Niu Ben slowly opened his eyes. A divine light shot from them, tearing a tiny rift in the void before him that refused to heal for a long while.
Boundless power surged and roared through his body.
Every inch of flesh and every bone seemed to contain a volcano on the verge of eruption, filled with explosive might.
It felt incredible!
Niu Ben could not help throwing back his head and roaring. His roar became tangible sound waves, making the entire pocket world hum and tremble.
What a pity. If he had a few more drops of Progenitor's Essence Blood, he might have been able to push through that natural barrier in one go and attain the Grand Luo Dao Fruit!
He calmed his mind, rose from the ground, and took a step forward.
The scene before him shifted once more, and he had returned to the barren stone mountain.
Niu Qing, who had been quietly waiting there, trembled violently the instant Niu Ben appeared!
That vast, majestic aura, seemingly capable of crushing eternity itself, made even Niu Qing, a Grand Luo Golden Immortal who had lived for countless ages, shudder in shock!
"Congratulations, My King! Congratulations, My King! Your cultivation has advanced greatly, and your divine might is unmatched!"
Niu Qing knelt again. This time, he was more devout and sincere than ever before.
"Let's go back."
With a casual wave of his hand, Niu Ben took Niu Qing with him and vanished from the spot.
Upon returning to their base, Niu Ben wasted no time and directly summoned the clan chiefs of every Ox Clan branch.
Within the magnificent Ox King Hall, hundreds of Ox Clan experts gathered once again.
When they sensed the aura emanating from Niu Ben, several times stronger than before, their eyes widened so much they nearly dropped their jaws.
How long had it even been?
Their king had broken through again!
This cultivation speed was simply unheard of and unseen!
After their brief shock came thunderous congratulations.
"Congratulations to My King on your great advancement in cultivation!"
"My King's divine might is unparalleled throughout eternity!"
Seated upon the throne, Niu Ben raised a hand and pressed downward. The hall instantly fell silent.
"I have summoned you all today to announce several matters."
"First, I believe some of you still harbor doubts about what my father said before."
"I, Niu Ben, am now the mount of Taishang Daoist, the Head of the Three Pure Ones of Kunlun Mountain."
Boom!
Those words were like a massive bomb exploding throughout the Great Hall!
Although Niu Ba had boasted about it before, few oxen had believed him. They had merely thought he was trying to make his son look good.
But now that Niu Ben had personally said it, the meaning was entirely different!
The entire Great Hall instantly erupted!
Every Ox Clan expert trembled with excitement, their faces flushed red!
A mount?
The status of being a mount was not important!
What mattered was whose mount he was!
That was Taishang!
He was formed from Pangu's Primordial Spirit, a Future Saint of the Heavenly Dao!
What did it mean to become the mount of such an existence?
Even when beating a dog, one had to consider its owner!
This patron was not merely the biggest and strongest thigh in the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains. Even across the entire Primordial Wilderness Land, he was among the very greatest!
This backing was far more dependable than any Grand Luo Golden Immortal!
"Second, I will soon return to Kunlun Mountain to cultivate. The clan cannot remain leaderless even for a day."
Niu Ben continued his announcement.
"From this day onward, whenever I am absent from the clan, my father will lead the entire clan, with Niu Qing assisting him."
At those words, Niu Ba was so excited that tears streamed down his face, while Niu Qing below solemnly kowtowed.
"Niu Qing obeys!"
A Grand Luo Golden Immortal was willing to serve as an assistant. This deepened the reverence all the Ox Clan experts held for Niu Ben by several degrees.
"Third..."
Niu Ben paused slightly.
He gave a light wave of his hand.
In an instant, treasure light soared within the Great Hall!
Clusters of inheritance light, each carrying the aura of the ancient primordial wilderness, flew from his sleeve and hovered precisely before every clan chief.
"These are the Techniques and Divine Abilities left behind by the Ox Clan Progenitor. You may select those suitable for yourselves and pass them down to your clansmen."
That was not all!
Niu Ben waved his hand again, sending hundreds more streams of light flying out. They transformed into pills overflowing with elixir fragrance and shimmering treasure light.
"These are pills I refined at Kunlun Mountain. They can help you stabilize your cultivation and improve your magical power."
With the [Grand Clarity Elixir Scripture] inherited from Taishang, refining these pills was no more difficult for him than lifting a hand.
Looking at the inheritances and pills before them, all the Ox Clan chiefs were moved to tears. They once again knelt in unison, overwhelmed with gratitude.
"We thank the Ox King for his generous reward!"
"You may all leave."
Niu Ben waved his hand.
After all the clan chiefs respectfully withdrew, only Niu Ben and his father, Niu Ba, remained in the hall.
Niu Ben stepped down from the throne and approached Niu Ba, his expression solemn.
"Father, the clan will depend on you from now on."
"Don't worry, son!"
Niu Ba patted his chest, which still seemed somewhat unsteady.
"Your father will definitely look after this home for you!"
Niu Ben nodded and flipped his palm.
A pair of entirely black ox horns, covered in violent purple lightning Dao patterns, appeared from thin air and floated quietly before Niu Ba.
"Father, this is for you."
"This is a protective supreme treasure left behind by the Ox Clan Progenitor. The Thunder Twin Horns are a High-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure," Niu Ben explained.
"Ah!" The moment Niu Ba saw the horns, the world-destroying aura upon them startled him into taking a step back. He quickly waved his hands.
"Son, I can't take this. Absolutely not!"
He shook his head like a rattle drum.
Such a supreme treasure possessed limitless power. As a mere Golden Immortal, he could not even unleash one ten-thousandth of its might. Instead, it would bring about his death.
No matter how good a treasure was, one needed to be alive to use it.
Naturally, only his son could make the best use of it.
"Father, your son is the mount of a Future Saint."
Niu Ben smiled, radiating powerful confidence.
"I do not lack Innate Spiritual Treasures."
His words were calm, yet they made Niu Ba's heart surge and his blood boil.
That was right!
My son was a Saint's mount!
What was a mere Innate Spiritual Treasure worth?
"If there is ever a matter you cannot resolve, you may send clansmen to Kunlun Mountain to find me," Niu Ben gave his final instruction.
Now that the Ox Clan was unified, its Fortune had gathered, and Niu Qing, a Grand Luo Golden Immortal who had lived for countless ages, was guarding it, nothing should go wrong even in his absence.
Having arranged everything, Niu Ben lingered no longer. After bidding farewell to his father, he transformed into an Azure Stream of Light and shot into the sky, racing toward Kunlun Mountain.
The Primordial Wilderness Land was vast and boundless.
Niu Ben traveled through clouds and mist, while mountains and rivers sped backward beneath his feet.
But halfway through his journey, an abnormal change suddenly occurred within a lifeless, withered mountain range beneath the coverage of his divine sense!
Deep within a desolate mountain range forgotten by time, a brilliant beam of rosy light as thick as a heavenly pillar suddenly erupted without warning!
The rosy light tore through the sky and pierced the cosmos!
Within it, seven-colored divine radiance swirled madly, intertwining to form astounding visions of dragons and phoenixes singing together and qilin striding upon waves!
Hundreds of millions of strands of auspicious energy swept wildly in every direction like an overflowing ocean!
Even more mysterious Dao truth transformed into ancient golden runes that floated around the rosy light. With every flicker, they seemed to expound the ultimate principles of heaven and earth!
Merely a wisp of the aura it released dyed the skies across tens of thousands of miles into a magnificent, resplendent Chaos hue!
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