The Stars Beyond

Chapter 304: Rising Killing Intent

The ease with which they had acquired the divine medicine left Wang Xuan and Chen Yongjie wondering if there was a catch. Such a rare treasure, seldom mentioned even in myths, was shrouded in ambiguity. In history, Qin Shi Huang's quest for immortality led him to dispatch Xu Fu, a great alchemist, to find this very elixir of life, but even Xu Fu failed and ultimately vanished, becoming a ferryman in legend.

The fact that even the supreme beings from beyond the veil had perished while attempting to harvest this medicine in the highest spiritual realms underscored its rarity and value. Over many eras, it was rarely seen, making it one of the most astonishing treasures of the ages.

"The two of us, who've only recently stepped into the transcendent realm, managed to harvest it in the mortal world..."

"Quiet!"

Communicating telepathically, they kept their expressions calm, almost feeling as if they were in a dream. Chen Yongjie found it surreal, while Wang Xuan was somewhat more composed, having previously encountered the divine medicine during a life-and-death ordeal.

Zheng Wu had traversed billions of miles and crossed the veil intending to use Wang Xuan’s body as nourishment for a demonic fetus. Ironically, Zheng Wu’s own plans had backfired.

Looking around to ensure no one was spying, they prepared to leave. Now was the time to escape and vanish without a trace.

However, Wang Xuan suddenly halted. His spirit roamed, and at the edge of the sky, he saw a swath of rosy clouds, shrouded in mist, rapidly approaching.

Someone transcendent was coming!

Fleeing now would confirm their success in acquiring the divine medicine, potentially leading to a relentless pursuit and joint manhunt by various factions.

“Let’s not run. It might be your kin approaching. We should engage them earnestly,” Wang Xuan whispered.

Chen Yongjie looked on with a sense of resigned acceptance. What a twist of fate!

The kasaya was vast, with golden threads interwoven and emitting auspicious light, resembling an evening glow accompanied by red mist, rapidly closing in. In this era, those who could fly with such artifacts were either incredibly powerful or in possession of rare and valuable items.

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!

The kasaya approached rapidly, heralding the arrival of significant figures. Wang Xuan and Chen Yongjie braced themselves for the encounter that was about to unfold.

A group of figures descended, all of them masters exuding dense Buddha's light, clearly surpassing Old Chen's realm by a significant margin. This put Wang Xuan and Chen Yongjie on alert, wondering how these people could be so much more powerful than Cao Qingyu, Kong Yun, and others. They remained calm outwardly but were ready for any confrontation.

One of them chanted a Buddhist mantra, looking at Chen Yongjie with a start. They were surprised to see such pure Buddha energy emanating from him, his body glowing with golden light, indicating his successful cultivation of the Sixteen-Foot Golden Body.

"Own people!" greeted Chen Yongjie, hands clasped in a gesture of respect, radiating the dignity of a Buddha.

A monk who appeared to be in his late twenties, named Xiushan, returned the gesture, scrutinizing Old Chen. "Have you practiced the true Sakyamuni scriptures?" he asked.

The group was visibly moved, as only a few among them had practiced the true Sakyamuni scriptures, accessible only when one's cultivation reached a certain level.

"I have a connection with Buddha. While in the mortal world, my heart resides in Spirit Mountain," Chen Yongjie replied solemnly.

In the distance, dark clouds loomed, and demonic energy soared. A vast beast skin, emanating a fierce aura with black lightning bolts flashing from its fur, descended rapidly.

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!

The people from the Qi Yi demon clan had arrived. Though there were no demon immortals, those sent after consuming the ancestral blood from the Demon Pool were physically robust and extremely powerful.

These demons varied in appearance: some shrouded in black fog, others radiating intense blood energy. Some showed their true demonic forms, while others took human shape, all bristling with murderous intent.

"Is that him? The one who killed many of our clan's masters!" exclaimed a blue wolf, recognizing Wang Xuan without transforming into human form. Its fur stood on end in hostility.

Upon crossing into the mortal realm, they had received detailed reports and knew that it was Wang Xuan who had discovered and foiled their plans to take over the Qian financial powerhouse, leading to a catastrophic turn of events. They were unaware, however, that Wang Xuan had orchestrated everything, involving other factions in the hunt and employing warships to bombard the demons.

Even so, some demons eyed Wang Xuan coldly, exuding an air of dominance. "Dare you meddle in the affairs of our demon clan, mortal prey?" one of them challenged threateningly.

Black Mane, the demon, extended a large, furry hand towards Wang Xuan, completely disregarding the mortal realm and looking down upon those within it. His intention was clear as his massive, black-furred hand reached swiftly towards Wang Xuan's neck, a move of raw dominance.

Silently, Wang Xuan drew an ancient-looking short sword, holding it defensively before him and slashing forward.

Puff!

Though the sword appeared ordinary, it was incredibly sharp, slicing a wound across the demon's hand, causing blood to gush out. Black Mane's strength was formidable; he managed to retreat swiftly, like lightning, narrowly avoiding a severed hand.

Blood dripped from his hand, revealing bone within the flesh. His eyes glared more coldly at Wang Xuan.

Black Mane was not only characterized by his large hand but also by the black fur covering his body, standing erect like steel needles. He had prominent fangs, adding to his ferocious appearance.

“You’ve killed so many of our kind and still dare to show your face? Allowing you to live is a crime. The demon clan will not tolerate your existence!” He spoke an incantation, and blood light manifested into lotus flowers, blooming one after another, descending towards Wang Xuan. His spellcasting demonstrated his exceptional strength, surpassing even Kong Yun and Huang Daishen.

The blood-red lotus flowers shone, bubbling with transmatter, pressing down on Wang Xuan like mountains.

Wang Xuan quickly formed a specific hand gesture, employing his transcendent formula. At his current stage, he couldn't use the third-level formula — Samadhi True Fire — but the fire he conjured was still immensely powerful, far surpassing his cultivation level, thanks to the golden bamboo scroll that had revealed the essence of spellcasting to him.

With his spiritual eye aiding him, Wang Xuan rapidly organized the mysterious elements, creating a relatively perfect transcendent fire. A pitch-black flame burst forth, surging like a wave from the depths of hell.

With a whoosh, black flames engulfed the blood-red lotus, a collision of transmatter causing nearby buildings to instantly crumble, explode, and burn to ashes.

Boom!

Black Mane, wielding a wolf-tooth club, charged towards Wang Xuan amidst the clash of their spells, swinging down with the force of a mountain.

Wang Xuan's expression was grave, realizing the demon's physical strength was immense. Could this be a creature of the eighth level or higher? In this realm, indeed, few in the mortal world could stand against such might.

Suddenly, a golden tree materialized beside Wang Xuan. In an instant, four golden birds flew out, flapping their wings and attacking the shaggy demon.

"Chirp, chirp, chirp..." The song of the golden birds was like a phoenix's cry, rending the skies, blurring the fabric of the surrounding space.

Black Mane's head throbbed painfully, his mind under attack, feeling as though his brain would burst. The momentum of his wolf-tooth club slowed.

Swoosh!

A drop of strange blood appeared on him, exuding a terrifying pressure that temporarily resisted the spiritual erosion of the golden birds. This was the ancestral blood from the Demon Pool, which these beings brought with them through the veil – a trump card for both offense and defense.

With a thunderous roar, Wang Xuan swung the entire golden tree at Black Mane, who defensively wielded his club amidst dazzling sparks and boiling transmatter.

Black Mane's brow bled. Despite his defenses, his spiritual domain was breached, unleashing his ferocity. He combated with the ancestral blood and charged towards Wang Xuan.

Wang Xuan felt a sharp pain in his arm; though not broken, the impact from the powerful demon forced him to retreat several steps. This made him realize the significant gap in their realms. In a life-or-death struggle without the protection of a treasure, the situation was grim.

Fortunately, he had obtained the divine medicine, which would allow him to enhance his cultivation soon.

In a world where the power of magical treasures was diminishing daily, if he didn't rapidly elevate his own strength, he might well become prey for demons.

"Chirp, chirp, chirp!"

Three more golden birds flew out, forcing Black Mane to groan and retreat, his brow bleeding. The drop of ancestral blood near him had significantly dimmed.

With a whoosh, the black flames engulfed the blood-red lotus. The transmatter collided, causing the nearby buildings to instantly crumble, explode, and burn to ashes.

Boom!

Black Mane, wielding a wolf-tooth club, charged towards Wang Xuan amid the clash of spells, swinging it down with the force of a mountain.

Wang Xuan's expression grew serious, recognizing the demon's immense physical strength. Could this be a creature above the eighth level? In this realm, indeed, few in the mortal world could stand against such might.

Suddenly, a golden tree appeared beside Wang Xuan. In an instant, four golden birds flew out, attacking the shaggy demon with their wings.

"Chirp, chirp, chirp..." The cries of the golden birds were like a phoenix's cry, rending the skies, blurring the fabric of the surrounding space.

Black Mane's head throbbed painfully, his mind under attack, feeling as though his brain would burst. The momentum of his wolf-tooth club slowed.

Swoosh!

A drop of strange blood appeared on him, exuding a terrifying pressure that temporarily resisted the spiritual erosion of the golden birds. This was the ancestral blood from the Demon Pool, which these beings brought with them through the veil – a trump card for both offense and defense.

With a thunderous roar, Wang Xuan swung the entire golden tree at Black Mane, who defensively wielded his club amidst dazzling sparks and boiling transmatter.

Black Mane's brow bled. Despite his defenses, his spiritual domain was breached, unleashing his ferocity. He combated with the ancestral blood and charged towards Wang Xuan.

Wang Xuan felt a sharp pain in his arm; though not broken, the impact from the powerful demon forced him to retreat several steps. This made him realize the significant gap in their realms. In a life-or-death struggle without the protection of a treasure, the situation was grim.

Fortunately, he had obtained the divine medicine, which would allow him to enhance his cultivation soon.

In a world where the power of magical treasures was diminishing daily, if he didn't rapidly elevate his own strength, he might well become prey for demons.

"Chirp, chirp, chirp!"

Three more golden birds flew out, forcing Black Mane to groan and retreat, his brow bleeding. The drop of ancestral blood near him had significantly dimmed.

Wang Xuan, holding the golden tree, stepped forward and said, "Master, there's no need to trouble yourself. This human world should have its own order, not to be ravaged by such demons. We can handle this ourselves and will use the Shakyamuni True Scripture to eradicate these evils."

He truly despised these native demons; none were innocent – all deserved death!

The group of demons, each exuding immense power, approached Wang Xuan and Old Chen with a sneer, imposing immense pressure. The disparity in their realms was apparent.

Meanwhile, the Buddhist masters from the Spirit Mountain quietly attempted to whisk away the mystical stone mountain with their kasayas. However, the mountain, once activated, was as immovable as a real, vast mountain.

Instantly, several Buddhist masters silently entered the mystical stone mountain to search for the divine medicine.

The demon faction, seeing this, promptly followed. Their main objective was the seed of the Nine Calamities Lotus, far more important than the two humans in their eyes.

In a flash, both the Buddhist masters and the powerful beings of the demon faction rushed toward the mystical stone mountain, leaving only a few behind.

"We should go too!" Wang Xuan signaled to Old Chen, indicating they should also force their way in.

"Get out of the way!" Black Mane blocked their path, while the Silver Bat and the Green Wolf stood behind him, responsible for keeping watch outside, preventing the duo from entering the mountain.

Although Wang Xuan and Old Chen pretended to want to enter the mountain, they harbored real intentions of killing these demons.

The Silver Bat, still in human form but with a pair of silver wings on his back, sneered, "Don’t think that just because you have two powerful weapons, you are invincible. We don’t have time to deal with you now. We’ll take care of you after this affair is settled. There will be no place for you in the human world!"

"We'll kill you later!" Wang Xuan and Old Chen retreated, both filled with the desire to annihilate these demons.

However, these demons were extraordinarily formidable and not easy to deal with.

After distancing themselves from the Ling family, Old Chen communicated telepathically, "Should we return to the Old World now?"

Wang Xuan looked up at the sky, noting that dusk was approaching. "The Zheng family's immortals will deliver the Five-Colored Soil and Immortal Nectar tonight. It'd be a pity to leave now."

Before departing, he wanted to secure those precious items transported from the immortal realm.

Old Chen said, "I want to kill these demons. They're too despicable, a threat to countless lives. They're even more arrogant and unrestrained than the previous demons, openly speaking of bloodshed and slaughter!"

"Then let's find a way to eliminate them. At the very least, we should kill a good number of them!" Wang Xuan declared, his voice heavy with resolve. He, too, had reached his limit with those demons.