Returning to hometown to farm: The apocalypse system arrived ten years earlier?

Chapter 352 Saint-Rank Yuan Chen, Beast Tide Guards the Border

Li Xiang now possesses over a hundred Saint-rank items. He gave three of the best to Jiang Cai'er, and still had plenty left over. So he gave each of Yao Yao, Zhao Xueqing, Lei Xiaohui, Qianye Xuexu and her daughter, Eileen, several children, and his cousin Shen Wenqian a Saint-rank spirit armor and a Saint-rank spirit weapon as New Year's gifts.

Although Shen Wenqian and the children had low cultivation levels and could not unleash the full power of the Saint-level items for the time being, they were still excellent for saving their lives.

The nine-headed Saint-level spirit pets are also equipped with Saint-level spirit armor.

This spirit armor can change shape at will, and can be worn by both humans and beastmen.

However, the spirit pets cannot transform into human form and remain in animal form. They also cannot use weapons, and each of them has its own unique skills, so that's fine.

As for Lei Jiaming and the others, using Saint-level gear would be too wasteful for now, but they all changed into extraordinary spirit armor and spirit weapons of level 12 or above.

After a day or two of somber silence following the memorial service, everyone's spirits lifted and preparations for the Spring Festival began. The deceased are gone, but the living must go on.

Nowadays, people around the world are learning Chinese, and the whole world celebrates the Spring Festival. Of course, Western countries still retain traditional holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving.

Celebrating the Spring Festival wasn't something Li Xiang forced upon him; it was entirely spontaneous. Because China today, especially Underground City 03, is undoubtedly a beacon for humanity, it's only natural that he'd be a fan of China.

In fact, the "China-China craze" didn't start recently; it began around 2026, or even earlier, with the Chinese trend sweeping the globe. This is actually related to the level of economic development.

For example, the United States was a developed country in the past, so American movies and trends were highly sought after. In the 1970s and 80s, Japan had a good economy, so many Japanese dramas were also popular.

Later, the small script was censored by the big picture. With the economic downturn and less capital, there was naturally less investment in film and television, and the films produced were not as good.

In the 1990s, Taiwanese dramas, Hong Kong dramas, Korean dramas, as well as variety shows and music from these three regions, were all extremely popular.

After the turn of the century, the economies of those regions declined, and the craze for Japanese, Korean, and Hong Kong films and television shows disappeared. Perhaps a small number of people still followed them, but they were never as popular as before. For example, TVB had long been facing a talent shortage, with few outstanding new generation actors and works.

Later on, even American TV series and blockbuster movies became less popular, feeling like they were just so-so.

Meanwhile, animated films, science fiction films, period dramas, and various songs from mainland China have risen and begun to exert their influence.

Now, Li Xiang represents the pinnacle of extraordinary individuals on Earth, while Jiang Cai'er and her team represent the pinnacle of technology. City 03 can be considered one of the world's top cities in both "extraordinary" and "technological" aspects, and its status has long surpassed that of New York and Tokyo in the past. It is only natural that people admire Li Xiang and Jiang Cai'er.

The underground area around Lijia Village is undoubtedly the center of City 03. In Li Xiang's villa in the mountainside, Jiang Cai'er's parents, aunt, eldest aunt, second aunt, and others came to help prepare the New Year's Eve dinner. Li Xiang's grandmother took care of the children. With dozens of people in the family, Li Xiang didn't need to worry about anything.

He simply brought out a lavish array of ingredients, including all sorts of delicacies from land and sea, and prepared several tables of food for everyone.

Yes, there's simply not enough room at one table.

Because in today's underground cities, ordinary households cannot "cook" in the kitchen, mainly to prevent safety hazards. Only public canteens and a handful of households have natural gas installed.

Cooking in the underground city without permission will result in a fine. This is modeled after Singapore in my previous life, but the management is stricter. There's no other way; the underground city is densely populated and an enclosed space, and the consequences of a fire would be unimaginable.

Moreover, the large amount of waste gas generated when each household cooks is a huge burden to deal with.

As for induction cookers, rice cookers, and electric hot pots, they also pose safety hazards. In addition, there is insufficient production capacity, and there are no such factories anymore.

In those extraordinary times, the focus was naturally on concentrating manpower and resources on the mass production of various military equipment such as artillery shells, missiles, robotic dogs, and drones. Then came the production of daily necessities like medicines, clothing, and footwear.

Otherwise, after several waves of beast tides, when all the powerful weapons are used up and a large number of high-level superhumans have not yet been born, humanity will truly be in danger.

Li Xiang's family can cook, so relatives and friends all come over to "mooch" meals.

During holidays like this, safety is paramount. Jiang Cai'er wasn't at home; instead, she was busy with various meetings, arranging work for the lab teams, the city defense department, the municipal department, and so on. In fact, if you were to say who wielded the most power in City 03, it would have to be Jiang Cai'er.

In City 03, Jiang Cai'er was involved in almost every detail.

Zhuge Liang was meticulous in his duties, working tirelessly until his death, but Jiang Cai'er won't be exhausted because she's not an ordinary person; her super brain can handle hundreds of thousands of tasks simultaneously, or even more.

The memory palace grants her photographic memory, allowing her to know everything about the underground city, big and small, without needing to consult any information. Her secretarial team is full of admiration, considering her a genius.

Li Xiang used earth-遁术 (earth-遁术 is a type of magic that allows one to silently appear on the surface of the earth and return to his old courtyard).

At this moment, the earth was shrouded in darkness, having endured another harsh winter, and the entire globe was frozen. Icicles as thick as bowls hung from the eaves, and many houses in the village had collapsed under the weight of the snow and ice.

But it doesn't matter, this place has long been abandoned.

Without sunlight, it's estimated that there will never be a "springtime" again, and it will remain frozen indefinitely. Fortunately, the underground city's ecosystem is already established, so the impact is not significant.

Due to their "global hibernation," the "guardian beasts" that were originally located on the surface have all moved underground. Their original nests are now empty.

The surrounding area had already been thoroughly searched by Li Xiang, and there were no more large alien beasts left. However, there were many native plants and animals of Earth in the darkness, which had probably absorbed enough extraordinary particles and had begun to mutate.

Now that there's an ample supply of alien space beasts, Li Xiang naturally won't target these native "monsters" anymore. Compared to the alien space beasts, these native mutated creatures are much more appealing to him. Besides, they're still too weak due to the short time available.

Li Xiang activated the Nine Netherworld Eyes of Delusion and looked around. He saw another nest of alien space beasts approaching from seventy or eighty kilometers to the northwest. The strongest of them were only two Saint-level leaders. So, he flashed and arrived at their nest.

This area was originally a primeval forest, but many trees froze to death, with less than one-tenth surviving. The animal population is likely in similar straits. Even if some survived, they would probably be food for alien space creatures.

This is a nest of Blackfire Crows, their entire bodies ablaze with flames. Those of the sixth rank and above have wingspans of over ten meters. When they fly in the sky, they resemble one "mini sun" after another. The ancient archer Hou Yi may have shot down something like this when he shot down the suns.

The two Saint-level beings were even more terrifying in size, with a wingspan of three or four hundred meters. With a single flap of their wings, a blazing black wind would howl for tens of kilometers.

Li Xiang lightly touched the ground with his toes and hovered in mid-air, beneath his feet a forest ravaged by the monstrous beasts. Many dead trees had long since been charred into ash by the black flames emanating from these fiery creatures.

However, Li Xiang's ability to sense the earth's veins detected that native plants were sprouting from the thick ash, with small buds emerging from their roots and stems, trying to push through the ash layer and reach out.

The ash layer not only provides insulation and heat, but also contains rich nutrients.

As soon as Li Xiang appeared, the Blackfire Crows below the Saint Rank were so frightened that they flapped their wings and flew away, while two giant birds with wingspans of hundreds of meters pounced on Li Xiang from the left and right.

These are a pair of crows, a male and a female.

"Wow—!"

The two Saint-level Blackfire Ravens had a combined wingspan of seven or eight hundred meters, seemingly blotting out the sky. Before they even arrived, countless black flame meteors rained down from the sky, cascading down on Li Xiang.

Li Xiang's afterimage at Mach 80 wove a silver net of light amidst the rain of fire, and his white jade golden hook staff slashed out, fiercely battling with the two Saint-level Blackfire Ravens.

Although he was small in stature, each of his attacks had the power to split mountains, and he was extremely fast. The two Saint-level Blackfire Crows could not dodge at all and were beaten so badly that they squawked loudly.

These two Saint-level Blackfire Crows were quite high-ranking, one at level 26 and the other at level 24, but they were completely unable to fight back under Li Xiang's staff.

In less than half an hour, the two Saint-level Blackfire Ravens were knocked down into the valley, severely injured and coughing up blood.

Li Xiang stomped on the crow's head, and the golden chains of the soul contract pierced into the deepest part of its soul.

"Submit, or be annihilated."

When forming contracts with his own pet spirits, Li Xiang was always gentle and would even ask for their opinions. But when it came to capturing these alien space beasts, he naturally took them by force and was extremely forceful!
The majestic whisper echoing in his mind's eye, along with the murderous intent emanating from Li Xiang, finally caused the struggling ferocious bird to lower its burning head.

Soon, Li Xiang used the same method to subdue the female crow. "Great master, we, your husband and I, will forever obey your commands!" The two crows lay on the ground, trembling with fear, because they could clearly sense that after forming a soul contract, they would immediately perish with just a thought from Li Xiang.

After a spiritual exchange, Li Xiang was very satisfied with the two newly tamed Saint-level raptors.

Since no kills were achieved, the system offered no reward. However, these two Saint-level raptors were the best reward. No, it should be the entire Blackfire Crow colony, numbering seven or eight thousand.

"You can move your nest over there and guard that area." Li Xiang redefined the location of the nest for the two Saint-level Blackfire Crows. It was located above a satellite city in Dungeon 03, where it would guard the main city together with the underground satellite city.

At the same time, Li Xiang also infiltrated the satellite city, explained the matter, and told them not to worry.

The soldiers guarding this satellite city were stunned when they heard this. They thought to themselves, "Li Sheng is really amazing. He can pull off such a crazy move."
They were skilled warriors and naturally guessed Li Xiang's intentions. They estimated that Li Xiang wanted to subdue a series of alien beast tribes and protect the entire "City 03".

If humans were to guard this place, beasts from other places would definitely come to attack. But since the beasts have occupied this place, beasts from other places probably wouldn't come to steal it.

Even if there is a fight over it, well, it's a war between alien beasts, and it has nothing to do with humans on Earth.

During this Spring Festival, many officers, soldiers, and militiamen in this satellite city remain steadfast in their posts, without the slightest slackening. Although the underground city is "closed off," some strange beasts can burrow underground and dig tunnels, and there is no guarantee they won't launch a sneak attack. Sporadic battles continue, so strict defense is absolutely necessary.

Once invaded by strange beasts, it will cause very heavy casualties.

Seeing that many of the officers and soldiers spoke with northern accents, Li Xiang took out a lot of flour, venison, and beef from the extradimensional warehouse and asked the cooks to make dumplings for everyone.

The officers and soldiers were all overjoyed.

Because the staple food in the underground city is super rice. This hybrid rice is extremely high-yielding, while wheat has not been cultivated to produce such high-yielding seeds, so everyone usually eats rice. However, the taste of this super rice is really just so-so. Now that we have high-quality white flour, as well as venison and beef, being able to eat these dumplings is truly what New Year's is all about!
The high-quality venison and beef that Li Xiang provided were things that many families might not be able to afford even in peacetime.

Especially beef, rich in fat and oil, is a precious source of energy for humans in the apocalypse. Wrapped in dumplings, it's juicy and fragrant—just thinking about it makes my mouth water.

Li Xiang did not show favoritism; he visited every satellite city and the main urban area, delivering high-quality flour, venison, and beef to the officers and soldiers who were on duty, and extending his warm greetings.

Li Xiang originally intended to keep a low profile, but a reporter with excellent connections quickly arrived, captured the scene, and it made the news that very evening.

Jiang Cai'er also instructed all the canteens to prepare a sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner for the public. Well, this is a free benefit on New Year's Eve.

With free New Year's Eve dinner, laughter and joy filled the air, creating a lively atmosphere.

Li Xiang, after quickly finishing his New Year's Eve dinner with his family, set off again that very night, sweeping through the area within a 200-kilometer radius of City 03, subduing a total of sixteen Saint-level alien beasts, and forming soul contracts with them all.

Including the original two, he now has a total of eighteen Saint-level space beasts, belonging to twelve different races.

These twelve tribes are scattered across the surface of twelve satellite cities, completely surrounding the main city of No. 03.

After he finished all that, he checked the time and realized, "Oh my god, it's already the fourteenth day of the first lunar month! The Lantern Festival is just around the corner!" He hurried home. Because some of the beast clans were extremely powerful and numerous—the largest of which had five Saint-level beasts and over 300,000 beasts below the Saint level—they were far superior to the previous Blackfire Crow clan. Li Xiang had to put in quite a bit of effort.

In addition, they also killed quite a few beasts below the Saint rank, reaping a large amount of achievement points, spiritual herbs, and extraordinary items as rewards. They even "accidentally" killed a Saint-rank beast. Fortunately, the rewards were so generous that they barely made up for the loss.

Jiang Cai'er: "Even Yu the Great, who was taming the floods, passed by his home three times without entering. And you, you don't even come home during the Lunar New Year. Confess honestly, have you been out fooling around with your mistress?"

"No way!" Li Xiang protested. He really hadn't; he'd been engrossed in taming the alien beasts and building a safe zone.

"Hehe." Jiang Cai'er chuckled, grabbed his ear, and dragged him into the bedroom.

The bedroom was actually quite soundproof, but Li Xiang still felt a bit restricted, so he took Jiang Cai'er to the ground floor, to the old house where she had lived.

The two of them were naturally not afraid of the cold, and the room was fully equipped with bedding and blankets. Above the 12 satellite cities, there were hundreds of thousands of alien beasts guarding them, so they didn't have to worry about being disturbed.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and Jiang Cai'er took the initiative. After a thorough inspection, Li Xiang's "public grain" was fully delivered.

Jiang Cai'er smiled, her skin was fair and rosy, as beautiful as a peach blossom.

She is now twenty-seven years old and is no longer the naive little girl she once was. Although she has given birth to three children, as a Saint-level transcendent, she still maintains a perfect figure. Her mature charm has a unique flavor compared to her teenage years.

The Lantern Festival is the last day of the Spring Festival. Although everyone has gone underground now, the pace of life has actually slowed down.

Dungeon No. 03 organized a lantern festival and a park event.

Li Xiang and Jiang Cai'er, along with their child, wearing hats and masks, also visited the lantern festival.

In the underground city, there are no private cars, only public transportation. And most of the time, people are not even allowed to leave their community at will. This is in China. In other countries, it is more free, but also more chaotic. Some underground cities already have black zones.

But Dungeon 03 definitely doesn't have it.

This city is filled with robots, robotic dogs, extraordinary cats, and extraordinary spirit dogs, as well as police and militia patrolling the area. The underground city is also riddled with cameras, all under Jiang Cai'er's surveillance.

It's perfectly safe.

The people, however, felt reassured because they felt safe living there. As for privacy, it was insignificant compared to security in a post-apocalyptic world.

The underground cities are interconnected, and news reports frequently mention robberies, rapes, and murders occurring in certain underground cities abroad. However, such incidents are rare in China, where order is maintained. This is especially true in Underground City 03, where the largest case to date involved two superhumans fighting in the street. When questioned, it turned out to be a disagreement stemming from differing cultivation philosophies.

They practiced the same breathing method, but the supernatural abilities they awakened were completely different, so each of them believed that their own method of practice was the authentic one.

Li Xiang also gave a special online lecture on this point, providing a comprehensive explanation to prevent similar doubts from arising in the future.

Dungeon 03 is the safest place in the world, bar none.

……

"Boss, how much is this umbrella?" Luo Feifei's mother was walking in the market when she saw an old man selling umbrellas. There seemed to be quite a few people buying them, so she went up to ask.

"Thirty calories a piece," the old man said with a smile.

"So expensive?" Luo Feifei's mother was surprised. The purchasing power of the heat coins was about five times that of the original RMB.

"This is purely handmade; it's the only one of its kind in the entire underground city!" the old man said with a slight smile, quite proud of himself.

Now that everyone has moved to the underground city, there's no more sun or rain, so who would make or sell umbrellas anymore? Only this old man, whose family used to manufacture umbrellas, went bankrupt and there was no need for him to move to the underground city, since the underground city doesn't need that industry.

But the old man was not willing to give up. Making and selling umbrellas was his family's business, which had been passed down for more than a hundred years. Although the modern automatic umbrella factory went bankrupt, the ancient craftsmanship of intangible cultural heritage still existed. So he returned to his old business, making some handmade antique umbrellas and setting up a small stall to support his family.

He initially thought business would be slow, but to his surprise, once the market stabilized, his antique-style umbrellas became popular again. Today alone, he sold seventy or eighty umbrellas, leaving only a dozen or so. Once those are sold out, he'll have to rush to make more.

"Then this one will do." Luo Feifei's mother picked out an oil-paper umbrella painted with plum blossoms and inscribed with a poem, paid with heat coins using the communicator, and left with the umbrella.

It wasn't that she liked it herself, but rather that her daughter used to love these traditional-style umbrellas. They were perfect for taking photos and could even be used as props for dancing.

Unfortunately, the daughter's fate is now unknown.

She lived well in Dungeon No. 03. Li Xiang often came to visit her and even arranged a special spirit dog team to protect her. She had no worries about food and drink, and her safety was not a concern. However, she would feel sad whenever she thought of her daughter.

(End of this chapter)