Eternal Country

According to the Heavenly Tome, the Cataclysm was the process of the Heavenly Dao transforming—evolving. Or perhaps, it was a form of metamorphosis triggered by the Cataclysm, birthing new rules. A new Heavenly Dao would emerge, adapting to the changes sweeping through the world. The disappearance of the sun could very well be tied to this transformation—perhaps even one of the signs of its unfolding.

Whether that's truly the case, only time would tell.

"Brother, we don't really have any supplies to keep warm—just a few blankets. The only winter clothes are yours. If it actually snows and gets cold, we won't even be able to leave the house," Zhao Ziyan said worriedly.

It was September. No one could've anticipated the sudden disappearance of the sun, so naturally, they hadn't prepared for the cold. There weren't any winter clothes—just a few blankets at home. If snow truly started falling and they had no way to keep warm, stepping outside for even half an hour, let alone fighting monsters, could freeze someone stiff.

"Keep visualizing the Primordial Qi Diagram and cultivating the Sitting Oblivion Sutra. As long as you can sense Qi and open your Divine Sea, you'll generate true Qi within your body. That will greatly enhance your physique. True Qi can resist the cold—wearing even a thin robe, you won't feel the chill. Strengthening your body is more important than any winter clothing. Seize every moment and break through as soon as you can," Yi Tianxing said after a brief moment of thought.

As long as they reached the Divine Sea Realm, the external cold would no longer be a real threat to a cultivator's life—unless it was a rare and unnatural kind of chill. With Yi Tianxing's current cultivation level, he could stand in the snow without warm clothing and still feel no cold. True Qi circulating in the body could dispel internal cold.

Especially in a time like this—still September—stores wouldn't even carry winter clothes. Even if Yi Tianxing went out searching, finding any would be difficult. The only solution was for them to break through to the Divine Sea Realm in the shortest time possible—becoming cultivators would make them immune to the harsh winter.

"Got it, Brother. We'll work hard to break through as soon as possible. Last night, I almost managed to grasp the primordial Qi. I'm sure I'll succeed today and officially become a cultivator," Zhao Ziyan replied confidently.

Her visualization had grown increasingly smooth. Among the three women, she and Tang Zitong were progressing the fastest—both on the verge of breakthrough. Chen Xuerou was a bit slower, but she too was only a step away. If all went well, all three might open their Divine Seas today.

"Let's eat first, then resume cultivation," Yi Tianxing said promptly.

Without delay, the three women headed to the kitchen and prepared a simple breakfast—century egg and lean pork congee, along with a couple packets of pickled vegetables. After finishing the meal, they immediately resumed their visualizations with zero hesitation.

Clearly, they were all highly motivated to cultivate.

"The sun has vanished. Darkness has fallen. Without sunlight, the world's temperature is plummeting. It's already extremely cold now—around five or six degrees Celsius. It's only going to drop further—eventually hitting freezing temperatures and triggering snowfall. Those who survive this will have a hard time."

Once the women returned to their visualization states, Yi Tianxing stepped back onto the balcony and looked outside. The air was icy; the breath from his mouth instantly turned to white mist. That alone was enough to reveal just how much the temperature had dropped.

"It's a shame. With everything happening so suddenly, how many people will be able to survive? I don't know how my parents are doing… or my brothers. They should've made some preparations after I called them, but it was all too sudden—no time to get ready. All I could do was give them a heads-up. Beyond that, there's nothing more I can do."

"Survival of the fittest."

Though he was deeply worried, there was nothing Yi Tianxing could do. Although Chen Xuerou and Tang Zitong hadn't voiced it, he could see that they too were worried about their own families and friends. But no one said anything—they weren't children. They understood the state of the outside world all too well.

No matter how worried they were, it was impossible to go searching for loved ones. Just stepping outside was a life-threatening risk. Monsters were everywhere.

None of them asked Yi Tianxing to help find their families. Tang Zitong never brought it up—she came from a martial arts family, and her relatives were far more capable than the average person. They could likely fend for themselves. Chen Xuerou hadn't mentioned it either.

Besides, their relationship with Yi Tianxing wasn't close enough to warrant such a life-risking favor.

In this world, you couldn't expect to get what you want just because you're a woman and ask nicely.Especially in the apocalypse.Asking for too much was simply unreasonable.

The fact that Yi Tianxing allowed them to stay and even gave them access to the invaluable Sitting Oblivion Sutra for cultivation—that alone was a favor beyond measure. Before all this, they hardly even knew him.

So even though their hearts were filled with worry for their families, they didn't speak a word of it. Instead, they focused completely on cultivation—hoping that by becoming stronger, they could fight monsters, navigate through danger, and eventually find their families themselves.

The temperature continued to fall. Threads of cold seeped from the heavens.

Even the monsters had started to go dormant—hiding in high-rises and alleyways. While cold posed less of a threat to monsters than humans, they too acted with caution, driven by an instinctive sense of danger. Besides, the slaughter from the previous night had depleted their strength. Many monsters were now quietly recovering, some even entering a state of hibernation.

They were conserving their strength—waiting for the next bloodbath.

After surveying the scene outside, Yi Tianxing returned to the living room, took out another Willpower Pearl, and began circulating the Heavenly Dragon Scripture, silently cultivating. Wisps of worldly energy flowed endlessly into his body, rapidly being refined and merged into his Divine Sea.

In the darkness, time slipped by unnoticed.

Yi Tianxing fully refined a Willpower Pearl, adding over a hundred streams of true dragon Qi to his body.

"It's snowing."

Opening his eyes, he could see clearly even in the pitch black. Thick snowflakes the size of feathers were falling from the sky, blanketing the earth. The world outside was entirely covered in white—sky, ground, buildings, and even the bones of the dead from the previous night.

Heavy snow.

It fell like a torrential downpour.

Blanketing the heavens, shrouding the city, covering the slaughtered corpses. As if purifying the world—washing away all filth and impurity.

The temperature had dropped below zero. Ice crusted the ground. Streams froze over. Even the purified water in their home's buckets turned to solid ice—and that was the temperature indoors. Outside, it was even worse. Anyone who stepped out now would freeze to death.

Even blood would freeze in one's veins.

It was certain—people would die from the cold.

This wasn't winter—it was September. No one was prepared for this level of cold. The abrupt shift in temperature would be fatal—especially to the elderly. Most wouldn't survive.

The thought made Yi Tianxing feel a twinge of sorrow.

He could only regret that he lacked the power to stop any of this.

All he could do… was watch.

"Help!!"

Just as Yi Tianxing was about to leave the balcony and return inside, a sudden cry for help pierced the silence.

He immediately turned his gaze toward the sound. Even in the darkness, his vision was razor sharp.

Down below, in a snow-covered street at the base of the building, a group of people carrying torches was fleeing through the snow—not just one or two, but a whole group. Flashlights were useless, so they used torches soaked in gasoline and lit aflame—giving them both light and a way forward through the snow.

But the torches, while providing light, also acted as beacons in the darkness—drawing monsters toward them like moths to flame. As soon as the monsters came close, people began to die. A golden-furred rat was chasing the group closely.

They seemed like an improvised group—some middle-aged men and women, along with several younger individuals. Judging by their expressions, many of them looked like students—likely from Shanghai University. The older ones might've been teachers or professors.

Their group was large—at least a hundred people.

Clutching their torches, their faces were pale from the cold. Even wrapped in winter clothes and blankets, they couldn't keep the chill at bay.

A few muscular students wielded weapons—iron rods, long fruit knives, even fire axes—scanning the surroundings with vigilance. But most of them looked terrified.

"Professor Yu, what do we do now? Over a hundred students have already died. It's too cold—if this keeps up, we'll be torn apart by those rats. The ones that died were completely devoured—not even bones left!"

"Yes, Teacher Feng, let's find shelter. Out here on the streets, we have nowhere to dodge those things. And this cold—it's like we're entering another Ice Age now that the sun's gone. If we stay outside, we'll all freeze to death!"

"What should we do now? There are too many rats… and that golden one is terrifying. If we rush in, we're throwing our lives away. Nowhere's safe. Not even the army can get through. We're doomed!"

Cries and sobs echoed through the crowd.

These were students and teachers—when the Cataclysm struck, monsters descended, and campuses were among the hardest hit due to their large populations. The more people there were, the more monsters were drawn in.

This group had managed to escape the university.

Though they had numbers on their side, and theoretically the ability to fight back, they were up against an army of giant rats—relentless, endless, and utterly insane.