Who let him join the Sword Sect!

Chapter 408 Self-driving cars have risks

On the airship, Ah Li was driving on autopilot, engrossed in reading "Travels in Dongzhou: A Trip to Changzhou," a book she had taken from Qianjige Bookstore.

The book records:

Located on the coast of Changzhou, south of Dongzhou, this area is a place where the spiritual energy of mountains and sea converges, with floating mountains forming clouds, and many rare and exotic animals. Seventy-four islands are scattered like stars, all places blessed by spiritual creation.

Coastal fishing villages often build houses with jade and coral, and hang dragon-shaped wind chimes on the eaves. Every midnight, the sound of the bells and the sound of the tides blend together, just like the rhythm of the stars in the sky.

At that time, fishermen would use bells as a signal to set sail at night to hunt whales, carrying "Tide-Sounding Blue Sea Talismans" to avoid water disasters. When encountering whales or salamanders... Speaking of whaling, one cannot help but mention the neck and shoulder pain caused by long hours at sea. And if you ask which massager is the best, look for the best from Haicun Chilao. To purchase a massager, please write to [the company name].

Ah Li, who was already drooling with anticipation to watch the Changzhou people hunt whales, was disgusted by the sudden advertisement. She frowned slightly, turned several pages in annoyance, and got to the Fushan volume.

Changzhou has many floating mountains, hanging upside down in the air. Among them, Jingyuan Mountain is the most mysterious. Three thousand Xuanming cold iron chains hang down from the mountain, and although they are eroded by seawater all year round, they are not stained by dust.

A fisherwoman once glimpsed a celestial being emerging from the immortal mountain through the mist, wielding a sword to cut through the waves. Wherever the sword light passed, the seawater froze into ice crystal coral, which would only melt after three days. And speaking of coral, one cannot help but mention the cultivators who stayed up all night to cultivate.

Upon seeing the advertisement again, Ah Li angrily snatched the half-page of the book, which was covered in Coral Dan advertisements, and bit it off in one bite.

Then I flipped through several more pages, and unsurprisingly, the rest of the content was all interspersed with advertisements.

"Why is this book full of advertisements? Who the hell printed it? Is there no law anymore?" Ah Li angrily stuffed the entire book into her mouth.

Zhang Ze, who was writing a book while holding a stack of manuscripts, looked up, reached out and pulled the half-finished book cover from A Li's mouth, glanced at it, and then stuffed it back into A Li's mouth.

"That bastard Lily printed it. If you want to read it without ads, you have to pay to buy the deluxe collector's edition. That's how all the free books at Qianjige Bookstore are now."

"Why?" Ah Li asked, puzzled.

Zhang Ze said, "Because she's greedy. You don't know her. For Lily, not making money is the same as losing money."

Seeing Ah Li grinning, looking like she was about to go home and reorganize the bookstore to restore order to the world for the poor and needy cultivators, Zhang Ze quickly pressed his watch, took out a hardcover book from his treasure bag, and tossed it into Ah Li's arms.

"We'll talk about the advertisement when we get home, but are you sure it's okay for you to drive in self-driving mode?" Zhang Ze looked around somewhat uneasily.

Although that free, shabby book had a lot of ads, it didn't contain any random or inaccurate information.

Indeed, there are many floating mountains within the territory of Changzhou, appearing to float in the air and hidden behind clouds and mist.

These floating mountains are quite peculiar; they do not float in the air year-round, but move up, down, left, and right in a haphazard way, sometimes taking off and sometimes falling.

Each time Fushan lands, it inevitably causes an earthquake and the ebb and flow of the tides.

For this reason, Changzhou has the fewest mortals in the entire Eastern Continent, even fewer than in the Southern Frontier.

Although there are many insects in southern Xinjiang, frequent application of pesticides can solve most of the problems, and those long-armed cockroaches are not a big deal.

Just think of her as a flying twin-tailed wildcat.

Changju is different; there are frequent tsunamis and earthquakes, so there are very few safe places to live.

This is also why there are so many rare and exotic animals here. Ordinary creatures, without some kind of ruthless or unique skill, cannot survive a day in this place.

For example, the deer in Changzhou are different from those in other places.

Deer in other places only need to eat grass, but deer in Changzhou have to think more about other things.

Not only must they be able to spin and jump on a rock face with an 89° vertical angle, but they must also master the legendary skill of opening the placenta from birth, making it a paraglider.

To ensure that he would not die suddenly in his childhood due to the rise and fall of Fushan.

In short, every deer in Changzhou is living life to the fullest.

"Be careful, or fly higher. Don't use autopilot. We've already entered Changzhou territory. There are no flight routes for Nadu Tong in Changzhou."

Zhang Ze stared blankly for a while as the Changzhou deer family of three passed by the flying boat, then reminded A Li again.

It's no wonder Zhang Ze was stunned, because he had never seen it before.

The doe was flying with her farts, while the two fawns followed behind her, using the airflow to share a 'parachute'.

Ah Li, seeing this scene for the first time, felt the same way.

It stared intently at the family of three until they disappeared. Only then did Ali, who hadn't heard what Zhang Ze said, finally ask, "What did you say?"

"I'm telling you, you fucking idiot!"

The flying boat broke through the clouds and mist, and a floating mountain suddenly appeared before us. Looking at the wet mountain walls, it was clear that it had just risen from the sea.

Zhang Ze rushed forward in one stride, but he was still a step too slow. Before he could even touch the control rudder of the flying boat, it crashed straight into the huge floating mountain.

The distorted gravity and chaotic spiritual energy tore the small airship to pieces and hurled Zhang Ze and A Li away.

After Zhang Ze reached out and hugged the stunned Ah Li, he couldn't press the button on his watch and began to fall freely downwards.

"On the bright side, even though I can't fly now, I won't die from a fall."

Despite the plane crash, Zhang Ze optimistically comforted himself...

—Autonomous driving carries risks; exercise caution when traveling.—

After a small firework display here.

On a small floating hill not far away, the mother Changzhou deer landed safely with her two children.

"Coo-choo~ Coo-chirp~"

(See that? That thing is called a "silly shuttle." It's filled with mentally challenged people, all from out of town. They're really stupid. You all need to be careful in the future, or you'll end up like them, crashing into the mountain.)

The profound educational philosophy of Mother Deer of Changzhou.

"Chirp~"

(Understood!)
After the two fawns responded, they waddled their white rumps and followed their mother into the bushes.

congratulations.

In the pit on the ground.

Zhang Ze is quite commendable, but not something to celebrate.

Fortunately, his freefall didn't hit anyone or any plants.

He simply smashed a small, human-shaped crater in a large pit.

Unfortunately, his embarrassing moment was witnessed by someone.

A seemingly dim-witted monkey demon, dressed in a tiger-skin miniskirt and wearing a straw hat that looked like an upside-down pot lid, was looking at him with a long stick that was yellow at both ends and red in the middle.

"Can you move, bro?" Monkey King poked Zhang Ze with his stick.

"I'm fine." Zhang Ze said, and started to climb out of the pit.

But after two unsuccessful attempts, he fell too hard and his leg got stuck in the ground.

Seeing that Zhang Ze was alright, the monkey was about to come down to help, but as soon as it took a step, a strange bird suddenly peeked out from the straw hat on its head.

The strange bird had white feathers. Due to the angle, Zhang Ze couldn't see the bird's body, but he could see its slender neck, which resembled that of a white egret, and the pigeon-like head at the top of its neck.

The strange bird stretched its neck and began to sing to the sky.

The singing was rapid and powerful.

Upon hearing the song, the monkey suddenly panicked for some reason. After hesitating for a moment, it gave Zhang Ze an apologetic look, then turned and ran away.

"What happened? Why did that monkey run away?" Ah Li asked, rubbing her head, after she had just recovered.

Zhang Ze: "How should I know? Ah Li, cover your head!"

Confused, Ah Li looked up and saw a huge rock falling from the sky, hurtling towards her and Zhang Ze.

boom!
After a loud bang, the crater disappeared, leaving only a small stone hill.

After the smoke and dust cleared, Monkey King cautiously approached with his stick. He sighed sadly, seemingly regretting that he was too weak to save the two unfortunate outsiders.

He took four red berries from his backpack, arranged them in a small pile with three on the bottom and one on top, and placed them in front of the rocky hill. Then he broke off three reeds from his straw hat, held them in his hand, and bowed to the rocky hill.

"My sins, my sins, I hope you two can find peace in your next life." The book is not finished.

Just as Monkey King was about to pour another pot of turbid wine as a sacrifice, the stone mountain in front of him suddenly trembled, and a moment later, the boulder sank down as if it had fallen into quicksand.

After the boulder disappeared without a trace, Monkey King hesitated for a moment, then boldly peeked into the pit.

"You guys... didn't die?" Monkey King asked in surprise.

Ah Li and Zhang Ze were unharmed in the pit; one was hiccuping, and the other was pulling his leg out.

"Of course it's fine." Zhang Ze waved his hand dismissively, then patted Ah Li's bottom.

Ah Li flicked her tail unhappily before moving away from Zhang Ze's chest.

After making way, Zhang Ze reached into his robes and tossed a disciple's waist token from the Beast Taming Sect into Monkey King's hand.

Zhang Ze said, "Brother, I'm from the Beast Taming Sect. I'm known as the Green Thorn Little Fist Stone. My body tempering technique is unmatched among those of the same level. This little boulder can't hurt me."

To some extent, Zhang Ze wasn't bragging; his current 'body tempering technique' is truly invincible among those of the same level.

There shouldn't be a Nascent Soul cultivator in the entire Four Continents who can withstand a beating as much as him.

"Then what's that sitting on your chest, little brother?" Monkey King didn't look closely at the waist token, but stared at Ah Li curiously.

"This is my spirit beast, the Steel-Bullet Mountain-Swallowing Pangolin," Zhang Ze said nonsensically.

Ah Li lashed out at Zhang Ze with her tail, but unfortunately, Zhang Ze felt nothing at all.

After pulling himself out of the ground, Zhang Ze carried Ah Li out of the pit. He dusted himself off and looked curiously at Monkey, who was a head shorter than him.

At this moment, Zhang Ze saw the strange bird clearly. Although the bird had a slender neck, its lower body was extremely fat, soft and oval-shaped. Its two wings were too small and were hidden under its feathers to be seen at all.

At first glance, it looks like a large teapot with a long spout and no handle.

"By the way, friend, what's that on your head?" Zhang Ze asked, looking at the strange bird nestled in the straw hat on Monkey King's head.

"It's my younger brother, named Little Pigeon. He's a pigeon with its neck curved towards the sky," Monkey introduced.

"What the hell did you say?" Zhang Ze thought he had misheard, and almost thought that the person standing in front of him was not a beggar version of Sun Wukong, but Luo Binwang.

Seeing that Zhang Ze didn't understand, Monkey King took off his hat and held it in front of him, explaining it word by word.

"Curved neck".

The little pigeon wrapped its coiled neck into a circle.

"To the heavens."

The little pigeon stretched its neck and looked up at the sky.

"pigeon."

The little pigeon opened its beak and, like a common domestic pigeon, made a cooing sound.

"A dove with its neck bent towards the sky."

Zhang Ze pinched his chin, staring at the little pigeon, and was speechless for a moment.

You know what, that name is actually pretty damn fitting.

Recalling the call of the pigeon with its curved neck, Zhang Ze asked.

"Does Little Pigeon have the ability to divine good and bad fortune?"

However, upon hearing Zhang Ze's question, Monkey King shook his head and then nodded.

This little pigeon, as a creature of Changzhou, also has a remarkable skill. Although it cannot fly on its tail like the deer of Changzhou, it can sense the vibration of spiritual energy above its head to warn of falling mountains or rocks.

As free-range pigeons, they rely on this method to form a symbiotic relationship with other creatures in Changzhou, exchanging protection and food by anticipating dangers overhead.

Ah Li frowned as she looked at the little pigeon nestled in the straw hat, playing with its neck, and suddenly asked.

"If it lives on your head, how do you poop? You can't just... um."

Zhang Ze pinched Ah Li's mouth shut.

Monkey King, "..."

"I can hold it in." After an awkward silence, Monkey King finally managed to utter those four words before changing the subject.

"The falling rocks are different sizes, and the little pigeons' songs are different too, just like..."

Monkey King was about to ask his younger brother, Little Pigeon, to perform, but before he could finish speaking, Little Pigeon started singing on his own.

The voice was mournful and plaintive, evoking a sense of sorrow and injustice, like snow falling in June.

"What does this mean..." Ah Li asked curiously.

Monkey King looked up at the sky, his face filled with despair, and said, "This...this means don't run anymore, just wait to die..."

The once bright sky suddenly darkened, the clouds dispersed, and the floating mountain that had just risen from the sea and swept across the sky, causing Zhang Ze and A Li's plane to crash, appeared above them.

As it fell, spiritual energy surged around Mount Fu.

This time, without Zhang Ze's prompting, Ah Li transformed into a golden light, her long dragon body appearing and disappearing, and she swept up Zhang Ze, Monkey King, and his little pigeon, fleeing straight into the distance.

Once they reached a safe place and the earthquake subsided, they had time to look back north.

The forest valley is gone, replaced by a solitary, verdant peak.

The impact of the landslide on Mount Fu was enormous, but miraculously, most of the vegetation and living things on it remained unharmed.

Those rare and exotic creatures of Changzhou, which resembled other creatures in appearance but were completely different in nature, all climbed down from Fushan Mountain.

They each used their own methods to hunt and devour the unfortunate creatures around them who had died from falling from the floating mountain.

Those creatures, like the little pigeons and the Changzhou deer, look normal, but in reality, they are anything but.

For example, there are strange spiritual plants that cling to cliff faces, with upper bodies resembling coral and lower bodies like the gnarled roots of ancient trees. They shoot sticky threads from their coral tubes, forming a large net that sways in the wind, dragging and capturing small beasts that are dying on the ground or fleeing in fright in the air.

There are also strange cats that look cute, but can spread their limbs and skin to reveal sharp teeth underneath, have a huge mouth in their belly, and constantly make a hissing sound when they fly.

That cat... oh, that strange cat was captured by the strange coral...

"You guys...do this every day?" Zhang Ze asked curiously, looking at the strange cat that was entangled in the coral web and struggling and panting.

Monkey shook his head. "Not really. It just started happening the year before last. Before that, the floating mountains would rise and fall, but that only happened once every few decades. But since last year, there have been no fewer than dozens of such incidents, and it may have gotten a bit more serious recently."

After saying that, Monkey King seemed to remember something, and quickly took a step back, cupped his hands to Zhang Ze and said, "I have not yet repaid your life-saving grace; it was my rudeness."

"Bai Langjun, a man from the mountains, thanks you for saving my life, senior."

Zhang Ze, "..."

Hmm, a very spirited name.

"My name is Zhang Ze." After accepting the greeting, Zhang Ze introduced himself to the monkey.

After exchanging names, Monkey King invited Zhang Ze to his residence. Zhang Ze, seeing that Monkey King was a local and also wanted to inquire about Senior Brother Shi Xiu and the black stones, readily agreed.

"Hey! Ah Li, stop eating!"

Zhang Ze turned around and called out, bringing back A-Li, who had already run to the side of the floating mountain, joined the cruel nature, entered the hunting season, and was preparing to continue deeper into the floating mountain to set up camp.

"Oh! It's coming!"

Ah Li casually plucked a handful of man-eating plants that looked like spicy snacks and stuffed them into her mouth before running back happily.

After the group left, on the other side of Fushan, a strange cat carried its prey back to its den. After putting the prey down, it lay back in its den, carefully tucking in its sharp teeth and revealing its nipples.

After posing, it gently licked a black stone.

It seemed that it wasn't a stone, but its offspring.

(End of this chapter)