Oh no! My grandmother made me shoulder the responsibility for eight households!

Chapter 444 The Truth Behind the Sky Crack

Chen Cang took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

"That crack isn't a rift in the sky, it's a passage."

He paused, then his voice dropped a tone: "Extraterritorial passage."

Lin Chen didn't speak, his fingers clenched and unclenched inside his sleeve.

In fact, he had already guessed it in his heart, after all, he came from the world of information explosion.

I'm sick of those "higher-dimensional arrival" and "plane invasion" scenarios from my past life.

But guessing is one thing, being caught red-handed is another.

Chen Cang didn't look at Lin Chen and continued speaking to himself:

"When I was young, I saw a record about a passage to the outer realms in an ancient ruin."

"A cleansing once every ten thousand years is not a change in heaven and earth, but a calamity of heretics."

Lin Chen raised an eyebrow.

Chen Cang smiled wryly and said, "Back then, I didn't understand. I thought it was just some senior making a fuss, until..."

He looked up at the sky; it was completely dark. "It wasn't until I saw what was inside the crack with my own eyes that I understood."

"It's not a simple change in the world, nor is it a surge of spiritual energy; it's something from the outside trying to get in."

Chen Cang took a swig of wine, his voice strained: "Uproot the 'elites' of this world."

Lin Chen leaned against the tree trunk, arms crossed: "What kind of thing?"

"I don't know." Chen Cang shook his head vigorously.

"I looked at the crack twice, and both times I dared not look at it for long. How should I put it..."

He thought for a moment, then shuddered. "It's like you're squatting on the ground watching ants, and a finger stretches down from the sky to crush you."

"And it's not just watching the show; it's genuinely searching."

"What are you looking for?"

"It seeks out those who can fight. In this world, anyone who has cultivated to a certain level is its target."

Once every ten thousand years, it conducts targeted eradication, ensuring this land will never grow taller, never rise again.

Lin Chen's mind raced, and he suddenly asked a seemingly unrelated question:

"What about the drastic changes in the world that day? What about the fluctuations in spiritual energy?"

Chen Cang was taken aback, then chuckled, "Your Highness has hit the nail on the head."

"The world is undergoing a great change, and the spiritual energy is fluctuating. This is not a natural disaster; to put it bluntly, it is this world struggling on its own."

He gestured: "It's like when a person is poisoned, their body will have a fever, shiver, and sweat. This is instinct; it's the body expelling the toxins on its own."

"The same goes for heaven and earth. Once that crack opens, things from the outside seep in, and the will of this world will react, unleashing a surge of spiritual energy in an attempt to flush out those filthy things, or—to try to generate a few that can fight back."

Lin nodded; this was pretty much what he had guessed.

Chen Cang sighed: "But it's no use. The cleansing that happens once every ten thousand years has never stopped."

Every time this place struggles, it is pressed down again, and now it's almost completely drained of its strength.

Lin Chen was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly let out a cold laugh:

"So those old monsters in Zhongzhou sealed off the mountains not because they were afraid of a great change in the world, but because they knew that after the great change, something would come to 'collect debts'."

"That's right." Chen Cang slapped his thigh. "They knew this earlier and more clearly than I did. Those old fogies weren't sealing off mountains, they were sealing off lives."

"Then you still dare to come to the Eastern Region?"

Chen Cang grinned, his smile a mix of embarrassment and shrewdness: "I'm just running for my life."

Lin Chen looked at him: "Can't stay in Zhongzhou anymore?"

"Central Plains is about to descend into chaos," Chen Cang said softly. "Everyone is running. Those who run fast will live longer. Those who run slowly will die."

He shook the gourd, and it clanged twice inside.

"Since the appearance of the Sky Rift, the price of teleportation arrays has increased several times. A teleportation slot used to cost 100 spirit stones, but now it costs 500, and you still can't get one."

Lin Chen clicked his tongue.

"And money alone isn't enough," Chen Cang scoffed. "You have to be alive to get on it. The rogue cultivators queuing outside the teleportation array are constantly fighting, causing rivers of blood. Before it even reaches another domain, they've already wiped out their own kind."

"As for ordinary people?" Chen Cang shook his head. "They won't even get a chance. They can't even touch the teleportation array, let alone have the right to queue up."

Lin Chen understood.

This is an escape with certain barriers.

Those with spirit stones, strength, and connections can still put up a fight.

Those who remain can only stay where they are and wait to die.

"So you came to the Eastern Region?" Lin Chen asked.

"The Eastern Region is great." Chen Cang's eyes lit up. "The Eastern Region is far away and remote. Even if those 'dirty things' get in, their first stop will be the Central Plains. It will take several years for them to transfer to the Eastern Region."

He paused, glanced at Lin Chen, and added, "Besides, the Eastern Region has Your Highness here."

Lin Chen didn't reply, he just looked at him.

Chen Cang felt a little guilty under Lin Chen's gaze and coughed:

"I'm not trying to flatter you, but Your Highness's reputation and... cultivation level are the best I've ever seen—"

Chen Cang paused, then coughed lightly and said:

"To put it bluntly, those people in Zhongzhou are running for their lives."

They had no idea where to run; they just ran as far as their instincts took them. But I'm different; I made my choice.

"The Eastern Region is the farthest from the Central Plains, and there is only one passage. It is located above the Central Plains. Even if something dirty comes out, it has to spread outwards from the Central Plains first."

When they spread to the Eastern Region, either a bunch of people will block their way, or—"

He glanced at Lin Chen but didn't continue.

Either someone is blocking your way.

Lin Chen knew that this person's words had a hidden meaning, but he didn't say it out loud.

"And the second one?" Lin Chen asked.

Chen Cang chuckled:

"Secondly, although this old man isn't top-tier in the Central Plains, he's not far off. Coming to the Eastern Region—he should be able to offer some assistance, right?"

He rubbed his hands together, grinning like a cunning old fox.

"Your Highness, rest assured, I will not cause trouble. I just want to find a place to grow some vegetables and brew some wine."

"When those filthy things really come at us, Your Highness, you will be the one to face them, and I will be the one to bring you wine from behind."

"So I haven't lived two thousand years in vain."

Lin Chen stared at the old man for a few seconds.

Chen Cang felt uneasy under Lin Chen's gaze and was about to say something more kind when Lin Chen suddenly spoke:

"You're saying there's only one passage?"

"Yes." Chen Cang nodded. "The ancient records say, 'When the Heavenly Gate opens, all calamities will follow.' Last time it was in the Southern Wilderness, this time the passage is anchored in the Central Plains."

"When will that thing in the crack come out?"

Chen Cang paused for a moment, and the smile on his face slowly faded:

"I don't know, but that crack... is slowly expanding."

He looked up at the dark night sky.

The stars shone quietly, one by one, seemingly without any sign of trouble.

But Chen Cang knew that behind that starlight, there was a crack.

Something was lying on the crack, looking out.

He shuddered again and quickly gulped down a mouthful of wine.

Seeing his expression, Lin Chen smiled faintly and said, "Alright, the Eastern Region welcomes you."

Chen Cang was stunned for a moment, then smiled so much that the wrinkles on his face smoothed out, like a chrysanthemum.

"But there's one rule," Lin Chen said seriously, his smile fading. "Don't cause trouble."

"No, no, no," Chen Cang waved his hands repeatedly, shaking his head like a rattle drum.

"I'm just a brewer, what trouble could I possibly be causing? I won't cause any trouble."

Lin Chen nodded, turned around and left.

After taking two steps, I stopped.

Do you have any extra wine?

Chen Cang paused for a moment, then smiled so broadly his eyes narrowed:

"I plan to find a place to stay near Dongshan. Once I'm settled, I'll send a jar to Your Highness."

Lin Chen didn't turn around, waved his hand, and transformed into a streak of light, flying towards the East Mountain Villa.

Chen Cang stood under the old locust tree, watching Lin Chen transform into a stream of light, and murmured to himself:

"I hope I didn't bet on the wrong horse."