Chapter 78: Chapter 78: Black Water Kui Ox
This monster was over ten meters long!
It resembled a giant water buffalo, but with a single horn growing from the center of its head. The horn was a full three meters long, shaped like a crescent moon—curved and sharp, with the lustrous, gleaming quality of white jade!
The beast was pitch-black and powerfully built. Upon closer inspection, one could see it was covered in neat, fine scales that actually shimmered under the dark sky! Each scale was the size of an adult’s palm, exuding a savage, powerful aura.
"ROAR!"
The monster’s roar was like a clap of muffled thunder!
The wind and clouds gathered even faster. Dark clouds pressed down over Phoenix Lake. Following the monster’s cry, a deafening CRACK echoed from within the churning thunderheads. With that clap of thunder, a torrential downpour began to cascade from the sky!
"What in the world is that thing!"
Qin Li was dumbfounded, his heart reeling in shock. ’To think a creature that can Call the Wind and Summon the Rain actually exists in this world,’ he thought. ’I always assumed it was just a legend.’
Although the Celestial Essence Continent was vastly different from the world he’d originally come from, the scene before him still made Qin Li feel as if he were in a dream.
"It’s a Black Water Kui Ox!"
Hu’s voice trembled with immense excitement as he stammered, "It really is a Black Water Kui Ox! A legendary Spirit Beast... I can’t believe it actually exists! Heavens... to think I’d be lucky enough to see a legendary Spirit Beast! It’s magnificent!"
Leng Yao’s eyes also glittered as she watched the Black Water Kui Ox weave and dodge among the crowd of Celestial Level experts, occasionally firing bolts of lightning from its white jade-like horn to injure its enemies. She said, "Legend has it that a Black Water Kui Ox possesses Earth Level strength from birth! This one isn’t yet an adult, but it must have at least the power of a High Tier Celestial Level expert! Still... it might not be a match for these people!"
In the blink of an eye, all seventeen of the Royal Family’s Celestial Level Tributors had flown above the ruins, completely surrounding the Black Water Kui Ox. No one spoke; every face was alight with immense excitement as they unleashed their most profound techniques, throwing them at the Black Water Kui Ox as if they were free.
The dark clouds in the sky pressed even lower!
The downpour over the lake intensified, the rain becoming a solid sheet! From a distance, Qin Li and the others could only make out blurry silhouettes within the storm. Even Chen Yihan and his group were somewhat affected.
Although they could use their Protective Gang Qi to block the deluge and keep themselves dry, the rain was so heavy that the Black Water Kui Ox’s form was becoming increasingly indistinct.
"Use your Divine Sense to lock onto it! We can’t let it escape, no matter what! This creature’s Profound Pill can help me break through to the Celestial Level! And its Essence Blood, when refined into an Elixir, will allow all of you... to achieve your own breakthroughs!"
Chen Yihan’s deep voice was like a shot of adrenaline, instantly electrifying the group of Royal Tributors. Chen Yihan was already a well-respected Martial Artist in their eyes, and now, with such a massive temptation before them, it was impossible for them not to fight with all their might!
As Royal Tributors, they wanted for none of the world’s glory or riches! Therefore, talk of competition was meaningless. These individuals had but one purpose: to cultivate, cultivate, and cultivate some more, and then—break through to the Celestial Level!
To pursue the pinnacle of the Martial Dao... that was their true ideal and... their lifelong wish!
For these Royal Tributors, the precious experience of witnessing someone break through to the Celestial Level firsthand was infinitely more captivating than all the riches in the world!
"Kill!"
The crowd of Martial Artists channeled their immense Primordial Power into various combat techniques. Vicious, multicolored flashes of light erupted in the downpour, and with each flicker, a new wound would appear on the Black Water Kui Ox’s body.
The Black Water Kui Ox roared in fury. Though it was agile enough, its massive size made it an easy target for these incredibly powerful Martial Artists. Its scales were tough, but it couldn’t withstand the sheer number of opponents. Countless minor injuries were slowly beginning to affect its performance.
The most direct manifestation of this was that the rain from the sky... lessened!
Meanwhile, the group of Royal Tributors wasn’t having an easy time either. In just a short while, three of them had been injured. Though not fatally, they had lost their ability to fight and had retreated to the side, standing on the patch of ancient ruins that protruded from the water to heal and watch the battle.
The Black Water Kui Ox seemed to sense its disadvantage. It let out another roar, and a rumble of muffled thunder rolled across the sky in response. Then, centered on the Black Water Kui Ox, the heavy rain in a thousand-meter radius grew even more intense. In the end, the downpour became a solid curtain. A mist rose from the lake’s surface, and the Black Water Kui Ox’s shadow vanished completely.
But in the eyes of this group of Celestial Level Royal Tributors, this was merely a minor inconvenience. Killing this beast was only a matter of time!
Qin Li whispered, "Let’s go down to the lakeshore. I have a feeling the Black Water Kui Ox is no match for these royal experts. It’ll be killed sooner or later, and most of them will immediately enter the ruins. These ruins are ten thousand meters across, almost the size of a small city. They won’t be able to explore it all in a short time. So, our opportunity will come after they go in!"
Hu nodded. The opportunity was right in front of them; there was no room for hesitation. It could be a single step to heaven or a single step to hell. Regardless, an opportunity like this comes once in a thousand years, and no one would let it pass.
Watching the four of them descend the steep cliff wall, the White Fox stared at the center of Phoenix Lake with her gem-like eyes, hesitating. In her view, that place was fraught with danger. ’Besides that powerful Black Water Kui Ox, there might be other things there! A single Black Water Kui Ox isn’t enough to make me this afraid!’
But there was no way for her to communicate this to the humans who had saved her. She could only watch helplessly as they walked step by step into a perilous place. And she herself had not yet recovered from her injuries.
The White Fox was caught in a dilemma.
From the moment of her birth, the inherited knowledge of a Spirit Beast had taught her: a drop of kindness must be repaid with a gushing spring! Not to mention, that human had saved her life!
’The worst that can happen is death!’ The White Fox closed her eyes. The next moment, a naked young woman of seventeen or eighteen appeared in her place! Her skin was whiter than snow, her figure flawless, with a slender waist one could encircle with a single grasp, pert buttocks, and a full bust. Her shapely eyebrows were like distant mountains, her alluring eyes like silk threads, and her black hair cascaded down like a waterfall. She was truly a peerless beauty of the mortal world!
The only discordant note was a gruesome wound running across her breasts. The fine stitches looked like a centipede clinging there, savage and terrifying.
The young woman’s voice was like an oriole’s song. She muttered to herself, "Being human is so troublesome. I even have to wear clothes!" As she spoke, a long yellow dress materialized in her hands. She tilted her head in thought, and a white tube top appeared as well.
A moment later, a bright and stunningly beautiful young woman, like a Fairy descending to the mortal realm, drifted down the cliff. The little White Fox had only recovered twenty to thirty percent from her injuries; in order to repay her saviors, she was truly risking it all!
Meanwhile, Qin Li, Hu, and the others had already reached the shore of Phoenix Lake. Watching the incredibly fierce battle still raging in the distance, Qin Li said softly, "We’re probably not the only ones watching them. So many people rushed here after hearing the news, especially from the three great families of Yellow Sand City, yet we haven’t seen a single one of them! I refuse to believe they couldn’t get in! So, everyone must be careful later. If we get inside the ancient ruins, we’ll split up. If you encounter enemies, don’t panic. If you can’t win, just give them whatever you have. Saving your own life is the most important thing!"
The others nodded silently, a sense of gloom settling over them. Compared to those Celestial Level experts, they... were simply too weak! So weak that any one of those experts could crush them with a single finger. To gain even the smallest benefit from the ruins, they would have to be cautious and then be even more cautious.
"Damn it! Hide, and conceal your presence!" Qin Li hissed, immediately diving into a thicket of dense bushes. Hu and the others quickly followed suit.
Because at that moment, the Black Water Kui Ox, sensing it was outmatched, came charging in their direction, riding the clouds and mists and bringing the torrential rain with it!
And following right behind it was a whole troupe of... super-experts with Celestial Level strength!
