Eternal Tale

The next day, as the sun began to rise.

Four figures and a black ox sat cross-legged at the edge of a cliff, the cool breeze gently brushing their faces. Their eyes were serene, and their robes rustled softly in the wind.

"As the sun rises, the heavens bestow their gifts, and purple qi comes from the east. Now, breathe in~"

"Moo~"

Whoosh!

The three of them took deep breaths, their faces turning red and shivering slightly as they inhaled, but they believed what the Old Ancestor said must be true.

Heavenly purple qi, must be something more precious than regular spiritual qi. There was no such concept back in the Five Elements Sect.

"Breathing requires calm and focus. What's this? Are you afraid you won't get enough?" Chen Xun raised an eyebrow and reprimanded them, "Start over. Breathe evenly, with a sincere heart, and feel the purple qi enter your body!"

"Yes, Ancestor."

The three of them shifted slightly, quickly adjusting their posture. They tried to mimic the Ancestor and the ox, gradually calming their hearts.

In the days that followed, an unusual scene appeared on Nine Palaces Mountain, a sight worth noting.

Every day at sunrise, four people and an ox sat at the peak of the cliff, breathing in purple qi and giving thanks to the heavens. Jiang Xuechen had observed this scene before, stunned and speechless. The cultivation of these three juniors hadn’t improved at all.

Sometimes, the three youngsters would even clutch a booklet, crying out in despair, lamenting how they had "died" again.

Or they would gather around a bonfire at night, roasting demon beasts as if they weren't there to cultivate at all.

Jiang Xuechen just shook her head, saying nothing more. She didn't dare interfere, only occasionally asking if they wanted to use the spirit veins to cultivate.

But Chen Xun always declined, saying it wasn't time yet.

A year passed quietly in this routine, and Chen Xun focused his immortal points on the essence of all things.

On a sunny day, Chen Xun and the black ox sat in rocking chairs, eating sunflower seeds, their gaze fixed on the cliff's edge. The three juniors were meditating, surrounded by a protective array that helped them concentrate.

In front of them were both new and old booklets—the old ones contained Chen Xun's experiences during the Qi Refining stage.

The new ones were their own, where they had to record and discuss, studying on their own initiative.

"Old Ox, look at how fortunate these youngsters are nowadays," Chen Xun sighed with a mix of envy and resentment. "Cultivating in a spiritual mountain, with top-grade alchemy to guide them."

"Moo~~" The black ox shook its head, exhaling deeply as it recalled the past.

It wasn't until he reached the Nascent Soul stage that his alchemy skills improved. Not to mention the time spent searching for spiritual herbs. But every step was solid, and eventually, he ascended to the position of Old Ancestor.

"If we had those resources back then, it's hard to imagine what we could have achieved." Chen Xun chuckled, shaking his head as he held a Qi Refining manual. "Five Elements spiritual qi—how should it be transformed..."

"Moo?"

"Old Ox, when the time comes, set up a formation for me, the Five Elements Formation. I want to see how it operates."

"Moo!"

The black ox nodded while lying on the rocking chair, its eyes shining with wisdom. It was planning to modify the Spirit Gathering Formation into a Five Elements Gathering Formation.

Chen Xun flickered out of sight and went inside to start copying those Five Elements spiritual root techniques.

The black ox set up a small Spirit Gathering Formation, and the five-element Nascent Soul within it slowly opened its eyes, beginning to absorb the five elements of heaven and earth.

Liu Han, Shi Wujun, and Ji Zhao also began living a plain and simple life with the two Old Ancestors.

Though peaceful, they found it very interesting. The two Old Ancestors were full of surprises...

Under the influence of Chen Xun and the black ox, they began to truly revere the heavens. Ji Zhao, in particular, was deeply affected by the black ox and became a firm believer in the importance of virtue.

At sunrise, Ji Zhao even set up a stove, believing that this was how cultivation should be.

They were completely isolated from the world, neither arrogant nor impatient, starting to enjoy the process of cultivation because no one dared to cause trouble for them.

…

Ten years later, the three of them successfully established their foundations using top-grade Foundation Establishment Pills, though their cultivation progressed slowly, as they spent only half of their time on actual cultivation.

Ji Zhao’s five-element mixed spiritual roots mirrored Chen Xun's situation in the past, though fortunately, their cultivation resources were abundant.

Naturally, Chen Xun dared not use Foundation Establishment Pills with pill lines for them, as the force that tears through meridians would have killed them without proper defenses.

These three didn't have the system's enhancements, nor did they practice body-refining techniques, so they couldn't take such a risk.

In Flower Rain Valley, the frame of a giant flying boat was gradually taking shape, with a base made of 99,000-year-old Crane Spirit Trees.

However, Chen Xun began to let his mind wander again. Back then, they didn’t dare continue cultivating the 100,000-year Crane Spirit Tree because the Water Spirit Art couldn’t suppress it.

But now their spiritual energy has increased by nearly a hundred points. Could this tree be cultivated further? Had its limit truly been reached by death?

…

Another fifty years passed, and Chen Xun had now settled in Flower Rain Valley.

The entire valley was shrouded in a chilling aura, with five Nascent Soul fires burning brightly in all directions. Even from afar, one could feel the terrifying power contained within.

A giant flying boat had already taken shape, with a crane’s head crafted at the bow, looking extraordinarily lifelike.

The boat's hull had been inscribed with formation patterns by the black ox, incredibly profound, though still a half-finished product, unable to convert the Five Elements' energy.

Chen Xun hadn't yet found a way to cultivate using the Five Elements' energy, so he had to rely on the Nascent Soul to comprehend it first.

The three juniors were temporarily under the black ox's guidance, and Chen Xun had already passed on his booklets to them. Their cultivation progressed steadily.

…

Time passed like the morning glow, and another forty years flew by. Liu Han, Shi Wujun, and Ji Zhao were brought to Snow Listening Valley to undergo closed-door cultivation.

A shocking catastrophe came from the North. Tens of thousands of vagabond cultivators sacrificed themselves, using the power of their bloodlines to awaken the numerous Nascent Soul-level spirit beasts beneath the glaciers. None have returned.

The entire cultivation world was thrown into turmoil, designating the North as a forbidden zone, never to be recklessly explored again.

The cultivation world of the Qian Nation fell into silence, as did the cultivation worlds of the eastern states. Every major sect was in mourning, funeral bells tolling long and loud...

It seemed as if this marked the end of the last glorious era of this cultivation world, with everything falling into stillness.

The Ten Great Immortal Sects were finally and completely toppled from their thrones. Some sects, sensing an opportunity, began to secretly conspire, planning to force the opening of the Southern Dipper Mountains.

In Flower Rain Valley, two terrifying auras were continuously rising, causing a constant humming throughout the valley. Violent winds kicked up, and dust swirled everywhere.

Two massive figures stood on the ground, their eyes closed, with a vast amount of spiritual energy surging around them, resonating with the Five Elements' energy of heaven and earth.

Suddenly, the ground erupted like a giant wave, and multicolored magical light illuminated the entire valley.

Faintly, ten Nascent Souls exuded an inexplicable aura, appearing and disappearing.

The aura of the person and the ox sitting cross-legged on the ground was incomparably terrifying, far beyond what it had been before.

The power of the Nascent Soul Pill was immense, and after consuming them like candy for over a hundred years, they had finally broken through.

Chen Xun slowly opened his eyes, his black hair flowing and a spark of electricity flashing in his gaze.

"Moo~" The black ox snorted, its spiritual energy causing the surrounding space to tremble and roar.

They exchanged a calm look, now in the mid-Nascent Soul stage, the strongest beings in this cultivation world. No one could harm them anymore.

"Old Ox, the spiritual energy of the mid-Nascent Soul stage is indeed formidable." Chen Xun waved his hand, and the surrounding spiritual energy gathered in his palm, spiraling like a stream of water before dissipating. "But the greatest gain is still the Nascent Soul itself."

"Moo!" The black ox grinned. It could feel that the Nascent Soul was now more attuned to the Five Elements' energy, with much greater power.

Chen Xun's gaze deepened. He realized that the thrill of breaking through to new realms no longer excited him; what mattered most were the thoughts in his mind.

"Damn, this is frustrating."

"Moo?"

"The Five Elements' spiritual energy, the techniques of the Five Elements, and the energy source for our flying boat, among other things." Chen Xun shook his head, then suddenly burst into laughter. "Old Ox, let's go check out our giant flying boat!"

"Moo!!" The black ox jumped up in excitement, clearly more thrilled by this than by their breakthrough.

Over the past century, they have allocated their immortal points to various attributes.

Their current points were: Strength 153 (140), Speed 200 (140), Essence of All Things 200 (140), Spiritual Energy 200 (140), and Defense 200 (140).

At that moment, a refreshing breeze blew from the horizon, causing ripples in the valley, as if the sun that had been swallowed was now exhaling a breath of satisfaction over the earth.

Chen Xun paused in his steps, gazing at the petals falling all around him, silently and without a sound.

"Where does the wind begin, and where does it stop?" Chen Xun sighed softly, placing one hand behind his back. "Old Ox, where does the Five Elements' energy originate, and where does it return?"

"Moo?!" The black ox stared blankly, completely baffled by Chen Xun's question.

"I once observed mountains and rivers, wielding an axe for hundreds of years in front of my home, following the natural paths of all things, mastering the art of the axe." Chen Xun murmured to himself, an otherworldly aura naturally emerging from him. "I have also experienced life and death, witnessed the hardships of the world, and seen all things return to silence."

As he spoke, five Nascent Soul shadows gradually appeared above his head, the surrounding spiritual energy continuously dispersing as the spiritual pressure became increasingly intense.

A sharp wind arose, cutting like a knife.

Cold sweat broke out on the black ox's forehead as it quietly took half a step back, carefully exhaling half a breath.

“What is cultivation without understanding the essence of heaven and earth? The Five Elements' energy arises from the heavens and returns to the earth, endlessly cycling; this is the cycle of all things; this is following the Dao.” Chen Xun smiled faintly, circulating his internal techniques without drawing in any spiritual energy. “We who seek longevity must follow the path of Heaven, cultivate the Five Elements, and give back to the world!”

As soon as his words fell.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

A five-headed, ten-armed figure slowly rose from behind Chen Xun. Their faces were indistinct, but they carried an overwhelming, terrifying aura of spiritual energy!

The figure's eyes were cold, overlooking the earth. The Five Elements' energy surged around them, mutually generating and restraining each other yet endlessly cycling, lingering in the world.

"Spiritual energy is merely a medium, far from the essence." Chen Xun's gaze remained calm and indifferent as he raised two fingers to the sky, his body's spiritual energy seeming to dissipate. "Five Elements' energy, heed my command, enter my body, and may you not... fail to recognize the favor."

"Moo!!!"

The black ox's pupils trembled violently, filled with deep reverence. Its boss's aura was too powerful, and it quickly retreated to a distant spot, bowing in worship.

The formations in the valley could no longer withstand the force as the surrounding Five Elements' energy surged toward Chen Xun's body, pushing away the spiritual energy like it had met its natural enemy.

Boom!

Boom!

The earth shook and mountains quaked, the disturbance long since alarming the entire Nine Palaces Mountain. Female cultivators on various peaks were stunned, their lips trembling.

In a certain grand hall within Snow Listening Valley, Jiang Xuechen suddenly opened her eyes. She slowly looked in a certain direction, her heart filled with dread and her scalp tingling...