Eternal Tale
Chapter 273: The smuggling plan officially begins

“Haha, Brother Xun, isn’t that right? Fighting the corrupt creatures is just asking for death!”

Little Red laughed loudly, suddenly feeling energized again. “Enjoying the view is better—no one compares to you, Brother Xun!”

“Old ox, the War Realm Camp's token has reacted. It seems the path through the Forbidden Sea is indeed tied to the Overseas Four Immortal Mountains.”

Chen Xun sighed softly, ignoring Little Red, his gaze fixed in the distance. “We’ll take another path to sneak through. That one should have opened as well.”

“What?!”

“Moo!” The big black ox trembled, throwing the stunned Little Red off its back. Big Brother’s word was final.

It glanced at the Inverted Heavenly Gate, realizing the formation was tied to the Heavenly River—not an ordinary array. No wonder even Big Brother couldn’t dent it.

Lowly mooing, the big black ox marveled at the grand scale. Even if someone gave it the formation's blueprint, it couldn’t set it up.

Little Red sat dumbfounded by the boat’s edge, helpless again. Sneaking through the Forbidden Sea seemed far more dangerous than staying here.

“Old ox, prepare for teleportation. The time is near.” Chen Xun’s gaze sharpened, his aura surging, deep and unfathomable, completely beyond this world’s cultivation system. “Little Red, we’ll guard Old ox.”

“Moo!”

“Got it, Brother Xun!” Little Red trembled, snapping to attention. “Old ox, go without worry!”

Chen Xun and Little Red stepped into the air, standing over the sea, their spiritual senses spreading wide. Most of the warships had already sailed away.

Unbeknownst to them, outside the Inverted Heavenly Gate, an old woman stood scanning the departing ships, a black ancient mirror behind her as if searching for something.

Passing warships showed the utmost respect, with every cultivator bowing deeply to avoid offense.

“Yu Weizi, I will not permit this!”

As the old woman searched, a commanding voice echoed in her mind. She flinched, looking toward the source—Baili Wentian was watching her.

“Fellow Daoist Wentian, I act on the Yu family’s behalf, seeking three late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators. I only need to mark their spiritual aura and will not hinder their passage through the Heavenly Gate.”

Yu Weizi’s tone weakened slightly, acknowledging the impropriety of her actions.

“This is your private feud, but I won’t allow it to be dealt with during the Thousand-Year Heavenly Gate expedition. Moreover, they are late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators—a great asset to our realm!”

Baili Wentian frowned, casting her a glance. “You’re from an ancient clan. Show restraint and don’t wield power to oppress.”

His Baili Clan had long been wary of the major ancient sects and clans. In the ancient war, they had contributed little, drawing widespread criticism.

It seemed they had no real interest in exploring the frontiers or leaving this realm.

Even with time passing, their elders rarely lingered near the Heavenly River, focusing solely on cultivation before returning to guard their clans.

Yet, each generation sent more disciples to the Heavenly Gate, a tacit understanding of maintaining peace—provided they didn’t cause trouble.

“Of course, I won’t overstep,” Yu Weizi said coldly, her eyes narrowing. “I’m merely repaying a favor to the Yu family.”

“I hope so.”

Baili Wentian stood silently before the gate, intent on escorting the younger cultivators to the Heavenly River.

Yu Weizi continued scanning with her black mirror. Late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators were rare and easy to locate—especially three of them. Unless they deliberately avoided breaking through to the Divine Transformation stage, they’d inevitably pass through here.

Yet she felt a faint, watchful presence pressuring her as if any rash action would bring instant retribution.

Still, she had a debt to repay to the Yu family. Despite the pressure, she persisted in her search, knowing her effort alone sufficed—even if she found nothing.

The power of the Overseas Four Immortal Mountains far exceeded what cultivators could imagine. Finding three Nascent Soul cultivators within the sea of cultivators, even if they concealed their cultivation, would be impossible to evade—unless they truly hadn’t arrived.

However, beyond that, it wasn’t their concern. The Yu family’s request was merely to mark their spiritual aura, and they would handle the rest.

At this moment.

Chen Xun and his group had no idea that Divine Transformation experts from the Four Immortal Mountains were searching for them—and not just Yu Weizi.

They loitered at the edge of the sea, blending in, occasionally joking around. Watching the departing warships, Chen Xun, unable to resist his itch to create, had already begun sketching the Inverted Heavenly Gate.

Half an hour later.

“Moo!” The big black ox opened its spiritual sense to the group, waving its hoof proudly—it was ready! They could teleport at any moment!

Over the years, it hadn’t slacked off. While Chen Xun delved into talisman research, it had honed its teleportation array skills. Now, mid-sized teleportation arrays no longer require as much time to activate.

The key lay in combining the Five Elements Stones with layered formations—the more layers, the more slots for the Five Elements Stones.

The big black ox pulled out a small booklet, revealing a detailed map. Numerous islands hosted hidden teleportation arrays they had prepared just for this day.

“Old ox, are you even calculating distances?!”

“Moo?” The big black ox looked puzzled. It wasn’t great at math—why calculate distances? “Moo moo?”

“Hehe.” Little Red chuckled mischievously, giving the big black ox a knowing look before glancing at Chen Xun. “Brother Xun, when are we leaving?”

“How’s it looking, Old ox?” Chen Xun called out, sitting cross-legged on the sea, unbothered by the wind and waves, engrossed in his sketching—his greatest passion outside of cultivation.

“Moo~”

The big black ox snorted confidently, standing tall with an unmistakable message: everything was foolproof!

“Let’s go!”

Chen Xun laughed, grabbing Little Red and the big black ox in one swift motion, stepping onto the small boat, and slotting in spirit stones to set sail.

But Little Red screamed in shock—they weren’t heading toward the Heavenly Gate but speeding in the opposite direction, into the depths of the sea!

“Brother Xun!!!”

“Moo!!”

“Hahaha!!”

Amid exclamations and laughter, their small, battered boat stirred the waves, plunging downward.

The boat’s speed was so fast they felt airborne. Little Red’s eyes nearly rolled back as he was pinned by a giant hand, unable to muster any spiritual energy.

“Woohoo!”

“Moo moo~”

Chen Xun and the big black ox leaned forward at the bow, thoroughly exhilarated. These simple joys were their greatest delight.

“Old ox, let’s go!”

“Moo~”

With a wave of its hoof, the big black ox activated the illusion of Five Elements Formation Flags. The boat emitted a black glow—itself a teleportation array vessel, a mind-boggling innovation!

Buzz!

The Five Elements Teleportation Array burst out with dazzling and blazing light. The entire upper sea area was boiling, and the Five Elements Qi between heaven and earth were frantically converging here from all directions.

Chen Xun’s expression grew calm and silent, yet he glanced at the big black ox in awe—this was a multi-directional teleportation array!

His mind churned with shock—the big black ox’s mastery of formations had exceeded his imagination.

The boat lifted into the air, surrounded by overwhelming spiritual pressure. Little Red, drenched in sweat, collapsed, trembling, his pupils quivering violently.

Boom!

A deafening sound erupted as the boat seemed to explode into a black hole, vanishing from the sea.

At the exact moment, they disappeared, several powerful gazes pierced through the distant skies, their owners frowning. What was that strange disturbance?