Eternal Tale

A month later, at night, in the mortal realm of the grand world, in Renju City, amidst a bustling market.

Here, people came and went, the noise was deafening, and even in the sky, there were strange sights. In the distant sky, massive objects glided gracefully, and every time they appeared, the locals would exclaim in awe.

These were definitely the magical artifacts of immortals traveling to and from the immortal cities, unattainable yet adding a touch of fantasy to this mortal world.

Above those massive objects in the sky, a giant ship silently glided through the night, its speed like a meteor under the starry sky.

Onboard stood four figures: a man, a bull, a woman, and a lion.

The man and woman were both radiating a newfound vitality. The man exuded a calm and amiable aura, with delicate features that carried a maturity beyond his years.

The woman wore a serene expression, her long black hair fluttering in the night sky, her eyes sparkling as if she had just awakened from a dream.

”Eldest brother, the scenery of the mortal world is quite uniquely beautiful, but it doesn’t quite suit me,” the woman said with a deep gaze and a smile. ”Perhaps after experiencing more, I can have the mindset of you, second brother, and fourth brother.”

The man also smiled gently, looking into the distance. ”Third sister, there’s no need to write down your insights anymore. The years you’ve lived through are the best insights. Remember these people, don’t forget them.”

”Yes, eldest brother.” The woman nodded with a smile, her expression tinged with a poignant and dreamy quality. ”Will we meet them again...””Moo moo!”

”We’re also searching. Regardless of the outcome, it’s always good to hold onto hope.”

The man’s appearance had returned to its original form; he was Chen Xun. With a calm expression, he said, ”Don’t think of this as pain or loss. The changes in life never stop. Think about what you still have.”

”...Eldest brother, second brother, fourth brother.”

”Moo moo~~”

”Sister Crane, Brother Xun makes sense. Little Brother is just thinking that as long as I have you all, everything’s fine!”

Little Chi howled, having grown accustomed to being a dog. ”We still have a long life ahead of us, it’s no big deal.”

”Eldest brother, tell me a story.”

Little Crane gently held Chen Xun’s arm and whispered, ”I want to hear a story from you, one that’s not in the books.”

Black Bull also turned to look at Chen Xun. The latter used to love telling stories to the third sister, but after she started reading, he hadn’t told many.

Chen Xun raised an eyebrow and smiled silently. ”Should I tell the story of when Bull and I were blacksmithing? Damn it, I remember that scoundrel raised our prices and even reported us to the authorities!”

”Moo~~!” Black Bull roared angrily, nodding heavily.

Little Crane’s eyes sparkled. Eldest brother and second brother had indeed gone through so much together.

She still had many stories she hadn’t heard, and though they weren’t as exciting as the ones in books, they carried a unique charm.

Eldest brother might not have read many books, but his carefree attitude now made her feel that the journeys of eldest brother and second brother were like a book, one that could never be finished.

Her lively eyes turned, and she had a little thought, speaking coyly, ”Eldest brother, I also want to hear Aunt Jinyu’s story.”

”Ah?!” Chen Xun’s heart trembled, feigning anger. ”Little girl, why are you interested in adult matters?”

”Moo moo~” Before Chen Xun could finish speaking, Black Bull directly took out Little Bull’s storage ring and waved it in front of Little Crane, selling Chen Xun out.

Little Chi was also surprised. Its lion head storage ring was a gift from Brother Xun, and the crafting method seemed similar...

It chuckled slyly, quietly glancing at Chen Xun, thinking to itself: Brother Xun has stories to tell.

”Eldest brother, tell us~”

”Brother Xun, Little Brother wants to hear too!”

”What nonsense are you talking about? And Little Chi, how dare you step out with your left foot first, ruining my discussion tonight. Bull, gang up on it!”

”Moo moo~~”

”Ah! Ah! Brother Xun!! Brother Bull!! I won’t listen anymore, I was wrong, I was wrong!!”

...

Under the night sky, cries of anguish echoed, along with Little Crane’s exclamations trying to mediate. She was the only one who would protect Little Chi in this family.

A stick of incense later, Little Chi lay on its back, foaming at the mouth, a tattered quilt covering it, looking peaceful, as if it had seen its great-grandmother.

Chen Xun, Black Bull, and Little Crane sat around it, beginning to tell stories.

The stories were long, and Little Crane listened intently, not saying another word, just hugging her knees and tilting her head to watch her eldest and second brothers, quietly unraveling some of her inner knots.

They talked all night, and the bright sun had already risen.

They had already left the human realm, and the surging spiritual qi gushed forth in an instant. They flew quickly toward their next destination, facing the morning sun.

On the path to the heavens.

Chen Xun and the others began to do their own things again. The years of cultivating immortality always passed quickly, and perhaps after a single retreat, the mortal world would have undergone several generations of change, leaving no trace to be found.

Chen Xun sat cross-legged on the crane head of the Boundary-breaking Ship, contemplating the arrival of purple qi, quietly practicing the ”Water Spirit Decision, Sixth Layer.”

This was something he did every morning during meditation, but there were indeed some significant issues with the sixth layer. He murmured to himself, ”Threshold, mindset, and then the so-called lifespan...”

”Bull.”

”Moo~” Black Bull, hearing the voice, immediately put down what it was doing and hurried over.

”How are you progressing with the Water Spirit Decision?” Chen Xun casually asked, ”Why does it seem like it’s always been unrelated to the spiritual qi of heaven and earth, and the techniques after the third layer seem like even mortals could practice them?”

”Moo moo!”

Black Bull’s eyes narrowed, and it began gesturing to Chen Xun with its hooves, having noticed quite a few oddities. ”Moo moo~”

Chen Xun’s gaze gradually deepened, his eyes filled with contemplation. ”Imbalance of yin and yang, unstable rules of life and death in the Great Ascension, eroding the source of the immortal path, irreversible, causing permanent damage to the Dao foundation.”

”Moo! Moo moo~”

”You used the rules of formation to suppress it? Bull... you succeeded in cultivating it? When!”

Chen Xun’s eyes widened, looking at Black Bull in disbelief, his tone rising a few notches. ”Why didn’t you tell me...”

Black Bull nudged Chen Xun, smiling foolishly. It had always watched the Crane Spirit Tree planted in the courtyard, and while watching, it had an epiphany... This decision wasn’t very difficult to cultivate.

”...Oh.” Chen Xun nodded, speaking solemnly, ”Bull, I’ve actually used the fusion of the Five Elements to generate Heavenly Origin Qi to suppress this decision, but this doesn’t seem like a cultivation technique at all...”

”Moo~~” Black Bull let out a long howl, nodding heavily, its eyes flashing with sharpness. The loss of one’s source was irreversible, even more terrifying than a shortened lifespan.

The source concerned one’s strength, the rules of the great Dao, and so on, forming the foundation of one’s existence, while a shortened lifespan was merely encapsulated within it.

It’s like the source of a grand world; even if mountains and rivers collapse, you can’t destroy the grand world. It still exists, at most just shattered, which can be considered a shortened lifespan.

But once the source begins to fade, the grand world will completely start to perish, leaving not even remnants, with no possibility of revival, irreversible, and the same applies to living beings.

Chen Xun and Black Bull also had the source of the immortal path, but their source was the essence flower, hidden within the Five Elements of heaven and earth, the ultimate means of survival.

Yet cultivating the sixth layer of the Water Spirit Decision had inexplicably begun to touch their bottom line.

If not for the system’s added rules of the great Dao, forcing them to cultivate this decision might have led to an unknown death, incredibly bizarre.

Moreover, because this decision couldn’t connect with the immortal path, their current strength couldn’t pinpoint its key points.