Eternal Tale
Chapter 276: Chen Xun takes action, slaughtering all in his path

“This corrupted creature is somewhat strange. It seems that divine sense cannot perceive them.”

Chen Xun let out a breath of relief. As expected, the corrupted creature could not shorten their lifespans. “But these corrupted creatures are utterly reckless. Old Ox, don’t be careless. These are truly fearless monsters.”

“Moo!” The big black ox nodded in agreement, grinning broadly, enjoying the sensation of its divine sense expanding.

“Big Brother Ox!”

Little Red clung to a tree trunk with one claw and waved the other, its eyes filled with fear and concern. “Are you alright?!”

The sudden appearance of the Foundation Establishment-stage corrupted creature was too eerie. Even its Flame Divine Sense could only detect faint ripples; it had been too late to warn them.

On this battlefield, corrupted creatures had a significant restraining effect on cultivators’ divine sense, forcing them to rely solely on their five physical senses.

“Moo moo!”

The big black ox turned its head and bellowed, signaling to Little Red that it was fine. After all, it was Ximen Black Ox.

Even so, Little Red still looked worried, unsure how much of Big Brother Ox’s lifespan had been consumed. Their understanding of the corrupted creatures was still very limited.

Ahead. The silence persisted. These corrupted creatures were cunning and elusive. Perhaps they were in the wrong place, or maybe the real battle was happening by the Heavenly River.

Chen Xun and the big black ox had no intention of advancing further. Their eyes shone with absolute caution as they boldly crouched at the starting point.

“Old Ox, it seems these corrupted creatures are natural enemies of all living creatures.” Chen Xun gazed calmly into the distance, his entire body shrouded in darkness. “Perhaps the world has two sides. They are the other side, the failed products born after the world created living beings.”

The intense loathing emanating from the corrupted creature earlier made him reluctantly admit that the abbot had been right.

Indeed, all things exist in relative opposition, even heaven and earth. Such a creation, hated yet unavoidable for cultivators, was proof of this paradox.

Trading lifespan for divine sense to break through realms, advancing realms to trade for the chance to explore new paths—this cycle required generation after generation of cultivators to slay the corrupted creatures. Strangely, it all seemed reasonable, as though no one had been forced.

Chen Xun’s eyes showed deep contemplation. Their domain was truly a perfect closed loop, but with no new paths opened ahead, the Great Li Realm would eventually become another Qian Nation.

The true world of cultivation lay beyond this realm. Even their so-called immortality couldn’t escape the rules. They were compelled to explore, let alone those cultivators with limited lifespans, whose desire for discovery was even more intense.

“Moo!” The big black ox didn’t think too much about it. Whatever Chen Xun said, it followed, unwavering.

Before them, on the blackened earth, the speed of the swirling ghostly wind increased, sending waves of terrifying ripples through the air.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

One by one, the corrupted creatures began to awaken. Sensing the presence of living beings, their deep hatred for life emanated from the depths of their filthy blood, spreading across the heavens and earth—eternal, unyielding.

The hollow, pupil-less eyes of the corrupted creatures snapped open, and their singular focus became the colossal ship on the coastline.

The corrupted creatures at Qi Refinement, Foundation Establishment, and Golden Core levels emerged from their hiding places. From even further away, more terrifying fluctuations arose—Nascent Soul corrupted creatures!

On the land ahead, corrupted creatures crowded together in vast numbers. Their expressions and forms were grotesque, sending chills down the spine.

They made no sound, no roars. Only waves of divine sense filled the air, as though connected into a single entity. Their eyes burned with icy killing intent.

Whoosh!

The corrupted creatures raised their arms skyward, their decayed skin oozing black filth blood. Their flesh shriveled, entirely unafraid of death.

A river of filthy blood surged and boiled as though ignited in sacrificial flames. They seemed to be offering themselves up in a desperate bid to annihilate the few living beings aboard the colossal ship.

“Old Ox, guard the ship.”

Chen Xun’s voice was calm as he slowly drew a second deathly black mountain-splitting axe, his gaze sweeping over the countless corrupted creatures on the blackened earth ahead. “I’ll deal with them.”

The big black ox took a gentle step back, watching the surroundings. More and more corrupted creatures were awakening—countless in number.

The true extent of Big Brother’s power was unimaginable, known to none.

Boom!

The surrounding heavens and earth quaked with a deafening roar. Chen Xun stomped the ground, and the deathly aura of the mountain-opening axe surged like crashing waves, overwhelming the skies, completely unrestrained.

Behind him, a towering shadow began to awaken. A colossal figure slowly raised its head, standing before the colossal ship, rising from the blackened earth!

The five elemental energies of heaven and earth surged wildly, converging upon a single point. Even in this domain where the elemental essence was sparse, nothing could hinder the light's voracious absorption.

A terrifying aura was awakening. Within the divine radiance of the five elements, a hazy figure with five heads and ten arms stood towering on the blackened earth, exuding a despairing, infernal presence.

The five heads gazed down like celestial deities, overlooking the endless tide of corrupted creatures with cold, ruthless eyes brimming with murderous intent.

"Corrupted beings..."

Chen Xun murmured softly. His twin axes hung at his sides as he strode forward with a thunderous step, aiming directly for the corrupted blood river ahead.

Bang!

Two axelights erupted in dazzling black radiance, slicing through the sky. The force they carried seemed to contain an impact weight of ten thousand tons, crashing down with mountain-opening, earth-shattering power.

Boom! Boom!

The black radiance, imbued with the desolation of all things, collided fiercely with the river of corrupted blood. The blackened ground cracked like a spider's web, sending fissures snaking outward.

Boundless deathly energy engulfed everything, spreading like an unrelenting beast tide, pervasive and all-encompassing in its destruction.

A violent gale rose, sweeping across the battlefield.

The river of corrupted blood trembled and began disintegrating inch by inch, unable to withstand the overwhelming death energy accumulated over 280,000 years.

Meanwhile, the sky echoed with the sound of raging spiritual energies. One after another, meteoric fireballs whistled past from the rear, their red glow illuminating the blackened earth. They crashed to the ground with thunderous booms, unleashing indiscriminate destruction.

Boom! Boom!

The earth shook with deafening explosions, turning the black soil into scorched land. Chen Xun ascended into the air, charging alongside the falling meteors.

Scarlet light filled the sky as the colossal figure behind Chen Xun followed, striking with earth-shattering force. Countless corrupted beings let out anguished wails as they were torn apart.

The corrupted blood floated in the air, tainting the battlefield with its vile essence, painting a macabre canvas across the desolate expanse. Amid the chaos, the lone figure surged farther into the fray, the harrowing cries of slaughtered creatures echoing in his wake.

Yet, even in death, these corrupted beings' eyes never showed fear. Instead, they gleamed with a bloodthirsty grin, as if mocking. Their deaths were merely the beginning—they would erode this being's life force, dragging him slowly into the abyss of despair to dwell eternally in darkness. No one ever truly emerged victorious from this domain.

…

By the shoreline of the colossal vessel, the big black ox and Little Red stood paralyzed, their wide eyes trembling as they struggled to find words. In the distance, that lone shadow seemed to move without resistance, carving through the corrupted creatures like a specter of doom. None could even draw near.

Hell on earth would pale in comparison.

"Moo~~!"

The big black ox was utterly dumbfounded, its eyes bulging like brass bells.

For the first time, Big Brother had revealed his true strength, shedding all restraint to demonstrate his overwhelming power.

Little Red stared open-mouthed at the five-headed, ten-armed figure in the distance. Its claws loosened their grip on the Five-Element Spirit Tree without realizing it.

"Brother Xun... so... so powerful."

Little Red swallowed hard. The deathly energy unleashed by that axe-shaped artifact was beyond doubt capable of annihilating even a Nascent Soul cultivator like itself. "He must be some prodigy from a bygone era, so low-key."

Its throat emitted a constant gurgling sound. The usually carefree Brother Xun now seemed like a completely different person.

Even from afar, Little Red could sense the electric black glow in those domineering eyes as they glanced over, exuding unparalleled arrogance and determination.

…

On the battlefield:

"This... this is it? Huh?! Corrupted beings, is this all you got? Come!!"

Chen Xun let out a strange laugh as his spiritual awareness expanded, steadily breaking through its bottleneck. "This place is perfect; there's no need to worry about making enemies. How satisfying!"

As his words fell, he swung his axe horizontally. In mid-air, it transformed into a hundred-meter-long stream of death energy, collapsing the ground as it tore through the terrain, unleashing massive waves of deathly force.

The corrupted creatures in all directions froze, an indescribable dread coursing through them. Who was this intruder?

Boom!

A deep fissure split the ground before Chen Xun. Over a hundred Foundation Establishment-stage corrupted beings were obliterated in an instant, their forms scattered into the air before they could react—sent directly to their demise.

Nearby corrupted creatures were flung into the air, vomiting corrupted blood that painted the skies red. Yet they remained fearless, resolute in exchanging their blood for life to slay this intruder!