Chapter 389 - 388: The Da Xia Dynasty, Dividing the World into Four

A thriving human dynasty?

Everyone present, including Li Jing, looked at each other in disbelief.

This information was hard for all four of them to accept at first.

Traces of human habitation had been found in various Secret Realms over time.

Remains left behind by human dynasties would occasionally appear in certain Secret Realms as well.

But now, Orville was mentioning the word "thriving."

Meaning, what had been discovered in the Secret Realm was an existing human dynasty.

This, indeed, was unprecedented.

Existing Alien Civilizations had been discovered and encountered by humans in the Secret Realms up to now.

But an existing human civilization, no country on the Blue Star had ever come across one so far.

"Mr. Orville, this isn’t a place to talk. Let’s go sit in the tent," Jiang Yini said, gesturing with a sidelong motion for him to follow.

Orville nodded and accompanied her towards the tent set up nearby.

Seeing this, Liu Sisi and Jiu Li exchanged glances, simultaneously looking towards a certain someone.

Meeting their gaze, Li Jing smiled lightly.

"Let’s all go in together and listen. This is the Heavenly King Group’s camp, there’s no need to be overly cautious," he said, turning to follow Jiang Yini and Orville.

With Li Jing’s words, Liu Sisi and Jiu Li also followed suit.

The two, a staff secretary and an agency leader forced into position, didn’t really have the authority to be involved in such a matter.

Even if Jiang Yini didn’t tell them not to tag along, they should have known better.

After all, the upcoming conversation was between Longyu and the Northern God Country, not simply between Jiang Yini and Orville as individuals.

But since Li Jing approved of their intrusion, they didn’t mind joining in.

They’d let Li Jing, who’d grown significantly in stature, handle any backlash.

The discovery of an existing human dynasty in the Secret Realm had undoubtedly piqued their curiosity.

...

The five individuals entered the tent one after another.

Jiang Yini didn’t raise any objections upon seeing Liu Sisi and Jiu Li following Li Jing into the tent.

Orville glanced at Li Jing and refrained from any comment as well.

If someone else had brought two females along to such a meeting, he might have taken exception.

This meeting wasn’t merely to inform Longyu about the situation, but also for negotiation.

The fewer the participants, the better.

This wasn’t because the God Kingdom was wary of Longyu, but rather due to the highly sensitive discovery of an existing human dynasty. If the news leaks out, it will undoubtedly bring massive problems to the Northern God Country.

Theoretically speaking.

SSH: Fixed "highly regarded"

Secret Realms opened within the Northern God Country should not be interfered with by outsiders.

If anyone forcefully attempts to intervene, the Northern God Country would have every right to object, and no one would blame them internationally.

Defending the sovereignty of superpowers, who dares to voice objections?

However, this time it was different.

This was the first time in the global history of Secret Realm exploration that an existing human civilization had been discovered. If even a smidgen of this news leaks out, it would create a worldwide sensation. It would inevitably provoke some to find excuses or form teams to get involved.

The Northern God Country is powerful.

The Major League led by the God Kingdom is notoriously formidable.

However, they cannot stand against the entire world.

Yet to be honest.

Some things were inevitable from the start.

The reason is simple.

The White Hawk People were a part of this exploration.

You couldn’t expect them to keep a secret, it’s just not their style.

Expecting them to uphold their words would be nonsense.

They not only won’t hold their tongues, but will also lead the pack in forming teams to come and get involved.

An existing thriving human dynasty, only heaven knows what kind of advantages it brings.

Resource trading, cultural exchanges, and the unique cultivation system and secret methods of the Secret Realm, all these could spread.

No one would want to miss out.

The White Hawk People surely wouldn’t be satisfied with their current presence; they would definitely want to send more people.

The God Kingdom won’t allow it easily.

The only solution is to form an alliance and bring in their underlings to force the Northern God Country to comply.

This move is a classic strategy of the White Hawk People.

They’re especially skilled at it!

This time, the Northern God Country really shot itself in the foot.

They’d invited offense from the very moment they accepted the White Hawk People’s trade agreement.

For this reason, Orville, who had been promoted to official duty in the God Country Capital, was urgently summoned to negotiate with Longyu as strategic partners.

To resist the external pressures that were becoming inevitable and minimize the pressure and losses the God Kingdom was about to face, they had to receive assistance from Longyu.

The five individuals sat down in the tent.

Jiang Yini took out a sealing talisman, ignited it, and isolated the inside and outside of the tent, then turned to Orville.

"Mr. Orville, in regard to the human dynasty in the Secret Realm, has the God Kingdom’s preliminary exploration team made contact? Are they friendly?"

"Whether they are friendly is not yet certain," Orville stated.

"The information I have is that the human dynasty warmly received not only our God Kingdom’s preliminary team but also the White Hawk People’s team. They enjoyed treatment akin to honoured guests."

He continued, "In fact, both the God Kingdom and White Hawk People’s preliminary teams never got the chance to begin their exploration. Not because they didn’t want to, but because as soon as they entered the Secret Realm, they found themselves near the Imperial City of the human dynasty. And the human dynasty knew we were coming and had envoys waiting at the entrance of the Secret Realm."

Upon hearing Orville’s explanation, all four people present wrinkled their brows.

The human dynasty knew in advance about the explorers entering the Secret Realm and had envoys waiting at the entrance.

Honestly speaking, this information was quite intriguing.

One pressing question arose.

Could this opening of the Secret Realm indicate that they actively opened the Secret Realm Passage from within?

Secondly.

If they are prepared to interact with the Present World People, why haven’t they directly sent a representative?

Questions arose in the hearts of the four of them.

Yet, no one voiced it out.

Not even Orville who was temporarily reassigned here.

Even the early exploration teams of the two powers that had entered the Secret Realm and were received would not know the answer to these questions.

After partially digesting Orville’s words, Jiang Yini spoke.

"Regarding the human dynasty, has the early exploration team of the God Kingdom obtained any specific information?"

"A little bit."

Orville responded, pulling out a yellowing scroll and unrolling it.

Upon seeing this, Jiang Yini leaned in.

Li Jing and the others looked over as well.

Before their eyes.

A whole continent’s territorial map was depicted on the scroll.

Clearly seeing a map in front of him, Li Jing looked up in surprise.

"This is...?"

"A Secret Realm map provided voluntarily by the Human Dynasty."

Orville murmured.

"Voluntarily provided?"

Li Jing frowned, then asked.

"Does White Hawk have one too?"

"Yes."

Orville nodded.

Receiving a confirmed response, Li Jing’s expression turned strange.

The Human Dynasty had provided Secret Realm maps to both the Northern God Country and White Hawk’s exploration teams. This was beyond proactive; their preparations were quite thorough.

Looking at the scroll-like map, Li Jing’s expression became even more peculiar.

It was impossible to gauge the exact size of the Secret Realm via the map on the scroll.

The main issue was that the map was quite crude; it only roughly outlined the mountains and the Earth Realm. Unlike Present World maps, there was no scale provided for reference.

From a cursory glance, it could be noted that the Secret Realm, much like the Present World, had a significant portion covered by vast oceans, accounting for over 50 percent of the total territory.

The Secret Realm continent was divided into four sections: east, south, west, and north.

The eastern section belonged to the Human Dynasty.

Marked on the map was Da Xia.

The west was a coalition of many small countries.

The most prominent power there, unsurprisingly, was the Supreme Church.

Upon seeing the Supreme Church, Li Jing barely maintained his composure.

Supreme...

Isn’t this clearly similar to the Present Supreme Church in our world?

The Secret Realm also had Supreme believers!?

If they were indeed connected, the Church would undoubtedly intervene this time.

They would never miss an opportunity to "recognize family".

However, this also lead to a question.

Li Jing originally thought that the Supreme belief of the Supreme Church was a system they concocted themselves. However, it appeared that wasn’t the case.

In the Present World, the Supreme Church only had a history of slightly over two thousand years.

But the age of the Secret Realm wasn’t necessarily the same...

Moving on to the southern and northern sections.

The southern section was marked as Southern Barbarians.

The northern section, Frozen Land.

Both sections were depicted quite vaguely on the map, indicating that these areas were rarely traversed.

On the map of the southern section, the boundaries denoted a few symbols of the XX tribe.

It could be a human civilization, or it could be an Alien Civilization.

So far, the only piece of information that could be gleaned was the fact that, much like the Present World, the Secret Realm consisted largely of vast oceans, accounting for well over half the total territory.

No distinctive symbols were marked on the map of the northern section, Frozen Land.

While scrutinizing the territorial maps, Jiang Yini turned to look at Orville.

"The Da Xia Dynasty’s voluntary provision of the Secret Realm’s territorial map, suggests they must have a motive?"

"Yes."

Orville rubbed his temples, explaining.

"You all have seen the layout on the map - the East and West belong to human civilization, while the South and North do not. Among them, the northern Frozen Land is the most dangerous. Every hundred years, countless Ghostly Evil Beasts from the depths of Frozen Land surge out, causing a Beast Tide in the northern lands. They cross the sea and invade the East Continent, that is, the land of the Da Xia Dynasty."

Saying this, he added.

"According to the representatives of the Dynasty, every Beast Tide caused the death and injury of at least tens of millions of people in the East Continent. This opening of the Secret Realm coincides precisely with the hundred-year cycle. They hope to receive our assistance from the Present World to resist the Beast Tide and reduce casualties."

Upon hearing Orville’s narrative, Jiu Li frowned.

"This Beast Tide only invades the East Continent’s human dynasty. It does not go to the west?"

Before he had finished speaking, Liu Sisi chimed in.

"Looking at the geographical arrangement on the map, the East Continent to some extent blocks the way to the west Sea area. Although we do not know if this Beast Tide possesses intelligent beings or is commanded by Aliens, if we assume that the Beast Tide acts in a organized manner, it would definitely choose to trample over the East Continent first, before moving towards the West Continent."

"Miss Sisi is right. The main victims of the hundred-yearly Beast Tide are those in the East Continent. Infrequent sightings of stray Ghostly Evil Beasts have also been reported in the West Continent and the Southern Barbarians."

Orville continued, saying.

"However, all of these are just words from the Da Xia Dynasty. Whether these Ghostly Evil Beasts truly exist is still debatable. What we do know for certain is that this time’s Secret Realm exploration will be unlike any we have had before due to the presence of the Da Xia Dynasty."

After speaking, he went on to say.

"Our God Kingdom’s position is to first establish contact with the Da Xia Dynasty and assist in resisting the potential Beast Tide, while conducting some cultural communication. Also, the Da Xia Dynasty has a high demand for Spiritual Stones. Their Cultivation System relies heavily on Spiritual Stones. These are similar to our Present World’s Spirit Crystal. Their primary function is identical, with the only difference being that their Spiritual Stones are produced from Spirit Veins while our Spirit Crystals are artificial products. On this front, the Da Xia Dynasty intends to carry out trade relations with the powers that assist in resisting the Beast Tide, and are even willing to make some concessions."

Jiang Yini listened to Orville’s words and lightly pursed her red lips.

This Secret Realm exploration, how could it merely be different from previous ones?

She alone, honestly, was unsure and unqualified to decide.

Given the magnitude of the matter, it had to be reported to her father and conveyed to the upper echelons of Longyu.

Cultural communication was something that could not be missed.

Trade relations should not be overlooked.

Especially, the Da Xia Dynasty has a high demand for Spirit Crystals.

In the present world, the Spirit Crystals, being artificial products, were plentiful to the point that mass production could be achieved through overtime work if necessary. The reason it hadn’t been done yet was to prevent inflation.

In the past.

Mass production of Spirit Crystals wasn’t of great significance, as long as there was enough to go around.

But now with the establishment of the Spirit Crystal Bank.

Stability of product prices needs to be taken into consideration, to avoid inflation by limiting production.

After a brief silence, Jiang Yini looked up.

"I need to report this to the higher-ups in Longyu and appoint a delegate to negotiate with the God Kingdom."

"Fine, but I hope it can be done as soon as possible."

Orville answered, saying.

"Director Jiang must understand what is going on with the White Hawk People."

Hearing this, Jiang Yini moved her lips slightly, uncertain of how to react, and responded quietly.

"What is the White Hawk’s stance towards the request of the Da Xia Dynasty?"

"Unknown, the initial exploration teams from both sides were hosted separately. They were unaware of each other’s situations."

Orville spoke, saying.

"But knowing the White Hawks, they surely will portray us, the Northern God Kingdom, as the villains, hypocritically claiming they don’t have enough people to enter the Secret Realm via the Northern God Kingdom. If I am not mistaken, during the negotiation process between the Northern God Kingdom and the Da Xia Dynasty, the Dynasty will voice their opinions on this matter."

Having said that, he breathed out heavily.

"This is a trivial matter. Even without the Da Xia Dynasty voicing out, it’s just the nature of the White Hawk People. Our journey to the Northern God Kingdom inevitably bears immense pressure, and being forced to make concessions is inevitable. Without the support from Longyu, the God Kingdom will undeniably suffer greatly."

Just as he finished speaking, the silent Li Jing on the side started speaking.

"The fact that the initial exploration teams from both sides were hosted separately already indicates the Da Xia Dynasty is not that easy to deal with."

"The God Kingdom anticipated this, we already have countermeasures."

Orville smiled, pointing to the Supreme Court located on the West Continent on the map.

"This purported Supreme Court is most likely of the same origin as our Present Supreme Church in our world. The Da Xia Dynasty did not mention the relationships between the East and West continents, but if they were on good terms, there would be no necessity for them to seek help from our world. Since the waters are bound to be muddied with the White Hawks involved, our Northern God Kingdom prepares to let in a bunch of riff-raff from

the Supreme Church to ’recognize relatives’ and thoroughly stir up the waters."

Saying that, he smirked.

"The Beast Tide might truly exist, but there’s no denying the fact that the Da Xia Dynasty is somewhat too clever for its own good. Our Northern God Kingdom will not be bullied so easily. The worst-case scenario would be the gains from this Secret Realm exploration not meeting our expectations. If the Northern God Kingdom can’t intervene, then the Da Xia Dynasty should not expect to have it easy either."

Listening to this, Li Jing grinned.

Being part of the upper echelons really does require sly thinking.

The inevitable discord between the Da Xia Dynasty and the Supreme Court.

Throughout history, there has never been a precedent for a dynasty and a church to coexist harmoniously.

The standing of a dynasty is inseparable from the supreme imperial power.

As for the church, it usually has a supreme pontiff standing at its peak.

Imperial power, Pontiff.

You taste, you savor it.

Shaking his head, Li Jing didn’t dwell on these matters.

Greed and deceit were never his interests.

However, he was very interested in the Ghostly Evil Beasts mentioned by the Da Xia Dynasty.

Ghostly Evil Beasts, they are clearly non-human entities.

And the Beast Tide, which causes tens of millions of casualties, the numbers simply cannot be low.

He initially thought that encountering the Da Xia Dynasty might make it difficult to obtain rewards due to the inability to carry out regular exploration, but with the occurrence of the century-long Beast Tide, Li Jing couldn’t help but feel hopeful.

...

After their discussion, Orville left.

Li Jing, Liu Sisi, and Jiu Li left the tent, leaving the space for Jiang Yini to communicate with the higher-ups of Longyu.

Before making contact with the Da Xia Dynasty, Longyu needs to provide strong support to the Northern God Kingdom.

Strategic partners should do so.

Furthermore, if Longyu remains silent in this incident, the Northern God Kingdom is bound to suffer.

The problem does indeed lie with a Secret Realm.

However, the impact is not solely limited to the exploration of the Secret Realm.

In this regard, the higher-ups of Longyu need to conduct a thorough study and make a decision urgently.

Stepping outside the tent, Jiu Li started speaking.

"Li Jing, can our Heavenly King Group choose not to participate in the defense against the Beast Tide?"

?

Li Jing turned around.

Whether or not the Heavenly King Group participates in the defense against the Beast Tide, he doesn’t mind.

He personally can participate.

However, looking at the current situation.

Those who participate from Longyu won’t be limited to just the 300,000 people who have already arrived in the Northern God Kingdom.

This will be an organized operation.

If the Heavenly King Group insists on not joining the defense against the Beast Tide, it might be hard to justify.

Assuming that Jiu Li had her own reasons for saying so, Li Jing asked.

"Do you have any ideas on this?"

"It’s a pity to only stay in the Da Xia Dynasty waiting for the Beast Tide, considering the rare opportunity to explore a Big Secret Realm."

Jiu Li spoke, saying.

"And then there’s a key issue. There aren’t just the Da Xia Dynasty in the Big Secret Realm but also other forces. If we only communicate with the Da Xia Dynasty, the information we acquire will certainly be one-sided. We have to figure out whether the Da Xia Dynasty is good or evil, and what they’re plotting."

Upon hearing this, Li Jing nodded in agreement, and stared at Jiu Li.

Liu Sisi, who was beside the two, was also attentively examining Jiu Li after hearing her words.

Facing the gaze from the two people, Jiu Li frowned.

"Why are you both looking at me like that?"

Without making a sound, Li Jing turned and glanced at Liu Sisi with a half-smile on his face.

Seeing this, Liu Sisi blinked her eyes and laughed.

"Nothing, we just feel that those words just now don’t sound like something Brother Jiu would say."

"..."

Jiu Li was speechless and pouted.

"I’m talking serious business with you two!"

Seeing the situation, Li Jing couldn’t help but laugh and asked,

"So Brother Jiu, you plan on taking the Heavenly King Group to the West Continent in the Secret Realm?"

"What’s so good about the West Continent?"

Jiu Li rolled his eyes and said,

"The East Continent inside probably has a similar relationship with the present world, and there is a Supreme Church set there. I have no interest in dealing with those fanatics. Plus, places with human footprints often don’t contain highly valuable items."

As she spoke, she continued,

"I plan to lead the group to the Southern Barbarians, to check whether there are any resources in that barbaric land and gather information about this world from the local groups who we’re uncertain whether they are humans or non-humans. If they are humans, that would be the best. If they are aliens, as a monster, I should be able to communicate with them."

Li Jing, after hearing Jiu Li’s description, thought for a bit and nodded in agreement.

"Alright, I’ll let Jiang Yini know later on. When we enter the Secret Realm, Brother Jiu, you can go straight to the Southern Barbarians."

Jiu Li’s idea was great.

Li Jing personally also hoped that the Heavenly King Group could go out and explore.

Leaving other matters aside,

If the Heavenly King Group had any gains, he, the operation advisor, would get Merit Points as a bonus.

Wasn’t this more enticing than just waiting for the monster tide to come in Da Xia Dynasty?

Seeing that Li Jing agreed to her plan, Jiu Li had a pleased expression on her face.

Just as she was about to say something else, Li Jing advised her,

"Do things within your capabilities. The Da Xia Dynasty is situated within a Big Secret Realm, surely there are things that pose a threat to you, Brother Jiu. You’re not alone, the Heavenly King Group is following you, which further necessitates the need for careful consideration before making any decisions."

After hearing this, Jiu Li replied,

"Don’t worry about this. If I were alone, I might be a bit reckless. But if I am leading the group, I will definitely not be so casual."

As she spoke, her anticipation rose,

"We should be able to enter the Secret Realm soon. You chat with Sisi. I’ll call for a small gathering of the core members of the group to motivate them and assign their roles."

"Alright."

Li Jing responded then watched as Jiu Li walked away, after which he turned and looked at Liu Sisi.

"Sisi, what do you think of this Da Xia Dynasty?"

"I don’t have any specific thoughts."

Liu Sisi shook her head and laughed,

"Even if I had any, you would still take me to the frozen north, right?"

Li Jing blinked at her words,

He had nothing to say as his wife understood him well.

"The frozen north sounds like a frosty and harsh place, which might be beneficial to your breakthrough, Sisi. Going there beforehand could also help us understand the situation with the Beast Tide more clearly."

Having said that, Li Jing continued,

"But before that, let’s spend two days getting to understand the local customs of the Da Xia Dynasty, then head to the frozen north. If time permits, we can also take a trip to the West Continent to see the local customs there."

"Whatever, I’ll just follow you."

Liu Sisi spoke indifferently then let out a sigh,

"This is my first time entering a Secret Realm, and I didn’t expect to encounter such a unique realm. I don’t know if this is a good thing."

"Don’t think too much."

Li Jing chuckled and said,

"Although the Secret Realm is full of unknowns, it’s not a big deal."

"Mm."

Liu Sisi responded with a shallow smile,

Everyone knows that the Secret Realm filled with unknowns is perilous.

But with Li Jing accompanying her, she was very at ease.

...

After chatting casually with Li Jing for a while, Liu Sisi saw that the heads of the various small groups and squads in the Heavenly King Group were gathering at a nearby tent, and she ran over to listen in on Jiu Li’s specific arrangements.

Not long after she left, Jiang Yini came out from Li Jing’s rear tent.

Gazing at Li Jing who was alone, Jiang Yini curiously asked,

"Where’s Sisi?"

"She’s with Jiu Li."

Li Jing replied, and took the opportunity to tell her about Jiu Li’s plan to explore the Southern Barbarians after entering the Secret Realm.

After listening to him, Jiang Yini said in astonishment,

"I really need to reevaluate Brother Jiu this time. Although I don’t know her very well, sometimes she is honestly a bit... "

As she spoke, she didn’t continue but instead changed what she was about to say,

"Suddenly encountering such an event, I really didn’t have time to consider it. It’s also thanks to Brother Jiu’s hint. The exploration of the Heavenly King Group is feasible. Not only the Heavenly King Group, all the teams belonging to the Jianghai Management Bureau don’t need to waste time staying in the Da Xia Dynasty. They can defend against the beast tide when the reinforcements arrive later. Many of the teams that came to explore this time are lightly armed and didn’t bring many heavy defense fortifications. If they insist on staying to resist the beast tide, they may become a weak point in the defense line. It’s better for them to go out and explore and collect useful information and resources."

Upon hearing Jiang Yini’s advice, Li Jing nodded in agreement.

The more people participating in exploration, the more useful information that can be collected.

Such arrangement was very reasonable.

Just as he was about to speak, Jiang Yini glanced at the entrance of the Secret Realm and retracted her gaze, saying,

"The impact of this Secret Realm could be quite significant. If there’s nothing else, you should enter the Secret Realm with Sisi soon and try to make contact with the people of the Da Xia Dynasty."

Li Jing was a little taken aback then asked doubtfully,

"You mean... I can enter the Secret Realm now?"

"Did the God Kingdom say you can’t go in?"

Jiang Yini counter-asked.

"..."

Li Jing was speechless and said with uncertainty,

"The reasoning is correct, but..."

"There’s no but,"

Jiang Yini waved her hand and said,

"Due to the change in circumstances, we need to gather as much information as possible. The people from the God Kingdom who want to make further contact with the Da Xia Dynasty are likely on their way. We from Longyu also need to gather first-hand information and can’t just wait for the God Kingdom to provide it."

As she said this, she continued,

"You and Sisi go in first, I need to stay outside for a while. There’s an emergency meeting currently being held in our country to discuss countermeasures. By this afternoon at the latest, reinforcements from the special representatives to assist the God Kingdom should arrive. After that, once the follow-up personnel arrive and take over, I’ll enter the Secret Realm to find you."

Seeing Jiang Yini speak so firmly, Li Jing hesitated a bit then said,

"Understood, I’ll go find Sisi."

...