Misty Rain of the Old Times

Chen Xuan had heard the name "Netherworld Race" several times in just half a day. Shang's answer also surprised him greatly. The purpose of the Giant Race's existence was to eliminate the Netherworld Race and prevent them from going to the Outer Heavens, which is the surface world.

Looking at the tightly closed gate, Chen Xuan pondered and asked, "Mr. Shang, are those so-called Netherworld Clan behind the gate? Or perhaps underground?"

Nodding and then shaking his head, Shang replied, "You could say they're at the entrance, or you could say they're underground."

Despite the seemingly ambiguous answer, Chen Xuan quickly understood its meaning. The world created by the Dragon God, as described by the giant, was located below the Jing Kingdom and was vast and boundless. However, from the perspective of the outside world, it might only occupy a small area and was a cave world dependent on the outside world. One needed to enter through the correct entrance to experience its vastness.

In this way, the distinction between behind the door and underground becomes very blurred, and the concept of direction largely loses its meaning.

It is very possible that what lies behind that door is still a vast cave world, a living space exclusively for the Netherworld race, or it may be an unknown inner world of the earth, isolated underground by the earth's crust.

Looking at the heavy gate, Shang's gaze was slightly complicated as he said, "That gate has existed since the earliest records of our giant race have been passed down. The exact details are no longer verifiable, but it has been passed down through generations of wise men in our race that it was left behind by the ancient dragon god, and only those with the bloodline of our giant race can open it."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "Passing through that door is a buffer zone. Our clan's powerful warriors who went to eliminate the Netherworld Clan can rest there. On the other side of the buffer zone lies the true gate that blocks and suppresses the Netherworld Clan. Beyond that gate is the world where the Netherworld Clan resides. Whether it's the door we see now or the gate on the other side of the buffer zone, they are actually one. The buffer zone is like a small world compressed and folded in the middle. Isn't that amazing? Legend has it that the gate was left by the Dragon God; it possesses an unparalleled power that we cannot comprehend."

"It is indeed amazing and hard to understand," Chen Xuan nodded in agreement. In fact, it was because his cultivation level was not high enough. Once he reached a certain level, he could do similar things with arrays or with refining and creating artifacts.

Putting aside everything else, just the Star-Containing Artifact in his palm, which exists in a state between existence and non-existence, has only been used once in more than ten years. It is an extraordinary artifact crafted by refining. Hidden in his palm, it is only the size of a needle. With Chen Xuan's current cultivation level, he can only barely activate it to present it as a normal sword. To truly unleash its power, he would have to reach the Tribulation Transcending Realm, which is the level that Old Liu once reached. After all, the Star-Containing Artifact was left behind by the late Old Liu.

“Every time a warrior or strongman appears in our clan, they enter the gate to fight against the Netherworld Clan. They will not withdraw unless there is a major crisis. They will only return to the outside world to be buried in the sunlight if they are too weak to fight anymore or if they die and can take their bodies with them. That is why Chen Xuan and you have never seen any of our clan’s strongmen outside. This has been the case for generations. This is the mission of our giant clan. As long as the Netherworld Clan exists, this mission will continue,” Shang Youyou said. There was no bitterness or helplessness in his voice. It was clearly a firm belief engraved in his bones.

At this moment, Chen Xuan felt a deep sense of admiration. He realized that behind the scenes, unknown to the world, there was such a powerful race that made silent sacrifices to protect the outside world from invasion by other races.

Chen Xuan probably understood the meaning of the word "guardian" among the guardian-level powerhouses of the giant race. They were protecting their homeland and people, and most importantly, they were guarding the gate to the Outer Heaven!
Despite the inappropriateness, Chen Xuan couldn't help but ask, "Have you never thought about changing this fate?"

Hearing this, Shang smiled helplessly and said, "Of course we want to, but what's the use of thinking about it? Besides, Chen Xuan, do you think that our clansmen, who only grow tall and not smart, would consider so much? The mission passed down from generation to generation has been passed down, and eliminating the Netherworld Clan is etched into our bones. It's a matter of course, so who would want to change anything?"

Chen Xuan had no answer to this. Just like that little story, he herded sheep, grew up, got married, had children, and then herded sheep again, generation after generation. His deeply ingrained belief was that as long as he could survive, he never thought of changing anything.

Then Shang shook his head and said, "Changing this fate is unrealistic. If we give up fighting the Nether Race, our giant race will only be wiped out even faster. If we don't eliminate the Nether Race as much as possible to stop them from breaching the gate, Chen Xuan, you have never been in contact with the Nether Race, so you can't imagine what kind of terrifying disaster will occur once they breach the gate. You don't want to see that."

Chen Xuan wouldn't speak recklessly about things he didn't understand. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Perhaps what I'm about to say is a bit irresponsible, but what I want to ask is, from an objective point of view, the so-called Netherworld Clan passing through the portal would most likely destroy your living space, leading to the extinction of your Giant Clan. Haven't you ever thought about leaving this world and just abandoning it, since there are much wider living spaces outside?"

"Chen Xuan, I understand what you mean: just pretend the Underworld Race doesn't exist and let them develop on their own," Shang said with a smile, then shook his head and said, "It's not that simple. If we completely ignore it and the Underworld Race comes to this world created by the Dragon God, and we give them a little time to establish themselves, we'll be powerless to stop them anymore. That would only hasten our extinction."

"Then you say that the whole clan should leave this world created by the Dragon God to live in a larger place, such as the Outer Heavens you came from. That's no different from courting death!"

Chen Xuan was speechless for a moment before asking, "Why do you say that?"

The reason he asked this question was because he had been in this so-called world created by the Dragon God for some time, and apart from everything becoming enormous, it was no different from the outside world. So, what difference does it make where you live? If people from outside can come in and live, then they can go out and live too, right?
After a moment of contemplation, Shang Youyou said, "As I said, fighting against the Netherworld Clan is our mission. Unless the Netherworld Clan is completely wiped out one day, or they are powerless to break through the gates and attempt to go to the outside world, the reason we cannot escape this fate is because our ancestors, the earliest ancestors of our giant race, also came from the outer heavens, just like you, and were no different from you, at least in terms of size."

"According to ancient legends, in the distant past, the Netherworld race descended from the earth to the mortal realm, which is the outer heaven you inhabit. Our ancestors fought valiantly, and after a hard-fought battle, they finally drove them back underground to prevent the Netherworld race from descending to the mortal realm again. The Dragon God who participated in that war sacrificed his life and body to create this world, completely suppressing the Netherworld race underground. Even so, they still feared the Netherworld race's return. Therefore, our ancestors, the giants, voluntarily came to this world, isolated from the outer heaven, where the Dragon God created a world, constantly entering its gates to fight and eliminate the Netherworld race."

"Initially, our ancestors were no different from you. But after living in the world created by the Dragon God for a long time, generation after generation, our physical form changed, and we became the giants we are today. The bloodline technique was also bestowed by the Dragon God, allowing us to quickly gain power to fight against the Underworld Clan. This is a blessing, but also a curse. Chen Xuan, think about it, with our clan's size, even if we abandoned our mission and went to the outer heavens, how would we survive there? We wouldn't even have enough to eat, and we would perish on our own in no time. So we can only live here, fighting against and eliminating the Underworld Clan generation after generation, to prevent them from coming out to destroy the environment and squeeze our living space."

This is truly unsolvable. Given the size of the giants, how much food do they have outside? They are not just one or two, but a group of tens of thousands. There are large creatures in the outside world, but they are extremely rare.
"Is there no way to change your fate except to completely eliminate the Underworld Clan or until they pose no threat?" Chen Xuan asked with a sigh. It wasn't to argue, but the matter had come to this point, and they had shouldered a mission for generations, making them a truly pitiful group of people.

Ultimately, they were no different from outsiders at first; it was only due to the influence of the environment that their adaptability allowed them to grow into giants. Shang smiled and said, "There's no other way. Only after eliminating the threat of the Underworld Clan will we have the time and energy to consider other issues. Actually, this isn't so bad. Since our people aren't very bright, we don't have so many worries. Besides, if even the Dragon Gods couldn't do it in ancient times, how could we possibly do it?"

This is truly frustrating. As Shang said, it's something even a divine dragon at the level of a human immortal couldn't accomplish. Even though Chen Xuan has some ability, he can't help much.

There's no point in dwelling on these things anymore. Thinking of something, Chen Xuan asked, "Mr. Shang, do you know why the previous beast tide retreated innocently?"

Chen Xuan didn't think that eliminating two beasts with the combat power of a Grandmaster would scare them away; that was unrealistic.

Still gazing at the gate, Shang remained silent for a long time before finally speaking, "It's simple. They sensed the aura of the Netherworld Clan and were frightened away. According to reports from our clansmen, this beast tide included more than ten powerful beasts comparable to our clan's guardians. For a beast tide of this scale to be driven away by the mere presence of the Netherworld Clan, Chen Xuan, you can imagine how terrifying the Netherworld Clan is, right? Of course, it's a fact that you, Chen Xuan, slew the ferocious beasts and saved our clansmen; that cannot be erased. You remain our clansmen's most respected guest."

"Just the aura alone could scare away a beast tide of that size?" Chen Xuan was shocked. He thought to himself that it was no wonder he felt disgusted and repulsed at that time. Now it seemed that it was definitely caused by the aura of the Netherworld Clan. They were clearly natural adversaries with no room for compromise.

However, there was too little time at the time, and he didn't have time to fully appreciate it.

Nodding, Shang said, "That's the truth. The Netherworld Clan is that dangerous. Otherwise, why do you think our clan has always aimed to eliminate and fight against them? That's why the former Dragon God was willing to pay the price of his life to let the Netherworld Clan run rampant. The Outer Heavens would probably be devastated!"

"The Netherworld Clan is very strong?" Chen Xuan frowned slightly. "Even if they are strong, there must be a limit. Since there are legends about the Human Immortal realm, they must exist. Even that realm cannot stop them."
With a helpless smile, Shang sighed, "It's not a matter of whether they're strong or not. The problem is that once they establish themselves somewhere, they rapidly change the surrounding environment. In such an environment, normal life as we know it simply cannot survive. So, we can only try our best to stop their spread, trapping them in their world and isolating them forever. Otherwise, once they break free and wreak havoc, stopping them will be beyond our comprehension."

Is it really that terrifying, the Underworld Clan? It's not a matter of individual combat strength, but rather that they directly alter the living environment, fundamentally dismantling the living space of normal creatures!

Looking at that magical portal, rumored to be left by the Dragon God, Chen Xuan wondered what kind of beings the Underworld Race behind it truly were. He had a strong urge to see it for himself, not out of curiosity, but because he wanted to understand its terrifying threat in case he was unable to cope with it in the future.

But then he thought again, something didn't make sense. According to Shang, the Netherworld race appeared in the outside world a long time ago and caused disasters, but why is there not a single word about it? Is it because the era is too long and the world has forgotten it, or is it because he is not at a high level and has not come into contact with it?

While he was thinking about these things, Shang turned back to look at him and shook his head, saying, "Chen Xuan, I advise you to give up the idea of ​​encountering the Netherworld Clan. That's a matter for my clan, and I don't want to involve you. You may be very strong, but if you are corrupted by the Netherworld Qi, without the Dragon God's favor, I can't think of any other way to save you. You will die. Only the bloodline of my clan, blessed by the Dragon God, can resist the Netherworld Qi, and even then, it won't last long. Even for my clan, if corrupted too much by the Netherworld Qi, we need to rest and recuperate, and eliminate the Netherworld Qi in a special way before we can continue to fight them."

This somewhat unconventional giant sage seemed to truly possess eyes that could see through people's hearts, and he spoke his mind directly.

Chen Xuan didn't want to court death by causing dangers beyond his understanding. He was still young and hadn't experienced enough of life. He was about to get married, and if he killed himself, he couldn't let his fiancée live a life of widowhood.

Of course, all of this is just Shang's side of the story, and Chen Xuan can't believe everything he says. He's also keeping a watchful eye on things. It's not that serious yet, so it's better to avoid trouble for now.

Shang had already said enough, practically sharing everything he knew, so Chen Xuan simply changed the subject, asking another question that had been bothering him: "Elder Shang, I've heard from your people that beast tides happen every few days, constantly attacking Sun City. Is there anything here that attracts these beast tides? If this question touches on noble secrets and is offensive, please pretend I didn't say anything."

Chen Xuan was indeed curious about this question. If there was nothing to attract the beast tide, why would they attack Sun City when they were already full? Couldn't nature fill their stomachs? There was absolutely no need for them to come here to die.

"I'm sorry, Chen Xuan, I can't answer that question," Shang said directly, without any hesitation.

It seems this question does indeed involve the secrets of the giant race. Curious as he was, Chen Xuan didn't feel obligated to know.

Before he could say anything more, Shang countered with, "Chen Xuan, we were complete strangers before, do you know why I'm telling you so much?"

...(End of chapter)