Eternal Tale
Chapter 277: God-killing Orifice, activate!

Chen Xun gripped his mountain-opening axe tightly as waves of endless corrupted creatures surged from all directions.

Moments earlier, he had seemingly slain a Nascent Soul-level corrupted creature that had attempted a sneak attack. Yet, the eerie grin it bore before death lingered in his mind, refusing to fade.

These Nascent Soul-level corrupted creatures lacked the essence of a true Nascent Soul, resembling aggregates of spiritual energy rather than life forms in standard cultivation realms.

"Dammit, where do these corrupted creatures come from? Can they even be killed off completely?"

Chen Xun swept his axe in a wide arc, as frustration and confusion filled his heart. Unlike him and the big black ox, who had Five-Element Nascent Souls and the added support of the Starfall Technique, ordinary cultivators had no such advantages.

Even the deadly tools they wielded, emanating lethal death energy, were artifacts that defied the laws of the world. Moreover, the more corrupted creatures killed, the quicker one's own death loomed in this battlefield.

"Old ox!"

"Moo?!"

"Start the slaughter!" With a deafening roar, Chen Xun cast aside all reservations. His sole focus now was advancing to the Soul Transformation realm. "Wipe out every last corrupted creature in this region!"

“Moo moo!!”

A thunderous bellow echoed across the battlefield. The big black ox, carrying its obsidian coffin, unleashed torrents of death energy in all directions. No longer restraining itself, the terrifying shadow behind it began to awaken.

The two split up, using their own vitality as bait. The barren black earth seethed with waves of corrupted creatures converging toward them. Streaks of corrupted blood painted the skies as the battlefield below descended into utter chaos.

Chen Xun gazed at the distant big black ox, his heart calm amidst the carnage. At last, they were fighting side by side!

The big black ox's eyes were cold, its obsidian coffin erupting with death energy like a boundless black ocean. Any corrupted creature touched by it perished instantly, their anguished howls filling the air. Life or not, death energy remained the ultimate nemesis of all things.

But no matter whether slain by artifacts or spells, every fallen corrupted creature inexplicably transformed into a chilling energy that infiltrated the slayer’s spiritual consciousness. There was no way to escape this grim fate.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Two dark silhouettes erupted with an earth-shattering killing intent, their strikes accompanied by deafening roars. Simultaneously, across the blackened land, the wails of corrupted creatures grew unbearably piercing.

The battlefield raged with ferocious intensity. Blazing red light filled the skies above, while the earth below was soaked in blood and chaos.

…

On the distant coast. The giant ship was completely shrouded, a protective light curtain extending from the black-and-white leaves above, continuously channeling Five-Elemental energy into the Five Extremes Array.

Little Red's heart raced with excitement and unease. Neither of his elder brothers had any intention of letting him fight. His role was only to stay back with Brother Crane and guard the ship.

"Brother Crane, we better just hold our ground here and not mess things up," Little Red said, finally calming down enough to assess the situation. "Who knows what horrors this Boundary Battlefield might hide. If Brother Xun and Brother ox can’t win, we’ll need to retreat quickly."

A faint glow flickered, as if in agreement.

Even from a distance, the suicidal charge of the corrupted creatures was chilling. Their fearlessness only deepened Little Red's dread.

…

Back on the battlefield. Chen Xun scanned his surroundings. corrupted creatures emerged from every shadow, radiating icy killing intent as they advanced step by step. The land for miles ahead resembled a fan-shaped area, with enemies as far as the eye could see.

Even the skies were filled with flying corrupted creatures, sealing off any escape. A suffocating stench permeated the air—an overpowering mix of hatred, darkness, and corrupted blood that gnawed at the soul.

Lowering his mountain-opening axe, Chen Xun felt a strange ache in his heart. The pervasive malice seemed to subtly affect him, growing stronger as his spiritual consciousness advanced.

"Heh." Chen Xun chuckled coldly. Such trials could no longer shake his Dao heart.

At over three millennia old, his Dao heart had become as steadfast as an ancient formation. How could mere corrupted creatures presume to test a Long-Life cultivator?

"Extinguish the Divine."

Chen Xun's eyes glinted sharply as he raised his hands, his aura surging to an unparalleled level. All sixteen of his divine apertures burst open, unleashing a dark radiance from within his body. In an instant, a storm of god-killing energy erupted, shaking heaven and earth.

Roar!

Roar!

...

On the Black Earth Plains, the corrupted creatures let out anguished wails as the God-killing Wind transformed into a raging storm. Standing at its center was Chen Xun.

One by one, the corrupted creatures struck by the storm collapsed to their knees, powerless. All around, the earth echoed with dull thuds.

Even those flying above were not spared, falling from the sky. Their hollow black eyes were lifeless, their spiritual consciousness obliterated in an instant.

The big black ox's pupils shrank in shock as it instinctively leaped hundreds of feet away, distancing itself.

Its elder brother, Chen Xun, was engulfed in dark radiance and death energy, with a terrifying shadow looming behind him. The ox could only marvel in awe—this was truly its mighty elder brother.

Chen Xun stood firm on the blackened earth. An endless, bone-chilling energy surged from the fallen corrupted creatures into him. If he couldn’t resist it, he decided to simply embrace it.

“Old ox.”

“Moo?”

“Kill!”

“Moo!”

Chen Xun and the big black ox locked eyes from afar. With a slight crouch, they both shattered the ground with a single step.

The duo transformed into streaks of light, swift as lightning. A torrent of death energy surged forward, accompanied by dazzling radiance that swept across the battlefield.

The radiant energy wasn’t just the riotous Five Elements power—it also carried the boundless God-killing Wind. Everything in their path was reduced to ashes, and corrupted blood flowed across the land for miles.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The blackened earth quaked as reinforcements of corrupted creatures flooded in. Both ground and sky shimmered with streaks of corrupted blood. This was a battle between the living and the non-living, with the corrupted creatures intent on grinding their enemies to exhaustion.

…

On the massive ship. Little Red panted heavily, staring at the cataclysmic scene unfolding in the distance. That such devastation could be wrought by mere Nascent Soul cultivators, unafraid of exhausting their lifespans, filled him with dread.

“Brother Xun, Brother Ox, take care of your lifespans…” Cold sweat dripped down Little Red’s forehead as he watched the suicidal charge of the corrupted creatures. “There are still so many places we haven’t explored yet...”

His expression grew conflicted, his pupils trembling violently. He didn’t want to lose his kin again. That pain... he couldn’t bear to relive it.

Never again...

Suddenly!

From the massive ship, a towering blaze erupted into the sky. A colossal shadow loomed overhead. Within it, a lion-shaped Nascent Soul roared, its body brimming with vital blood as it surged into its massive form.

The lion’s body swelled as the blood reversed its flow, the flames engulfing its surroundings with an awe-inspiring radiance.

“Roar!!!”

A thunderous roar echoed across the battlefield. A hundred-foot-long Blazing Red Lion emerged from the ship, its presence accompanied by terrifying phenomena.

With an air of majesty, it gazed down on everything below. Each step it took emitted a dazzling glow, causing even the void to tremble.

…

On the battlefield. Chen Xun and the big black ox turned their heads in shock. Their Nascent Soul forms, towering with five heads and ten arms, also stared toward the commotion by the shore.

“Little Red?!”

“Moo?!”

“Brother Xun, Brother ox, I have plenty of lifespan to share! I will fight alongside you!”

Little Red’s eyes glinted with savagery, his voice booming like a thunderclap. Today, he was prepared to give it his all. “Corrupted creatures! I, the Beigong Red Lion, will—”

Bang!

Two streaks of lightning sliced through the sky, arriving before him in the blink of an eye. Two enormous fists struck him squarely, and with a loud boom, his hundred-foot form crashed into the ground, leaving a massive crater.

Little Red lay sprawled on his back, wailing out of habit. He gazed up at his two elder brothers in confusion.