Chapter 174: Ye Qin Steps In to Quell the Heavenly Disaster

This earthquake affected a wide area and came very suddenly; both local buildings and transportation roads suffered heavy damage.

The most severely affected areas of the disaster zone even had roads destroyed; cities farther away were relatively okay. After receiving distress calls from Wu Du and Cloud Ridge, they immediately organized personnel and supplies to send over.

At the same time, after receiving the news, the higher authorities also gathered supplies from all sides; medical personnel and rescue teams from various provinces set out overnight from the local area, rushing to several heavily affected areas.

However, due to the road collapse issue, fallen stones and buildings still need to be cleared, so it will take some time.

The police station in Wu Du was also affected, but fortunately there were no large casualties; only some people suffered minor injuries. At this critical moment, Sun Zhenbang immediately led personnel to the front line to carry out rescue.

The city's streets no longer had their former prosperity; dust billowed everywhere, the sky was obscured, shrouded in haze, and faint cries and pleas for help could be heard, inexplicably making people feel oppressive.

Sun Zhenbang looked at the surrounding scene, feeling inexplicably uneasy; the search-and-rescue dogs weaved through the city, their noses sniffing the air.

"Woof woof woof!"

As the search-and-rescue dogs' frantic barking continued, it quickly drew the police's attention; Sun Zhenbang and the others sprinted all the way, daring not to delay, hurriedly digging out the rubble and rescuing a young mother and child.

When the earthquake struck, buildings on both sides collapsed, fortuitously forming a triangular void where the mother and child could barely hide, thus escaping disaster.

"Thank you."

When the mother and child were rescued, their condition was not bad; the little boy was well protected by his mother, the mother had several cuts on her body, and the two nodded to Sun Zhenbang and the others in thanks.

"You're welcome; this is just our duty."

Sun Zhenbang pointed to a nearby spot and said, "There's a makeshift shelter set up ahead; you can go there to bandage your wounds."

Although the situation is not optimistic, it hasn't reached the worst point; not far away, the shelter has gathered many people, all of whom were rescued by Sun Zhenbang and the team.

Some people were injured, and due to limited medical conditions, they could only receive simple bandaging.

Besides these official police forces, some uninjured people also voluntarily joined the search teams; lacking proper tools, they could only use the most primitive means, moving rubble and building materials with their bare hands.

Some people's hands were rubbed raw and even scraped bloody, yet they did not give up searching, because beneath the rubble there might be buried lives.

From the start of the earthquake until now, Sun Zhenbang had hardly closed his eyes for a day, his face showing fatigue; Xie Yixuan walked over and asked concernedly, "Team Leader, why don't you take a rest?"

Sun Zhenbang shook his head: "No, we're already short-staffed; if I went to rest, what would happen to the remaining people?"

Having said that, he glanced at Xie Yixuan a few times and said, "You little brat, you're talking about me when you haven't slept either."

They were undoubtedly racing against death, striving to gain more time to save more people.

Xie Yixuan disagreed: "Team Leader, you haven't rested either—how could I possibly rest? Of course I'll follow your steps closely."

Xie Yixuan let out an exclamation: "Team Leader, your shoulder!"

Only then did Sun Zhenbang notice a bloody gash on his arm, looking quite frightening.

He must have been accidentally scraped by rubble and rebar during the rescue earlier; Sun Zhenbang was so absorbed that he didn't even realize he was injured.

"Team Leader, hurry up and wash and treat it."

Sun Zhenbang shook his head, tore a strip of cloth from his clothes, and said, "It's not that fragile; a simple bandage will do, and there are still so many people waiting for us to rescue—we can't waste time."

"Let's split up—you go east, and I'll go west with the rest."

Just as everyone was conducting rescue work in an orderly manner, the search-and-rescue dog heading east suddenly stopped, its gaze turned southward, and it began frantically barking nonstop.

"Woof woof woof!"

The commotion of the search-and-rescue dog quickly drew attention; the police looked toward the south and saw dust flying not far away, as if something was running toward them.

"What's happening over there? Let's go check it out."

There was also a temporary outpost nearby; not only the police, but other injured personnel also noticed the abnormality in the distance.

When they drew near, everyone finally saw clearly that they were a dozen or so small animals—jackals, hyenas, foxes, monkeys, and the like.

Others looked surprised: "Where did these animals come from?"

"They couldn't have escaped from the zoo, could they?"

When the earthquake struck, some animals can sense it and may exhibit abnormal behavior, but the feeling these animals gave them was not like that—there was an indescribable strangeness.

The crowd surveyed the animals; fortunately there were no medium or large predators among them, so they posed no serious threat, otherwise they wouldn't have had time to flee.

These animals were of many species, not a single group; they even included both carnivores and herbivores, yet now they could coexist peacefully, which was truly strange.

Just as everyone was puzzled, the leading animal slowly extended its paw, which actually bore several dark, round balls.

The paw pointed at the crowd, then picked up a ball and put it into its mouth, making a swallowing motion.

Seeing the animals' strange behavior, murmurs arose in the crowd, with some finding it hard to believe what they were seeing.

"What do these animals mean?"

"Could it be that they want us to eat these things?"

"Can this dark stuff really be eaten? I'm afraid it might be poisonous."

Someone said that, and upon hearing it, the animals' faces showed a flash of anger, their throats emitting a gurgling sound, as if they were scolding them.

Seeing the animals' human-like gestures, the crowd couldn't help but swallow, feeling dazed, as if they had the illusion that the animals could understand their words.

One person plucked up courage and asked, "Are these things being given to us?"

Originally they expected no response, but the animals all nodded in unison.

They actually could understand human speech! Could it be that these animals have become spirits!

Everyone felt it was unbelievable, yet no one dared to step forward to take what the animals held in their paws.

Leaving aside how strange the animals' arrival was, even if they could understand human speech, we still don't know what this dark stuff is; if eating it killed someone, who would we hold responsible?

Now even children know not to eat strangers' food, let alone that from these animals.

For a moment, nobody dared to act rashly; their expressions were uncertain and doubtful as they eyed the animals before them.

The animals hadn't expected that coming down the mountain would be like this; humans were too wary, unwilling to accept easily, and since the animals couldn't speak human language, they anxiously scratched their ears and cheeks, not knowing what to do.

At that stalemate, Sun Zhenbang and Xie Yixuan arrived after receiving the news; what met their eyes was a scene where humans and animals were clearly separated, the atmosphere inexplicably a bit eerie.

Xie Yixuan couldn't help but lower his voice: "What's going on here?"

The police officer beside them quickly said, "Officer Sun just experienced something strange—this group of animals actually brought us something!"

After hearing the full story, Sun Zhenbang looked at the unknown objects in the animals' paws.

Ordinary animals definitely aren't that smart, and they can even understand human speech—unless they came from Longyuan Mountain!

Over on Longyuan Mountain, Sun Zhenbang has already witnessed many strange things about animals, and he knows they are related to the Mountain God; they would never do anything to harm humans.

So this behavior must also be at the Mountain God's behest, coming to help; thus the items in their paws are surely beneficial.

Sun Zhenbang tentatively said, "Mountain God?"

He had only spoken two words, yet all the animals' gazes snapped onto him, and then they slowly broke into a smile.

They sensed a familiar aura on this human; Sun Zhenbang had previously undergone the baptism of purple qi, so these animals released such goodwill.

This scene seemed somewhat frightening to others, but Sun Zhenbang was overjoyed.

If he had any doubts before, now he can be certain: these animals came down from Longyuan Mountain.

The other police were puzzled by Sun Zhenbang's two words "Mountain God," and before he could react, they saw him stride forward toward the animals.

They couldn't help but shout anxiously, "Team Leader, be careful!"

Although the animals are small in size, there are many of them; if Sun Zhenbang disturbed them at this close range, he would surely get hurt.

Sun Zhenbang waved his hand and said firmly, "Don't worry, they won't hurt me."

Just as Sun Zhenbang said, watching him approach slowly, the animals showed no reaction and revealed no intent to attack.

"Give me the elixir; I'll distribute it to the crowd, and thank you for lending a helping hand."

His last words were whispered so softly that the crowd behind him didn't hear them—only the animals did. After all, Sun Zhenbang's secret hasn't been exposed yet.

The animals nodded at him, set down the elixir, and then left.

Watching the departing animals, everyone was dumbfounded; if not for their fur, their behavior was hardly different from humans'—almost too spiritual.

Everyone's eyes fell on the pile of elixir on the ground, still full of doubt: "What should we do with this stuff?"

"We don't even know what it's made of; it looks pitch‑black and unsanitary—we might as well throw it away."

"I feel the same; after all, we don't know what's mixed inside."

That remark gained many nods, but Sun Zhenbang stopped them: "This is a good thing; we can't discard it."

Everyone exchanged strange looks, doubting whether Sun Zhenbang's vision was failing.

After all, it's pitch‑black, and you can't see any good in it.

Although those animals acted extraordinarily, as if they had become spirits, no one dared to gamble with their lives on a matter of life and health, nor would they lightly try it.

Sun Zhenbang also understood their concerns; it's only natural, since they don't know the miraculous events that have occurred on Longyuan Mountain.

He made a snap decision, picked up one and swallowed it directly, becoming the first person to eat the crab.

Even those who wanted to stop him couldn't act in time: "Officer Sun, how could you just eat it like that?! What if it's poisonous? You're already injured—your body can't take this kind of ordeal."

Sun Zhenbang felt a burnt taste spreading in his mouth, as if the elixir had been scorched during refinement due to poor heat control.

Although its appearance and taste weren't great, Sun Zhenbang soon felt a cool breeze coursing through his body, and the pain in his injured arm vanished.

Sun Zhenbang rejoiced inside; the elixir truly was beneficial.

"Don't worry, it's non‑toxic; I guarantee it with my integrity—everyone, eat the medicine freely, and if anything happens, I'll take responsibility!"

Sun Zhenbang spoke with conviction; seeing his vigorous appearance, many believed him a little, for his complexion turned ruddy and his spirit improved greatly after taking the medicine.

Besides, seeing the animals' various miraculous deeds, a few injured young people in the crowd plucked up courage and swallowed the medicine.

"I trust Officer Sun; he would never joke with our lives."

These few were seriously wounded; their wounds had not been good and even showed signs of festering.

After swallowing the pill, the bodily pain eased considerably; their formerly pallid complexion turned ruddy at a visible pace, and witnessing this effect was simply awe‑inspiring.

"It's simply miraculous—my wound doesn't hurt at all."

"Me too; earlier I was in agony, dying and coming back to life."

Seeing their condition, others soon put their minds at ease and took the elixir.

Sun Zhenbang and the police guarded the scene's order, giving each person one elixir to prevent overuse and waste.

After the elixir ran low, Sun Zhenbang ordered people to take the remainder to other relief stations, and he added, "You must tell the story of how the animals rescued people, and make clear the origin of the elixir."

Sun Zhenbang guessed that similar phenomena might exist elsewhere, since the animals weren't just sending medicine here; the news must be spread so humanity won't reject their goodwill.

Had it not been for Sun Zhenbang taking the lead, the wounded would certainly not have dared to try it.

The police nodded, understanding his meaning, and said, "Don't worry, Officer Sun."

Xie Yixuan couldn't help but marvel at the scene before him; he had only just returned from his posting, and though he didn't know the details of what happened afterward on Longyuan Mountain, he had heard Sun Zhenbang mention a few things.

He couldn't help but ask, "Team Leader, how can you be so sure the medicine in the animals' paws is effective?"

"I don't trust the animals; I trust the Mountain God."

Hearing this, Xie Yixuan stared agape; this was still the rigid, science‑believing Sun Zhenbang he knew.

He recalled that Sun Zhenbang used to teach him, "Do not speak of strange powers and chaotic spirits," yet now he utters "Mountain God" at every turn.

Seeing Xie Yixuan's astonished expression, Sun Zhenbang seemed to know what he was thinking and sighed, "Too many things have happened on Longyuan Mountain; it's only natural for one's views to change."

Xie Yixuan grew even more curious, wanting to know exactly what had transpired.

Sun Zhenbang merely patted his shoulder and said, "When we get through this crisis, I'll have a chance to tell you slowly."

Soon the news spread that the animals were delivering medicine to save people; thanks to Sun Zhenbang's promotion and word‑of‑mouth from the rescued wounded, many in the disaster area heard about it.

At first they didn't believe it, but when they really saw a group of animals showing up at their door with pitch‑black pills, exactly as the rumors described, everyone was plunged into shock.

And similar scenes played out in every disaster area.

"Whoa, I first thought someone was joking, but it turned out to be real!"

"This stuff really works—it's even more miraculous than those painkillers."

"Just what background and identity do these animals have, and how did they obtain these elixirs?"

"I think these animals have become spirits; they can understand human speech, even deliver medicine—could they really not be people in disguise?"

"These animals are practically my second parents; if they hadn't brought the medicine, I'd probably have my wound fester and be off to see King Yama."

Who exactly trained them?

Yeah? That good person behind the scenes is sending medicine, and even dispatched animals.

At the same time, while the crowd was discussing, a black figure sneaked into an empty corner, warily glanced around, and after confirming no one was there, picked up the communicator.

Although he had the appearance of a Great Xia person, his features were somewhat rugged and deep, his eyes not the usual black, clearly indicating he was of mixed blood.

This person was exactly the spy who had come to infiltrate, and immediately summed up the news of animals rescuing people in the disaster area and reported it to headquarters.

Great Xia truly is a miraculous place.

He couldn't help but marvel that if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he probably wouldn't believe such a thing could happen.

……

Meanwhile, the staff of the National Earthquake 749 Bureau were also closely monitoring the situation in Wu Du and Cloud Ridge.

Although human technology has advanced somewhat, and we have some understanding of the principles and regularities of earthquake formation, we have not yet fully mastered the ability to give early warnings.

We can make certain predictions for some types of earthquakes, but we cannot predict all earthquakes; however, this earthquake came too suddenly, so there was no prior forecast.

However, regarding the aftershock situation, the Earthquake 749 Bureau went all out. We must monitor the aftershocks, strive to give early warnings, and reduce casualties to the minimum.

Earthquake 749 Bureau lobby.

Staff in work uniforms walked to and fro, with advanced instruments arranged in the center, and the computers displayed a string of complicated, obscure data.

Beep beep beep—

Soon, the piercing alarm sounded suddenly, everyone's faces changed slightly, and they hurried toward the machine that had triggered the alarm.

A glaring sea of red filled everyone's view, and on the screen a huge, undulating red line appeared.

It is possible that a magnitude-5 aftershock will occur in the Wu Du area this afternoon.

Upon hearing this, everyone couldn't help but feel a blackness before their eyes; if it were a magnitude-5 aftershock, it would bring unimaginable damage to the heavily affected area.

Is the news accurate?

Due to current technical limitations, measurements of aftershocks are not particularly precise; sometimes errors occur, and precise prediction is impossible.

At this moment, everyone couldn't help but think: what if the machine is malfunctioning?

Could the data be wrong? A magnitude-5 aftershock seems too strong.

However, the following words shattered their hope.

According to the probability shown by the machine, it's actually as high as eighty percent.

Quickly notify the Wu Du side; we must urgently arrange personnel to evacuate!

The staff of the Earthquake 749 Bureau instantly fell into panic; not only them, but even the government was anxious like ants on a hot pan, yet had no solution.

In the face of natural disasters, human strength is truly too weak.

The disaster area simply doesn't have enough personnel; evacuating everyone is outright impossible.

Then what should we do?

External reinforcements haven't fully arrived yet; affected by the aftershocks, they're likely to be delayed on the road, so for now we can only take things step by step.

The news of the magnitude-5 aftershock spread quickly; such a strong aftershock leaves them no way out, and if another occurs, the casualties would likely be even greater.

But there's nothing we can do now; we can only hurriedly transfer those we find, because saving even one is better than none.

The rescue teams and medical personnel on the streets began to run frantically, literally racing against death, as gloom once again shrouded everyone's heads.

Compared to the chaos in the urban districts, Longyuan Mountain is like a paradise apart from the world, yet Ye Qin is worried.

This earthquake is merely a beginning; with such strong tremors, there will definitely be more aftershocks later, and if we ignore them, the situation will surely spiral out of control.

Although the Dao is said to be ruthless, it runs the sun and moon, nurtures heaven and earth, and sustains all things, showing it is not truly heartless.

We must think of a way to stop this catastrophe from happening.

According to his current Cultivation Level, Ye Qin cannot stop the earthquake from coming, but he can minimize the damage as much as possible.

As long as we keep the aftershocks under control, subsequent rescue work and everything else can proceed more smoothly.

Easier said than done, but actually putting it into practice is very difficult.

Earthquakes generally occur within the Earth's crust; the Earth constantly rotates and revolves, while the crust itself is constantly changing. This generates forces that deform, fracture, and displace the crustal layers, thus causing earthquakes.

With my power, trying to stop the subsequent aftershocks might be difficult, but if I rely on the power of a formation, perhaps——

Ye Qin already had an idea in his heart; no matter what, he would try his best. As for whether the outcome would succeed, as long as his conscience is clear, that's enough!

"If Heaven possesses the virtue of cherishing life, then please lend me a hand."

He intends to set up a grand formation to stabilize the force within the earth's crust, protecting the deformed and fractured rock layers, thereby also preventing aftershocks.

But such a formation undoubtedly requires consuming a large amount of spiritual energy, as well as sufficient Cultivation Level to support it; for the current Ye Qin, this is indeed difficult even for a strong snake.

Therefore Ye Qin plans to use Longyuan Mountain as the formation's eye, and the cauldron as the stabilizing object, to suppress the force within the earth's crust!

In ancient times, the cauldron was regarded as an auspicious symbol, capable of warding off evil and eliminating disasters, changing fortune, attracting wealth and blocking sha, warding off evil and curing disease; using it as a stabilizing object could not be more appropriate.

Moreover, Longyuan Mountain, linking the entire mountain range, possesses the earth's heaviness; relying on this, suppressing the aftershock waves is entirely sufficient.

A hazy mist emanated from Ye Qin's body, spreading rapidly with him as the center, soon enveloping the entire forest.

He brought out all the yellow paper he had stored beforehand; golden energy transformed into a brush, dancing like dragons and phoenixes on the yellow paper, each stroke infused with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

Not knowing when the next wave of aftershocks would arrive, Ye Qin had to speed up, daring not to pause even for a moment; yet in just a moment he had already drawn dozens of yellow talismans, but this was still far from enough.

Ye Qin is now racing against time; even though his spiritual energy is vast like the sea, he cannot withstand such consumption, his drawing speed hesitates somewhat, but fortunately a hundred yellow talismans were finally completed.

"You all, attach these yellow talismans to the various locations on the mountain."

The animals all received the orders, knowing the urgency of the situation, they grabbed the yellow talismans and ran off in all directions; their figures could be seen in every corner of the mountain.

Ye Qin arrived at the place on Longyuan Mountain where spiritual energy was most abundant, feeling the ample and surging spiritual energy within, he revealed a satisfied expression.

"Then let's begin from here."

(End of chapter)