The Stars Beyond

Chapter 428: The Forbidden Zone

Wang Xuan didn't need much preparation. He brought along the old six items and added the new item. Feeling quite adept, he then hit the road. The old six items SSBALS, which referred to the two beast skins, banner, awl, lid and soil combo. The new item referred to the Best Immortal Tea Tree placed in the Life Essence Furnace for half a month. This time, he also planned to plant it on the road to breakthrough.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh......

He seemed to be shuttling through spacetime and was moving at such a rapid speed that the phrase swift as the wind and quick as lightning couldn't describe it adequately. He felt like he was traversing the vast universe after leaving the Life Soil. The ethereal realm was deep and dark. The world would be pitch black, vast and silent, without the red mist substance. Wang Xuan was nervous when he first came here. He was unsure of the path ahead and was deeply apprehensive of the unknown world. But now, he was unruffled and as calm as an old well.

"I’m faster than before. I can already see the Pool of Life with just twenty days of travel!" Wang Xuan marveled. This was truly extreme speed.

The sky and earth were pitch black, boundless and endless. He felt like he had crossed a desolate universe and his time significantly shortened compared to before. Soon enough, he arrived nearby and saw the rough pool. Inside, the silver celestial liquid was dense. It instantly baptized and sublimated his spirit. Initially, it took him a year and a half when he came here for the first time. The travel time has gradually shortened, especially after he planted the Heavenly Herb.

"It has truly turned into a vine." said Wang Xuan, admiring his achievement. Beside the Pool of Life, there was the first Heavenly Herb that he had planted by hand on a mound of earth.

And now, it had undergone a comprehensive mutation. The leaves remained pristine white, and had now reached nine in number. The vines extended up to two meters, covered in dark red thorns, just like a dragon coiled on the mountaintop.

"Perhaps it should be called the Nine Calamities Heavenly Vine." Wang Xuan said with satisfaction. This place was vibrant, with many pearl-like dewdrops resting on the nine silver leaves, it was even emitting a spiritual fragrance.

Wang Xuan scrutinized carefully, saying, "Interesting. The dew on the leaves is radiant and fragrant. It’s different from the silver substance in the pool."

He thought it was not bad at all. The water for brewing tea was not a problem now, although it was in small quantities. But who cared? As long as he could brew the tea leaves. Then, he took out the Best Immortal Tea Tree and a large amount of Life Soil from the silver beast skin scroll. He started planting trees by the silver pool. He was piling soil, digging holes, planting, sprinkling soil, watering and many more. It was all done in one go, as he was already proficient.

There wasn't much to fuss about with the Heavenly Herb. It was simply planted like any other ordinary plant. In fact, it was easier to survive than those flowers and plants because of its exceptionally strong vitality. Before this, the Immortal Tea Tree had been placed in the Life Essence Furnace for over ten days. During that time, it was nourished and the nourishment made it lush and vibrant. There were no signs of withering after leaving the Life Soil. Now, it was lush with greenery. Although the various colored tea fruits were sparse and in small quantities, they were brilliant enough. There were golden, silver, purple and many more colors that dazzled with brilliance. It was divine and serene which showed robust growth.

"Farewell, Heng Jun. You have departed, and I couldn't burn incense for you, so I can only take care of your legacy tree. Rest assured, it won't die with me around. Sooner or later, it will become a real medicine."

Wang Xuan mourned and seemed sentimental. In the end, he decisively plucked a tea fruit and started brewing tea to commemorate Heng Jun's death. He used the lid of the Life Essence Furnace as a vessel for brewing tea. Surprisingly, the concavity of the lid was quite suitable. He also collected the fragrant dewdrops from the Nine Calamities Heavenly Vine and used the red substance hidden in the Godslaying Banner as fire to start brewing tea. The fragrant scent of tea wafted up. Wang Xuan took a bath in the pool and then lightly sipped the Best Immortal Tea. It made his mind illuminated with insights, he felt clear and bright. However, he still couldn't break through, but he wasn't in a hurry. If a tea fruit alone could lead one into the forefront of mythology, this tea tree would have been smashed to pieces and thoroughly looted.

"There's tea, but too little suitable water." said Wang Xuan as he glanced at the pool. He felt a bit uncomfortable as he usually came here to bathe but now couldn't bring himself to drink the water.

"It'll be better next time. The leaves of the Best Immortal Tea Tree will be more abundant. I can brew it casually when the tree is full of dewdrops."

Wang Xuan set off on his journey. Regardless of its effectiveness, he decided to first look for the red substance and prepare as usual for a hell-level ordeal. Unfortunately, all the efforts seemed futile. He was burning himself out even with the golden and silver beast skin scrolls.

"I'm just wasting my time," he sighed. He knew the eleventh level was different and it wasn't as easy to break through compared to the previous levels.

"I'll try practicing some strange techniques, like the Golden Cicada Technique, the Ants Gazing Dragon scripture, the Butterfly Transformation Method......" Wang Xuan practiced scriptures that could change the essence of life.

This time, he absorbed strands of the red substance and practiced transformative methods. The effects were simply...... too hellish. He was almost driven to the brink of mental breakdown.

"Does this red substance represent destruction? Combining it with scriptures representing rebirth is pure torture!"

In the end, he ran back to the Pool of Life to recuperate as he was unable to bear it anymore. There, his skin cracked and he shedded the spiritual layer which strengthened his resolve. However, the so-called barrier, the shackle of the eleventh level remained unmoved. There was no sign of opening.

"Keep practicing!" he exclaimed.

And so, he practiced various scriptures and attempted sword techniques. The Tao Splitting Sword flashed like thunder and lightning, and there were also vague traces of the Great Tao. It was performed to perfection. He was confident that his combat power had improved, but he couldn't break through the realm. He was still stuck at the tenth level. Afterwards, he comprehended the scriptures and breakthrough paths seen in the ancient spaceship, and began to practice them.

For example, he spent half a year practicing sword techniques in this ethereal realm. Finally, he transformed into a sword. His entire being turned into an indestructible divine sword that emitted the light of the spirit. With one strike, the silent expanse of this place trembled. It was as if billions of sword lights were whizzing past and roaring!

"What's the problem?" pondered Wang Xuan. He felt more confident with the numerous scriptures he had mastered, but he still couldn't break through this so-called realm barrier.

He shuttled between the red substance and the Pool of Life, and was practicing various techniques. He practiced techniques from Ascendent Fist, to the true form of the Stone Tablet scriptures, and then to the martial arts recorded on the five pages of Zhang Daoling's Golden Book. In the end, he even began practicing the Demon Cultivator’s Spirit Coffin Grand Technique and delved into the Demon Clan's Reincarnation Art of the Heavenly Demon.

Wang Xuan assimilated the strengths of various clans and cultivated his own unique abilities. Sometimes he couldn't help but sigh, "I'm truly too strong!"

However, he still couldn't enter the eleventh realm. He was still unable to break through that threshold.

"They're forcing me to go to the meteorite pit. If I don't try to get closer to the origin of the truth and if I don’t find another way, I may not be able to reach the eleventh level in the short term." he said to himself.

Wang Xuan frowned, but he wasn't disheartened. How long had he been practicing? It would seem abnormal if reaching the eleventh level were so easy. However, the ultimate destination was too dangerous. He was on the verge of death and was facing immense danger every time he went to touch the Devilish Immortal Flower. Wang Xuan set out on the road with the five old items, SSBAL combo, despite the difficulties ahead. He had no choice. He had to go.

It only took him six days to reach the meteorite pit from the Pool of Life. It was much shorter than before. Although it wasn't his first time here, he was impressed every time he saw the huge meteorites lying across, as if it was severing two worlds.

It resembled a gigantic volcano hanging in the sky, with the mouth of the volcano facing downwards, serving as the path. It was as if it was piercing through the heavens.

"The ninth stage, I haven't named it yet. When I first came here, I was trapped in an illusion, a big dream. Only then did I realize that everything was illusory."

Wang Xuan named the ninth stage, Illusionary.

"The tenth level signifies surpassing limits. The name of this small realm doesn't need to be changed. Breaking Limit is a good name for it!" said Wang Xuan.

Wang Xuan prepared names for each of his small realms in the mortal world. The first ten levels were complete. They were named, Mist, Illumination, Life Soil, Herb Gathering, Path Setting, Disaster Transformation, External Sensation, Pioneer, Illusionary, Breaking Limit respectively. He entered the mine he dug and found the Cactus Heavenly Herb. It grew well here after being nourished by the purple substance.

"Absorbing substances close to the truth for growth, there's no doubt about it. It's fattened up, time to taste it." Wang Xuan said with excitement.

Wang Xuan noticed that the crystal-clear cactus now had a faint purple hue. It was slightly different from before, it had even more vitality. He used an iron awl to poke off a small piece of leaf flesh. He removed the thorns, and it melted as soon as it entered his mouth. It was very sweet and fragrant, with a strong surge of substance that was infinitely close to the truth.

However, when these medicinal properties surged to the checkpoint of the eleventh level. They were scattered and shot out from Wang Xuan's body. Wang Xuan was convinced that if the impact weren't for this particular eleventh level, he could have directly elevated many levels if it were in other small realms!

"It truly deserves to be at the forefront of mythology. It is considered a forbidden zone, and it was difficult to reach the end. Now it seems to be truly difficult. Even a small piece of Heavenly Herb leaf is ineffective!"

Wang Xuan was convinced that it would certainly be effective if he were to ingest Heavenly Herb in higher realms. He will still be able to enhance his strength. However, faced with this special checkpoint, all kinds of medicinal properties and methods were blocked!

"In any case, I'm going all out today. I must find a way to advance. It's too dangerous outside. Crimson eyes lurk in the darkness, seeking to strip me of my flesh. I must become stronger to confront them!"

In the end, Wang Xuan went to challenge that meteorite path. Along the way, he began practicing the mental method left by the severely mentally ill patient. He was almost hypnotizing himself.

"In this world, there is only me. Everything, every plant and tree, is the scenery in my mind. The stars and galaxies, the constellations, are all cells within me. They’re all impurities and traces of life. Throughout history, everything is neither real nor unreal. I just took a nap. The eternal night is just me closing my eyes for a moment......" he pondered.

Wang Xuan wore a beast skin garment, wielded his banner, held his lid, and charged into that path of the mysterious meteorite pit. Like a streak of light, he tore through the extraordinary night sky.

He was burning hot and suffocating. He felt like he was about to die. The red substance he touched was almost real. There were bright red, translucent and shining crystal-clear particles falling down.

"Awaken, why haven't you awakened yet? How long are you going to sleep in this eternal dream?" A voice shouted loudly, calling out to him and urging him to wake up.

In a daze, Wang Xuan suddenly opened his eyes, and then he saw Fang Yuzhu beside him. Her fingers were glowing, and were touching his forehead. He also saw the demon lord Yan Yan, wiping his face!