Seeing the Bull Demon King regain his composure, Tu Xiao'an wore a faint, calm smile. 'He looks down on me, a Rank Two Snake Spirit?'

"Scram. This has nothing to do with you. Crawl back to wherever you came from before I lose my temper," the Bull Demon King said, his large, bell-like eyes turning cold.

Tu Xiao'an shook his head. "And what if I don't?"

The Bull Demon King's pupils constricted as Killing Intent flared. "I don't even need to lift a finger to kill you," he said lightly. "A Rank Two Snake Spirit like you isn't worthy of my time."

"So you want to fight? Fine, but hold on," Tu Xiao'an said, suddenly holding up a hand.

The Bull Demon King, sitting on the leather sofa, was taken aback.

Tu Xiao'an turned to look at Wang Qingfu, who was propped against a wall. His face was deathly pale and he stood frozen in place, cold sweat streaming down his spine.

"Don't be afraid. Just get some sleep. When you wake up, this will all be over."

Tu Xiao'an gave the terrified Wang Qingfu a small smile. Then his eyes narrowed, and a wave of Consciousness Power washed over the man.

Wang Qingfu's eyes bulged for a second before he crumpled to the floor, unconscious.

"Tsk, tsk. A mighty Snake Spirit like you, actually concerned with the life or death of a mere human." The Bull Demon King's eyes were filled with derision. "They say your Snake Race is the most cold-blooded of all, but you're quite the oddity. Have you spent so much time in the Human World that you've forgotten what you are?"

"Enough nonsense. Human or Demon, everyone has the right to live. There's no reason anyone should have to pay the price for your cruelty." Tu Xiao'an had no desire to be a completely cold-blooded Snake.

A cold and heartless existence might be easier, but he could never live that way. In this world, he still had family he needed to protect.

The existence of his family, the faces of his mother and older sister, served as a clear reminder to Tu Xiao'an that he wasn't truly a Snake.

He would kill those who deserved to die and save those who deserved to be saved. He wouldn't stand idly by. To him, salvation and slaughter were not contradictory.

"Hmph. A cold-blooded Snake Spirit spouting such nonsense. You're not afraid of becoming a laughingstock?" Utterly contemptuous, the Bull Demon King stomped his foot on the floor, causing the entire hall to tremble violently.

Tu Xiao'an's eyes narrowed slightly. 'The Bull Demon King isn't attacking me; he's still sitting firmly on the sofa.'

He whipped his head around and saw countless cracks spiderwebbing across the ice sculpture. The partially transformed Bull Demon inside was about to break free.

'So that stomp was to save his subordinate.'

"Like I said, you aren't worthy of my attention."

SHATTER!

The ice sculpture exploded. The unusually tall and burly Bull Demon burst out as if freed from a seal, appearing before Tu Xiao'an in an instant.

"You miserable Little Snake Spirit, you dare launch a sneak attack on me?"

Killing Intent erupted from the Bull Demon like a raging gale, and a cloud of black Qi swirled around his body.

[Ding! Bull Demon, Level 29. Devouring will grant the host 2,000 Evolutionary Energy. Killing will grant 1,000 Evolutionary Energy. No reward for subduing.]

'The system is fully online now, and it's much more responsive than before. Devouring gives the full reward, killing gives half, and there's nothing for subduing it. This must mean that with my current strength, it wouldn't be hard to subdue this Bull Demon.'

"Snake Spirit, defeat it. Only then will you be worthy of challenging me," the Bull Demon King said, leaning back on the sofa with the relaxed air of someone waiting for a show to start.

The Bull Demon said, "My Lord, watch closely. I'll show you how I deal with this Little Snake Spirit."

The Bull Demon King nodded with a grin. A vicious glint flashed in his eyes as he roared, "Then kill it for me!"

The voice boomed like a thunderclap, shaking the entire hall. On the coffee table, several cups and saucers shattered outright.

WHOOSH! 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

The Bull Demon moved. His muscles bulged, making him as strong as an ox—no, he *was* an ox. A Rank Two forced partial Transformation. His strength was far greater than that of an ordinary Level 29 Spirit Monster.

As he moved, the two sharp horns on his head glinted coldly. He launched a savage charge at Tu Xiao'an.

They were barely ten feet apart. The tips of the horns were already almost touching Tu Xiao'an's chest. Another two steps and they would impale him completely.

With no time to think, Tu Xiao'an instinctively reached out and grabbed the sharp horns.

An overwhelming force slammed into him. Tu Xiao'an was thrown backward, crashing into the rear wall.

BOOM!

The wall cratered inward from the impact.

[Ding! Human form damage at 10%.]

'He's incredibly strong.'

A deep blue aura flared around Tu Xiao'an, and a wave of blue ice instantly crept up the horns.

In an instant, the Bull Demon was frozen solid.

From the leather sofa, the Bull Demon King gave a disdainful smile. He showed not the slightest surprise at seeing his subordinate caught in an Ice Seal again.

BOOM!

He had been frozen for less than a breath's time. With an explosion of ice shards, the Bull Demon broke free, seething with Killing Intent. "I was careless before! You think you can use that Ice Seal on me again? Dream on! Die, Snake Spirit!"

With a powerful shove, he drove Tu Xiao'an deeper into the wall. The sharp tips of the horns pressed against his skin, threatening to pierce through at any moment.

"You're dead for sure, Snake Spirit," the Bull Demon laughed cruelly. "Once you die and revert to your true form, I'll stew you into a soup for a midnight snack!"

"Me, a midnight snack? Are you feeling tired?"

'Huh? What does he mean by that?'

Tu Xiao'an continued, "Because in the middle of the night, you're already dreaming, and you haven't even fallen asleep yet."

"You're courting death! I'll gore you with my horns!" the Bull Demon roared, flying into a rage.

The deep blue aura around Tu Xiao'an vanished. With a single thought, he was wreathed in Flame, and a scorching heat instantly filled the hall.

The Bull Demon was instantly stunned. 'What's going on? First ice, now fire?'

"I don't think you'll be needing these horns anymore," Tu Xiao'an said, his hands erupting in Blazing Fire where he gripped the horns. A bull's horns are said to be extremely hard, and for a Rank Two Bull Spirit, they were akin to powerful weapons.

"So hot, so hot! Stop! Let go!"

The hard horns were clearly softening as the Flame scorched them. The power of Tu Xiao'an's Flame scaled with his own strength.

The higher his Level and the greater his strength, the more powerful his Elemental Attribute Power became when released.

At his current Level, his Flame could melt a piece of iron into liquid with ease.

The Bull Demon now felt as if its entire head was on fire. With raging flames engulfing its horns, the Killing Intent in its eyes turned to sheer terror.

It stopped pushing against Tu Xiao'an and tried to pull back, desperate to escape the flames.

"You can retreat, but leave your horns behind," Tu Xiao'an said with a wicked grin. Concentrating all his strength into his hands, he gave a powerful twist.

CRACK!

The Bull Demon was sent flying, landing in a miserable heap on the floor.

A smile played on Tu Xiao'an's face as he stood there, admiring the two horns in his hands.

Bull horns were a prized ingredient in traditional medicine, capable of treating many ailments. They could also be fashioned into musical instruments. Moreover, the horns of a Rank Two Bull Spirit could serve as incredibly deadly weapons.

'This is good stuff. I could probably sell them for a lot of money.'