"You say this place is the Land of Nether Darkness. Could it have something to do with the legendary Realm of the Dead? What exactly is this place? Our magical power has been sealed — is there any way to restore it? Most importantly, I have no desire to stay here. I want to return to the outside world. I'd like to ask you to point me toward a way out." Han Li furrowed his brow, then let out a long breath as he spoke.
"Return? If it were that easy to go back, do you think any of us would still be stuck here, living this hand-to-mouth existence day after day? Most people born in this place have lived in the Land of Nether Darkness since the day they came into the world. Only a very small number — people like you and me — were sucked in by that strange mist. And of most outsiders who enter, those Nether Beasts devour them before long. Only the lucky ones survive for one reason or another and make it to the village. Our friends and family are all still out there." The old man shook his head and sighed.
Han Li fell silent for a moment, at a loss for words.
"As for what this place truly is — whether it has any connection to the Realm of the Dead — who can say? But many seniors who arrived before us have offered their theories. One is similar to what you suggested: that this should be a spatial rift where the Realm of the Dead and the mortal world intersect. That would explain why the Nether Qi here is so dense, yet the Nether Beasts never grow too powerful.
"Another theory holds that the Realm of the Dead doesn't exist at all — nothing more than a rumor spread among cultivators. They believe this place must be the belly of the legendary demonic beast Rahou. Only a beast said to be capable of swallowing the sun and moon, and of tearing through the void in an instant, could explain why the strange mist appears over different seas, and why this place connects to the outside world only once every several years. According to legend, Rahou is a creature fond of hiding in the deepest reaches of the ocean, surfacing to feed only once in a very long while."
"Rahou? Impossible! That beast is even less believable than the Realm of the Dead. I refuse to believe such a creature actually exists in our world." Han Li's expression changed dramatically at the old man's hypothesis.
"I understand. When I first heard that theory, I was every bit as shocked as you. But I have to admit, however absurd it sounds, it does carry a certain logic. If this truly were a permanently open spatial rift, it should open at a single fixed point in the outside world. But in practice, every time the Land of Nether Darkness connects to the outside and draws people in, they come from several completely different seas. Before meeting, most of them had never even heard the names of the other regions. As for me, I come from a small island in Wannan Prefecture of the Great Jin Dynasty. Other cultivators here hail from the Five Dragon Sea, the coasts of the Tiansha Continent, or the Chaotic Star Sea. Before we all met, most of us had no idea where the places the others spoke of even were." The old man's voice trailed off thoughtfully.
"The Great Jin Dynasty! You're a cultivator from the Jin Kingdom?" Han Li looked genuinely surprised. That was precisely the name of the superpower he had heard of back in the Tian Nan region.
"Are you also from our Great Jin Dynasty?" The old man's eyes brightened immediately.
"No, not exactly. But I have heard a thing or two. I know it's an enormous nation. I've always been curious about it — I just never had the chance to visit." Han Li shook his head.
"What a shame! I do hope I'll have the chance to go back someday." A hint of disappointment flickered across the old man's face.
"Heh. If you ever visit our Great Jin, then you'll know what a real cultivation world looks like. As far as I know, while there are many regions in this world where cultivators gather, none can compare to Great Jin in scale or prosperity. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call Great Jin the holy land of cultivators in this realm." The old man's eyes lit up with pride as he spoke of his homeland.
Han Li rubbed his nose and offered a wry smile, though the old man's words had stirred something within him.
"Ha, I've gone off on a tangent. You asked earlier whether there's any way to restore one's magical powers here. I'll tell you plainly: as long as you remain in the Land of Nether Darkness, don't entertain any hope that your former abilities will return. Apart from the Nether Qi, this place contains something we call Spiritual Severance Qi. It normally resides deep within the Earth's Lungs, but it periodically erupts from underground and saturates the entire space. Any cultivator caught within its sphere of influence loses all magical power and ability without exception. There is no remedy. You two were drawn in precisely because the rift opened at the same moment the Spiritual Severance Qi erupted." The old man smiled faintly as he spoke.
Hearing the old man mention this, Han Li felt a surge of frustration.
If he hadn't run into such terrible luck, he would never have been dragged in here by a mere ghost mist. He'd be off enjoying himself somewhere by now.
"Is there truly no hope at all of leaving? I find that hard to believe!" Han Li was silent for a moment, then said, unwilling to accept it.
"I wouldn't go that far. There is a method of escape — and it's sitting right out in the open, so to speak. But it requires someone capable enough to pull it off." The old man stroked his beard, unhurried.
"What method?" Han Li's spirits lifted, and he pressed eagerly.
Nearby, Mei Ning — whose expression had been shifting between red and white since hearing the old man's earlier words — perked up at this as well.
"Well..." The old man did not answer immediately. Instead, a look of hesitation crossed his face.
"What's the matter? Is there some difficulty?" Han Li's expression shifted, a trace of something sharp flashing in his eyes.
"Don't misunderstand — there's nothing I'm trying to hide. While I would certainly like a few more cultivators in the village, I have no intention of making things difficult for you. I'm simply concerned that you might act rashly out of eagerness to leave and end up losing your lives." The old man's eyes narrowed as he watched Han Li and Mei Ning's expressions change, his tone laden with meaning.
Han Li was taken aback for a moment, then let out a soft laugh.
"Rest easy. I may look young, but I've been cultivating for many years. I won't act recklessly. If it truly can't be done, I won't throw my life away for nothing. Still, I'd like to hear this method of escape first — and understand just how difficult it really is." His smile faded, replaced by a solemn expression.