I changed the world.

It was a black obelisk about fifteen meters tall. Four animal heads were inlaid on the four sides of the base of the obelisk, and gurgling spring water flowed out from the animal heads, gathering into a pool at the base of the obelisk.

Zhang Jing noticed that within a radius of about fifty meters around the obelisk and the spring, any ash snow falling from the sky would disappear. It was as if some mysterious force enveloped this area, separating it from its surroundings.

Golden flames flashed in Zhang Jing's eyes. Under the secret technique, he discovered that a kind of golden radiance was emanating from the obelisk, enveloping the surrounding area. It was a light that felt extremely clear to anyone who saw it.

It seems this must be some kind of special building... but I wonder what its connection is to the round emblem in my hand? Zhang Jing wondered to himself.

However, there is still one obstacle blocking Zhang Jing's way.

They were three enormous monsters, much larger than the African elephants Zhang Jing had seen in the zoo. Their bodies were covered in thick rhinoceros hides, somewhat resembling rhinoceroses, but clearly far more agile. Their limbs weren't clumsy hooves like those of rhinoceroses and elephants, but rather claws more like those of lions and tigers. They had sharp horns on their noses, and their mouths weren't small like rhinoceroses; their lower jaws were wide open, somewhat like canines. The largest of the three monsters was significantly taller than the other two, with a black mane like a horse's mane running down its spine.

Zhang Jing guessed that this might be a family. In addition, there was a small individual, less than half the height of the adult monsters, which seemed very lively, playfully darting around the larger creatures, and occasionally nudging the tail of the largest monster with its nose, which had not yet grown horns. The adult monsters seemed completely unconcerned about its self-amusement, only occasionally moving away to avoid it when they got annoyed by its antics.

At this moment, Zhang Jing also faintly smelled a very faint, sweet-smelling, fishy scent. If he hadn't been careful, he would have definitely overlooked it. After a moment's thought, and looking at the way the monsters were tearing apart their food in the distance, he came to a conclusion: it seemed that these monsters were carnivorous...

In addition, Zhang Jing noticed that compared to the extremely aggressive creatures he had seen along the way, these behemoths, although equally terrifying, seemed more "normal," and even occasionally interacted with each other.

Could it be that this is also because of this black obelisk?

Meanwhile, in the feeding grounds of the giant beasts, the small animal wandered around the open area surrounding its elders, seemingly bored. It snorted and chased after a buzzing flying insect, its back to Zhang Jing's direction, unknowingly drifting further and further away from its elders...

At this moment, the largest beast seemed to notice something, stopped eating, and warily turned its head to look around. When it saw the smaller beast that had already slipped to the edge of the clearing, it let out a low growl.

"Hmm?" Zhang Jing's ears twitched as he stared in the direction of the little monster. He had also keenly sensed something unusual...

Hearing the call, the little beast turned around and was about to walk back when, suddenly, something strange happened!

A gigantic, bipedal, humanoid monster burst forth from the forest. Whether it had stealthily approached or had been lying in ambush all along was unclear, but its movements were incredibly agile; in a single leap, it pounced on the small beast…

Zhang Jing recognized it at a glance. It was the monster he had seen not long ago that looked somewhat like the "ghost soldiers" in the Yama's Palace in Taoist mythology. It had dark skin, a blue face and fangs, and a sharp horn on its forehead. Its huge body was in no way inferior to those rhinoceros-like monsters.

However, Zhang Jing was alarmed and wary that such a large creature could reach so close silently.

The little beast was clearly frightened, struggling to rush forward while calling for help from its elders. It cried out loudly, clearly not thinking about how to fight back against the enemy on its back; it was just afraid, and its cries sounded like a large baby crying.

The "ghost soldier" on its back naturally wouldn't let it have its way. Grabbing the little beast's left ear, it ripped off half of the ear, skin and all, with tremendous force, leaving it bleeding profusely. However, this only provoked the little beast to struggle even more fiercely, causing the "ghost soldier" to lose its grip and let it break free...

At the same time, two more "ghost soldiers" emerged from the tall grass, following closely behind. These two "ghost soldiers" were similar in height to the first one, the only difference being that one of them had two horns on its forehead, making it look even more ferocious. They roared a few times in a menacing manner and charged towards the small beast...

As if in a race against time, the little beast's elders reacted instantly. The largest and most imposing beast in the lead turned bloodshot, roaring furiously as it charged towards the little beast, smashing through everything in its path. Behind it, the other two giant beasts followed with no less imposing force…

It's hard to imagine that such a massive body could reach such high speeds in an instant.

However, the "ghost soldier" was faster. Instead of chasing directly, it lunged towards the shade of a tree to the side, and its huge body disappeared into the shadows. The next moment, it emerged from another shady spot in front of the little beast, blocking its path.

With a single pounce, it knocked the small beast, which seemed to have thrown itself into its arms, to the ground. But in the next instant, several enormous spikes, each several meters tall, shot up rapidly from beneath it!

Chrysanthemums withered, buttocks bruised... Even Zhang Jing, who was peeking from the side, couldn't help but smirk...

Caught off guard, the ghost soldier was severely injured, roaring as he rolled to the side and struggled to his feet.

The colossal beast had already charged close. It lowered its head, let out a loud scream, and slammed into the "ghost soldier," sending the several-ton "ghost soldier" flying through the air.

The colossal beast charged forward with undiminished momentum, only to crash into nothingness this time; the "ghost soldier" once again vanished into the shadows of the ground...

The next moment, it appeared on the beast's back, then pounced, attacking with its teeth, fists, and claws. Its massive size and muscular strength were too much for the beast, even with its thick rhinoceros hide. The beast roared in pain, then was punched in the face, lost its balance, and was slammed to the ground. The "ghost soldier" then mounted it and began to beat it mercilessly…

Before it could land many blows, it was sent flying by another charging monster, which pinned it to the ground with its sharp horns and stomped on it. The "ghost soldier" struggled to its feet, brandishing its scimitar-like claws and roaring. However, the towering beast was clearly also enraged, determined to crush it. With a sudden flick of its head, it used its horns to lift the "ghost soldier" and toss it high into the air once more…

Just then, another enormous figure emerged from the shadows beside the giant beast—another "ghost soldier"—grabbing its hind leg and throwing it to the ground. It then viciously pounced, straddling the giant beast and tearing a chunk of flesh from its body with a single claw…

In an instant, the roars, howls, and crashing sounds of beasts filled the air...

Zhang Jing didn't get too close, hiding in the grass and quietly watching without moving. Even so, he could still feel a suffocating and terrifying atmosphere that made him feel somewhat disoriented, especially the howls made by the "ghost soldiers" during their battle, which made him feel as if he wanted to turn around and run away...

This isn't normal... Zhang Jing quickly realized his own abnormality. After calming himself down, he muttered to himself. He asked himself honestly, he wasn't a cowardly person, and at this moment he was just watching from the sidelines. It seemed that his mentality was somewhat out of place to have these emotions.

Could it be those monsters...? Golden flames ignited in Zhang Jing's eyes. Then, he noticed that when those "ghost soldiers" were fighting, their bodies seemed to be surrounded by some kind of black smoke, swirling around them. There seemed to be something fishy about their howls. Every time they howled, even from a distance and when they were no longer in the direct line of fire, Zhang Jing couldn't help but feel his heart pounding.

Perhaps it was some kind of supernatural ability, which seemed to have a negative effect on the mind... Zhang Jing guessed, and quietly retreated a little further.

The little beast was killed shortly after the battle began; its head was twisted off by a "ghost soldier," and it was unable to escape. As a result, the entire battle became increasingly brutal and relentless.

Just as Zhang Jing was slowly retreating, he suddenly sensed that the airflow around him was suddenly disturbed.

"Is the wind picking up?" Zhang Jing frowned in confusion, then his expression changed, and he quickened his pace to retreat.

At that very moment, centered on the battlefield where fierce fighting was still taking place, a huge cyclone with a diameter of nearly 100 meters was forming and rapidly accelerating. Within this cyclone, sharp rock needles were hidden and swirling around, causing the surrounding trees to make a series of impact, cracking, and collapsing sounds, making the surroundings resemble a giant meat grinder.

By this time, Zhang Jing had already retreated more than a hundred meters away. Because he was still worried, he continued to retreat a considerable distance. All he could hear in the distance were roars, cracking sounds, crashes, and screams of agony all blending together...

....................................

Ultimately, the battle did not last long. The fierce but brief fight ended after about five minutes. After hearing the sounds ahead gradually fade away, Zhang Jing carefully crept over.

The area around the obelisk was now a mess, with fallen trees everywhere, and splinters of wood, bark, and pebbles scattered all over the place.

Zhang Jing didn't immediately go forward. Instead, he climbed a large tree and looked down under its canopy. He saw that not far away, the three giant beasts had all fallen to the ground, including the largest one.

The "ghost soldiers" also paid a heavy price. Two "ghost soldiers" lay dead on the ground. The first one to charge forward had clearly taken the brunt of the beasts' fury and was now mangled beyond recognition. The other's head had been almost completely ripped off, its muscles twisted as if it had been ground in a meat grinder, revealing white bone fragments in several places. The only survivor was the "ghost soldier" with two horns on its head. However, how long this battered and swaying creature could hold out was questionable.

Chapter Ninety-Five: The Transformation of Fish and Dragon: The Book of Fish

"A lose-lose situation?!" Zhang Jing was somewhat stunned.

This is really... In the blink of an eye, Zhang Jing suddenly had a thought: Could this be because of the wish he once made?

"I wish for good luck in my journey through this world." Could it be that this wish has come true?

Zhang Jing's luck seemed to be really good. The "ghost soldier" was obviously seriously injured and couldn't hold on for long before collapsing to the ground again. This time, it struggled for a while but still couldn't get up. Gradually, the struggles became weaker and weaker until it finally stopped moving...

Seeing this, Zhang Jing did not hesitate and appeared near the corpses in the blink of an eye.

As Zhang Jing approached, he could more clearly observe the intensity of the battle and its unparalleled destructive power. The ground beneath his feet was littered with fragments, broken wood, blood, and even horrifying claw marks.

However, another thing that caught his attention was that the black obelisk was completely undamaged and unmarked, as if it had not been affected by any attack.

In addition, Zhang Jing also keenly noticed that when he appeared near the obelisk, the unease that had been nagging at him since he came into this world gradually subsided, as if a heavy stone had been removed from his heart, and even his breathing seemed to become easier.

Just as Zhang Jing was deep in thought, five white phantoms flew out from the several huge corpses lying on the ground and entered the Demon Refining Pot on Zhang Jing's chest.

However, Zhang Jing noticed that the only one that didn't send out a white phantom was the last two-horned "ghost soldier" to fall.

This "ghost soldier" isn't dead yet! It might just be unconscious. Zhang Jing immediately realized this.

The next moment, Zhang Jing appeared silently beside the two-horned "ghost soldier," raised his hand, and with exceptional stability and accuracy, stabbed the soft spot behind the "ghost soldier's" ear. Except for a slight delay against the tough skin, the sword bypassed all bone defenses, piercing straight in like a master butcher dissecting an ox, almost piercing through the "ghost soldier's" entire head…

Almost at the same moment, an extremely horrific roar erupted from beside Zhang Jing, followed by a gigantic hand whistling down from the sky. With the force of the wind rushing towards him, Zhang Jing, who was already on high alert, instantly shifted three meters to the right with his exceptional agility...

With a dull thud, the arm slammed into the ground, almost grazing Zhang Jing's body!

The "ghost soldier," struggling to prop himself up, stared at Zhang Jing with his scarlet eyes before collapsing again, finally ceasing to move.

A moment later, a white phantom flew out from his body and landed in Zhang Jing's Demon Refining Pot.

With a sigh of relief, Zhang Jing quickly returned to where he had left his backpack, retrieved it, and then went to the spring pool at the foot of the obelisk.

This moat-like spring pool is not deep and is crystal clear. Due to the recent battle, the bottom of the pool is now filled with debris, and some broken branches and wood fragments are floating on the surface. The spring pool is formed by the water flowing down from the obelisk, and the bank is not far from the base of the obelisk, about twenty meters away at the closest point.

Zhang Jing thought for a moment, then took off his backpack and swung it around. The backpack glided through the air in a curve, crossed the spring, and landed on the base of the obelisk. The base of the obelisk was a square platform. After landing on it, the backpack rolled once and came to a stop.

Zhang Jing then raised both arms, pushed off with his feet, and glided lightly across more than twenty meters as if riding the wind, landing on the opposite platform.

Zhang Jing reached out and carefully touched the obelisk. The entire obelisk seemed to be made of some kind of granite-like material. Zhang Jing walked around the obelisk and soon found a complex set of runes carved on it near the base on one side. It looked like some kind of array.

At the center of the array, there was a circular notch. When Zhang Jing saw this notch, he subconsciously thought of his bronze emblem.

Zhang Jing took the bronze emblem out of his backpack and pressed it into the notch. With a click, it fit perfectly!

After the bronze emblem was inserted into the notch, it seemed to be drawn by some force and slowly rotated half a circle. Then, the array around it lit up layer by layer from the inside out.

A beam of light shone down from the top of the obelisk in the void, landing on Zhang Jing. In the process, a large amount of information was transmitted and appeared in his mind.

Zhang Jing was no stranger to this experience, after all, he had previously used this method of mind-to-mind transmission when studying the Dharma.

After sorting through the information in his mind, Zhang Jing immediately answered many of his previous questions.

For example, he had previously made a rough guess about the world he was currently in, and now it had been confirmed. The world he was currently in was in fact a trial ground called the "Filthy Woods," and the way to enter it was through the scroll that Zhang Jing had bought.

This world simulates a secondary region corrupted by an evil god, and cultivators who enter the space will truly face various trials in this special environment.

As for how this world was created, the information Zhang Jing obtained did not provide details. However, based on his imagination, Zhang Jing could guess that it was probably prepared by an ancient sect or a powerful figure to train their disciples.

According to the rules here, after entering this world, the trial participants will be randomly placed somewhere, and they can only escape successfully after finding the "nodes" distributed throughout this world.

These nodes are somewhat similar to "safe houses" in games, serving functions such as purification, water replenishment, reward distribution, and escape.

The obelisk where Zhang Jing is currently located is a "node," and the bronze emblem he obtained earlier is the "key" to unlocking the "node."

There are two things Zhang Jing can do right now: obtain node rewards and break away.

In his current state, Zhang Jing is able to communicate directly through his mind and the nodes, so he didn't hesitate to choose to obtain the node rewards first.

A moment later, an "egg" entered his mind. Of course, it wasn't an egg in the true physical sense, but rather a metaphysical "egg" composed of something of a higher level, such as rules, concepts, spirit, will, and so on. At least in Zhang Jing's understanding, the moment he sensed it, he felt it should be an "egg."

He had experienced this before when he obtained the "All Rivers Converge into the Sea". After a brief analysis, Zhang Jing confirmed that the contents of this "egg" were the second stage of the Heavenly Venerable Path technique that he needed, but the name was a bit strange: "Fish-Dragon Transformation: The Book of Fish".

Although the name seems somewhat similar to a book on insect natural history, Zhang Jingdan could already sense the profound mystery of this technique from the simple information exchange he had just received. Compared to the "Ten Thousand Rivers Converging into the Sea" he had previously obtained, this technique was far more profound. He needed to find a different time and place to carefully digest and understand it before he could even begin to grasp its essence.

Next, Zhang Jing chose to leave. Having obtained the cultivation technique he needed, he considered his biggest goal achieved and decided to go back to rest.

....................................

Taking a deep breath, Zhang Jing, holding the bronze badge and carrying a backpack, appeared in the main living room. His clothes were torn in several places, stained with blood, mud, and other filth; his hair was disheveled, and his face was covered in dust. Touching his greasy hair, Zhang Jing felt his current appearance was comparable to that of "Brother Sharp" from his previous life.

The scroll lay open on the table before him. Everything was just as it had been when he left. However, Zhang Jing glanced at the clock on the wall beside him; it read 13:26. The sun shone brightly outside the window. Zhang Jing raised his wrist; the time on his watch was exactly the same as the time on the clock. Clearly, time was passing in sync both inside and outside the scroll.