The Creation Force within was surging.
Xu Zimei sat upon the back of Chaos, a "crackling" sound echoing inside his body.
From his internal organs to the Extraordinary Meridians, this was a transformation of his own strength.
As the Divine Continent was transforming, Xu Zimei was also undergoing a transformation.
The blood in his body gradually turned from red to golden.
Even his bones seemed to have turned to gold.
This cultivation lasted for an entire month.
When Xu Zimei slowly opened his eyes, the silhouette of Chaos had already flown at full strength to the Central Continent.
And his bodily transformation had to be forcefully stopped in the middle.
He felt an intense hunger for the first time since he’d started cultivating.
Because at his level of cultivation, he no longer needed to consume grains or other foods.
The Sky-reaching Domain was located at the very western end of the Central Continent.
It bordered the Shenghua Domain, and it was in the direction towards the Western Continent.
Therefore, when Xu Zimei came from the Eastern Continent, the distance in between was quite vast.
Today, the two of them finally arrived at the boundary between the Sky-reaching Domain and the Shenghua Domain.
Xu Zimei retracted Chaos and, along with Monk Da Zhi, descended slowly from the sky, planning to rest here for a day and have a full meal.
In the vicinity, no city was in sight, only a village at a not so distant place.
The two made their way on foot into the village.
At the entrance to the village stood two ancient willow trees.
Since it was deep winter, the willows stood silently amid the heavy snow.
Radiantly white, the cottony snow drifted with the wind.
"Green Willow Village," three large characters were carved on a nearby stone stele.
The village was very quiet inside, but that was understandable given the snowy weather and the reluctance of people to venture out.
The two walked into the village, with Monk Da Zhi holding a horsetail whisk, calling out in his deep voice.
"Is there anyone in the village? This poor monk is passing by, could we buy some food with money?"
His words fell into silence for a long time, but no one responded.
Xu Zimei could feel that the houses on both sides were empty, not a soul in sight.
"This village doesn’t seem abandoned," said Monk Da Zhi with confusion.
"How come there’s not a person in such weather?"
"Let’s check inside the village," Xu Zimei said.
"If there’s no one, we’ll just keep moving on."
"Move quickly, all of you, or there will be consequences," a stern voice rose within the village.
Followed by the "crackling" sound of whips lashing out.
The village was not small in scale; after walking for over ten minutes, the two finally reached the heart of the village.
"There are people," said Monk Da Zhi, quickening his steps upon hearing the sounds.
When the two turned the corner of the village, they at last saw signs of life.
Not far ahead was a broad open space.
A group of villagers was barefoot in the snow, seemingly building houses, busily working amid the icy cold.
On the side, two men in beasts’ pelts were overseeing the work.
They held iron whips, and next to them stood two fiercely fierce tigers.
Thick Monster Might pressed down, leaving the villagers around with no choice but to work diligently.
A moment’s inattention would attract a lashing from the iron whips.
In the biting cold, everyone’s limbs seemed numb, their cheeks red from the freezing chill.
Upon noticing the arrival of Xu Zimei and his companion, the two fierce tigers immediately sensed their presence.
They roared at Xu Zimei and his companion.
"What are you people?" The two middle-aged men clad in beast skins stepped forward and frowned as they asked.
"Upon passing by this place, I wished to purchase some food. May it be convenient?" Monk Da Zhi inquired.
"Scram, can’t you see we’re busy?" the middle-aged man on the left said, unceremoniously.
"Wait," the middle-aged man on the right said with a smile.
"Since you two have come, why not stay and lend us a hand?"
As his words fell, the two tigers before them had already pounced.
They attacked from the left and right, pinning Xu Zimei and his companion between them.
"Tiger meat will do," Xu Zimei pondered briefly.
He gently raised his right hand; the blade qi burst forth from his palm, transforming into two blade shadows that shot out.
Following that were two cries of agony, and the tigers lay dead on the ground.
Xu Zimei didn’t care about the stunned expressions of the onlookers as a fierce fire started in his hands.
He immediately began skinning and deboning, skewering the tiger’s corpse with Tyrant Shadow and roasting it over the flames.
"You, you dare kill our battle pets," the middle-aged man in beast skins finally reacted, shouting.
"Do you know who we are?"
Xu Zimei couldn’t be bothered to argue with him.
He merely glanced at the middle-aged man, and a supreme divine might erupted from his eyes.
The man’s body couldn’t withstand the pressure, as if gravity had increased manyfold.
His internal organs churned together and he was compressed into a patty-like shape.
The other middle-aged man, witnessing this scene, said nothing and fled frantically into the distance, terror-stricken.
"That’s better, how peaceful," Xu Zimei smiled.
He was too lazy to kill such ants.
The flames conjured by Xu Zimei were formidable, quickly roasting the tiger meat.
He didn’t hesitate, tearing and biting into the flesh directly.
His aim was not to satisfy hunger, but rather his body’s transformation required an immense amount of energy.
And this energy had to be drawn from food.
Within minutes, Xu Zimei had devoured one whole tiger.
Seemingly unsatisfied, he began to deal with the other tiger.
Just then, amidst the group of villagers in the clearing ahead, an old man approached, trembling.
"Thank you, kind saviors, for rescuing Green Willow Village," the elder bowed several times to Xu Zimei and his companion.
Xu Zimei paid him no attention, continuing to eat.
Monk Da Zhi, however, stepped forward and asked with curiosity, "Old man, what are you doing?"
"Alas," the elder sighed before speaking.
"I am the village chief of Green Willow Village.
Our village falls under the jurisdiction of the Monster-Taming Sect.
Not long ago, the Sect decreed that every city and village must establish a Monster Shrine, and we were in the process of constructing one."
The elder looked at Xu Zimei and his companion and sighed, "You two had better run.
The man you just killed was an Outer Sect Disciple of the Monster-Taming Sect; they won’t let this go easily."
"The Monster-Taming Sect," Xu Zimei asked with his mouth full of meat, his words muffled.
"Their Ancestor is the Crimson Scale Emperor, isn’t it?"
"Yes, precisely, the Crimson Scale Emperor," the old man nodded hastily.
"What do they want with constructing these shrines?" Da Zhi inquired, still curious.
"I do not know," the elder shook his head and said.
"You better leave quickly, and we should also pack up and start anew elsewhere.
Otherwise, they will surely not spare us."
After Xu Zimei finished eating the two tigers, he still felt unsatisfied.