I followed the Tabby Cat King for a long time, and eventually, we stopped in a patch of woods where we could see Bull City.
If I go in looking like this, I’ll be discovered immediately. How am I supposed to sneak in? Can’t you just use your power to break through the Bullhorn King’s Ghost Domain?
I quietly watched the Spirit Snake. His golden-red eyes shimmered with helplessness and sorrow, a pain I could almost feel in my own chest.
“I could, but at best I can handle three of them. What about you? How many of the Zodiac Guardians can you take on?”
My eyes widened, and then I let out a helpless sigh.
See? You can’t beat even one. Going in like this is suicide. If Fat Cat finds out, he’ll want a solution. Doesn’t your Ghost Soul have a lot of traits? Think carefully about which trait can completely change your appearance and aura.
I blinked. Right now, forget about changing my appearance—even releasing ghost energy is starting to get difficult.
“Looks like the power of the Animal Realm has almost completely affected you.”
“So what am I supposed to do?”
As for what the Tabby Cat King said before—the story of the birth of the Zodiac Guardians—it isn’t a myth, but something real. They became Zodiac Guardians in ancient times, just after the second batch of humans had been born and before the gods had departed. Humans back then were far too weak to survive in a world filled with tigers and wolves. The second batch of humans had no power at all, only intelligence.
Suddenly, it felt like a heavy blow landed in my chest, sharp and unrelenting. I had no idea why, but agitation surged through me, raw and uncontrollable.
To prevent humanity’s extinction, all beings devised a way for people to gain the keen senses and survival abilities of certain animals. They chose a set of animals to become the Zodiac Guardians, so people could inherit some of their innate traits.
My eyes widened in shock. The Spirit Snake rose, apology written across every line of his face.
In the years that followed, humanity flourished under the protection of the Zodiac Guardians.
“You’re a Saint, aren’t you? How did you end up dyed black? It’s really strange.”
At that critical moment, the Zodiac Guardians fought to save humanity from extinction. Though they succeeded, the twelve animals died one after another. The calamities had appeared with the birth of ghosts.
After the twelve animals died, their Yang aspect continued as Zodiac Guardians to protect humanity, while their Yin aspect was drawn into Hell.
Hell’s power washed away everything of the Zodiac Guardians, turning them into ordinary animal souls. The turning point came when Ksitigarbha arrived—he awakened their powers. But by then, the Zodiac Guardians had changed: their Yin aspect remembered the gods’ mission, but had become the opposite of humanity—ghosts.
Ksitigarbha couldn’t bear to see the Zodiac Guardians lose their meaning, so he gave them a new mission: to become the guardians of animal spirits in Hell. This is how the Zodiac Guardians were born.
“But will that guy agree?”
“Forget it for now. Serpent City is just east of Bull City. If we walk, it’ll take at most two days to get there.”
I stared at the Spirit Snake in surprise.
“How do you know that so clearly?”
The Spirit Snake looked at me but said nothing, then slipped back into my body. The Tabby Cat King teased.
“Of course he’s embarrassed to say. Let’s go—once we reach Serpent City, you’ll understand everything.”
With that, the Tabby Cat King started walking with me. We circled Bull City, and after a long detour, I saw a main road. The Tabby Cat King began to run, moving incredibly fast—almost as fast as when he flies. I was amazed and could only push myself to sprint after him.
In less than half an hour, I couldn’t run anymore, and the Tabby Cat King had vanished from sight. I had to slow down and keep running at my own pace.
After another hour, I finally saw the Tabby Cat King lying on the ground, limbs stretched out, sound asleep.
“Couldn’t you have waited for me?”
The Tabby Cat King opened his eyes, licked his paw, and started washing his face. After a while, he woke up and stood up straight.
“Fat Cat, how did you end up as a Blue Wraith? Your ghost energy can’t coalesce properly, your Shadow Realm is half-baked, and you don’t even have a Wraith Armament. What really surprises me is that, despite being surrounded by powerful allies, you’re so weak yourself.”
“How could I compare to you old monsters who’ve lived for tens of thousands of years? I’ve only been dead for four years.”
The Tabby Cat King looked at me in surprise, then burst out laughing.
“Alright, alright, don’t get mad. When this is over, I’ll teach you a thing or two. Honestly, you’re an eyesore. You’re supposed to be with that Bloodshade Sovereign, but you haven’t learned a single thing from him?”
I was a bit embarrassed and didn’t know what to do with myself.
The Tabby Cat King chuckled, plucked a whisker from his own mouth, and placed it on the tip of my nose.
“Stop messing around. What are you doing?”
As soon as I finished speaking, the whisker instantly merged into my body.
“I can’t wait any longer. I’m heading to Serpent City first, Fat Cat. If you run into trouble out here, I can come to your rescue. My whisker will guide you to Serpent City. I’ll go ahead and say hello.”
With a swoosh, the Tabby Cat King vanished. But now, I knew exactly which way to go. I started jogging, my stomach already growling with hunger.
Just as I thought that, the cat whisker on my mouth twitched and led me to a wild fruit tree. I stared at the rosy fruit and couldn’t wait to pick one and eat it. It was sweet and sour, delicious. After eating more than ten fruits, I was finally full. Whenever I’m full, I want to sleep, so I lay down.
But I couldn’t fall asleep. I wanted to ask the Spirit Snake about everything, but didn’t know how to begin.
Then I felt something stir inside me—the Spirit Snake was sitting next to me, along with a panda whose face was a bit pointed.
“You must be wondering why I’m so familiar with everything here, Qingyuan!”
I hummed in response.
“Do you still remember when I took you to Serpent Hall?”
Just thinking about it made my scalp tingle. We did enter through the shed skin and arrived in Serpent Hall. The Spirit Snake looked at me seriously.
“The Serpent Hall you saw is a part of my inner turmoil, or rather, a part of my corruption. I won’t explain the details now. When you get back, you can ask Soren Black—he should know.”
I swallowed, and then the Spirit Snake began to speak to me.
As for what the Tabby Cat King said before—the story of the birth of the Zodiac Twelve—it isn’t a myth, but something real. They became Twelve Zodiac Saints in ancient times, just after the second batch of humans had been born and before the gods had departed. Humans back then were far too weak to survive in a world filled with tigers and wolves. The second batch of humans had no power at all, only intelligence.
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To prevent humanity’s extinction, all beings devised a way for people to gain the keen senses and survival abilities of certain animals. They chose a set of animals to become the Zodiac Twelve, so people could inherit some of their innate traits.
Ultimately, the gods selected thirteen animals and brought forth representatives of each. But just like the story goes, the cat was excluded. No one knows why, but when the gods finalized the Zodiac, the cat was late. As the gods were about to depart, they reluctantly granted abilities to the twelve animals, making them humanity’s guardians. When humans could survive on their own, their mission would be complete.
In the years that followed, humanity flourished under the protection of the Zodiac Twelve.
But when the gods left, they didn’t foresee the consequences. Calamities began to appear in the mortal world, existing solely to bring death. People were powerless before these disasters, and humanity began to die out en masse.
At that critical moment, the Zodiac Twelve fought to save humanity from extinction. Though they succeeded, the twelve animals died one after another. The calamities had appeared with the birth of ghosts.
After the twelve animals died, their Yang aspect continued as Twelve Zodiac Saints to protect humanity, while their Yin aspect was drawn into Hell.
Hell’s power washed away everything of the Zodiac Twelve, turning them into ordinary animal souls. The turning point came when Ksitigarbha arrived—he awakened their powers. But by then, the Zodiac Twelve had changed: their Yin aspect remembered the gods’ mission, but had become the opposite of humanity—ghosts.
Ksitigarbha couldn’t bear to see the Zodiac Twelve lose their meaning, so he gave them a new mission: to become the guardians of animal spirits in Hell. This is how the Zodiac Guardians were born.
I stared at the Spirit Snake in disbelief.
“You were originally one and the same…”
“Our consciousness, thoughts, everything is connected, Qingyuan. That’s why I know all about the Animal Realm. The Serpent King in Serpent City—the one we’re going to see—is me, or rather, my other half, the Yin half. But now I’ve been tainted black. I don’t know how he’ll react.”
I quietly watched the Spirit Snake. In his golden-red eyes, I saw helplessness and sorrow.
“Was it because Mason Yu, as a human, used his power to save Soren Black, who was a ghost?”
I remembered now—I’d heard about this from Mason Yu in passing. The Spirit Snake looked at me and nodded.
“That’s right. Ever since Mason Yu did that, my heart has been split. I want to devour him—to swallow the part of me he gave to the ghosts. Maybe it’s a mark on our souls, a task the gods set for us.”
I didn’t know what to say. The Spirit Snake looked truly troubled.
Just then, a ball of black flame appeared on my shoulder.
“Hey, why are you telling Qingyuan all this?”
I looked at Zhu Tang. He seemed to know, but there was a touch of helplessness in his expression.
Suddenly, I felt as if I’d been struck hard in my heart. I didn’t know why, but I was overwhelmed with agitation.
“See? Stuff like this triggers the evil ghost inside Qingyuan. It was hard enough to suppress it last time. If it comes out again, it’ll be dangerous.”
My eyes widened in surprise. The Spirit Snake stood up, looking at me apologetically.
“Sorry, Qingyuan. I shouldn’t have told you all this—it triggered the resonance of the ghost inside you.”