The Stars Beyond

In the extinguished domain, desolation reigned with broken mountains and ravaged plains devoid of life. Lakes and rivers were dried up, and even the sky was dim.

Wang Xuan and his companions found themselves transported into this wasteland, surrounded by nothing but rocks and red soil.

"Look, there are statues here, no, fossils. What kind of creature is this?" Qing Mu marveled, standing over a stone fang nearly ten meters in length.

Now a supernatural being himself, Qing Mu used his great sword to cleave through the soil, uncovering a massive, fossilized beast bone, a remnant of a bygone era.

Wang Xuan commented, "No need to ponder further. It's likely the remains of a celestial-ranked creature, or even a peerless powerhouse from a lost supernatural civilization."

The immortal domain's barrier, once akin to a realm of immortals, was home to powerful beings capable of leaving such remnants behind.

Shadows began to gather in the distance as participants for the second round descended into this desolate area, with conflict inevitable.

Wang Xuan sighed, holding only three protective charms, insufficient for everyone.

"If anyone dares to target me, I won't give them the chance to brag. I'll decisively... surrender and leave immediately!" Transcendent Ma declared.

Little Fox Fairy's plump paw smacked him on the head, retorting, "At least announce your name before surrendering, so they know who you are. Otherwise, it's a wasted trip to the extinguished domain."

Qing Mu felt the fox's advice was just as shameful, with both strategies involving immediate surrender and hardly any more honorable than the other.

Having thoroughly understood the rules from the steel fortress, they knew they couldn't exit the first three rounds but could surrender at the onset of a fight, with the victor forbidden from delivering a killing blow.

Still, Wang Xuan was uneasy. Facing limit-breakers, they might not even get the chance to surrender before being struck down. He handed out the three protective charms, urging caution.

Zhao Qinghan shook her head, aware of the greater danger Wang Xuan faced. His prominent display in the first round might draw special attention, and what if another hell-level challenge emerged?

Wu Yin added, "Don't worry about us. At the slightest sign of danger, even without seeing the enemy, we'll shout our surrender and return to the ship."

Zhao Qinghan nodded, feeling a sense of incongruity with the Immortal Domain, which seemed to be playing a double game. "On one hand, they reluctantly reward you with these wondrous items according to the rules, and on the other, they aim to balance it out by increasing the difficulty for you."

"It really does seem that way. This trial is exceedingly harsh on Wang Xuan!" Qing Mu commented with a serious expression.

Wang Xuan frowned, pondering if there was a deliberate target on his back, but he dismissed the thought. "Perhaps they just want to push me to my limits, to select the most suitable beings. From this perspective, I might not be far from the highest reward."

"How are you holding up?" they asked, concerned yet noticing Wang Xuan's optimism just as figures began to close in from a distance. Incredibly, there were not just a few but possibly hundreds or thousands of supernatural beings converging on their location.

This seemed excessive. Were they all here to hunt down Wang Xuan? Zhao Qinghan, Wu Yin, and Qing Mu felt a sinking feeling, knowing well that Wang Xuan wouldn't easily retreat.

Transcendent Ma shouted, "Don't come any closer, or else... I'll surrender!"

"They're not human, all sorts of monsters, skeletons, stone statues!" Little Fox exclaimed, shocked by the approaching figures, all of which were varied forms of long-dead creatures.

Wang Xuan instructed, "Step back. If things turn sour, leave immediately. We can do without the rewards promised for surviving this round."

From the dry riverbeds, vast plains with giant fissures, and loosened soil, a multitude of monstrous entities emerged. Some appeared fossilized, others skeletal, and a few even bore remnants of flesh, indicating their immense strength in life.

"We've encountered a special supernatural being capable of summoning skeletons and the undead," someone noted.

Wang Xuan advanced, his wounds sealed and no blood spilled. These injuries were trivial to him; even punctured organs and severed bones were not beyond remedy, especially after consuming potent medicines he possessed.

The real challenge stemmed from the remnants of rules wielded by both Wang Daxian and the tall, grey-haired man. As supreme beings of their eras, capable of harnessing such elusive forces at the twilight of the supernatural era, it was these intangible remnants that posed the deadliest threat.

Wang Xuan needed time to cleanse himself, but his adversaries weren't about to afford him that luxury. Zhao Qinghan and Wu Yin rushed over, placing the dark crystal in his hand, deciding to surrender and leave upon encountering any opponent.

"Even if you plan to leave at the first opportunity, keep the protective talisman with you. I don't need it now. Carrying it makes me feel too secure; I want to truly immerse myself in this battlefield," Wang Xuan said, then charged forward. He was concerned the Immortal Domain might go too far, arranging another hellish challenge for him and his companions, potentially robbing them of the chance to surrender.

"Wang Xuan!" they shouted, but he had already plunged into the fray.

Sword energy cascaded from Wang Xuan, lighting him up from shoulder to foot, from the corners of his eyes to the tips of his hair. Alone, he contended against the battlefield's myriad monsters. His sword light, dense as rain, cleaved through the monsters, as easily as a red-hot iron through snow.

"The Emperor of the Dead never perished. His steps echo from the bygone era of myths. All his servants in the great barrier, heed the call of your ancient master, arise, march to battle, extinguish that man!" A voice boomed across the battlefield.

The ground split open, unleashing relics from a bygone age. Some had turned to stone, yet many still donned decaying armor, brandishing broken weapons, as if crossing over from a historical epoch, to assail from the previous mythical age.

"You're all already dead; what war is there to talk about? I'll send you all on your way, to rest in peace forever!" Wang Xuan radiated light, indistinguishable if it was sword glow or fist shine, his figure omnipresent, casting supernatural light everywhere.

A giant beast, towering over six hundred meters, barely emerged from the ruptured earth before Wang Xuan cleaved its head in two.

Sparks flew as countless figures that seemed like undead servants surged out from a subterranean palace, their armors split, weapons severed, and then densely falling in heaps.

A spiritual roar echoed, and another skeletal dragon surged from the earth, its skull faintly flickering with remnants of consciousness. This was once a true dragon, now summoned forth, its skeletal frame so formidable that even Wang Xuan's sword light couldn't shatter it.

"The myths of yesteryears have turned to ash, the rules of your era have worn away, and the essence of super-materials has depleted. All that remains is decay. You're merely a temporary echo of the supernatural, but I'll grant you time to disintegrate," Wang Xuan declared undaunted. After unleashing dozens of sword strikes and then distancing himself, he avoided the skeletal dragon to confront other monstrosities.

As expected, the dragon chasing him dimmed and eventually shattered into nothingness, leaving behind no remnants.

Clearly, the person summoning various undead and corpses from the shadows was a formidable master, conjuring both familiar and unknown mighty beings in an instant. Such as the decaying phoenix, a headless ancient human, and the thousand-legged celestial centipede, all hunting him down.

Wang Xuan, navigating through these monsters with his spiritual third eye wide open, identified the summoner's location ten miles underground. After piercing through a rotting giant bird, he charged towards the target. Yet, the next moment, he halted abruptly, his body radiating intensely as he turned back, piercing through the army of monsters with his sword light, crossing the skies towards Zhao Qinghan, Wu Yin, and Qing Mu.

In this area, at least five figures were approaching, targeting Qing Mu and Wu Yin, but Wang Xuan's keen spiritual senses allowed him to respond instantly.

Amidst his brilliant punch, the ground in one direction was obliterated, one figure sent tumbling with blood trailing from their mouth, their body clad in armor.

This strike, rooted in the pinnacle of mythical understanding and originating from the eleventh segment's punch, surprisingly didn't kill its target. Wang Xuan realized the complexity of the situation; the individual wore a special protective armor and was a transcendent being beyond limits.

Looking at the other four, he found they were also beings beyond limits. This indicated a serious problem: was this a deliberate targeting? He even suspected the summoner of the undead might also be a transcendent being.

With the death of the mechanical black peng, the four domains now had sixteen transcendent beings left. To have several of them here, aiming to collectively assassinate him, was beyond his expectation.

"Was this a coincidence, or intentional?" Wang Xuan contemplated, facing the group with a cool demeanor.

"I surrender!" Transcendent Ma yelled, realizing along with Qing Mu, Zhao Qinghan, and others that these adversaries had deliberately approached them to use them as leverage against Wang Xuan, pinning him down in this confined battlefield for a collective hunt.

Ma Chao Fan's declaration of surrender was futile, as no one had yet engaged them in combat. Clearly, their adversaries were well-versed in the rules, exploiting loopholes to their advantage.

"We might actually die here!" the little fox's expression darkened. Their foes wouldn't easily strike at them but would instead linger nearby, refraining from attacking until targeting Wang Xuan directly. In critical moments, they might eliminate one or two of them to disrupt Wang Xuan's focus.

"You're quite malicious, aren't you?" Qing Mu remarked, scanning the surroundings. Wang Xuan had hurried over precisely to ensure their safety.

But there was more; silently, six additional figures appeared, all transcendent beings beyond limits. Including the summoner of the dead, a total of twelve transcendent beings had converged to hunt down Wang Xuan, creating an undeniable death trap.

Even Wang Xuan hadn't anticipated such a thorough and terrifying "care" taken to eliminate him. Were all the transcendent beings assembled for a "battle of heroes," aiming to kill him while he was grievously wounded?

"Trouble brewing in the fourth extinguished domain. Some figures match the description of hot contenders rumored to be participating."

"It's confirmed. In the fourth extinguished domain, over a dozen transcendent beings have appeared. Is this a hunt for Wang Xuan?"

The news spread rapidly, shocking viewers aboard spacecraft throughout outer space. Was this an artificially created hell-level challenge with no escape?

Given the current situation, this battle seemed like the final confrontation.

"Wang Xuan, already gravely injured, faces encirclement. Can he survive?"

"Crucially, among those dozen transcendent beings, if even one rivals him, having also reached the pinnacle of mythical theory, then his chances of survival dwindle even further. A dire situation indeed."

The spread of this news caused a significant stir, eliciting sympathy from many bystanders. The pressure he faced was terrifying, pushing him into an inescapable checkmate.

In the ninth extinguished domain, Chen Yongjie was making his mark, eliminating several opponents and swiftly retreating into the shadows. Unaware of Wang Xuan's dire situation, he didn't come via spaceship and thus missed the capture of the transcendent battle on a modern device. Mingling with people who adhered to a more retro lifestyle and sent to the ninth extinguished domain, he heard rumors but had no idea that Wang Xuan was the focal point of such targeted hostility.

Far away, on a life-bearing planet, numerous spacecraft were parked, some occupied by avatars of supreme deities, like the previously seen Blood Emperor and War Goddess, as well as figures like Fang Yuzhu, Zhang Daoling, the Demon Lord, and the Dark Blood Cult Master. This planet neighbored a true grand barrier that hadn't extinguished. Figures like Zhang Daoling and the Blood Emperor were in resonance with their prime spiritual selves that traveled from the celestial realms to this grand barrier, gearing up for an epic battle of unprecedented scale.

Unbeknownst to them, Wang Xuan had also arrived, their focus solely on preparation for the confrontation. Their prime selves in the grand barrier, if engaged in combat, would require the resonant support of their avatars seated in the material world.

Back in the fourth extinguished domain, Wang Xuan stood resolute on the battlefield, encircled by twelve beings beyond limits, the tension palpable.

The standoff broke when one, moving ghost-like and with the speed of flowing light, approached close to Zhao Qinghuan, Wu Yin, and Qing Mu. This figure, preparing to lead an assault on Wang Xuan, signified the start of a collective hunt against him, a contender with a transcendent legacy and glorious combat achievements.

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