The Hidden World

"What is the goal of the Holy Race? As mighty beings from the upper realm, why would they take an interest in the Qing Realm?"

"It's not the Qing Realm they desire, but its people," Jue Mingzi shook his head. "Demons and monsters relish devouring humans, and even those from the upper realm are no exception. Their aim is to turn the Qing Realm into a sheep pen, breeding and raising the entire human race."

Gu Qingfeng frowned. "They spent thousands of years refining the Heavenly Dao of the Qing Realm just to satisfy their appetite? Given the power of the upper-realm Holy Race, consuming humans from the Qing Realm can hardly enhance their strength, can it? Besides, doesn’t the upper realm have humans as well?"

"The Cangming Realm does indeed have humans, and their strength is no less than that of the demons and monsters. That’s why the Holy Race struggles to acquire large numbers of them. As for why they spent millennia on this, it’s not merely about eating humans.

Have you ever seen a real sheep pen, my friend? What shepherd raises a flock of sheep just to eat them himself?"

Hearing this, Gu Qingfeng was slightly taken aback. "Most shepherds raise sheep to sell for profit, since they can’t possibly eat them all. Could it be...?"

Jue Mingzi sighed, as if lamenting the fate of the humans in the Qing Realm.

"Exactly. The Holy Race intends to sell the Qing Realm’s humans—to other demons and monsters, turning this realm into a never-ending source of fresh blood and flesh."

Gu Qingfeng was both shocked and puzzled. "Couldn’t they do the same in the Cangming Realm? Even if they can’t seize too many humans, they could still take a small number and let them reproduce over these thousands of years. Wouldn’t the outcome be the same? Why go to such lengths to refine the Qing Realm? It would save them the trouble of transportation."

"Gu Qingfeng, let me ask you a question," Jue Mingzi suddenly said.

"Go ahead."

"Suppose you love eating mutton and have tasted every variety of sheep in your own country. Then, one day, a merchant imports mutton from another land. Would you buy it?"

At this, Gu Qingfeng fell silent. He understood.

To the demons and monsters, humans from the Cangming Realm are like domestic mutton, while those from the Qing Realm are imported delicacies. There may be no real difference in substance, but the novelty alone makes them more appealing.

Why do so many businesses in the modern world adopt foreign names?

It’s the same principle—people crave novelty. The moment they hear something is imported, something they’ve never tried before, they’re eager to taste it. Of course, there’s also a touch of blind admiration for foreign goods.

Who knows? They might even fetch a higher price than local mutton.

"I see you’ve grasped it. To the Holy Race, humans from the Qing Realm are far more marketable. It’s like growing tired of farm-raised livestock and craving wild game. But the most crucial point is this—controlling a small world to breed humans is far safer than doing so in the Cangming Realm. The human factions there would never allow demons to treat their kind as livestock."

"Then what should the humans of the Qing Realm do? Is your Shadow Realm an organization formed specifically to resist the Holy Race?"

Jue Mingzi gave a bitter laugh. "Resist? Hah. In the eyes of the world, you and I are gods. But to the Holy Race, we are nothing but ants. The gap is too vast—there’s no hope of resistance. The Shadow Realm was formed merely for mutual survival.

Divine Realm experts are considered premium ingredients by the Holy Race, often fetching exorbitant prices. That’s why we must hide and scatter."

"Wait—if the Holy Race is truly that powerful, how can you possibly evade them?"

"The Holy Race is indeed mighty, but precisely because of their overwhelming strength, they exceed the world’s capacity to accommodate them. Thus, descending to the lower realm is no easy feat. They typically spend a century preparing before sending down an envoy—and even then, the envoys are usually the weakest among their ranks. That’s how we barely manage to hide."

"So the so-called Century Calamity is actually the Holy Race’s harvest of human lives? You mentioned the envoys are the weakest—how strong are they?"

"To facilitate the harvest and comply with the world’s restrictions, the Holy Race sends envoys who are one major realm above the Divine Realm. Any higher, and they cannot descend; any lower, and they cannot contend with all the Divine Realm experts of this world."

"One realm above the Divine Realm? What is that realm called?" Gu Qingfeng asked curiously.

Jue Mingzi shook his head. "I do not know. The path of cultivation in this world is severed—the Divine Realm is the peak. But I do know this: the envoys’ strength is utterly beyond our ability to oppose!

Two thousand years ago, during the Shadow Realm’s golden age, we had hundreds of Divine Realm experts, including over a dozen at the peak. Back then, we gathered to resist the Holy Envoy together. But in the end... ah..."

Gu Qingfeng heard profound despair and sorrow in Jue Mingzi’s voice.

"In the end, we were nearly annihilated. Hundreds of Divine Realm experts burned their lifeforce, exhausted their potential, and fought with everything they had—yet they couldn’t even scratch the envoy’s finger."

"That strong?!" Gu Qingfeng’s expression turned intense.

Jue Mingzi understood his reaction well. After painstaking cultivation to reach the Divine Realm, believing oneself at the pinnacle of the world—only to realize that, in the eyes of the Holy Race, one is less than an insect—who wouldn’t tremble at such a staggering disparity?

"Do not worry, Gu Qingfeng," Jue Mingzi reassured. "The Shadow Realm has successfully evaded the Holy Envoy’s descent many times. If you join us, you will surely survive the calamity."

Gu Qingfeng was tempted to refuse—after all, when the envoy descended, who would be hiding from whom remained to be seen.

But then he reconsidered. The envoy wouldn’t arrive for another two years, and his soul had only recently transformed into a divine soul. His rapid advancement had left gaps in his knowledge—he didn’t even know the most basic abilities of a Divine Realm expert, such as manipulating the world’s spiritual energy.

Perhaps joining the Shadow Realm and learning from other Divine Realm experts would be wise.

"Very well, I’ll join the Shadow Realm. But I have one question—if the Holy Envoy descends only once a century, why not hide only when they arrive? Why must you remain in hiding at all times?"

Jue Mingzi’s smile grew even more bitter. "Because this world has the Holy Race’s hounds. Since the Holy Race consists of demons and monsters, they’ve appointed many so-called sheepdogs in the Qing Realm to facilitate the harvest—especially of Divine Realm experts."

At the mention of sheepdogs, Gu Qingfeng immediately thought of Young Master Yin—that little wolf brat who proudly called himself one.

"If the Qing Realm’s limit is the Divine Realm, then the sheepdogs can’t possibly exceed it, right? Why would the Shadow Realm fear them?"

"It’s not the same. The sheepdogs are granted sacred techniques by the Holy Race, making them far stronger than human Divine Realm experts. Moreover, with the Heavenly Dao now favoring demons, their cultivation is greatly advantaged—ascending to the Divine Realm is far easier for them. So they also outnumber us. That’s why we have no choice but to hide."