Chapter 63: Chapter 63: Despair in the Apocalypse
Martial Artist Shen Yu had crossed into this world for so many years. Although he had indeed heard of some natural wonders, he had never heard of such a terrifying storm.
And, visibly, what lay before his eyes was clearly not an ordinary tornado!
In addition to the incredibly cold winds, Martial Artist Shen Yu could even clearly see powerful Gang Qi swirling within the tornadoes!
What is Gang Qi?
A force of unyielding vigor!
In this world, it referred to the fierce energy unleashed through True Power—Sword Gang, Fist Gang, Blade Gang—these were just the basic uses of True Power.
Yet now, he actually witnessed the presence of Gang Qi within this natural disaster.
"It could actually be like this..." The rest of those around Martial Artist Shen Yu, those also observing the Immortal Magical Treasure, were all filled with shock at this moment.
Staring in disbelief at such an unprecedented scene.
The impact on them was even greater; after all, they had never heard, much less seen, such a sight.
If they had not watched the Immortal Magical Treasure fly toward this direction all the way, if the landscape didn’t still faintly reveal glimpses of its former look, they would never have believed this place was the Earth Martial Sect’s headquarters.
The Holy Land of Body Refining Martial Dao in the past had now actually become a land of death!
When did this happen?
Does the Earth Martial Sect still exist?
Some with less resolve even began to tremble slightly.
Even though they had learned of the existence of the Heavenly Calamity from the Immortal, compared to hunger and cold, the scene in front of their eyes right now undoubtedly felt far more fitting of a "Calamity".
To think that before, they had naively believed they could stay uninvolved.
That was the Earth Martial Sect!
One of the most powerful sects in the world!
At this moment, Martial Artist Shen Yu’s brows were also deeply furrowed.
He had also been to the Earth Martial Sect before and remembered clearly: it used to be a marshy forest, saturated with dense Earth Evil Power and endless mountains. Yet now, all of it had disappeared, utterly destroyed within this meat-grinder-like Blade Gang tornado.
Even powerful Martial Artists, could they really survive in such circumstances?
If complete annihilation occurred, how much of the sect’s Cultivation Techniques could even remain under such devastation?
"Still, I must investigate." Martial Artist Shen Yu muttered under his breath.
He had already begun channeling Gray Mist within his mind, contacting interstellar world Shen Yu and Shen Yu.
After hearing the situation, both fell into silence.
This had truly surpassed their expectations. After all, up until now, among the three apocalyptic worlds, Martial Artist Shen Yu’s end times had so far seemed the most manageable.
It had only been a cold wave so far.
But this Heavenly Calamity had struck the Earth Martial Sect...
"The defense of the probe device is strong; ordinary calamities can’t destroy it. But I don’t know what this ’Gang Qi’ situation you mention is. I can separate out a threat-detection unit to test it." Intersellar world Shen Yu paused, then spoke more firmly, "Body Refining Techniques are crucial—if we can get enough quality and quantity of initial data, we’ll save a huge amount of time. If you need any support, I’ll do all I can to fight for it!"
"Alright!" Martial Artist Shen Yu answered heavily.
He felt the pressure, but he hoped even more than interstellar world Shen Yu that Earth Martial Sect could survive.
He immediately separated several black spheres, sending them slowly flying toward the tornadoes.
Fortunately, though these tornadoes were assessed as "Energy Weapon Attacks," the higher they went, the weaker the attack. Near the ground was the most intense, so the probe device had a chance.
Penetrate from high altitude.
Not hesitating any longer, under everyone’s watchful eyes, the surveillance feed suddenly rushed forward.
Diving into the heart of the storm!
Layers of Shields—visible to the naked eye—appeared around the probe, endlessly sharp, blade-like Gang Qi slashed at them, yet could not harm them in the slightest.
"As expected from an Immortal Treasure!" The others were visibly moved.
Especially the two Supreme Elders from Sword God Peak.
Sword Return One even yanked out several of his own beard hairs.
Soaring up, dashing through the skies, traveling thousands of kilometers in an instant, broadcasting such vivid images—this alone was already astonishing.
And now, even this terrifying storm could not harm it at all—it charged through entirely unscathed!
Such an Immortal Magical Treasure was indeed extraordinary beyond compare.
However, Martial Artist Shen Yu had no time to show off. He cranked the probe to its maximum power, dropped it lower, and, braving the terrifying Gang Qi tornadoes, kept searching for traces of life.
The area where Earth Martial Sect’s headquarters once stood was enormous—a convergence point of abundant Earth Evil Power.
It was once teeming with people and lush vegetation.
But now, except deep underground, not a single trace of life could be found aboveground.
It was as though everything on the surface had been utterly stripped away.
Martial Artist Shen Yu said nothing, and even considered requesting a few more probes.
But just when the probes had gone hundreds of kilometers into the tornado zone, Martial Artist Shen Yu’s eyes suddenly lit up.
A patch of warm red appeared in the probe’s field of view!
About twenty meters underground!
It was clearly visible: each marked person was hiding in a long underground tunnel, nearly a thousand people in total. Judging from the length of the route behind them, they had dug tunnels from more than ten kilometers away to reach here!
"Martial Arts experts really don’t die so easily." Only now did Martial Artist Shen Yu breathe a little easier.
Where there are survivors, there will be inheritance!
But after carefully reviewing the probe’s results, he found the situation of these people was grim.
The temperature in the tunnel was extremely low, already below minus fifty degrees; the life signs of many were extremely weak, with some dying completely from time to time.
After all, digging such tunnels was far from easy, let alone on this scale.
How were they solving the oxygen problem? How to prevent cave-ins? The frozen soil was stubbornly hard.
To dig out these ten-odd kilometers was already a miracle brought about by Martial Arts.
But there were still hundreds of kilometers to go!
With this level of Heavenly Calamity, it was no disaster any mere mortal here could resolve. Otherwise, it would not be called the apocalypse.
"We can’t delay any further." Shen Yu quickly controlled an even smaller probe, sending it down through a ventilation shaft prepared in the underground tunnel.
As soon as it entered, the tunnel’s scene appeared in three-dimensional holographic view.
Just as expected: tragic beyond words.
The whole tunnel was extremely narrow, barely wide enough for two people to stand side by side. The center was reinforced with stone columns and wooden planks. Disciples in Earth Martial Sect robes looked utterly haggard.
They tried their hardest to run Martial Arts Techniques, using them to maintain their body temperatures in this bitter cold, but the truth was, their reserves had long been depleted, and their powerfully muscled bodies could bring them no warmth at all.
Some were even so emaciated as to hardly resemble disciples of Earth Martial Sect anymore.
Along the short route the probe passed, dozens of frozen corpses could be seen, and some dropped dead on the spot. Yet the disciples nearby had little reaction, merely staring numbly as their fellows breathed their last.
The despair of the apocalypse was already plain to see.