Eternal Tale

Chapter 345: The Vast World Looms Ahead

The radiant divine aura began to disperse, revealing a figure that stepped forward with regal grace. Her black-and-white heterochromatic eyes gradually faded into a clear and tranquil black, sparkling like stars. She wore a long black dress, her silky hair draping softly over her shoulders. Her skin gleamed like polished jade, smooth and radiant. Her features were exquisite, her arched brows as delicate as willow leaves.

But her stature resembled that of a ten-year-old child. A girl?

Brother Ox and Xiao Chi stood frozen, their minds reeling. For hundreds of years, they had nurtured the Five Elements Tree, only to discover that their cherished companion had taken the form of a ten-year-old girl?! Weren’t they expecting a boy?!

Her cheeks flushed as she offered a timid smile, her crescent-shaped eyes glowing with warmth. Her movements exuded a natural elegance, a purity so profound that Brother Ox and Xiao Chi couldn’t help but marvel at her ethereal beauty.

Fidgeting with the hem of her dress, her voice came out soft and sweet, "Big Brother... Second Brother... Fourth Brother."

"What the hell?!" a loud, disgruntled voice erupted from below.

"Little Crane! How can you be a kid?! What were you thinking?!" Chen Xun’s exasperation rang through the space like a thunderclap.

The little girl’s eyes welled up with tears, her hands clutching the folds of her dress tightly. She feared her eldest brother most, especially when he spouted such intimidating words.

The Celestial Yin-Yang Tree was a unique creation, born of Chen Xun’s ingenuity. Balancing the cosmic dualities of yin and yang, it bore the essence of life itself. Infused with the essence of Chen Xun and Brother Ox’s vitality, the tree required the realm’s primal essence to break free of its ancient constraints. Without this transformation, it would have gradually withered, unable to grow beyond its original limitations.

As for why it could absorb the realm’s essence, neither Chen Xun nor the tree itself knew. It was simply an innate trait of its kind.

"Crane... Crane Sister?!" Xiao Chi stammered, his lips quivering. He had always called her Brother Crane, but now he was utterly dumbfounded. How had she become a girl?

"Moo!" Brother Ox wasted no time bounding over, nuzzling Little Crane affectionately. Lifting her onto his back, his excitement was palpable. To him, family transcended all boundaries of gender or race.

Xiao Chi quickly scurried to her side, his eyes scanning her intently. Despite his initial shock, his expression radiated joy. Crane Sister had always taken good care of him.

Little Crane sat sideways on Brother Ox’s back, her gaze pure and unblemished by worldly concerns. Her entire being radiated innocence. Her knowledge was limited to what Chen Xun had taught her, and now she watched him with anxious eyes.

"Big Brother," she whispered nervously, "I have absorbed the primal essence from the Domain’s barrier. Its strength has weakened by a third. There’s definitely a path below!"

Clinging tightly to Brother Ox’s fur, she added, "I... I won’t cause trouble for you!"

"Little Crane, protect yourself. Brothers, with me! Forward!" Chen Xun’s command was resolute.

"Moo! Moo~~!"

"Brother Xun, we trust you!" Xiao Chi shouted from under Brother Ox’s belly, his voice louder than anyone else’s. "Brother Xun, let’s explore the vast world together!"

"Damn right! Let’s go!" Chen Xun roared with enthusiasm. Forming a hand seal, he fixed his focus on the terrifying tribulations below, each bolt of lightning aiding their assault against the Domain’s barrier. Little Crane’s absorption of the primal essence had already softened the barrier’s resilience.

Bathed in lightning, Chen Xun summoned a colossal thunder shadow. Three deathly Mountain Splitting Axes channeled their energy into his divine soul, elevating his power. The shadow roared, its voice shaking the heavens.

Wielding a massive axe, Chen Xun struck the Domain’s barrier with all his might. Space itself twisted and churned as the blow threatened to tear through the very fabric of reality.

Little Crane closed her eyes, her black dress swirling around her. She formed complex seals with her hands, channeling her tree’s immense energy into the breaker vessel. Streams of primal essence poured into the ship, enveloping it in divine radiance.

Simultaneously, Brother Ox bellowed fiercely, merging the Five Elements flags with the breaker vessel. Elemental energies burst forth, illuminating the spatial corridor.

"Break!"

Chen Xun’s face contorted with effort as his deafening shout echoed through the void. With a final, devastating strike, the breaker vessel surged forward, its form defying the wrath of the heavens. It crashed into the barrier with a cataclysmic impact.

Blinding lightning engulfed the corridor, saturating it with energy so intense that nothing could be seen. The world seemed to vanish in the chaotic brilliance.

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Half a day later, darkness blanketed the skies, but radiant golden light persisted, illuminating the entire Domain.

Everyone’s eyes turned to the heavens, their breaths held in anticipation. The air was heavy with silence, as though the entire realm was in prayer.

Boom!

A thunderous explosion shattered the stillness. Golden light erupted in all directions as celestial phenomena converged. The portal… was open. Massive pillars of spiritual energy surged into the heavens, while the seas roared with world-shaking waves, as though heralding a great event.

"It’s open... it’s really open!!"

"What?! Could the legends be true?!"

"Look! In the sky! Shadows—there are shadows!"

Across the Domain, exclamations of awe and disbelief filled the air. Tears streamed down the faces of many cultivators, their lips quivering as they struggled to process the sight.

Countless spiritual beasts gazed upward, while the elders of ancient sects and clans sighed deeply, their expressions tinged with relief. They saluted the heavens with reverence.

In the heart of the Domain’s battlefield, the Sacred Ground crumbled. Deafening cracks echoed as corrupted beings fell, their forms unable to withstand the primal essence. From the gaping void, a single branch extended outward.

Its luminous glow wrapped around a newly born turtle-like corrupted being, shielding it from destruction. Little Crane, seated atop Brother Ox, waved her hand delicately, guiding the branch with care. She remembered Chen Xun’s words about bringing one corrupted being into the new world, and she alone had the power to protect it.

The darkness of the battlefield began to dissipate as light spread across the land. Cultivators lining the Celestial River turned their gazes skyward, their hearts heavy with anticipation.

Finally, a radiant beam of light pierced through, spreading across the land. Bai Li Fengyao closed his eyes as tears streamed down his cheeks. The obsession that had consumed him for years dissolved in that moment. His aura surged with newfound vigor.

A golden relic emerged from his body, illuminating the Celestial River with its hopeful glow. His cultivation climbed rapidly, leaping from the Golden Core mid-stage to the Nascent Soul early stage. The once-elderly figure now stood as a commanding presence, his energy reminiscent of Bai Li Zonghu.

This was the legacy of cultivators—an unbroken chain of resilience passed down through generations. The surrounding monks watched with awe, their reverence for their abbot profound.

<hr>

Winds roared as the Domain’s heavens revealed a celestial phenomenon. A faint portal appeared, its edges shimmering with the promise of a new world.

"The path… is open!"

"Elders, the path is open!!"

"Friends, do you see it?! The path is open!!"

Shouts of jubilation echoed across the battlefield. Bai Li Zonghu stood unmoving, a pillar of strength amidst the chaos. Around him, the warriors of the War Realm wept tears of blood. Their sacrifices, their struggles, had not been in vain.

In another corner, countless spiritual beasts guarded the massive corpse of the Nine Heavens Patriach—a legend who had perished in battle. Yet its legacy burned brighter than ever, propelling its kin to greater heights.

The centuries-long war of the Domain had reached its end. Too many lives had been lost, but each had played a crucial role in safeguarding the future.

Their journey was not over. Ahead lay uncharted challenges, but they were ready.

With one final explosion, the Sacred Ground’s veil collapsed entirely. Pulsating energy surged from the corrupted lands as black mountains crumbled, signaling the end of an era.

Golden light bathed every mountain and river, every blade of grass. Within the celestial vision, four figures emerged, their backs turned to the Domain. A man bearing three axes held the hand of a young girl. Beside him stood a four-legged ox, its back supporting a slumbering dog-like creature.

They stepped through the radiant portal, their silhouettes exuding unshakable determination.

"Farewell, pioneers of the Domain!"

"Farewell, pioneers of the Domain!"

"Farewell, pioneers of the Domain!"

Voices rang out across the battlefield as all life bowed in solemn respect. Though their names were unknown, their silhouettes were etched forever into the hearts of all who witnessed them.

Across the 360 provinces of Da Li, the farewell chants echoed. In the Qian Nation’s cultivation realms, countless bowed in reverence. Some even recognized the figures as Chen Xun and Brother Ox.

Atop the Jade Bamboo Mountain Range, Liu Han wept uncontrollably, her gaze fixed on the celestial vision. Tonight, no one would sleep. The world was forever changed as the small Domain connected to the vast Three Thousand Great Worlds.

As Chen Xun’s figure disappeared into the portal, a faint sigh escaped his lips. The world seemed to sigh with him, heavy with emotions too profound to articulate.

Thus began the next chapter of their journey into the vast unknown, a boundless world where their resilience and courage would forge a path anew.