Chapter 359: Wild Heavenly Human

Lin Bai did not enter the city directly, but instead circled around the town first. This city was called Songshi City, and its area was about the same as Zhen City; it could accommodate a population of at least one million or more.

The lower realm has existed for over tens of thousands of years.

The number of Heavenly Humans is so vast, yet in tens of thousands of years, there has never been any legend about Heavenly Humans in the lower realm; this can only explain one problem: Heavenly Humans have no way to enter the lower realm.

Not necessarily.

Even if the place below were a pigsty, there would still be curious Heavenly Humans who would go down to take a look.

Heavenly Humans cannot go down, yet the Immortal World has equipment to shut off the light of guidance; if one were to say there is no human manipulation involved, that would be truly strange.

It is highly likely that the Game Company is behind this!

……

Lin Bai flew into Songshi City in a leisurely manner. He did not encounter any inspections along the way.

Inside the city, apart from patrolling soldiers, no other Heavenly Humans were flying; this should be a rule within the city.

Various shops lined both sides of the street, including teahouses, restaurants, Artifact Refining Workshops, and so on; Heavenly Humans were bustling back and forth, all with different appearances.

However.

Unlike the lower realm, the Heavenly Humans in the city not only lacked gender, but one could not even see the old or the young; they were all uniformly young adults.

A bizarre world.

Lin Bai landed on the street, and before he could even find a suitable entry point, the Heavenly Humans on the street cast strange gazes toward him.

"A blank slate?"

"He doesn't even have a name; how did he come to Songshi City?"

"Is there something wrong with the people at the distribution center?"

……

The sound of discussion reached Lin Bai's ears.

What is going on?

He had been discovered!

Bai Feng did not have any identification documents on him!

What kind of identification mechanism is this?

Previously, when he transmigrated to Jiamu City, no one had ever doubted his identity despite his strange attire; upon arriving in the Heavenly Human World, he was discovered the moment he showed his face.

Sure enough, unfamiliar worlds are truly annoying.

No wonder Bai Feng kept urging him to explore this world; it turns out this was waiting for him here!

If the place he had transmigrated to initially had been the Immortal World, he probably wouldn't have been able to get by even with the system...

A squad of patrolling soldiers in the sky also discovered Lin Bai; they descended from the sky and surrounded him.

"Who are you? Why don't you have an identity tag?" The squad leader did not even draw his weapon; he stood in front of Lin Bai, looking him up and down, his eyes full of suspicion.

Perhaps because of his identity as a Heavenly Human, the patrolling soldiers did not show hostility.

Lin Bai looked around and decided to play dumb: "What identity tag? I don't know what that is. I don't have any Skills. After I was born, I just flew all the way here..."

While speaking, he utilized his Skill of 'Dihua'.

"He really is a blank-slate newcomer. It looks like he was released right after having language instilled in him, without even having a knowledge system instilled."

"From the Mother Body into the world, with so many steps, how did he manage to get out?"

"The nearest Mother Body is in Free City. Without an identity tag, one cannot ride the teleportation array. There are so many cities in between; he flew all the way here, and no one discovered him?"

"There have always been rumors of wild Heavenly Humans; it turns out it's actually true, hahaha..."

……

Lin Bai collected the information from the discussions of the people around him, and a bold idea sprouted in his mind.

"Where did you come from?" The squad leader sensed something was wrong and asked.

"From the big mountains over there." Lin Bai recalled the terrain from before, pointed toward the direction of the continuous mountain range, and said.

"The Black Stone Mountain Range?" The squad leader's expression suddenly turned serious. "Are you sure?"

"Why would I lie to you?" Lin Bai continued to use Dihua and said, "After I was born from the Mother Body, the moment I opened my eyes, I was in the big mountains. Besides me, I couldn't find a second one of my kind in the mountains and forests, and those Demon Beasts couldn't talk either. I flew and searched all the way, and finally, I arrived here. When I saw so many of my own kind, I landed, and then you all surrounded me. As for the identity tag you mentioned, I have no idea what that is."

……

"Mother Body?"

"How could there be a Mother Body inside the Black Stone Mountain Range?"

"But besides the Mother Body, where else could Heavenly Humans be born? It's impossible for them to be born like those ascenders from the lower realm!"

"Do you think it's possible that a new Mother Body has been born..."

"One Mother Body corresponds to one Heavenly King; does a new Mother Body mean a new Heavenly King is about to appear?"

"It is rumored that the first Heavenly Human born from a Mother Body possesses unparalleled talent..."

……

Under the influence of Dihua.

Lin Bai guided them slightly, and the onlookers watching the show were in an uproar, taking the initiative to fill in the plot for him.

The squad leader realized the gravity of the situation, his expression becoming increasingly serious. He turned his head to instruct his subordinates: "Notify the City Guard; strictly seal off the news."

Everyone nodded.

The squad leader looked back at Lin Bai: "Come with me."

Lin Bai nodded, followed his footsteps, and asked: "What is an identity tag?"

The squad leader pointed to the top of his own head and explained: "After a Heavenly Human is born, they will have knowledge instilled by the Mother Body. Then, every Heavenly Human will choose a name for themselves. This name will float above every Heavenly Human's head, accompanying them for life. Clicking on the tag will display the corresponding profession, as well as your abilities. For example, my name is Huang Yong; as long as other Heavenly Humans see me, they can immediately know what my name is..."

Huh?

Lin Bai's train of thought paused briefly.

Names displayed above heads—aren't those just players and NPCs?

Neither male nor female, no old or young, choosing a name when creating a character...

Is the Mother Body the main interface when first entering the game?

Was the Immortal World designed according to a game template?

Damn!

Bronze, Silver, Golden, Platinum...

No wonder he felt the realm divisions in the Immortal World were somewhat sloppy when he heard Bai Feng talking about them...

From a gaming perspective, everything is perfectly normal.

If this world didn't have him, those in the lower realms would only have one path to enter the Immortal World: ascension. The natives are like this, and so are the players.

Following the normal development of a game, after players possessing Undying and Indestructible bodies conquered the lower realms, they would ascend to the new map of the Immortal World, their levels reset, everything starting over, facing NPCs harder to deal with than the natives of the lower realms, with the story arcs of oppressed ascenders mixed in between...

Lin Bai went through the plot in his mind.

For the first time, he had doubts about whether this world truly existed.

If the current world was created by a Game Company, then why was he able to open a passage between the game world and reality?

What role did he play in it, and why did he intrude into this game?

What did the system in his mind represent?

Who is real?

Who is fake?

After realizing the truth of the Immortal World, the questions in Lin Bai's mind not only didn't decrease, but increased instead; he felt it was necessary to go and see the true Mother Body of the Immortal World...

"Can I have a nameplate?" Lin Bai stopped his steps and asked.

"Probably!" Huang Yong also stopped and said, "I've never encountered a situation like yours before, but if you were birthed by a New Mother Body, you should have had your own name from the moment of your birth..."

"Perhaps the Mother Body that birthed me is not yet mature!" Lin Bai sighed.

"Maybe! The birth of a new Mother Body will definitely trigger chaos in the Immortal World. In a moment, I will take you to see General Nan, and he will solve your identity problem. Before General Nan makes a decision, do not tell anyone else that you were born from a New Mother Body." Huang Yong looked at Lin Bai and cautioned, "One Mother Body corresponds to one Heavenly King; the Nine Great Heavenly Kings will likely not allow a New Mother Body to appear. Your cultivation is insufficient; once you are targeted, your life will be at risk."

"Do Heavenly Humans resurrect after death?" Lin Bai asked.

"Resurrect? What kind of wishful thinking is that!" Huang Yong scoffed, "It is said that the latest generation of the Wood Heavenly King has methods of resurrection, but no one has ever seen him use them. Throughout history, so many Star Brilliance who challenged the Heavenly Kings couldn't even take one life from a Heavenly King, let alone witness him resurrect. Below the Heavenly Kings, perhaps the recovery ability is stronger. Resurrection is just a pipe dream; you only have one life, don't go wasting it..."

Huang Yong was not on guard against Lin Bai, a blank-slate Heavenly Human, or rather, he wanted to appease Lin Bai and basically said whatever he was asked.

"You kept saying there are nine Heavenly Kings, which nine are they?" Lin Bai said, "I don't understand anything. If I go to see General Nan in a moment and pester him with questions, it won't be good. Why don't you tell me some common knowledge!"

"Very well." Huang Yong thought for a moment and said, "Anyway, every Heavenly Human knows this common knowledge; it's the same whoever tells you. In the Immortal World, there are the Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, Light, Dark, Thunder, and Dream Heavenly Kings. Each Heavenly King corresponds to a Dao Method. The Heavenly Kings are high above, ruling the world; they are existences we look up to."

Dao Method?

Forget it, this time the fake met the real deal!

He had been bluffing the world in the lower realms for months with the Law Power, never expecting to meet the real thing!

Thinking of the strange and peculiar Skills the system rewarded him with, and then thinking of the high-and-mighty true Law Power like Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth.

Lin Bai felt a wave of guilt, and he suddenly had the urge to take everyone back to the lower realms, cut off the Magpie Bridge, and never come up again.

The difficulty increase between the Immortal World and the lower realms is not just a little bit!

After pondering for a moment, Lin Bai asked: "Captain Huang, you just said that there are Star Brilliance who challenge the Heavenly Kings; has anyone succeeded?"

"Of course." Huang Yong smiled, "If the Heavenly Kings were constant and unchanging, what joy would we have in cultivation? Wouldn't the world become a pool of stagnant water? The Earth Heavenly King was defeated three thousand years ago. Everyone can practice the Fazhe Zhidao; as long as one's comprehension of the Law Power surpasses that of the Heavenly King, one can naturally defeat him and take his place.

However, in the last three thousand years, all King Challenge Tournaments have ended in failure. As generations of Heavenly Kings change, unless newcomers comprehend special divine abilities, it is becoming increasingly difficult to replace a Heavenly King."

Speaking to the end, Huang Yong sighed, as if lamenting the solidification of classes and the hopelessness of promotion.

As long as they can be defeated, it's fine!

Lin Bai breathed a sigh of relief and asked again: "Captain, do we Heavenly Humans have a lifespan limit?"

Huang Yong looked at Lin Bai with pity and said: "The Mother Body that birthed you seems to be truly newborn; the common knowledge that should have been instilled in you is completely missing!

Heavenly Humans naturally have lifespans. If one does not fall midway in the Bronze realm, one can live at most five hundred years;

Breaking through to the Silver realm allows one to live another five hundred years; breaking through to the Golden Realm allows one to live two thousand years; breaking through to the Platinum Realm allows one's lifespan to reach four thousand years;

Star Diamond possess eight thousand years of life, Star Brilliance start at ten thousand years, and as for the Heavenly Kings, if they are not defeated, they should be able to live eternally. It is said that the Dream Heavenly King, one of the Nine Great Heavenly Kings, has already lived for one hundred thousand years. All the Star Brilliance who challenged him have died, and no one has challenged the Dream Heavenly King's position for ten thousand years."

Old monsters who have lived for ten thousand years and possess Law Power—how could the immortals ascending from below possibly defeat them?

What about the ascenders hiding in the Ruins?

I'm afraid they are just reality show toys kept by the Heavenly Humans!

Lin Bai snorted inwardly: "Which Heavenly King is above Songshi City?"

Huang Yong said: "The Thunder Heavenly King."

Lin Bai asked: "How is his cultivation among the Nine Great Heavenly Kings?"

Huang Yong said: "The Thunder Heavenly King is number one in offense; his strength can at least rank in the top four among the Nine Heavenly Kings. However, there is rarely war between Heavenly Kings, and their rankings are all guessed by us. But the Dream Heavenly King is the undisputed number one; this is universally acknowledged."

Lin Bai wanted to ask more.

Huang Yong smiled and interrupted him: "Why is a little Bronze like you asking about so many Heavenly Kings? Could it be that you want to challenge a Heavenly King? If you really want to challenge one, you must at least raise your level to Star Brilliance. Let's go; you know enough about the common knowledge of the Immortal World, it's time to see General Nan. Once General Nan solves your identity problem, you will have plenty of time to learn about these trivial matters."

"Many thanks to Captain Huang for clearing up my confusion." Lin Bai nodded in thanks.

Afterwards.

Huang Yong brought Lin Bai to the General Mansion.

The General Mansion was in the center of Songshi City, with vermilion-lacquered gates, tall and majestic. There were more than a dozen guards outside the gate. Lin Bai could not see through their cultivation; they were likely either Silver or Golden...

General Nan was at the Platinum Realm, two realms higher than Lin Bai's current cultivation. To use a card to seal him, he must make up for the two intermediate realms.

But without understanding their combat power, Lin Bai did not intend to alert the enemy.

Huang Yong had someone announce their arrival, and after receiving a response, he led Lin Bai all the way into the General Mansion.

Inside the General Mansion, exotic flowers and rare herbs vied for beauty, and occasionally one could see attendants carrying large chunks of meat to feed the Demon Beasts kept in cages; those Demon Beasts were all different, yet each one was fierce and robust.

A single General Mansion looked even more luxurious than the imperial palaces of the lower realms.

Lin Bai walked along, observing as he went.

Among the cages housing the Demon Beasts, he saw more than a dozen Cultivators from the lower realms, both male and female.

These Cultivators were stark naked, most of them sitting cross-legged in meditation, and occasionally one or two who were awake would look at the Celestials with eyes full of hatred...

Seeing Lin Bai's gaze land on the ascenders, Huang Yong lowered his voice and explained: "Those are mortals who ascended from the lower realms. They reproduce as males and females just like wild beasts, and their cultivation speed is slow; they cannot compare to us noble Celestials. Discovering a New Mother Body is a massive merit. Once it is confirmed, you can ask General Nan to reward you with a few to play with for amusement; once they are trained well, sending them into the Beast Arena can even earn you some cultivation resources..."

Ugh!

Lin Bai remained silent.

Looking at those big shots who had ascended, he felt a sense of sorrow in his heart; these fellows who had gone through all sorts of hardships to ascend were actually treated as ornamental objects—they were truly even worse than slaves!

This was really going too far!

Looking at the attitude the Celestials held toward the lower realms, the conflict between the two sides was likely impossible to reconcile...

Moreover, given this attitude the Celestials had of not respecting life, if they encountered players, they would likely treat them as pets too; if the players bypassed him to make contact with the Celestials, they would likely not get any good results.

(End of this chapter)