The Buddha's shadowy guidance shone like a beacon in the darkness, illuminating the silent monoliths of Bayon Temple. The cracks calmed, but the lingering echo of an ancient heartbeat still resonated within the five people, dispelling the fatigue and hesitation of a moment before. Needless to say, a shared sense of purpose bound them together.
Taking advantage of the Gene Alliance's retreat and the Shadow Serpent's escape, Dilawang led the team along a more hidden ancient pilgrimage route, nearly completely buried by massive tree roots, towards the core of Bayon Temple. The closer they approached the center, the more powerful the pervasive energy field, imbued with countless faiths and passages of time. The air seemed to flow with golden nectar, and every step felt like treading on the meridians of history. The massive stone corridor resembled the ribs of a giant beast. Looking upward, towering pagodas, symbolic of Mount Sumeru, rose majestically. The Buddha faces carved into the pagodas, each bearing an eternal smile, seemed to gaze silently down upon them from every angle, their gaze deep and imbued with boundless compassion and wisdom.
"This is it," Dilawang said, pausing on a relatively open central platform surrounded by dozens of Buddha-faced towers. His voice was filled with awe. "The 'heart' of Angkor is also, in ancient legend, the intersection connecting the mortal world with a higher realm."
He gestured for everyone to take out their tokens: Lin Xingyun's Kris dagger, Aisha's Kantin wax knife, Nguyen Thi Mai's silver earrings, Buakaw's belt imbued with the spirit of ancient boxing (though not an antique, it carried his spirit), and Dilawang's small white jade Buddha. For the first time, these five tokens resonated clearly and powerfully within the unique energy field of Bayon Temple! They no longer shimmered, but shone like ignited stars, emitting a soft yet undeniable glow. Arcs of light seemed to connect them, forming a constantly shifting pentagram!
"With the token as our guide, and the ancient covenant within our blood as our guarantee," Dilawang solemnly chanted the difficult and desolate Khmer language. "Please, the 'Spirit of All Things' that slumbers here, be the true guardian and reveal the path to truth!"
As he chanted, the five tokens shone brightly, their arcs converging at a single point in the center of the platform. The entire Bayon Temple seemed to come alive! A low rumble began to emanate from the ground, and the smiling Buddha faces on all the pagodas seemed to flicker with light! At the convergent point of light, space began to distort and ripple, and a faint portal composed entirely of light slowly emerged! Above the portal, shimmering shadows of cosmic star maps and life runes, a thousand times more complex than Aisha's batik patterns, swirled!
Star Gate! This was the entrance to the sea of stars mentioned in Grandma Sarina's ballad!
However, just as the stargate began to solidify, something unexpected happened!
"Boom! Boom!"
Several dazzling beams of energy lashed out from the periphery, fiercely bombarding the stone statues and corridors surrounding the platform, sending rubble flying! It was the Genetic Alliance that had returned! Captain Harold arrived with reinforcements, including two terrifying, three-meter-tall psychic-powered armors! They had clearly deployed a more powerful force, attempting to forcibly interrupt the ritual and seize control of the stargate!
"Stop them! We can't let them desecrate the sanctuary!" Dilawang cried out, his face pale. Maintaining the ritual demanded immense energy from him.
"Aisha! Nguyen Thi Mai! Protect Dilawang and the ritual with all your might!" Lin Xingyun acted decisively. He exchanged a glance with Buakaw, and without hesitation, they turned and faced the incoming enemy!
Aisha gritted her teeth and flung out all the batik cloth she carried, unleashing her psychic energy without reservation! The patterns on the cloth flickered wildly, and layers of light woven into an unprecedented three-dimensional defensive barrier, firmly protecting the central platform and the forming stargate! Energy beams struck the barrier, causing violent ripples, but temporarily unable to break through.
Nguyen Thi Mai stood beside Aisha, performing a solemn dance, her ao dai gown blooming like a lotus. This time, she did not summon water warriors. Instead, she channeled all her spiritual power, resonating with the power of her earrings, into the earth beneath her feet, connecting with the ancient water veins beneath the Bayon Temple! An overwhelming and unstoppable water spirit force was drawn forth, transforming into a pale blue halo, reinforcing Aisha's barrier, making it more resilient and repairing the stone floor cracked by the energy attack.
Buakaw, like an enraged lion, charged directly at the two psychic-powered armors! His iron fist clashed with the armored metal fist, with a deafening roar! Though inferior in strength, his combat skills were exceptional, his agility was unparalleled. He entangled the two steel giants like a rock, creating an opening for Lin Xingyun.
Lin Xingyun became a ghost killer on the battlefield. Alternating the power of his "Shadow Serpent Witch Mark" and "Compassionate Buddha Hand Mark," he darted through the shadows of the ruined corridors and pagodas. Each swing of his dagger precisely severed the genetic soldiers' energy pipelines or destroyed their weapon systems. The light of the Buddha Hand Mark targeted those areas affected by the lingering sorcery of the Shadow Serpent, purifying the haze and stabilizing the battlefield's energy environment.
The battle was so intense that the entire Bayon Temple seemed to tremble. The Gene Alliance's firepower was fierce, but the five Star Sea Witches, relying on advantageous terrain, tacit understanding, and newly enhanced strength, miraculously withstood the onslaught!
Just as the two sides were deadlocked, the stargate, opened by the power of the token, finally stabilized! The gate swung open, revealing no longer the Bayon Temple, but a swirling, brilliant vortex of the galaxy! A vast, ancient, all-encompassing will surged from within the gate!
Under the influence of this will, all of the Gene Alliance's high-tech weapons instantly failed, their power armor frozen in place. Captain Harold and the others' faces were filled with horror and disbelief! At this moment, the smiles of the Buddhas of the Bayon seemed even deeper and more compassionate, tinged with a hint of pity for the ignorant and arrogant.
Inside the stargate, within the swirling galaxy, a massive, vague humanoid silhouette, composed of light, slowly emerged. It lacked a concrete form, yet emanated the majesty and benevolence of a father god, as if it were the embodiment of the faith of the entire Angkor civilization—the Spirit of All Creation!
A gentle yet undeniable voice echoed deep within everyone's mind:
"This is a place of protection, not a battlefield. Outsiders, your path lies among the stars, not here to seize."
"Ancient Covenanters, you have passed the test. This gate will open for you, but the path beyond requires your own strength and wisdom to forge."
As the voice fell, a gentle yet irresistible force pushed all members of the Gene Alliance out of the Bayon Temple, forming an invisible barrier to prevent them from entering again.
Captain Harold's face sank as he gazed upon the dazzling star gate and the giant of light within. Finally, he gritted his teeth and ordered a retreat. The existence they faced was beyond the reach of force.
On the battlefield, only five panting but bright-eyed Star Sea wizards remained, along with the doorway to the unknown star sea, filled with infinite possibilities.
The light and shadow of the All-Seeing Spirit slowly dissipated, and the star gate hovered steadily there, as if quietly awaiting their entry. Lin Xingyun turned, his gaze sweeping across his wounded but determined companions, then gazing out at the vast expanse of the galaxy.
The storm in the South Seas has come to a temporary end, but the journey across the starry sea has just begun.
(Chapter 20, also the end of Volume 1)