Eternal Tale

Chapter 209 - Third Brother, Little Crane

Buzz

Buzz

A massive flying ship glided through the clouds above the desolate Tian Duan Plains, almost as if it were teleporting.

The vast energy of the Five Elements from the heavens and earth continuously gathered toward the ship, and it even seemed to be accelerating.

Chen Xun and the big black ox stood at the stern of the ship, next to the Five Elements Spirit Tree, their gazes lingering for a long time in the direction of their homeland.

With so many seeing them off, their thousand years of cultivation had not been in vain. They were never truly alone.

"Old Ox..."

"Moo?"

"We'll definitely return one day, won't we?"

"Moo!"

The big black ox nodded firmly, pressing its head against Chen Xun. Now, it was just the two of them once again.

With a smile on his face, Chen Xun slowly turned, his eyes fixed on the distant horizon, filled with unwavering determination.

The big black ox snorted, its gaze also growing resolute, and it too turned to face forward. The journey ahead was long, with an uncertain future.

Chen Xun and the big black ox headed inside to the pavilion and began their cultivation. The ship was fully controlled by formation arrays, so there was no need to worry.

He could vaguely sense that one day, the 360 acupoints of heaven, earth, and man might form a great cycle and undergo some sort of transformation—perhaps they would merge, or something else entirely.

Their cultivation no longer required sleepless nights, as the Five Elements' energy constantly nourished their bodies.

Now, Chen Xun found the Five Elements spiritual roots far from weak—quite the opposite, they were incredibly powerful. Without these roots, none of their accomplishments would have been possible.

The biggest issue now, however, was the lack of advanced techniques, especially when it came to breaking through to higher realms. They had no guide for the next stage, and it was unclear how they should proceed.

These acupoints were derived from techniques of the spiritual and immortal paths…

He dared not recklessly open his acupoints. A disorder in the minor cycle could cause his acupoints to collapse, cutting off his path on the Five Elements Immortal Path.

The realm beyond the Nascent Soul stage was known as the Transformation Stage!

The Top Ten Sects had very little written about this realm, and no heritage left behind. It seemed that ancient cultivators had been in a rush to leave.

Chen Xun had only caught a few vague hints, but even that filled him with a sense of awe. What kind of world was it? He couldn't even begin to imagine.

White clouds drifted like solitary sails across a blue sea, floating freely alongside the ship.

The sun's rays constantly shone, bathing the ship in brilliant golden light.

Time passed with the rising and setting of the sun, as they sailed over the Tian Duan Plains, where there were no signs of life or spiritual energy—only endless rolling sands.

But now, with the ship as their home, Chen Xun and the big black ox no longer saw only yellow sand with their eyes.

Before they knew it, a hundred years had passed.

"By my ancestors! This ship is faster than even we are!"

A roar echoed from within the pavilion of the flying ship. "I ought to sing now!"

"Moo, moo?!!"

A piercing sound of an ox's horn echoed from the pavilion. "Moo, moo, moo??"

A day later, the pavilion once again fell into silence, filled with the dense energy of the Five Elements, and the two resumed their acupoint cultivation.

Though cultivators had long lives, much of that time was spent in cultivation, making their days quite full.

They were now working on opening their 30th earth acupoint, equivalent to the late Nascent Soul stage, and their speed had improved tremendously compared to before.

Chen Xun had also noticed that as they opened their acupoints, both their spiritual senses and physiques grew stronger, enhancing every aspect of their beings.

But despite these changes, Chen Xun couldn't help but feel a sense of regret. These developments were still rooted in the spiritual path, not their own unique Five Elements Immortal Path. The road ahead remained long, requiring further exploration.

...

Time flew by, and the wheels of fate turned as the mortal world passed by in its complexity. Another two hundred years had quietly slipped away.

The massive flying ship continued its journey across the skies of the desolate Tian Duan Plains, bearing witness to all the changes on the ground below.

At the stern of the ship, two figures sat beside the mystical tree, both wearing confident smiles.

"Little Crane, your Ox Brother and I just finished opening more acupoints recently, leaving little time to nurture you." Chen Xun spoke regretfully, one hand patting the tree while the other rested behind his back, casually revealing a giant axe. "You don't blame your big brother, do you?"

"Moo~~~" The big black ox's eyes twinkled with laughter as it nuzzled the Five Elements Spirit Tree with its horns.

"Hmm... yes, I understand."

Chen Xun pressed his ear to the tree, nodding thoughtfully. "Old Ox, Little Crane says it's okay—it can wait!"

"Moo?! Moo~" The big black ox's eyes widened as it flicked its tail a few times—it believed it again!

"You see, that's why Little Crane is our third brother—it knows how to go with the flow." Chen Xun laughed heartily, patting the tree again. "Old Ox, let’s tell Little Crane about the time we fought all those experts on the Southern Dipper Mountains, and how countless prodigies bowed before us."

"Moo, moo!" The big black ox snorted excitedly and quickly took out a small notebook to flip through.

And so, a man, an ox, and a tree exchanged exaggerated stories high in the vast sky, occasionally pouring tea and watering the tree.

Ten years ago, Chen Xun and the big black ox had achieved complete mastery in their cultivation, having opened all 40 earth acupoints and fully elevated their Nascent Soul stage to its pinnacle.

Chen Xun's spells, as well as the big black ox's formation arrays, were now those of true Nascent Soul experts.

The technique left deep scorched craters on the ground, the result of Chen Xun and the big black ox’s work, demonstrating the true power of a Nascent Soul cultivator—meteorites falling from the sky!

The damage was comparable to that caused by a heavenly tribulation, yet it required very little energy to cast, making it both fast and efficient.

The big black ox's Five Elements Formation had left Chen Xun secretly gritting his teeth—without his axe, it was nearly impossible to break through!

These past few years, they had been taking it easy. Incense burners were placed all around the ship, and every day they performed rituals, absorbed violet energy, praying to the heavens, and worshiping the immortal gods and buddhas.

Eventually, they even roped the Five Elements Spirit Tree into their routine, sharing stories of their past adventures with it.

In the entire cultivation world, no one could outdo Chen Xun when it came to "living it up." The big black ox eagerly followed along every day, never once feeling bored.

...

Five years later.

Dark clouds pressed down upon the sky, obscuring the once crimson horizon, and hung so low it seemed that they would collapse. The oppressive atmosphere made the entire world fall eerily silent.

A cold, strange wind swept through the heavens and earth, its unsettling nature apparent.

Chen Xun and the big black ox stood atop the crane's head, their gazes sharp as an eagle's.

"Old Ox... ready your weapon." A calm, low voice broke the silence.

"Moo~" The big black ox’s eyes grew deep and serious as it nodded lightly.

In an instant. A pitch-black figure appeared atop the crane's head, with three dark, inky axes strapped to its back.

The big black ox stood tall, shrouded in darkness, with a large black coffin materializing behind it.

The eerie wind passed through the Five Elements Formation, rustling their robes as it swept past.