Chapter 297: A New Kind of Cultivation Life

One month later, at the coastline of the War Realm—the Black Soil Domain.

A massive ship had docked at the place where they had originally snuck ashore.

Three figures sat together, engaged in a long discussion.

“If the Hanging Heaven’s Gate and the Grand Formation align, then if we go right from here, we should eventually reach the frontline battlefield,” Chen Xun said as he sketched on his small notebook. “But if we head left, it leads deeper into the unknown. We could try it, but we must not change course.”

“Moo moo~”

Brother Ox’s eyes were serious. Though he was good at finding paths, the Black Soil Domain’s interference with divine sense made it difficult for even him to discern directions clearly.

He placed a hoof on Chen Xun’s shoulder, trusting entirely in him, as if to say, “Brother, it’s up to you!”

Chen Xun chuckled. When it came to strategy, Brother Ox was still a bit behind him.

“Brother Chen, I mean, just in case—if we don’t find the path or if there really isn’t one,” Xiao Chi’s voice quivered with a hint of despair. “Shouldn’t we have a backup plan?”

“Xiao Chi, don’t worry. Our senior brother once said there’s definitely a way out of here.”

“Moo moo!”

Chen Xun and Brother Ox spoke with absolute certainty, their eyes unwavering.

Xiao Chi’s jaw dropped. Brother Chen and Brother Ox had a senior brother?! His eyes widened, and any doubt vanished. The senior brother of his two big brothers must be an unimaginable powerhouse—far beyond anything he could question.

Xiao Chi kept silent but stole a glance at the distant horizon and then the ground beneath them, harboring some bold and immature suspicions.

“Brother Ox, Xiao Chi, we’ll head left first. If anyone can reach that side, it’s us,” Chen Xun said, a glint of determination in his eyes. “If we can pave the way ourselves, everything becomes simpler.”

“Moo!”

Brother Ox snorted loudly, already preparing the ship for movement. With the acceleration and teleportation formations in place, he didn’t need Brother Chen’s reminders.

If they encountered danger, the entire ship could teleport back instantly.

Xiao Chi quickly followed, preparing the Five Elements Stones. No matter where they headed, safety was the priority. Brother Ox’s teleportation arrays were their best safeguard.

*Whoom—Boom!*

The ship emitted a thunderous roar as it slowly lifted off and accelerated.

*Rustle, rustle.*

The Crane Spirit Five Elements Tree extended its branches, wrapping around the ship’s hull. Black and white luminescence cascaded down, creating a dreamlike effect as its elemental energy flowed into the ship.

A powerful, invisible wave rippled through the air, expanding outward.

The entire ship transformed into a streak of black and white light, vanishing from the coastline in an instant.

Only then did the thick, silent black sea react, crashing against the shore with roaring waves.

At the prow, a massive black coffin stood where Brother Ox was stationed. Death energy billowed out, and the Five Elements formation flags stabilized the ship’s direction, fending off the corrupted beings that approached.

Below, corrupted creatures shrieked as their tainted blood sprayed into the air, their corpses floating in the bloody sea. None could halt the ship’s passage.

In the lookout tower, Xiao Chi anxiously scanned the surroundings, recording routes and occasionally consuming a thousand-year spiritual herb to calm himself.

Meanwhile, Chen Xun meditated in the center of the deck, periodically casting out beams of white light.

Before long, hundreds of mystic-grade talisman blanks floated in the air, and several ancient Crane Spirit Tree containers filled with the blood of Deity Transformation corrupted beings appeared. The containers were already stained black.

Chen Xun’s brow glowed with a five-colored light as his primordial spirit emerged. Five ghostly figures took form and sat in a circle.

The five figures exchanged glances, then each raised two fingers before their chests.

A stream of tainted blood shot out from the containers, and a rootless essence flower emerged from within Chen Xun’s body, suppressing the stubbornly alive corrupted blood.

From the lookout tower, Xiao Chi’s eyelid twitched as he watched. Brother Chen always worked on these strange and terrifying things.

He didn’t seem to favor the talismans used by other cultivators and only used them as references. Even his public-facing magical tools were merely basic yellow-grade ones.

“Brother Chen is amazing,” Xiao Chi muttered. Brother Chen was unlike any cultivator in Da Li, but he couldn’t quite pinpoint why.

Deciding it was beyond his understanding, Xiao Chi refocused on charting their route.

On the deck, Chen Xun’s eyes gleamed as the tainted blood perfectly merged into the rune patterns on the talismans. “As expected, mystic-grade talismans are the way to go.”

He felt satisfied. Working with a large power ensured quality—no counterfeit products here.

Glancing outside, Chen Xun saw the ship speeding ahead, covering thousands of miles in an instant.

The corrupted beings at the Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment stages stared blankly up at the sky, confused as they saw only the vast darkness—nothing else.

Only those at the Golden Core stage could react slightly, but even they were swiftly and mercilessly dealt with by Brother Ox.

“This speed, the Crane Spirit Tree’s growth, the ship’s age, and Brother Ox’s enhanced formation control after breaking through to Deity Transformation… It’s far faster than when we crossed the Heaven's End Plains. Now, we don’t even need teleportation arrays to escape—no way I could keep up otherwise,” Chen Xun thought.

He marveled at their ship’s evolution. Since breaking through to Deity Transformation, everything had changed drastically; the difference from the Nascent Soul stage was like night and day.

Even as the ship’s speed increased, the vibrations in the air grew louder.

*Boom!*

A streak of black and white light sliced through the sky. In the distance, a massive black mountain crumbled, obliterated by the ship’s impact. The corrupted beings on the ground were left in a daze.

Satisfied that his comrades could now handle themselves, Chen Xun resumed crafting talismans. He was curious about the effects of these Seated Oblivion Talismans made with Deity Transformation corrupted blood.

Time passed day by day.

Brother Ox and Xiao Chi often heard sighs and mutterings from the deck. They could faintly catch words like, “My spirit stones…”

The weight of spending millions of spirit stones was finally hitting Chen Xun. Though he had gathered the materials from scavenging, it had taken much effort and was not exactly a profitable venture.

He had purchased five sets of materials for large teleportation arrays—all forbidden items—at a price that was forty percent above market rate. But there had been no other option.

Without connections or a network, it would have taken him an inordinate amount of time to gather everything on his own.

While he could handle small-scale trades, big deals like these required deep pockets. And without a high-level perspective, his only option was to use spirit stones as leverage.

Chen Xun mused that in the future, once he achieved immortality and reached the greater world, he needed to invest widely and think long-term.

Not for any grand reason—just to sit at home and have millions of mid-grade spirit stones flowing in daily!

Then, he imagined, he would command endless high-level cultivators, with all the information and resources he needed delivered straight to his door, avoiding any future ignorance.

“Yes, that’s the advantage I need to maximize. Forget pointless competitions.” Chen Xun nodded thoughtfully, already mapping out his future. “I’ve still got millions of mid-grade spirit stones left; I shouldn’t run out… right?”

He was determined to lead his brothers into a new cultivation lifestyle—one of peace, leisure, and deep exploration of the mysteries of heaven and earth.

No more fighting; he would fully exploit his greatest advantage.

Meanwhile, Brother Ox, assuming Chen Xun was in meditation, quietly recorded his musings.