Eternal Tale
chapter-53

Moments later, he heard someone shouting his name before a pill was stuffed into his mouth.

"Senior Brother Lu, Senior Brother Lu, what's happening to you?”

"Senior Brother Lu, where's the Fireheart Grass?"

...

The four kept shouting at him, their eyes filled with anxiety. They scoured around for his storage bag, but it was nowhere to be found! _What happened here? _

"Where's the Fireheart Grass?" Senior Brother Lu muttered, his voice filled with confusion.

Senior Brother Lu froze for a moment before realization hit him. His eyes turned blood-shot and he shouted, “I was attacked!”

"Who attacked you?" The four people quickly followed through, united in their anger.

That talisman they used was very valuable. They couldn't believe someone had stolen the Fireheart Grass under their nose!

This was intolerable! Despite it being beneath them—as disciples of the ten great sects—to gang up on someone, that person had brought it upon themselves.

Senior Brother Lu stared at each of the four slowly before whispering, “I don’t know….”

His confession left the four tongue-tied. A man as careful and stealthy as Senior Brother Lu had been attacked and robbed under his very own nose, and yet, he couldn’t even see his attacker the entire time? Who could be that cunning?

...

In another area in the domain, Chen Xun and the black ox brought down a massive python in the valley.

Pupils pushing into slits, the python hissed in extreme terror.

“Aren’t you so awesome, resorting to sneak attacks? Wow, you are even at the 10th level of Qi Refining. Want to ascend to heaven next? Become an Immortal?”

"Moo!"

"There are a lot of Airweed Vines around here. What, you won’t even let us take a few? Are they your pets or something?"

"Moo!"

Chen Xun held the python by its head, and the black ox firmly gripped its tail. They scolded it for a bit before shaking it around and throwing it high into the air. The python’s internal organs were almost crushed by the impact.

**_Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!_**

Hissing constantly, the python seemed to beg for mercy. It had never met a more ruthless human in the Qi Refining realm than this man. A single punch had almost managed to send it back into its ancestral home. And in terms of magic spells, it was completely overwhelmed.

"Grab the loot, old ox."

Chen Xun's hand rose and fell in one motion.

**_Boom!_**

**_Rumble!_**

The ground shook briefly before cracking. A smoke suddenly rose, and a few moments later, it dispersed, revealing the blood soaked soil, and a defeated python.

"Moo!" The big black ox dashed ahead and frantically began collecting the Airweed Vines.

With a snort, Chen Xun dusted off his hands before leaving the valley with the black ox.

They had already obtained all the herbs in the Hanyan Valley and were moving on to their next destination.

A day later, more people arrived at the spot and were delighted to see the scene in front of them. "The Silver Star Python is injured. Quickly, let's gather the Airweed Vines."

"Who could have injured it so severely? That’s unbelievable."

They were obviously more composed, experienced cultivators whose faces quickly lost color, wondering if there was a stronger presence nearby.

When they joined the sect, they were warned about the ferocity of the Silver Star Python. During their previous trip to the Southern Mountains, many cultivators lost their lives to it.

**_Hiss! Hiss!_**

Suddenly, a head shot out from under the soil, and a furious python appeared. It scoured the area and noticed that the two individuals it had encountered had left.

"Be careful!"

"It's pretending to be dead!"

"Sister, hide behind me!"

Chaos ensued in the crowd as the disciples summoned their magical tools frantically.

**_Hiss!_**

The Silver Star Python slid swiftly, rushing towards them. The group unleashed their spells, refusing to back down, and a fierce battle erupted in the valley.

…

One month later.

Two months had passed since Chen Xun and the black ox arrived in the Southern Dipper Mountain's secret realm. And by the looks of it, they seemed to have gotten more adept at utilizing Old Liu’s teachings.

In the past month, countless disciples from various sects had been met with misfortune. For some strange reason, whenever they laid their eyes on a spiritual herb, it would mysteriously vanish right before their eyes. Even if they were very close to plucking the herb, they would suddenly slip and fall on their arse before falling unconscious.

The demonic and spiritual beasts in the secret realm trembled with fear. Paranoid and traumatized, they would start weeping whenever their eyes came to meet a bunch of dried up leaves. This past month had caused them to question the humans moral compass, and wallow over their twisted nature.

"This is the ultimate form of Old Liu’s wisdom.”

"Moo!"

Two clumps of green leaves stood in the center of a certain ancient tree, almost merging into one, emitting faint sighs.

The big black ox was delighted, bumping Chen Xun with its head. They had gathered many spiritual herbs, all of which were unseen in the Medicine Valley. _Fortune really favored the bold!_

"Old ox, calm down. Look at you, how inexperienced." Clicking his tongue, Chen Xun said with a smile. Although he said that, his eyes seemed to have already turned into the shape of spirit herbs.

He went through his storage bag and took out his treasure diary before recording everything he had heard, or seen, in their previous exhibition. These were valuable experiences.

"Moo~" The big black ox nodded solemnly. Their trip to Southern Dipper Mountain was indeed exhilarating.

"Next, we are heading to a real battlefield. The three ancient temples," Chen Xun said in a deep voice, taking out a map and pointing to three large red dots. "The three most precious main herbs could be found there, along with some auxiliary herbs, as well."

"Moo!" The big black ox listened attentively. Inside, there could be demonic and spiritual beasts with powers exceeding the 10th level of Qi refining.

"Although we can’t be sure, it’s better if we are more careful. The beasts inside could have some characteristics of the Foundation Establishment stage. We must not underestimate them," Chen Xun took a deep breath. The Foundation Establishment stage represented a significant leap in level compared to the Qi refining stage.

"Moo~Moo!" The big black ox nodded seriously.

"Let's go!" Chen Xun smiled and patted its head.

They disappeared instantly from the ancient tree, heading towards one of the three ancient temples, the "Wangyue Temple," where the Yang Shen Lian herb was known to grow.

...

The Wangyue Temple, exuding an ancient aura, stood in the center of a desolate mountain. Its origins were lost to time, but most of the Yang Shen Lian, which had gone extinct in Qian Country, could be found here.

The grand and antique temple resembled a dilapidated sect hall from a distance, carrying the weight of time's regrets.

Although the top ten sects had methods to cultivate Foundation Establishment herbs, they were limited in number. Especially main herbs, they had strict environmental requirements, and even then, only a few could be cultivated.

Outside the temple, there were blood puddles everywhere, with limbs and arms scattered, and even the sect disciples fighting amongst themselves, their bodies were mangled, unable to rest in peace.

Inside the temple, the cries of battle never ceased, and spells clashed chaotically.

On a high ground, Chen Xun and the big black ox observed from a distance, both furrowing their brows.

"Damn, old ox, this situation doesn't look good for us to intervene," Chen Xun whispered. "Many disciples from the top ten sects have been slaughtered."

"Moo!" The big black ox nodded.

People kept arriving from all directions, and the battle was very fierce. There were also many cultivators like them observing from a distance.

"Old ox, let's not be rash. It’s better to assess the situation first."

"Moo~"

Side by side, Chen Xun and the big black ox squatted down from a distance, watching the Wangyue Temple. So many people had died before even having the chance to harvest the spiritual herbs. It seemed that human greed knew no bounds.

Three days later, a furious roar echoed from inside the temple.

**_Roar!_**

**_Roar!_**

The imposing sound resembled a torrential river, shaking the surroundings for miles. Even Chen Xun and the big black ox were left temporarily deafened and shocked by the sound.