Chapter 253: Dead City
historical
Three figures displayed their divine powers in the sky, fighting with earth-shattering force. Below, people fled in panic, and within Hidden Huo City, no one could stop their rampage.
Countless cultivators cursed, and numerous ordinary people wept; truly, it was a situation where both heaven and earth were enraged.
A Poison Lotus was shattered by Brahman Sa, but due to the nature of the Poison Lotus, even in pieces, it released a vast amount of Poisonous Threads. These threads were so potent that even Elemental Infant stage cultivators couldn't withstand them, let alone those at the Foundation Establishment and Foundation Establishment stages. As for ordinary people, a single touch would instantly dissolve them into pools of blood.
In just over ten minutes, Hidden Huo City had turned into a living hell. When high-level cultivators battle, those around them are bound to suffer!
Zhang Ke and the others were the fastest to run, among the first to escape. Living on the outskirts of the city made their escape more convenient, and they narrowly avoided the first wave of attacks. Although the attacks weren't aimed at the residents of Hidden Huo City, their immense power and wide reach still resulted in many deaths.
Once in the forest, Tian Cang urged, "Keep running, as far as you can!"
His experience far surpassed that of Guan Shangli and Li Huai, and Zhang Ke and the others couldn't compare to Tian Cang, who had been adventuring outside for a long time and knew well the might of Elemental Infant stage cultivators.
Thousand Poisons knew he couldn't keep this up. The combined strength of the male and female was truly formidable. Continuing the fight would be too much for him to handle. Despite his impressive strength, he couldn't sustain such expenditure.
He did have a powerful treasure in his possession, a one-time use trump card meant for preserving his life. He wouldn't use it unless absolutely necessary.
Thus, Thousand Poisons fled once again.
The battle was swift in both its arrival and departure. Once Thousand Poisons fled, Brahman Sa and Yin Jin gave chase, paying no heed to those below.
Zhang Ke and the others were still sprinting through the forest when suddenly, Tian Cang shouted, "Stop! Stop!"
Everyone halted, looking at Tian Cang, puzzled as to why he had urged them to run one moment and to stop the next.
Tian Cang leapt up, landing atop a tree, and looked towards Hidden Huo City. Soon after, he descended and announced, "They've left, they're gone!"
.
Luo Bo also flew up to the treetops to check and indeed, there was no one in the sky, though a Poison Lotus still floated above.
Thick smoke rose from Hidden Huo City, where some wooden houses were burning. The battle between just three Elemental Infant stage cultivators had nearly destroyed the city. Even more terrifying were the drifting Poisonous Threads, which even Foundation Establishment cultivators couldn't withstand, sparking another wave of refugees.
Tian Cang said, "Let's build a shelter here for now; we shouldn't go back yet."
Luo Bo asked, "What if Brother Xiao Mi comes back?"
Tian Cang chuckled, "Little junior brother, wouldn't your brother use a paper owl?"
Luo Bo suddenly realized; he was still young and often overlooked many things.
The paper owl was a common communication method among low-level cultivators in the Cultivation World, effective within a hundred miles and quite reliable. Ninety-nine percent of paper owls reached their destination successfully.
Of course, the Cultivation World had many advanced methods of communication, but those required a certain level of cultivation. For now, paper owls were the norm for mid- and low-level cultivators on Cangmin Star, though other planets might have different methods.
Guan Shangli approached and suggested, "There's a stream ahead; let's build our shelter there. It'll be more convenient for water."
No one dared to return to Hidden Huo City, the sight of the drifting Poisonous Threads enough to keep them at bay.
Gradually, even more terrifying news spread: contact with the Poisonous Threads meant even Foundation Establishment cultivators couldn't resist, and ordinary people would dissolve into puddles of blood.
Before they could start chopping wood to build the shelter, Luo Bo, Tian Cang, Zhang Ke, Li Huai, and Guan Shangli decided to move even further away, as the area still wasn't safe.
The group reached the stream and followed it, moving further away, with a large group of people following behind, including low-level cultivators and mostly ordinary people who felt safer with the cultivators.
Luo Bo and the others didn't drive them away; they could help with various tasks in exchange for some food. These ordinary people were willing to work; the forest was full of wild beasts, and without the protection of cultivators, entering meant certain death.
Following the stream, Luo Bo and his group didn't dare to go too far, fearing that they might lose contact with Mi Xiaojing. In the Cultivation World, once separated, reuniting could be incredibly difficult.
After about twenty miles, the cultivators were unfazed, but the ordinary people struggled. This was no easy path, but a dense forest. Without the cultivators clearing the way, they wouldn't have made it this far.
Mi Xiaojing and Yong Ji arrived at Hidden Huo City to a scene of devastation. The city was deserted, with most houses burned down and numerous bodies on the ground.
Yong Ji said, "Let's go down and take a look."
The two descended from the sky to find silence; no living beings, no animals, just dark patches of blood on the ground. Mi Xiaojing stood in the middle of the street, his expression somber.
He said, "So many have died," and sat down to chant mantras.
As Mi Xiaojing chanted, an astonishing event unfolded. In an instant, the sound of weeping filled the air, and countless souls began to dissipate. The ominous atmosphere also gradually vanished.
Yong Ji had long known that Mi Xiaojing was once an Evolutionary Immortal, but what he hadn't expected was that, even as a Foundation Establishment cultivator, Mi Xiaojing still possessed such profound Evolutionary Immortality power.Mi Xiaojing sensed that this time, the chanting of the mantra was different from before, as if it had absorbed some unknown energy. His entire spiritual tower became active, growing bit by bit, and his Evolutionary Immortality cultivation level was rapidly increasing. This was something he could feel.
This was also a form of Evolutionary Immortality cultivation, completely different from the cultivation of Cultivators. It seemed to align with certain rules; as long as one practiced in this way, their cultivation level would increase.
Yong Ji had also heard some rumors that if too many people died and there were no Evolutionary Immortals around, ghosts would soon appear. If someone ventured in, even stranger events would occur, especially for ordinary people, the harm would be immense.
A purple-red lotus suddenly appeared at the street corner, sinking and floating, drifting along the way. Yong Ji's hair stood on end in an instant; this thing gave him a tremendous sense of threat.
This was the Poison Lotus left behind by Thousand Poisons. Since he had escaped, the Poison Lotus had been sinking and floating in this place.
What was most terrifying was that as the Poison Lotus drifted along, whenever it encountered a corpse, it would land on the ground, and in an instant, it could dissolve the body. At the same time, the Poison Lotus would become even more vivid and eye-catching, as if it were seeking its own nutrients for growth.
Just then, a person suddenly fell from the sky, immediately spotting Mi Xiaojing, who was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the street, and Yong Ji, who was standing behind Mi Xiaojing.