The Stars Beyond

Chapter 276: The Real Ace In The Hole

"Lacking books when they're most needed, one never complains about having too much money," mused Wang Xuan, realizing his bank account was far from affluent; he couldn't even afford a boat ticket. A ticket cost two to three million New World coins, a price resulting from the continuous advancements in technology reducing the cost of space travel. Previously, it was even more expensive.

He possessed tablets of ancient scriptures, golden bamboo slips from before the Qin dynasty, several rare and precious artifacts, and even the Earth Immortal Spring. Each of these items was incredibly valuable, but he couldn't think of selling them.

"There are many opportunities to make money, like prolonging people's lives, but I chose artifacts. Now, within a year, their value will likely plummet. I need to prepare for the future," he told himself.

After the collapse of the mythological dimension, even the fallen immortals had to face reality and consider mundane matters of daily life. The disparity from their past existence—where they roamed from the Northern Sea to the Cangwu Mountains—would be immense.

Once again, Wang Xuan didn't buy the ticket himself. He asked Qian An and Guan Lin to help him acquire a new identity for his journey to the Old World.

Outside of Su City lay the fifth largest spacecraft base in the New World. From here, the journey to the Old World was convenient. The area looked like a forest of steel, filled with enormous spacecraft, powerful defense systems, and massive waiting halls. The region was well-equipped with security and service facilities, including robots and intelligent luggage carts.

Lately, torrential rains and blood-red lightning were common in both the New World and the Old World, resulting in fewer travelers. The spacecraft was quiet with few passengers. Behind Wang Xuan sat a family of three: parents in their early thirties and their seven or eight-year-old daughter, who was pretty and adorable.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard the Zhongyong Deep Space Company's flight, a member of the Star Alliance..." The announcement played, indicating a venture of the Zhou family. Their business reached into every aspect of life.

Wang Xuan, disguised with blond hair and a different face, his usual demeanor replaced with a colder one, sat calmly, waiting for the spacecraft to launch. This journey lacked the novelty of his first space crossing from the Old World.

Suddenly, Wang Xuan's hair stood on end, his body tensed, and his face drained of color. He sensed imminent danger to the spacecraft. It felt like they were locked in by a high-energy weapon, aimed to destroy them mid-flight.

"An attack, someone's trying to bring down the ship!" Wang Xuan immediately used his psychic abilities to warn the captain and crew.

He held a dark golden miniature boat, ready to take action. The captain reacted swiftly, prioritizing the ship's safety by activating the energy shield, even before confirming the threat.

A terrifying beam struck the shield as it materialized, shaking the entire vessel. Everyone on board was shocked; they were still within the New World's atmosphere and had already encountered a dreadful attack.

Such incidents were rare in recent years on the New World. While small private spacecraft sometimes crashed due to accidents, large spacecraft hadn't been targeted in many years.

This event was significant and alarming!

People in the cabin were panicking, faces pale with terror. "Boom!" The ship suffered another violent strike. The energy shield, forming a protective light screen, barely withstood the second onslaught, but the explosion's light was terrifying.

The passengers were now in total fear, their screams mingled with children's cries. It wasn't an accident; they were under a dreadful attack. Who wouldn't be afraid?

The energy shield was faltering under the relentless, astonishing firepower. It was moments away from being breached by the piercing beams coming from multiple directions.

"Get to the lifeboats, prepare to evacuate!" The captain maintained his composure amidst the crisis.

Wang Xuan approached the captain, requesting the hatch to be opened to let him out and draw the fire away. He suspected the energy beams might be targeting him, and someone leaked his presence, attempting to kill him in mid-air. The assailant's methods were ruthless, not caring about the other passengers on the ship.

The captain, decisive as ever, complied with Wang Xuan's request. The dark golden boat shot out, hovering in the high skies, moving away from the area where the spacecraft was located. Wang Xuan, feeling like his body was tearing apart under the lock of the energy beams, maneuvered the boat, zipping through the sky like lightning.

The spacecraft's shield dimmed, and several lifeboats burst out, heading towards the New World's surface. To Wang Xuan's horror, some of the lifeboats exploded, struck by the beams, a sight of sheer brutality.

"Crazed lunatics!" Wang Xuan looked back, realizing the attackers had no limits, mercilessly killing innocents and attacking civilians. He didn't retreat; his boat was glowing brightly, intentionally drawing the attackers to him. Yet, the lifeboats continued to explode.

A terrifying beam whizzed past the boat, narrowly missing Wang Xuan. "Thump!"

A violent explosion echoed from afar as the spacecraft was breached, tearing a large section away. The captain had proactively jettisoned the left rear section.

"Don't attack the spaceship anymore, the target is on that glowing boat," someone trembled from within a distant warship, horrified by the previous bloodshed.

The explosions of the lifeboats and the disintegration of the spaceship had led to the loss of lives and bloodshed.

"No rush, let me test the strength of this era's weapons. Impressive, even my physical body couldn't withstand such an attack," spoke a blood-red figure aboard the warship, coldly wrapped around a bone fragment. "You're here to follow orders and assist me!"

More lifeboats exploded, but many more scattered towards the ground, fleeing.

The main body of the spaceship suffered another attack, breaking apart again. Not everyone could escape via lifeboats, leaving some passengers stranded.

Wang Xuan faced repeated attacks. One beam nearly missed, grazing the tail of his boat, causing a surge of transcendent matter. The boat's light screen expanded, resisting the hit.

Wang Xuan realized three small-to-midsize warships were attacking from a distance, heartlessly piercing through the spaceship and destroying four lifeboats, mercilessly killing innocents.

"That boat is extraordinary, resisting the energy beams from a warship. It's one of the legendary top-tier relics. If more boat runes are activated, it would be even more miraculous and astounding," noted a spirit aboard one of the warships, eyeing Wang Xuan's dark golden boat covetously.

"Be gentle, kill him but try to preserve the boat!" someone instructed.

Beams intertwined around Wang Xuan as the three warships relentlessly bombarded him, recklessly ignoring any norms.

"Finish him quickly to prevent any interference or obstacles!" ordered a blood-red figure in one of the warships, its heart entwined with a real bone, surrounded by blood strands.

Wang Xuan's chest heaved, suppressing his fury. The attackers were brazen and tyrannical, indiscriminately massacring civilians, blatantly flouting New World's laws.

Clearly, someone had been monitoring him closely. Despite changing identities and leveraging various connections, his movements were still tracked. They were determined to stop him from returning to the Old World to revive the Sword Immortal, intent on destroying him!

"Thump!"

Another beam of light streaked through the sky, but Wang Xuan skillfully maneuvered his dark golden boat, evading it. He forcefully slapped the bottom of his small, amber-colored gourd, unleashing a burst of transcendental radiance that collided with the energy beam, erupting into a massive explosion high above.

With a whoosh, Wang Xuan sped away, catching up to the plummeting spaceship. A handful of people were still trapped inside, the lifeboats insufficient. He didn't possess vast supernatural powers to conduct a thorough search in time. As his boat dashed towards the spaceship, he swiftly rescued those he could spot in the cabins, bringing them aboard.

The spaceship continued its descent, while Wang Xuan sped away, pursued by three warships relentlessly bombarding him. One of the warships even fired at the already falling spaceship, obliterating it with a resounding boom, turning it into a giant sphere of energy.

Wang Xuan turned back, his eyes brimming with unending murderous intent. These people were insane, deserving of a thousand cuts, showing a complete disregard for human life. He piloted his boat in a steep dive, intending to deliver the twenty-odd people he rescued to the ground.

Simultaneously, he was quietly preparing, activating various weapons that were intrinsic to his boat – shields, spears, flying swords, all inscribed with dense, mystic runes.

Suddenly, a vast crimson net descended from the sky, crafted as if from star sand, expanding as it aimed to ensnare the boat. The net was rich with transcendental energy, its red hue intensifying as it spread across the sky.

Holding his amber gourd, Wang Xuan unleashed several terrifying beams of light, shattering the red net.

"Indeed, the transcendent immortals are meddling, combining myth with technology. Have they joined forces?" Wang Xuan spoke with a cold voice. Today, there would be no reconciliation, even if the other party wanted to cease. He would not stop.

The boat dove rapidly towards the ground. Deep down, he didn't have the heart to be ruthless. He had initially intended to save some people and attract the attackers' focus, which is why he had been hesitant.

Inside the boat, the little girl shivered in fear, clinging to her parents. An elderly couple held hands, whispering something to each other.

Thud!

The energy beams bombarded again in rapid succession. Despite Wang Xuan activating the boat's defenses and bringing its shield to life, the colossal force of the impact caused the boat to roar and shake violently, almost flipping over.

On the boat, if not for the protective light screen, the passengers would have been thrown out. Even so, their bodies slammed against the interior, many crying out in pain.

Finally, as the boat neared the ground, approaching a city, Wang Xuan swiftly disembarked them.

However, the scene was grim. Many were bleeding from their heads. The little girl's eyes were filled with terror, her body trembling uncontrollably.

As for the elderly couple, they lay silent in each other's embrace. Too old to withstand such tumult and collision, their promise of returning to their roots unfulfilled, they passed away right there.

With a loud crash, Wang Xuan shattered his synthetic human skin mask, his face twisted with murderous rage. He activated the boat, ready to soar back into the sky.

"Transcendent immortals' calamity? Blocking my return to the Old World, slaughtering the innocent - today, I will exterminate you all!"