Chapter 16

At noon, under the scorching sun, two figures suddenly appeared in the sky to the north of Xiniu Province. One figure was in front of the other, as if they were chasing each other. The person in front was clad in armor, exuding a formidable aura, with two bull horns on his head, clearly a member of the demon race. The person behind was dressed in white, with an incredibly handsome appearance, but a pair of white cat ears on his head softened his fierce demeanor, making him seem very approachable, even to those who met him for the first time.

While flying, the Bull Demon King couldn't help but look back. Seeing that Yang Zhen was still in hot pursuit, he couldn't help but curse inwardly, "I have no idea where this guy comes from, but he actually cultivated the Three Pure Fires. If it weren't for my skills, I would have been roasted today."

He used his magic to check his injuries and his face suddenly turned grim. He hadn't expected to be so severely injured. If he didn't find a place to heal soon, he might suffer from lingering injuries that would affect his future cultivation. However, with Yang Zhen in hot pursuit, the Bull Demon King didn't dare to stop easily.

This time, the Bull Demon King knew that Yang Zhen wouldn't let him off easily, so he was flying with all his might. Fortunately, the Bull Demon King's cultivation was several levels higher than Yang Zhen's. Although he was severely injured, Yang Zhen wouldn't catch up easily.

"If only I had learned the Cloud Somersault from my teacher," Yang Zhen thought, feeling frustrated. He hadn't expected to be unable to catch up. If he had learned the Cloud Somersault, the Bull Demon King wouldn't be so arrogant.

Yang Zhen and the Bull Demon King chased each other for a day and a night. Suddenly, the Bull Demon King spat out a mouthful of blood, unable to suppress his internal injuries any longer, which burst out all at once.

This battle with Yang Zhen had indeed left the Bull Demon King severely injured. Although he managed to break through the encirclement of the Three Pure Fires, his right side was still burned. Now, the Bull Demon King could barely feel his right side, and even his left side was burning with pain, almost driving him to the brink of collapse.

"I must find a place to heal," the Bull Demon King thought.

Looking down, he saw a forest below. The Bull Demon King quickly flew down, intending to use the forest to hide. As if the heavens didn't want to see the Bull Demon King die, he found a tree hollow as soon as he landed. The Bull Demon King, a man of great resilience, didn't hesitate to crawl inside.

"I never thought that I, the mighty Bull Demon King, would be reduced to this. If the heavens give me a chance to live, Yang Zhen! I will make you pay for the humiliation you've brought me today, tenfold," the Bull Demon King vowed, using his magic to suppress his injuries.

Not long after the Bull Demon King hid, Yang Zhen arrived above the forest. He had seen the Bull Demon King disappear into the forest from a distance. After some thought, he guessed that the Bull Demon King was probably unable to suppress his injuries. The once mighty demon king being cornered like this made Yang Zhen feel a sense of melancholy. The Three Realms were indeed full of hidden dragons and tigers, and many experts were unknown. He realized that he needed to be more cautious in the future, or he might encounter someone even stronger.

"The mighty Bull Demon King, the leader of the Seven Great Demons, has become a cowardly turtle," Yang Zhen mocked, using his magic to transmit his voice. "I think you should change your title to 'Shrinking Head Great Sage.'"

"Shrinking Head Great Sage, if you have any courage left, come out and fight me. Where is the bravery you showed when you issued the challenge?"

"Bull Demon King, if I had known you were so weak, I wouldn't have come. Fighting a coward like you disgraces my name."

"Bull Demon King, come out! Get out here!"

...

Yang Zhen cursed for a while, but the Bull Demon King seemed to have made up his mind, refusing to come out no matter how much he was insulted. Eventually, Yang Zhen grew tired of cursing and couldn't find any trace of the Bull Demon King, which made him admire the Bull Demon King's endurance.

However, the more such a person endures, the more dangerous they become, as they understand the principle of "a gentleman's revenge is ten years in the making." This only strengthened Yang Zhen's resolve to kill the Bull Demon King. He couldn't be left alive, or there would be more trouble in the future.

Hiding in the tree hollow, the Bull Demon King almost couldn't bear Yang Zhen's insults and wanted to come out and fight to the death. But every time his anger threatened to overwhelm his reason, he thought of Princess Iron Fan waiting for him in the Banana Cave on Cuiyun Mountain and their unborn child. Whenever he thought of these, the remaining reason would suppress his anger, making him stay hidden.

"I must survive," this was the Bull Demon King's most determined thought at that moment.

Wandering in the forest, Yang Zhen frowned and thought, "If I use the Three Pure Fires to destroy this forest, it would be easy to find the Bull Demon King's whereabouts, but if he is determined to escape, I won't be able to catch him. Hmm... I might as well wait here. As long as I'm here, the Bull Demon King won't dare to use his magic to heal. When he can no longer suppress his injuries, it will be his end."

Originally, Yang Zhen had decided to destroy the forest to kill the Bull Demon King. But then he thought that if the Bull Demon King used his magic to heal, the天地灵气 (heavenly and earthly energy) would certainly show some signs, making it easy to find his location. If the Bull Demon King didn't heal, he could temporarily suppress his injuries, but over time, his magic would be exhausted, and he would be beyond saving.

So Yang Zhen decided to wear the Bull Demon King down. Since he had already cornered the Bull Demon King, he wouldn't give him any chance to survive.

At dawn, the first rays of sunlight woke the sleeping world, and a beautiful day began. Changqing Mountain, an unremarkable hill range, was a place of beautiful scenery and tranquility, untouched by the world. At the foot of the mountain was a vast forest stretching for hundreds of miles.

This was a peaceful and harmonious place, but no one knew that in this forest, two demon experts were testing each other's patience, and life or death could be decided in the next moment.

A month had passed, a whole month.

During this month, Yang Zhen had been searching for the Bull Demon King, but the Bull Demon King's hiding place seemed extremely mysterious. Despite spending a month, Yang Zhen found no clues. However, he didn't lose patience; instead, he found the contest with the Bull Demon King more interesting. He was very confident that he would be the final victor. If he had an absolute advantage and still let the Bull Demon King escape, he might as well find a block of tofu and bash his head against it.

But neither Yang Zhen nor the Bull Demon King knew that, far to the west, a graceful figure was rapidly approaching.