Eternal Tale

Today, Chen Xun and the big black ox stood by the edge of the boat, eating fruits with juice splattering everywhere. The boat was still surrounded by piles of mineral rocks, all emitting a chilling wind.

Chen Xun was secretly estimating whether clearing out all these minerals would stop the erosion of spiritual energy in their cultivation world. He was also curious about the origin of these minerals and why they eroded spiritual energy. Despite dissecting them inch by inch, he had yet to find an answer.

Today, Chen Xun and the big black ox were at the bow of the boat, using their divine acupoints to scan the surroundings and sweep up the minerals.

The big black ox was still carefully scanning the ground, but Chen Xun had started to probe beneath the Plains floor with his divine acupoints.

Half a day later, Chen Xun’s face suddenly changed drastically, a sense of horror spreading throughout his body. The entire flying boat slowly came to a halt.

“Moo moo??!” The big black ox looked puzzled, wondering why Chen Xun had such a reaction.

With their current strength, shouldn’t they be unshaken by anything?

“Old Ox…” Chen Xun stared blankly at the big black ox, his voice deep, “Use your divine acupoints to look beneath the ground…”

“Moo~” The big black ox nodded and used its divine acupoints to investigate.

After a short while:

“Moo!!!”

“What the hell!!!”

They shouted in shock, their bodies covered in sweat. They couldn’t understand what could cause such a reaction from two late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators.

The cause was revealed to be several enormous mineral deposits underground, but they were no longer pure black; instead, they were a strange black-purple color!

The veins were still intricately spread out, and within these mineral deposits were actually living beings!

These black-purple veins were embedded in their bodies. Although they had no spiritual energy or divine sense fluctuations, they were definitely not dead!

They seemed to be sealed within, their bodies quite imposing, not human, and clearly had a third eye. Just looking from afar could evoke awe and fear.

“What the hell! Damn it!” Chen Xun was so frightened he became incoherent, his movements frantic. “Old Ox, do…do something.”

“Moo~~~” The big black ox’s breath was erratic, its forehead covered in sweat. What kind of creatures were these beneath the ground?

“Heaven, Gods and Buddhas bless us! The heavenly qi is vast; may our path flourish!! Protect us from all evil!!” Chen Xun babbled incoherently, his lips trembling, not knowing what he was saying. He ended with a loud cry, “The auspicious time has come!!!”

“Moo~~!!”

The big black ox panicked and frantically waved its hooves. A hundred and eight incense burner arrays surrounded them, and the ultimate protective formation was activated!

The air around the flying boat was filled with rising green smoke, intermittent flashes of Five Elements divine light, and some very strange incantations.

They were genuinely terrified this time. Just observing the physical form of these beings with their divine acupoints gave them an overwhelming sense of danger, penetrating to their core.

It was more shocking than when they first encountered a Golden Core cultivator, though it was still a bit less frightening compared to their fear of the Sky Lord.

Chen Xun trembled as he sketched images of these beings with a small booklet, terrifying and bizarre. They had never heard of such beings, looking like humans but not quite like spiritual beasts.

“Old Ox, get the hell out of here! These…these mineral veins have an owner.” Chen Xun’s lips were dry, swallowing hard, “Let’s grab some more God-killing power and leave. Don’t be greedy.”

“Moo moo~~” The big black ox’s pupils were shaking. It hadn’t felt this way in a long time.

Buzz

The flying boat accelerated with a huge noise, quickly fleeing. They no longer dared to use their divine acupoints to probe the depths of the ground.

For the next six months, they remained in a state of fear, afraid that these beings might break through the ground and attack them.

They stopped exploring the Plains, slowly regaining a sense of comfort. They avoided curiosity and participation, adhering to the secret of longevity in the cultivation world.

Chen Xun and the big black ox spent a terrifying year in the Tian Duan Plains.

…

“Hmm?!”

“Moo?!”

Today, they were once again shocked as they looked into the distance and saw several Foundation Establishment cultivators hovering in mid-air!

In the distance:

There were three men and one woman, clinging tightly to the Plains wall, carefully wielding a rather strange artifact to mine minerals…

What was most peculiar was that they were surrounded by four spirit grasses emitting a soft glow, absorbing the chilling wind.

Upon closer inspection, these spirit grasses were Qinghun Grass!

“Junior brothers and sisters, since this is your first time here, you must pay attention to the strength of the God-killing Wind,” a man with a sharp gaze reminded them. His name was Qu Zhong, sent by the sect to mine minerals. “The Tian Duan Plains has the God-killing Wind weaken three times a year; seize the opportunity!”

“Yes, Senior Brother Qu,” the three responded nervously, using the most primitive methods to mine.

Here, where spiritual energy was eroded, they dared not use spells recklessly. The God-killing Wind was highly sensitive to spiritual power, and even flying with the artifact was the limit for Qinghun Grass.

No one dared to fight here; anyone who fought would die. There were too many examples.

“These five-hundred-year-old Qinghun Grasses should last us for ten days.”

Qu Zhong’s divine sense is embedded in the Qinghun Grass, continuously sensing changes. “But Qinghun Grass can’t absorb the God-killing Wind for more years; it must be left as soon as it begins to wither.”

At these words, the other three quickened their pace, sweat beading on their foreheads, yet their hearts were somewhat excited.

At this moment, the junior sister looked hopeful and asked, “Senior Brother Qu, should we be able to get a lot of spirit stones this time?”

The other two also perked up their ears, still working without stopping. This was their first time here, and the sect had been quite vague about it.

But they had heard rumors that a fist-sized God-killing Stone could sell for tens of thousands of lower-grade spirit stones in Dali!

Qu Zhong’s eyes narrowed as he nodded slightly, “Subtracting the costs of the teleportation array, buying Qinghun Grass, and the sect’s quota, we should at least get 20%.”

“Thank you, Senior Brother, for clarifying.” The three were quite excited, wondering how many God-killing Stones they could mine in ten days.

Qu Zhong, however, was not as optimistic. He was quite nervous, his divine sense constantly sensing changes in the Qinghun Grass.

He had been here several times before, and Qinghun Grass was provided by the sect. It was in high demand in Dali, and many desperate people bought it in the black market.

There were many methods to cultivate Qinghun Grass, but the fastest way was definitely in bloody places.

“Ah!!!”

“Help… Help!”

Suddenly, several miserable cries echoed from all directions, reverberating in the desolate and eerie Tian Duan Plains, extremely eerie and terrifying.

Qu Zhong and the others’ hearts jolted at the screams, realizing that someone had been killed by the God-killing Wind. They quickened their mining speed.

Qu Zhong took a deep breath, his expression returning to normal. Such incidents were too common. Only those who were not afraid of death came here, all seeking a chance.

God-killing Stones had a wide range of uses. The five great ancient sects and three great ancient cultivation families specifically sought them, and they could be exchanged for various pills and other cultivation items.

Suddenly!

“Hmm?”

Qu Zhong squinted and looked towards another direction. In the distance, something seemed to be moving.

He blinked once, unable to see clearly. He blinked again, and then a few more times…

Suddenly, Qu Zhong’s eyes widened, sweat pouring down like rain, his body trembling uncontrollably as if struck by lightning, with a horrified expression.

From a considerable distance away, he seemed to see a strange flying boat drifting in the air, with two dark figures standing on its edge.

They appeared curious and were eating some unknown crimson fruit, their gazes directed towards them.

Qu Zhong gasped heavily, almost dumbfounded, not blinking at all. Where did such a giant flying boat come from in the Tian Duan Plains?!

In an instant, they seemed to show a friendly smile, which in Qu Zhong’s view was the smile of soul-reapers. There were ghosts in the Tian Duan Plains!!!

“Ah!!! No!!!”

Qu Zhong let out a piercing scream, slamming against the Plains wall, his whole body going limp, muttering repeatedly, “A ghost ship... there’s a ghost ship!!”

“Senior Brother Qu?!”

“Senior Brother Qu! What happened?!”

“Senior Brother Qu?! What are you saying?!”

The three felt a chill run down their spines, wondering what Senior Brother Qu had seen.

They looked in horror, quickly turning their heads, but saw nothing. Only the chilling wind was still eroding their Qinghun Grass.

“Impossible…” Qu Zhong’s hair was disheveled, his mind in turmoil, “Junior brothers and sisters, did you see it?”

“Senior Brother Qu, what exactly are you talking about?”

“Ghost ship! There are ghosts on it!”

Qu Zhong screamed like a madman, “Didn’t you see it?!”

The three looked at each other, shaking their heads. They hadn’t seen anything. Was Senior Brother Qu’s divine sense eroded, causing hallucinations?

“No, we must leave quickly!” Qu Zhong’s pupils contracted to pinpoints. “This place is not safe.”

A ghost ship that could come and go freely in the Tian Duan Plains was not something he was curious about or willing to risk his life over, and it definitely wasn’t an illusion.

As soon as he finished speaking, he drove the artifact and shot into the sky, clearly not wanting to stay a moment longer.

The three frowned, not understanding why Senior Brother Qu was acting this way. They could only reluctantly follow, as it was their first time here, and without a guide, it was easy to meet with disaster.

In the depths of the Tian Duan Plains:

A massive flying boat was still flying through the air, with two deep, cold voices coming from inside:

“Old Ox, look at those people’s artifacts and clothing. They are not from our cultivation world.”

“Moo~”

“I didn’t expect Qinghun Grass to be effective against this wind. Heh heh, but it seems we have some too.”

“Moo moo~~”

“If I’m not mistaken, they are people from the other side of the Tian Duan Plains, from a superpower!”

“Moo!”

“These minerals are indeed treasures. Even Foundation Establishment cultivators risk their lives to mine them. Old Ox, we’re going to get rich.”

“Moo~~~”

“Next, let’s find a few cultivators to inquire about the superpower. Things are getting interesting…”

“Moo…”

The two deep voices grew fainter, and the giant flying boat accelerated, eventually disappearing into the darkness.