Chapter 18: Panic Tomorrow

Dim moonlight and trickling starlight, like a thick mist, enveloped Chu Feng. From afar, a cloud of white vapor seemed to rise from him.

This was a very comfortable sensation. Chu Feng was practicing a special breathing technique; his chest and abdomen rose and fell, and a faint, clear fragrance emanated from his mouth and nose.

Historical records show that when some ancient Taoists or eminent monks passed away, their bodies did not decay, and the room would be filled with a clear fragrance. This was a very strange phenomenon.

Some said this was because they had studied elixirs for years, and their bodies had long been permeated by them.

Other scholars researched and believed that originally everyone would be like this, accompanied by a scent like orchids or musk. However, due to the world's impurity, only a few could emit this pristine fragrance.

Now, white mist swirled around Chu Feng’s mouth and nose, and a faint fragrance permeated the air. He could even feel that his saliva, when swallowed, was slightly sweet and fragrant, which was very comforting.

This was a peculiar breathing technique, performed according to a specific rhythm. Chu Feng felt his body become light, as if he were about to float off the ground.

This breathing rhythm caused his vital signs to strengthen, exhibiting vibrant vitality.

Not long after, the yellow ox opened its eyes first. With one front hoof pointing to the sky and the other to the ground, it mooed a few times in succession, signaling the end of its breathing practice.

As starlight showered down, Chu Feng also stopped. Vaguely, he had an epiphany: although the duration wasn't long, his body's vitality had reached saturation, and continuing further would be pointless.

"Crack!"Suddenly, Chu Feng heard the sound of the courtyard wall cracking. The ground trembled slightly. It wasn't violent, but he noticed it immediately.

"An earthquake?"Then, he heard shouts of alarm, and the town was no longer peaceful.

Suddenly, the streetlights went out one after another, and homes also dimmed simultaneously. The power was out.

At the same time, Chu Feng turned on his communicator, finding the signal blurry, and then it disconnected entirely.

"Moo!"The yellow ox let out a low bellow, its eyes shining brightly. It raised its head and looked towards the Taihang Mountains, where purple mists were blooming and silver light flowed.

Faint rumbling sounds could be heard.The drastic changes had begun again. Although far away, a sense of pressure could already be felt, and a mighty aura swept over them.

"More mountains!"Chu Feng was astonished. Looking into the distance, more mountains had appeared in the Taihang range. Some were tens of thousands of feet tall, even grander than before.

Was this the true face of the Taihang Mountains?Panic spread through the town, accompanied by people's cries of alarm.

Because the ground was stretching, some streets had broken apart, and some houses had begun to crack, showing terrifying fissures. If this continued, they would collapse.

The only consolation was that this change was not rapid.

This night was destined to be chaotic.Various fearful shouts of alarm and the cries of women and children continuously arose under the cover of night, creating utter pandemonium.

Boom!Some buildings collapsed."Mommy, I'm scared!""Waaah... Grandma, what's happening? Dongdong is so scared."Some children cried loudly, overwhelmed by fear.

On this night, Qingyang Town descended into chaos, a disaster it had never experienced before. Chu Feng rushed out to help people. What slightly reassured him was that there were not many casualties; people had managed to flee their houses in advance.

When morning came, Qingyang Town had completely transformed.A quarter of the houses had collapsed. Most of these were in the northern part of the town, as if they had been torn apart, with the broken structures now far apart from each other.

The eastern, southern, and western parts of the town were relatively fine. Houses were only partially damaged, showing cracks, but none had collapsed.

Water and electricity were completely cut off, and the impact of the ground fissures was immense.Three people died and a dozen were injured. Relatively speaking, it was fortunate that the ground fissures occurred very slowly, giving people enough time to escape.

Only a few individuals who slept too soundly did not leave their houses, leading to their tragic fate.

But this was enough to cause widespread panic. Such an event had never happened before, especially as no one knew what the future held. The environment was changing drastically, and the path ahead was shrouded in mist.

People are always apprehensive about the unknown. Because they don't understand or know, they find it increasingly terrifying.

This was precisely the situation now. It was a mysterious period, with strange phenomena occurring everywhere, accompanied by disasters. Who could say what kind of era they were heading into?

Would it be prosperous or terrifying? People felt utterly uncertain.

Qingyang Town was shrouded in gloom.Cries and uneasy whispers filled the air. People were dispirited and anxious, unable to see a future.

Moreover, water, electricity, and communication were all cut off. Isolated from the outside world, could they still expect rescue?

People didn't know what was happening outside, whether it was similar, or even more severe.

"Don't be afraid. Only a small portion of the houses collapsed; the rest are enough for us to live in. The power outage isn't frightening either; we have generators in town that will be running soon. As for the water supply, there's even less to worry about; a few ancient wells will be enough for our needs."

Old Man Zhao was speaking. Chu Feng had sought him out to calm the people. Old Man Zhao was considered highly respected in the town; his inherited craftsmanship, unique cold weapon workshop, and his broad-minded, robust character all earned him great respect.

Chu Feng returned home. His house was located on the easternmost side of Qingyang Town and was not severely damaged. Only the courtyard wall had a few large cracks, which had little impact.

The yellow ox was gazing towards the east. Faint golden beams of light bloomed in its eyes. It seemed a little excited, as if hoping for something.

"What are you waiting for?" Chu Feng asked.The yellow ox did not answer, remaining very quiet.

For several days, this place was isolated from the outside world, completely losing contact.Some people drove, attempting to go towards the county town, but many asphalt roads had broken apart. Long stretches of road had turned into dirt paths. They drove for over a hundred miles and still couldn't see any towns.

This made people anxious, and they no longer dared to drive recklessly onward, fearing they would run out of fuel and be unable to return.

It should be noted that normally the county town was only about ten li away from here, not far from Qingyang Town at all, but now everything had completely changed.

Furthermore, some mysterious great mountains had appeared along the way!

Some mountains were pitch black, exuding a sense of oppression. Others were lush with vegetation, where monkeys cried and tigers roared, which was quite astonishing.

If it weren't for the many familiar landmarks still present in this area, people would truly suspect they had entered another world.

Qingyang Town felt isolated from the world. People were very pessimistic. Even when the town's generators were running, the light at night could not dispel their fear of an unknown fate.

For several days, Chu Feng remained very calm, not panicking. He calmly observed everything.

His parents were in Shuntian, a massive city known as the northern center. All defensive measures were most complete there, so he wasn't overly worried.

For several days, he followed a routine. Every day, he practiced that peculiar breathing technique. The rhythm was neither fast nor slow, but he could clearly feel the changes within himself.

He had tried to lift the heavy stone table in the courtyard. This would have been impossible in the past. Even with his extraordinary physique, he could only lift it about half a foot high before.

Chu Feng was secretly astonished. The effect was too obvious.

Once in the morning and once in the evening, although the duration was not long, that special breathing rhythm seemed to be like gathering herbs, nourishing his body and enhancing his physical vitality.

During the remaining time, Chu Feng would go out and about, observing the changes in the mountains and terrain.

Some areas had been stretched, while others remained unchanged. He walked through all the familiar areas nearby, discovering that the overall area had greatly expanded.

Adjacent mountains, lakes, and other features had increased their distance from each other by more than tenfold. Other geographical features were much the same.

Chu Feng was momentarily lost in thought. Shuntian, originally the largest city in the north, was only about two hundred li from here. But if his current estimation was correct, wouldn't it now be two thousand li away?

If he wanted to see his parents, it would be very difficult now.

Six days later, his communicator suddenly picked up a signal.Chu Feng immediately contacted his parents. Both sides reported they were safe, and he could clearly sense the old couple's worry; they both wanted him to go to Shuntian City.

Because that place was considered the safest, with the most comprehensive defensive measures and various contingency plans in place.

Six dynasties had established their capitals there, perhaps for a good reason. Even during this drastic change, the entire massive city remained safe and sound. It was not a stretched area, and its buildings were intact.

This made Chu Feng even more relieved. He comforted them, saying that things would pass, and asked them to wait patiently.

"Chu Feng, are you alright? Oh my god, things have changed here! The county town has been split in half, and right outside the city are two colossal primeval mountains, reaching into the clouds, immeasurably vast." Zhou Quan called and spoke with him, shouting from his end, highly emotional, saying: "Guess what I saw? A toad, damn it, as big as a stone roller, and it was eating an elephant!"

Fatty Zhou was incoherent, shouting from his end.

Chu Feng finally understood: on those two mysterious colossal mountains near the county town, various inexplicable creatures had appeared. Although they hadn't descended the mountains yet, their beastly forms could be clearly seen with binoculars.

Zhou Quan had seen a toad as big as a stone roller chasing down various ferocious beasts, and even once pouncing on an elephant, pinning it down and devouring it.

After ending the call, Chu Feng fell into deep thought. If those fierce birds and strange beasts all came out, wouldn't the world fall into great chaos? He hoped they couldn't leave the mountains.

Next, his communicator kept ringing. They were all familiar friends and classmates, contacting each other to understand their current situations, and finally wishing each other caution and care.

The world was about to descend into great chaos. This was Chu Feng's initial feeling. If things continued like this, major events were bound to occur, and it would definitely get out of control.

After that, he quickly went online to read various reports and understand the details, because who could guarantee that the communicator signal would remain clear? It might disconnect at any time.

A drastic change had occurred all over the world!Many people were afraid, and many were crying. This was no longer the world they knew. Peace would never return. People sensed that a storm was approaching.

Houses had collapsed over large areas. Although the ground fissures occurred slowly, allowing enough time to escape, a small number of people still lost their lives.

People saw that the distance between two places had increased, generally by about tenfold. This meant that the entire world's area had expanded by more than a hundred times!

Some people cried out, believing that Earth was connected to other terrifying worlds.

Others said that this was the true face of the Earth, that a primeval land had been hidden in the past, only now revealing itself.

For a time, theories like folded space were continuously and deeply researched by various parties.

Various regions were restless. Photos of some miraculous sights were reported.Especially, auspicious phenomena were abundant in famous mountains and great rivers: divine trees blossomed, and sacred springs gurgled forth. Furthermore, some people were actually competing for these, appearing as if they had been prepared beforehand, which caused astonishment and suspicion among the populace.

For the past few days, the yellow ox had been very quiet. It stood in the courtyard, continuously staring into the void, as if observing something.However, in the depths of its eyes, there was fervor, excitement, and agitation. It was lying in wait, anticipating!

On this morning, as the bright red sun had just emerged from behind the Taihang Mountains, the yellow ox suddenly couldn't restrain itself. It let out a low bellow and beckoned Chu Feng to follow, then it directly rushed out of the courtyard!