The Stars Beyond

The Demon Lord stepped forward and walked towards the ancient spaceship in the pitch-black void of space. She wore a long red dress that showed her slender and graceful figure. Having such an extraordinary woman walking around in such harsh conditions of outer space would surely leave ordinary people dumbfounded. Wang Xuan followed and was also approaching the spaceship. He began to gear up. He wore a silver beast skin cloak and had a golden beast skin wrapped around his head, with two holes for his eyes. In his right hand, he held the Godslaying Banner, and in his left hand, an iron awl.

"Are you coming in with me?" said the Demon Lord Yan Yan while she glanced hastily. Today her expression was cold and aloof but she still exudes charm the moment she looks back.

"Yes, perhaps I can be of some help," replied Wang Xuan. He had originally intended to guard the door, but he decided to follow along since the Demon Lord had asked.

Moreover, he was truly worried. Three supreme experts had disappeared inside, without a trace. The ancient ship was indeed terrifying. He decided that if anything went wrong and even if it meant exposing the Life Essence Furnace, he would smash it to save them.

"Come here, walk beside me to avoid any accidents," said the Demon Lord. She stopped and waited for Wang Xuan to catch up and walk side by side with her.

A faint red glow emanated from her body and it enveloped her and Wang Xuan. The red glow formed a protective aura and it also brightened up the void of space.

This girl, this great Demon Lord, had a real body?

Wang Xuan was shocked!

Normally, he didn't dare to use his Spiritual Eye on the Demon Lord Yan Yan as he feared he would be beaten up by her. Her perception was too sharp. Now that he’s in close contact and walking side by side with their bodies almost touching. He could feel that it was indeed her real body, and not just an energy avatar, nor a manifestation of her spirit. He was quite astonished. The Demon Lord had actually retained her physical form. However, when he thought about it, it does actually make sense as even in the Secret Repository of Old Zhong in the New World. There were bodies lying horizontally inside the Divine Tree Coffin that remained uncorrupted. In this world, there are always some people who possess extraordinary methods that allow their bodies to remain immortal for two or three thousand years.

Crackle!

As the two approached the colossal spaceship, there was an inexplicable electromagnetic sound. It sounded like the harsh static noise one hears when a TV loses its signal. It was brief and only lasted for a moment or two. But then Wang Xuan felt his scalp tingling, and a chill ran down his spine as if something was approaching. He abruptly opened his Spiritual Eye but found nothing. He only saw mysterious cold traces left in the void. It seemed to be remnants of negative energy fluctuations.

"You're quite audacious, making trouble before I even step inside," Yan Yan sneered. With a lift of her hand, a streak of crimson heavenly thunder blasted toward the area in front of the hatch. With a thunderous boom, the lightning illuminated the surroundings. It was dazzling and had caused the void to resonate with terror!

The massive metal spaceship also trembled along, and out came faint sounds that sounded like it was from a different dimension. It gave off a sense of horror. Eventually, everything fell silent, but the blood on the spaceship started to glow faintly. It was bright red and ethereal, and also had a rotting scent that permeated the air. Yan Yan ignored it all and strode forward. She stepped into the entrance passage of the ship. It was dim and spacious inside, with nothing particularly remarkable. There was just some cosmic dust that floated around for who knows how many years.

"I want to see whether this is a challenge or a plea for help, and what information has been brought back," the Demon Lord said while glancing sideways at Wang Xuan, "Give me the Godslaying Banner, and you can use that burning stick to assist me."

Wang Xuan lowered his head and looked at the long iron awl. Such a powerful relic that was capable of entering the void and piercing meteorites was reduced to a mere burning stick. He silently handed the Godslaying Banner to the Demon Lord. He felt that it would be better for her to wield it in this kind of situation. This mission was likely very dangerous, so they needed to boost their strength as much as possible.

Yan Yan instructed, "Although your strength is not bad, it still lacks a little. If some strange creature ambushes us, you'll probably be blown to pieces. Stick close to me and don't stray more than two feet away."

"I'm not that weak!" Wang Xuan retorted. After all, he had slain supreme experts. How could he be so fragile?

"Then be careful," Yan Yan said, pointing the Godslaying Banner forward. With a swoosh, a black mark appeared on the metallic bulkhead. It burned and vaporised it into ashes.

"What was that?" Wang Xuan exclaimed.

"Some disasters aren't necessarily living beings, or rather, some creatures might not be in the form you imagine. It could be just a pattern, a blood-red mark, or a wall," Yan Yan explained.

The next moment, Wang Xuan's hair stood on end and without turning his head, he thrust the burning stick backward. With a swoosh, sparks flew behind him. It was the trans energy exploding and it had caused a pale face to disintegrate and quickly disappear. It looked like it came from a painting that was flat rather than three-dimensional. The twisted, snow-white face that was pierced by the iron awl, disintegrated just like that. Wang Xuan instantly became vigilant. This place was different from other dangerous places he had encountered before.

The passage was very long, mainly because the ancient spaceship was too massive. As the two walked forward, the desolate feeling of the place started to show. It was devoid of any vitality, with only the sound of their footsteps echoing lightly. Red blood stains appeared on the ground ahead, and a malevolent aura that felt capable of tearing apart human flesh emanated from the blood and rushed towards them. This was the result of the collapse of the transcendent world. The essence in the blood had dissipated, or else it would have been much worse.

"It is not to be underestimated," said Yan Yan with a nod of her head. She looked at the blood on the ground and continued saying, "Through the blood, I saw a quasi-supreme expert who fell a long time ago, but the enemy hasn't been revealed."

It was somewhat terrifying that even a quasi-supreme expert had been killed in the spaceship. It was truly unsettling.

With a gentle wave of her banner, the malevolent aura dispersed. The two strode past and were nearing the end of the passage. They were about to enter a relatively spacious section of the ship's cabin.

"Hmm? This is troublesome," said Yan Yan. She had sensed something as a strand of her hair floated up. She stopped and said, "Hold onto my arm."

"I...... I don't think it's necessary," Wang Xuan said.

The Demon Lord glanced at him and said, "I'm using your Godslaying Banner. It won't be good if I don't protect you and you get injured here."

Seeing him hesitate, she glanced at him again and said, "Hurry up, don't waste time. Otherwise, I'll send you out. Besides, haven't you always wanted to see me perform the celestial dance? Now that I’m close to you, are you afraid?" The Demon Lord smirked, giving him a final squeeze.

Without hesitation, Wang Xuan wrapped his arm around hers. He felt the softness, the fragrance.It was just like the warm color of jade. This girl, this Demon Lord, was indeed flesh and blood. Yes, Wang Xuan had confirmed it. This was her true body that was in the mortal realm! Like Fang Yuzhu, she had also left behind a complete immortal body.

As if knowing what he was thinking, Demon Lord Yan Yan glanced at him lightly and said, "Is it strange to have a real body? Fang Yuzhu and I were preserved the same way. During those years, the Divine Ascension Bamboo was split in half and was turning into two bamboo boats."

Wang Xuan was amazed. These two sisters had various karmic connections in the mortal realm. He couldn't help but speculate if they were really biological sisters.

His mind wandered.

If someone had foreseen the future for Fang Yuzhu, had they also foreseen the future for the Demon Lord? Were Yan Yan's parents the one that did it, were they a terrifying couple who had disappeared into the immortal realm long ago?

"What nonsense are you thinking? Focus, don't corrupt my mind!" The Demon Lord glared at him and pinched his waist fiercely. It caused a piercing pain for Wang Xuan.

"I'm not thinking about anything!" shouted Wang Xuan.

"Our arms are linked. It's too easy to see through your heart and mind. Who are you trying to fool?" The Demon Lord said nonchalantly. Wang Xuan immediately shut up and stopped thinking about anything. In the end, he practiced the highest scripture of the mentally ill to avoid her probing into his secrets.

The two entered an empty area, and what they saw was shocking. Countless bodies littered the ground, and filled every inch of space. Most crucially, there were no weaklings here. They were all the bodies of immortals. No wonder the Demon Lord insisted on him holding her arm and not leaving her side. This place was too sinister.

How many immortals had died here? When did this massacre occur?

This was a terrifying ancient ship that was filled with a sea of immortal corpses!

There were men and women but not all of them were human. Many still retained their human-like racial features even after becoming immortals. It was quite tragic. Even immortals could end up in such a state.

"So many immortals, and I don't recognize a single one," the Demon Lord said solemnly.

"Most importantly, they all have flesh and blood. Did they not enter the immortal realm after becoming immortals? But they don't have the Heavenly Five Decay Diesease. Or did they reach the threshold of Ascension, only to be slaughtered just before entering the grand stage?"

For the first time, Demon Lord Yan Yan was so serious. She found it extremely abnormal.

How could there be so many immortals with physical bodies in the mortal world?!

"Are they returning from deep space? Just the thought of it is provoking," she murmured.

Wang Xuan was also alarmed, mainly because there were too many physical bodies of immortals. Their origins were dubious.

Did they belong to this universe? Did they return after finding something, or were they originally outsiders?

Of course, what was most unsettling was that they all died abnormally.

Whose handiwork was this?

"It's impossible to trace back. This place is not simple. We can't see the crucial scenes of the past," the Demon Lord spoke up.

At that moment, strange sounds could be heard nearby. It was the sound of teeth grinding and bones shifting. The immortals' bodies around them had actually moved, and were standing up. They were very mechanical, stiff, and were lacking in agility, just like zombies. Blood flowed from their mouths and their hair was disheveled. They had swords piercing their bodies. Some of the immortals with broken necks stood up with tilted heads. Although some female immortals were beautiful before their deaths, they looked terrifyingly grotesque now. They opened their lifeless and dead eyes. The eyes were cold and gray, they were long dead.

A chilling scream that made one's spirit shudder and hearts raced echoed among them. Then, all the immortal corpses emitted eerie screams, followed by the sound of teeth grinding and bones shifting. Some stiff immortals rushed forward with insane speed. They charged straight ahead, leaving behind remnants of their figures! The Demon Lord took Wang Xuan and soared into the sky. They hovered over the empty cabin and looked down at the corpses of the immortals. Then Yan Yan said, "I could still annihilate every single one of you with a single hand even if you were all alive!"

With their arms linked, the two flew forward. Groups of immortal corpses started rising up, and were emitting a dense malevolent energy that was like a bursting dam. However, with a gentle wave of the Godslaying Banner, popping sounds were heard and their blurry and terrifying remnants exploded within their skulls. Their bodies fell to the ground and were unable to stop the two.

"I’ll spare you from a miserable end. If you have any sense left, retreat quickly, or both your form and spirit will be destroyed!" shouted Yan Yan.

With one hand holding the banner, the Demon Lord waved it forward with her red dress fluttering in the air. It displayed both the supreme demeanor of the co-ruler of the demons and the charm of the peerless Demon Lord that captivated all beings. A large number of immortal corpses rose up from below, but under the gentle shake of the Demon Lord's banner, they either disintegrated or fell to the ground. Just like that, the path ahead was cleared. Wang Xuan and her flew arm in arm and soared side by side.

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