Eternal Tale

Black Ox glanced at Xiao Chi, who was still busy, then trotted over to Chen Xun and nudged him with hopeful eyes.

When they had left Chan Yin Temple, it had asked Chen Xun if the abbot was the reincarnation of Senior Brother Le Feng, giving it a glimmer of real hope.

But Chen Xun remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "I’ll think about it."

Every year after that, Black Ox would ask the same question, but Chen Xun still didn’t give it an answer, and it waited patiently.

"Old Ox, have we repaid the karma debt we owed?"

"Moo!"

Black Ox’s eyes shone as it floated the long-unused Merit Record in the air.

According to the abbot, they had no merit on them, so the talk of reincarnation through accumulated karma was irrelevant. Yet, fate had its way of unfolding.

The person who had said those words was none other than Senior Brother Le Feng, who had reincarnated through the karma they had accumulated. Black Ox was unwavering in its belief.

"Heh, that Bai Li Fengyao hasn’t lived as long as we have, yet dares to speak about such things in front of us old monsters!"

Chen Xun flicked his sleeve and turned away, letting out a cold snort. "Old Ox, remember what I said: hearsay is unreliable. No one should shake our Dao hearts—what we see with our own eyes and feel with our own understanding is what’s real."

"Moo~~~" Black Ox nudged Chen Xun hard, eager for the truth its elder brother was finally willing to reveal.

"Who says that what we’ve done isn’t accumulating merit? When we performed rites for others, we were also cultivating ourselves, seeking neither fame nor gain. Naturally, merit accumulates upon us."

"We are watched over by immortals, deities, and the heavens. We’ve always held them in reverence, and now they have opened their eyes to see our sincerity."

"Old Ox!"

"Moo moo!"

"Reincarnation through merit is a certainty. This abbot is indeed the reincarnation of Senior Brother Le Feng. Years ago, we missed mentioning the Nascent Soul stage. See, isn’t that Bai Li Fengyao stuck at the Golden Core stage now?!"

"Moo!!"

"Old Ox, the truth is right before us. What’s important is to live with hope. We will meet those old friends again, one by one, in the future. Hahaha..."

"Moo~~~"

Tears welled up in Black Ox’s eyes as it stood tall, placing its hooves on Chen Xun’s shoulders. "Moo moo~~"

Chen Xun’s words were true. Everything they had done had meaning. Those villagers and neighbors would certainly have grand lives in their next existence, and they would meet Senior Brother Ji and others in future reincarnations.

Black Ox, eyes full of tears, continued to moo joyously at Chen Xun. It now had many precious herbs, and with Chen Xun able to refine pills, none of them would die again. They wouldn’t let anyone die in front of them again.

"Get lost, go do your work."

*Boom!*

Chen Xun kicked Black Ox away, brushing off his body where tears had splashed. "How old are you, Old Ox?! Crying like a fool."

From a distance, Xiao Chi laughed while carrying two jars filled with the concentrated blood of sea beasts—materials for Chen Xun’s training.

"Brother Ox, what’s gotten into you?!"

"Moo~"

Black Ox instantly wiped the tears from its eyes and looked at the cheeky little lion snickering in the distance. With a sly gleam, it transformed into a black whirlwind. 𝘳𝐀NȎＢЁ𝘚

A black hoof shot out from the whirlwind, smacking Xiao Chi, who let out a cry of surprise as he was sent spiraling into the sky.

A stick of incense later, Black Ox and Xiao Chi had calmed down, running around the room as they laughed and chatted endlessly.

Black Ox, in particular, seemed transformed, more open-hearted and relaxed, the burden in its eyes gone.

Chen Xun watched them, finding a rock to sit on, his expression calm.

Even if the abbot was the reincarnation of Senior Brother Le Feng, Bai Li Fengyao was no longer him. He had his own family, brothers, mission, and path to walk.

That familiar feeling was something only they could sense. Everything else was a beautiful wish, but those who sought immortality had to keep moving forward—they couldn’t live in the past forever.

"Reincarnation… does it really exist? Are they still the same people?"

Chen Xun’s eyes showed a hint of melancholy, but soon, a faint smile returned to his face. "How could a Nascent Soul cultivator grasp the mysteries of reincarnation? Let time reveal all."

"However, that path is finally opening. It turns out that the ancient cultivators of Qian Kingdom left in such haste because of the ancient realm war."

Chen Xun muttered to himself, looking up at the sky. "No wonder I felt they left in a rush. It seems something did change there, and the abbot indeed knew only a little."

According to him, the corrupted beings had existed since the beginning of the world. In ancient times, even five-element spiritual root cultivators could reach the Nascent Soul stage—imagine how powerful they were.

Given the resources at that time, they probably had treasures that could enhance divine sense. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to set up such a grand formation or resist the corrupted beings’ invasion.

Those foul creatures were so terrifying that even someone pursuing immortality like him found them repulsive. They could sever lifespans, scaring people to death.

"Wait, how did the Ji family get here?! Did the ancient cultivators really go to war? Or did they run away like me? Was every cultivator truly motivated by such noble intentions?"

Chen Xun’s eyes widened, realizing he had overlooked something in the abbot's speech. "The Celestial River is located in the crevice between realms. How did they know about it, even now, as they continue to resist it?"

Damn...

He swallowed hard, realizing the ancient texts he possessed gave him a deeper insight than most.

The Ji family’s offshoot must have come from a truly grand civilization; there had to have been a pathway connecting the realms, perhaps even linking to the other side. The corrupted beings couldn’t have existed since the dawn of creation.

"This realm… it’s likely that in ancient times, the path by the Celestial River was about to be sealed off, giving birth to this realm. It’s the true origin of the corrupted beings, forcing all beings to participate in the war."

Chen Xun took out a notebook, analyzing the situation. Could a grand formation like that be set up by a Deity Transformation cultivator? He doubted it. When he had struck it with the power of the five elements, there had been no reaction.

"If there truly is a boundary wall, I’d better prepare in advance. Little Crane, Giant Ship, I’ll rely on you to break through it. It’ll truly become a realm-breaking vessel then, haha."

He laughed as he thought about it. He had considered this long ago but had never named the ship. "Living long truly is interesting."

Chen Xun couldn’t help but feel anticipation. He wasn’t afraid of the corrupted beings—they were naturally vulnerable to him.

…

A month later.

The sky darkened, and booming thunder resounded from beyond the western coastline.

The entire world was filled with a heavy, murderous atmosphere. Countless cultivators felt a shiver in their hearts, their gazes locked in astonishment on that distant horizon.

The earth was silent, the sky was silent—every sound in the world had ceased.

The cultivators in the coastal cities stared in shock at the sky above.

In an unremarkable shop, three figures stood in the courtyard, gazing at the sky.

The stillness on the western coast felt as though time itself had frozen, as if a single movement could shatter the calm.

*Buzz~~~*

*Buzz~~~*

Suddenly, a resounding, earth-shaking roar echoed from the distant sky behind the western coast. The clouds parted, revealing massive war vessels, the War Realm Ships!

Standing atop these ships were elite soldiers clad in golden armor. Their presence was imposing, their killing intent palpable, and the power of their blood and aura was overwhelming—these were true armies of cultivators!

The immense military might and the oppressive atmosphere felt like a mountain weighing down on everyone, so heavy it suffocated, accompanied by the chill of death and despair!

Dozens of ships...

Gradually, hundreds of War Realm Ships emerged, breaking through the clouds, blotting out the sun, casting shadows over the faces of the cultivators on the ground.

There were no formations surrounding them; from the ground, only the blood-stained war flags could be seen advancing against the fierce winds!

In the sky, the setting sun seemed to split at the horizon, disappearing without a sound, leaving only a crimson glow.

Then, the sound of war drums echoed from the ships, like thunder, roaring toward the heavens, sending chills down spines.

The relentless, booming war drums resonated, growing closer, growing louder.

An endless wave of iron-blooded killing intent covered the sky, wave upon wave, surging endlessly, with the force to annihilate everything in its path.

As the sun set, the sky turned crimson.

The dense, bloody killing intent filled the sky, making the blood-red sunset even more vivid and terrifying, as if the entire world had turned to blood!

"Roar..."

*Boom! Boom! Boom!*

The distant horizon was filled with blood-red light.

The sheer pressure and aura were almost tangible, like being submerged in the depths of the ocean. If an ordinary person were here, they’d be crushed on the spot. The army standing atop the ships—all were at least in the Golden Core stage!

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