Chapter 660: Xianyuan City Secrets

Lu Ye had never truly considered what a secret realm was.

In the understanding of cultivators in the Nine Provinces, a "secret realm" was simply a special space existing independently outside the world of the Nine Provinces. It could be an ancient ruin or a relic left by a powerful predecessor. Moreover, such secret realms existed in both the Lingxi Battlefield and the Cloud River Battlefield, and even within the Nine Provinces themselves. Indeed, weren't the Lingxi and Cloud River Battlefields themselves secret realms? The only difference was that compared to typical secret realms, these two battlefields were incredibly vast. Every secret realm had its own rules, containing many hidden dangers but also numerous opportunities.

Lu Ye had not experienced many secret realms. Strictly speaking, he had only been to two: Xian Yuan City and the Myriad Beast Domain Secret Realm.

Xian Yuan City remained shrouded in mystery to Lu Ye, and he couldn't quite fathom it. Recalling the Myriad Beast Domain Secret Realm, he said, "I once visited a secret realm that was reportedly a destroyed world, reshaped by the immense power of Heavenly Dao. Within that realm, cultivators experienced everything that had once transpired in that world. They either followed the course of history, participating in significant past events, or tried to alter the original development of that world. Through this process, they honed themselves and gained various benefits bestowed by Heavenly Dao."

The Cloud River Battlefield contained many secret realms of this type; Xia Qianqian had told Lu Ye about them while they were in the Myriad Beast Domain Secret Realm. This was also why various cultivation styles flourished in the Nine Provinces; many minor styles originated from these secret realms. Just as Lu Ye had brought out a secret technique from the Myriad Beast Domain Secret Realm that could alter the landscape of beast-taming cultivation, perhaps many years ago, there were no beast-taming or artificer styles in the Nine Provinces. Instead, cultivators might have entered secret realms that contained these styles, acquired their secret techniques, and then spread them throughout the Nine Provinces.

Ji Yuan asked, "Then, in your opinion, what kind of secret realm is Xian Yuan City?"

Lu Ye pondered for a moment before replying, "Xian Yuan City doesn't feel like that kind of secret realm to me."

"Indeed, Xian Yuan City is not," Ji Yuan nodded slightly. "The type of secret realm you described doesn't originally belong to the Nine Provinces. It's just that for some special reasons, it has become a secret realm that Nine Provinces cultivators can enter." Ji Yuan didn't elaborate on the reasons, but Lu Ye vaguely suspected that only the enigmatic Heavenly Dao could achieve such a feat.

"Xian Yuan City... was originally a city within the Nine Provinces." A city that, thousands of years ago, stood proudly at the peak of the Nine Provinces, even more powerful than today's first-rank sects.

"Then how did Xian Yuan City become like this? And the insectoid invasion... Senior Butcher said you've been fighting this war for thousands of years."

"Yes, for thousands of years!" A reminiscent look flashed in Ji Yuan's eyes. "This was Xian Yuan City's choice, and the choice of all its cultivators. It is precisely because of this choice that we have coexisted with Xian Yuan City for millennia. As for why it became this way... you can think of Xian Yuan City as a wedge plugging a loophole."

Lu Ye was bewildered by talk of loopholes and wedges; though he didn't fully understand, he sensed that Xian Yuan City was critically important. If this wedge ceased to exist, the loophole would appear, potentially leading to extremely dire consequences.

"Your cultivation is still low, so you can't see much yet. As your cultivation gradually increases, you'll begin to have many different insights. But there's one thing you must remember: the Nine Provinces Continent is not as you perceive it. Only when your cultivation is high enough will you slowly be able to discern the truth of this world."

The truth of the world... Lu Ye vaguely recalled hearing these words somewhere before and fell into thought.

If any other cultivator from the Nine Provinces, especially one at the Cloud River Realm, had been present, Ji Yuan would never have told them these things. However, since Lu Ye had been identified as the chosen one, sharing more information wouldn't hurt. After all, Lu Ye would gradually learn all these details later, and preparing him in advance certainly wasn't a bad idea.

"In summary, Xian Yuan City is extremely important. That's why, back then, all the cultivators of Xian Yuan City abandoned their physical bodies and transformed into spiritual forms, leaving their soul imprints in the Soul Pool. As long as the Soul Pool remains intact, even if their spiritual bodies are shattered, the cultivators of Xian Yuan City can be resurrected."

This was also why Lu Ye could see Butcher and the others again. He had previously thought Butcher's squad was completely annihilated, but in reality, it hadn't taken long for the fully annihilated squad to emerge from the Soul Pool. However, the deaths of Xian Yuan City's cultivators inevitably consumed the Soul Pool's power. After thousands of years, the Soul Pool's foundation had greatly diminished, which was why Ji Yuan spoke of time running out.

Lu Ye's expression was unreadable as he slowly said, "Thousands of years... it must be incredibly tough, right?"

Ji Yuan looked at Lu Ye with some surprise. If ordinary people learned about the unique characteristics of Xian Yuan City's cultivators, their first reaction should have been envy. Because of the Soul Pool, Xian Yuan City's cultivators were almost immortal, an allure that external cultivators could barely dream of. Who wouldn't desire eternal life? Yet, even those Grand Cultivators of the Divine Sea Realm had limits to their lifespans. The cultivators of Xian Yuan City, whether at the Divine Sea Realm or the Cloud River Realm, could achieve immortality—provided, of course, that the Soul Pool remained unbroken.

"Why do you say that?" Ji Yuan asked.

"Repeating the same thing for thousands of years, constantly participating in wars against the insectoids, even without fearing death, it must still feel monotonous and arduous... If it were me, I definitely wouldn't want such an immortality. I'd rather live a more exciting life, maintain proper respect for death. Only then does living have meaning, don't you think?"

Ji Yuan smiled. "You're still so young, yet you have such insights."

Lu Ye said, "Just speaking offhand. Perhaps if I truly faced death, I might choose such immortality after all."

Ji Yuan nodded. "Human nature is always complex. But you're right, it truly is difficult. Even when everyone initially made this decision with sufficient resolve, only through actual experience do you realize that mere resolve isn't enough for some things. As spiritual beings, we are immortal because of the Soul Pool, but we are also extremely restricted. We are completely bound to Xian Yuan City; we can never leave it in this life or any other. Ordinarily, everyone sleeps in the Soul Pool, only awakening to resist when the insectoids launch an attack. Time and again, year after year, it's like an unbroken cycle."

Lu Ye looked up at the sky, only to find that the giant rift that had appeared earlier was gone. Puzzled, he asked, "The insectoid nest should be in that rift that appeared before. Haven't you considered counterattacking and destroying it?"