Chapter 241: Complete Loss of Control

Heaven and Earth form a single entity, and their operation follows their own laws.

The so-called pulling of a single hair moves the whole body; any change in a single event will always implicate some seemingly innocent people and matters.

And between these invisible things, there are always thousands of threads of connection in the dark.

This is karma.

Chixia Zhenjun and five other great cultivators joined forces to set up a sixth-grade array to suppress the second Black Wind Rift for the Ming Kingdom.

However, the rifts underground are already intertwined and connected; once one place is blocked, the pressure of the leaking Nether Qi will naturally increase greatly, seeking other places to vent.

Thus, what Xuanchen Zhenjun feared and worried about finally became reality.

Just after the second rift in the Ming Kingdom was blocked, that is, three days later, the Five Elements Array at Black Wind Ridge suddenly shook violently, and the black wind erupted fiercely from the gap, becoming more and more intense. In less than half an hour, all the mountains and rivers conjured by the Five Elements Array collapsed, and a large number of Nether Beasts spewed out from underground. After losing the suppression of the array, they began to charge and scatter across the mountains and plains like a tide.

Yiyun Zhenren, who was guarding the Five Elements Array, and another Danyuan Realm powerhouse were simply unable to suppress it. The numerous cultivator teams participating in patrolling and hunting Nether Beasts in the surrounding area were caught off guard and suffered heavy casualties under the violent impact of the Nether Beasts. In the chaos, the two Danyuan Realm powerhouses had to order all cultivator teams to retreat as quickly as possible while calling for help from the Taiyuan Sect.

The same thing was happening at the same time at Spirit Fox Valley, hundreds of miles away.

And the situation was even more out of control. The Eight Extremes Sea-Suppressing Disk of Longmen Mountain is a fourth-grade Magic Treasure and was not strong enough to begin with, so shortly after the black gas erupted, several Array Eyes collapsed one after another. Before it could even last half an hour, the entire Eight Extremes Array exploded with a boom. A terrifying, unprecedented black gas surged like pitch-black seawater a thousand zhang into the sky, then collapsed and rolled out to submerge everything in all directions.

The black gas had already been on the verge of spreading to the foot of the Taiyuan Sect.

Such terrifying black gas swept in like a collapsing tide; in less than two quarters of an hour, the black gas, hundreds of zhang high, rushed directly into the territory of the Taiyuan Sect like an avalanche, even surging along the mountain ridges and valleys toward the mountainside.

"Dang, dang, dang, dang..."

The emergency bell of the main hall, which had never been rung before, began to toll. With the amplification of the sound-broadening array, the sound, wrapped in Yuan Qi, penetrated hundreds of miles; even cultivators in Nanyang City could hear it.

Xuanchen Zhenjun, dressed in a black Daoist robe with a cold expression, stood in front of Taiyuan Hall on the peak of Zhaoyang Peak. His Divine Sense was like a torch, piercing through a thousand miles, taking in the situation of the two great arrays at Black Wind Ridge and Spirit Fox Valley.

It was not that he did not want to act, but that he was simply powerless.

This eruption of black gas was even more violent than the previous one.

The Five Elements Array could not hold on, and the Eight Extremes Array was even more like bean curd dregs.

With both places collapsing at the same time, even if he could act to barely maintain them for half a day or a day, it would absolutely exhaust all the Spirit Qi he had painstakingly refined and accumulated over this past year.

He did not have three heads and six arms, and he could not be in two places at once.

Knowing that the situation was unstoppable, he was absolutely unwilling to waste his own cultivation and Spirit Qi to do this meaningless thing.

"Fellow Daoists, the two great arrays can no longer be maintained. Everyone, please retreat to a safe area to assemble as quickly as possible and continue to hunt down the escaped Nether Beasts. Disciples of the Taiyuan Sect, both inner and outer, please return to the mountain gate immediately!"

A deep and clear voice rang out in the minds of all the cultivators guarding the two arrays.

And in fact, there was no longer any need for Xuanchen Zhenjun's call; all the cultivators were already fleeing in panic, and streaks of Escape Light were accelerating frantically like meteors, fleeing amidst the thick black wind that was rolling in and covering the sky.

Those who fled fast could barely outrun the impact of the black gas, while those who were slow were soon swallowed by the incoming black gas.

Amidst the churning, tide-like black gas, countless Nether Beasts of all sizes hissed and roared. Many cultivators who were swept in were unable to resist at all; after only a few weak screams, their spiritual light extinguished, and there was no sound left.

Near the Taiyuan Sect, there were also streaks of Escape Light crisscrossing.

Both inner and outer disciples were desperately rushing toward the top of Zhaoyang Peak amidst the black gas that felt like the sky was collapsing.

Although the Taiyuan Sect had not notified the outer disciples to evacuate in advance, they had been shrinking their defenses all along, and the defensive position had always been Spirit Fox Valley, which was very close to the mountain gate. Therefore, from the moment the Eight Extremes Great Array collapsed, many disciples had already returned to the mountain gate, and there were very few disciples left outside.

Amidst the urgent bell tolls, in less than two quarters of an hour, almost all the inner and outer disciples of the Taiyuan Sect who were still at the mountain gate gathered in the square in front of Taiyuan Hall on the mountaintop.

At this moment, everyone's face was pale with terror, not knowing what the arrangements were for suddenly summoning everyone to the mountain gate in such an emergency.

In fact, many of the civilian rogue cultivators who had joined the outer sect of the Taiyuan Sect had already secretly fled in advance.

At present, only about a hundred people remained.

Several senior outer sect Elders and deacons gathered around Elders Xuanhe and Xuanfeng, anxiously asking about the situation.

The remaining disciples were all panicked and at a loss, whispering to each other and waiting anxiously.

A group of inner sect disciples who had not left in advance were all gathered together.

Xuanchen Zhenjun stood in front of the hall door, slowly withdrawing his Divine Sense from the vicinity of the two great arrays.

Under his observation, most of the cultivators guarding the two arrays had already escaped, and he had no heart to care about the few who had not.

The Eight Extremes Array had already collapsed and exploded, and although the Five Elements Array had not yet completely collapsed, the Five Elements command flags had already been pulled from the Array Eyes, and the spiritual light could no longer maintain the foundation of the array; its collapse was only a matter of moments.

"Two Junior Brothers, follow the previous arrangements and evacuate the mountain gate quickly. Do not linger for even a moment!" Xuanchen Zhenjun said to Elders Xuanhe and Xuanfeng.

"We obey the Senior Brother's decree!" The two old Daoists bowed in unison to receive the order, then each took charge of the inner and outer sect disciples to begin assembling and departing in batches.

As streaks of Escape Light rose into the air one after another and headed toward the southwest, there were fewer and fewer people on the mountaintop.

"Where is Xuan'er!" After the outer sect disciples had all left, Xuanchen Zhenjun discovered that his youngest disciple was not there.

"Reporting to the Supreme Elder, Third Senior Sister said just now that she was going to the Junior Brother's residence to get something; she should be here soon!"

Just as Third Senior Brother Chen Ran was speaking, a heart-palpitating aura suddenly swept over from the northeast, covering the sky and the earth. Amidst the churning pitch-black mist, a ball of spiritual light that pierced the Soul shone like the sun, followed immediately by a thunderous roar that shook the heavens and the earth.

"Boom~~"

The violent shock shook Zhaoyang Peak, causing it to tremble and sway like a strong earthquake.

"No, the Five Elements Array has exploded!" Xuanhe Zhenren exclaimed with a pale face.

"Leave quickly, if we don't leave now, it will be too late!"

Xuanchen Zhenjun flicked his large sleeve, swept up several disciples and Elders under his sect, took a step forward, and disappeared, turning into a gust of clear wind.

At this moment, Zhao Xuan, who was sitting in Xu Chen's small wooden house shedding tears, only felt her body tighten, and she was swept up by a gust of wild wind.

"Xiaobai..."

Amidst her exclamation, Zhao Xuan disappeared instantly. A white fox stood blankly for a moment, then rushed out of the room with a whimper, only to find the wilderness empty and no sign of Zhao Xuan. At this time, less than a few dozen zhang below the cliff not far from the hut, the pitch-black Nether Qi was surging and rolling like a tide, continuously rising and spreading toward the mountainside.

"Wuya~ Wuya~"

The white fox let out a most miserable wail, but no one could respond to it anymore.

Amidst the shaking of the earth and mountains, dazzling, multicolored light swept across the heavens and earth, whistling from the direction of Black Wind Ridge. In the blink of an eye, it swept past the Taiyuan Sect. Along the way, mountain ridges swayed, forests were destroyed, Daoist temples collapsed, and one array after another radiating spiritual light was annihilated into nothingness under the sweep of this terrifying aura. The palaces and Daoist temples of all sizes on Zhaoyang Peak, which had just been repaired, were all turned into rubble and dust.

In an instant, the heavens and earth changed color.

The thick black gas, fueled by the explosion of the arrays, became even more formidable, instantly filling an area of a million miles. Countless wild beasts and birds hissed and fled in terror within the black gas, only to have their Souls frozen stiff and collapse in the black wind.

"Hiss..."

Above the peak of the Medicine Garden, a Seven-Colored Spirit Sparrow was sent tumbling deep into the Southern Border by the impact of spirit light and Black Mist; only after a full hundred miles did it barely stabilize its form, then it flapped its wings in terror and fled frantically.

The white fox jumped and bounded, fleeing for its life toward the Medicine Garden in the back mountain.

The light and shadow of the Array shielding the Medicine Garden collapsed, revealing a large expanse of colorful, strange plants, which were soon submerged by the rolling Black Mist.

"Wuya~"

A white light darted into the Medicine Garden and threw itself under the Soul Returning Wood, shielding two golden Seven-Star Golden Toads tightly beneath its body; amidst the mountain-toppling and sea-churning force, the white fox was lifted by the violent aura and was on the verge of being blown away, when suddenly three snake-like vines shot out from the soil, wrapping around the white fox and the two golden toads with a rustle, then dragging and pinning them firmly to the ground.

After a full several dozen breaths, the terrifying explosion of Spirit Qi swept through with destructive force until it finally dissipated three hundred miles beyond the Taiyuan Sect.

At this moment, within a million miles of Black Wind Ridge, Black Mist surged, and a cold, gloomy aura shrouded the heavens and earth; a large number of strange, pitch-black Nether Beasts roared and howled within it, and not a single human figure could be seen anymore.

The two great Arrays that had held firm for over a year finally failed to withstand the impact of the Nether Qi and collapsed completely.

And the Great Song territory, which had originally been the most peaceful, was finally eroded by the raging Black Wind; dense swarms of Soul Beasts surged out from the depths of the fissures like a tide, heading in all directions.

The lush, primitive forests and the densely populated, prosperous human world ultimately turned into a dead land, with all life extinguished and no vitality remaining.

Three hundred miles outside the Taiyuan Sect, the Void suddenly exploded, and Xuan Chen Zhenjun appeared with a group of inner sect Elders and Disciples.

Xuan Chen Zhenjun's face was slightly pale.

Even with his Spirit Transformation Realm cultivation, suddenly teleporting with over a dozen people had consumed nearly half of his Spirit Qi.

Everyone was still shaken, turning to look in the direction of the Taiyuan Sect; they saw a wall of Black Mist connecting heaven and earth standing more than ten miles away, and the once vast, lush green primitive mountain forests were now all swallowed by the Black Mist.

Within the Black Mist, Escape Lights continued to shoot out—those were the outer sect Disciples of the Taiyuan Sect who had set off first but were trailing behind; meanwhile, in the mountain forests, many Spirit Beasts and Demon Beasts were also roaring in terror, fleeing for their lives.

"The mountain gate is gone!" Third Senior Brother murmured with a dazed expression.

Zhao Xuan burst into loud sobs, her face covered in tears: "Xiaobai didn't come out!"

Second Senior Sister gently pulled her into her arms to comfort her: "Xiaobai is a Spirit Beast; the Black Mist won't have much effect on it. It will escape on its own after a few days."

"Look, it's the Little Junior Brother's Spirit Sparrow!"

Jiu Shixiong pointed to the edge of the rolling black fog in the distance, and indeed, they saw a Seven-Colored Spirit Sparrow flapping its wings with all its might in terror, crying out as it flew over in a crooked path.

Xuan Chen Zhenjun raised his hand and grabbed; a large hand manifested from Spirit Qi seized the Spirit Sparrow by the neck, and in the blink of an eye, it was captured before them.

The Spirit Sparrow was still struggling frantically, but upon seeing that it was a group of acquaintances, it stopped its agitation in terror, tucked its huge bird head into Zhao Xuan's arms, and shivered all over.

Xuanhe Zhenren sighed gloomily and said, "I don't know what Senior Chixia and the others are thinking, to not even come back to help keep watch. If even one of them had returned, we wouldn't have ended up in such a state!"

Xuan Chen Zhenjun's face turned livid, and he let out a cold snort: "I don't know what they are thinking, but I only know that they will surely regret this later. In this great catastrophe, no one can stay out of it. Since they didn't want us, the Taiyuan Sect, to participate, why should we take the blame for them? Let's go, this place is not suitable for a long stay!"

Having said this, Xuan Chen Zhenjun flicked his large sleeve and turned to ride the wind away; the two Elders and the group of Disciples hurriedly released their Flying Swords, turning into streaks of Escape Light to follow, and the Spirit Sparrow, flapping its disheveled wings, also hurriedly cried out and followed along.

The group went further and further away, soon disappearing into the vast heavens and earth.

This was the darkest hour; Immortals could flee and escape this catastrophe, but hundreds of millions of mortals and wild creatures could only wait in despair for death.

But even for Immortals who could fly and traverse the earth, no one knew why this catastrophe had come or when it would end; they could only look at the vast expanse and sigh, feeling powerless.

(End of this chapter)