Chapter 1 The Stockade

In the courtyard of the manor, a thick fog lingered, partially obscuring the cowshed, sheep pen, and chicken coop.

Several wooden basins, each a few meters in diameter, were placed in the courtyard, filled with milk and goat milk—a dozen of them in all. Next to them were rows of eggs, each over a meter tall, with one reaching a meter and a half.

It was a double-yolk egg.

"Hoo~"

Zhang Ji swallowed everything in the courtyard in one gulp, even the wooden basins.

"Evolution points +200000"

Hearing the notification in his mind, satisfaction appeared in Zhang Ji's eyes. The milk and eggs combined were equivalent to the evolution points provided by a giant wolf.

He had made the right choice in choosing the path of captivity; it was a path of sustainable development.

In the courtyard.

From the cracks in the doors of the cowshed, sheep pen, and chicken coop, eyes peeked out, witnessing the scene of the giant snake devouring everything, trembling in terror.

"It's a king cobra. Heavens, it has another head and has become even more terrifying."

"It's eating our milk and eggs."

"Quick, sisters, keep milking, keep laying eggs. If it doesn't get enough to eat, it will definitely eat us."

A group of women panicked in fear.

In a corner of the courtyard.

Hu San and a group of Dog Hall subordinates hid under the eaves, trembling in fear. Tied to a post on the wall behind them was a one-meter-long white husky, now huddled in a ball, its eyes full of terror.

It was Du She.

After being brought back to the manor by Hu San, it had been tied up here and used as a watchdog.

Now, it was terrified.

It never imagined that this manor was a place to provide food for that ferocious king cobra, that it was the snake's lair.

"Damn it, am I that unlucky? That evil snake had two heads before, and now it has grown a third."

"I can feel its aura is even more terrifying!"

"How could there be such a terrifying thing in this ancient ruin? No wonder there are so few creatures here; they've all been eaten by it..."

Du She swallowed nervously.

On its home planet of Tabi, although there were also snakes, creatures with dragon bloodlines were the top predators, with significant bloodline advantages and innate strength.

Second to them were the tiger clans, also dominant on Tabi.

As for the snake clans, although they were also strong, they were at most secondary predators.

But in this ancient ruin, that rule was broken. Snakes with ordinary bloodlines had become the top predators, especially this three-headed king cobra, which was clearly a high-end overlord!

"Hoo~"

The air reeked with a fishy stench.

Zhang Ji twisted its body and swam away, the middle head being the oval-shaped king cobra, the right being the white-eyed wolf king, and the left being the heteromorphic monster.

The three heads moved in unison, lifting high as the front of the body rose, terrifyingly ferocious and evil. The six scarlet eyes opened and closed, filled with a murderous light, like a prehistoric behemoth leaving its nest to hunt.

"Rumble"

The thick, long snake body passed through the town ruins, like a high-speed train moving through Xichuan Town, brutally crushing the broken walls and steel-reinforced concrete, leaving a frightening snake-shaped imprint.

"Squeak, squeak~"

From the distant mist, the sound of rats suddenly came.

It was a black rat, jumping quickly through the ruins of buildings, agile and swift.

Zhang Ji opened its mouth.

The rat's eyes were full of fear, and it hurriedly shouted, "Snake Lord, spare me!"

"I am Liu You Shan! Your Eunuch Liu!"

"There's movement in the Heavenly Pit Deep Cave. The brothers from the Rat Hall have sent news that something seems to be coming out of there."

Scarlet light blazed in Zhang Ji's eyes.

"Could it be that more food is being delivered to my door?"

Whirr.

Saliva poured from the heteromorphic monster's giant mouth like a waterfall, corroding the steel and concrete in the ruins, emitting a pungent white smoke.

A splash of saliva landed on Liu You Shan's paw, scalding off his fur, and the injury spread, causing him to squeak in pain.

"Snake Lord, save me!"

He cried out in horror.

But when he looked up, he saw Zhang Ji's three heads colliding and rubbing against each other, arcs of electricity flashing, covering his whole body. With a "whoosh," a gust of fishy wind rose, and he disappeared into the mist, shrouded in lightning and electricity.

"Snake Lord, wait for me!"

Liu You Shan was anxious, a fierce look flashing in his eyes. He bit down and snapped off his leg with a crunch.

The severed leg was thrown out, white smoke billowing, and was soon corroded into nothing but a black bone.

Like a lollipop.

"Hiss, Snake Lord's saliva is poisonous! Next time I talk to Snake Lord, I need to stand further away. What if Snake Lord's spit lands on my face?!"

Liu You Shan trembled in fear.

The eerie mist permeated and silently seeped into his wound. The severed leg was healing rapidly, recovering.

He stretched his leg and hurriedly rushed towards the Heavenly Pit Deep Cave.

Following Snake Lord was dangerous, but now was the time to show his loyalty.

Outside the Misty Forest.

Heavenly Pit Deep Cave.

At some point, the Heavenly Pit Deep Cave had grown larger, exceeding three hundred meters in diameter. The surrounding area was desolate and silent, the vegetation withered, and the forest, upon reaching this point, was forcibly restrained.

Vaguely, there seemed to be two invisible forces in opposition, but no one could see them.

One only felt that the air here was exceptionally oppressive, the atmosphere grim, causing inexplicable unease and fear.

"Woooo~"

The wind carried the vast, eerie mist, making chilling sounds in the forest. The red rain continued to fall, disappearing silently upon reaching the Heavenly Pit Deep Cave.

Several rats, each twenty meters in size, patrolled outside the Heavenly Pit Deep Cave, constantly peering inside.

From the Heavenly Pit Deep Cave, muffled sounds continuously echoed, like explosions, or like enormous beings moving around. Soil and rocks around the Heavenly Pit were constantly falling.

"A-San, have you notified the Hall Master?" asked Gao Xin, the leader of the Rat Hall, his eyes sharp and fierce, staring at the Heavenly Pit Deep Cave, filled with dread.

He was Liu You Shan's confidant, mainly responsible for observing the Heavenly Pit Deep Cave.

Next to him, a red-haired rat named A-San hurriedly gestured, "Hall Leader, don't worry, we've already sent someone to notify him. The Hall Master said to wait here; he's going to report to Snake Lord. Snake Lord might come later."

"Snake Lord is coming?!"

Gao Xin suddenly became excited. Many people in the Heavenly Snake Gang didn't know what kind of snake Snake Lord transformed into when he beastialized.

It was a secret.

He had once curiously asked the Hall Master, but Liu You Shan was evasive, only telling him, "Snake Lord's origins are as vast as the heavens, the great terror of Xichuan Town."

When he pressed further, Liu You Shan patted his head and said, "Don't ask, or you'll be scared to death!"

But that only made him more curious. He wondered what kind of great terror Snake Lord was, and how it could scare him to death.

"I, Gao Xin, don't even know how to write the word 'fear'. Even though I'm a rat, my rat guts are as big as the sky."

He murmured with a smile, full of confidence and arrogance.

But just then.

A fishy wind suddenly rose behind him, causing the vegetation within several hundred meters to tilt and sway. The fur on their bodies also flipped up.

Gao Xin and the many subordinates of the Rat Hall were startled and turned their heads to see the thick fog surge and roll. A behemoth revealed itself from the mist.

It was a titan boa.

Three ferocious heads looked down, scarlet, majestic vertical pupils opening and closing, naturally radiating a murderous light. The enormous snake body was not fully visible in the mist, but the grinding wheel-sized, blood-red scales gleamed with a metallic luster. The stench of blood and gore assaulted their faces.

"K...k...king cobra!!"

Gao Xin disgracefully wet himself with fear.

A group of subordinates also collapsed to the ground in fright.

"Slap~"

A rat paw fell, swatting them tumbling. It was Liu You Shan, his eyes full of anger.

"A bunch of idiots, what king cobra? This is Snake Lord, our dearest, most beloved, most magnificent Snake Lord, also the great terror of our Xichuan Town!"

He scolded and gestured, then respectfully bowed to Zhang Ji, revealing a fawning smile.

Gao Xin and the group of Rat Hall subordinates were dumbfounded, then collectively prostrated on the ground, bowing and paying their respects.

They were shocked, never imagining that the king cobra, which made people pale at the mere mention of its name, was actually Snake Lord.

Zhang Ji ignored them. He was observing the Heavenly Pit Deep Cave.

He hadn't seen it for a few days, but the Heavenly Pit Deep Cave had become even more eerie and sinister. He could clearly sense the evil aura emanating from within.

It was an aura of "death and decay," incompatible with living things.

The desolation and silence at the edge of the Heavenly Pit, where no grass grew, was the most obvious evidence, forming a stark contrast with the vast vitality of the Misty Forest.

"A confrontation of two forces? Or a struggle between two factions?"

Zhang Ji mused.

Now, after evolving nine times, he could more deeply sense the terror of the Heavenly Pit Deep Cave, a definitely supernatural existence, and seemingly with its own life.

A living Heavenly Pit Deep Cave, constantly growing and expanding—the thought alone made his hair stand on end.

"Boom boom boom"

Just then.

From the Heavenly Pit Deep Cave, another violent sound echoed, and the surrounding soil and rocks fell.

There were also bursts of low roars, heavy breathing, as if countless monsters were climbing up from within the Heavenly Pit Deep Cave.

Finally.

"Slap~"

A black, hairy paw suddenly emerged from the Heavenly Pit Deep Cave, and an excited laugh rang out at the same time...

"Is this the ancient ruin of that abandoned planet? Ba Ke, that trash, actually died here. I, Barton.....Ah?! What is that monster? Help—!"

"Chh~"

Zhang Ji's fangs and teeth opened and closed, blood splashing from his mouth as he enjoyed his blood feast. His scarlet vertical pupils opened and closed, radiating a murderous light, greedily and eagerly staring at the dark Heavenly Pit Deep Cave.

"More? So hungry..."