The Stars Beyond

In the asteroid channel, where red mists roiled with heat and violence, carrying a whiff of annihilation, Wang Xuan's gaze turned peculiar. Was this real? He scrutinized the message, confident in the handwriting belonging to Yan Yun, the demon sovereign. The other masters witnessed this too, finding it absurd yet chose silence over commentary in this precarious situation.

Even Old Zhang, who usually couldn't stop himself from speaking his mind, opted for silence, not wishing to provoke a battle with Yan Yun here.

Yan Yun herself, her pristine feet tense within her boots, had never felt so... frustrated and awkward. Maintaining her composed facade was a struggle amidst the oppressive silence.

Wang Xuan's mind raced, then calmed. Could he be facing a severe beating? Even though he wasn't the author of those words, reason often fell on deaf ears.

He couldn't help but feel that Yan Yun might use him as a scapegoat to escape her embarrassment, potentially leading to a dire outcome.

Eager to avoid an unjust punishment, he quickly said, "I understand!"

He needed to stabilize the group, preempting any outburst from Yan Yun and defusing the tension, so he took the initiative.

The tension in the eyes of the other masters was palpable, all too aware of Yan Yun's temperament and silently anticipating Wang Xuan's imminent chastisement.

"What are you trying to say?" Yan Yun asked, her face expressionless, though her calm exterior belied the turmoil within, ready to strike.

"This is a matter of life and death, concerning every one of us!" Wang Xuan stated gravely, aiming to shift their focus first.

"You seem nervous. Your spirit's light is flickering erratically. Why do I get the feeling you're guilty?" Old Zhang said with a smirk.

Wang Xuan fought the urge to retaliate against Old Zhang for his betrayal at such a critical moment. Predictably, Yan Yun's fingertips began to glow, signaling her readiness to act.

"Everyone, do you understand where we are? Are you aware that we're all under the influence of a mysterious force?" Wang Xuan spoke rapidly, injecting urgency into his words. "Do you realize there's something fundamentally wrong with our presence here? You seem like characters in a play, unknowing of the plot, while I am merely an observer, watching as you act out your undefined roles."

His words resonated, stirring unease among those present, including the Demon Sovereign Qi Yi and the man in silver robes who emerged from the ashes of Zheng Yuan Tian's demise. Despite their formidable powers, being repeatedly drawn into this scenario without retaining any memory of it had left them with an inherent sense of wrongness.

"This is a crisis of survival, likely leading to a horrific escape," Wang Xuan continued. "Our focus should be on devising a way to leave, on finding how to extricate you from this cycle of abrupt appearances and irrational summonings to this place."

With those words, Wang Xuan felt the target move away from him, successfully defusing the tension. Yan Yun subtly adjusted her skirt, concealing the provocative words etched onto it.

"The peculiar state you find yourselves in appears linked to my arrival and observations," he mused, intrigued by the anomaly.

Turning to Old Zhang, he remarked, "Your clothes too bear inscriptions, though mostly burnt to ashes. Can you decipher any of it?"

Old Zhang frowned, "I caught glimpses, but much has turned to dust."

Fang Yuzhu added, "According to what you've said, upon your departure and subsequent return, our circumstances resume as if from a 'paused scene'?"

Wang Xuan then inquired, "Yu Zhu, why inscribe messages on your mystical armors? What prompted this action?"

......

It must be said, the keen senses and extraordinary perceptions of those present allowed them to speculate some truths from the few remaining characters of their inscriptions. Their spirits had been summoned here, the blank period of pause highly abnormal, likely having returned to the mortal realm yet bereft of memory.

"Has someone been erasing our memories?" The Demoness's face grew icily beautiful with suspicion.

"So, upon your return, you must preserve some memories, inscribe them upon yourselves," Wang Xuan discussed with Old Zhang and Fang Yuzhu, examining the scorched inscriptions.

"You mentioned the scripture in your messages, emphasizing the importance of minor achievements in its practice. But the details were too fragmented. Next time, we need a clearer description," Wang Xuan advised.

Zhang Daoling nodded, then added, "The more concise the message through time and space, the clearer the retained meaning. Like the Demoness's message—it was very straightforward."

Wang Xuan bit back his retorts, cursing Old Zhang inwardly for his perilous suggestion.

Old Zhang further elucidated, "The message from the Demoness in the mortal world might be conveying something crucial, perhaps a spiritual key that requires Wang Xuan's touch, leading to our awakening or triggering some event."

"That makes sense," agreed the Lord of the Netherworld.

"I concur," smiled the Demon Sovereign Qi Yi.

The Demoness's gaze could kill as she stared at Wang Xuan, but then, with a smile that melted ice into spring, she asked, "Do you agree too?"

Wang Xuan vehemently shook his head, his will to live surging. "No, I think, Demoness, you cutting off your skirt and giving it to me would suffice. The outcome should be the same. Perhaps, it just needs to be brought to the mortal world for verification."

"You wish to take it away?" The Demoness's delicate hand glowed ominously.

"Given it involves a spiritual key, it must be done meticulously, and it should be Wang Xuan who undertakes it," Zhang Daoling suggested.

Wang Xuan felt like he was being thrown into a pit by Zhang's words. He looked for an escape, but the eyes of those around him were fixed.

With a bang, an altercation sparked between the Demoness and Old Zhang, their powers intertwining. Had Fang Yuzhu not intervened, the conflict might have escalated.

"It's your turn," the Demoness turned to Wang Xuan.

His expression fraught with difficulty, he responded, "This task is indeed daunting, but for the safety and secure departure of us all, I will do my utmost."

With a spirit of valor, he stepped forward, extending his hand.

"Crack!"

......

Returning with a pained grin, Wang Xuan acknowledged the ordeal he'd just endured. Dodging a beating seemed impossible, especially after an inadvertent touch on those ivory legs gave the Demoness a pretext to lash out.

In the mortal realm, Chen Yongjie and Qingmu, though wary of approaching too close, stood guard from a distance. They were shocked upon seeing the charred hem of a skirt, its barely legible inscription still visible, causing a stir.

"Snap!" This time, Wang Xuan took a photograph himself, preserving evidence to prevent future reprimand from the Demoness, and then carefully tucked it away.

After recuperating in the real world, Wang Xuan prepared for another journey, instructing Qingmu and Old Chen to stay vigilant for any transmissions from the ancient ship in the cosmos.

"Wang Xuan, there's something off about you. Every time you start to fade away, you're enveloped in a glow, accompanied by a moment of chanting. What technique were you practicing then?" Chen Yongjie inquired.

"I wasn't practicing any techniques before departing," Wang Xuan replied, surprised. He then paused to reflect on various scriptures, from the golden bamboo slips and stone tablet scriptures to the Sakyamuni True Scripture, and then to... the mental illness technique, his heart racing.

Quickly, he gathered a collection of scriptures from the fragments of his sanctuary, bamboo slips, and paper scrolls, and spread them on the ground. He instructed Chen Yongjie to closely monitor which scripture stirred as he once again vanished into the abyss.

Aboard the ancient spaceship deep in space, the atmosphere was tense. Despite the warning left by the Demoness, her skirt remained torn.

"Is this an attempt to provoke me by desiring a celestial dance they cannot have?" The Demoness watched her gown mend itself, unable to conceal her legs.

"He's committing a crime. How could the peerlessly beautiful Miss Demoness let him off?" The Mechanical Bird commented before disassembling itself into a pool of active metal, choosing self-preservation over being struck again.

"These words disappear too quickly. The gist is, we've inscribed too little; we should write more to convey accurate information," Old Zhang observed.

In essence, they were somewhat satisfied. Though their departing spirits were cleansed of memory, communication between the realms wasn't entirely cut off, presenting a possibility for strategizing.

"Then let's inscribe more!" Zhang DaoLing declared.

Fang YuZhu, Hades Blood Patriarch naturally had no objections, only the Demoness Yanyan gritted her teeth at the thought of Wang Xuan, so daring even after her warnings.

"If you dare tear my skirt again, I'll kill you!" Ultimately, the Demoness Yanyan's message remained unchanged, the same few words, reluctant to elaborate further. Should this warning prove ineffective once more, she contemplated returning to the old earth herself to deal with Wang Xuan directly.

......

Wang Xuan's form blurred, revealing an anomaly in his vicinity—a yellowed, ordinary piece of paper glowing and floating into the air.

With a whoosh, he vanished.

"We've found it!" Chen Yongjie exclaimed in shock. It wasn't the golden bamboo slip nor any other secret scripture that caused all this but a seemingly mundane piece of paper.

Back in the meteorite channel, Wang Xuan faced the assembled figures once more, his eyes immediately drawn to the Demoness's updated message, which now harbored an extra word, clearly readable: "Tear my skirt again."

"This... might not be a good idea," Wang Xuan muttered, rubbing his hands awkwardly, mainly to avoid the murderous gaze of the Demoness Yanyan.

He hurriedly checked the others' messages. Indeed, they all frowned upon this round of communications, touching on matters as severe as turning reality into illusion.

After lengthy discussions, they pieced together a rough outline of their situation. Wang Xuan returned with the "Five-Word True Command Skirt Hem," leaving Chen Yongjie and Qingmu astounded. The handwriting unmistakably belonged to the Demoness.

"Is Wang Xuan acting upon divine orders? This is defiance against the heavens!" Qingmu marveled.

Chen Yongjie felt a beatdown was inevitable, hinting at deeper issues at play. He quickly pointed out, "It's this scripture."

Wang Xuan immediately understood. That aged piece of paper, salvaged from the ashes of a mythological civilization's bonfire, was the so-called mental illness technique.

"Some things are now clear, indicating a serious problem with my psyche. I might have fallen into a peculiar mental state."

"Miss Fang, Master Zhang, they've sent messages from the depths of space," Qingmu announced, delighted at the news.

A video presented their deductions and conclusions clearly.

"To dispel falsehood and preserve truth, to be the sole reality amidst all beings, spirits, and worlds, with everything external being an illusion? I've run into trouble practicing this scripture. And it's related to the Mirror of Heaven? Next time, I must solve all these issues."

In the far reaches of space, the Demoness Yanyan was on the verge of exploding. Her warnings ignored, she faced yet another blatant provocation; her long dress had transformed into a mini, showcasing her splendid figure.

"Is he trying to collect a complete set of peerless armor?" Zhang DaoLing chuckled.

"The youth indeed have ideas and vigor, fearless of the future," Hades Blood Patriarch laughed as well.

......

Upon his return to the meteorite passageway, Wang Xuan carried with him a deeper understanding of the underlying issue, along with a page from a scripture. Previously unaware, he now marveled at how this ordinary sheet of paper, glowing consistently like a guiding lantern, remained undestroyed by the searing red substance, hinting at its resilience to the destructive forces around.

"It's somewhat terrifying, this mere page. Considering its material, there's nothing remarkable, yet it withstands the flames and destructive materials here," Wang Xuan couldn't help but marvel.

This visit, he decided to consult directly with Fang YuZhu, Zhang DaoLing, Yanyan, and MingXue JiaoZhu, excluding others like the Demon Ancestor and Qi Teng.

"The Demon Flower, the Curtain of Heaven Mirror, nearing the realm of reality, the paper, the scripture of mental ailment, the interchange of reality and illusion... It's truly alarming," MingXue JiaoZhu expressed his astonishment.

"You might not have needed to disclose some of these details to us," Fang YuZhu commented.

"But your arrival here, coupled with the anomalies I've encountered, necessitates a resolution," Wang Xuan explained. He harbored some apprehensions; the multitude of issues here could potentially cause trouble if they were to return to the real world with their memories intact.

"If your issues here can be fully resolved, and you witness our spirits depart while leaving everything else behind..." Fang YuZhu proposed, knowing the gravity of Wang Xuan's secrets even amongst the closest of allies.

"Impossible, you expect me to leave my entire dress for him?!" The Demoness Yanyan, like a cat whose tail was stepped on, nearly exploded in anger.

"Let's address his mental ailment first," Zhang DaoLing suggested.

"Old Zhang, you're the one who should be diagnosed!" Wang Xuan retorted unhappily.

"Disagree? I conquer hearts with virtue!" Old Zhang chuckled.

"There's something off here. I feel that there's no such thing as the Demon Flower. It should be completely empty; that flower shouldn't exist," MingXue JiaoZhu voiced his concerns.

Fang YuZhu pondered and then said, "The so-called Demon Flower, the Eternal Flower, isn't truly ours. It might just be the trajectory of Wang Xuan's journey, perhaps only a vision in his heart, an everlasting flower that in turn became a hallucinogenic Demon Flower in his mind – an unsolvable mystery."

Yanyan agreed, "Exactly, each of us harbors an undying flower in our hearts. It's a common dream of mythological beings and mortals alike, nourished by the desire for immortality, rooted deep within all beings. A flower that has been vibrant from ancient times to now, sought after by emperors and commoners alike, in pursuit of eternal life."

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