Five years later.
Inside the Crimson Heaven Spirit Garden, in the Minor Grotto-Heaven.
Boom!
With a shrill, agonized cry, a giant beast resembling an ox, with blue-green fur and a single horn, stood a full twenty zhang tall before toppling stiffly to one side, crushing a broad swath of vegetation.
Thud!
As it hit the ground, its enormous head suddenly rolled free of its body, revealing a clean cut.
Just then, a figure flashed into view with a whoosh and landed lightly on the exotic beast's enormous head.
The figure was bare-chested, revealing a tall, lean, muscular physique, and held a long saber that flickered intermittently with lightning.
Even without deliberately revealing his aura, he still exerted an immense, invisible pressure, as though the saber in his hand might slash toward you at any moment.
Then the man suddenly took out a map made of white beast hide.
After holding up the map and comparing it with the exotic beast before him, he gave a slight nod and said:
"Mm, it's the exotic beast Xiqu, all right."
As he spoke, he raised his head to survey his surroundings, then sighed.
"Five years have passed in the blink of an eye, yet I can still only roam the outskirts of this Crimson Heaven Spirit Garden. The deepest I can venture is barely more than ten li from its edge."
Just as he was saying this, a herd of Chitie Barbarian Oxen suddenly burst into the woods. As though they bore a grudge against the man, they charged at him with savage ferocity without further ado.
Rumble...
Amid the violent trembling of the ground, the leading Chitie Barbarian Ox was about to slam into the man, yet he showed no fear whatsoever, his gaze utterly unruffled as he faced the charging beast.