Chapter 235: Introduction

The woman nodded and stroked the rat on her shoulder, which squinted its eyes and showed a look of enjoyment.

“This thing is called an Earth Dragon. Besides being able to dig through the ground, its droppings can create mud.”

“You mean this mud was made using the Earth Dragon’s droppings?” As he spoke, Zuo Zhicheng’s eyes flickered slightly. Unconsciously, he stopped breathing and held his breath. Of course, he wasn’t scared of feeling disgusted—just wary of being poisoned.

“How could that be possible?” The woman laughed heartily. “Little Dragon’s droppings only break down the soil, and that’s what causes the mud to form. How could one creature produce that much waste?”

“Speaking of which, are you still unwilling to surrender?” The woman looked at Zuo Zhicheng with a playful expression. “If you keep sinking like this, we won’t have time to save you.”

Zuo Zhicheng nodded. “You’re right. Then I’ll come out for now.”

Throughout their conversation, Li Xunyi watched with a constant smile and did not interject. He seemed to have absolute faith in Zuo Zhicheng. Although the gloomy youth carrying the coffin remained silent, he too watched Zuo Zhicheng seriously, as if expecting him to turn the situation around.

Then, after Zuo Zhicheng finished speaking, his body remained completely still. He merely extended his right hand and pointed a single finger. A blue sword shadow flashed through the empty air, piercing through the woman and the Earth Dragon from a distance.

Cold Light Rippling Sword—Frozen World.

After his battles with Bai Yixin and the Yama Holy Son, Zuo Zhicheng had trained hard for a period. Now, using this move came effortlessly to him. Under this technique, both the woman and the Earth Dragon felt their thoughts almost cease, as if their entire consciousness had frozen.

Next, Zuo Zhicheng gave a slight shake with his other hand. The broken rope came to life, coiling around a tree trunk like a snake. With a gentle pull, Zuo Zhicheng and the Red Puppet flew out with a whoosh, hanging from the tree.

Only then did the woman recover from her frozen state. She immediately tried to command the Red Puppet to act, but then she saw Zuo Zhicheng’s leg blur slightly. In that instant, countless kicks struck the Red Puppet’s body. A rapid series of thuds sounded, and the next moment, the Red Puppet’s entire body was sent flying.

Then Zuo Zhicheng’s figure blurred and reappeared, with one hand pressing down on the woman’s shoulder.

The woman with braids blinked. “Alright, as expected of the Heavenly Serpent King. I am Shen An’an. I agree to let you join.”

Zuo Zhicheng said nothing. He simply shook his body, and with the vibration of his muscles, all the mud covering him flew off in every direction. With just that shake, no trace of mud remained on Zuo Zhicheng’s body. This revealed a sense of purity emerging from filth and showcased his exquisite control over his strength.

However, this action caused Shen An’an and the Earth Dragon in front of him to be splattered with mud. Her mouth hung open, and she stared at Zuo Zhicheng in disbelief, her eyes gradually flickering with anger.

But then Zuo Zhicheng spoke. “You agreed to let me join, but I haven’t agreed to let you join. Your Dao Arts are impressive, but your reactions are too slow, and you lack practical combat experience. If I truly intended to assassinate you, you wouldn’t even know how you died.”

After saying this, he ignored Shen An’an and the Earth Dragon, who were glaring at him like a big and small pair of angry kittens, and turned to look at Li Xunyi.

Li Xunyi said, “Miss Shen An’an comes from a family of grave robbers. On this journey to find the Mount of the Gods, we will rely on her to dismantle various Dao Arts traps, mechanisms, hidden passages, and secret chambers. Moreover, her Earth Dragon and Jiangshi are very useful.”

“Understood.” Zuo Zhicheng nodded. Indeed, exploring ruins wasn’t just about brute strength—experts like Shen An’an were highly necessary. Especially since their target was the ruins of Amariken. As a powerful kingdom with Dao Arts capabilities, their final ruins were bound to be filled with all sorts of traps and mechanisms powered by Dao Arts.

On the other side, Shen An’an snorted angrily and made a series of hand gestures. The Red Puppet, which Zuo Zhicheng had knocked away earlier, rushed over.

This time, Zuo Zhicheng saw clearly. The beauty in red was indeed not a real person but a stunning Jiangshi nearly 1.8 meters tall. However, why this Jiangshi’s face looked so much like Shen An’an’s was something Zuo Zhicheng couldn’t guess.

Still, Zuo Zhicheng had read about the Dao Arts for creating Jiangshi in the Daoist Canon. It was one of the Six External Methods—a type of Dao Arts that didn’t require cultivating oneself or possessing a Life Grove. However, the Daoist Canon seemed to regard the Six External Methods with disdain, mentioning them only briefly without detailed explanation.

Li Xunyi then introduced the gloomy youth. “This is A Hu. He is skilled in Martial Arts. Although he hasn’t reached the Human Aspect level, he is still very formidable. We’ll be relying on both of you for many tasks along the way.”

Zuo Zhicheng and the youth named A Hu exchanged glances and nodded to each other. This youth’s Physique Strength was orange 8%. Though not a Human Phase Master, Zuo Zhicheng sensed an unfathomable aura from him.

‘Interesting.’ Both individuals Li Xunyi brought this time—A Hu and Shen An’an—were anything but simple. Even though Zuo Zhicheng had easily subdued Shen An’an moments ago, that was without either of them fighting seriously.

Moreover, Shen An’an used Dao Arts but fought Zuo Zhicheng at close range, which was inherently a disadvantage.

Li Xunyi continued, “There’s one final team member whom you’ll need to invite personally.”

“Qingyue Qiu?”

“Correct.” Li Xunyi nodded. “Miss Qingyue has practiced Dao Arts since childhood and has extensive knowledge of Super Ancient Ruins, the history of the New Continent, and the legends of Amariken. Her assistance will be indispensable in our search for the Golden Spring.”

“I’ll ask her, but I’m not sure if she will definitely come.” Zuo Zhicheng replied. Of course, he wouldn’t directly mention the sensitive topic of the Golden Spring but would use reasons like exploring ruins instead.

After their conversation ended, Li Xunyi suddenly smiled sheepishly. “By the way, we’ll be staying at your place for the coming period. We’ll also need you to prepare the logistical equipment required for the expedition.”

“Fine.” Zuo Zhicheng nodded. “Just give me the list.”

“Ooh!” Hearing this, Shen An’an, who had been fuming earlier, suddenly turned around. Her eyes shone as she stared at Zuo Zhicheng. “You’re rich?”

“Of course.” Li Xunyi nodded beside her. “With martial arts schools, gangs in Xinlu, and properties in Haijing, the Heavenly Serpent King’s wealth must be at least one or two million coins.”

“That much!!” Shen An’an’s jaw dropped. Her eyes fixated on Zuo Zhicheng as if a wolf had spotted a sheep. She seemed to have completely forgotten about the mud on her.

“You’re short on money?” Zuo Zhicheng glanced at her.

Unexpectedly, Shen An’an nodded vigorously. “Of course! Do you know how much it costs to raise a Jiangshi? How many Dao Arts materials are needed? This time, you’re covering food and lodging—how much extra can you provide for logistics?”

Zuo Zhicheng thought for a moment and spoke with an air of wealth. “If you think it’s necessary for the expedition, I can buy it for you.”

Hearing Zuo Zhicheng’s words, Shen An’an snorted like a bull, puffing heavy breaths from her nostrils. The skin on her cheeks flushed with excitement.