"I was once but the most ordinary of wild elephants... muddled and ignorant, unaware of the passing seasons. If my luck were good, perhaps I could have lived for fifty or sixty years before finally dying of old age in some nameless mountain gully. If my luck were bad and I encountered a slightly more powerful Yao Beast, I would have been nothing more than a morsel of bloody meat in someone's mouth."
At this point, the White Elephant paused, its gaze becoming somewhat distant.
"This was my fate... and it is the fate of most living beings in this world: lowly, mediocre, and as insignificant as dust."
The Man in White listened silently, not interrupting again.
The world rumored that the White Elephant Yao Emperor possessed terrifying natural talent, reaching the Realm of Ascending the Tower in a mere several tens of thousands of years... For the Human Race, perhaps it wasn't much, but for demons and monsters with Lifespans often spanning tens or hundreds of thousands of years, it was indeed the mark of a Prodigy.
But who would have thought... that this was his origin?
"Until that day..."
A flicker of light suddenly lit up in the White Elephant's eyes.
"In my haste to escape the pursuit of a Yao Beast, I lost my way and crashed into a dilapidated temple."
"Inside the temple was a young Daoist, who was there brewing tea."
"I was terrified at the time, thinking I had provoked one of those high and mighty Cultivators. I lay on the ground trembling, not even daring to breathe too loudly."
Speaking of this, a very soft smile actually curled the corners of the White Elephant's mouth.
It was a pure smile from the heart, like that of a Child.
"But that Daoist did not kill me."
"He just looked at me, smiled, and said: 'What a big, silly fellow. It would be a bit of a pity to kill you for your meat.'"
"Then, he poured a bowl of tea and placed it before me."
"He said: 'Drink. Once you've finished, leave.'"
The White Elephant closed its eyes, as if it could smell the fragrance of that bowl of tea again: "That was the most delicious thing I have ever drunk in my life."
"I finished the tea, but I didn't leave."
"I just loitered at the temple entrance like a stray dog, refusing to be driven away."
"The Daoist wasn't annoyed. Every day when he brewed tea, he would pour an extra bowl and place it at the door."
"As time passed, he began to speak to me."
"He said this world is vast, that these mountains and rivers are beautiful, and that there is something in this world called 'Dao'."
"I didn't understand."
"I was just a stupid elephant back then; how could I understand such grand principles?"
"I only knew that by following him, there was tea to drink, no beatings to endure, and no need to live in fear."
The White Elephant slowly opened its eyes and looked at the Man in White, its tone becoming somewhat low.
"Later, he began to teach me how to read and how to practice Breathing Techniques."
"He said that although my natural constitution was average, I had a simple and honest Heart-Nature, making me a good seedling for cultivating the Dao."
"I still didn't understand."
"But I knew he was good to me."
"Do you understand that feeling... Since my parents died, no one had ever been so good to me."
"And then..."
"I developed spiritual intelligence, refined my Vocal Bone, and could finally speak."
"The first thing I asked him wasn't about the Dao of longevity, nor about any Divine Ability or Spell."
"I asked him: 'Can you give me a name?'"
The White Elephant took a deep breath, its eyes reddening slightly.
"He thought for a moment, then smiled and patted my head."
"He said: 'The Great Elephant is formless, so you shall be called... Wuxing.'"
"That is my name."
"Simple, yet given by him."
The Man in White was somewhat moved, yet also puzzled: "Since Immortal Master Moyang showed you such great kindness, you should have joined my Dao Lineage and inherited his legacy. Why bother..."
"Legacy?"
The White Elephant suddenly looked up: "His legacy was for Profound Sun to betray his master, kill his ancestor, and seize his foundation?!"
The Man in White's expression changed, and he said sharply: "Silence! True Lord Xuan Yang was merely following the mandate of heaven..."
"To hell with the mandate of heaven!"
The White Elephant roared, glaring furiously: "I spent tens of thousands of years by his side back then!"
"During those tens of thousands of years, I had countless opportunities to beg him to take me as a disciple, to beg him to grant me a position as a true successor."
"In fact, as long as I spoke up, even becoming a Grotto-Heaven Immortal Master... how hard could it have been?"
"But I never spoke up."
"I didn't even have the thought of entering the Dao Lineage."
"Can you guess why?"
Intimidated by this Aura, the Man in White subconsciously took half a step back.
But hearing those words, doubt also flashed through his mind.
Indeed.
Why?
With Immortal Master Moyang's affection for this old elephant, as long as it wanted, even attaining a high seat would have been effortless.
Yet this old elephant always considered itself a mere servant...
Seeing the Man in White's embarrassment, the White Elephant curled its lips and sneered: "Because... I, the White Elephant Yao Emperor, do not worship your bullshit Dao Lineage! I worship..."
"Moyang alone!!!"
The last two words exploded like a clap of thunder.
They made the Man in White's eardrums ache and his mind tremble violently.
He looked at the imprisoned demon before him, and for a moment... it was as if he wasn't looking at a Yao Beast.
But a traveler far from home for many years, crying out to the heavens about his longing for his father.
The Man in White was silent for a long time.
Finally, he let out a long sigh and shook his head.
He must be losing his mind... It was just a demon; why was he thinking about filial devotion?
"In that case, I shall waste no more words."
"However..."
"The world changes after all... What can you change by clinging to those old sentiments, other than moving yourself?"
"In this world, a Painting Realm expert must eventually appear... True Lord Xuan Yang's momentum is already established. When he achieves the Painting Realm... the Star Palace True Map you are guarding will become nothing more than a scrap of waste paper."
With that said.
The Man in White stayed no longer, turning and walking toward the cave exit.
The sound of footsteps grew further and further away.
Until they completely disappeared into the end of the darkness.
The White Elephant remained in its posture, head bowed, motionless.
Like a statue.
After a long while.
In the darkness, an indistinct sigh could be heard.
"Clearly having reached such a Realm, fame and fortune are already fleeting clouds. So why... why does everyone still sharpen their heads to fight for that so-called Painting Realm?"
"Could it be that so-called carefree longevity is truly more important than anything else..."
The old elephant slowly closed its eyes.
In its mind, it couldn't help but recall the past.
It could no longer remember when it was...
It had once asked the Daoist: "Since you are already so powerful, why not take another step forward and fit this entire world into your sleeve?"
The Daoist just smiled: "You silly fellow."
"This world is vast, but if it's tucked into a sleeve, then the fleas and lice in that sleeve would all have to be sustained by your own flesh and blood."
Back then, it didn't understand.
It only thought the Daoist was joking.
If the Daoist took another step forward, he would be the Dominator of this world, the one holding the brush to paint. How could he be bullied by fleas and lice?"
Until many years later.
Watching that once high-spirited youth become neither human nor ghost in order to fight for that sliver of Opportunity.
It finally understood the meaning of those words.
"These fools..."
The old elephant looked up indifferently at the stone walls above, weighing who knows how many tens of thousands of catties: "How could they know the price one must pay for the Painting Realm..."