shock, their fearful cries resonating. And as they came to their senses, everyone, irrespective of gender or status, fearfully and tremblingly prostrated themselves on the ground, praying to the sky where the "giant beast" appeared.

"Ah! Kʼin ich! It's the eye of the Sun God, the face of the Divine Spirit, it's the gaze of the Divine descending!..."

"Heavenly Divine! A blood-red eye, appearing from the western sky?! Isn't that the salt-producing village forcibly occupied by the Highland People? Could it be... could it be... could this be the Heavenly Divine summoned by the Highland People?!!..."

"That terrifying Highland War God, so powerful!!... Ancestors protect us, protect us!..."

The "giant beast" gazed mercilessly over the forest sea, observing the devout and fearful Maya people. Even across dozens or even hundreds of miles, even across the unconquerable jungle, it still brought an overwhelming power that shook their faith, bringing a mighty force that caused their beliefs to falter!

Its appearance also symbolized the will of some "Chief Divine," truly descending from the Highlands. It wanted to descend from the sky, a symbol of the Divine dwelling, bringing an undeniable miracle deep into the hearts of the Maya Tribes! No matter how "divine" the traditional Maya priests appeared, nor how many generations had established their legal rule over the tribes, they would all be shattered in the face of unmatched "Divine Intervention," dissolving in the hearts of the tribes!

"Chief Divine bless! The 'Divine Spirit Giant Eye' has finally been repaired and successfully ascended! The prophecy of my brother is true! It's built so large, yet it can ascend so high and last so long!"

"Praise the Chief Divine! Finally, the miraculous feat from the Highlands can be displayed before the Mayans! These obstinate Maya tribes will be utterly prostrated under the might of the Chief Divine, completely abandoning the control of the old Maya gods, and sincerely converting to the Chief Divine!..."

It wasn't until a full half-hour later that the huge red hot air balloon, amidst the joyous cheers of the Chief Divine priests, was slowly pulled back to the ground with dozens of meters of rope.

The two young Chief Divine priests were elated, first meticulously checking the "skin bag" made from rubber and leather, then examining the painting of the "Chief Divine's Blood Eye" on the skin bag, and finally touching the cleanly burnt clay basin, their fingers picking up some unsmelted, particularly scented "stone brain oil".

"Praise the Prophet! For the 'Divine Spirit Giant Eye' to ascend, it's all thanks to the prophetic 'Demon Blood'! The 'Demon Black Blood' gushing from under the seabed, when heated in a clay pot, rises in vapor, then cooled through an overturned copper basin and long copper pipe with a water vat, finally produces a light-colored 'Demon Blood'... which is a far superior airborne fuel than coal and charcoal!"

"Indeed! When this 'Demon Blood' is burned, it's truly fierce, like it contains the astounding power of a volcano! And with this 'Demon Blood' powering it, the Divine Spirit Eye can be made larger, lifting more weight, and even larger, it could carry a small priest into the sky!"

"Yes! Once the priest can ascend, the persuasive power during missionary work on these stubborn Maya tribes... Tsk, Tsk! It will undoubtedly be an impression engraved in their hearts!... It's just a pity, the refinement of this 'Demon Blood' is too troublesome, a big tank of 'Black Blood' only yields a tenth... Still need to improve the refining tools!"

"Alright! The matter of carrying people can come later... Now we can send someone to report to Marshal Bertade! The 'Divine Spirit Giant Eye' brought from the Alliance over a long distance has been fully repaired, ready at any time for the 'Divine Miracle Ceremony' to ascend. Please have the Marshal summon the chieftains, heads, and tribespeople of the Maya tribes to hold the grandest Chief Divine Ceremony!"

The tropical sun was truly fierce, the two Chief Divine priests wearing feather crowns were covered in a layer of sweat on their foreheads. Yet, as they looked at the large hot air balloon, "Divine Spirit Giant Eye", their hearts were filled with devout excitement and boundless imagination towards the azure sky.

In all the murals, tablets, and epics of heritage, the sky is the realm of the divine spirits! And now, with the divine revelation of Xiulote, they have finally found the true way to ascend to the sky by following a clear and unerring path. Through crude oil produced at the seaside and using the most primitive "distillation technology", they have finally obtained more efficient ascension fuel, discovering the possibility of "manned ascension", "approaching the Divine Kingdom", and communicating with and conversing with the divine spirits!

"Tona Weiwei, does your Sun Series priesthood have any records of... what exactly is in the sky? How far must we fly to reach the realm of the divine spirits?..."

"Xiu Mole, the heritage tablet states that the sky is the realm of all gods, and as long as we fly into the sky, we can reach the entrance to the Divine Kingdom! However, the entrance to the Red Kingdom is not easily opened, and mortals can scarcely see it... To witness the divine spirits, one can only be seen by a spirit-communicative elder priest during a grand ritual, when the divine spirits open the entrance and guide the devout souls back."

The young Alliance Priest narrated seriously the mysteries of the Alliance's Sun Series heritage. And the young Kingdom Priest blinked and thought curiously, then pursued.

"By the witness of the Chief Divine! Tona Weiwei, your grandfather is an elder priest of the Sun Series... did he truly see the Chief Divine during the ritual? And what is the Red Kingdom truly like? Do the departed souls rest in peace inside it?"

"Uh... the power of the Chief Divine is immeasurable... Regarding the Red Kingdom, that... naturally, as recorded, it's filled with red trees and flowers, with numerous hummingbirds and deer... Once we become elder priests and ascend through the Eye of the Divine Spirit, we will naturally see it! Yes! That's definitely the way it is!"

The young Alliance Priest Tona Weiwei answered stammering and hesitantly. Then his eyes flickered, looking at the young Kingdom Priest Xiu Mole, and asked in return.

"Xiu Mole, your elder brother is His Highness the Prophet, often able to communicate with spirits, converse with the Chief Divine, and receive divine revelations as the Great Prophet!... Has he ever told you what the Red Kingdom is like? What the Chief Divine is like?"

"Ah! I'm somewhat afraid of my brother, all the siblings are very afraid of him... When I was young, I did indeed ask him about the appearance of the divine spirits and the Divine Kingdom..."

"Wow! How did His Highness the Prophet answer?"

Xiu Mole touched his pointed nose, staring into the infinitely deep sky, mimicking his brother's past demeanor, and answered meaningfully.

"He said... the divine spirits are formless and shapeless, the embodiment of heavenly principles. What priests carve out is merely the image of the divine in their hearts. And the Red Kingdom is eternal tranquility, even thoughts dissipate like divine smoke. All hopes while living won't be carried to the afterlife, nor should one expect to realize them post-mortem."

"Thus, people revere the divine spirits, follow their teachings, to live better in the present... Bringing change to the present is the responsibility of priests, rather than merely promising the afterlife."

"This is my path... To revere the divine and love mankind... is to 'Benevolence'!"

"To revere the divine and love mankind... is to 'Benevolence'? Promising followers in the present, rather than the afterlife?"

Tona Weiwei blinked and fell into deep contemplation. After a while, he gently shook his head and exclaimed.

"No wonder His Highness the Prophet! Such astounding ideology, such directly manifesting miracles, the strength of divinity far surpassing all elders of the Alliance priesthood!"

"However, this so-called 'Benevolence' seems... somewhat too distant from the legacy beliefs of the Alliance priesthood? Can the elders follow the steps of His Highness the Prophet?"

"And once His Highness the Prophet returns to the Lake Capital City and becomes the thirteenth elder priest in the High Priesthood... who will decide then?"

"Perhaps these changes brought by divine revelation have to wait until His Highness the Prophet, destined to inherit the High Priest position from Uguel, becomes the High Priest, right? After all, compared to His Highness the Prophet, the other elder priests don't stand a chance in competition!"

"Grandfather Tonaltiliu previously told me, the position of High Priest was already decided at the moment the Evil Demon prophecy was realized... No matter how unwilling or discontent the other elder priests are, there is no comparing in divinity with the living prince! And for this reason, he sent me to join the first batch of Alliance to support the East Sea and resist evil demons with the priesthood. That's how I came here..."

"May the Chief Divine shield us! Let His divinity spread across Maya and Cuba, and halt the invasion of evil demons at the Chief Divine's Cuban fortress!"

The young priests bowed their heads, praying devoutly before the newly-born "Divine Spirit Giant Eye". Behind them, a highland-style earthen city was being built at the Salt Village on the Maya West Coast amidst the bustling of thousands of Maya tribespeople.

And not far behind the Salt Village lay the continuous Kingdom Camp. An East Sea Marshal's Flying Eagle Banner was fluttering in the Maya Jungle wind alongside the Chief Divine's Hummingbird Flag, the Kingdom's Flying Fish Flag, and the Royal Banner of Mayapan~