Battle Against Ox-King, Finally Meeting Pilaf

A massive axe was embedded in the ground.

A thick, sturdy hand gripped the handle of the axe tightly.

A figure over two meters tall, wearing a helmet with two ox horns, was bending over to lift the weapon.

Li Xing felt a shiver of fear in his heart.

Animals have an innate fear of creatures larger than themselves.

For instance, humans facing tigers, elephants, or giraffes.

As a weakling whose strength was neither here nor there, Li Xing was naturally no exception.

"Kid, who are you, and what are you doing at Fire Mountain?"

A muffled, booming voice reached him as the opponent straightened up.

Watching the Ox-King drenched in sweat, Li Xing was rendered speechless.

You're sweating buckets just from moving a little; why are you making life so difficult for yourself?

He complained inwardly, but kept his mouth shut.

Since the other party had already made a move, he would naturally weigh the opponent's strength.

He channeled energy into his legs and launched himself forward with a bang, like a projectile.

"How bold!"

Li Xing's gaze was like a torch. Utilizing the momentum of his charge, he adjusted his attack angle as he saw the Ox-King swing the giant axe.

Like an ape, he kicked off the flat of the axe, flipped his body, and leaped onto the back of the blade.

Without pausing, he erupted with power once more, charging straight for the Ox-King's face.

"Hmph, ant!"

The Ox-King roared, and a palm as large as a cattail fan swiped toward Li Xing.

Li Xing's gaze was resolute, his center of gravity dropping slightly.

Aiming for the space beneath the palm, he surged upward.

"You're courting death."

A foul stench rushed into Li Xing's nose and mouth, while the whistling wind from the palm strike drowned out the Ox-King's roar, rolling wantonly in Li Xing's ears.

"Devour Ability."

His hands glowed with a strange black light as he slammed them with all his might against the underside of the Ox-King's palm.

Bang!

A gale whipped up, sending Xiao Wu and Ashu's hair flying as they scrambled to flee into the distance.

They had long since gained experience in this.

Whenever Li Xing struck, it was bound to be earth-shattering, inevitably causing widespread destruction.

To avoid being caught in the crossfire, they ran as soon as they could.

The Ox-King's sneak attack had been too fast earlier, catching them off guard before they could react.

Now that Li Xing had struck and the gale was upon them, they finally snapped to their senses and bolted.

In the distance, a little girl with fair, tender skin, wearing a single-horned helmet and light clothing, watched the battle with a worried expression.

"Daddy!"

Li Xing had no energy to spare for anything happening outside.

The Ox-King's strength was not to be underestimated; he had to be on his absolute guard.

Having landed the blow, Li Xing hurriedly deactivated his Devour Ability.

His constitution was weak; this was the only way to extend the duration of his ability.

His body plummeted rapidly, and before he could even touch the ground, another gust of wind struck.

Li Xing's sharp eyes immediately caught the Ox-King's thick leg kicking toward him.

Li Xing's hands trembled, a piercing pain constantly eroding his focus.

Seeing the Ox-King's relentless pursuit, Li Xing bit down hard on the tip of his tongue. A sharper pain assaulted his mind, instantly snapping him to alertness, though tears streamed uncontrollably from his eyes.

"You want to keep me here?"

Li Xing's gaze swept over the car Xiao Wu and the others had abandoned; they had turned it around but hadn't managed to drive away before fleeing on foot.

He adjusted his angle once more.

I need to stop and use leverage twice.

Perfect!

He activated his Devour Ability again, his hands meeting the Ox-King's thigh head-on.

"Kid, an arm can't twist a thigh, you..."

Before the Ox-King's mocking voice had even faded, Li Xing had already been sent flying.

Upon landing, he rolled a few times, then, agile as a kitten, locked his eyes on the driver's seat and sprang precisely into the car.

His hands were swollen to the thickness of thighs, making it impossible to control the vehicle.

Li Xing's eyes were bloodshot; he lowered his head and clamped his teeth onto the key.

"Damn it, you want to escape!"

"No one has ever escaped from me, the Ox-King."

"Go to hell."

Beads of sweat the size of soybeans rolled down Li Xing's forehead.

His gums began to bleed.

Vroom, vroom, vroom~

He slammed his foot onto the gas pedal.

BOOM!

The car roared and shot forward instantly.

BANG!

The Ox-King's giant axe missed by a hair's breadth, narrowly scraping the rear of the car as it slammed into the ground.

Even so, the car bucked like a drunkard at a rave, bouncing three times in the air before crashing back down.

After a brief pause, while the Ox-King's old momentum was spent and his new strength had yet to rise, the car spewed a cloud of thick smoke and sped away.

Xiao Wu and Ashu were stunned at the sight.

Ignoring the risk of exposure, they rushed out and chased after the car.

"My Lord, help! Don't leave us behind, wait for us, take us with you!"

"Save me, save me~"

Li Xing had no mood to pay them any mind.

They were cockroaches that couldn't be killed; they would surely survive.

Escaping the village, Li Xing's expression turned grim.

The Ox-King was a powerful foe.

In a head-on collision, he wouldn't even be able to withstand ten moves.

My combat experience and every other aspect are lacking by more than just a notch.

Li Xing pulled over by a river and gazed back at the distant village.

The scorching wind burned his body, mirroring his anxious heart.

I cannot fight him head-on. I am here to absorb the Ox-King's immense power, not to engage in a reckless brawl. I need to wear him down, occasionally using my Devour Ability to clash with his residual strength.

Sitting in the seat, letting his arms remain swollen as thick as calves, Li Xing closed his eyes and began to think carefully.

After a long while, Li Xing opened his eyes.

He stepped out of the car.

He looked at the trickling stream.

"The people here have it too hard. The environment of Fire Mountain is a geographical hardship, the Ox-King running rampant is a man-made disaster, and the lack of rain for so long is a natural calamity. Perhaps..."

As soon as this thought popped into Li Xing's mind, he immediately shook his head to dismiss it.

Who was the Ox-King? He would never allow himself to be coerced.

And so, Li Xing remained there, beginning his long road of challenging the Ox-King.

Half a month later.

Xiao Wu and Ashu looked at a large cart filled with gold and jewelry, grinning from ear to ear as they happily left Fire Mountain.

The two exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with mutual understanding.

Following Lord Li Xing meant they had meat to eat; they didn't have to follow King Pilaf and eat chaff and vegetables, starving nine times out of three days.

And there wasn't even much risk.

This was a good gig!

Both of their eyes betrayed the same meaning, their minds already calculating their own interests.

No one was a fool.

Even the most loyal had their limits.

It was merely a matter of the chips not being high enough.

Everyone had their weaknesses; once found, exploiting them was an effortless task.

Li Xing naturally had no interest in the thoughts of Xiao Wu and the others.

Since they were destined to be taken in, it made no difference whether it happened sooner or later.

He looked at his own status.

Host: Li Xing
Lifespan: 26
Combat Power: 21
Physique: 1.4
Mental Power: 1
Energy: 15
Ability: Devour Ability (LV1)

Li Xing felt a complex mix of emotions.

The speed at which this Devour Ability improved his physique was agonizingly slow.

Li Xing discovered that as time passed, the efficiency of converting devoured matter into physique grew lower and lower.

Energy, on the other hand, had been climbing steadily over the past few days.

The only consolation was that his lifespan had increased by a year, reaching 26.

Traveling through the night, Xiao Wu and Ashu carried Li Xing directly into Pilaf Castle.

"My Lord, we have arrived at the castle. You must be exhausted from the journey; we will go arrange a room for you immediately."

Li Xing remained expressionless.

Although he was only fifteen, he had long been clear on these matters.

He felt no particular aversion to it.

Instead, he was thinking about how he would soon see Pilaf, and whether it would be possible to subjugate him.

Just as this thought crossed his mind, a shrill voice rang out.