Chapter 1 Seven Days

Seven days passed in a flash.

West River Town had been peaceful for seven whole days. No slaughter, no screams of terror, just a serene harmony. Even the beastly monsters lurking under the shroud of the strange mist quietly enjoyed this rare tranquility.

They dared not roar. Anyone making a loud noise was rebuked by those nearby, but in hushed tones. Even while scolding, they cast fearful and apprehensive glances toward High-Tech Park, afraid of disturbing the thousand-meter-long giant serpent.

It was very quiet, coiled within the shattered ruins of the Tiger Aspect Heavenly Tablet. It had remained motionless for seven days.

As if asleep.

It hadn't emerged to hunt, hadn't swallowed everything in its path, much to the relief and joy of the people, who prayed that it would remain this way.

But if one listened closely, one could faintly hear it repeatedly murmuring a strange incantation…

"Tai Shang Tai Xing, Ying Bian Wu Ting, Qu Xie Fu Mei, Bao Ming Hu Shen, Zhi Hui Ming Jing, Xin Shen Nan Ning, San Hun Yong Jiu, Po Wu Sang Qing…"

Over and over again.

"I feel something at the end of the void above me, in the depths of the starry sky, responding to me from afar… what is that?!"

Zhang Ji wondered inwardly.

As he continued to chant the ancient forbidden art he had obtained from the Tiger Aspect Heavenly Tablet, this feeling grew clearer and clearer.

Moreover, as he continued to chant this ancient forbidden art, he noticed some peculiar reactions in himself.

The most obvious change was in his divine soul.

Previously, he would feel exhausted after a long time without rest, but now, after seven days and seven nights without sleep, he still felt energetic and his mind was exceptionally clear. His mental power was more concentrated, and his perception of his surroundings was increasingly acute.

Without turning his head, he could sense the slightest movement within a hundred meters. He could even hear the breathing, heartbeats, and even the sound of the wind rustling the fur of those who were secretly watching him.

A female monkey was perched in a tree, urinating and occasionally scratching through her fur.

A pair of rabbits, perhaps husband and wife, or maybe just lovers, were canoodling in a corner of the ruins.

Zhang Ji could hear the sounds they made.

This sensation was quite peculiar, as if a detector had been opened in his mind, allowing him to "see" his surroundings.

But the range was limited to within a hundred meters.

Beyond that, he couldn't see.

Zhang Ji felt a surge of joy in his heart.

"Is this ancient forbidden art a mental technique? Is the method of cultivation simply constant chanting?! And the direction of cultivation seems to be mental power!"

Zhang Ji attributed the changes in his divine soul to an increase in "mental power."

"I wonder if others would experience the same effects."

"It's only been seven days, and I've chanted it seventy-eight thousand times, yet I already feel endless benefits."

The increase in mental power also made his spirit, qi, and essence more refined, to the point where his scarlet eyes were now much deeper and more spirited, as if imbued with a mysterious power.

Zhang Ji felt both joy and anticipation in his heart.

"Evolution points +200000, total 120 million/2 billion"

The mechanical voice in his mind continued to remind him, but Zhang Ji ignored it.

This was the result of his "children," those evil and mutated creatures he had created, hunting living things in the secret realm to earn him evolution points.

This feeling of reaping rewards without effort made Zhang Ji feel very content, so he no longer hunted the people of West River Town, saving a lot of time to focus on cultivating this ancient forbidden art he had obtained from the Tiger Aspect Heavenly Tablet.

"Crack."

He twisted his body, and the sound of scales crushing rubble startled those who were secretly watching, making them fear that he was about to rise and hunt.

But the next moment, when they saw him coil up again, as quiet as if he were asleep, they couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. They exchanged glances, their eyes filled with joy.

"If this ferocious king cobra could turn over a new leaf and stop eating us, that would truly be a great blessing!"

"Yes, with the strange mist blockading West River Town, preventing us from leaving, and with frequent invasions from outsiders, we feel safe with it around!"

"I'm just afraid that one day it will get hungry and suddenly become savage again, rising up to hunt. We have to think of a way."

"Perhaps we can try… In the past, we didn't know the identity of the king cobra, thinking it was a foreign beast. Now that we know that it is the leader of the Heavenly Serpent Gang, Zhang Ji, the self-proclaimed descendant of Zhang Wuji, perhaps we can try to make contact with it."

Everyone discussed in hushed voices.

They nominated a respected elder, a prominent figure in West River Town before the cataclysm, to pay a visit to Liu Youshan, the master of the Rat Hall of the Heavenly Serpent Gang.

"I have heard that Hall Master Liu is a favorite and important figure in the eyes of the king cobra, and that he was even granted the elegant title of Eunuch Liu by the king cobra. I have come to pay a visit today to ask for a favor."

A Bloodscale Crocodile Snake, standing upright on its tail, spoke. He was someone born in the year of the snake.

"My name is He Zhiguo." The Bloodscale Crocodile Snake revealed a smile in his eyes as he introduced himself, looking at the nearly thirty-meter-tall black rat before him with complex emotions.

Rats were filthy and lowly creatures that used to be fit only to live in sewers and gutters, but now they were high and mighty, forcing him to bow and scrape before them.

Liu Youshan sat cross-legged on a stone platform like a human, his eyes closed as he rhythmically inhaled and exhaled the strange mist. The aura around him fluctuated mysteriously, indicating that he was cultivating the breathing technique he had obtained from the Heavenly Tablet.

Around him, the Rat Hall's gang members stood guard, a group of ferocious-looking rats with scarlet eyes.

He Zhiguo, born in the year of the snake, finished speaking, but found that Liu Youshan did not move.

He was not angry, however, because the corners of the other's eyebrows and lips seemed to be slightly raised, hinting at a satisfied smile that he was trying hard to suppress.

This showed that his flattery was on the right track, but the heat wasn't quite there yet, so he continued in a respectful voice:

"Everyone in West River Town says that in the Heavenly Serpent Gang, Eunuch Liu, you are the only confidant of the king cobra, the first to follow the king cobra, and the most senior."

"When you stomp your feet, old sir, West River Town trembles three times! Compared to others, you are like the tip of a hair on one of nine oxen!"

"Among the twelve halls of the Heavenly Serpent Gang, your Rat Hall is the most prestigious! The Dog Hall, with its fearsome reputation, sounds impressive, but compared to your Rat Hall, it's like a tongue licking a nose, far inferior!"

On the stone platform, Liu Youshan, who was cultivating the breathing technique, could no longer restrain himself and burst out laughing.

"You, you, you old thing, you're too good with words!"

He pointed at He Zhiguo, born in the year of the snake, with his rat claw, with a dismissive look.

He Zhiguo was angry inside at being called an old thing. Before the fall of West River Town, he was a famous and respected figure, known as Teacher He by many. Now, he was being pointed at and called an old thing by a junior, and he dared not utter a word of protest.

Times had changed!

Judging heroes by past glories would get you killed.

He Zhiguo was an experienced old man, and he understood this clearly. He revealed a smile in his snake eyes and said, "This old thing is usually very dull, but today, upon meeting Hall Master Liu of the Rat Hall, I don't know why, but I became more talkative. Perhaps it's because you naturally possess a unique leadership charisma!"

He flattered Liu Youshan again.

Liu Youshan's rat eyes flashed with shrewdness, and he smiled slightly, "Speak, what do you want from me?"

"Let me make it clear first, anything that goes against the interests of Snake-ye is not to be mentioned!"

He Zhiguo hurriedly said, "Hall Master Liu, please rest assured, I…"

"Call me Eunuch Liu. This is the elegant title that Snake-ye bestowed upon me, and I like it very much when people call me that."

"Yes, Eunuch Liu. I have come today on behalf of the people of West River Town to request that the king cobra unify West River Town, end the chaos, and establish a single kingdom!"

Liu Youshan was stunned for a moment, then laughed, "West River Town is only the size of a palm, and now its population is less than ten thousand. You want to establish a kingdom?"

He Zhiguo said earnestly, "The strange mist surrounds the city, West River Town is isolated from the world, and we cannot see any way out. We cannot continue to live in such chaos."

"Moreover, even the smallest place must have rules, a system, and laws. Without a doubt, in today's West River Town, the great king cobra is the rule, the system, and the law!"

"Therefore, we implore the king cobra to establish a kingdom."

"To give civilization to the decaying years, to give life to the ruined West River Town, to give hope to the desperate people!"

After speaking, he lowered his snake head and bowed in a gesture of respect.