"Moo!" The Bronze Bull let out a thunderous roar, and a fierce bull breath surged from its nostrils. Instantly, a great wind arose, forcefully dispersing the clouds and mist outside the cliff.

It was only then that Chen Guan noticed that there was a beam connecting the mountain peak and the Pill Furnace between the cliff and the furnace. The White Deer had walked over from the beam. Because the clouds and mist shrouded the beam, it seemed as though the deer had treaded upon the clouds.

"White Deer, this is Cuiyun Mountain, not a place for you to run wild." The Bronze Bull stared coldly at the White Deer as it spoke.

"How can you call this running wild? I'm just here to complete our agreed exchange with this interesting lad." The expression on the Holy Horned White Deer's face suddenly tightened, and it coldly glanced at the Bronze Bull. "Moreover, even if I were running wild, what could you possibly do about it?"

"You head down the mountain first. I'll take care of things here." The Bronze Bull shook Chen Guan off its back, keeping its eyes locked on the Holy Horned White Deer as an eerie aura emanated from it, making its already majestic body appear even more formidable, like an invisible deity descended upon it.

Moo!

With another earth-shattering bellow, the Bronze Bull unleashed its full aura and charged madly at the White Deer on the beam.

As it thundered forward, the surrounding clouds and winds were torn apart, creating an invisible area around it, as if a colossal invisible bull as large as a mountain cloaked the Bronze Bull, charging alongside.

Such a terrifying momentum could easily bore a hole through a mountain if it stood in the Bull's way.

The White Deer stood still, not rushing to collide with the Bronze Bull but instead stopped in its tracks, mocking as it calmly awaited the intimidating Bronze Bull to charge forth.

The beam was merely about one meter wide, leaving nowhere to evade.

As the Bronze Bull charged closer without the White Deer dodging, its antlers met the Bull's horns directly, clashing in the middle of the beam.

Boom!

The collision between the Bronze Bull's horns and the Deer's antlers resulted in a fearsome explosion of air currents. The surrounding clouds and mist churned, creating chaotic eddies, before they dispersed to the distant skies.

The White Deer remained unfazed, yet the Bronze Bull staggered backward several steps. A cracking sound was heard, and the Bronze Bull's horn shattered, falling into the abyss below.

"White Deer, do you know the consequences of meddling with Cuiyun Mountain?" The Bronze Bull stared at the White Deer, speaking in a deep, buzzing voice.

"If your true form were here, you'd be qualified to speak thus; as it stands, what good will your threats do?" The White Deer's hooves abruptly swung into action, advancing towards the Bronze Bull.

The Bronze Bull roared and lowered its head for another charge at the Deer.

As the two neared collision, the White Deer gracefully leapt, planting its front hooves on the Bronze Bull's head, propelling itself into the air and landing up the cliff.

The force of its leap sent the Bronze Bull toppling off balance and tumbling down the cliff, letting out a long bellow filled with unwillingness.

"Kid, you seem interesting enough and haven't been greedy for the Golden Core; leave the Celestial Immortal Peony, take the Vermilion Fruit, and roll down the mountain." As the Holy Horned White Deer spoke, a strange brilliance shone from its antlers, and a Vermilion Fruit appeared out of nowhere between them.

The Holy Horned White Deer lowered its head slightly, allowing the Vermilion Fruit to roll onto the ground before it.

Chen Guan carefully observed the Vermilion Fruit; it was indeed slightly different from the ones he had previously picked. Though a small difference, it felt noticeably different in texture.

"With just one Vermilion Fruit, you wish to trade for a Golden Core? You've calculated well indeed." Chen Guan wondered if he could haggle a bit more.

Being a First Awakening Cultivator, Chen Guan knew he couldn't contend with the White Deer.

The Holy Horned White Deer was certainly a Third Awakening Secret Spirit, possibly of a higher level previously, but in the Blessed Land, only Secret Spirits below the Third Awakening are permitted entry. Once exceeding the Third Awakening, they would be automatically transmitted out, unable to linger here.

So regardless of how formidable the Holy Horned White Deer once was, it couldn't exceed level 30 at present.

However, this didn't affect Chen Guan much; whether level 30 or 40, he couldn't win either way.

Since defeat was inevitable, Chen Guan had no desire to die for the Celestial Immortal Peony, only to complete the transaction with the Holy Horned White Deer.

"Spare me the nonsense, hand over the Celestial Immortal Peony. Otherwise, not only will you not get the Vermilion Fruit, but you won't keep your life either." The Holy Horned White Deer, having waited many years, finally glimpsing hope, was unwilling to dawdle with Chen Guan, directly advancing to seize the Celestial Immortal Peony, even his life if necessary.

"Is it necessary to be so hasty? I just want to haggle a bit." Just as Chen Guan was about to speak, he suddenly heard a loud sound exploding nearby.

Boom!

The nearby clouds explosively burst open, revealing a robust figure wielding a Giant Sword, stepping in front of Chen Guan.

"Did you ask me if you could take his life?" The formidable person wielding the Giant Sword coldly gazed at the Holy Horned White Deer.

Chen Guan stared in astonishment at the rugged figure between him and the White Deer, a look of surprise etched across his face.

Of course, he recognized this person as Xiu Jie Ming, but he couldn't comprehend why Xiu Jie Ming would come to his rescue when Xiu Jie Ming had been plotting for Chen Guan's demise here all along.

If the White Deer were to kill him, wouldn't it play right into Xiu Jie Ming's plan? Why would he now stand against it?

"Is it also for the Golden Core, to keep the Celestial Immortal Peony from falling into the White Deer's grasp?" Chen Guan pondered.

"Chen Guan, Buckle, you two go down the mountain first; I'll handle things here." Xiu Jie Ming instructed Chen Guan and Buckle at his back.

"You? You're nothing." The Holy Horned White Deer suddenly moved, with lightning speed, appearing before Xiu Jie Ming, its atypical antlers ramming towards Xiu Jie Ming's chest.

Clang!

Xiu Jie Ming crossed his sword to block the White Deer's antlers, the Giant Sword wedged amidst the antlers, causing a chaotic surge of Primordial Energy.

Xiu Jie Ming's body slid several meters as if gliding back, his feet carving deep furrows into the rocky ground.

The White Deer's eyes flickered with surprise; it hadn't expected Xiu Jie Ming to withstand its strike.

"Not bad; to endure a strike with a third of my strength, you're indeed someone of repute." The Holy Horned White Deer snorted, charging at Xiu Jie Ming once more.

Xiu Jie Ming did not evade, his gaze intense as he gripped the Giant Sword single-handedly, cleaving towards the White Deer charging head-on.

However, in the next instant, the body of the Holy Horned White Deer vanished and reappeared at Xiu Jie Ming's side, its antlers targeting Xiu Jie Ming's midsection.

Xiu Jie Ming, with his sword already extended, couldn't retract it in time.

"Commander!" Buckle couldn't help but exclaim in horror.

Yet, Xiu Jie Ming remained unflustered, stretching out his other hand like lightning to grasp the antlers of the Holy Horned White Deer. His robust body suddenly seemed as light as a Paperman, swung into the air with the Deer's momentum, dissipating the force of the charge.

Meanwhile, in the air, he grasped the sword with both hands, slashing downward fiercely. On the sword's blade, intangible Sword Energy surged downward with apocalyptic might.

Clang!

The Holy Horned White Deer stood unflinching, its antlers clashing fiercely against the terrifying Sword Energy and the Giant Sword, forcing both to fracture and sending Xiu Jie Ming flying back.

Having sent Xiu Jie Ming flying, the White Deer didn't give chase but instead charged at Chen Guan. It wished to avoid complications and obtain the Celestial Immortal Peony swiftly.

Xiu Jie Ming, though airborne, suddenly seemed as if his body grew heavy, with the weight of a mountain, impacting the ground harshly. His feet shattered the rock beneath, cracks spiderwebbed outward.

Boom!

With explosive power from his legs, Xiu Jie Ming launched himself like a cannonball, reaching the back of the White Deer in a flash, brandishing his Giant Sword towards the Deer's neck.

"You seek death!" Infuriated, the White Deer spun abruptly to face Xiu Jie Ming, its blood-red eyes blazing with anger, the Holy Horn atop its head emanating an awe-inspiring sacred radiance.

That sacred radiance formed a visible lattice of antlers in the air, like a maze of strange antler-shaped shadows intertwined into a light cage, ensnaring Xiu Jie Ming within.

Xiu Jie Ming's Giant Sword struck against the lattice; Sword Energy fractured but the sword was repelled, the antler cage swayed yet remained unbroken.

"After I retrieve the Celestial Immortal Peony, I'll deal with you." The Holy Horned White Deer had just started to turn its head when it heard a thunderous sound from behind, prompting it to look back.

Xiu Jie Ming roared, wrath surging from his head as Primordial Energy erupted from him like a volcanic burst. With both hands wielding the Giant Sword, the energy transmuted into tangible flames along the blade, like burning fire, slamming down heavily on the antler cage.

The cage of antler-shed light was forcibly cleaved open, scattering into fragments of light that dissipated unseen.

"Without my permission, you cannot kill him." In a blaze of Primordial Energy, the towering figure dragged the Giant Sword single-handedly and approached slowly.

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