Sage of Humanity-Chapter 663 - 661: Human Nature is Complex

"During this process, some people harbored many negative emotions: regret, annoyance, irritability, frustration, etc. Do not underestimate these negative emotions; for bodiless spiritual bodies, these emotions can often cause great harm, and some even attempted self-destruction, though it was bound to be unsuccessful."

Lu Ye listened quietly, his expression complex.

As an outsider, he indeed found it difficult to personally relate to the consequences of these negative emotions the city lord spoke of, and it was hard to imagine to what extent a spiritual body must be in despair and frustration to attempt self-destruction.

But he knew, the casual remark he made earlier had been validated by the spiritual bodies of Xianyuan City.

Thousands of years... indeed a difficult period to endure.

"How did you get through it?" Lu Ye asked. This time inside, he had encountered only a few spiritual bodies, but it seemed that those Xianyuan Guards, besides being unafraid of death, did not exhibit particularly abnormal emotions.

Last time he was here, he encountered many Xianyuan Guards, but the spiritual intelligence of most of those guards seemed not very high, even those who were team leaders acted in a very rigid manner.

"So Xianyuan City became a secret realm!" Ji Yuan suddenly made a statement that Lu Ye completely couldn't understand.

Fortunately, he quickly explained, "The presence of living beings can greatly disperse the negative emotions of spiritual bodies, so a long time ago, every once in a while when the insect race would not attack the city, an entrance to Xianyuan City would open somewhere, allowing cultivators from the Nine Provinces to enter."

The topic circled back.

Ji Yuan initially asked Lu Ye what a secret realm was, and after getting an answer, he then asked what kind of secret realm Xianyuan City was.

By now, the answer had surfaced.

The secret realm of Xianyuan City exists solely because the presence of living beings is needed to disperse the various anxious emotions within the city, hence the entrance opens periodically to allow cultivators from the Nine Provinces to enter.

Lu Ye didn't expect the truth to be like this.

Actually, when he entered last time, he had already felt very strange because no matter the type of secret realm, cultivators entering it ultimately gain some opportunities or benefits.

But what about Xianyuan City? It seemed not to offer many benefits; he himself had managed to carry some soul water out, but that was an exception.

The impression of Xianyuan City as a secret realm does not seem very good among the cultivators of the Nine Provinces; when those cultivators initially entered and realized they were in Xianyuan City, their faces changed dramatically, and there were even some who cursed loudly.

It can be said that the cultivators who entered Xianyuan City last time, except for Lu Ye who garnered some benefits, left with very little else, while the cultivators from Ten Thousand Demons Ridge and the Haotian Alliance were nearly wiped out.

If the purpose of this secret realm were not for the cultivators to gain benefits, but instead to stabilize Xianyuan City itself, then that would explain it.

"So the Xianyuan Guards were capturing people everywhere and throwing them into the dungeon?" Lu Ye recalled another matter. Initially, when he held the token given by the lady in red, he had entered the dungeon, where there were many Nine Provinces cultivators captured, including those from Ten Thousand Demons Ridge and the Haotian Alliance, but the life force of those locked up seemed to be rapidly draining away.

If it weren't for his timely arrival, Gu Canyang from the Surreptitious Palace would likely have been dead.

The so-called breath of the living is nothing more than a tangible vitality.

Ji Yuan nodded, "In the dungeon, there is an array that extracts vitality, connected to where the soul pool is located, which can to a certain extent dispel the negative emotions of the spiritual bodies. Therefore, when the secret realm is opened, the Xianyuan Guards, unless absolutely necessary, generally do not kill but capture instead."

Lu Ye thought about it carefully and realized that it was indeed the case.

Of course, heavens do not seal all exits; based on the true caliber of cultivators from Xianyuan City, cultivators from the Spirit Stream Realm entering here can hardly stir up any troubles.

Thus, during the opening of the secret realm in Xianyuan City, the strength of Xianyuan Guards entirely depends on the overall level of the cultivators entering here. Strong cultivators coming in make the guards strong, and vice versa, which also gives the Nine Provinces cultivators some room to fight back.

Another point is that the entrance to the secret realm of Xianyuan City opens in the Spirit Stream battlefield mainly because the group of cultivators in the Spirit Stream Realm is large enough that even some losses are easily replenished.

Over countless years, many cultivators from the two major factions have died within Xianyuan City, from both Ten Thousand Demons Ridge and Haotian Alliance. It's futile to judge Xianyuan City merely by notions of good and evil; the entire cultivation world of the Nine Provinces does not adhere to simple notions of good and evil.

Moreover, in the Spirit Stream battlefield, cultivators from both factions are always in a state of confrontation, and the secret realm of Xianyuan City at most provides a stage for their battles.

"Lord, you mentioned earlier that the opening of the secret realm somewhat alleviates the negative emotions of the spiritual bodies. Could there be other methods besides the vitality brought about by the opening of the secret realm?" Lu Ye inquired.

Ji Yuan was surprised, "Did I say so?"

Lu Ye nodded.

Ji Yuan, secretly amazed by Lu Ye's insight, paused slightly and asked, "Do you still remember why I appeared before you the first time you came here?"

Lu Ye thought hard for a moment—back then he was about to do something, and then the City Lord suddenly appeared in front of him, startling him because he had no awareness of him before that moment.

But what was he about to do at that time?

It seemed that he had been stopped...

"Breath Fruit Core?" Lu Ye suddenly remembered.

He had been staying bored in the small courtyard where he was settled, preparing to stimulate the power of the Breath Fruit Core to enter the Mirage Scene for training, but just as he took out the Breath Fruit Core, the City Lord appeared.

He vaguely remembered the City Lord telling him, "This object must not be used within Xianyuan City."

When Lu Ye asked why, the City Lord only mentioned that it would lead to some adverse consequences, though he did not specify what they were at the time.

Last time he entered, Lu Ye felt that there might be some connection between the Mirage Realm he entered using the Breath Fruit Core and Xianyuan City, but he couldn't find any concrete evidence at the time.

Now it appeared that there was indeed a connection, at the very least, he had entered Xianyuan City again through two merged Breath Fruit Cores in a very special state.

"Let's just call it Breath Fruit Core," Ji Yuan said with a slight smile, revealing a charming expression befitting the city lord; alive, he must have certainly attracted the affections of many women, "The creatures you killed in the Mirage Realm through the power of the Breath Fruit Core are actually manifestations of the negative emotions of the spiritual bodies from Xianyuan City."

Lu Ye was astonished, having never expected the Mirage Realm connected by the Breath Fruit Core to have such a link with Xianyuan City.

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But soon he felt something was amiss, "Those clawing and snapping insects, are they also crystallizations of the spiritual bodies' negative emotions?" It seemed unlikely that any Xianyuan Guard's negative emotions would manifest as creatures of the Insect Race.

"You encountered the Insect Race?" Ji Yuan seemed surprised, "The Insect Race is not, they must be... a method to enrich your training process."

Lu Ye raised an eyebrow, sensing something significant, and pointed upwards.

Ji Yuan nodded almost imperceptibly, showing an expression that said, 'A pupil worth teaching.'

"That's why I did not allow you to utilize the Breath Fruit Core within Xianyuan City. Using it outside has no impact since the spiritual bodies are all in deep sleep, but using it within the city could very likely awaken them, thereby increasing the consumption of the soul pool."

"I see," Lu Ye nodded, then another thought came to him, "So the connection of the two Breath Fruit Cores to Xianyuan City is also a... method?" He pointed upwards again.

"It's good that you understand, no need to dig too deeply," Ji Yuan said, "The number of Breath Fruit Cores in the world must not be too small, and those that can connect to the Mirage Realm are certainly not limited to just the two you obtained. Their training in the Mirage Scene can also help relieve some of Xianyuan City's burdens."

"As the City Lord said, it's also likely that others have obtained more than two Breath Fruit Cores and merged them. Before this, no one has entered Xianyuan City in the same manner as I did?"

Ji Yuan shook his head, "Unless during the opening of the secret realm, as an outsider, you are the first one."

Unless chosen, even if someone acquired many more Breath Fruit Cores, they could not possibly enter here inexplicably. However, Ji Yuan naturally wouldn't discuss such matters with Lu Ye—there were things he might speculate about, but he could only keep to himself and feign ignorance.