Eternal Tale
Chapter 278

"Our lifespans are nothing to worry about. As for the corrupted creatures, your Brother Ox and I have long since discovered a way to counter them. Little Red, get back to the giant ship now."

"Moo-moo!"

"Huh?!"

Little Red was overjoyed. So that's how it was—Brother Xun wasn't fully human after all. "Haha, no problem, Brother Xun! Now I can rest easily!"

Chen Xun chuckled lightly at those words, finding it amusing that Little Red had been hiding such a trump card. Just how unique was this Blazing Red Lion?

The big black ox also stared blankly at Little Red. It seemed that the catastrophe that nearly wiped out Little Red's clan might not have been as simple as it appeared. With techniques like these, no ordinary spiritual beast could compare.

Little Red's body shrank back down, resuming his usual scruffy appearance. Standing in the large crater, he let out a sheepish laugh, though his energy had waned slightly.

"Don't worry. We won't die," Chen Xun declared with a hearty laugh, resting the mountain-opening axe on his shoulder. "Let's go, Old Ox. Time to kill."

"Moo-moo~~" The big black ox nodded toward Little Red.

With those words, the two figures vanished instantly, leaving behind a battlefield where the earth had already been swept clean. Yet the corrupted creatures still showed no sign of understanding fear or death.

Little Red cast a deep glance in their direction before turning back to the giant ship.

Closing his eyes, he began refining his Nascent Soul’s essence blood again. This was his second life, one that could completely reconstruct his physical form.

The body he now inhabited was merely a cover, with all of his essence blood condensed into his Nascent Soul. Cultivating this technique had come at a great cost; his clan had no record of anyone succeeding with it.

But to survive, he had no choice but to force his way through. This determination had become his deepest conviction, and in the end, perseverance paid off—he mastered the technique.

…

As time passed, Chen Xun and the big black ox grew more ferocious in their slaughter. Unless a corrupted creature at the Nascent Soul stage or above appeared, nothing could stand in their way.

Boom!

Two immense figures radiated dazzling light, cutting down every corrupted creature that dared approach. The eerie silence and gloom of the blackened battlefield finally shattered completely.

…

On the Domain Battlefield, all cultivators were trapped in the abyss of lost lifespan, unable to break free. Darkness loomed overhead, the marks of tainted blood layering decay upon decay within their bodies, turning every endeavor into futility.

…

On a seemingly inconspicuous coastline, a mountain of corpses had formed—a grotesque heap of corrupted creature remains. Even the cold, sinister aura hanging over the land had frozen solid in this area.

Time moved unnoticed, lifespans vanished like fleeting shadows, and eternity seemed sought in fleeting moments.

When all had sunk into a primordial silence, two figures remained seated atop the corpse-mountain, their eyes deep as wells, unmoved by external turmoil.

Their calm exteriors mirrored their inner stillness, unshaken even amidst the mortal peril of the Domain Battlefield.

Looking out, the barren land soaked in corrupted blood had turned into fertile soil. Slowly, inch by inch, the devastated earth began to heal, its depths unfathomable.

Chen Xun and the big black ox had been killing corrupted creatures here for a year.

This area had now become the graveyard of corrupted creatures.

…

Chen Xun had returned to his original appearance, his silver hair billowing with arcs of lightning—a figure of extraordinary presence.

After a year of study, he discovered that the internal structure of the corrupted creatures bore no resemblance to living beings. They couldn’t even reproduce, which was profoundly strange.

Their cultivation method relied solely on the chilling aura of the Domain Battlefield to elevate their spiritual awareness.

Like cultivators, their lifespans were finite; they died if killed, and their lifespans expired like any other being. But their origins remained an enigma.

Chen Xun, still at the cusp of a breakthrough, dared not lead his three companions into greater danger.

In particular, the black mountains ahead seemed to harbor Nascent Soul-stage corrupted creatures, each occupying their own territory, unlike the scattered ones hidden across the land.

In the past year, the strongest corrupted creature they’d encountered had been at the early Nascent Soul stage. Only one mid-stage beast had appeared, fighting with reckless abandon, sacrificing its own blood in a crazed frenzy that showed no regard for survival.

Though Chen Xun and the big black ox had a natural advantage against the corrupted creatures, such battles weighed heavily on their minds. Unless the entire domain united in suicidal defiance, who could clear the path forward?

A faint sense of despair loomed over them. And this was merely the coastline of the Black Earth Plains. Who knew how many corrupted creatures lurked deeper within? The path ahead seemed utterly obscured.

Chen Xun looked up at the vast sky. All the apertures within his body had been opened, and a rootless flower of pure essence bloomed atop his head, casting radiant light. Five Nascent Souls meditated within, undergoing a profound transformation.

"Old Ox, let me go first."

His eyes reflected a mix of determination and cold indifference. "I’m not sure how the heavenly tribulation will behave in this Domain Battlefield."

The big black ox let out a deep, reluctant moo, its gaze falling on the battlefield already saturated with killing formations. Any corrupted creature that entered would be ground to a pulp, reduced to a pool of corrupted blood.

They had long since reached the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, their spiritual awareness now ascending toward the Divine Transformation bottleneck.

"No need to worry. We're far stronger than we once were."

Chen Xun smiled faintly. He had now forged the Five Elements Immortal Path—a feat he hadn’t accomplished in the past. "Old Ox, activate the formation and send me to the center. If there is a heavenly tribulation, I can use its power to annihilate these corrupted creatures."

"Moo~" The big black ox's eyes showed hesitation but ultimately obeyed its leader’s command. "Moo!"

With a wave of its massive hoof, the big black ox conjured a radiant divine path before him. Chen Xun stepped into the air, dashing forward until his figure blurred into the distance.

“Moo!”

“Ximen Black Ox, don’t underestimate this Dao Ancestor! A mere minor Divine Transformation tribulation—who can stop me?!”

A loud, audacious roar echoed from afar, followed by a sudden howl of laughter toward the heavens. “The auspicious hour has arrived! I humbly beseech the heavens and all celestial gods and buddhas to grant me a little favor!!!”

“Moo!!”

The big black ox also let out a thunderous bellow that shook the earth. A seemingly unremarkable book floated into the air—it was a Book of Merit!

Seated atop the mountain of corpses, the big black ox manifested 108 mid-grade yellow incense burners crafted in the city. The burners encircled the area as the ox began chanting fervently, filled with devout sincerity.

…

On the giant ship. Little Red perched beneath a tree, fully recovered, his eyes fixed on Chen Xun in the far distance. His eldest brother was about to break through!

Shock filled Little Red’s gaze. This entire region had been purged of corrupted creatures—over a hundred Nascent Soul-level beasts had fallen. And now, only at this moment was his elder brother attempting to ascend?!

“Brother Xun… What kind of race is he even…?”

The words slipped from his mouth as he stood there like a block of wood. “Those techniques—they don’t even use spiritual energy?!”

His pupils constricted as though realizing something terrifying. That’s right! Neither Brother Xun's nor Brother Ox’s techniques bore any trace of spiritual energy!

Impossible. How could a cultivator not rely on spiritual energy? How would they cultivate? How would they ascend?

Little Red’s thoughts were in utter turmoil. The secrets his two elder brothers harbored were too immense—too dangerous for him to delve deeper into. Disaster would surely follow.

While his thoughts ran wild, a wind began to stir, no longer carrying its usual chill.

The ground started to hum, and even distant mountains resonated, emitting an overwhelming and fierce aura, like the prelude to a massive tidal wave—an oppressive calm before chaos.

Gale winds swept in from all directions, and Chen Xun’s aura grew otherworldly and profound. Above him, an endless, dazzling dark light began to radiate.

“I humbly beseech the heavens to bestow blessings and aid me in ascending the Divine Transformation Path!”

A commanding voice resounded across the land, vast and majestic. The ripples of the Five Elements surged outward, spreading like tidal waves in all directions.

The moment the voice rang out, the ground erupted into a tempest. A torrent of wind swept the area like an overwhelming flood, striking terror into the hearts of all living beings.

Chen Xun’s silver hair danced wildly as his eyes gleamed with reverence yet bore a hint of cold defiance. Cracks radiated outward from him as the epicenter, splitting the black earth in a massive, web-like pattern.

For hundreds of miles, corrupted creatures stirred restlessly. One by one, shadowy figures appeared, their heads raised, gazes filled with an unfamiliar emotion—fear. A deep, primal fear that rooted itself in their very beings.

From the boundless darkness above, an overwhelming, furious intent began to descend.

“Brother Ox!!!”

“Moo!!”

Little Red and the big black ox trembled, calling out to each other. Even the little crane aboard the ship chirped anxiously, its feathers trembling with unease.

A bead of sweat rolled down the big black ox’s forehead. Something was terribly off—this was unlike any tribulation it had ever witnessed.

The big black ox frantically waved its hoof, performing a ritual to plead for heavenly mercy. After all, they were good people!

…

In the distance. Seated cross-legged on the ground, Chen Xun’s eyelids twitched wildly as he glanced downward. Deep, repressive rumblings could be heard from beneath the surface.

Boom! Boom!

In the heavens and on the ground, arcs of lightning appeared out of thin air, branching outward in every direction. In the dark sky, an ocean of thunderous light surged, its roar deafening and majestic.

“What the hell!!” Chen Xun’s expression turned grave, his hair standing on end. With a wave of his hand, he swept up the incense burners and rose into the air, assuming a meditative posture. “A celestial tribulation and a terrestrial tribulation?!”

Thunderclouds were absent, yet the endless lightning seemed to carry unparalleled fury. Chen Xun couldn’t shake the feeling of being locked onto by something beneath the earth, a primal instinct urging him to flee.

The heavens, vast and imposing, gazed down upon the diminutive mortal below. The corrupted creatures, spanning thousands of miles, recoiled in fear for the first time. The divine might of the heavens was beyond reproach, utterly untouchable.

“Steady your mind. Losing focus now would be disastrous.”

Chen Xun’s eyelids continued to twitch as his skin began to shed, transforming into an unbreakable surface. He prepared to unleash every last ounce of his power to endure this Divine Transformation tribulation.

Above, a thunder pool coalesced into an expansive sea of lightning. Its rolling waves roared in fury, unleashing devastating storms.

Boom!!!

The sea of lightning churned, and a world-shaking bolt of thunder shot forth, piercing heaven and earth. The blackened earth along the coast was engulfed in blinding radiance, the terror boundless.

Chen Xun’s eyes bulged, and with a furious roar, he braced himself against the strike.

Suddenly, his pupils contracted. His consciousness was forcefully drawn into the tribulation, his mind beginning to unravel…

…

Aboard the giant ship. The unending lightning storm surged over the Black Sea, where the little crane unleashed a dazzling black-and-white radiance to shield the vessel with all its might.

The big black ox bellowed in alarm, for the first time unable to discern the nature of the tribulation. It had no idea if Chen Xun could survive.

Little Red lay beneath the tree, frothing at the mouth and convulsing uncontrollably. His eyes were vacant and hollow—this event had utterly shattered his understanding of the cultivation world.

Brother Xun was ascending to Divine Transformation, and the tribulation of heaven, earth, and humanity had descended together.