The Stars Beyond

Chapter 319: Calmly Observing The Outcome

The "God-Slaying Banner" was the size of a palm, with a golden flag surface featuring dense patterns. The silver-colored beast skin scroll was about a foot square, emitting a faint silver glow with intricate patterns and hundreds of bizarre characters, full of texture. These characters were not written with ink but carved with a knife, exuding an artistic charm and aesthetic beauty.

Both the flag and the scroll glowed dimly, and when placed together, they complemented each other, creating an indescribable harmony. Wang Xuan ran his hand over both the flag and the scroll; the feel of both, with their natural and mystical patterns, was captivating.

Holding the God-Slaying Banner, Wang Xuan poked at the beast skin scroll, but it showed no reaction. Then, he bravely attempted to wave the flag gently, allowing its golden patterns to flow into the scroll, yet still, there was no response.

Frowning, Wang Xuan felt slightly disappointed, as his initial theories seemed to be disproven. "It was said that there's a 'Body-Slaying Flag' in the world. It seems this is not its flag surface. I might have overthought it," he mused, caressing the one-foot square silver-colored beast skin scroll. Though its origins remained unclear, this artifact was undoubtedly extraordinary, being able to enter his Life Soil, indicating its significant nature.

Seeing Wang Xuan's return to focus, Qingmu asked, "How did it go?" He, too, was eager to know the purpose of this enigmatic artifact they had been studying for half a year.

"No idea," Wang Xuan shook his head, planning to seek help. With Chen Yongjie no longer his go-to encyclopedia, Wang Xuan had a better target in mind.

Soon after, he and Qingmu found themselves once again in the barren mountains eight hundred miles from An City, seeking guidance from the Sword Immortal. It would be a waste not to consult an ancient Sword Immortal. Rushing back and forth, Wang Xuan felt an urgency to understand the extraordinary nature of the silver scroll, not wanting to miss anything.

What left him and Qingmu speechless was that the miniaturized Sword Immortal appeared to have woken up on the wrong side of the bed.

Waking up to disturbances for two consecutive days, the miniaturized Sword Immortal was listless, yawning continuously. "I'm growing right now; don't disturb my development," she complained.

"I've brought something interesting this time. Wake up and take a look at what it is," Wang Xuan urged, handing the silver scroll down to her.

The miniaturized Sword Immortal swiftly grabbed the scroll with her pale little hand and retreated deeper underground. "This script spans several eras, older than even the Oracle Bone Script. I don't recognize it either, although I recall hearing it mentioned briefly. I suspect few among the Transcendents would recognize it," she mused, supporting her chin with one hand while holding the silver beast skin scroll with the other, her brows slightly furrowed in thought.

"Only those old-timers, who rummage through the world's scriptures like bandits, might have studied such script," she said helplessly.

"Like who?" asked Wang Xuan.

"That red-clothed monster," the Sword Immortal blurted out.

Wang Xuan and Qingmu exchanged glances. They had never heard anyone describe the female demon, who always appeared amidst misty rain and dazzling in red, in such a manner.

"Forget it, seeking her out would be like a lamb walking into a tiger's den," Wang Xuan dismissed the idea.

"Otherwise, you could try the ancient transcendents from the pre-Qin period, like those alchemists. They're well-read, especially those who interacted with special eras. Someone might recognize this script." After saying this, she grew silent, her eyelids drooping.

Despite her icy skin and envelopment in celestial mist, she still seemed her ten-year-old self, in need of sleep, appearing delicate and not quite the formidable Sword Immortal.

Wang Xuan beckoned the silver scroll back to him. It seemed best to let this "little one" rest for now. He and Qingmu quietly left the place.

"A female alchemist?" Wang Xuan pondered on their way back. Perhaps one of those exceptional figures among the pre-Qin alchemists, who had perused various scriptures, might know this script.

He had entered the unique Inner Landscape of a female alchemist, witnessing various illusions like her library, richly stocked with books, including golden bamboo scrolls. At that time, he was too ambitious, wanting to flip through the bamboo scrolls on her desk, but everything dissipated like smoke, beyond his reach.

"Unpredictable intentions," Wang Xuan mused about the female alchemist. She was, indeed, outrageously powerful, the only known being who had retained her physical body completely.

"And there's 'Old Zhang' as well, also inscrutable."

The potential candidates he thought of were all profound, but they shared a common issue - he didn't want to approach them yet, fearing being devoured whole.

"In that bar on New World, 'Old Zhang' mentioned sending me the heavenly seed of Daoist ancestors. What a pity." He felt some regret.

But he wasn't too remorseful. Bearing the karma of 'Old Zhang' was no small matter, and his true origins were still uncertain.

Back in An City, Wang Xuan started to conserve his energy and adjust his state. The situation was extremely critical, and he prepared to explore the elusive land once more.

"Qingmu, come and practice with me. I'm going to bring you closer to transcendence!" Chen Yongjie called, asking Qingmu to join him, seemingly irate.

Qingmu was thrilled; was he finally going to enter the Inner Landscape? He'd been longing for it.

But at the same time, his eyelids twitched nervously. What was wrong with his increasingly enigmatic master?

"Old Chen, what's happening?" Wang Xuan also heard and sensed something amiss, immediately inquiring.

"Those people are so condescending. Though they didn't utter any harsh words or spout venom, their attitude was unbearable," Chen Yongjie spoke lowly, his chest burning with indignation. Those people had visited again, holding discussions in a calm and indifferent manner, asking him to gather practitioners from Old World, assemble spaceships, and go mine the Earth's core and bomb Kunlun Mountains.

Though there were no outright insults, their dismissive oversight and unquestionable commands still infuriated Chen Yongjie.

They were blatantly using him as a laborer, not taking the transcendent beings of the current world seriously at all.

Wang Xuan's heart sank. These beings who had traversed from behind the grand curtain were clearly much stronger than the previous ones, significantly elevating the level of danger.

Wang Xuan was concerned that Chen Yongjie might face life-threatening dangers if he resisted those cold and indifferent demands.

"Don't be reckless, avoid confrontation for now," Wang Xuan advised seriously.

He then added, his voice growing colder, "Prepare for everything. If these people go too far, we'll fight them tooth and nail."

Recently, on New World, he and Chen Yongjie had slaughtered a group of transcendent beings. There was no reason to be pushed around upon returning to Old World.

"These returning people all have physical bodies. If they dare to be too presumptuous and push us too far, we'll start by bombing their ships, destroying their physical bodies first!"

"I've said what needed to be said. Times have changed. Modern humans have the courage to resist the transcendent. And they must have heard about the New World battleships' capabilities, so they're somewhat cautious and haven't completely torn off the facade. In the end, they left coldly, suggesting cooperation for mutual benefit," Chen Yongjie explained. As the former top figure of Old World and someone who had opened an Inner Landscape, he didn't care much even about the transcendent beings. His ambitions and comparisons were always with the legendary figures of the past. That's why he felt so infuriated by their condescension and orders.

Wang Xuan sighed. Chen Yongjie's pride was hurt, but that was only part of the reason. His inner strength was immense, seeing himself as a beast king but belittled by a bunch of "sick cats" and "hyenas" who ascended earlier, which choked him up inside.

"Xiaoyao is indeed incredible. Wait till I reach that realm..." Chen Yongjie sneered, imagining a future where he would confront these beings on equal footing.

"Indeed, Xiaoyao is remarkable," someone spoke up from within the room, looking at him indifferently.

Reality hit hard, and no matter how high Chen Yongjie's spirit soared or how confident he was about his future path to invincibility, at that moment, he was indeed being suppressed.

The group of transcendent beings, having returned after initially leaving, had heard Chen Yongjie's remarks. Appearing silently, they sat on the sofa opposite him, and some stood in front of him, calmly looking down upon him.

"If you gentlemen wish to hire people for mining, you can recruit and pay them. That's completely fine. But if you think you can push me around, commanding me to summon cultivators and mobilize battleships, even expecting me to serve as your laborer, I'm afraid that's not possible," Chen Yongjie said sternly.

"How about we discuss this more in-depth?" one of them suggested with a smile, maintaining the same calm demeanor but with an underlying, pressing spiritual pressure that felt somewhat oppressive.

They seemed to attempt a spiritual invasion, trying to subdue Chen Yongjie's thoughts and change his mind, but they encountered fierce resistance, facing an incredibly strong will.

His companion pulled him back, not allowing him to continue, as they suddenly felt their physical bodies were on the verge of collapsing.

"There are battleships locking onto this location!" They communicated telepathically, their faces growing stern.

"Too much bullying!" Chen Yongjie slammed the table hard, shattering it, and coldly said, "You returned alive only to test our battleships? If you want to be blasted into pieces, feel free to try!"

In Ancheng, Qingmu was restless. Those people had returned, pushing his master to this extent!

Chen Yongjie's call hadn't been disconnected, allowing Qingmu and Wang Xuan to hear everything.

"Gentlemen, the demons of New World are almost extinct!" Wang Xuan's voice transmitted through the phone.

In Chen Yongjie's room, a hush fell as the visitors from behind the veil of the Great Curtain processed the information about the dire state of the demons on New World, which they had already heard about.

Gu Lin, dressed in her casual home attire, entered the room. Her appearance was serene, but her words carried a cold edge. "Transcendents from beyond the Great Curtain, I hope that from now on, we can coexist peacefully. I don't know what the future holds for the Ascendants, but ultimately, the mortal realm belongs to the ordinary," she said.

After she spoke, the transcendent beings present, who were at the stage of Freedom of Wandering, felt increasingly uncomfortable as they sensed more battleships targeting them.

Their eyes held a cold light, and they were internally conflicted and perturbed by the fact that a mortal woman had the power to command battleships and issue such orders.

However, they didn't want to escalate the situation into violence. Subtly subduing their opposition was preferable, especially considering future considerations; it was not the time for outright conflict.

One of them, maintaining a calm demeanor, spoke up: "We do indeed seek cooperation for mutual benefit. We're not here to coerce, but to share a new discovery and invite your people to join us in exploring it, which could potentially lead to significant findings."

"Our people have unearthed a jade house while digging towards the Earth's core, and we found someone inside. We thought you might be interested in studying it together," they explained, aware of the advanced research capabilities in the modern world, including precise testing and experimentation, and hoping to leverage these resources for analysis and assistance.

Gu Lin nodded in response, "I'll inquire with the research institutes. If any of them are interested, they will contact you in due course."

The visitors from beyond the Great Curtain smiled briefly and, after leaving their contact information, gracefully departed.

Chen Yongjie, feeling somewhat reassured by Gu Lin's approach, spoke up, "Don't take it to heart, focus on your cultivation. As long as we improve ourselves rapidly, surpassing the pace of the myth's collapse, we'll be strong enough to make those arrogant opponents weep!"

Wang Xuan's voice came through the phone, offering comfort.

Chen Yongjie replied, "That's true, pressure is what drives progress. It only makes me strive to become stronger. Today they tried to suppress me with their spiritual realm, but soon, their cultivation might crumble along with the myths, turning them into mere mortals. We still have a long way to go."

He then seemed to recall something, "Speaking of which, the recent fluctuations of the transcendent aftermath have coincided with your breakthroughs, causing the decline of those who crossed over."

Pausing for a moment, Chen Yongjie laughed, "Hurry up and make another breakthrough, to shake them off their 'ceiling'. If these people fall below the stage of Freedom of Wandering, I'd like to see how they dare to show up before me again. I'll sit back and watch them cry!"

Chen Yongjie couldn't help but break into laughter, amused by the coincidence of the situation.

"Alright, I'll go and shake them all down!" Wang Xuan also laughed upon hearing this.