250: Time and Space Convergence

The scholar capped his bottle, tucked it back into his bosom, and said with a smile to Chen Tianming.

"It should be from you outsiders. In recent years, outsiders or objects frequently break in. Most of the time, what we see are objects."

After speaking, the scholar beckoned, signaling Chen Tianming to follow him.

"We don't know when, but the space around us has been shrinking, until now, we are left with one mountain, one sea, nine rivers, and four lakes."

"At the same time, we also discovered that the number of people remaining here gradually decreased, until one day everyone gathered together, and we realized that besides the three sects on Tianling Peak, the remaining population was probably around 100,000!"

"For many years, the three sects on Tianling Peak have been fighting incessantly and also coming down to the lower realm to attract talent, so the 100,000 people slowly became 80,000."

"But in recent years, we suddenly discovered new faces. Although these people are quickly taken away by the sects on Tianling Peak, we ordinary mortals can still hear some information from their mouths."

The two walked slowly, arriving at a village.

Many people ran out of their houses to watch.

Chen Tianming's attire, here, became an anomaly.

However, there was no hostility on the faces of these people.

They looked at Chen Tianming as if looking at a relative from afar.

At this moment, a group of children dressed in cloth and flowered gauze suddenly ran over, boys and girls, chattering noisily.

They surrounded Chen Tianming, refusing to leave.

The scholar explained.

"These children have also seen outsiders once or twice. For outsiders like you, after entering our world, there are nothing more than two possibilities: either you turn into a pile of shattered flesh, with your belongings perfectly preserved, or you remain unharmed, and your belongings are also perfectly preserved..."

Chen Tianming finally couldn't help but speak at this moment.

"Things can come in? People not necessarily?"

The scholar finally nodded with a smile.

Chen Tianming also finally understood that these children surrounding him probably wanted something to eat or drink.

He had some, and quite a lot too.

He took out a few packets of biscuits, then some candies, drinks, and various snacks.

Chen Tianming distributed these things, which the children loved very much, as if they were free.

His generosity attracted more and more people around him.

Initially, it was the older children.

Then came the elderly, and finally, even the young people joined in.

It was as if Chen Tianming was an inexhaustible treasure trove.

At this moment, the scholar gently clapped his hands.

"Folks! That's enough!"

The scholar's words seemed very effective; the swarming crowd immediately dispersed, standing far away by their windows and doors, just watching.

Chen Tianming walked through the village, a little puzzled in his heart.

The village looked equally ancient and quaint.

But the problem was, Chen Tianming saw many different things in the village, such as the drinks the scholar also had.

For example, soap and soap dishes.

Chen Tianming even discovered hula hoops, bells, sneakers...

If it weren't for the scholar's explanation, Chen Tianming would have even thought this was a filming set created by some film base.

He tried to scan the entire village and was surprised to find that there was a thick Spiritual Vein beneath the village, leading directly to Tianling Peak.

However, there was not a single trace of spiritual energy within the entire village.

Subsequently, Chen Tianming discovered that the scholar was leading him very accurately, walking in the opposite direction along the Spiritual Vein.

It seemed as if he was being led to the source of this Spiritual Vein.

However, at present, the scholar seemed to have no significant ill will, only leading Chen Tianming forward.

After passing through a wild area, the two saw a corpse by the roadside.

The scholar passed by the corpse as if it were a common sight.

Chen Tianming, however, couldn't help but frown and squatted down from a distance to examine it.

The scholar called out from ahead.

"Judging by the clothing, it should be a local. Either he died in a fight, or he died of hunger and disease..."

Chen Tianming caught up.

"Do people often die here?"

The scholar smiled.

"Think about it, we are not the outside world. This is equivalent to a sealed world, and resources are not as abundant as yours..."

Mid-sentence, Chen Tianming couldn't help but ask.

"But your population isn't as large as ours either!"

The scholar nodded.

"That's right... But regardless of population size, our place is very similar to yours; resources are always controlled by a few people, and those few people have to fight every day..."

The words were left unsaid.

Chen Tianming had already understood the scholar's meaning.

Here, strength is respected.

As people living in a Small World, without cultivation techniques or cultivation, they can only be bullied by the so-called Cultivators on Tianling Peak.

However, Chen Tianming thought for a moment.

When they passed through the village just now, everyone's clothing seemed normal enough.

It fit his impression of ancient people.

So Chen Tianming spoke up.

"It's not bad, it's not to the extent of being barely clothed..."

Just as Chen Tianming finished speaking, he looked up and saw thick smoke rising from a chimney in the distance.

The black smoke rose into the air, then vaguely disappeared.

Chen Tianming frowned as he passed by and continued walking for a while. Only after the terrain rose did he see that there was a backward factory ahead!

This discovery made Chen Tianming's eyes widen.

The factory, like those outside, had workshops, bricks, machines, and ironware.

Recalling the village he had just passed, Chen Tianming felt a huge contrast.

"This..."

The scholar's expression was full of emotion.

"You see! This is the real city, the real village. Our village is just the tip of the iceberg, a tribe of poor people trying to make a living!"

Chen Tianming never expected that modern civilization could bring such a huge contrast and impact to a Xuanhuan World.

At this moment, the scholar spoke again.

"So, at the beginning of the abnormalities... the things on outsiders were the most precious treasures. Some people spent their entire lives and couldn't even exchange for one..."

"But as the frequency increased and the number of surviving outsiders grew, we found that their minds were much better than ours, and they knew much more than us, so..."

The scholar smiled somewhat awkwardly.

"It also forced some people to ask for methods, without cultivation, without training, to be able to carry five hundred dan of goods each!"

Chen Tianming knew that what the scholar was talking about was probably machinery like internal combustion engines.

The scholar led Chen Tianming little by little into the factory forest.

It looked like the 1970s here: exposed concrete buildings, steel-framed chimneys, various machines constantly running, and thick hot air blowing in their faces.

The clothes worn by the people in the factory were also very messy.

There were children in modern clothing running around, and workers in ancient clothing carrying coal.

This place was like a hodgepodge of time and space.

Until the factory manager appeared... a young man in a yellow hard hat, about thirty years old, who smiled from afar when he saw Chen Tianming.