Eternal Tale

In the endless sea of thunder, the black clouds roared like a herd of wild horses, surging layer upon layer above, growing denser by the moment. Lightning serpents slithered everywhere.

The massive ship had already docked on the sea, and bolts of thunder rained down, seemingly splitting the surrounding waters in two. Darkness enveloped everything.

Buzz!

The giant ship sped across the sea, dodging the relentless strikes of lightning in a chaotic frenzy resembling a desperate flight.

”Old Ox, it’s up to you now,” said Chen Xun, cloaked in darkness at the prow of the ship, gripping a pair of axes in his hands. ”These lightning strikes are mindless. We still have a chance.”

”Moo!” The big black ox, its eyes filled with an unprecedented solemnity, focused entirely on steering the ship.

Little Red stood far off on the deck, now free from the obstructing mist. It no longer needed to guide the way and could only tremble at the endless sea of thunder overhead.

It wanted to roar, to run, but seeing the two figures standing resolutely at the front, it wrestled with the fear in its heart. At this moment, it couldn’t afford to create any more trouble.

”Brother Xun, Brother Ox...” Little Red panted heavily, its heart sinking into an abyss. ”What exactly are you trying to do? What are you searching for…?”

This journey didn’t feel like cultivating immortality—it carried a sense of urgency.

Yes, urgency.

Little Red’s expression grew serious, a far cry from its usual sly demeanor. It had sensed this faintly since the beginning, long before they left their previous home.

Brother Xun and Brother Ox weren’t aimlessly wandering. They lacked Little Red’s sense of purposelessness. Neither had they come from the Great Li Realm.

”Perhaps the ’wandering’ they mentioned doesn’t apply now. Their arrival in the Great Li Realm must have a purpose—a purpose beyond imagination.”

Its claws clutched the deck tightly, and a newfound calmness emerged in its eyes. They had never treated it poorly. ”No matter what my two brothers aim to achieve, I, the Beigong Red Lion, have no choice but to follow them.”

Lifting its gaze to face the vast, thunderous skies, its fear was dispelled by the steadfast silhouettes ahead.

Boom!

A deafening thunderclap tore through the sky, jagged bolts of lightning crashing into the heavens and battering sacred peaks. The dim sea of thunder was briefly illuminated by the arcs of electricity.

Startled by the thunder, Little Red’s fur bristled, and it quickly ducked its head, trembling in fear.

Meanwhile, a shadow surged into the air, its aura of death cutting through the heavens. Black radiance surged with earth-shaking intensity, striking down the heavenly thunder.

Chen Xun’s eyes were cold, his sharp gaze fixed on the sky. Some threats couldn’t be avoided forever.

Moreover, these thunderbolts couldn’t temper the body as tribulation lightning could. They were ordinary, albeit overwhelmingly powerful, beyond the strength of mortals to withstand.

The group had carefully assessed the situation. This level of lightning was survivable. If it were like tribulation lightning, they would have had no choice but to flee. The sea of thunder here was endless, unlike a tribulation with its set duration.

The big black ox snorted heavily, the ”Warfield Order” at its side emitting a faint hum. The blood-forged token seemed almost alive.

It cast a worried glance at Chen Xun, uncertain whether its elder brother could endure. The road ahead was long and seemingly endless.

”Old Ox, who am I? Such mere thunder—just steer the ship properly!” Chen Xun declared.

”Moo!!” The big black ox roared, and the five-element formation flags erupted in brilliance. This was Chen Xun—unstoppable!

Chen Xun stood atop a branch. Though the purple mist had faded, the terrifying will of the Forbidden Sea loomed, as if this were its very source.

”Warfield Order…” he murmured, frowning as he looked down at the sea. ”The Forbidden Sea feels tainted, as though by the corrupted blood of those ancient warships. Hah, not living beings, are they?”

Those massive ancient ships carried more than just human remains; there were remnants of various races, many even unrecognizable to Little Red.

But one thing was certain: the ancient war was not a battle of humans alone but of all races.

Amid the thunderous sky, deep within the Forbidden Sea’s demonic abyss, the horrifying will and the direction pointed by the Warfield Order—could anyone truly make it through?

The deeper Chen Xun thought, the more hesitant he became. After centuries here, he had begun to understand certain truths.

The will in this place was clearly at odds with the demonic energy of the Forbidden Sea. They were in opposition, acting as a shield for the beings of the Great Li Realm. Their true purpose was to protect the Western Sea.

The Forbidden Sea’s erosion of the Western Sea had never ceased, but the existence of this will prevent it from spreading. After all, the purple mist was born of the Forbidden Sea itself.

Most cultivators believed this would complement the Forbidden Sea, that it was born of it, but that wasn’t the case. When Chen Xun had dived into the sea, he realized that this would be entirely opposed to the Forbidden Sea.

When cultivators entered, it attacked indiscriminately, seemingly intent on killing. Yet, in truth, it used their blood to halt their advance.

The ancient warships made this feeling especially strong. The cruel reality was that this will have endured countless ages, still fighting, still protecting the beings of the Great Li Realm.

When Chen Xun uncovered this truth, he was shaken and filled with admiration. Compared to these ancestors, the interests of cultivators seemed utterly insignificant.

He had experienced battles in the immortal cultivation world and the war in the Northern Territories, but the meaning behind those fights paled in comparison to the sacrifices of the predecessors here in the Forbidden Sea.

”This journey has truly revealed many different kinds of vistas,” Chen Xun murmured, a rare trace of weariness in his eyes before he smiled wryly. ”I wonder, will the Heavenly River be on the other side?”

As soon as the words fell, Chen Xun’s robes billowed without wind, his demeanor becoming transcendent and profound. Intense electric light radiated from his eyes as an unnamed ancient tome hovered in mid-air. Amid the deafening roars of thunder, a soft voice, belonging to a woman, drifted into his ears with clarity so absolute that not even the overwhelming thunder could disturb it.

“He firmly believed that in his hands, the ancient tome would achieve greater things than it ever could in his own. He hoped that his old friend would take it to see the fabled future world.”

”Brother Ji, we’re almost there.” Chen Xun’s gaze was steadfast as he looked ahead, the ancient tome floating beside him. ”Your final wish—Old Ox and I will see it through!”

Rumble!

The world turned into a blinding expanse of white. The endless sea of thunder churned violently, steam rising wherever the water met lightning. A solitary boat braved the tempestuous sea of thunder, slicing through the waves at breakneck speed, vanishing in an instant into the vast horizon.

Half a year later, they finally emerged from the sea of thunder. Even the sacred mountains had long disappeared from sight, and it was impossible to tell how far they had traveled.

Here, the waters were calm, utterly devoid of sound, and the skies remained dim.

Yet what made them tremble was the sight at the Forbidden Sea’s edge—a massive screen of purple-gold light that severed heaven and earth, stretching endlessly in both directions. It was a truly primordial formation.

A giant boat floated in the distance, dwarfed by the magnitude of the sight. Three figures stood atop it, appearing like ants before a giant. Their jaws dropped in unison, nearly falling onto the head of the crane at their feet.

The Warfield Order continued to hum softly, its frequency accelerating as if trying to activate something, only to be suppressed by the primordial formation.

“What the... Old Ox, what is this thing?!” Chen Xun’s voice trembled, his awe unmistakable. “Can it be broken?”

”Moo~~~” The big black ox exhaled deeply, its gaze blank with disbelief. Was this even a formation?!

Little Red, meanwhile, lay sprawled weakly atop the big black ox’s back, his eyes rolling upward. He was too stunned to speak, completely limp, and ready to surrender to fate.

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