Cultivation Starts from Killing Pigs

Boom!

The divine majesty of Tai Shi was resplendent, with the golden body illusion soaring to the height of a four-story building. The massive clone of the Locust Demon in front of it was no more significant than a small dog.

"Evil-Slaying, Disaster Exorcism!"

As Zhang Kui's Four Symbols Evil-Slaying Sword Array spun and contracted, Tai Shi's enormous golden palm descended, covering the sky and crushing the Locust Demon to dust.

The karmic fire of the red lotus, blood-red flames slowly retracted, while white ash like snowflakes drifted in the sky. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief at once.

In these troubled times, driving out the Locust Demon signified more than just exorcising a disaster for the few of them.

In this dark era, each successful locust extermination brought a glimmer of hope and light to humans living in fear of the darkness.

"Everyone, let us..."

Zhang Kui barely finished a sentence before he suddenly turned around, staring at the northwest direction, his eyes flickering with ghostly light.

In the northwest, a thick blood-red mist spread, with evil qi soaring skyward like a passing storm.

Faintly, ancient sacrificial chants reached from the horizon, accompanied by the shrill cries of countless people...

Stone Man Tomb!

Zhang Kui had seen it once, a memory etched deeply in his mind.

In that endless blood evil, he had once seen a broken stone altar and ancient stone figures, the Weng Zhong...

Of course, the Stone Man Tomb would come. These sentient objects might care the least about the locust plague, which is why they survive in this desolate place, indifferent even when all life withers.

The Divine Court Bell could indeed open a passage to the Underworld, perhaps with even greater power, and for these creatures not to covet it would be surprising.

"Everyone, follow the plan!"

No time for idle talk, Zhang Kui immediately frowned and instructed.

Helian Boxiong and the others nodded with dark expressions, their eyes filled with worry; however, they did not hesitate, swiftly heading down the mountain.

The ever-present Fatty Tiger turned its head every few steps, receiving a glare from Zhang Kui, it quickly followed the others, soon disappearing without a trace.

Zhang Kui sneered coldly, clutching the golden Divine Court Bell and heading in the opposite direction, sword qi breaking through the air, each step covering ten miles.

The blood evil of the Stone Man Tomb was inevitably drawn, immediately changing direction.

In front and behind, they swiftly pursued each other for several hundred miles.

The others likely have gone far, leaving Shazhou, and will proceed to Dianzhou to regroup later.

Since they dared to come, they must have a plan, which involved Zhang Kui luring away the evil spirits, then splitting into two paths to the next destination.

Zhang Kui dared to act this way because of the Nether Soil Stone Coffin, allowing him to travel a thousand miles underground in secrecy; even sneaking around the Stone Man Tomb posed no issue.

After roughly a thousand miles, seeing the army of the Stone Man Tomb drawing ever closer, Zhang Kui chuckled and dove into a desolate mountain hollow, disappearing in a plume of black smoke.

Soon, the heavens and earth here changed color, with blood mist surging, faint sounds of mountain splitting, stone breaking, and soil digging echoed, frightening small animals within a hundred miles to shiver and hide in their burrows.

Meanwhile, Zhang Kui, guiding the Nether Soil Stone Coffin, sped through the boundless darkness underground, turning away from here.

Looking at the rolling blood mist on the ground behind him, Zhang Kui frowned slightly, sensing something amiss.

Though he hadn't explored thoroughly, the Stone Man Tomb army, commanding this operation, had yet to catch up, clearly lacking someone in the Mahayana Realm, rendering Zhang Kui's prepared measures unnecessary.

Do they look down on me?

Forget it; although he had encountered many, he still knew little about the internal situation of the Forbidden Land of Evil Spirits, and he couldn't be bothered to investigate, as the primary task was the locust plague.

With that thought, Zhang Kui quickened his pace.

The landscape across various states differs greatly, even more so underground, with Zhang Kui not expecting such a vibrant world beneath the desolate Shazhou.

The first was an underground river,

No, it should be an underground ocean!

A thousand meters below Shazhou, an endless underground sea surged and ebbed, its destination unknown.

In the seawater, schools of sightless white fish swam like drifting snowflakes, accompanied by phosphorescent, bizarre small fish, resembling a sky full of stars, breathtakingly beautiful.

Suddenly, a blind white whale with a mouth full of tentacles surged forth, its gaping maw chasing the fish schools in a frenzied escape.

Zhang Kui watched this splendid scene in amazement, his mouth agape for a long time, irresistibly licking his lips.

"Damn it!"

It wasn't the thought of steaming, boiling, or frying the large fish below but rather being astounded by this world's beauty.

After traversing another few hundred miles, the landscape gradually grew monotonous. Zhang Kui casually glanced at ancient fossils embedded in the soil layers, inadvertently catching a glimpse of the sea beneath; he immediately widened his eyes and halted the stone coffin.

What was that just now?

Is it an illusion?

Zhang Kui's Tongyou Skill was fully activated, and his eyes glowed faintly, immediately revealing a blurred shadow, seemingly blocked by a powerful array, only discernible as a palace...

Dragon Palace?

Or an ancient cave dwelling?

Why was it built in this deep underwater sea?

Zhang Kui originally wanted to get closer, but he was suddenly startled, his scalp tingling, and he quickly manipulated the stone coffin to leave.

Just now, a terrifying aura suddenly awakened in the deep sea, vast and boundless, definitely someone in the Mahayana Realm.

It seems what the black-robed scholar said was right, the Qian Dynasty is just one place, and there are probably many more forces in this world like the Four Caves and Five Water Mansions.

Zhang Kui had a vague feeling that perhaps the human race had fallen for too long, and information was closed off. Only by stepping into the level of the Four Caves and Five Water Mansions could one learn many secrets of this world.

After this incident, Zhang Kui no longer had any thoughts of wandering around aimlessly. After leaving Shazhou, he immediately operated the stone coffin to head towards the surface...

Qingzhou, Qin Mountain Range.

This mountain range passes through three states, dividing Qingzhou, Shazhou, and Dianzhou, with towering and winding terrain.

Especially now that the locust disaster has been removed, the green mountains remain, hiding glaciers and streams from the plateau, gathering clouds from all directions to roll and churn, exuding a majestic and grand atmosphere.

On the top of a small mountain peak, a wisp of black smoke suddenly dissipated, revealing Zhang Kui's figure.

A little monkey picking wild fruits on the cliff was startled, almost losing its grip. At first, it bared its teeth in anger at him, but then it was suddenly terrified and quickly fled.

Zhang Kui smiled indifferently, looked up at the sky, and his eyes gradually lit up with evil light.

Anqing State, Qingzhou, and Shazhou, after eliminating the locusts in these three places, he gained a total of one hundred and ninety points. Now having leisure time, it's time for improvement.

First, he spent fifty-four points to upgrade the Swallowing Knife from level one to its maximum level, a prerequisite for the next level of the Golden Core Skill.

Almost instantly, Zhang Kui felt the transformation. The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi continuously surged in, rapidly strengthening his internal organs, with mana increasing straight away, and his breath becoming even more prolonged.

Swallowing Knife (Max Level): Passive Skill

Skill Description: Strengthen internal organs, swallow gold and iron poisons without harm, recover instantly from internal injuries.

Zhang Kui exhaled a long breath. Now, he was like Sun Wukong, able to consume iron pellets and drink copper juice without any problem.

But this was just the beginning. Zhang Kui had deliberately sought an uninhabited area, and there was more to it than just this.

Then he spent twenty-two points to raise the Pill Manipulation Skill in the Golden Core Path to level two.

Instantly, Yin and Yang converged inside him, with True Water and True Fire complementing each other in his Dantian. Vast True Qi exploded with a roar, quickly contracting, and the light point in his Dantian rapidly spun, swiftly condensing into a purple Qi pellet.

Mysterious aura spread out, and the surrounding mountains fell silent.

But it wasn't over yet.

He spent another forty points to upgrade the level five Rock Jumping Skill to max level.

Although this was a Land Soaring Technique, it was also the foundation of all Immortal Body Skills. When it had reached level five, due to his abundant mana, it could handle most situations, and he hadn't bothered with it further, but now it was imperative.

At this moment, deep in the unknown darkness of his mind, six stars shone brilliantly, representing the max-leveled Guiding Skill, Grain Avoidance Skill, Demon-slaying Skill, Disaster Exorcism Skill, Swallowing Knife, and Rock Jumping Skill.

It seemed quick, but having witnessed the horrors of this world, Zhang Kui wouldn't be even slightly complacent.

However, next was the main focus.

Zhang Kui took a deep breath and spent seventeen points to raise the Flying Sword Skill to level seven.

In just this short time, he had spent over one hundred and thirty points, leaving fifty-four points on the panel.

Honestly, he had never been so extravagant before.

But everything was worth it.

Zhang Kui looked up at the sky, and suddenly countless fragments of sword light flickered around him. Then he slightly bent his knees…

Boom!

A blast of air instantly surged as Zhang Kui's whole body gleamed with golden light, shooting straight into the sky, breaking through the clouds.

The wind roared by his ears, clouds churned below, and the scorching sun bathed everything in golden rays as the mountains and rivers swiftly receded.

"Hahaha!"

Zhang Kui laughed heartily, sometimes breaking through the sea of clouds leaving long trails, sometimes rolling and tumbling, then suddenly accelerating with a loud boom…

Back on the mountain where he initially stood, the little monkey that was startled by him peeked out again, glanced at the mountain peak, then at the hole in the clouds above, full of confusion.

Then, the little monkey climbed to the top of the mountain where Zhang Kui stood, bared its teeth, and mimicked his wild jumping, then lay down panting heavily.

Staring up at the still-open hole in the clouds, the little monkey's eyes shone with a mysterious glimmer…