Eternal Tale

Chapter 240: Only Now Do I Realize What True Cultivation Is

The giant ship's speed had slowed down considerably. Brother Ox no longer dared to steer recklessly. That ancient ship before them felt like a warship, carrying an incredibly terrifying will.

In the Forbidden Sea, it was hard to distinguish between day and night. The world was perpetually dim, with only occasional rays of sunlight or moonlight breaking through the gloom.

*Hum—*

*Hum—*

“Chen Xun, there’s a fleet up ahead!” Xiao Chi cried out, standing atop the crane-shaped prow, stretching his neck forward. “No people, but there’s an ancient ship.”

Chen Xun and Brother Ox followed Xiao Chi’s gaze. After two incense sticks' worth of time, they could finally make out the sight.

Amid the mist and moisture of the sea, a dilapidated ancient ship drifted. Behind it trailed a fleet of intact ships, but something about them was eerie—they seemed devoid of life.

The ships behind were clearly not ancient; their hulls were in perfect condition. But aboard each ship were Da Li cultivators, their faces pale, drained of any color.

Their bodies lay in various positions as if they had been killed instantly. It seemed as though the time of their deaths wasn’t too far removed from the present.

“Xiao Chi, don’t touch the ancient ship. We’ll clear the way for you.”

Chen Xun shot into the sky, stepping onto the still waters of the ocean. “Take all the storage rings from these cultivators.”

“Moo!” Brother Ox roared, stepping to the opposite side of the ship, his four hooves standing firmly on the water. Together, they flanked the massive ancient ship, as large as a mountain.

*Glug, glug!*

The sea began to boil. It seemed as though the ancient ship had detected the presence of living beings. It stopped moving, looming over Chen Xun and Brother Ox like a predator, its overwhelming will bearing down on them.

Purple mist surged from the ship, and Chen Xun and Brother Ox's gazes sharpened, their auras becoming fiercely intense.

Behind them, two towering, terrifying figures slowly rose, shrouded in dark light. The power of the Extinguishing Spirit rippled across the sea, sweeping forward!

The sea churned violently, the once calm Forbidden Sea now roiling with waves. It was as though the ancient ship's will had been provoked—it dared anyone to stand in its way.

“Chen Xun, Brother Ox, I’m going in!”

Xiao Chi, now a streak of red light, darted across the air, dodging around the ancient ship and heading toward the silent fleet behind it. Every time the purple mist attacked, it was blasted apart by the Extinguishing Spirit's dark energy.

Chen Xun and Brother Ox activated their divine apertures, dark light spreading across the sea. The powerful aura they emitted suppressed the purple mist, rendering it immobile.

“Brother Ox, don’t touch the ancient ship,” Chen Xun commanded coldly, his robe billowing in the dark glow. Even the massive Nascent Soul figure behind him was shrouded in the same dark energy. “We only need to suppress the mist.”

“Moo~” Brother Ox responded, the Five Elements flags swirling around him as he moved swiftly. The Extinguishing Spirit Power filled the space around him, cascading down into the sea.

He understood Chen Xun’s meaning perfectly. The corpses on these ancient ships weren’t worth scavenging. Attempting to disturb them would bring about an unimaginable terror—something they weren’t eager to experience again.

Xiao Chi, steeling his nerves, stepped onto one of the fleet’s ships. His eyes gleamed slyly as he began using his talents, sending his flame-infused divine sense throughout the ships, quickly gathering the storage rings from the fallen cultivators.

Despite the grim fate of these Da Li cultivators, Xiao Chi felt no fear. Instead, he took a strange satisfaction in his work, doing so without a shred of guilt.

“Chen Xun, Brother Ox, I’ve got them all!”

Xiao Chi stood at the edge of one of the larger ships, his voice shaking as he gazed around nervously. A large cluster of storage rings hung from his arms. “Shall we run?”

“Do a ceremony!”

“Moo moo!”

Chen Xun and Brother Ox quickly moved, beads of cold sweat forming on their foreheads. They hurried to the rear of the ancient ship, their eyes taking in the scene of this desolate fleet.

*Boom!*

As they stepped aboard, both furrowed their brows. The wills of these cultivators had been completely crushed. Their bodies were nothing more than empty shells.

Their divine senses and spiritual power were gone, utterly dissipated. Unlike those strange subterranean creatures, there was no chance of them ever reviving.

“Let’s hold a ceremony and send our fellow cultivators to their ascension.”

Chen Xun sat cross-legged on the ship, dark light still suppressing the purple mist. He began chanting in a low voice, “We’ll be taking your storage rings in the meantime!”

“Moo moo~~” Brother Ox also sat down, summoning the incense burners from his storage ring.

Xiao Chi blinked rapidly, glancing nervously at the ancient ship. His two elder brothers really were something else—they were actually going to perform a ceremony. He thought they were just saying it for effect!

Together, they formed a triangular formation and began chanting, slowly releasing the souls of the fallen cultivators. As they did, the dead cultivators' faces softened, no longer twisted in eerie expressions of pain and fear.

Their bodies dissolved into faint starlight, gradually vanishing as they transcended into the next life.

The giant boat passed by the ancient ship, making its way to the fleet, ready to assist in their retreat if needed.

The Forbidden Sea, the ancient ship, the purple mist of ancient wills, the lost fleet, the slain Da Li cultivators, and the three shadowy figures performing a ritual of ascension—all formed a macabre yet strangely peaceful scene.

“Let’s go!”

“Moo!”

“On it, Chen Xun!”

The three of them streaked through the sky as beams of light, quickly returning to their ship and sailing away at high speed. The lost fleet was now empty, drifting aimlessly once again, trailing behind the ancient ship.

Back aboard their own ship, Chen Xun and Brother Ox were panting heavily. Using the Extinguishing Spirit Power had been taxing. Taking on an ancient ship was akin to fighting the entire Forbidden Sea itself—the pressure was far beyond what most could imagine.

“Well done, everyone,” Chen Xun said, a smile creeping onto his face. “Xiao Chi, how many rings did you get?”

Brother Ox nudged Chen Xun gently, seemingly unbothered. There hadn’t been any real danger—just some spiritual exhaustion.

“Chen Xun, I got one hundred and thirty-two rings!” Xiao Chi squealed with excitement, running circles around Chen Xun and Brother Ox. “We’ve struck it rich!”

“Hahahaha…”

Chen Xun laughed so hard his face twisted. He clapped Brother Ox on the back, “Brother Ox, wasn’t I right? Coming to the Forbidden Sea was absolutely the right call.”

“Moo~~~” Brother Ox’s eyes gleamed as he let out a few excited snorts of hot breath, brimming with emotion.

Xiao Chi’s face was flushed, his whole body trembling with excitement. They had taken only a small risk and yet reaped such an incredible reward.

*Clatter!*

One by one, the storage rings floated into the air. Brother Ox broke the seals, and soon, an avalanche of hexagonal spirit stones poured out, piling high on the ship’s deck.

The spirit stones gleamed in various colors, each one brimming with pure spiritual energy. Cultivators may dislike many things, but spirit stones would never be one of them.

Before long, the entire ship was suffused with a rich spiritual aura, and there were more mid-grade spirit stones than lower-grade ones!

Ten thousand…

Thirty thousand.

Fifty thousand…

A hundred thousand.

…

Chen Xun, Brother Ox, and Xiao Chi’s lips trembled. What was going on? Had this fleet belonged to a powerful faction that had brought along every bit of their wealth?

Xiao Chi’s eyes were nearly rolling back in his head. This was too much—enough to make his mind spin. The sheer quantity of cultivation resources seemed like something one could only dream of.

“Moo!” Brother Ox yelped in surprise. What’s wrong with Chen Xun?

“Chen Xun!”

Xiao Chi shouted in panic. Chen Xun had grabbed a mid-grade spirit stone, and without realizing it, crushed it into dust with his bare hands. He then sat down in a trance.

With a look of deep reflection, Chen Xun gazed into the distance. “Thank the heavens for their blessings. Only now do I realize what true cultivation is.”

“Moo moo?”

“What is it?” Brother Ox asked, confused.

“It’s endless spirit stones and infinite cultivation resources—that’s what true cultivation is.”

Chen Xun held up the powdered remains of the spirit stone and smiled crookedly. “Kekekeke…”

“Chen Xun?!” Xiao Chi stumbled back, terrified. Had Chen Xun gone mad?

“Moo~~~” Brother Ox chuckled, nodding in agreement with a crooked smile. He understood exactly what Chen Xun meant.

Xiao Chi looked left and right, completely baffled. It was over—Brother Ox had gone mad too!