Eternal Tale

”You must be an immortal...” The little boy choked up, having no friends, only hearing many stories about immortals.

”We really aren’t. Immortals are incredibly elusive, not partaking in worldly affairs, saving suffering, reversing disasters, and existences that defy the heavens.”

”Moo, moo...” The big black ox nodded continuously. They were at most cultivators, and among the most mediocre ones at that.

The boy widened his eyes. Upon hearing this, the Daoist priest really didn’t seem like an immortal. It seemed he had been mistaken.

”Young lad, do you wish to become immortal?”

”Yes, Master. That way, nobody would ridicule me, and everyone would respect me like they do you.”

”Heh heh, quite ambitious.”

Chen Xun chuckled and didn’t say much more. ”Young lad, are you full?”

”Yes, Master.”

”Come, let’s go help them clean up.”

”Huh? Master, they might reject me...”

”Just follow me.”

”Yes, Master.” The boy smiled innocently.

Chen Xun led the boy and the big black ox to the place where the feast was held and even began helping the villagers clean up tables and chairs.

This frightened the old village head, who quickly insisted that the Daoist priest not do it himself.

Chen Xun couldn’t argue with the villagers and instructed the boy to start cleaning up. However, many people’s attitudes towards him changed, thinking they shouldn’t tease him anymore.

The next day, before the sun rose, two figures walked silently towards the direction where the sun was rising, stepping through the faint mist without making a sound.

The boy had already awakened and was sitting on the roof. He loved watching the sunrise.

But what he saw shocked him deeply; even his eyes trembled continuously.

The boy saw two figures, the Daoist priest and his black ox, walking slowly, yet each step seemed to span miles!

His vocabulary was limited, and he couldn’t describe the feeling. He rubbed his eyes fiercely.

But in an instant, they disappeared from his sight, and he seemed to hear his own rapid heartbeat.

Suddenly, the boy laughed foolishly. ”Master, you must be an immortal...”

When daylight came, the villagers discovered that Chen Xun had already left, causing them to panic and even wanting to keep the Daoist priest for a few more days.

The three unmarried women in the village over thirty had prepared to personally entertain the Daoist priest, but they didn’t expect him to slip away.

They all returned home and stayed indoors, feeling dejected for several days.

In the days that followed, Chen Xun and the big black ox traveled leisurely, stopping, and observing everywhere, playing around.

But they didn’t come into contact with the circles of cultivators or approach the territories of major sects. They didn’t even encounter cultivators.

Time seemed to rewind to the days when they were in the mortal world, with fewer troubles coming their way.

Chen Xun was quite relieved. He thought that after breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage, there would be Foundation Establishment cultivators everywhere, but reality wasn’t so coincidental.

Sometimes they sat on a hillside, watching the surging river, surrounded by buildings in the style of this world and vaguely discernible ancient kiln sites along the banks.

These beautiful scenes made Chen Xun and the big black ox pause and contemplate, lost in thought.

At times, they went to watch others build bridges and roads, feeling equally content. Their state of mind was constantly elevating without them realizing it.

Sometimes, they walked along the rural paths, watching the old farmers pull carts and lend a hand.

Every trivial matter seemed to hold significance for the immortal aspirants.

However, this made the big black ox envy them, constantly mooing. After all, Chen Xun had promised him a large tract of fertile land...

This alarmed Chen Xun, who reassured the ox, saying they would look for it when they reached the Foundation Establishment stage.

The ox believed him again, and they continued on their journey.

However, they only stayed in each place for a few days at most before disappearing without a trace. Sometimes, Chen Xun would sketch landscapes, but the ox’s assessment was that Chen Xun’s drawing skills were as mediocre as his singing.

However, most places in the mortal world didn’t gather much spiritual energy, and they hadn’t found a crane spirit tree, making Chen Xun and the big black ox a little itchy.

But how could Chen Xun not have a backup plan? He had brought a seedling of a crane spirit tree with him, but it wasn’t needed yet.

They had temporarily found a deep mountain forest and had been squatting here for a long time. There were no major immortal gatherings here, nor any sects.

There were many wild beasts in the mountains, but in the face of cultivators in the later stages of Foundation Establishment, they were just a source of meat.

They carved out a cave dwelling and prepared to cultivate here until they reached the pinnacle of Foundation Establishment before heading to the border of the two provinces.

Survival skills in the wilderness were as simple as eating and drinking to them, nothing more than being skilled with their hands.

The big black ox intended to set up a formation to conceal the cave, but Chen Xun stopped it, saying not to be overly clever. They should go with the flow, as they are just ordinary people now.

Few people ventured into the mountains, and there were dense forests everywhere.

They resumed their primitive lifestyle, hunting and gathering herbs for health and seasoning.

Then, they cultivated the ingredients for the Three Element Pill every day, with Chen Xun often practicing alchemy. Days passed by in this manner.

In the blink of an eye, they had been in the mountains for a year, focusing on enhancing their longevity through speed.

Today, the sunlight was perfect, and the sky was azure without a trace of cloud, as if all impurities had been filtered out, radiating with dazzling brilliance.

Chen Xun and the big black ox sat on either side of the cave, basking in the sun, their eyes filled with contentment.

”Old ox, this feels so good.”

”Moo~”

They half-closed their eyes, feeling the gentle breeze. The days of tranquility and non-contention were truly wonderful.

Chen Xun took a sip of health tea from a cup, refreshing it, and the big black ox followed suit, feeling refreshed!

However, at this moment, a cultivator at the fourth level of Qi Condensation was lurking behind a distant giant tree, staring at them with a sinister gaze.

This person’s name was Wang Chuan, a lone cultivator who had just mastered the art of flying swords and was eager to test his skills on someone, but he didn’t dare to kill indiscriminately in the city.

So, he ran into the mountains to try his luck and find a hunter to test his skills. After all, the lives of mortals were the least valuable.

He happened to have his eye on Chen Xun, this ’ordinary person.’

”Hehe, dying at the hands of this immortal would be considered your luck, mortals.”

Wang Chuan chuckled deeply. He had never killed anyone before and needed to build up his courage. Otherwise, how could he navigate the world of cultivation in the future?

He had just probed and confirmed that they were ordinary mortals, plus there was a black ox beside him. He estimated that Chen Xun was probably the child of a hunter.

”Get up.”

Wang Chuan pinched the tactic and chanted a spell. A silver light suddenly shot out from his sleeve, revealing a small silver sword.

It circled around Wang Chuan twice, and with a flick of his finger, the flying sword whistled towards Chen Xun’s neck.

Swish!

He smirked, already imagining the scene of this person’s demise under his flying sword.

Suddenly!

Despite the man’s serene composure, the sword carrying a murderous intent seemed to stab into thin air, as if piercing through a rippling illusion.

After the flying sword passed through, the rippling illusion began to solidify again, making it difficult to distinguish between truth and falsehood...

Wang Chuan’s face instantly turned pale, then drastically changed. His pupils contracted in an instant, revealing a look of horror and disbelief.

Oh no, big trouble!

Wang Chuan’s heart sank suddenly. This was definitely not an ordinary person. Could there be high-level cultivators hiding and practicing in such a place without spiritual energy?! Impossible!!

Who would pretend to be a pig and eat a tiger in such a place?! He roared frantically in his heart.

Cold sweat dripped down Wang Chuan’s forehead, soaking his back, his body stiffening. He didn’t want to die before achieving success...

Yet the sky remained as blue as ever, and the surroundings were still quiet, seemingly only disturbed by the rustling of the wind.

”We are just ordinary people. Is my fellow Daoist so heartless?”

”Moo~”

Two indifferent voices came from behind Wang Chuan, whose scalp went numb. His pupils had shrunk to the size of needles, his eyes filled with intense despair.

He suddenly felt extremely small, as if two gigantic shadows were devouring him.

Wang Chuan even felt the scorching breath behind him. He struggled to turn his head slowly, then suddenly let out a scream: ”Ah!!!”

He saw a black ox standing up, its hooves supporting a huge black coffin exuding an aura of death.

”Elder, I’ve been blind. Spare me, please!”

Wang Chuan was scared witless, falling to his knees with urine and feces flowing out, crying and shouting. What kind of magic tool was a coffin?!

”Since a fellow Daoist has come, shouldn’t you stay?”

A glint of coldness flashed in Chen Xun’s eyes. ”Old ox, open the coffin.”

”Moo!!”

Boom...

The black coffin soared into the sky, and the coffin lid slammed open, revealing darkness and despair as a deathly aura slowly spread out, causing the surrounding flowers and grass to wither.

The incense burner emerged from the big black ox’s storage bag, and Chen Xun immediately sat cross-legged on the ground, wisps of smoke rising.

”Elder!!”

Wang Chuan suddenly yelled, his eyes bloodshot, his internal energy suppressed, rendering him immobile. ”I was wrong, I was wrong!!”

”Enter the coffin!”

”Moo~!!”

”Ah!!!”

Boom!

With a powerful surge of energy from the big black ox, the large black coffin instantly covered the man’s head, seeming to swallow him whole, while the coffin lid also slammed shut at the same time.

”Elder, please check the Book of Merits. This person is an evil cultivator, indiscriminately killing innocent people. Even Buddha won’t forgive him.”

”Moo~”

A large book appeared in mid-air, and a glint flashed in the big black ox’s eyes as it made a decisive stroke.

”Elder, speak some mortal words! I’m not dead yet, Elder!!!”

Wang Chuan’s desolate screams grew fainter and fainter, as the inside of the black coffin was already engulfed in flames, burning even his ashes to nothingness.

Chen Xun snorted coolly while the big black ox spat out some saliva beside him, then flipped the coffin, ensuring it was completely burned to prevent any traces remaining.

With everything neatly arranged, not a single trace was left behind; even the surrounding flowers and grass were revived by the Water Spirit Technique.

”