Imperial Scepter

The medicinal power of the Gathering Power Pill slowly dissolved in their bodies, restoring the nearly depleted Xuan Power of Gao Chun and the other two.

Wang Hu leaned against the pine tree, his complexion improved somewhat, and the wound on his chest stopped bleeding.

Gao Chengzhi fiddled with the small jade bottle in his hand, saying with a touch of smugness, "I didn't expect Liu Neng to be so generous. This second-grade Gathering Power Pill would cost at least thirty Xuan Crystals each in the town's pharmacy!"

Li Daoqiu remained calm and collected, his eyes still alert: "The Southern Wilderness Forest is unpredictable. We should leave here as soon as possible and find a safe campsite to rest."

Gao Chun nodded and was about to carry Wang Hu away when suddenly the ground beneath his feet began to tremble slightly.

"Boom!"

A dull sound came from the depths of the valley, accompanied by the heavy thud of hooves, which made the surrounding trees sway slightly.

"What's that sound?" Gao Chengzhi's expression changed, and he dropped his lazy demeanor.

Li Daoqiu's expression was grave as he gazed into the depths of the valley: "They're Xuan beasts! And there are quite a few of them. Judging from the sound of their hooves, they're most likely herds of Xuan Oxen!"

No sooner had the words been spoken than a group of burly, dark figures rushed out from the depths of the dense forest and headed straight for the center of the valley.

Leading the pack was a black-striped Xuan Bull, its body comparable in size to a water buffalo. Its horns were curved and sharp, gleaming with a cold luster, and its body was surrounded by a faint bronze-colored Xuan power. It was actually a second-grade Xuan Beast, and its aura was much stronger than Liu Neng, who was at the fourth level of the Bronze Realm.

Eight first-grade black oxen followed behind, kicking up dust as they charged, their imposing presence terrifying.

"It's a herd of Black-striped Oxen!" Liu Neng's voice suddenly rang out.

He returned with four team members, his face extremely grim: "These black bulls are incredibly vengeful; the commotion we made during our competition probably disturbed their nest!"

It turned out that Liu Neng's team had just left the valley when they heard the commotion of the black bull herd and were worried that Gao Chun and his three teammates would not be able to handle it.

After all, Wang Hu was seriously injured, and the three of them had just gone through a great battle, so their Xuan power had not yet fully recovered.

Gao Chun's heart skipped a beat; he hadn't expected Liu Neng to turn back and help him.

The herd of black-striped black bulls was already approaching. The leading second-grade black bull let out a deep roar, pointed its horns at Liu Neng, and launched the first attack.

Clearly, it attributed the commotion to Liu Neng, who initiated the competition.

"Watch out!" Liu Neng shouted, unleashing his power once more. He quickly condensed pale yellow Xuan energy into a shield in front of him.

"Bang!"

The bull's horn slammed into the Xuanli shield, and Liu Neng was forced to stagger backward, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

He had not yet fully replenished the Xuan energy he had consumed in the previous battle, and now, facing the Xuan Niu's attack, which was comparable to a five-star bronze realm cultivator, he was finding himself somewhat powerless.

"Captain Liu!" Gao Chun made a decisive decision, "Let's join forces! Dao Qiu and Cheng Zhi, come with me to deal with the first-grade Xuan Niu; Captain Liu, you hold off the second-grade Xuan Niu first, and your team members will help us hold off the first-grade Xuan Niu."

"Alright!" Liu Neng didn't hesitate at all and immediately instructed the four team members behind him, "You four go and help hold off the first-grade Xuan Oxen, don't let them come to reinforce the second-grade Xuan Oxen!"

"Understood!" The four members of Liu Family Village responded and quickly dispersed, each facing a first-grade Xuan Ox. Amidst the bursts of various Xuan energies, they engaged in fierce combat with the Xuan Oxen.

The valley instantly descended into chaos, with the roars of the black bull and the sounds of fists and feet colliding with the beast's body all mixed together.

Gao Chun carried Wang Hu on his back and quickly hid behind a thick pine tree, settling him in: "Wang Hu, you stay here and keep watch, be careful!"

Having said that, he turned and charged into the battlefield, his pale red Xuan power condensing once more: "Daoqiu, you attack the Xuan Niu's eyes and joints; Chengzhi, you draw its attention from the front, I'll take the main attack!"

"receive!"

Li Daoqiu's figure swayed, his pale purple profound energy flowing around him like a ghost, and he circled behind a first-grade Xuan Ox. He then gathered profound energy at his fingertips and fiercely stabbed at the ox's hind leg joint.

"Moo!" The black ox roared in pain and turned to attack Li Daoqiu, but was stopped by Gao Chengzhi.

Gao Chengzhi pushed off the ground with both feet, his knees wrapped in a light red Xuan power, and slammed into the belly of the Xuan Niu.

"Bang!" The black bull's hide was thick and tough, but this attack failed to cause serious injury. Instead, the black bull's tail struck his back, and he staggered back two steps.

"Chengzhi, step back!" Gao Chun shouted, his pale red Xuan power condensing in his fists. He leaped up and slammed the fists down hard on the head of the Xuan Niu.

"Boom!" This punch concentrated all his explosive power, and the top of the black bull's head was slightly dented, letting out a painful howl, and its movements were instantly slowed down.

Li Daoqiu seized the opportunity, his fingertip piercing the black bull's eyes with pale purple Xuan power. The black bull completely lost control, spinning wildly in place.

Gao Chun seized the opportunity to deliver a follow-up punch, striking Xuan Niu squarely in the temple. The first-grade Xuan Niu collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

On the other side, Liu Neng was engaged in a fierce battle with the Five-Star Black Ox.

The bronze-colored Xuan power of the second-grade Xuan Ox carries the attribute of "heavy" and has amazing defensive power. When Liu Neng's light red attack Xuan power hits it, it can only leave a shallow mark.

Each charge and stomp of the Black Ox carried earth-shattering power. Liu Neng could only rely on his light blue Xuan power to slow it down and his light yellow Xuan power to defend himself, gradually falling into a disadvantageous position.

"Captain Liu, I'm here to help you!" Gao Chun rushed to Liu Neng's aid immediately after dealing with a first-grade black ox.

Seeing Gao Chun arrive, Liu Neng's eyes flashed with gratitude: "This black ox's defense is too strong; ordinary attacks are useless. We have to hit its brow! That's its weak point!"

Gao Chun nodded, his gaze fixed on a pale white spot between the eyebrows of the black ox, which was the ox's weak point.

"Daoqiu, draw its gaze; Chengzhi, attract its attention!"

Gao Chun gave the order.

Li Daoqiu immediately circled around to the left of the Xuan Niu, his pale purple Xuan power transforming into several afterimages to distract the Xuan Niu's vision.

Gao Chengzhi rushed to the right side of the black ox and kept punching its body to attract its attention.

The second-grade Xuan Niu was indeed distracted, roared, turned around and attacked Gao Chengzhi, revealing an opening.

"Now!"

Gao Chun and Liu Neng unleashed their power simultaneously, their pale red Xuan energy condensing to its limit in their fists, transforming into fist beams.

The two attacked Xuan Niu's forehead simultaneously, one on the left and one on the right.

"Moo—!"

The second-grade Xuan Ox sensed the danger and tried to turn its head to defend itself, but it was entangled by the light blue Xuan power, making its movements a beat slower.

"puff!"

Two fist-shaped beams struck Xuan Niu's brow simultaneously, and the bronze-colored Xuan power collapsed with a bang.

The second-grade black ox let out a mournful howl, its massive body crashing to the ground. After convulsing a few times, it breathed its last.

After the leader was dealt with, the remaining first-grade Xuan Niu immediately lost their composure.

Gao Chun, Liu Neng, Li Daoqiu, and Gao Chengzhi worked together with increasing coordination, quickly eliminating the remaining Grade One Black Oxen as easily as cutting melons and vegetables.

The valley was in a mess, with the black ox's carcass lying haphazardly, and the air filled with a heavy stench of blood.

Liu Neng slumped to the ground, panting heavily, his face pale: "Thank you for your help, otherwise we would probably be doomed here today."

Gao Chun was also somewhat exhausted and leaned against the tree trunk: "It's just a small favor. If we leave someone to die, we might not be able to escape unscathed either."

Liu Neng looked at Gao Chun with admiration in his eyes: "Gao Chun, I was too reckless before and underestimated you. The strength of your Gao Chun team and your command ability have completely convinced me."

He turned to the team members behind him and said, "Give the four Grade One Black Oxen to Gao Chun and the others."

"Captain!" one of the team members said with some reluctance.

They only had three people participating in the battle, but they had to share four Xuan Niu (mysterious oxen). Xuan Niu were full of resources; their horns, hides, and beef could all be sold for a lot of Xuan Jing (mysterious crystals).

"Execute the order!" Liu Neng said firmly. "Without them, we might not even be able to leave alive, let alone get resources!"

The team members dared not say anything more and immediately brought over four top-grade black oxen.

Gao Chengzhi's eyes lit up as he looked at the extracted cores: "We're rich! These four Xuan Oxen are worth a lot of Xuan Crystals, enough to buy tons of new storybooks!"

Li Daoqiu also smiled: "Although we didn't hunt the Black Boar, hunting the Black Ox is pretty good too."

Gao Chun walked over to Wang Hu and checked his injuries: "Wang Hu, how are you feeling?"

Wang Hu shook his head with a smile: "I'm fine, thanks to you guys. Captain, Liu Neng and the others... don't seem like bad people."

Gao Chun smiled and looked at Liu Neng: "Captain Liu, where do you plan to go next?"

Liu Neng stood up, dusting himself off. "We originally came here to hunt mystical beasts for training, and now that we've encountered a herd of mystical bulls, we've had some gains. We plan to find a camp to rest and recharge, digest this combat experience, and then go hunt a litter of mystical boars."

He paused, then looked at Gao Chun: "What about you? Wang Hu is injured, are you going back?"

Gao Chun nodded: "We plan to return. Treating Wang Hu's injuries is the most important thing. We'll wait until he's fully recovered before he goes out to gain experience again."

A hint of regret flashed in Liu Neng's eyes: "I originally wanted to spar with you more, but it's okay. We're all from Jiuyang Town in the future, so I'm sure we'll have many more opportunities to meet."

"If you need any help in the future, Liu Neng's team is always ready to assist your Gao Chun team!"

Gao Chun cupped his hands and smiled, "Thank you, Captain Liu. If Liu Neng's team ever encounters difficulties in the future, our Gao Chun team will certainly not stand idly by."

The two exchanged a smile. The previous estrangement and competition had transformed into a deep friendship after they had gone through a life-or-death crisis together.

As the sun gradually sank behind the western mountains, night was about to envelop the southern wilderness forest.

The afterglow of the setting sun cast long shadows of the two groups of teenagers through the woods.

This unexpected attack by the black bull herd not only brought them abundant resources, but also taught them the importance of teamwork and forged a friendship that transcended villages.