Four-Horned Rhinoceros

Passing through the vortex gate, Tang Yuan felt a fierce wave of dizziness that churned his stomach like rivers and seas overturning.

Endless darkness and a sky full of stars filled Tang Yuan's eyes.

A flash of mystical light passed, and Tang Yuan's feet touched solid ground. He immediately raised his Golden Light Shield.

Tang Yuan opened the location jade disc and looked at the two blazing suns in the sky, one large and one small. He took a few casual steps to determine his bearings.

According to the information provided by the sect, no one knew where the boundaries of the Barbarian Di Secret Realm lay.

The vortex gate would transport all Holy Cardamom Sect disciples into a circular area three hundred li across.

After forty days, anyone who entered within one hundred li of the center of that circle would be safely transported back.

To the east, orc elites were scarce, but there were many exotic beasts, making it very dangerous;

To the south, there were fewer orc elites and fewer exotic beasts, making it somewhat dangerous;

To the west, there were hardly any orc elites, only mostly orc warriors, making it not very dangerous;

To the north, there were mostly tribes of orc elites, making it extremely dangerous.

Taking a deep breath, Tang Yuan slapped on a Divine Movement Talisman and sped north. He had no choice: according to Zhao Xiaode, the orc tribe with the "purple jade huang" was in the north...

Although he couldn't travel through the air, he could still use mystical arts. Tang Yuan was as fast as wind and lightning, capable of covering a thousand li in a day.

After heading north for about three shichen, Tang Yuan climbed a towering tree to rest.

He had barely dozed for less than the time it took two incense sticks to burn when the shaking woke him: the giant tree was swaying violently.

Frowning slightly, Tang Yuan looked down and was immediately overjoyed. A Four-Horned Rhinoceros was rubbing itself against the tree to scratch an itch.

A Four-Horned Rhinoceros had two sharp horns on its nose and another two on its head.

Before coming to the secret realm, Tang Yuan had asked Kou Cheng about them. Four-Horned Rhinoceroses were not to be trifled with, but their horns and hides were worth more than four thousand spirit coins.

What delighted Tang Yuan was that the rhinoceros below was only half a person's height. No matter how he looked at it, it had to be a juvenile Four-Horned Rhinoceros, since an adult stood over a zhang tall at the shoulder.

Hehe, I didn't expect my luck to be this good.

This juvenile Four-Horned Rhinoceros is a little small, but it should still be worth a thousand spirit coins, right?

I can't beat a big rhinoceros, but I'm a dignified Qi Refinement Sixth Layer cultivator. Killing a little Four-Horned Rhinoceros should be as easy as grabbing it in my hand, right? Tang Yuan rejoiced inwardly.

Adjusting his angle and gripping his devil saber, Tang Yuan leaped down at great speed, intending to cut off the rhinoceros's head in a single stroke.

Clang!

Amid sparks and lightning, Tang Yuan was sent flying more than ten zhang.

Tang Yuan looked at the notch the rhinoceros's tough hide had left in his devil saber and gave a wry smile. The Four-Horned Rhinoceros's hide was far too tough. No wonder it was worth several thousand spirit coins.

"Moo."

The little rhinoceros let out an aggrieved cry and looked at Tang Yuan with a pair of clear, big eyes.

Tang Yuan frowned. Should I attack it with fire?

But if I use fire, I might burn the hide, and then it won't be worth anything.

How about using the Lesser Heavenly Gang Soul-Extinguishing Lightning Array to electrocute it?

But would that damage the hide too...?

Before he could decide how to take down the little rhinoceros, Tang Yuan suddenly felt the earth tremble and the mountains shake.

He turned and went pale with shock. A giant Four-Horned Rhinoceros was charging furiously at him.

Damn it, Mama Rhino has come for revenge!

Without hesitation, Tang Yuan quickly threw out a Lesser Heavenly Gang Soul-Extinguishing Lightning Array and formed an instruction with the fingers of his left hand.

The moment the big rhinoceros charged into the array, more than a dozen bolts of lightning engulfed it.

Rumble!...

A white light flashed, followed by a deafening roar. Tang Yuan's mouth twitched: the big rhinoceros continued its charge, completely unharmed.

Tang Yuan threw out several explosive talismans, turned, and ran for his life.

Rumble!...

The big rhinoceros charged through the flames that filled the sky and came at him with even greater excitement.

Tang Yuan took out the Toad Spirit Pearl given to him by Second Junior Brother Toad from the Demon Realm and infused it with Law Power. It spat out Samadhi True Flame at the big rhinoceros, but the beast remained completely unharmed.

Physical resistance!

Magic resistance!

How am I supposed to fight this?!

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

Tang Yuan glanced at the furious rhinoceros and scrambled up a towering tree on all fours. No matter how formidable the Four-Horned Rhinoceros's defenses were, it surely couldn't climb trees.

Sure enough, when the big rhinoceros reached the tree, all it could do was circle it angrily.

"Hehe, come on up!" Tang Yuan laughed mockingly.

But after only a few laughs, Tang Yuan's expression gradually soured. The big rhinoceros was backing away.

It's not going to ram the tree, is it?

This is a towering tree that ten people couldn't reach around even with their arms linked!

Under Tang Yuan's disbelieving gaze, the big rhinoceros charged at the tree.

Bang!

Crack!

The big rhinoceros knocked the giant tree down by sheer force.

Before he had time to praise the rhinoceros for being formidable, Tang Yuan scrambled to his feet and fled north, stumbling and crawling, because the big rhinoceros was charging at him again...

..."Brother Rhino...

"No, Sister-in-law Rhino, I was wrong, all right?

"I, Tang Yuan, apologize to you and your child. Isn't that enough?

"You've been chasing me for three days and three nights. Can't we take a break?" Tang Yuan raced along with a helpless look on his face, an enraged Four-Horned Rhinoceros close behind him.

Over those three days, Tang Yuan had tried many methods, but none had let him shake off the big rhinoceros pursuing him.

Tang Yuan had tried using the Mystic Spoon to take temporary refuge in the Demon Realm, but it wouldn't work. Even things like the Eagle Transformation Pill from the Demon Realm had no effect.

The big rhinoceros could also distinguish his clone from his true body, so Tang Yuan couldn't use Tang Yi to lure it away and escape.

After being chased by the Four-Horned Rhinoceros for three whole days and nights, Tang Yuan was utterly exhausted in body and mind and in a sorry state.

Tang Yuan could only hope that the Four-Horned Rhinoceros was territorial, and that once he ran out of its territory, it would stop pursuing him.

But he had already raced more than a thousand li north, and the Four-Horned Rhinoceros showed not the slightest intention of stopping.

I can't just run back to the teleportation site now, can I? Tang Yuan complained bitterly to himself, vowing that if he escaped the Four-Horned Rhinoceros, he would never provoke another exotic beast in the Barbarian Di Secret Realm.

Tang Yuan looked back at the big Four-Horned Rhinoceros not far behind, swallowed a Qi Recovery Pill, and looked ahead.

He wanted to find a cliff and jump straight off. Surely the tireless Four-Horned Rhinoceros wouldn't jump after him.

After running along a valley for the time it took an incense stick to burn, Tang Yuan felt a surge of delight: there was a cave ahead.

Judging by the size of the cave, the enormous Four-Horned Rhinoceros probably couldn't get inside.

Before he reached the cave, a gust of sinister, chilly Qi swept over him.

Three indistinct characters were written on a stone stele outside the cave, but before Tang Yuan could make them out, the big Four-Horned Rhinoceros was already right behind him.

Without the slightest hesitation, Tang Yuan sprinted forward a few steps and ran straight into the cave without looking back.

After running several dozen zhang into the cave, Tang Yuan stopped and looked back at the entrance. Sure enough, it was too small for the enormous Four-Horned Rhinoceros to enter.

Tang Yuan let out a long breath and summoned Tang Yi to stand guard, while he himself fell into a deep sleep...

...He didn't know how long he had slept before a fit of sneezing woke him.

A gust of eerily cold wind blew past, and Tang Yuan shivered.

No, this wasn't ordinary cold Qi, but cold, resentful Qi.

Woooo...

From the depths of the cave came the faint sound of weeping, so faint he could barely tell if it was there.

"A ghost!" The hairs all over Tang Yuan's body stood on end, and he turned and ran toward the cave entrance.

After only a few steps, Tang Yuan stopped, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

First, the big Four-Horned Rhinoceros was guarding the entrance. If he ran outside, he would be as good as dead.

Second, he was a Qi Refinement Sixth Layer Devil Cultivator. What ghost did he have to fear?

Besides, his Profound Nether Cavern Radiance Myriad Ghost Banner was a divine artifact for collecting ghosts and souls. What ghost did he have to fear?!

With an embarrassed smile, Tang Yuan took out the Profound Nether Cavern Radiance Myriad Ghost Banner and summoned the five ghost spirits: Luo Biao, Zhang Yang, Du Qing, Wuma Lin, and Zhao Xiaode.

With the five ghost spirits leading the way and Tang Yi, at the Qi Refining First Layer, bringing up the rear, Tang Yuan raised his Golden Light Shield and held the Myriad Ghost Banner in his left hand and his devil saber in his right. Standing firmly in the middle of the formation, he cautiously made his way deeper into the cave...