Jiang Xiu looked at the mountain in front of him and pondered while furrowing his brows, trying to deduce the mountain's history. "Just where did this mountain pop out of?"
The mountain wasn't this tall when Nangong Kou'er had left. She commented without thinking much about it, "It came from underground. I was in the hotel then and felt as if the place was rising up to the skies. Maybe it went underground several years ago and emerged out due to the earthquake."
This is was what Nangong Kou'er felt after experiencing it personally and also the explanation the news media was giving.
After all, humanity had a short history, and although science and technology had developed a lot recently, nothing like this had ever happened in this world, and it'd be difficult for even a specialized archaeologist to prove this theory.
Dark clouds cluttered in the sky, lightning flashing across the horizon.
Jiang Xiu raised his head and looked at the sky with a sharp gaze. The dark clouds kept multiplying in number and darkness covered the sky. It seemed like a storm was brewing.
And this high mountain looked very odd under the thunder and lightning. The hotel on the mountaintop seemed to represent humanity's stand against the oppression of heavens. This gave a premonition of the arrival of turbulent times to Jiang Xiu.
Nangong Kou'er said, "Cursed weather! It's going to rain!"
If rain fell, it'd raise the difficulty for the rescue teams' operation, and helicopters would also be restricted as well. Especially so during a thunderstorm, helicopters were prohibited from flying during that such weather.
The clouds seemed to only gather above this mountain, and the sky was clear for the rest of the city.
Jiang Xiu became even more doubtful, "Just what is happening?"
Nangong Kou'er pulled Jiang Xiu along to run, "Walk faster. It's going to pour down heavily here. If you don't want to get sopping wet in the rain, better look for a place to hide from the rain."
The two of them sprinted quite far and arrived at a discarded supermarket. When they turned back to look, they saw that the dark clouds had already come quite low and within the darkness, the mountain appeared as if it had existed from the ancient times till now, displaying its sinister power to the extreme.
Rumble! Rumble!
Countless lightning bolts hacked down on top of the mountain. The mountain rocks got ruptured due to it, and the huge trees broke off at the midsection.
"Oh my God!"
Nangong Kou'er covered her mouth. She had never seen such terrifying lightning.
Rumble! Rumble!
Thunder kept resounding, and lightning kept falling, flashing across the skies before it dropped from the sky onto the mountain. The lighting formed an endless lightning net in the sky as it wreaked havoc as much as it wished.
"So terrifying!"
The ancient mountain remained unyielding, and firmly made its stand against the endless lightning.
"Why's there only lightning and no rain?"
Jiang Xiu didn't answer her question. He wore a grim expression on his face right now. After a few minutes, the lightning stopped, and the dark clouds covering the mountain dissipated, and not even a single drop of rain fell during all of this.
"This is too strange. Has the world gone crazy? The skies were covered with clouds and lightning kept falling, but there was no rain at all. This isn't scientific." Lady Nangong Kou'er was stupefied.
Jiang Xiu, however, smiled lightly in response. "It is scientific!"
This mountain wasn't allowed to exist in this world, and thus the heavens wanted to exterminate it, that's all.
"Is what those scientists say correct?"
"What did they say?"
"They say that the world is undergoing a change right now, that humans might evolve due to it and that this could even lead to the 3rd extinction of humanity." The information Nangong Kou'er had was inside news gathered by her family. The outer world still didn't have access to this, but many scientists around the world had come to a similar conclusion as unexplainable things were happening all over the world.
Dead trees were growing again, and some already extinct organisms were appearing in the world again.
"Hmm?"
After the lightning attacked the mountain, multicolored sunlight covered the mountain with a layer of resplendence. A haze formed of white mist covered the entire mountain and gave off an extraordinary immortal breath as if the whole place were a fairyland.
"There's spiritual energy…"
Nangong Kou'er couldn't help but praise, "It looks very pretty."
However, that immortal breath was just like the multicolored sunlight, it slowly scattered away. The mountain returned to becoming an ordinary mountain after that, or more accurate to say, it became a devastated mountain.
"Hmm?"
Jiang Xiu knew he hadn't mistaken what he saw. In that instant, the feeling he got was the same as that of an immortal land. Due to the divine punishment, this mountain had come to gain such potential. That is to say, this world was really undergoing a huge change.
Whoooom!
This was the sound of a propeller. Nangong Kou'er raised her head to look and revealed an excited expression on her face. "Jiang Xiu, our ride has arrived."
Jiang Xiu nodded slightly, but his gaze was fixed on that faraway mountain. By observing its terrain, it indeed felt a bit like an immortal land, but it couldn't be compared to the current state of the mountain.
The helicopter landed at a nearby vacant land.
The surrounding people watched the helicopter with rapt attention, sending an imploring gaze. They wished for help as they had nothing left, their city was destroyed, livelihood gone and didn't even have a house anymore.
A middle-aged man got down from the helicopter and ran towards Nangong Kou'er. "Miss, are you okay?"
Nangong Kou'er shook her head, "Third Uncle, I'm fine."
Her uncle saw that she was uninjured and her face was radiating with a glow so he relaxed his breath, "It's all well if you're fine."
"This is my friend whom I met on the way. Can we take him along as well?" She wasn't planning to introduce Jiang Xiu as his identity was a little sensitive.
Her uncle didn't ask about him as anyone she might've met on the way would be an ordinary person. He didn't even spare a glance towards Jiang Xiu. Ha City was in chaos right now, and they couldn't waste much time. The reason he was able to make this trip was due to the Nangong family using their influence and the time he had was limited.
"Quickly get on the heli. The situation here is quite bad."
"Mhm!"
After the three of them got on the helicopter, it took off immediately as if it were escaping from this place of calamity.
"Miss, the world isn't safe recently. Once we return to the Imperial Capital, please don't travel anywhere outside." Everyone wore headphones on the helicopter, and her uncle was seated in the front.
Her uncle said, "A secret document came over from the Genetics Division. Once you return home, the family will arrange a full-body inspection."
If they did a full-body inspection, the fact that she wasn't a virgin would be revealed. This was too embarrassing. Nangong Kou'er blushed then peeked towards Jiang Xiu. This perp was actually looking at the Ha City's scenery outside the window with a look on his face which seemed to say this matter was unrelated to him. She really wanted to throw him off the helicopter in a fit of fury. "There's no need for that. I'm not injured."
Her uncle replied, "It isn't due to a problem with your health. The full-body inspection is to determine whether they are any defects in the genes and confirm whether some people still have the ability to cultivate."
"Martial Cultivation? Didn't I already say I don't like it?"
Her uncle wore a solemn look, "It's different this time. It's genetic evolution and also a method to regain our ancestral form. It's possible to become a demigod or even a god!"
Jiang Xiu, who was looking outside turned back after hearing this.
"Demigod? God? What are you talking about?"
Her uncle finally recalled that there was another person on the helicopter, so he stopped talking about this topic. "We'll talk about it after returning home, okay? It isn't possible to explain it in such a short time. Anyways, you must follow the family's plans after returning home. A brand new era is about to begin. If our family wants to preserve our wealth and honor, we have to be a step ahead of everyone else."
Genuine elite families all possessed strong farsightedness, especially in such a turbulent era filled with opportunities. The determination, as well as the will to initiate, was the deciding factor of whether a family would prosper in the future, and as the children of the family, they were obliged to give their all for the family. Nangong Kou'er clearly understood this.
After the helicopter flew out of Ha City, it was as if they had returned to the human world from hell which was full of suffering. The blue sky was filled with white clouds and cities bustling with noise under it. Everything had returned to normal.
After 2 hours, the helicopter arrived at the Imperial Capital and descened in the Nangong family's home.
"Third Uncle, arrange a car to deliver my friend back home…"
Nangong Kou'er had no intentions to receive him as a visitor. She wished for Jiang Xiu to leave as quickly as possible lest her parents saw him. Her face was full of worry right now.
"Understood!"
Her third uncle had some kind of standing in the family, so he called a number and arranged for a car.
Jiang Xiu thanked Nangong Kou'er then left in the car. After covering some distance, Jiang Xiu made the driver stop and got down the car. He was worried that the Nangong family might research him and wanted to avoid this trouble.
After returning home, when he pushed the door and went inside, he found Lin Yueling waiting there.
He called out to her in surprise, "Mother, how come you're here at the Imperial Capital?"