The Stars Beyond

Beyond the twelve stages and beyond the limits of transcendence theory lay a deserted area. The wasteland was also the realm of transcendence that transcended the established planes. Wang Xuan embarked on the path back to the mortal realm, his speed was skyrocketing.

Soon, he entered the Life Soil, then merged with his physical body and quickly returned. He felt that his physical condition was not very good the moment he opened his eyes. While his spirit transformed, his physical body also improved and grew stronger. However, some red light radiated from his body when he was struck by the blood-colored thunderbolt. This indicated that it was about to mature.

"Separating the spirit from the body is not good when facing heavenly tribulation. They will be unable to coordinate or support each other and each of them will fall into a dangerous situation. This is a significant drawback."

Fortunately, his physical body’s vitality remained although it was only half-matured. He was infused with trans material which made him possessed an extremely strong vitality. He was immediately engulfed in a silver light. At the same time, he dared not be careless as he went to harvest Heavenly Herb. There were mighty beings outside targeting him, so he had to ensure he was in optimal condition.

Not long after, his whole body glowed when he had a piece of Heavenly Herb leaf in his mouth. His blood and flesh resonated, and his body rapidly recovered. Wang Xuan's heartbeat was extremely powerful, especially now that the blood flow had increased. It was like the engine of immortality, channeling various transcendental forces throughout his body.

Inside his bones, the marrow was crystal clear and it continuously produced blood. The new power expanded vigorously and replaced the old transcendent blood. He had undergone a complete blood renewal. On his skin, crimson liquid overflowed, and dense vitality permeated deep into his body. He was completely different. It was as if he had been reborn!

His internal organs trembled. Having been reborn, the once relatively weak organs became resilient and powerful. Like one sun after another, it emitted a faint light that illuminated the body's world.

The process lasted for a long time. Wang Xuan continuously shed his skin, and burnt-off calluses and other residues. The corners of his eyes and brows were glowing, it made his gaze clear. Only then did he feel that he was fully complete spiritually and physically. He felt that he was in the strongest state of his life.

"Standing in this new world, it feels like I've been reborn. Life has undergone a qualitative change. I'll name the Twelfth Stage, Rebirth," Wang Xuan muttered to himself. He felt that the name matched the true meaning of this realm.

"You made it?" asked Chen Yongjie. He looked at him from afar, then looked down at himself. He too had half of his body charred, he had also been severely affected.

However, he......had fallen back to the Eighth Stage!

Falling from the Ninth Stage to the Eighth Stage, even Chen Yongjie himself was stunned by this degree of decline. How many roller coasters had he ridden back and forth? And he had ended up contending with the Eighth Stage.

"I made it!" Wang Xuan nodded.

Chen Yongjie consoled himself. This kind of realm descent wasn't a bad thing. He was just consolidating his foundation. It also proved that his Eighth Stage was very stable! He believed it was better than those who were outside. Some people had fallen all the way down which indicated that their foundations were not strong enough.

This earthquake was very severe. Even the incarnations of the undying in the mortal realm had their realms lowered. For example, Lei Tuo, who now had a dark and gloomy complexion, had fallen to the first level of the Wanderer Level! And the top-notch goddess Yuan Lei, had dropped from the third level to the second level.

Covered in armor, she stood still doing nothing. She seemed a little absent-minded. If this continued, would the gods quickly become mortals when the Great Barrier disappeared? This kind of drastic change made the gods fearful! Everywhere transcendents were in despair and were wailing. Falling twice in one day was unprecedented and terrifying.

In outer space, the huge iron fortress dimmed and even the guardians of order inside were unwilling to speak. In every spaceship, no one had a smile on their face. There was only pain, as well as confusion and anxiety about the future.

"All conditioned phenomena are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, shadows. They’re like dew and like lightning, they should be regarded as such." sighed Qing Mu. He seemed resigned and somewhat relieved, but his heart was filled with bitterness. He was ultimately unwilling.

"I've returned to the origin, to the mid-stage of the Grandmaster. Life is like a dream," he muttered to himself.

Little Fox looked at the group and spoke, "Ma Second, Zhao Second, Mortal Wu, Master Qing, Xian Third, and also Xiong Second!" The last Xian Third referred to herself, while Xiong Second referred to the mechanical little bear.

Underground, five consecutive thunderbolts struck and hit the underground palace which fell onto Wang Xuan. This surprised him.

What's going on? Did I still have to undergo heavenly tribulation in the mortal realm even after achieving unity of form and spirit?　

In the void, the five strikes just now didn't seem too painful to him as he had experienced the terrifying blood-colored thunderbolt before. In fact, after the five thunderbolts, the so-called heavenly tribulation dissipated. It didn't last because the thunder tribulation from the depths seemed to sense that he could endure it and instantly disappeared.

On the ground, within the decaying barrier, the lords of several giant palaces were moved as they witnessed the dazzling lightning descending from the sky and entering the underground.

"He's crossing the tribulation. He's about to advance to the great realm of Wanderer. This...... we should stop him!" exclaimed Lei Tuo as he was anxious and regretful. This was a case of one person's gain being another's loss. In the future, that young man would definitely be able to contend with various gods! Especially since he had previously shown hostility towards him and that young man knew about it. The situation was not good.

He was feeling timid. He couldn't possibly be Wang Xuan's opponent with his realm lowered. He whispered to Yuan Lei, "Fellow Daoist, aren't you going to make a move? The Book of Ages is with him!"

"The situation is strange. There were only five lightning flashes. Did he......fail?" pondered Yuan Lei, who was surprised.

The same judgment was made by others in the giant palaces. Throughout the ages, some extraordinary talents who were established in the eleventh stage would undergo transformation during their ascension to the Wanderer Level. Their strength would skyrocket after the transformation but some would fail.

After experiencing several lightning flashes, they couldn't withstand it and would be severely injured. Those with minor injuries needed time to recuperate, while those with serious injuries might end up in despair. After all, crossing the tribulation was crucial and unique. Few people could experience it before becoming an immortal, let alone withstand it!

Everyone was waiting inside the decaying barrier and for a moment, they were all silent and did not speak a word. Even Xu Fu furrowed his brow deeply, as he felt that something was amiss. In outer space, each and every spaceship captured images from the decaying barrier. People were surprised and realized that something might have gone wrong there.

The undying Lei Tuo, with his golden hair fluttering, laughed and said, "Overall, it seems like he failed. Understandably, he encountered the worst moment of the mythological recession!

Someone nodded and said, "Indeed, with the birth of new treasures and the roaring of old treasures, everyone in the mortal realm is experiencing a drop in level. He tried to break through at this time, which is like swimming against the current and dancing in a sea of fire. His foundation was already weak, so he was doomed to fail!"

In outer space, everyone was dumbfounded, especially Qing Mu, Zhao Qinghan, Wu Yin, and a few others. Their hearts were in their throats as they worried about Wang Xuan. The Eleventh Stage Limit Breaker Slayer had recently experienced the most glorious moment of his life. He had successfully killed a god!

But in the blink of an eye, he had encountered the greatest setback of his life. His breakthrough was obstructed, and he seemed to have been severely injured by the heavenly tribulation.

"Throughout history, there have been very few transcendents that reached the eleventh stage, and tribulations at this level are rare. It is the greatest test from heaven for a limit breaker that is breaking through limits, but it is also the heaviest gift. He'll have a boundless future if he can endure it!"

"This...can only be said that he's really unlucky to have encountered today's successive quakes. Everyone is experiencing a drop in realms. Naturally, he would have encountered the most severe setback." someone said.

"What a pity, such a tribulation is rare in this mythological era. This should be the only time since ancient times! He should have been extremely brilliant and had successfully crossed the tribulation at this moment if it were a normal era. But now, he has become a sacrifice of the times, a tragic failure!" another exclaimed.

From the decaying barrier to outer space, people were discussing. Various transcendents realized what had happened and understood the truth. Some felt pity, some smiled knowingly, some shook their heads, and some remained silent. Many people suddenly realized various transcendents that were still in a state of despair not long ago had calmed down. Hearing about a young man who was even more dazzling and powerful than a tenth-stage limit breaker failing the tribulation eased the atmosphere.

"The inherent inferiority of human nature. Their own pain seems to diminish when they learn that someone is in a worse situation and missed the chance to go down in history." said someone. Some felt ashamed, but others were indifferent, with smiles on their faces and much improved moods.

Underground, Wang Xuan stood up. This time, after shedding his skin and completely changing his blood, the floor was painted crimson red. He calmly painted some blood stains on himself and smeared blood all over his body. Then, he found a suit of armor, shattered it, and put it on. Next, he began to smear the remaining blood on himself which made him look quite miserable. Of course, the charred old skin was also a good pigment for paint. There had to be black on his body, along with gray from the tribulation.

"You're too shameless. Tell me, who do you want to kill?" exclaimed Chen Yongjie, looking at him with wide eyes. He knew that Wang Xuan was not a good person right now!

Wang Xuan calmly replied, "You're overthinking. I'm tired of fighting and killing. I don't want conflicts with others, so I'll keep a low profile. As long as I fail, people outside will definitely be happy and relieved. They shouldn't make things difficult for me."

Chen Yongjie was speechless, and finally sighed, "I also want to be low-key like this, to be a silent strongman. But now, my strength doesn't allow it!"

Wang Xuan said, "I'm making things convenient for others and for myself. I’m building good karma. I don't want to have intense conflicts with those people. Anyway, I've done what I should do. I'll try to keep a low profile and endure."

This was his inner voice. Who would want to start conflicts for no reason, especially being in the eye of the storm? Especially now that everyone was experiencing a drop in level due to the external quakes. You couldn't avoid attracting countless gazes with your unique scenery. Now was a critical moment. Transcendents were fighting fiercely, seizing treasures and powerful gods were falling, staining the great barrier and the immortal realm with their divine blood.

"Well, there's still something missing. My spirit is not depressed enough and the trans material is not restrained enough. I need to lower my realm." Wang Xuan's demeanor changed instantly.

His complexion was pale, his cultivation seemed somewhat superficial and he exuded a sense of duskiness. His spirit was dim and was looking weak. He carried the residual aura of tribulation which indicated severe injuries. For him, this change was nothing. He could make his physical body or his spirit all seem very realistic by delving into the supreme scriptures and pondering the Spirit Coffin Grand Technique. Especially at his current level, he could even deceive the incarnations of the mighty beings in the mortal realm.

"Let's go, it's time to come out. Hmm, my eyes look a bit strange. They need to be dim, without any light. Okay, perfect, that's a wrap!" Wang Xuan said confidently with satisfaction, while portraying a look of desolation and severe injuries.

"Is this okay?" said Chen Yongjie. He didn't know what to think.

"It's fine, everyone will be fine!" replied Wang Xuan as he nodded.

"But wait, aren't you still lingering at the eleventh stage? There seems to be a slightly more powerful aura than that of a limit breaker." said Chen Yongjie as he pointed out flaws for him.

Wang Xuan said, "Too much is as bad as too little. It's not good to overdo it. The closer to reality, the better it looks. Isn’t it more anticipatory for them if I gave them the illusion that I barely held onto the eleventh stage, while my body and foundation suffered severe damage? Hmm, besides, I'm full of problems now, so I'm not as much of a threat to them. We should be able to coexist peacefully."

Chen Yongjie turned and walked away, not wanting to talk to this so-called failure anymore. He always felt that he was full of malice and not a good person. Wang Xuan put away the Golden Tree and the Spirit Lock and had officially left seclusion. He then hurried towards the surface.

When he emerged, he was surprised to find a dense crowd of transcendents waiting for him. They were all casting their gazes on him to observe his condition. Not only that, but all the spaceships in outer space immediately captured his image to confirm whether he had encountered any trouble.

"Wang Xuan......" Wu Yin felt sentimental. Seeing his disheveled appearance, her face couldn't help but show signs of tension and anxiety.

"Wang Xuan!" Some people whispered.

At this moment, all the mighty beings from several grand palaces stepped forward and stared at Wang Xuan. They were examining the true state of this tribulation-crosser. At this moment, it could be said that all eyes were on him. Various parties gazed at this failure, confirming that he had failed to break through and cross that barrier!

Even the Grand Alchemist Xu Fu was deceived and was sighing, let alone others. After all, not everyone had a spiritual eye, and Wang Xuan's current level in the mortal realm was not inferior to theirs which made it difficult to see through him.

"Come here!" shouted Xu Fu. He feared for his safety and called Wang Xuan over to ensure his well-being.

"I look like this now. Gods and undying should be relieved now, right?" said Wang Xuan as he smiled bitterly with a desolate expression.

The gods silently stared at him, especially the top gods and undyings. They had confirmed some matters when scrutinizing Wang Xuan and Chen Yongjie. Chen Yongjie had been shaken down, and since he was with Wang Xuan, Wang Xuan should have been affected as well.

In fact, Wang Xuan did appear to have decreased in cultivation. He barely held onto the eleventh stage but his spirit was riddled with holes and his foundation was crumbling. Judging from his injuries, it wouldn't be long before he dropped to the tenth stage, and eventually, he wouldn't be able to maintain the domain of limit breaking. He would fall directly to the ninth stage. The failure of tribulation crossing was so cruel and terrifying.

A gray-haired man, a mighty god from the Dao Shielding Palace, spoke up, "It's a pity. He was a young man with great prospects, but he had to endure such hardships. The Great Barrier and the treasures shook violently together which made everyone's realms drop. He encountered the most unfriendly era for transcendents."

What more could Wang Xuan say? He smiled bitterly and said, "I'm going home. I'll live an ordinary life from now on and withdraw from the transcendent realm. Everyone, take care and farewell."

At this moment, countless people felt regretful. Even those who had harbored enmity before, those who had been jealous and envious, were now shaking their heads as they felt resigned yet complex. He was originally a brilliant transcendent genius with limitless potential, but he ended just like this. In fact, this also foreshadowed their future. In a few months, everyone might be forced to leave the circle.

"How could this happen?!" In outer space, Qing Mu, Zhao Qinghan, Wu Yin, and others found it difficult to accept this reality. They felt very sad.

"Poor thing, he's about to be done for," the Little Fox said. She looked spiritless, knowing she was about to lose a big support which meant fewer snacks for her.

Covered in blood and blackened, Wang Xuan walked slowly and headed towards the ferryman.

"Wait!" The undying with golden hair, Lei Tuo, spoke calmly, "I won't make it difficult for you. Hand over the Book of Ages and you can leave!"

The mighty god, Yuan Lei, also spoke calmly, saying, "Leave the Book of Ages behind."

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