Where Did This Little Punk Come From?

"Who are you people? How dare you appear here? Don't you know this is my territory?"

It was a monstrous beast standing tens of thousands of zhang tall. (Don't fuss over whether demons existed yet. If I don't call it a demon beast, what am I supposed to call it? A wild beast? A monster? A spirit beast? Its true form is an animal, and anything without a background gets classified as a demon.)

Its cultivation was not weak either, having reached the early stage of the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm.

That terrifying aura made countless nearby living beings tremble violently.

Hong Yuan took just one look and saw through the identity of the great demon before him.

It was a demon beast called Xi Qu.

Xi Qu resembled an ox, its entire body blue-black, and its temperament was exceedingly fierce and vicious.

According to later records, this creature was particularly fond of eating people, and its cry resembled the wail of an infant.

It was a demon beast born from Heaven and Earth.

Before Hong Yuan could speak, Yang Mei smiled at Xi Qu and said, "You say this is your territory? But do you know that even the Primordial Wilderness is the territory of the Daoist Friend beside me?"

Xi Qu was stunned at first, then burst into loud laughter, his eyes filled with mockery. "Hahaha, what a joke! Everyone knows the Primordial Wilderness was created by Great God Pangu. You two really don't know the meaning of death, calling the Primordial Wilderness your territory?"

"Just for those words, this ancestor will grind your bones to dust today!"

"Oh?"

Yang Mei suddenly smiled. "You want to make a move against me? Do you know who I am?"

"Who cares who you are! We'll talk once you're in this ancestor's belly!"

After saying that, Xi Qu opened his enormous maw, vast enough to blot out the sky and cover the sun, and sucked fiercely at Hong Yuan and Yang Mei.

In an instant, the winds and clouds churned.

A violent gale suddenly rose within hundreds of millions of li, threatening to sweep the two of them into Xi Qu's mouth.

Yet Yang Mei and Hong Yuan remained utterly unaffected by such a hurricane.

Even their bodies did not move in the slightest.

They remained as calm and composed as ever.

Seeing this, Xi Qu began to feel uneasy. Had he provoked someone he should not have provoked?

At that moment, Yang Mei said unhurriedly, "I am Yang Mei Daoist!"

In his view, once he revealed his name, this foolish ox would surely bow in terror and submit.

After all, the saying "when time does not emerge, space reigns supreme" was not spoken without reason.

Even within Chaos, there were few who could compare to him.

Yet after hearing Yang Mei's words, Xi Qu immediately relaxed.

Within the tens of thousands of light-years around Zhou Mountain, he had never heard the name Yang Mei Daoist.

As for why Yang Mei and Hong Yuan were unaffected by his power—

Xi Qu guessed that they merely happened to possess a treasure capable of resisting fierce winds.

"Yang Mei or not, where did this little nobody come from? Never heard of you!"

"If you know what's good for you, hand over the treasures on you to this ancestor. Perhaps this ancestor will spare your lives!"

"Pfft."

Hong Yuan could not hold it in after hearing Xi Qu's words.

Looking at Xi Qu before him, he could not help admiring the creature's audacity.

Then he teasingly patted Yang Mei on the shoulder. "Old Yang, hurry up and hand over your treasure. After all, he called you a little punk."

Yang Mei's already dark expression immediately turned even darker.

He had originally intended to spare Xi Qu's life and take him as a mount, but it seemed this ox really was foolish.

Without further hesitation, he directly unleashed the aura of a late-stage Primordial Origin Golden Immortal.

The instant Xi Qu felt that incomparably vast and overwhelming aura descend upon him, his entire body went blank.

At that moment, he felt as if his soul were trembling, while his body shook nonstop like chaff in a sieve.

At that moment, there was only one thought in his mind.

Damn it, this ancestor is dead for sure today!

Yang Mei then slowly walked up to Xi Qu. His expression could not be seen clearly as he asked gently, "Do you still think I am a little punk?"

Although Xi Qu did not know exactly what "little punk" meant—

Combined with his earlier remark that Yang Mei was some unknown little demon, he knew it was not a compliment.

Thus, Xi Qu fell prostrate and repeatedly kowtowed.

With such a massive body, every kowtow caused an earthshaking commotion.

It was as though Heaven and Earth themselves trembled.

"Immortal Yang Mei, spare my life! Immortal Yang Mei, spare my life! You are not some little punk! This little beast is the little punk!!"

At this point, Xi Qu no longer possessed even a trace of his previous arrogance. Every word out of his mouth was a plea for mercy.

His attitude had sunk to the absolute lowest point.

Xi Qu wished he could slap himself twice. Why had he tried to act tough?

The moment he saw two people enter his territory, his mind had gone blank and he had charged at them.

Now look what had happened. He had provoked a supreme being.

"Hmph."

Yang Mei merely snorted coldly without saying anything else.

Yet upon hearing that snort, Xi Qu was overjoyed.

Could it be... that he might still survive today?!

Naturally, the shift in Xi Qu's thoughts did not escape the notice of Hong Yuan and Yang Mei.

Hong Yuan smiled and said, "Old Yang, it seems this ox is not entirely foolish. It even guessed that you never intended to kill it!"

After hearing Hong Yuan's words, Xi Qu's joy deepened even further.

Though he did not know Hong Yuan's identity, he had learned from his words that his guess had indeed been correct.

Immortal Yang Mei truly had no intention of killing him.

Thus, Xi Qu hurriedly said, "If Immortal Yang Mei does not disdain me, this little beast is willing to become your mount."

However, after spending so long with Hong Yuan, Yang Mei had already picked up some of Hong Yuan's devious nature.

Facing Xi Qu's plea, Yang Mei merely gave a cold snort.

"You're celebrating too soon!"

With that, Yang Mei suddenly waved his hand.

In an instant, Xi Qu's body was completely erased, and even his Primordial Spirit was wiped out entirely.

Watching from the side, Hong Yuan's mouth fell open as he could not help blurting out in astonishment.

"Holy shit?"

He had not expected Yang Mei to kill the ox.

He had thought Yang Mei intended to take it as a mount.

Well, damn. So that was what this was about.

Seeing the shock on Hong Yuan's face, Yang Mei calmly stroked his long beard.

In truth, he had originally wanted to take the ox as his mount.

But the moment Xi Qu called him a little punk, he abandoned that thought.

If Daoist Friend Hong Yuan called him a little punk, Yang Mei could still endure it.

After all, he truly could not defeat Hong Yuan.

But what about Xi Qu?

How dared a mere ox demon at the early stage of the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm call him a little punk?!

The reason he had not immediately killed Xi Qu on the spot was naturally to make Hong Yuan think he intended to spare him.

His purpose was to salvage at least a sliver of his dignity.

Perhaps this was Yang Mei's final bit of stubborn pride.

After all, back in the Hong Yuan Realm, he had acted like an uncultured bumpkin who had never seen the world.

He had embarrassed himself far too badly.

He had long wanted to do something to recover his dignity.

After pondering for a moment, Hong Yuan also understood why Yang Mei had acted that way.

But once he understood, he did not know what to say for a while.

After living for so long, he was still this petty.

It was only that his voice had been a tiny bit louder when he made fun of him earlier.