The Stars Beyond

In the high-level spiritual realm, Mount Bu Zhou was majestic and magnificent, with picturesque beauty. There were also dangerous areas with complex terrain here.. Occasionally, one could see the appearance of Kirin here, witness the Golden Crow soaring, and even more dangerous beasts lurking.

"Mount Bu Zhou is in the spiritual realm, not finding it in reality is understandable," Wang Xuan sighed.　　

It was first mentioned in the Classic of Mountains and Seas: The Western Regions. It said, ‘Beyond the Northwest Sea, in the corner of the great wilderness, there is a mountain that is imperfect, named Mount Buzhou.’　　

Legend has it that if ordinary people are fortunate enough to see it, following it can lead them out of the mortal world directly to the heavenly realm, which is the transcendent world in the eyes of mortals.　　

"But how could ordinary people travel far in Mount Bu Zhou," pondered Wang Xuan, shaking his head, feeling it was too difficult even for him.　　

Because this was a high-level spiritual realm, ordinary transcendents who came here could only end up dead or find it extremely difficult to move an inch. Wandering freely in this vast realm would mean exploration of various spiritual realms, but it all starts from lower-level spiritual realms.　　

One could only imagine directly entering high-level spiritual realms like Mount Bu Zhou, Guanghan Palace, or Yao Pool. Only the strong could establish themselves in these places no matter what era they were in.　　

"Is there really a vast garden of peaches and heavenly herbs in Yao Pool?" Wang Xuan asked.　　

The Celestial Sword Maiden shook her head, saying, "How is that possible? Heavenly herbs aren't like chives, they don’t grow back once you cut them. There are actually only several overgrown mother plants, that’s why it looks like they are endless. Yao Pool hasn't held a grand event in many years, it's difficult to enter there now as it is extremely dangerous, probably occupied by super monsters!"　　

The high-level spiritual realm was not as peaceful as people imagined, it was often accompanied by great dangers and unpredictable crises. Otherwise, the immortals would simply move and live in the high-level spiritual realm.　　

"For example… look over there!" said Jiang Qingyao as she pointed ahead. A mournful howl rang out on a high mountain beside Mount Bu Zhou. It made people's minds tense up as if they’re spirits were being attacked.　　

That was a strange creature, with a dark golden body, somewhat like a Yaksha, yet also like an evil deity. It was thin and shriveled, with tough skin capable of easily shattering mountains. It had only half a head, a right arm, and had lost its left leg.　　

"This thing is powerful, seems to be at the peerless-level?!" exclaimed Wang Xuan, staring solemnly.　　

The Celestial Sword Maiden said, "Yes, but it's not a normal creature, it is a spiritual remnant. No one knows what era it's from, it has no self-awareness and it's only driven by instincts to slaughter. It’ll either go berserk or it’ll remain dormant."　　

The creature leaped into the sky as she had just finished speaking. It leaped beyond the void of the high-level spiritual realm, and grabbed a huge spiritual energy planet.　　

At that moment, it was extremely terrifying. Its lone arm swelled explosively, surpassing the sky, booming loudly. Nearby creatures were all shattered by the suppression, and the spiritual energy was terrifyingly intense.　

Wang Xuan was certain that if Jiang Qingyao weren't present, he wouldn't be able to stay here.　　

In the Immortal Realm, in the high-level spiritual realm, the power of peerless transcendents was unquestionable. They’re able to pluck planets from beyond their domain with a mere lift of their hand.　　

"Do you know its origins?" Wang Xuan asked.　　

"It's possible that it doesn't belong to this mythological era, originating from a lost transcendent civilization. It lurked in the high-level spiritual realm before the long ages, trying to survive through eternal darkness, but being left behind like this is as good as dead."　　

One of the reasons the high-level spiritual realm was dangerous was because of the surviving ancient creatures. It was possible that an ancient creature could crawl out of a seemingly peaceful mountain and catch people off guard.　　

"Are there not a single normal creature that successfully survived?" Wang Xuan asked with interest.　　

"No, when the myths fell silent and the Immortal Realm extinguished, the high-level spiritual realm became turbulent and unstable. It was on the brink of collapse, it had completely dimmed and was exhausted. No normal creature could survive that. The best outcome is to leave behind some spiritual remnants, the real beings of the remnants all perished tragically."　　

Jiang Qingyao informed him that this was the consensus. Many cultivators would come to hibernate in large numbers if one could survive the harsh winter here.　　

Not only in this mythological era, but there were even explorations and records in those ancient civilizations, but this path was impossible. The few survivors would ultimately become monsters, losing their self-awareness. Only leaving behind pitiful spiritual husks.　　

"This creature must have been very powerful in its prime. Even now, its remnant body can still easily pluck a spiritual planet in this vast world with just its instincts. This is terrifying!" Wang Xuan sighed.　　

Boom!　　

As they were observing that dark golden creature, it noticed their presents. With a leap, spanning hundreds of miles, it crushed the magnificent mountain ranges as it flew horizontally towards them.　　

The Celestial Sword Maiden's expression changed slightly as she struck towards the creature with her sword. The sword light that it emitted truly looked like a galaxy. The overflowing sword aura caused the surrounding massive mountain ranges to collapse.　　

The sword light collided with the creature, causing an explosion in the void, and cracks in space spread like a black knife toward the outer domain, toward Mount Bu Zhou.　　

The creature stumbled, it was slightly wounded on its chest, but it was unharmed. With a forceful stomp of its lone leg in the void, it pounced again.　　

"This…" Wang Xuan was shocked. This creature was too abnormal. Even the sword light of a peerless transcendent couldn't kill and cleave it open.

How strong was it before it became a spiritual remnant?　　

"Let's go, it's pointless to fight it. If we accidentally provoke a few more, we might end up dying here!" Jiang Qingyao said, disappearing with Wang Xuan in a flash.　　

However, a terrible thing had happened. An unknown species of decayed raptor silently appeared in the distance. It looked ordinary, but its power was immense. Even the Celestial Sword Maiden felt greatly pressured by its assault, and her sword light dimmed because of it.　　

Moreover, its speed was extremely fast, traversing tens of thousands of miles in the blink of an eye. With a swoosh, it charged into the outer domain, carrying a large number of spiritual meteorites, descending as if to destroy the world!　　

Boom!　　

The violent collapse of Mount Bu Zhou caused the mountain ranges struck by it and the meteorites to collapse, magma surged into the sky, and the earth cracked open completely.　　

The Celestial Sword Maiden swiftly retreated with Wang Xuan, their figures moving quickly.　　

Wang Xuan was shocked. This was what creatures in the high-level spiritual realm were like. Battles that could destroy the heavens and the earth occurred at the drop of a hat. Even stars from beyond their domain were being plucked down and used as weapons.　　

He began to understand why the universe needed to correct itself. If mythical creatures constantly remained in the real world, these creatures would easily pluck stars and moons when they went out. No one could bear that.　　

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…　　

Five creatures appeared from different directions. There were dark golden Yakshas, decaying raptors, headless golden-armored generals, a silver ant carcass, and a skeleton.　　

The five powerful beings, driven by some primitive instinct, were particularly sensitive to the arrival of peerless transcendents. Their instinct was to directly hunt them down, which was terrifying.　　

Even the mighty Celestial Sword Maiden was dodging and evading in every direction. With a puff, she was coughing up blood and her celestial sword was trembling violently as she resisted attacks from different directions, some of which dimmed her sword light.　　

After some time of resisting, Jiang Qingyao coughed up three mouthfuls of spirit blood consecutively and had sustained injuries. Wang Xuan became anxious and said, "I’ll have to use it to attack them!"　　

Then, he took out the lid of the Life Essence Furnace. They were not in a good situation, even the Celestial Sword Maiden was heavily injured. Mount Bu Zhou was too dangerous.　　

Jiang Qingyao glanced at the lid and shook her head, saying, "No, put it away quickly. The great battle here will likely attract the attention of some intelligent creatures. If an extremely fierce aura erupts here, it will attract those with ill intentions."　　

She kept pushing forward with Wang Xuan. Finally, after much difficulty, they managed to break out of the encirclement. However, both of them were covered in bloodstains, mainly from the Celestial Sword Maiden.　　

"It's okay, it’s no big deal," she checked their injuries and said, "We're a bit unlucky this time to have encountered an encirclement by five monsters."　　

The high-level spiritual realm was full of uncertainties. If it weren't dangerous, if anyone could come, the mountains and plains would have been turned over long ago.　　

"This is not the worst scenario. It's said that the lunatic was hunted by a group of monsters in the high-level spiritual realm for half a year. The monsters even crossed domains to pursue the lunatic. They were relentless and unyielding," Jiang Qingyao said.　　

Upon hearing this, Wang Xuan couldn't help but be moved. No wonder Celestial Sword Maiden was so cautious this time, not bringing her physical body into the spiritual realm. It would be a burden here. Unless one was a peerless transcendent, they would always be affected to some extent.　　

He looked back and couldn't help but be surprised, saying, "Huh, those collapsed mountains, sunken lands, and erupting magma are all receding and recovering."　　

"The high-level spiritual realm has a very strong self-repair function. Otherwise, it wouldn't be able to sustain so many peculiarities," said Jiang Qingyao as she nodded.　　

It must be said that Mount Bu Zhou was vast. This spiritual realm was boundless. They flew out for a million miles, two million miles, three million miles… Even with the speed of Celestial Sword Maiden, it took them a long time to travel. Then, it continued for several days, with many rests along the way, as if there was no end!　　

A muffled and deep roar echoed out. A lush and green massive mountain that towered into the clouds suddenly split open. It opened its huge mouth and swallowed Wang Xuan and the Celestial Sword Maiden.　　

The entire mountain was actually a skull that was covered with grass and rocks. It had slept for endless years, awakened by the passing of peerless transcendent sword light. It then opened its mouth and swallowed them.　　

Sword light flickered, and the Godslaying Banner rustled. In the end, even the lid of the Life Essence Furnace was used to smash the creature's cheek. A large chunk collapsed, and then the skull shattered. Then, the two fled in a sorry state.　　

"Are you cursed with bad luck? When I came in alone, even if there were dangers, it wasn't too far-fetched. But when I brought you in, we encountered danger more than a dozen times along the way. We almost got eaten just now!" exclaimed the Celestial Sword Maiden, complaining to Wang Xuan.　　

She had just healed her spirit and was injured again. If they hadn't used the lid of the Life Essence Furnace to smash the monster's cheek and escape at the critical moment, they might have died there.　　

That was a creature from the Ninth Stage of Peerless-level, it was extremely powerful. When its skull was intact, it was bound to be peerless transcendent!　　

Finally, after three more days of travel, totaling eight days in all, they were finally close to their destination. They encountered dangers along the way several times.　　

The most serious time was when the Celestial Sword Maiden fought seven bloody monsters. She almost died there. At the critical moment, she had to use the furnace lid again to help in their escape.　　

"Let's just ride in the furnace and move forward!" said Wang Xuan as he was really afraid. He was worried that Jiang Qingyao might die. Each of those spiritual remnants was stranger than the last. They did not belong to this civilization, and their power was extraordinary.　　

The Celestial Sword Maiden shook her head and said, "No, if we bring the furnace out here, it's not just the two of us exploring. If it is seen by others, it will be big trouble once the news of it gets out. Besides, I like this kind of battle. This is how I grew up."　　

According to her, they would use it when they reached their destination. There were no normal creatures there, so there was no need to worry about exposure.　　

On the ninth day, they arrived. The area was very ordinary, without majestic mountains, splendid colors, or immortal grasses. The peaks were low, and the vegetation was all odinary spirit beings.　　

The more ordinary it was, the more uneasy Wang Xuan felt. Even the various monsters such as spiritual remnants didn't dare to approach this place. This was abnormal in itself.　　

After arriving there, he took out the Life Essence Furnace to protect them and slowly moved forward.　　

"Another gourd!" Wang Xuan suddenly exclaimed, then felt joy and excitement. That gourd seemed even better!　　

A vine was entwined on the low mountain ahead. It probably grew to this side from the other side of the mountain. A red-skinned gourd hung on the side facing them, it was radiant and colorful, with a thick chaotic mist surrounding it.　　

As for that vine, it was lush and verdant and was surrounded by chaotic light. It was obvious that they had reached their destination!　　

"This gourd is indeed better, but I didn't dare to pick it at the time," the Celestial Sword Maiden said solemnly. She wanted to reach out and pick it, but she felt extremely uneasy and stopped herself from doing so.　　

"At the time, I felt that it was tamed, like it belonged to someone. It was a very strange intuition," she added.　　

The gourd on the Chaos Vine had an owner?

Wang Xuan was astonished. He cautiously activated his spiritual eye to observe carefully.　　

Jiang Qingyao said, "In fact, this area is also very strange. I didn't see anything unusual the last time I passed by here. This place only manifested after the two gourds matured."　　

"Could this be a place with an owner?" asked Wang Xuan as he was now alarmed. He could vaguely see something inside the gourd!　　

Jiang Qingyao looked around vigilantly and said, "It doesn't seem to be the territory of normal creatures. I feel like it's some kind of spiritual remnant, the resting place of some super monster!"　　

The red-skinned gourd, enveloped in a chaotic mist, was too strong for Wang Xuan's spiritual eye to see through completely. He only vaguely saw that there seemed to be ripples of supreme treasure-level inside.　　

"No, it's weaker than a supreme treasure, more like the remnants of a supreme treasure. But how did it get incubated into the gourd? How does it have an owner?" Wang Xuan was puzzled and uncertain.　　

The gourd was very tempting, but like the Celestial Sword Maiden, he didn't dare to reach out to pick it. He always felt that something would go wrong once he touched it, and there would be a danger to life.　　

"Let's not touch it for now and go explore the Land of Fortune to see if we can enter it," Celestial Sword Maiden said.　　

The area was full of low mountains, and the valleys were spacious and silent, with no creatures inhabiting them. It was as if they had entered a deserted area.　　

The Chaos Vine was extremely thick and could twine around the low mountains. Its growth was extremely vigorous, and the rich vitality and chaotic aura made it appear extraordinary.　　

"Last time, I vaguely saw that there was a legendary Spiritual Blood Pool at the underground of the valley. You can take a closer look," the Celestial Sword Maiden said.　　

She had a semi-mature spiritual eye. Previously, she left without taking any risks when she felt uneasy about the red-skinned gourd and the possible existence of super monsters. Today, they came together with treasures and wanted to go deeper into the blood pool!　　

"Let me take a look… Wow, it's amazing. There's a great opportunity underground!" exclaimed Wang Xuan as his eyes lit up immediately.　　

There were red lights ten thousand feet underground, all emanating from a hazy blood pool, filled with chaotic aura. After his spiritual eye’s perception touched it, he felt light and comfortable all over, as if he were about to ascend and become an immortal. He was sure that this thing could definitely help him transform and improve again!　　

"The quantity… is not small. It's enough. After we bathe in the Spiritual Blood Pool, we will probably all break through violently!" exclaimed Wang Xuan. He was extremely excited and exhilarated.　　

He was already thinking about it. The other high-end forces of his camp could also be enhanced. Could Fang Yuzhu resist that lunatic if she became stronger? As for Old Zhang and Demon Lord, if their blood were to rise again, could they reach a critical threshold?　

Soon, he calmed himself down again. This place was extraordinary. Such a great opportunity emerged in the twilight of the myth, which definitely meant it was not an ordinary place.　　

"Be cautious, don't be too happy. It would be tragic if both of us died here by accident," said Wang Xuan, reminding himself. A great opportunity probably also meant great danger.　　

"It’s good that you know, don't get carried away!" Jiang Qingyao said. She felt a little uneasy when she first discovered this place. She left without being tempted, it was something not everyone could do.