Throwing the Bull! (Seeking Collections! Seeking Support!)

"I'm furious!"

Returning to his courtyard, Motai Jie's eyes were bloodshot.

The mere thought that the beauty he had been dreaming of was about to be gifted to the Fire Worship Sect by his father—and that he was forbidden from seeing her—made Motai Jie hurl the packet of secret medicine in his arms into the fire pit.

"Someone, bring me four young girls!" Motai Jie sat on a stone chair, panting heavily.

He could never forget the sheer, stunning beauty he felt the first time he saw Qianxue.

Even if he knew that if he truly succeeded, his father Motai Xiao would never forgive him.

But so what?

"Just once, even if it's only once... I'd accept it even if it meant death." Motai Jie roared madly in his heart.

But he knew his father would not give him the chance.

"What has provoked the Young Master to such anger?" A middle-aged man with dozens of braids walked in, carrying a steaming stone basin.

"Renzha, what are you carrying?" Motai Jie did not answer.

The matter of Qianxue was the most guarded secret within the Motai Clan; aside from a few personal maids, every outsider who had seen her was already dead.

Even his trusted confidant, Renzha, had no idea that such a unique existence resided within Motai City.

"It is the meat of an An Beast, a great demon, sent to our Motai City by the Iron Ox Tribe yesterday." Renzha placed the basin on the table and smiled. "Young Master, the meat of a great demon is a potent tonic. It is perfect to consume before you go enjoy those girls."

"The Iron Ox Tribe?" Motai Jie mused. "Is the leader that Iron Ox who left the Liu Clan's guard?"

"The Young Master has a good memory to remember such a minor figure," Renzha flattered.

"I recall his younger sister was also a maid in the Liu Clan, wasn't she? And some Liu Clan descendant tried to force himself on her, only to have three of his legs broken by that Second Miss?" Motai Jie recalled the information he had on the major hegemonic clans of the Great Wild Plains.

Of course, he was more interested in the scandalous details.

"That is indeed what happened." Renzha's mind instantly flashed through countless bits of information about the surrounding tribes. "She should be called Xiangcao, but she never leaves the Iron Ox Tribe, so outsiders rarely see her."

Even a lackey must be useful to his master; Renzha firmly believed in this.

"That's the one." Motai Jie nodded and ordered, "Go and find out the location of the Iron Ox Tribe."

"Young Master, are you planning to..." Renzha's mouth twitched, revealing a smile that only the two of them understood.

"That Second Miss has already married and left the Great Wild Plains." Motai Jie grabbed a piece of meat from the stone basin and began to eat it in large bites.

... The Iron Ox Tribe.

The Moon Rabbit sank in the west, and the Golden Crow had yet to rise.

This was the darkest moment of the day.

Immersed in his cultivation, Zhou Hao finally opened his eyes.

In the darkness, two rays of light seemed to flash and vanish.

Unlike before, after practicing the visualization technique this time, Zhou Hao felt as if the entire world had changed.

Even in the dark, his eyes could clearly see everything around him.

The fish swimming in the creek, the movements of the warriors on night patrol in the distance... even if Zhou Hao did not see them directly, it was as if images appeared clearly in his mind!

He could even clearly feel that his consciousness was like an invisible hand, capable of grasping every tangible object around him.

He acted on the thought.

Zhou Hao had a single thought.

Whoosh~~~

A fish in the creek, currently feeding on algae, was suddenly snatched out of the water as if by an invisible hand. It danced in the air for several circles before returning to the water.

"It really works!" Zhou Hao was instantly ecstatic.

Having grown up in two worlds where the path to immortality was severed, when had Zhou Hao ever experienced such a supernatural phenomenon?

In his excitement, the creek in front of him suffered.

Not only did the fish in the water inexplicably fly out to become 'flying fish,' but the surrounding grass, large chunks of mud, and rocks all floated up, then shot into the creek like arrows.

Fortunately, this area was some distance from the tribe's camp, otherwise, the entire Iron Ox Tribe would have been alarmed.

"Could this be the legendary Taoist 'Divine Sense Controlling Objects'? If I had a flying sword, wouldn't I be able to fly on it right now?" Zhou Hao thought to himself.

Even without a flying sword, relying solely on his divine sense to control stones, the short-range power was already far greater than the firearms of his previous world.

Even the bow and arrows Xiangcao used to shoot the Gray Wolves were not as powerful as Zhou Hao's divine sense control at close range.

The most critical point was that arrows could not turn corners, but objects controlled by divine sense could.

"If I were to encounter those Gray Wolves now, I could solve them instantly even if I stood perfectly still."

Finally, after testing the power of his divine sense control and feeling a bit dizzy, Zhou Hao stopped.

"I still need to find some sharp throwing knives, daggers, or similar weapons."

Stones were fragile after all; no matter how much divine power was imbued, they were useless once they shattered.

Divine sense could only control tangible objects; it could not harm others intangibly, nor did it have any effect on his own body.

Even so, this was enough. Below the Purple Mansion realm, even innate creatures had no means of long-range attack other than bows and arrows.

How could bows and arrows ever compare to the utility of divine sense?

At this moment, a faint clamor drifted over from the tribal camp in the distance.

Dawn had broken; the tribe was preparing to migrate.

...The Iron Ox Tribe was very small.

The entire tribe numbered less than two hundred people, most of whom were the warriors and their families who had followed Iron Pillar out of the Liu Clan long ago.

However, being small had its advantages; at the very least, they could leave at a moment's notice.

Naturally, the most relaxed person among them was Zhou Hao.

If it weren't for the fact that the leader, Iron Pillar, had allocated him a dozen Wild Oxen, he could have left the moment he stood up.

"Uncle Zhou Hao, Uncle Zhou Hao."

Iron Pillar trotted over. "Your Wild Ox has stopped moving again."

Zhou Hao was lying comfortably on the back of a Wild Ox, meditating on the Supreme Clarity Moral Heavenly Venerable Diagram in his mind.

After a night of meditation and refining his soul, Zhou Hao was astonished to discover that not only was his soul powerful enough to manipulate objects with his divine sense, but his physical strength had also increased several times over.

In particular, the Nine Cloud Seal Secret Patterns on his left arm seemed to have absorbed enough energy; the tattoos, which had once been as dark as deep ink, had faded to the point where they were barely visible unless one looked closely.

According to the experience of his two lifetimes, when the secret pattern tattoos faded to this degree, it meant he had survived the triennial Ghost Gate Pass.

With hope for immortality, no immediate worry about the life-draining tattoos, and the newfound ability to manipulate objects with his divine sense, Zhou Hao was naturally in high spirits and feeling quite content.

"Stopped again?" Zhou Hao looked back.

An adult bull was lying before a lush, grassy mound, chewing grass unhurriedly, surrounded by a circle of tribal children.

These Wild Oxen were very similar to the yaks on Earth, only two or three times larger. Beneath their thick, black fur, their flesh was firm, and lying on the ground, they looked like small hills.

An adult Wild Ox weighed twenty to thirty thousand catties and possessed an incredibly stubborn temperament; if it decided not to move, it wouldn't, and beating it was useless.

The others in the tribe, having herded for years, were well-acquainted with the habits of the Wild Oxen and had their own clever ways of dealing with such stubbornness.

Yet, Zhou Hao didn't know how he had offended Xiangcao; not only did she refuse to help, but she also told everyone else to stay out of it.

"Watch me."

Zhou Hao patted the yak beneath him, his body dropping to the ground in a flash, and then he strode toward the bull.

Iron Pillar waved his small whip excitedly, mimicking the adults riding Black Cunning Beasts as he ran toward the temperamental Wild Ox first.

The group of children waiting by the Wild Ox looked at Zhou Hao as he strode over, their little eyes filled with anticipation.

Want to see me make a fool of myself? Zhou Hao glanced at Xiangcao, who was on duty riding a Black Cunning Beast not far away, and chuckled inwardly.

I am no longer the Zhou Hao who was chased by a dozen Wild Wolves yesterday.

"Everyone, step back a bit." Zhou Hao smiled and waved at the children around him.

The adults in the distance saw this and began to laugh, and those nearby even walked over.

"Young Brother Zhou is going to show off his special skill again."

"I didn't see it last time; I only heard a loud thud."

"Then watch closely. Don't let his thin frame fool you; Young Brother Zhou is truly strong."

Ignoring the chatter, Zhou Hao stood before the reclining Wild Ox. With a sudden burst of energy, he stomped his right leg heavily onto the ground, channeling a spiraling force.

BOOM!

The turf within a three-meter radius flipped upward. The onlookers felt the entire earth tremble, as if they were about to be jolted off their feet.

Even those ten meters away could feel the force of the strike, and the Wild Ox right next to Zhou Hao's stomping foot naturally bore the brunt of it.

The hill-like body of the ox was instantly lifted off the ground, leaving a gap as wide as an arm.

In that split second, Zhou Hao leaned forward, his right arm sliding beneath the Wild Ox. Utilizing the upward force from his spiraling stomp and channeling power from his waist, abdomen, and hips, he clenched his right hand into a fist and thrust it skyward—it was the 'Seabed Punch' from the Taiji Fist style.

The striking techniques of Taiji Fist were incredibly fierce, primarily based on the three forces of Cannon, Hammer, and Whip.

Despite the Wild Ox's thick hide and flesh, if Zhou Hao had truly intended to strike the beast, the force of this punch would have been enough to rupture its internal organs.

However, with his right arm now pressed against the ox, the lethal strike transformed into a lifting maneuver.

WHOOSH!

The hill-like Wild Ox was hoisted high into the air by the explosive power of Zhou Hao's right arm.

Once he had swung the ox over his head, Zhou Hao followed through with a pushing force.

The Wild Ox flew straight for over twenty meters before crashing onto the grass with a heavy thud.

"Good!"

"Amazing."

"I reckon that aside from Iron Pillar, Young Brother Zhou has the greatest strength in our tribe."

For an adult Wild Ox weighing twenty to thirty thousand catties, even few warriors in the tribe could manage to swing it and throw it twenty meters away like that.

Especially the lean Zhou Hao, who appeared even more frail in front of the massive Wild Ox.

This stark contrast was incredibly striking, causing the tribespeople watching from the sidelines to gasp in amazement.

The people of the tribe held warriors in the highest regard, and Zhou Hao's display of such strength naturally earned their admiration, with the eyes of the children filled with pure worship.

The Wild Ox that had been thrown to the ground took a long while to recover, swaying as it stood up. Seeing Zhou Hao striding toward it again, it scrambled away on its hooves, not stopping until it had returned to the herd.

The Wild Ox was well-behaved now, terrified of being separated and thrown again.

"What immense strength!" A Black Cunning Beast came galloping from afar.

A man in his thirties with an arrow scar on his face shouted his praise from a distance: "Little Brother Zhou, when it comes to strength in this tribe, I, Zhamu, only respect Iron Ox. From now on, you can be added to that list."

"You flatter me, Brother Zhamu." Zhou Hao smiled. "I was just looking for you. Do you have a moment?"

"What do you need me for?" Zhamu vaulted off the back of the Black Cunning Beast. "The temporary campsite is just ahead; let's talk as we walk."

"Alright." Zhou Hao nodded.

He had already inquired with Zhuzi; the best dagger in the entire tribe was in Zhamu's possession. The great demon that had died previously had been skinned by Zhamu using that very dagger.

A dagger capable of slicing through the hide and flesh of an innate great demon was exactly what Zhou Hao, who could now manipulate objects with his divine sense, desperately needed.

"What's the use of having strength? Wasn't he chased around by Wild Wolves earlier? And when he was unconscious, I was the one who carried him back..."

Seeing Zhou Hao and Zhamu walking side by side in hushed conversation, Xiangcao kicked her heels into the belly of her Black Cunning Beast, and the beast immediately leaped forward, darting ahead.

On the other side.

A group of armored guards wearing half-body armor, led by Motai Jie, arrived at the Iron Ox Tribe's former campsite.