Covering the Sky: I Prove the Great Dao Through the Gate of Immortality

At the village entrance, Li Chenzhou's figure appeared.

Upon seeing him, Shi Yunfeng hurriedly said, "Mr. Li, Little One and the others..."

"I know." Li Chenzhou waved his hand, his gaze falling on the hidden cave on the distant mountain wall. "When they come back, each family should take their children back and discipline them properly. If this kind of nonsense happened anywhere else, it would have already caused a disaster that wiped out the village."

He then looked at Shi Linhu and the others who were holding ancestral artifacts and had tense expressions.

Those were artifacts crafted from the bones of ferocious beasts. Let them go; they were prepared to fight to the death. "Put them away; everything will be alright."

The villagers of Shicun exchanged glances, put down the bone artifacts in their hands, and placed their unconditional trust in Li Chenzhou.

Li Chenzhou took a step forward, and the Azure Scaled Eagle in the air spread its wings angrily, ready to pounce at any moment.

"Quiet."

The two words were uttered softly, yet they fell like the sound of the Dao.

The Azure-Scaled Eagle froze abruptly, its eagle eyes wide with fear. The gaze directed at it was calm, yet vast as the heavens, carrying divine might that made its very bloodline tremble.

It turned its neck and looked towards Shicun.

"You unruly brat, you did something wrong and disturbed your family's peace." Li Chenzhou's tone was calm, as if he were talking to someone in a casual conversation.

He then raised his voice and shouted, "Aren't you coming out yet!"

Suddenly, a little boy's joyful shout came from inside the cave: "It's Uncle Li!" Immediately afterward, a group of children rushed out and scrambled towards the village.

"Stop!" Li Chenzhou halted them, pointing to the sky. "What kind of logic is it to steal someone's child while their mother is away? Apologize."

"Huh?" The children looked at each other, somewhat bewildered.

"What? What if you become parents one day and your child is kidnapped? What will you do then?" Li Chenzhou's tone turned stern. "Apologize now."

The villagers of Shicun were also somewhat taken aback; this decision was truly unexpected.

"Auntie, I'm so sorry!" The little one, always the most obedient, immediately looked up and shouted into the air, "We shouldn't have stolen your child!"

The word "auntie" made everyone's lips twitch slightly.

The Azure-Scaled Eagle in the air was also taken aback, a trace of human-like bewilderment flashing in its sharp eyes.

Is this... reasonable?

Seeing this, the other children also started shouting along.

The Azure-Scaled Eagle stared at them for a moment, then looked at Li Chenzhou with awe, and slowly nodded, its hostility gradually dissipating.

"Should we handle it like this...?"

Beneath the ancient willow at the village entrance, the willow spirit whispered in his heart, causing the green leaves to ripple slightly. Such actions were truly extraordinary.

Just then, something unexpected happened.

Li Chenzhou pointed out with his finger, and specks of divine light fell, three rays of light brushing over the three azure-scaled eagle eggs that the children had placed on the ground.

"Buzz!"

On the eggshell, orderly patterns appeared, as fine as a spider web, bursting forth with radiant light and auspicious energy. In particular, the egg in the center had interwoven patterns, ancient runes blooming, and a burst of vitality, with the surrounding essence swirling around it.

The Azure-Scaled Eagle nearly leaped up, but then suddenly stopped.

She sensed that the three rays of light had given her three children a transformative experience.

The strange phenomena gradually subsided.

However, the precious light flowing on the three eggshells did not dissipate, especially the one covered with runes, whose aura was as deep as an abyss, and which exuded the pressure of an ancient ferocious bird.

"I will grant you a great destiny," Li Chenzhou said. "These three eagle embryos will be nourished and their foundations will be reshaped. The one in the middle originally had a primordial phenomenon in its bloodline. I will help it trace its bloodline back to its source... When it hatches, its achievements will surpass those of ordinary Azure Scaled Eagles. If it has enough good fortune in the future, it is not impossible for it to evolve into an ancient demonic bird."

Ancient Demonic Bird!

That is a sky overlord comparable to the Golden-Winged Roc, whose noble bloodline is unparalleled in the world.

In fact, those three beams of light were the blood essence left behind by Li Chenzhou when he killed the Great Peng Emperor, and they were useless to him.

The villagers of Shicun were speechless with shock, staring at the three gleaming eagle eggs on the ground, and then at Li Chenzhou.

"Uncle Li is amazing!"

The little boy's bright eyes were full of admiration. In his eyes, Uncle Li, although only one level higher than him, was almost omnipotent.

Once the little one breaks through to the next realm, he will be at the same level as Uncle Li, and at that time, he will be omnipotent.

Back then, he drank three cans, no, ten cans of animal milk a day.

No, he wants to drink the milk of all beasts.

"Even the most powerful person has to be punished," Li Chenzhou said, lightly patting the little one's bottom. "Hurry up and return the egg to its owner!"

"oh!"

The little guy answered crisply, squatted down, carefully picked up the three eagle eggs, and ran off towards the edge of the village.

With Uncle Li by his side, he was not afraid of anything and ran straight to the Green-scaled Eagle.

"Aunt Qinglin Eagle, I'm sorry," he looked up, his eyes clear, his voice soft yet earnest, "we shouldn't have stolen your baby."

He placed the three eggs on the ground gently. Through this experience, he seemed to understand some principles, though he didn't quite grasp them.

How sad it would be if the Azure-scaled Eagle lost its cubs; and how lonely these unhatched little lives would be if separated from their mothers.

He has no parents, and sometimes he envies his friends who all have their own parents. But the village chief is like a parent to him, and he treats him very well. Thinking about it this way, he is still very happy. He also has Uncle Li, who is very kind to him.

But if these tiny lives that haven't even hatched lose their mother, they have nothing.

He didn't want to see this scene.

"Auntie, take the babies home," he waved his little hand into the air, then added, "If we meet in the mountains again, don't peck me!"

After saying that, he turned around and ran back to Li Chenzhou's side with his short legs. He looked up and his big, dark eyes were full of sincere remorse.

"Uncle Li, I know I was wrong."

"I'm punishing you by forbidding you from drinking animal milk for three days," Li Chenzhou sneered, announcing this "torture."

Li Chenzhou crouched down, his gaze level with the little ones. The evening breeze brushed against the hem of his clothes. His voice was not loud, but it clearly reached the ears of each child.

"We strive to cultivate ourselves and gain power," he said slowly, looking into the little boy's bright eyes, "not so that we can act recklessly and do things like what happened today."

"Strength enables us to protect ourselves from being bullied, but it should never be used to bully the kind-hearted."

He paused, then continued, "Power can sometimes force those who are unwilling to listen to stop and listen to reason, but we ourselves must never abandon reason without a reason."

The little one listened attentively, and the mischievousness on his face gradually subsided.

He seemed to understand, but he could sense the weight in the words.

He blinked, nodded vigorously, and said in a serious, childish voice, "I understand, Uncle Li! I won't do anything reckless again."

"Hmm," Li Chenzhou reached out and ruffled his soft hair, his gaze sweeping over the other children listening. "I believe in the little one, and I believe in all of you."

Power and responsibility, bullying and protection—these concepts may still be vague to children, but today's controversy triggered by "egg theft" and Li Chenzhou's words have planted a seed in their hearts.

Just then, another unexpected event occurred.

The blue-scaled eagle, which had already left with its eggs, unexpectedly returned.

It circled and descended, its eagle eyes glancing at Li Chenzhou before landing on the little one. The fierce aura in its eyes dissipated, replaced by a spiritual light.

Then, to everyone's astonishment, it placed the three eagle eggs it was holding in its claws on the ground beside Little Dot's feet.

"ah!"

The little one gasped softly, staring wide-eyed at the three eagle eggs at his feet, then at the blue-scaled eagle in the sky, his little face full of confusion.

Li Chenzhou looked up and met those sharp, now-silenced eagle eyes: "You want to send your child to be fostered in Shi Village?"

The Azure-Scaled Eagle lowered its neck slightly and gently touched the ground, in a remarkably human-like manner.

"You should know," Li Chenzhou said calmly, "that if you decide to do this, you and these three bloodlines will be connected to the fate of Shicun, sharing both good and bad fortune."

Without the slightest hesitation, the Azure-Scaled Eagle nodded again.

Li Chenzhou turned to Shi Yunfeng beside him: "What is the clan leader's opinion?"

Shi Yunfeng stroked his beard and pondered, his gaze sweeping over the three eagle eggs before turning to the fierce bird of prey with its blue scales and feathers in the sky.

With this assistance, Stone Village's foundation in this wilderness will be more stable. The Azure Scaled Eagle is the undisputed ruler of the sky within a radius of hundreds of miles. As long as it does not provoke the beings deep in the mountains, it is enough to protect the peace of this region.

"Okay." He nodded slowly.

Li Chenzhou then spoke gently to the Azure Scaled Eagle: "If you miss your child in the future, you may come to visit often."

The Azure-Scaled Eagle let out a long cry, conveying a sense of relief and a solemn sense of entrustment.

It circled the village entrance three times, its wingtips brushing against the green ribbons hanging from the willow tree. For a fleeting moment, the clear light and blue scales reflected each other, as if an invisible pact was being made in the twilight. Finally, it flapped its wings and soared into the last rays of crimson and purple light on the horizon, leaving only a few blue feathers drifting leisurely down.

Dusk, like a tide, slowly engulfed the village. The little boy squatted down, gently placing his tiny hand on the eggshell with its flowing runes, feeling the warm pulse of life emanating from his palm. He looked up, and the sunset ignited two tiny flames in his clear eyes.

"Uncle Li," he asked softly, "from now on... I'll take care of them, okay?"

Li Chenzhou looked down at him, his eyes reflecting the village lights, and smiled as he said:

"Of course." He ruffled the little guy's hair. "However, if you don't take good care of him, your animal milk will be reduced."

The little one immediately puffed out his chest, his face full of seriousness: "I'll definitely take good care of him!"

As dusk deepened, the open space at the village entrance was bathed in the last rays of sunlight, tinged with a dark gold.

Li Chenzhou picked up the little one so that he could look him in the eye.

"Do you understand?" His voice was low but clear. "Today we reasoned with each other, and the village gained three more eggs containing the power of creation, and the Azure-Scaled Eagle did not lose her offspring. This is the path that 'reason' can pave."

The little one perched on his shoulder and nodded his head, seemingly understanding but not quite.

He frowned and thought for a while before looking up and asking, "Uncle Li... should we reason with all the ferocious beasts we encounter in the future?"

"Of course not," Li Chenzhou laughed. "If we encounter those ferocious beasts that see humans as blood slaves and take pleasure in killing, then there's nothing to say."

He paused, then said, word by word, "At that time, we could naturally feed on these ferocious beasts as well."

As soon as he finished speaking, the night wind seemed to pick up a bit more.

The little boy stared at the murderous aura in Li Chenzhou's eyes, his heart pounding, and he vaguely understood something.

The reason why Li Chenzhou treated the Azure Scaled Eagle in this way was not only because it possessed intelligence comparable to that of humans, but also because, although it was a local overlord, it had never used human settlements on the edge of the wilderness, such as Stone Village, as its hunting grounds.

Such a restrained ferocious bird is truly an anomaly in this primordial world where the strong prey on the weak.

It is precisely because of this "anomaly" that we have room for reasoning and even entrusting our children to others today.

If it were one of those brutal ancient beasts that ravaged humanity and took pleasure in the cries of suffering, it would be a scene of carnage right now.

As the sunset completely sank behind the western mountains, lights came on in every household in the village.

Li Chenzhou carried the little one towards the village, speaking as he went:

"I ask you to be a good person, but I also don't want to see you rely on your strength and become the kind of people you once hated the most. On the path of cultivation, strength is the bone, and character is the soul. The bone can support the sky, but if the soul is covered in dust, you will not go far in the end."

The little one pressed her face against his neck, her warm breath carrying a milky scent.

He may not fully understand the meaning of these words yet, but deep in his young heart, a mark of "power" and "reason" has already been imprinted.

Time flows like a stream, passing by quietly.

In their original course, these children were inherently kind, but Li Chenzhou's arrival enabled them to grasp power and reason at a speed far exceeding common sense.

Power is like a blade; it can protect the path, or it can harm oneself.

Although Li Chenzhou was certain that these children had good potential, he couldn't predict whether their sudden increase in strength would lead to a change in their character.

Therefore, he has not slackened in the past two years. In addition to teaching runes and bone script and tempering the physical body, he also pays more attention to teaching by example.

He takes himself as a role model, and his daily actions are full of "reason," gentle yet unshakable.

When hunting, one should act ethically, neither bullying the weak nor servile to the strong, treating villagers with humility, and discussing matters of the Way with the Willow God as an equal.

He hoped that while these seedlings absorbed the nourishing rain, they could also see his figure and, imperceptibly, have the word "reason" etched into their very bones.

The little guy wasn't worried at all. His nature was naturally pure and resilient, and he was destined to grow into a dazzling existence.

As for other children, teaching "naughty kids" to be reasonable and mindful is something that teachers and elders enjoy doing, so why not?

As time went by, the three blue-scaled eagle eggs at the village entrance grew increasingly vibrant, especially the one covered in runes, which occasionally pulsated slightly, as if a fledgling eagle was about to hatch.

But the mother eagle that left the nest did not truly leave.

Every few days, a clear, melodious cry would echo from the sky, soaring over the village. Its claws would often be clutching the bloody carcasses of ferocious beasts, including giant pythons with menacing scales, mountain boars with fangs, and once, even a ferocious leopard with extraordinary bloodline and a single horn on its forehead.

The enormous beast carcass crashed to the ground, shaking the earth and filling the air with the stench of blood, causing the village's hunting dogs to bark wildly.

The villagers of Shicun were initially taken aback and didn't understand why.

One child scratched his head and muttered, "Auntie Azure Eagle is too impatient! The babies haven't even hatched yet, and she's already stockpiling so much meat?"

Li Chenzhou understood what it meant.

This blue-scaled eagle, fulfilling its duty, has received the protection of its offspring from Stone Village and been granted the privilege of life, so it repays with this blood offering.

However, under Li Chenzhou's guidance, the Shicun hunting team's skills are now quite different from before, and they are more than capable of hunting for their daily needs deep in the mountains.

Shi Yunfeng did not readily use the remains of these ferocious beasts of extraordinary quality. Instead, he carefully processed them, extracting their true blood and precious flesh and storing them in an ancient cellar in the village as a reserve for children's medicinal baths or emergency treatment.

The remaining parts are mostly pickled and air-dried using secret methods to accumulate their essence.

For Li Chenzhou, these were merely leisurely interludes in the long course of life.

He still boils animal milk every day, teaches the principles of heaven and earth and the wonders of runes in the Eternal Life Gate, and teases the little one in his spare time, or communicates with the Willow God through divine thoughts.

- We are dedicated to providing the most comfortable reading experience.