Chapter 684: Surprise; Narrow Escape
If Xiao Chen was careless, he might end up dying on the spot. All his aspirations and proud achievements would vanish from memory. All his years of hard work would be for naught.
I absolutely cannot fall here! Xiao Chen revealed a resolute gaze. His Quintessence surged, and he raised his focus to its peak.
The sleeping Golden Savage Ox did not let down its guard at all. When Xiao Chen was two hundred meters above it, it immediately sensed him.
The Golden Savage Ox perked up its large ears and cracked open its eyelids. When it saw the hazy figure that appeared, its sleepiness immediately vanished.
“Hu! Hu!”
The Golden Savage Ox spat out some turbid Qi, forming a berserk current. Its muscular legs stretched as it stood up in an instant. Originally, it was like a small mound. Now that it was on its hooves, it stood another twenty meters taller, looking even more horrifying.
A tremendous pressure surged towards Xiao Chen in the air. The ancient savage Qi together with the ferocious aura of a peak Rank 8 Spirit Beast felt like a small mountain pressing on him.
Xiao Chen did not panic. He activated the Monarch Blood Grass’s power in his blood, and an ancient sovereign’s aura poured out, surging as it clashed with the aura assaulting him.
“Bang!”
A massive ‘thud’ resounded in the air. The power of the two auras exploded, blasting a strong wind throughout the vast valley.
The four people above the valley watched Xiao Chen carefully, waiting to see his performance. If he could not last even a single encounter, then their efforts would be for naught.
Since Xiao Chen interrupted its nap and even dared to clash head-on with its aura, the Golden Savage Ox became enraged. It stomped on the ground with its four legs, and its gigantic body shot up.
With its gigantic body, the Golden Savage Ox looked like a small mountain suddenly flying up. It looked rather bizarre. Furthermore, this small mountain moved at an astonishingly fast speed, defying all expectations.
Xiao Chen’s face completely sank. He knew that he could not dodge this attack from the Golden Savage Ox. He had to infuriate this Golden Savage Ox completely. Only then he could create the chance that Hu Hai and the others needed.
“Berserk Dragon Fist!”
Xiao Chen’s Vital Qi surged without restraint. He roared ferociously as he clenched his right hand into a fist. As his blood rose, an azure-colored Dragon Head materialized.
When facing the charging Golden Savage Ox, Xiao Chen did not dodge. Instead, he sent a punch at the Golden Savage Ox’s head.
“Bang!”
The Dragon Head roared. Xiao Chen’s fist felt like it had struck a mountain covered in Frost Iron. It was heavy, thick, resilient, and tough; it could not be moved.
Blood leaked out of Xiao Chen’s mouth. The Golden Savage Ox instantly knocked him back. A vast force poured into his body, and his arm went numb; he could not feel anything there.
All his internal organs felt a torrential force flood over them, causing incomparable pain.
This horrifying strike thoroughly roused all of Xiao Chen’s unyielding nature. He somersaulted in the air and looked at the charging Golden Savage Ox again.
He moved downwards and swung his numb right hand. Then he executed Berserk Dragon Claw, again without dodging, even charging at the Golden Savage Ox.
“Chi! Chi!” The azure-colored Dragon Claw scratched five wounds on the Golden Savage Ox’s face. Blood instantly dripped out.
“Good!”
When the four people saw that Xiao Chen was not only fine but even managed to injure the Golden Savage Ox, they cheered.
Hu Hai said, “Prepare to attack. It is time we finished off this old cow!”
The Golden Savage Ox raged. Turning around, it curled one of its ten-meter-long forehooves back and heavily flicked it out at Xiao Chen.
If it struck him, he would end up heavily injured—if he survived. He did not dare to clash head-on with this attack.
The acupoints on Xiao Chen’s sole opened, and in that instant, his figure flashed, brushing past the Golden Savage Ox’s shoulder.
The Golden Savage Ox’s flick landed on nothing but air, creating visible ripples in space that spread rapidly.
“Bang!”
As the shock waves propagated, there was no way to dodge them all. Xiao Chen quickly took out the two shields and infused his Quintessence into them, creating a sealed space.
“Hu chi!”
The ripples struck the shield and sent Xiao Chen flying back like a fired cannonball. He crashed into the wall of the valley and sank deep into it.
Just the shock wave was already this powerful. If those hooves struck Xiao Chen, the results would be easy to imagine.
“Now!” Hu Hai shouted and leaped out.
At this moment, the Golden Savage Ox was already fixated on Xiao Chen. This was the best time to attack.
A cold light flashed on Hu Hai’s ax as he revealed a fierce gaze. His berserk aura seemed even more ferocious than that of a wild beast.
The other three were no inferior. They grasped their weapons tightly, and their Quintessence surged as they sent their attacks at the Golden Savage Ox without holding back.
The four strong auras agitated the wind in the valley incessantly. The surging Quintessence generated strong gusts that kicked up dust and formed dust clouds.
Currently, the Golden Savage Ox was focused entirely on Xiao Chen. It prepared to deal Xiao Chen a fatal blow by using one of its horns to skewer him into the wall. It did not expect there to be a trap waiting for it.
“Dang! Dang! Dang! Dang!”
The weapons struck above the Golden Savage Ox’s spine, giving off metallic clangor, resounding without end.
However, aside from Hu Hai’s huge ax, which left a horrifying wound on the Golden Savage Ox, the other three only left shallow wounds that were almost negligible.
The amount of blood that flowed out was far less than expected. Hu Hai’s expression changed, and he shouted, “Damn! This is not the fatal weakness of the Golden Savage Ox. Quick, run!”
Although Hu Hai immediately ordered a retreat, it was still too late. The Golden Savage Ox bellowed from the intense pain, making those who heard it tremble.
“Pa!”
The Golden Savage Ox swung its long tail, and more than a thousand tons of force caused space to tremble. Chen Xiao failed to dodge in time and went flying.
A deep lash scar appeared on the inner vest Chen Xiao wore, and he vomited a mouthful of blood. The force penetrated his body and broke some of his bones.
The Golden Savage Ox changed its direction in midair; then it thrust its horns forward. This strike, which seemed like it could knock down a mountain, was about to hit Hu Hai.
Hu Hai’s expression turned serious. At the critical moment, he held his ax before him to protect his chest and circulated his Quintessence, forming a resilient five-centimeter-thick barrier.
“Ka ca!”
One of the horns broke the barrier easily and struck the ax. Sparks flew. The impact knocked the ax out of Hu Hai’s hand and sent him flying back as well.
With this error in judgment and the instantaneous counterattack, the situation devolved to chaos. The four were now exposed in the range of the enraged Golden Savage Ox; they were currently in danger.
Not only might Hu Hai and his group fail to kill the Golden Savage Ox, but they might also end up paying with their lives.
On a towering tree in the distance, the cultivator with the family name Yan saw all this. His lips curled up into a smile as he said, “Looks like I do not have to do anything. They will fail again this time.”
“Xiu!” Just at this moment, the clouds in the sky suddenly changed. An azure light shot up from the valley and bathed the entire place with azure light.
The expression of the cultivator with the family name Yan changed slightly. He turned his head to look and saw the white-robed bladesman, whom he looked down on, climb out from the cliff wall. Then, that bladesman sent a punch at the Golden Savage Ox.
“Burning the Heavens!”
An ancient Azure Dragon roared ferociously in the boundless azure clouds. It carried the might of heaven as it sent down a fist.
The colossal Dragon Claw clenched tightly, breaking through the clouds as it dropped from the sky. Then, it hammered the Golden Savage Ox’s back violently.
An earth-shaking ‘boom’ resounded in the vast valley, reverberating without end. The Golden Savage Ox’s mound-like body fell to the ground.
Xiao Chen managed to punch down this five-ton body, making the ground tremble and the sky shake.
The cultivator with the family name Yan gaped. He had not at all expected the bladesman that he looked down on to have such power in one punch.
Xiao Chen smashed down the gigantic body of this Golden Savage Ox.
After the Golden Savage Ox hit the ground, it rolled violently several times. The entire mountain valley trembled, and rocks fell off the sides of the valley.
The Golden Savage Ox pushed its four legs against the ground, and its seemingly clumsy body stood back up nimbly.
When the Golden Savage Ox saw Xiao Chen at the cliff wall, its eyes spewed fire, clearly enraged. This insignificant human had knocked it—the tyrant of this place—down. Since when had it ever received such an attack?
“Bang!” The Golden Savage Ox furiously stomped on the ground with its hooves. More than a thousand tons of force exploded out.
Countless cracks split the ground. These cracks slowly grew and soon became deep crevices.
The Golden Savage Ox’s bulging golden eyes locked on Xiao Chen firmly. It bellowed ferociously and raised its upper body, pushing off with its hind legs.
“Xiu!”
The Golden Savage Ox’s massive body shot into the sky like a released arrow; it moved unbelievably fast. The friction of its gigantic body against the air produced thunderous sonic booms.
The clouds parted in the sky, allowing the sun to shine through.
The Golden Savage Ox’s golden hair gave off a resplendent glow under the intense light. It looked like an ancient Savage Beast had arrived. Its aura was shocking, shaking both heaven and earth.
Xiao Chen’s expression turned slightly alarmed, but he did not panic. A dragon roar resounded in his chest.
Then, the trace of an ancient sovereign’s aura clashed with the Golden Savage Ox’s aura, shielding Xiao Chen’s circulation of Quintessence.
An Azure Dragon image appeared below Xiao Chen’s feet, and in the time it took for a spark to fly, it carried him up to the sky in a spiral fashion.
“Boom!”
The moment Xiao Chen’s feet left, the wall he stood on gave off a loud explosion. The Golden Savage Ox’s charge tore down the entire wall. Rocks rolled down like a gushing river.
Xiao Chen was startled. A moment later and, no matter how strong his body was, he would have been smashed into a paste.
After failing this attack, the Golden Savage Ox came out from the rubble and charged into the sky again. Its four hooves gave off golden flames as it stepped on air, running in the sky.
Every time the fire-clad hooves stepped down, it seemed like space would shatter, trembling continuously. In an instant, the Golden Savage Ox doubled its speed.
The Golden Savage Ox’s golden eyes burned with raging flames. For the sake of killing Xiao Chen, this Golden Savage Ox was making full use of its true fire.
Another two dragon roars resounded, and two more Azure Dragon images appeared around Xiao Chen. As quick as the wind, he moved in a strange arc, dodging the Golden Savage Ox’s attack. Then, he moved to the Golden Savage Ox’s side and sent out another punch at it.
This punch did not have much force behind it. To the Golden Savage Ox, it did not hurt or even itch. However, when it saw the slippery Xiao Chen playing around with it like this, the Golden Savage Ox raged even more.