A gigantic axe was stuck in the ground.
A large, muscular hand gripped its handle tightly.
A figure over two meters tall, wearing a helmet with two horns,
was bending down to lift the axe.
Li Xing felt a pang of fear.
Animals instinctively feared creatures larger than themselves.
For example, humans feared tigers, elephants, and giraffes.
A weakling like Li Xing, whose strength was neither here nor there, was naturally no exception.
"Kid, who are you, and what are you doing at Fire Mountain?"
A deep, muffled voice rang out as the other party straightened up.
Looking at Ox-King, drenched in sweat, Li Xing was speechless again.
You're sweating buckets just from moving. What's the point of working yourself up like this?
He grumbled inwardly but said nothing.
Since the other party had already attacked, he naturally had to gauge his strength.
He channeled energy into his legs and sprang forward with a bang, like a bullet.
"Bold!"
Li Xing's gaze sharpened. Using the momentum of his charge, he adjusted his angle of attack just as Ox-King swung his giant axe.
Like an ape, he planted one foot on the blade and flipped himself into the air, landing on the back of the axe.
Without pausing, he surged forward again, charging at Ox-King's face.
"Hmph, you insignificant ant!"
Ox-King roared angrily and swung a fan-sized palm at Li Xing.
Li Xing's gaze was resolute as he lowered his center of gravity slightly.
He aimed for the space beneath the palm and shot straight upward.
"Looking for death."
A foul stench rushed into Li Xing's nose and mouth. The wind from the palm's whoosh drowned out Ox-King's angry roar, roaring wildly beside Li Xing's ears.
"Devour."
A strange black light flickered over both hands. He slammed them with all his strength into the underside of Ox-King's palm.
Boom~
A fierce wind whipped up, sending Xiao Wu and Ashu's hair flying. The two hurriedly fled into the distance.
They had learned from experience long ago.
Whenever Li Xing made a move, it was bound to shake the heavens and cause widespread destruction.
To avoid getting caught in the crossfire, they ran as early as they could.
Ox-King had attacked so quickly that they hadn't had time to react.
Li Xing moved just as quickly. Only when the gale swept toward them did the two realize what was happening and take off running.
In the distance, a little girl with fair, delicate skin, dressed lightly and wearing a helmet with a single horn, watched the fight with a worried expression.
"Daddy!"
Li Xing had no time to concern himself with anything happening outside.
Ox-King was no weakling; he had to stay completely focused.
After landing a hit, Li Xing hurriedly deactivated Devour Ability.
With his weak constitution, this was the only way to extend how long he could use the ability.
His body plummeted rapidly. Before Li Xing could hit the ground, another gust of wind came at him.
Li Xing had sharp eyes and immediately spotted Ox-King's thick leg swinging toward him.
His hands trembled as a piercing pain gnawed at his mind.
Seeing that Ox-King wouldn't let up, Li Xing bit down hard on his tongue. A sharper pain jolted his mind, instantly rousing him. Tears streamed uncontrollably from his eyes.
"You think you can keep me here?"
Li Xing glanced at the car Xiao Wu and the others had left behind. They had just turned it around and hadn't had a chance to drive away before the two abandoned it and ran.
He adjusted his angle once more.
"I'll need to stay in place and use the momentum twice."
"Perfect!"
Devour Ability activated again. He met Ox-King's leg head-on with both hands.
"Kid, you can't fight a thigh with an arm. You—"
Ox-King's taunting voice faded as Li Xing was sent flying.
As soon as he hit the ground, he rolled several times, then darted like a kitten toward the driver's seat and leaped precisely into the car.
Both hands were swollen as thick as his thighs. There was no way he could control the car.
Li Xing's eyes were bloodshot. He lowered his head and bit down on the key.
"Damn it! You're trying to escape!"
"No one has ever escaped from me, Ox-King.
Die!"
Large beads of sweat slid down Li Xing's forehead.
His gums were bleeding.
Brrrm, brrrm~
He pressed down on the accelerator.
Vroom!
The car roared and shot forward.
Bang!
Ox-King's giant axe missed by a hair, narrowly grazing the rear of the car before chopping into the ground.
Even so, the car bounced three times in the air like a drunk dancing at a club before landing.
It paused for a moment. Taking advantage of Ox-King's old strength being spent and his new strength not yet gathered, it belched out a cloud of smoke and sped away.
Xiao Wu and Ashu were dumbstruck.
Ignoring the risk of revealing themselves, they hurriedly ran out and chased after the car.
"Sir, help! Don't leave us behind! Wait for me, take me with you!"
"Help me, help me!"
Li Xing had no time to pay attention to them.
They were tough as nails and wouldn't die easily. They would definitely survive.
Once he was out of the village, Li Xing's expression darkened.
Ox-King was powerful.
In a head-on fight, Li Xing wouldn't last ten moves.
"My combat experience and every other aspect are far inferior to his."
Li Xing stopped by a river and gazed toward the village in the distance.
The scorching wind kept searing his body, just like the anxiety in his heart.
"I can't fight him head-on. I'm trying to absorb Ox-King's great strength, not just pick a fight.
I need to wear him down and occasionally use Devour Ability to clash with the force of his attacks."
Sitting in the chair, his arms swollen as thick as his calves, Li Xing closed his eyes and thought it over carefully.
After a long while, Li Xing opened his eyes.
He got out of the car.
Looking at the gently flowing stream,
"Life here is far too hard.
The harsh geography of Fire Mountain is one hardship,
Ox-King running rampant through the countryside is a man-made disaster,
and the long absence of rain is a natural disaster.
Maybe..."
As soon as the thought came to mind, Li Xing shook his head and dismissed it.
Who was Ox-King? He would never let Li Xing blackmail him.
And so, Li Xing stayed there and began his long road of challenging Ox-King.
Half a month later.
Xiao Wu and Ashu looked at a cart full of gold, silver, and jewels, grinning from ear to ear as they happily left Fire Mountain.
They exchanged a glance, and understanding passed between them.
Following Sir Li Xing meant they got to eat well. They didn't have to follow King Pilaf and live on scraps, going hungry three days out of nine.
And there wasn't much danger, either.
This was a good gig!
Their eyes conveyed the same thought, and each began making plans.
No one was a fool.
Even loyalty had its limits.
It was only a matter of not having enough to gain.
Everyone had a weakness. Find it, and exploiting it would be a breeze.
Li Xing naturally had no time to care what Xiao Wu and the others were thinking.
He was going to take them in sooner or later. It didn't matter whether it happened sooner or later.
He looked at his stats.
Host: Li Xing Lifespan: 26 Combat Power: 21 Constitution: 1.4 Mental Strength: 1 Energy: 15 Ability: Devour Ability (LV1)
Li Xing felt a jumble of emotions.
Devour Ability improved his constitution at a painfully slow pace.
Li Xing had noticed that, as time went by, the rate at which devoured energy converted into constitution kept dropping.
By contrast, his energy had been climbing rapidly these past few days.
The only consolation was that his lifespan had increased by one year, reaching 26.
After traveling day and night, Xiao Wu and Ashu drove Li Xing straight into Pilaf Castle.
"Sir, we've arrived at the castle. Sorry for the long journey. We'll arrange a room for you right away."
Li Xing remained expressionless.
He might have been only fifteen, but he understood all about this already.
He didn't feel any aversion to it, either.
Still, he was about to meet Pilaf. If he could bring him under his control—
As he was thinking this, a sharp voice rang out.
Before you continue