Slaying the Thunder Ox

"After him!"

A man and an ox began a chase through the bamboo forest.

To Xu Changshou's surprise, the Black Antelope Thunder Ox fled toward the dense woods-in other words, toward the exit of the Thunder Pool.

What Xu Changshou did not know was that, under normal circumstances, the Black Antelope Thunder Ox always headed deeper into the Thunder Pool when fighting cultivators.

There was a dense concentration of lightning deep within the Thunder Pool. The farther in it went, the more at home it felt.

But today's situation was different. This cultivator could actually draw away his lightning.

The Black Antelope Thunder Ox had already developed some intelligence. Afraid Xu Changshou would catch him like a turtle in a jar if he went deeper, he naturally fled outward. Outside, beneath the vast sky and across the open land, escape would be easier.

Although the Black Antelope Thunder Ox possessed the power of lightning and terrifying offensive strength, speed was not his forte.

Xu Changshou drew closer and closer, almost catching up.

By now, Xu Changshou was growing anxious as well. The Thunder Pool was not very large. If the chase took them outside, things would become troublesome-more than a dozen cultivators were waiting out there.

Once they got outside, the ox might not end up his.

The best approach, therefore, was to kill the Black Antelope Thunder Ox within the Thunder Pool.

As long as he caught up, killing him would not be difficult. Without his lightning power, the Black Antelope Thunder Ox was weaker than the Savage Bull King.

Roar-

Just then, the Black Antelope Thunder Ox suddenly accelerated, about to charge out of the Thunder Pool.

Xu Changshou's expression shifted slightly. He hurriedly took a Windwalking Talisman from the jade talisman's space and slapped it onto his thigh.

It was one of his own Windwalking Talismans, the kind that could cover three thousand li a day. At such a critical moment, Xu Changshou would never use an inferior one.

Whoosh!

Xu Changshou abruptly accelerated. The instant the Black Antelope Thunder Ox charged out of the Thunder Pool, he arrived directly above him.

At the same time, the cultivators outside lost their composure when they saw the Black Antelope Thunder Ox charge out.

"Look! That beast is out!"

"Attack!"

"Slaughter him!"

More than a dozen cultivators blocked the Black Antelope Thunder Ox's path at once.

Panicking, the Black Antelope Thunder Ox opened his mouth and spat out a vast swath of lightning, pouring forth boundless lightning power.

"This is bad!"

"Run!"

"Run!"

The dozen or so cultivators turned and fled. Several who were too slow were struck by lightning. One died, two were badly wounded, and several more were scorched black.

"The Thunder Beast! It's the Thunder Beast! It's out!"

"Run!"

"How terrifying! The immortals are no match for the Thunder Beast!"

In the distance, several mortals were frightened out of their wits.

These mortals had heard that immortals were coming to subdue the Thunder Beast and had made a special trip to watch.

Never had they imagined the Thunder Beast would be so powerful that it could even kill immortals.

"Wicked beast, enough of your rampage! This Daoist will slay you!"

At that moment, Xu Changshou landed on the Black Antelope Thunder Ox's back. With a loud shout, he raised his sword and brought it down on the ox's neck.

Thud.

The enormous ox head fell to the ground.

He died on the spot.

The cultivators stared, dumbfounded.

The mortals in the distance stared, dumbfounded.

Ye Shanhua stared, dumbfounded as well.

Only an instant passed between the Thunder Beast charging out and being slain. Ye Shanhua had not even had time to react.

"Collect!"

Xu Changshou slapped his Storage Bag, taking both the Black Antelope Thunder Ox's body and head into it.

Looking around at the crowd, Xu Changshou cupped his hands and declared with righteous solemnity, "Fellow Daoists, this wicked beast has been slain by this Daoist. You may all disperse."

"The Thunder Beast is dead!"

"You beast, so this is how you ended up! Retribution! Hahaha!"

"Thank you, immortal."

"Thank you, exalted immortal."

"Quick, quick! Ergou, kowtow to the immortal!"

Only then did the distant mortals come to their senses. One after another, they knelt and bowed to Xu Changshou.

Yet the atmosphere grew strange. The cultivators did not leave. Every one of them stared at Xu Changshou, greed flashing in their eyes.

Even so, not one dared do anything to Xu Changshou. Their gazes were all filled with wariness.

Xu Changshou had entered the Thunder Pool single-handedly and slain the Black Antelope Thunder Ox.

He was only at the ninth level of Qi Refining. His cultivation was low, and he looked harmless to man and beast alike. But having slain the Black Antelope Thunder Ox made all the difference.

In truth, the Black Antelope Thunder Ox himself was not particularly strong. He mainly relied on his lightning power.

Xu Changshou could use a Lightning-Attracting Talisman to draw away the Black Antelope Thunder Ox's lightning power, allowing him to kill him easily. It was like dealing with an electric eel that had no electricity.

But the others did not see it that way. They believed Xu Changshou was either concealing his strength or possessed some terrifying trump card.

"Since none of you wish to leave, this Daoist will take his leave!"

"Wait!"

Xu Changshou wanted to leave, but an elderly couple blocked him.

An old man and an old woman.

The old man had a pale face and narrow eyes.

The old woman's gaze was cold, her expression gloomy.

The old man stepped forward and said amiably, "Fellow Daoist, this Black Antelope Thunder Ox was my family's spirit beast. He always guarded the gates of our Meng Household. Over ten years ago, this wicked beast suddenly disappeared. Who would have thought he had come here?

"My wife and I made inquiries far and wide before finally following his trail here."

"You're saying this wicked beast was your family's spirit beast?"

Xu Changshou sneered. This Black Antelope Thunder Ox had clearly only just gained intelligence, and there was not the slightest sign that he had ever been tamed.

"That's right!"

The old woman gave a calm nod.

Xu Changshou sneered. "This wicked beast injured at least eight hundred people, if not a thousand. How do you two intend to answer for that?"

The old man smiled humbly. "This wicked beast's wild nature remained untamed, bringing ruin upon living beings. Being slaughtered by you was his own just desert. My wife and I have nothing to say about that. We only hope you will return his remains to our Meng Household."

"That does seem to make some sense!"

Xu Changshou's smile grew colder. This couple spoke with such sanctimonious righteousness, but all they wanted was to get their hands on the Black Antelope Thunder Ox's horns.

"However, I cannot give you the Black Antelope Thunder Ox's remains."

As soon as Xu Changshou said this, the smiles vanished from the couple's faces, and a faint, sinister curl appeared at the corners of their mouths.

At this point, Ye Shanhua walked over and stood behind Xu Changshou, seemingly ready to act at any moment.

The other cultivators merely watched coldly from the sidelines.

They were all cultivators and understood what was happening. The couple's claim that the Black Antelope Thunder Ox belonged to their family was pure nonsense. They were merely finding a pretext to attack Xu Changshou.

Though they watched coldly, none intended to give up. They planned to watch Xu Changshou fight the couple. Perhaps, while the snipe and clam fought, the fisherman would reap the spoils.

The current situation was tricky. Whether Xu Changshou or the elderly couple ultimately obtained the horns, the victor would still have to face everyone else.

Yet the couple seemed particularly confident.

"Junior Brother Xu..."

Ye Shanhua lowered her voice and spoke into Xu Changshou's ear. "Be careful. This couple may be from the Union of Joy Sect. Its disciples practice dual-cultivation methods that emphasize sharing the same root and source, with hearts linked in perfect understanding.

"If they join forces, they can easily kill a cultivator of the same level in an instant."

That powerful?

Xu Changshou was secretly startled.

No wonder they dared provoke him. They were from the Union of Joy Sect.

Among the five great immortal sects, members of the Union of Joy Sect were exceptionally difficult to deal with. A small group encountering one of their married couples was almost certain to die.

When a Union of Joy Sect couple joined forces, it was far from as simple as one plus one equaling two.

"Fellow Daoist, I'll say it once more. Return the remains to this Daoist, or don't blame me for showing no mercy." The old man stepped forward, his voice turning icy.

"Sorry! This beast harmed many people. I intend to use his body as an offering to the souls of the dead. I cannot give him to you!"

With a thought, Xu Changshou secretly locked onto a Sharp Gold Talisman and an Earth Gang Talisman drawn on savage bull hide.

Both members of this couple were at the Qi Refining twelfth layer, and their strength was unfathomable. Once a fight began, Xu Changshou would have to use his strongest means.

"Refusing the wine of courtesy only to drink the wine of punishment! Old man, stop wasting words on this brat. Kill him!"

The old woman's expression turned cold and sinister. As she finished speaking, the couple slapped their Storage Bags simultaneously, each bringing forth a sword.