Where Did This Little Bum Come From?

"Who are you, daring to appear here? Do you not know this is the territory of this Old Ancestor?"

Before them stood a beastly demon tens of thousands of zhang tall. (Don't dwell on whether it counts as a demon—if I don't write demon beast, what do I write? Beasts? Monsters? Spirit beasts? Its original form is an animal, and without a background, it's classed as a demon.)

Its cultivation was no weakling either, at the early Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal realm.

The terrifying aura it exuded made countless nearby living beings tremble violently.

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

It was a demon beast called Xi Qu.

Xi Qu resembled an ox, its body a deep bluish-black, with an exceedingly vicious and ferocious temper.

According to later records, this creature was especially fond of eating humans, and its cry sounded like a baby's wail.

It was a demon beast born from heaven and earth.

Before Hong Yuan could speak, Yang Mei smiled at the Xi Qu before him and said, "You say this is your territory? But do you know that even the Primordial Wilderness is the territory of my companion here?"

Xi Qu was stunned for a moment, then burst into loud laughter, his eyes full of mockery: "Haha, how ridiculous! Everyone knows the Primordial Wilderness was created by the Great God Pangu. You two truly don't know death, claiming the Primordial Wilderness as your own territory?"

"For those words alone, this Old Ancestor will grind your bones to dust today!"

"Oh?"

Yang Mei suddenly laughed: "You want to make a move on me? Do you know who I am?"

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

With that, Xi Qu opened his mouth, vast enough to blot out the sky, and sucked fiercely toward Hong Yuan and Yang Mei.

In an instant, the winds and clouds shifted.

For tens of millions of li around, a fierce gale erupted, trying to sweep the two into Xi Qu's maw.

But facing such a hurricane, Yang Mei and the other remained utterly unaffected.

Not even their bodies stirred in the slightest.

They stayed as calm as ever.

Seeing this, Xi Qu's heart quailed—had he provoked someone he shouldn't have?

Then, Yang Mei spoke unhurriedly: "I am the Yang Mei Daoist!"

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

After all, the saying "Time does not emerge, but Space reigns supreme" was no idle boast.

Even within Chaos, few could match him.

Yet, to his surprise, Xi Qu visibly relaxed upon hearing Yang Mei's words.

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

As for why the two before him were unaffected by his power, Xi Qu guessed they must have some treasure on them that could ward off the gale.

"Yang Mei or no Yang Mei, where'd you crawl from, some unknown little sprite? Never heard of you!"

"If you're smart, hand over your treasures to this Old Ancestor, and maybe I'll let you off!"

"Pfft~"

Hong Yuan couldn't help but laugh at Xi Qu's words.

He looked at the Xi Qu before him, inwardly admiring the beast's audacity.

Then, with a teasing grin, he patted Yang Mei on the shoulder: "Old Yang, better hand over your treasures quick—he called you a Little Bum, you know."

Yang Mei's already dark face turned even darker.

He had originally planned to spare Xi Qu and take him as a mount, but it seemed this ox was truly stupid.

Without further hesitation, he released the full pressure of his late Golden Immortal of the Origin cultivation.

The moment Xi Qu felt that overwhelming, boundless aura descend upon him, his mind went blank.

Now, his very soul trembled, and his body shook like a sieve.

Only one thought remained in his mind.

"Damn it, this Old Ancestor is dead meat today!"

At that moment, Yang Mei walked slowly up to Xi Qu, his face unreadable, and asked in a soft tone: "Do you still think I'm a Little Bum now?"

Xi Qu had no idea what "Little Bum" meant.

But judging from how he'd earlier called Yang Mei an unknown little sprite, he knew it wasn't a compliment.

So, Xi Qu prostrated himself, kowtowing endlessly.

His massive body made a thunderous spectacle with each bow.

It was as if heaven and earth themselves shook.

"Yang Mei Immortal, spare my life! Yang Mei Immortal, spare my life! You are no Little Bum—this little beast is the Little Bum!!"

At this moment, Xi Qu had none of his former arrogance left; every word out of his mouth was a plea for mercy.

His attitude had sunk to the absolute lowest point.

Xi Qu now wished he could slap himself twice—why did you have to show off?

Seeing two figures appear in his territory, his brain had twitched and he charged straight at them.

Now look where that got him—he'd provoked a true deity.

"Hmph."

Yang Mei let out a cold snort, saying nothing at all.

Hearing that snort, Xi Qu's heart surged with joy.

Could it be... that he might actually live today?!

The shift in Xi Qu's emotions naturally didn't escape the eyes of Hong Yuan and Yang Mei.

Hong Yuan smiled and spoke up: "Old Yang, looks like this ox isn't as stupid as he seems—he actually figured out you don't plan to kill him!"

After hearing Hong Yuan's words, the joy in Xi Qu's heart deepened.

Though he didn't know Hong Yuan's identity, from his words Xi Qu gathered that his guess had been right.

The Yang Mei Immortal before him truly had no intention of killing him.

So Xi Qu hurriedly said, "If the Yang Mei Immortal does not disdain it, this little beast is willing to become the Immortal's mount."

But Yang Mei had known Hong Yuan for a long time and had picked up a bit of his slyness.

Faced with Xi Qu's plea, Yang Mei just snorted coldly.

"You're celebrating too early!"

With that, Yang Mei waved his hand sharply.

In an instant, Xi Qu's body was utterly annihilated, even his Primordial Spirit completely erased.

Seeing this from the side, Hong Yuan's mouth fell open, and he couldn't help letting out an exclamation.

"What the hell?"

He hadn't expected Yang Mei to actually kill the ox.

He thought Yang Mei was going to take it as a mount.

Good grief, so that's how it was.

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

Truth be told, he had originally been quite inclined to take the ox as a mount.

But the moment Xi Qu called him a Little Bum, that thought vanished.

Being called a Little Bum by fellow Daoist Hong Yuan, Yang Mei could still endure.

After all, he really couldn't beat Hong Yuan.

But Xi Qu?

A mere Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal early-stage ox demon dared to call him a Little Bum?!

The reason he hadn't killed Xi Qu on the spot was precisely to make Hong Yuan think he would spare the ox.

His goal was to salvage a shred of dignity.

This was probably his last bit of stubborn pride.

After all, back in the Hong Yuan Realm, he had acted like a country bumpkin who had never seen the world the whole way.

He had lost far too much face.

He had long wanted to do something to restore his honor.

And Hong Yuan, after mulling it over for a moment, understood the reason behind Yang Mei's actions.

But once he understood, he found himself at a loss for words.

You've lived for so long, and you're still this petty.

It's not like I laughed at you that loudly—just a little bit louder than usual, that's all.