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

Chapter 372 Clouds come and cover, fog comes and shrouds, the Divine Lord rides the Kun to break through the sky (Please subscribe, please vote for monthly tickets)
The sea monster also noticed Li Xiang, this tiny human, and took the initiative to attack!

Li Xiang flashed and instantly teleported to a height of a thousand meters. The place where he had stood had been frozen into an ice crystal abyss with a diameter of ten kilometers.

"You have some skill." Li Xiang nodded slightly and returned to the surface of the sea.

The ice on the sea surface suddenly shattered, and the strange beast beneath it soared into the air, accompanied by an extremely cold vortex. Its wings, which blotted out the sky, stirred up a hurricane carrying ice blades—this was "Wings of Winter: Thousand-Foot Storm." Countless ice blades tore through the air at a speed of nearly Mach 20, and even the space itself condensed into frost patterns wherever they passed.

Hundreds of grains of stardust, each weighing a thousand tons, appeared around Li Xiang, transforming into a galactic vortex that shredded all the ice blades. He then activated his defensive stance, Star Ring Protection.

The large inscription "Spiritual Abyss Sacred Seal" between his eyebrows shone with divine light, and the beast's figure froze instantly. It felt endless illusions enveloping it, filled with all sorts of terrifying disasters and numerous natural enemies. It roared, resisted, and fought desperately, but was exhausted and could not break through Li Xiang's "mental prison".

Although those illusions are mere illusions, they are a real attack on the mind, a mysterious and powerful method that is different from physical or magical attacks.

There was no way around it; Li Xiang was a level 39 Moon Wheel God King, while this strange beast had just stepped into the God rank, only at level 29, far inferior to the God-rank spirit pet on the moon.

The beast was still putting up a stubborn resistance, but when the phantom of the moon wheel flashed in Li Xiang's eyes—the pressure of the 39th-level "Moon Wheel God King Realm" was released with a bang—the beast knelt down.

"My lord, you are a God-King Realm cultivator, why didn't you say so earlier?"

Driven by the power of "Beast Taming - Azure Scale Guidance", a soul contract was quickly formed, and Li Xiang gained another divine-level spirit beast under his command.

Originally, his "Beast Taming - Azure Scale Guide" had 108 "Heavenly Beast Edicts," but now that he has been upgraded to the God King Realm, this innate ability inscription has also been improved, expanding to 360 "Heavenly Beast Edicts." In other words, he can form soul contracts with 360 powerful exotic beasts and take them as his pets.

Li Xiang sat atop the divine-level beast, using it as a mount, and shouted, "Go!" The divine-level ice-type Kunpeng flapped its frost-covered wings, took to the air, and carried Li Xiang rapidly westward. In no time, they arrived above Los Santos.

Los Santos was on high alert, but soon breathed a sigh of relief because Li Xiang sent a telepathic message to Yao Yao in the city and the leaders of the three beast armies stationed there: "It's me, don't be afraid."

The Saint-level leaders of the three beast armies came to greet them, wagging their tails. A moment later, the alloy gates of the Los Santos underground city roared open, and Yao Yao, clad in battle armor, led a group of elite subordinates out to meet them.

News of Li Xiang stepping on the head of the divine-level Frostwing Kunpeng and descending from the sky spread.

Originally, Li Xiang had already flown down from the top of the divine-level beast, but Yao Yao, for promotional purposes, made him go back and stand on the top of the divine-level beast to strike a few cool poses.

"Isn't that unnecessary?" Li Xiang said with a helpless smile.

"It's necessary, absolutely necessary! Global morale is low right now, and we need your impressive and heroic achievements to boost morale," Yao Yao insisted, patting her chest. "Leave it to me, I guarantee every single one will be incredibly imposing and awe-inspiring!"

Li Xiang couldn't help but recall the peaceful days when Yao Mei would often drag him along to film videos. Although times have changed and their statuses are different now, this girl's original intention remains unchanged: she wants to make videos anytime, anywhere.

"A pat is fine. Come on." Li Xiang agreed, leaped up, and landed back on the head of the ice-type Kunpeng.

Subsequently, under Yao Yao's arrangement, a giant searchlight emerged from the mountainside of Los Santos, its powerful beam blazing.
At the same time, three Xuanniao-3 fighter jets took off and circled around Li Xiang and the divine-level beast, their searchlights slowly sweeping over their bodies.

This divine-level beast was enormous; its head was as large as a small mountain, and even its upper body couldn't be fully illuminated by the light. But the icy corner only accentuated its majestic and imposing presence.

Although the black mist was dense, under the strong light, the particles of the black mist were illuminated and became semi-crystalline and semi-transparent. Li Xiang and the divine beast's bodies appeared and disappeared in the darkness. Moreover, due to the breath of the divine beast and the stirring of its huge frost wings, the black mist surged and billowed, creating a very strong rendering effect under the light.

Yao Yao personally took to the skies, carrying a high-definition camera, and filmed numerous short videos and several handsome photos. Depending on the focal length, there were zoomed-in shots, zoomed-out shots, panoramic shots, close-ups, frontal shots, side shots, and even aerial and bottom-view shots…

These short videos and photos, after post-processing, editing, and retouching, each video and each picture looked like an epic blockbuster, and quickly spread throughout major underground cities around the world, sparking heated discussions.

[Survivor of Beijing Roast Duck]: "Li Shen's 'Riding the Kun' image is absolutely divine! I suggest applying for intangible cultural heritage status, so that this image can be used on Mid-Autumn Festival lanterns from now on! [Kneeling in admiration]"

[Chengdu Rabbit Head Lover]: "Los Santos' Lord Yao personally carried the camera, and General Manager Jiang edited the photos overnight. Everyone in City 03 is an all-around ace! I'm so jealous. Even our mooncakes here have starch-based fillings... [tears]"

[Lingnan Farm Owner]: "Fun fact: The scale on the back of the Kun (a mythical fish) is bigger than our underground farm! Mr. Li, are you considering opening a space-themed agritourism resort? [doge]"

[City No. 03 Resident]: "The designer of the Narwal ship explains: the black fog background was a specially adjusted filter by Chief Engineer Jiang! During the actual filming, God Li was forced by Goddess Yao to change poses 18 times... [Shh]"

Someone replied, "How do you know it's 18 and not 36?"

In a Southeast Asian underground city (a city that Kanna once supported): "When I was a cleaner, I thought City 03's electricity was extravagant. Now I see them even using god-level beasts in their promotional videos... Ambassador Kanna, please take us to the moon to farm!" — Bangkok Scavengers Alliance

Tokyo Underground City (currently controlled by Chiba Yukio and her daughter): "Analysis report: The refractive index of the Kunwing Ice Crystal shows that its defensive value exceeds that of the High-Energy Ion Cannon and far surpasses that of the PL-51 Missile! We suggest that everyone collectively relocate to City 03 and cling to Li Shen's coattails during the next beast tide!"

North American San Francisco Underground City: "Li Shen riding a Kun vs. the former Lord of Los Santos riding a lizard beast, it's like a dimensional reduction attack! Do they still give out high-yield seeds for naturalization now?" — North American New Immigrant #11457
Mumbai Underground City (Power Shortage Zone): "While we're using diesel generators to light a single lamp, City 03 is powering the holographic moon with a helium-3 controlled nuclear fusion reactor... The gap is wider than the sands of the Ganges!" — Indian Engineering Association
Sahara Underground City (African Union): "Requesting the space carrier to deliver some supplies along the way. We can trade diamond ore for synthetic starch... [Hands clasped in prayer]"

One person replied: "These days, who needs diamonds? You guys are ugly, but you have such beautiful dreams. Synthetic starch is a strategic resource, who wouldn't want it?"

Someone replied: "But I heard that the people in City 03 don't eat it at all; it's all used to feed pigs."

A South Korean netizen commented: "What a difference! They've always been incredibly extravagant. They used to feed pigs precious watermelons, and now they're feeding them life-saving synthetic starch. It's such a waste!"

There are also popular posts discussing #How big is Li Xiang's Kun#
A highly-rated answer stated: "Considering the 2600-meter length of the Narwal, the Frostwing Kunpeng is at least 400 kilometers long, which is equivalent to traveling from Shanghai to Nanjing without even leaving the city!"

Parisian Art Survivor: "@St. Petersburg Underground City, you guys use animal skins to perform Swan Lake? Look at how they use real divine beasts to film in IMAX!"

Of course, even in the apocalypse, there are many romantics. For example, in City 01, a professor of philosophy from Fudan University commented on the screen: "Black mist as a curtain, ice fish as a boat, this is a 'Free and Easy Wandering' belonging to the wasteland era!"

As the main base, City 03 naturally promoted the event extensively, with the official pinned post stating: "Thank you for your global attention! The 'Yu Kun Breaks Through the Clouds' series of merchandise is now available on the Lamomo Mall. The first batch of 100,000 pieces is made with Star-Eating Blood Vine fiber and comes with a signed miniature reactor sculpture by Jiang Cai'er!"

……

Li Xiang stayed with Yao Yao for three days before returning to City 03 to spend time with the children.

When Li Xiang returned home, his grandmother was folding paper ingots, and Li Xiang realized that the Qingming Festival was approaching.

He sat down and kept his grandmother company as she folded paper ingots and chatted. His grandmother hadn't seen her grandson for a long time and naturally missed him terribly, so she immediately started talking to Li Xiang at length.

The most frequently mentioned topic is which of the village's elderly people have passed away. Now, only Grandma Li Xiang and three other people of similar age remain.

The old village chief, Li Jinyu, also passed away a few months ago. However, Li Xiang was in seclusion on the moon at the time and did not attend his funeral.

Li Xiang sighed deeply; the old village chief had been very kind to him. Now, Jiang Jianguo was the village chief of Li Family Village. Although Jiang Jianguo was not of the same surname, everyone treated the Jiang family as one of their own. Firstly, they were long-time residents of the village, and secondly, they were the home of Li Xiang's mother-in-law.

The Li Family Village of today is no longer the village it once was; it is now a core residential area within an underground city, surrounded by a very prosperous area.

Lijiacun Kindergarten, Lijiacun Experimental Primary School, and Experimental Middle School may sound rustic, but they are the top schools in City 03. It's extremely difficult for ordinary people to get in, and the number of applicants is always overwhelming, requiring either a lottery or connections.

Li Xiang's youngest daughter is already in kindergarten, in the second semester of the lower grades, while his two sons are in the second semester of fourth grade. Yaki Toto's two children also attend school here; his daughter is in first grade and his son is in third grade.

These little ones have all entered the extraordinary realm, especially Li Xiang's two sons, who are truly exceptionally talented, already at the tenth level at such a young age. The daughter's realm is a bit lower, only at the third level, but like Jiang Cai'er, she inherited her memory palace, leaning towards the intelligence type, and has also awakened the quantum computer ability. Jiang Cai'er can be said to have a true successor.

This innate ability may not be closely related to the cultivation techniques one practices, but rather to one's genes and personality.

Like Li Xiang, his two sons also enjoyed fighting and killing. Li Xiang possessed countless martial arts techniques, and many profound breathing methods remained unrevealed. Naturally, he matched his children with the most suitable breathing methods. Moreover, they didn't practice just one type, but rather several organically integrated together—a kind of innovative, newly created martial arts technique.

This new cultivation method is tailor-made for each person's physique and genes, so its compatibility is unmatched by others. Li Xiang naturally puts immense care into selecting cultivation methods for his children and provides them with guidance. In addition, Jiang Cai'er, Yao Yao, Zhao Xueqing, Lei Xiaohui, and others also frequently offer instruction. Yao Yao and the other two girls are no longer here; when they lived in City 03, they imparted all their knowledge to him.

With so many experts, the resources are naturally abundant.

Li Xiang spent some time folding paper ingots with his grandmother, and then went to spend time with the three children after school.

When the three little ones saw Li Xiang, they all danced with joy, especially his daughter "Little Yueyue" (Li Xinyue), who immediately pounced on him and clung to his neck, refusing to get down.

"I want to sleep with Daddy tonight too!"

Playing, eating, bathing, and sleeping all require clinging to Dad.

Helpless, Li Xiang and Jiang Cai'er could only coax their daughter to sleep before quietly leaving that night to spend some intimate time in a secluded place. They dared not leave for too long, fearing their daughter would wake up and cry because she couldn't find her parents.

……

Qingming Festival is a very important traditional festival, and City 03 naturally has something to "celebrate" it.

The city dome's psionic matrix simulated the misty, rainy weather of Jiangnan, with fine rain falling obliquely in the breeze, and the air on the streets filled with the scent of damp grass. Shops along the street offered seasonal goods, and some vendors set up bamboo awnings to hang banners for "Qingming Apricot Blossom Wine," the wine jars emitting a unique aroma of fermented mugwort and glutinous rice, attracting passersby to stop and inquire about prices.

Other dungeons may not have enough grain to brew alcohol and can only rely on their peacetime reserves, but Dungeon 03 has an inexhaustible supply of synthetic starch, and its underground farm is the largest and most productive in the world, making brewing alcohol a trivial matter.

The flavor of liquor made from artificially synthesized starch is not as good as that of real grain liquor, but in this day and age, it's good enough to have liquor at all.

Artificial starch has been used to develop many different types of products, such as wheat flour, glutinous rice flour, japonica rice flour, and sweet potato flour.

Due to fire prevention requirements, burning is naturally not allowed. However, City 03 has designated several large centralized incense and paper offering pools in the underground farm where people can burn paper money to pay their respects and express their grief for the deceased.

City 03 also built a cemetery, but it is only for those who are buried after the apocalypse. Before the apocalypse, people's relatives' graves were on the surface, and now it is impossible to go there.

The only thing you can do is describe it a bit more when burning offerings, saying that it's for so-and-so.

But Li Xiang was allowed to go to the surface. He and Jiang Cai'er went to pay their respects at the graves of their grandfather and parents. The graves were already covered in ice and snow, so the two of them shoveled away the snow and ice to clean and reinforce the graves.

The two of them also went to sweep the tombs of Jiang Cai'er's ancestors, placing offerings, lighting incense and candles, and burning gold and silver ingots folded from tin foil.

As Li Xiang passed by the hill behind the old house, he saw that Erhuang and the little fox had also come out and were whimpering softly in front of Dahuang's grave.

"Poor Dahuang." Although many years have passed, Li Xiang still feels heartache whenever he thinks about it, so he came over and burned some paper money and ingots for Dahuang.

Erhuang and the little fox rubbed against him.

Although Li Xiang now possesses many spirit beasts, his favorites are still these two little guys, followed by Tuan Tuan's litter of pandas, then the white elephant, tigers, and other ferocious beasts. Cats, geese, hedgehogs, and roosters are considered less desirable. As for the alien space beasts he has tamed, they are all cannon fodder for the future, and he has no affection for them whatsoever.

Li Xiang prepared ample offerings, including fruits, green rice dumplings, liquor, ingots, and paper money, and also visited the graves of other acquaintances to pay his respects.

For example, Third Aunt was Grandma's best friend.

Grandma is too old, and the surface is dark and cold, so she can't climb up. Now that the apocalypse has been going on for several years, ordinary people would have difficulty even breathing on the dark, cold surface, let alone walking, and would easily be chilled to the bone, suffering frostbite to their lungs. So, Li Xiang took over the task of tomb sweeping.

Li Xiang also arrived at the grave of the old village chief, Li Jinyu. The old village chief was buried in the underground cemetery.

"Cai'er, do you still remember the old man's rendition of Bao Longtu's aria when we held the first Li Family Village Gala?" Li Xiang asked Jiang Cai'er.

Jiang Cai'er nodded and said, "Of course I remember. The old village chief sang so well back then. Although he almost couldn't catch his breath a few times, every word was powerful and stirring. He truly had an iron voice and bronze lungs!"

“Yes, it’s really remarkable that he can still sing like that at his age,” Li Xiang said with admiration. Then, he became interested and said, “Let me sing a song for the old man.”

Jiang Cai'er clapped her hands and said, "Okay, I'll keep the beat for you!"

She then started clapping along to the rhythm of "The Case of Chen Shimei," and even used ventriloquism to imitate the sound of drums. After a moment of preparation, Li Xiang began to sing in his deep voice, attracting people in the distance to look over.

"The Prince Consort approached and examined it closely. It stated that Qin Xianglian was thirty-two years old and was suing the current Prince Consort for deceiving the Emperor and showing disrespect to the monarch... He then brought the petition to the Prince's court."

After they finished singing, the two left quickly and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

A person sweeping the tombs in the distance said, "Am I seeing things? Was that Mr. and Mrs. Li just now?"

"Judging from the voice, it sounds like it; the singing is absolutely amazing!"

"If I had known they were there sweeping the tombs, I should have gone over and asked for a group photo."

"They were wearing hats and masks, completely covering themselves up, clearly not wanting to be disturbed."

“My grandfather loved listening to opera when he was alive, so I’ll sing a piece for him too.”

(End of this chapter)