The Pig Demon

The hunter drew his bow.

The Mountain Boar let out an angry roar, bellowing as it prepared to charge into the crowd.

Just at this critical moment, a voice like a booming bell erupted from the youth inside the pig cage.

"Halt! You wicked creature, how dare you harm people!"

This shout was filled with such vigor that it stunned everyone present.

Everyone looked at the young man in the pig cage in astonishment. Even the Mountain Boar turned its head and charged toward the cage.

Boom!

With a crash, the pig cage scattered. Just as it seemed the youth was about to be gored by the boar, he traced a talisman in the air and pointed forward.

"Freeze!"

The charging Mountain Boar suddenly stiffened in place, unable to move a muscle!

The youth stepped out of the cage, looking at the seven or eight people with bows drawn, his heart still racing: "Good heavens, hurry up and put those arrows away!"

"This pig is a demon boar with a cultivation base. Once it is wounded and its poisonous blood spills out, there won't be a single living soul left within a ten-mile radius!"

Seeing the hunters remain motionless, the youth let out a cold snort: "This Humble One is Iron Rod, a seventeenth-generation Taoist of Laoshan!"

The group looked at each other, but the drawn bows were eventually lowered.

Although they hadn't seen anything clearly, the youth had managed to freeze a Mountain Boar just by gesturing in the air.

He couldn't be a fraud, could he?

As the crowd wondered, they saw the youth walk out with no regard for his image, heading straight for a water vat and making two sucking sounds at it.

A large fish jumped out of the vat on its own. Once it hit the ground, a strange little cart appeared beneath it, and it followed behind the youth with a flick of its tail.

Confirmed, this was definitely not something an ordinary person could do!

The Mountain Boar and the fish were both caught by accident; they certainly weren't with this person, nor were they trained. This youth was truly a Taoist!

"Daoist Master!"

"Daoist Master!"

The group approached, chattering, but the youth raised a hand to forbid anyone from coming closer.

He then traced a talisman in the air and slapped it onto the boar's head, saying: "Go!"

The Mountain Boar seemed to be under control; it mechanically turned its body and began to walk away, step by step.

Behind the boar was the youth, controlling it with a pointed finger, and behind him was the large red fish.

The procession was bizarre, yet no one dared to approach, and everyone consciously cleared a path wherever they passed.

It wasn't until the trio had walked far out of the village and departed completely that the tension broke.

A wild dog on the ground whined, spitting blood with every cry, watching them leave with jealousy and hatred—it could be done like that?

"Village Chief... was that really a Daoist Master?"

The Village Chief stroked his goatee: "I suppose so!"

"What kind of Daoist Master has the Taoist name Iron Rod?"

"That makes it even more likely!" Only those Taoists were so free-spirited, naming themselves whatever they pleased.

"Then, Village Chief, should we pursue him?"

The Village Chief was silent for a moment, then looked back at the one-eyed butcher: "In a moment, you will carry a bundle of thorns on your back and lead all the village elders and youth to pursue him in person!"

The youth had been captured by him, so he had to bear the burden of his apology.

The butcher nodded fiercely: "Aye!"

A capable Daoist was worth such an effort.

Meanwhile, on a ridge outside the village.

Three people stood silently.

At this moment, all three of their scrolls were revealed, displaying the instance information.

[Corpses Across the Land]

[For unknown reasons, Graveyard Riots have broken out in countless villages across Xiangnan Prefecture, and corpses that have been dead for years are coming back to life one after another.

How can a Path Seeker focus solely on cultivation while ignoring the lives of the common people? Slay the rioting corpses or investigate the cause of the riot.]

Below were the reward details.

Investigating the cause would grant different amounts of points based on participation and the ending.

Slaying rioting corpses—1 point for an ordinary walking corpse, 10 points for a White-Haired Zombie, 30 points for a Green-Haired Zombie.

At the very bottom of the page was a still-grayed-out exchange list.

5 points can summon a lair or vehicle.

30 points can be exchanged for one Life Stone or Soul Jade.

Life Stones are essential materials for the third upgrade of a Beast Nest, while Soul Jades are materials for vehicle upgrades.

Beyond Life Stones and Soul Jades, one can also exchange for basic supplies.

And even—cultivation techniques!

Spirit Refining Primer, Treatise on Cloud-Resting Consciousness Refinement

There are only two, and each requires 2000 points.

This is meaningless; who could possibly kill hundreds of zombies?

Much like other instances, the final cultivation technique is nothing more than a gimmick; no one can actually obtain it.

In the previous instance, the Tree Demon Desolate Village, no one managed to obtain the cultivation technique either.

Basic materials and Life Stones are what Zhu Jiusi needs.

"What do you two plan to do?"

Monkey Has Iron Rod glanced back at the mountain village they had just left and shrugged: "I choose investigation!"

He can neither carry heavy loads nor lift heavy objects; fighting zombies is simply not his forte!

He had seen the zombies last night; forget about earning points, a single one could have taken his life.

Coincidentally, having just followed the advice of the Cave Master, he had put on quite a show. His prestige among these villagers should be high enough now, making it the perfect opportunity to investigate the cause of the Graveyard Riot.

Beside him, Rain Seeker hopped twice and said: "I am but a carp; I'm fine for feeding zombies, but not for fighting. I'll follow Iron Rod!"

Zhu Jiusi nodded: "Good!"

Investigating causes—a task requiring brains—is not suitable for him right now. He currently has no brain.

After a quick greeting, Zhu Jiusi set his four hooves in motion and galloped toward the distance.

On the hilltop, the man and the fish watched him go.

Noisy sounds came from afar, and thirty or forty ragged villagers came chasing after them. Leading them was the one-eyed, lame butcher.

He was bare-armed and carried thorns on his back.

A man who didn't know a single character was still attempting to carry thorns to beg for forgiveness.

"Daoist! Daoist! We were blind and failed to recognize a true master, offending you... eh? Where is that wild boar?" The one-eyed butcher had intended to wail and apologize, but as he approached, he realized the boar was gone and even forgot his apology.

The others were also looking around, searching everywhere.

Monkey Has Iron Rod stroked his non-existent beard and waved his hand: "This Daoist has already subdued that pig demon and sent him into the mountains to slaughter the zombies!"

The eyes of the mountain folk lit up in unison.

"Long live the Daoist!"

Monkey Has Iron Rod waved his hand, trying to strike a righteous and awe-inspiring pose, but his stomach let out an uncoordinated growl. It shattered the atmosphere instantly.

Having been hungry for six and a half days out of the seven-day Journey Survival, his body was no longer under his control.

The village chief slapped himself: "Damn it! A true immortal was before me, and I failed to recognize him. Daoist, please return to the village first. There is still some rice at home; let the Daoist have a bowl of hot porridge!"

Monkey Has Iron Rod's eyes brightened.

Zhu Jiusi set his course and headed up the mountain.

The two cultivation techniques in the exchange list were actually ones Zhu Jiusi already knew.

But in these past few days, he had never thought about practicing them.

Journey Survival encompasses everything, but it strictly forbids the existence of divination-type skills. If one were to divine, the Judicator would arrive to kill them the very next moment.

Likewise, things that defy logic are not permitted to exist.

He had never obtained a cultivation technique; if he were to practice one directly, heaven knows if it would attract those terrifying Sha.

However, if one utilizes the rules reasonably, then no one can interfere.

Crossing a ridge and climbing to a higher point, Zhu Jiusi looked down.

His pig eyes had poor vision, but he could vaguely make out the contours of the mountains and rivers in the distance.

The mountains and rivers rose and fell, intersecting and crisscrossing like a chessboard.

His current position was roughly where the second pawn of the black pieces would be.

Ahead lay the Chu-Han Border, though it wasn't water, but a massive canyon!

With Zhu Jiusi's eyesight, he certainly couldn't see it clearly, but the outline was enough.

He had been to this instance before!

The last time he entered, he was in the red piece phase, starting as a foolish young master of a wealthy family. He hadn't experienced being pinned to a butcher's table, so he hadn't recognized it at first.

Only when the scroll message appeared just now did Zhu Jiusi suddenly realize.

Isn't this the Ruins!

This secret realm had been opened several times; from the lowest-level White-Haired Zombies to the Flying Zombies that appeared later, there had even been shadows of Wandering Corpses.

It was the backyard garden where the big shots gathered treasures.

Unfortunately, the entire secret realm was later blown to pieces by someone.

Zhu Jiusi narrowed his eyes as he looked at the central canyon, and an idea sprouted in his mind, one he could no longer suppress.