The moment the order was submitted, a radiance flashed through the darkness and disappeared in an instant.
"Did the Ancestor manifest?!" The elder, clad in sect attire, stared dazedly at the bags of Spirit Medicine that appeared before him, rubbing his face hard to ensure it wasn’t a hallucination before he carefully lifted the Elixirs exuding long-missed Spiritual Energy, "We’re saved! Everyone is saved!"
Behind him was a semicircular hovering Array dominating the earth, with cultivators in similar attire sitting cross-legged at intervals, blending their own Spiritual Power with the Array.
The pitch-black night and the relentless gale made the warmth within the protective light shield all the more comforting.
Yet, a group of ordinary survivors leaned on each other filled with panic, even the children too afraid to cry, only blankly gazing at the gentle dome of light protecting them.
"Disciples of Haoyue Sect, heed my command!" The elder carefully counted several times: fifty-two Grain Avoidance Pills, fifty-two Spirit Core Pills, and Blood Replenishing Pills, not one more nor one less, just enough for the surviving disciples of the sect to use.
Apart from the twenty-six cultivators maintaining the Array, the disciples resting within the protective light, depleted of Spiritual Power, rose in unison, "Disciples heed the command!"
Since the collapse of mountains and the cracking of earth, this large Haoyue Sect only had this piece of geomantic treasure land left along with its disciples. Undeterred by the cataclysm, they actively salvaged resources and continuously rescued surviving ordinary people from the passing ruins.
However, with fierce gales, no light or Spiritual Energy, in order to let the rescued mortals live a bit longer, they hastily constructed an Array strong enough to withstand the gales with all their strength. Discover more novels at novelꜰire.net
Utilizing the sect’s original Array and the remaining Spiritual Power and elixirs of the disciples, they divided into two teams, alternating to merge into the Array and support each other.
Not knowing how long passed, this batch had already exhausted all their Spiritual Power with no means to replenish it. At this point, the only surviving elder ordered the disciples to heed his command, evidently a time of desperation and hopelessness, their end seemingly near.
"Sigh!" A young girl looked at the helpless, frightened mortals and the innocent children, unable to suppress a sigh, "In such a harsh environment where even cultivators struggle to survive, we at least can choose a painless demise, but what will happen to the mortals?"
"There’s no use talking about it now." A young man beside her said sorrowfully, looking up into the pitch-black sky in helplessness, "The whole world has collapsed, if we can’t find another world to seek help, once the food and water run out, they’ll all die eventually."
"Why has it come to this?"
"Our Haoyue Sect acts chivalrously and accumulates virtue, how did it become this way?"
"It’s all because of those greedy and unscrupulous Evil Cultivators!"
"The Heavenly Dao is unjust! Evil Cultivators overexploit, reaping all resources at the expense of leaving us, sincerely rescuing and aiding cultivators, to suffer the consequences. Why?!"
"Actually, the rumors were there before, saying the Spiritual Power in our world was in turmoil and a massive collapse was feared. The powerful and rich major sects had long since transmitted to other worlds to seek refuge, even those Evil Cultivators fled, leaving us ordinary sects and countless mortals to bear the consequences..."
The anger felt utterly powerless, the group of young boys and girls who knew what kind of desolation lay ahead could only face it tearlessly.
"Don’t dilly-dally, hurry and take the Elixirs!" The elder, immersed in the joy of survival after the calamity, gestured eagerly regardless of his demeanor, "Your senior brothers and sisters’ Spiritual Power is also reaching its limit, take the Elixirs, and with the help of the Array, we can hold on for a while longer. Maybe we can reach another world smoothly!"
"Elixirs? Uncle, do you still have Elixirs?"
"But Spiritual Power alone won’t do, the mortals we rescued can’t go hungry, and the food and water we have should go to them. I’m, I’m very hungry."
"I’m hungry too. Spiritual Power can’t fill the stomach, and no one knows the method of Fasting, what should we do?"
With the joy and excitement came an empty hunger in their stomachs, the group of boys and girls, with cultivation levels at most in the Fusion Realm, could not rely solely on willpower to resist hunger for long.
"There are Grain Avoidance Pills!" Their uncle’s hands trembled with excitement.
Not just because of receiving the miraculous supply of Elixirs at death’s door, but because he belatedly realized that since their desperate prayers to the Ancestor were answered this time, maybe they’d respond again when the Elixirs ran out?
If heaven leaves no way, persevering surely leads to the dawn of hope!
"Quickly consume them and relieve the other fellow disciples, we’re saved! Everyone is saved!" He distributed three Elixirs each, with eyes slightly red, "Remember to go before the Ancestor’s statue to give thanks once the Elixirs are consumed and refined; they were prayed for from the Ancestor!"
The disciples looked at each other in disbelief, thinking they heard wrong.
Wasn’t the Ancestor’s statue in the sect just a decorative piece?
As far as they remembered, it was only carved according to the Ancestor’s image for a sect celebration a few years ago. In and out of daily routine, nobody really paid it much mind, how did a statue suddenly manifest?
"Don’t overthink it!" Their uncle chuckled wryly, "I know it’s strange, but at least it helped us after our prayer, so we should be grateful for the life-saving grace.
Besides, simply transmitting Elixirs without utterance doesn’t seem like an Evil God’s behavior. There are so many mortals still needing our protection, let’s do what’s within our duty first, other things... are determined by heaven!"
The obedient children approached to receive, consume, and refine the Elixirs, their hunger subsided, Spiritual Power restored, and vigor returned to their limbs. The Blood Replenishing Pill healed the injuries from the calamity, they spiritedly went to take over shifts.
The batch of cultivators relieved didn’t immediately consume the Spirit Core Pills either, uncertain of when hope would arrive. Taking them later meant everyone could hold on a bit longer, naturally, they calculated shrewdly.
In the pitch-black void, a world fragment passed by, like a drop of water into the sea, even failing to stir a ripple.
[Would you like to consume 10 Tiger Bone Gold, 100 wood, 200 stone, etc., to build a juice workshop?]
Jiang Yuan, delighted, exchanged for the needed special materials, eagerly returning to the small courtyard to click on the construction of the new workshop.
[Main storyline quest: Construct a Level Six home. Reward: One yard communicator]
[Task 2: Construction of a juice workshop completed. Reward: Building Duplication Card has been issued]
[Task 3: Construction of a Tea Workshop. Reward: 1 Building Upgrade Card]
"Duplication Cards are great things, but what should I duplicate?" Jiang Yuan thought for a while, reluctant to use it, considering it allows replicating any building in the little courtyard at the same level to other courtyards.
The Alchemy Room in the Netherworld was already sufficient, it might be better to save it for when he got the Island, then duplicate a higher-grade Alchemy Room.
By then, with full production, he could refine many High-Level Elixirs, currency akin to Spirit Stones in the Wilderness World!
"Just exchange for ten Millennium Divine Wood Flowers, and the Alchemy Room can be upgraded to Level Five, enabling the refinement of Longevity Pills!"