Eternal Tale

Half an hour later, at the Xuanji Sacred Land mine.

The ground was shaking violently, and the entire mine was sinking. The strange earth qi was disappearing at a speed visible to the naked eye, and more and more cultivators were escaping from the mine.

Some cultivators were even inexplicably squeezed out, surrounded by chaos and cries of alarm, to the point that even the stationed disciples of Xuanji Sacred Land couldn’t control the situation.

They stood at a distance, anxious, watching helplessly as the mine, which had been managed by the sacred land for years, slowly vanished!

”Why hasn’t our sacred land’s elder arrived yet?!”

”We sent a message as soon as the ancient beast appeared, saying Elder Shen Shi had been dispatched...”

”It’s over... It’s probably too late now. The Tianhang Jade Stone mine will sink along with the mountains and rivers here.”

”Alas, there’s nothing we can do with our cultivation.”

...

The disciples of Xuanji Sacred Land discussed among themselves, all with deep sighs, believing that this was likely a consequence of Tai Yu’s actions.Buzz—

At this moment, a magnificent rainbow light suddenly burst forth from the distant sky, and a powerful venerable aura spread in all directions. Shen Shi had finally crossed thousands of mountains and rivers, enduring countless tribulations, and arrived!!

Shen Shi’s eyes were bloodshot as he looked at the mine of the sacred land, which was now close at hand, and a long-lost sense of excitement flickered in his eyes.

He even wanted to shout out loud. Years of cultivating his mind and body no longer mattered now; no one knew what he had gone through!

Nor did anyone know what kind of damage those sudden and massive heavenly thunders could do to the Dao heart of a cultivator at the Great Ascension stage.

Now, just reaching one of the thousands of mines of a sacred land was more exhilarating than when he first broke through to the Great Ascension stage.

At this moment, the disciples in the mine were overjoyed, recognizing the mana emanating from the Xuanji Sacred Land’s techniques!

They were about to bow in greeting when, as the figure in the distant sky drew closer, they suddenly froze, their expressions changing dramatically. Who was this mad Taoist?!

Shen Shi, in the distant sky, was now unrecognizable, his entire body charred black, white hair disheveled and fluttering, his face covered in dust, exuding a strong burnt smell that even mana couldn’t erase.

His eyes were bloodshot, his expression fierce, completely unlike the serene and immortal demeanor he had when he first entered the Wanshou Mountain Range, especially his attire, which was in tatters.

”..Who are you, senior?!” someone instinctively shouted in fear, their bowing posture stiffening in an instant.

”I am Shen Shi of Xuanji Sacred Land. Have you youngsters not heard of my name?!”

Shen Shi now seemed unable to speak normally, his voice hoarse and strange. He snorted coldly, ”I encountered an ancient beast from the Wild Heaven and had a fierce battle. If it weren’t for wanting to save you quickly, why would I be in such a state?!”

”Greetings, Elder Shen!”

”Greetings, Elder Shen!”

The crowd suddenly understood, their eyes filled with respect and admiration. As expected of our sacred land’s elder, truly an immortal’s demeanor. Such mere appearances were naturally not something they would be so mundane about.

Shen Shi nodded slightly, gazing at the mine below, his expression changing slightly, then asked, ”What’s the situation now? How are the casualties?”

”Reporting to Elder Shen, the mountains and rivers have sunk, and the mine along with them, but the strange earth qi has stopped erupting, so the casualties are not severe.”

A disciple responded in a low voice, not very enthusiastic, ”You didn’t arrive too late, it’s just that the mine sank rather suddenly, and we couldn’t react in time.”

”I see.”

Shen Shi sighed. It was initially said that Tai Yu had mysteriously disappeared with the ancient beast, fearing that an old friend from the sacred land had intervened, but he hadn’t anticipated such a situation. He continued:

”The earth veins are broken, the earth qi has dissipated, and there’s no way to trace its source. Save these mine cultivators and take them away from the Wanshou Mountain Range. I will report the situation back to the sacred land.”

”Understood.”

The disciples bowed, feeling a bit puzzled. Why would these mine cultivators and immortal slaves need saving? The sacred land had never bothered with them before, so what was Elder Shen Shi’s intention now?

But they were all smart enough not to ask too many questions. The mind of a Great Ascension Venerable was not something they could fathom.

At this moment, a young woman walked up to Shen Shi respectfully, holding a set of robes in her hands, and said with a gentle smile, ”Elder, you must be weary from your journey and the recent battle. Your attire might be inconvenient. If you don’t mind, you could try these clothes.”

Her words were respectful yet humble, warm and considerate, without seeming abrupt, leaving people feeling like a spring breeze, her smile sincere and enthusiastic.

Although Shen Shi looked haggard, he didn’t feel offended, giving her a second glance and asking, ”What’s your name, and who is your master in Xuanji Sacred Land?”

”Junior is Ru Tang,” the woman nodded slightly, her voice clear and pleasant, ”I have no master, I listen to the Dao sounds from all sides in the sacred land.”

”Cutting off a thousand Chains of the Great Dao, though only at the early Unity stage, your talent and strength are quite good. You may come under my domain, and I will take you as a Named Disciple.”

Shen Shi briefly examined Ru Tang, then picked up the robe without a change in expression, taking out a book of techniques, and said calmly, ”This is the Ming Xiao Art, consider it a meeting gift.”

”Thank you, Elder!” Ru Tang’s eyes flashed with joy as she respectfully accepted it, then dared not disturb further, stepping aside.

This scene was witnessed by the other disciples, who felt a wave of envy.

They had been awed by the elder’s authority and hadn’t thought of this in such a short time!

Shen Shi donned the robe, his demeanor changing completely, his aura becoming even more imposing, no longer resembling that of a mad Taoist, with an ethereal aura subtly surrounding him.

His brow furrowed unintentionally, his entire body tensing up. It wasn’t that he had no clothes, but that they were all shattered by the heavenly thunder, one set after another!

Shen Shi’s gaze lifted, staring for a long time, his fingers trembling violently.

With so many disciples around, hopefully, it wouldn’t happen again... As an elder of Xuanji Sacred Land, he still needed to maintain face.

Ru Tang, with her keen intuition, sensed the elder’s subtle change and couldn’t help but lift her eyes to gaze at the sky, but saw nothing unusual.

Shen Shi breathed a slight sigh of relief, seemingly nothing more, he coughed lightly and said in a deep voice, ”Let’s go, don’t delay any further.”

”Yes!” The disciples responded, their spirits lifted, finally having a backbone to rely on.

What Shen Shi didn’t know was that those inexplicable heavenly thunders were all manipulated by a hidden hand, even planting a mark within him.

As long as this world existed, as long as the Five Elements of the world existed, this mark would not dissipate, nor would it be detected.

It wasn’t like a spell, but a law of the Great Dao, omnipresent, like the spiritual qi flowing through the world, never noticed by cultivators as anything strange.

Five days later.

Shen Shi led the group away from the Wanshou Mountain Range, taking the mine cultivators with them, a large crowd, even using treasures from Xuanji Sacred Land to protect them.

He planned to find another mine of Xuanji Sacred Land to settle these mine cultivators, no longer letting them fend for themselves in the Wanshou Mountain Range.

Meanwhile, deep within the mountains, in a secluded paradise.

A fisherman in coarse clothes gently lifted his fishing rod, a jade token floating above the river, and a meaningful smile curled at the corner of his mouth hidden beneath a straw hat:

”Bull, I’ve finally found out where Xuanji Sacred Land is. It’s time to see the world of the Wild Heaven Region.”