"The disciples of the ten great sects really like to act all high and mighty, like they own the place." Chen Xun chuckled.
He laid against a tree trunk. "I think our Five Elements Sect is better. Don’t you think so, old ox?"
"Moo~"
These disciples of the Immortal Sects were getting more and more arrogant. Who knew how they'll be treated when they enter the Ten Great Sects.
"It's a good thing we didn't join one of the Ten Great Sects. Have you not heard of the violence in those sects?"
"Moo?"
"People are constantly mocked over there, and when they try to prove themselves, guess what, they will be mocked even more. It’s a vicious cycle, I am tellin’ you. Even the dogs will bark a few times at them whenever they see them."
"Moo?!" The black ox was shocked.
How cruel and unjust! Only idiots treat others that way.
"And since we’re too strong, we would keep offending others. We would get embroiled in multiple conspiracies and what not. Did we become cultivators just to play around and waste time with meaningless stuff?”
"Moo!" Moved by his words, the black ox teared up a little. Chen Xun's words had really hit home. It was all thanks to Chen Xun, its great elder brother!
Chen Xun smiled crookedly, his hands behind his head, "Let's rest for a few days, tunnel digging is exhausting."
"Moo~"
And so, the pair closed their eyelids to rest, and soon, loud snores started to escape their mouths. Their behavior was completely out of sync with the deadly atmosphere of the secret realm.
...
One month later.
Countless purple lightning streaked across the sky of the Southern Dipper Mountain, followed by one deafening thunderclap after another. The heavy dark clouds filled the entire secret realm with a thick, oppressive atmosphere.
The Earth Essence Vine, located in an ancient temple by a lake, was considered the most difficult spiritual herb to obtain. Not because of the temple, per se. The main source of concern was the huge lake the temple was situated in the center of—Lake Xinyuan.
This lake was filled with the power of the metal element. To reach the temple, one had to withstand the pressure of this power. Not to mention the spirit beasts guarding the lake.
Boom!
A thunderclap resounded.
The long-awaited dark clouds finally began to show movement, and sparse drizzles turned into torrential rain within moments.
By the shore of Lake Xinyuan, figures of people could be seen, all wearing grim expressions. There were also numerous floating corpses in the lake, riddled with holes. Their deaths seemed exceptionally tragic.
Collecting the Earth Essence Vine was a hurdle that many had decided to give up on. With the many spiritual herbs in the Southern Dipper Mountain, this was a risk that wasn’t worth taking. Moreover, the three main herbs of the Foundation Establishment pill weren't exclusive to these three ancient temples; with some effort, one could find them elsewhere.
The sky suddenly roared with earth-shattering thunder, shaking the heavens and the earth, and the deafening thunderclaps turned the world white.
At the same time, two figures stood on the edge of a cliff, their eyes calm and fixed on Lake Xinyuan. Their figures were unmoving under the heavy rain.
"Old ox, are you confident?"
"Moo~! Moo!"
They had been observing from this spot for half a month. They have witnessed countless people rush into the temple by the lake and many more suffer from the metal element's invasion, dying in the lake.
But Lake Xinyuan had a significant weakness—flying at the right altitude and speed allowed one to bypass the metal element's influence. However, achieving both conditions simultaneously was extremely difficult.
"Dammit, it's time to show our real skills." Chen Xun took a deep breath, but he accidentally inhaled a bit of rainwater in the process, causing him to cough non-stop.
***********************
An immortal sword hovered slowly at the edge of the cliff
"Old Ox, this time it's all about speed and determination. Our future is in your hands!" Chen Xun said with determination in his voice.
"Moo! Moo Moo Moo!"
The black ox opened its eyes wide and roared in response. It flexed its muscles, readying itself.
The wind howled, and the heavy rain intensified. A magical barrier formed, and the immortal sword emitted a faint white light.
"Air Force One... Chen Xun..."
An almost imperceptible voice reached them.
Chen Xun's features contorted, veins popping out, and he roared, "Ready!!"
"Moo Moo Moo!!"
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
The rapid breaking sound turned into a piercing scream as an immortal sword, carrying a man and an ox, plunged towards the temple by the lake.
A streak of sword light tore through the sky, continuously rushing towards the temple by the lake, with a speed that was awe-inspiring!
"Look, someone is actually flying on a sword right now!"
"So fast, who is that?!"
"What?! They actually dodged the metal element's influence!"
Countless people by the lake were shocked and roared in disbelief. The speed of the immortal sword was so fast that it even outpaced the metal element's attack by a half step!
My goodness!
They were dumbfounded. What kind of sorcery was this? In the blink of an eye, the immortal sword had rushed into the temple, and the temple echoed with furious shouts, along with the gasps of hundreds of people.
In this pouring rain, in the darkness of night, they couldn't see who was on top of the sword. Even if they managed to see, all they would see were two clumps of withered leaves, and after that, they could only make out two heads wrapped in a dark cloth.
"Where did these scoundrels come from? I'll kill your entire family!"
"Show yourself, you bold thief!"
"Cowards, where are you running off to?!"
"Scoundrels!"
Roars and curses filled the air as they watched the two figures go farther and farther away.
The duo’s mouths slowly rose to form two cheeky smirks. When you're this fast, you can do whatever you want!
Whoosh!
The immortal sword descended in altitude and disappeared into the deep forests of the mountains, never to be seen again.
From this day onwards, they gained another nickname—the Sword God of Lake Xinyuan. However, they remained elusive, no one knew who they were. Even the Immortal Sword they had used was not eye-catching at all. One could easily find it on many other cultivators. They had completely vanished from the limelight after their small operation.
Gradually, they became a mysterious legend among low-ranking disciples of various sects. Some said they might not even be human. However, that is only… half the truth.
"Old ox, I can't hold on any longer. Hurry and find a place to restore our spiritual power."
"Moo!"
Carrying Chen Xun on its back, the black ox searched for a hidden tree hollow. It finally found shortly.
Chen Xun was drenched in sweat, and his spiritual power was severely depleted.
Forcing a smile, he reluctantly took out some low-grade spirit stones. "I guess we'll have to be extravagant today."
"Moo~" The big black ox continued to worry for Chen Xun, nudging him repeatedly.
"Old ox, keep an eye on our surroundings. I'll be fine."
Sitting cross-legged, Chen Xun adjusted his breath, and the low-grade spirit stones he held gradually shattered before streams of spiritual energy entered his body, replenishing his depleted spiritual power.
"Moo!" The big black ox nodded in response and extended its head to scan the surroundings while practicing a breathing technique to remain inconspicuous.
This battle had been too thrilling, and its heart had jumped to its throat several times. The spirit beast had almost attacked them, but Chen Xun had twisted and turned, narrowly avoiding it.
The big black ox turned back to look at Chen Xun, who had his eyes closed. Its eyes were filled with admiration. Only now did it truly understand the meaning of being brave and meticulous without losing composure.