The Stars Beyond

Chapter 418: The Truth Was Revealing As The Mist Cleared

The moonlight was bright, but Wang Xuan's heart was clouded. His mind remained tense as he stood on the lawn and gazed at the stars reflected in the lake.

Who was it, and what was the origin of the shadow? Appearing in such an unpredictable form, what would happen if it swallowed his own shadow? Would it then take over his physical body?

Wang Xuan stood still and pondered over many things. He realized that he couldn't truly guard against this shadow, which was far more dangerous than any enemy he had encountered before.

"It's terrifying that it can just open my inner landscape like that!" said Wang Xuan as he frowned deeply.

Tonight's encounter left him restless. He couldn't even bear to think about what would happen if he were to be suddenly attacked by the shadow while meditating.

"Old Zheng had been eyeing me for a long time, but I successfully eliminated the threat by taking the initiative to enter the immortal realm. Where did this shadow come from?" pondered Wang Xuan. Wang Xuan felt a lack of security if he couldn’t understand it. It was an experience he hadn't had in a long time.

It was like being in a brightly lit room while cold eyes peered in from the darkness outside. An unknown beast could pounce into the room at any moment.

"Is it Heng Jun? He was closest to Zheng Yuentian. Is he seeking revenge for him?" Wang Xuan shook his head immediately after speaking.

If it truly was Heng Jun, he would have immediately used the Ascension Banner to immobilize him first to ensure nothing went wrong.

"There must be someone else, and he's even stronger than Zheng Yuentian!" exclaimed Wang Xuan.

This was quite frightening. A mysterious and formidable enemy whose depths couldn't be fathomed. Tonight's outcome would have been much worse if it weren't for the timely appearance of the man and woman.

"It's absurd how effortlessly he can pry open someone else's inner landscape!" said Wang Xuan. His eyes were deep, just thinking about the outcome sent shivers down his spine.

No one had been able to skillfully open his inner landscape without going through him. It was unbearable, sending chills down his spine. Wang Xuan had various thoughts in his mind, but he seemed calm on the outside.

"He first confirmed that I had a special inner landscape, then approached me to swallow my shadow, thus affecting my physical and spiritual body." pondered Wang Xuan.

Soon, Wang Xuan called Old Chen and Qing Mu. Following the principle of not wasting resources, he called them to cultivate here. Recently, they had been living here, so distance was not an issue. In an instant, the master and disciple arrived.

"You triggered hyper perception?" asked Chen Yongjie as he was surprised. While talking, he swiftly projected his spirit out with Qing Mu and entered.

Regardless, being here was equivalent to stealing time, as it allowed spiritual perception to increase countless times. It made it the perfect place for enlightenment cultivation.

"This is a great opportunity. I'm about to enter the realm of immortals again, and transcendence is not far off!" said Qing Mu in excitement. He didn't want to be surpassed by the useless Qin Cheng, who was also in Ancheng.

Wang Xuan also projected his own spirit after cautiously scanning the area. However, he didn't dare to go too deep and positioned himself near the entrance to guard against accidents and sudden changes. He had ample time to ponder here.

"Unlike other transcendents, my special inner landscape was opened during my mortal days. Theoretically, it's difficult for outsiders to open it." he thought in his mind.

However, that person was even more adept than him and didn't cause much motion opening it. It almost caught him off guard. Most crucially, Wang Xuan couldn't open it whenever or wherever he wanted up until now, but that person could!

"Does it understand this special inner landscape? Has it come into contact with it, experienced it, even owned it?!" Wang Xuan's hair stood on end when he thought of this.

It had to be said that being in the clear inner time and space made his thoughts clearer. It allowed him to consider many things. He could diverge his thoughts, and generate various ideas. He remained silent, pondered carefully and evaluated seriously. This matter was extremely frightening as the danger level of this enemy surpassed anything before!

A chill ran down his spine when he thought of the worst possible scenario. Since this person was more familiar with the special inner landscape than him and if they were determined to target him, it could lead to the collapse of his inner landscape. From both the perspective of terrifying strength or the relationship with future and various unparalleled experts. It was clear that this person was more valuable!

"This might be the greatest crisis I've encountered. I could be doomed and replaced if things go wrong!" exclaimed Wang Xuan as he felt a sense of crisis. After considering this person's background and various possible outcomes, he needed to be extremely cautious and prepared.

"Being attacked tonight reminded me that the optimistic situation has completely changed. The fog has cleared, and it has revealed that I'm already standing before the terrifying beast of the night!" said Wang Xuan.

If it were any other transcendent, they would probably have died inexplicably today. It would be difficult to extract valuable information and even harder to see the horrific traces left behind by that person in the black mist.

"I have to rely on myself more in the future. Even the unparalleled experts that I am close to might not necessarily stand by my side in the future," Wang Xuan sighed. A massive crisis loomed before him, and he had to deal with it seriously.

"Who are those men and women? They're very powerful and could actually drive away that shadow. But ultimately, they couldn't finish the job and kill that person."

In the following days, he began to practice, studying scriptures, researching cutting-edge theories of mythology. He even practiced the breakthrough techniques he obtained from the mechanical bird. As the shadow of death approached and a great crisis loomed, what could he use to save himself? He couldn't rely on others and had to seek answers within himself! Wang Xuan sat cross-legged with golden characters floating before his eyes. He was studying the Golden Cicada Technique, a method of changing fate that Old Zhong had diligently practiced.

"Old Zhong, Zhong Cheng, Zhong Qing, have been in deep space for a long time. I wonder if they've found their paradise outside the world." pondered Wang Xuan.

The reason he was studying this scripture was because, during a conversation with the Hades Blood Patriarch, Old Zhang, and others some time ago, he learned that they had all practiced similar methods. Such scriptures were exceptional. No matter how strong one's abilities were, they provided a chance to defy fate and expand the limits of life!

For instance, when Zhang Daoling had witnessed the battle between the Heavenly Serpent and the Divine Crane at the He Ming Mountain. Not only did he effortlessly create the Serpent-Crane Eight Style Technique, but he also witnessed the dying Heavenly Serpent undergo metamorphosis, shedding its skin and being reborn. He integrated ancient methods to comprehend the Heavenly Serpent Transformation scripture. The transformation that the Heavenly Serpent underwent led to a qualitative change in life!

"I also have this scripture, the Heavenly Serpent Transformation scripture. Initially, I didn't pay much attention to it. I thought the name was a bit crude and was not unique enough. I never expected it to be left by Old Zhang!"

During their time in the New World, Wang Xuan and Chen Yongjie turned over almost every library in various factions when they were about to leave. They hoped to acquire enough scriptures before the mythology ended. They wanted to have sufficient foundation for the future, especially during the winter of transcendent powers. Similar scriptures included the Phoenix Nirvana Method. The Hades Blood Patriarch had practiced this secret technique, and even his nine true inheritances had some connection to it.

Wang Xuan rummaged through his memories and realized he also had this scripture. At that time, it was imprinted deep in his spiritual sea and he never bothered to study it! He meticulously searched through the Scripture Chamber within his spirit. Several renowned scriptures were completely intact, such as the Butterfly Transformation Method and the Ants Gazing Dragon scripture.

"Fang Yuzhu and the Demon Lord Yan Yan had both mentioned the Ascension Transmutation Reversion Scripture. It seems that even if they didn't know each other in the mortal world, they had some underlying connection and had been practicing the same scripture." said Wang Xuan.

At this moment, Wang Xuan truly appreciated people like Zhong Yong and others. After scouring various secret libraries, he now possessed all the scriptures capable of enhancing the essence of life. He had all those scriptures that were capable of helping in breaking through limitations!

"I'll practice every single one of them and see the results!" exclaimed Wang Xuan.

In this era, any scripture capable of refining the body and causing qualitative changes was a treasure. It wasn't that he hadn't valued them before but it was just that he had obtained too many scriptures. The vast number of techniques he acquired exceeded the collections of many ancient sects. Apart from the supreme scriptures like the Golden Bamboo Slips and Stone Tablet scriptures, the options were too vast. Fortunately, chatting with several patriarchs had provided him with insights.

"Old Zhong is extraordinary. He selected the Golden Cicada Technique from countless scriptures and cultivated it. I wonder how many years he spent practicing it." pondered Wang Xuan as he had never inquired further about Old Zhong’s cultivation.

If Old Zhong had practiced it for a lifetime, it meant over a hundred years of arduous training. Just thinking about it made life seem bleak.

With the arrival of the era of depletion, who would have that much time to spare?

"However, the time in the inner landscape is different. Let’s start from here!"

Wang Xuan didn't want to put down any scripture. He alternated between practices and found conflicting aspects among these boundary-breaking scriptures, but also plenty of principles that could be integrated and progressed together. Chen Yongjie was immersed in studying the Six Reincarnation Scriptures of the Alchemy Dan. Gold Dan, Sarira, Demon Core, Devil Core...... He was deeply engrossed. Upon hearing that Wang Xuan had been practicing boundary-breaking techniques, he was also intrigued and attempted to incorporate them. As for Qing Mu, he had just set off and was just beginning his journey. He was aiming for transcendence! As the inner landscape was about to close at Wang Xuan's level, he felt like he had stolen several years of time, while Qing Mu felt like he had stolen twenty or thirty years.

"Indeed, as one's realm improves, certain effects of the inner landscape weaken!" said Wang Xuan.

It was inevitable, but experiencing two or three minutes externally while several years passed internally was still shocking and unimaginable for ordinary transcendents.

"Anyway, there's still the Immortal Bone Can. In the future, I must improve several techniques no matter what!" said Wang Xuan.

After finishing his cultivation, the outside world was still bathed in moonlight. Grandmaster Qing Mu was getting closer to transcendence and went to sleep in a good mood. Chen Yongjie gasped in shock after he was warned by Wang Xuan and informed of his recent experiences. He couldn't help in the confrontation at this level anymore, but he needed to be psychologically prepared. The next morning, Wang Xuan's phone rang. It was his mother calling.

"Son, come pick us up. We're in An City."

Wang Xuan was surprised. "Ah, you're back from Ping City?" Although the transcendents were now very disciplined and followed the New Covenant, there were too many strange occurrences around him. It wasn't safe to be too close to him. But since everyone was back, he had to go meet them. He immediately rushed over.

The two of them looked good and already had their breakfast. They were sitting in a beverage shop. The rhythm of life for officially retired people was slow, which was enviable. Wang Xuan realized that although he was in the mortal world, he was somewhat distant from this down-to-earth lifestyle. He planned to make up for it in the future.

"How come you're back?" asked Wang Xuan.

"It's boring to stay in Ping City all the time. We passed by here to see you. We'll go back to Cloud City in a while. It's more comfortable to stay at home. If we feel bored, we'll go traveling. Anyway, we haven't spent much of the money you gave us. Next time, your dad and I will go to the New World." Wang's mother said, with plans already in place.

Wang Xuan remembered that the money was what he received when he handed over the silver beast skin scroll to Qing Mu on Qingcheng Mountain as a reward. Since then, he hadn't earned much money.

"Son, let me tell you, don't run around recklessly lately. The world of transcendents outside is chaotic. Don't mess around." Wang's mother said.

"You......" said Wang Xuan, looking at her suspiciously.

"Yuzhu said that ordinary people like us will be safer in the future after she gave us two tokens. But for you as a transcendent, the world is a bit chaotic." Wang's mother said.

Wang Xuan was speechless. He was embarrassed to even call Maiden Fang by her name, and now his parents were calling her Yuzhu directly?

"Do you know what era she's from?" he asked. He felt the need to give them a hint. After all, she was an extraordinary being.

"Don't mention her birth era. I don't want to know. I just think she's quite nice. If her strength is strong enough, it would be even better. In the future, we’ll be proud when talking to others. My daughter-in-law is Maiden Fang Yuzhu!" Wang's mother said.

"Wait, calm down first and don't get carried away. Don't let others hear this title." said Wang Xuan. He was genuinely worried. His own mother didn't understand how deep the waters of the transcendent world were. Wrong titles could lead to big trouble.

"Maiden Fang Yuzhu is quite nice," his father also chimed in.

Wang Xuan quickly took a sip of his drink to calm his nerves. What a situation. If his parents don't feel and look like ordinary people, he would have thought the two big shots were trying to match him up with Maiden Fang Yuzhu. Even so, he couldn't help but think of the events of last night in which a man and a woman helped him drive away that terrifying shadow. Wang Xuan looked up and was prepared to scrutinize his parents again. With all sorts of strange occurrences happening recently, he became suspicious and even wanted to test his own family.

Wang's mother was very concerned about this matter and said with a smile, "Son, let me tell you, I've given Maiden Fang Yuzhu our family heirloom. Your compatibility with her is quite good. When you two visited the transcendent master Wukong in Ping City, he even calculated that you are very suitable and will have a son."

"Hold on, who did you meet?" Wang Xuan hadn't even probed yet and was already startled by their words. Even Sun Wukong had come out?

"What are you thinking about? He's not just any monkey. His monastic name is Wukong. It's said that he's a powerful transcendent. He also said he's destined to meet you because you released him from some kind of prison in your inner landscape."

Wang Xuan was lost in thought. Was it that monk? He had only released four people from his inner landscape. The Sword Maiden, Zhang Daoling, Maiden Fang Yuzhu, and the monk who had fought with Old Chen all night in the spiritual realm.

"The world is really chaotic," he sighed, then looked at his parents and said, "Hold on, stay still, let me have a look."