Chapter 790, Hidden Realms
Chapter 790, Hidden Realms
Translator: Jon
Translation Checker: Silavin
Heading out to look for resources came with a huge risk. Once they bumped into Corpse Race members, a conflict would be inevitable. Take this time as an example. They headed out as a team of six people, but only Yuan Xiang survived in the end.
After the narration, Lu Ye had a better understanding of the current situation in the Peerless Continent.
Humans were in danger and struggling to survive, and it was hard to deal with the powerful Corpse Race members.
“Let’s talk about your base,” Lu Ye said.
“The base…” Yuan Xiang fell deep in thought for a moment. “Our base isn’t big. There are only around 200 people, which isn’t a lot. The most powerful person is Senior Zui Shan. He’s also the one who takes charge of the base…”
As she narrated the tale, Lu Ye and Ying Wuji found out more about the base.
In this apocalyptic era, many people came together to help each other out, which was why the bases of different sizes were born. The smaller bases ranged from a few people to a dozen people. The larger ones had several hundred people but fewer than 1,000.
That was why Yuan Xiang said that the place where Lu Ye used to live could be considered a base. Certainly, the prerequisite was that Lu Ye had told her the truth.
Moreover, due to the crises that might break out without a warning, the locations of the bases were not permanent. Once a base was discovered by the Corpse Race members, they had to relocate quickly. Otherwise, they would be killed.
A puzzled Ying Wuji asked, “Since it’s so difficult to survive, why don’t the people of different bases come together instead of scattering everywhere?”
Lu Ye glanced at him like he was a fool.
A furious Ying Wuji snapped. “What’s wrong? Did I say anything wrong?”
Yuan Xiang replied with a helpless smile, “I had pondered on this matter as well and asked Uncle Yu about it before. He said that even though our collective power would increase if all of us came together, we’d also be conspicuous. This would lead to our location getting exposed. In that case, a large number of Corpse Race members would come attacking us. If we scattered around, we’d definitely be weaker, but it’d be easier for us to hide. Furthermore…”
She paused for a moment before continuing her tale. “Uncle Yu said that during this chaotic time, it’s hard to find out the true nature of people. Even though we’re all Humans, we might get into a fight to have our hands on valuable things. No one can guarantee that all of us will be united. Perhaps the people of some bases can come together if they share many similarities, but it’s impossible to connect all the bases in the Peerless Continent.”
Ying Wuji frowned and fell deep in thought without refuting her.
Although he was now in the Peerless Continent, he wasn’t a local cultivator, after all. He had never experienced the hardship of life, so he could never understand the complicated feelings of the cultivators in this world.
He only felt that this world was more dangerous than any Hidden Realms he had experienced.
Anyway, the fact was quite obvious, considering the line-up the Heavens had arranged. The top six cultivators in the Fight for Supremacy and Ying Wuji, a Ghost Cultivator in the 16th spot, were there. There were also the exceptionally talented Body-tempering Cultivator and Medical Cultivator.
If a team of nine people like them worked together, they could dominate the entire Cloud River Battlefield.
For such a line-up, the problem they had to solve was definitely massive.
“What are the Hidden Realms, then?” Lu Ye asked.
After he saved the man surnamed Yu, the other party seemed to misunderstand that he came from a Hidden Realm.
He didn’t ask him about it at that time. Now, he certainly had to find out more.
“Hidden Realms…” A sense of longing suddenly appeared on Yuan Xiang’s face. “Those are the sanctuaries all Humans yearn for. It’s said that the people living there lead a vastly different life from ours. Just like 1,000 years ago, they can still live peacefully, and their resources are inexhaustible.”
As she spoke, she sounded like a poor child who was narrating the extravagant lifestyle of the rich.
After hearing her explanation, Lu Ye finally understood what Hidden Realms meant in the Peerless Continent.
The Hidden Realms in this world were not different from the ones he understood.
Strictly speaking, they were pocket dimensions that were independent from the world.
There were many Hidden Realms in Jiu Zhou. The Lost City of Xianyuan, Myriad Beast Domain, and Soaring Dragon Boundary, all of which Lu Ye had experienced, were Hidden Realms. These Hidden Realms were vast. Although they were reliant on Jiu Zhou, they could exist independently and couldn’t be found easily.
There were once prestigious Sects in the Peerless Continent, and they naturally had their own Hidden Realms, which were mainly used for rearing Spirit Beasts, cultivating plants, or letting their disciples get some training inside.
However, after the Divine Transformation, even the major Sects were destroyed. Although the Sects were gone, the Hidden Realms remained. Some lucky people could hide inside them. As time passed, more and more Humans came together and hid inside the Hidden Realms to evade the Corpse Race members.
In the beginning, the Humans had control over many Hidden Realms, but as time passed, Corpse Race members discovered more and more Hidden Realms and attacked them. Now, the Humans only had control over three Hidden Realms.
They were Mount Sumeru, Purple Star Palace, and Silver Snake Valley.
Unlike the chaos and hardship of the outside world, the Hidden Realms were the last paradises in the Peerless Continent. They were also the places where the most powerful cultivators gathered.
The cultivators in the Hidden Realms would go out from time to time to kill the Corpse Race members. However, there hadn’t been much progress over the years. This world was still controlled by the Corpse Race. People like Yuan Xiang could only hide in their bases.
Therefore, the moment the man surnamed Yu saw Lu Ye destroying the zombie, he assumed that Lu Ye came from one of the Hidden Realms.
A man of his age and power couldn’t be nurtured in bases where life was a struggle. Only the Hidden Realms had such heritages.
When Lu Ye fished out a high-quality Antidote Pill and passed it to him, the man surnamed Yu confirmed his speculation, but Lu Ye had never admitted to it.
“Since the Hidden Realms are so wonderful, why don’t all of you go there?” Ying Wuji couldn’t help but ask. Then, he looked cautiously at Lu Ye.
Fortunately, Lu Ye didn’t glance at him like he was a fool this time.
“We all want to go there.” Yuan Xiang smiled bitterly. “All the Humans living in the Peerless Continent dream of entering the Hidden Realms, but rarely anyone can do that. No one will welcome us in. Even if we manage to get there, we don’t know where the doors are. Even if we can find the doors, we might not be able to enter. They might even beat us up.”
Ying Wuji frowned. “Why?”
“In the beginning, the Humans had control over many Hidden Realms, and they welcomed anyone who sought refuge with open arms. However, a Hidden Realm is only a small world, so the capacity is limited. If there are too many people living in it, the resources will be drained. Gradually, the Hidden Realms stopped welcoming outsiders. I also heard that in one of the Hidden Realms, two different Sects contended with each other in an attempt to take charge of the place, and both parties were badly injured. The Corpse Race members seized the chance and slaughtered them. Therefore, it’s extremely difficult to get into any Hidden Realms now.”
“Is there no other way to enter a Hidden Realm?” Lu Ye asked.
In Jiu Zhou, right before he was sent to this place, a message exploded in his heart. The Heavens had given him a task, which was to save the broken Peerless Continent.
If he had to achieve that, he had to make use of the powers of the Hidden Realms. If he could join a Hidden Realm, it would be easier for him to carry out his task.
Yuan Xiang seemed like an innocent young woman. Even when she was facing people like Lu Ye and Ying Wuji whom she barely knew, she still answered all of their questions. Naturally, Lu Ye wanted to glean more information from her.
“There is a way.” Yuan Xiang nodded. “That’s also the only hope for the Humans living in different bases. It’s said that the three Hidden Realms will send out representatives from time to time to look for suitable candidates and take them back to the Hidden Realms. Three years ago, several people from our base were chosen and taken away. Nevertheless, we can’t seek to join the Hidden Realms. We can only wait passively. Even if they come, we might not be selected.”
Upon hearing that, Ying Wuji dipped his head. “It seems that those of the three Hidden Realms aren’t so steel-hearted. They’ve left some hope for the rest.”
“They might not willingly do it,” Lu Ye said meditatively.
Yuan Xiang looked at him in shock. “Senior Zui Shan had said that before.”
Zui Shan was the one who took charge of the base. He was also the most powerful cultivator there. It seemed that Yuan Xiang respected him wholeheartedly.
“What did Senior Zui Shan say?” Lu Ye asked.
Although he had some speculation in mind, it wasn’t confirmed, after all.
“Senior Zui Shan said that if the three Hidden Realms don’t do that, many people will go looking for their hideouts. By then, it will catch the attention of the Corpse Race members and bring trouble to the Hidden Realms. Therefore, the three Hidden Realms have decided to take in some people from time to time. By doing so, they can give the rest of the Humans a glimmer of hope.”
Lu Ye nodded. It seemed that he and Zui Shan shared the same sentiment.
Anyway, the three Hidden Realms couldn’t be blamed.
Just like what Yuan Xiang had said, Hidden Realms were only small worlds. Although they were independent from the Peerless Continent, their capacities were limited. It was impossible to welcome everybody inside. The representatives would go out there and bring some suitable candidates back. Firstly, they could give the rest of the Humans some hope so that no harm would be done to both parties. Secondly, they could also strengthen the powers of the Hidden Realms. It was like killing two birds with one stone.
“Is there anything I need to know about the Corpse Race?”
Lu Ye had a big picture of the Humans’ situation, so he had to find out more about the Corpse Race now.
Only by knowing more about the enemies could they win the battle.
“Corpse Race members are everywhere in the Peerless Continent. If there’s something that’s worth knowing, it has to be the Muddy Sky Temple’s Hidden Realm. That’s where the most Corpse Race members gather. It’s said that the first Corpse Race member, the Golden Corpse King Shi Sha was a disciple of the Muddy Sky Temple. He still stays there.”
A thought turned over in Lu Ye’s mind. “Are you saying that there’s a Hidden Realm at the Muddy Sky Temple?”