Cultivating Immortality, Starting from Childhood Sweethearts

Deep within a pine forest on the End Mountain, an old man sat upon a stone, facing a young monk dressed in a loosely draped, light cyan monk’s robe.

Standing beside the old man was a little girl with twin ponytails. Her delicate, doll-like features made her incredibly adorable, and her big, bright eyes blinked curiously at the young monk before her.

She couldn’t understand—why did this little monk, who looked even younger than her, get to play chess with Grandpa?

Not only that, but Grandpa genuinely enjoyed playing with him. Sometimes, he even lost to the young monk.

But this little monk sure was chubby—his round belly and plump cheeks made him look so cute. She really wanted to pinch his face!

“Elder, your actions in this matter are inappropriate.” Maitreya sighed as he placed a black stone on the board.

The End Mountain Elder picked up a white stone, placed it down, and stroked his beard with a smile.

“In this world, nothing is perfect. Gaining something always requires sacrifice. Right now, there are things we must give up.”

Maitreya shook his head.

The old man chuckled.

“Maitreya, you have lived for so long. Tell me, when has this world ever been free from suffering? Those who die now will ensure that fewer perish in the future.”

Maitreya looked at him.

“Perhaps… those people didn’t have to die at all.”

“Perhaps,” the old man agreed. “But that is just a possibility.”

He placed another stone on the board.

“What must be done must be done. You and I are but pieces on this celestial board. If we wish to play against the heavens, some pieces must be sacrificed.”

A fit of coughing interrupted his words, yet he still smiled as he looked at Maitreya.

“Maitreya, in ancient times, you killed countless people in the name of the greater good. Back then, I did not understand.

But now, I have sacrificed my own disciple, slain the East Sea Dragon King, and will soon take the lives of tens of thousands of sea creatures.

Surely, now, you understand?”

Maitreya sighed.

“It is precisely because I understand that I know this is wrong.”

He shook his head.

“After that incident, not a day has passed where I do not feel torment. Every single day, I ask myself—was what I did back then right or wrong?”

The old man chuckled.

“But Maitreya… how do we ever truly know what is right?”

Maitreya fell silent.

“People like us,” the End Mountain Elder said, rising to his feet, “have always sought the right path by stumbling through our mistakes.”

The little girl, seeing her grandfather stand up, hurried over to support him.

One old, one young—slowly, they descended the mountain.

The elder’s voice drifted through the forest as they walked away.

“Maitreya, neither of us has much time left.

And this world… it doesn’t have much time left either.”

—

“BOOM!”

A thunderous explosion rang out, its shockwave sweeping across the entire Four Seas, spanning thousands of miles.

Except for cultivators above the Fifth Realm, everyone else spewed blood. Some even lost consciousness on the spot.

Xu Ming felt as if his eardrums were about to burst. His vision blurred, his head spun—his entire world teetered on the edge of collapse.

At the same time, in the eastern, western, southern, and northern seas, every dragon in existence felt a deep tremor in their souls.

The protective formations of the four dragon palaces simultaneously activated, barely holding back the shockwave.

Towering waves, hundreds of meters high, crashed against islands, sweeping over everything in their path.

Smaller islands were completely submerged, wiped off the map.

In less than half a stick of incense’s time, countless islanders perished. An uncountable number of sea creatures fell.

Across both land and sea, the cries of the suffering echoed endlessly.

When Xu Ming’s consciousness finally returned, the first thing he saw was a graceful, slender figure standing in front of him.

It was the Dragon Empress.

She had shielded him, bearing the full brunt of the aftershock.

Xu Ming turned his gaze toward the Dragon King’s Soar.

It had completely shattered, breaking into countless fragments that drifted through the air.

The destruction of the celestial weapon caused a massive shockwave, leaving behind a fractured void at the spot where the Dragon King’s Soar once stood.

If it were just an ordinary celestial weapon breaking, it would have been unfortunate, but nothing more.

However, the implications of this particular weapon’s destruction were far more severe.

Xu Ming was unaware that in the depths of the four great seas—east, west, south, and north—there lay immense Abysses of Darkness.

Within those abysses, one by one, ancient beasts stirred, their crimson eyes snapping open.

“Clang! Clang! Clang!”

The sound of chains rattling and struggling echoed through the void, ringing clear in Xu Ming’s ears.

He looked around, but there was nothing in sight.

“Do not wander. Stay here and wait for my return.”

The Dragon Empress spoke, then transformed into a massive dragon, soaring toward the Northern Abyss.

In less than ten breaths, she had already arrived above it.

One by one, monstrous creatures began emerging from the abyss.

As soon as they laid eyes on any living being nearby—no matter what it was—they lunged forward to kill and devour.

Crimson blood spread rapidly through the ocean, dyeing the waters red.

“Well, well… what a delicate little beauty.”

A man’s voice drifted up from the abyss.

“Who is Long Song to you?”

“My great-grandfather,” the Dragon Empress replied.

“No wonder.” The man chuckled darkly. “You reek of him. Never thought that ugly old thing would have such a stunning descendant.”

The Dragon Empress said nothing, her gaze calm as she watched the abyss.

“What happened to the Dragon King’s Soar?” the man asked again.

Her voice remained steady. “It’s gone.”

“Gone?”

The man paused for a moment before bursting into laughter.

“Hahaha! You four seas… I told your great-grandfather long ago—this so-called ‘Four Seas’ is nothing more than four separate hearts, each beating to its own rhythm.

Sooner or later, the Dragon King’s Soar was bound to be destroyed by your own hands.

And now, I’ve been proven right! Hahahaha!”

He laughed for a long time, as if reveling in the irony of it all.

Then, as though he had finally laughed enough, he lifted his head and fixed his gaze on the Dragon Empress.

“Little girl, do you really think you can stop me?”

The Dragon Empress tilted her head slightly.

“Are you sure you aren’t overestimating yourself?”

“Then let’s find out!”

The man, bound in chains, strained against his restraints.

A surge of terrifying energy erupted from the abyss.

Every monstrous beast nearby instantly exploded into a mist of blood, which then coalesced, swirling and condensing.

Finally, the blood mist took shape—forming an immense, towering figure.

Standing before the Dragon Empress was the man’s Dharma Incarnation.

He flexed his fingers, a pleased expression on his face.

“Even if it’s just my Dharma Body, it feels good to be outside again.”