Eternal Tale

Chen Xun nodded thoughtfully. "Hmm, tell us more about Da Li."

"Yes, Elder," Dai Xinqing responded eagerly, clearly excited by the opportunity. This was something he excelled at.

As they began answering Chen Xun’s questions, the two cultivators gradually became more relaxed, realizing that these two Elders weren't the bloodthirsty types they had initially feared. It had been their preconceived notions that caused their fear.

Chen Xun and the black bull often exclaimed in amazement during the conversation, their reactions exaggerated, though the two cultivators neither heard nor saw these displays.

Two hours passed.

Chen Xun and the black bull were deeply shocked by what they learned. They couldn't conceal their astonishment—*Da Li* was truly beyond anything they had imagined.

"So that’s how it is. Thank you."

"It’s the duty of us juniors, Elder. You’re far too kind," Huang Shao replied, his head still bowed, never daring to raise it. "If you need a guide, we would be honored to serve you."

"At your command, Elder!" Dai Xinqing echoed, a little too enthusiastically.

"Take these Extinguishing Spirit Stones," Chen Xun said, waving his hand. Four massive Extinguishing Spirit Stones, as large as boulders, appeared on the boat’s deck. "This is the reward I promised you."

The black bull followed suit, offering two thousand-year-old *Clear Soul Grass* plants to each of them.

Huang Shao and Dai Xinqing’s pupils shrank, their breaths becoming heavier. This was beyond generous.

"Thank you, Elder!"

"Thank you, Elder!"

They bowed even lower, grateful and humbled. Receiving gifts from an Elder was a great honor, and they dared not refuse.

They quickly stored the items in their storage rings, each taking two stones.

Chen Xun’s eyes narrowed slightly as he gazed into the distance, deep in thought. "You may leave now."

"Yes, Elder!" Dai Xinqing's heart raced with excitement. They had stumbled upon a great fortune. Answering a few questions had earned them such incredible rewards.

He tugged at Huang Shao, urging him to leave, but Huang remained motionless. Growing anxious, Dai Xinqing whispered urgently, "Huang Shao, let’s go!"

Huang Shao didn’t budge. Instead, he took a small step forward, glancing up at the two figures atop the flying crane-shaped prow. His pupils contracted in shock. *What kind of bandit look is that?!*

"Is there something on your mind, young man?" Chen Xun asked with amusement.

"Elder... I am Huang Shao," Huang stammered, gathering his courage and taking another step forward. "May I dare ask your names?"

"Huang Shao, are you insane?!" Dai Xinqing hissed in panic. He then turned toward the prow, bowing deeply and smiling obsequiously. "Elder, please forgive him. He doesn’t know how to speak properly." 𝙧â𝐍оᛒĚș

"Haha, Huang Shao, I’ll remember you," Chen Xun said with a smile and a wave of his hand. "We will meet again, if fate allows."

A gust of wind swept the two cultivators off their feet, sending them flying toward the distant ravine wall. The massive flying boat gradually disappeared into the darkness.

It felt like a dream. Both men stared into the dark abyss, their hearts filled with a whirlwind of emotions.

……

Three days later, the giant flying boat hovered deep within the Heaven’s End Ravine. Not a single cultivator was in sight.

Chen Xun had spent the last three days lying on the deck, staring listlessly at the sky, feeling somewhat out of sorts—almost as if he were ill.

On the deck, the black bull was busy tinkering with some Extinguishing Spirit Stones, arranging several formations around them. Chen Xun turned his head to look at the bull and sighed deeply, his emotions conflicted.

He was both disheartened and elated. Disheartened because opening his divine apertures had consumed an incalculable number of Extinguishing Spirit Stones—he’d lost more spirit stones than he could count. But elated because these stones were worth so much, and now that they had an endless supply, they would never be short on spirit stones again.

"Old Bull, how’s it going?"

"Moo~~" The black bull shook its head. It had some ideas but was still in the experimental phase.

"Take your time. No rush," Chen Xun said with a smile, patting the bull. "There’s plenty of Extinguishing Spirit Stones here. We’ll never run out."

"Moo~" The black bull nudged Chen Xun affectionately before continuing its spellcasting, determined not to disappoint.

Their formations could only block divine sense from probing but lacked any defense against divine sense attacks or countermeasures.

After hearing about the Extinguishing Spirit Artifacts in Da Li, the black bull was inspired. *If they can refine these stones into artifacts, why can’t I use them to create formations?!*

Chen Xun, deep in thought, flipped open his notebook. The two cultivators had mentioned that Extinguishing Spirit Stones could store spiritual energy, as they were constantly eroded by the Extinguishing Spirit Wind. Extinguishing Spirit Artifacts required spiritual energy to activate, but Chen Xun hadn’t noticed that function yet. So far, he’d only discovered that the stones stored the *Extinguishing Spirit Force*.

But what could these stones do with both Extinguishing Spirit Force and spiritual energy…?

Wait.

Chen Xun froze, his thoughts racing. *Those terrifying creatures sealed beneath the ground had no divine sense or spiritual energy.*

"Could it be… these stones are meant for them?"

Chen Xun frowned, a terrible premonition forming in his mind. "We absolutely mustn’t disturb those things. They’re like monsters."

There were two possibilities:

The first was that the stones were slowly eroding the spiritual energy of the cultivation world, waiting for a critical point at which those creatures would awaken.

The second was that the creatures were waiting underground for their kin to unseal them, with these Extinguishing Spirit Stones serving as their nourishment, containing both spiritual energy and divine sense.

Chen Xun’s eyes grew sharper as he began analyzing the situation in his notebook.

No matter which possibility it was, if they drained the Heaven’s End Ravine of all its Extinguishing Spirit Stones, not only would they cut off the Da Li cultivators’ source of income, but they might also sever the lifeline of those terrifying creatures.

With their current strength, they couldn’t afford either outcome. They could easily become public enemies. It was best to know when to stop.

"Moo?!"

"What’s wrong, Old Bull?"

"Moo moo~"

The black bull snorted, sending out the power of the five elements into the veins of the Extinguishing Spirit Stone. The veins began emitting spiritual energy without any attributes, spreading rapidly.

Chen Xun's eyes widened. After opening their divine apertures, they had only been probing the stones with their divine sense or using the power of the five elements to break them down. Without the two cultivators' explanation, they never would have discovered this step.

"So, the spiritual energy was hidden in the veins. When we broke it down, it was dissipating along with the Extinguishing Spirit Wind."

"Moo~~"

The black bull patted Chen Xun on the shoulder with a smug expression. There’s always one detail the big brother misses.

As they continued observing, the veins of the Extinguishing Spirit Stone were gradually filled with the five elements' energy, triggering a strange transformation.

"Old Bull, what exactly are these stones?" Chen Xun wondered aloud, resting a hand on the bull’s back. "Their veins are so compatible with all the energies of the heavens and earth."

"Moo?" The black bull shook its head. It had never heard of anything like these stones, except maybe the strange Crane Spirit Tree they had encountered.

After one incense stick of time, the transformation was complete. The veins of the Extinguishing Spirit Stone began to emit a faint glow of five-element energy. A subtle breeze stirred, carrying a trace of Extinguishing Spirit Force.

However, the wind was so faint that without their five-element powers, they would never have noticed it. It was as if it existed everywhere, invisible and omnipresent.

"Old Bull, what the… this feels a lot like the Crane Spirit Tree’s unique properties," Chen Xun muttered, frowning deeply. They had encountered many heavenly materials and treasures on their journey, but in terms of compatibility with different elements, nothing compared to the Crane Spirit Tree.

"Moo~~" The black bull, equally stunned, started scribbling in their notebook. Based on its two thousand years of knowledge and the terrifying creatures underground, it suspected that both the Crane Spirit Tree and the Extinguishing Spirit Stones weren’t from this world.

Chen Xun's eyes gleamed with realization, his expression contemplative. "I’ve thought about it too. It’s possible they came from the same world as Senior Brother Ji's homeland."

"Moo~~" The black bull’s eyes lit up. It hadn’t expected its big brother to have the same theory.

"Let’s start converting these Extinguishing Spirit Stones into five-element formations. We can’t stay here too long," Chen Xun said, surveying the area with growing wariness. "If we need more, we’ll come back. For now, let’s head toward Da Li."

"Moo moo!!"

Hearing the name Da Li, the black bull trembled with excitement

. There was one place it absolutely had to visit.

Buzz—

Buzz—

The massive flying boat roared to life, cutting through the darkness. The Crane Spirit Five-Element Tree swayed gently, its black-and-white leaves shimmering softly in the dim light.

……

In the following months, despite saying they would leave, Chen Xun and the black bull stayed as long as they could, reluctant to go. After all, why leave when they could continue benefiting from the ravine?

The black bull used its five-element flags to completely convert the Extinguishing Spirit Stones, integrating them into their formations and fusing them with the five-element energy of the Five-Extreme Formation.

However, when it came to refining the Extinguishing Spirit Stones into artifacts, Chen Xun remained baffled.

They shattered, dissolved, or decayed—how could anyone refine these things? The whole concept seemed absurd!

"Old Bull, let’s go. It’s time to head to Da Li!"

"Moo~~~!"

Two deep voices echoed from the darkness as the giant flying boat shifted from horizontal to vertical, surging toward the upper reaches of the Heaven’s End Ravine.

Chen Xun and the black bull stood firmly at the prow, their gazes calm and focused, their minds heavy with thoughts.

The relentless Extinguishing Spirit Wind howled around them, but it could no longer penetrate the black bull’s formations.

A glimmer of light appeared on the horizon. Faint beams of sunlight broke through the gloom, while the flying boat accelerated, faster and faster, soaring through the wind toward the sky above the ravine!

"Let’s go!!"

"Moo!!"

Their veins bulged as they roared toward the future. They were finally on their way to the superpower, Da Li—a world beyond imagination.

Chen Xun clung to the black bull’s head, and the bull pressed close to him, both their hearts pounding with excitement.

The superpower Da Li—vast and boundless, dominating the world!

From the Unfathomable Sea in the east to the Hanging Sky Barrier in the west, Da Li governed 360 states, home to hundreds of billions of people and countless cultivators.

Five great ancient immortal sects, three ancient cultivation families, two sacred palaces, and one Buddhist temple ruled over ten states each, standing tall over the world, holding dominion over Da Li!

The four immortal mountains of the overseas regions guarded the Hanging Heaven's Gate, opening once every millennium, when the heavens’ river reversed its flow. Countless cultivators set sail, embarking on a journey to cross heaven's gate!

This was the world of Da Li, a land of immense opportunities and endless mysteries, awaiting exploration.

At that moment.

Enormous beams of light shot from the dim sky, striking the Heaven’s End Ravine and illuminating a massive flying boat that had just emerged from the depths.

Boom!

Buzz!!!

The ravine echoed with a thunderous roar, as a vast, overwhelming pressure briefly appeared, followed by a dazzling burst of five-element divine light!

The scene was as if some monstrous creature were about to descend upon the world, shaking the dark clouds in the sky.

"Damn it, we’ve arrived!!!"

"Moo moo moo!!!"

The roaring winds stirred the earth like a dragon awakening, sending dust swirling everywhere, the air thick with a terrifying, chilling energy.

In the distance, beyond the other side of the Heaven’s End Ravine, the landscape was no longer just a desert of endless sand, but a series of towering cliffs, carved as if by some ancient hand.

The distant mountains loomed in the mist, faint and indistinct, like strokes of ink brushed across the somber horizon.

Above the ravine, an enormous formation barrier stretched across the sky, a magnificent array constantly in motion, driving back the Extinguishing Spirit Wind!

The flying boat came to a stop at the edge of the cliffs, where the Crane Spirit Five-Element Tree extended a branch, reaching toward the distance.

From the swirling dust emerged two slow-moving figures. They had finally arrived.

The three brothers took their first step into Da Li’s frontier.

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