Kui Niu, Eats Hard, Not Soft

Before long, Yun Ting heard peals of thunder. Sweeping his Divine Sense across, he found an island where two oxen were locking horns. One of them had a single horn, one leg, its mouth agape, and its tail curled upward—a truly unsightly sight... This thing, he could keep as a mount for himself, but if he gave it to his father or Eldest Uncle, they'd beat him black and blue in no time.

He looked at the other ox, and that one was far more pleasing to the eye. Its whole body was pitch-black, surrounded by rosy clouds and auspicious mists, with five-colored auspicious clouds rising steadily. Its horns curved like crescent moons, and right between its brows on its ox-head was a Taiji Eight Trigram pattern. This posture was exactly the same as his father's Kui Niu from the Investiture of the Gods in his past life. Alright, he wasn't picky—he'd take both. One for his father, one for himself, and he'd find a Xi for Eldest Uncle later.

So Yun Ting knocked both oxen down, then spun a tale, explaining to the Kui Niu the benefits of becoming a sage's mount. Then he said to the Kui Niu, "Old ox, don't you two crammed on one island and always fighting get tiring?"

"Hmph, this ox lord is happy as is. Don't you try to trick me into being some damn mount. This ox lord isn't going." The Kui Niu rumbled in a deep voice.

"Heh... Little lord here dared to mess with even Zhunti, a Heaven-ordained sage, and you, a broken ox at Primordial Unity Golden Immortal, dare to act tough with me? Looking for death..." With that, he raised a hand and punched straight over.

The Kui Niu was knocked flat by Yun Ting's fist. Yun Ting mounted it and beat it thoroughly, saying, "Refusing a toast only to be forced to drink? Still not coming with me? As if you have a choice. This is the Primordial Wilderness—fists are the logic. Today, you're coming whether you like it or not."

The Kui Niu let out a "moo" and said, "I'm not going. Even if you beat me to death, I'm not going, hmph."

On the other side, the Kui Niu, who had often fought with the Kui Niu and developed a bond, couldn't stand watching Yun Ting beat it like this. Lightning flashed across its horns and shot toward Yun Ting. Yun Ting chuckled, raised a finger, and white lotuses surrounded him to protect his body. "Heh, with lightning like that, you're far off."

The Kui Niu looked baffled. "I'm a dignified Divine Beast, the Kui Niu. How could I lose to you in lightning techniques..."

Yun Ting rubbed his chin. "Maybe it's because my surname is Yun. As they say, clouds gather and thunder is born. Now take a hit from me." With that, he raised a finger and said, "Take this strike—Shangqing Divine Thunder."

"Boom, rumble." A rain of Shangqing Divine Thunder struck, and the Kui Niu was charred black, its fur singed. Yun Ting grinned. "Old ox, convinced yet? The two of you together aren't my match. Just admit defeat."

"Spare me the nonsense. This ox would rather die than submit." The Kui Niu shouted straight at Yun Ting.

Yun Ting nodded. "Alright, you don't need to talk yet. I wasn't planning to take you back anyway. I'm asking the ox I'm stepping on."

The Kui Niu, beaten and stepped on, immediately panicked. "I admit defeat, alright? I'll go with you. Don't make things hard for him. He won't go to Mount Kunlun with you. After all, normal oxen don't have just one leg."

Yun Ting's expression froze. "You're not going to tell me those three legs of his were broken off, are you?"

The Kui Niu replied, "Don't ask. It was Jade Purity Daoist of Mount Kunlun. He said my snoring was too loud and wanted to drive me away. I refused, so he chopped off three of my legs. The Three Pure Ones even roasted those three legs. So, I will never go with you."

Yun Ting was instantly awkward and thought to himself, "Chopped off three legs, and they all roasted them together... Yeah, that's entirely possible. Lucky I hadn't taken form back then, or you wouldn't have kept even four legs, brother."

Thinking this, Yun Ting rubbed his chin. "So what if three legs were chopped off? I'll give you a stroke of fortune. Come with me to the Demon Court as a demon general, and I guarantee you survive this kalpa. How about it?"

The Kui Niu laughed coldly. "Not interested. Just hearing the names of the Three Pure Ones annoys me. Don't provoke me. As for Brother Kui Niu, I can't do anything about him. Take him if you want."

Yun Ting thought for a moment, then said, "Kui Niu, I'll invite you one more time. Stick with me, and I guarantee you won't die. I just did a divination—if you don't come with me, you won't live past the next kalpa. Really." (I'm not lying to him. By the time of the Three Sovereigns of the human race, this guy gets killed and made into a big drum.)

The Kui Niu laughed coldly. "That threat isn't fun at all. You mean if I don't become your mount, you'll chop me to death, right? Don't think I don't know the Primordial Wilderness at all." Then it shouted, "Yun Ting is on Liubo Mountain! He's alone! Anyone who wants to take him down, come quick!"

The Kui Niu, true to being a thunder beast, had a voice like rolling thunder. The entire Eastern Sea heard it. Yun Ting's face darkened. "Even though this won't cause me much trouble, shouting like that to harm me earns you a death sentence. My family already ate three of your legs, so one more won't make a difference." He pulled out the Hun Yuan Sword, ready to butcher the Kui Niu for meat.

Before he could act, a golden dragon shadow shot straight at Yun Ting's face. Yun Ting raised a finger, and a Sword Qi shattered the dragon shadow. "East King Duke, right? Do you want to die or just not live? Dare to strike at little lord me?" He stepped onto the Twelve-grade Pure World White Lotus, draped the Taiji Diagram over himself, held the Hun Yuan Sword, and let the Chaos Bead supply spiritual power from within. He laughed heartily. "You don't think that just because your cultivation is higher than mine, you can beat me, do you?"