Misty Rain of the Old Times

Chen Xuan's raising of this question first surprised Shang, who was momentarily stunned, because he himself had never seriously considered this question before. As a wise man of the giant race, he was truly incompetent.

At this moment, the giants accompanying him stopped their toasts and waited for Shang's answer, clearly showing that they were also very curious about the question.

After a moment's hesitation, he replied with a still conflicted tone, "I don't know either. Chen Xuan, your question has stumped me, but..."

He paused here, his brow furrowing slightly as if trying to recall something.

As a native of this world, and a wise man among giants, he didn't know if there were boundaries either. If so, it would be difficult to figure out. How much time would it take to find out for himself? In the end, it was uncertain whether he would even get an answer. Chen Xuan didn't necessarily want to find out whether this world had boundaries. He wasn't the kind of person who would get stuck on trivial matters. He was simply curious that there was such a vast and boundless world beneath the Jing Kingdom.

Thinking about it, it makes sense. Although the lives of giants are not exactly difficult, they are almost always fighting or on their way to fighting. Who has time to explore whether the world they live in has boundaries?
Let alone them, how many people on Earth would care about these things? Astronomy enthusiasts like Pei Zhenlong are extremely rare, and he only has time to explore the world because he is well-off. Can you tell an ordinary person that the sky is flat and the earth is square, and that an extra grain of rice can grow in the ground?
Seemingly unable to get an answer, Chen Xuan wasn't discouraged, and asked in a daze, "But what?"

Su Roujia and Du Juan sat quietly eating and drinking on the side, occasionally exchanging glances with blank expressions. They couldn't understand what the other two were saying at all; it sounded like a mute person babbling.

Shang racked his brains and said, "However, I vaguely heard an ancient legend from our tribe. I don't know if it's true, but I'll tell you, Chen Xuan, just for fun. Don't take it seriously."

"I'd like to hear the details," Chen Xuan said, feigning interest and listening attentively.

Then Shang recalled, "That legend was told to me by the previous wise man. I was very young then. Every wise man in our giant race is named Shang. All knowledge and wisdom are learned and passed down from the previous wise man. The most outstanding one is chosen from among many learners to become the next wise man. This requires the approval of most of the race. Sorry, I'm getting old and talkative."

Chen Xuan was both amused and exasperated. Where had this conversation gone? Was the old giant trying to show off how outstanding he was in his youth?
He continued, "Legend has it that long, long ago, one of our clan's most powerful ancestors, a guardian-level figure, suddenly had a brilliant idea: he left the clan to chase the sun in the sky, and remained there for several years."

Could your ancestor have been named Kuafu? And a giant at that? Chen Xuan thought to himself that this must be an unexpected coincidence, otherwise the legend would have spread all the way back to our home planet Earth.

Amused, I didn't dwell on it and curiously asked, "Did he succeed in winning her over?"

"No, he returned a few years later, but from the opposite direction. He said that he was clearly following the direction of the sun, but ended up coming back from the other side. He must have lost his way without knowing it. Not long after, he perished in a battle against the Underworld Clan. That's the legend. If I weren't the wise one of the clan, responsible for passing on knowledge, I wouldn't have paid attention to this legend, let alone others. They had no idea about it at all."

This old giant didn't seem to be a good storyteller; he just gave a few dry sentences and that was it, without any emotional fluctuations.

However, after hearing this, Chen Xuan's heart stirred, and he thought to himself that the legendary giant probably did not lose his way, but rather wandered around this world!
So the world is actually round? Ordinary giants can walk very fast, let alone those guardian-level beings. It took them several years to circle the globe. How big must this world be?
Isn't this ridiculous? There's such a huge planet underground? It doesn't make sense. I clearly came down from Wanku Mountain in Quanzhou, Jing Kingdom. I didn't pass through any teleportation arrays or anything like that on the way. How could I have ended up on an alien planet? Besides, so many people come and go from the entrance every day. Furthermore, the only legendary place mentioned in the information left by Lao Liu isn't in Wanku Mountain. Even if I went to another place through a teleportation array, I wouldn't feel anything at all.

He hadn't been able to answer Chen Xuan's question yet, but he seemed to have gotten what he wanted to know; however, he was even more confused now.

While Chen Xuan was wondering to himself, Shang looked at him and said, "Chen Xuan from the Outer Heavens, may I know why you asked me this question? Firstly, it seems you care quite a bit about it, and secondly, I also want to know some things that I don't know, which will benefit the future development of our people. As a wise man, I bear the responsibility of passing on knowledge, and I need to absorb all unknown information. Of course, if you don't want to answer, that's fine too."

Hearing this, Chen Xuan looked up, smiled, and said, "It's nothing, I was just curious."

Just when Shang thought he didn't want to answer, Chen Xuan continued, "The reason I'm curious about whether this world has boundaries is because it's so vast, beyond imagination. Furthermore, and most importantly, this enormous place is located deep underground, right beneath my country. It's many times larger than my country. Logically, it wouldn't be surprising if there were a vast underground world, but this place is only a few hundred miles from the surface. It's strange that it hasn't collapsed. So, Mr. Shang, do you understand why I'm curious?"

After listening attentively to Chen Xuan's explanation, Shang smiled and said, "Oh, I see. I'd be curious too."

Normally, this topic should have ended there, and Chen Xuan was about to ask another question when Shang suddenly changed the subject, saying, "I think I can answer your question, Chen Xuan."

Was this an unexpected surprise? He was actually able to answer this seemingly unreasonable question. Chen Xuan asked in astonishment, "Please enlighten me, sir."

As expected of a wise man among giants, perhaps a bit unreliable and disrespectful of his elders, he still seems to know some valuable knowledge.

However, he didn't directly answer Chen Xuan's question at this moment. After eating and drinking for quite some time, he changed the subject and said, "Chen Xuan, have you finished eating? I hope our hospitality has satisfied you. If you have, and want to resolve your doubts, I need to take you to a place where you can get a more direct answer."

They had already finished eating, and Chen Xuan had put down his chopsticks when he asked the question. Now, looking at Du Juan and the others who had also stopped eating and seemed bored, he nodded and said, "We've finished eating. May I ask where the old gentleman will take us?"

“Follow me, it’s right below this temple,” Shang said, rising to his feet. He retrieved his scepter and then looked at the other giants, saying, “You stay outside. I’ll take Chen Xuan and the others to the place of inheritance and awakening. No one is allowed to approach.”

"Yes, we will definitely protect the temple," the giants promised one after another, glancing at Chen Xuan and the others in surprise. They seemed not to have expected that the wise man would lead them to the core of the giant race. Even for giants, most of them only have one chance in their lifetime.

Despite their surprise, they did not question any of the wise man's decisions. Although the wise man had almost no fighting power among the giants, he was an authority that everyone respected and whose authority was not open to questioning.

Chen Xuan had no idea what the place they were going to meant to the giants. He took Du Juan and the others with him and followed Shang's footsteps. He couldn't leave them alone in this unfamiliar place.

Chen Xuan was quite looking forward to the fact that the place he was going to could help him understand why there was such a vast underground world.

Shang led Chen Xuan and the others deeper into the main hall. There were no other giants inside. It seemed this so-called temple held immense significance for the giants; only wise men were qualified to set foot in certain areas, and other giants needed his permission. Soon after, Chen Xuan and his group arrived at what appeared to be an altar, located at the center of this massive structure.

Upon arriving at the altar, Shang bowed and murmured prayers to his ancestors.

Chen Xuan examined the enormous altar, which was shaped like a coiled dragon. It was carved from stone and had been there for who knows how many years. However, the carving technique was really not impressive; it was somewhat abstract, but it still conveyed the dragon's majesty.

Dragon? The giants worship and venerate the legendary dragon?

Chen Xuan had heard of the Flood Dragon. Several grandmasters from the Jing Kingdom had even joined forces to kill one decades ago. When they sent Xiao Gao to the capital for the imperial examination, they passed by the place where the Flood Dragon had fallen. But the real dragon was only a legend. Even though the Flood Dragon had the strength to crush most grandmasters, it was not even worthy of carrying the shoes of a real dragon.

After finishing his prayer, Shang placed his scepter in the mouth of the dragon-shaped altar. Immediately, the ground shook and trembled. The already loose ground cracked open, revealing a huge downward staircase. Firelight automatically lit up inside, which was a rather ingenious mechanism for a giant.

Standing at the entrance, Shang gestured, "Chen Xuan, please follow me."

Then Chen Xuan led Du Juan and the others into the passage, descending several hundred feet to a huge stone chamber, which was forty or fifty feet high and about the size of two or three football fields.

Illuminated by the firelight on the surrounding walls, Chen Xuan and his companions were first drawn to the huge paintings on the walls. The paintings were not particularly exquisite, and they mostly depicted giants fighting with wild beasts.

Those pictures were supposed to depict a complete story, but no one explained it to them, and Chen Xuan and the others didn't know where to start looking. The dragon appeared more than once in those pictures, only a scale or a claw, fully embodying the description of the dragon appearing only briefly and never returning. The giant's enormous body seemed as small as an ant in front of a single claw of the dragon.

In addition, there was a huge pool in the middle of the stone chamber, which was very large for Chen Xuan and his companions, but only a large bathtub for the giants. Then, directly opposite, on the other wall, there was a huge metal door, which was tightly closed. Chen Xuan suspected that all the metal of the giant race was used here, since the giants outside had almost no metal objects.

As Chen Xuan and his companions surveyed the area, Shang, who had just arrived, pointed to the dried-up pool in the center and chuckled, "Chen Xuan, that's our Giant Clan's Awakening Pool. It's not in use now, so it's dry. When we giants turn twelve, we all come here for a bloodline awakening. At that time, the pool is filled with the blood of various ferocious beasts. The awakened one takes a special potion and soaks in the blood pool, enduring excruciating pain. There's a chance to awaken bloodline power, but only one in a hundred might awaken. Once awakened, with the enhancement of bloodline power, one has the potential to become a powerful warrior or even a guardian of our race. The increase in combat power varies depending on the type of bloodline power awakened. Therefore, during the awakening ceremony, we try our best to collect the blood of powerful creatures. What kind of bloodline power one can absorb and awaken depends on individual luck and endurance. Our Giant Clan has been able to continue to this day in a world teeming with ferocious beasts not because of ordinary giants outside, but because of the powerful individuals who have awakened their bloodline power."

He actually revealed the greatest ceremonial weapon for the giants' survival, which really surprised Chen Xuan. Logically speaking, such a secret should not be told to outsiders. Perhaps to him, this was not a secret at all.

In reality, the so-called awakening pool is more of a formality; the key is the blood and that special potion. With these, digging any hole would probably be the same.

These were the questions Chen Xuan originally wanted to ask, but Shang took the initiative to tell him, which saved Chen Xuan the trouble of asking. He was worried about offending someone by asking first.

At this moment, Chen Xuan's heart stirred. This unreliable and somewhat unconventional wise man seemed to have a pair of eyes that could see through people's hearts. Could it be that he saw that he wanted to ask these questions but was worried about breaking taboos, so he took the initiative to tell them?

This finally resolved a long-standing question in Chen Xuan's mind, allowing him to understand the origins of the giants' powerful figures. After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Mr. Shang, although I've only been with you for less than half a day, I've always heard about the powerful warriors and guardians of your tribe. Why haven't I seen them? They didn't even appear during the previous beast tide."

Pointing to the tightly closed metal gate ahead, he stated bluntly, "They went in on a more important mission; they wouldn't leave unless it was a matter of life and death."

"Are they going there to fight against the so-called Underworld Clan?" Chen Xuan asked thoughtfully.

Nodding, Shang smiled and said, "Yes, let's not talk about that for now. If you want to know, we can talk about it later. Don't you want to know why there is such a huge world underground where your Outer Heaven is located? I think we can answer your questions most directly here."

Now for the main event. Suppressing his curiosity about the so-called Underworld Clan, Chen Xuan nodded earnestly and said, "I'd like to hear more details."

Approaching a massive mural, Shang said with a devout expression, “Our giant race’s sages have passed down the story for generations. According to the description given to me by the previous sage, this world was created by the Dragon God long ago. He sacrificed his own life to create this vast world, his flesh and blood merging into the mountains and earth, nourishing all things, thus creating this vibrant world, countless enormous beasts, towering vegetation, and the existence of our giant race. I don’t know how the Dragon God accomplished this; it’s beyond my comprehension. But this world is indeed beneath your outer heavens. To you, everything within it is enormous. From the perspective of the outer heavens, this world may not be so large, merely a tiny place underground. Why this is so, I cannot answer.”

Upon hearing this, Chen Xuan was shocked and murmured, "So this is how this world came to be? The Dragon God created it, and his own flesh and blood merged into the mountains and rivers to nourish all things, just like a whale fall that brings life to all things. As for why such a large world is underground without the 'sky collapsing,' I think I understand now. The Dragon God you mentioned has the power to create such a world, so placing this world in a very small place shouldn't be difficult for him. Let's just consider it a blessed land attached to a larger world. Even if it's ridiculously large, it's not unacceptable. The saying 'a world in a grain of sand' is nothing more than this."

At this point, Chen Xuan wondered again, since it was deep underground, how could he still see the blazing sun and starry sky?
There's really nothing to worry about. If the Dragon God can create a celestial realm, reflecting the starry sky outside shouldn't be too difficult for him. The reason it's unattainable is because those are just illusions.

Anyway, that was a power that Chen Xuan couldn't comprehend at the moment. And with such means, the so-called Dragon God must be at the level of a human immortal. It was definitely beyond the Tribulation Transcending Realm; even a slight difference wouldn't be enough. Otherwise, Old Liu would have left Chen Xuan with the relevant information.

Upon hearing this, Shang smiled and said, "It seems you already have the answer in your heart, Chen Xuan."

"Perhaps, my understanding isn't deep enough. There's no point in dwelling on these things. In any case, most of my doubts have been dispelled," Chen Xuan said with a smile. He hesitated for a moment and then asked, "But why would the Dragon God do this? Why would he risk everything, even his life, to create such a grotto-heaven world? Elder Shang, do you understand the reason? Or has your giant race passed down any relevant information?"

"I do know the answer, but whether it's true is another matter," Shang said thoughtfully, then looked at the tightly closed gate and said, "Ancient legends say that the Dragon God created this world to suppress the Netherworld race and prevent them from going to the Outer Heavens and causing widespread suffering. The mission of our Giant race is to eliminate the Netherworld race that attempts to go to the Outer Heavens."

Doesn't that mean the world is just a transit point?

...(End of chapter)