106: Chapter 106 The Mount Problem, The Old Ox's Counterattack!

"The clothes are settled, but how do I get to the Central State?"

Su Changge stood in the courtyard, looking at the Daoist robe on his body fluttering with Immortal Qi, but he felt troubled in his heart.

The journey to the Central State was long, spanning the entire Eastern Desolation.

Walk there?

By the time he walked there, several auction sessions would have already finished.

Moreover, a Forbidden Existence traversing the continent on foot—no matter how he thought about it, the image felt a bit shabby.

Fly on a sword?

He was only at the Qi Refining First Layer; with that pitiful amount of spiritual energy in his body, he would probably fall face-first into the mud as soon as he flew out of the Taixuan Sect's mountain gate.

The Sect did have Flying Boats, but Sect Master Zhao Wuji and that group—even if they were given a few more helpings of courage, they wouldn't dare travel with him.

Besides, the Sect's broken Flying Boat would be as slow as an ox in front of the White Jade Flying Boat of the Central State's Tianji Pavilion; it would be too degrading.

Su Changge's gaze slowly swept through the Taixuan Sect, trying to find a suitable means of transportation.

Spirit Cranes?

The few Spirit Cranes raised by the Taixuan Sect were as thin as chickens; he suspected he would crush them directly if he sat on them.

Mountain-Protecting Yao Beasts?

As soon as those big guys saw him, they would lie on the ground shaking like sieves and foaming at the mouth; they couldn't be relied upon at all.

Just as he was at his wit's end, his gaze inadvertently crossed over the numerous halls.

He saw a Spirit Medicine Field on the Back Mountain.

Beside the Spirit Medicine Field, an Old Yellow Ox was tied to a wooden stake, listlessly swishing its tail to drive away the flies on its body.

That ox was incredibly old; its fur was patchy and falling out, revealing dark skin, and it was so bony that a sense of poverty hit him in the face.

It was laboriously chewing on a piece of hay, its eyes cloudy and filled with weariness and numbness toward its entire life as an ox.

Su Changge's eyes, however, lit up bit by bit.

There it is!

He set off, walking straight toward the Back Mountain Spirit Medicine Field.

The Disciples tending to the Spirit Medicine in the field caught sight of Su Changge's figure and were scared to the point of Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering; the hoes in their hands fell to the ground with a "clank," and they hurriedly knelt on the ground, not even daring to lift their heads.

Su Changge didn't even look at them, walking straight to the Old Yellow Ox.

The Old Yellow Ox lifted its eyelids, glanced at him lazily, then lowered its head again, continuing to struggle with the hay in its mouth.

In its eyes, this two-legged beast before it was far less attractive than a piece of grass.

"You it is."

Su Changge muttered to himself.

He reached out to untie the reins and nimbly flipped himself onto its back.

The Old Yellow Ox probably hadn't been ridden by anyone for decades; it shook its body uncomfortably and let out a dull "moo" from its throat in protest.

Su Changge felt a bit uncertain in his heart.

This thing... can it really work?

Riding such a balding, sick ox to the Central State, wouldn't he be mistaken for a refugee and driven out directly?

Just then, the System's voice sounded in his mind.

[Host's travel needs detected; image maintenance is indispensable.]

[Activating 'god-level special effects system'...]

[Mount Special Effect Pack—'Saint's Travel' has been loaded!]

[Special Effect Description: In the eyes of any outsider, the Host's mount will appear in the form of a Dao Sacred Beast with 'the body of a Qilin, the skin of Dragon scales, the wings of a Heaven Phoenix, and the horns of a Bai Ze.' Its pressure and aura will automatically match the Host's 'indescribable' identity Rank.]

[Note: The actual attributes of the mount remain unchanged. Please treat the mount well; it still needs to eat grass when it's hungry.]

Su Changge was stunned.

He looked down; the Old Yellow Ox beneath him was still in that half-dead state, with saliva hanging from its mouth in glistening threads.

But in the System's description, this thing was already a top-tier Divine Beast of the Universe and Chaos, unique in existence?

This sense of contrast...

Su Changge felt a surge of wild joy in his heart, but he forcibly suppressed the corners of his mouth from turning up, maintaining an unfathomable expression.

He reached out and gently patted the Old Yellow Ox's bald head, his tone carrying a hint of ancient vicissitudes.

"Old partner, for the road ahead, I'll be counting on you to hold up the facade."

The Old Yellow Ox snorted impatiently, spraying a hand's worth of sticky saliva on him, and gave a huge eye-roll for good measure.

It did not know that its ordinary life as an ox was about to end at this moment.

In its place would be a terrifying legend that suppressed eternity and awed the heavens.

Su Changge didn't mind either; he calmly wiped his hands and prepared to set off.

He tentatively nudged the ox's belly with his heels.

"Giddy-up."

The Old Yellow Ox shook its head and slowly, very reluctantly, moved its front hooves.

The moment its hooves landed.

A phantom of a golden lotus quietly bloomed beneath its hooves, its radiance flowing before slowly dissipating into the air.

Lotus Blossoming with Every Step!

The corner of Su Changge's eye twitched imperceptibly.

This special effect was just too perfect!

Just then, Sect Master Zhao Wuji and a group of Elders arrived in a hurry; they had come specifically to see the "Senior" off.

But when they saw Su Changge and the "mount" beneath him clearly, everyone felt as if they had been struck by lightning, standing frozen on the spot.

Time and space completely solidified at this moment.

Their minds went blank.

What was that?

What kind of terrifying existence was that!

Its figure was as majestic as a mountain range, its entire body covered in mysterious black Dragon scales, each scale shimmering with a dark, deep light that seemed capable of swallowing all light.

On its head grew a crystal-clear white jade horn, with Chaos Qi swirling around the tip.

Behind it, a pair of illusory Phoenix wings were faintly visible; every small flap caused ripples in the surrounding space.

It just stood there quietly.

A terrifying pressure originating from the deepest depths of their Bloodline and Soul pressed down like the heavens collapsing, making the Divine Souls of great Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators like Zhao Wuji tremble, their legs going weak, nearly kneeling on the spot!

The Divine Beast's pupils were pure gold.

Its indifferent gaze swept over the crowd without any emotion, yet it instantly made Zhao Wuji and the others feel as insignificant as dust, their breathing coming to a halt.

Zhao Wuji's Adam's apple bobbed violently; he used all his strength to squeeze out a few words from between his teeth, his voice shaking uncontrollably.

"Sen... Senior..."

"Your... your mount, could it be... the legendary one that only existed at the beginning of the creation of the world..."

"The Chaos Qilin?!"