The Stars Beyond

The Xixia Plateau, located in the western part of the celestial realm corresponding to the old earth, was once the highest altitude area, with mountains stretching majestically and grandly. It was known as the dwelling place of the red sun's evening glow, with its scenery unparalleled in beauty.

However, ever since a madman arrived and leveled a million mountains with a single sword strike, the area within a hundred thousand miles became flat and desolate, no longer approached by any creature.

Wang Xuan and Jiang Qingyao returned, and indeed, they awaited the madman's departure before cautiously approaching the plateau. Prepared thoroughly in advance, Celestial Sword Maiden Jiang Qingyao personally set up several teleportation arrays for a quick escape in case of any mishap.

Her ability to escape, or rather, her survival skills were incredibly robust, contrasting her ethereal demeanor.

Moreover, the two roughly confirmed from the details that the madman who had survived from ancient times might be embarking on a long journey.

"Woah, he's not about to take the Human Realm Sword to the Immortal Realm and wreak havoc, is he? No, I must hurry and pass the message back!" Wang Xuan genuinely feared that if the madman, as he suspected, was so scheming and dark-hearted, pretending to be mad to gather all the treasures, he could pose a serious threat to the acquaintances he knew.

While whispering among themselves, they suddenly felt a dramatic fluctuation in the world. A sword light that could shock the ages tore through the heavens, crossing the sky towards the distance.

"The Human Realm Sword!" Celestial Sword Maiden Jiang Qingyao exclaimed, losing her composure. No longer calm or detached, she became as excited as a hopping girl, standing on her tiptoes, leaping to watch the trajectory of the Human Realm Sword and capturing the supreme rules it wove.

Wang Xuan did not shout; in fact, he was not in the mood. He was desperately communicating with the Life Furnace deep within his spirit, soothing it to remain still. The last thing he wanted was to alarm the madman and have nowhere to cry.

As the Human Realm Sword departed, slicing open the sky and vanishing in a flash, Jiang Qingyao solemnly stated, "No need to worry. He hasn't gone to the Immortal Realm. He's heading to the highest spiritual world!"

"How is he going there?" Wang Xuan was puzzled but knew the highest spiritual world was incredibly dangerous, where even unparalleled masters dared not tread lightly.

Since ancient times, only a handful of individuals, such as the ascetic monks of Buddhism, have ventured to the highest spiritual world.

Jiang Qingyao, gazing where the Human Realm Sword vanished, said, “The highest spiritual world, despite its immense dangers, has always been surrounded by legends of vast opportunities that even those beyond the unparalleled realm find greatly tempting.”

Clearly, having honed his sword skills for years and possessing fearsome prowess, the madman had the strength to step into that realm. With the mythic era drawing to a close, he ventured in with the Human Realm Sword for one final exploration.

“I hope he’s just trying his luck rather than having a clear goal in mind to harvest something from there. Otherwise, I truly worry for those in the Immortal Realm,” Wang Xuan remarked with a furrowed brow.

The madman was already beyond control, and allowing him to advance further could potentially turn him into an unmatched monster.

“Let’s take advantage of his absence and hurry to his scriptures!” Jiang Qingyao’s beautiful face glowed with divine brilliance, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

The plateau, composed of cold, hard permafrost, offered a broad view with blood-red afterglows spreading across the land.

Here, where a near-unbeatable individual practiced swordsmanship, his blood qi alone could cover a hundred thousand miles, indicating his terrifying power. Few dared to approach recklessly.

As they journeyed further, an intense killing intent, almost tangible, enveloped them, threatening to tear them apart. This was the residual sword intent.

Wang Xuan was alarmed. Even being led by the Celestial Sword Maiden, he felt the pressure, deducing that those below the master of life preservation might explode before reaching this point.

“Is this madman truly defying the heavens?” He was astonished, having never encountered such domineering sword intent that the mere residual aura could slay cultivators.

Jiang Qingyao nodded, “He is indeed formidable. Some say given another thousand years, he could break through to the Regal Dao realm, fearing nothing even as the superhuman era ebbs away. Then, not even divine treasures could phase him.”

Wang Xuan was taken aback by such a figure existing in the world, potentially reaching the Regal Dao realm.

He also reflected on the importance of survival. The first to open a special inner realm could have suppressed the madman, but where was he now? Fallen in ancient times, hunted down by the ancient emperors.

Even if “The First One” were to return, he would hardly be a match for the madman now. From ancient times to the present, the madman’s continuous sword training and asceticism have not been in vain.

Jiang Qingyao warned, "That's enough, we can't go any further. The madman, when practicing his swordsmanship, loathes disturbances. He doesn't want anyone near here in his absence. He carved a grand formation into the earth here. Even the mightiest would be turned to blood mud by the sword qi if they dare step inside."

Heeding her advice, Wang Xuan immediately halted and began to survey the deepest parts of the plateau. There, several mountains stood, some as black as ink, others as red as blood, all shining with a metallic luster, yet utterly barren.

The madman had flattened a million mountains with a single strike, leaving nothing in a hundred thousand miles. But during his practice, moved by sudden insights into the sword path, he would habitually write down his thoughts.

Jiang Qingyao shared, "Whenever he was inspired, he'd slash at the heavens, cleaving meteors from beyond this realm to form tall, majestic mountains of stone and cliffs for his inscriptions."

Wang Xuan was speechless, astounded by the revelation. These mountains were transformed meteors, cleaved from the cosmos by the madman?

With his spiritual eye wide open, he peered intently, examining the sword patterns etched across the meteorite mountains, densely covered with carvings.

These were dozens of gigantic stone mountains, serving as his notebooks over the ages, irregularly inscribed with spontaneous thoughts.

Mostly inscribed with fundamental sword runes, they were indecipherable to the uninitiated, potentially torturous for those daring to delve deeply.

"I see them, but it's like being pierced by a thousand swords... So painful. Those indecipherable marks, those divine sword traces seem to leap from the walls, seeking to slay me!"

Wang Xuan's head throbbed, his eyes swollen. What did he witness? Billions of terrifying swords, roaring as if to cleave the universe itself.

The madman's sword intent was indeed domineering and mad. Wang Xuan risked his life to observe the legacy written since ancient times, facing mortal peril.

Yet, thanks to Jiang Qingyao continuously holding his right hand, bestowing upon him the light of immortality, enveloping him in the power of the Dao, he was spared from obliteration.

"Again!" Jiang Qingyao steadied Wang Xuan's spirit, constantly imparting gentle celestial light, calming and soothing. Runes flowed into Wang Xuan like a river of stars.

In the end, they were both shrouded in a misty light, becoming one. As long as Jiang Qingyao held on, Wang Xuan would remain unharmed.

"I'll share everything I've seen with you. Otherwise, any slight deviation in relaying these ultimate mysteries of swordsmanship and the intricate rule patterns could lead to disaster," Wang Xuan said.

Then, he transmitted the terrifying visions directly into Jiang Qingyao's mind, imprinting them upon her still-maturing spiritual eye, capturing every detail.

Their spirits linked, what Wang Xuan saw, Celestial Sword Maiden Jiang Qingyao felt, allowing them to jointly observe and ponder the sword scriptures on these meteoric mountains.

This method greatly accelerated the process, sparing Wang Xuan the sensation of being torn apart by merely viewing a single scripture.

Jiang Qingyao, having formally entered the realm of the supreme, and after centuries of nurturing her sword, breaking through several minor realms in one go, combined with her unparalleled talent in swordsmanship, reaped immense benefits. As she pondered, sword light flowed, filling the air with the trembling sound of celestial swords, manifesting countless divine great swords!

"We can't delay here any longer to avoid any mishaps. Let's make a quick decision, note down the madman's scribbles and those complex sword runes, and contemplate them later," Celestial Sword Maiden Jiang Qingyao said with a solemn expression. Her survival instincts were high, not merely talk.

Wang Xuan nodded, rapidly scanning with his spiritual eye, diligently observing one sword cliff after another, meticulously, leaving no trace unchecked.

The information from dozens of star-corpse mountains was overwhelming. For an ordinary transcendent being, it would be maddening. The myriad sword truths could inadvertently trigger the sword intent, invisibly causing one to shatter.

Even Celestial Sword Maiden Jiang Qingyao coughed up blood towards the end. She transferred more of her gentle celestial light to Wang Xuan to ensure his spirit remained unharmed.

Imagine how terrifying that madman was; his scattered, seemingly nonsensical sword scriptures made even a supreme immortal cough blood.

"If it's too much, let's stop here. We still have three more sword cliffs to explore; we can return if there's a chance," Wang Xuan expressed his concern for her.

Jiang Qingyao had transformed her entire Dao into light, primarily to protect him, leaving her in a dire state.

"No, I can persist. Some opportunities, once missed, may never return. With your unique spiritual eye peering into this place, he might sense it afterward. We might not be able to enter here again, or the sword mountains might no longer exist. There are too many uncertainties and possibilities."

Celestial Sword Maiden Jiang Qingyao's resilience shone through as she wiped the blood from her lips, determined to continue.

Wang Xuan ceased his protests and rapidly memorized all the sword scriptures. Some appeared as mere doodles, yet to Celestial Sword Maiden Jiang Qingyao, they were treasures beyond measure.

As they delved deeper, the sword scriptures became increasingly abstract, not meant for the average mind. They resembled celestial scripts, exerting immense pressure as if slicing the universe asunder with brilliant sword light that nothing in the present world could withstand.

Celestial Sword Maiden Jiang Qingyao coughed up blood profusely but persisted with an unshakable will.

Witnessing her condition, Wang Xuan ceased his attempts to persuade her to stop. Instead, he focused intently, memorizing the ultimate truths of the sword until the last sword cliff was scrutinized, revealing its final scripture.

A hum vibrated through the air as the mountain seemed to come alive, crystallizing into a massive stone sword that nearly suffocated them, threatening to tear through the fabric of time itself.

"He's sensed us, even from within some higher spiritual realm. He's detected the anomaly here; this person's strength truly exceeds all expectations," Jiang Qingyao's expression shifted as she announced their immediate departure.

"Mission accomplished, the last scripture observed," Wang Xuan declared, even as he too spat out a mouthful of blood from his spirit.

They collected the spilt blood and fled swiftly. The heavens above turned semi-transparent, as if eyes from layers upon layers of higher spiritual worlds peered down upon them.

A thunderous force flipped them mid-flight despite their evasive maneuvers, causing blood to stream from every orifice. They dared not let a single drop fall, fearing it might lead the madman directly to them.

It was the murderous intent of that madman, the terrifying gaze that spanned across the layers of higher spiritual realms, tracking them, hinting at his imminent return.

They plunged into the teleportation array, vanishing just as the structure exploded behind them. Shaken to their cores, they coughed up blood, crossing through space to emerge in another world.

Wang Xuan discovered that Celestial Sword Maiden Jiang Qingyao's injuries were far more severe than he had imagined. To protect him, she had taken the brunt of the attack, bearing a grievous wound on her back where the remnant sword intent from the madman's cross-dimensional slash had grazed her, deep enough to see bone. Most troubling was the faint killing intent still lingering in the wound, a serious concern.

"This madman is too strong!" Wang Xuan's heart raced with unease, deeply worried for Jiang Qingyao's safety.

"It's nothing. I can resolve this killing intent," Jiang Qingyao assured, quickly leading them to another teleportation array as they fled.

The sky above turned semi-transparent and then shattered, unleashing a terrifying sword light that sent shockwaves through the heavens, making every formidable creature and powerful cultivator on the ground feel suffocated.

"This time I'll lead the way. Trust me!" Wang Xuan enveloped her with the Zhanshen Banner, refusing to let her take the rear.

As they plunged into the teleportation array, the divine treasure, the Life Essence Furnace, appeared, shielding Jiang Qingyao within the Zhanshen Banner as they vanished into the light. The terrifying sword light from the sky followed but was silently blocked by the Life Essence Furnace.

Re-emerging from the void, Wang Xuan realized they had eluded the madman's pursuit. The Life Essence Furnace had concealed all traces of their passage as he navigated the treasure across vast expanses, diving into the endless dark.

Upon retracting the treasure and unfurling the banner, he found Jiang Qingyao nearly unconscious, her wounds grave. Despite her condition, she had tried to protect him and would not have allowed him to envelop her if not for the severity of her injuries.

"I still have a secret power I haven't used yet. Escaping with you is no issue," Jiang Qingyao said, wiping away blood, still managing a smile.

This time, Wang Xuan took charge, insisting she rest and guiding her into the purple gourd filled with traces of primordial chaos, preparing to return to the real world.

"Alright, I'll listen to you this time," Jiang Qingyao nodded.

Wang Xuan advanced into the darkness, spotting the lantern-lit station before diving into the swirling vortex, marking their official return.