Half a Face’s voice had barely faded when a wind suddenly picked up around them. It was a fierce wind, carrying with it a heavy, black sand-like substance that buzzed in their ears and obscured their vision.

Finally, when the surroundings quieted down again, the figure of Ying Gou from back then reappeared before the three of them.

It was clear that Ying Gou had been constantly growing and changing since joining the Yellow Emperor’s camp.

In the beginning, Ying Gou lived more like a wild man, hunting when hungry and sleeping wherever he could find a place. He had almost no interaction with the outside world.

However, without any communication, cultivation methods, expert guidance, or inheritance, Ying Gou could already tear apart python demons with his bare hands and devour their highly poisonous Neidan (inner core). This alone was enough to demonstrate Ying Gou's terrifying talent.

It should be noted that even the last Palace Master, who considered himself and was generally recognized as a genius, owed his rise to his privileged position. His starting point was much higher than others.

Perhaps this was why the Yellow Emperor was willing to personally court Ying Gou and bring him into the fold.

Although the Yellow Emperor was not yet the leader of the alliance at that time, he may have been just the leader of a small tribe, but his status was indeed much higher than Ying Gou's.

After this, Ying Gou's various willful behaviors,

were almost as if he had a sign hanging on his forehead that read: "Please, hurry up and kill the dog after the rabbit is dead!"

But the Yellow Emperor was still able to tolerate him.

Because of Ying Gou's talent, and because of his terrifying growth rate.

The wind and sand settled, and Ying Gou’s armor was now soaked in blood, radiating a frightening aura. Behind him were hundreds of wounded soldiers, their armor marked with the brand of flames, a clear distinction from the soldiers previously seen around the Yellow Emperor.

Shouts of battle echoed from the valley entrance, along with the thunderous stomping of savage beasts.

Ying Gou raised his horizontal blade,

patting the back of the blade on the ground, signaling the remaining troops behind him to leave quickly.

The hundreds of soldiers saluted Ying Gou, not kneeling, but with a solemn gesture. Then, the remaining troops retreated in another direction.

Ying Gou remained alone to cover their retreat.

Compared to the Ying Gou seen in the previous image, this Ying Gou seemed slightly more restrained, with a hint of depth in his eyes.

Ahead, the valley entrance was pitch black, but the subtle sounds of countless pursuers and their beasts created a terrifying pressure.

However, the pursuers did not rush out all at once, but instead began to retreat.

Then,

from the darkness,

a giant emerged.

This giant was extremely burly, taller than the demon general Ying Gou had slain in the previous image. He wore a nose ring and beast-hide armor, the leather gleaming, its origin unknown.

On either side of his back, two rows of bone spurs extended, as if they had been neatly cut off, perhaps once wings.

Zhou Ze reached up and stroked his chin. In all honesty, Chi You’s entrance was much more high-end than the Yellow Emperor’s.

Legend has it that Chi You was the leader of many tribes that worshiped bird and bull totems, so this manifestation on his person wasn't strange.

Chi You looked at Ying Gou and threw his axe directly at Ying Gou’s feet, the axe sinking into the rock below.

This shouldn't be just a simple provocation, but more of an attempt to recruit him, or to enlist him.

Leaving his army in the distance and coming alone showed considerable sincerity.

Ying Gou silently bent down, pulled out the axe in front of him, and then threw it forward again.

Chi You reached out and caught the axe, a playful smile appearing on his face.

This was a direct refusal.

The next moment,

Chi You and Ying Gou charged simultaneously.

The scene looked a bit like a duel between generals before a battle in the Three Kingdoms era, but the wind and thunder they created had already surpassed the level imaginable by ordinary people.

However, because they were both known for their physical prowess, their confrontation was more down-to-earth than other gods' battles.

Well, it felt like the special effects weren’t that flashy, the production crew's funds were too tight.

After all, they had hired Ying Gou and Chi You as the stars of this scene. With two big names on set, their salaries were too high, so naturally they couldn’t spend more money on special effects.

As a result, they naturally created a feeling of *dou qi* (battle aura) turning into horses.

However, if one looked closely, one would notice that as their battle unfolded, the peaks of the canyons on both sides were constantly lowering.

Each weapon clash, each physical collision, generated a shock that was as terrifying as a razor, scraping away at the landscape of this region.

Of course, the situation was still clear: Ying Gou was noticeably inferior to Chi You, and this inferiority was reflected in every aspect of their battle.

Each time they clashed, it was Ying Gou who retreated; each time they fought head-on, it was still Ying Gou who couldn't hold on first.

"Hoo…………"

Boss Zhou was quite enjoying this scene.

So even this iron-headed fool had his moments of being beaten up.

But from another perspective, Chi You's brute strength was unparalleled at that time, and yet Ying Gou was able to fight him for so long.

Although he was at a disadvantage, being able to face Chi You head-on and trade blows continuously was already remarkable.

Zhou Ze also knew that Ying Gou was probably not at his peak at this time. This protracted war of the human race was far from over, which meant that Ying Gou could continue to grow in it.

His true peak should have been when Ying Gou rebelled against the Yellow Emperor, entered hell, mastered the Sea of Nether, and forged his own zombie body. That was when Ying Gou underwent his true transformation.

Even in the ancient times, the transformed Ying Gou was equivalent to a god.

And the current situation was somewhat like the Investiture of the Gods during King Wu’s campaign against Zhou.

This battle lasted for quite a while, finally ending with Ying Gou’s retreat.

After all, he had covered the retreat for long enough, so there was no need to continue to waste time here. Most importantly, he couldn’t win the fight.

Chi You probably didn't choose to pursue him for some other reasons.

In the final shot of the scene, Chi You’s gaze pierced through the mist ahead, watching the direction Ying Gou left.

Boss Zhou could clearly read a hint of appreciation from Chi You's eyes. He didn't know if the iron-headed fool standing next to him was deliberately adding drama to his own story.

After all, back then, he was clearly retreating because he was no match for the enemy.

You ran away, are you telling me you had eyes in the back of your head so you could see that Chi You was gazing at you affectionately?

Of course, Zhou Ze wouldn’t be so insensitive as to argue with the iron-headed fool about these small details, or rather, artistic embellishments.

In any case, the Xuanyuan Sword was coming soon, so there probably wasn't much time left for this VR-remembrance plot. Let the iron-headed fool be happy for a while.

Although Boss Zhou was always harsh when facing others, and a destroyer of atmosphere and idyllic moments, he could be more tolerant with Ying Gou.

The next scene transition seemed to confirm Zhou Ze's feeling that “time was running out,” because the following scenes began to move more quickly, as if they were fast-forwarded.

There were battlefields, leading troops in assaults, and the final battle to kill Chi You, all scenes involving Ying Gou, but they flashed by quickly. Zhou Ze could only watch attentively, taking in as much as he could.

In the quickly passing scenes that followed, there was also a scene of people celebrating in front of Chi You’s head. Ying Gou sat alone in the opposite valley, drinking wine brewed from the blood of a demon god, pouring it for himself.

Looking at the once-powerful opponent who had now been slain, Ying Gou's mood was very low.

Perhaps, throughout his life, even as a later Immortal King, Ying Gou had never been defeated, and the only one who could frustrate him, overwhelm him, and make him lose willingly was Chi You.

Now, this opponent he respected had met such an end, and it would probably be very difficult for him to find another opponent who could spar with him and bring him pressure in the future.

This wasn't deliberately showing off, because that was indeed the case later on. After rebelling against the Yellow Emperor and entering hell, Ying Gou was truly seeking defeat.

Even the last Palace Master himself had admitted that if Ying Gou hadn't slaughtered ferocious beasts on a large scale in the late ancient times, and fought against a group of behemoth demons in a single battle against the Immortal King, his ancestors would not have unified hell so easily.

Having an opponent in the world is actually a kind of happiness, at least it can keep one from being so lonely.

After becoming truly invincible, all that was left was to go around collecting snacks and building white bone throne *Jenga* towers.

So empty, and so dull.

Afterward, the Yellow Emperor appeared in the scene, and seemed to have said a lot to Ying Gou, with the intention of winning Ying Gou over.

Perhaps the Yellow Emperor himself could sense that as the war had ended, this wild horse that he had once brought back from the deep mountains was starting to get out of control.

Because the scene was fast-forwarding, the voices of the two men were also very fast. Fortunately, Ying Gou spoke slowly, which somewhat neutralized it, but even so, Zhou Ze couldn't fully hear the conversation between the two.

"Shang Di Ji? Does that mean marrying a princess?"

Zhou Ze looked at Ying Gou standing next to him and continued to ask:

"The Yellow Emperor is a bit too much, not only doesn't he let you leave, wants you to kneel, but actually wants to be your father.

"By the way,

that princess,

is it Han Ba (drought demon)?"

At this moment, a woman’s voice came from behind them.

"Yes."