The Stars Beyond

Zhou Qinghuang's glasses tumbled down, shock rendering her momentarily speechless. Her damp face was splattered with a few drops of fresh blood as she witnessed Wang Xuan locked in fierce combat with formidable opponents.

With a resounding thud, lightning streaked across the sky, tearing Wang Xuan's white sport jacket sleeve and exposing his right arm. He managed to cleave through the spirit emerging from shattered bones with a single palm strike, then gripped the spirit tightly as it dissolved under the heat of a crimson essence.

The two nearly decayed beings from the earth's core fell first among all the opponents, thanks to Wang Xuan's special attention toward them. A woman among the disciples of the man in black robes also perished, leaving only three standing.

"With the mortal realm's rules limiting our powers, it is astonishing for these individuals to exhibit such prowess. Their roots are profound indeed, and they've returned with their prime bodies from the celestial realm," Zhou Qinghuang murmured.

"They must be inner disciples of some powerful sect!" Gu Mingxi was in disbelief that Wang Xuan could slay such beings. "How strong has he become?"

Both women felt the unfolding scene to be unreal. In such a short time, this young man from the Old World had grown formidable, his power surging with each encounter.

Many transcendent beings had come out of the Immortal Tea House and gathered atop roofs to witness the grand battle on the street below. It was happening too close for them not to be alarmed.

"Even true disciples are being overpowered and slain?!" a quivering voice exclaimed. The intense scene sent shockwaves through their hearts and left them unsettled.

A swift gust rolled back the curtain of rain on the street, revealing a figure whose spirit soared out, wreathed in a dazzling light and a sphere of golden sword energy, and dove towards Wang Xuan.

Bearing the soul sword light bestowed upon him by the black-robed figure, the man made a desperate attempt to end Wang Xuan's life at this crucial juncture. For a moment, heaven and earth lit up as the ferocious sword light, boiling with killing intent, seemed to conjure a chilling vision of hell itself.

But alas, in a world drained of supernatural essence, even the mightiest moves by transcendent beings were limited to barely scratching the surface of the sauntering domain. A mere sealed sword light was no exception. In this universe, devoid of sufficient energy and the support of transcendent laws, what could have been a blade to split the heavens and earth lost its power.

Wang Xuan was forced to wield the Godslaying Banner, not out of fear for himself but concern that the sword light might cleave the building behind him. The opponent's technique was, after all, left by a progenitor of a sect. Wang Xuan was hardly nervous; he was certain he could dodge it, and even if not, he could survive the attack. He believed that if he ascended another level, he might be able to confront such formidable beings head-on.

The Godslaying Banner unfurled and vibrated intensely, its golden patterns sprawling out to intercept the splendid soul sword light cutting through the soaked night. After a thunderous clash, the man's spirit dimmed. The soul sword light endowed by his master was unable to claim the life of this youth from the Old World, leaving him in a state of regret and desolation.

Wang Xuan retracted the Godslaying Banner and surged forward, leaving behind an afterimage. He then clashed dozens of times, perhaps even hundreds, with the diminished spirit. His punches sealed off the void, blocking all escape routes for the spirit and preventing it from ascending into the night sky.

With a final strike, Wang Xuan's fist pierced through the spirit, vanquishing the soul of a true disciple. The scene left many transcendents astounded.

"This ends now!" Wang Xuan declared, stepping forward to address the remaining challengers.

Amidst the torrential rain and heavy lightning, Wang Xuan advanced with firm but gentle steps, embodying a demonic deity's resolve. What of true disciples? They barely concerned him. When it came to slaying his enemies, he showed no hesitation. His deepest wariness was reserved for the enigmatic shadow he had faced the other day.

With explosive speed and ferocity, he engaged the last two combatants on the street. Blood soared as he sliced through one's arm with a hand as sharp as a blade. In the fierce combat at hand, silhouettes whirled and the world darkened. When lightning illuminated the scene once more, Wang Xuan alone stood victorious. His adversaries were slain, none left intact. Their blood stained the ground red.

All six experts—all true disciples—were vanquished by his hand.

Zhou Qinghuang tried to appear composed and attempted to don her glasses repeatedly without success; she was holding them upside down without realizing it. Gu Mingxi, on the other hand, was trembling on the inside.

Transcendents at the tea house were equally shaken. In this worldly realm, it seemed unlikely that anyone lower than Quasi-supreme beings or sect masters could suppress this young man.

"Honestly, every time I see him in action, it scares me," Huang Ming lamented with sincerity in his words. From what he could tell, Wang Xuan vastly surpassed his own power level with each encounter.

Cao Qingyu, Chen Yan, and Kong Yun all remained silent. When they first ventured into the real world, they had the courage to confront Wang Xuan. But now, they could only shake their heads in resignation.

Qi Liandao, the son of the Demon Ancestor, wore a gloomy expression. Once having connected with his true self within the Great Veil, he had received a transmission of soul power and contemplated a battle with the 'Mad Wang'. Yet, now, he found himself reluctant to provoke the formidable youth on the street below.

***

In the celestial realm, a fierce battle for supremacy unfolded as contenders vied for the Ascension Banner, a treasure of immense power. This time, Heng Jun, having 'lost the deer', not only failed to secure the artifact but also lost his life, igniting a beacon of hope among the mighty. The possibility of the sacred relic changing hands seemed within grasp.

Yet, this event also served as a stark reminder: possession of such a treasure didn't guarantee invulnerability. Even the mightiest with such an artifact in hand could falter against the Old Covenant or other relics of equal standing, potentially being overthrown in a tumultuous clash of powers.

In response, formidable beings and entire factions from all corners adopted a guise of caution, many assuming the identity of the true Hades Blood Patriarch. Amidst this legion of impostors, the genuine Hades Blood Patriarch seethed with frustration. To his dismay, he discovered that in the race for the artifact, he had been relegated to fifth place.

Trapped in ruthless competition with his own supposed kin, he couldn't even secure a spot among the top three. This revelation stung, a testament to the bitter truth that deceit often trumped integrity in the quest for power.

"You pack of deceitful scoundrels, this is utterly despicable!" he cursed.

Ironically, to the outside world, he was just another pretender; no one believed him to be the true Hades Blood Patriarch.

***

In the real world, the enigmatic shadow had already fled thousands of miles away from An City, with its incredible speed, to the verdant ridges of the Pamir Plateau. It was here, amidst descending spacecraft, that Old Chen stood alone against the masters of new techniques and Wang Xuan first made a name for himself, by kicking the gravely injured grandmaster Xia Qing to death.

The pursuing duo of shadowy figures managed to corner the mysterious shadow once more, their path blocked by the Old Covenant artifact suspended mid-air, which emitted a gentle, divine light.

"Did I touch a nerve? To think you'd go to such lengths for that young man, engaging in this arduous manhunt over thousands of miles," the ethereal shadow remarked, now bearing wounds. His visage gained a hint of solidity in the void, and his eyes sharpened as they focused on the pair.

"Interesting..." he murmured, observing the two shadows with a sense of realization. Despite being hunted for two consecutive nights, his lack of fear emphasized his strength.

"There's nothing interesting about it. We know you're just an avatar, but we'll kill you all the same and ensure your primary self remains unaware of what exactly transpired here."

"You won't escape today. Either embrace a swift end on your own or wait for us to deliver it," the two declared. Using the Old Covenant to seal the heavens and earth, they prevented his escape, determined to slay the formidable and rare 'dragon'.

That night, the Pamir Plateau resonated with the sounds of grand scriptures and was bathed in a divine light that purified the entire expanse.

With a soft sound, the transcendent dragon's shadow shattered. The pair had vanquished it, leaving only a wisp of sacred blood behind that soon burnt to ash.

"Which of the three was it?" the woman asked, her elongated shadow form taking on a more solemn tone.

"Given his exceptional strength, it's highly likely he was the second most formidable," the man replied.

***

Outside An City, a fiery red cassock flew at high speed, bearing a ghostly monk and a round-faced girl through the curtain of rain.

"Quick, you useless monk, put some muscle into it, or we might miss the battle of a lifetime!" the little White Tiger shouted.

They had originally been in Ping City, but the commotion here was too great; all the supernatural beings in the old lands had heard of it, and the two had harnessed a magical treasure to speed their way to An City.

Entering the city, they were disappointed to find that the battle had already ended, and they missed the spectacle of the ancient covenant soaring through the skies. The round-faced girl was notably disheartened and frustrated.

On the main street, Wang Xuan was cleaning up the battlefield, using the flawed Samadhi True Fire to incinerate the bodies, which vanished with the rainwater, erasing all traces completely.

He entered Huang Ming's teahouse, and as it happened, the White Tiger and the ghostly monk arrived just in time.

That night, the supernatural beings of An City were severely startled and gathered in heated discussion; many headed to the Exiled Immortal Tea House.

Wang Xuan, the little White Tiger, and the ghostly monk faced each other, an old reunion under strange circumstances; how could they forget those moments in the inner scenic lands?

"Didn’t the two of you seriously fight each other?" Wang Xuan broke the silence with a smile.

"That’s despicable, urging me to set up a fight, Ghost Monk, hit him!" the round-faced girl said indignantly, her cheeks puffing up with anger.

The Ghost Monk sighed, saying, "I reckon we might not be able to beat him now in this world."

The trio entered a private room in the teahouse, and Wang Xuan had many questions for them about people with special inner scenic lands and about the shadowy man and woman.

"How strong were the Demon Lord’s parents back in the day?" Wang Xuan brewed tea himself, serving them tea that wafted a subtle fragrance.

"Naturally, they were powerful to the extreme. The Demon Lord's mother broke through the Celestial Fox realm; you can let your imagination run wild," the little White Tiger said proudly, as if she were talking about her own strength.

Then, Wang Xuan humbly sought to learn more about the past from them, even asking how Fang Yuzhu compared in strength to the Demon Lord’s parents.

"They were friends; they wouldn’t fight each other," the round-faced girl declared firmly.

"Friends?" Wang Xuan was surprised.

The round-faced girl sipped her tea nonchalantly and said, "What's so strange about that? Fang Yuzhu the Immortal is slightly younger than them, suitable for being peers, and slightly older than the Demon Lord, also suitable for being peers."

"The little monk has heard some interesting stories. The Immortal Fang has an amazing talent and extraordinary strength. If she were to spar with them one-on-one, she would have a slight upper hand, but one against two, the odds would be against her. Thus, although Immortal Fang is younger than that pair of supreme Dao companions, she also stands as a peer to them..."

Hearing this, Wang Xuan's eyes lit up, intrigued by the gossip. "Would those two consider themselves on par with the Celestial Fairy?" he inquired.

"They are willing to regard the Demon Lord and the Celestial Fairy as equals," replied the monk in a nuanced manner.

"Black Monk, don't gossip!" Little White Tiger glared at him, clearly displeased with the monk bringing up old stories.

Wang Xuan couldn't help but chuckle. He found the bizarre gossip quite amusing.

"What are you laughing at? I'll go tell the Demon Lord you've asked for her dance crystal for the tenth time!" the round-faced girl threatened.

"Tiger Trickster, don't falsely accuse me. And since we're on the topic of that dance, when will you make it up to me for that scam you pulled?" Wang Xuan challenged her. He was not afraid of her tattling to the Demon Lord who wasn't in the Old World at present.

"Was it a beautiful dance?" A woman's gentle voice filled the room, and the shadows of a man and a woman appeared on the wall.

"Truly!" Wang Xuan blurted out before realizing his mistake, yet he found himself irresistibly drawn to speak.

"And what makes it beautiful?" the woman's soft voice asked again.

Wang Xuan wanted to cover his mouth, but he found himself helplessly spilling out his true thoughts. "Fair-skinned, beautiful, long-legged, ethereally peerless, and enchanting..."

He hurriedly tried to correct himself, his hands glowing and runes flickering as he attempted to seal his own mouth.

The man's shadow on the wall chuckled softly, but Wang Xuan felt there was something off about that laughter; it made him uneasy.

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