The Stars Beyond

Chapter 279: Immortal Fetus

The Holy Light Talisman blossomed like a divine lotus, its unfolding petals accompanied by the sound of blooming flowers. It unleashed dazzling beams of rune light that engulfed everything in front of it. The purifying effect of this holy light was unexpectedly profound, its efficacy nothing short of perfect.

The four spirit entities swiftly perished under its brilliance. As the lotus petals unfurled, they were incinerated like straw figures set ablaze, leaving not a trace in the blink of an eye.

"I should visit the Zhong family more often," Wang Xuan mused to himself, recalling the stack of decaying papers given to him by Zhong Changming, their power astonishingly potent.

The only drawback of these talismans was their single-use nature, each deployment resulting in the loss of one precious resource.

"Hmm?" His expression tightened slightly. Despite his cautious use of the ancient lamp to shield himself, his body still bore four new red marks, as if clawed by malevolent spirits.

What was this situation? The enemy was more formidable than he had anticipated, capable of penetrating his protective light screen without his notice, their skills and power alarmingly profound. The three blood-colored figures surged forward, attempting to break free from the immense blossoming lotus. The sound of the flower opening echoed through the skies, a rustling accompanied by dazzling holy light, like a baptism of radiance, spectacular to behold.

Bang!

Finally, as the talisman paper neared the end of its burn, the three figures burst forth, somewhat disheveled. The one holding the divine net looked down at his slightly dimmed treasure, lamenting the severe loss of supermaterial, some strands of the net even showing signs of wear. Wang Xuan took a deep breath, aware of the terrifying amount of supermaterial he himself had consumed. He needed to conserve it. He activated the flying sword attached to his dark golden boat, targeting one of the figures and cleaving towards them with decisive force.

"Run!"

The three figures turned and fled, sensing the threat. They felt the lock of the warships upon them, a cause for their deep apprehension, especially now that their blood-colored forms were visible. Wang Xuan steered his flying boat at breakneck speed in pursuit! The figures, like streaks of light, dove towards a mountain range on the distant land.

Thud!

At that moment, numerous beams of light plummeted from the heavens, as warships opened fire, bombarding the three blood-colored figures. Most of the blasts were deftly avoided, but one beam struck, exploding one of the figures into a mist of blood. His true bone, now revealed, was cracked. Gathering his blood form, he fled once again.

One after another, the beams locked onto the figures, continuously bombarding them. Eventually, some of the energy beams found their marks.

The three blood-colored figures periodically exploded under the assault, the "true bones" within them cracking with audible snaps, teetering on the brink of shattering. The situation had drastically turned; now, large organizations were using their warships to attack them, their true bones fracturing under the relentless onslaught.

Boom!

In a critical twist, an energy beam targeted Wang Xuan, sending chills down his spine. With his heightened senses, he swiftly evaded the attack.

Bang!

A distant mountain peak disintegrated, utterly obliterated by the beam, leaving nothing but destruction in its wake.

Zhao Zejun of the Zhao family, his expression grave, speculated, "Is it the Sun family attacking Wang Xuan?"

Their advanced surveillance system had clearly captured the beam originating from a secret base of the Sun family, narrowly missing Wang Xuan's flying boat.

As others reached out to the Sun family, it wasn't just the Zhao family who had noticed the anomaly at their base.

"It wasn't us. We've lost contact with that base. It's likely... controlled by immortals, no, by some demons!" the Sun family explained, sensing the gravity of the situation. The immortals, aware of their discord with New Star's transcendent beings, were deliberately muddying the waters.

Sun Rongsheng's face darkened as he spoke, "Think about those ancient texts unearthed from secret ancient repositories. True, some cultivation paths are righteous. But many are malevolent, known as demons, notorious for causing chaos in their time. Returning now, they are certainly not benevolent. Even the so-called 'immortals' from brighter paths cannot be as pure as driven snow. Without ruthlessness, they wouldn't have survived until now."

At that moment, the large screen erupted in a dazzling burst of light. A golden, umbrella-shaped energy cloud billowed up, silencing the Sun family, leaving them speechless in awe.

Their secret base had been... destroyed!

......

In the mountainous wilderness, Wang Xuan, piloting his flying boat, pursued relentlessly. The three blood-colored figures vanished into the dense, untamed forest, momentarily eluding the watchful eyes of the sky-eye and various detectors.

Finally, in a secluded part of the ancient forest, they reappeared, encircling Wang Xuan. "To think, I, Chi Meng, once revered as a Demon King in the human realm, am now reduced to such a sorry state upon my return. How the world of men has changed," lamented one of the figures.

Only then did Wang Xuan keenly perceive something peculiar: the three shared a strikingly similar aura, as if they were manifestations of the same being. He eyed their true bones with suspicion.

"Who are you? Do we have any grievances? Why do you obstruct me?" Wang Xuan asked calmly.

"I am Chi Meng, a true immortal of the Mingxue Sect. You've slain many immortals returning from the great beyond, landing yourself on a death list. Don’t you understand? In this human realm, it’s not your place to command," the blood-colored figure retorted coldly, holding the divine net. "Were it not for the targeted oppression of immortals in this era, a mere glance from a true immortal like myself would obliterate someone like you."

Wang Xuan, scrutinizing him, felt something off about the man’s immortal aura. Dismissing the figure's taunts, he knew that hypothetical scenarios held no water.

"You seem to disdain the immortals, quite proud. I, Chi Meng, was once the same, unrivaled in the human realm, fearing no one. To me, immortals were but decaying old bones. Once I attained immortality, I intended to trample them underfoot. Yet, reality taught me that in the face of true immortal giants, I was still insignificant."

Wang Xuan, with his keen spiritual eye, sensed the figure's exaggerated posturing. Interrupting, he remarked, "As an immortal, instead of exploring the mythic path and forging a new transcendent world, you fuss over a minor cultivator like me. Are you ill?"

"Your ambition seems boundless, aiming to reshape the transcendent world. But first, consider if you can survive today," the figure replied with a faint smile.

Then, suddenly, they attacked. The three blood-colored figures coordinated their assault on Wang Xuan. The red net disintegrated, each figure wielding a part of it. Runes flickered as they enveloped the area in an endless mist of blood.

Wang Xuan tensed, raising his protective light screen. He continuously fired crimson arrows from his divine lamp and unsheathed his flying sword, slashing forward with fierce determination.

"Alas, with the collapse of the transcendent, even the Mingxue Formation has failed. Otherwise, even a feathered immortal would dissolve into pus and blood," sighed the figure claiming to be Chi Meng, amidst a shroud of blood mist, his tone laced with regret.

Wang Xuan's spiritual eye blazed with divine light, perceiving the truth. Their blood shadows had blurred, but the three bones shone brightly, bearing clear marks identical to the red imprints on his body.

Without delay, he swung the God-slaying Banner, determined to confront this enigma. This so-called Chi Meng seemed intent on killing him but was more focused on leaving red marks on his body, his words not matching his actions.

"What is this...?" came a shocked cry from within the blood mist, the first sign of panic from the self-proclaimed Chi Meng.

The clashing and clanging of bones resounded in the mist, with spirit entities moving at breakneck speeds, resonating together, unbelievably invoking the exclusive immortal essence – the Life of Immortals, brimming with vitality within the true bones.

The Life of Immortals erupted, but its essence of life was faint, not as intense as legends suggested.

"I, Chi Meng, will not die; I shall return to the mortal realm!" The spirit entities in the blood mist were torn apart, and tranquility returned as the mist rapidly dissipated.

"What kind of monster was that, Chi Meng?" Wang Xuan wondered aloud, inspecting the cracked and disfigured true bones.

He then introspected using his spiritual eye, surprised to discover another red mark on his body. He had defeated the source, yet the marks not only remained but multiplied?

Now, he bore nine red marks. What did this mean?

Attempting to erase them, he found the red traces fading only to reappear more vividly.

"Have they rooted themselves?"

He sat down, reciting verses from the stone tablet scriptures, the Sutra of Shakya, and pre-Qin golden bamboo slips, utilizing the highest scriptures to eradicate the red marks.

Relieved that they could be removed, he left traces of the marks, intrigued by the strange energy he sensed within them.

"Old Chen, do you know what this is?" Wang Xuan contacted Old Chen, describing his encounter and the marks.

"Dao fetus, no, demon fetus, or is it an immortal fetus?" Old Chen suddenly exclaimed, his words echoing a recently read scripture at the Zhong family's library.

"It's similar to the legendary Fetal Membrane Mark. Someone is trying to use your body to resurrect, nurturing an immortal fetus to achieve their own rebirth," Old Chen explained rapidly.

Wang Xuan felt a wave of revulsion. Was this an attempt to use his body for rebirth or to incubate an immortal fetus? Either way, it was a matter of life and death.

Wang Xuan felt revulsion, unsure whether the entity behind this was male or female, human or beast, but it had its sights set on his physical body. "Don't panic, you can either eradicate it or engage with it. Eventually, you might turn the tables and seize its fortune, leaving its grand ambitions unfulfilled," Old Chen advised, sharing various secrets of this phenomenon.

Holding his nose, Wang Xuan decided to endure for now, turning his attention to examining his spoils, particularly the three bones.

Meanwhile, the world of New Star buzzed with discussions. Many beings who returned from beyond the veil were talking about this first clash between the immortals and the transcendent beings of the human realm.

A wave of young beings, descendants of the immortals and demon races, were astonished to find that this young human, Wang Xuan, had progressed in cultivation at a pace comparable to theirs.

Finding a quiet place, Wang Xuan began inspecting the immortal bones, preparing to forcefully open their inner landscapes.

He frowned. The first bone contained no trace of immortal essence, no slumbering spirit, rendering it worthless. The second was the same, evidently exploited and drained of its essence. This was unsettling.

Upon inspecting the third bone, he encountered a dim inner landscape. Successfully opening it, he saw a weak figure nodding at him as if liberated, then dissolving into ashes. Like the others, this bone's immortal essence had been drained.

"Somebody has stolen the immortal essence from these three bones!" he realized with a sense of dread.

However, with the inner landscape now open, Wang Xuan saw no reason not to utilize it. "But this inner landscape is collapsing..." He observed the fissures everywhere, the dark inner world on the verge of disintegration.

Wang Xuan's spirit sat in meditation within, embarking on cultivation. He drew in mysterious elements, channeling them into his flying boat, ancient lamp, and yellow gourd, among other treasures.

Time seemed to flow differently in the inner landscape, an illusion created by the acceleration of his spiritual cognition. He was engulfed by the mysterious substance.

Wang Xuan felt his life soil being nourished, his flesh rejoicing, his spirit growing more vigorous. He plunged into the deepest meditation, his power steadily rising.