"Ben Oxley is this strong..."
Beside Heaven-Guide Venerable, Prince Umbral's eyes bulged wide as he stared blankly at Ben Oxley, whose head pierced the clouds. His eyeballs looked like they might pop out of their sockets.
He knew this so-called 'Ben Oxley' was strong—after all, he nearly crushed the great kun the moment he showed up. But he never imagined that this unremarkable-looking Ben Oxley could be this overwhelmingly powerful!
So strong that even the sky itself couldn't withstand his aura; so strong that the instant he appeared, he suppressed the entire Jade Pool Grand Assembly!
In the Jade Pool, even the giant turtles carrying islands on their backs—each a demigod, descended from ancient gods and fully grown, their strength immense—didn't dare poke their heads out under Ben Oxley's presence. They shrank their limbs and heads, sinking straight into the water, while the cultivators on the islands scrambled madly up the mountain peaks to avoid drowning in the Jade Pool.
"As powerful as an ancient god..."
Heaven-Guide Venerable and the other Venerables turned pale, raising their heads to stare at this furious god-demon, their hearts a swirl of mixed emotions.
Heaven-Guide Venerable, especially, felt a bitter taste in his heart.
For this Jade Pool Grand Assembly, he had run himself ragged, pulling strings all across the Heavenly Court, negotiating with the Empress, and even currying favor with those close to the Heavenly Emperor to get a few good words put in for him.
And that wasn't all—he still had to stir up a huge spectacle, attracting every young talent from the myriad heavens and worlds below to attend this Jade Pool Grand Assembly.
He borrowed the momentum of the Heavenly Court’s celebration to make the Jade Pool Grand Assembly a lively success.
This time, he wanted to use the occasion to announce something big—gathering everyone’s attention and seizing the chance to become the leader of all cultivators, even the demigods.
He aimed to draw every race under heaven, even the descendants of ancient gods, into his own camp!
That way, half the fruits of the Heavenly Court’s celebration would fall into his hands, becoming the capital for his rise.
But what he never expected was that, out of nowhere, two young men would suddenly start fighting here—two who showed peerless brilliance, stunning every cultivator at the assembly and stealing all his thunder.
Even more unexpected, now another powerhouse had jumped in—one as strong as an ancient god. He had no idea if the Jade Pool Grand Assembly could even continue.
If this powerhouse lost his temper and smashed the Jade Pool to bits, wouldn’t all his hard work go straight down the drain?
Sam Oxley revealed his impossibly muscular frame, nostrils snorting smoke, eyes blazing fire. He raised his palm and pressed down—without even touching Quinn Shepherd and the Pioneer Emperor, the two instantly felt a terrifying pressure descend!
Thud. Thud.
Two muffled booms echoed out—Quinn Shepherd and the Pioneer Emperor’s divine arts unraveled, their bodies dropping from midair and getting slammed to the ground by invisible force.
The earth rumbled and sank; the two of them were flattened, limbs splayed, sinking deeper and deeper, utterly unable to move—both were shocked to the core.
"You dare hit him?"
Quinn Shepherd, both furious and alarmed, strained to lift his head: "If you hit him, you're hitting me, you damned ox..."
Sam Oxley's furious voice boomed down from midair: "Go ahead, keep making trouble! How many times did I warn you on the way here—hold back, don't stir up trouble, but you just had to! Did you really think Old Ox has no temper? When my ox temper flares up, I don't care who you are..."
"Stop pressing!"
Venerable Skysoar stood by his massive ox leg, heart pounding as she stared at the spot where Quinn Shepherd and the Pioneer Emperor had fallen—a crater a hundred yards deep pressed into the earth. She quickly looked up and shouted, "If you press any harder, you'll crush them to death!"
But Sam Oxley's body was so tall that her voice couldn't reach him.
Just then, a piercing voice rang out, sharp as an eagle's cry: "Who dares cause trouble in the Heavenly Court?"
A streak of fire shot in like a meteor, growing larger and larger—blazing like a sun as it hurtled toward Sam Oxley!
Sam Oxley reached out and grabbed the sun, crushing it to powder with his bare hand, then let out a thunderous roar.
Moooo—
His roar thundered out—though the incoming Great Sun Star Lord was a born sacred deity, even he couldn’t keep his footing under the wild shockwave, sent flying backward.
This was no imposter from later generations—the real Great Sun Star Lord flared his wings, revealing his true form: layers upon layers of blazing fire-feathers stretching for miles, three razor-sharp talons gleaming cold. With a single beat, those talons swooped over the Jade Pool, aiming to split Sam Oxley’s skull wide open.
Sam Oxley punched skyward—there was a dull boom, and the Great Sun Star Lord shrieked, tumbling far away. In the distance, a ball of fire burst atop a sun; he’d been smashed into it and couldn’t get up for ages.
Meanwhile, ancient gods and demigods rose one after another from the Heavenly Court’s palaces, racing toward the Jade Pool. Their primordial auras warped the sky, twisting space itself. Someone shouted, "Where did these scoundrels come from, daring to run wild in the Heavenly Court!"
Sam Oxley, ox temper blazing, didn’t care about any of that. He leapt into the sky, fists and feet flying, showing off his martial mastery in a wild, exhilarating frenzy.
He didn’t bother with any divine arts—just raw fists and kicks. One punch would shatter the ancient gods’ and demigods’ divine powers; pure force crushed everything, ignoring their so-called might. Even the likes of Sun, Moon, and Five Luminaries gods were helpless—he smashed their divine arts to bits!
Sam Oxley’s martial skill was off the charts, his speed unmatched. No ordinary cultivator could hope to keep up. He was a High Heaven Hall powerhouse, second only to Emperor’s Throne; even tracking him with your eyes was nearly impossible!
In the sky, an ancient god took a punch to the face, flipping head over heels and crash-landing in the Jade Pool—his head buried, legs sticking straight up, fate unknown.
Another ancient god got knocked into the Celestial River, sending waves towering to the heavens. Pleasure boats were tossed sky-high, drifting atop waves ten thousand feet tall, drawing gasps from the crowd.
Other ancient gods were hit by countless fists, palms, and kicks in an instant—each blow bending their bodies, twisting their faces, leaving their minds blank.
(Irrelevant system message. Skipping translation.)
By the time they came to, they were already lying in a massive crater, atop the ruins of a palace they’d crushed themselves.
Sam Oxley unleashed all his pent-up frustration from the past two days in this wild brawl.
For two days he’d been on edge—terrified Quinn Shepherd would stir up some colossal disaster, terrified he and the Pioneer Emperor would end up fighting, terrified the Pioneer Emperor would recognize him, terrified the Pioneer Emperor might kill Quinn Shepherd, or Quinn Shepherd might kill the Pioneer Emperor.
How could a straightforward, blunt fellow like him possibly endure all that?
But he’d had no choice but to put up with it. Now, the moment he let out his pent-up feelings, he couldn’t stop at all!
That’s just how martial masters are.
When they explode, it’s earth-shattering—no ox could hold them back, let alone him, since he really is an ox!
Sam Oxley fought with abandon. More and more ancient gods and demigods surged in, making him so excited he let out a high, wild moo, knocking the gods of the Heavenly Court out of the sky.
Suddenly, a sun in the sky burst with dazzling light—a beam shot down with a buzz, blasting Old Ox sky-high!
Atop the sun, the Great Sun Star Lord wiped golden blood from his mouth, unleashed his power, and fired another beam—before Old Ox could regain his footing, he was blasted away again!
On the other side, the moon blazed as well—two beams struck, sending Old Ox’s massive body crashing down by the Celestial River.
The Five Luminaries stars shone brightly in turn—the Five Luminaries Star Lords were working together, controlling their stars, clearly planning a joint assault.
"You think Old Ox is scared of you?"
Old Ox bellowed, reaching out—waves rocked the Celestial River as he tried to hoist it as a weapon, ready to sweep the stars away!
Countless cultivators in the Jade Pool shuddered. Quinn Shepherd crawled out from Old Ox’s palm print, dusted himself off, and, face dark, told the Pioneer Emperor—who was also crawling up nearby—"If he dares hit you, don’t worry, I’ll help you get payback someday! That ox is absolutely nuts—completely nuts!"
Next to him, the Pioneer Emperor stretched, slightly stunned by Quinn’s words: "Isn’t he supposed to be my opponent? Why say he’ll help me get payback? This guy is strange—he’s clearly hostile, but when Old Ox knocks me down, he suddenly protects me."
Venerable Skysoar hurried over, saying, "That old man just made a huge scene! He’s alerted the existences of all thirty-six Heaven Palaces! Things are about to get out of hand."
Quinn Shepherd snorted coldly, "He could solve this whole mess—if he just tore up that Yellow Talisman Paper, no one would recognize him. But that dumb ox is probably too worked up to remember how to get out of this. Once he’s tired from fighting, he’ll remember."
Venerable Skysoar eyed the three curiously, thinking, "Their relationship really is strange..."
The Celestial River churned—Old Ox nearly managed to hoist it as a divine weapon. Just then, a deep voice echoed from the heart of the Heavenly Court: "I was born of the Celestial River. If you use it as a weapon, aren’t you destroying my home? The Celestial River is off limits."
Old Ox instantly felt the Celestial River grow impossibly heavy, pressing him down until his muscles and bones bent under the weight.
He let go of the river and leapt away—only to see an ancient god striding across the waves. Behind him, a phantom of a colossal Black Tortoise appeared, with a soaring serpent coiled atop its shell, mouth agape to swallow the sky, its forked tongue flickering and its vertical pupils fixed on Old Ox with a sly, sinister glare.
Old Ox’s heart leapt—he finally snapped back to his senses. Just then, the eastern sky blazed with green light as another elder approached, a giant azure dragon coiling behind him.
"Could these be the Northern Emperor and Eastern Emperor, two of the Four Sovereigns?"
Old Ox blinked, fists clenched, excitement rising: "Are the Eastern and Northern Emperors of this era stronger than those of later ages? Only one way to find out—fight! Old Ox fears no one!"
At that moment, a lofty voice rang out, as if from the highest heavens: "Black Tortoise, Azure Dragon, don’t bully him. This young fellow has skills, but I’ve never heard his name—so he wasn’t invited to this Heavenly Court gathering. He’s upset, so he’s causing a scene."
The Northern Emperor bowed: "Your Majesty, he’s disrupted the Heavenly Court assembly. If we don’t kill him, where will our dignity be? I say we execute him as a warning to others!"
Old Ox’s heart pounded: "The Heavenly Emperor? Was that the Heavenly Emperor speaking just now? If they want to kill me, how can I possibly escape?"
The voice laughed: "Why bother with displays of power in today’s Heavenly Court? Is there any enemy left under heaven? With your skills, you’re worthy of being a palace lord. But since you made such a scene, that’s a crime—you’ll be punished. After the Heavenly Court gathering, come to my palace and serve as my Gold Guard General."
Old Ox bowed quickly, just as a beam of light descended from the sky into his hands—a general’s command token.
He scratched his head and hung the Gold Guard General’s token at his side.
"Lucky you," the Northern Emperor said, retreating as the Celestial River calmed.
The elder from the east also faded away, vanishing without a trace.
Old Ox hurriedly dispelled his martial form, shrinking back to normal size. He returned to the Jade Pool and told Quinn Shepherd, "The Heavenly Emperor saw my skills and made me Gold Guard General instead of killing me."
Quinn Shepherd shook his head: "You made such a ruckus—he could have sent you to the God Execution Platform for beheading and called it lenient! I thought you’d grown up, but you’re even wilder than Pioneer Quinn!"
The Pioneer Emperor grunted, gazing at the sky with an air of calm indifference.
Old Ox said, "If you two hadn’t stirred up trouble, would I have gone wild? Just behave yourselves and we’ll all get through these months in peace."
Quinn Shepherd noticed the token at Old Ox’s waist and said, "Let me see that token."
Old Ox handed it over. Quinn was about to rummage through his Glutton Bag when a cheerful young man approached, smiling at Venerable Skysoar: "Venerable Skysoar, who are these three senior brothers?"
"I have no idea," Venerable Skysoar replied.
At last, Venerable Skysoar came to his senses and asked Quinn Shepherd, "What are your names?"
(Irrelevant author note asking for votes. Skipping translation.)