Chapter 11

Countless miles away from Tiandang Mountain...

On a patch of white clouds, a scruffy, drunken middle-aged man was chugging liquor straight from a gourd.

Suddenly, he froze, turned his head to look far into the distance, and mumbled, "Huh? Who dared draw my sword? So disrespectful! Let me just..."

Before he could finish, he flipped his body, attempting to fly off. But in his drunken stupor, he tumbled right off the cloud.

"Boom!"

The impact was like a meteor crash, leaving a massive crater in the ground.

The middle-aged man rubbed his head and mumbled groggily, "Tsk, the Heavenly Pool's immortal brew sure packs a punch. I'm totally wasted. Forget it, whoever drew the sword wins. I... I'm going to sleep!"

And just like that, he lay in the crater and started snoring loudly.

Nearby, a group of over ten men in black uniforms, their chests embroidered with snake patterns, stood frozen.

One of them cautiously stepped forward and asked, "Lord, this man has intruded on our sacred grounds. Should we drive him away?"

The one addressed as "Lord" shot him a glare and barked, "Are you blind? Look closely at the sword in his hand."

The black-clad man squinted and immediately turned pale. Trembling, he stammered, "The Severance Sword... It's... him..."

The Lord snorted. "Now you understand. Then shut up and keep quiet if you value your life."

He turned to the others and ordered, "Notify everyone: until this man sobers up, no one is allowed near him! If he starts a drunken rampage, not even the sect master can handle it!"

The men nodded in unison, retreating quickly to relay the message.

Meanwhile, back at Tiandang Mountain...

Luo Tian was holding a rusty, battered sword, examining it closely.

"The material is ordinary," he murmured, "but the lingering sword intent is overwhelming. It's incredible how it imbues the sword with such terrifying power."

He muttered to himself, "Sword intent that dyes half the sky, huh? I wonder how strong my current sword intent is."

With that, he drew his own sword, took a deep breath, and slashed upward toward the heavens.

"Clang!"

Sword energy surged, shooting straight into the sky.

"Whoosh!"

A fierce wind swept through, splitting the clouds above into two halves.

The Five-Colored Divine Ox, witnessing this, was thoroughly convinced. It thought to itself, If he had used that move to bleed me dry earlier, I'd probably be dead now! Clearly, he was holding back.

However, Luo Tian frowned slightly and shook his head. "Still too weak."

The Five-Colored Divine Ox nearly coughed up blood. Weak? Are you kidding me?!

Luo Tian, unfazed, continued musing, "This rusty sword still holds plenty of sword intent. It should be usable three more times. Best to save it for later—it might come in handy." He tucked the sword into his spatial ring.

Just as he was about to speak to the Five-Colored Divine Ox—

"Thunk!"

Suddenly, a hand shot out from the lone grave at his feet.

"What the...?" Luo Tian exclaimed, leaping back into a defensive stance.

"Wait! Don't attack!"

The Five-Colored Divine Ox rushed forward and dropped to its knees in front of the grave, sobbing. "Mother..."

From the grave came a female voice. "Cry for your mother's funeral, will you? I'm not dead yet!"

The next moment, the hand pushed aside the earth, and a young girl climbed out of the grave.

She appeared to be no older than seventeen or eighteen, with a pair of horns on her head and a massive copper ring hanging from her nose.

Luo Tian immediately understood—she was clearly a bull demon in human form.

The Five-Colored Divine Ox, overcome with emotion, charged toward her. "Mother! It's been five hundred years! I finally see you again!"

However—

"Pow!"

The girl smacked him away with one palm, roaring, "Five hundred years?! And you're proud of that?! If I hadn't been tough, I'd be dead by now, buried here because of you!"

The Five-Colored Divine Ox, visibly wronged, mumbled, "I'm sorry..."

Luo Tian, watching this scene, asked in confusion, "Five hundred years? You're her... son?"

The Five-Colored Divine Ox explained meekly, "This is my mother. She was sealed here five hundred years ago and has finally been freed."

Before he could finish—

"Pow!"

The girl slapped him again.

"Mother! Why did you hit me again?!" the Five-Colored Divine Ox cried.

The girl sneered. "Hit you? You deserve worse! This man saved me, and you repay him by offering just one bottle of divine beast blood? What, is your blood worth more than your mother's life?"

The Five-Colored Divine Ox immediately shrank back, not daring to say another word.

On the other side, the young woman suddenly dashed up to Luo Tian, grabbed his hands tightly, and began shaking them vigorously.

Tears streamed down her face as she sobbed, "My savior! I've been sealed in that grave for five hundred years! I thought my life was over, but you, with your immense power, saved me and brought me back to the world. This kindness... I will never forget! From today onward, you are my elder brother! Big Brother, please accept my bow as your little sister!"

With that, she dropped to her knees and performed a deep kowtow.

"Mother! How can you kneel to this... this human?!"

The Five-Colored Divine Ox, completely flustered, rushed over to stop her.

However—

"Smack!"

The young woman slapped the Five-Colored Divine Ox on the head, glaring at him. "Watch your words! What do you mean, 'human'? This is your uncle! Call him Uncle!"

The Five-Colored Divine Ox clutched his head in grievance and mumbled weakly, "U-Uncle..."

Luo Tian was utterly speechless.

What was even happening? All he did was pull out a sword, and now he had a sister and a nephew? A nephew who happened to be a bull?

And to top it all off, this woman had been sealed for five centuries, which meant her actual age was far beyond that. Yet she was calling him "Big Brother"?

Unable to hold back his curiosity, Luo Tian finally asked, "Uh... What's your story, exactly?"

The young woman let out a long sigh, her expression somber as she began to explain:

"Big Brother, in the human world, my name is Niu Tiechui. My son's human name is Niu Wufang."

Luo Tian's lips twitched slightly. He struggled to keep a straight face, reluctantly giving her a thumbs-up. "Great names! Very... impressive!"

But in his heart, he was screaming: These two are the undisputed champions of terrible naming...

However, Niu Tiechui grew serious and continued, "Our Five-Colored Divine Ox Clan originally lived in the Southern Region. Due to internal strife, I fled with Wufang to the Northern Region when I was young. We eventually settled in the Tiandang Mountain Range."

"When I reached adulthood, I became the demon king of the mountain range thanks to my bloodline. That was the peak of the Tiandang Mountain Range's demon clan. Even the royal family of Nightwind Kingdom had to show me respect."

"But... good times don't last forever. Five hundred years ago, a drunken sword immortal from the human race passed through Tiandang Mountain. He coveted my divine beast bloodline and wanted to make me his mount. I refused to bow, so he sealed me in a grave with a single sword strike. He declared that I would be sealed for a thousand years unless someone could draw the sword."

"But, Big Brother, my remaining lifespan is less than seven hundred years. If you hadn't saved me today, I would have died sealed in that grave! Big Brother, you are my savior, my second parent!"

As she spoke, Niu Tiechui knelt again, this time bowing even more solemnly.

Luo Tian listened, his face dark with disbelief and exasperation. He let out a long sigh.

All I did was pull out a sword, and now I've gained a sister and a nephew. Is this what they call a fortuitous encounter...?