Days pass, months come, and the years flow like tides, rushing forward day by day. Three hundred years have passed.

The Top Ten Sects officially issued orders to all sects to unite with Moyu Pavilion, the Four Symbols Alliance, and the Moon-Holding Tower to explore the north.

Ancestors from the three major forces also gathered from all directions, and numerous cultivators from the small countries in the east of the Qian Nation came as well.

When these small countries united, they formed a force even more terrifying than the Qian Nation, but they were too chaotic. Even if integrated, it would take thousands of years.

The Top Ten Sects were powerless and not skilled in managing so many mortal nations, so they left them be.

Moreover, the cultivation resources there were occupied by various forces, and the highest achievable level was only the Nascent Soul stage. No one wanted to do a unappreciated job.

The main forces of the major sects in the Qian Nation also began to gather towards the Wu Nation. The number of cultivators in Qian suddenly reduced by more than half, and even most vagabond cultivators followed, seeking opportunities.

The ancestors of the Top Ten Sects also mobilized their forces. Giant ships soared through the sky, banners fluttering, creating a vast spectacle.

Any ruler with foresight and ambition understood that being trapped in the current cultivation world would only mean waiting for death to come; cultivating for a thousand years would be in vain.

Conflicts among the major sects had also intensified over the years, resulting in mutual destruction, making it impossible to resist the orders of the ten great immortal sects.

Some cultivators were now beginning to realize that the laissez-faire attitude of the Top Ten Sects back then was not so simple.

Among the major sects, the ultimate winner turned out to be the Five Elements Sect. This sect not only didn't lose any people, but its influence also increased significantly, thriving on all sides.

Even among the seats of the thirteen great forces, the Five Elements Sect held a prominent position.

Various forces gathered at the northern border of the Wu Nation, and the thirteen great forces even introduced a merit point system.

As long as one contributed to the exploration, regardless of being a sect disciple, a demonic cultivator, or a vagabond cultivator, they could earn merit points based on their contributions, exchangeable for any cultivation item.

With this order, cultivators across the countries instantly boiled with excitement. The path to immortality lay ahead, compelling them to risk their lives for a chance at survival.

They set out in grandiose waves, and the countries became much more peaceful; no matter how chaotic the mortals became, they couldn't surpass the cultivators.

At this time, in the depths of an unknown mountain range in the Qian Nation, deep within an unknown dense forest...

"Who's there!!"

"Moo!!"

Two deafening roars echoed underground, with vast and violent spiritual energy rampaging as if ancient demons were awakening, heralding a great catastrophe in the cultivation world.

Two tremendous auras shook the underground continuously. If not for the stabilizing formations, the ground would have already collapsed.

In fact, it was just one man and one ox finally breaking through, reaching the peak of the Golden Core stage.

Their spiritual energy, physique, and spiritual sense had all ascended to the limit of the Golden Core stage, unable to advance further. Five golden cores, steady as mountains, emitted a faint glow within their bodies.

"Old Ox!" Chen Xun's black hair danced wildly, his eyes full of arrogance. "Below the Nascent Soul stage, I am invincible in the world. Above the Nascent Soul stage, we run first!"

"Moo moo!!"

The big black ox, covered in dense fur, nodded heavily, fully agreeing with its big brother's idea.

"Hahaha..." Chen Xun laughed maniacally, his body radiating a five-colored rainbow light, his whole being like a silver cast. His laughter shook the underground, "Tremble, youngsters."

"Moo~~~" The big black ox stood beside Chen Xun, raising its head high, its fur fluttering, eyes filled with arrogance.

"Old Ox, retract."

"Moo~"

Their sharpness gradually concealed, becoming ordinary again. A moment of indulgence was enough; they were never overwhelmed by their suddenly soaring power.

Chen Xun grinned, sitting on the ground, and looking at the big black ox, "Old Ox, sit."

"Moo~" The big black ox wagged its tail happily and sat opposite Chen Xun.

"It's really hard. It took hundreds of years to go from mid-Golden Core to peak." Chen Xun sighed, but the gains were significant. His spiritual energy far surpassed the mid-stage, "I feel I can now kill my mid-Golden Core self with a single spell."

"Moo~"

The big black ox nodded thoughtfully, then shook its head, "Moo moo?"

Over the years, they had not just been cultivating. They also refined pills, tended to spiritual herbs, and went out to play. The ox also had to learn formations.

"Spending over a thousand years to reach the peak of the Golden Core stage, there can be no one like this in the cultivation world." Chen Xun boasted, looking up, "Old Ox, our foundation is unshakable. Even the heavenly tribulation would kneel before us! Wait, I meant the tribulation, not you. Forgive me, forgive me." Chen Xun silently added.

"Moo~~!" The big black ox looked at Chen Xun with an admiring expression, eyes full of respect. Big brother was indeed terrifying.

Chen Xun's expression suddenly twitched. Speaking of the foundation, he thought of the five golden cores in his body, as steady as mountains.

"Old Ox, it's common knowledge in the cultivation world that forming a Nascent Soul requires breaking the golden core..."

"Moo~~!"

The big black ox's eyes also filled with horror. How were they supposed to break these five golden cores?

Chen Xun suddenly seemed choked by something and couldn't speak for a long time. He was puzzled as to why he felt nothing inside, even though he had reached the peak.

Back when he peaked the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment stages, there was at least some feeling inside, and he could gradually push through with time.

But now, there was nothing. It was so stable it felt like nothing at all.

"Damn..." Chen Xun shrank his head slightly and glanced at the big black ox. "Old Ox, we have a big problem."

"Moo~!" The ox also widened its eyes and let out a loud cry. They were doomed.

The deep foundation had its advantages, but when it came to breaking through major bottlenecks, the disadvantages also became apparent. If their lifespan was limited, it would truly be a dead end.

Being invincible at the same level was just a joke. Others would break through a major realm and directly crush you in all aspects. Their lifespan would be longer, their circles wider, their status higher, and their vision unmatched.

Chen Xun suddenly chuckled, and the big black ox mooed in confusion, looking at his inexplicable sneer.

"Hehe, it's nothing, Old Ox. I just thought of some things from the past." Chen Xun waved his hand, brushing away unrealistic thoughts. "Let's go, Old Ox. We'll go out and gather information, then proceed according to our plan. We'll rely on external means to break through. No rush, we'll take it step by step."

"Moo moo~"

The big black ox stood up with a roar and started running around, packing their belongings.

Chen Xun stretched his muscles. Immersed in their final stage of cultivation over the years, they hadn't had time to go out.

Now, all their life-bound treasures were perfected, each reaching 180,000 years, the limit of their current strength. Going any further would exceed their bodies' capacity.

Even though the vagabond cultivator's suit had no death energy, it still relied on the golden cores for suppression and nurturing.

However, it also became quite marvelous. Its full effects were not yet apparent, but it had already far surpassed the characteristics of the Thousand Thread Spirit Vine.

Chen Xun also fulfilled his promise to the big black ox. Together, they made three formation flags from a 99,000-year-old crane spirit tree, preventing it from transforming into death energy.

Chen Xun used his treasured alchemy furnace, continuously refining with alchemical fire, and it took forty-nine years to complete. He dedicated all his axe training time to this, even more diligently than when making pills, spending thousands of low-grade spirit stones and considerable spiritual energy.

But the result was remarkable. With the big black ox's formation materials, the spiritual energy conduction was leagues beyond ordinary formation flags.

The big black ox, being quite unorthodox, directly nurtured them in its Five Elements Golden Cores. Having more golden cores meant indulgence.

As it continually researched the Five Extremes Formation, it began to understand it intuitively, no longer using spiritual energy to form arrays.

Due to the Five Elements Golden Cores, they believed that the Five Elements Qi of heaven and earth was better than spiritual energy, and it was available everywhere.

The big black ox used the circulation of the Five Elements in its golden cores, letting the three flags absorb it as its life-bound treasures.

It could now roughly use the Five Elements Qi to communicate with heaven and earth for array formation, moving beyond the cultivation world's norm of using spiritual energy to leverage natural forces.

As the years passed and the golden cores nurtured them, the big black ox's three life-bound flags became increasingly compatible with the Five Elements Qi.

Even the formation's core was modified by the big black ox to be controlled by its life-bound treasures, directly overhauled...

Every time Chen Xun saw this, he would shake his head and laugh, "I refine pills and modify them, are you also modifying formations to follow my steps now?!"

From then on, this man and ox continually walked further on the path of overturning the cultivation world's understanding.

Whether in spells, other skills, or their physical conditions, they were truly 'extraordinary'.

"Moo~~"

The big black ox called out to Chen Xun. It had finished packing.

"Let's go, and start our Nascent Soul plan, haha." Chen Xun waved his hand, a touch of excitement appearing on his face, and the five-colored rainbow light surged.

The big black ox flashed a grin, its body also beginning to overflow with vast spiritual energy.

They started to ascend instantly. The big black ox waved its hoof, and the materials of the Five Extremes Formation were all collected into its storage ring.

_Rumble..._

_Rumble..._

The underground cave, where they had stayed for hundreds of years collapsed, and was buried by massive stones and soil, creating dull, thunderous noises.

A day later, sunlight streamed in, the breeze brushed their faces, and the scent of earth filled the air. Chen Xun and the big black ox took a deep breath as they savored the beauty of nature, lost in its charm. They glanced at each other, transformed into a ray of light, and completely disappeared from that place.