Apocalypse: Earth and Cultivation World Merge

Bella stiffened, pressing her hands against his chest and shoving him back. "I'm sorry, I think you've made a mistake."

Coco stood there, confused by her words. "Julia, please don't act like this," he pleaded, his voice breaking halfway.

The half-immortals behind him exchanged puzzled looks until they saw her face and realization dawned. They gave each other a knowing look but kept quiet.

"I'm sorry, I—I need to go," Bella stammered, fumbling around as she gestured for the nurses to help push the patient inside.

"Ms., I think I'm starting to go crazy," a young nurse beside her spoke up. "I swear there was a street there a second ago. Am I losing my mind, or does that look like…an ancient courtyard?"" she continued, pinching herself in an attempt to wake up from this 'dream'.

Bella's heart skipped a beat at her words. She looked around and saw everyone fixated on the courtyard before them, their faces filled with bewilderment.

"Um, you guys should see this," the supervising doctor called out, motioning to his iPad.

"…Metallic rain, the entire planet is covered in a blue hue. Strange places have appeared all over the world. Reports indicate that after every three tonnes of land, a corresponding three tonnes of unknown terrain has appeared. These newly formed areas contain humans—or rather, human-looking creatures.

This raises the question—what exactly is happening to our world? And, is this a foreign invasion?" the news anchor reported.

Bella turned her attention back to the man who looked like Mr. Jabbie, and fear gripped her. Are they aliens? Do they feed on the object of one's desire?

Taking a careful step back, she suddenly sprinted away, instructing the nurses to bring the patient inside.

Coco looked at the object of his hollowed heart and felt the urge to follow her, but then he recalled something—when he had hugged her, he hadn't sensed her spiritual root. Adding that to her reaction and the hint of fear in her eyes before she ran, he realized the truth.

That wasn't his Julia.

Only then did he start truly observing his surroundings. Something was off.

"Lord Immortal, the spiritual air is filled with a dark aura," Zac, one of the half-immortals, spoke out.

Coco spread out his spiritual sense and felt it too. "It must be that metallic rain," he concluded.

"Spread out and investigate the surroundings," he ordered, and the half-immortals immediately dispersed.

"Don't use your Qi. We don't know if it can be replenished yet," he added when he saw them about to expand their senses.

They nodded in agreement, levitating into the air and heading in six different directions—levitation used almost no Qi.

After they left, Coco decided to conduct his own investigation. But first, he needed to find out more about his Julia's lookalike.

Back at the hospital, Bella stood with her colleagues, their eyes glued to the TV screen. The footage from around the world played, but one video in particular haunted their minds.

It showed a seemingly normal day at the park when suddenly, people started clutching their heads, screaming in pain.

A short while later, silence fell. Just when everyone thought it was over, those same people lifted their heads—and attacked the ones next to them.

"Is this some kind of zombie movie that the TV stations accidentally aired?" one of the nurses muttered.

A few seconds later, their questions were answered when the Minister of Health appeared for an emergency broadcast.

According to the statement, the sudden atmospheric changes had caused massive ice melts in Antarctica, releasing thousands of ancient viruses that had been frozen for millennia. Somehow, these viruses had mutated or evolved into a single deadly strain—one capable of altering humans upon exposure.

As everyone struggled to process this revelation, a red alert flashed across all devices.

A new announcement instructed all citizens to return home and wear protective masks while specialized personnel conducted further investigations.

Of course, the "go home" order didn't apply to medical personnel, instead they were told to take precautionary measures- not take off their masks and they were to bind incoming patient's mouths inorder to keep safe.

So Bella and her colleagues were expected to continue their shifts

Outside, people rushed home, grabbing their children on the way.

Soon schools, parks, universities, cafes and all public areas were emptied and closed down.

The sense of fear and doom was thick in the atmosphere, but the health workers tried their best to keep a semblance of sanity as they hid their fear of each and every patient they were to tend to.

Somehow, everyone collectively forgot about the new arrivals, or rather they all subconsciously thought that they were of a lesser threat.

Coco who was observing with his senses drew back his senses when he felt the half immortals returning one by one.

After a long time only three returned, Zac volunteered to go back and look for them.

They waited around for a long time before Zac returned, his crest fallen face first came into view before they noticed the two lifeless bodies he was holding on to.

A look of shock appeared on all of their faces when they realized who's bodies they were holding on to.

Zac laid the bodies carefully and took a step back, his fists clenched into a tight grip.

The three bodies were mangled, and a dark coloured substance covered their bodies. Their eyes were now black all over and a rotting stench was coming off them.

"What happened?" Coco asked, blocking off his sense of smell.

"They tried scouting the infected areas and somehow they got the 'virus' too. I had to put them out of their misery." Zac reported in a monotonous voice, no evidence of his internal grief showing.

Coco knelt down before the bodies and examined them further.

"Judging from their state, they might have used up their Qi and attempted to cultivate to replenish it. Hence they got corrupted by the dark Qi in the atmosphere" Coco spoke after his examination.

A hint of worry appeared on their faces as they digested this information.

"So, the moment we run out of Qi - we can no longer replenish it and will have to live as normal humans" he concluded getting up and running his hands through his hair.