Chapter 166: A Common Man

It was a harrowing sight.

Over the endless East Sea, raging billows touched the heavens, and towering waves dozens of feet high blotted out the sun as they rolled relentlessly forward. Houses, trees, and every other tangible structure near the coast collapsed with a deafening roar, as fragile as paper before the terrifying tide.

Compounded by wave upon wave of crushing, unending pressure, every cultivator present felt as though they were facing the end of the world.

Many cultivators had fled swiftly the moment the anomaly first appeared, but those who remained were now trapped as if sinking into a quagmire, making even the simplest movement exceptionally difficult.

With every surge of pressure that swept over them, numerous cultivators bled from their eyes, ears, mouths, and noses. Worse still, those who were already teetering on the brink exploded into fragments with a sharp bang.

The coast of the East Sea, regarded by all as the supreme holy land for cultivation on the Martial Soul Continent, was transformed into a living purgatory, devouring lives with every passing second.

"Save me..."

"Ah... How could this be..."

Amidst the endless wails, Ye Feng hurriedly pulled Jialuo and the others along, urging the golden divine dragon with all his might to escape into the distance.

Faced with such a terrifying spectacle, let alone Ye Feng, even some veteran Spirit Emperors would have been utterly helpless.

What kind of place was Dragon Island? It had been one of the apex powers across the entire Martial Soul Continent ten thousand years ago. Every single divine dragon residing there possessed strength comparable to human supreme masters.

Yet now, after enduring a ten-thousand-year period of decline, the Martial Soul Continent clearly lacked even a single individual who could truly be called a supreme master.

In the distance, everyone was panic-stricken. Some cultivators ran for their lives on foot, while others soared through the air, their faces ashen and devoid of color, none daring to look back.

Terror gripped every heart in the face of this unknown pressure. No matter how high one's cultivation level might be, it appeared utterly powerless against a force akin to the Wrath of Heaven.

For many, the primary thought was simply to flee this place as far as possible. In their minds, the worst-case scenario was merely the annihilation of the Ancient Loulan City, robbing them of their premier cultivation grounds.

Only Ye Feng felt a terror that reached the very depths of his soul at this moment.

If the ancient Dragon Island were to manifest in the world, the skeletal remains and endless resentment lingering upon the bloody beach would completely eradicate every living soul across this realm.

He did not harbor the slightest doubt regarding this outcome. Perhaps against an ordinary army of skeletons, high-level cultivators could wipe out hundreds or thousands with a flick of their wrists, and those who knew the skeletal weaknesses could swiftly eliminate vast hordes...

Yet... what about that white jade skeleton? Ye Feng had ample reason to believe that buried beneath that terrifying coastline were entities far exceeding even the might of the white jade skeleton.

Roar...

The divine dragon bellowed angrily, and the pressure weighing upon heaven and earth intensified further. Even though they had fled for more than a thousand miles, they could still perceive that suffocating aura.

Boom...

At a certain moment, a sudden flash illuminated the distant East Sea.

It was an eternal beam of light, possessing the power to pierce through time and space. In almost an instant, the entire Martial Soul Continent was illuminated as brightly as day, and a brilliant golden radiance spread across the length and breadth of the realm.

Immediately following came a thunderous roar that shook the heavens and the earth. The ground trembled violently, and bottomless chasms split open across the land.

Mountains collapsed, and giant trees toppled. The endless ocean waters surged backward like savage beasts, swallowing every tangible thing in their path.

"Ah... Why... Why is this happening..." Some civilians, caught deep in slumber, were instantly crushed beneath collapsing houses, crying out in desperate agony.

"Cruel heavens! I have lived a life of countless good deeds; why treat me thus? My grandson is not even a month old..." In a dilapidated courtyard, a white-haired old man wailed toward the heavens. Trembling, he gazed at the ruined courtyard and his panic-stricken family members, then slowly sank to his knees.

Despair flooded every mind at this moment. Whether silently in their hearts or aloud with their voices, everyone cursed the heavens. Yet facing this divine wrath, these helpless civilians could do nothing more than drop to their knees, pleading for the ruthless heavens to show even the slightest mercy and allow at least one of their loved ones to survive by sheer luck.

Seated astride the body of the divine dragon forged from spiritual energy, Ye Feng watched the heart-wrenching scenes unfolding below. A heavy stone seemed to lodge in his chest, rendering him speechless for a long time.

Cultivators fled for their lives, while civilians could only remain quietly, hopelessly in place, awaiting the arrival of the grim reaper.

"No, I cannot remain idle. I triggered all of this, and I cannot stand by and watch innocent civilians die because of me!" At a certain moment, the golden giant dragon abruptly halted its flight.

Hearing his words, Jialuo and the others turned pale with shock. The sights along this journey had torn at the hearts of even those hardened by a lifetime of separations and reunions. They understood Ye Feng's intent and grasped the thoughts lingering in his heart.

Yet in the face of such terrifying devastation, even a Celestial Sovereign would be powerless, let alone Ye Feng, who was merely a half-step Spirit Emperor.

"Are you insane? Who do you think you are? How could you possibly halt this world-destroying pressure?" Xiaoye grabbed his arm tightly, terrified that Ye Feng might act rashly and do something reckless out of impulse.

The pressure continued its relentless spread, and civilian after civilian exploded into fragments amidst their cries of anguish.

At this juncture, Ye Feng suddenly smiled. "Having brothers like you makes this lifetime worthwhile for Ye Feng. But when certain actions are taken, one must have the courage to bear the consequences. I cannot be a cowardly craven. The Ye family produces no cowards, nor does it tolerate the weak."

Before his words fully faded, spiritual energy surged throughout Ye Feng's body, and he pushed Jialuo and the others off the divine dragon.

Roar...

The giant dragon bellowed and then charged unhesitatingly back toward the direction of the East Sea.

"Bastard, come back here..."

Jialuo roared, channeling his spiritual energy with reckless abandon as he surged into the void.

Yet his hopes were dashed. In terms of speed across this world, only the Kunpeng of the Nine Heavens could rival the soaring dragon.

In the span of a few brief moments, the divine dragon, dozens of feet long, had shrunk to a speck barely visible to the naked eye.

"Squeak... Squeak..."

Just as Ye Feng embraced a mortal resolve to uncover whatever anomaly was occurring within Dragon Island, the chittering of a monkey sounded beside his ear.

"Huh?" Ye Feng's expression shifted drastically at the sound.

The next instant, the monkey dashed swiftly from the dragon's head straight toward him.

Squeak, squeak...

There was not a trace of panic on the monkey's face. It leaped onto Ye Feng's shoulder and grinned foolishly, completely oblivious to the gravity of the situation.