Chapter 1144: Boss Ao, Long Time No See
Seeing the familiar small village ahead, Ao Wushuang's heart churned with mixed feelings...
Damn it, it's only been a few days...
And yet here I am, back again!
He gritted his teeth and thought, To hell with it!
Behind him, the Dark War Emperor suddenly felt a jolt of alarm.
This place...
Bizarre and unfathomable!
Moreover, with just one glance, he felt a chill in his heart, as though his very essence was being suppressed...
The Ancestor of Darkness... why would they be here?
At that moment, he hesitated and said, "Are the Ancestors really here?"
Ao Wushuang noticed the expression on the Dark War Emperor's face and instantly understood—
Bringing him here... was the right move!
"Of course. However, insignificant beings can't even get close. They'll be exterminated immediately. If you're scared, feel free to wait here."
He deliberately let a flicker of mocking contempt flash in his eyes before striding forward with a carefree air.
The War Emperor, hearing this, snarled angrily, saying:
"What do I have to fear?"
Without hesitation, he followed.
But as he gradually approached the little village, Mo Zhan became increasingly uneasy. Step by step, his legs abruptly transformed into massive bovine hooves, and, before he knew it, his true form had revealed itself!
What was more peculiar was that his Path-Scenic Land suddenly materialized on its own.
Within this mystical space, Dugu Yuqing, Long Zixuan, Shui Qingling, and Kunpeng all sensed something amiss and immediately fled back into the real world!
"We're back to the village?"
Seeing the small village, Dugu Yuqing and the others were taken aback. Without hesitation, they rushed toward it!
Witnessing this, the Dark War Emperor was stunned. What in the world was going on?
Why were his prisoners suddenly escaping?
"Stop!"
He bellowed at the top of his lungs!
But what came out was nothing but a loud, resonant moo: "Moo!"
The Dark War Emperor charged after Long Zixuan and the others at full strength, his four hooves smashing into the ground. His display of emperor-level might was overwhelming. Each step seemed capable of plucking stars from the sky and stealing moons, eclipsing all worlds. But as he approached the short span of distance toward the village, it felt as though an endless river of time and space manifested itself, preventing him from closing in!
His speed was undoubtedly swift, but the spatial river that stretched between him and the village slowed him down, making him no faster than an ordinary bull!
At the same time...
Inside the small village.
It was already noon. The villagers were resting near the fields. Gong Ya had prepared some potatoes and steamed buns for everyone's lunch, and they were eating cheerfully and laughing together. Suddenly, a long, loud moo echoed from outside the village!
"Huh, what's that sound? Did the cows get loose?"
Second Elder spoke up.
Uncle Zhang stood up and looked around, puzzled:
"Nope, Old Yellow Bull and Big Black Bull are both still here..."
"Tian Bei, grab the whip and come check it out with me!"
He immediately called out to Ming Tianbei and prepared to head out.
Without delay, the two of them headed toward the edge of the village.
As they reached the entrance, they saw, beyond the village boundary, a massive dark bull rampaging wildly. It looked nearly rabid, madly chasing after Long Zixuan, Dugu Yuqing, and the others!
"What... what's the meaning of this?"
Ming Tianbei was instantly dumbfounded.
At first glance, he could see that the dark bull was emanating an overwhelming aura of invisible black energy. Each one of its thunderous steps seemed to pierce through the constellations, its speed utterly unmatched, and its momentum awe-inspiring!
It felt as though the bull might trample the heavens and earth into oblivion!
Yet, every time it came near the village, each pocket of space seemed to transform into its own miniature cosmos, dissolving the dark bull's cosmic speed.
"Crazy bull!"
Uncle Zhang, however, simply muttered, his tone calm and collected:
"Tian Bei, you've already learned how to till the fields. Now it's time to teach you how to handle a rampaging bull!"
"Go, whip it!"
At these words, Ming Tianbei was startled. Me, go up there?
"Don't be afraid! This bullwhip is specially made to deal with disobedient bulls!"
Uncle Zhang said it casually.
Hearing this, Ming Tianbei mulled it over, then clenched his teeth and steeled himself.
Anyway, with Uncle Zhang around, what's to fear?
He walked forward confidently, shouting:
"Young Masters, don't panic! I'm on my way!"
He raised the whip and snapped it forcefully at the "rampaging bull" from a distance!
The whip never got near the mad bull, but the moment it cracked in the air, the Dark War Bull suddenly felt impending doom!
It widened its massive eyes in terror as it beheld a terrifying celestial whip descending from beyond the countless heavens. The whip shattered through cosmic laws, evaporating all space and dispersing its Source Qi wherever it passed. Its sheer menace was unfathomable!
What's more, as the whip descended, it carried an apocalyptic sonic boom that resembled the collapse of entire swathes of universes. It made one's very soul tremble.
"Nooooo!"
The bull let out a horrified moo, its massive form trembling violently. Its four legs nearly buckled under it, and it came to an abrupt halt.
Ming Tianbei, watching this unfold, was utterly stunned.
He glanced in disbelief at the whip in his hands...
Is this... really that powerful?
Simply unreal... what a divine artifact!
Shui Qingling's large eyes gleamed with astonishment. What kind of whip is this? Heavens, how is it so terrifying?!
One snap of the whip, and an almighty Dark Emperor succumbs in fear?
How... how is this even possible?
"Uncle Zhang's whip..."
Dugu Yuqing instantly understood.
"It's over now."
Long Zixuan, calm as ever, looked toward Ming Tianbei and said:
"This bull is a well-known battle bull. Its meat is exceptionally springy... Don't kill it, though. If it dies, it won't taste as good."
Ming Tianbei immediately nodded, saying, "Young Master Long, no worries! I won't kill it!"
With that, he gripped the whip tightly and strode forward boldly, declaring:
"This next strike... will shatter your Three Souls and Seven Spirits!"
With a loud crack, the whip landed!
The Dark War Emperor, now fully in the form of a bull, collapsed entirely. Trembling uncontrollably, it had no will to resist!
The whip struck its massive form, and for a brief moment, an invisible soul seemed to writhe in agony before shattering completely.
The bull's enormous eyes instantly dimmed, losing all vitality and becoming lifeless and dazed...
This massive beast... had been whipped senseless by Ming Tianbei!
"It really works!"
Seeing this, Ming Tianbei was overjoyed.
This wasn't the first time he'd put this whip to the test—he'd previously used it to eliminate the violent personality of Chess Ancestor Qi Shuangming!
Back then, Qi Shuangming, harboring two personalities, had gone mad while entering the village and tried stealing garlic and ginger. One strike of this whip had erased the rampaging persona completely.
That was when Ming Tianbei realized... this whip could pierce beyond physical forms to obliterate intangible personalities, souls, and divine consciousness alike!
And now, it had proven itself once again.
"Uncle, it's taken care of! The bull's not crazy anymore!"
He turned to Uncle Zhang triumphantly.
Uncle Zhang chuckled, approaching to pat the now-placid Big Black Bull, and said:
"Good... firm meat, what a fine bull!"
But then he frowned slightly and muttered:
"Wonder whose bull this is... If it's unclaimed, we could slaughter it for dinner..."
At that moment, his eyes caught movement. In the nearby forest, a middle-aged man was quietly trying to sneak away!
"You there, stop!"
Uncle Zhang called out.
In the forest, Ao Wushuang had just started edging away, but hearing those words, he froze in frustration.
Damn it... caught again!
Reluctantly, he turned around and said:
"Uh... hello there."
Uncle Zhang blinked in surprise, thinking the man looked vaguely familiar...
Suddenly, he remembered and exclaimed:
"Boss Ao... so it's you!"
"Long time no see!"
...