The massive, several-thousand-meter-tall tree bearing humanoid fruit made Tu Xiao’an’s mouth water the more he looked at it.
For all he knew, it might actually be a Ginseng Treasure Tree.
With the opening of the Ancient War Ruins, it seemed like nothing that appeared would be surprising.
Compared to the giant mountains and monstrous trees elsewhere, the War Relics in Wencheng were far more low-key. A Taotie clone had attacked, but to this day, no one knew the exact coordinates of the opened ruins.
’Sigh, this world has truly changed.’ No wonder the great Deep Mountain Demon Kings of the Yaoling Mountain Range turned pale the moment they heard about the Ancient War Ruins, looking as if the sky itself were about to collapse.
According to the posts online, it seemed the sky really had collapsed; bizarre things were happening one after another.
Tu Xiao’an continued to read a few more posts and saw that other Ancient Fierce Beasts had emerged, destroying entire regions.
An entire army couldn’t even handle one Ancient Fierce Beast. And that one wasn’t some clone; it was the Fierce Beast’s true body.
He read about one called the Qiongqi, which ranked alongside the Taotie as one of the Four Great Fierce Beasts.
A single glance was enough to tell him that nothing less than a Deep Mountain Demon King could hope to face this Fierce Beast, and its strength was still recovering.
Tu Xiao’an put his phone away, his gaze profound. ’It looks like I have a lot to do from now on.’
But his first step was to resolve the chaos in Wencheng.
He had to leave Bai Town to find the Taotie’s ruins. According to the Fox Immortal King, the Taotie was recovering its strength. It was also quite cunning, planning to emerge only after it had recovered to Rank Four.
But if he waited for it to emerge at Rank Four, there would be nothing Tu Xiao’an could do.
He had to find it and kill it on the spot before it broke through to Rank Four.
Even against a Rank Three Peak, Tu Xiao’an wasn’t too afraid now; he had a certain degree of confidence.
Time passed. Three days flew by. During those three days, Tu Xiao’an spent quality time with his mom and older sister. After all, they had just been reunited, and he needed to be with his family.
Once he left Bai Town, it wouldn’t be for just a day or two.
In those three days, Tu Xiao’an fulfilled a small wish of his: to be a filial son at his mother’s side, taking care of her meticulously.
Unfortunately, the world had changed. Tu Xiao’an had to leave to find the Taotie’s ruins.
Otherwise, once the Rank Four Taotie emerged, Wencheng would fall, and Bai Town would naturally suffer as well.
By Tu Xiao’an’s estimation, the Yaoling Mountain Range was probably in turmoil as well. A Taotie clone had broken into the mountain range before, so more were sure to follow.
After all, the Yaoling Mountain Range was a more delectable meal than any human city.
On this day, Tu Xiao’an said goodbye to his mom and sister. His mother now fully understood what her son had become. She knew he was leaving to handle important matters, and though she was reluctant to see him go, she didn’t try to stop him.
Tu Xiao’an also left the Ape King behind for protection. With him and the Cyan Dragon standing guard, Bai Town would be safe.
Wencheng!
Tu Xiao’an suspected the War Relics must have opened within the borders of Wencheng. He had read many posts from around the world and noticed a pattern.
Whenever Ancient War Ruins opened, the Spiritual Qi in the local area would surge. While humans suffered from the resulting disasters, their bodies also benefited.
If you could reap the benefits without dying, then you came out ahead.
And so, Tu Xiao’an quietly left Bai Town, flying toward the territory of Wencheng.
However, Tu Xiao’an’s flight speed wasn’t fast; he wasn’t flying at lightning speed. In truth, at his current top speed, he could have reached Wencheng very quickly.
But Tu Xiao’an was, after all, a True Snake. Bai Town was safe, but in the surrounding areas, one could often see Taotie clones wreaking havoc, leaving no human or animal alive in their wake.
So, along the way, Tu Xiao’an killed those Taotie. For every one he killed, he could save countless common people.
Right now, whether human or Demon, everyone was fighting the same enemy.
As he flew, Tu Xiao’an’s expression grew solemn. Everywhere was a mess of ruins and rubble. Many villages no longer existed. The roads were stained with blood, and you couldn’t even see a single moving car. Occasionally, however, you could see a mountain-sized Fierce Beast Taotie roaring, as if to ask, ’Where is the food? I want to eat! I want to eat!’
The once-flourishing human society was shrouded in a nightmare from which it couldn’t awaken.
Flying through the sky, a sense of sorrow rose in Tu Xiao’an’s heart. ’Is this still the human society I grew up in?’
After just one trip to the Yaoling Mountain Range, Earth seemed to have turned into a parallel world.
Spilled blood stained the entire land red.
Kill!
A cold glint flashed in Tu Xiao’an’s eyes. ’Damn you, Taotie. You had better hope I don’t find you.’
Tu Xiao’an could have reached Wencheng quickly, but he had been flying for over three hours now and was not even halfway there.
From time to time, he would see Taotie clones running rampant—in a village, at a school, in a small town. When he encountered them, Tu Xiao’an couldn’t pretend he didn’t see. He had to kill them all.
Although this kind of slaughter didn’t mean much in the grand scheme of things—treating the symptoms but not the root cause—to kill was to save.
And so, Tu Xiao’an controlled the Thunder as he traveled. The moment he saw a Taotie, he would send a bolt of lightning imbued with Celestial Might crashing down.
It was quite simple, really. Though the Taotie’s physical body was strong, it still couldn’t withstand Tu Xiao’an’s Thunder imbued with Celestial Might.
Suddenly, Tu Xiao’an smacked himself on the head. ’Why am I doing these good deeds in secret?’
He desperately needed a large number of followers right now. If he performed good deeds without leaving his name, how would his follower count ever skyrocket?
Tu Xiao’an smacked his head again. ’Actually, what I really should have done was bring that reporter from Bai Town with me to livestream everything.’
’Livestream my glorious deeds. If I did that, my number of followers would surely break through the heavens.’
But it was a little too late to think of it now.
’Oh well, that would be a bit too high-profile anyway.’
Immediately, Tu Xiao’an transformed into his Snake King true form. Glittering with golden light, he controlled the Thunder and slithered through the air.
In a certain area, dozens of people were fleeing for their lives. Behind them, a Fierce Beast Taotie’s underarm eyes glinted as it prepared to feast.
"It’s over, it’s over! It’s spotted us, we can’t escape!"
"We have to run even if we can’t escape! Our village had over five hundred people, and now there are only a few dozen of us left! If we die too, Fengyang Village will be completely wiped out!"
An old man said, "Everyone, hold on! As long as we can get into Bai Town, we might not have to die!"
The people in the areas surrounding Bai Town all knew that it was protected by an invincible Snake King and that Fierce Beasts couldn’t break in.
In the last few days, they’d also heard a Cyan Dragon was guarding it, making it a paradise for refugees.
Many people were fleeing toward Bai Town for their lives.
"ROAR..."
The mountain-like Fierce Beast leaped and landed in front of the dozens of people. With its greedy eyes, enormous head, and huge mouth, its ferocious aura was terrifying.
Instantly, half of the people wet themselves in fear, while the other half collapsed to the ground, all the strength seemingly drained from their bodies. All they could do was wait for death.
"Fengyang Village is gone... gone..."
Voices of despair filled the air. Soon, their vibrant lives would be reduced to nothing, becoming food for the monster.
The Taotie roared wildly, opening its sharp-toothed maw, eager to swallow these humans one by one.
But just then!
CRACK...!
A heaven-shaking bolt of lightning, twisting space itself, struck the Fierce Beast Taotie directly. The mountain-like monster was instantly turned to ash.
The survivors were stunned.
"The monster is gone! We’re alive!"
"Everyone, look! What’s that up there? It’s a huge snake!"
"It’s the Bai Town Snake King! Long live the Snake King!"