Eternal Tale
chapter-55

Another half a month passed.

There was a sudden, violent tremor in the hall, and two figures with disheveled heads popped out. Exhaustion was apparent on their tainted faces.

"Old ox, get the spirit herbs quickly!"

"Moo!" The black ox jumped out of the tunnel and quickly headed towards the area with the Nanmu Leaves—A spirit herb long since extinct in the outside world.

**_Roar_**!

However, unfortunately for the duo, this monstrous beast reacted much faster than the White Death Leopard did. It immediately sensed someone taking the Nanmu Leaves and rushed towards the hall.

"Fireball Spell!" Chen Xun shouted, his eyes filled with rare seriousness.

Huge fireballs erupted and formed a massive wall of fire to block the beast's advance.

The monstrous beast howled in agony. Its eyes turned bloodshot, and a mysterious shield rose to split the wall of fire.

"I'm going!" Chen Xun's pupils dilated, and he continued casting spells while shouting, "Old Ox, are you done?"

**_Roar! Roar!_**

Suddenly, the beast burst out of the sea of flames. It bared its teeth as it rushed toward Chen Xun, raising a gigantic paw covered with an arsenal of sharp claws to crush him into pieces.

But then, a massive figure rushed out and immediately pulled Chen Xun back into the tunnel.

**_Boom! _**

**_Roar!_**

A deafening roar echoed through the entire tunnel, shaking the soil. The beast let out another resentful and angry roar.

"Hurry up!"

"Moo!"

Chen Xun and the black ox were sweating profusely. They rode their flying sword through the tunnel, which was continuously collapsing behind them. It was clear that this monstrous beast was incredibly powerful.

After they emerged from the tunnel and reached a safe location.

"Damn, if it weren't for the large group of cultivators outside, I would have taken care of that beast," muttered Chen Xun in frustration.

"Moo," The big black ox smirked and patted Chen Xun. Safety came first.

At this point in time, the Southern Dipper Mountain Secret Realm was already past its midpoint, and the scent of blood seemed to grow thicker.

At a small stream, a dozen women were carefully picking spirit herbs. Suddenly, dozens of people appeared around them, all with a smirk on their faces.

These women were disciples of the Boundless Sea Sect, judging by their attire.

"We didn't know you were here. We'll leave right away, and you can have all the spirit herbs," one of the leading women said politely, with a hint of courage in her eyes.

"But do you decide whether it's us or the Boundless Sea Sect that has the final say here?" A disciple of the Boundless Sea Sect sneered arrogantly, exuding a domineering aura.

"Dear fellow cultivators, you are senior disciples of a major sect, we hope you won't make things difficult for us," the leading woman replied with a calm demeanor, although anger flashed in her eyes.

"Hehe, but we can't help it. We've got an itch we can't scratch on our own. We hope you ladies can help us relieve it," said one of the disciples, smirking.

"You…" The leading woman was both shocked and angered.

The women behind her were furious as well. They quickly retrieved their magical treasures from the bags of holding and got ready for battle.

"Kill!" One of them raised her head, a cold smile forming on her lips.

As soon as the words fell, chaos erupted at the edge of the stream, and fresh blood continuously diluted in the water.

...

In a mountainous area, there was also a lone disciple from a certain sect, dressed in a black robe, baring rows of black teeth. Several disciples from the top ten sects lay dead on the ground, their faces showing a grim and tragic end.

...

In a swamp, countless corpses could be seen floating up and down. And to the side, a disciple from the Beast Taming Sect gave his orders to a group of venomous creatures as he carried an indifferent look on his face.

...

The slaughter in the Southern Dipper Mountain continued relentlessly. Killing and seizing treasures were rampant in this lawless place.

Slowly, everyone was moving towards the center, and danger continued to escalate with every step.

...

Time continued to pass slowly, and in the blink of an eye, Chen Xun and the big black ox had been in the Southern Dipper Mountain for four months. They grew calmer with every passing month They had witnessed too much killing, infighting among fellow disciples, and various forms of treachery.

...

When rules were abandoned, the darkness of the cultivation world was revealed.

Chen Xun and the big black ox were resting against a tree when suddenly their ears twitched.

Two figures were fleeing in distress, their eyes filled with strong resentment and hatred.

"Stop! If you run, she won't survive! Are you going to watch your own junior sister die, hahaha..."

Laughter followed behind them, as if they had been taunting them all along.

One of them hesitated as his steps faltered, but the other merely glanced at him and continued to run, valuing his own life.

"Ji Senior Brother... I'm sorry..." a weak female voice said as she was bound with a silver cord by the group, clearly a magical artifact.

Chen Xun and the big black ox were shaken upon hearing this, realizing that these were disciples of the Five Elements Sect, and one of them was Ji Kun!

"Thunderous Gate, one of the top ten sects, resorting to such despicable means," Ji Kun seethed with anger. Many of them were at the tenth level of Qi refining, and he was no match for them. "I can give you the spiritual herbs but release her first!"

"The world of cultivation is all about the survival of the fittest, the strong rule, and small sects are just that, small sects. You don't have the right to bargain with me." He laughed.

"Hahaha..."

The members of the Thunderous Gate laughed, and a man named Cao Chen stepped forward with a powerful aura, saying coldly, "Hand over the Sun Ginseng Lotus, you've got some nerve to steal from us right under our noses."

"Release her!" Ji Kun said firmly, holding the Sun Ginseng Lotus. His expression was cold as he spoke, "Or else, you won't get anything. I can destroy it right away."

"Threatening us?" Cao Chen narrowed his eyes and his magical power surged. "How many lives do you have..."

Suddenly, a profound change occurred.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Two powerful gusts of wind erupted, accompanied by loud sonic booms. Everyone from the Thunderous Gate was shocked and frightened out of their mind, what kind of ghostly thing was this!

Cao Chen's face turned pale as a straw man suddenly appeared in front of him. Their faces were almost touching, and the person wore a black head covering, but his gaze was icy...

**_Boom! Boom! Boom!_**

A massive hand pressed down forcefully, and Cao Chen spat out a mouthful of blood with an _Augh_ sound. His neck was instantly pinned to the ground, causing the ground to crack and shatter, with debris and stones scattered all around.

"Ah!!!"

A muffled and agonizing scream came from Cao Chen. His eye sockets burst under the pressure, and he felt like his internal organs were tearing apart, with blood flowing from his seven orifices.

A scorching wall of fire suddenly rose and separated Ji Kun and all the members of the Thunderous Gate, and as the fire wall surged, the junior sister was also thrown over.

"Senior Brother!"

"Junior Sister!"

Ji Kun caught her immediately, and the junior sister sobbed in his arms, but he had no energy left to appreciate this scene.

The sea of fire was raging, and he couldn’t see anything on the other side. But Ji Kun's eyes were filled with profound shock. How could a Qi Refining stage cultivator be so incredibly powerful; who could it be?

The fire wall gradually disappeared, finally revealing the situation on the other side.

Ji Kun's eyes trembled from the sight that met his eyes, and he felt a chilling sensation rise in his heart. The junior sister also stopped crying and collapsed on the ground, her body going limp.

Their fear didn't stem from how brutal the battle was, but how eerily calm it had been. Apart from the cracked ground, there was no trace of any combat, not even a single body.

"They were... They were actually killed. They… killed disciples of the top ten sects in an instant."

Ji Kun gasped for breath continuously. For the first time in his life, he had truly realized the vastness of the world. "Junior Sister, let's go." He said, his voice trembling.

"Senior Brother, who are they?" The junior sister hesitated to speak. It seemed like they had come to rescue someone.

"I don't know. Don't think too much about it. We were just lucky this time," Ji Kun shook his head. He knew he had no chance of knowing such extraordinary individuals.

Supporting each other, they walked towards another location, seeking a place to quickly recover their spiritual energy.