The Stars Beyond

The mechanical Black Roc's demise ushered in silence among the crowd. A Limit Breaker from the Gouchen Imperial Palace had been vanquished in its final moments as easily as if it were made of paper. Everyone was taken aback by the sheer unpredictability of the event.

In the midst of the chilling awe that filled the hearts of the onlookers, a potent signal emanated from the steel fortress hovering near the registration area, decipherable by all factions present.

"The victor of the first battle, slayer of a Limit Breaker, shall be rewarded with a protective amulet," announced a light-formed bear's head, projecting from the towering iron structure. A crystal materialized and traversed the cosmic void, landing squarely in Wang Xuan's hands. No creature dared contest the sacred item bestowed by the guardians of the immortal lands.

Among the assembly of diverse beings—stone beasts, metallic monsters, flame sprites—all eyes were envious of the dark crystal Wang Xuan now held. The moment he grasped it, he understood its significance: a one-time savior of its bearer's life. By killing a star-level Limit Breaker, he had earned the immortal land's recognition, becoming a figure of interest.

This protection was offered in the hopes that he would journey further, sparing him from untimely demise due to unforeseen mishaps. In essence, he was considered one of the prime contenders.

"Such incredible fortune, equivalent to an extra life, permitting one to err and recover!" Some envied, their gazes filled with a mixture of jealousy and admiration.

A voice from the crowd teased, "Luck? If you're capable, go ahead and slay a Limit Breaker yourself. If you have the strength, it's not too late to snatch it from his grasp."

The scene buzzed with fervent discussion, yet amidst the clamor, a profound silence settled over others. Killing a Limit Breaker was no small feat; such achievements commanded respect.

In the immortal lands, life-bearing planets were numerous. The beings registering here, leaving behind coordinates of their transcendent planets, numbered in the hundreds. Yet, in recent decades, only a few Limit Breakers had emerged, making them exceedingly rare.

Any Transcendence Level entity was considered a pinnacle force within their domain.

Soon, Wang Xuan found himself surrounded by many, some flattering, some seeking affiliation, and others probing his origins—a scene of bustling activity.

In the cold cosmos, those who dared traverse such inhospitable realms in their true forms were naturally the elite.

"You hail from the land of the immortals, how fortuitous. We hail from the same vast domain!" communicated a large blue bird telepathically, expressing both surprise and intrigue.

Suddenly, dozens of beings converged around him, representing a kaleidoscope of forms, all hailing from different planets within the same star domain. Wang Xuan engaged with them warmly, discovering that the starry sky of the immortal path civilization was home to a significant number of life-bearing planets.

In a brief exchange, he learned that from the land of immortality to the immortal lands for registration, there were over two hundred teams present, indicating at least two hundred transcendent planets. This revelation left Wang Xuan somewhat stunned; previously, he was only aware of a handful of planets such as Old Earth, New Star, the Secret Realm, Yu Hua, Oula, and He Luo.

However, many of these transcendent planets did not correspond to the great veil, lacking the half-material, half-energetic realms of immortals. To undergo metamorphosis into an immortal, one had to venture to those special planets.

"In the land of immortals, truly corresponding to the great veil are but a dozen planets, with the others hosting merely medium and small-sized barriers," he was told. "From our land of immortals, over the past hundred years, the famed transcendent beings were those four Transcendence Level entities. It seems we have undercounted one, including you."

Hearing this, Wang Xuan was taken aback. Having been born in Old Earth and frequented New Star, he had not deeply engaged with the vast starry domain of the immortal path and was unfamiliar with its inhabitants.

"A Green Mist Star, I'm aware of it. The human race there is a minority with only a few hundred thousand individuals. It's unexpected that such a pinnacle force like you would emerge from there," a blue-haired woman said, her gaze intense with admiration. Being of the human race herself, she felt a strong kinship upon meeting Wang Xuan.

"The land of immortals has so many transcendent planets, numbering in the hundreds, and possibly even more in its unknown corners," Wang Xuan mused, experiencing a swell of realization about the transcendent domain he inhabited for the first time.

This implied that, in the same era, only one Limit Breaker might emerge from dozens of transcendent planets—a terrifyingly low ratio!

"How does the Immortal Land compare to the Lands of the Gods, the Domain of Technological Life, and the Immortal Path?" Wang Xuan inquired, seeking to understand the broader context.

In essence, he was a novice here, with much to learn. "Generally speaking, it's quite similar. In the Immortal Land, with hundreds of transcendent planets, there have been four Transcendence Level entities in recent decades, one of whom you've just slain."

"In the Lands of the Gods, there are currently five exposed!"

"As for the Domain of Technological Life, it seems to have three."

......

It didn't take long for Wang Xuan to gather a wealth of useful information, gradually forming a vague outline of the several major domains and learning about some of the top contenders. Were there really a dozen or so Limit Breakers? Now, he too was considered one of the hot seeds!

"What are the nuances of exploring transcendence, to extend the life of myth? What's the ultimate reward?" Wang Xuan inquired, sensing an opportunity within his grasp.

"The battleground here, on the desolate lands of transcendence and upon the extinguished great barriers, it is rumored that beings from the previous mythological era have walked out alive. Though only one or two have achieved this feat, it remains the greatest miracle. Digging deeper could uncover astonishing truths."

For this reason, the supreme gods within the great barriers, the mightiest of the immortals, and even the unparalleled beings among the immortal beings rushed here upon hearing the news.

"Moreover, legend has it that this place holds semi-finished treasures forged by past transcendental civilizations, offering a chance to fully advance them to the realm of Dao Harnessing!"

"There's also talk of several old covenant vessels left by past transcendental civilizations, never utilized, capable of directly forging Dao Harnessing!"

"Of course, those civilizations have perished, diminishing the power of their old covenant vessels. However, to catalyze the growth of semi-finished treasures, there's a high likelihood of crafting genuine Dao Harnessing level treasure!"

Such revelations were staggering, one after another, all holding the potential to extend the life of transcendence, no wonder beings from all domains flocked here.

"Some participants were accidentally chosen, coming through cracks in the transcendental barriers from other realms. Others, like us, received invitations due to our ancestors' participation in past battles, arriving here in our spacecraft."

Generally, in less technologically advanced civilizations like Old Earth, transcendental barrier cracks would directly select and transport individuals.

"Do you know of the spectral beings? Are they related to the Domain of Technological Life?" Wang Xuan questioned.

"We've vaguely heard of them, seemingly beyond our universe, those beings are hard to interact with."

Wang Xuan pondered deeply, confirming from their conversation that the Domain of Immortals, the Immortal Land, the Domain of the Gods, and the Domain of Technological Life still resided within the same vast cosmos.

His earlier speculation, that they had moved to a new universe, seemed mistaken.

Wang Xuan, ever amiable and without pretense, bid farewell to his new acquaintances after their conversation. They agreed that should they meet on the battlefield, they would join forces if possible, and if not, they would not engage in needless bloodshed.

He then turned his attention to dealing with the spoils of war, claiming the massive spaceship of the Mechanical Black Roc, calling over the mechanical bear to take charge.

"It's just so-so. Despite its size, it's not as advanced as mine. Consider it a supply ship or just strip it for parts and drain its energy before discarding it. It's not much use," the mechanical bear seemed unimpressed by the large spaceship.

"Alright, it's all yours to handle!" Wang Xuan left it in its care.

Wang Xuan returned to the silver spaceship, immediately surrounded by a crowd. This time, his defeat of the sixty-meter-long mechanical monster earned Qing Mu's utmost admiration, while Zhao Qinghan and Wu Yin witnessed such a grand battlefield scene for the first time.

Zhao Qinghan stepped forward, offering a snow-white towel to wipe his sweat, asking softly, "Tired?"

"Not really from killing the Mechanical Black Roc," Wang Xuan admitted. "But being enthusiastically bombarded with questions by hundreds of beings from various places was somewhat exhausting."

Imitating Zhao, Ma Chaofan attempted to wipe the little fox with a towel, only to get slapped across the face, leaving the onlookers speechless.

"Were myths not to fade, you might become a transcendent superstar influencing many star domains," Wu Yin commented, handing him a drink to replenish his body's needs.

Shortly after, the mechanical bear returned to the main control room, having thoroughly harvested the large spaceship.

Learning of these events, Qing Mu was astonished. "So, Wang Xuan has a chance to reach the end and claim the highest reward. With seventeen Transcendence Level seeds across the four major star domains, and one now fallen by Wang Xuan's hand, only sixteen hot seeds remain."

"That's not quite right," Wang Xuan corrected. He mentioned the incarnations of supreme gods returning from the great barrier, like the Blood Emperor and the silent, black-haired, red-eyed woman revered as a war goddess.

"Isn't that dangerous?" Zhao Qinghan asked quietly, worried about potential dangers.

"If it gets too risky, we'll just watch from the sidelines," Wu Yin suggested.

"Let's wait and see," Wang Xuan decided.

Half a day later, they arrived at their destination, a desolate area with numerous shattered planets and asteroids, with few stars, engulfed in darkness. A strong signal, decipherable by all spacecraft, indicated this was the intersection of the Immortal, Divine, and Transcendent lands.

Once a thriving star sea illuminated by the fire of transcendence, this region had dimmed and fallen silent. Now, it was a barren land of transcendence with extinguished great barriers, its once brilliant planets mostly faded from glory.

"The first round isn't perilous. You won't need to fight each other. You'll be placed on thirty-six planets, stepping onto the lands of extinguished great barriers. Generally, there's no risk of death. Just send a signal if you can't hold on, and you'll be retrieved. However, many will be eliminated this round. Only about twenty percent of the strongest participants will advance to the next round."

This meant eighty percent of the participants would be eliminated, but thankfully, with minimal danger.

Qing Mu, Zhao Qinghan, and Wu Yin naturally chose to explore, seizing the rare opportunity. Ma Chaofan and the little fox also clamored to venture into the extinguished great barrier alongside Wang Xuan. Together, they stepped into a steel fortress ahead, where a barrier gateway, akin to a transcendent teleportation circle, awaited them.

"Of course, some of your teams might encounter unexpected dangers. While such scenarios are negligible, they can't be entirely ruled out. In this first trial, there's a slight chance of facing hellish landscapes where the first battle could well be the last, unlikely to be survived, ending in death."

Many paled at the warning, the slim possibility implying a lethal trap. Wang Xuan turned, ready to send Zhao Qinghan, Wu Yin, and the others back, unwilling to risk any variables. If it were just him, it mattered little.

However, engulfed by a surge of light rain, they were all too late to react. A soft light curtain whisked them away in an instant, disappearing. Moments later, they arrived between extinguished great barriers, the light rain yet to clear. Barely standing firm, unable to discern their surroundings, an ancient book flipped open.

A voice resonated in Wang Xuan's mind through psychic waves, "Your talent is astonishing, capable of transcending this era, yet the myth dims, leaving you scant time. Now, only two choices remain. One, step forward without hesitation, forsake those by your side, let them scatter like the wind, vanish from your heart, and you shall become the supreme deity within the great barrier, uncovering the semi-matured ultimate treasure, obtaining a complete ancient covenant bearer, possibly extending the life of transcendence. Two, step back, marry, have children, and peacefully live out your life in the mortal world, a fulfillment in its own right."

"And if I choose neither?" Wang Xuan realized he might have unwittingly triggered a hellish level challenge, facing a final battle as his first.

"To choose neither is to embrace death for all, erased entirely. Life is replete with helplessness, who treads the path of cultivation without regret? This is your heart's journey, a necessary trial. Your choice, made in a moment's thought, bears consequence. Be aware, this is no illusion, not a risk-free test; it's highly likely to materialize, and you must own your decision."

The voice was calm, indifferent, void of emotion, echoing in Wang Xuan's mind. He turned, seeing Zhao Qinghan and Wu Yin standing a step behind him, on his left and right. Did his choice now involve them?

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