living beings

Splash!

There was the sound of rushing water.

Liu Ping emerged from the stream, gasping for breath, and quickly scanned his surroundings.

This was an underground river.

The water flowed turbid and cold, winding around the gray rock walls, and leading deeper into the cavern.

The surrounding rock walls were pocked with irregularly connected caves, their destinations unknown.

Darkness enveloped everything.

Silence prevailed.

Everything felt lifeless and chilling.

Several breaths passed in silence.

A faint breeze emanated from the numerous caves, producing a soft hum.

Liu Ping observed intently for several breaths, feeling a sense of astonishment.

Even within the realm of death, there existed hidden time and space.

Yet, upon entering this hidden realm once more, Liu Ping realized that the environment was nearly identical to the real world of death he had just experienced.

...What distinguishes reality from illusion?

A faint breeze emanated from the numerous caves, producing a soft hum.

Liu Ping observed intently for several breaths, feeling a sense of astonishment.

Even within the realm of death, there existed hidden realms.

Yet, upon entering this hidden realm, Liu Ping realized that the environment was nearly identical to the real world of death he had just experienced.

...What distinguishes reality from illusion?

In the void, lines of small characters appeared:

[Attention!]

[You have utilized the token: spirit transmission faith talisman.]

[This token has been expended.]

[Please exercise caution while exploring the current hidden time and space.]

Liu Ping glanced down, realizing the black talisman in his hand had vanished.

Setting down the blade he held, he began to tread carefully out of the river, traversing the entire cave as if searching for something.

Not much later he stood before a slightly raised rock, crouching down and brushing away the dust from the ground with his hands.

[It's a broken teleportation array.]

Liu Ping remained crouched on the ground, carefully examining the teleportation array circle.

"Indeed... This magic circle was part of those preparations from before. Could it be that our world is already..."

He murmured quietly to himself.

In the time leading up to the decisive battle between the Human Race and the Demons, numerous sects were founded out of fear of defeat and extermination by the Demons. As a precautionary measure, they established secret sanctuaries within the deep underground natural caves.

These sanctuaries, founded upon the cultivation of the six arts, compiled the most advanced defensive methods of the Human Race, serving as their last line of defense.

In the past, it was Gua Saint who had designed these underground sanctuaries.

However, it was clear that these sanctuaries were already in use and were under attack.

'Could it be that the Demons won?'

It seems a bit inaccurate.

Monsters encompass a variety of beings such as birds, animals, trees, flowers, and fruits that have evolved or mutated.

Demons, on the other hand, are born from the evolution of sentient beings who have strayed from the right path.

Demons are living beings; they don't fall into the category of dead entities.

Besides...

The most crucial question—

Why is everything here identical to the cultivation world?

Even the sanctuary mirrors its counterpart exactly!

It's inconceivable for the entire realm of cultivation to merge with the realm of death.

After all, in countless legends, the realm of the dead corresponding to the cultivation realm is Huangquan.

Everything in Huangquan differs from the cultivation realm. According to various ancient records, there should be locations such as the Gates of Hell, the Bridge of Life and Death, the grand Tie Wei Mountain, The 18 Hells, The Forgetting River, and The Hall of Reincarnation where souls are sent to reincarnate.

But here, there are only coffins—endless coffins—and entities that devour and enslave souls.

Where lies the issue?

Liu Ping's thoughts raced through his mind, yet he couldn't grasp any clues.

"Never mind. Since this is a refuge designed by master, then these array circles... I should be able to..."

He placed his hand on the array circle, channeling his spiritual power, and probing it slightly...

A moment passed.

Light aura suddenly flashed out of the magic circle, only to vanish quickly.

Failed to activate the Formation!

Liu Ping felt a surge of excitement and whispered, "Alright!"

It was true that he was only a Qi-refining cultivator, and his spiritual power was insufficient to sustain the activation of the magic circle for long.

But as his cultivation level improved in the future, he would be able to control Array formation!

In addition, based on the sensation he had just experienced, Liu Ping had identified another Formation closest to his location.

He raised his head and glanced towards the front left.

Several dozen feet away in that direction, a silent, dark cave caught his attention.

Just moments ago, faint fluctuations in spiritual power emanated from that direction.

'Should I check?'

As Liu Ping contemplated, he felt a shift in the surroundings and suddenly turned his gaze to the other side.

There, he spotted seven or eight cultivators emerging from another cave.

Living Cultivators!

Liu Ping's excitement surged.

These cultivators naturally also noticed Liu Ping. Perhaps they perceived him as not posing any threat, or perhaps they were preoccupied with urgent matters. Consequently, they swiftly passed by Liu Ping without stopping, hurrying away.

"Hurry! Hurry!"

"We must get there immediately—"

These individuals were supporting a cultivator covered in blood, rushing towards the caverns while exchanging various hurried remarks.

Before long, they disappeared into the depths of the caverns, leaving Liu Ping behind.

The situation appears to be dangerously intricate. It seems that they were running from something.

'They can't see me?'

Yes.

Remembing suddenly, that ability that he activated.

'So this is an acting class ability?'

Following his thoughts, lines of small words appeared in the air:

[You have activated a mystery]

[A Man Without a Role.]

[You will no longer attract excessive attention from anyone.]

[Remaining time: 8 minutes.]

With the experience he just had, Liu Ping found himself more trusting in this ability.

Feeling a sense of calm, he quickly walked into the cave.

After traversing a dark and damp passage, it didn't take long before the path suddenly widened.

Two practitioners stood guard at the entrance of the cave.

They were clad in armor and held weapons in their hands, their expressions serious and tense.

Strangely, as soon as Liu Ping appeared, their faces contorted with disdain.

"Qi Refining Realm..., only high-level cultivators are allowed In this place. Your cultivation is not sufficient to enter," one of them stated.

"Forget it, just take a spiritual stone from him and send him off through the other teleportation formation to bypass this area," another individual said.

Liu Ping obediently took out a spiritual stone and handed it over.

One of the cultivators accepted the spiritual stone, impatiently pointing to the other side and activating a technique.

Liu Ping followed the direction that was being pointed at.

He observed a distortion on the rock wall, and a hole opened in the void, revealing the scene inside.

"The array formation... This is truly the underground secret sanctuary used to keep the last ember of humanity alive," he thought to himself.

With a courteous nod to the two cultivators, he entered the opening.

As soon as Liu Ping walked in, he saw several bonfires burning on the empty rock platform.

Cultivators sat in groups around the bonfires.

When Liu Ping appeared, many gazes flickered towards him with curiosity.

But the next moment, all attention shifted away from him.

"Just a kid in the refinement stage..."

Someone murmured softly.

People continued with their activities, paying no further attention to Liu Ping.

In the void, lines of small characters appeared swiftly:

[You are protected by the twelve-layered war formation.]

[The spirit-locking spell on you is isolated.]

[Note: If you stay here for two hours and twenty-nine minutes, the tracking spell on you will disappear."

Liu Ping breathed a sigh of relief.

'Finally, good news.'

He rolled his eyes and swiftly landed in the center of the field.

There, a magical scene unfolded before him—

A colossal monster towering in the sky, wielding a massive bronze hammer, paced back and forth anxiously.

With every step it took, the entire ground trembled slightly.

The cultivators were observing the monster.

"This monster is quite rare."

"Indeed, I wonder what provoked it."

"Fortunately, we only need to hide underground and don't have to face this guy."

Liu Ping listened to the discussion, his gaze fixed on the monster.

With his keen eyesight, he could clearly see that the monster's strength far surpassed that of a cultivator of the Divine Reflection ...

It wasn't a demon, nor was it a devil.

Even the demon on his heels wouldn't be its match...

A chill ran down Liu Ping's spine.

He made his way to a corner and found a spot by a bonfire. Two Qi Refinement Realm cultivators, a man and a woman of similar strength to Liu Ping, were already seated around the bonfire.

When Liu Ping approached, the male cultivator was engrossed in conversation with the female cultivator, and neither of them looked up.

The male cultivator sighed, "I was out searching for materials. I never expected such a thing to happen. I had to abandon my plans and come here to seek refuge. It's really unfortunate."

Liu Ping inquired, "May I ask, what has happened?"

The male cultivator glanced at him but remained silent.

Liu Ping then turned to the female cultivator and said humbly, "Miss, I am also seeking refuge here. I'm not aware of—"

However, the female cultivator ignored him and continued the male cultivator's words, "I was in the midst of my cultivation when it happened. I immediately came here to seek refuge, I hope it doesn't take long this time."

Liu Ping shifted his attention to the male cultivator and smiled, "Fellow Daoist, could you please provide more details?"

Liu Ping took a deep breath and spoke up, "Fellow Daoist, what do you make of this situation?"

His voice carried a sense of urgency, finally drawing the attention of the two cultivators.

However, the female cultivator quickly interjected, "Also, since we're all Qi Refining cultivators, why don't we introduce ourselves and share our experiences?"

The male cultivator immediately turned towards the female cultivator.

"I am Hong Tao," the male cultivator introduced himself with a fist over his chest.

"I am Zhao Chanyi," the female cultivator followed suit with a fist gesture.

"I am Liu Ping. It's a pleasure to meet you both," Liu Ping said, offering his introduction with a respectful fist gesture.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Friend Hong," the female cultivator smiled warmly at the male cultivator.

"Fairy Zhao, would you mind discussing cultivation methods, particularly foundation-establishment techniques?" the male cultivator asked with a friendly smile directed at the female cultivator.

"Of course, but I'm not sure where Friend Hong has been searching for materials," the female cultivator replied.

"I know the location. Since we're both Qi-Refining cultivators, we can go together later and watch out for each other," the male cultivator suggested.

"That sounds like a plan," the female cultivator agreed with a nod.

The two cultivators engaged in their discussion with enthusiasm, while Liu Ping stood there, feeling ignored.

'This is quite something...'

'It's the first time since I entered the world of cultivation that I've been ignored to this extent.'

Liu Ping took a moment to steady himself, exhaling slowly as he lowered his hands.

Is this what they call "a man without a role"?

'Something feels... off.'