Eternal Country

It wasn't that Yi Tianxing didn't trust Zhao Ziyan. But the moment others found out, they would inevitably begin crafting countermeasures, even going so far as to deliberately seek out weaknesses. That would eventually bring trouble. A secret only stays a secret if it's not spoken. The moment a second person hears it, it's no longer a secret.

"Mhm. As long as you can cultivate, that's great! From now on, Ziyan's counting on you to protect her." Zhao Ziyan said with a cheerful smile, clearly delighted.

"What's making you so happy?" Tang Zitong walked out carrying a tray of dishes.

"Oh, nothing. My brother just finished cultivating, and dinner is ready too. Let's eat together. It'll be dark soon." Zhao Ziyan beamed.

"There are monsters everywhere outside. Who knows what will happen after night falls. Let's eat quickly. We haven't had a proper meal all day," Chen Xuerou added with a nod.

The meal wasn't lavish—just some home-cooked dishes.

Minced pork with eggplant, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, stir-fried greens, braised pork, braised tofu, and a three-delicacy soup. Five dishes and one soup—neither too much nor too little. Just right for four people. Even though they still had plenty of food at home, none of them knew what might happen next.

In a cataclysm, food was the most important thing.

Without food, no one survives.

"Mhm, let's eat first. We'll talk afterward."

Yi Tianxing nodded.Without saying more, they all sat down at the table.

The three girls were decent cooks. They weren't chefs, but the food was tasty enough. And since all four of them were starving, they dug in heartily.

Outside, the howls of monsters echoed. There were even occasional screams.

But after a day of this, the three girls had started adapting. The overwhelming fear from earlier had dulled. Even hearing those noises now, they could still eat heartily.

Only when they were full could they hope to survive.

Only with strength could they do anything else.

Before long, the entire meal had been devoured clean. They knew well how precious each bite of food was now. None of them had the luxury to waste a single morsel.

Over the years, they had all seen countless apocalypse-themed movies. They understood that in a real apocalypse, food would become the most precious commodity. If it ran short, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"You three keep visualizing the 'Innate Qi Visualization Diagram.' Right now, the world is undergoing the most intense transformation. Every second counts. The world's elemental energies are violently shifting—any moment might give you the opportunity to grasp innate qi. Once you do, you'll have the power to protect yourselves."

Yi Tianxing advised. He sincerely hoped the three of them could progress quickly. Once they entered the path of cultivation, they'd finally be able to help. Right now, he could still protect them, but later on… that wouldn't be guaranteed. Strength was the ultimate foundation.

"Mhm, got it, big bro!" Zhao Ziyan nodded firmly. She had already started enjoying the visualization process. Trying to grasp innate qi felt like chasing after elusive sprites—it was strange and fascinating, never boring.

"Next, I'm going to sweep through our entire building. If we don't clear it out, we won't even be able to sleep in peace. Once I leave, lock the security door behind me. No matter who comes knocking—don't open the door."

Yi Tianxing's voice was firm. He couldn't tolerate danger lurking on his doorstep. With monsters possibly roaming inside the building, it would be hazardous everywhere. That was unacceptable.

"Brother Yi, take the Book of Heaven with you. It doesn't just identify treasures—it can also reveal information about monsters," Chen Xuerou said.

"Alright. I'll only be staying within the building. This place has tight security. As long as the front gate is locked, most monsters won't be able to get in. It won't take too long."

Yi Tianxing nodded.

After cleaning up the dishes, Yi Tianxing gathered his Tang saber, battle spear, and other weapons. He slung his backpack over his shoulder and stepped out the door without hesitation.

Click!

The reinforced door locked shut behind him. With the Tang saber in hand, he swiftly scanned his surroundings. Even though it was already night, and there was no electricity, the world outside was pitch black—yet with his Innate Yin-Yang Eyes, everything was as clear as day. That was just one of the most basic abilities of the Innate Yin-Yang Eyes.

Squeak squeak!

As if it had sensed human presence, the moment Yi Tianxing stepped out, a black shadow suddenly pounced down from above—completely without warning, as if it had been lying in ambush on the ceiling, waiting to strike.

"What the hell is that?!"

Yi Tianxing reacted immediately. At the sound of rushing wind, he looked up. A black shadow had already lunged at him. Without thinking, he swung his saber in a reverse arc. The black creature was bizarre—it somehow sensed the incoming attack and twisted its body mid-air, forming an arc to dodge. In an instant, it was already at Yi Tianxing's neck.

A chill surged across his skin.

Even though his reflexes were fast, its claw still grazed his neck—leaving several bloody scratches.

"You're dead!"

A Yin-Yang Chain shot out from his eyes like a flash of lightning, instantly binding the black shadow. As fast as thought, the chain struck. As swift as sight, so was its strike.

"A vampire bat!"

The bound shadow revealed itself—a huge, jet-black bat with blood-red eyes and razor-sharp fangs. Its teeth were hollow—designed to suck blood. Once it bit into a living being, it would drain them in moments, leaving behind a cold, shriveled corpse.

A terrifying assassin of the dark.

Even Yi Tianxing had been injured by its claws during its surprise attack.

Slash!

Without hesitation, he cleaved the bat's skull in half with one swift motion. It died instantly. Its soul was pulled from the corpse by the Yin-Yang Chain and dragged into his Yin-Yang Eye.

"This world really leaves no room for even a moment of carelessness. That thing nearly bit into my carotid artery. If it were someone else, they'd already be a dry corpse."

Yi Tianxing quickly took out a hemostatic spray and applied it to his wound, then sealed it with a large bandage.

His heart filled with caution. Who knew how many strange monsters had poured in from the rift during the cataclysm? The green-skinned creatures and wild beasts were just the beginning. There were far more bizarre, terrifying things out there.

Especially at night. Night belonged to the monsters.

One slip, and you wouldn't even know how you died.

"A treasure?"

After killing the vampire bat, a white Willpower Pearl floated up from its body, along with a glowing orb.

He tossed the pearl into his backpack and casually crushed the orb.

"Bloodspring"—a cultivation manual?

As the orb shattered, a jade tome appeared in his hand, inscribed with the archaic characters for Bloodspring. It looked quite unusual, but now wasn't the time to delve into it. After a quick glance, he stored it in his pack and continued heading downstairs.

The building was tall, and the elevators were out of service. For the average city dweller, going up and down even once would be exhausting. But to Yi Tianxing, it was nothing. Even in the past, he preferred stairs over elevators. One round trip didn't even make him break a sweat.

Let alone now.

With heightened alertness, the monsters in the building could no longer pose much of a threat to him.

Green-skinned goblins, dog-sized rats, even zombies—all terrifying in the dark. But under his saber, they all fell one after another.

He didn't use fancy techniques—just the simplest, most efficient strikes. Each swing aimed to kill.

With his True Dragon Qi growing, Yi Tianxing's power surged. Every swing of the saber left clear arcs in the air.

No matter how fierce or strange the monsters were, they all fell before him.

By the time he reached the bottom floor, he found the iron gate open. The guards had already been torn apart. The stench of blood filled the air—bones stripped clean of flesh, only sinewy strands remaining.

Shaking his head, he shut the gate tightly and returned to the building, beginning his second sweep.

This time, he cleared it floor by floor, knocking on every door. If someone answered, he moved on. If not, he broke in.

After hours of this, the entire building had been cleared. It took over two hours.

When he returned home, the three girls were already deep in visualization using the Sitting-Forgotten Sutra.

Without disturbing them, Yi Tianxing opened his backpack and checked his loot.

The Willpower Pearls needed no comment—he'd obtained over a hundred of them, all white. Not a single green one this time. He set them aside and examined the remaining orbs.

Crushing them one by one, most released rare crafting materials—not useful for now.

But among them, another tome emerged.

"Basic Spear Techniques."

Flipping it open, it contained the fundamentals of spear combat—nine moves: thrust, stab, smash, coil, circle, block, sweep, point, and flick. Each move filled an entire page.

On each page was an image of a martial artist in tight-fitting garb, demonstrating the technique. As soon as one focused their mind on the image, it came to life—like watching a spear master demonstrate in person. The vividness of the performance made it easy to grasp the essence of each form.

Just like the Basic Sword Technique and Basic Saber Technique before it, this manual could help someone quickly and completely master spear combat.