Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

The first group boarded the spirit boat, with priority given to the elderly and children. There was no scrambling or cutting in line. A Foundation Establishment cultivator stood at the market entrance, his voice hoarse from shouting, still calling out, "Line up properly, don't push, everyone can get through."

On the way back, Lin Zhao stopped using the Law Domain.

It was still that sea of ​​fire.

He stood at the bow of the Qinglin ship.

Five-colored light surged forth from his body—the five colors intertwined and rotated, forming a huge halo around him.

The Five Sacred Mountains' Divine Ring.

The divine halo spread out with a roar, forcibly pushing aside the flames wherever it passed, as if pushed away by an invisible hand. The violent fire elemental power collided with the five-colored halo, sizzling and crackling, like ice cubes falling into boiling oil, instantly suppressed, dispersed, and annihilated.

Within a radius of ten miles, a patch of pure land was forcibly carved out by the sea of ​​fire. The air was cool, and although the ground beneath one's feet was still charred, at least no lava was flowing.

The entire fleet was bathed in five-colored light, as if it had finally found a safe haven in a storm.

Lin Zhao finally breathed a sigh of relief.

His magic domain was indeed impractical in an environment filled with fire-attribute spiritual energy, as mortal bodies were too fragile, and even a slight fluctuation in his magic domain would affect them.

The Five Sacred Mountains Divine Rings are different; they are a spell specifically designed to break through the Core Formation Domain, and they are proving extremely effective against this sea of ​​fire.

Moreover, it consumes relatively little power and can be used multiple times. Although it can only extend for ten miles, ten miles is enough for the current fleet.

He used the Five Sacred Mountains Divine Ring more than ten times before he could safely leave the heart of the Heavenly Fire Dynasty.

Five days later, Lin Zhao led the first batch of over 10,000 people to safety.

A month later, thanks to the joint efforts of more than twenty Foundation Establishment teams, the number of mortals rescued from the depths of the Heavenly Fire Dynasty reached one million.

Half a year.

A full six months.

Cultivators from surrounding regions arrived in droves, eventually forming a massive rescue force of hundreds of thousands of cultivators.

The airships shuttled through the sky like never-ending rivers, bringing out batches of people trapped inside.

Before the volcanic eruption, the Heavenly Fire Dynasty had 70 million people.

To date, only 30 million have survived.

Forty million people died in this terrible natural disaster.

The outskirts of the Heavenly Fire Dynasty, where farmland, villages, and towns once stood, are now unsuitable for mortals to live in.

The land was covered in spiritual energy, the river water carried fire poison, and the air was always filled with a pungent smell.

The interior area was like a purgatory, where only Foundation Establishment cultivators could stay for long, while Qi Refining cultivators had to come out after a short time.

The volcano there is still erupting, lava is still flowing, and occasionally you can hear muffled sounds coming from deep underground, as if something is moving.

Those mortals who were rescued had nowhere to go, and most of them had to stay in Dingfeng Plain.

Dozens of camps of varying sizes lined the border and stretched into the Dingfeng Plain, tents one after another, stretching as far as the eye could see.

But at least they are still alive.

Those who escaped from the Heavenly Fire Dynasty temporarily reside here. In the future, these camps will become cities, but the environment of Dingfeng Plain is not good; the land is barren and water is insufficient.

Currently, we are barely managing to stay afloat thanks to the support of resources from surrounding dynasties and the help of hundreds of thousands of cultivators.

However, cultivators cannot stay here forever. They have their own power and their own cultivation. It is already more than enough that they have come to help for half a year.

The Core Formation cultivator of the Heavenly Fire Dynasty has already perished. Without a Core Formation cultivator to oversee things and without the support of high-level cultivators, the future path for these mortals will be very difficult.

Their future will either be gradually absorbed and swallowed up by the surrounding Zixuan and Nanli dynasties, or they will be completely forgotten on this barren land.

Unless, among the remaining cultivators of the Heavenly Fire Dynasty, someone can successfully form their core in the next few years, but that would be extremely difficult.

Cangyun Mountain also paid a price for this rescue.

Hundreds of cultivators, including several Foundation Establishment cultivators, were left forever on that scorched earth. Of the hundreds of first-tier flying boats, only seventy returned.

He An's second-tier spirit boat was hit by a boulder that flew out of the volcano, breaking the entire boat in two. Fortunately, no one was hurt, and He An was rescued in time by Yan Chiheng.

Three second-tier airships crashed deep within the Heavenly Fire Dynasty.

That place is already a forbidden zone for mortals; even Qi Refining cultivators dare not enter.

But after a disaster, something new is always born.

The fire-attribute spiritual energy released by those volcanic eruptions gave birth to countless fire-attribute monsters.

Some were monster clans that escaped from the depths of the earth, but most were born naturally during this disaster.

There are even rumors that some third-tier spiritual creatures have already taken human form and become third-tier demonic beasts.

They thrive on this land inaccessible to mortals, using the crater as their nest and the lava as their pool.

What was once a forbidden land for humans quickly became a home for monsters.

Some even claimed to have seen traces of a third-tier demonic beast.

It was a blazing sunbird, its wingspan blotting out the sky. When it flew out of the volcano, even Foundation Establishment cultivators had to give it a wide berth.

Those volcanic eruptions that were once the source of disasters have now become a paradise for monks to search for treasure.

Fire-attribute spiritual items, monster materials, and mineral veins brought up by lava—the value of these things is enough to tempt any cultivator.

It can only be said that the world is vast and full of wonders, where anything is possible.

Hundreds of thousands of cultivators, after rescuing people, most of them have not yet left.

They scattered across the ruins of the Heavenly Fire Dynasty, searching every corner that might hold resources, like treasure hunters.

The best among those who had mastered Qi Refining, or even Foundation Establishment cultivators, began forming various teams to venture into the heart of the Heavenly Fire Dynasty in search of treasures.

The Heavenly Fire Dynasty has now been renamed the [Heavenly Fire Secret Realm].

Many people also chose to stay in Cangyun Mountain.

Old He even set up a supply camp on the border to provide elixirs and magical artifacts for those treasure-hunting cultivators; the business was even better than in the market.

Lin Zhao did not stay.

He returned to Cangyun Mountain Market with the Qinglin Ship, Lin You and Ye Xiaoxiao, and the remaining intact spirit boats.

As he left, he looked back once more.

On Dingfeng Plain, the camps still stand, smoke rises from the tents, children run in the mud, women wash clothes, and men build small wooden huts.

They have nothing left now, but at least they are still alive.

In the distance, the dark red sky was still there, and the crater was still smoking.

Lin Zhao withdrew his gaze, and the Azure Scale sped up, flying towards the direction of Cangyun Mountain.

-----

When Lin Zhao returned to Cangyun Mountain, the market was noticeably quieter than before.

Some of the more ambitious cultivators either stayed in the Heavenly Fire Secret Realm or traded supplies in the border camps.

Old He returned ahead of schedule and was waiting for Lin Zhao at the garrison headquarters. He seemed to be in good spirits.

He followed Lin Zhao into the study and began to report on the situation in the market.

Needless to say, the consumption of relief supplies was enormous. Once the food, pills, and talismans were distributed, they couldn't be retrieved. The market's basic supplies inventory was more than half empty, and business was mediocre. Even after a true reconciliation with the dynasty, customers didn't return—everyone had gone to the Heavenly Fire Secret Realm.

When Old He mentioned the words "Heavenly Fire Secret Realm," his tone was somewhat subtle.

Then it came to casualties.

Hundreds of cultivators died in the market, along with a few Foundation Establishment cultivators, most of whom were previously recruited Tribulation cultivators.

"Those cultivators who have undergone tribulations," Old He carefully chose his words, "truly risked their lives in this natural disaster."

Lin Zhao didn't speak; of course he knew why.