Chapter 240 - 238: A Stable Situation

It began with... a fleck of gold....

Then, it spread without a sound.

Finally... within the purple river, a golden flame raced outward in a circle, like a dawning Rising Sun!

Until it ignited the entire sky!

Whatever the true nature of the River of Calamity and Pestilence, one thing was certain: it was a meteorological phenomenon born from a fluctuation in the "Source."

The high concentration of Source acted as a catalyst for the Rising Sun Flame. The fire slipped from Yang Shen’s control, instantly igniting an area dozens of miles wide. It even surged upstream, spreading toward the main current of the River of Calamity and Pestilence.

As the tributary of the River of Calamity and Pestilence ignited, the tens of millions of undead remains below ground to a simultaneous halt.

It was as if they had abruptly lost some form of protection. They collapsed like a great wave, crumbling into worthless skeletons that quickly disintegrated into dust.

Before the evacuation team, which had been under immense pressure, could even react, their path forward was suddenly clear. Their line of sight was completely unobstructed.

The path forward was clear!

They had yet to reach the shore, but someone had brought the shore to their very eyes.

"Faster! Break through! Break through!"

The group charged forward, finding only open road ahead.

Meanwhile, Yang Shen was still falling. With his back to the ground, he watched the golden flames fill the sky, filled with a sense of accomplishment.

The properties of the golden flame were unique. Releasing it cost him energy, but once it left his body, it used the external "Source" as fuel.

Yang Shen even suspected he had just ignited a river of natural gas. He wondered if this Calamity Plague ravaging the Noon Realm would now burn forever until it was finally extinguished.

Relegating it to history forever!

Unfortunately, he was being too optimistic.

The golden flame spread quickly, but on the scale of the River of Calamity and Pestilence, it was still far too slow.

Just as the flames on this tributary were about to spread to the main stream... the densest part of the auroral river... suddenly broke off.

It was as if a plant had shed a branch, or a plume of smoke had abruptly ceased to rise.

Once the tributary burned out completely, a gap was formed. The Rising Sun Flame, deprived of fuel, gradually dissipated and died out.

The concentration of Spiritual Qi in the air was nowhere near high enough to sustain it.

Yang Shen frowned slightly. Although tributaries breaking off was a common occurrence for the River of Calamity and Pestilence, he couldn’t help but feel the timing was a little too convenient.

’Is it really a coincidence? Or is the River of Calamity and Pestilence... sentient?’

’I’ll worry about that later. Next time I’m prepared, I’ll set the main stream on fire! Let’s see you deal with that!’

Only then was he about to finally hit the ground.

Falling from a height of 4,000 meters takes over a minute...

Yang Shen actually had ways to land safely, such as using his Fire Element Escape repeatedly near the ground to negate his momentum. But he wasn’t alone. Mid-fall, he was met by Deng Ming, who had been waiting for him.

Deng Ming grabbed Yang Shen, helping him slow his descent, and let out a boisterous laugh. "Incredible! That was exhilarating!!"

Deng Ming guided Yang Shen as they landed smoothly together. The others on the mountainside erupted in cheers upon seeing Yang Shen’s safe return.

Their own landing spot was some distance from the evacuation team, but the civilians were now safe.

Huo Jun roared with laughter. "Attaboy! I knew you were my kind of person deep down!"

Yang Shen: ...

’How dare you insult me!’

They were on high ground with a wide, unobstructed view of the surrounding area.

Huo Jun stepped forward onto a large boulder, his voice resonant. "The Hei Race’s area is completely secure now, but we still don’t know the situation over with the Yin Race. It’s a shame we couldn’t burn the River of Calamity and Pestilence to the ground..."

Xu Mo looked like he wanted to say something but held his tongue. He believed the River of Calamity and Pestilence was an invaluable research specimen. The Noon Realm was already desolate; as long as no one ran into it, it would be better to preserve this strange phenomenon for gradual study.

Of course, he had no authority to make such a decision. It would depend on the collective will of Yanhua.

Yang Shen said calmly, "We can go over and take a look. If worst comes to worst, we’ll just do the same thing all over again."

Deng Ming asked with concern, "Can you handle it? Taking on Overlapping Waves head-on is no small feat."

Yang Shen peeled off the black covering from his upper body, revealing his still-powerful chest. "I’m fine. I’m not that fragile."

’It’s just a bit of blood. What Martial Artist hasn’t coughed up some blood?’

’You get used to it after a while... especially since his internal organs were far more resilient than those of other Martial Artists at his level.’

In fact, Yang Shen felt he had gained quite a lot from the experience.

His Desperate Edge Life Chart had grown once more.

Just then, Huo Jun suddenly laughed. "No need! The Yin Race’s area is already out of danger."

"Oh? Why is that?"

Huo Jun pointed to the sky in the far, far distance.

"Because... reinforcements from Harmony Island are here!"

A communications blackout, a delay of only a few hours, had created this crisis.

But in the end, the mighty Cyan Blue had countless experts!

In the far distance, dozens of figures could be seen streaking across the sky.

It wasn’t just Yanhua; reinforcements from Magna and Europe were arriving as well.

One figure, in particular, effortlessly reached the altitude Yang Shen had struggled so desperately to attain, gazing down upon the River of Calamity and Pestilence from above.

That was an expert of the Tongshu Realm, at the very least.

From their great height, the reinforcements quickly assessed the situation in the region before heading off toward their respective areas of concern.

Yang Shen tried to inspect the Life Chart of the Tongshu Realm expert, curious to see how a higher-level master was rated by his system, but the distance was simply too great. He had to give up.

Huo Jun smiled.

"Looks like the trouble is over for tonight. Let’s regroup. Yang Shen, head back to Harmony Island with the others soon. you need to recuperate."

Yang Shen paused. "Actually... I’m fine."

Huo Jun shook his head. "There’s no need to tough it out. Rest on Harmony Island for a couple of days and wait for further instructions."

"If the higher-ups decide not to destroy the River of Calamity and Pestilence right away—say, they want to keep it around for research—you can probably arrange your trip back."

"I’ll submit a commendation for you. You were the hero of this battle! Hahaha!"

Yang Shen hesitated for a moment before finally agreeing.

’I’ve been out here for almost a month,’ he thought. ’It’s time to go home.’

——————

By the time the reinforcements from Harmony Island arrived, the River of Calamity and Pestilence no longer posed a mortal threat.

It was not sentient and would not actively seek revenge. As long as no one ran into the torrent of hundreds of millions of undead remains or got encircled by it, they could just let it flow on peacefully.

Given the length of the River of Calamity and Pestilence, it would likely take a month to pass through the region. Meanwhile, all the surviving families, led by the Harmony Island reinforcements, were moving toward the mountain range where the Gate of the Exotic Realm was located.

Though they were leaving their homes behind, resupplying would be much easier there.

Yang Shen and Huo Jun spent another half-night rushing about, but they encountered no further crises of note. Their work was limited to assisting with the evacuation.

Naturally, Yang Shen’s spectacular feat of igniting the River of Calamity and Pestilence drew the attention of Yanhua, and someone was soon sent to question him.

After learning about the properties of the Rising Sun Flame, someone brought him a special device later that night.

It was a special container made of heat-resistant material, filled with something Yang Shen knew well: Source Liquid.

Or, as it was also known, Spiritual Liquid.

The container looked hastily made, but its design was ingenious. It resembled an alcohol or kerosene lamp inside a box. A reservoir of high-concentration Spiritual Liquid sat at the bottom, with a nozzle that would spray an atomized mist of it every few seconds. A separating layer was situated in between.

The amount of Spiritual Liquid sprayed was minuscule—a few hundredths of a gram—but its volume became immense once atomized.

After a few tries, Yang Shen managed to ignite the atomized Spiritual Liquid and watched as the flame was continuously sustained.

Modern technology wasn’t just about big bangs, big machines, and big ways to boil water; it also had its share of clever little tricks.

And so, the advance team preserved a wisp of Yang Shen’s Rising Sun Flame for emergencies. The device was costly to operate—Source Liquid was practically liquid gold, after all—but it would suffice for a crisis.

Whether the flame would change over time or if Yang Shen moved too far away from it remained to be seen.

As time went on, more and more refugees gathered in the hilly region where the Gate of the Exotic Realm was located.

With their families in tow, their numbers swelled to several thousand. This made logistics the primary concern for Harmony Island, which had to at least ensure the basic survival of these thousands until the River of Calamity and Pestilence had passed completely.

Almost every minute, Martial Artists carrying large crates would "spawn" in the surrounding area. The three major powers also began urgently dispatching supplies and reinforcements. They even attempted to hunt Sea Beasts to alleviate the food shortage.

Experts from all nations remained in the Noon Realm, standing guard in case the River of Calamity and Pestilence changed course again.

Ultimately, as the only specimen of its kind, burning it away completely would have been too much of a waste. It seemed the decision had been made to preserve this unique meteorological event.

Given the River of Calamity and Pestilence’s patterns, it was impossible to know how many years it would be before it passed through this region again. By then, however, Cyan Blue would have surely established a firm foothold.

...

The River of Calamity and Pestilence continued to flow, but its magnificent purple aurora was no longer deadly.

When day broke, Yang Shen saw the "sun" in the Noon Realm for the very first time, a sight made possible because the Calamity Plague had suppressed the region’s usual wind and sandstorms.

He could finally practice his Body Forging under a Rising Sun once more.

To his delight... the sun of the Exotic Realm was just as effective. Standing on the desolate mountain peak, looking down at the chaotic refugee camp below, Yang Shen could clearly feel the Source within him quicken. His training efficiency was far greater than ever before, and his Fist Intent grew more Harmonious.

This seemed to prove that his Fist Intent had a "metaphysical" component; it didn’t require the specific sun of Cyan Blue to work.

’One step closer to "I am the sun."’

Yang Shen compressed his recent gains and epiphanies into his every punch and kick.

Each movement was unhurried, almost slow.

He was still practicing the Sixth Set of Initial Body Forging Technique, but it had long since absorbed many of his own insights, even incorporating elements of Qi Daoist Techniques.

And his experiences in the Exotic Realm had finally allowed him to take another step forward...

However, just as Yang Shen was thinking that the greatest reward from his trip to the Exotic Realm would be the successful fusion of Qi Dao and Martial Arts—creating a Body Tempering Method unique to the Yang Family—a notification suddenly sounded from the system in his mind.

"Main Quest: Family Population Reaches 20 (20.2/20). Complete."

Atop the mountain peak, Yang Shen froze.

’Huh... what was the reward for this one again?’

’A Bloodline Seed?’