Chapter 246-Come back, come back
Just when Xie Zhao was feeling drowsy from the sun, Chu Linyuan suddenly pulled the reins and looked sharply behind a huge sand dune in the distance.
"What's wrong, senior brother?" Xie Zhao immediately became alert.
Chu Linyuan frowned slightly, seeming a little uncertain: "The breath... is somewhat familiar."
The two men restrained their breath, quietly urged the camel beast, and circled to the side of the sand dune. They saw a fierce battle going on in the shade behind the sand dune!
An extremely tall, dark-skinned, muscular figure was waving a huge hammer like a door panel and fighting fiercely with a huge "Sandstorm Lizard" covered with a hard rock shell!
The figure's bronze skin shone oily in the sunlight, and star patterns were faintly visible all over his body. Every time he swung his hammer, it was like the force of wind and thunder, and it made a dull thud when it hit the stone lizard's shell, sending sparks flying!
If not Tie Niu, then who else could it be?!
However, Tie Niu's temperament at this moment had changed drastically compared to when he left the sect.
He still looked simple and honest as before, but his brows had a bit more of the toughness and composure that comes from having experienced hardships. His eyes were as sharp as an eagle, his movements were swift and fierce, and he was full of power.
His cultivation had surprisingly broken through to the middle stage of the Spiritual Transformation Realm! Clearly, the training during this period had benefited him greatly.
The sandstorm lizard is the overlord of the desert. It has thick skin and flesh, is extremely powerful, and can spit out suffocating sandstorms from its mouth.
Although Tie Niu was brave, he was obviously struggling to deal with the situation alone. There were several bloodstains on his body and his breathing was heavy, but he still did not retreat a single step. His eyes were fierce, as if he was competing with the ferocious beast.
Xie Zhao's eyes lit up as he pulled Chu Linyuan's sleeve and excitedly said in a low voice, "It's Tie Niu! This big, silly guy is really good! He's improved so much! Should we scare him?"
Chu Linyuan looked at the fighting Iron Bull below, and a hint of imperceptible approval flashed in his eyes. He nodded slightly, agreeing with Xie Zhao's prank.
Just when Tie Niu was gathering all his strength and preparing to deal a fatal blow to the stone lizard, something strange happened!
An icy blue sword energy that was so sharp that it seemed to be able to freeze the soul came silently from the side like a fairy from the sky, and hit the relatively fragile connection between the stone lizard's neck and shell with incredible precision!
The stone lizard's massive body suddenly stiffened, its hard rock shell like paper before the concentrated sword energy, easily pierced through! It let out a shrill wail, collapsed to the ground, twitched a few times, and then stopped moving.
Tie Niu's hammer, which was struck with all his strength, almost missed the target. The huge inertia made him stagger. He looked at the stone lizard that suddenly died in shock, and looked in the direction of the sword energy with surprise and suspicion.
I saw two figures appear on the sand dunes not far away.
A man dressed in black clothes, with white hair like frost and a stern face. Who else could it be but his senior brother Chu Linyuan whom he thought about day and night?
And beside the eldest senior brother, the one wearing a flashy moon-white robe, smiling like a fox that stole a chicken, waving at him, who else could it be but the second senior brother, Xie Zhao?!
"Big, Big Brother?! Second Brother?!" Tie Niu's huge eyes instantly widened, his mouth opened wide enough to fit an egg, and he froze in place as if under a spell, his face filled with disbelief and great surprise. "W-Why are you here?!"
Xie Zhao grinned as he pulled Chu Linyuan down the sand dune. He walked up to Tie Niu and patted his sturdy shoulder, which was almost out of reach. "Hey! Isn't this our coach Tie Niu? It's been a few months since we last met, and you're so tired? You're having so much trouble dealing with a small lizard?"
Tie Niu finally came back to his senses from the huge shock, his huge face flushed with excitement. He looked at Chu Linyuan, then at Xie Zhao, his eyes actually reddening a little. He spoke in a muffled voice, with a hint of grievance and immense joy: "Second Brother! I... I missed you guys so much! Senior Brother! You... I'm so glad you're all okay!"
He was so excited that he was almost incoherent, like a child who had finally found his parents. The hardships he had experienced alone during this period, his longing for the sect, and his concern for his brothers and sisters all seemed to have an outlet at this moment.
Chu Linyuan looked at him like this, his cold eyes softened a little, and he nodded slightly: "Not bad."
Tie Niu was so excited that he was at a loss when he received the evaluation of "senior brother".
Xie Zhao looked at the new scars on Tie Niu's body and his more calm and resolute temperament, and felt deeply moved. He knew that this big guy had really suffered a lot outside and had really grown up.
He stopped joking and said seriously, "Okay, silly cow, tell us what you have been through recently. Why did you end up in the desert?"
Tie Niu scratched his head foolishly and began to recount his experiences of the past few months in a muffled voice.
How he crossed the dangerous jungle, how he fought against powerful monsters, how he was tricked into an ancient monk's cave and almost couldn't get out, and how he went all the way west and came to this desert to hone himself...
He spoke in a simple, even clumsy way, but the danger and growth in his story made Xie Zhao sometimes amazed and sometimes frightened.
Chu Linyuan listened quietly, occasionally asking a key question or pointing out some of Tie Niu's shortcomings in battle. Tie Niu took careful note of it and regarded his senior brother's advice as a golden rule.
The setting sun stretched the three people's shadows across the golden desert. The joy of reunion after a long separation dispelled the desert's scorching heat and desolation.
Xie Zhao decided not to go to the next destination for the time being. He would stay in the desert with Tie Niu for a few days to reminisce about the past and see how much this big guy has grown.
Gungun seemed to recognize the big guy who used to secretly feed it dried meat. He poked his head out of the basket and called out "hmm" twice to Tieniu.
Tie Niu looked at Gungun, and his huge palm hesitated, not daring to let go, for fear that his rough palm would hurt the little guy.
GunGun didn't seem to be afraid of him. Instead, it rubbed its furry head against his calloused fingers, making a comfortable "purring" sound.
"It...it recognized him!" Tie Niu was surprised and happy, with a very honest smile on his face. He carefully stroked Juan Juan's back with one finger.
Xie Zhao watched this scene and said with a smile, "Of course it recognizes you. Back in the sect, you were the most diligent in secretly feeding it dried meat!"
Tie Niu scratched his head sheepishly, then, as if remembering something, he hurriedly rummaged through his storage bag and pulled out a large piece of dried meat wrapped in clean leaves. It exuded a rich aroma and spiritual energy, and handed it to Gun Gun. "Here... here you go! This is the camel meat I hunted in that oasis before. I marinated it using a special method. It's delicious!"
Gungun's nose twitched, immediately attracted by the smell of meat. He held the meat jerky, which was bigger than his face, with his two front paws and began to chew it happily, making a satisfied "hmm" sound.
Seeing Gungun eating with relish, Tieniu's smile became even brighter, and he finally had time to take a closer look at his two senior brothers.
He noticed that Chu Linyuan's aura was becoming more and more unfathomable, like a deep abyss and a towering mountain. Although Xie Zhao still looked as lively as before, his eyes were brighter and clearer, and it was obvious that his cultivation had also improved a lot.
"Big Brother, Second Brother, how did you...travel here?" Tie Niu asked in a muffled voice, while he began to deal with the corpse of the sandstorm stone lizard skillfully, peeling the skin and taking out the meat. His movements were swift, and it was obvious that he had done this a lot during this period of time.
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