Translator: Jon Editor : Dhael Ligerkeys The insectoids certainly had a source, which was the insectoid nest. As long as they could destroy the insectoid nest, they would no longer have to worry about getting rid of the insectoids. Certainly, to make the Lost City of Xianyuan fall into such a state, there must be numerous large insectoid nests. Otherwise, insectoids that were as powerful as the Divine Ocean Realm Masters would not come to existence. Lu Ye had experienced the insectoid attack on the Spirit Creek Battlefield. However, those insectoids were only in the Spirit Creek Realm, and the defence of the insectoid nests was weak. There were insectoid nests in Myriad Beast Domain as well. However, Cloud River Realm Masters were capable enough to deal with them. The power of the Lost City of Xianyuan was not weak. Even though the City Lord was only an apparition, and he had never exhibited his power, he must be a formidable Divine Ocean Realm Master. Given the power of the Lost City of Xianyuan and the fact that the apparitions were immortal, it should not be hard for them to destroy the insectoid nests. Ji Yuan put on a faint smile. “Have you forgotten about what I’ve just told you? Although we’ve become immortal because of the Pool of Divine Purification, we’ve also been tied to the Lost City of Xianyuan forever. Apparitions like us can never leave the city. You might’ve noticed there’s a crack in the sky. That’s where the insectoid nests are located. However, we’re unable to enter.” Upon hearing his explanation, Lu Ye said, “I see.” He finally understood why the Aerial Lock Ward had been set up in the Lost City of Xianyuan. Since the apparitions in the city were unable to approach the insectoid nests, they decided to build such a ward so that both the insectoids and cultivators were unable to fly towards the sky. That way, it would be easier for the cultivators to kill the insectoids too. The existence of the Aerial Lock Ward made it inconvenient for the cultivators, but it was nothing compared to the protection it yielded. “The apparitions in the city have been going through rounds of reincarnation for thousands of years, but we’ve remained undying. Nevertheless, Human nature is complicated, after all.” Ji Yuan had said that before, and he repeated his words. “During this process, some negative feelings, which include resentment, regret, frustration, sulkiness, and so on, would be born. Don’t underestimate these negative feelings. They’re detrimental to apparitions like us since we don’t have bodies of our own. Some people even tried killing themselves, but their attempts have naturally been futile.” Lu Ye silently listened to him with a conflicted expression. As an Outsider, he could not understand the consequences of those negative feelings that the City Lord had described. He also could no imagine how frustrated and despondent an apparition must be to try killing himself. Nevertheless, he knew that what he had said previously had been verified as he observed the apparitions in the city. It was indeed difficult to live one’s life like this for thousands of years. “How do you guys get through it?” Lu Ye asked. Although he had not encountered many apparitions after entering the city, he felt there was nothing off about their emotions apart from the sentries of Xianyuan City Watch, who did no seem to fear death. The last time he came, he had bumped into many such sentries. However, most of them seemed to have low sentience. Even the squad leaders were inflexible in their way of dealing with things. “That’s the reason the Lost City of Xianyuan has become Hidden Realm!” Ji Yuan said, and Lu Ye was puzzled. Fortunately, he soon explained, “The presence of Humans can significantly reduce the negative feelings of the apparitions. Therefore, we made a decision long ago. Whenever the insectoids don’t attack the city, we’ll periodically open up the portal to the city in a particular place so that the cultivators from Jiu Zhou can come in.” He harked back to the initial topic. In the beginning, Ji Yuan asked Lu Ye what Hidden Realm was. After Lu Ye explained it, he asked him what kind of a Hidden Realm the Lost City of Xianyuan was. The answer was apparent at this point. The Lost City of Xianyuan needed the presence of Humans to reduce the negativity in the city. Therefore, they would open up the portal from time to time so that the cultivators from Jiu Zhou could enter. The truth surprised Lu Ye. He already felt strange when he came to this place for the first time. That was because regardless of what kind of a place Hidden Realm was, the cultivators would always get some benefits out of it. Nonetheless, there were few benefits in the Lost City of Xianyuan. Lu Ye had obtained some Soul Cleansing Water, which was a rare incident. The cultivators from Jiu Zhou had a bad impression of the Lost City of Xianyuan too. Back then, when they realised what place it was upon entering it, their expressions changed. Some of them even cursed. Other than Lu Ye, those cultivators who had entered the Lost City of Xianyuan obtained very few benefits. The cultivators from the Thousand Demon Ridge were even killed. If the existence of this Hidden Realm was to stabilise the Lost City of Xianyuan instead of letting the cultivators obtain any benefits, that explained everything. “Is that why the sentries have been trying to capture people and send them to the dungeon?” Lu Ye soon recalled something. Back then, when he held the token given to him by the red-clothed woman and entered the dungeon, he saw many cultivators from Jiu Zhou. They came from both Thousand Demon Ridge and Grand Sky Coalition. However, the cultivators detained in the dungeon seemed to be on their last legs. If Lu Ye had not arrived in time, Gu Canyang, who was the Legate-In-Charge of the Hidden Light Sanctuary, would have lost his life. They wanted the presence of Humans for their vitality. Ji Yuan nodded. “There’s a ward in the dungeon that can drain their vitality. The ward is connected to the Pool of Divine Purification, and it can significantly reduce the negative feelings of us apparitions. Therefore, whenever the portal opens up, the sentries will only capture people unless they have no choice but to kill.” After giving it some thought, Lu Ye realised he was right. Certainly, there was hope for survival. Given the strength of the apparitions from the Lost City of Xianyuan, Spirit Creek Realm Masters would not be able to kick up a storm after entering this place. Therefore, whenever the portal to Hidden Realm opened up, the strength of the sentries would be adjusted depending on the overall power of the cultivators who arrived. The more powerful the cultivators, the stronger the sentries, and vice versa. As such, there was room for the cultivators of Jiu Zhou to resist. Additionally, the portal to the Lost City of Xianyuan opened up on the Spirit Creek Battlefield because there were a large number of Spirit Creek Realm Masters. Even if some of them were gone, they would be quickly replaced. Over the years, countless cultivators from both Thousand Demon Ridge and Grand Sky Coalition had lost their lives in the Lost City of Xianyuan. It was pointless to judge the city using the simple measure of good and evil. No one was entirely good or evil in the martial world of Jiu Zhou. Moreover, the cultivators from both sides had always been in a standoff on the Spirit Creek Battlefield. The Lost City of Xianyuan could serve as another platform for them to go against each other. “Sir, you said that opening up the portal could ease the negative feelings of the apparition. Apart from bringing in the vitality of Humans, is there another way to do it?” Lu Ye asked. Ji Yuan was shocked. “Did I say that?” In response, Lu Ye dipped his head. Ji Yuan was surprised by the man’s observational skills. After pondering for a moment, he replied, “Do you remember why I appeared in front of you when you came here for the first time?” Lu Ye tried to recall it. At that time, he seemed to be doing something, and the City Lord appeared in front of him out of the blue. He was astounded because, before the City Lord’s appearance, he was not aware of anyone’s presence. [What was I doing at that time? I remember that he tried to stop me.] “The seed of the Mystic Fruit?” Lu Ye finally recalled it. When he was bored in the place where he was staying, he decided to activate the seed’s power to enter the Rift of Illusions. However, the moment he fished out the seed, the City Lord appeared before his eyes. He remembered the City Lord telling him that such a thing could not be used in the Lost City of Xianyuan. Lu Ye asked him why, but the City Lord only said that it would bring about terrible consequences. Nevertheless, he did not elaborate on that. The last time Lu Ye came to this place, he felt that using the seed of the Mystic Fruit to enter the Rift of Illusions might have something to do with the Lost City of Xianyuan, but he could not find any evidence to prove his claim. Now, it seemed that the two were indeed related. At the very least, he could use the seed of the Mystic Fruit, which had been combined from two seeds, to enter the Lost City of Xianyuan in such a special form. “Let’s call it the seed of Mystic Fruit, then.” Ji Yuan put on a faint smile. It had to be said that the City Lord was charming. When he was alive, a lot of women must have been secretly in love with him. “When you activate the seed’s power and enter the Rift of Illusions, the things you kill are the condensation of the apparitions’ negative feelings.” Lu Ye was astounded upon hearing that. He did not expect there would be such a connection between the Rift of Illusions, which could be accessed through the seed of Mystic Fruit, and the Lost City of Xianyuan. However, he soon realised that something was off. “Are those hideous insectoids the condensation of the apparitions’ negative feelings as well?” He wondered how their negativity even turned into such ugly beings. “Haven’t you already come across insectoids?” Ji Yuan was astonished. “They’re certainly not formed from our negative feelings. I suppose it’s… a way to train you.” Realising something, Lu Ye arched his brow and pointed at the sky. Ji Yuan nodded almost imperceptibly and put on an expression that seemed to say Lu Ye was indeed intelligent. “That was why I did not let you activate the seed of the Mystic Fruit in the city. It would not have mattered if you used it in the outside world. All the apparitions were in a state of deep sleep at that time. If you had used the seed in the city, you would’ve alerted them and depleted the Pool of Divine Purification even further.” “I see.” Lu Ye dipped his head. Soon, he recalled another thing. “After two seeds are merged, it’ll be connected to the Lost City of Xianyuan. Is that the you-know-what’s move as well?” He pointed at the sky again. “Since you’ve figured it out, don’t probe further,” Ji Yuan suggested. “There must be a lot of seeds of the Mystic Fruits in the world, and the two seeds you’ve obtained are not the only ones that are connected to the Rift of Illusions. By entering the Rift to get some training, they can help ease the city’s tension as well.” “Just like what you’ve said, someone else might acquire two or more seeds and combine them. Was there no one else who had entered the city in such a way before me?” Ji Yuan shook his head. “Unless the portal to Hidden Realm opens up. In terms of Outsiders, you’re the first one.” If Lu Ye were not the chosen one, he would not have been able to enter the city regardless of how many seeds he had obtained. Certainly, Ji Yuan would not tell him about such matters. He could share some information with him, but when it came to the top secrets, he had no choice but to play dumb even though Lu Ye had some speculation.