Then, as the Great Snake fled instinctively, Zhang Chen was uncertain how long they had been escaping when suddenly everything quieted down. He activated the Water Control Technique to sense the outside, and was taken aback: "Huh, where is the underground lake?"
After sensing the outside, Zhang Chen discovered that the water of the underground lake had vanished without a trace.
Quickly, he employed the Beast Taming Technique, directing the python to release him outside. Looking up, he saw the large sun in the sky shining down, its rays refracted through the ice into his eyes.
Through the ice, observing the blurred sun in the sky, two thoughts emerged in Zhang Chen’s mind. The first thought was:
"Am I out?"
Then the second thought: "How did I get out? Could it be that old dog Zhang Shicheng found me and fished me out?"
The third thought: "What should I do? Should I escape immediately?"
In his mind, Zhang Chen’s murmuring thoughts flickered, and he finally melted the ice and crawled out, his eyes surveying the surroundings with a hint of astonishment.
All around were barren hills and fields, the vegetation withered and lifeless, appearing desolate.
The python lay stupidly in the sun, as if it had been frozen by the massive ice block within its belly, now absorbing the sun’s energy.
In this depopulated wilderness, staring at the sun overhead, Zhang Chen’s eyes were full of bewilderment: "Where am I? And from where did this python crawl out?"
At this moment, an indescribable hunger surged in his belly, so intense that Zhang Chen’s body trembled, akin to not having eaten for seven or eight days, making him feel dizzy, as if he could swallow a whole cow if there were one nearby.
His eyes fixed on the python, Zhang Chen unhesitatingly pressed his palm against it, draining the python of its blood. As its blood was sucked dry, a warm stream of blood flowed from that Crystal Core cocoon, nourishing Zhang Chen’s body. Yet even so, he still felt incredibly hungry, to the extreme.
"I am really hungry! It seems many days have passed inside the snake’s belly, and I haven’t eaten in ages." Zhang Chen made an assessment, then directed his gaze toward the python, but for some reason, a strong sense of disgust arose within him, as if he were devouring one of his own kind. Struggling against hunger, he moved his gaze away and wandered through the deep mountains and forests.
He trusted that with his hunting skills, as long as there was life in the mountain, he would find food.
However, after walking for two hours, Zhang Chen frowned at the sight of abandoned traps in the mountain.
The most crucial thing was that after passing, using his Beast Taming skill to sense, apart from ants and small creatures, not even a mouse could be found in the mountains, as if all the animals had disappeared.
The forests were devoid of bird songs, enveloping the mountains in death-like silence, only the sound of the wind rustling through the leaves breaking the eerie quiet.
Looking at the bird bones on the ground, Zhang Chen couldn’t help but secretly lament: "Prince Pingbian’s Mansion has sinned by causing countless birds to die of thirst for the Walking Flood Dragon. It’s truly a heinous crime."
The larger animals on the mountain had turned into skeletons, drying into mummies in the scorching sun.
Yet Zhang Chen did not give up searching. He was extremely hungry, at the brink of starvation. He needed to find food, otherwise, he feared dying from hunger rather than through someone else’s schemes.
Zhang Chen wandered aimlessly in the forests, feeling so hungry that his limbs went weak, and his muscles ached.
"Maybe I’ve been frozen in ice for too long, injuring my skin," Zhang Chen thought to himself.
"How much time did I actually spend frozen in ice? After all, in my senses, the moment I visualized that Scroll, only a moment had passed." Zhang Chen mused inwardly.
Just as hunger was driving him crazy, with his eyes flashing gold stars, he suddenly spotted, among the distant mountains, a series of interconnected Daoist Temples.
"There’s food!" Zhang Chen’s eyes lit up at the sight of the temple, and he hurried toward it.
There, not only could he find food, but also ask for directions and determine where he was and which direction led home.
Zhang Chen climbed through the desolate mountains, his clothes torn to shreds by the thorns and dead wood, until he finally found a narrow mountain path, leading to the temple’s entrance.
But to his disappointment, the temple gates were tightly shut, and clearly, he could not enter.
His eyes swept over the neatly arranged steps, devoid of any weeds or fallen leaves, suggesting frequent sweeping.
Feeling his limbs weakening from hunger, Zhang Chen looked at the temple gate, and activated the Water Control Technique to sense the nearby water flow.
"There’s water ten meters underground."
Zhang Chen thought, coaxing the underground water to penetrate through the soil and into the air.
"Extracting water from underground is slow." After a tea’s time, Zhang Chen finally extracted a ten-meter by ten-meter water mass from below and dove into it, swimming up the high wall and using the water’s buffering to land inside the courtyard before dispersing the water mass.
The inside of the temple was also barren yellow, but he could not care less, heading straight for the halls, where the temple was clean but devoid of people.
Random brooms and brushes scattered on the ground implied that, for some urgent matter, the temple’s inhabitants had left hastily, not even having time to tidy up.
By now, Zhang Chen was famished, his eyes blurred, too starved to care any longer, heading directly to the main hall.
The temple was vast, no smaller than the Zhongnan Mountain Daoist Temple from his past life; the main hall was pristine, with incense smoke wafting gently, creating a peaceful and quiet atmosphere.
The hall hosted numerous unidentified deities, with no less than thirty-six statues.
But Zhang Chen had no interest in the idols; instead, his gaze fixated on the offerings table before them, where apples and pears, as well as pastries and other foods, sparked a verdant gleam in his eyes.
"Is anyone here?" Zhang Chen called from the doorway but, hearing no reply, entered, announcing, "If no one’s here, I’m coming in."
His eyes once again turned to the offerings on the table, and then to the unknown deity statues, bowing respectfully, saying, "I happened upon this place today unintentionally and wish to borrow some food to fill my stomach. I vow to repay this immense grace in the future."
Having spoken, Zhang Chen didn’t hold back, grabbing the pastries on the table and devouring them.
As he swallowed the pastries, he ate faster and faster; soon, footsteps sounded outside the door. Hearing them, Zhang Chen glanced at the half-eaten pastries and considered briefly before choosing to hide away.
After all, you’re not supposed to mess with offerings to the gods, and if someone in the temple saw, he’d probably get in trouble. Better to go down the mountain later to ’procure’ some silver and repay the incense in time.
The footsteps drew closer, and Zhang Chen quickly glanced around, looking at the wide offering table. He lifted the tablecloth and ducked underneath it.
A figure approached the table, seeing the mess, and furrowed their brow. A crisp voice said, "Which senior brother is so unruly, eating so much of the offerings? If the masters notice, we’ll all be in trouble. But since it’s already eaten, I might as well enjoy myself too, before we’re punished together."
But the voice was too immature to distinguish gender clearly.
While mulling over the thought, suddenly, footsteps rang again from outside, followed by a familiar voice that reached Zhang Chen’s ears.
"Sanguan, how is the plan going down the mountain? This rebellion is of great importance, and absolutely no mistakes are allowed. Whether the great cause of the Yellow Heaven Dao can succeed depends on this!" Elder Wu’s voice came from outside, although somewhat weak.
Zhang Chen knew this voice all too well, it was Elder Wu’s voice. Yet why would Elder Wu appear here? Moreover, Yellow Heaven Dao? Rebellion? Was this something he should be listening to?
He started to panic, feeling he had overheard something he shouldn’t have.
The next moment, the curtain of the table was lifted, and a figure quickly slipped in, bumping heads with Zhang Chen.
Zhang Chen’s nose ached from the collision, tears nearly flowing, while the little figure covered their chin, grimacing in pain.