"I think I remember that Divine Beast you mentioned!"
"Unicorn Rhinoceros, also called the Horned Green Ox!"
Houtu spoke slowly. As the Ancestor Witch of Earth, he had traveled throughout the primordial wilderness shortly after his birth and had encountered the green ox several times.
"Senior Houtu, really?"
After seeing a lead, Shi Yu was overjoyed. He was finally going to escape the fate of being a crested ibis. Wonderful!
"Ah, you're truly my benefactor!"
He immediately flashed in front of Houtu and slapped her on the shoulder. The two of them were just a little too close...
"Ahem, ahem, ahem~"
Realizing something was wrong, Shi Yu gave a tactical cough, then took two steps back~
"Brat?!"
"You were way too close!"
Seeing this, Gonggong knitted his brows tightly. Good heavens, that kid was bold! If Shi Yu had not pulled away, he might have already transformed into the Ancestor Witch of Boiling Water by now~~
Houtu had just recovered from her daze when she slowly said, "The green ox is in the Great Marsh, some distance from here. I'll send you there!"
Suddenly, the earth began to pulse. In the blink of an eye, the world spun, and Shi Yu cried out in alarm. His vision lit up~
A moment later, Shi Yu slowly opened his eyes and shook his head. He found himself standing before a vast marsh. Mountains stretched endlessly around him, shrouded in clouds and mist, while birds and beasts called out in unison.
"Kid, your peach blossom luck is pretty strong~"
"First the one at Zixiao Palace, and now this one..."
"Heh heh heh~~"
The voice of the Heaven and Earth Mysterious Yellow Exquisite Pagoda slowly rang in Shi Yu's ear, constantly teasing him.
"Big Pagoda, my heart is devoted to the Dao. Don't talk nonsense, or I'll sue you for slander!"
"Loose lips sink ships. Besides, they're both my senior martial aunts. I should show them respect!"
After saying that, Shi Yu kicked the Exquisite Pagoda out of the team chat... Then he muted it. Bliss!
"Wow~"
"It's suddenly so peaceful~"
Shi Yu shifted his attention to the marsh, which stretched beyond sight. He took a deep breath and walked toward its depths.
The farther he went, the thicker the mist became. Suddenly, a deep bellow echoed from ahead.
Shi Yu's heart leaped. He knew it had to be the Unicorn Rhinoceros. He transformed into a streak of light and flew toward the source of the sound.
He cautiously approached the source and saw a massive green ox drinking from a stream. Its blue-green fur shimmered with a ghostly light.
"Hiss~"
"This thing looks like it'll be hard to deal with. I wonder if my master's old arms and legs can handle it?"
"Whatever. He's incredibly powerful. He must have a way!"
Shi Yu carefully drew closer, afraid of startling the Unicorn Rhinoceros. As befitted a primordial beast, its body was as enormous as a mountain.
Yet when he was only a few hundred zhang away, the Unicorn Rhinoceros seemed to sense something amiss. It suddenly raised its head, and ox and crane locked eyes.
Its enormous, bell-like eyes warily fixed on Shi Yu, the uninvited guest. Hot air blasted from its nostrils as it let out a muffled roar, as if warning Shi Yu not to come any closer.
"Hello there, Brother Ox~"
Shi Yu smiled awkwardly and waved at the Unicorn Rhinoceros. Clearly, although the Unicorn Rhinoceros was a vegetarian, its hooves certainly were not~
"Moo~"
The Unicorn Rhinoceros charged at Shi Yu on its heavy limbs, its sharp horn gleaming like a sword~
"Damn, I should've cultivated harder! This guy is also at the early Grand Unity Golden Immortal stage!"
Seeing the mountain-like Unicorn Rhinoceros rushing toward him, Shi Yu hurriedly opened the Cloud Void Water Fan. He drew in the water of the Great Marsh, building layer after layer of water walls to trap it inside.
"Moo~"
The Unicorn Rhinoceros snorted heavily, exerted force through all four limbs, and leaped up, smashing straight through the water walls.
"I'll block it!"
The Cloud Void Water Fan radiated a deep-blue glow. Shi Yu flung it out, using the might of the spiritual treasure to counter the Unicorn Rhinoceros's charge.
"Clang~~"
A crisp metallic ring resounded as the ox's horns, hard as black iron, collided with the Cloud Void Water Fan.
"This guy's physical body can rival those humanoid battle constructs from the Witch Clan. As expected of a primordial beast. Now this is worthy of my old master!"
Shi Yu caught the returning Cloud Void Water Fan, opened it again, and hurled it at the Unicorn Rhinoceros. Its momentum was as fierce as "Entwining Dragon Charges into the Wilderness."
After several consecutive strikes, the Unicorn Rhinoceros's eyes grew somewhat unfocused. The power of a supreme-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure was not to be underestimated.
Seeing the Unicorn Rhinoceros weaken, Shi Yu folded the Cloud Void Water Fan and prepared for close combat, hoping to take it down in one burst.
When the Unicorn Rhinoceros saw Shi Yu charging in, it snorted heavily. Its eyes filled with fighting spirit and turned blood red.
It drove off with its hind legs, shooting forward like an arrow loosed from the bow, unstoppable once unleashed.
"Damn, it's seeing red!"
Seeing this, Shi Yu had no choice but to open the fan again and spin it.
"Big-Horned Ox, let me show you what it means to redirect four ounces against a thousand pounds!"
The Dao Rhyme of the Great Dao of Taiji spread out. Taiji slowly took shape beneath Shi Yu's feet as he borrowed force to strike with force, used softness to overcome hardness, and defeated the strong with the weak.
"Flowing Clouds and Running Water~"
"Break!"
Using the Cloud Void Water Fan as a point of leverage, Shi Yu borrowed force to strike with force and knocked the mountain-like Unicorn Rhinoceros into the Great Marsh.
"Splash~~"
After a thunderous crash, a massive pillar of water erupted from the surface like a torrential downpour.
"Moo, moo, moo~"
The Unicorn Rhinoceros's furious roars came from beneath the water. The ox had been thoroughly enraged, and its roar summoned the demon beasts in the surrounding area.
Within moments, several demon beasts—including Luoyu Fish, Shengyu, Fuzhu, and Changyou—appeared. They were all Fierce Beasts capable of causing floods. It seemed the Unicorn Rhinoceros was their leader. The strongest among them was at the late Golden Immortal stage.
Although Shi Yu was not afraid of them, even an elephant could be brought down by enough ants. If they attacked together, they would still give him a headache.
"Big Pagoda, I need you~"
When there was no response, Shi Yu realized that the Exquisite Pagoda was angry because he had muted it earlier.
It seemed he could only rely on himself. Thus, he flung out his second Companion Spiritual Treasure, the Azure Water Spirit Pearl.
"Scatter!"
The Azure Water Spirit Pearl burst with light, mobilizing the currents of the Great Marsh and transforming them into chains that bound the Fierce Beasts.
"Moo~~"
At that moment, the Unicorn Rhinoceros burst from the water, swinging its horn in an attempt to break the chains binding the others.
"Heh heh, I've been waiting for you~"
"Gourd, go!"
A gourd flew from Shi Yu's waist. Its powerful suction continuously dragged at the Unicorn Rhinoceros. The Unicorn Rhinoceros dug all four legs firmly into the ground, and for a time, the two sides were locked in a stalemate.
Meanwhile, the two members of the Dragon Clan inside the Crystal Palace beneath the lake had witnessed the entire battle from the shore.
A young, hurried voice rang out. "Uncle, that guy is amazing! He can actually defeat that huge water ox!"
"By the way, Uncle, aren't you also at the Grand Unity Golden Immortal stage?"
"Why can't you defeat that huge water ox?"
Faced with his nephew's questions, Ao Ping, the Dragon King of the Great Marsh, found his old face difficult to maintain...
That huge water ox was a primordial beast with innate talent bonuses, allowing it to fight above its level. But your uncle here is just a poor wretch. I don't even have an Innate Spiritual Treasure, while that kid is absurdly wealthy.
He brought out a supreme-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure at the first move, along with two high-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures. Comparing people really was infuriating!
"Ahem~"
"Ao Guang, your uncle simply couldn't be bothered to take that huge water ox seriously. We're the Dragon Clan, the clan that rules the aquatic races of the Four Seas! Naturally, we must possess magnanimity!" Ao Ping paused, then said proudly.
The horned young dragon seated beside Ao Ping was Ao Guang, son of the Dragon King of the East Sea. As it happened, he had come to visit his relatives today.
"Uncle, your cultivation really is profound. You can make our lack of spiritual treasures sound so elegant~"
After the Dragon Clan lost the struggle for supremacy, most of the surviving dragons followed the Azure Dragon Saint Venerable to guard the easternmost edge of Heaven. Only a small number of dragons lived in the Four Seas, ruling over the aquatic races there.
However, only the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas possessed Innate Spiritual Treasures for protection. There were two reasons. First, the Dragon Clan had once possessed an absurd number of spiritual treasures, but during the Dragon-Han Tribulation, countless treasures were lost in the war.
It was speculated that the Dao Ancestor Hongjun and Demon Ancestor Rahu had taken advantage of the chaos to collect them. In the end, the Dao Ancestor called in reinforcements and killed the Demon Ancestor, so the spiritual treasures naturally became the Dao Ancestor's spoils of war~
Second, the Dragon Clan was deliberately keeping a low profile. A centipede may be dead but never completely rigid; how much more so for the former super-clan? And since the Four Seas were the window through which the Dragon Clan presented itself to the primordial wilderness, they absolutely had to look "poor!"
Before you continue