That force was not the "pebbles" that were currently hitting their bodies without causing any pain or itch.
They had to avoid it at all costs!
Gu Shen heard the voice of the golden spike flowers.
Looking back, he saw that the spirits of the other members of his team had already begun to show signs of fatigue.
This was an inevitable phenomenon. The team had been running southward for tens of hours... Gu Shen had chosen the fastest path indeed, thanks to the powerful spirit of the "golden spike flowers" and their physical ability to clear the way. This had enabled the investigation team to encounter no obstacles along the way!
Everything had been going very smoothly!
But... the vast number of "pebbles" had consumed most of Yuan Yuan’s vital energy, and his Sword Domain began to shrink. Even though he saved 99% of his energy with each strike, after thousands, tens of thousands of continuous strikes, fatigue was inevitable.
This investigation team was a remarkably elite group.
But they didn’t possess "Spring Breathing," nor could they compete with Gu Shen on the Spiritual Path.
On normal days, these differences were not obvious.
But at this moment... they became apparent.
Spiritual power fatigue had a very direct manifestation: even though the burning efficiency of the Source Armor remained stable at 150%, the team’s forward speed still decreased. The speed of the captain’s chopping fell, the team’s adjustment speed slowed down, and everyone’s reaction in operating the Source Armor became sluggish... These details, when aggregated, gave Gu Shen a vague feeling—that the team would only get "slower and slower" on the road ahead.
"There’s no way to go any faster."
Gu Shen also felt the danger creeping up from behind.
The Storm was approaching.
Flesh and blood would fear the "Black Hole."
But the Storm, comprised of a massive outburst of primal matter, would not. The tornado, traversing the sky and piercing through the world like a mighty sword, left nothing but devastation in its path. One only needed to look back to see that blinding Blazing Light!
"Let me take you away..."
The golden spike flowers put forth its suggestion earnestly, "In the face of such a disaster, there is little we can do."
Gu Shen fell silent again.
During this time, he had not been idle. In the busiest moments of the team, he had found an opportunity to put on the Ghost Veil. His spiritual power surged once again, and he began integrating data in his mind, calculating the best return route all by himself.
One had to admit, the golden spike flowers was speaking the truth.
The "future" Gu Shen saw was that even if he escaped alone at the moment, there was no chance of true survival.
He was not an Extraordinary Creature and did not possess the powerful vitality of the golden spike flowers.
At present, Gu Shen had not yet assimilated the Netherworld King’s Spark. Once stranded in this land, he would soon be corrupted by the Old World... The golden spike flowers might think that by taking him away, he could survive.
But the truth was, Gu Shen only had one choice left: "return to Gu Castle."
And these damnable storms, for some reason, were all heading towards "Gu Castle"... This meant that the "southward" route he had chosen would inevitably collide with the storms!
"You... can leave now."
After a brief silence.
Gu Shen raised his head and spoke gently to the Big Snake in the sky.
The golden spike flowers was stunned.
This news was a blow to it, its eyes filled with astonishment, followed by a look of grievance, like a child who had done something wrong, "Master... did I say something wrong?"
Gu Shen shook his head.
He smiled and said, "You didn’t say anything wrong, in the face of such a disaster, there is little we can do. Therefore, I want you to leave quickly, to get away from where the storms are converging, and to fulfill the promise you made to me earlier."
The golden spike flowers seemed to want to say something else.
But behind them, the terrifying roar had already sounded!
A dreadful tornado several kilometers in diameter wandered at the horizon, "slowly" closing in on the direction of the team.
Then the twelve Transcendents running desperately on the ground would be like insignificant "ants."
The giant, with a leisurely stride, would crush the ants without aiming particularly.
"Golden spike flowers, leave this place!"
Gu Shen’s voice, heavy with the Netherworld Fire, was transmitted.
A strong will descended upon the soul fire of the golden spike flowers.
It let out a pained whimper.
Above the dome of the sky, it seemed as if some creature made a strange sound.
Vice-captain Su He looked up.
Just... within the intertwining black and white clouds, there was a faint golden light tumbling, as beautiful as blooming flowers.
Su He’s eyes were somewhat blurry.
Behind them, the "Storm" with millions of primal matter scattering had already swept over.
The number of pebbles exploded in an instant, multiplying by hundreds of times—
And at the forefront of their vision, they could already see the rough outline of the "Umbrella Defense Line," with tens of millions of levitation plates vibrating violently, forming a large umbrella.
That was humanity’s Soul Comforting Village.
At this moment, it had become the unreachable endpoint of their journey.
(Just one Chapter tonight, more updates tomorrow!)