Eternal Tale

Five days later, no light remained behind them.

Yet, the giant boat was surrounded by blazing red light, and the Black Sea had grown so thick and viscous that even the will of the Forbidden Sea could not reach this place.

“Old ox, something feels off,” Chen Xun muttered, gazing forward while sensing the essence and Five Elements’ energy in the surroundings. “This eerie coldness doesn’t belong to our world. It’s alien.”

“Moo~” The big black ox nodded, stepping up beside him, the black coffin slung over its back.

They could no longer sense spiritual energy. There was no vitality in the air, and even the previously endless Five Elements’ energy seemed sparse.

This wasn’t just another part of the heavens and earth; it felt like a domain cut off from the natural world.

“The monk was right—these corrupt beings aren’t true living creatures. Even the black fish I once caught didn’t behave like a normal being,” Chen Xun mused, gripping his deathly aura-infused battle axe. “We don’t know where this road leads. If things go south, we run.”

The big black ox clapped a hoof on Chen Xun, eyes brimming with wisdom. When it came to fleeing, no one could match it.

“Heh, if these creatures aren’t much, we’ll go on a rampage. Just imagine the merit points!” Chen Xun’s eyes lit up as he stepped forward. “Old ox, this time, let loose. Not only will we gain divine energy to push past Nascent Soul, but we might even surpass its limits.”

“Moo moo!” The big black ox exhaled a few forceful breaths, thinking of all the plans Chen Xun had jotted down in his little notebook.

“Little Red, stay out of this battle. Guard the boat with the little crane.”

“Got it, Brother Xun, Brother ox! I won’t make trouble!” Little Red yelled from the boat’s rear, hiding beneath the Five Elements Tree. “If they have storage rings, leave the cleanup to me!”

Wagging his lion tail, Little Red yelled again, fully embracing his years of practice at corpse collection.

“Haha, good!”

“Moo moo~~”

Chen Xun and the big black ox laughed heartily, their moods soaring as they imagined the little crane’s future transformation, pondering the vast, unexplored world awaiting them.

Yet the crane tree, though already over a million years old, showed no signs of taking human form. Its increasingly mystical tree form had hit a bottleneck; its essence could no longer grow in age.

Although the tree had developed intelligence and responded to Chen Xun with slight leaf movements, they had no idea how to guide it toward transformation.

“Look alive, Old ox. Seems like we’ve arrived,” Chen Xun said, his aura rising to its peak. Around them, Five Elements wheels whirled violently. “Don’t act rashly.”

“Moo!” The big black ox’s gaze turned calm, and it lightly waved its hoof, setting Five Elements flags in place.

Clang!

The space around them shuddered as if frozen, sending ripples into the air.

The dim heavens left behind by the tunnel were now far out of sight. Before them stretched a vast, high sky, devoid of clouds and cloaked in darkness, steeped in deathly silence.

Their sixteen divine apertures were fully open, they could see it clearly: an endless expanse of land. Rising and falling black mountains loomed, shadowy and strange, exuding an eerie presence.

No starlight, no sun, no moon. It was as though this place existed as an entirely separate realm.

No towering ancient trees, no beastly roars, no poisonous miasma or insects, not even... any signs of life.

The Domain Battlefield—Black Earth Plains!

Everything here seemed the reverse of life-filled lands, oppressive and devoid of spiritual energy or vitality. Cultivators could only rely on spirit stones to recover their strength.

The harsh environment made the Black Earth Plains a hostile place for cultivation, explaining why God-killing Artifacts dominated here—traditional magic tools were heavily restricted.

Chen Xun frowned. “What kind of cursed place is this? No sign of cultivators. Seems like this path is dangerous.”

The big black ox licked its lips. No wonder this path was so heavily sealed. It might be one of the bloodiest battlefields from ancient times, even deemed forbidden by the Forbidden Sea itself.

As expected, it and its big brother always took the unconventional route.

Half an hour later.

Buzz!

The giant boat emitted a low rumble and docked on the coast of the Black Earth Continent. The surroundings were eerily silent for a long time.

Chen Xun and the big black ox remained calm, their sharp eyes scanning the area. Years of caution had ingrained in them the habit of scouting before acting, ensuring an escape route was always ready.

“Moo?”

“Where are the corrupt creatures?”

Exchanging a glance, they noticed nothing but endless silence. Not a trace of life could be seen, only the pervasive chill corroding the surroundings—yet it caused them no harm.

Even Little Red merely had its fur bristling and muscles tense, its shifty eyes darting around as it clung tightly to the Five Elements Tree.

Chen Xun found the situation less severe than in the Tian Duan Plains. At least this place was habitable.

The big black ox maintained high alert, its divine sense locked on the array of flags. It feared a sudden surge of corrupt creatures at Nascent Soul or Divine Transformation levels, which would lead to utter chaos.

Chen Xun narrowed his eyes slightly. Something about the chilling aura felt off.

Suddenly, an overwhelming sense of hatred engulfed the area. Several black, shadowy figures appeared above them, emanating a sinister killing intent, as if they had been lurking for a long time.

“Moo!”

“They’re here!”

Chen Xun’s eyes gleamed sharply as he looked up. The sight of the corrupt creatures sent shivers down his spine—what the hell were these things?

Four corrupt creatures stood there, humanoid yet mixed with traits of spirit beasts. Their skin was an unnatural black, their eyes entirely devoid of whites.

Their overwhelming hatred for all living beings struck directly at Chen Xun’s and the ox’s minds. A weaker cultivator would have succumbed to the madness.

The corrupt creatures launched their attacks with terrifying boldness. Their skin oozed foul blood, which transformed into weapons and slashed toward Chen Xun and the big black ox.

Strangely, they still displayed the energy fluctuations of cultivation—four of them were at the Foundation Establishment stage!

The big black ox snorted, exhaling forcefully. With a wave of its hoof, a massive meteor appeared, streaking across the sky with a deafening roar, radiating intense heat.

The four corrupt creatures showed no fear, recklessly charging downward, willing to trade their lives for destruction.

Boom!

The meteor burst into magma, unleashing scorching heat that engulfed the four creatures, reducing them to ash without a trace left behind.

“So bold?”

Chen Xun frowned, feeling a chill in his heart. Foundation Establishment corrupt creatures daring to attack Nascent Soul cultivators? He glanced worriedly at the big black ox. “Old ox, how’s it looking?”

“Moo?” The big black ox shook itself, looking confused. “Moo moo!”

It explained that it hadn’t felt any loss of lifespan. However, as the creatures perished, the chilling aura forcibly entered its body, bypassing both physical and spiritual defenses.

There seemed to be a karmic connection within, though they couldn’t grasp its nature yet. It reminded the ox of the village days when eating meant eventually relieving oneself—just the way of things.

Surprisingly, the chilling aura eventually transformed into divine consciousness energy, merging with its spiritual apertures. It was even more peculiar than the God-killing Stone, which required Five Elements energy to refine. This energy directly enhanced divine consciousness without any intermediate process.

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