The Nine Heavens Patriarch suddenly let out a low groan, coughing a few tis. That ox had a body as sturdy as iron, practically as strong as his own—if not more so. The real mystery was that he couldn’t even gauge its limits.
“They’re just… too strange,” he muttered, brow furrowing as he pondered the overwhelming presence emanating from Chen Xun’s area. “Nothing seems to phase that Old Ox’s body either.”
His eyes, large and round as beads, sank into thought. Could there truly be a creature in this domain stronger than a Demon-Suppressing Ape? Unless… they weren’t from here at all. Perhaps they ca from beyond this world!
Just like that ancient record of a starfall from beyond the heavens, which caused the Heaven’s End Ravine. The domain was already sealed back then, so no one really knew how the starfall had co about.
But even years later, there had been another starfall—many of Da Li’s cultivators saw it. Nothing ca of it at the ti, but… was it them?! The Nine Heavens Patriarch’s eyes went wide as his gaze seed to stretch beyond the mountains. He gave a low growl, “Descendants!”
His brows were now knit tightly together. How could the difference between cultivators of the sa stage be so vast? “Unless… they’re from another world. Otherwise, there’s no way to explain this.”
The Nine Heavens Patriarch pondered briefly, deciding that this was a mystery better left unsolved. He lifted his head and roared, “Prepare, my kin! Send word to all Da Li spirit beasts for reinforcents!”
“Yes… Ancestor.”
Throughout the Ten Thousand Mountains, a scattered chorus of agonized cries rose up as the creatures struggled under the pressure.
Seeing this, the Nine Heavens Patriarch only sighed. Perhaps a little discipline wouldn’t hurt after all.
Back on the ground...
Brother Ox’s eyes were wide, intently watching the glowing figure of Chen Xun, who was cloaked in a radiant light. He had isolated the area around Chen Xun, ensuring that no disturbances would get through.
Xiao Chi lay twitching on the ground, side by side with a Golden Core-stage spirit beast. Both of them looked like unfortunate comrades-in-arms, having gotten too close to the intense energy.
Two weeks passed with Chen Xun still seated, his quiet hum blending with the surrounding mountains. The overwhelming pressure gradually dissipated, but the five-elent energy continued to ebb and flow within him, unceasingly, as the small glowing notebook beside him started to dim.
The words inscribed upon it weren’t penned in ink but seed drawn by the five-elent energy itself, flowing onto the pages in harmony.
“Moo~~” Brother Ox snorted softly. He was the only one who could read those words; if you weren’t on this path, you’d never understand them.
In the misty haze, Chen Xun’s face softened as he finally erged, his aura quiet yet boundless. Nearby, spirit birds perched on branches, drawn to the tranquility around him.
As he walked through the forest, he spoke softly, “Old Ox, Xiao Chi.”
At that mont, Chen Xun appeared like he’d stepped right out of a painting, frad by lush green mountains, towering trees, and the endless blue sky. A few wisps of cloud hovered, completing the perfect scene of a delicate ink painting.
It was as if he were both here and not here, grounded yet floating, untouched by the dust of the world.
With his human and earth apertures now effortlessly drawing in the five-elent energy, all guided by his divine apertures, Chen Xun was practically on autopilot. Cultivation was no longer a matter of grit.
A small sigh escaped him. Perhaps soon he’d be back to chasing after those elusive points of longevity.
However, even the Bai Li Clan didn’t hold any techniques beyond Divine Transformation; the inheritance of the Void Refinent Stage had been lost to the corrupted beings when the War Realm first ford.
Bai Li Wentian had ntioned that after reaching Void Refinent, training divine sense would no longer help cultivation. At that stage, it was an entirely new realm.
This, Chen Xun understood. He’d absorbed so much divine sense power that he’d hit a bottleneck—early-stage corrupted beings at the Divine Transformation Stage couldn’t strengthen him anymore.
Every Divine Transformation technique ended with one of two recomndations: to ditate on the great mountains and rivers or to gain insight into the world of mortals.
Since the Void Refinent Stage held neither heart tribulation nor the heart demon tribulation, its difficulty lay elsewhere. Failure could an losing cultivation levels altogether.
In ancient tis, countless mighty cultivators had fallen at this hurdle. They’d spent too much ti on battles and pursuits, with little left to comprehend the heavens or the mortal realm.
But Chen Xun and Brother Ox had traveled through the mortal world too many tis to count. No Divine Transformation cultivator could match the experiences and insights they’d amassed. For them, this would be a piece of cake.
When his cultivation and divine sense reached their peaks, the five elents would fuse, marking the day he stepped into Void Refinent!
“Moo?!” Brother Ox looked at Chen Xun in surprise, flicking his tail a few tis. Only he could tell that his elder brother’s cultivation had reached the mid-Divine Transformation Stage!
“Brother Xun!”
“It’s ti to make our way back. First, let’s visit the Heaven’s End Ravine, then… we’ll go ho.”
A smile tugged at Chen Xun’s lips as he gazed at the sky, clouds drifting lazily above. “Now that I’ve entered the Dao, Black Ox, prepare to receive the Sage’s teachings!”
“Moo!”
Brother Ox pressed his hooves together, summoning a grand incense altar of 108 burners. As the elder brother of the Sage, he bowed with each step, performing a ceremonial farewell!
Xiao Chi gaped in awe. So it was true! Brother Xun was the Sage of legend! And the Sage… was his elder brother?!
Eyes sparkling with belief, the two watched Chen Xun with admiration. Chen Xun, feeling rather proud, folded his hands behind his back, gazing skyward.
The faint smoke of incense swirled around him, wrapping him in a shroud of mystery. The whole scene looked like sothing out of a farewell procession for a Sage ascending to immortality.
Then, Chen Xun raised a brow. Why did this feel more like… a funeral procession?
“Black Ox… are you trying to send off?!!”
“Moo?!”
“How dare you! My strength is unparalleled!”
“Moooo~!!”
“Brother Xun, spare him! Brother Ox didn’t an it!”
A chorus of frustrated yelling, desperate pleas, and frantic apologies filled the forest, startling flocks of birds into flight. They glared back at him in disdain, clearly peeved at having been duped by his supposed “Sage aura.”
The next day…
Chen Xun and company made their way to the ancient teleportation array on the mountain’s edge, where spirit beasts stood guard. So that’s what had detained ng Sheng—they’d been watching him!
When the spirit beasts spotted Brother Ox, they exchanged glances and silently stepped aside, acknowledging him as the “boss.”
Brother Ox casually set up another teleportation array nearby and, with Xiao Chi’s help, secretly carved out three underground tunnels to house a few dium-sized arrays. Chen Xun simply cleared his throat, sending his divine sense to keep an eye out. Old habits die hard; they were practically second nature by now.
Of course, they’d already let the Nine Heavens Patriarch know they’d be using the place. As always, the Patriarch had been his easygoing self, giving them free rein.
After two days of gathering… ahem, I an, “preparations,” they were almost ready to depart.
Throughout the Ten Thousand Mountains, Chen Xun and his companions had traded thousand-year-old spirit herbs for drops of blood from various spirit beasts. After all, sharing the best with one’s “brothers” was the right thing to do!
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