"Moo~"
The green ox let out a reluctant roar.
It was clear that it could understand Zhang Ergou's words.
What surprised it was that this little crawler, not even as thick as its hind leg when transformed, possessed such immense strength.
Yet, it still charged forward with all its might.
At this point, it was no longer about crashing into the small mountain, but a tug-of-war between itself and Zhang Ergou.
Zhang Ergou, however, remained unhurried. He switched the rope he was holding from two hands to one.
Then, he drew his long spear and thrust it towards the green ox's rear.
"Moo~"
The green ox yelped in pain, letting out a tragic cry.
Dragging Zhang Ergou, it intensified its efforts to charge towards the small mountain.
But Zhang Ergou's strength far surpassed the green ox's imagination.
Even with one hand on the rope, he could still contend with the green ox.
Zhang Ergou raised his long spear and thrust it towards the green ox again, like a javelin.
"Moo~"
Feeling the pain, the green ox could no longer bother with the tug-of-war with Zhang Ergou.
With a turn, it charged fiercely towards Zhang Ergou.
Zhang Ergou, however, was already prepared.
He certainly wouldn't let the green ox have its way.
With a sidestep, he leaped onto the green ox's head once more.
The rope also wrapped around the green ox's body.
Seeing this little crawler employing the same trick again, the green ox was helpless to shake him off.
Just like before, the green ox rammed itself towards a nearby rock face.
BOOM!
Stones fell, and the rock face cracked from the impact.
Yet, Zhang Ergou remained steadily perched on the ox's back.
On the massive ox's body, Zhang Ergou could practically roll around.
Seeing that this tactic couldn't subdue Zhang Ergou, the green ox's form suddenly shrunk with extreme speed.
After shrinking to about two to three zhang in size, it didn't stop.
Finally, it became as large as a normal wild ox.
At this point, Zhang Ergou could no longer stand on the green ox's back.
With a shake of its body, Zhang Ergou fell off the green ox.
"This green ox is quite clever, knowing how to change its size."
Xiao Qingyu exclaimed in wonder. The green ox's ability to not only grow larger but also shrink further broadened their understanding.
Everything in this secret realm seemed different from the outside.
Not only the rare medicinal herbs.
Even the intelligence of the demonic beasts seemed to be more fully awakened than those in the outside world.
Clearly, this green ox wasn't dealing with Zhang Ergou with pure recklessness.
"Moo moo~ Moo~~"
With a loud bellow from the green ox, the herd began to gather.
After a period of pawing at the ground, the herd surprisingly charged towards Zhang Ergou and the green ox at the foot of the mountain.
The green ox's earlier roar was a call to the herd.
Seeing that it couldn't subdue Zhang Ergou,
the green ox decided to have the herd take on Zhang Ergou in a group assault. It no longer cared about pride.
The priority was to take down this troublesome little crawler.
Zhang Ergou, holding his long spear, was preparing to fight the green ox once more.
But then he heard the sound of hooves from behind.
Turning his head, even he felt a prickle of fear.
A herd of over a thousand oxen, each at least a zhang in size, was charging towards him.
"Whoa, no way, if they can't beat him, they gang up on him. Ergou's really in for it now."
Lin Yichen and the others also tensed and stood up.
The sudden movement of the herd sent a jolt of alarm through them.
One or two black oxen were nothing, but the spectacle created by a thousand black oxen stampeding was truly awe-inspiring.
"Will Ergou be alright?" Lin Yue asked, her voice laced with worry.
Zhang Ergou was currently entangled with the green ox, and the herd was moments away from reaching him.
RUMBLE!
Dust flew, and Zhang Ergou and the green ox in the valley became obscured from view.
In an instant, they were swallowed by the herd.
Lin Yichen and the others watched the center of the valley with bated breath.
The casual ease they had moments ago was gone.
After all, with such a massive herd, even Zhang Ergou might not be able to withstand it.
Not long after, the smoke cleared, and the herd had moved a considerable distance.
Zhang Ergou stood unharmed, on the back of a stampeding black ox.
He was still holding the rope.
The other end of the rope was tied to the green ox, which was also being dragged along by the stampede.
"Ah, this?"
Li Yao was utterly astonished by Zhang Ergou's maneuver.
Not only was Zhang Ergou's strength astonishing, but his speed now was also remarkable.
Even some cultivators who specialized in speed could not achieve what Zhang Ergou did in such a short time, remaining completely unharmed.
He not only restrained the green ox.
But he also stood steadily on the back of a black ox, seemingly unaffected by the charging herd.
The herd continued to stampede, with Zhang Ergou standing firmly on a black ox towards the rear.
The green ox, however, was ensnared by Zhang Ergou's rope, being pulled along with the herd.
After running for a while, the herd realized that their leader had not broken free from Zhang Ergou's restraint.
"Moo~ Moo~ Moo~" (Leader, are you alright? What do we do now?)
"Moo moo~ Moo~ Moo moo~" (You bunch of idiots, do I look like I'm alright?)
The green ox let out an enraged roar.
The stampeding herd came to an abrupt halt.
Their synchronized stop was remarkably like an army. Zhang Ergou, standing on the black ox, nearly fell off from the sudden stop.
In a panic, he grabbed the black ox's horn, clinging onto its back.
He did not, however, loosen his grip on the rope.
The herd turned around, their eyes wide with fury, staring at Zhang Ergou on the black ox.
Clearly, their leader being ensnared by this little crawler had enraged them.
"Hey, how about we negotiate something?"
Seeing that the herd remained still, only glaring at him in anger.
Zhang Ergou's confidence grew. He looked at the green ox, which he had ensnared, and spoke.
He knew that the green ox before him could understand his words.
As expected, when Zhang Ergou spoke, the green ox's eyes flickered.
It then let out a low growl, entirely different from its earlier high-pitched roars.
It seemed to be asking Zhang Ergou what he wanted to negotiate.
"Look, you can't do anything to me, and I don't want to kill you. How about we cooperate?"
As he spoke, Zhang Ergou took out a handful of medicinal herbs from his storage ring and offered them to the green ox.
The green ox looked at Zhang Ergou doubtfully. It had never seen such herbs before.
The reason the herd could survive in this vast secret realm was clearly due to their immense collective strength.
Zhang Ergou's intention was to subdue this green ox.
If he could, wouldn't the herd then obey him? This would naturally make his actions in the secret realm much easier.
The green ox sniffed the medicinal herbs in Zhang Ergou's hand, cautiously stepping back two paces.
"Eat it. I won't harm you."
Zhang Ergou resembled the big bad wolf luring Little Red Riding Hood.
"Moo~" The green ox let out a low growl, as if refuting Zhang Ergou.
You little crawler are very deceitful. Not only do you steal our milk, but now you've captured me, and you say you won't harm me.
However, the alluring spiritual energy emanating from the herbs captivated it.
Finally, instinct overcame reason.
The green ox took a bite and swallowed the medicinal herbs Zhang Ergou offered.
"Moo~"
As soon as the herbs went down, wisps of white mist rose, and the green ox's large eyes widened in surprise...