The memories of all humanity are awakening, except for mine.

"I see. So why were you able to use this big hammer before you became the clan leader?"

Ling Juan wrinkled her nose slightly and looked at the dwarf chieftain.

At this moment, the dwarf chieftain was in high spirits, watching his son perform with great joy.

Hearing this question suddenly, and realizing I'd been asked it before, I started to suppress my smile.

He looked intently at the spirit scroll and said.

"Who says you have to become the clan leader to wield a hammer? You can't just wield a hammer right away!"

Ling Juan was also speechless. Fine, you dwarves can explain your own clan rules.

“However, I now announce that I have decided to hand over my great hammer to my son, Taichui, and appoint him as the next chieftain.”

Taichui was stunned for a moment, not expecting that he would take over the position of clan leader so quickly.

This giant hammer is not only one of the symbols of the tribe, but also a divine weapon.

The founder of the Dwarf Dynasty was also the creator of this weapon.

Therefore, everyone knows that the chieftain of the dwarf tribe must have a great hammer, which he can use to hammer the sky, the earth, and the air!
What Taichui didn't know was why he handed over the hammer so quickly.

Another point is that he hopes Taichui can quickly earn money and gain strength so that he can integrate into Lingjuan Jiangchuan and others.

Otherwise, given the talent of their dwarf race, it would be very difficult for them to reach the Immortal rank.

After all, the number of people from their dwarf race who have reached the Immortal rank is currently zero; there simply isn't one.

But now, the dwarf chieftain believes there is more than one.

It seems like my own son, my future grandson, could all be potential partners.

The reason they can't advance is probably because they're stuck in one place.

They are unwilling to move and have developed this habit.

That's why their strength has stagnated, leading to the current state of despondency among the entire clan.

They all rely on brute force and have no skill whatsoever.

It's a pity that the dwarf chieftain is now too old to continue fighting.

Otherwise, I would still travel with Ling Juan and the others.

"Alright, in that case, we should probably set off tomorrow to return to the East."

Ling Juan took a big gulp of wine. This time, after killing the two-headed wolf, she had witnessed the power of the ancient remains.

"No rush, let's stay a little longer."

"No, I have some things to take care of. Otherwise, I really would like to catch up with you again."

The dwarf chieftain gave his subordinates a wink.

His men immediately sent someone to bring out a red cloth.

When the red cloth was lifted, a dazzling bloodstone was revealed inside.

Moreover, each piece is large and plump, with a bright color, making it much better in quality than that other piece.

"Brother, you must accept this gift."

The dwarf chieftain, his eyes filled with anticipation, hoped the scroll would be accepted.

Ling Juan wasn't the kind of person who would be greedy for money; he came this time...

Firstly, it was to repay a favor, because when I was traveling, it was the dwarf chieftain who helped me, and I was just a little elf.

Secondly, I also wanted to find out some news about the west, since this area is still relatively undeveloped.

"That's not a good idea, my friend. That's not why I came here."

"Are you looking down on me? That's why you won't accept gifts."

Then, he changed the subject, pointing the finger at the spirit scroll.

The spirit scroll was not easy to handle, so he quickly said.

"Okay, okay, I'll take it. But you're not allowed to bring anything else up."

Ling Juan is very adept at understanding human relationships, and that way the other party will know.

Knowing this is a way of giving someone an out, it proves that they've already received plenty of gifts and don't need anything else.

If you ask for another gift, I'll get angry.

"Quick! Quickly install it for the guests."

After saying that, his subordinates were about to pack up the bloodstone and put it into the other party's pocket.

Lingjuan waved her hand, signaling Lingdong to fetch the bloodstone.

And so, the group set off the next day.

There were four people: Ling Juan, Jiang Chuan, Ling Dong, and Tai Chui.

The journey back to the east is also very long.

Since they were not in a hurry, they proceeded on foot.

Without using sword flight, they arrived at a village in the blink of an eye.

As night fell, the group gathered here to prepare for dinner.

"This hotel is alright, let's go there."

Upon entering the hotel, I found that there weren't many people there, and neither the owner nor his wife were there.

Suddenly, a person with a rat's head came out.

The clothes he was wearing suggested he was an ordinary person.

"You're here to stay, right? Come on in."

Tai Chui didn't care about all that; he was already used to it.

Lingdong and the others felt a little uncomfortable, but they didn't ask too many questions.

For some reason, all the guests coming and going had rat heads. Could this village be a rat village?
Jiang Chuan almost lost his appetite; he also found rats particularly disgusting.

"What's going on? The villagers are all rats."

Tai Chui is a local, but he's not very bright, and he overheard Jiang Chuan's words.

Only then did I realize that the village was infested with rats, and there were very few outsiders.

After watching for so long, there are only a few people from out of town.

So Jiang Chuan wanted to find the boss and ask him about it.

However, this kind of thing cannot be said openly.

Jiang Chuan pulled the boss aside, suppressing his disgust, and asked.

"Why are all the people in this village rats? Are we a rat village?"

The boss sighed, his eyes welling with tears, and he stammered.

"Actually, that's not the case. Our village used to be full of normal people!"

Jiang Chuan opened his eyes wide, surprised, and quickly pressed for an answer.

"What exactly happened, bro?"

The boss sighed deeply and then led Jiang Chuan to a secluded spot.

It's as if discussing this matter in public would get you arrested.

"Let me tell you, but you absolutely mustn't tell anyone that I'm the one who said this."

Jiang Chuan looked particularly curious.

"Actually, we were all human beings, normal human beings, and our country was very wealthy, unlike it is now."

The story begins long ago in this country.

This village, located in this desert, was once part of a prosperous country.

The level of wealth was so high that it was practically rolling in money.

Moreover, the king was an extremely superstitious person.

He always felt that the country was rich because its resources were given by God.

Therefore, the whole country is very superstitious.

However, this situation did not last long.

Because the king had three sons, the eldest son was ugly and extremely short.

The second son was exceptionally intelligent, but he disappeared after going on a trip.

The third son did not believe in religion but in atheism, and was imprisoned by the king.

This is the worst, most disgusting part; the entire country is ruined because of the king's incompetence.

This has led to the entire nation and its people being extremely anti-humanitarian.

In particular, the king was with the gods and received divine instructions.

A fifteen-year-old girl had to be sent to the palace.

Those who are good-looking can enjoy great wealth and honor.

Those who are of average appearance will be expelled from the country.

Even sixteen-year-old boys were to be conscripted to create enormous statues for the gods. These were all heavy forms of forced labor, causing widespread fear and anxiety throughout the nation.

One day, the true God descended and saw that the king was actually driven by his own selfish desires.

Using unreasonable privileges violates the divine law.

So the whole country was turned into a desert, and all the people in the country turned into rats.

It has even lowered the birth rate here; on average, only one in three couples will have a child.

Now, there are fewer than the population of a single village left.

People left, people died; this place simply couldn't support a large population.

After hearing the whole story, Jiang Chuan would have thought it was just a story if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes.

"Since that's the case, haven't you considered why the king's misfortune has also affected you, and why this place has even turned into a desert?"

"Because many people blindly believe in superstition and aid and abet evil, even my son was killed when a statue was built."

Tears welled up in the boss's eyes, and Jiang Chuan was helpless.

So, everyone took a short rest.

Furthermore, he told Lingjuan and the others about this.

They were also surprised; they never expected such a thing to happen.

Does God really exist?

Lingdong began to ask questions.

"I don't know. Perhaps, only after reaching that level of immortality will one know what a god is?"

Ling Juan shared her understanding, and Jiang Chuan also had his own thoughts.

"Is it possible that the so-called gods are actually those who are more powerful, surpass the immortal level, and are truly able to control the world?"

Snot was flowing from Jiang Chuan's nostrils.

"Ah!"

"How come you caught a cold here?"

"I don't know, but it feels like the temperature is quite high here, even though it's a desert, and there's a big difference between day and night temperatures."

The group continued their journey the next day and left the village.

As I walked, I suddenly realized that I was wandering around in this village again.

They even ended up at this hotel again.

"Could it be that we're trapped in a maze of ghosts?"

Jiang Chuan refused to believe it and activated the sword flight mode.

It was Taichui's first time sitting on it, and he found it very novel.

In the blink of an eye, after flying for more than ten minutes, we returned to the village.

It's terrifying to think about, and Jiang Chuan was also unsettled.

If once is considered normal, then this has happened so many times. Are they all just coincidences?

Jiang Chuan arrived at the inn, wanting to find the owner and ask what had happened.

"Boss, I've walked back and forth three times already, why can't I get out? I'm stuck in a maze."

The boss was clearing away the dishes when he heard this and said earnestly.

"It seems you are cursed and will spend your whole lives here."

After hearing this, Jiang Chuan was stunned. What did it mean to be cursed?

I was just passing by when I was cursed and couldn't get out.

“You were chosen by God. If God doesn’t want you to leave, you can’t leave. And slowly, you will become like us.”

"Turn into a rat?"

"Yes, just like us."

After saying that, the boss sighed and continued clearing away the dishes.

Jiang Chuan really couldn't understand why things were like this.

Ling Juan was also shocked when she heard the news, her face filled with disbelief.

"No! There are no gods in the world. The boss must be lying to us."

"Yes, they all said that the people here are superstitious, and maybe the boss is a superstitious person. We shouldn't believe them."

Lingjuan looked around and felt something was off.

"Actually, I always felt that there were energy fluctuations underground. Why don't we try to find out what's underground?"

"Why didn't you tell me earlier!"

"Who knows? I think it's better to avoid trouble."

Taichui was the first to transform into a red giant and began digging with his bare hands, while Lingjuan Jiangchuan was much more refined.

The ground is broken down into smaller pieces by repeated light waves, making it easier to excavate.

Not long after, a large hole was dug out underground, and the surrounding area was piled up into a small hill.

"Look, what is this?"

"It's like a tunnel."

"I feel that this doesn't look like a natural tunnel; it must be a man-made tunnel."

Without further ado, the group entered the tunnel.

The simple tunnel, despite being in the desert, contained a lot of moisture.

There was even a slight smell of gas; it was just weird overall.

The scroll didn't smell anything strange, so it shouldn't be any toxic gas.

Jiang Chuan took out the Dragon Roar Sword, whose blue light provided illumination.

Shh! I sense a fluctuation of energy ahead.

Lingjuan's ability to sense auras is comparable to a dog's sense of smell.

I can always sense it from a great distance.

"Have you noticed anything? Agile."

"I don't know what this is, let's take a closer look."

Lingdong Taichui was responsible for providing cover from behind, while Lingjuan Jiangchuan scouted ahead.

There stood a giant rat-man, dressed in a yellow Taoist robe.

Right in front of everyone, they were eating lunch of unknown origin.

In short, it's very unsightly.

The scroll confirmed that this rat was one of the village's secrets.

“His aura is very strong. You two don’t move. Jiang Chuan and I will take care of subduing him.”

Jiang Chuan nodded and put the Dragon Roar Sword back.

He muttered a sealing spell, preparing to unleash his power.

Ling Juan turned around, knowing that striking first was advantageous, while striking later would bring disaster.

"Qian Kun Palm!"

"Freeze! Sealing Technique."

The two of them unleashed their skills instantly.

The mouse was instantly frozen in place as a golden hand slapped down on it.

The mouse tried to break free, but it couldn't move or speak.

Jiang Chuan conjured up another blue barrier, keeping the rat inside.

This way, his scent can be blocked, as well as the communication skills of mice.

To prevent him from spreading the word, after all, it was still uncertain how many mice were involved.

Jiang Chuan took a closer look and indeed felt that something was wrong with the rat.

The yellow clothes he was wearing were clearly a Taoist robe.

"Taoist robe~ Interesting, it seems I know a little about it now."

Jiang Chuan meant that Taoist arts were not his forte.

However, he knew someone who was skilled in Taoist arts, and coincidentally, this person owed him a debt of gratitude.

"What did you guess! Jiang Chuan, could it be...?"

Jiang Chuan nodded and began to explain to the three people.

"It should be related to Taoist arts. Taoist arts are ever-changing, and I don't understand too much about their mysteries. However, if you have friends who practice Taoist arts, you'll know that these things can all be explained."

Jiang Chuan took out a brocade pouch, which was given to him by the founder of Taoism. (End of Chapter)