Chapter 1

The sky dawned, and the morning light dispelled the darkness of the night, illuminating the vast land and bringing warmth to the world.

Black Wind Safe Zone, on a hundred-meter-high watchtower.

Daoist Bai He and Master Yuan Kong stood on tiptoe, gazing at the eastern mountains. In the morning light, the thin mist had not yet fully dispersed, revealing an ethereal divine light. The eastern mountain range was faintly visible, with the mist heavier around the coordinates of Xichuan Town.

However, the scenery within was not entirely obscured.

After a night, the eerie mist had dissipated for the most part, vaguely revealing a forest of towering ancient trees and the shadows of some ancient buildings.

"What is that? Is that a city wall?" Daoist Bai He exclaimed.

Instead of seeing familiar skyscrapers, they saw an ancient and magnificent city in the mist, its walls reaching into the clouds, their end unseen.

Master Yuan Kong, also shaken, chanted a Buddhist prayer, "Amitabha, perhaps the Buddha has manifested. This is a divine city. No human power could build such a great city. Do immortals, Buddhas, or gods reside within?"

On the ground, on rooftops, many people were also gazing east, and they all saw the mysterious ancient city.

Because it was so large, taller than many mountain ranges.

Wu Yue and Zhao Mei excitedly shouted, "That must be Snake King City! The King Cobra mentioned it, and even invited Master to visit. So this is Snake King City."

"Master, Master, let's go! Let's go visit Snake King City together!"

Their shouts suddenly awakened the people.

"That's right, that giant beast came from the direction of Xichuan Town. Perhaps only it would live in such a large city."

"The question is, is that Xichuan Town or Snake King City?"

"Uh, regarding that question... why don't we go take a look together and find out what happened?"

This suggestion resonated with many people.

Especially the older generation who had been agitated all night. Their relatives or friends were all in Xichuan Town, so they were particularly concerned about this matter.

But the journey was long, and they had to cross several mountains. Now that the vital energy had been revived, the mountains and ridges were filled with mutated plants and ferocious beasts. People asked several grandmasters to protect and lead the way.

The grandmaster guardians held a meeting to discuss and finally decided to only send Daoist Bai He, Master Yuan Kong, and Black Fist King three grandmasters to investigate, while the remaining grandmaster guardians stayed behind at the Black Wind Safe Zone base camp.

"Take enough weapons and ammunition, and enough talismans. Be careful on the road, and send us a message when you arrive," several remaining grandmaster guardians instructed, seeing Daoist Bai He and the others off.

"Wait for me, I want to find my Second Uncle! My Second Uncle is called Zhang Ji, and he is also in Xichuan Town, take me with you!" Just as the city gate was about to be closed, an old man came running with a cane, followed by a group of children who couldn't catch up.

At this time, the old codger seemed to have erupted with primordial power, moving as fast as a rabbit.

The city gate guards recognized the old man. His name was Zhang De, and he was an elderly dementia patient living in the outer slums. He always talked about his Second Uncle, and had been for many years, so everyone knew about it and laughed about it.

Several guards saw him rushing over and blew their whistles, pushing and scolding the old thing to go back and not make trouble.

The guard captain walked up and reprimanded the guards, "When the sky is crazy, there will be rain; when people are crazy, there will be misfortune. Full rice stalks always bend, wise men are always gentle. What did I tell you? Isn't it just being a guard? If you have a gun in your hand, you should know how to protect everyone even more."

He seemed to have his own story, and his tone was strange. He sighed, "This old man is also missing his relatives. Seeing that he is old, he lives one day less each day. Let him go."

He waved his hand and ordered the gate to be opened, then helped Zhang Fu across the drawbridge.

He joked, "Grandpa Zhang, take care on the road. If you really find your Second Uncle, remember to say hello to him for me. Doesn't your Second Uncle like to eat chicken? Tell him to come to the safe zone to my house as a guest, and I'll treat him to chicken."

"Fragrant roast chicken!"

He patted his chest with a hearty smile.

"Young man, what's your name?" Zhang Fu actually stopped, leaning on his cane and asking seriously.

The guard captain grinned and said, "My name is Li Fan."

Zhang Fu nodded, "Okay, I remember it. Young man, when I find my Second Uncle, I'll have him come to your house for chicken, fragrant roast chicken, hehehe."

He grinned, revealing his two remaining yellow teeth, and hobbled after Daoist Bai He and the others outside the city.

A group of children, daughters-in-law, and sons-in-law stomped their feet in anger, scolding him for not being considerate when he was old, and blaming the guard captain for letting him go. Then they discussed among themselves who would accompany the old man to Snake King City.

But no one wanted to go.

Because it was too dangerous outside, with high mountains and dense forests, and monsters roaming in the deep mountains and swamps. Even with grandmaster guardians accompanying them, it was still difficult to ensure safety. Moreover, they all had their own children to take care of.

In the end, the children, daughters-in-law, and sons-in-law decided to draw lots. The result was that the third son was chosen.

The third son, named Zhang Wu, looked bitter when he saw that he had been chosen, and howled miserably to the heavens. Then, after embracing his wife and children to say goodbye, he strode after Zhang Fu with his knife.

Guard Captain Li Fan shook his head as he watched, but didn't say much. Although the third son Zhang Wu was reluctant after being chosen, he resolutely said goodbye to his wife and children and accompanied Zhang Fu away, which was considered filial piety.

"Close the gate, be vigilant!" Guard Captain Li Fan shouted, watching the backs of Zhang Fu and the others disappear into the mountains. His gaze was bleak.

"If it weren't for my duty, I would also like to go to that Snake King City to see. My maternal great-uncle became a live-in son-in-law back then, in Xichuan Town. So many years have passed, I wonder if he is still alive?..."

Li Fan sighed.

His maternal great-uncle was a good old man, very honest, but he heard that his life was not good after becoming a live-in son-in-law. The woman's family had good conditions and looked down on his maternal great-uncle who came from the countryside. He was often scolded by his mother-in-law.

Li Fan had not met his maternal great-uncle. He heard it from his deceased mother, so he knew that he had a distant relative in this world, but he disappeared in Xichuan Town.

Now that Xichuan Town has reappeared, he also desperately wants to know if his maternal great-uncle is still alive.

This is also his only bond with Xichuan Town.

~

The group left the Black Wind Safe Zone and headed east to meet the sun.

The mountain road was rugged, dangerous and blocked, and dew soaked their pants.

At first, there was a narrow path to follow, but after half a day, there was no road at all. It was all deep mountains and swamps and primeval trees. Poisonous insects and ferocious beasts roamed in the humid and dim forest. Animal droppings were everywhere, and there were bloody hairs hanging on the fallen tree stumps.

"Be careful, draw your swords, load your guns, don't wait for the danger to come before you draw your sword, it will be too late!"

Black Fist King shouted sternly, his sharp eyes scanning the surroundings.

The crowd was frightened, and some people already regretted coming out, but at this moment there was no turning back. Without the company of a grandmaster guardian, ferocious beasts could tear them to pieces in less than a hundred meters in the forest.

~

Chapter 2

There were thirty-odd people in total, led by three grandmasters: Daoist Bai He, Master Yuan Kong, and Black Fist King.

The three of them exuded white light, which was the release of their Grandmaster Realm martial arts true energy, intended to deter the beasts lurking in the forest. The journey was thrilling but without danger.

The captain of the exploration team, Han Feng, was also in the crowd. He had no relatives in Xichuan Town, and he was only following to find and collect more spiritual herbs to break through his bottleneck as a half-step grandmaster.

Zhang Fu walked at the end of the team, supported by his third son, Zhang Wu. Light talismans were pasted on his legs and feet, so walking was not a problem. Daoist Bai He was next to him, his aura long and sustained, and the grandmaster's pressure emanated, so the surrounding beasts and poisonous insects did not dare to approach.

"Grandmaster Bai He, do you also have family in Xichuan Town?" Zhang Fu asked.

He raised his foot to cross a fallen tree. A poisonous scorpion as big as a bowl suddenly jumped out from under the tree, but he stabbed it to death with his cane and picked it up, handing it to his son Zhang Wu. Zhang Wu was disgusted, but he said it was a tonic spiritual medicine, and your wife would like it after eating it. Zhang Wu immediately beamed and put it away.

Daoist Bai He glanced at the father and son, smiled, and nodded, "Yes, I am going to Xichuan Town to find my master."

"What's his name? I'll help you ask about him when I get there."

"His surname is He, and his name is He Zhiguo. He's a famous person in Xichuan Town, a great calligrapher. Many people call him Teacher He," Daoist Bai He said with a respectful tone.

Zhang Fu hadn't heard of this person, but he muttered it several times to make sure he remembered the name, and then said, "I'm going to find my Second Uncle. My Second Uncle's name is Zhang Ji. If you meet him, please tell me."

"Okay!"

Daoist Bai He agreed with a smile.

They traveled during the day and rested in tents at night. The purple moon hung in the sky, casting a colorful moonlight that illuminated the grass and trees like seaweed.

The crowd had been walking for a day, but they were not tired. After the revival of vital energy, human physique greatly increased. Resting at this time was just to conserve energy.

Han Feng and several other cultivators who were stronger meditated and practiced, breathing in and out vital energy. Wu Yue and Zhao Mei and the disciples of Black Fist King and Master Yuan Kong gathered together to discuss Daoism and Buddhism.

They all had grandmaster guardians teaching them, and they were strong and talented. They gained a lot from exchanging ideas with each other. Han Feng and the others also joined in the discussion.

After a while, Wu Yue and Zhao Mei lost interest, because their talents were average. The reason why Daoist Bai He accepted them as disciples was also because they were good at handling affairs. The spells and techniques that everyone was talking about gradually exceeded their understanding, and the two of them got up and went to the nearby small forest.

The three grandmaster guardians took turns guarding the night.

Zhang Wu helped Zhang Fu lie down and squatted beside him to drive away mosquitoes. In a moment, Zhang Fu was already snoring softly. A bonfire was burning on the open space outside the tent, and the firelight reflected through the tent, making the wrinkles on Zhang Fu's face clearly visible.

Zhang Wu looked at his father, and a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, with helplessness, admiration, and more affection.

He had eight brothers and sisters, but none of them were Zhang Fu's biological children. They were all picked up by Zhang Fu and raised. No one would have thought that Zhang Fu was an old bachelor, or even a seventy-year-old virgin.

He had never touched a woman in his life.

But only Zhang Wu and his two older sisters knew about this. The other brothers and sisters didn't know and thought they were Zhang Fu's biological children.

"Second Uncle, Second Uncle, eat chicken, eat chicken, I'll give you the slippery and tender chicken butt..." Zhang Fu murmured in his sleep, grabbing wildly with his arms, and tears rolled from the corners of his eyes.

Seeing this, Zhang Wu knew that he was having a nightmare again, and that he was dreaming about his Second Uncle, so he quickly leaned over and hugged him, coaxing him like a child, "It's okay, don't cry, don't cry, Second Uncle is here, is here..."

In his sleep, Zhang Fu tightly grasped Zhang Wu's hand, and the crying gradually stopped, and he fell into a peaceful sleep.

When people get old, they are like children.

Zhang Wu gently wiped the tears from his face with his sleeve, and muttered to himself with a smile on his face:

"Dad, although you are not my biological father, you have been better to me than my biological father in this life, so I deliberately drew the lot during the lottery, you old codger must not know, hehehe."

"The two older sisters are women, and the younger siblings are too careless, so I can only accompany you to Xichuan Town myself, so I can rest assured."

"Also, tell me, you, you old codger are already in your seventies, why are you still so worrying, if you can't find your Second Uncle this time, I'll see what you do?"

Zhang Wu scolded softly, his voice very low, for fear of waking Zhang Fu.

He pursed his lips and thought, his father's Second Uncle was probably no longer alive. When the time came, should he find someone to play the role of Second Uncle, so as not to let his father travel thousands of miles to find his Second Uncle but be disappointed and sad.

The night faded away, and the sun leaped out of the eastern mountains, casting a majestic golden light that dyed the forests with dazzling glow.

The crowd packed up their tents, ate a simple breakfast, and set off again.

They traveled for days, wading through mountains and rivers, all the way east.

Under the leadership of the three grandmaster guardians, the team only encountered a few dangers, but none of them resulted in casualties.

Only one unlucky guy was bitten in the lower body by a poisonous snake. Fortunately, Black Fist King decisively took action and chopped off the poisoned part with a knife, thus saving his life.

Although he lost the joy of being a man in the future, it was a blessing to be alive.

They walked for most of a month like this.

Finally, they crossed the last mountain range, and from the top of the mountain, they could already see the magnificent ancient city in the direction of Xichuan Town in the distance. The crowd was excited and quickened their pace.

But the road ahead chilled them to the bone, because there were fresh blood and minced meat everywhere in the forest, and many white bones. The stream was red, and the air was filled with a strong smell of blood. The mountain wind brought a fierce and bloody aura.

Many of the ancient trees in the mountains had burst open, with blood stains remaining on them. The claw marks on some of the rocks were even more shocking. The footprints on the ground were very large, some of them were tens of meters long.

"There are tiger footprints, monkey footprints, this is a snake-shaped mark, damn it, is this a rat's footprint? It's so big, estimated to be at least a hundred meters."

The group was horrified, their faces pale.

Black Fist King and Master Yuan Kong looked at Daoist Bai He, "This is a fierce place, Daoist, show your ultimate move!"

"Okay!"

Daoist Bai He nodded, raised his palm high, and a flash of red light appeared in his palm. A blood-colored snake scale appeared in his palm and was held up steadily by him.

This was Zhang Ji's snake scale.

The snake scale exuded a majestic and terrifying aura. The crowd felt relieved when they saw this, because every time they encountered an invincible monster along the way these days, Daoist Bai He only had to show this snake scale, and the monster would run away in fright.

Although they didn't know why, the snake scale could save their lives.

Now that they had arrived here, not far from Xichuan Town, but there were white bones and minced meat everywhere, it was by no means a good place, so Daoist Bai He showed the snake scale again.

"Go, continue to move forward!"

Daoist Bai He said loudly. With the snake scale in hand, he had the world. His courage greatly increased, and he took the lead, and the crowd hurriedly followed. But in the forest ahead, a huge shadow suddenly walked out, shaking the ancient trees.

The crowd was frightened and uneasy, and hurriedly stopped, and all the guns and swords were drawn.

The three grandmaster guardians were also nervous, because the aura of that shadow was particularly terrifying, far surpassing all the monsters and beasts they had seen along the way.

"Boom!"

An ancient tree that dozens of people could embrace was forcibly broken, blasting a boulder on the ground, and rocks and leaves flew everywhere.

The shadow inside walked out, but it was a nine-tailed black bull.

It was a hundred meters tall, its limbs were strong and powerful, its fur was as smooth and shiny as black silk, its blood and energy rolled within its body, and its aura was full of oppression, like a mountain.

Its hooves were covered with metal-like claws, stained with blood, its fangs and serrated teeth were white, and its scarlet eyes were chilling.

The crowd's faces were pale.

Was this still a bull? It was clearly a bloodthirsty and ferocious monster, how could they resist such a monster?!

Daoist Bai He was also frightened and swallowed hard. Seeing the other party approaching, he hurriedly raised the snake scale high, and drew out his Daoist sword in the other hand, making a fighting posture.

However.

The nine-tailed black bull on the opposite side did not pounce on them, but curiously looked at the crowd, with a human-like joy in its eyes. Suddenly, it spoke in human language and asked:

"Everyone, are you survivors of this world? Which city are you from? Do you play Honor of Kings? Have you played QQ Speed?"

"Gah—!?"

The crowd collectively petrified, and became sluggish.