Chapter 708: Buried Alive

The dragon's breath, which swept away all "structures," not only devastated the buildings above ground but also impacted the underground shelters. The supporting structures of the shelters collapsed with a roar, signifying...

...that all the refugees taking shelter within them were buried alive.

While those hidden in houses on the surface might have escaped thanks to the power of Shinto, what hope did defenseless ordinary people have when faced with an avalanche of collapsing earth and bricks? Where could they possibly run?

*Thud—*

A staff member from the Huang Consortium crumpled to their knees on the spot.

Scarlet blood spread across the ground like spilled crimson dye. The coppery scent, mixed with the dust from the earth and rocks, invaded everyone's nostrils, relentlessly assaulting their senses.

"How could this happen... How could this be?"

Muffled murmurs escaped their throats. They felt as if all strength had been drained from them, and they stared blankly at the massive sinkhole before them.

Just a short while ago, they had been delivering countless batches of bread to these very underground shelters. Refugees from various towns across the Mortal Realm had responded with overwhelming warmth and gratitude, shaking their hands and profusely thanking them. They had all docilely hidden away in the shelters, simply hoping to return to their homes once the war concluded.

But now...

A gust of wind swept through, and everything felt like a shattered dream, vanishing without a trace.

"Tens of thousands of people were hiding down there!" someone cried out, almost losing their voice. "In an instant... they're all gone?"

"No... more than tens of thousands."

Another person, their face deathly pale, added, "That blast covered several surrounding districts. Besides this spot, there were countless other small and medium-sized shelters... If they all suffered the same fate as this one, the number of casualties could be close to a million."

Everyone's faces were utterly drained of color.

Uncle Quan stared blankly at the gaping sinkhole before him. After a long moment, he clenched his jaw and suddenly plunged into it.

He scrambled onto the collapsed ruins, frantically tearing away heavy stones and digging through the earth, all while shouting at the top of his lungs:

"Even if they're buried alive, there must be survivors! We can still save them! It's not too late!"

At his words, everyone snapped back to reality. They immediately swarmed forward, searching for tools, desperately attempting to dig into the ruins of the underground shelter.

However, a thick layer of concrete and earth separated the underground shelter from the surface, a barrier impossible to easily breach with mere human strength or shovels. Despite their frantic efforts, progress remained agonizingly slow.

Unseen by them, deep within the blood-soaked earth, countless tormented souls were slowly drifting skyward.

A massive alchemy array silently swirled amidst the clouds. A disheveled figure, reborn from the blood mist, stumbled and collapsed into the center of the array.

"Is this the oppressive force of a world-ending calamity? If I weren't an expert in human alchemy, I might genuinely be meeting my maker right now."

Brand coughed violently, his recently recovered mental energy once again depleted. Yet, he had no time for fear. His gaze swept over the scene below, and his eyes filled with delight!

"It worked! It's done! Hahahahahaha!"

From his vantage point, the Red Dust Main City, once bustling with buildings, had been flattened into a vast expanse of ruins by the dragon's breath. Dozens of sinkholes dotted the landscape, and countless tormented souls were being drawn by the alchemy array, ascending into the sky!

These souls belonged to both victims crushed instantly when the shelters collapsed and survivors buried alive but still clinging to life. However, under the influence of the alchemy array, whether dead or dying, their souls were forcibly extracted. As far as the eye could see, there were millions!

Millions of souls, simultaneously ascending in agonizing torment, filled every street. They came from every town.

The sight was like a churning sea of souls!

"Hiding underground? Was that effective?" Brand sneered. "Now they've simply become my sustenance."

Brand was ecstatic. He pressed his hands onto the alchemy array beneath him, channeling the power to gather souls to its absolute peak. Crimson lightning danced through the clouds, and the previously accumulated 990,000 souls rapidly merged into the surging sea of newly risen souls!

A single breath from Calamity had reaped a million souls. Combined with the previous 990,000, this was enough for Brand to forge two more Philosopher's Stones.

These two Philosopher's Stones, while perhaps not enough to restore Lord Wuji to his full peak, would certainly allow him to recover most of his strength. Even if they couldn't defeat Lord Hongchen, they would enable him to retreat safely.

Moreover, Brand was confident that with Calamity now present, the destruction of the entire Red Dust Realm was merely a matter of time. Refining all the necessary Philosopher's Stones would simply require a few more blasts of dragon's breath.

"Destroy the Red Dust Realm?" Brand murmured, raising his hands as he became entirely enveloped by the surging sea of souls.

With a faint smile, he stated calmly,

"It will be effortless."

Having unleashed one breath, Calamity did not cease its assault.

This time, however, it didn't pursue the bothersome human. Instead, it sniffed out a familiar scent and slowly turned towards another part of Red Dust Main City.

Its eyes, like empty wind tunnels, locked onto the Abyssal Blights of Ghost Scorn, currently engaged in the chaotic battle!

It flapped its skeletal wings and opened its enormous maw once more...

The second breath of dragon's fire began to gather!

"It's coming this way?"

Chen Ling, standing atop the Shadow Toad and having witnessed the entire spectacle, instantly paled.

As the furious winds swept towards Calamity, a profound sense of mortal danger washed over him. Simultaneously, countless scarlet eyes opened from the void behind him, staring furiously at the distant dust dragon as if provoked.

The Audience was growing restless!

Chen Ling had long suspected some animosity between Calamity and Scorn Calamity, but he hadn't anticipated Calamity pursuing him all the way to the Red Dust Realm, especially with such relentless determination to kill him.

He could feel the Audience within him stirring, seemingly desperate to emerge and teach this dragon a lesson. However, they were still confined to their seats behind the fourth wall, unable to directly intervene in the performance. This meant that if he were truly struck by this dragon's breath, no one would be able to save him.

"Damn it..."

Chen Ling's mind raced, desperate to find a glimmer of hope, but beneath the crushing pressure of a world-ending entity, all efforts seemed futile and powerless.

"Go!" Chen Ling stomped hard on the Shadow Toad beneath him. The creature immediately coiled, gathered its strength, and then surged forward in a mighty leap!

With furious winds whipping around him, Chen Ling covered several kilometers in mere breaths, thanks to the Shadow Toad's speed. After its massive body slammed into the earth, it immediately launched itself skyward again!

Chen Ling's movement speed was already exceptional, and he tried to use it to evade the dragon's breath lock. Yet, no matter how he twisted and turned, those wind-tunnel eyes remained fixed on him from above, and the threat of death showed no signs of diminishing.

The second breath of dragon's fire in Calamity's maw grew increasingly brilliant and turbulent!