Eternal Tale

”Senior, what must I do?”

Chen Xun’s voice trembled as he spoke. He couldn’t understand a thing; his head throbbed painfully, and he could only go along with what was being said.

The man smiled faintly. “When the moment of extinction approaches, remember to contribute a fragment of power to the river of time. The big black ox will grow stronger, generation by generation, until the true Chen Xun emerges.”

“Yes.”

Chen Xun looked confused, his response perfunctory. He couldn’t comprehend, but his expression shifted slightly, sensing that something deep within his heart was beginning to stir.

“Go back now. Immortality is merely a path to extinction, devoid of meaning. It can only be entrusted to the next cycle of reincarnation…”

The man’s voice was low as he gently waved his hand. Divine light flared, shattering the surrounding darkness. “Do not disappoint us.”

Reincarnation… What is reincarnation...

Chen Xun’s expression became increasingly pained. The old ox... the old ox! A sudden, primal roar erupted from deep within his mind.

Reincarnation is a scam! It was meant to deceive the old ox!!

Three figures furrowed their brows. Why had his expression turned blank? Why was he standing silently, refusing to move forward?

The atmosphere fell into an eerie stillness.

“Heh.”

A sudden chuckle shattered the silence. Chen Xun’s demeanor shifted dramatically. No longer confused, no longer in pain, he spoke gently, “... What utter nonsense.”

The man, the big black ox, and Nangong Heling were all visibly shocked. When had he awakened?!

“I, Chen Xun the Dao Ancestor, when have I ever needed your meddling?!” Chen Xun’s eyes were clear as he stood with hands clasped behind his back, a cold smirk on his face. “Inner demons, you’re certainly impressive, but there are far too many flaws. Reincarnation? Nonsense! I’ve never believed in it—it’s just a lie I told myself and the old ox.”

“What?!”

“You deceived even yourself?!”

“Hahaha… That stupid ox dares to compare itself to the old ox? Extinction and creation, what a joke!” Chen Xun laughed uproariously, his laughter shaking the heavens. “Even if your inner demons were the least of it, not even I understand myself. How could my Dao heart have flaws? Living over a hundred years with the old ox by my side is already a victory!”

The three figures were horrified, their faces twisted in shock. Their calculations had failed—this man did not follow conventional paths. He even tricked himself?!

“Immortality leads to extinction, making me feel that I’m part of a reincarnation cycle. You sought to plant the heart-demon of immortality in me?”

Chen Xun’s gaze sharpened as he turned to the woman. “Nangong Heling, what you’re doing is nothing more than simulating one of countless possible futures, trying to convince me this is real because I cannot see the future.”

“You wanted me to follow this path, establish the Gou Sect, and allow you to persist alongside me imperceptibly, eventually guiding me to extinction?”

“If I had obediently returned earlier, I might have fallen for it, thinking that my future self was helping me overcome my inner demons.” Chen Xun’s voice was icy, his expression frosty. “But on this journey, what you see may only be what I want you to see.”

As these words fell, the three figures’ faces contorted further, overwhelmed by a sense of unease. Even their forms began to warp.

Their bodies flickered, condensing into three violet light forms, shapeless and unstable.

“Chen Xun… You have two personalities?!”

The three light forms trembled as if they had glimpsed a terrifying truth. “You!!”

The gaze that met them was devoid of emotion, utterly cold and merciless. It no longer belonged to a living being but something purely rational, so unfeeling that it reversed the influence, disturbing the heart-demons themselves!

“Immortality holds no meaning for me. With my companions and brothers alongside me, I will simply keep moving forward. Don’t try to impose extinction as the endpoint of my immortality to manipulate my Dao heart.”

Chen Xun’s voice was colder than ever, his expression like frost. “From the start, you were wrong. You don’t understand the real me. The tribulation of the inner demon far surpasses my expectations—it’s impressive.”

The greatest flaw of the inner demon tribulation, however, he had yet to reveal. Without the old ox by his side, too many things simply lost their importance to him.

The three heart-demon forms trembled violently, their disbelief palpable. All their schemes had been illusions—what was the true nature of his Dao heart?!

“Begone!”

A cold, commanding voice reverberated through the heavens and earth. From within his heart emerged another side of his personality—an aura of unparalleled dominance. If I live long enough, I shall be invincible!

The single word, powerful and resonant, struck with earth-shattering force, as if viewing all beings as insignificant and all existence with chilling indifference.

The three figures felt an overwhelming sense of despair, a suffocating frustration with no outlet, as their bodies began to crumble inch by inch.

“Heh, is that all?”

A faintly mocking voice lingered as the surrounding space fractured like a torn seam. Chen Xun’s eyes gleamed with resolute determination as he took a firm step forward.

…

On the battlefield of realms, thunder roared, and lightning shattered the endless darkness!

A lone figure stood amidst a sea of lightning, arcs crackling across his body, snapping with fierce intensity. His bloodied form bore countless scars; his spiritual defenses were completely shattered.

Chen Xun’s simple gray robe was in tatters, his body glowing yet stained with blood. There was a savage, resolute aura about him, reminiscent of the days when he argued his point with mortals.

Slowly, he opened his eyes, calm and unyielding amid the endless thunder. Though the pain was excruciating, it could not shake him. His gaze turned steadily toward the massive ship in the distance.

Little Crane exerted all her strength to withstand the thunderstorm.

The big black ox stretched its neck, letting out loud, panicked moos. Even Little Red had crawled to the forefront, its eyes filled with fear and worry as it stared into the depths of the sea of lightning.

Boom!

A thunderbolt that seemed to pierce through heaven and earth crashed down suddenly. The blinding light and overwhelming might seemed to obliterate all in its path, unstoppable and absolute.

Chen Xun spat out a mouthful of blood, yet a vast and gentle force of heavenly tribulation tempering surged into his body. The apertures faintly visible on his skin greedily absorbed the power.

Despite the pain, his gaze remained calm as he looked in that direction. For the first time, his expression shifted, showing traces of relief, warmth, and other complex emotions simultaneously in his deep eyes.

”Haha, this is reality. This is the immortality I truly seek,” Chen Xun suddenly laughed. His grand, boundless laughter echoed all around. Yet his face twisted in agony as he roared, ”Damn it, thanks for heaven’s gift—it hurts like hell!!!”

On the distant shoreline...

”Moo! Moo!!!”

”Brother Xun is still alive!!!”

The black-and-white leaves of the sacred tree rustled wildly in excitement.

The big black ox and Little Red roared with joy, embracing one another. Their spittle flew everywhere as they shouted, ”That’s our big brother! Not even heavenly tribulation can defeat him—he’s always invincible!”

Boom!

A massive thunderbolt shook the heavens, obliterating everything. It crashed down from above and below, leaving no room to escape.

From the heart of the lightning, a figure slowly rose. In an instant, he was cloaked in his infamous brigand’s attire, standing as though overlooking the heavens and earth, ready to ascend with a single step.

Five enormous, radiant figures emerged from within Chen Xun’s body. A boundless and terrifying force of spiritual energy stirred violently.

The thunder between heaven and earth was being absorbed madly. Even the five elements’ energy within a thousand-mile radius converged toward him, driving the corrupt lifeforms into a panicked frenzy, fleeing for their lives.

Turning their heads toward the heart of the tribulation, the corrupted beings showed terror in their eyes. That entity... no longer resembled a living being!

The five Nascent Souls became increasingly solid, gradually beginning to divide. Each bore a unique expression of cold detachment as they observed the tribulation, using it to undergo their final transformation.

The Divine Transformation Stage.

In this realm, Nascent Souls transform into tangible Primordial Spirits, granting the power to manipulate heaven’s elements as spiritual energy, summon storms, and wield a fragment of heaven’s laws. Even a simple move would resonate with the heavens and earth!

The difference between this and the Nascent Soul stage was like an unbridgeable chasm, far beyond the gap between Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivators. It was a true divide.

Primordial Spirits could leave the body without weakening it, capable of eliminating foes from thousands of miles away without a trace. Their presence was impossible to detect or capture.

However, Chen Xun’s Primordial Spirit was clearly undergoing unknown changes—he wasn’t cultivating traditional spiritual energy paths!

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

The heavens trembled as the five majestic Nascent Souls finished dividing. With one hand, they split the sky; with the other, they sundered the earth. The entire thunder pool and sea roiled violently, filled with impotent fury.

Chen Xun frenziedly absorbed the endless tempering power of the tribulation. This particular tribulation was bizarre, spreading even underground, but the benefits were immense!

Six full hours passed.

The roar of thunder across the heavens began to fade. By now, the ground was fractured, forming massive, bottomless chasms. Terrifying arcs of lightning danced everywhere.

Brilliant seven-colored light flooded from above and below, dazzling and resplendent.

The figure in the sky clasped his hands respectfully. His expression was unperturbed, yet his aura was as vast as an abyss. A mere glance at him filled one with inexplicable dread—this was a true powerhouse of heaven and earth!

The five Primordial Spirits also clasped their hands calmly before transforming into streams of light and returning to Chen Xun’s body, where they continued to meditate.

On the shore of the great ship...

”Moo! Moo!!!”

”Brother Ox, is that... Brother Xun?! It has to be Brother Xun, right?!”

Little Red clung tightly to the big black ox, staring at the figure standing silently in the sky, eyes brimming with excitement and awe.

The immense power radiating from that figure made them feel incomparably small. Even if they gave it their all, they couldn’t move him an inch. It was absurdly overwhelming, yet that was the impression their big brother always gave.

They looked at the heavens and the earth. The once dark and gloomy battleground was now bathed in the dazzling glow of the seven-colored light, like a magnificent painting blooming on all sides, spreading a sense of joyous celebration.

The big black ox was so excited it was shaking uncontrollably. ”Big Brother finally succeeded! Every drop of blood he shed is a badge of honor!”

In the distance...

Chen Xun’s body shimmered with endless lightning. He clenched his fist lightly, and a gigantic palm descended from the heavens, covering the sky.

Boom!!!

A black mountain hundreds of miles away collapsed at an alarming speed, crumbling into dust!

The mountain shattered!

Debris and dust filled the sky as a deafening roar echoed through the heavens. The remaining corrupt lifeforms, hiding from the tribulation, felt an inexplicable chill seize their hearts. Within moments, they let out blood-curdling screams, painting the skies red with their blood.

This was a true powerhouse of heaven and earth—a Divine Transformation cultivator!

An infinite, boundless gale surged from Chen Xun, shaking the great ship on the coast. The two figures aboard were left dumbfounded, their mouths agape…

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