The Stars Beyond

"We, the evil spirits as you perceive us, rarely manifest unless we are helping someone achieve their dreams. In most cases, we are mere observers, travelers, coming and going silently," the silver-haired man spoke, evidently having more to say. He continued, "Don't seek origins, don't inquire about motives. These are the two premises we discuss with the hosts before fulfilling their dreams."

"This is our principle. Otherwise, violators will pay the price and become fallen, never to return," the purple-haired girl said, her expression finally turning serious rather than relaxed.

In terms of individual strength, this human before them didn't intimidate them at all. He was one of the rarest hosts that they’ve encountered but they did not seek after him. They were willing to communicate kindly. Wang Xuan did want to understand them, probing subtly to uncover their roots. "I've encountered various types of evil spirits, there are those lurking in secret realms, researchers conducting experiments in the beyond, and groups intermarrying with other races that are fully integrated into the vast expanse of space and are giving birth to new races." He referred to the mysterious creatures around the ferryman in the Land of the Departed, Dr. Zhang Qifan in the Space Bar who wore a lab coat, and the audience in the VIP seats of the ancient spaceship.

The silver-haired man spoke, "The creatures you mentioned with red eyes are likely true horror monsters that are different from us. As for the other spirits you mentioned, they are probably semi-fallen, unable to return but not fully fallen."

Wang Xuan delved further, asking, "Do you not belong to this universe? Even transcendents would find it difficult to see you without spiritual eyes. Are you here to observe us, conduct experiments, or undergo a special life cultivation experience?"

A black-haired man in a spacesuit spoke, "You can interpret it however you like, but we cannot say. Otherwise, it would be a breach of contract, which we can't afford. Lives are at stake, or they might never return."

"Over this past year, I've encountered waves of evil spirits like you. Some nurture mythical creatures, lurking in the night like walking their dogs. Some enter bars to experience novelty, and others appear near the remnants of super-civilizations. Yes, wave after wave, all resembling each other, all in spacesuits," Wang Xuan confessed openly, revealing his encounters to observe the reactions of these beings and gather more information. To his surprise, when they heard this, several spirits turned pale and were visibly terrified. Their expressions seemed genuine. They were genuinely disturbed.

A woman with ear-length hair urgently asked, "Are you saying that you've seen many evil spirits like us that are appearing in groups and becoming more common?!"

"Is there a problem?" Wang Xuan looked at her.

The silver-haired man lost his composure, speaking quickly, "Of course, there's a problem. If people like us, the evil spirits as you call us, appear on a large scale, it must be a major disaster. It would be unbearable for us and terrifying for you."

Wang Xuan chuckled, saying, "There aren't many of them. Altogether, it's just a few dozen, spread across different star systems."

The purple-haired woman placed a hand on her chest while having a grave expression and she said, "That's good. As long as tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of evil spirits don't suddenly appear on a planet, then there's no problem. Otherwise, it would be a natural disaster, indicating complete loss of control." This question made Wang Xuan ponder deeply.

After a brief silence, the silver-haired man spoke again, "Won't you consider your dreams?

"Forget it. There's no need to continue. I won't become your host, and it seems you can't help me either." said Wang Xuan with a normal tone. It lacked any hint of amusement, yet it caused the spirits' faces to stiffen slightly.

Ultimately, even the mightiest must come to an end in this era. Yet this young man before them was somewhat different, possessing a peculiar quality. They were particularly sensitive to this aura.

Could it be an undiscovered giant that had yet to grow?

However, that subtle quality was firmly sealed and not leaked.

The man in the spacesuit spoke, "In a sense, we are indeed undergoing an experience, improving ourselves through training, much like your mythical creatures. But our greatest strength still lies in technology. In fact, we classify myths as part of our technology. This spaceship, though it may not look large, is equipped with top-tier configurations capable of capturing giants."

"What do you mean by giants?" Wang Xuan asked.

"Huge creatures, referring to powerful rare species like the cosmic deep-sea whales, the top-tier beings in mythical creatures, and so on," the silver-haired man explained.

"So, they're what you call rare hosts?" Wang Xuan inquired. Then, he looked at the spaceship.

Was this a threat?

His gaze turned cold.

Do I need to turn hostile?　

The purple-haired woman smiled and said, "Under normal circumstances, we don't engage in conflict with people. If someone refuses our help in achieving their dreams, we simply leave."

Wang Xuan asked, "The silver bird corpse outside the spaceship, the broken giant sword, the remains of the flying dragon, and the shattered transcendent flying boat, weren't they destroyed by you?"

"I want to clarify, they attacked us first. It was self defense. You know our first two rules. The third rule allows us to retaliate and defend ourselves." replied the silver-haired man.

"In that case, since I've refused, I'll take my leave today," said Wang Xuan. After trying, Wang Xuan realized that the other party wouldn't reveal any more secrets. He came to pick someone up today and he didn't intend to engage in further communication.

"Aren't you afraid we'll turn hostile?" the silver-haired man chuckled.

The black-haired man in the spacesuit said, "Although we have rules of conduct that govern us and prohibit us from acting recklessly, but you're quite special. Aren't you worried at all, being on a spaceship that can even capture giants?"

Wang Xuan had never fought to the death with creatures like evil spirits before. He had just assessed the situation. He responded calmly, "Are you trying to threaten me? I hope we can both be safe."

"Dangerous!" Suddenly, a voice rang out. It was a metallic wolf head with purple ripples expanding out of its eyes. After scanning Wang Xuan, it emitted urgent alarm sounds, "Upon inspection, this creature is carrying prohibited items that can destroy the spaceship!"

The spirits on the scene were startled and were almost screaming out. In this starry sky, there were only a few completely prohibited items in total.

Did this suspected giant carry such things? This was outrageous!　

"It seems that my limited impulse, the thought of violating the agreement, was shattered by this warning. I can only behave myself now," the silver-haired man shrugged and was looking regretful.

In fact, Wang Xuan didn't understand the warning from the metallic life form, as they couldn't communicate verbally. However, through the fluctuations in their spiritual energy, he sensed something.

"What is the wolf head warning about?" pondered Wang Xuan.

"I’m a wolf. I am the great Wolf God. Please open your eyes and respect my wolf dignity!" The metallic life form corrected, this time emitting mental waves.

Wang Xuan felt that it had the same demeanor as the mechanical bird which belonged to the spaceship's intelligent steward. There was nothing to communicate with it, and he couldn't be bothered with it, mainly because of the association of resentment towards the earlier negative impression left by the mechanical bird.

"Since we don't have any conflicting interests, let's bid each other farewell and move on," said Wang Xuan as he didn't want to delay any further.

"Wait a moment, is your target the mythological planet below? Perhaps we have a chance to cooperate," the purple-haired evil spirit asked.

"Oh, how can we cooperate? What are you here for?" Wang Xuan inquired.

The silver-haired youth said, "We're here for whaling, and perhaps there's an extremely rare and endlessly terrifying forbidden item here."

Wang Xuan's heart skipped a beat.

Could the forbidden item he mentioned refer to the supreme treasure?

After all, he had obtained the Life Essence Furnace from the secret land.

Moreover, what did he mean by whaling? Was there still a super giant hidden on this planet? Is it the old fox?

Without needing to ask further, someone on the other side spoke up, saying, "We can cooperate. Don't you want one more forbidden item? In fact, even we are incredibly tempted by that thing, to the point of being unable to resist. However, it belongs only to this universe, and we cannot control it. If we help you obtain it, would it count as helping you fulfill your dream?"

Wang Xuan said straightforwardly, "I won't become your host. I can consider it if it's a fair and normal cooperation." He pondered inwardly that the forbidden item was probably the Life Essence Furnace.

The evil spirits exchanged messages with each other which clearly showed their extreme fear of the so-called forbidden item and their eagerness for him to join in.

"Agreed. We'll join forces to go whaling. We'll give you the forbidden item when we leave this universe in the future," this was the result of the spirits' discussion.

Wang Xuan hesitated and seemed reluctant, but he had finally agreed to it. In fact, he didn't care about the ownership of the supreme treasure. It had been on him for a long time. He was only interested in the giant whale.

He added, "I want to make it clear that I won't do anything outrageous. What's the origin of that giant whale? I might not participate if you capture it for no reason."

The purple-haired woman explained the situation, saying, "That giant creature was once perfect and powerful, but he was severely injured and almost killed by someone more than two thousand years ago. Our predecessors, who came from the same place as us, what you call evil spirits, helped him realize his ideals when the whale's life was extinguished, and he survived. He eventually escaped from the immortal realm. Unfortunately, that evil spirit predecessor was also severely injured and eventually died."

"How did he escape?" Wang Xuan asked.

The silver-haired man explained, "Spiritual Fragments and the essence of the whale's blood were attached to that supreme forbidden item. It penetrated the barrier and fell on this planet."

Furthermore, he added, "We accidentally found the notes of that fellow countryman on an abandoned ghost ship deep in this universe. We learned that he made a deal with someone, but he died first. We're here to take his place, to renew the contract with the dormant whale, and let the whale continue to serve as the host because, according to the agreement, the time has not yet come."

At this moment, Wang Xuan's mind was racing, but he concealed it well. He thought of many questions.

Why was the Life Essence Furnace here, especially in that hidden place?

It was definitely not something an ordinary person could arrange as even the immortals could be killed there. Now, everything made sense, it was the work of a giant whale that should have died. Moreover, he quickly connected many things.

Why did Fang Yuzhu come to the secret ground?

This thought shook him even more deeply.

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