"Kid, where are you from?" the elder slowly stepped forward and looked at Xu Zimo.
"Isn't being alive a good thing?" Xu Zimo smiled and turned to the man from earlier, asking.
"I… our Martial Uncle is asking you something," the man stammered, unable to meet Xu Zimo's gaze.
"Such a buzzkill. Can’t even enjoy a meal in peace," Xu Zimo shook his head slightly.
"You just eat. Leave the rest to me," Master Great Wisdom waved his hand and slowly stood up.
Facing off against the elder from the Beast Taming Sacred Ground, he gave a Daoist salute and said, "I have no wish to entangle with your Beast Taming Sacred Ground. If you leave now, we can pretend nothing happened."
"In this Hundred Beasts City, you're the first one who dares speak to me like that," the elder snorted coldly.
The white hair at his temples stood up completely.
Spiritual energy surged around him, and a powerful beastly aura radiated from his body.
A beast’s roar echoed out next.
Beside him, a massive figure tore through the void and stepped out.
"Moo! " a long and deep cry echoed.
Master Great Wisdom looked up, it was a gigantic rhinoceros.
Its body was clad in what looked like armor made of iron, and a sharp horn protruded from its nose.
Its eyes were blood-red, and its aura was overwhelming.
The other beasts in Hundred Beasts City seemed to sense something and all retreated into hiding.
Snow continued to fall, and the entire main street was silent.
Only the massive figure of the rhino stood there, occupying half the street and glaring fiercely at Master Great Wisdom.
"Where are you from?" the elder asked again.
"Don’t say I didn’t give you a chance. If you’re from an imperial lineage, have your seniors come and claim you. If not, then I’ll kill you myself."
"I've heard your lineage’s beast-taming techniques are quite exceptional. Allow this poor Daoist to learn a thing or two," Master Great Wisdom said, ignoring the question.
Then his aura erupted.
Crackling sounds came from within his body.
Master Great Wisdom’s figure visibly grew larger.
In just a few breaths, he was as big as the rhinoceros.
"So you do have some skill. No wonder you act so arrogantly," the elder snorted.
"Rampaging Dragon Rhino, go play with him."
The massive rhino, like a small mountain, charged at Master Great Wisdom.
Master Great Wisdom frowned slightly. In pure strength, he couldn’t outmatch the rhino.
He quickly dodged, and the rhino smashed into the side of the street.
Several shops collapsed under the impact, and screams rang out.
"Dao is above the heavens," Master Great Wisdom muttered, frowning.
A beam of white light appeared from his body, forming a wheel that hovered behind him, faintly visible and full of Daoist essence.
It shattered the surrounding space.
He stepped into the air, flashing through the sky, appearing and disappearing.
In the next moment, Master Great Wisdom appeared before the Rampaging Dragon Rhino.
The wheel behind him spun, bursting with radiant light. His right hand, like a sharp blade, chopped down heavily on the rhino’s horn.
"Moo!" the rhino screamed in pain, collapsing to the ground.
"Damn it," the elder cursed upon seeing this.
His expression darkened, and beast energy surged in his hands.
Another beast’s roar echoed from the void.
A giant roc, over a hundred meters long and capable of blotting out the sky, flew out from the void.
Its wings spread wide, its screech shattered the air, echoing painfully in people’s ears.
The giant roc and the dragon rhino charged at Master Great Wisdom together.
"Boss, another pot of hot wine," Xu Zimo’s voice called out from inside the inn. "And bring out the same dishes again as before."
"Sir…" the innkeeper’s assistant poked his head out from under a table, saying nervously, "There’s a fight outside. We can’t do business right now."
"Just do it. As long as I’m here, this inn won’t fall," Xu Zimo replied. "If you don’t, I’ll personally take the place apart."
"No, no, I’ll get the chef right away," the innkeeper quickly rushed over and waved his hands.
The battle outside continued.
With a loud boom, Master Great Wisdom’s attack landed, and the roc was knocked back.
It crashed like a sandstorm into the inn.
Xu Zimo slightly raised his head and waved his hand.
Endless spiritforce condensed around him, forming a massive palm.
With one slap, the roc was sent flying.
"Don’t get in the way."
Seeing this, the elder from the Beast Taming Sacred Ground raised his eyebrows.
His expression changed slightly as he looked at Master Great Wisdom, then at Xu Zimo.
Spiritforce surged from him again. Beast aura thickened around him.
The space in front of him began to distort.
A scene appeared in the air.
It was of a grand and majestic palace.
Around the palace, qilins slept, flood dragons devoured sunlight and moonlight, and phoenixes burned half the sky.
Inside the palace, dozens of people stood in two rows, each radiating immense power.
At the top was a throne.
A man in a purple robe sat upon it.
"Sacred Lord, help me!" the elder cried out.
"Someone is causing trouble in Hundred Beasts City. They killed our disciples and disrupted the construction of our shrine. I am alone and cannot hold them off much longer."
"Don’t worry, Elder Dragon-Rhino," the purple-robed man replied, his voice echoing.
"I’ll send a lineage protector to assist you."
"No need for so much trouble," a light laugh sounded behind Elder Dragon-Rhino.
The elder’s entire body froze. A chill ran from his feet to the top of his head.
"When…" he slowly turned around and saw Xu Zimo standing behind him.
He hadn’t even noticed when Xu Zimo moved.
"No need for you all to come one by one and bother me," Xu Zimo said, waving his hand.
"Once I’m full, how about I pay your Beast Taming Sacred Ground a visit?"
"Very well, we will gladly welcome your visit," the purple-robed man said calmly. "But you cannot harm Elder Dragon-Rhino, or we will hunt you to the ends of the earth."
"Him?" Xu Zimo reached out and patted the elder’s head.
Then he smiled, and with a loud bang, crushed the man’s skull.
Blood mist filled the air.
"Don’t worry, your turn is coming soon."
Seeing this, the purple-robed man slammed the throne beside him.
With a deafening boom, a powerful force surged through the great hall.
"You’re courting death!"
Xu Zimo smiled. As Elder Dragon-Rhino died, the projection in the air began to dissipate.