One day later.
Zhang Yang went to the northern border alone.
Before leaving, he had secretly contacted Zhu Zhi, asking him to make preparations in advance.
Once Zhang Yang emerged from Shennong Gorge, the Five Dragons of Huaxia would all be transferred.
...
After a day of arduous travel.
Zhang Yang was less than fifty kilometers away from Shennong Gorge.
The car could only go this far, and then he had to proceed on foot.
Beyond this point, it was all mountain roads, too narrow for driving.
Walking along the mountain path, Zhang Yang suddenly discovered a village.
The village was small, with only about twenty households. Seeing that dusk was approaching, Zhang Yang headed into the village.
This village was essentially isolated from the outside world.
The villagers were surprised to see a stranger suddenly arrive and came out to look at Zhang Yang.
At this moment.
An old man, leaning on a cane, suddenly appeared.
"Young man, why have you come here? Are you lost?" the old man asked.
"Elder, I am not lost. I am heading to Shennong Gorge ahead, but seeing that it's getting dark, I planned to find a place to rest in the village. If I'm disturbing you, I'll leave now," Zhang Yang explained.
As he replied, he subtly observed the villagers and found them to be ordinary people, with no martial aura, which eased his vigilance considerably.
"You're going to Shennong Gorge?" The old man's cloudy eyes suddenly widened in surprise.
"Young man, don't you know Shennong Gorge is very dangerous? Those who enter rarely come out."
Zhang Yang nodded.
"I know. Actually, I'm an explorer, so I already have a preliminary understanding of these dangers."
"Alas... I still advise you not to go in," the old man shook his head.
"Let's go. It's late now. If you don't mind our simplicity, you can stay at my home for the night."
Zhang Yang gladly accepted the old man's invitation.
"Thank you, elder."
Then.
Zhang Yang returned to the old man's earthen house with him.
Here, Zhang Yang could see no trace of modernity.
Even the lighting at night was from oil lamps.
During their chat on the way back, Zhang Yang learned some things.
This village was called Fuxi Village, and the old man was its village chief.
The entire village had lived here for generations.
"Village Chief, have you never thought of seeing the outside world?" Zhang Yang was very curious.
"Heh, what's so good about the outside? Life is just three meals a day, and whether it's good or bad, it's all the same," the Fuxi Village Chief shook his head, not yearning for life outside.
"Young man, if I'm not mistaken, you must be a martial arts master, like the warriors guarding the northern border?"
"How did you know, Village Chief?" Zhang Yang was surprised.
After reaching the Yuanfu realm, he could perfectly conceal his aura. Let alone ordinary people, even masters in the Yuanfu realm might not be able to detect it.
"Heh, I'm just guessing. Because besides being dangerous, Shennong Gorge is also very hidden. Ordinary explorers would never know about this place," the Fuxi Village Chief said with a smile.
Zhang Yang's heart stirred upon hearing this, "Then do you know about Shennong Gorge, Village Chief?"
Hearing this, the Fuxi Village Chief fell silent for the first time.
He thought for a long time, and finally chose to shake his head.
"It's been too long, I've forgotten. But the gorge is fraught with peril, you must pay attention to everything around you," the Fuxi Village Chief said.
Pay attention to everything around him?
Zhang Yang didn't know why the Fuxi Village Chief said this, but he kept it in mind.
For some reason, the Fuxi Village Chief gave him a feeling of being not simple.
Even though Zhang Yang sensed the man was just an ordinary person, his intuition told him that the Fuxi Village Chief was extraordinary!
Including the entire Fuxi Village!
At this moment.
A middle-aged man wearing a brass mask suddenly entered.
He wore simple animal skins, and his exposed skin was incredibly ferocious, covered entirely in scars!
This!
Zhang Yang was immediately startled.
These scars were all from sharp weapons!
Seeing Zhang Yang's gaze, the Fuxi Village Chief chuckled and explained.
"He's like you. He came to Shennong Gorge more than twenty years ago and narrowly escaped. However, he was on the verge of death when he came out."
"I took him in because I pitied him. You can call him Di Yi."
Di Yi?
This surname surprised Zhang Yang!
"Village Chief, his surname is Di?" Zhang Yang asked.
"Heh, that's a name I made up. When he escaped from Shennong Gorge, he had nothing on him except a ring with the character '帝' engraved on it, so I gave him this name."
"When he came out, I don't know if it was due to trauma inside or severe injuries that caused amnesia, but he couldn't remember anything," the Fuxi Village Chief explained.
Zhang Yang's gaze sharpened as he watched Di Yi drawing water from the village well.
This Di Yi.
Made him even more curious.
Zhang Yang immediately stepped forward and approached Di Yi, "Hello, my name is Zhang Yang."
Di Yi looked up at Zhang Yang, then turned back to continue drawing water without even a greeting.
This...
Zhang Yang felt very awkward, rubbed his nose, and sat back down.
"Heh, Di Yi is like this. He hasn't spoken since I woke him up, and his personality is a bit strange. At first, I thought he was deaf."
"Later, I realized that if I asked him to do something, he would help."
Zhang Yang nodded to himself.
He wasn't sure if it was an illusion, but as he looked at Di Yi's back, he felt a sense of familiarity, yet couldn't recall where he had seen him before.
Suddenly.
In the dark night, a flash of azure light flickered.
Zhang Yang was startled and opened the window to look out, seeing that it was coming from the direction of Shennong Gorge!
The Fuxi Village Chief also walked up to Zhang Yang and explained.
"Lights often flash here at night, there's nothing to be surprised about. You'll get used to it if you look long enough."
"And besides the strange lights, there are also strange roars from time to time. Young man, if you're really going to Shennong Gorge, you must be extremely careful."
"Shennong Gorge is too mysterious and too dangerous. Since I can remember, many people have entered, but very few have come out."
"Counting Di Yi, there are only two. The other is the War King guarding the northern border, but he was also in a bad state when he came out, on the verge of death."
Zhang Yang heard this and respectfully cupped his hands towards the Fuxi Village Chief.
"Thank you for the information, Village Chief. I will be careful."
"It's very late. You should rest here." The Fuxi Village Chief smiled and left the room.
However.
How could Zhang Yang sleep?
He looked through the window at the strange light from Shennong Gorge, which had not yet disappeared, and pondered in his heart.
What did this light represent?
Suddenly.
Zhang Yang noticed that Di Yi, who was drawing water from the well in the yard, had stopped and was looking at this strange light with a look of terror in his eyes!
Afterward, he quickly averted his gaze and continued drawing water.
Seeing this, Zhang Yang's expression also became solemn.
"It seems Shennong Gorge left a deep shadow on Di Yi, making him afraid even with amnesia."
Putting everything aside, Zhang Yang lay down on the makeshift wooden bed to sleep.
Little did he know.
Di Yi, who had just looked terrified, stopped drawing water and gazed in a certain direction outside the village.
A look of confusion, solemnity, strangeness, anger, and other emotions mingled in his eyes!
...
The next day.
As soon as dawn broke, Zhang Yang bid farewell to the Fuxi Village Chief and headed towards Shennong Gorge.
Just as he reached the village entrance.
Zhang Yang saw Di Yi returning with firewood and smiled as he bid farewell.
"I'm leaving."
Di Yi suddenly stopped and looked at Zhang Yang for a long time.
This made Zhang Yang curious, so he stopped and met Di Yi's gaze.
For some reason, Zhang Yang felt a sense of anticipation that Di Yi might tell him something.
However.
They stared at each other for a long time, and Di Yi did not speak.
Zhang Yang couldn't help but chuckle to himself.
He actually expected someone with amnesia and mental trauma to talk to him. He must be crazy.
Then.
Zhang Yang took a step to leave.
However.
Just as he passed Di Yi, Di Yi suddenly let out a hoarse voice.
"Be... careful, road."
Huh!?
"What road?" Zhang Yang asked.
However, Di Yi had already turned back into the village, ignoring Zhang Yang.
Looking at Di Yi's familiar back, Zhang Yang frowned.
Was Di Yi warning him?
What road was there in Shennong Gorge?
With suspicion, Zhang Yang continued up the mountain and finally saw the entrance to Shennong Gorge around noon.
Here.
Zhang Yang saw the Wolf King Army of the northern border guarding the area, and Xue Lang, who was going to Jiangnan City, was waiting for Zhang Yang at the exit.
"Greetings, King of Jiangnan. I didn't expect us to meet so soon." Xue Lang greeted Zhang Yang respectfully.
"Commander Xue Lang, you knew I would come here?" Zhang Yang asked curiously.
"Yes, the Wolf King informed us that if you came, you would be allowed passage," Xue Lang replied.
Zhang Yang nodded upon hearing this.
The Wolf King of the northern border was promoted by the Emperor himself, so it was not surprising that he knew Zhang Yang was coming to Shennong Gorge.
After bidding farewell to Xue Lang, Zhang Yang walked directly into Shennong Gorge.
Outside the exit.
A group of Wolf King Army soldiers watched Zhang Yang's figure disappear and asked curiously.
"Commander Xue Lang, did the King of Jiangnan anger the Emperor somehow? For the Emperor to let him enter Shennong Gorge, isn't that trying to force the King of Jiangnan to his death?"
"What nonsense are you talking about! The King of Jiangnan is entering Shennong Gorge this time to find a divine medicine!" Xue Lang glared at the Wolf King Army soldier.
"Don't speculate. You guard this pass. Other matters are none of your concern!"
The Wolf King Army soldier who had just asked chuckled sheepishly.
"Your subordinate was just curious. We heard yesterday that the King of Jiangnan had entered the mountain. By rights, he should have reached us last night, but he preferred to camp in the mountains for a night and come today."
"We were all wondering if the King of Jiangnan was scared, thinking that if he delayed by a day, the Emperor might change his mind."
"Stop thinking nonsense and stand guard properly!" Xue Lang glared.
After speaking.
He also went down the mountain.
In fact, Xue Lang was also puzzled.
By rights, Zhang Yang should have arrived last night. Why would he prefer to camp in this godforsaken mountain for a night?
However, it didn't matter. Since Zhang Yang had arrived, he could go back and report to the Wolf King...
...
On the other side.
Entering Shennong Gorge, Zhang Yang found the scene before him very familiar.
Here...
Towering ancient trees, giant animals.
It was exactly the same as the area around the Zhang family's ancestral house and Happy Valley in the Far West!
If it were someone entering for the first time, they would surely be astonished.
But Zhang Yang was already used to it.
Moreover, he was somewhat suspicious. Did these places have some kind of connection?
Shennong Gorge had strong tree growth, and even the grass was two meters high.
Zhang Yang ventured deeper, clearing away the weeds with his True Dragon Qi.
Gradually.
The sky began to darken.
Zhang Yang encountered no danger, which made him wonder.
The Wolf King of the northern border had fled in terror within an hour of entering.
He had been walking for almost three hours, yet he hadn't encountered any danger?
And Di Yi's warning about the road?
Where was it?
Suddenly.
As Zhang Yang moved forward, he heard the sound of flowing water.
The sound of water came from the right. Zhang Yang cleared the weeds to his right and indeed saw a stream.
Feeling a bit thirsty.
Zhang Yang was about to go to the river to drink some water!
However.
At this moment, a scene that made Zhang Yang's blood run cold appeared.
Not far from him, there were dense, massive crocodiles!
Looking as far as the eye could see, there were at least several thousand of them!
Each of them was at least twenty meters long!
Bad!
This river must be the territory of these crocodiles!
Zhang Yang quickly turned to run, but the crocodiles had already caught up!
Roar!
Despite their large size, the crocodiles were very agile.
In the blink of an eye, they had surrounded Zhang Yang.
Opening their massive gaping mouths, they lunged at Zhang Yang to bite him!
"Hmph!"
Zhang Yang's expression turned cold.
As a dignified master of the Yuanfu realm, how could he be intimidated by these beasts?
He had not wanted to fight earlier because everything here was unknown. If he fought here, it might attract even more dangerous things, which would be a loss.
Since he couldn't escape now, he would kill them.
Roar!
Instantly.
Zhang Yang's True Dragon Qi erupted.
A golden dragon coiled around Zhang Yang, filling him with dragon might.
He wanted to use his True Dragon Qi to make these crocodiles retreat, just as he had dealt with the Beast King Army.
But.
What Zhang Yang had expected did not happen.
These crocodiles were not deterred by the True Dragon Qi. Instead, as if provoked, they all attacked Zhang Yang.
Immediately.
Dense crocodiles opened their gaping mouths, their sharp teeth biting towards Zhang Yang!
"Vermin! You are courting death!"
Zhang Yang's expression turned cold. A wave of energy swept out from around him, directly repelling these crocodiles.
Then, Zhang Yang stepped forward and unleashed a punch.
A massive True Qi fist shadow, extending for dozens of meters, shattered these crocodiles into pieces!
This time.
It did scare the attacking crocodiles. They dared not advance rashly, circling Zhang Yang.
However, Zhang Yang had already decided to act, so he would not stop.
"All of you, die!"
Zhang Yang roared and punched in another direction.
The crocodiles fled in disarray, but due to their sheer numbers, many died under Zhang Yang's fists.
But!
At this moment, a more terrifying beast roar erupted from the opposite bank of the river!
Upon hearing this, the crocodiles immediately prostrated themselves on the ground, wagging their tails.
Soon.
An absurdly large crocodile appeared!
It was a hundred meters long!
"This!" Zhang Yang's pupils widened in shock.
This crocodile was very powerful, giving him a sense of dread.