204: Free food and drink

Forty-nine days—thunderstorms had shrouded New West City for a full forty-nine days.

Looking around, the current New West City had completely turned into a wasteland, filled with charred marks left by lightning strikes everywhere.

Over the course of forty-nine days, almost every inch of the ground here had undergone the baptism of lightning.

Charred corpses were scattered everywhere on the roads.

During these forty-nine days, the non-stop lightning had been like a death-knell for the ordinary people.

They didn't dare take a single step outside, but as time passed, the shortage of food and water after ten or so days forced them to take risks and leave this ominous city surrounded by lightning.

However, during those ten-plus days, the dark clouds over the city had stacked further, and the thunderstorms grew increasingly frenzied.

Many people had just stepped out of their doors, and before they could even take a single step, they were turned into charred corpses by the lightning.

Even if they were lucky enough to rush out without being hit by lightning, the thunderclouds covered the entire city; it was simply impossible to walk out by human strength alone.

Consequently, many more fell on the way to their cars or burned along with their vehicles.

Even staying at home wasn't safe, as houses were constantly struck by lightning, igniting into raging fires.

Only by hiding in basements could one escape the lightning strikes, but they had to endure the torment of hunger and thirst.

After continuing like this for forty-nine days, the entire New West City had become a dead city, with no sign of life left.

But the culprit behind all this didn't care; not only did he feel no sorrow, he was even extremely excited because, before him, the purple gold thunder pattern egg that had absorbed forty-nine days of lightning power finally showed signs of hatching.

"It's coming! It's coming! It's about to come out!" he said excitedly, wishing he could step forward to help the cute life inside the eggshell break free and descend upon the world.

However, he also knew that the more critical the moment, the less he could afford to rush; he just needed to continue providing lightning to help the demon beast egg hatch.

But now, the power of the mjolnir in his hand was no longer what it used to be.

Most of its power had been absorbed by the purple gold thunder pattern egg, but John didn't regret it; he only felt it was a bit of a pity.

"Old friend, help me one more time!"

John shouted, violently swinging down the mjolnir. With a crackling thunderclap, a bright bolt of lightning as thick as an arm struck directly at the purple gold thunder pattern egg, falling continuously.

With every bolt of lightning that fell, another crack appeared on the eggshell. Pieces of the shell peeled off but didn't scatter because they were held by the lightning's attraction.

Finally, the moment the eggshell completely split open, a loud "moo" of a bull rang out, making the deafening thunder in the storm clouds seem pale in comparison.

Then, the figure bathed in lightning opened its large mouth and sucked in the entire thundercloud, swallowing it into its belly.

Including the flickering lightning and its own eggshell, everything was eaten.

After the thunderclouds vanished, the true appearance of this demon beast appeared before John and the Black-Robed Man.

John sized it up, froze for a moment, and asked in confusion, "A one-legged bull? What kind of demon beast is this?"

Indeed, appearing before him was a grayish-blue bull with only a single leg and no horns on its head, looking very eerie.

However, its roar was as loud as thunder and accompanied by intense light; it was clearly no ordinary divine beast.

The Man in Black nearby, being more knowledgeable, said, "This is a Kui, also known as a Kui Bull. It is a standout among lightning-attribute demon beasts. A drum made from the hide of a deceased Kui Bull would be more powerful than your mjolnir."

John's eyes lit up upon hearing this. Of course, he didn't want to kill the Kui Bull to make a drum from its hide, but the Black-Robed Man's words indirectly proved the Kui Bull's power.

At this moment, Su Ze, who was thousands of miles away, also felt something. He closed his eyes and summoned the demon beast panel before him.

"Species: Kui Bull;"

"Bloodline: Moonlight Level;"

"Rank: Early Star Radiance;"

"Skills: Thunder Prison, Brute Force, Wild Thunder, Thunder Roar...;"

"Talent Skill: Thunder Drum."

"So the lightning-attribute divine beast hatched from the purple gold thunder pattern egg is a Kui Bull? Another Eastern divine beast."

The Kui Bull is a divine beast recorded in the Classic of Mountains and Seas. Legend has it that there is a mountain in the East Sea called Mount Liubo.

This mountain is about 35,000 kilometers from the coast. On the mountain lives a beast that is grayish-blue all over, has no horns, and only one hoof; every time it appears, there are storms.

It shines with a light like that of the sun and moon, and its roar is as loud as thunder. It is called the Kui Bull.

Later, the Yellow Emperor obtained the Kui Bull, made a drum from its skin, and used its bones as drumsticks. When struck, the sound of the drum resonated for a thousand kilometers, intimidating enemies and overawing the world.

Speaking of which, Hanba is legendary as the daughter of the Yellow Emperor, and the Kui Bull was made into a Thunder Drum by the Yellow Emperor. I wonder if the two of them would fight if they met.

"However, the Kui Bull is a Moonlight Level divine beast, while Hanba is a Corona Level divine beast. The Kui Bull shouldn't be a match for Hanba."

On the other side, John excitedly approached the Kui Bull, wanting to try and form a contract with it.

In his view, as a divine beast, the Kui Bull possessed intelligence; since it was hatched using the power of his mjolnir, it would surely feel an affinity for him.

He was the first person the Kui Bull saw after hatching, and with the Black-Robed Man there to back him up, there shouldn't be any problems.

But the Kui Bull, looking at the human who walked up to it, gave a snort. Lightning and white smoke billowed from its nostrils, and then a bolt of lightning flew straight toward John.

Having absorbed most of the mjolnir's power, the Kui Bull's rank had reached Early Star Radiance among divine beasts. Even if it was only the lowest rank among divine beasts, it was still a divine beast, instantly making John feel a mortal threat.

Fortunately, the Black-Robed Man stepped forward, caught the lightning released by the Kui Bull, and crushed it.

"Lo... Lord, why is this Kui Bull so disobedient?"

The Black-Robed Man's voice also carried a hint of confusion: "I'm not sure either. Logically, a helpless divine beast that has just hatched shouldn't be so aggressive, especially toward the person who hatched it."

The Kui Bull also sensed that the Black-Robed Man was not to be trifled with. It slowly backed up a few steps, intending to leave and follow the guidance of the contract to find its true master.

Seeing this, the Black-Robed Man was about to give chase when he saw the Kui Bull freeze for a moment, then walk back and stand in place quite obediently.

However, John's contract still failed.

"But the fact that it came back voluntarily is already good news. Take good care of it and nurture it; perhaps it will agree to a contract with you later," the Black-Robed Man consoled him.

John could only nod helplessly. To hatch the Kui Bull, his mjolnir had lost most of its power; now he could only pin his hopes on the Kui Bull.

Little did they know, the reason the Kui Bull came back...

...was because Xiao Sheng had sent a vague command through the incomplete contract: "Stay there and freeload!"