Chapter 142: The Flames of Calamity Ignite

Although the officials of Guling Commandery had worked tirelessly to repair the damaged earth veins, repeated eruptions had finally pushed them beyond the point of recovery.

This time, the phenomenon before everyone's eyes was no longer the towering columns of smoke that had previously burst from the earth.

Instead, an enormous black mushroom cloud exploded into the sky, blotting out the heavens. It expanded with unstoppable destructive force, sweeping outward in every direction like a world-ending tide.

Yin Fengshuo's expression changed dramatically.

He immediately turned toward Lu Hanmo, cupped his fists, and urgently pleaded, "The situation is extremely critical. The people of the commandery are in mortal danger. I ask that Lord Lu grant me permission to suppress this disaster first. Once the crisis has been resolved, I shall accompany you without delay."

"Furthermore, the situation has already exceeded our ability to control. Please notify the Imperial Court immediately and request reinforcements from powerful cultivators. If the villains of the Jun Clan continue destroying the earth veins unchecked, this disaster will inevitably grow into an overwhelming catastrophe beyond anyone's ability to contain!"

Lu Hanmo's expression was equally grave as he gazed toward the advancing sea of black clouds.

After a moment of silence, he nodded.

"I will accompany Lord Yin."

Dozens of streaks of light shot across the sky, racing toward the very heart of the Heavenly Dao Severance Qi eruption.

Without holding anything back, everyone poured out their cultivation simultaneously, joining forces to erect a dazzling golden barrier. It expanded into an enormous protective dome, forcefully imprisoning the overwhelming black qi within its confines.

Although the deathly qi continued surging outward like a raging sea, ceaselessly eroding the barrier from within, the powerful restriction greatly slowed its expansion.

At last, the completely uncontrollable situation was brought under preliminary control.

"We cannot leave this place for the time being. We must remain here at all times to reinforce the barrier and prevent the Heavenly Dao Severance Qi from breaking through again."

"Fortunately, the center of this eruption is far from the populated counties. Casualties have remained relatively limited."

"However, the wound in the earth has already been completely torn open. Portions of the Heavenly Dao Severance Qi have already begun spreading through the fractured earth veins, seeping into counties throughout the region..."

The surrounding officials gathered together, discussing the situation with pale faces, every one of them looking utterly grim.

At that moment, Lu Hanmo finally offered everyone a measure of reassurance.

"Remain calm, everyone. The Mohist Grand Artisan team dispatched by the Imperial Court will arrive tomorrow. We need only endure for one more day."

"And furthermore..."

As he spoke, Lu Hanmo slowly raised his head toward the darkened heavens.

Following his gaze, everyone witnessed an astonishing sight.

The sky, which had previously been swallowed entirely by the endless sea of Heavenly Dao Severance Qi and plunged into eternal darkness, had somehow developed a brilliant point of light.

The radiant point rapidly expanded, forming an enormous funnel high above the heavens. It continuously pulled and drew in the roaring black death qi below.

Although the Heavenly Dao Severance Qi had not vanished outright, under the combined suppression of the heavenly vortex and the barrier erected by everyone present, it had been firmly confined within a fixed area.

"Could it be... a Celestial Phenomena realm expert has intervened?"

Everyone was overjoyed.

With the heavenly vortex shouldering most of the pressure, the danger surrounding the sealing barrier dropped dramatically. At last, several shaken officials could be spared to rush toward other disaster-stricken regions and assume command.

...

Dongshan Town.

"So... they've finally made their move."

As Fang Xun directed the townspeople's evacuation, he suddenly felt a tremendous weight lift from both body and soul.

It was as though half the tribulation aura clinging to him had been stripped away.

The greedy, malicious impulses that had surfaced from time to time quietly receded, and his mind finally regained complete clarity.

But the tribulation aura had only weakened.

It had not truly disappeared.

In everyone else's eyes, however, his image as a greedy official remained completely unchanged.

After leaving the Commandery Prefect's Manor earlier, Fang Xun had not rested for even a moment.

He had gone from house to house, earnestly urging every resident to evacuate immediately.

"Dongshan Town stands at a critical convergence point of the earth veins!"

"The ancient well in town already showed signs of Heavenly Dao Severance Qi leaking from below!"

"Once the underground eruption fully breaks out, this place will become a land of death! Everyone, leave with me immediately!"

Unfortunately, under the effects of the Heaven's Reclaiming of Lifespan tribulation, Fang Xun's credibility among the townspeople had already fallen to rock bottom.

No matter how desperately he shouted, very few believed him.

However, with the weakening of the tribulation aura, coupled with the increasingly terrifying upheaval unfolding in the distance, some people finally began to waver.

The very first to step forward was Zheng Zhi.

Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, he loudly declared, "Everyone! Lord Fang is absolutely telling the truth!"

"I personally witnessed that strange black qi leaking from the ancient well before. At the time, I believed it had already been suppressed by the Garrison Office. Looking back now, it was clearly a warning sign of the catastrophe to come!"

"Once the Heavenly Dao Severance Qi erupts completely through the fractured earth veins, none of us will survive if we remain here!"

"In my opinion, everyone should follow Lord Fang's arrangements and temporarily relocate into the Dongshan Mountains!"

"If the qi is erupting upward from deep beneath the earth, then the higher we climb, the safer we'll be. We'll also have a better chance of surviving until the Imperial Court's reinforcements arrive!"

Zheng Zhi had served in Dongshan Town for many years and enjoyed tremendous prestige among the townspeople.

Now that even the old man had personally spoken up, the previously stubborn residents finally began to hesitate.

At that very moment, the entire earth suddenly shook violently, as though confirming every word he had spoken.

Fang Xun's face darkened.

Gone was his previous gentleness.

His voice became stern.

"There is no more time!"

"Everyone is ordered to evacuate to Dongshan immediately!"

"Anyone who stubbornly refuses to relocate and delays the evacuation shall not blame this official for showing no mercy!"

Authority backed by both cultivation and official rank often proved far more effective than patient persuasion.

At this point, the townspeople no longer cared whether Fang Xun had ulterior motives.

Now that he had issued a mandatory evacuation order as the Dongshan Garrison Commander, none dared openly defy him, regardless of their reluctance.

Finally, the crowd began flowing toward the mountains like a surging tide.

"Elder Zheng, I'll leave the remaining work here to you. Move every last townsman into the mountains as quickly as possible."

"The thirteen county seats surrounding Dongshan Town have already gathered more than a hundred thousand refugees. Although the relocation work there isn't yet complete, any delay could cost countless lives. There isn't a moment to waste."

After delivering his final instructions, Fang Xun transformed into a streak of light and flew toward the surrounding counties.

Compared to the people of Dongshan Town, persuading the residents of those thirteen counties proved much easier.

After all, the overwhelming majority of them were refugees who had fled all the way from Langya Commandery.

They had personally witnessed, and many had personally survived, the destruction wrought when the Heavenly Dao Severance Qi devoured their homes.

In truth, Fang Xun hardly needed to persuade them at all.

The moment they felt the earth trembling, they had already begun hurriedly packing their belongings, preparing to flee once more.

Their only problem was unfamiliarity with the terrain around Dongshan. Like headless flies, they had no idea where safety lay.

Now that Fang Xun pointed them in the right direction, they immediately shouldered their simple belongings and streamed toward Dongshan.

With the careful coordination of officials at every level, it took only half a day for the hundreds of thousands of residents from all thirteen counties to completely evacuate their deserted cities and take shelter throughout the surrounding mountains.

Dongshan Town and all thirteen counties had been built around the continuous Dongshan Mountain Range.

Just as the last large wave of refugees stepped onto the mountain paths...

Deep beneath the earth, as though acting upon a shared signal, endless torrents of black qi burst through the thick layers of soil without warning.

In an instant, they engulfed the now-empty Dongshan Town and all thirteen counties.

The fleeing refugees instinctively looked back.

Watching their former homes disappear beneath the endless sea of black qi in the blink of an eye, every face turned deathly pale.

Their souls nearly fled their bodies.

Only then did they fully grasp how close they had come to certain death.

Just as everyone was still reeling from the shock, Fang Xun's voice rang out across the entire Dongshan Mountain.

"Don't stop!"

"Everyone, continue climbing higher!"

"The Imperial Court's reinforcements won't arrive until tomorrow! The Heavenly Dao Severance Qi is spreading far too quickly. It may continue advancing upward at any moment!"

Seeing was believing.

After personally witnessing the hellscape below, no matter what prejudice or resentment they had previously held toward the Garrison Commander, survival instinct now overwhelmed everything else.

Everyone summoned every ounce of strength they possessed and continued climbing tirelessly toward higher ground.

From afar, the countless fleeing refugees resembled enormous dragons winding through the mountains as they advanced together toward Dongshan's highest peak.

The so-called highest peak of Dongshan did not even possess an official name. It stood only around one hundred and fifty zhang tall.

Looking around, it hardly appeared much higher than the surrounding peaks.

Yet, with nowhere left to retreat and Fang Xun's constant guidance from the skies above, the refugees clung to this final hope as though it were the last lifeline in existence, gritting their teeth as they continued climbing.

Throughout the evacuation, Fang Xun and the remaining officials became tireless ferrymen.

They flew back and forth along the mountain paths without pause, carrying elderly people too weak to walk and those who had collapsed from exhaustion, transporting them again and again toward safer, higher ground.

Only around nine o'clock that evening...

The once-silent mountain peak had become packed with people.

Beneath the fading glow of the setting sun, everyone looked down in terror.

At some unknown point, the endless tide of Heavenly Dao Severance Qi had already climbed halfway up the mountain.

Its advance was far faster than anyone had imagined.

Had they ignored Fang Xun's warning and remained where they were...

They would already have been swallowed by the black qi, leaving not even bones behind.

The way the people looked at Fang Xun gradually changed.

For the first time, traces of gratitude appeared in their eyes.

Yet Fang Xun's expression remained incomparably grim.

"Keep climbing!"

"We're still not safe!"