Volume One, Chapter 59: The Proud Little Cow.

After seeing his senior sister off, Jiang Chen finally breathed a sigh of relief. Now, at last, he could fight with all his strength.

Yes, with all his strength.

In Qingcheng, he had never been able to fully unleash his power, because the world itself could not bear it. Blue Star was originally a shattered planet, and its current ability to cultivate spiritual energy was merely a result of its own partial restoration. Yet, the planet was far from being fully repaired, and that would take a very long time. If Jiang Chen were to use his full power on Blue Star, the entire planet would collapse instantly. At that point, not just humanity, but even Blue Star’s formidable restorative abilities would be rendered utterly powerless.

But within the secret realm, such concerns were unnecessary. Although the secret realm was located on Blue Star, it was in truth an independent world. Most secret realms had boundaries, unlike the other S-class secret realm Jiang Chen had visited—there, the realm was not a secret realm at all, but a true world without borders, populated not only by humans but by other creatures as well. That visit had marked a tremendous surge in Jiang Chen’s power.

The turbulence brought by the Kui Ox posed no threat to Jiang Chen. He stood firm inside its body.

Now fully awakened, the Kui Ox sensed the foreign presence within it. After two short snorts, its massive body began to move.

Those clay figures, already possessing combat ability, surged forth from deep within. Jiang Chen sensed that these clay figures had grown significantly stronger, perhaps directly due to the Kui Ox’s awakening.

Among them were "Holt" and Da Lei, who had already been swallowed by the clay figures.

If Jiang Chen were still on Blue Star, he would have had to exert considerable effort against them. But now, they no longer interested him in the slightest.

"This world is finally mine to roam!" Jiang Chen declared, his spirits soaring.

The blue clay figures shattered to dust beneath Jiang Chen’s wild laughter.

With those words, he soared upward, swift as a raging gale, vanishing in an instant.

Three golden talismans carried Jiang Chen out from the Kui Ox’s belly, and the boundless vitality of this world poured forth without end.

The vibrant green life force surged into Jiang Chen’s body.

He hovered above the Kui Ox’s head, like an immortal descending from the heavens.

"Kui Ox, are you willing to become my mount?" Jiang Chen asked with a laugh from midair.

Little did he know that his question had utterly infuriated the Kui Ox. What Jiang Chen didn’t realize was that the beast, already awakened by the commotion, was teetering on the edge of rage. Now, with Jiang Chen causing havoc within its belly, even the most patient temper could no longer be restrained.

The Kui Ox’s eyes, vast as sun and moon, closed; suddenly, all color drained from the world, as if the sun and moon had vanished together.

When its eyes opened again, the sun and moon revolved anew. Those eyes unleashed beams of light as fierce as the stars and blazing sun. Jiang Chen squinted, feeling the attack nearly reach his face.

In this world, the Kui Ox’s eyes were the sun and moon; its opening and closing of eyes marked the cycle of a day.

Had Jiang Chen not been able to use his full strength, he would never have dared to challenge such a creature—it was, after all, said to have existed alongside the likes of Fuxi and Nuwa in ancient legend.

Facing the scorching beams directed at his face, Jiang Chen merely waved his hand, sending forth five talisman papers.

The five talismans spun rapidly around him, projecting the shadow of a great bell that enveloped his figure.

Though a mythical creature, the Kui Ox’s attack was easily blocked by Jiang Chen.

He had no certainty when confronting the beast, but after exchanging a single blow, he realized it was not fighting with its full strength.

"Then forgive me, for if you won’t use your full power, I certainly will!" Jiang Chen cared little for the consequences—he would crush it, whatever happened! After all, this wasn’t his world. The bold survive, the timid starve—he would fight!

Jiang Chen murmured, "Between heaven and earth, I wield my sword to destroy all evil!"

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

Endless sword intent arose as Jiang Chen finished his incantation. The vitality of this world gradually transformed, and through his spell, became sword intent.

Jiang Chen was not a sword cultivator, so his understanding of sword intent lacked purity. He relied entirely on talismans and his own immense strength to deploy this sword formation.

If he had tried to use this formation on Blue Star, the planet would have collapsed before it had even formed. Even a simplified version was all he could manage there—such a full-force strike was unimaginable.

Feeling the sword intent condensing overhead, the Kui Ox’s face twisted into a human-like expression, so rich it seemed on the verge of tears.

The expression flickered and vanished, but Jiang Chen noticed the Kui Ox seemed to be gathering strength. Yet it appeared not to be preparing an attack, but rather fortifying itself for defense!

Even though Jiang Chen sensed the secret, the arrow was already nocked—he could not turn back. If he forcibly withdrew the sword formation, his body would suffer backlash. If that happened here, it would be of little consequence.

But if he returned to Blue Star with such backlash, his body would erupt uncontrollably, and without the power to suppress it, he might die outright.

Under the dim sky, the Kui Ox gazed up at the sword formation overhead. It did not flee, but chose to face the sword formation directly, revealing its true intention to Jiang Chen.

It did not wish for this world to collapse!

Above its head, countless strands of sword intent merged into a simple, ancient longsword. The aura radiating from that sword caused Xiang Cai, who had been standing far away, to tremble uncontrollably.

Chu Xixi’s chest was so constricted by the overwhelming force that she could scarcely breathe.

"Command!"

Jiang Chen’s fingers formed a sword gesture as he spoke toward the Kui Ox’s head below.

The colossal sword, forged from boundless sword intent, descended slowly. The Kui Ox, facing the ancient giant sword, neither dodged nor flinched. It simply assumed a defensive posture, its body glowing with a faint golden light.

Boom—

When the giant sword struck, it vanished without a trace. The ground within a hundred meters was blasted into a deep pit, dozens of meters deep. The blue trees at the heart of the battlefield had long since been reduced to ashes.

Xiang Cai and Chu Xixi, miles from the battlefield, were flung away by the impact, unable to see anything. Had they been any closer, the aftershock of the ancient sword would have crushed them as well.

Jiang Chen waved his hand to disperse the swirling ashes. The Kui Ox crouched low, its eyes filled with desolation.

Buzz, buzz—

"You see! This is all your doing! You’ve destroyed this world! You villain!"

Jiang Chen looked around, unable to tell where the voice was coming from. Looking down, he finally saw the Kui Ox glaring at him fiercely, but its eyes held no trace of fighting spirit, only resignation.

"Was that you speaking just now?" Jiang Chen asked.