The man had a defeated look on his face, but he didn't respond back.
He groggily stood up, looked at Alex with anger and hatred, then entered through the entrance.
"I heard about you from Ying Xue; you can just call me Elder Xue."
Despite being annoyed with the man's gaze, Alex still acted with a smile.
"Greetings, Elder Xue. My name is Alex, and she is Ming Yue. My mom Luca, and my sister Emily.
As you have heard, we are coming here because we are curious about the rift, and we also want to find out about our father."
"Your father? Ah, yes, the group coming from the Zephyr clan.
Trust me, I have tried to stop them, but they just didn't listen.
Anyway, let's talk inside."
His tone then filled with pride as he said, "Don't be surprised by what you will feel when entering."
The group then entered through the entrance.
The moment they took a step in, Alex felt like he was entering a whole new world.
At first, they felt a huge pressure under their bodies, as if gravity had been raised tenfold.
After a few more steps, the air completely disappeared like they were passing through a vacuum.
If their cultivation was low, this would have been very lethal and dangerous.
It's like walking in space without any protection suit.
After passing through this, they finally reached the core region.
The place was beyond their imagination.
Alex wouldn't be surprised if what he saw was another new world or a place like a dungeon.
Instead, what he saw was like a mega city straight out of science fiction.
The place was a huge enclosed space, with the buildings looking like they were made with one material.
The skyscrapers also went all the way to the ceiling, making them look like pillars.
But since everything looked the same, it was more like seeing one huge megastructure.
The design also reminded Alex of a honeycomb. Each hexagonal spot seemed to mark a single area.
Cultivators could be seen flying all around, busy going in one direction.
They also saw many wounded landing in one comb that probably functioned as a hospital.
The wounds were gruesome, but no one looked, as they seemed to already be used to the situation.
"Elder Xue, does the fight happen all the time?"
Alex didn't ask Ying Xue since he knew she didn't have the authority to give outsiders any information.
"No, it happens randomly; you will understand when you see the rift.
If you want to enter, though, you will need to get permission from the general or the council."
"Where is the General?"
"Haha, young man, do you think you can just meet with him if you want?
The General is a very busy man; he is staying near the rift. If you want, you will need to find your own way.
You can try the normal method, but the queue will be very long and can easily take you dozens of years."
Alex's lips twitched. The only reason he wanted to meet the General was his curiosity. He didn't want to waste time that long.
"Forget it then. I am just curious and want to learn more about the situation in this area.
You know, I have heard many rumors, but who knows how true they are."
The group then entered one of the honeycomb rooms.
Inside, it was like the BaiYue sect's old appearance.
A series of multiple floating islands.
Each island was linked with a bridge, and the sky was a beautiful blue.
"Is every honeycomb ?"
"Of course not. I hold an elder rank, so I can have my own spot.
This place is not cheap to maintain, and to even be able to buy it, you will need sufficient contribution.
I will report to the patriarch. Ying Xue, you can bring them to the guest area."
After Elder Xue left, Alex looked at Ying Xue.
"Does the whole Xue family live in this place?"
The size of the area alone was the same as the Zephyr clan.
Although he hadn't explored everything, and they also had their own small world, Alex thought it wouldn't be that different.
"The Xue family right now has 4 elders; each elder has their own area one, and then we have six more places.
One is privately owned by the patriarch's family; the other five are shared by us all.
And yes, each place is a small world one.
As for the place you saw before, it's owned by the General's faction.
He is the one making sure everyone contributes and cooperates."
"What about the Ronin clan outside? It seems your clan doesn't like them."
With a common enemy, Alex thought they should be more united than those outside, but it seemed as if the situation wasn't desperate enough; uniting was just a joke.
They may have been united at first, but since they held on, they adapted and accepted it as something normal.
"Honestly, I don't know when it started, but the Ronin clan is one of the most hated here.
They often trigger conflicts when taking on prey.
Killing more than the area they are allocated to."
Ying Xue then proceeded to tell how everything worked.
The general created a system where every time an invasion occurred, they would detect it an hour before.
They would then calculate the risk based on the rift's fluctuation.
The risk was graded from E to SSS rating.
Usually, on average, they would get those rated C, which could be taken care of by 30-50 immortals.
Every single clan had around 10-20 immortals. The biggest one like Xue had more than 30, which made the clans fight to get allocation.
The loot would then all be taken by the General, while the cultivators would get their reward as contribution points.
The points could then be exchanged for the loot.
As for the General himself, he was not only the strongest but also an ancient guardian who had taken care of everything since the rift was created.
They called the guardian with him, but he was not human.