The Stars Beyond

Chapter 415: The End Of The Clash Between Civilizations

Fang Yuzhu appeared at the entrance, dressed unusually in sportswear. Her long hair was tied back with a black band, giving her a refreshing and neat appearance as she approached with a smile.

"Yuzhu!" Wang Xuan greeted her immediately, feeling entirely reassured. She was the first to enter the ancient spaceship whom they had lost contact with afterward.

"Didn't you see me?" Zhang Daoling seemed a bit disgruntled, having appeared first only to be ignored by Wang Xuan.

"Ancestor... Zhang..." Wang Xuan greeted with a smile, swallowing the word 'brother' at the crucial moment, and added, "I knew that with your divine powers, supporting Sister Fang would have been no problem!"

There was no helping it; Ancestor Zhang was particularly fond of nitpicking and not keen on appearing youthful.

"Ancestor Ming Xue, surely, no one here would dare to impersonate you!" Wang Xuan also greeted the other formidable figure, instantly feeling the atmosphere lighten.

With their own powerful allies arriving, there was not much left to worry about. Each of them was a formidable force.

Though Zhang Daoling rose to prominence slightly later compared to the other two, he dared to challenge established figures, even threatening to slay beasts and exorcise devils in front of ancient powers like the Demon Ancestor and the Beast Ancestor.

Ming Xue was known for his undying nature, even escaping Fang Yuzhu's attempt on his life years ago unscathed. Fang Yuzhu's reputation spoke for itself. With the ability to take on several adversaries at once, she slaughtered four great emperors in a single day in ancient times, shaking both the immortal realm and beyond.

Her usual demeanor was graceful and refined. Today, she teased, "Yanyan, you always love to fight," with a smile that resembled a gentle elder sister chiding her mischievous younger sibling.

Naturally, Yan Yan wasn't pleased, murmuring something along the lines of, "This woman!"

Fang Yuzhu cheerily said, "If you're going to fight, then make it quick. We're all here to help you." She added, "Be careful not to damage my ancient spaceship. I plan to use this platform to study civilizations beyond our domain."

Wang Xuan was surprised. This ship was Fang Yuzhu's now?

The seven guests, including the blue-haired woman, now looked somewhat uneasy, finding themselves unexpectedly surrounded. They were undoubtedly wondering where these three powerful figures had suddenly come from.

Wang Xuan, also puzzled, turned to Zhang Daoling and Ming Xue for an explanation. They hadn't activated any kind of platform earlier.

Zhang Daoling explained, "We entered the ship's walls, becoming part of the murals, to eliminate remnants of calamities and monsters. We had to stop the ancient spaceship from being haunted and troubled by oddities."

Wang Xuan was taken aback. Indeed, upon his arrival, he nearly got sucked into the ship's walls and became a two-dimensional entity himself.

Ming Xue said in surprise, "Fang Xianzi left clues behind. The Demoness should have been able to pick up on them."

"Why don't we split up to take them on? I prefer a direct approach!" Yan Yan responded coolly, feigning ignorance.

Zhang Daoling and Ming Xue, accustomed to her ways, said nothing more. Wang Xuan realized the complexity of the relationship between Yan Yan and Fang Yuzhu—who, despite being sisters, seemed to be in constant competition.

"The four supreme beings of mythological civilization?" The seven guests' expressions darkened as they felt the immense pressure exerted by Lady Yan Yan, Ming Xue, and the others.

"No more words, let's take them down!" Zhang Daoling, who saw battling and refining demons and monsters as part of his cultivation, rarely encountered so many powerful opponents at once.

"I haven't devoured super-blood in a long time; the lot of you will do for now," the Hades Blood Ancestor declared, his killing intent palpable. Despite his usual jovial demeanor, he was a formidable and merciless figure when it came to combat.

"Dark Ancestor, could you help me out and block that bird?" Wang Xuan pointed at the mechanical bird, which had already fled to hide behind the seven guests.

"Shameful, you're holding a grudge!" the mechanical bird protested.

Wang Xuan was frustrated and wished he could silence it. After provoking and slandering him for so long, the bird now accused him of wrongdoing.

"No rush, the ship is Sister Fang's now. We'll deal with you later!"

Beams of light attempted to phase through the ancient spaceship's walls and escape, but the seven guests' retreat was thwarted. Divine hands, terrifying mirror light, a boiling sea of blood, and a red figure unleashing billions of thunderbolts blocked the guests' path as the beams shattered.

"The rest of you are fleeing, what about me?" The mechanical bird's voice, though still stiff, carried a note of despair.

"All sample super-creatures, attack together! Hunt them down!" A male VIP commanded, gathering up the resources present. Unfortunately, there were only four super-creatures left capable of battling Yan Yan who had already destroyed two.

The remaining four super-creatures, including two ancient celebrities with formidable strength, gathered with the seven VIPs. Indeed, they posed a terrifying threat together, capable of tearing apart this blessed land.

"I quite enjoy group battles!" the Hades Blood Ancestor said coldly, then split into three true forms. Each one charged right into the fray.

"Quality over quantity! With just these VIPs and sample creatures, it won't do!" Zhang Daoling spoke up. His treasure mirror shone brightly as he launched an attack on one of the VIPs, initiating the slaughter.

Yan Yan, with a cold smile, wielded her oil-paper umbrella and cast bolts of lightning, targeting the blue-haired woman and her strong companions.

At the entrance, Fang Yuzhu was already engaging the four super-creatures in combat!

A fierce battle had thus erupted!

Wang Xuan found himself somewhat of an outcast; he had no direct opponent. The sample creatures, like the Hero King, remained inactive without any commands given to them.

Of course, should it come to a fight, Wang Xuan was unafraid. If they dared to gang up on him, he would unleash the most powerful weapons in his arsenal and not hold back.

Interestingly, Wang Xuan even started chatting with the Hero King. Celebrities infused with emotions and their memories were different from the rest and nearly resembled living beings.

"Aren't you going to attack me?" Wang Xuan asked.

"There's no point. I've grown weary of slaughter. Unless forced, I'd rather remain in eternal slumber, never to wake again," the Hero King said. Standing a head taller than most, his body was exceptionally robust with arms as thick as others' thighs. Surrounded by golden flames, his grey hair fluttered, adding a touch of time-worn wisdom.

"Do you, having died and become a sample, still carry the emotions and memories of the life you lived?" Wang Xuan inquired, curious about the samples' semi-resurrected state.

"We live on in the memories of others. Some emotions and moods that others saw in me have been infused into this sample. Perhaps this version of me shines brighter, more splendid, more powerful... but it's not truly me," the Hero King spoke calmly.

"Moreover, part of it is the memories lingering in my flesh and blood," he added.

Wang Xuan, intrigued, said, "So, even in death, there are memories. Doesn't that mean true resurrection is possible?"

He was the most at ease on the scene, watching the epic battle unfold while chatting with the Hero King.

"This is due to the difference in our understanding of life. In my homeland, many believe that beings of flesh and blood, in ancient times, were artificially created—a different kind of machine. As long as the physical components of flesh remain, some aspects can always be restored."

Wang Xuan nodded earnestly, "That makes sense. Some humans also believe that we as a species are a variant of robots, accidentally created in ancient times."

From afar, one of the Hades Blood Ancestor's split entities, which had multiple true forms, listened in on their conversation and found it somewhat nauseating.

"If you agree, you could follow this line of thought to continue the supernatural journey. If we are mechanical, further optimization, changing the energy source, and allowing the flesh components to adapt gradually might allow us to embark on the road of evolution again, elevating life," the Hero King suggested.

Wang Xuan nodded, "Some people on our side are trying this, walking this path. I've been thinking, maybe it's time to replace the flesh altogether and opt for a body consisting of more precise and durable mechanical components of fairy gold."

The Hero King disagreed, "That's not advisable. With each body switch, much of the spirit erratically dissipates, damaging an indescribably powerful potential that can't be accurately described."

Not far away, the Hades Blood Ancestor showed a strange expression.

Is that young man serious? He's enjoying a conversation with the dead, even contemplating the changing of bodies.

Unable to bear it any longer and fearing Wang Xuan might be led astray, the Hades Blood Ancestor immediately sent a telepathic message advising him not to get carried away.

Wang Xuan secretly responded, "I have a strength. I can get along and chat with anyone."

He then inquired of the Hero King about the body-switching technology of his people.

"Common practices include uploading memories and emotional states, usually into mechanical bodies. The downside is a significant loss of potential, but the advantage is the ability to mass-produce avatars. More advanced techniques involve complete spiritual transfer using supernatural means, requiring a balanced approach to divinization and materialization..."

The conversation between the two, one alive and one deceased, deepened in engagement.

Boom!

At Fang Yuzhu's location, she had just effortlessly eliminated four sample super-creatures, including two historical celebrities, showcasing her overwhelming strength.

"Once these sample creatures are defeated like this, do they completely vanish?" Wang Xuan asked the Hero King.

"It depends on the extent of the damage. In most cases, they can re-emerge from the sample nursery after some time. In rare instances, they permanently disappear."

"That's reassuring. I was hoping to come and spar with you often," Wang Xuan nodded.

As the fierce battle neared its end, Yan Yan's pristine palm pierced through a golden, male VIP beside the blue-haired woman, utterly annihilating him.

Zhang Daoling's copper mirror emitted a blinding light ray that caused a female VIP with a diamond-shaped crystal on her forehead to melt and burst into a shower of blood.

The final spiritual echoes of the two VIPs revealed their inner thoughts.

"I knew this was the sample I provided voluntarily—a clone from my peak strength. But now, with the sample shattered... why do I feel as if my main body, which was alive when I left, no longer exists? Does this mean that the 'real me' left behind... is dead?"

"My main body has passed away. After all these years, wandering and fighting across the universe as a clone, what was the point?"

Realizing that their real bodies had met with accidents years ago and died, both the man and woman were overwhelmed with shock and then sorrow before they completely dissipated.

On another front, the Hades Blood Ancestor's true forms were overpowering their opponents, decisively eliminating a VIP who similarly expressed confusion and sadness at the sense of losing their main body, hinting at a cruel reality in their homeland.

The four unparalleled experts were undeniably formidable, eliminating five VIPs in no time.

Only one out of the five VIPs could sense that his main body was still alive. The rest showed profound sadness at the bitter reality before they passed.

The mighty individuals of their civilization at the scene were not the main bodies but rather extensions existing separately, much like Zhang Daoling and the Hades Blood Ancestor today.

The battle concluded, with the remaining man and woman captured; naturally, that included the blue-haired lady personally subdued by Lady Yan Yan.

It was then verified that the main bodies of this man and woman were still alive.

"I submit! To the great and invincible civilization of Immortals!" The mechanical bird trembled, now held by the neck in Wang Xuan's grasp.