"You... you wicked temptress, I've had enough! Go amuse yourself, I shall not accompany you any longer."
Having confirmed that the other party would not devour him, Li Xiaobai's courage swelled. He grabbed a piece of firewood from the campfire and walked confidently toward the cave's exit. After all, he now had a reliable defense—once his sword light appeared, nothing could stand against him.
If he proceeded with caution, there was no reason why he couldn't safely escape this demonic realm.
After taking a dozen or so steps, he suddenly stopped, turning back in confusion. To his surprise, the serpent woman Qingyao neither pursued him nor attacked. Instead, she stood motionless, her expression one of abandonment, gazing at him with a pitiful look.
"Hmph! Still acting? It's a shame she doesn't try her luck in Hollywood!"
Li Xiaobai muttered under his breath, then resolutely turned away, holding the torch as he continued forward.
The cave was not deep, and after walking for several dozen meters, he quickly reached the entrance.
The cave's only exit was partially concealed by thick vines, overgrown grasses, and large rocks. Stepping into the warm sunlight, Li Xiaobai suddenly felt much lighter in spirit, realizing that the demoness had indeed not followed. Yet, a strange sense of regret lingered in his heart.
Could it be because of that demoness?
Thinking of Qingyao's slyness and capricious nature, Li Xiaobai shook his head forcefully, then oriented himself and walked eastward.
"Ha! Human! Hand over the lotus treasure, or this lord shall crush you into a bloody pulp!"
A booming roar echoed through the air, and a massive wooden pillar, thick as a water barrel, suddenly blocked the sunlight above him and came crashing down.
"Dammit!"
Li Xiaobai recoiled instinctively, dodging just in time. The massive wooden pole slammed into the ground beside him, sending earth and rocks flying, and leaving him sore on one side of his body.
Was this an attempted robbery? No threats, no warnings—just straight to trying to take his life. Li Xiaobai made a quick gesture with his fingers, shouting, "Who goes there?"
When he saw the creature that had attacked him, he was momentarily stunned.
To be precise, it wasn't "who"—it was "what."
The creature stood over two meters tall, with bulging muscles and a body covered in thick, coarse hair. Its wrists were larger than Li Xiaobai's waist, and it had two sharp, twisted horns growing from its head. A golden ring hung from its nose, and a deer skin was wrapped around its waist as a makeshift loincloth. Its body was dark and covered in needle-like black hairs, resembling a giant water buffalo.
The crude wooden club it wielded had clearly been carved from the trunk of a massive tree, and it crashed heavily into the ground beside Li Xiaobai, embedding itself deeply while still carrying the remnants of broken branches and leaves, resembling a spiked mace. Its dark, purple-tinted shaft reeked of blood, a clear testament to countless lives it had taken.
"The Ox Demon King!"
Li Xiaobai couldn't help but exclaim at the sight of the creature's bovine features.
The buffalo demon swayed its golden nose ring, its deep voice rumbling as it spoke. "Ox Demon King? That's quite a powerful name. Is he one of my ancestors? But I've never heard of any 'Old Ox.'"
With a sudden, casual motion, it lifted the massive club from the ground effortlessly, preparing to bring it down again.
"Wait, Lord Ox, the treasure you seek is not with me," Li Xiaobai interjected quickly, his mind spinning. Why were these demons so obsessed with a lotus flower? Wasn't there an abundance of them at Ju Mo Lake, outside Xiyan Town?
The buffalo demon halted, staring at him with eyes as wide as tea cups, and a gleam of excitement flashed across its face. "So you do have the treasure lotus? Hand it over, quickly!"
Clearly, this creature had a simple mind, speaking in disjointed riddles and jumping to conclusions. It hadn't considered whether Li Xiaobai even had the lotus, but if the demon had been a little slower, he would have already been turned into paste, and even if he did have the lotus, this dumb beast would never get it.
"It's in that direction!" Li Xiaobai pointed toward the east, the very direction of the great Wu Dynasty's human kingdom, beyond which lay Ju Mo Lake, and further still, the Kunlun Demon Domain. "Three days ago, I saw a brilliant light there, an ethereal mist rising with various illusions of insects, fish, birds, and beasts flashing in the sky. The clouds above formed lotus-shaped patterns. The treasure lotus must be there!"
The buffalo demon had never heard such a vivid description. Stunned, it seemed to picture the grand spectacle in its mind—an incredible, otherworldly sight. It was certain now that a treasure had manifested.
With a deep breath, it glared at Li Xiaobai and swung its massive club again. "Do not lie to me. My weapon is no mere trinket."
The club slammed into the ground, sending rocks and dust scattering in all directions.
"I swear it's the truth! If I lie, let Lord Ox's club strike me down!" Li Xiaobai said with a nervous grin, silently cursing himself. Who would get struck down by the club or pierced by sword light, it was anyone's guess.
He kept his sword fingers ready, though he knew he only had one strike of sword light to use. There was no point in wasting it on a dumb ox like this.
"Aha! When I find the lotus, I'll make you my little brother!" the buffalo demon declared eagerly, tossing this out as it turned to charge into the forest toward the east, plowing through trees as if it were a tank on a rampage.
Letting out a long breath, Li Xiaobai loosened his grip on the sword.
"Make me your little brother? Does it think I'm an idiot? Size doesn't matter, it's all about the brain these days."
He chuckled to himself. This fool was so easily deceived!