Misty Rain of the Old Times

The night under the starry sky was dark and gloomy. The shouts and roars of battle in the darkness were chilling. The ground trembled and a rumble came from the unknown. The fleeting scene of flashing blades and sword energy was shocking.

Those who arrived earlier had already used local materials to build a wall around the pool at the foot of the mountain, and a temporary camp had sprung up. There were even many houses inside the wall, made of wood and stone. Some were under construction, and some were half-built. Not many were ready for occupancy.

The stockade wall is five or six zhang high, constructed of huge timbers. It is very rough, with the bark and some branches still unfinished. It is not yet completed, and less than two-thirds of the entire stockade wall has been built.

According to outsiders, the advance troops would arrive at most two days in advance, and their numbers would certainly be small. However, in just two days, a half-finished temporary camp, larger than two football fields, appeared here, showing that they had put in a lot of effort. Even those at the Innate Realm would probably have to be used as laborers.

When Chen Xuan and his group arrived, the half-built camp was under attack from a giant creature in the darkness. The people were forced to defend themselves, and everyone in the darkness who could fight had already made a move. If they did not work together, they were likely to be wiped out by the giant creature in the darkness. The situation was extremely critical.

The creatures attacking this unfinished camp were at least ten zhang long and four or five zhang tall, typical reptiles, truly enormous creatures. Even though Chen Xuan had seen many huge creatures, this one would rank among the top ten he had ever seen.

This creature resembles a lizard, but has six legs, a long, thin head, and sharp claws on all six legs. Its surface is smooth and covered with a dark blue exoskeleton. Its arthropod-like tail occupies more than half of its body, resembling a steel whip, and has barbs at the end like a scorpion's tail.

Its movements are incredibly swift and agile; despite its massive size, it makes very little noise. The night provides the best camouflage, making it a natural-born assassin of the darkness.

This creature's smooth carapace is incredibly tough, almost like it's wearing a suit of armor. Ordinary swords and knives can hardly hurt it. Only those who have cultivated a very advanced technique and whose internal energy can be manifested to give the weapon a sharp edge can barely break through it. However, compared to its enormous size, the barely broken wound is like a tickle.

Faced with such a creature, even a master who has opened up all eight extraordinary meridians can only barely hold on with all their might, and the battle cannot be dragged out for too long. If their internal energy cannot keep up, they are in danger of dying at any moment.

Only a master with innate talent can achieve such overwhelming power and kill, since the sharp sword energy condensed from innate true energy can cut through gold and jade, which is something that the shell of a creature cannot withstand.

The problem is that there are too many of those strange and enormous creatures. The unfinished temporary camp has been surrounded, and the huge creatures in the darkness are like a tide, numbering in the thousands and countless.

In their presence, the five- or six-zhang-high wooden stockade was no different from paper, easily breached and torn apart, serving no defensive purpose whatsoever.

While innate masters are indeed formidable, capable of overwhelming and slaying such creatures, and can relatively easily handle a single one, facing a group at the same time would be extremely dangerous. After all, a single one is comparable to a top-tier acquired master. As the saying goes, two fists cannot defeat four hands. Moreover, innate true energy is not inexhaustible. Once exhausted, the fate of being surrounded is unimaginable.

The unfinished stockade walls were already in ruins, and the corpses of those strange creatures had piled up like mountains along them, and they were still pouring in, showing no sign of stopping until they were dead.

If it weren't for the forty or fifty innate masters who fought desperately in batches, this camp would have been destroyed long ago. The thousands of acquired masters probably wouldn't have been able to withstand the sweep of that kind of creature.

Relying on their enormous size and sturdy shells, those creatures were completely unafraid of attacks from those at the Acquired Realm. Everywhere, there were painful howls and desperate screams. Some were swallowed whole, not even enough to fill a tooth gap; some were crushed by sharp claws like swatting mosquitoes; and others were pierced by barbs and hastily thrown into the dark unknown.

In this chaotic and dangerous battle, some people stood out, such as Yu Dingbo, the leader of the Dongdao Tower. Facing the tidal wave of enormous creatures, he was completely at ease. His expression was calm and his eyes were cold. He held a blue-silver longsword in his hand, its blue light flickering. With each swing of his sword, a ten-zhang-long blade of light swept across the sky, as if to tear the night apart. Each blade of light could tear apart four or five enormous creatures before its power was completely exhausted and dissipated. The farthest blade of light could stretch across the sky for one or two hundred zhang, possessing the power to kill enormous creatures from afar. Occasionally, he would also unleash a powerful move, with a flick of his wrist, a dozen or so blade lights would sweep in all directions, like waves sweeping and tearing apart groups of creatures.

After all, he was the leader of one of the five major sects in the Jing Kingdom's martial arts world. His strength was considered top-tier, comparable to Guo Jinglong and Liu Zhenwei back then. These enormous creatures were not enough to threaten him. The natural advantages of creatures were still no match for absolute strength.

Next was Ye Hong, who also arrived here. With a long sword in hand, his figure was elusive as he moved through the chaotic battlefield. With each swing of his sword, the dazzling pale red sword energy could kill a huge creature. He remained unstained by blood, as if strolling in a garden. Occasionally, his sword energy would scatter like beautiful maple leaves, wiping out the huge creatures within a radius of dozens of feet around him. Unfortunately, those ferocious creatures could not appreciate his elegant swordsmanship.

There was also a man in black robes, dressed as a member of the Imperial Guard, wielding a jet-black spear with a dark golden dragon phantom swirling around him. He resembled a fierce general charging into battle, dashing left and right through the monster wave, killing limbs flying everywhere, and occasionally shouting with exhilaration.

There are several other outstanding figures like them. Strength is their foundation, which allows them to remain calm and composed when facing waves of ferocious creatures.

With their strength, they can defend or attack, and even if things go wrong, they should have no problem surviving.

The reason this camp can still exist is entirely due to the innate masters holding it up, like an indestructible city wall, keeping the massive biological tide outside.

If it weren't for the intervention of innate masters, this camp would have been wiped out countless times. Acquired realm cultivators simply couldn't withstand a single impact.

But there were just too many of those enormous monsters. They seemed endless and relentless, charging forward without end. Even people like Yu Dingbo and his group had a look of fear in their eyes. But as leaders, they had to remain calm, otherwise, the chain reaction would cause everyone to collapse, and that would be the real end.

Emerging from the water, Chen Xuan quickly surveyed the scene and took it all in. He was astonished to see such a sight unfold so soon after arriving. He wondered what the people who had come before had done to provoke such creatures. Had they trespassed into their territory? Or was it simply xenophobia, with outsiders being their relentless targets?

Before we've even had a chance to truly understand this place, the sight of such enormous creatures in the darkness has already provided some initial confirmation of the rumors about gigantism in this place. After all, this is just the exit, and we've already encountered such enormous creatures. It seems that such creatures are quite common in this magical place.
The scene was already chaotic, and Chen Xuan and his group had already disappeared into the dark corners after arriving, so they did not attract anyone's attention.

"What happened? What is that thing? It's as big as a small mountain, so scary!" The little girl standing next to Chen Xuan exclaimed subconsciously. She couldn't see clearly in the darkness, and could only catch a glimpse of it through the occasional flashes of light from the swords. The scene really frightened her, and she felt afraid. Only by staying close to Chen Xuan did she feel a little safer.

As soon as she finished speaking, she covered her mouth tightly with her hand, afraid that it would attract the attack of the huge creature and cause trouble for her master.

"Don't be afraid, Roujia, I'm here. It'll be alright. Those six-legged creatures are just large insects. They can talk normally, so don't worry," Chen Xuan reassured her, looking around with interest. He thought to himself that it was fortunate he had come here on his way, otherwise he would never have seen such a magical place. At this moment, Chen Xuan couldn't help but look up at the sky, feeling quite surprised. The sky was dotted with stars, nothing seemed strange, but that was the strange thing.

They were deep underground in Wanku Mountain, definitely not outside the Jing Kingdom's territory, yet they could see the night sky directly from underground, while the outside world couldn't see them, as if they had entered another world.

So, is this place still within the boundaries of Wanku Mountain or Jing Kingdom? If so, why can't it be seen from the outside?

When he was outside, Chen Xuan had taken the little girl and the others flying through the clouds. He had a clear memory of the area within a thousand miles centered on Wanku Mountain. There was absolutely no such place. He couldn't have remembered it wrong.

At this moment, Chen Xuan began to wonder if they had passed through a teleportation array when they came from the underground waterway. However, his senses, when he carefully recalled the events, did not detect anything strange. Moreover, Chen Xuan was not entirely ignorant about teleportation arrays. Among the many pieces of information Old Liu had given him, it was mentioned that if they had passed through a teleportation array, there would definitely be some reaction.

This is really weird, it's really kind of amazing.

“Master, although those people can still keep things under control, there are casualties all the time. The acquired realm is not enough to fight against those huge creatures. Even most of the innate realm experts are struggling to protect themselves. Should we help them?” Du Juan hesitated for a moment and looked at Chen Xuan before asking.

Turning his gaze away from the night sky, Chen Xuan said in a daze, "Sister Juan, I'm just curious. Given your past experiences, you shouldn't care about other people's lives or deaths, so why are you asking me if I can help you now?"

Du Juan frankly replied, "Sir, I just feel that I am no longer a cold-blooded and ruthless killer, and I want to live a normal life. I should consider things like an ordinary person. Deep down, I don't really care about their lives, but from a normal person's perspective, they are, after all, the same kind of people. I can't just be indifferent to such things, can I?"

"Sister Juan has changed a lot. She can now consider things from the perspective of a normal person. This is a good thing," Chen Xuan nodded sincerely.

She smiled and continued, "Do we need any help? Although I've only been a beginner in the Innate Realm for less than a year, I can still kill some of those creatures without putting myself in danger. I also need to preserve my body to serve Master."

With a smile, Chen Xuan looked at the battlefield and said, "I'm happy to see Sister Juan's change in mindset. Don't worry about it. Just watch. Haven't you noticed that since we arrived, although the battle situation is precarious, there have actually been no casualties?"

Upon hearing this, Du Juan paused for a moment, carefully examined the battlefield, and indeed it was true. She turned to Chen Xuan and asked, "Master has already made a move?"

Chen Xuan smiled noncommittally and said, "I already took action as soon as they arrived. After all, they are our kind. How could I just stand by and watch them die one by one under the sharp teeth and jaws of monsters? It was a simple matter of lifting a finger. However, I'm not their father or their babysitter. I won't just wipe out all those monsters for them. They came here with all sorts of motives, so they should be prepared to pay the price. So, I won't just stand by and watch them die, nor will I take on everything for them. They still have to endure the hardships they're supposed to suffer. After all, there aren't that many good things in the world."

While speaking, Chen Xuan looked around as if he were an outsider, but in reality he secretly helped a lot. He saved many people's lives when they were in life-or-death situations. As for injuries or missing limbs, that depended on whether Chen Xuan liked them. Again, he was not anyone's father, nor would he act as a babysitter for people.

Those who narrowly escaped death thought they were lucky and had no idea that Chen Xuan had secretly helped them. Chen Xuan, in turn, didn't care about the gratitude of others.

Perhaps when people learn that he has the ability to save them from all those enormous creatures, and that he didn't do so, they might even become hostile towards him. Human nature is so complex; often, the weak take it for granted that the strong should protect them.

The little girl, who had calmed down a bit, was already terrified and asked curiously, "Master, how did you help them? How come I didn't notice?"

Even Du Juan couldn't understand how Chen Xuan had made his move, let alone her.

Raising a finger, Chen Xuan smiled and said, "Look, that's it. You might not be able to see the soft nail clearly, but you'll have a general idea of ​​what's going on."

As he spoke, under Su Roujia's curious gaze, a transparent droplet the size of a soybean flew from the darkness and floated on Chen Xuan's fingertip. After she saw it clearly, the droplet flew away in the blink of an eye and disappeared into the darkness.

Almost simultaneously, the drop of water pierced the head of a massive creature hundreds of feet in the air, then moved on to the next location. The massive creature, its head pierced, was thrown over and crushed by its momentum, causing injury or even death to several people at the Acquired Realm.

Chen Xuan secretly helped people in this way, only assisting the most dangerous places, silently and without anyone knowing that there was such a big shot as him secretly saving countless lives.

'It seems the fatal flaw of these enormous creatures is their heads. Within my sensory range, I haven't detected anything resembling a leader. It's unlikely the group will retreat after killing the leader. What I can think of, Yu Dingbo, Ye Hong, and the others can too. They're also searching for something like a leader, but to no avail, forced into a bitter battle. How long will this fighting last? Will it only stop when one side is completely wiped out?'

Chen Xuan, who was secretly helping, muttered to himself, while also wondering, if such a powerful group of creatures had already appeared on the outskirts of this place, how terrifying would the creatures be if they went deeper? Could his Grandmaster cultivation level allow him to roam freely here?

No wonder that digging through this place in history almost caused a disaster, but it was isolated and buried in time. If the creatures here had invaded the outside world in a large number, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

It's always better to keep a low profile.

To be honest, Chen Xuan was genuinely intrigued. Since he was already here and had nothing better to do, he really wanted to learn more about the place if he had the chance, but only if it was safe. He wouldn't risk his life for curiosity; he wasn't ready to live any longer.

...(End of chapter)