After Zhang Yu emerged from the temple, he looked into the distance and indeed saw a row of low shrubs bearing red fruit. He rose into the air and flew north along them.
From the little girl named Nuya, he learned that two forces existed within this World Rift. One was the Cavern People, who dwelled in caves carved into deep mountain walls; the other was the Iga Gods, who lived amid fertile lands and waters.
Originally, as the two sides lived in different environments and had no conflicting interests, they left each other alone. But now, they had fallen into war.
The cause was a divine relic preserved by the Cavern People that had suddenly undergone a disturbance, exposing this land that had remained hidden for ages.
The Iga Gods had become uneasy over this. They did not wish for their long-standing peace and joy to be shattered, and so they demanded that the Cavern People immediately conceal the divine relic. Yet the Cavern People believed this was the relic's own will and choice, something no one could interfere with.
The Iga Gods had initially chosen negotiation, but the Cavern People were not easy to communicate with. They were exceptionally stubborn, and as the relic's power continued to fluctuate, the entire World Rift became unstable.
Fearing that their kingdom would be destroyed, the Iga Gods had no choice but to launch a war.
According to Nuya, the Iga Gods still retained the strength they had possessed before the epochal changes. Under the chief god Mota and the two subordinate gods, Sai Sha and Yua, they had another seventeen powerful deities, while lesser gods and divine descendants were too numerous to count.
The Cavern People, meanwhile, were servants of ancient gods and could receive the protection of that divine relic.