Lup Zheng started walking for the city to investigate the situation.
But when he reached the city he saw the city was completely destroyed because of beasts attack. Once glorious city present condition is a scene of ruin.
Broken walls lay scattered like dead bones. Houses were collapsed, roofs smashed into the streets. Fire was still burning in many places, black smoke rising slowly into the sky. The air smelled of blood, dust, and burned wood. Luo Zheng felt his chest become heavy when he saw this.
The main street was filled with claw marks and deep footprints. Some were as big as water jars. Clearly, powerful beasts had rushed into the city during the earthquake. Many cultivators and ordinary people did not even get the chance to escape.
Luo Zheng walked carefully. He saw broken weapons on the ground—swords snapped in half, spears bent like soft iron. Here and there were bodies, some human, some beast. Most of them were already cold. His eyes darkened.
"So the earthquake was not the only disaster," Luo Zheng murmured. "Beasts used the chaos to attack."
He clenched his fists. This world was far more cruel than Earth. On Earth, disasters were natural. Here, disasters came together with killing.
At the center of the city, a tall tower had completely fallen. Under the rubble, faint sounds could be heard. Luo Zheng quickly moved the stones aside with his strength. Soon, he found a wounded middle-aged man.
The man's clothes were torn, his face pale. When he saw Luo Zheng, his eyes lit up.
"You… you are alive…" the man said weakly.
"What happened here?" Luo Zheng asked.
The man swallowed with difficulty. "The earthquake started suddenly. The city formation was damaged. Not long after that, beast tides came from the mountains. Powerful ones… very powerful…"
Before he could finish speaking, his breath stopped.
Luo Zheng stood up slowly. His expression became firm.
"This is not a place to stay anymore," he thought. "The Tong Xuan Realm is changing."
He looked toward the distant horizon, where the Holy Sect was located. Even from here, he could feel a faint pressure in the air.
"First, I must get stronger," Luo Zheng said quietly. "Only then can I survive in this world."
Without turning back, he left the ruined city and walked toward the unknown path ahead.
2 months later,
The cave was deep and well hidden. Almost no light could reach inside. Only a few thin rays slipped through the narrow cracks above, barely lighting the ground. The cave was cold. The air smelled of wet stone and earth. From time to time, drops of water fell from the ceiling and hit the ground, making quiet echoing sounds. Everything was silent.
At the center of the cave, a young man sat cross-legged on a flat stone. His back was straight and unmoving, like a statue carved from rock. Around him, several spiritual stones were placed in a simple circle. They gave off weak light and slowly released spiritual energy.
The energy floated in the air like light mist and was pulled toward the young man's body. With each breath, Luo Zheng absorbed it into his meridians and guided it into his dantian. The process was slow and tiring, but he did not stop.
Luo Zheng wore a white robe. It looked plain, but it was not ordinary. Fine metal threads were hidden inside the fabric, forming faint patterns. On his back was a dragon design. As spiritual energy moved through his body, a weak light passed along the dragon's scales, making it look alive for a moment.
Luo Zheng had been cultivating in this cave for over a month.
During this time, he barely moved from this spot. Day after day, he absorbed spiritual energy, stabilized his realm, and tempered his body. Hunger and loneliness no longer bothered him. Compared to becoming stronger, these things were nothing.
Inside his body, spiritual energy flowed again and again. His meridians slowly widened, causing dull pain each time. Luo Zheng endured it quietly. He knew this pain meant growth.
After a long while, the flow of energy slowed down.
Luo Zheng's eyelids moved.
He slowly opened his eyes. A sharp light flashed in them, then disappeared. He did not stand up right away. He stayed seated and checked his condition. His breathing was calm. The spiritual stones around him had become dim. Some were cracked. Others had completely lost their energy.
Luo Zheng looked at his hands and clenched his fists slightly. A wave of strength surged out, making the air tremble faintly.
"So this is my strength now…" he said quietly.
Compared to before, he felt much stronger. His foundation was stable. His body felt solid and full of power. His senses were sharper too. He could hear water dripping deep inside the cave and feel the weak airflow near the entrance.
He stood up slowly.
As his feet touched the ground, a cracking sound rang out. Thin cracks spread across the stone floor. Luo Zheng paused for a moment, then calmed down.
He hadn't expected his strength to increase this much.
He glanced around the cave one last time. The spiritual energy here was almost gone. Staying longer would be useless.
"It's time to leave."
He turned toward the cave entrance. The light outside was bright, making him narrow his eyes slightly. His white robe moved with his steps, and the dragon pattern on his back flickered faintly.
This cave had helped him grow.
But outside, a bigger world was waiting.
And Luo Zheng knew clearly—this was only the beginning.
Luo Zheng slowly recalled everything that happened after he left the city.
"When I left that ruined city, I only had one thought," he said in his heart. "I wanted to see the world, gain some experience, and find the real reason behind that terrifying earthquake."
So he chose a random direction and started walking.
After several days, he reached another city. Compared to the last one, this city was still standing, though many buildings were damaged. There, he asked around about the earthquake. Most people didn't know much, but he kept hearing the same rumor again and again.
They said the earthquake was caused by the Holy Master of the Holy Sect.
At first, Luo Zheng did not believe it. An earthquake that shook almost the entire Tong Xuan Realm… how could it be caused by one person?
Still, the name "Holy Sect" stayed in his mind.
Because of that, he decided to head in the direction of the Holy Sect.
On the way, he passed through another city. This time, the news shocked him even more. People were openly discussing it in the streets. No one tried to hide it.
They said the Holy Master had killed the Demon King and several Demon Generals. Not only that, he had declared that all sects in the Tong Xuan Realm must submit to the Holy Sect.
Luo Zheng was stunned when he heard this.
At first, he thought it was exaggerated talk. Rumors often became bigger as they spread. But after asking many people and checking different sources, he finally confirmed it.
The news was real.
At that moment, Luo Zheng felt a strong pressure in his heart. He clearly understood that such a level of power was far beyond him. If he continued toward the Holy Sect without enough strength, it would only be seeking death.
So he changed his plan.
"As fast as possible, I need a quiet place to cultivate," he thought.
He began searching for information about abandoned areas—places where no one had been for many years. After some effort, he finally found clues about such a place and set off immediately.
However, fate did not move according to his plans.
While traveling, he hunted beasts to support himself. During one hunt, the ground suddenly collapsed beneath his feet. Because of the recent earthquake, countless cracks had appeared across the land. Before he could react, he fell straight down.
At that moment, Luo Zheng thought he was done for.
Who would have thought that inside that deep crack, he would find a hidden cave?
Even more unbelievable, there was a spiritual stone vein inside. From the traces left behind, it was clear that an old cultivator had once stayed here and cultivated for a very long time.
Thinking back to it now, Luo Zheng let out a slow breath.
"Luck and danger truly walk side by side," he thought.
If not for that accident, he would never have found this place. And without this place, his current strength would not exist.
All the events played clearly in his mind.
Only now did Luo Zheng fully understand—every step he took had quietly pushed him forward to this moment.