In the year of great famine, people resorted to cannibalism.
Yet, in the ancient times within the famine-stricken Wuyou City, a strange scene unfolded.
Many had starved to death indoors, but no one scavenged the bodies for food, nor did anyone break into others' homes to steal grain.
In the outside world, no one could explain this phenomenon.
But in Wuyou City, where doors were left unlocked and nothing was picked up from the roads, this was quite ordinary.
When people are accustomed to kindness, no one commits evil.
Whenever an evil thought arose, seeing Xu Hei's busy figure, they would silently retract their intentions.
Xu Hei returned home after a day of hard work.
For years, he had been hunting outside. Initially, he could catch wild boars and deer, but later, only mice, weeds, and wild vegetables were left.
Xu Hei had long practiced inedia and could survive without eating or drinking, but due to the plague, his True Qi was depleted, and he was gravely ill, almost like a mortal.
Not eating would also lead to hunger.
"Father, Mother, I found a sweet potato. Let's make some porridge."
Xu Hei took out a sweet potato, chopped it up, put it in a pot, added some rotten grass grains, and cooked a big pot of porridge.
"Child, you eat. Mother is not hungry!" Xu's mother said weakly from the bed.
Xu Daniu was also beside her, eyes closed.
"Your father isn't hungry either, eat up." Xu's mother smiled kindly.
Xu Hei seemed to sense something, his body stiffened, and he quickly moved closer.
Xu Daniu lay on the bed, his breath faint.
Xu's mother still had her eyes open, but they were losing focus.
"Father, Mother!" Xu Hei called out anxiously.
But neither could respond anymore.
He quickly filled a bowl with porridge and brought it to his parents, but they just turned their heads away, unwilling to take a bite.
Tears streamed down Xu Hei's face.
How could he not understand? His parents were clearly refusing to eat, hoping to leave more for him, so he could have a bit more.
Xu Hei was the hope of the family.
They would rather starve to death than let their child suffer from cold and hunger!
If there is kindness in the world, then parents are the greatest embodiment of it!
Xu Hei knelt on the ground, constantly begging them to take a bite of porridge, but the two remained unmoved.
It was too little, a rotten sweet potato couldn't sustain them for long.
"Father, Mother, the City Lord said it will rain soon, and there will be food. Hold on for these two days, we can all survive!" Xu Hei shouted urgently.
Still, there was no response from his parents.
Suddenly, a rustling sound came from the corner.
Xu Hei was startled and turned to look.
A large, emaciated black snake, skin and bones, crawled out from somewhere.
Xu Hei recognized this snake; it was the big black snake he had raised years ago.
Later, the big black snake regrew its fangs, its bones hardened, and it gained the ability to hunt. During the famine, Xu Hei couldn't afford to feed it, so he released it back into the mountains and hadn't seen it since.
Now, the big black snake had emerged, its green vertical pupils staring intently at the family of three.
"Are you going to eat me?"
Xu Hei's heart tightened, and he cautiously picked up a stick.
If this big black snake attacked him, even if Xu Hei could kill it, a bite from its venomous fangs would likely be fatal.
Xu Hei didn't believe the snake would still recognize him as its master after three years in the wild, especially since snakes are the coldest of creatures.
However, the expected attack did not occur.
The big black snake brought over a squirrel in its mouth and then silently slithered away.
Xu Hei was stunned for a long while, then exclaimed with joy, "Great, there's food!"
For several days thereafter.
Strange food appeared in the house, sometimes insects, sometimes mice, or wild vegetables.
But the rain never came.
Food was limited, and there would come a day when it ran out. It had been a week without any food appearing.
That day, Xu Hei returned empty-handed once again, but from afar, he smelled the aroma of meat coming from home.
"What is that smell?" Xu Hei hurriedly ran back home.
On the stove, a large, emaciated snake lay quietly in the pot, the fire burning brightly.
The aroma of snake meat wafted from the pot.
Xu Hei stood as if struck by lightning, frozen in place.
Wuyou City, City Lord's mansion.
Xu Hei stood at the entrance, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes tightly.
After a long time, when he opened his eyes, a resolute gleam flashed within them.
The dilapidated door was kicked open, and Xu Hei stepped inside the mansion.
In his palm, a blood-red aura continuously gathered and compressed.
This was not True Qi; his True Qi had long been exhausted.
This was his vital energy!
As the vital energy compressed, Xu Hei's body visibly shrank, becoming skin and bones, his physical body decaying, and his vital energy waning.
Years of honing had forged Xu Hei's current mental will, keeping him from collapsing!
"City Lord of Wuyou, get out here!"
Xu Hei roared furiously, the vital energy in his palm compressing and accumulating, gradually turning black.
Even the space around him began to distort!
"Shouting and yelling, what kind of conduct is this?"
A voice came from ahead, and a pitch-black middle-aged figure appeared before Xu Hei, none other than Mo Wuyou.
When he saw the black spot in Xu Hei's palm, his pupils slightly contracted, and his figure halted.
"The famine, the plague, was it all your doing?"
Xu Hei's gaze locked onto him, gritting his teeth, "I don't care what you're up to, Wuyou City, including everyone here, is not your stepping stone!"
At his level, he was no longer naive and had vaguely sensed some truths.
Mo Wuyou raised an eyebrow, sneering, "So you're standing here, what do you want?"
"I want justice!" Xu Hei shouted coldly.
"Justice?" Mo Wuyou was taken aback, then burst into laughter.
He pointed to the distant houses, to the starving masses, and said, "For these ants, you want justice? Have you forgotten who you are?"
As soon as he finished speaking.
Suddenly, Xu Hei's heart trembled violently.
In a daze, he felt chaotic memories flooding into his mind.
They were fragments from when he transformed and charged into the enemy ranks, performing the Dragon Shatter Roar, and self-destructing.
More and more memories, using his transformation as an anchor, poured into Xu Hei's mind.
Xu Hei's body shook violently, and due to the merging of two sets of memories, his body trembled.
"I, am I... not human? Am I... Xu Hei? Those two, aren't my parents?" Xu Hei lowered his head, his eyes filled with confusion.
"Hahaha!" Mo Wuyou laughed up at the sky, "Figured it out? You're not human, you're a snake, the coldest creature in the world. Would you seek justice for a bunch of mortals?"
"Don't you find it ridiculous?"
Mo Wuyou laughed wildly.
But gradually, as he laughed, his laughter stopped.
He composed his expression, looking at Xu Hei before him, suddenly feeling a chill in his heart.
At this moment, Xu Hei raised his head, staring coldly at him. The previous confusion and memory chaos seemed to have vanished in an instant.
His gaze remained icy, transforming into vertical pupils, the eyes of a snake.
But within those vertical pupils, a sharp glint shone, dazzling amidst the coldness.
"Do you find this amusing?"
Xu Hei's gaze fixed tightly, that sharp light growing ever brighter.
"You're right, I'm a snake, born in darkness, a killer without mercy, cold-blooded and ruthless. But what does that have to do with me seeking justice?"
"Today, I'll personally take you down!"
Xu Hei's palm pressed forward fiercely.
The black speck, with Xu Hei's action, grew deeper, causing the surrounding space to twist entirely.
Xu Hei knew he was not a match for this person, but there was no reason, only the spirit in his heart!
He never considered himself righteous.
But he knew gratitude, knew protection.
This was Xu Hei's path!
Mo Wuyou's face changed drastically.
"You've lost, extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon!"
From within the mansion, a voice echoed, it was the voice of the City Lord.