Chapter 42: Hop On, Old Ox! No Time to Explain!
They stepped onto the Immortal Sword with great care, beads of sweat appearing on their foreheads.
"Moo!" Standing up on its hinds, the black ox looked nervous. It used its hooves to tightly grip onto Chen Xun's shoulders.
Chen Xun's veins bulged and he raised two fingers to the sky, roaring: "Go!"
"Moo!!"
**_Whoosh!_**
A fierce gust rose as the sword soared into the sky at breakneck speed, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
**_Thud! Thud!_**
A sword soared and two figures took a nosedive into the dirt.
Spitting a mouthful of dirt and a few blades of grass, Chen Xun shouted with his eyes bloodshot, "Where's the Immortal Sword?! Where the hell is my sword?!"
"Moo!"
The big black ox—still dizzy from the impact—suddenly spotted the Immortal sword sticking out of a rock in the distance.
It didn't take long for them to retrieve the sword back.
"These normal spells turn out quite different from others when we use them." Chen Xun took a deep breath and said slowly.
"Moo~" The big black ox nodded in agreement. The speed of the sword was way too much.
"Whatever. We'll practice and slowly adapt."
"Moo~"
The black ox held the Immortal Sword in its mouth, headed toward one of the waterfalls, and placed the sword under the gushing stream. This should increase the training intensity.
...
Another month passed, and by now, Chen Xun had completely mastered the art of controlling the Immortal Sword.
Currently, it was early morning and the sky was clear.
"Ride the sword, harness the wind, roam freely between heaven and earth!"
Chen Xun chanted softly, and a burst of spiritual energy lifted the Immortal Sword slowly into the air. He stepped onto it and said urgently, "Hop on, old ox! No time to explain."
"Moo moo~~" The big black ox leaped to its feet and stood steadily on the Immortal Sword, huddling behind Chen Xun with a hint of fear in its eyes.
"Go!"
They soared to the sky, and in the air, there was a constant chorus of Chen Xun's shouts and screams with the continuous cries of the black ox, yet they both felt truly exhilarated. It was a ride of both pleasure and pain.
After playing for half an hour, Chen Xun began to feel that something was off.
It seemed like he needed to bring _that_ one idea to life.
"Old ox, I'm going to be busy for a while looking for materials!" Chen Xun said as he grabbed a pickaxe and walked into the cave.
"Moo!" The black ox gave a moo as it lay still in the pool, recovering from the exciting ride.
...
With that, another month passed, and the blazing orange disk lay quietly between the distant mountains of dark ink, with clouds and mist filling the sky.
Strange laughter echoed out from inside one of the caves in the Medicine Valley, accompanied by cries of "I did it! I did it!"
"Moo moo!"
The black ox heard the sound and realized that it was time for what Chen Xun called "Catching the wind".
It kept calling out at the entrance of the cave.
"Old ox!" Chen Xun replied as he walked out from within the darkness of the cave.
However, the moment the black ox saw Chen Xun, it was astonished.
He had a strange outfit on, and his entire get-up was weird. _Was that a new magical artifact he created? _It thought.
Chen Xun was wearing a giant pair of goggles and holding something that gleamed in the setting sun.
"Moo?" The big black ox tilted its head in wonder.
"Old ox, we're going to experience nature and the true pleasure of riding the wind. What's the point of having a magical barrier around us?" Chen Xun laughed and quickly put a similar set on the big black ox. It was custom-made for it.
"Moo!" The big black ox was bewildered but excited nonetheless as it shook its head.
"With this, we won't have to worry about wind and sand getting into our eyes anymore. Haha!" Chen Xun exclaimed with a sense of accomplishment and shouted, "Old ox, let's catch the wind!"
"Moo moo!" The big black ox was similarly thrilled; its favorite activity now was catching the wind during sunset, the scenery was incredible!
**_Swoosh! Swoosh! _**
The Immortal Sword soared into flight and the restriction at the Medicine Valley's entrance was lifted.
Chen Xun immediately controlled the sword to ascend higher, causing many peaks to come into view.
He shouted to the sky, "Air Force One, Chen Xun, ready for takeoff!"
"Moo moo moo!" The big black ox joined in the shouting, wearing goggles and lying behind Chen Xun.
This was freedom!
The strong wind blew in their faces, but it couldn't get into their eyes anymore. This was what they had been looking for all along - the true joy of riding the wind.
They headed towards the setting sun, passing by countless ancient trees and peaks.
They could even see wild animals running on the ground, chasing after their prey.
There were disciples riding their swords in all sorts of directions, but their speed was far from matching Chen Xun's.
_Perhaps this was like driving a Ferrari while others rode electric bikes..._ thought Chen Xun.
In front of them, a fifth-level Qi Refinement junior sister was riding her sword, and her path happened to align with theirs.
**_Swoosh!_**
The junior sister, with two long braids, looked surprised as she noticed Chen Xun and the big ox standing on the Immortal Sword as they passed by her, causing her braids to flay in the wind.
"Senior brother...?" The junior sister hesitated to speak, but before she could finish her sentence, her mouth slowly widened and her expression grew more shocked.
She saw this man and ox, one with his palm spread over his forehead, and the other with its hoof in a similar fashion, raising their noses in the air with their mouths twisting into a grin.
They accelerated their Immortal Sword and headed towards the setting sun, disappearing in the blink of an eye, leaving behind a dumbfounded junior sister.
"What the hell..."
Even oxen were so cool now?
However...that aside, the speed of that Immortal Sword was really fast; she wondered what grade of magical tool it was.
Many disciples were amazed by the incredible sword-flying technique and the stylish appearance of Chen Xun and the big black ox.
As the strong wind howled around them, the big black ox opened its mouth and looked at the disciples who were far behind them.
It was truly an extraordinary sight.
"Old ox, did you see that? This is what cultivation and life are all about!"
"Moo moo!" The big black ox nodded repeatedly, enjoying the scenery under its feet and feeling the joy of riding the wind.
"Woohoo!"
Resounding across the sky, there was the cheerful cry of Chen Xun, along with the ox's excited mooing.