"Who goes there!" the woman shouted, stepping onto her magical artifact and soaring into the air. With a swing of her sword, the entire tree trunk was cleaved in two with a resounding boom. Two clusters of withered leaves suddenly fell before them, obscuring their vision in an eerie manner. "Hmph, at the eighth level of Qi Refinement, you dare to play tricks here!" the woman from the Ziyun Sect exclaimed, pointing her sword at them. "Since you've seen us, you cannot be spared."
Chen Xun remained calm as water, uttering no unnecessary words. He glanced at the small bird still flapping about, a glint of murderous intent flashing in his eyes. His body surged forward, catching the bird in his hand and crushing it bare-handed, blood splattering across his palm. The speed was so swift that it left the onlookers no time to react. The three women were enraged, witnessing the death of the Silicon Valley bird right before their eyes! "Impudent!" "Seeking death!" "Where did these wildlings come from!" The three women's gazes turned icy, their magical powers swirling as they struck in three directions.
Chen Xun's eyes were deep and unfathomable. The big black bull stood firmly in front of him, its body steady. With a powerful hoof thrust, circles of firelight rippled outward, suddenly transforming into countless fiery rings. Boom! Massive fireballs erupted from the rings, accompanied by a violent surge of magical energy that howled downwards, instantly igniting a sea of flames.
As the inferno erupted, the women's faces changed dramatically, revealing disbelief and horror. "What... what is this?!" A sense of life-and-death crisis blossomed in an instant within the hearts of the three, rapidly spreading throughout their bodies, morphing into a deafening buzz in their minds. The cries of the three women echoed through the fire, their eyes filled with extreme terror as their magical powers were eroded, continuously consumed by the flames, leaving them unable to muster even a hint of resistance.
"Ah!!!" The screams of the three women rang out, gradually fading into weak gasps, until the fire swallowed their last sounds entirely. "Old Bull, get to work." Chen Xun surveyed the surroundings, rising on his sword and hovering in mid-air. "But the quality of their storage bags is truly lacking." These storage bags could not withstand their magical powers, shattering each time in the Xumi space, causing their contents to vanish as well. However, there were still storage rings atop the bags; he noticed that those prominent figures wore them, but they were still beyond their reach.
"Moo." The big black bull nodded, its hooves forming the Water Spirit Technique. Countless water vapors dispersed in the air, quickly transforming into waves of mist that engulfed the sea of flames. Over the years, they had cultivated the Water Spirit Technique to the third level, with no bottlenecks. Chen Xun and the big black bull erased all traces, snatching the storage bags of the three Dan Ding Sect disciples and turning to leave, wasting not a moment.
"Old Bull, don't get cocky. How many can we take on? Can we face hundreds or thousands of cultivators?" Chen Xun swiftly navigated through the ancient trees, continuing, "Caution is paramount; we must never draw attention or become targets."
"Moo!" The big black bull replied earnestly. It was indeed feeling a bit inflated, but it listened to Chen Xun, quickly suppressing those feelings and constantly self-reflecting. They stopped atop a towering ancient tree, having moved far from their previous location. Surrounded by dense foliage, they plunged into the greenery, blending seamlessly with their environment, their dark eyes scanning for any signs of movement.
"Indeed, there's a map." Chen Xun's eyes lit up as he retrieved an identical map from the three storage bags, far more detailed than the one from the Wuyun Sect. The big black bull also took a map, its eyes widening as it revealed not only marked locations but also the growth sites of various spiritual herbs.
"Old Bull, that place should be the Bi Hun Lake; the map has a description." Chen Xun said thoughtfully, the greatest benefit of cultivating immortality being the clarity of the five senses, allowing him to see clearly even in such dim surroundings. "So we're probably here." He circled a small area on the map, confirming they were still on the outskirts, with the three major foundational spiritual herbs marked with bright red dots deep within the Southern Dipper Mountain.
"Moo~" The big black bull nodded, its mind finally clearing up. "Those disciples from the Ten Great Sects must be rushing to those three locations; they're definitely faster than us." Chen Xun pondered, his expression contemplative. "Let's not compete for the first tier; the struggle there will be fierce. We should gather the auxiliary spiritual herbs first." He pointed out various locations, the routes in his mind becoming increasingly clear.
"Moo~ Moo~" The big black bull nodded repeatedly. This place was filled with towering mountains and dense ancient forests; one wrong step could lead to disaster. "We'll keep these spirit stones and herbs, and leave one storage bag. Destroy the other magical artifacts and techniques." Chen Xun examined the three storage bags. Though he was tempted, he knew they could not leave any potential threats behind, especially since these belonged to the Ten Great Sects.
"Moo." The big black bull responded, showing no signs of regret; they were never theirs to begin with. They had already prepared an escape plan before arriving, which involved the big black bull swallowing a storage bag whole and using the essence of all things to conceal their return to the Medicine Valley, where it would regurgitate it.
"Over four hundred low-grade spirit stones! No wonder they're disciples of the Ten Great Sects." Chen Xun exclaimed, quickly stowing them away in his own storage bag. "Old Bull, our means of concealment are too few; they even brought along a scouting spirit beast. There might be quite a few like them."
"Moo." The big black bull exhaled heavily, indeed caught off guard, as they had never encountered such a situation before. "Hehe, Old Bull, how could I not have a backup plan!" Chen Xun sneered, initially thinking he wouldn't need it after joining the sect. He slapped his storage bag, "Nine Star Valley, five low-grade spirit stones, and the 'Breath-Holding Technique'!"
A wave of horror washed over the big black bull as it stared at Chen Xun, thinking, Brother, you're amazing!! They had also realized that aside from techniques and spells, they could easily grasp these minor spells, showing remarkable comprehension.
"Dispose of the loot, make our escape, and change locations. We'll practice the 'Breath-Holding Technique'."
"Moo!" The two acted swiftly. The big black bull swallowed one storage bag whole, directly using magic to destroy the other two, leaving no trace behind as they vanished into the boundless darkness. This seamless series of actions seemed rehearsed countless times, showcasing the methods of a bandit to perfection.
Half a month later, within a hollow of an ancient tree trunk, a person and a bull sat cross-legged, not even a whisper of breath escaping them. Poisonous insects and snakes occasionally crawled over the withered leaves, yet they remained undetected, truly blending into the Southern Dipper Mountain.
"Old Bull, it's time to move."
"Moo~" A person and a bull slowly opened their eyes, their breaths faint as firelight crackled around them, yet the withered leaves on their bodies showed no signs of burning. Two clusters of withered leaves shot out from the hollow, heading straight in a certain direction. Their goal was a great river.
Half a day later, they arrived, and a person and a bull donned another set of 'camouflage gear'.