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

The little one held the white bone in his hands and examined it for a long time, turning it over and over.

He first looked at the front, then turned it over to look at the back, and then turned to the side, examining each side carefully.

The bone fragment was perfectly smooth and warm on all six sides, without a single crack or scratch. He tried tapping the surface with his finger, which produced a clear, ringing sound, like tapping on jade, but the bone fragment remained completely still, without the slightest reaction.

"Ugh, why can't I open it?" he muttered, his little face full of confusion.

In his limited understanding, shiny things are usually things that can be opened, either by having a lid, a mechanism, or by simply twisting it like a milk can.

But this bone fragment had nothing on it; it was just a square lump.

Undeterred, he placed the bone on the ground, grabbed the two sides with his two little hands, and used all his strength to pry it apart.

He now possesses the strength of 60,000 to 70,000 jin (approximately 30,000 to 35,000 kg), enough to flatten a small hill if placed outside.

But the bone remained completely still, without even the slightest sign of deformation, as if it were not bearing the strength of a four-year-old child, but rather the weight of the entire world.

"It's so hard!" the little one exclaimed, his eyes wide open.

He was truly shocked. Since he entered the Blood Transformation Realm, there had been nothing that could make him exert all his strength and remain completely unmoved.

He could easily shatter those rocks with a light tap; he could easily break those ironwood pieces with a casual snap. But this palm-sized piece of bone left him helpless.

"Barbaric." Li Chenzhou stood aside, watching the little one break bones, and uttered two words leisurely.

"Uncle Li, how do we open this thing?" The little boy held the white bone piece, turning it over and over to look at it several times, and couldn't help but ask.

"Of course I know," Li Chenzhou nodded.

"Where did you learn that from? Uncle Li, how do you know everything!" The little one looked up, his big eyes full of admiration and curiosity.

Li Chenzhou paused slightly.

He couldn't very well tell the child that he knew this from his future experiences, could he?

The little one in the future will open this mountain treasure with his own hands, and I have only seen that scene in advance.

He looked down at the little boy's expectant face and gently flicked his forehead.

"It is inherently complete."

Li Chenzhou finally answered the little one like this.

Four words, as calm as clouds, yet containing an unspeakable certainty.

He didn't offer any further explanation, but simply looked calmly at the little one, his gaze clear and profound.

The little boy tilted his head, pondering the meaning of those four words. He felt that Uncle Li always spoke like this: simple to the ear, but upon closer inspection, they were like ripples on a lake, spreading endlessly.

He stopped asking questions, lowered his head and continued to fiddle with the gleaming white bone, muttering, "Complete in itself...sounds pretty amazing..."

Li Chenzhou looked at him, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Some things don't need to be sought from outside; they are inherent in us.

Li Chenzhou raised his hand, and six magical techniques emerged from his palm in succession. Each technique condensed into a tiny rune, each with a different color and aura; some were as fiery as fire, some as cold as frost, some as fleeting as the wind, and some as heavy as a mountain.

The six runes swirled around his fingertips before flying to the six sides of the translucent white bone, precisely embedding themselves in the center of the intricate patterns.

This is how to open this bone piece.

It cannot be broken by brute force, nor can it be probed by divine sense. Instead, it requires the simultaneous activation of six different magical techniques, each corresponding to the original runes on the six sides.

The six precious techniques are indispensable, their order cannot be reversed, and their force cannot be deviated.

This is a restriction set up by the Supreme Hall to prevent the mountain treasure from falling into the hands of unscrupulous people.

Only those who truly understand the Six Paths of Reincarnation Heavenly Technique can use the Heavenly Technique as a guide and the six precious arts as a key to unlock this box of inheritance that has been sealed for countless years.

In an instant, the bone fragments underwent a strange transformation.

The shimmering white light suddenly surged, transforming into a shower of light that fell from the sky. Each drop of light was like a miniature star, slowly rotating in the air and radiating a soft yet dazzling glow.

Mist billowed from within the bone fragments, a hazy, grayish hue carrying an aura of primordial chaos, enveloping everything in a misty haze. The rain of light intertwined with the mist, illuminating the entire world with a dazzling, almost blinding light.

"Crack!"

A crisp sound rang out, as if some ancient mechanism had been triggered. One side of the bone fragment loosened slightly, then, like a lid, it automatically popped open and slowly lifted.

There was no dust, no rust, only a rich, almost tangible spiritual energy emanating from the crevice, carrying the mellowness and purity accumulated over the years.

The little one tiptoed and craned his neck to look inside.

Inside was a small space, no bigger than a fist, yet it seemed to contain a whole starry sky.

The rays of dawn shone from all directions, a tapestry of red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and violet, weaving together a magnificent tapestry. Countless stars twinkled, as if someone had plucked the Milky Way from the sky and sealed it within this tiny piece of bone.

The starlight flickered, as if breathing, or as if telling some ancient story.

The little one was completely absorbed in the film, his mouth slightly open and his eyes unblinking.

"So beautiful," he murmured, his voice so soft it was as if he were afraid of disturbing the starry sky.

The most core heritage of the Supreme Hall is sealed within this small space.

But at this moment, in the little one's eyes, it was just a very beautiful starry sky.

As for those heavenly feats that even immortal kings would be tempted by, he has not yet realized their value.

Li Chenzhou thought this was a good idea.

The little one looked down at the animal skin on his body.

The animal hide was still stained with dried blood, not his own, but from when he was dealing with the corpses of the Devouring Sparrow and the Qiongqi.

The blood had long since congealed, turning into dark red marks, but to his surprise, those marks were still glowing.

A faint light emanated from the depths of the blood, as if something was flowing within it. Within the light, fine runes could be vaguely seen slowly circulating, each rune seemingly alive, moving through the veins of the blood, radiating a suffocating sense of oppression.

Just a few drops of dried blood made him feel a tightness in his chest, as if something heavy was pressing on his heart.

"Is this the big treasure inside the mountain treasure?" The little one ignored the oppressive feeling, stood on tiptoe, and kept peeking into the opened bone block.

The small starry sky inside was so beautiful, with shimmering sunset and twinkling stars, as if it held countless secrets he had never seen before.

"Yes." Li Chenzhou nodded, his gaze falling on the piece of white bone.

"However, to be precise, this thing is not a mountain treasure. Mountain treasure is just what the lower realm calls it. Its true name is something that is preserved in the most core inheritance of the Supreme Hall."

He paused, then continued calmly, "In the Three Thousand Dao Provinces, there is a Dao lineage called the Supreme Hall, renowned for its unfathomable depths. Legend has it that its founder once single-handedly suppressed the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, leaving behind countless tales that inspire awe in later generations. Yet, the core of this ancient lineage was lost many years ago. Successive generations of the Supreme Hall's inheritors searched every corner of the Three Thousand Dao Provinces, digging three feet into the ground, but could not find its whereabouts."

A hint of emotion flashed in Li Chenzhou's eyes.

"Who could have imagined that the core inheritance of the Supreme Hall, which was coveted by countless sects in the Three Thousand Dao Provinces, would end up in the Eight Regions of the Lower Realm? Hidden deep in the Great Wilderness, it was fought over by several ferocious beasts at the Venerable Realm for more than two years, and finally, a four-year-old child held it in his hands and asked, 'Is this the great treasure?'"

The little boy listened to Uncle Li's words, seemingly understanding but not quite, but he noticed something.

This thing is incredibly powerful, so powerful that even people from the Three Thousand Provinces couldn't find it, and so powerful that it took Little Red and the others more than two years to fight it.

And now, this thing is right in front of him, within his reach.

He glanced at the small patch of starry sky, then at Li Chenzhou, a satisfied smile spreading across his face.

"Uncle Li, am I very powerful now?" he asked.

Li Chenzhou reached out and rubbed his head.

"You'll be even more amazing in the future," he said.

Liu Shen was not at all surprised that Li Chenzhou knew so much.

The willow tree, which had survived the lightning tribulation and been reborn from the ashes, simply swayed its branches gently, its emerald light flowing quietly in the breeze, as if all of this was within its expectations.

The little one's eyes were full of admiration, and his little face was filled with the expression of "Uncle Li is so amazing".

He tilted his head back, his big, dark eyes reflecting Li Chenzhou's figure, and thought to himself, "How does Uncle Li know everything?"

He knows everything about the Three Thousand Provinces, and even knows how to open this bone fragment. He's even more amazing than the old immortals in the stories that our patriarch told us.

However, he remembered what Uncle Li had said before: "Your Uncle Li, although I'm not very talented, is still quite capable in combat."

The little boy pondered to himself that perhaps it was because Uncle Li wasn't very talented that he knew so much in other areas.

When God closes a door, He opens a window; this is a principle his great-grandfather once taught him.

Uncle Li's talent may not be comparable to those unparalleled geniuses, but he knows so much; perhaps it's a kind of exchange.

The little boy felt he had figured things out, and his admiration for Li Chenzhou grew even stronger.

He held the gleaming white bone, bringing it close to his eyes to examine the tiny starry sky within, muttering, "Uncle Li is amazing, he knows everything. I want to be like Uncle Li when I grow up, knowing lots and lots of things."

The first piece of animal hide was laid out, covered with intricate runes and mysterious hand gestures.

The runes were densely packed, like a sky full of stars, each stroke containing unfathomable Daoist principles.

The gestures are even more mysterious, such as plucking flowers, making hand seals, pointing to the sky, or covering the earth with palms, as if recording some ancient and sacred ritual.

As magic was infused, the animal hide began to change.

The once static runes seemed to have been infused with life, beginning to slowly circulate and emit a hazy glow.

The light grew brighter and brighter, eventually coalescing into a blurry human figure above the animal hide.

The figure had no specific face, only an outline, but even that outline alone exuded a kind of oppressive aura that made people want to kneel down.

As the runes flowed, six black holes appeared around the figure. These six black holes were not ordinary darkness, but an extreme, profound void, as if connecting six completely different worlds.

Each black hole was slowly rotating, emitting a different aura.

Some are as fiery as fire, some as cold as frost, some are full of life, some are lifeless, some are bright and dazzling, and some are dark and deep.

Six distinct auras intertwined, creating an indescribable harmony.

Change has begun.

The cycle of rebirth in the six realms continues, with prosperity in the morning and decay in the evening.

Various strange phenomena appeared in the six black holes surrounding the figure.

In a black hole, plants can grow from sprouting to withering in an instant; in a black hole, stars can be born and destroyed in an instant; in a black hole, dynasties can rise and fall in an instant.

Life and death, glory and decay, prosperity and decline, all alternate and repeat endlessly within these six black holes.

Eternal universe, fleeting mayfly.

In one of the figure's hands, a vast starry sky was held, with the galaxy flowing endlessly, unchanging through the ages.

In his other hand, he held a mayfly, a creature that lives only a day, its lifespan from birth to death a mere blink of an eye. Eternity and the fleeting moment were perfectly unified in this figure.

The scenes depicted on the animal skin fully reveal the six realms of existence and elucidate the cycle of reincarnation. The mysteries of life and death, the laws of prosperity and decay, and the destiny of rise and fall are all condensed onto this small piece of animal skin.

Looking at it for too long can even give you the illusion that you have become a speck of dust in those six black holes, floating and sinking in endless cycles of reincarnation.

This is the supreme divine skill of the Supreme Hall, the Six Paths Reincarnation Heavenly Skill.

Just from the name, you can tell who this divine skill is related to.

In the ancient times of immortality, there was a being who shook the world and was known as the Six Paths Reincarnation Immortal King.

He attained enlightenment through the path of the Six Paths of Reincarnation and suppressed all ages with the power of the Six Paths of Reincarnation, making him one of the most dazzling stars of that era.

The supreme martial art of the Supreme Hall was inherited from that supreme being.

The Six Paths of Reincarnation Heavenly Art cultivates the power of reincarnation.

It's not the cycle of reincarnation after death, but the cycle of birth, death, rise and fall of all things in the universe. The withering and flourishing of plants is a cycle, the alternation of the sun and moon is a cycle, the rise and fall of dynasties is a cycle, and even the birth and death of the universe is a cycle.

Mastering this divine skill means mastering one of the most fundamental powers in the world.

The strange phenomena on the animal hide gradually subsided, the human figure slowly disappeared, and the six black holes also disappeared into the runes.

But that chilling pressure still lingered in the air, refusing to dissipate for a long time.

The little one stared at the animal hide, his face filled with shock.

Although he didn't quite understand what the Six Realms or reincarnation were, the sights he had just witnessed made his heartbeat slow down, as if something was pulling at his soul.

"Amazing," he murmured.

Li Chenzhou stood to the side, looking at the animal hide with a calm gaze. The Six Paths Reincarnation Heavenly Art, the supreme divine art of the Supreme Hall, was inherited from the unparalleled method of the Six Paths Reincarnation Immortal King.

"My head is spinning."

The little one suddenly started muttering, rubbing his temples with his little hands. His vision blurred, and the scene before him became indistinct, as if seen through a layer of mist.

His mind was a complete mess; the runes, the black holes, and the images of birth, death, and reincarnation swirled wildly in his head, making him lose all sense of direction.

Li Chenzhou reached out and gently patted his head.

A cool sensation flowed in from the top of his head, like a refreshing spring in summer, instantly spreading throughout the little one's body and mind.

Where the coolness passed, the dizziness receded like the tide, the blurred vision became clear again, and the muddled mind gradually returned to clarity.

The little one let out a long breath, feeling much more relaxed.

"This is an unparalleled divine skill." Li Chenzhou withdrew his hand. "It will become one of your foundational skills. In the future, in addition to cultivating the Three Thousand Great Daos that I have taught you, you should also include this divine skill in your compulsory courses."

The little one blinked his eyes, listening intently with a serious expression on his face.

"Of course, it's too early for you right now," Li Chenzhou added, a slight smile playing on his lips. "What you need to do now is solidify your foundation in the Blood Transformation Realm, increase your strength, and hone your body. You'll be able to learn these things naturally when you grow up and your cultivation is sufficient."

The little one nodded and didn't ask any further questions.

He knew that Uncle Li was right. He couldn't even break that bone fragment or understand those runes. Forcing himself to learn some kind of unparalleled martial arts would only make him more confused.

"Then I'll drink a can of animal milk to calm my nerves." The little guy took out a small can from his pocket, gulped down a few mouthfuls, and burped contentedly.

Liu Shen, meanwhile, was lost in thought, sensing this heavenly technique.

She stood before the gleaming white bone, her gaze fixed on the spread-out animal hide, yet it seemed to penetrate the hide and reach into a far more distant place.

The Six Paths Reincarnation Heavenly Art, a peerless divine art inherited from the Six Paths Reincarnation Immortal King, contains Daoist principles that subtly echo the path she has walked, yet are fundamentally different.

She didn't speak, she just stood there quietly, letting time slip through her fingers.

As for the other animal hides, apart from the oldest one, each of the rest recorded a magical technique.

Those precious techniques were engraved on different animal hides, exuding an ancient and profound aura.

Some animal hides are carved with a ferocious bird with outstretched wings, so lifelike that it seems about to soar into the sky at any moment; some depict a roaring behemoth, majestic and awe-inspiring; some feature a towering ancient tree with lush foliage, seemingly brimming with boundless vitality; and some depict a burning lotus flower, its flames flickering and intensely hot. Each animal hide represents a supreme and unparalleled magical technique that has shaken the ages.

Any one of these precious techniques would be enough to drive cultivators in the lower realms mad.

If placed in the Three Thousand Provinces, it would surely provoke a fierce struggle among powerful forces, unleashing a bloody storm.

Although the Supreme Hall uses the Six Paths Reincarnation Heavenly Art as its supreme divine art, how could a precious technique that can coexist with the Heavenly Art be an ordinary thing?

Each of these gates represents a supreme method that the sages of the Supreme Hall comprehended from the heavens and earth, a powerful inheritance refined through countless trials.

With the Six Paths of Reincarnation Heavenly Technique, it's clear that there must be some other powerful techniques involved.

The fundamental principles are the overarching framework, the foundation for mastering everything; the essential techniques are the means, the sharpest weapons for defeating the enemy. The two complement each other and are indispensable.

The Supreme Hall's power to awe the three thousand provinces relies not only on its unparalleled Heavenly Skill, but also on the supreme treasure techniques that accompany it.

Li Chenzhou withdrew his gaze, turned to the little boy, and instructed him to collect the animal hides that recorded the precious techniques and hand them over to Shi Yunfeng later.

These precious techniques will become the foundation of Stone Village.

Li Chenzhou and Liu Shen jointly studied the animal hide that recorded the Six Paths Reincarnation Heavenly Technique.

This unparalleled skill is too profound. Even with their level of expertise, it would take a great deal of time for one person to fully master it.

The two of them could verify each other's understanding by studying together, thus avoiding detours. Although the Willow God did not speak, its branches swayed gently, clearly indicating that it had no objection.

Little Dot, clutching the animal hides, watched Li Chenzhou and Liu Shen standing side by side in front of the translucent white bone, and a strange feeling welled up inside him.

He felt that at this moment, Uncle Li and Goddess Liu were like two towering mountains, making him look up to them and feel at ease.

Ishimura is getting better and better. He will get better and better too.

Li Chenzhou looked at Liu Shen: "How about we go somewhere else?"

The willow branches swayed gently: "That's exactly what I was thinking."

As soon as he finished speaking, a verdant branch swept up Li Chenzhou, Xiaobudian, and the heirloom of the Supreme Hall, tearing through the void. Amidst the surging chaos and mist, the three of them had already reached the heavens.

"Wow, it's so high!" The little one exclaimed, waving his arms and legs wildly, his face flushed red with excitement.

He took flight.

Willow God found a stable void node and placed the group on a floating boulder. The surrounding stars were desolate, the darkness boundless, with only occasional streaks of light flashing across the sky.

Li Chenzhou looked around for a moment and nodded slightly. This place was quiet and suitable for contemplation.

Without saying much, the Willow God gently unfurled his branches and took out the oldest piece of animal hide.

With a thought, ancient runes appeared on the animal hide, layer upon layer, and as the light flowed, a vast and ancient aura spread out.

"Sizzle—"

A silvery-white sword aura suddenly burst forth from the ancient animal hide, sharp and unparalleled, as if it had slashed across time and space from the primordial era.

The sword energy traversed thousands of miles, dimming the stars and shattering the void wherever it passed, obliterating everything around it into nothingness.

The meteorites, dust, and even the chaotic mist floating outside the domain were cleaved open by this sword, leaving a black crack that could not be healed for a long time.

Under such terrifying sword energy, the animal hide that had borne witness to countless years instantly turned to ashes, leaving not even a fragment.

However, after the animal hide disappeared, a silver metal page appeared in the void, floating silently and emitting a cold and sharp light.

It was a thin, silver-white metal page, covered with densely packed Dao patterns and symbols of laws.

Those patterns are like the first traces left when heaven and earth were first created, and each stroke contains an unfathomable sword intent.

Those symbols are like the burning trails of falling stars, each stroke shimmering with immortal brilliance.

Unparalleled sword energy swirled around the pages of the book, sometimes coiling like a dragon, sometimes spreading its wings like a phoenix, sometimes cascading like a waterfall, sometimes sprinkling like a drizzle. It sliced ​​through space, sliced ​​through the void, sliced ​​through everything that stood in its way.

Even a wisp of sword energy is enough to terrify a Venerable Realm expert.

This is the true form of the last animal hide.

The previous animal hides were merely a seal, a disguise; the true carrier of the inheritance is this silver metal page.

It contains a peerless treasure technique, a peerless sword art that would make even a Celestial King take notice.

The Grass Character Sword Technique.

The first ancient sword technique, said to be able to cleave stars and sever time and space with a single strike. Those who cultivate this sword technique need not use a sword; every blade of grass, every tree, every flower, and every leaf can become a sword.

Grass, trees, bamboo, and rocks can all be used to kill enemies from a thousand miles away.

This is also why Li Chenzhou and his group wanted to stay away from Shicun.

Once such sword energy is unleashed, it cannot be stopped.

If this piece of animal hide had been opened in Stone Village just now, the silver-white sword energy that stretched for thousands of miles would have annihilated the entire Stone Village along with the surrounding mountains for thousands of miles.

Neither Liu Shen nor Li Chenzhou are at their peak. Those villagers, those children, those houses, those spirit fields will all turn to ashes in the aftershocks of the sword energy.

Therefore, when Li Chenzhou suggested changing locations, Liu Shen immediately agreed.

Arriving in the outer heavens, in this desolate void, even if sword energy traverses thousands of miles, it will not harm the innocent.

At this moment, the silver metal page floated silently in the void, surrounded by endless sword energy.

Every sword aura tells an ancient story, and every wisp of sword intent conveys an immortal legacy.

The little one hid behind Li Chenzhou, peeking out half his head and staring at the page with his big, dark eyes.

He felt the extremely sharp sword intent, and goosebumps rose all over his body, but his eyes shone with an astonishing brightness.

"That's amazing," he whispered.

Li Chenzhou looked at the page with a calm gaze.

The Grass Character Sword Technique.

It has finally appeared in the world.

"Killing is the number one priority!"

Li Chenzhou gazed at the silvery-white sword aura that stretched for thousands of miles and let out a heartfelt sigh.

A sword is a sharp weapon. There are countless sharp objects in the world, including divine weapons, fierce fangs, and precious bones, each with its own advantages.

But if we're talking about the sharpest edge, then it has to be the way of the sword. And the ultimate sword technique is this very grass-character sword manual right before our eyes.

With a single sword strike, all laws are shattered.

No matter how powerful or skilled you are, you are as fragile as paper before this sword.

He glanced sideways, already having made up his mind.

This sword technique perfectly complements the Great Slaughter Technique among his Three Thousand Great Daos. The Great Slaughter Technique emphasizes using killing to stop killing, and using killing to prove one's Dao; the stronger the killing intent, the greater the power.

The little one stared with wide, round eyes.

Those dark, bright pupils reflected the vast expanse of silver-white sword energy, the shattered stars and void, and the black crack that had been unable to heal for a long time.

His small mouth was slightly open, but he couldn't utter a single word.

The sword energy was so bright that he didn't dare to blink.

That sword energy was too fast; it was so fast that he couldn't even keep up with it.

It swept past him, obliterating everything, and then vanished without a trace, as if it had never existed.

Once the sword energy dissipated, Li Chenzhou led him closer to the silver page.

The little one perched on Li Chenzhou's shoulder, craning his neck to look inside.

Runes flowed across the pages, and dense, intricate patterns of the Great Dao intertwined and entwined, vaguely transforming into the shape of a blade of grass.

It was a plant he had never seen before, entirely silvery-white, with nine leaves.

Each leaf was like a divine sword drawn from its sheath; its sharp aura, even through the pages, made his skin tighten.

As the nine leaves swayed, he seemed to see the sky collapse and the earth crumble, and he saw the years break apart.

The grass merely swayed its leaves slightly, and the sky collapsed, the earth cracked open, and even the river of time was severed in two.

Those images weren't real; they were just remnants of Daoist principles from the pages of the book. But to the little one, they were even more awe-inspiring than reality.

His heart skipped a beat.

During the ancient times, the names of the Ten Fiends awed the ages.

Those ten beings were all among the most powerful beings in the world, possessing earth-shattering power.

Among these ten fierce beasts, the Nine-Leaf Sword Grass is undoubtedly the most mysterious.

Unlike the other ten fierce beasts, it does not possess a massive body, nor is it known for its ferocity.

It was just a blade of grass, a blade of grass with nine leaves. Yet, this very blade of grass struck fear into the hearts of countless powerful figures in the Immortal Ancient Era.

This is the Nine-Leaf Sword Grass Technique, the Grass Character Sword Manual.

It is the ultimate form of conquest.

The three sword techniques each have their own merits, while the Grass Character Sword Technique is a pure physical attack to the extreme.

No fancy techniques or complicated moves are needed; with a single strike, everything in front of you will be cleaved in two.

Its offensive power even surpasses that of the other two major sword techniques.

This is not to say that the other two sword techniques are inferior to it, but rather that they have different focuses.

The Grass Character Sword Technique emphasizes sharpness, edge, and the resolute determination to cut through everything.

It does not pursue profound artistic conception, nor does it pursue the annihilation of the soul; it only pursues the purest destructive power.

Therefore, in terms of pure offensive combat, the Grass Sword Technique can be considered the foremost of the three great sword techniques.

With a single sword strike, everything crumbles.

No matter how powerful your abilities or how unparalleled your skills, before this sword, you are as fragile as paper. This is the Nine-Leaf Sword Grass, this is the Grass-Character Sword Technique. The most mysterious of the Ten Fiends of the Immortal Ancient Era, the number one offensive method among the three great sword techniques.

"Nine-Leaf Sword Grass..." Willow God murmured softly, her voice carrying a sigh that had transcended countless years.

She knew that plant.

In the ancient times, before the collapse of heaven and earth and during the era when all races coexisted, that herb already existed.

It does not compete with a hundred flowers for beauty, nor with ten thousand trees for height; it simply takes root quietly on a cliff that no one cares about.

But when foreign enemies invaded, and when the flames of war from the Immortal Ancient Empire spread across the heavens and the earth, that plant stirred.

It rises abruptly from the cliff, its nine leaves unfurling, its sword-like aura soaring into the sky.

It single-handedly fought against four foreign kings.

In that battle, the sword energy pierced through the entire universe, tearing apart the heavens and earth. The sky was shattered, the earth was cracked, and even the river of time stood still.

Of the four foreign kings, two were dead and two were injured, and they fled in disarray.

The plant, covered in blood and with nine broken leaves, still stood tall on the cliff, its sword intent undiminished.

But it eventually came to an end.

The reinforcements from the foreign lands kept arriving, and it slew one after another, killing wave after wave, but there were too many enemies, so many that its sword energy was exhausted, so many that all nine of its leaves shattered.

In the end, it transformed into a wisp of sword light and dissipated in the flames of the Immortal Ancient City.

Unfortunately, it eventually came to an end.

Not only did the Nine-Leaf Sword Grass come to an end, but the entire Immortal Ancient Era also came to an end.

Those once glorious civilizations, those once proud beings, those traditions that were thought to be passed down forever, all turned to ashes in that catastrophe.

They were defeated in the battle of Xian Gu.

It wasn't that I was unwilling to accept the defeat, but that I was utterly and completely defeated.

The allied forces from foreign lands surged in like a tidal wave, overwhelming and endless.

On their side, there are too few people capable of fighting.

One, two, three... Each one was an unparalleled immortal king, each one once looked down upon the heavens, but in that catastrophe, they fell one after another.

Some were besieged to death, their bodies shattered and their souls dissipated.

Some people, in order to cover the retreat, self-destructed their primordial spirit, perishing together with the enemy.

Some were cursed by a foreign king with forbidden magic, turning into stone statues, forever frozen on the battlefield.

Those comrades who once fought side by side, those old friends who once shared drinks and laughter, one after another shed their blood, their souls lost to the heavens and the earth.

Liu Shen watched them fall with her own eyes.

She wanted to save him, but she couldn't.

She tried to stop them, but she couldn't. The number of enemies was too great, so great that even the Celestial Kings were exhausted from killing them, so great that the heavens and earth were stained blood-red. She killed one, then two more appeared; she killed two, then four more appeared. She could never kill them all, she could never finish them off.

Then, she went berserk.

She stopped defending herself, stopped worrying, and stopped caring whether there was a way out behind her.

She stormed into the foreign land alone, rampaging through it all, dominating everything in her path. Wherever her willow branches passed, the foreign armies fell like grass, and those once-arrogant kings trembled before her.

She fought her way from the desolate borderlands to the heartland, and from the heartland to the royal court, leaving rivers of blood and mountains of corpses in her wake.

In that battle, the foreign lands paid a heavy price.

However, the Willow God was also severely injured, his body covered in wounds, most of his willow branches were broken, his tree trunk was scorched and withered, and his divine fire was about to fall.

She dragged her battered body back from the foreign land, returning to the devastated Nine Heavens and Ten Earths.

But she didn't receive any reinforcements, comfort, or even a word of greeting.

What they found was the mastermind behind it all.

Taking advantage of her severe injuries, someone secretly attacked, attempting to seize her foundation and take her life. The Willow Goddess used her last strength to repel the hidden enemy, but her injuries worsened, to the point that even maintaining her divine fire became a luxury.

She chose Nirvana, perishing in the tribulation of lightning, and then being reborn from that perishing.

In the end, she was banished to the mortal realm.

It landed deep in that desolate wilderness, next to a dilapidated village, took root, slept, and awaited a revival that might never come.

Liu Shen gazed at the silver page and the faintly visible Nine-Leaf Sword Grass, her eyes filled with an indescribable complexity.

The Nine-Leaf Sword Grass has come to an end, the Immortal Ancient Era has ended, and she is no longer the invincible Willow Goddess she once was.

But some things never truly end.

Those who died in battle, the blood shed, the betrayed trust, the unfulfilled regrets—they all remain. Engraved in her heart, etched deep within her soul, they will never fade.

The little boy stood beside her, looking up at Liu Shen's silent expression. He didn't know what Liu Shen was thinking, but he could sense that she was very sad.

He reached out and gently grasped the willow branch.

"Willow Goddess," he called softly.

The willow tree looked down at him, its branches gently brushing against the top of his head.