Chen Xun spent five whole days recovering his spiritual energy. This operation had truly left him exhausted.

    Finally done, Chen Xun faintly smiled and opened his eyes before calling out, "old ox."

    "Moo~" In its happiness, the ck ox started excitedly pouncing around Chen Xun and finally on him, almost suffocating the man.

    "Hey, hey, are you trying to kill me?"

    With a cheeky grin on its face, the ck ox quickly backed away. "Moo~"

    "This ce is not safe, it''s closer to the center. There should be a lot of cultivators around here. Let''s head towards the outskirts!"

    "Moo!"

    With a n in mind, the two figures rushed out of the tree hole. They held their breath and circted their technique before retrieving the flying sword from the bag and shuttling between the towering ancient trees.

    ...

    They had been continuously flying for several days now. They were now far away from the chaos of thepetition.

    Less than a month was left before time for the closure of the realm would arrive.

    "Old ox, I''m entrusting this storage bag to you." Chen Xun stared at the storage bag in his hand."It contains all the elixirs for Foundation Establishment!" He then pushed his hands closer to the ck ox with difficulty.

    "Moo!" The ck swallowed a mouthful of dry saliva before solemnly epting it.

    "When we get back, we''ll use them to cultivate." Chen Xun stared at the ck ox for a moment before adding: "We have to be patient. We should wait at least another two years before we start."

    "Moo~" The big ck ox nodded, understanding that there was no need to be anxious.

    "This storage bag will be handed over to the sect." Chen Xun looked at the storage bag in his hand, which contained three main herbs and more than a dozen other auxiliary herbs. "I heard that the disciples from the Ten Immortal Sects only need to hand a little over seventy percent "

    "Moo?"

    Although the ck ox also knew this, it didn''t quite understand why the sect had to take everything. Without collecting the three main herbs, they wouldn''t even get a single Foundation Establishment Pill.

    "Old ox, we are just cannon fodder, hired hands. We are not as valuable as the disciples of those Ten Immortal Sects."

    Chen Xun said with a carefree smile, "But don''t hold it against the sect. After all, we chose this path ourselves. We can''t me anyone."

    "Moo~" The big ck ox nodded. Indeed, without the Five Elements Sect, they wouldn''t have had the opportunity toe here to begin with.

    "Let''s wait here. We should get teleported soon."

    Chen Xun smiled slightly, feeling fulfilled from this journey. "When the timees, we will naturally be forced outside by some kind of force, so we don''t need to go to any ce in particr."

    "Moo!" The big ck ox looked around, seemingly searching for any clues, but in the end, it was left impressed by the powerful formation. They would have to learn more about such things in the future.

    "Old ox, let''s make ns for the future. We''re busy."

    Chen Xun patted the ck ox. Even if they achieved immortality, what''s the point of beingzy or unambitious? Resigned to their fate? Just feeling disconnected from life''s suffering? None of that mattered. Immortals were busy, they had dreams and pursuits too.

    After experiencing many regretful partings, they were even more passionate and enthusiastic about life. Time was precious and should be cherished.

    "Moo~"

    The ck ox quickly buried its head in Chen Xun''s arms, its eyes filled with excitement. After the trip to the Southern Dipper Mountain, it suddenly wanted to learn so many things.

    Whether it was Chen Xun''s lucky outfit, mining and digging, or the impressive sword flying, it was all the result of umted experience and hard work over the years, now applied in practicalbat. They took each step carefully and lived a fulfilling life.

    Time passed as Chen Xun scribbled around everyday. The ck ox listened with enthusiasm. It never felt bored. Every second was as exciting as thest.

    One day, the Southern Dipper Mountain suddenly shook. The earth almost seemed to quiver.

    Strangely, at that moment, Chen Xun and the ck ox''s lucky outfits were shredded to pieces, and they were heavily injured, but they supported each other not to fall. They seemed on the verge of death.

    "Old ox, let''s go back home!"

    "Moo~"

    Chen Xun tightly hugged the ck ox, and beams of light suddenly filled the sky and descended on many spots on the map. One such beam fell and enveloped Chen Xun and the ck ox. They both had a slightly pained expression as a spatial force dragged them, and in the blink of an eye, they disappeared from their spot.

    This marked theplete end of their journey to Southern Dipper Mountain.

    ...

    At the various sect bases, disciples arrived one by one. Some were happy, some were furious, some looked lost, and others were heavily injured and disabled.

    As time passed, the cries of pain and suffering at the various sect bases continued to increase. The exuberance they had half a year ago was long gone, and most of them felt fortunate to have survived this catastrophe.

    This Southern Dipper Mountain journey had caused heavy losses to the Ten Great Sects, arguably the worst in years. It was said that a major incident had urred inside the Mountain.

    Wei Shan stood at the Five Elements Sect''s base, counting the number of survivors. Surprisingly, more than a hundred people had survived this time, exceeding his expectations.

    On the open ground, Chen Xun and the ck ox were covered in wounds, sitting together and still bleeding. Chen Xun''s gazended on a certain spot where Ji Kun hade out alive.

    Chen Xun let out a sigh of relief seeing him. However, Ji Kun had a dim look in his eyes, and after ncing at Chen Xun, he shifted his gaze to a distant ce, clearly preupied.

    "We shouldn''t stay here for long. Rest and heal on the Qingya Eagle."

    Wei Shan took out a few bottles of pills and distributed them to the injured disciples, even giving one to Chen Xun. As he received the pill, there was a deep affectionate emotion in his eyes that seemed to say he was ready to give his all to the sect, even to the extent of his own death. Wei Shan couldn''t help but cast a few more nces at Chen Xun.

    Wei Shan wasn''t going to ask his disciples to bring out their spirit medicines right now just to take them to other sect elders topare and chat, as that would be a disrespect to the deceased disciples.

    This thought was shared amongst the Golden Core cultivators of the Ten Great Sects as well, they didn''t care about the quantity of spirit medicines. They were more concerned about the casualties within their own sects.

    Inside the Five Elements Sect''s base, everyone stepped onto their flying treasures and before descending  on the Qingya Eagles and sitting silently.

    Everyone was quiet. The atmosphere was strange, to say the least. They didn’t seem to have snapped out of it and were still recovering from the experience. They kept a noticeable distance from each other, quite unlike the camaraderie and enthusiasm they had when they first arrived.

    The Qingya Eagles took flight, soaring into the sky and heading in the direction of the Five Elements Sect.

    When they first came, all five Qingya Eagles were filled with people who were excited and talked cheerfully. But now, it seemed that one Qingya Eagle was enough to carry them back.

    The familiar faces they had known were gone, lost to the monsters or disciples from other sects.

    Chen Xun furrowed his brows slightly, and even the joy in his heart waspletely dispelled. He didn''t want to dwell on it because no matter how he felt, it wouldn''t change this cruel reality.

    "Moo~" The big ck ox mooed softly and leaned against Chen Xun.

    Chen Xun hugged the ox''s head and whisperedforting words.

    "ce the spirit medicines in front of you, and I will record them."

    Wei Shan said calmly. Every twenty years, returning disciples would lose half of their number, but the other half might experience a rise in their cultivation.

    "Yes, Peak Master," the disciples replied, taking out their spirit medicines. It was only the spirit medicines that the sect needed. The rest of their belongings were theirs to keep.

    "If you managed to collect the three Foundation Establishment main spiritual herbs, in addition to your contributions, the sect will reward you with an extra Foundation Establishment Pill. I''m sure you all know the rules, and I can vouch for that."

    Wei Shan''s expression remained calm, and he showed no intention of investigating them. He looked at them with great trust.

    As soon as he finished speaking, several people took out three main spirit medicines, including Chen Xun, and this surprised everyone, including Ji Kun, who only produced one main spirit medicine. Without the intervention of the mysterious figure, he might have perished in Southern Dipper Mountain.