On a moonless, windy night, two figures blended into the darkness, silently appearing in the mountains.
They stood amidst a forest of giant rocks, just a stone's throw away from the mountain-protecting formation.
"Old ox, now that the cultivators from the major sects have gone to the northern border, the mountain-protecting formations are fully operational," Chen Xun said as he looked at the shadow beside him. "We can't force our way in like we did with the Five Elements Sect; it's too noisy."
"Moo~" The big black ox nodded solemnly, giving Chen Xun a reassuring look while its hooves waved continuously.
Three formation flags emerged from its Golden Core, as if imbued with life, circling around it freely.
The five-elemental energy in the ox's formation flags grew denser, starting to shimmer with a faint light, causing the surroundings to stir up with flying sand and rocks.
"Whoa!" Chen Xun's eyes shone brightly. The old ox truly lived up to his expectations.
In a flash, he moved far away, looking up at the shimmering formation, thinking it wasn't so formidable after all.
"Moo~"
The big black ox grinned, setting up its 'Five Elements Restriction-Breaking Formation,' which lightly touched the mountain-protecting formation like a fleeting shadow!
Instantly, a small opening appeared beside them, gradually widening without triggering any reaction from the formation.
"Awesome!!" Chen Xun's eyes widened as he lowly cheered from the back.
Suddenly, a loud boom...
Although a gap had appeared in the mountain-protecting formation, a thunderous sound echoed. "Moo?!!"
"Damn!! Old ox, run!"
"Impudent!"
"Which scoundrel dares to cause trouble outside our Juque Sect!"
As soon as the thunderous sound rang out, two loud, angry shouts came from the mountain gate, and in an instant, two figures appeared beside the gap in the mountain-protecting formation.
Two men in sect robes looked around furiously. This was outrageous!
"Senior Brother, they've escaped."
"Hmph, with the sect master and senior brothers heading to the northern border, these thieves have become bolder."
The senior brother was furious, shattering nearby boulders with his rage. "We must protect our sect's heritage."
"Yes, Senior Brother!" The other man bowed with equal anger in his eyes.
In recent years, this was the third attempted intrusion, but they had killed the intruders the other two times. This time, however, the culprits had escaped.
"Elder, all other areas have been checked."
"Elder, key places like the library pavilion within the sect have been secured."
At this moment, a group of disciples arrived, flying on their artifacts.
"Good. The northern border is a land of great opportunities. If we protect the sect, it will be a significant contribution."
"Yes, Elder!"
The disciples bowed, feeling quite excited. Good news was increasingly coming from the northern border.
Outside the mountains, two light shadows fled quickly, laughing oddly. Getting caught while causing trouble was indeed unpleasant.
"Old ox, what happened?" Chen Xun laughed heartily, without any blame. "I thought we had succeeded."
The big black ox nudged Chen Xun and shook its head: "Moo moo~"
"We were a bit greedy. Let's start with a Foundation Establishment sect for you to practice," Chen Xun thought, figuring old ox wasn't yet familiar with formations. "And study the mountain-protecting formations."
"Moo~~~!" The big black ox nodded dazedly. It indeed lacked experience.
"Let's go."
"Moo~"
Whoosh.
Whoosh.
They fled to another country, leaving no traces behind. After all, the world was vast.
Over the years, Chen Xun's map has gradually become more complete. The territory here was much larger than that of the Qian Nation, at least twice as large. He had spent over a century collecting countless pieces of information to complete the map, a painstaking masterpiece.
...
Half a year later, at a sect controlled by a Foundation Establishment cultivator in a small country.
A loud boom echoed through the mountains, ripping open a gap in the mountain-protecting formation as a radiant beam shot into the sky, creating a frightening commotion.
Most notably, two sharp cries accompanied the noise:
“Moo~~!”
“Apologies, fellow cultivator!! Damn it!!!”
The sect master stood outside the mountain gate, his eyes filled with rage and frustration. What the hell was going on?!
...
Another half a year passed. Outside the mountain gate of a small country, the ground shook and boulders rolled down.
“Moo??”
“Damn!! Just passing by, fellow cultivator!!”
“Thief, stop!!!”
An elder burst out, roaring furiously at the heavens. The damage to the mountain-protecting formation wasn't severe, but the insult was immense!
...
Another half a year later, a sect’s mountain-protecting formation completely failed!
The spiritual energy driving it seemed to be absorbed, making the formation as flimsy as a thin membrane, easily torn apart.
“Moo moo??!”
“Fellow cultivator, it was unintentional; the heavens can testify!!”
“This is the biggest joke in the world; leave something behind for us!!!”
Several Foundation Establishment elders were furiously angry, watching the crumbling formation with tears in their eyes.
However, upon discovering several bottles of elixirs left behind, their anger turned to joy. They even clasped their hands and called out, “Senior, come again next time!”
...
In the following days, if one looked down from the skies over the eastern countries, two dark figures could be seen scurrying around the small sects, looking rather disheveled, holding pancakes, and taking occasional bites.
They were weather-beaten, constantly cursed and chased by the sect cultivators, fleeing in haste yet thoroughly enjoying it.
Finally, in a memorable summer forty years later, the big black ox perfected its 'Five Elements Restriction-Breaking Technique,' ending their transient lifestyle.
In a forest, the afternoon sun blazed down, radiating heat waves.
“Moo moo~” The big black ox bathed in the river.
“Old ox, these years have been thrilling,” Chen Xun lay back on a makeshift chair by the river, eyes closed. “But the sects have indeed become more desolate.”
“Moo~” The big black ox splashed water around, laughing heartily, truly afraid of getting caught and thrown in prison.
“Although they weren’t strong, they hadn’t wronged us, nor did we find any evil practices. Compensation was necessary,” Chen Xun smiled. “The brothers from Chiling Sect were quite interesting, hahaha…”
“Moo moo moo~~” The big black ox wagged its tail, splashing more water, reminiscing.
The Foundation Establishment elders of Chiling Sect hadn’t scolded or cursed them. Instead, they clasped their hands, inviting them for a chat and offering many local specialties, spiritual herbs, and magical artifacts.
Chen Xun left with a promise to meet again and fled with the big black ox.
“Old ox, let's relax for a few days before heading back to Juque Sect. Forty years later, we return to break the formation!”
“Moo~~!”
The big black ox happily splashed water all over Chen Xun, drenching him completely. He was stunned, his hair soaked, and it took him a moment to react, even swallowing a mouthful of pure water.
“Damn it, Black Ox, how dare you act wild in front of me?!”
“Moo moo!”
Man and ox squared off, about to clash, with the river roaring and swirling violently beside them.
Half a day later, a furious roar came from the river: “With strength to lift mountains and unmatched bravery!”
“Moo!!”
The big black ox let out a dreadful cry as Chen Xun tossed it into the river, where it floated away, leaving only its horns visible above the water.
Three days later, they set off, following the red dots on the map.
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