Chapter 113: The Gluttonous Divine Ox

A few mutant zombies delayed me for nearly an hour. The World Alliance’s archives were insufficiently detailed; why was there no mention of these zombies being able to fly? Fortunately, there was only one; I am not sure if I could have handled more. The sky had fully brightened by now. I wondered if they had left the World Alliance. Given Yi Yujing’s personality, I suspected she would come looking for me. I hoped to settle matters before they arrived; I did not want to drag anyone into this, especially not my best brother. My wounds had healed, and I could now ride the wind. This was far faster than traveling on foot. I flew to the highest possible altitude until the air grew thin and my breathing became labored. The gale buffeted my body, leaving me swaying in the air like a kite with a snapped string. I steadied myself and looked down from the heights. The landscape of the World Alliance was laid out in its entirety. It was indeed vast—in the parlance of the twenty-first century, it covered thousands of acres. The eastern sector was already fully established, while the west remained under development. I could see a massive crowd of people working in the development zone from afar; there must have been at least ten thousand of them.

I could not fathom it. The World Alliance was already so immense; why continue to expand? What exactly was Chu Jun planning? Could he be attempting to build his own kingdom? I shifted my gaze to the vast, azure sea. That was my destination. Regardless of Chu Jun’s motives, as long as he did not provoke me, I had no desire to concern myself with him.

Along the way, I spotted a few scattered exotic beasts on the ground, occasionally accompanied by zombies, either in packs or solitary. Conflicts between zombies and exotic beasts were common; in a marsh ahead, several zombies were besieging an exotic beast that looked much like the "Sky-Splitting Beast" described by the World Alliance. I had no interest in watching; let them fight—one less of either was a victory. I had to resolve my own issues as quickly as possible, leave the World Alliance, and put as much distance between us as I could. I had to bolster my strength, as well as that of Qin Tian and the others.

By now, the planet Mingxu seemed closer than ever. I could feel the intense wind blowing from it, though this wind carried a heatwave that parched my eyes. I was forced to descend and continue my advance toward the sea. After flying for about ten minutes, I finally reached the azure ocean. I landed on the shore—the place where Xu Qinghuan and I had parted ways. My inner desire for vengeance burned even more fiercely. After forming a protective barrier, I dove into the water.

I followed the route from that day, descending until I was blocked by a layer of energy shielding. I drew my Cold Ice Sword and struck with all my might. As I expected, the sword could not shatter this barrier. However, I now possessed a method to deal with it: "Descent of the Heavenly God," the extra technique from the Thirty-Six Heavenly Demon Forms, which had reached the third level. I believed this strike surpassed Qin Tian’s "Earth-Shattering" technique. Sure enough, after I unleashed a punch, the barrier instantly collapsed. Seawater surged into the damp space below. I followed the current, quickly emerged from the water, used my internal energy to dry my clothes, and headed toward the altar.

It was pitch black beneath the water. The altar, which should have been illuminated by torches, was dark. Filled with suspicion, I quickened my pace. Upon reaching it, I found tents of various sizes scattered in disarray. The torches on the altar had long since extinguished, and large, congealed patches of blood stained the stone slab at its center. In one corner of the altar lay a severed human arm. I continued to explore the space behind the altar. Thanks to my "Heavenly Eye," I gradually adapted to the darkness. In the distance, I saw rows of buildings. They were tilted and collapsed, their roof tiles strewn everywhere. Mutilated corpses were visible everywhere—some with bowels exposed, others missing limbs. It was clear that a large-scale massacre had occurred here. The bodies had not yet fully decomposed, suggesting the members of the Demon Spirit Cult had only recently retreated.

What could have caused them to lose so many soldiers? I thought of the zombies; they were the only force capable of inflicting such heavy casualties on the Demon Spirit Cult. The High Priest’s attempt to control zombies was like playing with fire—utterly foolish. As I ventured deeper, the path ended. Over a hundred houses had collapsed. At the very back, the ground had even caved in, forming a pit over ten meters in radius and a meter deep, filled with mangled corpses. What kind of entity could possess such destructive power? Not even bombs could cause this level of devastation. This place was not safe to linger. The Demon Spirit Cult must have been threatened by some creature and forced to abandon their headquarters. This creature seemed incredibly powerful, as evidenced by the crater. I did not believe a human could cause that. So, where had they gone? Could it be the secret passage mentioned by the Dragon and Tiger sisters? The barrier had not been broken when I descended, and there were no water stains on the ground; I was certain they had not retreated via the water. The only possibility was that secret passage.

I made an immediate decision: enter the passage. There were many of them, so they could not have gone far. I had to take advantage of their heavy losses and eliminate them all. I quickly skirted the rows of houses and, as I reached the edge of the altar, suddenly sensed danger. I immediately concealed myself in the shadows. I do not know why, but a sudden, visceral sense of peril washed over me; perhaps it was related to my increased cultivation.

I peeked out to observe. Standing before the altar was a giant ox, over four meters tall. Its entire body was golden yellow, and the pair of horns atop its head were pitch black and gleaming. At the tip of its tail was a spherical object. This was no ordinary ox; aside from its astonishing size, its massive maw, lined with three-inch fangs, was enough to make anyone tremble. This creature was known as a "Gluttonous Divine Ox." Of course, it was not the legendary ancient beast; the World Alliance’s mission hall had records of it. I had glanced at the entry once—it seemed to be a Level 8 creature. Oxen were supposed to be herbivores, but this Gluttonous Divine Ox had become a man-eating monster. These mutated creatures shared a common trait: they were vicious, violent, and bloodthirsty. This specimen was an elite among mutants, its rounded belly seemingly never full. Hanging from its jaws was the corpse of a human soldier.

I quietly retreated before the monster could spot me. I had no desire to go head-to-head with a Level 8 creature that consumed humans as easily as grass. As I backed away, I kept an eye on the beast. It tossed its head, and the soldier’s body was swallowed into its belly. The ox then stretched out its neck, sniffed the air, and scanned its surroundings. Suddenly, its gaze locked onto my position. My heart skipped a beat—had it discovered me? I gripped my Cold Ice Sword, keeping my footsteps steady as I continued to back away. Suddenly, with a *crack*, I failed to watch my footing and stepped on something. I looked down; it was a human arm, and I had snapped the fingers. I knew I was finished. I channeled all my potential and sprinted forward. The Gluttonous Divine Ox had spotted me; with a thunderous roar, it gave chase, its speed even greater than my own.