573: Chapter 83 Game Theory, Kui Niu

On the shores of the East Sea, waves lashed against the reefs, the splashing water refracting tiny, shimmering rays of light under the sun.

A streak of light flew in and landed on a small hill, revealing two figures: Meng Li and Tian Linger.

Looking at the majestic scenery where the distant sky met the sea, and the dazzling, sparkling water nearby, Tian Linger's already good mood became even brighter.

But she did not forget their business; after admiring it for a moment, she withdrew her gaze and said to Meng Li with puzzlement, "Junior Brother, something about this situation doesn't seem right."

"According to ancient records, the Kui Ox is shaped like an ox, with a gray body, no horns, and one leg."

"It lives in the deep sea year-round and rarely appears in the world; once it emerges, it brings wind and rain, accompanied by thunder and lightning."

"Here, the wind is gentle, the air is clear, and the sun is bright; there is absolutely no sign of the Kui Ox's presence."

Meng Li replied with a smile, "The place where the Kui Ox appears is around Liubo Mountain; this shouldn't be the place. Let's find some people and ask for the specific location."

"Alright." Tian Linger readily agreed.

Afterward, the two flew off, found a fisherman in a fishing village to ask for the location of Liubo Mountain, and headed straight there.

Upon arriving near Liubo Mountain, they inquired again and learned that the nearby sea area had indeed experienced violent storms and thunder and lightning some time ago, and some commoners had even seen the Kui Ox with their own eyes.

However, the Kui Ox disappeared again shortly after.

With nothing else to do, Meng Li and Tian Linger searched around Liubo Mountain based on the information provided by the witnesses.

As a result, the two searched Liubo Mountain from top to bottom without finding the Kui Ox, and in the end, they could only cast their gaze toward the boundless sea.

Tian Linger frowned and said, "Only this sea area is left, but the sea is vast and deep; searching it probably won't be easy."

Meng Li gazed at the surging waves on the sea surface, a glimmer of light flashing in his eyes, and turned to say to Tian Linger, "Perhaps we can try a different method."

After speaking, he untied the storage bag from his waist and opened it.

In an instant, a giant snake with a black body, white belly, and scales shimmering with a faint light slowly flew out from the storage bag; it was the ancient exotic beast, the Blackwater Xuan Snake, that Meng Li had subdued.

The Blackwater Xuan Snake circled in the air, landed on the ground, and let out a low hiss toward Meng Li.

Meng Li pointed toward the depths of the sea and said to the Blackwater Xuan Snake, "Go and help me find the traces of the Kui Ox."

Upon hearing this, the Blackwater Xuan Snake hissed and dove headlong into the sea, quickly disappearing into the surging waves.

Tian Linger looked at Meng Li with some surprise, "Will this work?"

Meng Li smiled slightly, "The Blackwater Xuan Snake has lived for tens of thousands of years, and its intelligence is no less than a human's; letting it search for a target is not a problem. Moreover, it was born in the marshes and has the ability to control water, making it extremely sensitive to aquatic auras. In addition, it and the Kui Ox are both ancient exotic beasts; perhaps it can sense the other's presence."

Tian Linger realized and said no more.

At this moment, as if thinking of something, Meng Li said, "Compared to the Kui Ox, I am more curious about where the people from the Ghost King Sect have gone."

Hearing this, Tian Linger also felt puzzled.

Because when the two were inquiring about the Kui Ox earlier, they had also asked about the whereabouts of the Ghost King Sect. But strangely, according to the local commoners, not only had there been no large groups of people, but they hadn't even seen many new faces recently.

Based on this, it could be inferred that the people from the Ghost King Sect either hadn't arrived yet, or their large-scale mobilization was not aimed at this place.

Comparing the two, Meng Li felt the latter was more likely.

After all, the news from the Qingyun Sect was received after some time, so their response was lagging behind the Ghost King Sect's actions.

Therefore, the possibility that the Ghost King Sect hadn't arrived was extremely low.

Thinking of this, Meng Li told Tian Linger about his deduction.

Tian Linger felt it made sense, then raised a new question, "If the Ghost King Sect's target isn't here, then where could it be?"

Meng Li shook his head, "I don't know for now. However, I have a hunch that the Ghost King Sect's mobilization this time is inseparable from the emergence of the Kui Ox. Once the Kui Ox's tracks are revealed, they will likely come at the news."

Tian Linger nodded, "Then we'll just wait; anyway, Father and Junior Martial Uncle Shuiyue haven't arrived yet."

Meng Li nodded.

Afterward, the two stood on a large rock on the shore, chatting while enjoying the breeze and the scenery, waiting patiently.

A long time passed, and there was no movement on the sea surface.

Tian Linger felt bored, so she took out a chessboard and chess pieces from her storage ring and said to Meng Li with a smile, "Looking at this, it probably won't yield results anytime soon. It's boring to just wait, let's play chess."

Meng Li's eyes flickered, and he smiled, "Sure, but playing chess alone is meaningless; why not add a wager?"

Tian Linger didn't think much of it and casually agreed, "Alright, what kind of wager?"

Meng Li said, "The loser must agree to do one thing for the winner."

Tian Linger blinked and agreed, "Fine. However, your chess skills are higher than mine, so you must give me a head start, and it must be best of three."

"Deal."

Before long, the two sat down to play.

In less than an hour, Tian Linger lost two out of three games and owed Meng Li one favor.

Tian Linger scratched her hair and said dejectedly, "I lost. Tell me, what do you want me to do?"

Meng Li smiled, "I haven't thought of that yet, so let's keep it as an IOU for now."

Then, he asked, "Do you want to play again? If you win, you can cancel the favor you owe."

Tian Linger looked at the calm sea and replied, "Yes, but you have to give me more of a head start."

"Sure."

Not long after, Tian Linger lost two out of three games again and owed Meng Li another favor.

Just as she was hesitating whether to continue, the sea surface suddenly became restless, and a powerful energy fluctuation came from the deep sea.

Immediately afterward, a deafening roar echoed through the sky.

"There's movement!"

Meng Li and Tian Linger exchanged a glance, immediately put away the chessboard, chess pieces, and stools, and looked toward the direction of the disturbance.

They saw wind and rain suddenly rising in the distant sea, thunder and lightning raging, and waves surging.

In a moment, a huge exotic beast, shaped like a green ox, without horns, and with only one leg, broke through the water and landed on a huge reef.

It was the ancient exotic beast, the Kui Ox.

Immediately after, the huge body of the Blackwater Xuan Snake appeared.

It thrashed in the water, surrounded by massive amounts of seawater, forming huge water dragons that charged fiercely toward the Kui Ox.

Seeing this, the Kui Ox's pair of ox eyes flashed with purple light, drawing down thick bolts of lightning from the sky that struck fiercely at the Blackwater Xuan Snake.

Water conducts electricity, but after the water dragons and the lightning collided, they made a sizzling sound, matching each other evenly.

From this, it could be seen that the Blackwater Xuan Snake's ability to control water was extremely formidable.

After a bout of water and electricity intertwining, a large amount of water vapor spread out, shrouding the entire sea area.

The two beasts went back and forth, fighting in a stalemate.

The Blackwater Xuan Snake manipulated the water flow, sometimes turning it into an indestructible water wall to block the lightning attacks, and sometimes turning it into sharp water blades to hack at the Kui Ox.

The Kui Ox continuously released powerful lightning, illuminating the entire sea surface with electric light, and the air was filled with a thick scent of ionized electricity.

Just as the two beasts were fighting fiercely, several figures suddenly flew in from the distant sky.

Their speed was extremely fast, and in the blink of an eye, they arrived near the battlefield.

Meng Li's eyes narrowed, and he said in a deep voice, "It's people from the Ghost King Sect!"