Chapter 1

The sky was covered with dark clouds, and rain poured down. In the instant the lightning illuminated the sky, everyone looked up and was collectively shocked.

A massive shadow swam in the sea of thunderclouds, resembling a divine dragon or a giant fish, yet not quite. It had five heads, wings that blotted out the sky, and claws, but its hands were behind its back, looking comfortable and unrestrained.

*Rumble*

It strolled through the sea of lightning, the lightning striking it without causing any harm. With a flick of its long tail, the clouds roiled, and in an instant, it vanished, the sky returning to clarity, and the sun showering down golden rays.

On the cliff, Han Feng and the others exchanged glances, as if the scene from before was an illusion.

"Was that a god?"

The female team member with the slender waist asked with longing and awe.

"I think it looked more like our Huaxia divine dragon. That dragon tail sweep was so cool," said a male team member whose jacket had a dragon embroidered on the back. He loved dragons.

Han Feng coughed and said, "Whatever it was, it's too far removed from us. Don't waste time. Quickly pick this Vermilion Fruit and retreat." His expression was serious. "This is one of the forbidden zones of life. The abnormal celestial phenomena just now might mean something's about to happen. We need to return to the safe zone as soon as possible."

The team members' expressions turned serious, and they quietly climbed up the cliff face. They were only about ten meters away from the Vermilion Fruit.

*Snap*

A team member snapped a dry branch underfoot, making a clear sound. It wasn't very loud, but suddenly the vegetation on the cliff rustled, and a ferocious aura emanated from a cave.

The cave had been hidden by vegetation, unnoticed by the team, but now that the vegetation had fallen away, a python nearly a hundred meters long slowly slithered out. Brown scales scraped against the rocks with a rustling sound. It flicked its tongue and looked at the group, its cold, vertical pupils gleaming with a fierce light.

"Not good! This exotic fruit has a guardian monster! Retreat!" Han Feng's expression changed drastically, but the python had already lunged. He hurriedly struck out with a palm, and a white palm print flew from his palm.

This was the Piercing Air Palm, Han Feng's signature combat skill. He had become famous in the Blackwind Safe Zone with this technique, defeating countless experts. But today, when the palm print struck the python's head, it only paused slightly before lunging again, completely unharmed.

*Da da da*

The team members opened fire, and the female team member with the slender waist threw out various talismans.

She was a third-rank talisman crafter. In the safe zone, talisman crafters and alchemists were very rare and highly sought after, which was why Han Feng had recruited her into this team.

She threw out Hail Talismans, Blazing Fire Talismans, and Wind Blade Talismans, which exploded on the python's head.

"Kill!"

Han Feng shouted, his eyes filled with pain as he threw out a talisman he had bought at a high price: a seventh-rank Fire Talisman, far surpassing the third-rank talismans made by the female team member with the slender waist.

*Boom!*

Flames soared into the sky, the cliff exploded, and the python shrieked. Its attacking figure was temporarily blocked, but it could be seen in the flames that it had not suffered much damage.

"It might already be a ninth-level beast,"

Han Feng said, his expression changed. A ninth-level beast was definitely a top predator in these mountains, second only to those overlord-level monsters. Han Feng exclaimed, "Retreat! Retreat now!"

Everyone hurriedly climbed back down, and then ran with all their might. The female team member with the slender waist cast an acceleration talisman on each of them, greatly increasing their speed, but the python behind them was too fast. It crashed through the vegetation, getting closer and closer, its foul stench assailing them.

Just as the python was about to pounce, a loud rumble suddenly echoed through the clear sky, like the heavens were cracking open.

Then, the wind and clouds changed, lightning flashed, and the void blurred. A terrifying and enormous shadow soared through the sky, seemingly fighting the heavens.

No one knew how big it was. It seemed to exist in another space, and was now crossing the void. The massive figure blotted out the sun, and a murderous aura swept over everything. The terrifying pressure permeated all directions.

This time, the momentum was much more terrifying.

Han Feng and the others paled in horror, while the python chasing them was already paralyzed with fear, trembling.

At this moment, the sky boomed again, and a blood-red claw several thousand meters in size descended, forcibly tearing through the void. The blood-red scales on the claw were like metal, cold and terrifying.

Han Feng saw the claw, and a scene from many years ago flashed in his mind. He cried out in terror, "It's it! It's it! It's coming out! The true master of this forbidden zone is about to be born..."

He was pale with fright, his eyes filled with hatred and even more fear. Remembering the tragic deaths of his former teammates and brothers, he shouted, "Run!"

Grabbing the female team member with the slender waist, who was still taking pictures, the group frantically fled back.

*Screech!*

From the distant mountains and lakes, a loud and piercing cry rang out. The sound waves were as sharp as metal, causing ripples in the void. Leaves fell from the trees, and Han Feng and the others felt a sharp pain in their eardrums, which began to bleed. Several weaker teammates immediately covered their ears and collapsed to the ground, screaming.

*Whoosh!*

A gust of wind swept through the mountains for miles, and a massive shadow soared into the sky.

"It's the Black Eagle! It's here," Han Feng said in terror, supporting his teammates and watching the giant bird flying through the sky.

It was said that the monster with the blood-colored claw was the master of this forbidden zone, but Han Feng had never seen its true face. Many people speculated that it was probably sealed and suppressed, unable to come out, so the black eagle had become the master of this forbidden zone instead.

Now.

It had seen the enormous shadow in the void, and must have thought the other party was provoking it, so it was attacking aggressively. Han Feng could feel the murderous aura on its body. Its eyes, like blood moons, were sharp and cold, filled with a disregard for everything.

The female team member with the slender waist asked nervously and excitedly, "Captain, are these two big guys about to fight?"

The team members around her looked expectant when they heard this. Such a big battle was a rare sight.

Han Feng stared at the void, his eyes gleaming. "Two tigers cannot share a mountain, unless one is male and the other female. But these aren't tigers; they're even more terrifying behemoths."

"Now that the true master of this forbidden zone is about to break free, the Black Eagle definitely won't want another master in these mountains. A great battle is inevitable."

The female team member with the slender waist asked curiously, "Then who will win?"

The male team member with the dragon embroidered on his clothes said, "Is that even a question? It must be the five-headed divine dragon. Just look at its size and height. The Black Eagle is like a tongue licking its nose – not even close!"

His eyes were filled with fanatic excitement. He believed that the shadow in the sea of lightning was a divine dragon.

"These years, our Huaxia safe zone has been bullied by the West. They rely on their so-called God and angels, and signed so many unequal treaties with us. If we also had a guardian beast, would we still need to be afraid of them?"

The male team member with the dragon embroidered on his clothes said fiercely, expressing the current situation of the Huaxia people.

Han Feng shook his head, looking at the void. "Although I don't know what it is, that thing is definitely not a divine dragon. It's probably a ferocious, bloodthirsty monster."

"Otherwise, why would it be suppressed and sealed?!"

Some team members wanted to ask more, but the situation in the sky changed again. Even more terrifying lightning struck down, the silvery lightning illuminating the mountains and rivers.

~

Chapter 2

It charged several times but couldn't get out. It seemed furious. All five heads roared together, the terrible roar actually drowning out the sound of thunder. Then, the giant mouth of the middle head opened, and it sprayed out thunderflames even more terrifying than lightning.

In an instant.

The sky exploded, the sea of lightning roared, and the void became blurred.

The Black Eagle flew in the distance, occasionally letting out provocative cries, the sound waves sharp. Clearly, it was deliberately provoking the enormous shadow in the sea of lightning, wanting to use the power of the thunder to destroy it.

Han Feng and the others watched with terrified expressions, trembling all over.

The female team member with the slender waist said, "Is it really going to be struck to death by lightning?"

Han Feng glanced at her and noticed that she actually looked worried. He couldn't help but say, "You're worried about it? Worry about yourself. This kind of big guy is probably already a king-level beast. It won't die so easily."

"King-level? It's reached the king-level?" The team members all looked at Han Feng in shock.

Han Feng nodded. "This Black Eagle is a king-level beast. The guy being sealed is definitely also one, maybe even stronger."

Saying this, he became worried. Once the other party broke free, who in these mountains could be its opponent?

The Black Eagle probably couldn't either. As the team member with the dragon embroidered on his clothes said, the size difference between the two was too great. Although a large size didn't necessarily mean strength, when the size reached a certain level, it was definitely a terrifying behemoth. Otherwise, it would have been swallowed by other predators long ago.

The strange phenomena in the sky had already been noticed by many people, especially since this was a forbidden zone of life, which made it even more eye-catching.

Thousands of miles away from Han Feng and the others, a castle had been built on a sparsely vegetated semi-wilderness. The city walls were hundreds of meters high, and people with guns patrolled the battlements. There were also dark cannon muzzles pointed at the outside of the city.

Outside the city, the trees within a ten-mile radius had been cut down, providing a clear line of sight. Many ditches had also been dug, with sharp spears stuck in them at an angle. Some of the spears were stained with blood.

The surrounding ground was covered with bloodstains, and some muddy areas had huge claw prints.

Clearly, this place was not safe and was often invaded by monsters.

Inside the castle,

The buildings were clearly tiered. The outer ring was the slum, and the inner ring was the noble district. The slum was chaotic, dirty, and even barren, with people setting up stalls to trade various herbs on streets littered with garbage and rubble. The noble district, on the other hand, was neat and clean, with sturdy cement houses built. Vehicles drove on the wide streets.

In a bright and clean cafe, people sat chatting and laughing. Several beautiful women in stockings walked small milk dogs, but they all carried swords on their backs, and their eyes were sharp. Clearly, they were not ordinary women.

This was the Blackwind Safe Zone.

Fifty years ago, it was still a bustling city. After being invaded by mutated plants and animals, everything was reduced to ruins. Now, a safe zone had been rebuilt here. Although simple, it at least provided a place to live.

When the sky above the mountains made strange noises, the people of the Blackwind Safe Zone stood up nervously and looked up at the changes in the void.

They saw the Black Eagle, which terrified them because it had repeatedly invaded the safe zone to hunt, and was cunning and ferocious. Cannon fire and ninth-grade talismans could not injure it.

But now.

It was flying into the sky, confronting a shadow in the sea of lightning. The shadow was blurry and it was impossible to tell what kind of creature it was, but its figure was extremely large and seemed to have five heads. Countless thunderbolts struck it, but it was unscathed.

The people in the safe zone were horrified and stunned.

Since the Earth's aura had been revived, ushering in the era of great evolution, they had seen too many powerful monsters and beasts, but they had never heard of or seen such a terrifying behemoth like the one before them.

"This is something out of mythology, a prehistoric monster! It shouldn't exist in this world!" An old man in a Taoist robe walked onto the street, his voice trembling.

There were several people beside him.

When the crowd saw them, their expressions changed and they hurriedly bowed:

"Daoist Bai He!" (White Crane)

"Master Yuan Kong!"

"Fist King Black Hand!"

...

These people were the top figures in the Blackwind Safe Zone, all with strength in the fourth realm of martial arts, the Grandmaster Realm.

They were the guardians of this place. Because of their existence, the Blackwind Safe Zone could stand tall and not be swallowed by the monsters and beasts in the mountains outside.

Normally, they were in secluded cultivation, rarely seen, only appearing when the Blackwind Safe Zone was facing a beast tide crisis. But today, they had all come out,

Appearing on the street, trembling with terrified expressions as they looked at the enormous shadow in the sky above the mountains,

"Sound the alarm! Everyone return to the underground safe base!" Daoist Bai He said, his hands trembling in his sleeves. A female Taoist disciple beside him hurriedly gave the order.

In an instant, a sharp alarm sounded throughout the safe zone, and everyone rushed to the underground passage in a panic.

The buildings above ground were only temporary structures. Their real safe zone was underground.

Daoist Bai He sighed. "Years ago, those mountains were designated as a forbidden zone of life because of its existence. Fortunately, it seemed unable to come out, but now it seems to be breaking free."

The several Grandmaster guardians beside him nodded silently, also having seen it, their eyes filled with worry.

A king-level Black Eagle was already giving them a headache. If this big guy broke free again, would the Blackwind Safe Zone still be safe?

Based on the energy wave detection back then, the other party's strength had definitely reached the king level.

So many years had passed, who knew what stage it had reached.

Inside the safe zone.

People were in a chaotic mess, while the situation in the sky changed again. The enormous shadow in the sea of lightning was violently impacting, but it seemed to be suppressed and sealed by a mysterious force, unable to come out. The more it impacted, the more terrifying the lightning became.

"No one can stop me! Open for me!"

A majestic voice penetrated through the void, shaking the entire world. Everyone heard it, shocked by the terrifying nature of this voice, and at the same time horrified that the other party could actually speak human language.

Since the Earth entered the era of evolutionary civilization, monsters had extraordinary intelligence, but those who could speak human language were rare, but whenever they appeared, they were all behemoths that could slaughter the ten thousand mountains.

People had never imagined that they would one day encounter such a behemoth.

"We absolutely can't let it break free. Do we still have any Spirit Extinguishing Missiles? Give it a shot!" Some managers suggested. Spirit Extinguishing Missiles were an enhanced version of nuclear bombs, incorporating the energy of Taoist magic. After being fired into the void, they could automatically lock onto the enemy, possessing great power.

Because of this great weapon, the Blackwind Safe Zone had survived for so long, and it was also one of the reasons why the Black Eagle didn't dare to excessively slaughter the safe zone.

Everyone looked at Daoist Bai He and the other Grandmaster guardians.