Misty Rain of the Old Times

Chen Xuan himself was a little puzzled. As an outsider, he hadn't known the other person for long, and Shang had said a lot of things that he shouldn't have revealed under normal circumstances. But he told them without hesitation, which was unreasonable. If he had only helped a little during the beast tide, he shouldn't have revealed so much.

So he looked at the other person and asked speechlessly, "Why?"

Shang turned to look at the gate and said, "It's very simple. I'm telling you the truth about this world, the origins of our giant race, and how we've increased our strength. I want you to understand that fighting the Nether Race is our race's mission. You may not have personally witnessed the Nether Race's terror, but it's definitely beyond your imagination, especially the Nether Qi that accompanies them. So far, only our bloodline can resist it. For countless years, our race has kept them at bay on the other side of this gate, unable to set foot here. Therefore, we don't want outsiders to interfere, otherwise it could backfire and cause unimaginable disasters. That's all."

Upon hearing this, Chen Xuan was taken aback. Was it merely a matter of not wanting outsiders to interfere? It was highly likely that outsiders interfering rashly could disrupt the balance they had maintained against the Underworld Clan for many years.

It's also possible that their refusal to let outsiders interfere is because they don't want outsiders to come into contact with certain things, such as the existence that attracts the beast tides to attack Sun City every few days. That's what they really care about, and its importance even surpasses external help in dealing with the Underworld Clan.

At the same time, Chen Xuan could also sense that he was serious about refusing help from outsiders, without a doubt. If someone insisted on intervening, it could very well lead to a situation where they would become enemies.

However, Shang Zai's talk about the horror of the Underworld Clan was genuine, which could be seen from his eyes. It was a fear that came from the bottom of his bones. But they were born to fight against the Underworld Clan, and they could not escape or retreat. They had no choice but to fight to the death.

Having said so much that should and shouldn't have been said, yet refusing to reveal any information about the root cause of the beast tide, and even refusing outside help, Chen Xuan wasn't one to ignore advice, nor would he go looking for trouble. However, he couldn't help but ask curiously, "I won't rashly interfere in your affairs. To put it bluntly, our relationship isn't that close. Even if you asked me, I might not help, as it would put me in danger. I firmly believe in the danger of the Netherworld Clan you mentioned, but I still want to ask, isn't outside help a good thing? That way you wouldn't have to fight alone. Why are you refusing? I'm just curious, I don't mean anything by it, I hope you don't mind."

Chen Xuan's comment that the relationship between them wasn't good enough and that he might not help even if asked wasn't true, didn't anger him at all. Instead, he smiled, then snorted coldly, his face filled with reminiscence, and said, "Yes, having outside help would certainly make it easier to fight and eliminate the Netherworld Clan. Even so, there are reasons for refusing outside interference."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "To be honest, according to our clan's records, about two thousand years ago, quite a few people from the Outer Heavens came to this world, including powerful individuals like yourself. They got along well with our clan and fought side by side against the Underworld Clan, even forcing them to retreat and dare not approach our gates."

"This should have been a good thing, a happy ending for everyone, but the reality was quite different. Back then, the Netherworld Clan retreated again and again, only to be met with a fierce counterattack. They were even driven out of the gate, and it took a heavy price to drive them back to the gate. Even the Sun City we are in now was migrated here after that battle. The environment, altered by the Netherworld Clan two thousand years ago, has lost its continuous transformation. If that's the case, it has only barely recovered by now. The records that have been passed down say that you people from the Outer Heavens were tainted by the Netherworld energy and returned to the Outer Heavens, causing a huge disaster. I don't know the specifics, since we have never been to the Outer Heavens."

Upon hearing this, Chen Xuan's heart stirred. Some things made sense. The Black Diagram Society member he had killed had said that, historically, Wanku Mountain, as a mine, had indeed been dug through the earth to reach this place where all things were gigantic, and the creatures from there escaped, causing a huge disaster.

It now appears that it wasn't the creatures that escaped, but rather the people who came here who were tainted by the ghostly energy and carried it away.

After that incident, the Wanku Mountain mine was abandoned, the entrance to this world was sealed, and even those who knew the truth were all silenced, leaving no trace of information.

More than two thousand years! That's far too long. The truth has long been buried in history. If Shang hadn't mentioned it now, Chen Xuan wouldn't have known that the truth of what happened more than two thousand years ago was like this.

As his thoughts raced, Shang continued, "Logically speaking, that major disaster shouldn't be blamed on you people from Tianwaitian, right? After all, they helped, and that shouldn't be a reason to refuse outsiders' intervention. But the truth is, it really is their fault. As for why, it's because you people from Tianwaitian are too greedy."

"The so-called greed is twofold. First, they are greedy for merit and reckless. They forget the horror of the Netherworld Clan after a temporary victory, which even affects our clan's usual fighting style. This is the root cause of that accident. Second, they covet our clan's fighting strength. Although they have not shown it, they have already shown signs of wanting to enslave our clan for their own use, and even covet our clan's treasures!"

"When our ancestors realized these things, they had a less-than-friendly negotiation with the visitors from beyond the heavens, driving them out of this world and signing a pact to never reveal any information about this place. They promised to honor the pact, largely out of fear of the reappearance of the Netherworld energy and the resulting disaster. So, Chen Xuan, this is why our clan refuses outsiders' interference, a rule strictly upheld generation after generation, to prevent a repeat of past calamities. If outsiders disregard this advice and insist on interfering, they will be considered enemies. Our clan may not possess the same wondrous martial arts as those from beyond the heavens, but our combat prowess as adults is undeniable. The visitors from beyond the heavens in history have experienced this firsthand; otherwise, they wouldn't have so readily honored the pact. Do you understand now?"

After listening, Chen Xuan nodded in relief and said, "I see. Don't worry, I won't interfere in noble affairs. To be honest, I'm a very lazy person, and I'd rather stay out of things like this."

In fact, while recounting history from two thousand years ago, a lot of important information has been inadvertently revealed. He said that the people of the Outer Heavens are greedy. Chen Xuan neither agreed nor disagreed. Human hearts are complex. Faced with the fighting power of the giants, who would remain unmoved? If they could be controlled, what a terrifying force that would be?

Those who came into this world back then would obediently fulfill their contracts and even erase that history. It's conceivable how much they suffered at the hands of the giants. Otherwise, how could they be so conscientious?

Even ordinary giants are quite formidable in combat once they reach adulthood, let alone a race of tens of thousands. Their sheer numbers are enough to crush even those born with superhuman abilities. Furthermore, their race includes warriors and guardians of immense strength, giving even grandmasters no reason to be arrogant.

Then there's the fact that the outsiders coveted the giants' treasures. This was probably the root cause of their initial falling out. Although Chen Xuan doesn't know what these so-called treasures are, it's likely the reason that attracted the beast tide. Even beasts with the strength of a Grandmaster were attracted here, so you can imagine what kind of treasures they must be.

Chen Xuan wasn't the type to want all the treasures in the world. He was curious, but since the other party didn't tell him, he wouldn't insist on finding out. Not knowing might be a good thing; once he knew, he couldn't guarantee he wouldn't develop greed.

In response to Chen Xuan's answer, Shang smiled calmly and said, "I hope what you're saying is true. Anyway, I've already stated my position."

Then, after thinking for a moment, he said, "Chen Xuan, I have heard the younger members of my clan describe your strength. Even among the guardian-level experts of our clan, you are at the top level. With this strength, I suppose you have a high status in the Outer Heaven. What I want to ask is, the people of the Outer Heaven promised back then that they would not reveal any information about this world. Why did you still come? Have they forgotten their promise?"

Chen Xuan thought for a moment and smiled, "I think I can answer that question. It wasn't that the people from back then broke their promise. The truth is, our Outer Heaven is different from your world. Over two thousand years have passed, dynasties have changed many times, and the people from back then are long gone. That history has been forgotten, without even a single word left behind. Our arrival was purely accidental. Someone accidentally entered your world and left in a daze, bringing news of this world with them, which attracted countless curious people to explore. We also happened to come here by chance. Originally, I wanted to see if this world had boundaries and explore further into the distance. This time, we came to the place where you live."

“I see. It seems I was overthinking it. Over the long course of time, someone will inevitably discover this world by accident. Judging from what you said, it seems that quite a few people from the Outer Heavens have already come to this world. I hope they can listen to advice and behave themselves like you. There’s no need for us to be enemies with the people of the Outer Heavens,” Shang said, shaking his head. It sounded more like a warning. Perhaps he had never met the people of the Outer Heavens before, but he firmly believed the saying passed down from his ancestors that the people of the Outer Heavens were greedy.

Chen Xuan couldn't say what others would do, but it seemed that the Jing Kingdom government would try every means to develop and utilize this vast world. This world had too many resources to utilize and represented a huge territory. Who wouldn't be tempted? Which emperor throughout history didn't dream of expanding his territory? Even the old emperor probably couldn't escape this desire. Would he give up this place?
After thinking for a moment, Chen Xuan said, "The entrance is more than 100,000 miles away from here. Let's put it this way: putting aside other factors, if your adult clansmen focused on traveling, they could travel about 5,000 miles a day. That means even if you did, it would take you 10 to 20 days to get there. It's too far, and there are countless dangers along the way. They probably won't come here. Not everyone is as free as me, but you can't say for sure."

"It doesn't matter. If they come with goodwill, we won't reject them; if they come with malice, we giants aren't to be trifled with," Shang waved his hand dismissively. Since some things are unavoidable, we should prepare for the worst.

At this moment, Chen Xuan thought for a moment and asked, "According to you, this time was created by the Dragon God and is a separate winter outside the Great World. Why would it have a fixed entrance and exit to the outside world? Shouldn't it be completely isolated? Or is there more than one entrance and exit to enter and exit this world?"

If you don't understand something, instead of struggling with it yourself, you might as well just ask the local natives.

Shang replied, "There is only one entrance and exit, that's for sure. As for why there is such an entrance and exit, there's a saying among our people. After all, the Dragon God came from beyond the heavens, and perhaps when he created this world, he wanted to leave some blessings for the people of beyond the heavens. That's why he didn't completely isolate it. We can't change the existence of the passage, nor can we stop outsiders from coming in. If we insist on stopping them, it will only cause war. Besides, our people can't occupy much of this vast world anyway. Furthermore, it's rumored that it's the Dragon God's Achilles' heel after he perished while creating this world, and after his body merged into the world, he couldn't completely isolate this world either. Who knows the truth? Only the Dragon God himself knows."

Is that where the reverse scale lies? That's why such a passage was left. Chen Xuan didn't dwell on it; that level was too far beyond his reach.

For a human immortal to be able to create such a vast world, what kind of methods must they possess? Of course, perhaps not every human immortal has such methods, after all, dragons themselves possess a divine quality that is difficult to comprehend.

Then Chen Xuan's gaze returned to the tightly closed door and he said, "Elder Shang, you said that this Sun City was migrated here two thousand years ago, and the place behind the door is where the Underworld Clan lives. Can the passage also be moved? Isn't it fixed?"

“The passage is fixed, of course. It’s right behind that door. You just need to take the door with you. Don’t ask me why the passage goes with the door. I don’t know either. That’s a level we can’t understand,” Shang said, shaking his head. He couldn’t answer the question either.

Chen Xuan roughly understood. The door could be moved, but it was fixedly connected to the world where the Underworld Clan lived. This method was magical, but in essence, it was the same principle as a teleportation array, which was fixedly connected to a certain place.

Shang then turned his gaze back to Chen Xuan and smiled, "Alright, Chen Xuan, I've said enough. Is there anything else you'd like to know?" After thinking for a moment, aside from the fundamental reason attracting the beast tide—which might be the giant treasure Shang had mentioned—Chen Xuan really had nothing else he wanted to know. So he smiled and said, "Thank you for your explanation, sir. I have no further questions."

“Well, in that case, let’s go out. I’m old and my energy is limited, so I won’t keep you company any longer. Someone will arrange accommodations for you. You can stay as long as you want. We are very hospitable. We just don’t want outsiders to interfere in our fight against the Underworld Clan. As the past has shown, outside interference could lead to unforeseen consequences. That’s all I wanted to say. Actually, I originally wanted to ask you to help stop the people from the Outer Heavens from arriving, but that’s pointless. The people from the Outer Heavens are much more responsible than we are. It’s not something you can control. Let nature take its course,” Shang nodded and turned to walk out.

Following Du Juan and the others, who had remained silent and seemed somewhat bored, Chen Xuan said noncommittally, "Just as you said, sir, there's nothing I can do about it. This world is too complex, and I can't stop others from coming. Forcing them with force would only backfire."

He was telling the truth. With so many people coming to this world, the news had already spread and couldn't be covered up. Even with his strength and relatively special status, he couldn't guarantee that he could influence the Jing Kingdom's higher-ups to abandon this world and block it, let alone other countries. Wouldn't they be tempted if the news spread?
If he were to defy the world and forcibly prevent people from arriving, he would probably be facing enemies from all over the world. Just thinking about having to face a bunch of grandmasters gave him a headache, and he might even attract tribulation-crossing or even human immortal powerhouses!
"It's alright, like I said, let nature take its course," Shang said with a smile, unconcerned.

They quickly left the underground area and came outside. Shang had closed the passage. This was the closest Chen Xuan and his group had ever come to the so-called Netherworld Clan. They were separated by a single door, yet they had no chance to see them. Shang explained the seriousness of the situation to him and wouldn't let him enter that door. Chen Xuan wasn't there to cause trouble, so he didn't insist. Who could say what would happen in the future?

Once outside, Chen Xuan looked at the sky; the sun was already setting, and it was evening.

While marveling once again at the fact that they could still see the outside sky from underground, and while still arranging accommodations for Chen Xuan and the others with Lei Mo and the others who were still outside, he directly took his leave.

Even though he had only been in this world for less than a day, he had already learned almost everything he needed to know. There was nothing he absolutely had to do here, so of course he should go home before dark. There was plenty of time. Besides, he had already obtained the materials and needed to go back to study the formation. He was getting married in a few months, so there was no need to linger here. He could bring the little princess here for a visit when he had time.

Chen Xuan's sudden resignation surprised them greatly. They tried to persuade him to stay, but he insisted on staying, leaving them with no choice but to give up.

Aside from preventing outsiders from interfering in the affairs of the Underworld Clan, they were indeed very hospitable. Of course, part of the reason was that Chen Xuan helped deal with the beast tide.

The giants originally wanted to give them some local specialties, but the giants' things were all ridiculously large for Chen Xuan and his companions and were inconvenient to carry. So Chen Xuan and his companions came here empty-handed.

Anyway, they're not going anywhere, and they can come back anytime. Chen Xuan and the others left quite casually.

Leaving Sun City and hurrying towards the exit, the little girl finally couldn't contain her curiosity and asked, "Master, what did you and that giant old man talk about? I couldn't understand a word, and sometimes you both looked quite serious."

"He is a wise man among the giants and knows a lot. I only learned about this world through him. For example, this world was created by the legendary dragon. The ancestors of the giants originally came from the world we live in. They adapted to the environment here generation after generation and became giants. Their mission is to fight against the Netherworld Clan..." There's nothing that can't be said among friends. It's just a chat to pass the time on the road. However, Chen Xuan told them not to spread this information around.

Along the way, Chen Xuan kept collecting leaves, almost all of which did not exist in the outside world. His wife liked collecting leaves, so he considered it a gift for her. The little princess lacked nothing, and she was even happier with such a gift.

After a while, Chen Xuan suddenly turned around and looked in the direction of Sun City. A thought struck him, and he probably guessed what was in Sun City that was attracting the beast tide to attack every few days. It was the so-called treasure that Shang avoided mentioning.

Since this world was created by the so-called Dragon God, even if His body merged into this world, did He really leave nothing behind?
So what is the most precious thing on Shenlong?

The answer is obvious; it's probably Dragon Ball!

The legendary Dragon Balls are something every living being would want, which explains why beast tides attack Sun City every few days.

Chen Xuan even speculated that the Dragon Ball was behind that door, and was also the key to the giants' fight against the Netherworld race. He guessed that the Dragon Ball could remove the negative effects of the so-called Netherworld energy.

No wonder it is said that two thousand years ago, visitors from outer space coveted their treasures and turned against them. Who wouldn't be envious of something like the Dragon Pearl?

Of course, all of this is just his guess, but it's probably pretty close to the truth.

Even with the Dragon Balls, Chen Xuan had no ulterior motives. He was never a greedy person, nor would he forcibly take them. It wasn't a matter of whether he could win or not; it was just his personality.

Under his swift leadership, the group soon returned to the camp they had entered from. It hadn't changed much since they left, except that there were more people there in just one day, and the camp that had been damaged in the battle the night before had been repaired and reinforced.

I noticed that Jiang Hao had also come here and was asking around about Chen Xuan and the others.

After thinking for a moment, Chen Xuan and his group didn't say hello. They entered the deep pool silently and left through the exit. Those who come here should think twice. No matter what their purpose is, adults should be responsible for their actions.

When they came out of Wanku Mountain, night had already fallen. People from all directions flocked to Wanku Mountain, including those from the imperial court and wandering martial arts practitioners.

It seems the news has spread far and wide. For a long time to come, Wanku Mountain, or rather, the underground world, will definitely become the focus of global attention, and countless forces will go crazy for it.

Chen Xuan couldn't help but chuckle. Thinking about Gao Jingming's next plan, it was likely that few people would pay attention to his little tricks anymore.

Chen Xuan remained calm during the unexpected trip, while Du Juan and the others felt as if they had been transported to another world.

"Let's go home, let's go home. We've been underground for so long, and it's inconvenient everywhere. I miss my soft bed." Stretching, Chen Xuan led Du Juan and the others straight towards Yang County.

It's just discovering a new world, who cares? The sky isn't going to fall.

After Chen Xuan and the others left, in the underground world's camp, a low-key innate master who had come here looked around, his eyes filled with undisguised surprise and fervor. He thought to himself that the ancient records were true, and that such a world really existed.

So it seems that the legendary giants must exist, along with the giant race's treasures, and perhaps even divine skills left behind by ancient masters!

But where should we look? It seems the organization needs to send more people to take action.

If Chen Xuan were here, he could catch this person and interrogate him using some methods, and he would find out that he is one of the members of the Black Diagram Society, who specialize in causing trouble.

...(End of chapter)