Chapter 70: Tianyuan Realm

  After all, these gang members were hardly expert marksmen. Even if they mao hit someo wouldn’t necessarily prove fatal right away.

  Some might have suffered more before succumbing to their injuries, while others among the wounded mao survive by sheer luck.

  Such was the case for the gang member An Jing found. He had been shot in the shoulder bde by a Spiritlight Gun, leaving a scorched wound. Then a gunpowder bullet hit his helmet, delivering a severe impad knog him unscious.

  Because of these injuries, he had not bled heavily, so by the time An Jing arrived, he was still ging to life.

  An Jing dragged him into some shrubs, treated his wounds, gave him some water and stimunts, and the man gradually emerged from his a.

  “Uh…Big Brother, you—?”

  After all, he was an Internal Energy cultivator. Though he had just e out of a a, a quick circution of Internal Energy brought him fully back to sciousness.

  Like the dead gang member An Jing had seen earlier, this youth was around sixteen or seventeen. Uhat casualty, however, he appeared utterly haggard: the ter of his forehead was dark, and heavy circles under his eyes showed just how unlucky he had been—likely forced to stay up all night, every night.

  Even so, his stitution seemed strong—thi resilient. He had survived a gunshot, after all, and he clearly wasn’t foolish.

  Notig An Jing’s newly donned gas mask, his bloodstained rain cloak, and the gun barrel aimed at his forehead, he immediately uood why he was still alive. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he bowed respectfully and asked, “What do you require of me?”

  “From here on, I ask; you answer. No unnecessary talk.”

  An Jing’s tone was calm. The young gang member, who couldn’t even manage a nod, blinked several times to indicate pliance. Moments earlier, he had been fearless uhe influence s. Now that the effects had worn off, he was desperate to live.

  He proceeded to answer An Jing’s questions openly and iail.

  He expihat this world was called the Tianyuan* Realm, and that the wilderhey were in was known as【Fu Pins】.

  The Fu Pins y within the【Pins Safe Zone】of a megacity called【Xuay】, one of four colossal metropolises built upon the spiritual veins encirg the Tianyuan Realm.

  His name was Huo Qing, aroueen years old, from Danlin Town—one of the seveowns on the Fu Pins.

  He beloo the Day-Tiger Gang, one of the four majangs on the Fu Pins, which had just fought its longtime rival, the Fme Cw Gang.

  Huo Qing had det cultivation talent, but his parents died when he was young. He survived thanks to a few uncles in the gang aually joi himself.

  He wasn’t much of a fighter. Usually, he worked as an atant and would never have taken part in aion like this under normal circumstances.

  However, a few days ago, after the【Luofu Group】’s Grand Void Warship returo Xuay, tensions both inside and outside the city soared. The Day-Tiger Ga on high alert, and tonight they openly cshed with their old rival, the Fme Cw Gang. Huo Qing, clueless, was assigned by his boss to join the fight and almost lost his life on the spot.

  As for why the war started and why tensions ran so high, Huo Qing had no idea. His status was too low, and he simply didn’t know much—he didn’t even uand why an atant like himself had to be on the front lines.

  Still, for someone from another world, that information was already enough.

  “Indeed,” An Jing thought, gng toward Xuay. “Just as I suspected—tonight’s turmoil is tied to the warship’s arrival.”

  “Very likely, some big shot behind the ses instructed them to fight their rival fas…or they’re stirring chaos to hide something else.”

  An Jing could tell the battlefield extended beyond the towns of the Fu Pins; the main flict was happening inside Xuay itself.

  In the distance, Xuay glowed with firelight and Spiritlight. Clearly, the various gangs had desded into chaotiflict, with buildings burning and explosioing everywhere. Fmes and smoke rose skyward like a field of flickering stars on the ground.

  Meanwhile, outlying groups like Huo Qing’s only had to put on a show; her side would truly destroy the towns both gangs relied on.

  As An Jing had observed, if any fighting occurred, it happened in the wilderness. No one wao use heavy ons that might destroy the towns.

  Essentially, this was all fallout from some high-level grudge in Xuay. her the Fu Pins nor Xuay would be peaceful tonight.

  , An Jing asked Huo Qing about the history of the Tianyuan Realm.

  Huo Qing found it odd—why ask about history in the midst of a gang war? Still, he guessed this Big Brother was a true outsider to the safe zones, a genuine barbarian. But weren’t barbarians supposed to care only about survival and cultivation? Why did he want to know something so trivial as history?

  Oh well. Sin Jing wao know, Huo Qing answered dutifully, perhaps to prove he was telling the truth.

  An Jing was fortunate—Huo Qing was one of the few in his gang who had some educatio only khe Tianyuan Realm’s history but could also expin it clearly.

  From Huo Qing’s cise at, An Jing gained insight into how the Tianyuan Realm turned so desote and det, yet still supported a massive city like Xuay.

  It all stemmed from the Heavenly Demons.

  Long ago, this realm had been unified under something called the “Dao Sect.” Civilization thrived, and everyone could cultivate. Then one day, a【World Tribution】struck.

  tless Heart Demons swept across the nd, and over a tury, any cultivatardless of strength—who attempted to cultivate was tormented by these heart demons, often dying in the process. It was the greatest disaster ever recorded iianyuan Realm.

  This Heart Demon Camity wiped out entire geions of cultivators. It was then that Heavenly Demons, once hidden deep in the Grand Void, emerged into the mortal world, feeding on humas.

  Beset by internal aernal upheaval, this civilization—where everyone cultivated—colpsed almost ht. Those corrupted by Demonic Qi often mutated into terrifying demonic humans. Others were possessed by Heavenly Demons, who hid among the highest ranks of power and surfaced at critical moments to wreak havoc.

  Many Blessed Lands and Grotto Heavens were destroyed or abandoned, tless sects fell, and the Dao Sect itself lost three of its seven Primordial Spirit Iances.

  After the World Tribution, most people relocated to the core cities and safe zones he Tianyuan Realm’s tral spiritual veins, while the ions—overrun by demonic humans, strange fiends, and vionsters—became known as “the wilderness.”

  Fortunately, the demonic threat was eventually driven back, sparing the Tianyuan Realm from a final colpse of the Immortal Path. Now, it was striving for revival, determiain its flory.

  Acc to Huo Qing, “This realm’s cultivation follows the traditional Qi Refining path: Spirit Awakening, Qi Refining, Foundatioablishment, Purple Mansion, and Core Formation.”

  “The parallel martial arts path goes from Internal Energy to Internal Fortifiartial Veins, Divireasury, and finally Sacred Maion.”

  Upon hearing this, the Sword Spirit spoke within An Jing’s Sea of sciousness: “As expected, this realm still preserves the Qi Refining tradition.”

  “And furthermore…” The Sword Spirit paused, then spoke softly, “it’s just as we suspected…these two realms are closely linked.”

  “In both the Huaixu Realm and here, a Dao Court and a Dao Seified the world.”

  —Perhaps it was the same wave of settlers or missiohat would expin the shared nguage—the so-called ‘on writing and on people.’

  An Jing nodded slightly. None of this came as a surprise. Both realms tained fragments of Subduing Evil, so a e was iable.

  Indeed, acc to the Sword Spirit, the Huaixu Great Immortal had once brought five cities and twelve towers, along with 108,000 inhabitants, into the Huaixu Realm. Where had they all e from to begin with?

  There had to be some “source” that ehe Huaixu Great Immortal to establish that world. If one such source existed, perhaps reat Immortals had dohe same in other realms.

  Now that An Jing had some knowledge of the Tianyuan Realm, he felt he had learned quite a bit.

  Initially, he po leave Huo Qing with some food, water, and medie so the youth could go on his way. But seeing how badly injured Huo Qing was—and how difficult it would be for him to travel—An Jing had ahought: “Maybe… this is my ce to enter a town?”

  In his current state, if Huo Qing tried returning alone, he might be beled a deserter and face the ‘three cuts and six holes’ punishment, or simply die on the way.

  Still, An Jing’s personal code dictated that once he saved someone, he should see it through to the end. He didn’t mind taking some time to help Huo Qi back to town.

  Besides, Huo Qi mentioning some major reward.

  Though An Jing suspected that, given Huo Qing’s palpable misfortuhis “reward” might be nothing more than a single bowl of rice, well… a bowl of rice was still a bowl of rice. More importantly, if he was esc Huo Qing bayway, he could use the youth’s es to blend into the Tianyuan Realm and gather more resources.

  Having made up his mind, he helped Huo Qing to his feet. “Where do you live? Show me the way.”

  “I’ll take you home.”

  (End of Chapter)

  *Tianyuan could be interpreted as "Heaven in."