Cultivation Starts from Killing Pigs

The scene was a bit awkward for a moment, and the smile on Zhang Kui’s face froze.

What did this guy mean?

Truly mute...or just a language barrier?

Fortunately, as both are at the Immortal Level, there is more than one way to communicate.

Zhang Kui’s gaze slightly focused, and he transmitted a thought:

"Fellow Daoist, I have no ill intentions."

Even when different species don’t share a common language, emotions can still be conveyed, perhaps through eye contact or scent, just like how some people, with compassion in their hearts, emit an aura that calms small animals.

And at the Immortal Level, the Divine Soul is incredibly powerful, able to amplify these things to form language, often even more straightforward than spoken words, but even so, it’s rarely used in the cosmos.

As for the reason...spoken language is more easily deceived.

Indeed, the red-bearded Three-Eyed Giant also smiled, the giant hammer in his hand slowly lowered, and he similarly transmitted a thought: "This is the Nether Ruins, which tribe are you from?"

Tribe?

Zhang Kui’s eyes slightly focused, "I am from the Kaiyuan Tribe."

"Kaiyuan Tribe?"

The Three-Eyed Giant scratched his head with a puzzled look, "Never heard of it, but since we’re both of the Heritage sort, welcome to be a guest at my Dragon Marquis Tribe."

As he spoke, he extended his right fist, thumping it against his chest, causing the surrounding space to hum, showing a hearty smile, "I am Tu Shan, the leader of the Dragon Marquis Tribe."

This must be their etiquette...

Zhang Kui smiled slightly and similarly thumped his own chest a few times, "I am Zhang Kui, the leader of the Kaiyuan Tribe."

"Hahaha...let’s go!"

The giant, named Tu Shan, let out a hearty laugh, waved his hand, and turned to run forward with large strides.

Carrying a giant hammer, with the massive Disaster Beast carcass on his back weighing nothing, his bare feet caused violent tremors with each step, like Kua Fu racing the sun.

Zhang Kui followed closely beside him, the wind roared past his ears, but his heart was filled with a thousand doubts.

Though they were moving at great speed, this guy was clearly at the Immortal Level, so why wasn’t he flying? Could there be some hidden reason?

Dark fog rolled, Yin Evil whistled.

The ground tremored violently as the two giants ran side by side, and the desolate, barren swamp receded beneath them.

In the distance, Disaster Beasts occasionally appeared, either pursuing or dodging, and half a two-hour period later, the ground finally became dry, but it was still a wasteland of blood-red sand and gravel, barren and desolate.

Zhang Kui was astonished by the vastness of the Netherworld Realm, thinking at their speed, they must have run at least half the length of Celestial Essence Star, yet only low, shadowy clouds loomed above, seemingly endless.

Could it be that there’s no Starry Cosmos here, but rather a sky that’s round and a ground that’s square?

At this moment, his gaze shifted to the front, as his Divine Thought sensed a surge of Spiritual Qi there, with faint traces of Blood Qi, unlike the Disaster Beasts encountered along the way, but rather blood-and-flesh beings like Tu Shan.

Indeed, half a cup of tea later, a towering mountain suddenly rose ahead, ancient and rugged with a desolate aura, as massive as Kunlun Mountain but even grander, its imposing momentum was astounding.

More intriguingly, this mountain had its own Domain, with mysterious Arrays faintly visible, offering green shade, large bluestone buildings connected in clusters, even massive flames blazing fiercely.

Zhang Kui glanced around thoughtfully.

In the Main Cosmos, Star Spaces are filled with Bursting Spiritual Qi, where mundane creatures can only survive on Life Stars or Starships, and this great mountain obviously has similar functions, therefore can become a gathering place for the race in this Yin Evil-infested Netherworld Realm, akin to another version of a Starship.

Seemingly in high spirits upon returning to the tribe, Tu Shan waved his huge hand from afar, letting out a long howl, to which a desolate horn echoed from the mountain.

Their speed was fast, and in an instant they were at the mountain’s base.

"Aba, Aba!"

One by one, giants rushed up, both male and female, old and young, all massive in build with a third eye on the forehead, their hair and beard wild, wearing animal skins, carrying stone axes, stone spears, and various items, a vivid scene of an ancient tribe.

Tu Shan threw down the Disaster Beast bones: "Aba Aba."

The many warriors hurriedly rushed up to lift them: "Aba!"

Children gathered around, curiously looking at Zhang Kui: "Aba Aba Aba..."

Tu Shan laughed heartily, waving his large hand, "Aba!"

Zhang Kui looked awkward, the corner of his eyes twitching.

Turns out their language is just "Aba," but with different tones and inflections, it derives many variations. He thought they were mute.

Suddenly, his gaze tightened, noticing some things.

Firstly, the large stones standing at the mountain base, using blue Crystal Stone ground into patterns, constructing a complex Array, evidently very similar to the Array Formation once seen on the Immortal Ship from the Eternal Immortal Dynasty.

And the tall bluestone buildings on the mountain, which looked so familiar, they were remarkably identical to the race’s architecture found in the Black Tide zone and the No-shine Celestial Realm’s demise, upon closer thought, this mountain also resembled the Suspended Mountain.

What is the connection between these giants and the Eternal Immortal Dynasty?

The No-shine Celestial Immortal Monarch was Duan You, now the Dark God, why did he want to attack the Giant Race?

These mysteries left Zhang Kui puzzled.

"Brother Zhang Kui, let’s go!"

The giant Tu Shan’s Divine Thought broke his thoughts, moving forward as he said: "Our Dragon Marquis Tribe hasn’t had a guest from a distant place in a long time, don’t mind those little ones."

"It’s I who should apologize for the intrusion."

Zhang Kui smiled amicably, following behind.

He had already discovered that this Dragon Marquis tribe wasn’t powerful. Including Tu Shan, there were only about seven or eight at the Immortal Level.

Although the other tribespeople had robust physiques, surviving in such a place was evidently very difficult.

...

The Stone Hall of Tu Shan was located at the mountain’s peak. Though it was more massive and grand than those of other Three-Eyed Giants, it was equally rough.

In front of the Stone Hall, on a yellow earth square, stood a giant bronze brazier, filled with a kind of red crystal stone, radiating scorching, bloody energy. But it was all set ablaze by the blue-white flames above, with a few giant women in animal skins roasting bloody chunks of meat beside it.

Seeing this, Zhang Kui was secretly alarmed.

The red crystal stones, similar to the bones of the Disaster Beast earlier, appeared to be from a disaster beast capable of causing fires.

And the blue-white flames were no ordinary flames either; they were a kind of Heaven and Earth Spirit Fire known as "Youtan Bright Fire," often appearing sporadically during spreading mountain fires, rootless and sourceless, vanishing in an instant.

Because its level and power were insufficient, only slightly stronger than Mortal Fire and difficult to capture, it wasn’t valued. Yet unexpectedly, it could burn continuously using the bones of a Disaster Beast as fuel.

He realized, regardless of what this race was like in ancient times, they had now declined, having lost all civilization and language, akin to starting anew.

Upon entering the grand hall and sitting down, Tu Shan immediately ordered people to bring food for hospitality.

There were no musicians to add to the festivities, nor any ceremonial rituals. Tu Shan just kept sending mental messages, "Come, eat well, drink well."

The food, apart from a bitter fruit similar to a cactus, was overwhelmingly fishy roasted meat, while the drink was a kind of spring water infused with a bit of Spiritual Qi.

Zhang Kui, having a picky palate, couldn’t swallow it down, yet outside the hall, there was a gathering of giant children, swallowing their saliva as they gazed intently at the food on the table.

This tribe... it seems survival is difficult.

Zhang Kui shook his head slightly, "Brother Tu Shan, you’re too kind, but with my cultivation, I no longer need food. Let those kids have it."

"Hahaha, alright."

Tu Shan showed not a trace of anger, waving his hand toward the outside of the hall, "Abba abba."

Whoosh~

A few gusts of wind whizzed by, and the table only had empty bowls spinning around.

Zhang Kui chuckled silently. He could see that despite their fierce appearances, these giants were simple and honest. With a wave of his hand, he released Fatty Tiger, who had been suffocating for a while.

Though Fatty Tiger was not small, it appeared like a mere cat in this giant hall, stretching its body and lying down beside Zhang Kui.

The hall fell silent instantly.

Fatty Tiger sensed something was off and turned his head to see Tu Shan staring at him. Rolling his eyes with a cold snort, he thought to himself: Country bumpkins, never seen such a mighty steed?

Giant Tu Shan stared fixedly at Fatty Tiger, swallowing a mouthful of saliva, "Brother Zhang Kui, you’re too courteous, bringing such a gift on a mere casual visit. Someone, skin it and roast it!"

Zhang Kui was amused and quickly waved his hand, "Brother Tu Shan, please don’t misunderstand. This is my pet."

"Pet?"

Tu Shan looked puzzled, clearly having no such concept in mind.

Zhang Kui had no choice but to explain.

The two communicated silently via Divine Thought, leaving Fatty Tiger feeling bewildered. Unable to hold back, he asked, "Taoist, what’s he trying to do?"

"He wants to eat you."

"What?!"

Fatty Tiger jumped three feet high. Originally intending to intimidate the giant, the hungry eyes made him inexplicably flustered, so he tucked his tail and burrowed into Zhang Kui’s large sleeve.

Tu Shan’s eyes were filled with regret as he gazed at Zhang Kui, shaking his head, "Brother Zhang Kui, such a rare thing, it’d be a shame not to eat it."

That look was utterly baffled, like seeing someone treat a little piglet as a pet rather than a meal.

Zhang Kui shook his head, not knowing how to explain.

After a brief interlude, the two engaged in conversation.

Tu Shan was open, while Zhang Kui was inquisitive, quickly learning much information.

According to Tu Shan, this world was vast beyond compare, such that he himself had never even left the Nether Ruins, unaware of the outside world.

In the Nether Ruins, there were not only their tribe; the environment was harsh, and besides the marauding Disaster Beasts preying on each other, there were only the monstrous remains of the dead Heritage tribe causing chaos.

All the Heritage tribes lived within the Divine Mountain. Some tribes were adept at farming, others at breeding, surviving through bartering items amongst themselves.

The reason he hunted dragon-shaped Disaster Beasts was because a group of Divine Beings living in the distant center of the Netherworld Realm would exchange repairing the Divine Mountain Array with the bones of Disaster Beasts every year.

So that’s how it is...

Zhang Kui suddenly understood, unable to help feeling intrigued.

The bones of Disaster Beasts were indeed good things, not only accommodating Evil Qi but also possessing unique abnormalities, like the gray Disaster Beast bone he spotted earlier, filled with Space Domain power, serving as an excellent substitute for the Formless Celestial Capital Banner, acting as an energy source for Immortal Sects.

The Eternal Immortal Dynasty sure knew how to profit without investment.

The key point was, his Array Formation skills were far superior to those guys...

Just then, chaos erupted outside the grand hall, filled with cries of "Abba abba." Tu Shan rushed out hurriedly.

Zhang Kui frowned, striding out.

All the Dragon Marquis tribespeople were staring into the sky. A black ancient mirror, as large as a small mountain, tore through the rolling Evil Qi like a flying disc...