A Will Eternal

In the blink of an eye, Zheng Yuandong waved his hand, and a new robe appeared. However, the moment it settled down onto him, it was also shredded to pieces.

Shrieking, Bai Xiaochun flew into the air to flee. He was already soaked with cold sweat at the thought of the calamity he had wrought. If he had only destroyed the clothing of his Elder Brother sect leader, it might not have been such a huge deal. After all, he was his Junior Brother. But the prime elders had also been affected.

The blank looks in the eyes of those prime elders caused Bai Xiaochun’s scalp to tingle on the verge of exploding.

“Bai. Xiao. CHUN!!” Zheng Yuandong howled, throwing on another set of clothing. As his voice boomed like thunder, rage burned in the eyes of the prime elders, and their cultivation bases erupted like volcanoes.

All of them immediately flew toward Bai Xiaochun.

Screaming, Bai Xiaochun prepared to flee at top speed.

“It wasn’t on purpose….”

“Shut up!” raged the prime elders, their voices deafeningly loud.

“They’re trying to kill me! They’re trying to kill me!!” This time, Bai Xiaochun really was afraid. He immediately pulled out the Protomagnetic Wings and his Golden Crow Sword, then unleashed all the power of his Heaven-Dao Foundation Establishment cultivation base to flee.

All of the Foundation Establishment cultivators were furious. Their anger had been building for some time thanks to Bai Xiaochun’s torments, and to see the prime elders going after him left them laughing out loud.

Shangguan Tianyou seemed especially worked up. “Now the sect finally realizes what Bai Xiaochun is like! If this walking disaster stays in the sect, we’ll all be driven to destruction!”

Hou Yunfei was in the crowd, sighing and smiling bitterly.

Bai Xiaochun was scared out of his mind, and tears were welling up in his eyes. This time, he didn’t feel wronged; he knew that he had been responsible for a major disaster, and now had no choice but to flee for his life. In the blink of an eye, he was off in the distance, heading toward the north bank, with the prime elders hot on his tail. Almost as soon as he arrived, the north bank disciples heard his miserable shriek. Gloating smiles appeared on their faces as they flew up into the air to see what was happening.

However, as soon as they did, Bai Xiaochun whizzed by, and their clothing was shredded away.

Their first reaction was shock, but then the screams rose up.

Bai Xiaochun was on the verge of weeping. “Prime elders, I’m sorry. Please don’t kill me…! I’m a Prestige disciple, I have a Heaven-Dao Foundation Establishment cultivation base, I’m the legacy echelon-designate…!”

As for the prime elders, they were so mad they were a bit numb, and at the same time, astonished by Bai Xiaochun’s speed.

The north bank instantly devolved into chaos. Wherever Bai Xiaochun went, anyone within thirty meters of him had their clothes completely destroyed in shocking fashion.

Around this time, Bruiser was frollicking around when he looked up and suddenly got very anxious. He even threw his head back and howled, and from the sound of it, it was backed by power equivalent to the ninth or tenth level of Qi Condensation. Countless battle beasts on the north bank responded by also throwing their heads back and howling.

Their masters tried to stop them, but all of the affected battle beasts seemed to have been influenced by Bruiser. The entire group apparently wanted to fly up into the air and defend Bai Xiaochun from the prime elders.

Before Bruiser could actually rally the battle beasts, a violet rope shot out from thin air and wrapped around the screaming Bai Xiaochun. Instantly, he was bound up, caught by one of the prime elders.

Another of the prime elders carefully managed to take the pearl away, somehow keeping his clothes intact in the process. Then he kicked Bai Xiaochun hard on the rear end.

“I’ve shed my own blood for the sect!” Bai Xiaochun screamed. “I’ve performed meritorious service….”

“How dare you fight back, you little brat!” Although the prime elder’s expression was one of pure rage, Bai Xiaochun’s terrified appearance had him almost laughing.

Bai Xiaochun looked like he was about to cry. However, even as he shrieked miserably, he glanced down at the enraged Bruiser and gave him a look that indicated he shouldn’t interfere.

Bruiser seemed surprised, but he understood the look in Bai Xiaochun’s eyes, and lowered his head.

The prime elders noticed this, and were surprised. Then they recalled how even the patriarchs had taken a liking to this particular battle beast, and their eyes began to gleam with admiration at how it had attempted to protect its master.

“Now that’s how Spirit Stream Sect battle beasts are supposed to act!” The prime elders kicked Bai Xiaochun a few more times, then hauled him wailing back to Mount Daoseed.

Upon their departure, silence reigned on the north bank, followed by a resounding cheer. However, the cheering faded away quickly as people recalled Bai Xiaochun’s status in the sect. They knew that even though he would probably be punished, it wouldn’t be too severely. Then they wondered what would happen in the future. As Bai Xiaochun grew more and more important, it was impossible to imagine what terrifying events might occur.

“When is Bai Xiaochun gonna grow up…?”

“Ai. What a fiendish devil!!”

Soon, word spread that Bai Xiaochun’s punishment was to sweep the pathways on Mount Daoseed every day for three months. During that time, he could often be seen with a broom, keeping Mount Daoseed completely free from dust.

To him, it was pure torture….

“Hey, this is a mountain! It’s supposed to have dirt on it! How am I supposed to keep it clean!?” Scowling on the verge of tears, he endured through the three months, then returned to his immortal’s cave, where he sat next to his lake, staring up into the sky, looking completely miserable.

“I didn’t do it on purpose! I’m a Prestige disciple. I’m the legacy echelon-designate. I’m a Heaven-Dao Foundation Establishment expert! I’m the Junior Brother of the sect leader! I’ve performed meritorious service for the sect! I’ve shed my own blood….

“This is ridiculous! They even took my pearl away and won’t give it back….” Sighing, he patted his bag of holding and gritted his teeth.

“Ah, whatever. I can’t stay in the Spirit Stream Sect for the time being. I might as well go to the Blood Stream Sect and try to get that relic of eternal indestructibility. The Blood Stream Sect is the enemy of the Spirit Stream Sect anyway, so I can spend some time there concocting pills for my Human Controlling Grand Magic!” Having made his mind up, he went to talk to Zheng Yuandong the next morning.

When Zheng Yuandong saw Bai Xiaochun approaching, his expression was grim. However, after hearing what he had to say, that he wanted to leave the sect to get some experience, his eyes went wide with disbelief.

“Did you just say you want to leave the sect to get some experience?”

“Yeah! You were right all along, Elder Brother sect leader. Maybe I am a piece of immortal steel. Without tempering, I’ll never become an immortal sword. After some thought, I’ve decided to go out and get some experience!” Bai Xiaochun even smacked his chest proudly to emphasize his words. “Elder Brother, I know you don’t want me to leave, but don’t even try to persuade me to stay. I, Bai Xiaochun, have already decided–”

Before he could even finish speaking, Zheng Yuandong stepped forward and gripped him by the shoulders. “Excellent idea!” he said excitedly. “I’m very proud of you, Junior Brother. If you want to go out and get some experience, you have my blessing!! Are you leaving now?”

“Huh?” Bai Xiaochun responded, a bit taken aback. “Well I’m not really ready yet, I still need some–”

“What do you need, Xiaochun?” Zheng Yuandong interrupted, sounding very serious. “Just say the word! Spirit stones? Medicinal pills? Life-saving magical items? You’re a Heaven-Dao Foundation Establishment expert, and also the legacy echelon-designate. I can make a special exception to open the treasure storehouses and give you whatever you want!

“However, you have to remember that you can’t leave the Eastwood Continent. Of course, the Eastwood Continent is a very big place, so there are plenty of places you can go!” Having made his decision, he took Bai Xiaochun to the treasure storehouses to let him select some life-saving magical items.

He also gave him plenty of spirit stones and medicinal pills. At the same time, he enthusiastically announced the matter to the rest of the sect….

Later that afternoon, Bai Xiaochun stood outside the main gate, looking a bit dazed. It was only that morning that he had gone to talk to Zheng Yuandong about leaving to get experience. All of the preparations and formalities that needed to be handled had been quickly taken care of by Zheng Yuandong and the other elders.

Currently, he was standing there with the sect leader and the six peak lords, as well as a large group of elders and Inner Sect disciples. It was quite a big affair. It almost seemed as if everyone from both the south and north banks were there, anxiously awaiting the moment when Bai Xiaochun actually left.

Bai Xiaochun blinked a few times. For some reason, the situation seemed familiar. Without even thinking about it, he said, “Ladies and gentlemen, Junior Brothers and Sisters, Sect Nephews and Nieces, I shall miss all of you….”

The people in the crowd exchanged glances, and moments later, looks of sorrow appeared in their eyes. Clearly, they didn’t want to part with Bai Xiaochun.

Zheng Yuandong stepped forward, a kind look on his face as he said, “Xiaochun, you’re the most outstanding disciple in the Spirit Stream Sect. Your path lies ahead of you! Keep going forward. Step out into your future. Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten what I told you about the Heavenspan Sea? You haven’t forgotten about your path to living forever, have you?!

“We cultivators can’t be wishy-washy. Since you’ve decided to go out and get experience, you can’t change your mind. Xiaochun, your Elder Brother will always support you!” With that, he clasped Bai Xiaochun encouragingly on the shoulder.

Soon, more voices rang out.

“Yeah, that’s right. Junior Brother Bai, getting experience is a part of life! Just keep on going, and don’t look back!”

“Elder Brother Bai, the reason cultivators can rebuke the heavens is because our hearts are large enough to hold all the lands within them. As soon as you go out, you’ll be able to see the world for yourself. How could you not develop a heart big enough to contain all the lands? I’m certain that your heart will be able to hold the whole world!”

“I really am gonna live forever….” Bai Xiaochun thought, trembling. Eyes filling with determination, he looked around at everyone he knew and nodded. Then he turned and walked off into the distance.

As soon as he disappeared over the horizon, the sorrow in the eyes of the crowd was replaced by joy. Zheng Yuandong was so excited he was trembling.

“This time, he’s really gone. He’s not just moved from the south bank to the north bank, he’s actually left the sect. The heavens do have eyes! He’s actually left to get experience!!”

“Is the devil really gone? I almost can’t believe it! Is this real?!?!”

“Hahaha! I’ve been praying every day for this miracle, and now it’s happened. The north bank will finally have peace and quiet!!”

“The south bank will no longer live a life of fear!”

“A new age has begun!!” As their expressions of joy rose up, some people from the south bank produced gongs and drums, and began to bang them loudly.

Not willing to be outdone, the people from the north bank did the same. That day was a day of happiness and rejoicing for the entire Spirit Stream Sect….

Off in the distance, Bai Xiaochun coughed dryly at the sound of the banging gongs and drums. A wistful look appeared in his eyes as he stuck his chin in the air and swished his sleeve. Looking more melancholy than ever, he said, “You still miss me, huh? Don’t feel too bad, fellow Daoists, I’ll be back soon!” He took a deep breath, and the determination in his eyes grew stronger.

“Blood Stream Sect, I’m sorry to say that Bai Xiaochun is coming, and he’s infiltrating you as a spy!” With that, he sped off into the distance.

End of Book 1