Just as the beast was about to charge over and stop the intruder from snatching the herbs, a huge creature blocked its way.


    "Moo!"


    The ck ox stood up on its hind legs with its hooves stretching out before striking down with incredible speed.


    A burst of fiery light erupted as the lion''s magical attack was easily deflected by the ck ox. The ck ox rushed ahead and mped the lion’s mouth shut with one of its hooves. The lion struggled to break free but it couldn’t.


    **_Roar!_**


    **_Moo!_**


    Exerting tremendous force, the ck ox lifted the red-skinned lion into the air before mming it back into the ground. The lion''s face contorted in pain upon impact. It felt as though its brain was rattling around in its skull.


    **_Moo!_**


    With another powerful swing, the ck ox sent the lion flying into the air. With its tongue hanging out of its mouth, the lion wailed pitifully before spitting out a mouthful of blood.


    It couldn''t muster any magic power to fight back.


    **_Moo!_**


    The big ck ox continued its assault, its hooves pounding on the red-skinned lion.


    The lion''s tongue was nowpletely hanging out, and it seemed to beg, "Please stop!"


    Meanwhile, Chen Xun managed to obtain the two herbs, the Ice Mandarin Duck Herb, and the Cold Spirit Herb. Both were pure white and emitted a chilling aura. He carefully ced them in his medicine box for safekeeping.


    He then shouted towards thekeshore, "Old ox, we are leaving! Get ready!"


    "Moo!"


    The ck ox dragged the defeated red-skinned lion in front of Chen Xun, leaving a long trail of blood on the ground.


    "Old ox, you''re amazing," Chen Xun eximed in amazement. He then looked at the lion and said, "Better take care of those injuries, Brother. If you encounter others, they might skin you alive and use your bones for alchemy."


    "Moo, moo!" The big ck ox grinned.


    Listening to their words, the red-skinned lion had already started imagining whether it would be braised or steamed.


    **_Whimper..._**


    Feeling truly defeated, the red-skinned lion''s eyes lost their luster.


    "Alright, take care," Chen Xun shook his head and said, "Take care. The next time you meet other people, you might turn into a roast before you know it."


    **_Whimper!_**


    The red-skinned lion weakly replied, "Thank you, big brother!"


    "Old ox, let''s go," Chen Xun and the ck ox quickly climbed up a tree and disappeared.


    They duo left the area, but what they didn’t know was that they had left the red-skinned lion with a life-long trauma, as well. Whenever it saw a pile of dry leaves, it would crawl under them and sob and reflect on all the mistakes it had made in its life.


    "Old ox, Check this out, look at the map."


    Crouching on top of a tree, Chen Xun spread out a simple map. Many ces on the map were still unmarked.


    "Is theke we just encountered marked on this map?" He asked.


    This map was the result of the contributions of countless generations of Five Elements Sect disciples. It was priceless, and Chen Xun cherished it greatly.


    "Moo?" The ck ox pointed to severalrgekes on the map. They all seemed somewhat the same.


    Chen Xun was also uncertain. The teleportation here was too random. Although it always brought them to the periphery of Southern Dipper Mountain, it was still difficult to determine their exact location.


    "Let''s move step by step. We''ll figure out where we are eventually," Chen Xun said nonchntly.


    "Moo!" The big ck ox nodded and patted Chen Xun with its hoof, bringing a smile to Chen Xun''s face.


    They then hopped off the tree and continued deeper into the forest, and along the way, they found another herb they needed. Chen Xun and the ck ox were overjoyed and couldn''t help but thank their departed friends, Old Sun and Master Ning, for watching over them from above.


    Three dayster, Chen Xun and the big ck ox were dumbfounded. They finally epted the fact that they were lost. Everything around them looked the same, with towering ancient trees in all directions. They couldn''t even tell if they were just going in circles.


    "Old Ox, boldly move forward~~..." Chen Xun started singing a song to the ck ox, however the ck ox didn’t seem to enjoy his singing very much and covered its ears with its hooves while disying a pained look.


    Inside the forest, it was pitch ck with no visibility beyond an arm''s length.


    Thankfully, the tree trunks were exceptionally wide and provided ample space for them to lie down without any crowding.


    At times, they couldn''t tell whether it was night or day, as everything remained in darkness, hidden beneath the thick canopy of leaves.


    Suddenly, a venomous snake slithered toward the duo quietly, sticking out its forked tongue with a sinister gleam in its eyes. It sensed warmth nearby, and two potential prey targets. It got ready to release its toxic mist.


    Chen Xun—who was still lost in thought, seemingly unaware—suddenly moved like a gust of wind and directly snatched the snake. He swiftly tied it, forming a deadly knot before pulling it tight. The snake was now dead beyond measure, meeting its end swiftly.


    A faint burst of mes followed, and the big ck ox quickly covered it to hide the light. The snake''s body turned into ash.


    They rested for a while before getting awakened by the sound of a nearby fight. It was right beneath their tree.


    A group of men and a group of women were fighting, with three women surrounding three men.


    Chen Xun and the ck ox remained motionless and peered down from the tree. The bunch below seemed to be disciples from the Ten Great Sects, probably the Pill Cauldon Sect and the Purple Cloud Sect.


    “Junior brothers, don''t even think about escaping," one of the Purple Cloud Sect''s women chuckled seductively, her lips rising into a smile. The women’s eyes shone with allure.


    "Sister, we''re willing to hand over the herbs. Please spare our lives," the three Pill Cauldron Sect disciples were already in dire straits. They continuously coughed up blood and their clothes were torn in all sorts of ces. They had been chased and beaten along the way.


    "How will that do?" Another womanughed flirtatiously, seemingly toying with them.


    Suddenly, one of the women''s expressions changed, and the Silica Valley Bird in her hand issued a warning; there were others nearby!


    The three Purple Cloud Sect women naturally trusted the Silica Valley Bird and had been using it to relentlessly chase down the Pill Cauldron Sect disciples.


    The three Pill Cauldron Sect disciples were filled with relief when they saw the women''s unusual reaction. It seemed like they had been saved.


    "Fellow Daoist, don''t hide any longer ande out! We know you are there."


    The three women continued to call out to various directions but were unable to determine the hidder’s exact location. It seemed that the person was concealed very deeply.


    Chen Xun and the big ck ox sneered at their tactics. Did they really think they were dealing with children? They decided to remain motionless.


    The three women exchanged nces. Since they were unable to temporarily locate the hiding cultivator, they decided to quickly deal with these Pill Cauldron disciples.


    "Kill!" The three of them wielded their respective magical tools and charged toward the disciples.


    "Junior brothers, give it your all!" The Pill Cauldron Sect disciples, already at the brink of copse, fought with all their remaining strength.


    The sound of magical power roaring echoed from under the tree, but Chen Xun and the ck ox remained as steady as rocks. An asional strong gust of wind would sweep by, but the duo remained as still as ever.


    The Pill Cauldron Sect disciples were no match for the Purple Cloud Sect disciples from the start, and coupled with their critical injuries, it didn’t take long for them to go down. Several cold beams shed, decapitating them. Their heads soared into the sky, and their bodies split in two.


    "These women are truly ruthless," Chen Xun muttered to himself, his eyes filled with disdain.


    The women formed a small circle, their magical powers swirling around in their hands, their eyes scanning the surroundings without lowering their guard.


    **_Chirp! Chirp! _**


    The Silica Valley Bird pped its wings, signaling that it had located the hidden person.


    "What?!" The three women couldn''t believe it, and their hairs stood on end. There was indeed someone hidden above them. They actually hadn''t sensed a thing!


    Chen Xun furrowed his brows; this bird was bing quite a nuisance. Did all disciples of the Ten Great Sects have so many tricks up their sleeves?