Eternal Tale

Boom!

At this moment, a giant ship materialized in the void, crashing down onto the sea. A massive crane head raised high, as if ready to soar into the heavens. Even from afar, one could feel the ship’s excitement.

”Third Sister, let’s go!”

”Coming!”

Little Crane spoke brightly, stepping into the air and flying towards the giant ship. The Boundary-breaking Ship hadn’t carried them for a thousand years.

Buzz—

The Boundary-breaking Ship set sail once more after a millennium, causing massive waves on the sea, yet parting a long waterway as if paving the way for the ship.

The Boundary-breaking Ship surged towards the distance, countless water spirits in the sea fleeing in panic, their eyes filled with terror.

Sparkling waves spread across the sky, and the massive immortal island behind them became increasingly blurred, only a silhouette visible in the distance.

”Woohoo, we’re free!!””Moo!!!”

”Brother Xun, Brother Bull, we’re free!!”

Three figures shouted and roared towards the endless sea, the waves surging with them, as if they were releasing the oppression of a thousand years. After all, there were no other cultivators around.

Time passed by bit by bit, and the speed of the Boundary-breaking Ship slowed considerably.

At night, a bright moon hung in the center of the sky, reflecting on the rippling sea like silver glass.

A giant ship quietly anchored on the sea.

Little Crane sat at the edge, gazing out at the sea. The water emitted a colorful glow, complementing the splendid starry river, reflecting her smiling face, swaying on the undulating sea.

But on the deck of the Boundary-breaking Ship, it was bustling with activity. Chen Xun was cooking.

The tools were still the pots and pans from the mortal world, and the taste of the stir-fry was completely different, carrying a sense of time’s sedimentation, as if the aroma lingered within, never dissipating.

Black Bull and Little Chi were experts at fishing, having learned it back in Da Li, like old fishermen.

They squatted beside Chen Xun, diligently grinding powder. Eldest Brother said it was seasoning, but at a glance, weren’t these just branches of the Crane Spirit Tree?!

”Hehe, it’s been years since I cooked, seems my skills are a bit rusty.”

Chen Xun’s eyes were filled with excitement as he looked up at the starry sky, flipping the large pot, the aroma wafting out, ”Brothers, it’s ready! Seafood feast!”

”Moo moo~~!”

”Sister Crane, come quickly!”

”Coming~”

Little Crane hurried over, carrying a somewhat old table.

They sat together like this, enjoying the sea breeze, admiring the dreamy night, eating the feast, and laughing and joking around.

”Eldest Brother, your cooking is the best.”

Little Crane chewed slowly, savoring it with a look of enjoyment, but her expression suddenly turned a bit gloomy, ”Eldest Brother...”

At this moment, Black Bull and Little Chi, with half a piece of meat still in their mouths, stopped and quietly watched Little Crane. What was going on?

”Third Sister, what’s wrong?”

”After leaving the Dao Academy, will Eldest Brother send me somewhere else...”

Little Crane lowered her head, her hands tightly clasped together, speaking softly, ”I don’t want to be separated from you all anymore.”

Hearing this, Chen Xun gently put down his bowl and chopsticks, and the surroundings became quiet, with only the sea breeze blowing.

He said calmly, ”Eldest Brother once had this plan, but after this thousand-year Immortal Prison journey, it’s not as strong anymore.”

Plop.

A piece of meat fell from Black Bull’s mouth onto the table. He quickly picked it up and continued to look at the two with a silly expression, not blinking.

”Then, Eldest Brother?”

”After leaving the Dao Academy, we won’t be separated. Spend the remaining days well in the Dao Academy.”

Chen Xun smiled gently, ”In the future, we won’t go anywhere else, just stay with us, take it slow, Eldest Brother is not in a hurry, I’ve come to terms with it.”

After he finished speaking, his eyes showed a hint of weariness as he began to savor the taste of the food, only Black Bull and Little Chi still looked bewildered.

Hearing this, Little Crane’s smile bloomed like a flower in the night, ”I will definitely study well in the Dao Academy! I won’t meddle in other things anymore.”

”Heh, you little girl, did you handle Lu Chuan?”

”Ah... Eldest Brother?”

Little Crane’s pupils shrank, looking like she had done something wrong, she quietly glanced at Little Chi, who maintained a serious expression, not meeting her gaze.

”In the future, don’t handle such matters yourself.”

Chen Xun’s tone became a bit stern, his expression slightly cold, ”Nangong Heling, this is the last time, and there are two major loopholes in this matter. If someone targets you, Xuanwei Heaven and the Lingbao General Pavilion could directly hold you accountable.”

”First, under the rules, you dared to directly bribe someone from the upper echelons? Even if done through others, it’s just as easy to trace back to you.”

”If it weren’t for Lu Chuan being like a startled bird, faking his death to escape Xuanwei Heaven, it wouldn’t have been so simple. This also leaves the Lingbao General Pavilion with a chance to settle accounts later.”

”Second, you’re too clever for your own good. Finding a venerable assassin isn’t done like this. If the intermediary gets into trouble, to avoid the death penalty under the rules, they would surely expose a large number of beings who disrespect the rules.”

”Even if you acted through others, it would at least cause the death of several people helping you.”

Chen Xun spoke each word clearly, each one hitting Little Crane’s chest like a hammer. He snorted coldly, ”The fact that this succeeded, and you’re safe now, only means Lu Chuan sought his own death, not that you handled it perfectly.”

”I know I was wrong, Eldest Brother.” Little Crane’s head almost buried into her neck, she just wanted to help Eldest Brother, not wanting those cultivators coveting the garbage recycling plant to live.

”Moo~” Black Bull swallowed the meat in one gulp, looking at Chen Xun pleadingly, Third Sister couldn’t possibly have as deep an understanding of the rules as Eldest Brother.

”Bull, don’t speak yet.”

Chen Xun raised his hand, his stern gaze still on Little Crane, ”If you want to find an assassin, go to the Star Pivot Dark Pavilion, where you can hide your identity. Even Earth-tier Star Pivots can make direct transactions there, leaving no trace.”

”If you need to bribe someone to act against someone, this is the path to take. There are countless people who can help, perfectly avoiding subsequent investigations.”

Chen Xun’s gaze sharpened, flashing with a fierce light, ”If you don’t have the financial power to purchase Earth-tier Star Pivots, don’t think about targeting people with status, you’re not qualified yet.”

”Nangong Heling, you’re our Third Sister, fighting and killing don’t require you to step forward, just remember this, Eldest Brother is strong enough now, and will be even stronger in the future, no longer at the mercy of the powerful.”

After he finished speaking, he slowly stood up, his aura becoming incredibly profound, ”Even if a Great Ascension Venerable comes, I dare to confront him and discuss the grand world’s rules.”

”Yes... Eldest Brother.” Little Crane trembled all over from the reprimand, having no resistance against Eldest Brother, ”I will definitely listen to you.”

”Ahem, Little Crane, how many spirit stones do we have now?”

Chen Xun said, then suddenly changed the subject, still more concerned about this, ”I’ve heard the garbage recycling plant has developed well over the millennium.”

Black Bull’s pupils widened slightly, his ears perked up quietly, learning talisman arrays was quite resource-intensive.

”Eldest Brother, thirty million top-grade spirit stones.”

”How, how much?!” Chen Xun’s aura surged, clenching his fist, almost exclaiming, ”Third Sister, say that again?!”