The Stars Beyond

Chapter 456: Land of the Undying

Outside the domain, Wang Xuan was somewhat excited to be in the territory ruled by unknown deities. Having the fortune to witness different civilizations in this age of decay ignited a spark of anticipation within him.

"With the diverse societies and customs in this colorful world, it's rare to have such an opportunity. This is the farthest I've ever been from home," Zhao Qinghan said with a smile that carried a hint of sweetness, expressing her desire to see those unknown races and the vibrant new world. She had an adventurous spirit. They still couldn't confirm it until now even though they had speculated it was a new universe.

"Master, my path to greatness has begun. Sorry, but I might surpass you!" said Qing Mu to encourage himself. He had embarked on the path of the transcendent quite late, but there was a fire burning within him.

The cold universe remained silent and immensely vast. The strong signal source appeared only once. It was like some kind of reminder or warning, and then it ceased transmitting any further information. A dazzling beam of light silently shot out from the darkness's edge with immense speed. As soon as the spaceship detected the dangerous signal, it swiftly evaded with its shields already activated.

With a loud thud, the spaceship shook violently and its shield was almost pierced through. A menacing giant warship appeared in the distance. It resembled a monstrous beast with its black metallic hull blending seamlessly into the cosmos. In an instant, numerous beams of light came shooting out. The silver-white spaceship swiftly changed its course to evade. In the meantime, the mechanical bear cursed, "Damn it, you're dead meat!"

Then, the small-to-medium-sized spaceship burst into action. It unleashed a fierce counterattack. The energy beams were beyond imagination, even obliterating small floating asteroids that were blocking its path.

Boom!

Then, a large chunk of the giant warship shattered on the spot after it was hit. It abandoned its front cabin and then...... turned tail and fled.

"Ha! Don't run! You think I'm afraid of a fleet attacking me? I'll show you!" The little bear growled fiercely. As the intelligent steward of the spaceship, it pursued the enemy without hesitation. It was more decisive and efficient than even Qing Mu's command. It swiftly maneuvered, counterattacked, and pursued seamlessly.

"Where did you learn those vulgar words?" Wu Yin asked.

"I updated the database earlier, and retrieved them from the language library in your area," the little bear informed cutely, refraining from swearing anymore. Finally, they saw another spaceship along the way. The little bear remained vigilant for safety purposes. They abandoned the pursuit of the giant ship and cautiously continued their journey.

"Here it comes. There are quite a few ships ahead!" exclaimed Qing Mu, changing into a serious expression. The previously silent universe became somewhat lively in this area, with scans picking up dozens of ships, and this was just the beginning. It seemed that the route was starting to get crowded with even more ships further ahead. Half a day later, the front became somewhat congested. A large number of spaceships appeared as if they were queuing at a checkpoint while proceeding orderly.

"Report and register!" That strong signal came again. It was simple and direct, indicating that the front seemed to be an information collection and registration point.

The scene was spectacular, with a dense jungle of steel and iron stretching as far as the eye could see. Some ships were exceptionally large, they looked just like planets from afar which gave a strong sense of oppression. As expected, their silver-white spaceship looked very petite amidst the fleet. It appeared ordinary and tiny.

Suddenly, a conflict arose among the front line, with two warships rubbing against each other. Of course, they didn't dare to use destructive weapons directly. Instead, they released small spaceships from the mothership to engage in combat from a distance. However, they met a disastrous end.

"No one is allowed to open fire here. There will be no warning, just obliteration once it's found out!" The registration point gave out a signal. Then, a huge floating iron fortress in space emitted divine light at the registration point ahead. It annihilated the two small spaceships, causing them to disappear instantly.

"You came here to become gods. Battleships are not allowed to fight in non-combat zones. Once we discover a fight, they will be immediately eradicated," came the stern warning.

"The landlord is very dominant. This Land of the Undying seems to have quite a background. It seems that...... one can become a god here?" Wu Yin exclaimed in surprise.

"Where are you from, your race, your purpose......" The inquiry was concise, without verification. The huge iron fortress floated in space just like a gigantic city, it was dark and oppressive. The voice emanated from one of its outer towers that emitted light and radiated potent trans material. It was enveloped in a glow.

"Green Orchid Star and the human race came in pursuit of myth. We are devout seekers on the path to godhood......" Inside the silver-white spaceship, the little bear was responsible for uploading the data.

This had been discussed in advance. Wang Xuan and his companions wanted to register as members of the human race from Green Orchid Star to explore the world here. It was not necessary for everyone that entered here to fight. There were rest areas and VIP zones where one could observe battles from the outside. Even participants could withdraw at any time, as the registration point reiterated repeatedly, “Stay alive at all cost.”

"Isn't the human race considered to be minorities on Green Orchid Star? Human race joining the battle is unexpected this time. It's only the second coming in this age of transcendence, the last one dates back five thousand years ago and ended in complete annihilation."

In the tower, there was a burst of transcendent light scanning the spaceship.Then, the illuminated tower extended from the iron fortress and the head of an elderly bear emerged. He looked at the mechanical little bear with surprise as it seemed to find them resembling each other. It then kindly reminded them. "The gods are dying and transcendence is collapsing. You came too late. You guys belong to the last group of contenders. Don't rush recklessly, only to end up with nothing in the end."

Then, a beam of light swept over them and let them pass through. With the fleet continuing forward, they entered a chaotic zone that was densely populated with meteorites. None of the warships diverted their course because they were nearing their destination. However, turmoil erupted in this zone, with apparent disputes and battles that were not stopped by the iron fortress.

At this moment, a black wooden boat that radiated transcendent light flew in. A middle-aged man stood calm and silently at the bow, followed by several young men and women. This black wooden boat emitted trans material and swiftly moved forward while surpassing many warships. Some were dissatisfied, sending signals to inform them not to cut in line.

"Don't act recklessly. That's the incarnation of a mighty god. Haven't you seen the mark on the bow? Individuals like him are authorized for priority entry." One person said.

"The true body of a god on the ground? Hiss, he seems to be the Blood Emperor! Transcendence is coming to an end, and such powerful beings are also joining the fray. This situation doesn't look good." Another replied.

"He is one of the supreme beings in our starry sky, the Blood Emperor, a supreme being who walks the path to the peak on the corpses of gods!" Another joined in and said. Many restless groups suddenly became subdued. They were all stunned.

Wang Xuan felt surprised. Through the various signals captured and deciphered by the mechanical little bear, he had learned that the so-called supreme gods were equivalent to peerless experts among the immortals. This also meant that the Blood Emperor who had just passed by was on par with Zhang Daoling. He was an otherworldly god and was extremely powerful. Such inter-domain battles were quite astonishing.

Shortly after, another transcendent ship appeared, with a woman standing at the bow. Her black hair flowed like a waterfall that was silent and still. Her motionless eyes carried a faint red light and her tall figure resembled a sculpture carved from jade. It exuded beauty like a work of art. She remained silent. Her face was beautiful but it was devoid of expression. Her entire being resembles a cold stone statue.

"I'll be damned, this is a supreme god from the vicinity of the Land of the Undying. She’s revered as the God of War. This is her incarnation in the mortal realm!" said a transcendent, revealing her identity. The transcendent surprisingly knows her origins.

"What's her background? What is she skilled in?" One person asked. The beings who arrived here had long since disembarked. They were unafraid of the cold of the cosmos and were engaging in discussions and exchanges.

"She specializes in cultivating the physical body, nourishing the spirit, and achieving comprehensive improvement. Don't be fooled by her appearance as a woman. Her physique is incredibly powerful. She can break our warships with her bare hands. It's said that five hundred years ago, she battled fiercely with a supreme sword immortal from the cultivation civilization and her physical body was able to withstand the immortal swords!" Wang Xuan felt deeply surprised. The beings that came from this place were truly extraordinary. In a short time, two incarnations of supreme beings had appeared. There were probably already such figures who had crossed over before he arrived.

"With top-tier beings coming here, there must be something of interest to them," pondered Wang Xuan. He realized that the benefits of inter-domain warfare must be extremely enticing.

In this era, anything capable of attracting supreme beings must be related to the forging of a new mythology! The journey ahead became somewhat quieter, with no more appearances of supreme beings for the time being. Half an hour later, Wang Xuan sensed something amiss. A warship approached silently and began to scan their silver-white spaceship. What made them most vigilant was the presence of a massive black giant Roc on that warship. It was staring directly at their spaceship. It didn't bother to queue at all. It cut in line and caught up. Many people remained silent as they did not want to be the center of attention and they did not want to attract trouble. They had encountered too many powerful individuals throughout their journey. Those who dared to act like this were undoubtedly formidable.

Boom!　

A tremendous shockwave followed. The black giant Roc crouched on the edge of the warship. It vigorously flapped its wing and struck Wang Xuan's small spaceship. It cut through it directly and left a visible gash from the force of the blow.

"Oh, for....sake!" exclaimed the mechanical little bear, its language reverted back to an ancient form. It widened its eyes in anger. It was taken by surprise although its usual style was to strike first. With a loud thud, the sixty-meter-long black giant Roc leaped straight onto the silver-white spaceship. Its heavy weight and imposing presence, along with its large claws, tore two large holes in the spaceship's hull. Then, it looked down upon them.

"It's gone mad! How dare it be so reckless. Who does it think it is?" shouted Qing Mu. He was genuinely furious. They were just navigating normally, without even activating battle mode, let alone the defense shields. Yet, this fierce Roc attacked them just like that.

"Where did this ferocious Roc come from? It's too domineering!" Wu Yin's chest heaved with indignation. She felt the other party was being unreasonable.

The exterior of the silver-white spaceship was torn apart. It wasn’t an issue for a transcendent to expose itself in space for a short time, but prolonged exposure without a cabin meant certain death.

"Insolent fox!" Shouted the Little Fox as she put down the last packet of crisps and angrily waved her tiny paw.

Transcendent Ma was ready to kick into action. He was eager for a battle between the Heavenly Horse and the Giant Roc. Zhao Qinghan touched her fair forehead. She had hit her head on the corner of the table and had broken the specially reinforced material when the spaceship shook violently. She felt embarrassed and pain at the same time. Back in her student days, she was hailed as a goddess and now she had become as tough as iron.

"Do you want to be wiped out?" said Wang Xuan as he raised his head. His spiritual domain pierced through the cabin and was staring coldly at it.

"You don't understand the rules. While warships are not allowed to open fire, it doesn't mean that transcendents cannot take matters into their own hands," the enormous black Roc said calmly as it stared at the Godslaying Banner on Wang Xuan's body. It then continued saying, "You have something I need!" Of course, Wang Xuan remained vigilant after arriving in such a place. The golden flag wasn't stored in the life soil but was kept by his side. It was ready to respond to any emergencies. As a result of that, the black fierce Roc surprisingly noticed its abnormality.

"Do you have needs that warrant such blatant aggression?" Wang Xuan inquired.

"Most people that come to the Land of the Undying are perpetually transcendent beings. Here, there's no reasoning to be had. I won't pretend or discuss morals with you. I’ll take what I desire directly!" the Roc replied assertively. In the silver-white spaceship, Qing Mu, Little Fox, Wu Yin, and others were infuriated. This black Roc was indeed straightforward and made no attempt to conceal its greedy motives.

"I don't aim to stand on a moral high ground. Here, it's survival of the fittest. I'm merely looking down on all of you from above. Who cares about your feelings?" the black giant Roc spoke coldly. It then extended its claws once more and was intending to tear apart the silver-white spaceship.