"Most of them were monks from various temples, along with Sequence Transcendents of the Buddhist cultivation lineage."
Cao Xianming's voice was calm, yet his words weighed like stones on everyone's chest.
"At first, these people were indeed wholly devoted to finding a way for humanity to survive, trying to uphold a glimmer of hope amid the apocalypse."
"But-as time passed, they discovered, to their despair, that the longer the apocalypse lasted, the stronger the Eerie became."
He paused.
"This world ultimately had only three paths: complete domination by the Eerie, humanity barely clinging to life, or total extinction."
Silence.
Even the sound of breathing seemed to have been sucked away.
"And so, the Buddhist Cultivator Society split."
"One faction advocated strengthening themselves and fighting the Eerie to the bitter end. The other conceived an even crazier idea-leaving this world."
"They believed that if the Eerie could descend from other worlds, why couldn't humans travel to another world?"
Cao Xianming raised his head, his gaze sweeping over everyone present.
"This splinter faction of the Buddhist Cultivator Society began frantically researching ways to escape the world."
"After generations of exploration, they finally touched upon the truth of this world-"
"Whenever a powerful individual tried to break through the world's barrier and ascend beyond it, four pillars of light reaching the heavens would descend in the east, south, west, and north, forming a vast net that blotted out the sky and sun, sealing the entire world tight."
"For countless years, countless powerful individuals tried, one after another-"
He shook his head gently.
"Not a single one broke through."
Someone drew in a sharp breath.
"The Buddhist Cultivator Society changed its approach again. They discovered that this world had long since entered an age devoid of spiritual energy. The spiritual power of heaven and