Chapter 290: Chapter 289 The World of Strict Hierarchy!

Translator: 549690339

Before he entered Jin Biao’s small world, Du Gang thought hard about whether it would possess advanced technology, or whether it would shimmer with an interstellar civilization like the Pangu universe had.

However, when he really did step into the small world, he discovered that it was indeed small. At only ten million square kilometers, it was not much bigger than the Hua Nation of his previous life.

Moreover, this small world was simply a landmass, not a planet.

However, the gravity was comparable to the Primordial Continent. Was it because it was anchored close to the Primordial Continent?

Du Gang glanced around and found that no one else seemed bothered by the gravity. They all appeared completely used to it.

This implied that they hadn’t experienced any small worlds with different gravities. Thus, it was very possible that the gravity in other small worlds was just like in Jin Biao’s, comparable to that of the Primordial Continent!

Feeling thoughtful, Du Gang stroked his chin. It seemed that the Pangu universe was the real outlier. Was it because the universe they resided in was left behind by Pangu the Supreme?

He didn’t ponder his questions for long because the sight around him grabbed his attention.

In front of them, close by, was a tear in the world, a chasm reminiscent of an abyss. Tangled among the chasm were numerous wooden-plank bridges, each connected by iron chains.

The bridges looked otherworldly in their abstract, erratic manner, spanning different heights throughout the chasm with countless bridges.

At the end of these bridges were countless ropeways, winding and circling like onions. Behind each ropeway was a gate leading to a peculiar space, looking like entrances to animal burrows on a first glance.

“What is this?”

Du Gang had a hunch but wasn’t sure, so he looked to Lan Zhize for clarification.

“These are their dwellings!”

Lan Zhize shook his head and said, “These mini worlds lack a Great Power who could assemble independent spaces, meaning their space is limited!”

In the Primordial Continent, regardless of how influential a power was, it had countless space gates, enough to cater to an infinite number of inhabitants.

Yet in these smaller worlds, the level of cultivation was capped at the God Spirit Level. Naturally, none could break the chains to create independent spaces. This led to a real estate problem where every inch of soil mattered!

After all, with their extremely long life over billions of years, even with birth control policies in place, the birth rate still far outweighed the death rate, resulting in an unstoppable population growth.

This ten-million-square-kilometer land, from top to bottom, inside and out, astonishingly accommodated more than a trillion people.

“These rifts aren’t naturally formed but dug up by people for the purpose of accommodation!”

Kou Yingwu calmly stated, “Every small world is faced with the issue of crowded population. It’s quite a common phenomenon to dig downward.”

“In fact, human life is worth little in these mini worlds. The leading figures have resorted to various means of slaughtering people and enforcing strict caste systems. Moreover, they deliberately create conflicts to instigate wars as a population control measure…”

When he spoke these words, he did so in a calm, detached manner, as if those people weren’t even of the same species as him.

“From this perspective, is longevity a mistake?”

Du Gang mused, “In Earth, everyone covets longevity. But upon observing the condition of this mini world, it seems not so desirable.”

He looked aimlessly down and saw, at a distance of a thousand meters from the ground, a man with a numb gaze slowly moving a knife towards his own neck.

Perhaps, for him, death was the best way to escape!

“Enough of the sentimental thoughts. Our time is limited and the orb can only shield our aura for an hour. We need to act now!”

As someone who had experienced eight world cycles, Kou Yingwu had long grown accustomed and indifferent to such scenes.

At that moment, they were on top of a tower, which was situated above ground level, appearing very different from the nearby abyss.

The tower was not just extravagant but also spotlessly clean. It was obviously maintained daily.

Clearly, it was a tower of a person of high stature. Standing at ninety meters, the uppermost floors of the tower were uninhabited, which was one of the reasons they had remained undetected.

“Jia Xiangming, go grab some people…”

“Lan Zhize, go fetch some clothes to wear, we need to blend in…”

Without any hesitation, Kou Yingwu, serving as the acting team leader, started giving out orders.

The other two didn’t hesitate and quickly left the top of the tower following their orders.

After he finished his instruction, Kou Yingwu grew silent, scanning his surroundings without uttering another word. From his demeanor, it was quite clear that he had no intention of ordering Du Gang and Tao Xuanzhu around.

Tao Xuanzhu glanced at him and, seeing no reaction from him, took her leave.

“Where are you going?”

Du Gang asked instinctively, but soon, he felt his enquiry to be redundant.

However, Tao Xuanzhu looked at him, gave a shallow smile, and said, “I’m going to find some clothes to wear…”

After finishing her sentence, she hurriedly retreated.

Du Gang scratched his head awkwardly. He quickly turned his head to face Kou Yingwu and attempted to strike up a conversation by saying, “Kou Yingwu, aren’t you planning to capture me and hand me over to the demonic domain?”

To be honest, even though they were in the same boat at the moment, he was still a bit on his guard, wary of Kou Yingwu approaching him with ill intentions.

“Capture you?”

Kou Yingwu simply laughed and shook his head, saying, “Your bounty indeed isn’t cheap!”

Du Gang’s eyes instantly turned cold, his muscles tense, appearing ready to launch into an attack at any moment.

“Don’t get agitated!”

Feeling the danger, Kou Yingwu put his hands up and calmly said, “But I’m not going to lay a hand on you!”

“Irrespective of how the demonic domain is perceived, our Kou Family doesn’t allow us to randomly accept missions…”

“You may not know this, but the more one is a member of a family like ours, the stricter the rules they face. After all, nobody knows if one disciple might offend a true dragon, a major figure, and drag the entire family into trouble!”

In the Primordial Continent, after years of evolution, examples of power shifts every thirty years were a common sight. So if one accidentally offends a budding prodigy who is destined for greatness, the future retaliation might be unbearable!

Kou Yingwu chuckled and said, “About your bounty, our family had convened a meeting to discuss it. Even the eighteen founding ancestors had spoken out about it…”

Du Gang couldn’t help but ask, “What was the result?”

Kou Yingwu shrugged and said, “Well, what do you expect? Of course, they forbade any family members from accepting the task!”

Seeing Du Gang still had a skeptical and guarded look on his face, Kou Yingwu was a little speechless, but he understood the reason.

After all, given such a bounty from the Devil’s Domain, no one could resist taking the risk!

“I suppose you might not know this, but many families have their own ways of survival!”

“These are some red lines. This world, with its exceptionally influential powers, sees one family fall, and another rise…”

“Any power, if it wishes to remain unchallenged over time, must be sufficiently cautious!”

Kou Yingwu said with a faint smile: “There’s an ironclad rule in our family: never cultivate enmity with the Supreme!”

“Somebody like yourself would be considered to have a connection with the Supreme.”

An expression of profound meaning flashed in his eyes: “Hundreds of families in our lineage have been educated about the history of those who have enmity with the Supreme. Basically, they either vanish or decline!”

He smiled faintly: “In history, there were quite a few powers, comparable to the Jiuli Dynasty, which got annihilated, after annoying certain beings against heaven…”

Comparable to the Jiuli Dynasty?

Du Gang was stunned: “In this world, do such powers still exist?”

“Yes!”

Kou Yingwu nodded: “In history, they indeed did… In fact, the forty-five major powers have grown thereafter…”

Without elaborating further, he said directly: “Let’s leave those mysteries aside. The latest information we received is quite interesting!”

He looked at Du Gang meaningfully and said with a smile: “We happen to know that the Devil’s Domain has dispatched a being whose power rivals a ninth tribulation God Spirit…”

“He died at your hands!”

Du Gang was not surprised to hear this, because the person he killed was only one of the Divine Beings. Once it was revived, it would know that he was the one to kill it.

“You, although you seem to be a third tribulation God Spirit, have the ability to kill a ninth tribulation God Spirit!”

Kou Yingwu looked delighted, “If I were not wise, I too might follow that person’s footsteps!”

While the two were chatting, those who had gone out to gather information returned.

Jia Xiangming caught about a dozen people. Some were from within the tower, while others were from the surface, and the rest from beneath the cracks.

“I’ve brought people from various locations. Who will interrogate them?”

Kou Yingwu volunteered without hesitation: “I’ll do it. The Kou Family has got some skills when it comes to questioning!”

Soon, the two men switched people. Lan Zhize also distributed the clothes he had stolen according to everyone’s sizes.

“Miss Tao, this is yours…”

Lan Zhize, looking flushed, handed over what appeared to be a splendid queen’s outfit.

Tao Xuanzhu curled her lips, did not accept the clothes, and pointed to her own more modest outfit. “I already have clothes!”

She continued, “And besides, the garment you gave me evidently belongs to local nobility, limited edition. Each set must be accounted for, and only nobles are allowed to wear them!”

“So, if we truly wish to disguise ourselves, it is more suitable to appear as commoners!”

On her excursion, apart from seeking clothes, she also took the opportunity to get some information.

Hearing her words, Du Gang suddenly realized that he, too, should take the initiative next time!

Although they were in the same boat, it didn’t guarantee that they wouldn’t stab each other in the back.

In such a place, death equaled true death, one from which not even other deities could revive!

It was necessary to obtain some information personally!

After understanding this, Du Gang did not make any further moves but quietly waited.

At this point, going out again would be of little use because within a short time, the amount of information everyone could gather was limited, merely consisting of general knowledge.

For example, people in this world adhere to levels, with each person wearing different clothes and hats based on their level.

Indeed, within Du Gang’s visibility range, he noticed a common feature: everyone in this small world wore hats!

Even the women wore feminized hats!

At first, he didn’t pay much attention. However, as he observed more, he started noticing suspicions, and began observing commonalities and disparities.

Eventually, he discovered that the patterns engraved on the hats of these people varied.

No matter the pattern, at the center of the crown, there was a kind of symbol denoting level.

This symbol, painted uniquely, was unclear in meaning, but he managed to differentiate several types of hats, worn by different levels of people, based on their appearances.

One kind, with a pattern marking level resembling a rat, should belong to a lower level, basically worn by those from beneath the ground.

Just as he was pondering these matters, Kou Yingwu’s consciousness returned to reality.

“What did you find out?”

Seeing his consciousness return, Lan Zhize immediately asked.

Kou Yingwu chuckled, “Well of course, the Kou Family’s interrogation technique is quite something!”

Everyone was speechless. The Kou Family was indeed a bandit at heart, boasting about even what others would find shameful!

“Tell us what information you got!”

Kou Yingwu, seeming much less aloof than when he first appeared, chuckled: “First and foremost, the hierarchy here is incredibly strict with clear divisions between each stratum!”

“Moreover, where an individual stands in the social hierarchy determines what roles they can assume!””

He laughed: “For example, those who wear rat hats cannot raise their heads to look at those of higher status, or they will be blinded…”

“Furthermore, only those wearing hats with a black ox or above are allowed to get married and have children, and there are also strict restrictions on this…”

Kou Yingwu was indeed skilled at interrogation, offering dozens of points of caution for different identities.

“If we want to move on the surface, we must disguise ourselves as those above the level of the White Horse Hat…”

Kou Yingwu chuckled: “I think the White Horse Hat suits us best. It is neither too high nor too low, sits right in the middle, and is somewhat common. It won’t attract too much attention. Most importantly, this class of people can walk on the surface and go underground…”

“Do people actually want to go underground?”

Lan Zhize asked out of curiosity.

Du Gang, having observed many, guessed at an explanation: “Some tough and dirty jobs still need to be done by the people from the underground. Moreover, in a world driven by hierarchy, how can the higher-class show their superiority without going to the lower-class areas?”