Yang Hong and his companions left without any lingering affection, merely passing each other by.
For the mortals who had not cultivated, surviving the black despair was a significant question.
Even if they survived, their lifespans were finite, making it impossible for them to have much interaction with Yang Hong and the others, who had a lifespan of 8,000 years.
The nine of them left Chishi Village and flew directly towards Zikun Mountain at full speed.
"Hmm? So many cultivators are fleeing. Did they receive a reminder from their ancestors, or did a powerful figure see something amiss with this black despair?"
As Yang Hong and the others flew over the great city below Zikun Mountain, they saw a large number of cultivators escaping.
"Perhaps there are inheritances left within the city, and some skilled cultivators have detected the anomaly in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth."
Regarding Yang Hong's question, Mu Xiuhui replied with some uncertainty.
"Perhaps. I can also sense some strange fluctuations in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth now; it feels as though the entire world has become more volatile."
Speaking of this, Yang Hong paused for a moment, looking down at the tens of thousands of mortals in the city below, running around in a panic like headless flies.
To the west, the yellowish-red lines had already formed a yellowish-red curtain and were sweeping towards them.
"Alas... let's go."
He could only offer a silent prayer for the mortals below: "Don't die."
Then, he urged his flying sword with all his might towards the Zikun Mountain range, but his speed gradually decreased.
The spiritual energy of heaven and earth was becoming increasingly volatile!
As they ventured deeper into the Zikun Mountain range, more and more cultivators were transferring, an overwhelming and dense multitude. Cultivators were flying on their swords both in the sky and on the ground, rushing frantically.
"It seems that many people are aware of the abnormality of this black despair. I thought I knew some great secret."
Seeing so many cultivators relocating, Mu Xiuhui couldn't help but playfully chide herself.
Yang Hong comforted Mu Xiuhui.
"For most local cultivators, it may not be a great secret, but for us outsiders, it is indeed a significant revelation."
"Right, there's another secret: once we go above 2,000 zhang into the Zikun Mountain range, we won't be able to fly anymore, because the spiritual energy becomes violent beyond that altitude."
Speaking of secrets, Mu Xiuhui added another point.
"Mm, I see it too."
As they spoke, they were nearing the 2,000-zhang boundary of the Zikun Mountain range.
The boundary of the Zikun Mountain range was very distinct. Below an altitude of a thousand zhang, there were only low bushes and various flowers and grasses, with no trees exceeding ten feet in height.
Above a thousand zhang, tall trees began to appear, gradually transitioning into dense forests; above 2,000 zhang were snow-capped mountains.
However, the temperature of the snow-capped mountains in the Zikun Mountain range gradually decreased, still supporting various trees and cold-climate plants.
Yang Hong saw the cultivators flying ahead of him land immediately upon entering the snow-covered area.
He had been so focused on flying that he accidentally exceeded the 2,000-zhang limit and spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Damn it! What's going on with the spiritual energy up here?"
The violent spiritual energy almost caused Yang Hong to go berserk.
"Master, this is why there are almost no high-level cultivators in the western part of the Zikun Mountain range. Above 2,000 zhang, there is this strange, violent spiritual energy. Below 2,000 zhang, the spiritual energy concentration is insufficient.
Therefore, there are no cultivators above the Integration stage residing in the western Zikun Mountain range."
Mu Xiuhui pulled Zhu Yuyan and the others to land safely and gently patted Yang Hong's back to help him calm his breathing.
"This spiritual energy is truly unsuitable for cultivation, but such a place is indeed suitable for us to live in seclusion."
Yang Hong nodded in agreement but thought in another direction.
"Master, let's focus on escaping first. I feel like the sky is about to fall."
Mu Xiuhui interrupted Yang Hong's musings, her face pale. Her true form was a peony, and she was more sensitive to certain dangers in the world.
The nine of them dared not waste any more time and began to sprint with all their might.
At this location and at this time, even Yang Hong could no longer use earth or wood escape techniques.
Therefore, once cultivators crossed the snowline, they were on equal footing, and could only proceed on foot.
As they ran, Yang Hong suddenly stopped.
"Stop—I have a bad premonition. If we continue forward, we will definitely die!"
"How can that be? Master, are you sensing it wrong? We need to run faster. It's still over 300,000 li to cross the Zikun Mountain."
"No, you guys look at the sky. The yellowish-red clouds have already passed over our heads, and isn't the mountain entirely covered in snow?"
"Yes, the higher we go, the more snow there is."
"I don't know if any of you have experienced an avalanche, but I know that avalanches are extremely dangerous natural disasters."
As Yang Hong spoke, his expression became increasingly grave. With so many cultivators rushing up the snowy mountain, the probability of triggering an avalanche was very high.
Once an avalanche occurred, they would likely be buried alive.
If it were any other time, it wouldn't be a problem; they were all cultivators, capable of holding their breath for months or even years. However, the black despair could cause spiritual energy to go berserk, and if they directly entered a state of qi deviation, dying beneath the snow was commonplace.
"Follow me."
Yang Hong had no time for further explanations. He glanced at his surroundings and ran towards a valley to his left.
The Zikun Mountain range was a vast mountain system with numerous peaks of varying heights. Yang Hong had his eye on a towering mountain with a rocky core and dramatic, jutting peaks.
Upon reaching the valley at the foot of the mountain, he immediately summoned his flying sword and began to cut into the mountain.
"Let's all use our flying swords and carve out a cave, quickly!"
As soon as they began, Yang Hong felt the violence of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth more clearly. Even he, whose true qi was the purest in the world, could feel the chaotic spiritual energy entering his body, causing his meridians to prickle like needles.
Rumble... rumble...
In just a short time, Yang Hong stopped his actions.
The avalanche that was expected did occur. Although it was hundreds or thousands of li away, he could still feel the mountain trembling.
"Quick! Get in, and keep digging. I'll keep watch outside."
Yang Hong called out, pushing Jia Yuanchun, who was beside him, into the cave. At the same time, he used his storage ring to collect the surrounding rocks and piled them up to block the cave entrance.
"Finger pointing to steel ~ Pfft ~"
Yang Hong managed to barely complete a "Finger Pointing to Steel" before spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood. The chaotic spiritual energy at this moment had become so severe that even spells could not be used.
Daring not to use any more spells, Yang Hong quickly dumped rocks from his storage ring at the cave entrance and took out all the spirit artifacts and swords above the fourth grade.
"Ah~ Ah~ Help~ Help~"
"I don't want to die~"
"Mom~ I'll never cultivate again."
Just as Yang Hong was barely able to block the cave entrance, screams of desperation erupted from outside the cave.
He released his divine sense, which spanned 900 li, to observe the situation outside.
The world had already turned dark, and countless sand particles were cascading down from the sky like a torrential rain.
These sand particles carried terrifying impact force. He saw many Golden Core stage cultivators being washed away in the sandstorm, leaving no bones behind.
Even Nascent Soul cultivators' nascent souls fled their physical bodies, only to be quickly ground to dust by the sand.
Furthermore, countless cultivators were swept down from the mountaintop by the avalanche.
The thick snow cover was rapidly melting due to the heat generated by the high-speed descent of the sand, and the cultivators caught in the avalanche were quickly reduced to nothing by the sand.
"Holy hell~ The attack power of this sand is at least that of a sixth-grade Separation stage!"
Seeing this, Yang Hong cried out in shock and quickly turned to dig deeper into the mountain.
At this moment, the black despair had just begun to descend, and its true power had yet to manifest!