The Stars Beyond

The formidable Light God had fallen. His divine body, after being ravaged by a horde of maniacs, was left in a state beyond recognition; bloodied and bones scattered all around.

These lunatics, ultimately, were all slain by one among their number, who absorbed them into himself. The event was bloody, and now he stood bathed in a divine glow, enveloped by sacred light.

"What method did he use at the end?" Those in the remaining five grand palaces watched Wang Xuan's area with concern.

In that instant, transcending divine senses and nearly unbeatable, Wang Xuan quickly took down Fang Yu Zhu, Yao Zhu, Lao Zhang, and Ming Xue in less than a second.

"Is he progressing to the Wanderer Realm?" whispered an immortal from within the great barrier, on par with those ascended to godhood.

"If he breaks through, wouldn't he be able to challenge the most powerful gods in his mortal form?" a god from another grand palace speculated.

In the eyes of immortals and gods, superhumans who hadn't entered the great barrier or truly ascended were still considered mortals.

"O Supreme God, please seek vengeance for our master!" wept a follower in the Wanderer Palace, a disciple of the Light God.

"The Book of Ages must likely be with him; it needs to be reclaimed. Moreover, if he truly advances to the Wanderer Realm, he might seriously threaten the most powerful gods!"

Discussions erupted within the remaining five grand palaces, filled with a sense of solemnity. Some regarded Wang Xuan as a menace, wary of a "mortal."

"Standing at the pinnacle of the eleventh stage, right at the brink of superhuman theory, such individuals, once they advance, indeed showcase extraordinary prowess!"

Historically, those who reached the eleventh stage and broke through always shone brightly, especially someone like Wang Xuan, who had slain a god. If he were to progress even further, it would indeed make the deities present in the material world uneasy.

Suddenly, the atmosphere on this battlefield, within the remnants of the grand palaces where immortals and gods resided, became charged with murderous intent, tension escalating once more.

However, they couldn't have anticipated that Wang Xuan wasn't aiming to advance into the Wanderer Realm, but to break through into the twelfth stage—a realm beyond their imagination. This was far more challenging than advancing to the Wanderer Realm. Within the established system of the supernatural, the twelfth level didn't exist in the mortal realm. It was an uncharted territory, void of any living being capable of standing there.

In the Health Preserving Palace, Chen Yongjie was anxious. "Senior, something's not right. The gods and the immortals seem to harbor some hostility towards him. There's feedback that some in those grand palaces have contacted us right away, probing whether we should kill Wang Xuan now!"

Da Fang Shi Tu Fu said, "Unexpected. The young man we encountered is quite extraordinary, catching the attention of immortals and gods, worrying them that their positions might be shaken."

Old Chen grumbled internally, 'Extraordinary' was an understatement. Wasn't Tu Fu here precisely to take the blame for him?

"Xiao Chen, what's with that look? How are you looking at me?" Tu Fu glanced at him, seemingly reading his mind, and slapped the back of his head.

Chen Yongjie said, "The gods are unscrupulous. They wish to eliminate Wang Xuan. Someone just visited me in private, subtly expressing such desires. But knowing you come from the realm of immortals, they wanted to gauge your reaction."

"A young man from the realm of immortals, overcoming obstacles, reaching this point wasn't easy. They shouldn't be allowed to harm him. Let's go, we'll take a look," Tu Fu stated, rising to his feet.

Now, Wang Xuan was severely weakened, having endured great hardships to slay the Light God. The battle was fraught with danger, leaving him and those avatars significantly wounded.

Afterwards, he engaged in fierce battles with the provocateur Lao Zhang, the powerful Fang Yu Zhu, Yao Zhu, and others, draining him tremendously. Currently, both his spirit and body were exhausted.

Standing there quietly, Wang Xuan held the Godslaying Banner, silently recuperating. If any supreme being were to attack, he'd have no choice but to fight desperately, using the Health Preserving Furnace.

Yet, revealing such an artifact would invite immense trouble, triggering a series of tempests.

Soon after, the masters of the Wanderer Palace and the Celestial Veil Palace arrived. They were the incarnations of supreme immortals and top-tier gods in the mortal world.

The representatives from the two grand palaces arrived en masse, bringing with them a host of extraordinary beings, all casting scrutinizing gazes towards Wang Xuan amid the ruins. Among them, the master of the Celestial Veil Palace harbored the deepest reservations, as he too had been gravely shaken, currently residing in the second stage of the Wanderer Realm.

His name was Lei Tuo, with long golden hair flowing freely, his body enveloped in divine light. An immortal from the grand barrier, he had stepped into the supreme domain for two thousand eight hundred years.

Generally speaking, his strength and cultivation in the mortal realm were very close to that of the Light God. Since Wang Xuan had slain the Light God, it implied he could also slay Lei Tuo.

Seeing the young man grievously wounded presented the perfect opportunity to eliminate him. Should Wang Xuan ascend, Lei Tuo believed he'd have to tread carefully around him. Yet, the allure of the Book of Ages was too tempting to resist.

The master of the Wanderer Palace was a woman, her stature tall and slender, with curves that flowed elegantly. Her long black hair framed a delicate face, and her silver pupils added to her allure.

Dressed in crimson golden armor, her figure was striking, though her expression remained cool, tinged with a hint of murderous intent.

Her name was Yuan Lei, who had a good relationship with the Light God and was also a supreme deity. Currently at the third stage of the Wanderer Realm, her power in the mortal realm was undeniably formidable.

At this stage, she surpassed the Light God by a minor realm. A move from her could prove fatal.

Tu Fu stepped forward, blocking the two palace masters, "Are you two intending to break the rules?"

The ferryman now was far stronger than before, as his avatar had returned, merging with the spiritual fragments from the realm of the dead, manifesting in the mortal realm at the third stage of the Wanderer Realm.

He stood alone against the immortal Lei Tuo and the deity Yuan Lei, backed by a robust and confident aura.

"Senior, it's an honor to meet you!" Wang Xuan expressed his surprise and relief upon seeing the ferryman and Chen Yongjie here, understanding many things at once. It was all related to him.

"Go into seclusion and heal your wounds. Leave this place to me," Tu Fu said, his demeanor calm though he internally wished to grab Wang Xuan and give him a good thrashing.

To think that Tu Fu, a grand master of his generation, had been reduced to taking the blame for someone else, something unprecedented in his long life!

"Understood!" Wang Xuan didn't hesitate, then communicated with Chen Yongjie to follow him. In a flash, the two disappeared into the depths beneath the ground, vanishing from sight.

"Xu Fu, you really do have your hand in many things!" Lei Tuo looked displeased. Having such an unparalleled immortal as an obstacle would prove to be a significant nuisance.

He turned his gaze towards Yuan Lei. If this female deity were to make a move, there might still be a chance to kill Wang Xuan. Now, relying solely on himself seemed futile.

Xu Fu ignored him, stepping forward to stand beside Yuan Lei. Should she act, she would undoubtedly face the formidable techniques of the great Daoist.

At the same time, Xu Fu summoned various chess pieces, bronze steles, and small altars. He was sealing off the area, protecting the underground within his immortal domain.

In a very short time, he had set up an immortal array!

"There's no rush!" Yuan Lei spoke, the most pressing matter at hand was the supreme battle within the great barrier. If the situation there concluded, the events in the real world would be trivial in comparison.

At this moment, new treasures were being born, and old ones were attacking. The halls of the divine resonated with thunderous rumblings. Even through the great barrier, one could feel the supreme pressure.

Moreover, in the lands of the immortals, gods and immortals joined forces to challenge the gates, uncertain if they could seize the three treasures. Should they succeed, they would be invincible from birth, and the overall situation would be determined. Yuan Lei's true body was among those participating!

"But, the godslayer is about to break through to the level of free wandering!" Lei Tuo worried, fearing the complete loss of the Book of Ages, rendering him powerless to retrieve it.

"There's still time," Yuan Lei said calmly. "A normal breakthrough of a great realm takes at least a day and a night. With such a long duration, the campaign within the barrier should conclude, and the battle in the real world will naturally reach its end."

"That's true!" Lei Tuo nodded, temporarily restraining his impulsiveness.

Deep underground, Wang Xuan and Chen Yongjie entered a palace that belonged to a bygone extraordinary civilization.

In this place, Wang Xuan began to set up his arrangements. He was surrounded by numerous treasures, each embedded into the ground, surrounded by top-tier artifacts to form an array.

It wasn't that he was particularly skilled in this domain, but the treasures themselves were formidable. For instance, the Soul Chain could protect all sides, the Golden Tree could stabilize everything, and the Godslaying Banner, placed at the center of the primordial earth, suppressed all. These were all natural Immortal arrays!

Chen Yongjie rubbed his hands, both excited and nervous. He knew what Wang Xuan intended to do, but, being under the watchful eyes of unparalleled experts, would their actions cause an uproar and alert everyone?

"No worries, with the treasures outside constantly shaking, adding one more person to the mix won't draw any attention. The main issue is the resonance between the treasures and the great barrier, as it pertains to the supreme rules stirring. There's nothing unusual about what I'm doing!" Wang Xuan explained.

"Is there enough time?" Chen Yongjie asked.

"There's plenty of time. I'm going to open the Inner Landscape now, 'stealing time' inside to merge with my soul!" Wang Xuan declared.

Up to this point, opening the Inner Landscape remained unpredictable, but after numerous attempts, the chances of success had significantly increased. With multiple attempts, he could use his divine intuition to open that spiritual space.

Indeed, five hours later, Wang Xuan, drenched in sweat and utterly exhausted, finally triggered an opening and decisively charged into the Inner Landscape.

"This time, I should reach the ninth rank, right?" Chen Yongjie's soul followed suit. Recently, with every breakthrough attempt, he would be reset back to his original state. Having been stuck at the eighth rank for too long, he had begun to doubt his life choices.

During this seclusion, Wang Xuan sat motionless in the Inner Landscape, absorbing and merging all his spiritual avatars. It wasn't just the blending of spiritual forces but also the scriptures those avatars had contemplated that he was absorbing.

For instance, the Scripture of Immortals Crossing Tribulation, the Demonic Fetus Technique, the Coffin of Mind Technique, the Cycle of Demon Rebirth Technique, the Feathering True Scripture...

He had read all these techniques and had them stored in his memory vault. The avatars that inherited these techniques had made astonishing progress while studying them in the Solitary Void.

Inside the Inner Landscape, silver substance filled the air, and purple qi rose in clouds, replenishing his spiritual needs and also engulfing his physical body in the outside world, enhancing both his form and spirit.

This time, Wang Xuan's theft of time felt extraordinarily lengthy, his spiritual senses increased manifold, as if he had lived through a hundred years.

Chen Yongjie, while keeping watch outside and guarding Wang Xuan, also contemplated various scriptures and practiced diligently. He had returned to the ninth rank realm!

Furthermore, he continued to ascend, reaching the limit of the ninth rank before halting. He sighed and decided to pause there, needing to polish his skills further before considering the next step.

Suddenly, Wang Xuan opened his eyes. The cracks in his soul and the injuries on his body had naturally healed, nourished rapidly by the dense super substance.

"Did it succeed? Have you reached the unprecedented twelfth rank, a realm no one has ever entered before?" Chen Yongjie asked nervously.

"There's still a bit more to go. I feel we need to head to the Solitary Void for the red substance there to temper and burnish, forging a pure and powerful twelfth rank!" Wang Xuan replied. Inside the Inner Landscape, the silver substance and purple mist still fell like snowflakes, rich in concentration, but the destructive red substance was only present in traces, extremely sparse.

When the time came, the Inner Landscape closed. Wang Xuan, without any hesitation, took up the Godslaying Banner and the furnace cover, plunged into the soil of fate, and then headed towards the Solitary Void.

Indeed, upon arriving there and utilizing the rich red substance to temper his soul and eliminate all flaws, he felt a rapid transformation within himself. The twelfth rank, an unprecedented realm, beyond the theoretical end of myth, the desolate wasteland outside, was breached by him!

Meanwhile, inside the great barrier, various supreme patterns intertwined, a new treasure was about to emerge, and the battle, strife, and confrontation reached a fever pitch.

At the same time, within the decaying barriers, the surface of the earth was not at peace. Several immense palaces were disturbed by the infiltration of top-tier immortals and supreme deities, their spirits heading underground, attempting to invade the immortal array and get close to Wang Xuan.

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