Chapter 1

Time slipped by, and in a moment of reflection, half a lifetime had passed. Confined to Xichuan Town for only half a year, over sixty years had elapsed in the outside world, enough to age an entire generation.

"More heartless than the king cobra is time itself!"

Zhang Ji sighed heavily, seemingly lost in thought. His scarlet vertical pupils suddenly flashed with a baleful aura and a fierce glint, causing the wall lamps in the great hall to flicker erratically, casting menacing and frightening shadows on the floor.

Hu San was terrified, and hastily knelt.

Bai He, the Daoist Priest, and the others were even more uneasy, prostrating themselves on the ground. They wondered if their earlier words had angered the terrifying king cobra.

"It's nothing. I just suddenly felt how quickly time passes. In another sixty years, I'll be a decrepit old man of eighty. I must seize the time to eat meat, and diligently cultivate and evolve. That is the best strategy!"

Zhang Ji said, leaving the others uneasy. What did his eating meat and evolving have to do with time?

"Bai He... well, you don't mind me calling you that, do you?" Zhang Ji looked at Bai He, who quickly shook his head, saying it was his honor. Zhang Ji smiled and asked, "How many surviving humans are there on Earth now?"

"The exact number is unknown, but after the restoration of vital energy, human cities suffered devastating attacks from mutated plants and animals. Currently, there are over a thousand safe zones in our Huaxia nation, each with a population ranging from one thousand to tens of thousands. For example, the Black Wind Safe Zone where I live has more than three thousand people."

Bai He, the Daoist Priest, replied.

Zhang Ji then asked, "What does the Black Wind Safe Zone rely on to stand firm in the Shiwan Mountains? What is its strength?"

This question was sensitive, as it concerned the absolute secrets of the safe zone. However, Bai He dared not disobey Zhang Ji's question. He truthfully said:

"On the surface, the biggest reliance is the spirit-extinguishing missiles and the protection of us grandmasters. In reality, the construction of the safe zones was not arbitrarily chosen, but follows a deeper mystery."

"Beneath each safe zone, there is an ancient, mysterious stone gate. Through the stone gate, we can enter a secret realm. In case of danger, we collectively enter the secret realm to hide."

Zhang Ji's eyes lit up as he heard this, and he asked, "Secret realm? What kind of secret realm? What is it like inside?"

Bai He, the Daoist Priest, pondered and said, "All the safe zones on Earth, including the safe zones in foreign countries, are connected to secret realms beneath them. After entering the secret realms, we can reach another strange place."

"That place is very much like an ancient battlefield. The depths are very dangerous, and many of our people have explored it, never to return. However, the outer areas are very safe, so we hide there whenever monsters attack."

Zhang Ji pressed, "Are there any powerful living creatures inside?"

"Living creatures?!" Bai He, the Daoist Priest, was slightly taken aback, somewhat unaccustomed to the term. He thought for a moment and said, "Yes, the Black Hand Fist King and I once saw one. It was a skeleton monster, extremely terrifying, and almost killed us."

He looked at the Black Hand Fist King, who hastily chimed in, "That's right, that thing has very hard bones, and our talismans and true qi were ineffective against it."

Both of them showed horrified expressions, clearly still having lingering fears about the skeleton monster.

However, seeing Zhang Ji lost in thought, they both showed expectant looks, guessing that this king cobra might help them clear the dangers in the secret realm and explore the mysteries of the secret realm's depths.

In fact,

Since the establishment of human safe zones, research and exploration of the safe zones have never stopped for decades. However, with bone creatures running rampant inside, it is very dangerous, and their progress is not great.

Zhang Ji smacked his lips, pondering whether these bone creatures had any evolution points, and how many.

He looked at Hu San and ordered, "Tomorrow, send someone to the secret realm of the Black Wind Safe Zone and catch a few bone creatures for me to taste."

"Yes!" Hu San replied.

Bai He, the Daoist Priest, and the others exchanged glances, their eyes filled with joy.

The other party was indeed interested in the skeleton monsters in the secret realm.

Zhang Ji smiled and asked, "These are monsters from the secret realm. In the Shiwan Mountains outside your safe zone, are there any dangerous monsters or ferocious beasts?"

Seeing Bai He, the Daoist Priest, and the others hesitating, Zhang Ji encouraged them, "Speak boldly. Mark all the monsters, ferocious beasts, or their lairs that pose a threat to your Black Wind Safe Zone for me."

"Yes! Please wait a moment, Snake King Your Majesty."

Bai He, the Daoist Priest, replied. He and Grandmaster Yuan Kong, along with the Black Hand Fist King, squatted on the ground, took out a beast-hide map, which already had some red markings, all places where powerful monsters and ferocious beasts dwelled.

At this moment, they added some more, then erased the markings for Xichuan Town, and presented it to him.

"The marks on the map indicate where the powerful monsters and ferocious beasts are. Several large marks are forbidden areas, with terrifying monsters inside," Bai He, the Daoist Priest, explained.

"Great terror? How terrifying? More so than that black eagle I ate?"

"More terrifying than the black eagle."

"Hmm, very good!"

Zhang Ji smiled, forgetting about Zhang Fu on his claws, who fell to the ground, rolling down the steps with screams. Hu San quickly picked him up, asking with concern.

Zhang Ji ignored Zhang Fu and said to the empty hall, "Tell Chen Ping'an and Long Si Hai to come and see me."

"Yes!"

From the shadows of the great hall, someone responded.

Bai He, the Daoist Priest, and the others never saw the figure from beginning to end, and were secretly shocked.

Before long, a tiger with a hundred-meter body and a silver-armored dragon turtle arrived. Their bodies were filled with fierce and baleful auras, their scarlet eyes full of ferocity and terror, making people shudder.

They were already powerful, each commanding the Tiger Legion and Dragon Legion respectively, and they became even more terrifying after being transformed by Zhang Ji.

"Greetings, Snake King! Snake King Your Majesty is immortal and invincible!"

The two of them saluted together.

Zhang Ji ordered, "Order the two of you to immediately deploy troops and go to the places marked on the map to capture these monsters and ferocious beasts. Tonight, this king will be hosting honored guests and needs delicious blood food."

"Yes! As you command!" Chen Ping'an and Long Si Hai accepted the order.

Zhang Ji instructed, "There is no need to pay attention to the several large marked areas on the map. This king will handle them myself."

The two nodded and remembered, quickly making copies of the map and leaving in haste.

Seeing this, Bai He, the Daoist Priest, and the others were both shocked and delighted. They didn't expect Zhang Ji to be so swift and decisive, removing monsters as soon as he said so, and from his tone, it seemed he was going to use the flesh and blood of these powerful monsters to host them.

Zhang Ji smiled and said, "I apologize for the display. This king is a warm-hearted person, who likes to fight for justice, and can't bear to see others suffer. Although I have become a snake now, I shed tears every night, hating that I can't be human. So I will do my best to help everyone get through this difficult time together!"

Bai He, the Daoist Priest, and the others were moved and bowed together, saying, "Snake King Your Majesty is mighty, Snake King Your Majesty is benevolent!"

Zhang Ji shook his head, saying that he was not benevolent, and had done things that were against his conscience in the past. However, Bai He, the Daoist Priest, and the others unanimously comforted Zhang Ji, saying that no one is perfect, and past mistakes shouldn't be held onto. Focusing on the future and the overall survival of mankind is the greatest good.

Zhang Ji was moved by what he heard, and there were tears in his snake eyes.

"Thank you for your guidance. All along, I have been burdened with a sense of guilt, condemning my conscience day and night, and repenting to the Buddha, feeling that I am too brutal."

"But after hearing what you said today, I feel much better, and can now eat meat and drink blood with peace of mind."

"Hiss~"

Zhang Ji couldn't help but flick his snake tongue, grinning with his teeth. The white, eerie fangs and teeth of his five heads made Bai He, the Daoist Priest, and the others tremble with horror, suddenly realizing if they said something wrong earlier and if they made the wrong impression!

~

Chapter 2

Bai He, the Daoist Priest, and the others sat on the hundred-meter-wide chairs, describing the current situation on Earth to Zhang Ji. Zhang Ji's attitude was gentle, and although his scarlet vertical pupils were terrifying, they were always accompanied by a smile, which gradually relaxed everyone.

Han Feng, Zhao Mei, and Wu Yue sat upright on the chairs, very proper, with humble smiles on their faces like juniors.

Behind them, Zhang Wu and others, with lower strength, took advantage of the opportunity of Zhang Ji talking to Bai He, the Daoist Priest, to continue trying to climb onto the chairs. However, the chair legs were too smooth and as high as cliffs, and they were exhausted but failed to succeed, so they could only continue sitting at the foot of the chairs, embarrassed and helpless.

At this time,

Zhang Ji finished the conversation, regained his composure, and waved his claws, saying, "Someone, serve tea."

Several female rabbits wearing black stockings came quickly from the veranda, holding ten-meter-wide teacups and placing them on the tables in front of everyone.

Just as they were about to leave, they suddenly noticed that there were people sitting under the chairs. They hurriedly apologized, placing the remaining teacups on the ground in front of everyone, and said softly, "Honored guests, please have tea."

Zhang Wu and the others were embarrassed and ashamed, their faces flushed red. However, the fragrance of the tea in the teacups made them feel their qi and blood surge, as if they were about to break through, and they were curious and excited, wondering what kind of tea it was.

However, the teacups were ten meters wide and five meters high, like swimming pools. The teacup bodies were polished as smooth as jade, and they couldn't get up or drink, so they scratched their heads in anxiety.

On the seats next to them, Bai He, the Daoist Priest, jumped up in place before he could see the tea in the teacup, which was glowing with a blood-diamond-like crimson light, emitting a different aura, and a burst of gorgeous three-colored halos.

"Treasure tea!"

He was excited in his heart.

He didn't recognize what kind of tea it was, but he knew that this tea was definitely extraordinary. He felt that this tea would definitely be of great benefit to him. His Adam's apple bobbed, his eyes full of desire, but he was a little embarrassed.

Turning his head to look, he found that the Commander Hu San had already picked up the teacup and was drinking leisurely, with a look of intoxication on his face after taking a sip, his whole body filled with qi and blood.

Seeing this, Bai He, the Daoist Priest, was even more tempted. He secretly glanced at the top of the hall, and found that the Snake King Your Majesty's five heads had closed their eyes, as if dozing off, not paying attention to this place. So he gathered his qi, leaped up, and flew from the chair to the edge of the teacup on the tea table.

The teacup was ten meters in diameter, and Bai He, the Daoist Priest, felt like he was by the side of a swimming pool standing on the edge of the teacup.

"Sip~"

He bent down and took a sip.

"Boom~"

This sip of tea was like a flame entering his throat, making his whole body unbearably hot, and the majestic energy agitated in his body. His grandmaster cultivation in the third realm of martial arts instantly soared.

He hurriedly sat cross-legged on the edge of the teacup to circulate his cultivation method.

Above the hall, Zhang Ji's tiger-phase spiritual platform mental power fell on Bai He, the Daoist Priest, observing the route of his true qi, and after a moment, he was disappointed.

"A very shallow cultivation method, not as profound as the breathing method on the Sky Tablet."

He shook his head and sighed, increasingly aware of how miserable the lives of humans outside were. What kind of experts could be cultivated with such cultivation methods? No wonder they could only huddle in the safe zone, struggling to survive.

On the edge of the teacup, Bai He, the Daoist Priest, was concentrating on absorbing the energy of this mouthful of tea.

His muscles and bones crackled, his flesh was tempered, and his true qi was continuously generated.

The aura on his body suddenly rose, breaking through from the third realm of martial arts to the fourth realm of martial arts.

"This... I... this poor Daoist has broken through!

! I have become a grandmaster of the fourth realm of martial arts!"

Bai He, the Daoist Priest, was excited and danced, his face full of joy.

The two people on the chairs next to him, Grandmaster Yuan Kong and the Black Hand Fist King, were still a little embarrassed to drink tea like this, but seeing Bai He, the Daoist Priest's situation, their eyes turned red, and they hurriedly flew up and took a sip of tea, and immediately broke through to the fourth realm of martial arts.

The three of them were excited and overjoyed.

They didn't expect that this trip to Snake King City would have such a great opportunity, breaking through to the fourth realm of martial arts with one sip of tea.

The fourth realm of martial arts is called the Grandmaster. Looking at the entire eastern safe zone, there are only a few of them, all of them are giants, but at this moment, they have also become such beings.

The three of them suppressed the excitement in their hearts and bowed to the huge snake shadow above: "Thank you, Snake King Your Majesty, for bestowing the treasure tea!"

Zhang Ji did not open his eyes, and gave a slight "hmm".

He really couldn't muster any interest.

The so-called grandmaster guardians of the third realm of martial arts, and even the grandmasters of the fourth realm who had just broken through, were stronger than the monsters and ferocious beasts in the mountains outside, but compared to the mutated monsters and ferocious beasts in Xichuan Town, they were much worse, equivalent to the strength of level six or seven ferocious beasts.

Bai He, the Daoist Priest, and the others were in awe, seeing that there was still a lot of tea in the teacup, but they didn't dare to drink more, but they were really reluctant to throw away these tea leaves.

Perhaps for the Snake King Your Majesty, these teas were not of much value, but for them, they were treasures.

Taking a sip can break through cultivation, so if they drank it all, what realm could they break through to?

Thinking of this, the three of them breathed quickly, their eyes glowing, and they brazenly took out various secret treasures that could hold water, and filled the tea, along with the tea leaves inside.

Seeing that there were still residues on the inner wall of the teacup, they flew into the teacup, scraping and licking, and washing it several times, making the inside and outside of the teacup clean, and then they flew back to the chair with satisfaction. Turning their heads, they suddenly saw Hu San staring at them with wide dog eyes, full of shock.

Bai He, the Daoist Priest, and the others all showed embarrassed smiles, saying, "It's really too poor, I haven't drunk such good tea, Commander, please forgive us."

Hu San shook his head and said, "This tea comes from a different star field. It was obtained by the Snake King Your Majesty after suppressing a demon emperor. I usually can't drink a few sips. Today, I was lucky enough to taste it because of your arrival."

While speaking, he glanced at the table. Zhang Fu was lying on it, sleeping soundly, without the restraint and unease of others. He couldn't help but smile.

Looking up at the top of the hall, he found that Zhang Ji was closing his eyes to rest. He waved to Bai He, the Daoist Priest, and others, and said in a low voice, "The Snake King Your Majesty wants to rest, let's go outside."

Bai He, the Daoist Priest, and his party hurriedly left their seats. Han Feng, Zhao Mei, and Wu Yue and the others had disappointed expressions, because they only filled half of the tea on their table and had no chance anymore.

Such opportunities were rare. Even Hu San, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, said that it was treasure tea, and they might never drink it again in the future. So the few of them bent down and jumped into the teacup, swimming around like they were swimming, so that their flesh could absorb the benefits of the treasure tea, and then they left contentedly.

Zhang Wu and the others under the table had already cried and fainted, and were pulled out of the hall by Bai He, the Daoist Priest, and the others.

The door of the hall closed automatically.

Bai He, the Daoist Priest, was about to express his gratitude to Hu San, but he saw lightning and thunder in the void, and a terrifying and huge black shadow flew out from behind the Snake King Palace. In the blink of an eye, it disappeared without a trace, leaving only a terrifying aura permeating Snake King City.

"That is...?" Grandmaster Yuan Kong asked in horror.

Hu San smiled, as if he was not surprised, "It is the Snake King Your Majesty going out hunting."

"Didn't you just tell the Snake King Your Majesty that there are several forbidden areas outside? It is estimated that the Snake King Your Majesty is already hungry and thirsty. In fact, the Snake King Your Majesty has not eaten anything for many days, so your arrival is very welcome."

Bai He, the Daoist Priest, and the others looked at each other.

After leaving the Snake King Palace, Hu San left because he had something to do. Before leaving, he reminded, "You can visit Snake King City at will, but you must return here in advance at night, because the Snake King Your Majesty will be hosting you, and the things on the banquet are all good things, worth looking forward to."

He revealed a trace of the Snake King Banquet's information, which made Bai He, the Daoist Priest, and others' eyes glow.