272: Chapter 272 Three Days Ago

Cangwu City.

Although the Erosion Tide had receded, it had left behind a scene of shocking devastation.

The city walls had collapsed in many places, with charred marks intertwined with solidified, dark red erosion stains.

A faint, cloying sweetness and a burnt smell lingered in the air—the embers left after the burning of erosion qi and spiritual power.

The wails did not cease; the erosion from the erosion qi clung like maggots to bone, continuing to torment the survivors.

Beside a partially collapsed corner tower, a young Xunwu Guard Cultivator lay slumped on the ground. His arm had been severed at the shoulder, and wisps of scarlet erosion qi coiled around the wound, slowly spreading toward his torso, bringing with it a piercing, bone-gnawing agony and the freezing terror of his Soul being gnawed away.

His face was as pale as paper, and beads of sweat the size of beans rolled down.

His gaze fell upon his left leg, which was also entangled by erosion qi, and his eyes were filled with despair.

"No... I cannot let it spread..."

He muttered to himself, his voice hoarse and trembling.

The broken blade gripped tightly in his right hand was raised several times, only to fall back down powerlessly.

If he severed another leg, without a high-grade Medicinal Pill, he would be completely crippled; how could he survive in this chaotic world?

But if he didn't cut it off... once the erosion qi entered his heart meridian, even the immortals couldn't save him!

The shadow of death and the despair of becoming a cripple pressed down upon him like two great mountains.

In the end, the instinct to survive overcame everything. A flash of resolute madness crossed his eyes, and he raised his blade sharply, about to hack down fiercely at his own thigh!

"Look! What is that?!" A shout mingled with astonishment suddenly rang out, drawing everyone's gaze.

Everyone subconsciously looked up.

They saw a solitary, lofty figure standing in the Void Realm above Cangwu City.

He raised his hand and made a light stroke toward the Void Realm.

In an instant, a brilliant galaxy that seemed to descend from the Nine Heavens spanned the firmament!

This was a torrent condensed from the vitality of creation, shimmering with ripples and emitting a fresh aura that was refreshing to the heart and spirit.

Under the gaze of countless bewildered eyes, this brilliant "galaxy" suddenly disintegrated, transforming into billions of crystalline light spots that fell like the gentlest spring rain, covering the entire Cangwu City.

"Rain? What... what is this rain?" A Cultivator asked, uncertain and suspicious, subconsciously raising a protective spiritual light for fear it was some new erosion poison.

"Fool! That is Supreme Moonshadow! If he wanted to harm you, would he need to use such methods?!"

Someone nearby immediately rebuked him, their tone filled with awe and trust toward Ling Hao.

The light rain fell silently.

A miracle occurred.

On the ground, the stubborn erosion qi stains attached to the ruined walls, like snow meeting the scorching sun, made a sizzling sound the moment they were touched by the light rain, rapidly dissolving and fading until they finally vanished into wisps of blue smoke.

The soil contaminated by the erosion qi recovered its original dark brown color at a speed visible to the naked eye, and even a few tenacious blades of grass pushed through the scorched earth, sprouting tender shoots!

"My... the erosion qi on me! It's gone! It's really gone!"

A Cultivator who had been on the verge of death from the erosion qi discovered with joy that the scarlet patterns spreading like spiderwebs on his arm were rapidly fading in the light rain, and the bone-gnawing pain was diminishing and disappearing along with them; he was so moved that his eyes filled with tears.

Beside the corner tower, the Xunwu Guard Cultivator holding the blade was also stunned.

As the light rain fell upon him, the erosion qi on his leg rapidly thinned and disintegrated, eventually disappearing without a trace.

The severe pain and the feeling of cold retreated like a receding tide, and a warm, comfortable life energy flowed through his body.

He looked down at his severed arm, which was still emitting wisps of erosion qi on the ground, and then at his left leg, which was intact and even felt more vibrant than before. His mouth twitched violently, and his expression became extremely colorful.

"Damn it! I... I cut too fast! Wuwu... my arm!"

He was so vexed he almost beat his chest and stamped his feet.

But the next moment, he lay back in the mud with a sense of relief, letting the light rain, which contained vitality and hope, fall upon his face, sliding down mixed with his tears.

The corners of his mouth pulled into a smile that was uglier than crying, and he muttered: "Forget it... forget it... this is fine too, as long as I can live, it is good..."

Such scenes were playing out continuously in other parts of Cangwu City.

The entire Cangwu City, from the dead silence of despair, gradually erupted into the wild joy of surviving a catastrophe.

Sounds of sobbing, wild laughter, and expressions of gratitude toward Ling Hao intertwined, converging into an ocean full of vitality.

Countless people knelt on the ground, bowing piously toward the figure in the sky, weeping with gratitude.

Dongfang Lie of the Dongfang Family exclaimed: "With this water of creation, repairing the city defenses and healing the Cultivators will save countless amounts of effort!"

"Indeed, it cleanses the filth and restores clarity. This rain... is excellent," agreed Fairy Hanyue, Ouyang Xue of the Ouyang Family.

Ximen Yuanshan of the Ximen Family, as a master of the Dao of alchemy, was immersed in thoughts of research with burning eyes: "It contains such immense vitality... If one could obtain a little for research, it might have miraculous effects on the path of alchemy..."

The Zhenhai Old Man of Xuangui Island from Wan Shou Mountain and Fairy Bizhu of Qinglan Valley were also moved by this miraculous feat.

Amidst the chorus of praise, Elder Lieyang of the Chixiao Sect and Beitang Feng of the Beitang Family, though their words were earnest and their faces full of smiles, could be seen to have something unusual in the depths of their eyes if observed closely.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

Through the efforts of countless Cultivators, Cangwu City had recovered somewhat.

Although it was far from its former bustling glory, the main streets had been cleared, collapsed buildings had been leveled or simply reinforced, and new protective Restriction light barriers flickered faintly on the city walls.

The lingering smell of erosion qi in the air had almost completely dissipated.

On the streets and in the alleys, Loose Cultivators gathered to talk.

"We owe it all to that divine rain from Supreme Moonshadow! Otherwise, most of us here would either be dead or crippled!" a middle-aged Loose Cultivator remarked with emotion.

"Yes! It not only saved our lives but also purified much of the land and Spiritual Veins contaminated by the erosion qi!" another person echoed.

"Have you noticed?" a lean man lowered his voice, acting mysterious, "The Moonshadow Sect seems to have erected some strange monuments at several key nodes inside and outside the city?"

"Yes, yes, yes! I saw them too! Those monuments look ancient and mysterious, and the runes carved on them are extremely profound!"

"That is called a 'world-suppressing monument'!" an apparently well-informed Cultivator nearby interjected with a hint of pride, "I heard it was set up by the Moonshadow Sect, specifically to suppress residual erosion qi and prevent space rifts from reappearing! Haven't you noticed? In the southeastern region of Cangwu where the Moonshadow Sect is located, you can basically no longer feel any erosion qi, and those space rifts that appeared occasionally have all disappeared!"

"It's that powerful?!" everyone exclaimed in amazement.

"If these monuments... could be spread throughout the entire Cangwu Province..." someone couldn't help but dream.

"Wouldn't that mean the entire Cangwu Province could be spared from the suffering of erosion qi?" another person chimed in excitedly.

"I wonder if they were spread across the entire Cangwu Province... could these monuments suppress the four largest rifts in Cangwu Province?"

Sounds of anticipation rose in the crowd, filled with trust and expectation toward the Moonshadow Sect.

"And what about that new high tower in the center of the city? It looks extraordinary." Someone pointed to a newly erected tower outside the city that was flowing with the aura of the Dao.

"That is the 'resonance dao tower'!" the well-informed Cultivator explained again, "It is also the work of the Moonshadow Sect! I heard that it is not only a node for their internal teleportation, but it also seems to have some function that can amplify the combat power of their Disciples? But as for how it is specifically used, outsiders do not know; it is said that only their Moonshadow Sect Disciples can activate it."

In the corner of the crowd, a few Cultivators listened quietly to these discussions.

Xu Xiao's eyes flashed with surprise and contemplation, while Yan Xi could not hide her curiosity and admiration.

Lie Shan frowned, appearing somewhat skeptical.

And Elder Zhu Rongyang, listening to the descriptions of the world-suppressing monument suppressing erosion qi and the resonance dao tower's teleportation and amplification, furrowed his brows tighter and tighter, and his expression became increasingly grave.

These unheard-of methods displayed by the Moonshadow Sect far exceeded his estimates, making him feel pressure and... unease.