Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

Spiritual power at the Qi Refining level is alright; it will dissipate into the air within a few days.

The spiritual power at the Foundation Establishment level is different. It's like invisible fragments of swords floating in the air. If a mortal inhales it, their internal organs will be shredded.

The scale of this volcanic eruption has far exceeded the Foundation Establishment level.

Those towering pillars of fire contained powerful spiritual energy fluctuations at the Core Formation level, and the scale of the first eruption was even comparable to that of the Nascent Soul level.

The spiritual energy seeped into the soil, into the river, and into every corner of the air.

Ordinary spells are almost ineffective against it, and these traces of spiritual energy will not disappear for decades.

Even those ordinary people who escaped the volcanic eruption might not survive.

The land, covered by powerful spiritual energy, is like a sword array for mortals to walk on.

Spiritual power at the Qi Refining level can injure people, while that at the Foundation Establishment level can kill. And this land, spanning thousands of miles, is now filled with fire-attribute spiritual power.

In the past few years, ordinary people within a radius of thousands of miles either fled or died.

Of the more than 70 million people, how many will ultimately survive?

The world of cultivation grants cultivators immense power and long lifespans.

But for mortals without spiritual roots, the aftershocks of this powerful force often mean the destruction of their homes and displacement.

The gains and losses involved are truly difficult to measure.

The Cangyun Mountains are thousands of miles away from the border of the Tianhuo Dynasty, yet the ground trembles there, which gives an idea of ​​how difficult the situation must be within the dynasty's borders.

----

The council chamber of the naval base was brightly lit.

All the Foundation Establishment cultivators and core members of Cangyun Mountain Market, totaling over a hundred people, came.

The room was filled with people, but no one spoke; they were all looking at Lin Zhao.

Old He stood at the front and explained the situation. His voice was calm, but his hand holding the jade slip was trembling slightly.

"...Preliminary estimates suggest that the death toll in the Heavenly Fire Dynasty has exceeded ten million, and it is still rising."

He paused, then looked at Lin Zhao: "My lord, what should we do?"

Lin Zhao stood up, and all eyes fell on him.

"To save lives," he said.

Everyone heard the weight of those two words.

"The Yunhai Cangming Sect is the ruler of Yunzhou," Lin Zhao's gaze swept over everyone present, "and has a responsibility to protect the hundreds of millions of mortals within its territory. Cangyun Mountain is the sect's headquarters, and saving people is our duty."

No one spoke in the council chamber.

"Regardless of our past relationship with the Skyfire Dynasty, regardless of any friction or scheming involved,"

Lin Zhao's voice was not loud, but every word was clear: "In the face of such a natural disaster, none of those things matter. Today, we share a common identity—human beings."

He looked at Elder He and said, "Send down the order to requisition all flying boats and spirit boats in the market, as well as all flying magical artifacts. Prepare elixirs, food, and clean water. Inventory and register all supplies that mortals can use, and report back within one hour."

Old He was taken aback: "All of them?"

"All of them." Lin Zhao said decisively, "Stop business in the market for now, and bring out all the flying magical artifacts and flying boats that can fly to start loading supplies. I will personally lead the team first thing tomorrow morning."

Old He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but seeing Lin Zhao's gaze, he swallowed his words and nodded heavily: "Yes!"

The people in the council chamber gradually dispersed to prepare for their respective tasks.

Lin Zhao called Yan Chiheng to a stop.

"Go to the capital," Lin Zhao said, "and find Master Chongguang."

Yan Chiheng was stunned for a moment, then understood what he meant. Tens of millions of mortal supplies were not something a mere market town could provide. Only the two most recent dynasties could provide such a level of supplies for relief.

"Tell True Person Chongguang that from this moment on, Cangyun Mountain and the Zixuan Dynasty must put aside all grudges and devote all their efforts to saving lives." Lin Zhao looked into Yan Chiheng's eyes. "This is my decision."

Yan Chiheng looked at him but did not reply immediately.

He certainly knew what that meant.

The relationship between Cangyun Mountain and the dynasty cannot be summarized simply as "subtle".

Lin Zhao killed Princess Blood Phoenix, and the Zheng family patriarch attacked Cangyun Mountain.

Later, when Master Chongguang took over the dynasty, it was considered a new chapter, but in the blink of an eye, he put Cangyun Mountain under immense pressure in the business world.

In the months since they returned, the two sides have been secretly vying for dominance.

But now is not the time to compete.

For the more than 70 million people of the Heavenly Fire Dynasty, time is life; every moment that passes can save more lives.

"What if he doesn't agree?" Yan Chiheng asked.

Lin Zhao's eyes changed, a hint of coldness flashing across them: "Then he is not qualified to rule the Zi Xuan Dynasty."

His voice was calm, as if he were talking about something that had nothing to do with him.

"After this, it will be a fight to the death. Once I reach the Core Formation stage, I will personally take him down."

Yan Chiheng nodded: "Count me in."

He paused, then said, "The Zixuan Dynasty is the closest major power to the Heavenly Fire. If it dares to abandon its responsibilities and truly doesn't care about anything, you won't even need to lift a finger. I will spare no expense to ask my master to take action and kill it. I believe he will make the right choice."

Yan Chiheng left.

Lin Zhao stood by the window, watching his inspiration vanish into thin air.

He had lost interest in continuing to associate with Chongguang Pavilion.

All those business calculations and underhanded tactics are worthless in the face of natural disasters.

The human race is very special.

They fight amongst themselves fiercely in normal times, but when disaster strikes, they unite faster than anyone else.

Lin Zhao turned around and began to prepare for his own affairs. No matter what the outcome was tomorrow, he would go to the Heavenly Fire Dynasty.

Outside the market, the spiritual light of cultivators would occasionally flash, one after another sweeping across the market and heading straight for the Heavenly Fire Dynasty in the west.

Those lights were very faint, but under that dark red sky, they shone brighter than anything else.

Yan Chiheng flew for more than an hour before he could see the outline of the capital.

The capital city was very quiet under the cover of night.

The city walls were brightly lit, and there were several times more guards than usual, but there were few pedestrians on the streets.

Clearly, the news had already reached this place, and everyone was staying at home, waiting to see how this natural disaster would unfold.

He successfully met Master Chongguang.

The meeting place was in a side hall of the palace, which was not large and simply decorated.

A table, a few chairs, and a map of the Tongming region hanging on the wall.

Master Chongguang sat in the main seat. He appeared to be in his forties, dressed in a white robe, and exuded a calm and composed demeanor.

Sitting next to him was a young man in his early thirties with an ordinary face; this was Xuan Guangzi.

At a time like this, they obviously couldn't sit still.

Yan Chiheng skipped the pleasantries and directly stated Lin Zhao's meaning.

"From this moment forward, Cangyun Mountain and Zixuan Dynasty shall put aside all grudges and devote all their efforts to rescuing Tianhuo Dynasty."

After a moment of silence, Master Chongguang said, "The Zheng family patriarch has left the Zixuan Dynasty and gone to the Chengtian Dynasty. The past is the past. There are not many conflicts between me and Commander Lin. Business matters are easy to discuss."

He paused, then looked at Yan Chiheng: "It would be best if we could reconcile, but I don't want to offend a promising young talent who is likely to reach the Core Formation stage."

Yan Chiheng nodded. What he said was very true, and he had nothing to refute.

"Then it's settled about rescuing the Skyfire Dynasty." He stood up. "I have to rush back."

Master Chongguang did not mention the Heavenly Fire Dynasty much, nor did he try to keep him; he simply asked Xuanguangzi to see him out.