50: Chapter 50 Earth Vein Riot, Immortal Corpses

The strife in the Purple Bamboo Forest continued, but outside the Secret Realm, the world was on the brink of a storm.

Since the day the Nine Heavens Tower appeared, the celestial phenomena in the Southern Wilderness had grown more bizarre with each passing day.

At first, it was just flashes of blood-red rainbow light in the clouds. The Cultivators assumed it was the Spiritual Qi tide caused by the opening of the Purple Bamboo Forest Secret Realm and paid it no mind.

But by the tenth day, the crack on the horizon could no longer close.

It was a rift stretching across the sky, tens of thousands of miles away from the Purple Bamboo Forest.

Scarlet mist constantly surged from the rift, carrying a decaying and heart-palpitating aura.

The experts Undergoing Tribulation were the first to sense that something was wrong.

No, it should be said that the Earth Veins were the first to emit a wail.

The spirit boat of the Zhouwu Dynasty stood silently in mid-air. Ancestor Zhou Huaixu stood at the prow with his hands behind his back, his gaze fixed heavily on the distant horizon.

That face, which had always been as calm as an ancient well, now displayed a rare solemnity.

Dynasty Lord Zhou Shanhe, who was behind him, also wore a stern expression and said in a low voice, "Old Ancestor, signs of Earth Vein upheaval have appeared throughout the Southern Wilderness. What is the cause of this?"

Ancestor Zhou Huaixu remained silent, his gaze piercing through layers of spiritual mist to look at the blood-red rift stretching across the horizon.

"I do not know either."

He finally spat out only these few words, his voice carrying a trace of undisguisable heaviness.

The cabin door of the spirit boat suddenly opened, and Jiang Changge walked out slowly.

Behind him followed Lin Yanzhou. The little one had been cultivating diligently these days, yet he still hadn't stepped into the Qi Refinement Stage.

"Senior."

Ancestor Zhou Huaixu hurriedly turned around and bowed deeply to Jiang Changge.

Jiang Changge nodded slightly, his gaze fixed on the rift in the sky.

"Senior," Ancestor Zhou Huaixu asked cautiously, "Do you know the reason for this Earth Vein upheaval?"

Jiang Changge did not answer immediately.

He stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze deep and distant, as if looking at something only he could see.

In reality, he was communicating with the System.

"System, what is going on with this Earth Vein upheaval?"

"Ding, detected a violent upheaval of the Earth Veins in the Southern Wilderness. It is because an Immortal corpse is buried deep within the Southern Wilderness."

"The Immortal power remaining in the corpse triggers an Earth Vein upheaval every few hundred thousand years. This is a normal phenomenon; no need for excessive worry."

Jiang Changge was shocked.

An Immortal corpse?

Not a Red Dust Immortal, but a true Immortal?

"An Immortal? How could this Xuanhuang World have an Immortal buried here?"

He asked in his heart.

"Ding, this Immortal fell from the Immortal Realm back to the Xuanhuang World during the Primordial Era and perished in the Southern Wilderness. Their corpse is buried deep underground, with residual Immortal power."

"Once the Immortal power is fully vented, the Earth Veins will return to calm on their own."

After hearing this, Jiang Changge could not calm his heart for a long time.

An Immortal, buried beneath the Southern Wilderness.

What a shocking secret this was.

Seeing that Jiang Changge remained silent for a long time, Ancestor Zhou Huaixu felt increasingly uneasy and tentatively asked again, "Senior?"

Jiang Changge returned to his senses, his expression still calm.

"It is nothing."

He spoke, his voice calm.

"The Earth Vein upheaval will not last long. Once that power has been vented, it will subside on its own."

Ancestor Zhou Huaixu was slightly taken aback upon hearing this.

Senior spoke so definitively, as if he knew the cause of the Earth Vein upheaval like the back of his hand.

He became even more certain that this Senior was by no means an ordinary Cultivator.

Just as Ancestor Zhou Huaixu was about to ask again, a sudden change occurred.

The ground beneath their feet suddenly shook violently. The tremor came without warning, yet it was as fierce as the sky collapsing and the earth splitting.

The spirit boat swayed violently, and the defensive Formation on the boat automatically activated. Spiritual light circulated, attempting to stabilize the hull.

But the power of the Earth Vein upheaval was simply too terrifying; even the spirit boat's defensive Formation could not fully counteract it.

The hull jolted up and down in the air, and the Cultivators inside the spirit boat turned pale one after another, some even unable to help but cry out in surprise.

"What is happening!"

"The Earth Vein upheaval has intensified!"

"Quickly stabilize the spirit boat!"

On the plains, the spirit boats of the major forces lit up with defensive spiritual light simultaneously, and the colorful light shields illuminated the entire sky like broad daylight.

Jiang Changge stood steadily at the prow of the boat, his figure motionless, as if the violent jolting beneath his feet had nothing to do with him.

His gaze remained fixed on the rift in the sky, a complex look flashing in his eyes.

An Immortal, buried beneath the Southern Wilderness. Every few hundred thousand years, their corpse would throw a tantrum.

No wonder the Spiritual Qi in the Southern Wilderness was so thin; it likely had something to do with the corpse of this Immortal.

Ancestor Zhou Huaixu's voice sounded in his ear, carrying a hint of anxiety.

"The Earth Vein upheaval is becoming increasingly violent. I fear it will affect the Purple Bamboo Forest Secret Realm."

"Shanhe!" He turned to look behind him. "Pass the order down: the spirit boat is to retreat thirty thousand miles to avoid the center of the Earth Vein upheaval!"

Dynasty Lord Zhou Shanhe bowed in acknowledgment and turned to leave in a hurry.

A moment later, the spirit boat of the Zhouwu Dynasty changed direction and sailed away from the Purple Bamboo Forest.

Meanwhile, the spirit boats of several other major forces also retreated one after another.

On the spirit boat of the Nanli Dynasty, Imperial Lord Yang Potian had a gloomy expression, his gaze fixed tightly on the rift in the sky.

"This Earth Vein upheaval really comes at a bad time," he muttered to himself.

Grand General Yang Zhirong stood beside him and said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, several princes are still in the Purple Bamboo Forest."

"We cannot worry about them for now," Imperial Lord Yang Potian interrupted, his voice deep.

"The Purple Bamboo Forest Secret Realm is a world of its own; the Earth Vein upheaval may not necessarily affect the inside. Besides, even if the Secret Realm collapses, those little ones have their own means of self-preservation."

He paused and looked into the distance.

"The most important thing right now is to figure out the source of this Earth Vein upheaval. Pass the order down: let everyone get ready to deal with emergencies at any time."

"Yes!"

As the Earth Vein upheaval intensified, everyone retreated one after another.

In the sky, the blood-red rift continued to expand, and the scarlet mist surging from it became thicker and thicker, gradually spreading out and dyeing the entire sky a blood-red color.

It was as if the end of the world had arrived.

Jiang Changge stood at the prow of the boat, watching this scene, his brows slightly furrowed.

"System, when will this Earth Vein upheaval subside?" he asked in his heart.

"Ding, this Earth Vein upheaval is expected to last for seven to fifteen days. The specific duration depends on the speed of the Immortal power leakage."

Jiang Changge nodded slightly.

Seven to fifteen days, not too long.

He just didn't know if the inside of the Purple Bamboo Forest would be affected.

Lu Jinghan and the others were still in the Secret Realm. They all had transmission jade talismans; even if the Secret Realm collapsed, they could escape in time.

Jiang Changge was silent for a moment, then turned to look at Lin Yanzhou behind him.

"Yanzhou, we are returning to Kunlun."

Lin Yanzhou raised his head, a hint of confusion on his small face: "Revered Master, are we not waiting for Senior Brother and the others?"

"No need to wait," Jiang Changge shook his head.

"The Earth Vein upheaval is becoming increasingly violent, and it is no longer safe outside the Purple Bamboo Forest. We will return to Kunlun first."

He paused, his tone becoming a bit gentler: "Besides, your Senior Brother and the others are no pushovers."

"Even if there is a problem with the Secret Realm, they will be able to come out safely."

Lin Yanzhou thought for a moment and obediently nodded.