81: Chapter 81 The Sky is Broken
"Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!!!"
Suddenly.
A heaven-shaking roar resounded across the world.
It was not thunder, yet it was more terrifying than ten thousand peals of thunder ringing out at once.
It was not an earthquake, yet it made the mountains and rivers of the entire Desolate Realm tremble in fear.
Above the firmament, there were no dark clouds; instead, it presented a strange pattern of cracks, as if glass had been shattered by a massive force.
It spread from the Far East to the Far West, crisscrossing and emitting a teeth-grinding "crack" sound.
Within those cracks, it was not darkness, but rather a chaotic, impure, and ominous gray aura flowing out, accompanied by heart-stopping, violent energy fluctuations.
The heaven-shaking roar lasted for a full quarter of an hour, the sound waves like a tangible tsunami, crashing wave after wave against the minds and souls of all living beings.
Birds fell from the sky in droves, and beasts prostrated themselves and wailed.
In the mortal kingdoms, they believed the apocalypse had arrived, and the sounds of crying and praying shot straight into the clouds.
This was definitely no ordinary celestial anomaly!
Those old monsters who had lived for thousands of years and had seen countless storms opened their eyes in their Immortal Caves in shock, their Divine Souls trembling.
What they perceived was the unbreakable "Heavenly Curtain Barrier" that guarded the Desolate Realm.
It was disintegrating and shattering in a way that exceeded everyone's expectations!
The sky had truly broken!
Duobao Sect, Main Hall.
"How is this possible... How could the barrier suddenly break?"
Daoist Duobao's voice trembled.
"Pass the order: all True Disciples currently present, regardless of where they are, must immediately return to the Sect at the fastest speed and at all costs!!!"
"All Peak Masters and Elders, except for those necessary to remain behind to maintain the Sect-Protecting Formation and basic order, all other members at the Golden Core Stage or above are to be led by their respective Peak Masters and immediately rush to the various points where the barrier has shattered!"
"Open the Sect Treasury and distribute wartime supplies!"
...
Time flew by, and three months passed.
For the living beings of the Desolate Realm, these three months could be called a world-turning upheaval, where the sun and moon lost their light.
The invasion by forces from outside the realm was not a simple matter of plundering or occupying a city or territory.
They were like greedy locusts and cold-blooded reapers; wherever they passed, Spiritual Veins were brutally extracted, mineral deposits were rapidly excavated, resisters were ruthlessly slaughtered, and those who submitted were shackled and reduced to slave labor or test subjects.
Their Cultivation Techniques, arts, and combat styles were vastly different from the Desolate Realm's System and were more treacherous and difficult to defend against; during initial contact, the various forces of the Desolate Realm suffered heavy losses.
As one of the giants of the Desolate Realm, the Duobao Sect naturally bore the brunt of it.
In these three months, war reports from the front lines flew back like snowflakes, each one carrying blood and sacrifice.
News of Golden Core Stage Immortal Masters falling was no longer fresh, and there were even continuous reports of Nascent Soul True Monarchs being severely injured or even dying.
These great Cultivators, who were once high and mighty and could be called the pillars of the Sect, were now using their own flesh, blood, and cultivation to build fragile defensive lines along the long border.
Inside the Sect, it was unprecedentedly empty.
Except for key locations such as the core hub of the Sect-Protecting Formation, the Scripture Pavilion, and the Sect Treasury, which still had heavyweights guarding them, the normal defensive strength of each peak had dropped to the lowest level.
A large number of Inner Sect and Outer Sect Disciples were transferred, either to reinforce the front lines or to strengthen the guards at various resource points.
The lecture halls, sparring arenas, and trading markets, which used to be bustling, were now much quieter, and the air was filled with a sense of tension, oppression, and... a certain chaos quietly festering under high pressure.
When the tiger is away, the monkey becomes king.
This saying was playing out in another form within the Duobao Sect.
The remaining Golden Core Stage Cultivators lacked sufficient prestige and were unable to provide complete deterrence.
Some True Disciples with deep backgrounds or top-tier strength among their peers, along with the Families and factions behind them, began to stir.
They formed cliques to fight for lucrative positions or resource quotas that had become vacant due to the personnel transfers.
They suppressed dissenters and excluded fellow Disciples who did not obey their orders or with whom they had old grudges.
Some daring individuals even reached their hands toward the Immortal Caves and properties of those fellow Disciples who had been drafted to the front lines... Under the surface maintenance of order, undercurrents were surging.
...
Duobao Peak, True Disciple residential area, Small Courtyard No. 3, Yellow Zone.
The environment here was quiet and secluded, and the concentration of Spiritual Qi was among the best in the True Disciple residential area; it was a special treatment Chu Feng had obtained by virtue of being at the top of the hidden dragon ranking.
The small courtyard was covered by a soft yet tough Formation light screen, isolating it from external prying eyes and noise.
Inside the courtyard, it was not the desolate scene of a Genius Cultivator studying tirelessly as outsiders might imagine.
On the contrary, the atmosphere of daily life was quite rich, even... a bit too "cozy."
Chu Feng did... every day.
Of course, aside from the daily average of 100.
His main energy was focused on Cultivation.
The outside world was not peaceful, so he had to have sufficient means of self-preservation.
Therefore, Chu Feng used his contribution points to exchange for the first volume of the [Heavenly Formation Scripture], [Heavenly Pill Scripture], [Heaven-Grade Weapon Scripture], [Heavenly Puppet Scripture], [Tianji Scripture], [Heavenly Beast Scripture], and some other arts.
Contribution points are only truly yours once you spend them.
As for what to do if his authority level increases later and he lacks contribution points to exchange for treasures and resources?
Tough luck!!!
It had to be said, the 20-fold Comprehension Ability was too Heaven-Defying.
It had only been three months.
Chu Feng had already comprehended the first volume of all the [Arts Classics] to Perfection.
If this news were known by others, they would definitely slice him up.
And the System.
It was only at 20,000 now, still far from 100,000.
This was also not something to be rushed, who made him 40.
...
In the talisman room.
Chu Feng was drawing talismans, and it was even the Beast Spirit Talisman from the second volume of the [Heavenly Talisman Scripture].
This counted as an extra reward for being at the top of the hidden dragon ranking; otherwise, he would need to be promoted to a Profound-Grade True Disciple to exchange for it.
The first Beast Spirit Talisman of the second volume of the [Heavenly Talisman Scripture], the Red Fire Horse.
This was a standard Earth Rank Low Grade Beast Spirit Talisman.
"Whew!! Finally succeeded."
Chu Feng let out a long breath.
Although he had successfully drawn the Five-Dragon Beast Spirit Talisman in the Trial Space before, at that time he was in the Foundation Establishment Completion Stage, and his mana could support it.
But now, although he was about to break through to the sixth layer of Foundation Establishment, his mana was far inferior to the Foundation Establishment Completion Stage.
Being able to support drawing an Earth Rank Low Grade Beast Spirit Talisman was entirely due to his mana being several times more vigorous than an ordinary sixth-layer Foundation Establishment Cultivator.
Otherwise, he simply wouldn't be able to hold on.
Drawing an Earth Rank Low Grade Beast Spirit Talisman at the sixth layer of Foundation Establishment, he was definitely the number one Genius of the Dao of Talismans in the Duobao Sect.
Even Tang Aotian, who possessed a Heavenly Spiritual Root, could only draw an Earth Rank Low Grade Beast Spirit Talisman at the Foundation Establishment Completion Stage.
Just as Chu Feng was preparing to meditate and recover.
The true disciple jade token suddenly vibrated three times.
Chu Feng's Divine Sense entered it.
"Senior Brother Chu, I haven't seen you for many days. Would you like to come to Wangyue Tower for a small gathering?"
The message was from Tang Yanrou.
As the closed-door Disciple of the Peak Master of Pill Treasure, Tang Yanrou naturally resided at Danbao Peak.
Previously, she had invited Chu Feng twice, and the two could be considered familiar with each other.
After all, for the lecherous Chu Feng, Tang Yanrou was a target that had to be conquered.
"Junior Sister Tang, I will be there in a moment."