Chance Encounter on Mountain Road; May Fellow Daoist Have Success in All Things

"Moo? Moo moo moo?"

Big Black Ox stared in disbelief at his own "masterpiece" as Chen Xun dragged him away before he had realized what was happening.

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

They returned to the Mountain Cave and sat facing each other.

"Old Ox, I understand now. This mana isn't the mana inside our bodies."

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

"Moo~" Big Black Ox understood as well, though his eyes still held shock.

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

Chen Xun opened his mouth wide. The Fireball Spell now consumed less than half what it had before. "So this was the crucial point."

"Moo?"

"Old Ox, move aside."

Chen Xun narrowed his eyes slightly and Spread Open one palm. "I'll try the Pill Fire."

"Moo!" Big Black Ox hurriedly ran far away, hiding in the cave where they grew spiritual herbs, with only half his head poking out.

"So pure."

A tiny flame slowly Appeared in Chen Xun's palm. He continuously controlled the mana within his body to strengthen it, and the little flame grew larger and larger.

Only when it reached the same size as his original Pill Fire did Chen Xun stop.

"Just as I thought."

Chen Xun smiled faintly and continued controlling the Pill Fire. The mana in his body drained exceedingly slowly. "If this continues, I'll be able to control the Pill Fire down to the finest detail."

"Moo~"

Big Black Ox slowly approached and watched the Pill Fire. Though it looked the same as before, it somehow seemed more lively.

Chen Xun closed his fist, and the Pill Fire returned to his body. He Turned Towards Big Black Ox. "Old Ox, we need to start cultivating our mana again."

"Moo?"

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

"Moo moo!" Big Black Ox grinned. Understood, understood.

In the days that followed, they constantly adapted to the mana in their bodies and finally found the knack for it. They could now wield it freely, releasing and withdrawing it at will.

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

As long as the mana within their bodies fluctuated, a single lapse could ruin an entire batch of pills. Thus, they all chose the safer earth-vein fire.

The man and ox slowly curled their lips into crooked smiles inside the Mountain Cave. Flickering candlelight cast them in an utterly terrifying light.

The sky could be mended, the sea could be filled, and the southern mountains could be moved. But once the sun and moon had passed, they could never be pursued again. Five Years slipped by in the blink of an eye.

A great war erupted at Qian Kingdom's border. The Crown Prince officially ascended the throne, and the Imperial Court underwent a bloody purge. The people's Wailing filled the land; their suffering was beyond words.

Wu Kingdom brimmed with ambition, its vast army pressing upon the border. Qian Kingdom's National Luck was thrown into turmoil, and the Ten Great Immortal Sects began intervening in the National War.

The immortal sects of Wu Kingdom naturally would not yield. Thus began a new round of strife. Undercurrents surged everywhere; beneath the great tides of the world, no one could remain untouched.

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

On the outskirts of the Ningyun Mountain Range, someone wearing a Bandit Mask led a Big Black Ox deeper into the mountains.

As they passed through a forest, more than ten Mountain Bandits sprang down from the trees. Licking their lips, they stared darkly at the figure beneath them, sabers in hand glinting coldly.

This man was leading a cow; he definitely was not anyone important. Mountain Bandits had an eye for such things—they did not strike at just anyone.

"Attack!"

"Hehe, leave the cow behind!"

"Die for me, haha!!"

More than ten Mountain Bandits leaped into the air, bloodthirst flashing through their eyes. Killing was a joyful affair, especially when they heard their prey's final, despairing cries.

Yet the person leading the ox seemed not to have realized anything. He continued walking forward.

The Mountain Bandits grew even more excited. What an idiot.

Suddenly, a Sudden Change arose. Gusts of fierce wind swept past. With the ox-leading man as the center, countless pebbles rose into the air and shot toward them like sharp arrows.

They were so swift and violent that they exceeded even the speed the naked eye could perceive.

"Ah!!!"

Startled screams rang through the forest, startling countless birds into flight.

The Mountain Bandits collapsed helplessly to the ground, their heads Penetrated by pebble after pebble, blasted open with gaping holes as blood continuously Flowed across the earth.

"Moo."

Big Black Ox called softly. A sheet of fire ignited throughout the forest, and the more than ten Mountain Bandits were left with Bones Gone—yet not even the surrounding grass was scorched.

The man and ox continued onward, their eyes as still as an Ancient Well. Not even the slightest ripple stirred within their hearts.

"Old Ox, these times are truly becoming more and more unsettled."

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

"Moo!"

Big Black Ox answered heavily, with 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...

Some refugees had been so hungry that they ate the flesh of their companions raw. Some had moved their entire clans, only for a single surviving descendant to be killed by Mountain Bandits.

Some pursued Seeking Immortality and Asking the Dao, only to die in the jaws of demon beasts. Some harbored ill intent toward them and repaid kindness with enmity, only to be mercilessly killed in the end.

After experiencing all this, a faint indifference finally Appeared in Chen Xun and Big Black Ox's eyes.

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

The corner of Chen Xun's mouth lifted slightly. "Old Ox, don't let them affect your State of Mind. Our heaven and earth are still vast."

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

The man and ox continued onward. All the Longevity Points from these Five Years had been added to their mana. Their spells had reached a miraculous level, already undergoing a qualitative transformation.

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

Standing on the ground, so long as something was within their field of vision, they could knock even low-flying birds from the sky. The Fireball Spell was even more terrifying...

Moreover, the pills they refined carried an indescribable quality. Their Medicinal Power always seemed much stronger than that of their previous pills, to the point that they had refined their Pill Refining Furnace into scrap.

But after swallowing vast quantities of pills, they had now broken through to the tenth level of the Qi Condensation Stage! Heavy Feather Pills and Qi Boosting Pills could no longer increase their cultivation.

An extremely distinct membrane blocked them from within. Their dantians had Solidified like steel city walls, impossible to break through no matter how they charged against them.

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

As they entered the depths of the Ningyun Mountain Range, an unknown floral fragrance drifted through the air. Walking along the rugged mountain path, they encountered a group of people heading Down the Mountain.

"Yi."

The young married woman walking at the front paused and looked at Chen Xun for a long while. "It was you."

Chen Xun and Big Black Ox froze. Who was this? Was she trying to pull some roadside scam?

Even the people beside the young married woman looked at her in bewilderment. He was wearing 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 married woman suddenly smiled, carrying a faint fragrance about her. "I remember your mask and your ox."

Chen Xun frowned. As she smiled, the young girl he had frightened That Year seemed to slowly overlap with this young married woman.

Her voice had grown far more mature, and her face was no longer that of the lovely young maiden from before. Her eyes held many more stories, and much more composure.

"Hehe, so it's you."

Chen Xun remembered. He asked, "Isn't the Ascension Convention beginning? You're not selling spiritual herbs anymore?"

"No more. My aptitude for cultivation is limited, so I'm preparing to return home."

The young married woman smiled. His mask was still as comical as ever. "My family has arranged a marriage for me."

"Then congratulations. I actually have some experience with Weddings and Funerals."

Chen Xun spoke seriously and even cupped his hands. "Judging by your features, miss, you are a blessed person. From now on, everything will surely go your way."

"Then I'll borrow Fellow Daoist's auspicious words."

The young married woman nodded faintly and looked deeply in the direction of the Ascension Convention. "Then I also wish Fellow Daoist a single leap to immortality, and success in all things."

"Fellow Daoist, may the road be smooth." Chen Xun led Big Black Ox one step to the side.

The young married woman turned around, looked at Chen Xun, and once more revealed that sweet smile from back then before leaving with the others.

Chen Xun also continued on his way. The two groups walked in opposite directions, racing toward different futures as they brushed past one another.

He suddenly stopped and looked back at the group Down the Mountain. A gust of Mountain Wind swept past, setting the Sea of Flowers across the mountains in motion. The young married woman's dark hair danced in the wind. Chen Xun smiled calmly, then turned and left.