Misty Rain of the Old Times

The battle continued under the cover of night. Even with Chen Xuan secretly watching over them, the situation was still far from optimistic. There were just too many of those ferocious six-legged creatures, seemingly endless and impossible to kill, which filled people with despair.

Fortunately, almost no deaths occurred after Chen Xuan intervened. However, in the chaotic situation, no one noticed this, and injuries or even disabilities were inevitable. Saving people out of consideration for their fellow human beings was already more than enough, and they should naturally bear the corresponding consequences for coming here.

Hidden in the shadows, Chen Xuan multitasked and even had time to observe his surroundings. He thought to himself that this place was truly magical. Although it was deep underground, he could see the starry sky, just like the outside world, but it was impossible to observe this place from the outside.

Then, just as rumored, the plants and animals Chen Xuan saw were magnified tenfold or a hundredfold, as if he had entered the land of giants.

The specifics are still unclear. As a newcomer, he has limited access to information and will need to explore further to understand the situation.

Occasionally glancing up at the night sky, Chen Xuan wondered: since this place was deep underground, yet he could see a starry sky, was it real or an illusion? Besides the entrance under the pool, was it possible to dig through the surface to reach the outside world?
Chen Xuan currently has many questions about this place.

In the chaotic temporary camp, there was a well-protected wooden hut. It was guarded by two innate masters and ten acquired masters. The ferocious six-legged creatures could not get close to cause any damage. Occasionally, they would rush into the camp, but they were killed immediately. The vast majority of them were blocked outside the camp.

Inside the wooden cabin, a pale-faced middle-aged man trembled, the roars and shouts of killing outside sending chills down his spine.

He didn't want to come to this magical yet dangerous place, but he was forcibly brought here and had no say in it.

He was someone who had stumbled into this place by mistake and then managed to escape. He was forcibly brought here to act as a guide. Although he was forced to come, the person who brought him here treated him very well and protected him well. They even promised him huge benefits afterward, but this was based on the premise that his usefulness would not be used up. Whether he would have the opportunity to enjoy the so-called benefits was unknown.

Many times he wished he could tear his mouth apart. He thought that he should just treat coming to this place as a dream, instead of shouting everywhere. At first, no one believed him, but he tried his best to explain, and people believed him. In the end, he got himself into trouble.

This is only the entrance, and it's already so dangerous. With those terrifying creatures appearing, is there any chance of leaving alive? So many people have died outside, all because of him spreading rumors about this place. Will people let him off the hook afterward?
This person is not very capable. His cultivation level is limited to opening up the eight extraordinary meridians, and that's all. He is powerless to resist anything. He is not exceptionally intelligent, but he is not stupid either. He knows that people are using him and has no good intentions at all.

What could he do? If he didn't cooperate obediently, he might face a life-or-death situation.

"What exactly is that thing? Brother Mu, do you really have no recollection of it at all?" At the door, one of the innate masters responsible for protecting him asked in a moment of pause, his eyes filled with fear. That kind of creature was too ferocious and there were too many of them. He had never heard of it before.

Fortunately, they are responsible for protecting the guides, so they don't have to fight those creatures head-on, but that doesn't mean they are safe; they could be affected at any time.

Mu Yang, pale-faced, shook her head and said, "I really don't know. I've said it many times. I came here in a daze last year. After witnessing how terrifying this place is, I didn't dare to run around. I wandered around cautiously for a long time and almost lost my life several times. I was targeted by a giant python, and I could only plunge into the pool I came in from, which is the pool outside. I grabbed a big fish and was lucky enough to be carried out of this place. I really have never seen that kind of creature outside. I've told you everything I know. I haven't been here long, so my knowledge is limited."

He had said similar things countless times. What he knew was of little help to everyone. Now he probably knew less than the people outside, yet they still refused to set him free.

Unable to get anything new out of him, the master, still unwilling to give up, said, "You said you managed to swim out by chance while holding a fish, but we came in from a pool where there were no fish, not even any living creatures. Are you sure you're not mistaken?"

"I absolutely cannot forget it. As for why there are no living creatures in the water now, I don't know. Maybe they were scared away by the giant python that chased me back then, or maybe its venom killed them all when it entered the water. Perhaps we can see some fish carcasses at the bottom of the pool," Mu Yang said with certainty. He had left with a fish in his arms back then, and it was not a hallucination.

The innate one pondered for a moment and said, "That's really strange. Was that python that venomous? Someone went into the water to look for any living creatures, but the time was too short to reach the bottom. Perhaps all the living creatures in the water were poisoned and sank to the bottom of the pool."

Such a thing could actually happen. According to Mu Yang, the python that chased him was at least a hundred feet long, and it was not impossible for it to dilute its venom and kill all the creatures in the pool.

Logically speaking, such a large python wouldn't even be enough to fill Mu Yang's teeth, so why would it target him? Only a ghost knows. Even Mu Yang himself doesn't know what he did to offend it. Perhaps it was out of curiosity about outsiders?

As for why they weren't poisoned when they entered and exited the water, it's simple: the pool is flowing water and there are no living creatures there yet. It's probably because after that giant python came, the creatures instinctively stayed away from this place.

At this moment, Mu Yang hesitated for a moment and said, "If we really can't handle those ferocious six-legged creatures outside, I suggest we leave first and discuss things further outside. There's no need to fight to the death."

“It’s not that simple. A temporary retreat is not something one or two people can decide. Moreover, there are too many people, and they can’t all leave at the same time. Retreating some of them first will only make the situation more dangerous. For now, we can only wait until dawn to see if we can find a way to repel the enemy,” the innate master at the door shook his head and said. Then he didn’t say anything more and looked at the fierce fighting around him with worry.

Faced with such ferocious creatures, people are at a great disadvantage and are passive at night, but they may be able to find a way to deal with them during the day.

Having arrived two days early, they knew that there was also day and night here, and that it would be windy and rainy. Even the length of day and night was the same as outside. What was the difference? Calculating the time, there was less than an hour until dawn. As it turned out, everyone could hold on for now.

No one knows exactly how big this magical place is. In the past day or two, no one has explored more than a hundred miles away. It is too dangerous. Dozens of people have died while exploring it, and even some innate masters have perished. It is a place where every step is fraught with danger, and no one dares to explore it in a big way.

Some people have stood on high ground and looked out into the distance. This magical place is so vast that you can't see the end. It's amazing that there is such a large space underground and that there is no 'sky collapsing' above. Now that you've come here, you must find out the truth.

The fierce fighting continued until the first light of dawn appeared in the east.

After several hours of fierce fighting, nine out of ten of those who came here were injured. Even top-tier innate experts like Yu Dingbo were almost exhausted of their true energy and only managed to hold on thanks to the pills they had brought. As they saw the sky beginning to lighten, they seemed to see a glimmer of victory; daytime always gave them a greater sense of security than nighttime.

Then, something astonishing happened. Just as dawn was about to break, the ferocious creature that had fought the people all night, almost to the death, seemed to be filled with resentment. With a roar, it retreated like a tide, leaving behind a mountain of corpses. It quickly disappeared into the distance as the ground trembled.

Leaving now?

People could hardly believe it; they had planned to find a way to repel the enemy during the day, but before they could even do so, the ferocious creature had run away on its own.

People soon realized that it was likely a nocturnal creature that did not come out during the day, and they didn't know if it was afraid of sunlight. If so, there would be ways to deal with it, such as lighting as many fires as possible around the camp. Whether this would work needed further verification.

With the ferocious creature gone, people relaxed a little and carefully recalled the previous battle. They then realized that during the battle, the creature had indeed been consciously avoiding the firelight. This was undoubtedly a major discovery, and humans are good at summarizing.

However, this is only the first dangerous creature they have encountered upon arriving in this place. How many more threats await them as they continue onward?

"Take stock of the casualties and report back. Do everything you can to treat them. If they can be saved, don't give up, even if you have to send them to other hospitals," Shi Qingguan said with a long sigh of relief. He felt exhausted after the battle ended. The previous battle was too dangerous, and even he felt a little overwhelmed. Fortunately, the battle was finally over.

He is the commander of the Quanzhou Martial Arts Bureau of Jing Kingdom. With the backing of the imperial court, he holds a high position and great power. With the accumulation of various resources, his cultivation level is comparable to that of the leaders of major martial arts sects. Although his cultivation level has improved, his combat strength is slightly inferior.

Once here, he is the true leader. Even Yu Dingbo, the head of Dongdao Tower, has to obey him. This time, he not only came in person, but also brought most of the core members of the Quanzhou Martial Arts Control Bureau. Otherwise, he would have no idea who these unruly martial arts figures were.

Despite being only the commander of the Quanzhou branch, even at the headquarters in the capital, there were fewer than two people whose status was higher than his in the Imperial Martial Arts Division.

"It's finally over. Commander Shi, you were injured, are you alright?" Yu Dingbo stepped forward and asked, equally exhausted.

Glancing at the five-inch-long wound on his arm, which stung slightly, Shi Qingguan shook his head dismissively and chuckled, "It's just a superficial wound, nothing serious. Those things have incredibly sharp claws; clothes can't protect them at all. I should have applied for heavy armor before coming; that way, it wouldn't have been so difficult to deal with them. We'll deal with it later."

The Armor Prohibition Division is a special department that handles matters in the martial arts world. It is not part of the military system and its equipment does not include armor. Even if necessary, an application must be submitted. Otherwise, wearing armor without authorization is a serious crime. Even people in the martial arts world know this. At most, they can get things like arm guards and breastplates to skirt the law.

Ye Hong walked over, staring thoughtfully in the direction where the ferocious creature had disappeared, and asked, "Commander Shi, Sect Leader Yu, what do you think about that thing leaving at dawn?"

“Perhaps they are not used to living in the sun, but that’s just a guess. I’ll send someone to follow them and see where they went. They came too suddenly last night, so we need to keep an eye on them so we can take precautions if they come again,” Shi Qingguan pondered.

There are still so many unknowns about this place that need to be explored little by little.

Looking at the mountain of monster corpses piled up outside the camp, Yu Dingbo exclaimed in surprise, "I've seen quite a lot, but this is the first time I've ever seen anything like this. Creatures of this size are rare outside, and there are countless of them. Their blood is even green; I wonder if it's poisonous."

"Let's try the meat of this thing later to see if it's edible. If it is, then this place is a natural treasure trove that can greatly alleviate the food problem. And the shell of this thing is a natural material for making armor. No, we have to report this as soon as possible and send people from all walks of life over here. If we could open up a passageway, that would be great. Staying underwater is not a long-term solution. Now that we have discovered this place, we should make good use of it," Shi Qingguan said with a glint in his eyes. As a member of the imperial court, he naturally viewed the issue from the perspective of the court.

He has now confirmed the location, and reporting it to the higher authorities will be a great achievement.

Completely opening up the borders would be equivalent to expanding the territory of the imperial court. Such a vast area is rich in resources, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to grant them titles and honors.

But can the imperial court truly make use of such a dangerous place? That's not his concern; it's the bigwigs' problem.

As long as there is profit to be made, it is only a matter of time before the gates are completely opened up; there is nothing that the imperial court, this machine, cannot accomplish.

Upon hearing this, Ye Hong hesitated for a moment, then carefully considered her words before saying, "Commander Shi, the situation here is unclear. I suggest we hold off on making a big fuss for now. It would be troublesome if we overdid it. Besides, historically, this place was dug through, almost causing a global catastrophe. So it's better to be cautious and at least understand the situation first. This is just my suggestion; I hope you will think it over."

“What Master Ye says is true. We are just a bunch of martial artists, and we haven’t considered many issues thoroughly. Let’s wait for those intelligent scholars to arrive before we talk about it. They have considered things more comprehensively,” Shi Qingguan said with a smile. He was not someone who didn’t know what was important.

After a brief exchange, he still had many things to arrange, and said, "You all have had a long night, so please go and get some rest."

There's no time to rest. Everyone who comes here has friends and family. We need to check things out first.

By this time, it was already bright outside, and apart from the slightly unusual environment, it was no different from the outside world.

As dawn broke, the little maid standing beside Chen Xuan looked around incredulously and exclaimed, "This...this...those trees in the distance must be at least two or three hundred feet tall! They truly pierce the clouds! Even the grass that's everywhere is one or two feet tall! Master, have the things here gotten bigger, or have we gotten smaller without our knowledge?" (End of Chapter)