Eternal Tale

Zhaoguang Lake.

A thin mist enveloped the lake’s surface, like a layer of sheer gauze. The towering trees by the lakeside stood tall, their reflections faintly visible in the water, as if countless illusions were rippling.

The color of the lake water was sometimes as gentle as the rising sun, with a faint orange-red hue, and at other times as deep as the purple of dusk, exuding a mysterious tranquility.

Gradually, a figure emerged in the reflection on the lake, appearing like a phantom in the water. It was the dignified Three-Eyed Emperor.

Gone was the arrogance and battle spirit in his eyes, replaced by an endless calm that bore the marks of time.

Step...

A light footstep sounded, and a man in white, wearing a spirit stone pendant, approached. His brows were slightly furrowed as he cupped his hands, saying, ”Chen Xun, greets the Three-Eyed Emperor.”

The Three-Eyed Emperor’s gaze deepened, but he did not turn around. ”Dao Ancestor of the Five Elements, meeting you today, it seems the rumors from the Star Sea Borderlands are true. You fought for ten years with just a clone, slaying two hundred Tribulation Crossing Venerables.”

Chen Xun’s eyes reflected the faint glow of the lake, and he merely smiled slightly. It was all in the past, so why bring it up?

”Have you seen through my identity?”The Three-Eyed Emperor turned slowly, his hands behind his back, each word he spoke was full of vigor. ”It’s rare to see a Dao Ancestor bow his head.”

”Emperor, as an immortal, in this grand world of cultivating immortality, naturally, one must respect the etiquette of the immortal path.”

Chen Xun’s voice was ethereal, his demeanor by the lakeside was quite transcendent, and he continued, ”You are also the first immortal I’ve met.”

”Hahaha...”

The Three-Eyed Emperor suddenly laughed, without releasing any aura, but his voice rose significantly. ”Indeed, I am the third immortal of the Three-Eyed Ancient Immortal Clan.”

Chen Xun’s heart tightened, his expression twitched. Damn it... it was true, he was just bluffing!

His breathing became noticeably heavier, the reality before him was entirely different from what he had imagined.

No wonder this person was always so calm, as if everything was under his control.

”Thank you for the Taiwei Purple Immortal Fruit you gifted us.” The Three-Eyed Emperor’s tone suddenly softened, all three eyes focused on Chen Xun. ”How you obtained it, I won’t interfere or ask.”

”To meet someone who can stabilize the Five Elements Dao Ancestor, it’s an honor for my clan to know you in this era.”

The Three-Eyed Emperor’s gaze was very serene, and finally, a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. ”But I don’t like beating around the bush or speaking in riddles, so I want to ask you one more thing.”

”Please speak, Emperor.” Chen Xun’s expression became much calmer, and he also smiled.

”Have you ever hated my Three-Eyed Ancient Immortal Clan? Our sealed clansmen accelerated the depletion of spiritual qi in the boundary. The boundary creatures of the various immortal alliances have always believed this, and it seems to be true.”

The Three-Eyed Emperor’s pupils were deep, even though he had reduced his stature, he was still much taller than Chen Xun, staring straight down at him.

Hearing this, Chen Xun shook his head and smiled. ”To be honest, Emperor, of course, I have hated, but I hated why the creatures of my boundary, the world of immortals in Kingdom Qian, were blocked and couldn’t escape.”

The Three-Eyed Emperor’s expression was slightly startled, showing some surprise, and then he suddenly laughed again. ”You are indeed different from those boundary openers.”

Chen Xun pondered for a long time, suddenly coming to a realization, and said in a deep voice, ”What the Emperor said is not without reason. It was those sealed Three-Eyed Ancient Immortal Clan members who accelerated the depletion of spiritual qi in my boundary.”

”If they hadn’t eroded our boundary’s spiritual qi, perhaps the world of immortals in Kingdom Qian wouldn’t have declined so quickly.”

”In the past, I only thought about how to destroy the Nine Heavens Immortal Alliance, but today, with just a casual remark from the Emperor, I have gained insight.”

Chen Xun took a deep breath, his eyes flashing with astonishment, recalling his past journey of cultivating immortality. Whether it was Kingdom Qian or Da Li, both were gradually declining, forcing the opening of the heavens!

Goodness, the root cause was here all along... I had overlooked so much.

A sharp light flashed in Chen Xun’s eyes, like a sudden enlightenment, realizing that the true culprits were them!

He slowly met the gaze of the Three-Eyed Emperor, thinking to himself, the senior’s words are indeed straightforward...

Chen Xun suddenly felt a pang of regret, as if ants were crawling all over him. Why did he give them so many good fruits?!

The wind rose on the lake, and wisps of thin mist slowly drifted by.

The surrounding ancient forest also rustled, as several fallen leaves slowly drifted across the lake, their crystalline water droplets reflecting two silent figures.

A moment later.

The Three-Eyed Emperor shook his head slightly, his brows furrowing a bit. ”My Three-Eyed Ancient Immortal Clan once had an alliance with the Human Emperor. Since my birth, I have never spoken a lie.”

”Emperor, as an immortal, I naturally believe you.”

Chen Xun nodded gently, having no choice but to believe, as the Frog Daoist had once said the same.

”If my Three-Eyed Ancient Immortal Clan were to cause disaster to the boundary, even eroding the spiritual qi until the world was destroyed, the first to act against us would be the Human Emperor.”

The Three-Eyed Emperor’s voice deepened, ”Chen Xun, you come from the boundary, having witnessed everything. The Destruction Artifact, capable of slaying a Golden Core at Foundation Establishment, is the greatest weapon against Filthy Longevity.”

”If your boundary creatures were to take the Destruction Stone, is the risk of falling while seizing cultivating resources greater, or is the risk of extracting the Destruction Stone greater? I believe you know the answer in your heart.”

”Yes...”

Chen Xun’s whole body trembled, his pupils suddenly constricting.

The endless spirit beast remains buried beneath the Tian Duan chasm, the destruction of the Little Chi tribe, the array that abandoned the Destruction Wind, blowing towards Kingdom Qian, the severed large teleportation arrays...

The disappointment and sorrow within Abbot Bai Li... the downfall of the Ji family...

The Three-Eyed Emperor gave Chen Xun a deep look and revealed a shocking truth: ”Our clan exists here, even spreading so many Destruction Stones, firstly to survive safely, and secondly to ensure that even if the human race’s strength is insufficient, they can still resist Filthy Longevity.”

”The Destruction Stone can erode spiritual qi. The Human Emperor and my Three-Eyed ancestors predicted that even if the boundary fell into the next cycle of heaven and earth, it could not completely erode the spiritual qi of the entire boundary.”

”All consequences are within a controllable range, and even the Human Emperor has prepared a backup plan. Yet, I have never seen any boundary creature completely escape the boundary.”

”Moreover, it seems the method to create Destruction Artifacts has not been disseminated. After the boundary closed, the human race seems to have fallen into endless internal strife...”

The Three-Eyed Emperor’s voice was unhurried as he turned away. ”It is not my Three-Eyed Ancient Immortal Clan that forced all humans to open the heavens, nor is the root of the disaster here.”

”...It is human nature.”

Whoosh—

The vast expanse of the lake suddenly surged with waves, terrifying ripples spreading in all directions.

Chen Xun’s lips were tightly closed, his eyes slowly closing, his chest heaving unevenly, as he murmured and nodded, ”Yes...”