Old Ox

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Old Ox (老牛)
Alias(es)	Niu Aihua; Niu Huanxi; “Big Brother” 113 171
Species/Race	Bull Demon; possesses the Ancient Blood Ox Overlord lineage / Wild Ancient Blood 113 129
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Western Mountain Trinity; Western Wilderness Four Heroes 123 171
Occupation/Role	Front-line warrior, healer, logistics provider, and cultivation adviser
Status	Alive; later abandons cultivation rather than allow degeneration to distort his path 488
First Appearance	Chapter 113

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Ninth-grade Companion Spirit Vine	124	Uses a secret art to grow a vine from cow dung; it can bear three Ninth-grade Spirit Fruits.
Eighth-rank Companion Spirit Vine	127	Advances his companion vine from Ninth Rank; he expects to raise it further through the winter.
Seventh-rank Companion Spirit Vine	133	Its aura, nourished by Tree Heart material, becomes close to Grandpa Tree’s branch and helps conceal the group.
Seventh-rank Bull Demon	157	Identified as a Seventh-rank bull demon; his Aperture-Opening Demon Core supplies a major share of his vitality.
Aperture-Opening Demon Core	171	Completes an Aperture-Opening Demon Core and gains the demon art Plant Command.
Bloodline Evolution potential raised	305	Wang Wu raises his Bloodline Evolution; Old Ox is assessed as having the potential to reach 45%, with the conditions to cultivate additional demon cores.
Second Demon Core	306	Successfully cultivates a second demon core and begins preparing to cultivate a third.

Background

Old Ox spent much of his early life relying on his parents, sister, and brother-in-law. His parents cast him out around thirty years before his reunion with Wang Wu, but he continued idling under his sister’s protection and regarded himself as a disappointment. 123 124

He attended Monster Academy and retained practical knowledge of formations, demon hierarchy, spirit roots, and demon cores. He later admitted that, despite having been an exemplary elementary student, he became dispirited after personal setbacks and wasted much of his time. 129 138

During the winter at the Tree Heart, starvation and near death changed him. He resolved to stop muddling through life, proposed that he, Wang Wu, and Little Mountain Pig hide until spring, and became the most dependable planner and provider of the trio. 123 125

Appearance

Old Ox is a large, black-hided bull demon with massive black horns. His condition changes sharply with his circumstances: he is reduced to a skeletal, rib-showing state during the Tree Heart starvation, but later regains a sturdy frame and a hide described as glossy like black satin. 123 127

• Stands roughly five meters tall when upright. 136
• Has two horns nearly 1.5 meters long. 136
• His horns can be covered in mysterious runes before a charge. 124
• Can rapidly conceal exposed areas with vines emerging from his nostrils and mouth. 139

Personality

Old Ox initially appears cowardly, gluttonous, flamboyant, and prone to exaggerated boasts. He also has a habit of treating himself as the eldest brother of the Western Mountain Trinity, despite being mocked for his unreliability. 113 123

His starvation ordeal makes him more serious and grounded. He becomes protective of Little Mountain Pig, worries about Wang Wu’s risks, shares his limited cultivation knowledge freely, and takes responsibility for the group’s food and recovery. 123 127 159

Though his confidence is shaken when confronted with stronger Ancient Blood demons, he continues cultivating intensely and later develops a second demon core. 169 306

Abilities & Skills

Companion Spirit Vine

Old Ox cultivates a companion Spirit Vine through a secret art that uses his cow dung as a growth medium. The vine develops alongside him and serves as his primary source of healing, concealment, and sustenance. 124

• Produces three Ninth-grade Spirit Fruits after consuming Tree Heart wood chips. 124 125
• Can conceal forms and tracks with plant growth. 124 133
• Helps absorb poison damage when Old Ox is struck by Wang Wu’s Companion Demonic Vine. 157
• Reaches Seventh Rank after prolonged nourishment from Tree Heart material. 133

Healing and Spiritual Essence Transfer

Old Ox can provide direct support to allies through spiritual essence and his dung-based healing method.

• Transfers golden Spiritual Essence by pressing a hoof against an ally; he uses this to support Little Mountain Pig. 123
• His healing method is assessed as restoring roughly 200 Health Points per second. 172
• Prioritizes Spirit Fruits for Wang Wu when the latter’s Mysterious Iron tempering leaves him depleted. 127

Plant Command

After condensing his Aperture-Opening Demon Core, Old Ox gains Plant Command, a demon art that allows him to command plants and trees as soldiers. 171

• Can potentially develop into a Mountain Patrolling Seal capable of controlling an entire mountain forest. 171
• Is suited to becoming a mountain king through territorial plant control. 171
• May provoke hostility from the Ancient Tree Clan’s companion races in the Black Forest. 171

Horn-Based Combat

Old Ox fights as a strength-oriented charging warrior, using his horns as his Destined Demonic Weapon. 113 124

• Activates runes across his horns before charging. 124
• Can drive both horns more than thirty centimeters into Tree Heart bark. 124
• Carries Wang Wu and Little Mountain Pig while sprinting toward Black Mountain during a battlefield retreat. 139 140
• Serves as one of the team’s formation-breaking warriors alongside Niu Xiaocao. 164

Cultivation Knowledge

Despite his self-deprecation, Old Ox provides Wang Wu with several crucial pieces of demon-cultivation knowledge. 123 129

• Explains how a formation can be broken from within by damaging part of its unified structure. 123
• Teaches Wang Wu the Internal Breathing Technique and advises him to temper Mysterious Iron rather than risk cultivating outside during winter. 124 125
• Explains that demons must reach Seventh Rank to condense an Aperture-Opening Demon Core and substantially extend their lifespan. 129
• Warns Wang Wu that demon spirit-root cultivation is far less efficient than human cultivation. 129

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Destined Demonic Weapon: Horns — Rune-enhanced horns used for powerful charges and piercing attacks. 124
• Great Illusion King Worm’s shed skin — Worn during the trio’s escape to improve concealment. 138
• Face-covering helmet — Chosen from the squad’s equipment; leaves his eyes and horns exposed while protecting his head and neck. 173

Relationships

• Wang Wu — His “Third Brother” and closest cultivation companion. Old Ox advises him on formations, demon cores, and weapon tempering, while Wang Wu supports Old Ox’s growth. 123 129 171
• Little Mountain Pig — His “Second Brother.” Old Ox acts protectively toward him, supplies him with Spiritual Essence, and shields him during dangerous training. 123 159
• Old Ox’s sister — An unnamed, stronger bull demon who harshly criticizes and physically disciplines him for lacking ambition. 156 157
• Black Mountain King — Identified as Old Ox’s father; Old Ox is one of the Black Mountain King’s illegitimate children. 129
• Ape Bupuo — Sworn brother in the Western Wilderness Four Heroes; Old Ox later helps heal him after Wang Wu’s toxin-based vine refinement. 171 172
• Wolf Bu’er — Sworn brother in the Western Wilderness Four Heroes and a fellow member of Ape Bupuo’s group. 171
• Old Pig — Fellow old monster visited by Wang Wu in later years; Old Ox is present among those who receive Wang Wu’s advice and Foundation Establishment Arrays. 488

Story Role / Major Arcs

Western Mountain Trinity

Old Ox joins Wang Wu and Little Mountain Pig during the Plant Zombie assessment. He reveals his lineage and cow-dung healing ability, and the three begin operating as the Western Mountain Trinity. 113

After reuniting with Wang Wu at the Tree Heart, he identifies the weakness of the concealment formation, survives starvation, and proposes hiding through the winter before migrating west. His Spirit Vine becomes the trio’s reliable source of Spirit Fruits. 123 125

Escape and the Death Seekers Camp

When the Western Wilderness becomes too dangerous to cross, Old Ox argues that the trio should seek the Death Seekers Camp rather than risk being hunted by human cultivators. He uses the Great Illusion King Worm’s shed skin as camouflage during their journey. 138

At Black Mountain, he decisively redirects the group toward the demon forces, avoiding the Sword Light Bead Curtain Array. He then carries Wang Wu and Little Mountain Pig through the battlefield to reach the demon position. 139 140

Demon Race Seed and the Four Heroes

Old Ox and Little Mountain Pig reunite with Wang Wu after his separation, then join the group surrounding Bear Sixteen and Ape Bupuo. Old Ox protects Little Mountain Pig during the Golden Lightning Talisman resistance training. 158 159

He later condenses his Aperture-Opening Demon Core, awakens Plant Command, and becomes a sworn brother of the Western Wilderness Four Heroes alongside Wang Wu, Ape Bupuo, and Wolf Bu’er. 171

Later Cultivation

With Wang Wu’s assistance, Old Ox’s Bloodline Evolution potential is increased, allowing him to cultivate multiple demon cores. He successfully forms a second demon core and works toward a third. 305 306

In later life, Old Ox chooses to give up cultivation rather than let degeneration turn his path into something unrecognizable. 488

Notable Quotes

“I have lived fifty years, relying on my parents' protection and my sister and brother-in-law backing me up, idling away every day and loving ease and hating labor. I truly deserved to die.” 123

“I need to rouse myself. I cannot muddle through life any longer.” 123

“A Seventh Rank Bull Demon crushes everything!” 156