Chance Encounter on Mountain Road; May All Go Well, Fellow Daoist

"Moo? Moo moo moo?"

Black Bull stared at his own "masterpiece" in disbelief before Chen Xun yanked him away. He had yet to react.

An hour later, the blaze was finally extinguished. Chen Xun was blackened all over, his underpants nearly burned away, his hair a complete mess. He looked even worse than refugees fleeing disaster.

They returned to the cave and sat facing each other.

"Old Bull, I understand now. This mana isn't the mana within our bodies."

Chen Xun swallowed hard, let out a belch, and puffed out a stream of black smoke. "This mana boosts our spells."

"Moo~" Black Bull understood as well, though shock still filled his eyes.

"This is incredible. The key is that it consumes far too little mana."

Chen Xun's mouth fell open. The Fireball Technique now consumed less than half of what it once had. "So that was the crux of it."

"Moo?"

"Old Bull, move aside."

Chen Xun narrowed his eyes and spread open one palm. "I'll try the Pill Fire."

"Moo!" Black Bull hurriedly ran far away, hiding in the cave where they grew Spirit Medicine and poking out half his head.

"So pure."

A tiny flame slowly appeared in Chen Xun's palm. He continuously controlled the mana in his body, strengthening it, and the flame steadily grew larger.

Only when it matched the Pill Fire from before did Chen Xun stop.

"Just as I thought."

Chen Xun smiled faintly and continued controlling the Pill Fire. The mana draining from his body was astonishingly slow. "If this continues, I'll be able to control the Pill Fire down to the finest detail."

"Moo~"

Black Bull slowly approached and watched the flame. Though it looked the same as before, it somehow seemed more lively.

Chen Xun clenched his hand, and the Pill Fire returned to his body. He looked at Black Bull. "Old Bull, we need to begin cultivating our mana anew."

"Moo?"

"Because I don't want to be left wearing nothing but underpants again." Chen Xun said irritably. "Understand?!"

"Moo moo!" Black Bull grinned. Understood, understood.

Over the days that followed, they constantly adapted to the mana within their bodies. At last, they found the knack and could now wield it freely, releasing and withdrawing it at will.

During that time, Chen Xun also refined several batches of pills. Not only did his success rate greatly increase, but his mana consumption decreased as well. Many alchemists failed precisely at the hurdle of Pill Fire.

As long as the mana within their bodies fluctuated, a single lapse of care could ruin an entire furnace of pills. Thus, they all chose the more reliable Earth-vein Fire.

The man and bull crooked their mouths into smiles inside the cave, the flickering candlelight casting terrifying shadows over them.

The sky could be mended, the sea could be filled, Southern Mountain could be moved. But once the sun and moon had passed, they could never be chased back. Five years slipped by in the blink of an eye.

A great war erupted along Gan Kingdom's border. The crown prince formally ascended the throne, and the imperial court underwent a bloody purge. The people wailed across the land, suffering beyond endurance.

Wu Kingdom brimmed with ambition, its great army pressing against the border. Gan Kingdom's national fortunes shook, and the Ten Great Immortal Sects began interfering in the war between kingdoms.

The Wu Immortal Sects naturally refused to comply. Thus began a new round of conflict. Undercurrents surged everywhere, and beneath the tide of the times, no one could remain untouched.

When a nation prospered, the people suffered. When a nation fell, the people suffered.

On the outskirts of the Ningyun Mountain Range, someone wearing a Bandit Mask led a Black Bull slowly toward the depths of the mountains.

As they passed through a stretch of forest, more than a dozen bandits sprang down from the trees. They licked their lips and stared darkly at the figure below, the broadswords in their hands flashing with cold light.

This fellow was leading a cow, so he definitely wasn't some important figure. Bandits had discerning eyes too; they did not rob just anyone.

"Attack!"

"Hehe, leave the cow behind!"

"Die for me, hahaha!!"

More than a dozen bandits leaped into the air, bloodthirst flashing in their eyes. Killing was a joyous thing, especially hearing a prey's final desperate scream.

Yet the person leading the bull seemed not to have reacted at all and continued walking forward.

The bandits grew even more excited. What an idiot.

Suddenly, a shocking change erupted. Gusts of force swept through the air. With the bull-leading man as the center, countless stones rose into the sky and shot toward them like sharp arrows.

They were so fast, so fierce, that they surpassed even the speed the naked eye could perceive.

"Ahhh!!!"

Shrill screams echoed through the forest, startling countless birds into flight.

The dozen or so bandits collapsed helplessly to the ground, their heads pierced through by stones that blasted open great holes, blood constantly flowing across the earth.

"Moo."

Black Bull gave a soft call. Flames rose through the forest, and the corpses of the dozen bandits vanished without a trace. Yet not even the surrounding grass was scorched.

The man and bull continued onward, their eyes as still as an Ancient Well. Not even the faintest ripple stirred in their hearts.

"Old Bull, these times are growing more and more turbulent."

Chen Xun spoke calmly, his gaze level as he looked ahead. "The Ningyun Mountain Range is a place where fish and dragons mingle. We should prepare to leave as well."

"Moo!"

Black Bull answered heavily, even a trace of killing intent in his eyes. Over these five years, they had experienced too much and seen too much.

This world had never been as beautiful as they had imagined...

There were refugees so hungry that they ate the flesh of their companions raw. Some entire lineages migrated, only for a single surviving descendant to be killed by bandits.

Some sought immortality and the Dao, only to die in the jaws of demonic beasts. Some harbored ill intentions toward them, repaying kindness with enmity, and were ultimately killed without mercy.

After all they had gone through, a trace of indifference finally appeared in Chen Xun and Black Bull's eyes.

"They're merely passersby whose names we don't even know."

The corner of Chen Xun's mouth lifted slightly. "Old Bull, don't let them disturb your state of mind. Our Tiandi is still vast."

"Moo moo~" Black Bull rubbed against Chen Xun and grinned.

The man and bull continued onward. All the Longevity Points from the past five years had been added to their mana, and their spells had reached miraculous heights, already undergoing a qualitative transformation.

They no longer dared to unleash their spells at full force. Even a simple Object Manipulation Technique had become terrifying—taking an enemy's head from a thousand miles away was as easy as reaching into a bag.

Standing on the ground, so long as something was within their field of vision, they could shoot down even birds flying low in the air. The Fireball Technique was even more terrifying...

Moreover, the pills they refined carried an indescribable quality. They always felt far more potent than before, and they had even refined their Alchemy Furnace into scrap.

But after consuming vast quantities of pills, they had now broken through to the Qi Refining Tenth Layer! Heavy Feather Pills and Qi-Boosting Pills could no longer increase their cultivation.

An extremely distinct membrane blocked them within their bodies. Their dantian had solidified like an iron city wall, impossible to breach no matter how they struck against it.

Today, the blazing sun hung like fire. Though a north wind blew, there was still a hint of warmth.

As they entered the depths of the Ningyun Mountain Range, the air carried the fragrance of unknown flowers. Walking along the rugged mountain path, they encountered a group of people heading down the mountain.

"Hm?"

The young matron walking at the front paused and stared at Chen Xun for a long while. "It's actually you."

Chen Xun and Black Bull froze. Who was this? Was she trying to scam them?

Even the people beside the young matron looked at her in bafflement. He wore a mask, and she could still recognize him?

"It's been nearly ten years, hasn't it? I never expected you to come again."

The young matron suddenly smiled, carrying a faint fragrance about her. "I remember your mask and your bull."

Chen Xun frowned. When she smiled, the image of a young girl he had frightened back then seemed to slowly overlap with this young matron.

Her voice had grown far more mature, and her face was no longer that of the young maiden from back then. Her eyes held many more stories and much greater steadiness.

"Hehe, it's you."

Chen Xun remembered. He asked, "Isn't the Immortal Ascension Assembly beginning? Aren't you selling Spirit Medicine anymore?"

"No, I'm not. My aptitude for cultivation is limited, so I'm preparing to return home."

The young matron smiled. This man's mask was still as ridiculous as ever. "My Lineage has arranged a marriage for me."

"Then congratulations. I actually know a thing or two about both weddings and funerals."

Chen Xun spoke seriously, even cupping his hands in salute. "Judging by your features, miss, you are a blessed person. From now on, all will surely go well for you."

"Then I'll borrow your auspicious words, Fellow Daoist."

The young matron nodded faintly and cast a deep glance toward the direction of the Immortal Ascension Assembly. "Then I also wish you a single leap into immortality, Fellow Daoist, and may all go well for you."

"Fellow Daoist, may your journey be smooth." Chen Xun led Black Bull one step aside.

The young matron turned around, looked at Chen Xun, and revealed that same sweet smile from back then. Then she led the others away.

Chen Xun continued on his way as well. The two groups passed one another, heading toward different futures.

He suddenly stopped and looked back at the group descending the mountain. A mountain wind swept past, setting the sea of flowers across the mountain into motion. The young matron's dark hair danced in the wind. Chen Xun smiled faintly, then turned and left.