Eternal Country

Those monsters had no concept of rest.

They had descended from the skies upon the world, and countless humans were no more than blood-filled prey in their eyes—weak, delicious, and defenseless. Their eyes already bloodshot with frenzy, they charged like wolves and tigers toward the scent of human flesh. Even high-rises and skyscrapers could not hide people from the relentless monsters that stormed in, wave after wave.

There were simply too many of them.

Although the rifts in the void vanished moments after appearing, the number of monsters that emerged from them was beyond comprehension. They swarmed like locusts, covering the land and sky—not only in cities, but even more so in the suburbs and wilderness. And those closer to urban centers were all madly charging inward. To them, cities packed with people were like flames in the dark—impossible to ignore.

Screams of terror echoed constantly.

Everywhere.

Fortunately, the rifts had disappeared shortly after opening, and no new monsters were emerging.

"I hope this is the end of their arrival," Yi Tianxing said with a deep breath as he looked outside the window. "Otherwise, I don't know how many more people could survive this. This situation is just too brutal."

The outside world had become incredibly dangerous.

Strange monsters roamed the streets. Even the skies weren't safe—flocks of flying beasts circled high above, occasionally diving to snatch up humans as food.

People were dying every second.

Bang! Bang! Bang!Boom! Boom! Boom!

Just as Yi Tianxing and the girls finished sorting their supplies, a sudden barrage of gunfire erupted outside.

"Brother! Gunshots! There's a garrison near Shanghai—this must be the army responding, beginning to hunt the monsters!" Zhao Ziyan exclaimed with visible relief on her face.

"That's intense gunfire, and it's close by!" Tang Zitong stood up, visibly excited.

No matter the situation, the military always brought people a sense of safety.

Yi Tianxing and the three women moved to the balcony. Around them, many other people, having heard the gunfire, also rushed to their balconies and windows, excitement and hope lighting up their faces.

"The army is here! Finally, the government has sent the military to rescue us. With the army's powerful firepower, those monsters will be wiped out in no time!"

"Kill them! Kill all these man-eating beasts! Kill every last one of them! My parents were eaten by those things!"

"Where are the tanks? The fighter jets? The helicopters? Why don't I see them?"

More than a few people shouted in a mix of excitement and frustration.

But soon, people realized something wasn't right—the only sounds were from automatic firearms, grenades, and small arms. There was no sign of tanks, armored vehicles, helicopters, or any large-scale war machines. This was clearly abnormal.

If the military were truly deployed, it was impossible for them not to bring heavy equipment.

"There's no heavy machinery or mechanized weapons... something must have gone wrong," Yi Tianxing said as he listened closely to the gunfire.

"My phone won't turn on anymore. It had a full battery before. Something must've damaged it—we can't use it at all." Zhao Ziyan held up her phone and shook her head.

"It's probably that mysterious force from the cataclysm. All electronic devices were destroyed. The power grid was knocked out right from the start. I'd say almost all modern tech is completely useless now. If we can only rely on guns... we might not be able to turn the tide at all. Chaos is inevitable."

Yi Tianxing took a deep breath, his tone grave.

He had already noticed earlier that electricity was entirely gone, and all precision devices had failed. Under these conditions, national infrastructures were effectively paralyzed. Each region would have to fend for itself—it was already becoming a reality.

The gunfire had drawn the attention of a huge number of monsters.

They surged in the direction of the fighting, making the gunfire even more intense.

Still, many people trapped inside their homes felt a renewed flicker of hope, praying the military would charge in and kill the monsters, saving them from this nightmare.

But that hope quickly began to fade.

The gunfire lasted over an hour.

Yet it remained on the outskirts, never penetrating into the city center.

And gradually, the volume and intensity of the shooting began to drop.

"The military can't get into the city. The monsters came too suddenly—likely a large number of soldiers were killed in their own barracks before they could respond. The cataclysm hit at dawn. No one would've been ready, not even the soldiers. Even if they were awake, they'd have only just started their morning routines. Caught off guard and unarmed, there were probably heavy casualties."

Listening to the fading gunfire, Yi Tianxing shook his head slightly.

He hadn't put much hope in military rescue to begin with, so he wasn't too disappointed.

But it did make the looming global crisis seem all the more terrifying.

The military represented a nation's core violence and power—its most direct and formidable force. Yet now, in the face of an unforeseen disaster, even they couldn't play a decisive role.

Without their cutting-edge modern weapons, without their heavy firepower, their strength was drastically reduced.

Missiles—scrapped.Nuclear weapons—scrapped.All electronics—destroyed.

Without automation, it was like being thrown back into the early 20th century. Ordinary guns alone weren't nearly enough to fight off hordes of monsters.

Especially when some of the monsters were bulletproof.

Like zombies—bullets felt like tickles to them.

And the wind-blade-spitting blue wolves. Not to mention the countless flying beasts overhead. Yi Tianxing had already seen swarms of vultures circling in the sky. Each one massive and menacing. They had also started flying toward the gunfire. They clearly weren't going there for sightseeing.

If even the army couldn't deliver a decisive blow, then the collapse of civilization was only a matter of days.

There was no changing the current situation.

Unless power was restored. Unless communication resumed. Unless those large-scale weapons could be used again.

But that possibility was basically nonexistent.

Ever since the Cataclysm began, the world itself had changed.

Most notably, all electricity had been wiped out. All precision equipment destroyed. As for the exact cause, Yi Tianxing had no way to determine it. It might be the very laws of nature changing.

"What do we do now?" Zhao Ziyan asked, clinging to Yi Tianxing's arm, her voice unsettled.

"The world has changed completely. No one knows what comes next. But the collapse of modern civilization is now unavoidable. We must start preparing early. This world is changing, and I suspect cultivation may become the new path forward. Since we have the Scripture of Sitting Oblivion, you three should start cultivating right away—see if you can sense anything. If you can step onto the path of cultivation, it will help you greatly in the future."

Yi Tianxing could already feel it—since the Cataclysm began, the world's natural energy had been growing richer. He had started cultivating and had opened his divine sea, condensing a strand of true dragon energy within his body. His sensitivity to this energy was far beyond normal. He could clearly perceive how the world was transforming.

The spiritual energy of heaven and earth was recovering rapidly.

And with that recovery, the age of cultivation was awakening.

For those who started early, the benefits were immense—being able to sense and connect with the world's energy more easily, to form their own true qi, and to open their divine seas.

"Brother, how do we cultivate the Scripture of Sitting Oblivion?" Zhao Ziyan asked, a glimmer of excitement in her eyes.

"The most important part is the Visualization Diagram. You must concentrate entirely, clear your mind, and meditate upon the 'Primal One Qi Diagram.' Observe it and try to sense the Primordial Qi."

Yi Tianxing laid the scripture out before them.

"Alright! Zitong, Xuerou—let's cultivate together. Let's see who breaks through first!" Zhao Ziyan grinned.

"Here, Big Brother Yi—this is the Heaven Book. You said you wanted to study it before. Now's your chance." Chen Xuerou handed him a jade-like, radiant book—this had been agreed upon earlier.

"Alright, I'll see if I can uncover any of its secrets."

Yi Tianxing accepted the Heaven Book without hesitation. As he touched it, a cool, soothing sensation flowed into his hand, clearing his mind.

The three women sat cross-legged on the floor, with the Scripture of Sitting Oblivion spread open before them. On the page was the mystical Primal One Qi Diagram, a swirling image of primordial energy that seemed to move and shift like something alive—utterly mesmerizing.

As they focused on it, their consciousness sank deeper and deeper into the visualization.

They no longer responded to the world around them.

Thoughtless. Mindless. One with the image.

Yi Tianxing turned his gaze to the Heaven Book in his hand.

"It's time to see what secrets lie within this Wordless Heavenly Tome…"