Eternal Tale

”Drinking tea, fishing!”

Retracting his gaze, Chen Xun gently patted Black Bull and sat by the river, continuing to fish, at peace with the world.

Once an ordinary cultivator, he wandered and hid, but now he had finally reached the Tribulation Crossing stage, becoming a revered figure. The Five Elements marks served as his bait, scattered across the vast Wild Heaven Region.

Black Bull stayed quietly by Chen Xun’s side, still pondering the whereabouts of the old dragon. It felt it needed some spiritual beast companions now.

Chen Xun and Black Bull remained calm, each lost in thought, listening to the wind and waves of the river, while using their divine sense to monitor the surroundings.

Although the cultivators of the Dark Heaven Alliance had left, the continuous disturbances around the Tianhang Jade Stone mine had already alarmed many forces within the Wanshou Mountain Range.

The killings across the millions of miles of the Wanshou Mountain Range had decreased significantly, as if something terrifying hovered above, always watching them.

Even the wild beasts in the Wanshou Mountain Range were uneasy, feeling as if something unclean had entered their domain...

Deep within the Wanshou Mountain Range.

Terrifying auras swept from the depths of the mountains, shaking the sky and scaring countless birds and beasts into trembling.Compared to the colossal Wanshou Mountain Range, the Tianhang Jade Stone mine seemed small, like an ordinary peak, insignificant.

Despite this, the mine had a long history, exuding a sense of ancientness.

Due to the ore, the mine’s surface appeared reddish-brown, as if stained with blood and dried for countless years. The rocks were incredibly hard, with no grass growing, occasionally emitting an eerie aura.

Apart from the mine’s cultivators and those stationed from the sacred land, few living beings ventured here.

Chen Xun’s recent clash with the Dark Heaven Alliance, though tens of thousands of miles from the mine, left the cultivators there feeling uneasy and anxious for unknown reasons.

On the mountain peak of the mine, several large red stones lay scattered.

A few disciples from the Xuanji Sacred Land stood on the stones, frowning and vigilantly surveying their surroundings, their expressions heavy.

”Senior brother, I don’t know why, but ever since those two ancient beasts attacked, I’ve been restless, unable to focus on cultivation.”

A gust of wind blew, lifting dust and sand, their hair and robes fluttering, unable to hide the worry on their faces.

Among them, the strongest in the Unity realm, his eyes flickering, spoke bitterly, ”Junior brother, I feel the same. With the strength and ferocity of those ancient beasts, they won’t let this go easily.”

Talking about it weighed heavily on them, like dark clouds about to burst.

They recognized Tai Yu, who stood on the ancient beast.

Rumors from the sacred land said that a Xuanji Sacred Land elder had once slaughtered Tai Yu’s beast village, leading to enmity.

Tai Yu roamed the wild mountains, moving mysteriously, even protected by ancient beasts.

After growing stronger, he repeatedly ambushed key locations of the Xuanji Sacred Land, causing heavy losses and numerous casualties.

The sacred land’s strongmen were furious, sending people to hunt him down, but he was powerful and cunning, escaping deep into the mountains, leaving no trace.

Moreover, the aura of the ancient beast merged with the Wild Heaven Region, making it impossible to track, allowing Tai Yu to survive. If not for the region’s uniqueness, Tai Yu might have died countless times.

Unexpectedly, after all these years, he not only reappeared with two ancient beasts but also grew stronger each time, defying reason.

This time, he targeted the mine for revenge, truly a disaster for the innocent.

Thinking of Tai Yu’s terrifying presence, the cultivators felt haunted, pale, unable to shake the shadow, fearing he might return anytime to slaughter them.

”Why did Tai Yu suddenly disappear at the critical moment, when the entire mine was shrouded in terrifying rule power, and I thought I was going to die?”

Another disciple took a deep breath, hesitated, and voiced his confusion.

At this, everyone exchanged glances.

The leading senior brother spoke again, solemnly, ”I was puzzled too, but after thinking it over, there’s only one answer...”

”Someone powerful intervened, suppressing them within days, or else not just us, but all the mine’s cultivators would have become lost souls.”

Hearing this, the scene replayed in their minds, sending chills down their spines.

Someone recalled with a trembling voice, ”It must have been a senior who acted!”

”I was closest to the battlefield, and when Tai Yu disappeared, I vaguely sensed an aura more terrifying than our elders descending from the sky, followed by a vast mana enveloping them, sweeping Tai Yu and the beasts away.”

”Yes, I felt it too!”

”Though the aura was fleeting, it shook my soul, as if a mountain pressed on my chest, suffocatingly terrifying.”

...

At this point, everyone fell into an eerie silence, the air seeming to solidify, their eyes filled with dread and fear.

Afraid of being sensed, they wisely stopped discussing the matter.

Yet, the disciples of the Xuanji Sacred Land mine couldn’t help but be curious.

If it were their clan’s strongman, they would have shown themselves, with no need to hide their identity.

So they concluded the one who acted wasn’t from their sacred land, didn’t intend to kill them, and was likely an acquaintance of the sacred land’s elders, or they wouldn’t have helped.

After pondering for a while, they sighed and stopped thinking about it.

With their strength and cultivation, they couldn’t fathom it all, nor decide anything. All they could do was guard the mine and wait for the sacred land’s elders to arrive.

In outsiders’ eyes, they were lofty cultivators of the Xuanji Sacred Land, but they knew in the eyes of someone like Tai Yu, they were just prey.

Sighing, the void stirred with another gust of wind, lifting yellow dust.

They left with the wind, keeping Tai Yu’s matter buried in their hearts, even silently thanking the senior who intervened, sparing them.

...

The morning sun quietly climbed the sky, drawing a faint light on the horizon.

In a blink, the bright moon hung high, casting a clear glow, day turned to night, and in an instant, several days passed.

After the ancient beast incident, the mine returned to its usual calm, though perhaps due to the duel, several collapses occurred in the mine over a few days.

During the collapses, a strange earth energy always spread.

The earth energy, like reddish-brown haze, gathered around, taking a long time to dissipate.

This earth energy, as Wan Zeqian once mentioned, often accompanied the tragic deaths of many mine cultivators.

But the Xuanji Sacred Land cultivators seemed accustomed to it, sealing the site with formations and handling the bodies whenever it happened.

The remaining cultivators stayed silent, some continuing to mine, others showing sympathy, and some newcomers with fear.

During that time, the mine’s atmosphere was particularly oppressive.

Yet, despite this, no one left, as outside was too dangerous, and here there was at least a chance of survival.

But today, the entire mine grew increasingly unstable.

The reddish-brown stone walls, like spider webs, cracked, spanning the entire mine.

Several main mine tunnels collapsed extensively, with the strange earth energy erupting like a volcano, engulfing most of the mine.

Besides miners, some Xuanji Sacred Land cultivators also perished inside.

The entire mine resembled a hellish scene, with ghostly winds and pervasive death energy, chilling to the bone.