Survivors cautiously explored the forest, terrified that zombies might leap out from somewhere and pounce on them.

Li Xuan and Huo Lingling moved swiftly forward, weaving through the woods. After running for an unknown length of time, they finally discovered traces of human activity. Following these clues, they eventually found Soul King Village.

Contrary to Li Xuan's expectations, Soul King Village was quite dilapidated, with most buildings being simple earthen structures and only a small portion made of blue brick and tile houses.

Yun Xiuzhi spoke up, "Should I go scout the situation first?"

"Be careful not to get hit." Li Xuan pointed toward the village entrance.

Several children were holding stones, aiming at an eagle flying in the sky. Though they appeared to throw lightly, the stones flew astonishingly far, striking a pigeon in the air.

Coo~

The pigeon let out a sharp cry, one wing injured and dripping bright red blood, barely managing to maintain flight.

The next moment, more stones hit the pigeon.

Eventually, the pigeon was knocked down, and the children cheered excitedly, swarming toward where the pigeon had fallen.

Yun Xiuzhi nodded, spread her wings, and flew high into the sky. She was far stronger than ordinary pigeons, her claws capable of lifting objects weighing hundreds of pounds, and her flight speed was remarkable. Even if hit by stones thrown by the children, she wouldn't be injured.

About ten minutes later, Yun Xiuzhi returned.

"Follow me, a local woman fell into the river. This is a great opportunity."

Li Xuan and Huo Lingling followed Yun Xiuzhi and soon saw a small river with a young girl struggling in the water.

Li Xuan took off his coat, threw his backpack to Huo Lingling, and plunged into the river with a splash.

Huo Lingling couldn't swim—if she fell into water, she'd only manage a dog paddle before sinking quickly.

"Don't struggle, I'm here to save you," Li Xuan shouted.

The river current was swift, enough to sweep away even experienced swimmers. Li Xuan dared to enter the water because he had his Giant Beast form as a lifesaving measure.

Li Xuan swam to the girl's side, and she immediately wrapped her arms around his head, gripping tightly while making incoherent sounds.

"Save... save me... quickly..."

The panicked girl pulled at Li Xuan, making it impossible for him to swim. Seeing that he was about to sink too, Li Xuan delivered a chop to the back of the girl's neck.

The girl groaned, spitting out two mouthfuls of river water. The blow didn't knock her unconscious but made her significantly more alert.

"Gurgle gurgle~ Thank you..." The girl stopped struggling but kept her hands firmly gripping Li Xuan.

Li Xuan mentally complained that the girl was incredibly tough—he felt like he hadn't struck the back of her neck but rather a hard bluestone, his palm left numb from the impact.

Dragging the girl, Li Xuan slowly swam toward the riverbank.

After reaching shore, the girl lay on the ground, her face pale and lips colorless. "Thank you."

Pfft~

The girl spat out another mouthful of river water, her chest heaving violently.

"Do you need help?" Huo Lingling asked.

The girl shook her head gently, "I'll be fine after resting a while."

Huo Lingling didn't insist, instead pulling a piece of clothing from the backpack and draping it over the girl.

"Thank you." No sooner had the girl spoken than another stream of water sprayed from her mouth.

Huo Lingling quickly suggested, "Maybe you should make yourself vomit? You'll feel better once you get all the water out of your stomach."

"No, I can't spit it out." The girl's attitude was firm;

even though her stomach felt ready to burst from the water, she had no intention of vomiting.

Time passed slowly, and the girl's condition visibly improved. After about half an hour, her complexion became rosy, her energy fully restored, showing no signs that she had just been teetering on the edge of death.

The girl sat up, curling into a ball with her arms wrapped around her knees. "Thank you for saving me. My name is Shui Lanlan, and I'm from Soul King Village."

Li Xuan spoke up, "We're travelers from outside the island. I'm Li Xuan, and she's Huo Lingling."

Shui Lanlan showed a look of sudden understanding. "So you're from outside the island, no wonder your clothes are different from ours. This is my first time meeting people from outside."

"Why didn't you vomit the water from your stomach earlier?" Huo Lingling asked curiously.

Shui Lanlan looked somewhat embarrassed. "I was actually practicing martial arts. My family's inherited martial arts technique is called Flowing Water Art, which requires comprehending water flow changes while submerged to master the basics. Today I went into the river to train, successfully grasped the fundamentals, but got too excited, slipped, and was swept away by the current. Luckily, I met you all."

"My condition was unstable earlier, and I was worried that if I spat out the water, my cultivation level would drop."

Li Xuan and Yun Xiuzhi exchanged glances.

What a naive child—she'd just revealed all her secrets.

Shui Lanlan changed the subject, asking, "What brings you to Tianniu Island? Aren't you afraid you won't be able to leave?"

"Why wouldn't we be able to leave?"

"Tianniu Island is a prison—didn't you know?" The girl seemed puzzled.

Li Xuan pretended to be surprised. "We truly didn't know. The person who brought us here told us Tianniu Island was a paradise."

Shui Lanlan sighed, as if pitying them. "You were deceived. Tianniu Island is a prison established by the Great Qian Dynasty. After entering the island, martial artists who have achieved rank cannot leave. The island's edge has a detection array—if ranked martial artists approach, the array will attack them."

"Unranked ordinary people can't cross the vast ocean—they'd die trying to leave anyway."

"Could you explain in more detail?" Li Xuan asked softly.

"Of course, you are my lifesavers after all."

After a long while, Li Xuan learned much information from Shui Lanlan.

The villagers on Tianniu Island are all descendants of martial artists. A thousand years ago, a massive war broke out on the continent, with over a hundred nations fighting. Ultimately, the Great Qian Martial Ancestor broke through limits to become a generation's Martial God, winning the hundred-nation war. The Great Qian Dynasty rapidly expanded, annexing the hundred nations.

Martial arts experts wondered how the Great Qian Martial Ancestor achieved the Martial God realm. During one of his lectures, the Great Qian Martial Ancestor revealed this secret to the world's martial artists.

Tianniu Island!

The Great Qian Martial Ancestor obtained a Martial Arts Seed on Tianniu Island!

The Life Martial Seed—one of the six great Martial Arts Seeds!

With vitality far surpassing ordinary people, the Great Qian Martial Ancestor attempted to break through to the Martial God realm over a hundred times, finally seizing the opportunity to become the continent's first Martial God!

Additionally, the Great Qian Martial Ancestor revealed another piece of information—there was another Martial Arts Seed on Tianniu Island!

Martial artists worldwide were astonished, and countless practitioners swarmed to Tianniu Island, only to find nothing there. Disappointed martial artists tried to leave but discovered they couldn't.

Tianniu Island has the Heaven-Severing Earth-Extinguishing Array, which automatically draws energy from heaven and earth, operating endlessly. Anyone with martial arts cultivation cannot leave—approaching the edge triggers the array, and invisible forces tear the martial artist apart.

Shui Lanlan said quietly, "Actually, you came for the Martial Arts Seed too, right? Unfortunately, there's no Martial Arts Seed on Tianniu Island."

Li Xuan found this strange—the system intelligence indicated that the Soul King Village chief's hidden Ancestral Treasure Vault contained a Martial Arts Seed. Throughout history, every Soul King Village chief knew about the Ancestral Treasure Vault's existence, so why hadn't anyone refined the Martial Arts Seed?

Couldn't they open it?

But the intelligence showed that Li Dalong opened it.

Did the Soul King Village chief harbor a great secret? Was he a powerful guardian of the Ancestral Treasure Vault?

Yet in the future, when his daughter faced danger, it was Li Dalong who desperately protected her.

"Can you take us to Soul King Village? We want to learn martial arts," Li Xuan said.

"No problem!" Shui Lanlan declared, patting her chest.