Volume 3 Messenger 095, Where is the Hometown at Dusk?

  There are also pieces of land exposed above the water in the marsh, and people will not sink when they step on them. They are covered with lush vegetation, like large or small isolated islands. Due to the short time since the water level dropped, the trees are not too tall, making it a hiding place for many wild animals.

  This is not the final landscape after the floodwaters have receded, but a thousand miles of fertile land surrounded by the Black Fire Swamp to the west, the Yu Di River Valley Deep Mountains to the east, the Assyrian Plateau to the north, and the Syria Desert to the south are still in formation, and it will take several years for them to be passable. Even so, getting here is not easy.

  Amon found a dry high slope exposed above the water, and with his air elemental magic, he sent out a shockwave that scared away the wild beasts in this area. He then stopped the invisible big ship on a flat surface. Seeing Medanzo still sitting quietly inside the ship, Amon didn't put away the space, but only brought Xue Dingyan down from the ship to eat.

  What Ah Meng roasted was actually fresh snake meat, with various seasonings he brought along. He had been with Xue Dingyuan for so long, but in fact, he didn't understand what a cat would love to eat at all. All the things were made according to human taste. And Xue Dingyuan seemed to enjoy the delicacies of the world the most, besides meat, of course, there was also fine wine, the best wine Ah Meng bought when he left Meng Fei Si.

  Although Ah Meng is not old and rarely drinks, his ability to appreciate wine is absolutely top-notch. The wines he sells in Du Ke Town are the best on the mainland, and his father is the most famous drunkard in town. So no matter how expensive or cheap the wine is, the taste is always impeccable, which is probably what makes Xue Ding Yan the most satisfied.

  Apart from the barbecue and wine, Armon also cooked a pot of fragrant vegetable beef soup, made with his signature meat floss. This was one of his specialties. It had been almost three days since Xue Dingyuan last ate, and both he and the cat were savoring the food. At dusk, Maidan Zuo finally opened her eyes, sniffed the air, stood up, and walked down from the big ship: "Armon God, what smells so good? And there's even wine! This will attract monsters from nearby."

  Amun smiled: "But Xue Dingyan is hungry, no matter what, he must eat something. How's your recovery? If there are any monsters, can you deal with them?"

  "Ugh, I'm exhausted," Mei said with a bitter face. "After getting on shore, my strength was almost depleted, and just now I only recovered less than 10%. Dealing with ordinary wild beasts is no problem, but if it's a powerful monster... Ah, Amun god, let me eat something first."

  Xue Dingyuan drank without using a cup, directly hugging the bottle and blowing. The fragrance of wine overflowed in the dusk, and it really attracted a monster - the legendary Scorpion Dragon.

  This monster resembles a lizard and also a crocodile, but its tail is very long, almost half of the entire body length. The long tail is segmented like a scorpion's tail, with a curved tip. Its body is about three feet in size. They emerge from the swamp with their heads exposed, seeing the firelight on the high slope but not daring to approach.

  Mai Dangzo had already scared off the scorpions and strange snakes, holding his staff in one hand and his sword in the other, on high alert for half a day. Only then did he discover that these scorpion-tailed creatures were quite small and not very aggressive animals at all. He sat back down to drink his soup, sighing as he said: "Ah, Amun god, you told me about the legend of the war of the ancient gods, how the divine spirits created nine kinds of monsters, among which was the scorpion-tailed dragon... but I see that these scorpion-tailed dragons aren't very formidable at all. How could they possibly have participated in the war of the gods?"

  Xue Dingyuan glared at Mei Dansuo with a contemptuous expression, holding a wine bottle in his front paws. Ah Meng thought seriously for half a day before answering: "The scorpions we encountered in the desert were also not invincible in the war of the gods, but the Scorpion King Siwatai absolutely has this qualification. I think the Nine-Headed Serpent Hong Bababa is also qualified. Among the nine monsters created by the gods at that time, some may have been eliminated in the war of the gods. Even if Hong Bababa survived, he was later beheaded by humans.

  "Hong Ba Ba's descendants in the Yu Di River, which I have seen before, are a very frightening mutated water python. But today's encounter with the double-headed snake is even more powerful, so it occupies that large lake. However, I think not all of these monster offspring are ferocious, unless we encountered those nine original monsters, such as the Scorpion King Si Shui. As for whether the original scorpion-tailed dragon still exists or not, I am not clear. But these scorpion-tailed dragons, which I have seen since childhood, are just like ordinary iron-armored beasts and are not very frightening."

  "Ah, ironclad beast! Just mentioning it makes me think of Yun Meng. Ordinary ironclad beasts aren't that scary, but those mutated giant ironclad beasts are a different story altogether. Especially the Ironclad Beast King - Yun Meng almost took my and Lin Ke's lives back then. Yun Meng isn't some divine creature created by the gods; it's just a mutated ironclad beast king with astonishing power and innate divine abilities. I have an idea, not sure if it's right or not?"

  Ammon: "Say whatever you think."

  "Those strange creatures, Hongba and Sishui, may not have been created by the gods," said Meidanzuo, stroking his forehead. "They might just be mutated beast kings, with origins similar to Yunmeng's. They opened up their spiritual intelligence and possessed innate powers. Perhaps the gods discovered and trained them, just like how the Scorpion King trains those giant scorpion legions, making them fight. Ah, Amun god, didn't you also teach Yunmeng body techniques and divine arts? Yunmeng can understand your words, although he can't learn various body techniques and divine arts like humans do, but he can cultivate his innate powers according to the methods you taught him."

  Amun nodded: "Your idea makes sense, but Yun Meng can't speak and can't transform into a human figure like Scorpion King. If one day it could also transform into a human form, then maybe it could systematically cultivate the power of both sides. I remember Scorpion King once said that humans have bodies similar to those of gods, so cultivating this kind of power should be the most convenient."

  At this point, Meidanzuo suddenly laughed, and Ahmon glared at him and said: "You're laughing weirdly, what are you thinking? I feel like it's not a good idea."

  Mei Danzuo chuckled and said, "I still don't know to this day whether Yun Meng is male or female. One day if he can transform into a human, I wonder if he'll be a man or a woman. He mustn't learn from those scorpions who run around naked. If that day really comes, won't you become one of the legendary ancient gods who create monsters?"

  Amun also smiled: "I'm very curious, let's wait and see. This time in Link's tribe, I plan to have Link teach Yunmeng to write, it will be more convenient for him to learn more advanced divine techniques in the future. In the Isis Temple, I saw the classics of transformation divine technique, its foundation is information divine technique, at first it was an illusion technique, but when it reaches a higher level, it's not just an illusion technique. I always feel that this is not for humans to practice, if Yunmeng has the possibility to learn, then let him try."

  "Does Ironclad Beast know how to write too? It can't even talk yet!"

  Amun: "Let's try, Yunmeng is a variant Ironclad Beast King and can also understand my words." At the same time, he glanced at Xue Ding'e with a thought in his mind: "This cat won't speak, but it can even write divine texts, so why not the Ironclad Beast?"

  Xue Dingyuan was holding a wine bottle and drinking happily, without paying attention to the conversation between the two. Mei Dansuo asked again: "Ah Meng Shen, you haven't answered my question yet. When I fought against the double-headed snake monster, I asked that too. That monster also knew magic, with strength equal to its physical power. Is it true that the power of cultivation is also a dual-faced one? Who taught it?"

  Amon fell into deep thought, and after half a day, he replied: "Perhaps it's just the awakening of instinctual power. The original Cloud Dream also used skills similar to earth element divine techniques. Those who imparted their power were not temple priests. They didn't have systematic scriptures or experience, so grasping power was extremely difficult. On the other hand, they wouldn't be bound by experience either, and wouldn't care about the distinction between martial arts and divine techniques. Instead, it's closer to cultivating a unified two-sided power."

  Mei Danzuo furrowed his brow and said, "The situation with Yun Meng was like that at first, could it be the same with Hong Baba and Xiezi Wang? If Yun Meng hadn't met you, he would probably have remained a mere Iron Armor Beast in a puddle forever."

  "Scorpion King and Hong BaBa may have received divine transmission, they are not human, the path of cultivation is also different from humans. The so-called one body two faces power is just my summary, no need to call it a name, the gods do not want it to be openly circulated among humans, so we must be careful."

  Medan nodded and said, "I've been very careful all along, even in front of Princess Xiaoyan I didn't reveal any flaws. You should be the one to remind Link instead. To be honest, I've always thought that the two-headed snake's death was not worth it. If it hadn't chased us, everyone would have been safe and sound. It's not as good as that scorpion king, at least it would negotiate."

  "It opened up a simple spiritual intelligence, realizing that it had grasped powerful strength, with desires beyond animal instincts, reigning supreme in the great lake, but this power ultimately harmed itself."

  Mei Danzuo: "It thought it had us cornered, that's why it was relentless in its pursuit. But who would have thought that you'd take it down with just one move?"

  Amon suddenly remembered something and solemnly warned: "I once told you to try not to kill people, and if you must kill someone, use the least amount of force possible. But sometimes the strongest power is also the smallest power. If we engage in endless battles, unleashing countless attacks, the power used will be much greater than a fatal blow... We'll encounter more monsters ahead, and if every battle erupts like this, I'm afraid we won't be able to reach our destination safely. Be careful on the road ahead, try not to provoke any more conflicts, and avoid using force whenever possible."

  After dawn, they continued on their way. After walking through nearly a hundred miles of marshes, in front of them was a thicket of shrubs and grasslands. This land had only been exposed above the water's surface for less than a year and hadn't formed lush forests yet. As they walked among the wild grass and thickets, Armon put away his invisible great ship and didn't want to waste his magical powers in vain.

  On the grassland, there are many wild oxen, with a large body as tall as a person, curved horns protruding forward from their heads, but they are very gentle in nature, grazing leisurely in groups. Mei Dansuo said: "The horns of these cows are really special, if they charge together, it will be a terrible sight, are they the descendants of the legendary nine ferocious beasts, the Wild Oxen?"

  Amun replied, "I've seen this kind of wild cattle in the mountains before. They don't usually attack people, but when they're startled and run together in a group, their hooves and horns can be very dangerous. Let's keep our distance and not provoke them."

  They slipped quietly through the herd of cattle, and Medanzer suddenly opened his mouth wide and pointed to the distance: "Oh Amun, what is that?"

  In the distance, there was also a cow with a body much larger than that of a male elephant. Its massive horns curved like a giant bow, with sharp tips gleaming with a cold light. As it walked across the grassland, it looked like a small moving mountain, its appearance quite frightening. However, many birds perched on its body, and this giant cow's expression was very calm. It raised its head to glance at Amun and Medan walking by in the distance, then lowered its head again to continue grazing peacefully on the shrubs.

  "Is this the legendary Wild Mustang?" Ammon whispered.

  "Wow, what a massive head! Is it that wild and ferocious cow created by the gods?"

  Amon: "It doesn't seem like it, the nine monsters created by the gods all have the power to participate in the war of the gods. This cow should be its descendant or a variant of the barbaric bull king. We'll just go around it, pay attention and don't step on the cow dung."

  Two figures traversed the grassland, and the mud ahead became wet once more. One step would sink to the knee. However, this mire did not hinder Amun and Medan, who possessed great skill. They left behind only four shallow footprints in the wet earth, their silhouettes gradually disappearing into the distant horizon.

  The night had passed, and the footprints had not completely disappeared. By noon the next day, two black dots appeared on the horizon in the distance. The black dots quickly grew larger, and it was Medanzo and Armon, who were sprinting back, and they were flying again.

  Behind them came a harsh, unpleasant sound of "hiss, hiss". They looked up to see a terrifying sight: a monstrous creature was chasing after them relentlessly. It was the legendary swamp giant snake. The snake's body wasn't as massive as the two-headed serpent, but it was still over sixty feet long, with a diameter as thick as a water bucket. On top of its head grew a bright red fleshy tumor, shaped like a rooster's comb, over a foot high.

  What's even more frightening is that this snake, despite not having long legs, has a pair of thin membrane-like wings that can spread out to over thirty feet wide, just like the giant bat wings. Its tail drags on the ground as it moves, its upper body flapping its wings in mid-air, and with each beat of its wings, tiny whirlwinds are created, cutting through grass and shrubs, sending them flying everywhere.

  "Look what you've done now! I told you to be careful not to provoke the beasts, and yet you've managed to stir up this big fella again - a winged variant of the swamp giant snake. Luckily it's not the legendary flying snake king!"

  "Mei Danzuo muttered: 'I really didn't mean to, I just urinated into the water, and unexpectedly summoned it out, almost scaring me to death!'"

  Amun: "I left it up to you, and this is how you handle it? We've been running back and forth for so long, we've wasted a whole day's journey."

  "Ah, Amun god, you won't intervene again, and my strength has only recovered to less than 20%. How can I fight it? I think this snake is the leader of the monsters in that swamp. Let's lure it here, and then we can return without any obstacles."

  As they spoke, the two of them had already flown past the herd of cattle, and the giant winged snakes also chased after them, causing a frightening commotion among the grazing wild cows. Many of the cows began to run in panic, with quite a few blocking the path of the monstrous snake. The cow hooves and horns were a mortal danger to humans, but the gigantic winged snakes did not flinch at all; with one flap of their wings or a roll of their long tails, they sent the cows that blocked their way flying far away.

  The herd became even more frantic, running and emitting waves of terrified cries. From afar came a thunderous roar that shook the earth, as if it was trembling - it turned out that the massive mutated bull had discovered the commotion here, lowered its head, raised its four hooves and charged over with all its might.

  "Amun god, speed up the turn! We'll flash away and let the monsters fight each other!"

  Amun grabbed Maitreya's arm and suddenly accelerated his feet while casting the Stealth Divine Technique. His figure quickly became like a wisp of smoke, appearing and disappearing as he circled around and slipped away amidst the stampeding cattle. Meanwhile, the wild aurochs charging in the opposite direction happened to encounter the swamp giant snake.

  They returned from the road, with the roar of a fierce cow and the hiss of a giant snake behind them. The grassland was filled with smoke and dust, and strong winds blew, uprooting bushes that flew into the air one after another. The two giants clashed together. Mei Dansuo, who had run far away, said with lingering fear: "Look at these two monsters, who can actually win over the other?"

  "Here is not the territory of the swamp giant snake, two powerful monsters suddenly broke out in a fight, generally will not fight to the death, only one side will retreat from the other, let's take advantage of the opportunity that the swamp giant snake is not here and hurry up."

  They continued to walk through the treacherous wilderness for several more days, trying their best to avoid various dangers and fighting with weapons when they couldn't be avoided. Amun didn't let Medanzo take action again, personally solving every situation that arose with his iron staff, recording the terrain and information about the appearance of monsters along the way. Finally, after many days, they arrived at the old site of Duke Town.

  This is a vast isolated island that has just emerged from the water, surrounded by swamps and forests, with black soil that is very fertile and already overgrown with weeds. Judging by its area, this island can accommodate several thousand people for farming and living with ease, and as the floodwaters finally recede completely, thousands of miles of fertile fields will be connected in a vast expanse.

  Amun stood in his desolate hometown, holding a staff, with tears welling up in his eyes for a long time without speaking. At his feet crouched a cat, and Xue Dingyuan's eyes also had a melancholy look.

  Amon stood from noon till sunset, staring blankly at the wasteland without saying a word. It wasn't until dusk that Medanzo cautiously asked, "Amon God, is this really our destination, Dulak Town?"

  Amon wiped the corner of his eye and nodded, "Yes, this is Du Ke Town. The mountain flood came from the Assyrian Plateau, taking away all the people, houses, cattle and sheep, leaving nothing behind. The mud accumulated and covered the original land, and we are standing on it now."

  "Ah, Amun, don't be too sorrowful, you've returned after all. This place will once again become a thriving home, your wishes will surely come true."