Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!
Chapter 964 - 567: Teotihuacan Valley, Divine Stone City and Cloud Temple

Chapter 964: Chapter 567: Teotihuacan Valley, Divine Stone City and Cloud Temple

The wind blows southeast, rain falls in the valley, bright red saturates the earth, and corpses lie across the fields. Vultures descend on these lush farmlands, pecking without fear of passing people; the summer’s flies gather, lured by the scent of blood, feasting in swarms.

Thick black smoke billows from the Mistek people’s villages, fires burn fiercely, only to be extinguished by the rain. Yet, when the sunny days return, the flames of destruction reignite, burning for days without end.

This is the prosperous Teotihuacan Valley, located over five hundred miles southeast of the Lake Capital City, three hundred miles southeast of Water Valley City, and one hundred twenty miles southeast of Flower Grove Fort, the most important northern gathering place for the Mistek Tribe.

To the south, the Río Salado originates from the mountain ranges in the valley’s east, winding its way southwards, irrigating the fertile lands of the three hundred-mile-long valley, flowing through the heart of the Mistek Alliance, reaching the perilous Cloud Mountain Holy City (Yanhuitlán).

Then, the Río Salado joins other streams, merging into the more southern Río Verde. The Río Verde continues south, winding six hundred miles through the Western Madre Mountains, near Huitzoctli where it finally flows into the vast North Pacific. Of course, the Río Salado and Río Verde bear colonial names; in this era, the Mistek people unify them under the name, "Life-giving Mother River bestowed by the Rain Divine."

Mountains gather clouds and rain, valleys nurture fertile land. Rivers hydrate the fields, drawing people to settle. From the northernmost Flower Grove Fort to the southernmost Huitzoctli, stretching nine hundred miles north to south, and two to three hundred miles east to west, lie the valleys in the mountains suitable for farming, home to over eight hundred thousand Mistek Tribe members. Among these valleys, the northern Teotihuacan Valley is the most prosperous!

Over one hundred fifty thousand Mistek Tribe members have settled in this fertile valley, founding the ancient Divine Stone City (Tehuacán).

Countless villages scatter around the Divine Stone City like beans around corn, serving the cloud-revered priests and nobility. East ten miles from Divine Stone City lies the more ancient Cloud Temple, one of the two holy sites of the Mistek people, towering in the mountains with the Teotihuacan Pyramid!

The "Cloud Temple," Teotihuacan Pyramid, isn’t in the Divine Stone City. Like the Sun and Moon Pyramids, it’s a classical wonder built in the Teotihuacan Period, located in a mountain favorable for stone quarrying. Divine Stone City sits on a riverbank hill, occupying vast fertile lands alongside the river.

In the hearts of the Mistek people, who revere the divine across various tribes, the northern Teotihuacan Pyramid is the dwelling place of the ancient gods, while the more southern holy site, Cloud Altar, is the sanctuary of the Rain Divine Zavi.

Clouds drift from the south, covering the valley plagued by slaughter. To the east of the towering Divine Stone City, a fierce battle rages on.

Produced by various Mistek tribes is the "Maya Blue" dye, and they revere the blue of the sky. Three thousand Mistek Warriors don blue cotton armor, wear pointed cloth caps, spread across the fields, embroiled in combat with two thousand white cotton armor-wearing Tlaxcala Defectors. Thousands of battling warriors wield obsidian clubs, clashing on wet red soil, where every minute, dozens perish.

At this moment, the honorable life of warriors wilts like weeds in the field, insignificant.

"Rain Divine Zavi, protect us!"

"Kill, scatter them, go to rescue the Mountain Temple!"

"The enemy can hardly hold on anymore!"

The brutal fight lasted just two quarters, and the Tlaxcala warriors were beginning to struggle. They were fewer in number and mostly newly recruited defectors, with extremely low morale. They managed to hold the line through dense formations and the courageous leader.

Military leader Koo (Koo), clad in cloud-pattern leather armor, head adorned with a tiger-headed wooden helmet, neck adorned with golden ornaments, stands at the rear of the Mistek military formation. In the Mistek Language, "Koo" means blue serpent, denoting divinity amongst the clouds. This name alone indicates his esteemed status.

Koo’s left hand is bound with a blue feathered wooden shield, and his right hand grips a delicate silver-inlaid club, with a vibrant cluster of feathers behind him. The feather cluster stands two meters high, filled with gorgeous bird feathers of green, blue, and white, resembling a cluster of reeds in summer, swaying high within the warrior formations, very eye-catching.

The feather cluster is a typical emblem of a Mistek leader, like the grand flag of an alliance commander. Just like the northern Mexica and Tlaxcala people, the leading Mistek commander of the legion will wear more splendid war clothes, don more feathers, and bear even more conspicuous emblems.

In the armies of Central America, to be a commander is to ensure every warrior can see you at a glance!

"Strike! Fight for the almighty God of Death! Those who achieve battle merit will be promoted to warriors, gaining land in the kingdom!..."

The skirmish at the front continued, the Telascallan warriors staggered but refused to collapse. The incomprehensible cries in Navajo echoed from afar, carrying the names of the Divine, seemingly infusing them with extra courage.

Military Leader Koo squinted, standing on high ground, carefully observing the battlefield ahead. Soon, a middle-aged samurai brandishing a copper spear and fighting fiercely came into his view. This middle-aged samurai, clad in leather armor and wearing a bronze feathered helmet, stood at the forefront of the army formation. Each time the formation swayed, he would shout loudly, boosting the morale of the warriors of Tlaxcala.

"Warrior of the Rain Divine, Rich! Take a hundred hunters of the Rain Divine and kill that Feathered Warrior! The noble Mountain Temple cannot hold out for long under the Mexica’s siege. We must support quickly!"

"Yes, Leader!"

The warrior of the Rain Divine, Rich, kneeled on the ground, bowing heavily like a woodpecker. In fact, his name means "woodpecker" in Mistek Language. The Mistek people claim to be the "Cloud People," favoring things close to the sky and naturally respecting birds. Their most revered divine is the Chief Divine, Zavi, who governs the sky and rain.

"Charge with me, kill that chieftain!"

"Woodpecker" Rich bellowed, wielding his war club, and reached the frontline of the battlefield. Over a hundred elite hunters of the Rain Divine carried shields, gripped war clubs, and surged forward. Behind the hunters were two obsidian javelins. They steadied themselves, emitted intimidating bird calls, then drew out sharp javelins, aiming at the enemy’s leader!

Witnessing this scene, Defector Camp Captain Tetica’s brow twitched; he did not hesitate and immediately turned to flee. In Navajo Language, the name "Tetica" holds no divine significance; it merely means "stone," akin to the names in the Celestial Empire like "pillar, stone."

With such an ordinary name, "Pillar" Tetica naturally did not have a high-ranking background. In the venerated nobility of the Tlaxcala Alliance, he had no chance of attaining leadership over thousands. However, under the new order brought by the Mexica, he was promoted to Defector Camp Captain, surviving several fierce skirmishes by being fearless in the face of life and death, daring to fight, and being able to seize the opportunity and adapt flexibly.

"Whoosh!"

The fierce javelin shot through the air with great force, breaking the samurai’s shield. Dozens of warriors from the front line of Tlaxcala were pierced by the javelin, pinned to the soft mud, emitting an eerie, non-human-like wail. Then, in just a few breaths, a second round of deadly javelins struck again!

"Whoosh!"

"Ah!..."

The military leader turned to flee, causing heavy casualties among the front-line warriors. The Telascalla defectors could no longer hold out, letting out frightened cries and instantly collapsing. Over a thousand remaining defectors discarded their shields, threw away their war clubs, and fled hurriedly towards the forest in the East.

"Ha ha! The reputed Mexica legion doesn’t seem that formidable after all! Quick, swift pursuit to the east!"

In just moments, thousands of warriors who had persistently resisted transformed into panicked turkeys fleeing in all directions. Military Leader Koo laughed heartily, filled with satisfied ambition.

Today’s skirmish, defeating thousands of warriors, was a rare triumph in the Mistek Alliance. If they could successfully support the Cloud Temple, then in next year’s election of Divine Stone City’s Main Tribe, victory was in his grasp!

Yes, compared to the relatively centralized northern tribes, the political structure of the southern Mistek Alliance was more relaxed, still maintaining an outdated tribal election system. From time to time, elections were held by various tribal chieftains to decide the highest leader of the valleys. Of course, only noble Divine Descendants warriors could participate in such leader elections.

Hundreds of Telascallan warriors fled eastward without resistance. Three thousand Mistek warriors cried out bird calls excitedly, pursuing and slaughtering. And the brightly conspicuous leader’s feathered bundle, surrounded by hundreds of hunters of the Rain Divine, moved continuously eastward.

The Mistek warriors indulged in the joy of victory and slaughter, stepping over the corpses of the Telhascallan warriors, chasing into the undulating forests. This sacred forest was the dwelling place of the Mistek people’s spirit; how could they allow the evil Mexica legion to occupy it for long?

With this mindset, the pursuing Mistek warriors showed no mercy and fought desperately. Soon, the towering Cloud Temple appeared a few miles away, adding a sacred excitement to the joy in the warriors’ eyes. The blue-armored Mistek warriors pursued, excited, until a particularly sharp eagle sentinel suddenly rang out amidst the deep mountains!