The Purgatory Calamity
Chapter 295 - 280 Cultivating the Mind_1

Chapter 295: Chapter 280 Cultivating the Mind_1

Sword Boat, third floor.

Pang Jian, leaning against the window, drew back his gaze from Fang Boxuan with an indifferent expression.

He felt a sense of surprise.

That prominent figure from the Blood Moon he first saw in Yuan Mang Fragmented Lands, always cautious, or rather, overly timid, unexpectedly had such an unknown side to him.

The young master of the military Fang Family from the Second Realm?

Pang Jian couldn’t help but recall when the Red Rosy Clouds Boat was mocked by the Demon Boat and broke through the Firm Wind layer again, it was Fang Boxuan who vehemently persuaded everyone to dispel their thoughts of seeking revenge against the Demon Sect.

It was also him who repeatedly reminded everyone that the Demon Sect was the strongest sect in the Second Realm.

The Fang Family originally depended on the Demon Sect, being the foremost military family of the Second Realm, only to face disaster because they did not follow the Demon Sect’s commands.

As a victim, Fang Boxuan should hate the Demon Sect to the bone, so why did he urge everyone to stay their anger?

"Does he not wish to draw the Demon Sect’s attention? Or is he too fearful to even harbor thoughts of revenge?"

Pang Jian found it hard to understand.

In the following time, the Sword Boat remained motionless.

Everyone was hoping that another group of people, or another intelligent being, would come.

They all yearned for someone to lend them a helping hand, to pull them out of the endless smoggy mire.

Even if the flag, which once released many ants and was imbued with the Alien God’s power, were to reappear near the Sword Boat, they would all feel joy and excitement.

The unchanged situation, the absence of newcomers for too long, made everyone restless and irritable.

However, the difficult situation of being trapped in the Mysterious Fog never saw a turning point.

The flame of hope in people’s hearts was slowly extinguished with each passing day.

Latterly, no one cultivated anymore, nor did they have the heart to practice, just looking lost at the eternal fog.

Pang Jian, who no longer pondered the Chaotic Sword Skill, simply maintained the existence of the Spiritual Power Strong Shield, silently observing the various human natures on the Sword Boat.

That day.

"I don’t want to wait for a turning point that will never come; I refuse to await the depletion of my Spirit Jade, and die from an unknown contamination like Wang Ji."

An Outer Sect Disciple from Sword Tower, under the long torture of despair and fear, suddenly lost his will.

He screamed into the never-ending fog from the deck.

"Pfft!"

He committed suicide with his Spirit Sword, his neck spraying blood, his head falling to the ground.

From the moment of his self-immolation, the dark despair quickly spread, gradually infecting more people.

People watched as his flesh decayed, his bones turning to dust, ultimately becoming a part of the "Mysterious Fog."

"Wang Xin, I want to be with you before I die..."

An Outer Sect Disciple from Black Valley approached his junior martial sister, his long-suppressed feelings bursting forth, he said with a hopeful look, "I am an Outer Sect Disciple, and you are an Inner Sect Disciple; your master has always disapproved of us."

"My Spirit Jade is running low, and I probably can’t hold out much longer. Wang Xin, if you’re willing, then we..."

He looked at his beloved nervously yet boldly.

The petite Black Valley female disciple pursed her lips and nodded lightly, tearfully said, "I’m willing."

Thus, the two walked hand in hand to the first floor of the Sword Boat, found an unoccupied room, and engaged in their affections.

"Zhao Liqun!"

An Outer Sect Disciple from Sword Tower, brandishing his Spirit Sword at a fellow disciple, exclaimed, "I’ve put up with you for a long time! I knew it, my Illusion Cloud Sword developed a major issue just because I lent it to you for a few days! Zhao Liqun, you vile wretch, I nearly died due to that sword malfunctioning during a hunt!"

"I did it."

Another Outer Sect Disciple from Sword Tower, sneered, "Either of us had the chance to be promoted to Inner Sect Disciples in the next test. You were my biggest competitor. It’s only natural that I wanted you dead."

"Haha! Zhao Liqun, since we’re all going to die anyway, I’ll make sure you go before me today!"

The two disciples from Sword Tower began their duel on the increasingly open deck, not caring about Qi Qingsong’s pale face.

Amidst the flying sword lights, their Spiritual Power Strong Shields were shattered by each other.

Almost simultaneously, they were both contaminated by the Alien Power in the fog; their flesh corroded first, and their bones, still stained with specks of blood, turned to dust and dispersed.

All the while, Qi Qingsong, knowing he could no longer manage the situation, kept silent throughout.

Without any hope in sight, the so-called order no longer held much significance.

He simply could not restrain those resigned to fate or those bent on death.

Who would care about his attitude when they’re set on dying?

"Boom!"

An attractive Outer Sect female disciple from Black Valley, who was nestled against an Inner Sect Disciple from the same sect, suddenly attacked, caving in his chest.

The dying, dark-skinned and unattractive Inner Sect Disciple could not believe it, reaching out towards her, "Why?"

"Ptui!"

The female disciple spit, left his gradually extinguishing pale blue Firm Cover, and said harshly, "If it wasn’t for you providing me with pills now and then, teaching me the ways of cultivation, would I have served someone as disgusting as you?"

"You should look at yourself; did you really think I would love you, willing to serve you willingly?"

She suddenly looked solemn, laughed neurotically a couple of times, and blurted out, "Liu Hai, I have avenged you."

"Back when we teamed up, you were killed by Fan Qi’s scheming, and knowing I was no match for him, I had to pretend to be oblivious and endure it. Today, I finally killed him!"

The murderer, watching the one named Fan Qi take his last breath, revealed a relieved expression on her face.

After confirming that Fan Qi was truly dead, she laughed heartily and then ended her own life.

Despair continued to spread.

The various strange incidents that erupted after the brewing and fermenting of numerous negative emotions began to occur frequently on the Sword Boat.

Everyone gradually became numb to it.

"Countless creatures, devious human hearts."

Zhou Qingchen also came to the window, joining Pang Jian in looking down, and after a moment of reflection, he suddenly said, "Pang Jian, my Spirit Jade is running low."

"Mhm."

Pang Jian took out half of his Spirit Jade and handed it to him, feeling an infinite sense of emotion.

He did not know how much time had passed, but on this Sword Boat lost in the "Mysterious Fog," he had developed a feeling of having seen through the complex nature of human hearts.

The truly despairing ones, as death drew nearer day by day, no matter what bizarre acts they committed, nothing would surprise him now.

Even, he would find it normal...

In the Cloud Thunder Forbidden Zone, through a crack in space, he saw that powerful alien creature, lion-like, tiger-like, go mad upon sensing a clear coordinate.

The urgency of that alien power, the excitement of rekindling hope in its heart, he finally had a deep understanding of.

Until he found himself lost in the "Mysterious Fog," he realized how tormenting and unbearable it was to be in such a protracted, hopeless, and helpless situation.

Death, perhaps, truly was a release.

Those with frail willpower, seeing their Spirit Jade diminish day by day, watching the people around them be consumed and turned into nothingness, their minds and bodies were constantly being ravaged.

——This was a slow torture on the soul and the heart.

This was more terrifying than facing death head-on.

How long had it been?

The people on the Sword Boat had already shown their ugly natures, their dark sides bursting forth.

That being, drifting in the "Mysterious Fog" for who knows how many years, how much time had it endured being tainted?

It did not even have a single intelligent being to talk to; its flesh was eroded, leaving only bones.

Yet it continued to desperately seek a sliver of life.

"The strong forever remain strong, their tenacity and unwavering willpower make them never give up."

Pang Jian had an epiphany.

He saw the loss of the Sword Boat as a cultivation of the inner self, a tempering of willpower.

He affirmed his own beliefs, preparing himself to never give up, even at the very last step.

Some time later, Pang Jian left his room and found Qi Qingsong, who was sitting desolately on the third floor’s balcony.

"Shouldn’t the belongings of the deceased, the usable Spirit Jade and Spiritual Artifacts, as long as they still contain spiritual power, be distributed evenly?"

"For those who still harbor hope and are willing to wait, if it is confirmed that they truly do not have any Spirit Jade left, should we prioritize distribution to them?"

Pang Jian offered his suggestion.

Qi Qingsong’s spirit was shaken, and he said, "You haven’t given up?"

Pang Jian nodded, "As long as we’re alive, there’s still hope."

"I..."

Qi Qingsong’s once tranquil heart was stirred with ripples.

The ripples gradually spread, and his dull eyes began to shine a little at a time.

"Alright, I’ll take charge and coordinate!"

Qi Qingsong, who had resigned himself to fate and neglected everyone, suddenly flew down from the Sword Boat’s third-floor balcony and began to collect the belongings left by those who had been eroded to bones.

He encouraged the morale of the people.

He called out loudly, urging everyone to keep on holding out, to never give up.

However, not many truly listened.

The ones still alive watched him with vacant eyes.

Although they were clearly still living, their eyes were filled with the haze of deathly loss.

Their hearts, their willpower, their desire to survive, seemed completely eroded away.

No matter what Qi Qingsong said to those people, they had no reaction whatsoever.

They just sat numbly, mechanically, their bodies rigid, drawing power from the Spirit Jade in their hands.

Once the spiritual power in their Spirit Jade was exhausted, they would take out one or two more pieces and continue to draw power relentlessly.

Until they could no longer produce any Spirit Jade, then they just let their spiritual power strong shields dissipate, let the dense fog corrupt them, let themselves become part of the nothingness.

They were still alive, yet it was as if they had already died long ago.

"It’s useless, no matter what you say, it’s meaningless to them. I think they can’t hear your words because their souls have long been troubled," said the silver-haired girl, Zhao Yuanqi, sitting desolately on the deck, to Qi Qingsong, who was trying to rekindle everyone’s morale: "People, what they fear most is losing all hope. Over time, they become like this."

"Unless the Sword Boat successfully reaches the Absolute Sky Forbidden Land, or returns from this Mysterious Fog to Purgatory."

"Otherwise..."

Zhao Yuanqi shook her head, "Otherwise it’s useless what you say. They can’t heed you, and perhaps they simply can’t even hear you anymore."

Qi Qingsong was startled.

Seeing the numbed living dead sitting around, he felt a surge of fear. He suddenly looked towards Pang Jian with urgency on the deck.

At that moment, he wondered...

If it were not for Pang Jian coming to find him, if it were not for Pang Jian talking to him, if it were not for Pang Jian helping him affirm his confidence and beliefs, would he slowly have become like those people?

He couldn’t remember how long he’d been sitting desolately, nor could he remember how long it had been since he’d last spoken before Pang Jian came to him.

The survivors on the Sword Boat, who should have vented negative emotions and settled grudges, had done so long ago.

It had been a very long time since there had been any conflicts or disturbances.

This Sword Boat, still with many alive, hadn’t heard the sound of anyone speaking for a long time.

Movement, visits, conversations, everyone had stopped them all.

Qi Qingsong himself was also gradually becoming numb, seemingly destined to become one of those despaired living dead at some moment.

He suddenly felt a great terror.

On closer inspection, he found that those whose eyes still showed alertness, who were still listening to him talk, indeed... were very few.

"How could this be?"

...