Eternal Tale

Chapter 276: Chen Xun Strikes – Dominating the Battlefield

“These corrupted beings are strange; it seems like spiritual senses can’t detect them.”

Chen Xun sighed in relief, confirming that the corrupted beings didn’t drain their lifespan. “But these creatures are reckless, Old Ox. Don’t let your guard down—these are true death-seekers.”

“Moo!” Black Ox nodded in response, grinning widely—feeling the growth in its spiritual sense was quite satisfying.

“Brother Ox!”

Xiao Chi clung to the tree trunk with one paw, waving the other, his eyes filled with fear and worry. “Are you okay?!”

The sudden appearance of the Foundation Establishment-level corrupted beings was too eerie, and even his fiery spiritual sense could only detect the disturbance too late.

These corrupted beings in the War Realm were highly effective against cultivators’ spiritual senses, leaving them to rely solely on their five senses.

“Moo moo!!”

Black Ox turned and bellowed reassuringly, reminding Xiao Chi of its strength and reputation as Ximen Black Ox.

Despite Black Ox's assurance, Xiao Chi still felt uneasy, unsure how much of its lifespan Brother Ox had lost. Their knowledge about these creatures was still limited.

Ahead, everything remained eerily silent. The corrupted beings were proving cunning, and it was uncertain whether they had entered the wrong area or if the real battlefield lay at the Celestial River’s edge.

Chen Xun and Black Ox remained unmoving, maintaining absolute caution as they monitored their surroundings, unwilling to advance recklessly.

“Old Ox, these corrupted beings seem to be the natural enemies of living creatures.”

Chen Xun gazed calmly into the distance, shrouded in darkness. “Perhaps the world has two sides, and they are the other. They do seem like failed creations of the heavens.”

The intense malice from the corrupted beings made Chen Xun reluctantly admit that the abbot’s words were correct.

Everything in existence has a counterpart, even the world itself. These beings were born as the antithesis of living creatures, forcing cultivators to face them—both a curse and an opportunity.

Exchanging years of life for spiritual sense growth to reach new realms, then using this increased lifespan to explore further paths—this cycle of slaying corrupted beings for survival and progression was indeed logical. No one was truly coerced into it.

Chen Xun pondered deeply. Their realm was indeed a perfect loop, but if the way forward was not opened, Da Li would face the same fate as Qian Country.

The true cultivation world was beyond their current realm. Even as immortals, they couldn’t escape the urge to explore new paths—especially for those with limited lifespans, whose desire for exploration was even greater.

“Moo!” Black Ox didn’t dwell on it much. Whatever Chen Xun said was the truth; it only needed to follow.

In front of them, the black soil lands began to stir, with the swirling sinister wind growing stronger. The air was filled with foreboding energy.

*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!*

The corrupted beings finally awakened, sensing the presence of life. Their hatred, buried deep within their tainted blood, spread throughout the land, relentless and undying.

The corrupted beings opened their pitch-black eyes, their only focus being the giant ship on the shore.

Qi Refinement, Foundation Establishment, and even Golden Core-level corrupted beings emerged from their hiding places. Further in the distance, an ominous wave of energy hinted at Nascent Soul-level corrupted beings.

Across the black soil lands, countless corrupted beings stood, each with varying forms and expressions, creating a chilling and grotesque sight.

They made no sound, no screams—only a unified spiritual resonance filled the air, their eyes cold and murderous.

*Swish!*

The corrupted beings raised their hands, black tainted blood seeping from their skin as their bodies withered, showing no fear of death.

The tainted blood formed a river, boiling and burning as they sacrificed their bodies in a bid to annihilate the few living beings aboard the giant ship.

“Old Ox, guard the ship.”

Chen Xun’s voice was calm as he slowly drew his second deathly Mountain Splitting Axe, staring down at the corrupted beings spread across the black soil lands. “I’ll take them down.”

Black Ox stepped back, eyes scanning the surroundings as more and more corrupted beings awakened, their numbers growing.

No one truly knew the extent of Chen Xun’s power, not even Black Ox. His strength remained a mystery.

*Boom!*

A tremor shook the ground as Chen Xun stomped forward. The deathly energy from his axes surged in waves, finally unleashed without restraint.

A massive shadow loomed behind him, standing tall before the ship, emerging from the black soil lands like a colossus.

The energies of the Five Elements converged wildly, despite the scarce availability in this realm. The shadow consumed them all.

An overwhelming aura awakened, and within the divine glow, a figure with five heads and ten arms stood among the black soil lands, radiating an aura of despair and destruction.

The five heads, like ancient deities, looked down upon the countless corrupted beings, their eyes cold and filled with endless killing intent.

“Corrupted beings…”

Chen Xun murmured, his dual axes at his sides. He stepped forward, targeting the tainted blood river ahead.

*Boom!*

Two beams of black light erupted, tearing through the sky with crushing force, carrying the power to shatter mountains and split the earth.

*Boom! Boom!*

The black light, filled with a withering aura, collided with the tainted blood river. The black soil lands cracked like a spider web, sending fissures spreading outward.

A flood of deathly energy engulfed everything, an unstoppable force of destruction that spread everywhere.

The winds howled, sweeping through the battlefield.

The tainted blood river trembled and was gradually consumed, unable to withstand the overwhelming 280,000-year deathly energy.

At the same time, massive fireballs rained from the sky. The meteor-like projectiles, red as the dawn, crashed into the black soil, unleashing indiscriminate devastation.

*Boom! Boom!*

Explosions echoed across the land, turning the black soil into scorched earth. Chen Xun leapt into the fray, joining the meteors in their assault.

Red light filled the sky as the enormous shadow followed Chen Xun, each strike shattering the ground. Countless corrupted beings screamed in agony as they were torn apart.

On the black soil lands, innumerable corrupted beings were like a swarm of insects caught in a storm, instantly crushed and torn to pieces.

The tainted blood filled the battlefield, staining the War Realm. The lone figure continued his relentless assault, and the anguished cries echoed endlessly.

But even as they perished, the corrupted beings showed no fear. In their eyes, there was only a bloodthirsty smile.

They would drag this living being into the abyss, draining his years until he was consumed by despair and bound to eternal darkness. In the War Realm, there were no victors.

Back on the ship.

Black Ox and Xiao Chi stared, their eyes wide with shock. The dark silhouette in the distance appeared unstoppable, cutting down corrupted beings with ease, their attacks unable to reach him.

This was a scene from a nightmare.

“Moo~~~”

Black Ox was stunned, its eyes bulging.

Brother Chen was showing his true power for the first time, no longer holding back or hiding his strength.

Xiao Chi watched, mouth agape, as he clung to the Crane Spirit Five Elements Tree. He was so stunned that he didn’t notice his claws slipping.

“Brother Xun… so strong…”

Xiao Chi swallowed hard, the deathly aura from the axe making him shudder. “He must be a prodigy from another era. He’s been hiding his strength.”

His throat made a gulping sound. The usually carefree Brother Xun was now a completely different person.

Even from a distance, Xiao Chi could see the cold, electric eyes of Chen Xun, filled with arrogance as he led the charge.

On the battlefield.

“Is that all you’ve got, corrupted beings? Is that all?! Come!!”

Chen Xun laughed wildly, feeling his spiritual sense growing, the bottleneck loosening. “I don’t have to worry about grudges here—this is exhilarating.”

With that, he swung his axe horizontally, creating a massive arc of deathly energy that shattered the ground, sending a wave of destruction across the land.

Hundreds of Foundation Establishment-level corrupted beings were obliterated in an instant, their bodies disintegrated before they could react.

The corrupted beings nearby were blasted away, their tainted blood spraying through the air, but they felt no fear. They only sought to trade their blood for years, determined to take down the living being.