In the dim cave, Duanmu Zang floated in the air and looked at Xu Qing.
His voice echoed in the surroundings.
Xu Qing stood up and bowed to Duanmu Zang, nodding.
"Thank you."
Previously, Duanmu Zang had thanked him because he had beautified the outside world and given the people here hope.
Now, he was thanking Duanmu Zang for putting trust in him.
Duanmu Zang waved his hand and a vortex appeared in front of him. He walked in and waited for Xu Qing in the vortex.
Xu Qing took a step forward and entered the vortex.
For the first time in the past month, he left the first floor of the tomb chamber. As he entered the vortex, a mortal world was reflected in Xu Qing's eyes.
It was still underground, but the range was much larger than where he was previously. It was an underground city.
It was bustling with activity and laughter drifted out of the city at this instant, drifting into Xu Qing's ears. Ling'er also revealed her head and looked in the direction of the city.
That city was filled with humans. There were more than 100,000 of them.
This was the first time Xu Qing had seen a human city after coming to the Moon Worship Region. This was also the first time he had seen so many of his races.
Even though he was mentally prepared, Xu Qing's mind still fluctuated at this moment. He also saw that the soil dome here was covered by a massive blue curtain.
This curtain was very large, spreading out in the sky like the blue sky.
There were also some white clouds drawn on it, filling it with beauty.
Although this was an underground city, there were actually green plants inside. There were also crops growing in the empty space further away.
There was also a huge ball of light floating in the air. Inside it was actually heavenly fire. It was sealed in a bottle using a special method, turning it into the sun.
A radiant light spilled forth, and a sense of vitality filled the cave as the voices of children reciting echoed throughout.
On his way here, the humans Xu Qing saw were numb due to their lowly status as food.
Hence, Xu Qing was extremely aware that to be able to build such a human city here and protect so many of his race, the boldness and magnanimity needed to be incomparably vast.
After all, not all experts were willing to protect the mortals. To many experts and mighty figures, living well was often more important than anything else.
"This is my homeland," Duanmu Zang said softly.
Respect rose in Xu Qing's heart and he bowed again.
His perception of Duanmu Zang changed with the passage of time, especially now. What he saw and felt caused his perception to change drastically.
Duanmu Zang looked at the city with a gentle expression. His eyes reflected the light of the heavenly fire and a smile appeared on his face.
It was like a kind old man looking at his descendants.
"The human race in the Moon Worship Region has endured incredibly difficult lives due to certain historical reasons, marked by unbearable suffering. I too experienced this in my childhood."
"What you see before you are mostly the unfortunate people suffering torment and hardship within the alliance of the two races."
Duanmu Zang spoke softly. At this moment, he was a completely different person from when he was fighting against the nonhuman races on the Heavenly Fire Sea.
It was as though when he returned here, all his cunning, insidiousness, and ruthlessness had instinctively disappeared.
What was left was only warmth.
"My abilities are limited; I can't save everyone. I can only do my best to help, rescue as many as I can, and gradually, this is the result."
Duanmu Zang's words and the scene before Xu Qing were incredibly moving. He now understood that within the Moon Worship Region, a sanctuary for the human race like this was undoubtedly a place of survival amidst adversity.
To experts, this was a shackle.
While emotions surged in his heart, Xu Qing followed Duanmu Zang into the city.
The buildings within the city were mostly simple, and the people's clothing was plain, lacking extravagance. There were no shops or markets around either.
There were no transactions here, only mutual help.
Smiles were evident on the faces of every human Xu Qing observed. He saw middle-aged individuals, youths, and children.
The only thing was that there were no elderly people.
"The old people are all willing to die. They don't want to waste food."
When Duanmu Zang said this, his expression carried a hint of sadness. However, this sadness was quickly hidden amidst the excitement of everyone in the surroundings.
"King!"
"Greetings, King!"
"It's Grandpa King. Hello, grandfather."
"Grandpa King, I've been looking at the clouds in the sky for a long time. Why aren't they moving?"
The surrounding crowd surged over. The middle-aged men's expression was filled with respect, and the youths' expression was filled with excitement. As for the children, they quickly ran over as though they had seen their relatives and circled Duanmu Zang.
Duanmu Zang was all smiles as he carried a little boy and smiled.
"Of course the clouds in the sky will move. It's just that it's asleep now. After it wakes up, it will move. It will definitely move."
Amidst the laughter, everyone's gazes also landed on Xu Qing. They were a little nervous but there was more kindness. It was as though as long as someone was brought by Duanmu Zang, they would be like family to them.
Xu Qing silently followed Duanmu Zang as they walked through the city. Along the way, he observed many such scenes and even noticed that there was a school within the city.
"History has to be passed down and civilization has to continue. Even though the human race is suffering and struggling in the Moon Worship Region, I think we still have to let more humans understand our former glory."
"It can't be forgotten."
