The campfire crackled, and the aroma of roasted meat filled the air.
The Iron-Eating Beast feasted heartily, its belly expanding as it ate with gusto.
As Ji Mo ate his roasted meat, he suddenly noticed a flock of birds streaking across the distance, forming an arched bridge in the night sky. His expression immediately froze.
Counting on his fingers, according to the lunar calendar of his homeland, today should be the seventh day of the seventh month.
"Qixi, year after year, the promise is not broken, the Milky Way is clear and shallow, white clouds are faint, the toad's light and magpie's shadow fly like wagtails..."
Ji Mo thought of his many years of being single and was suddenly filled with sadness.
He looked up at the blood moon in the sky and then down at his solitary figure, feeling quite desolate.
Not far away, the monster beasts, having eaten their fill, were mostly in pairs, being affectionate and playful.
Two particular demonic dogs were being excessively intimate, sticking out their tongues and shamelessly licking each other's fur.
Ji Mo felt annoyed seeing this. Weren't dogs supposed to be single? What was going on with these two?
They were showing off their affection right in front of him, feeding him dog food?
With a face full of resentment, he gritted his teeth and said, "May all lovers in the world eventually become happy single dogs."
Boom...
As soon as the words left his mouth, the sky suddenly flashed with lightning and rumbled with thunder.
The affectionate monster beasts were startled and separated in panic, feeling a mysterious force from the unseen. They suddenly felt that love was nothing, and it was better to be single.
As for the two demonic dogs, they inexplicably turned on each other, baring their teeth and barking furiously, but they each went their separate ways, as if they would never see each other again.
"No way, did my words actually come true?"
Ji Mo was somewhat surprised by this scene, not understanding why these monster beasts, who were in pairs, had separated like this.
Perhaps they were startled by the thunder.
Afterward, he felt a bit guilty as he realized with surprise that both demonic dogs were male.
"What a sin, I seem to have ruined a true love."
Ji Mo was full of apology.
Since ancient times, love between men was true love; love between men and women was merely for procreation.
What a pity, such pure love was destroyed by him.
Rumble!
A loud noise sounded again.
This time, it wasn't thunder, but an earthquake.
No, it wasn't an earthquake, but something was charging towards them.
In the distance, giant trees snapped, dust billowed, and a massive figure, shrouded in demonic energy, came crashing through.
Anything that dared to block its path, whether it was a giant tree or a mountain rock, was smashed into powder.
This monstrous creature made a tremendous commotion. As it charged, the ground shook, its footsteps cracked the earth, and it stirred up countless gusts of wind as it ran.
The surrounding monster beasts were so terrified they dared not even breathe, all showing expressions of horror.
The Iron-Eating Beast glanced at it, then continued to bury its head in the roasted meat, paying it no mind.
Ji Mo squinted into the distance, clearly seeing the creature's form, and his expression turned somewhat strange.
He had just seen the magpie bridge, and now an old ox appeared. How interesting.
What arrived was a strange demonic ox.
It had three horns on its head, its body covered in reddish-brown fur that shone brighter than silk. As it ran, flames spewed from its nostrils, exuding an aura of ferocity that was incredibly intimidating.
"Moo..."
The demonic ox roared, its terrifying sonic waves sweeping across the land.
The mountains trembled, leaves danced wildly, and many monster beasts were so frightened they collapsed to the ground.
Some even bled from their nostrils and foamed at the mouth.
The demonic ox's eyes were blood-red, and its anger blazed.
What had it seen?
Its favorite Nine-Tailed Li Huo Sparrow and Black Scaled Demonic Python were being roasted over a fire, becoming food for others.
With its fiery temper, how could it tolerate such humiliation?
It had to stomp the offender into meat paste and burn their very souls to ashes.
Ji Mo was also enraged. These monster beasts were all his darlings, and now this ox had frightened many of them. It was unforgivable.
"Xiao Tuantuan, go deal with him, but don't kill him."
Ji Mo commanded, wanting this ox to pay the price.
The Iron-Eating Beast hated being disturbed while eating. It dared not vent its anger on Ji Mo, so it immediately transferred its fury to the demonic ox.
It took its short legs and reluctantly moved to meet the demonic ox.
The demonic ox stared at the approaching Iron-Eating Beast, vaguely feeling a sense of familiarity, as if it had seen it somewhere before, but couldn't recall where.
But a mere foot-sized little thing dared to block it? It was seeking death.
The demonic ox stomped its feet, the ground cracked, and stones flew into the air. Its speed increased again, and flames erupted from its nostrils as it charged forward.
The Iron-Eating Beast did not dodge at all. Although it was small in size, when it came to stubbornness, it never held back.
It wouldn't be bullied for being young.
Bang!
They collided fiercely.
In an instant.
The earth shook, mud and stones flew, and large swathes of the surrounding forest shattered.
"Roar..."
The demonic ox roared, its massive body flying backward, plowing a trench hundreds of meters long in the hard ground.
Blood poured from its nostrils, and it felt dizzy and disoriented, finding it hard to believe it had been knocked flying by a tiny creature.
If this were to spread, wouldn't it be utterly humiliating for an ox?
Extremely unconvinced, it attributed the defeat to underestimation and got back up to attack again.
This time, the demonic ox unleashed its full power. Runes appeared all over its body, and flames erupted from it.
The surrounding temperature rapidly increased, and the surrounding trees even began to burn.
Even the stones on the ground turned red in an instant, melting into lava, showing how terrifying the temperature of the flames was.
The demonic ox's body surged with flames, like a burning Li Huo, launching a fierce attack on the Iron-Eating Beast.
However, it still underestimated the Iron-Eating Beast.
The terrifying flames couldn't even singe a single hair on the Iron-Eating Beast. As a young divine beast, its defense was astonishingly strong, and its body seemed impervious to water and fire.
The demonic ox was sent flying again, covered in blood.
But it stood up again, rising on its hind legs. Its three horns emitted intense light, and it unleashed various divine abilities, attacking continuously.
Suddenly, this area was engulfed in flames, with fiery light dancing everywhere.
Unfortunately, it was still useless. The Iron-Eating Beast went up and performed a leg-sweep, smashing the demonic ox into the ground.
In terms of brute force, this little fellow was on the same path as Ji Mo.
"Brave ox, don't be afraid of difficulties. Don't be a coward, get up, and keep fighting it."
Ji Mo cheered the demonic ox on, encouraging it to continue fighting.
This ox was very brave and would keep fighting if it felt challenged, which suited Ji Mo perfectly.
Furthermore, it could breathe fire and was strong. If it could be subdued, it would be an excellent asset for future conquests.
The Iron-Eating Beast looked at Ji Mo with mournful eyes, wanting to say, "Whose side are you on? Why are you cheering for the enemy?"
It felt a bit jealous, sensing a trend of falling out of favor. The way the cook looked at the demonic ox was too intense and not right.
Kill it, eliminate a potential rival, and also get to eat roasted ox.
The Iron-Eating Beast became serious. A fierce look appeared on its simple face, its black and white fur intertwined with rays of light, and an aura of chaos surrounded it, finally revealing its divine beast might.
Instantly, all the surrounding monster beasts prostrated themselves on the ground, showing reverence and expressing their submission.
The demonic ox's pupils dilated, its face filled with terror, and it directly knelt down with a thud.
"Ni... Lord Nian Tie, this humble one had no eyes and deserves death!"
It spoke human words, begging the Iron-Eating Beast for forgiveness.