Eternal Tale
Chapter 297: A brand-new way of cultivating

One Month Later, Black Earth Plains Coastline.

A massive giant ship was docked at the very spot where they had once smuggled themselves ashore.

Three figures sat together, engaged in a long discussion.

“If the Heavenly Gate aligns parallel to the Ancient Grand Array, then if we head right from here, we should reach the frontline battlefield,” Chen Xun said, holding a small booklet and scribbling continuously. “If we keep moving left, it should lead us deeper inside. We can give it a try, but we absolutely cannot change course.”

“Moo moo~”

The big black ox’s eyes were filled with seriousness. Though it was adept at navigating, the interference of divine sense in the Black Earth Plains made even it uncertain of the direction.

It placed a hoof on Chen Xun’s shoulder, full of trust, as if saying, big bro... it’s all up to you!

Chen Xun chuckled. When it came to brains, Old Ox was still five points behind him.

“Brother Xun, I mean, what if—just if—we can't find the way, or if there’s no way at all?” Little Red’s voice trembled, expressing a desperate thought. “Shouldn’t we consider a backup plan?”

“Little Red, don’t worry. Our senior brother once said there must be a path here.”

“Moo moo!”

Chen Xun and the big black ox both looked resolute, their eyes unwavering.

Little Red’s mouth gaped in shock. Brother Xun and Old Ox actually had a senior brother?! His eyes widened further, abandoning all doubt.

With brothers like these, their senior brother must be an unimaginable powerhouse. Someone like that couldn’t be doubted.

Little Red said no more but cast a glance into the distance, then deeply studied the ground beneath them. A bold and immature idea stirred in his heart.

“Old Ox, Little Red, let’s head left first. Besides us, no one else can make it there.” Chen Xun’s eyes still held a trace of unwillingness. He had to see for himself. “If we can forge a direct path, everything will become much simpler.”

“Moo!”

The big black ox snorted heavily, already beginning to move, ready to accelerate. There was no need for his brother’s reminder about the teleportation and acceleration arrays.

If they encountered danger, the entire ship could instantly teleport back.

Little Red quickly followed behind, preparing Five-Element Stones. No matter where they went, survival came first. The Ox’s teleportation array was simply too effective.

Buzz—Boom!

The giant ship let out a thunderous roar as it slowly lifted off and accelerated.

Rustle, rustle...

The Five-Element Crane Spirit Trees wildly extended their branches, wrapping around the ship. Black and white glimmers draped everywhere, creating a dreamlike scene as the trees’ elemental power flooded into the vessel.

An invisible, immense wave rippled outward from the ship.

In an instant, the entire vessel transformed into a streak of black and white light, vanishing from the coastline at terrifying speed.

Only then did the viscous, silent Black Sea seem to react, crashing violently against the shore.

At the ship's front, a black coffin stood towering, exuding a terrifying aura of death. Five-element formation flags suppressed the four directions, forming killing arrays to obliterate the approaching Corrupted Beasts.

On the ground, the Corrupted Beasts howled miserably. Pillars of filthy blood shot into the air, and corpses floated in the bloody sea, utterly incapable of slowing the ship.

Inside the watchtower, Little Red was deep in thought, constantly observing and recording their path while occasionally consuming millennia-old spirit herbs.

Chen Xun sat calmly on the deck, occasionally waving his hand to release beams of white light.

Before long, hundreds of blank talismans floated in mid-air. On the ground, numerous ancient Crane Spirit Tree containers, filled with blood from Nascent Soul-level Corrupted Beasts, had started turning black.

A five-colored divine light flickered between Chen Xun’s brows as his soul emerged. Five phantoms gradually materialized, sitting cross-legged in various directions.

They exchanged glances, raising two fingers to their chests in unison.

A stream of corrupted blood, like a small creek, shot from the containers. At that moment, a Rootless Vital Energy Flower bloomed from Chen Xun’s body, fiercely suppressing the undead, decaying blood!

Little Red's eyelids twitched wildly as he watched from the observation tower. Brother Xun always enjoyed messing with these strange and terrifying things.

He didn’t even like using the traditional talismans common in the cultivation world. Instead, he only used them as references, and even the magical tools he presented externally were low-grade, rankless ones.

“Brother Xun is truly incredible.”

Little Red blurted this out instinctively. Brother Xun was completely different from The Great Li Realm's cultivators, though he couldn’t quite put his finger on why.

Shaking off his thoughts, Little Red decided not to dwell on it. Since he couldn’t reach Brother Xun’s level, it was better to focus on tracking their route.

On the deck. Chen Xun’s eyes gleamed brightly as droplets of corrupted blood perfectly merged into the strange, rune-like, inscriptions. He looked pleased. “As expected, only these talismans will do!”

He was quite satisfied. Collaborating with powerful factions ensured quality—no adulteration this time.

Chen Xun glanced outside. The massive ship was moving so fast that it covered thousands of miles in an instant.

On the Black Earth Plains, many low-level Corrupted Beasts in the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment stages momentarily appeared dazed. They instinctively looked up at the vast, dark sky but saw nothing but emptiness.

Only those in the Golden Core stage barely sensed something, yet they were mercilessly slaughtered by the big black ox in an instant.

“This speed… it’s the combined effect of Little Crane’s enhanced abilities, the ship’s age advancement, and Old Ox’s improved cultivation level boosting his control over formations.”

“It’s dozens of times faster than when we crossed the Tian Duan Plains. Now we don’t even need teleportation arrays to escape. Not that I could keep up anyway…”

Chen Xun secretly marveled. Their ship was practically flying now. The changes brought on after breaking into the Nascent Soul stage were enormous—a world apart from the Core Formation stage.

Yet the ship’s acceleration hadn’t stopped. The sound of spatial tremors grew louder.

BOOM!

A streak of black and white light tore through the sky. In the distance, a black mountain suddenly collapsed, smashed to pieces upon impact, leaving the Corrupted Beasts below dumbfounded.

Chen Xun withdrew his gaze, completely reassured. His brothers could now each hold their own ground, sparing him much worry.

He resumed crafting talismans, curious about what kind of mutation these talismans made from Nascent Soul-level corrupted blood would produce.

Days passed by. The big black ox and Little Red often heard sorrowful, mournful sighs from the deck. Faintly, they caught snippets like: “My spirit stones…”

The aftermath of Chen Xun spending millions of spirit stones was finally kicking in. Though most were looted from corpses, it had taken considerable effort—a hard-earned fortune.

He had bought five sets of materials for large-scale teleportation arrays. All of them were forbidden items, priced 40% higher than usual. But it was a necessary move.

With no personal connections or network, gathering them himself would’ve wasted endless time.

Small business deals were fine, but with big trades like this, his vision and strategic thinking just weren’t enough. All he could do was throw spirit stones at the problem.

Chen Xun couldn’t help but think: once he attained immortality and entered the grand era, he must invest everywhere and think long-term.

Not for any grand reason—just so that by sitting at home, millions of mid-grade spirit stones would flow into his account daily!

By then, his words would command countless great cultivators. Whether it was information or cultivation resources, everything would be delivered to his door. He would no longer suffer from a lack of experience!

“Hmph, damn it, this is my true advantage—what’s the point of competing?”

Chen Xun nodded thoughtfully, already planning for the future. “As the Dao Ancestor, I still have several million mid-grade spirit stones. I probably won’t run out... probably won’t lose money...”

He was determined to lead his brothers into a brand-new cultivation lifestyle—carefree, focused on exploring the mysteries of heaven and earth.

No more senseless killing. He would fully unleash his greatest strengths.

The big black ox, thinking Chen Xun was in seclusion again, quietly began recording his muttered plans.