The Stars Beyond

Chapter 321: Even The Demons Are Shaken

In the outside world, Huang Ming, Kong Yun, Cao Qingyu, and Zhou Shiqi had just disembarked from their spacecraft and arrived in the Old World. Huang Ming, despite his sharp facial features and yellowing hair, had a certain aura about him, surrounded by a faint mist of immortality. His appearance might not have been striking, but his demeanor carried some weight.

"You've been gallivanting around with Zhou Yun again, haven't you?" Kong Yun accused Huang Ming, noticing his unsteady gait. Yet, before he could assert his superiority, Kong Yun himself stumbled awkwardly.

"I did not!" protested Huang Ming. He considered himself quite disciplined and had never crossed any lines. It was Zhou Yun who often dragged him into frivolous activities, like watching enchanting dances.

"Look, even the 'Immortal Lady Zhou' is staggering," pointed out Huang Ming, as Zhou Shiqi, surrounded by her own celestial aura, had just taken a step and faltered. Her elegant figure in a white dress swayed, a bit more dramatically than one might expect.

Huang Ming's blunt remark irked the others. Everyone's mood was tense, sensing the seriousness of the situation. Indeed, they had all felt a tremor – a shaking that had started with those whose foundations were the weakest, eventually affecting everyone. This chilling event highlighted a terrifying reality: every tremor had the potential to erode their hard-earned realms, a nightmare for beings of myth and legend.

"Let's hope this is just an anomaly and not another major disturbance in the transcendent forces," Cao Qingyu said gravely. They had all felt their spiritual realms waver but were relieved that they had not fallen from their current states. Another significant drop would be akin to a bloody and brutal downfall.

"The last time, the tremors lasted for hours on and off. I dread to think this might just be the beginning," Zhou Shiqi added, her beautiful brows furrowed with concern. As a rising singer in the Old World, she was well-known and had gathered a small crowd of onlookers.

Each of them was acutely aware that they were at a pivotal point, where any further instability could have dire consequences.

......

In the wake of the recent tremors, those sent by Heng Jun from beyond the great curtain were steadying their minds, actively seeking the cause and eagerly communicating with various factions. "It must be the reemergence of the Human Sword and the Wanderer's Boat, triggering disturbances across major immortal realms. The expansion and contraction of mythical rules are invisibly reaping the decaying transcendent world," they speculated.

As 'plate-breaking' entities, formerly ranked among celestial beings, they were directly seeking the source of these disturbances.

On New World, "Old Zhang" gripped his teacup tightly, trying to keep it steady as he felt the water inside tremble. Standing up, he gazed deeply into the vast cosmos, his eyes reflecting a profound depth. In a mysterious realm, amidst misty yin-yang energies and a gentle rain, a breathtaking woman in red stood under a paper umbrella. Seemingly motionless, the raindrops at the edge of her umbrella flew diagonally, betraying her subtle movements. Ethereal as a spirit, she stared into the sky, her eyes weaving strange runes, as if trying to discern the truth and capture a certain essence.

Deep beneath the Da Hinggan Mountains, in an underground experimental site, a woman in white aboard a golden bamboo boat carved from Ascendant Divine Bamboo fluttered her eyelashes in surprise, her eyes opening slightly, as if she had sensed something extraordinary.

In the realms beyond the curtain, significant events were unfolding, with the resurgence of ultimate treasures and the intensification of conflicts over them. But whether these would ripple through and impact the decaying transcendent realm remained uncertain.

In the real world, people across various quarters were on high alert, even fearful. In a desolate mountain range, buried beneath the soil, Wang Xuan's physical body lay motionless, surrounded by faint silver light that seemed to seep into the mountain. This mysterious, high-grade material, rich in vitality, appeared to be reshaping his physical form.

Meanwhile, in the Void, Wang Xuan sat in the pool, exhaling deeply. The experience was incredibly pleasant and comforting, like a spiritual baptism. Immersed in this sensation, he contemplated life and the universe, pondering the cycle of rise and decline, seeking a path of rebirth from decay. Gazing at the 'spiritual membrane' shed from his spiritual body, now disintegrating against the pool's rough walls and dissolving into the darkness, he might have reflected on the mysterious synchronicity of the silver light with his physical body far away.

Wang Xuan's spirit was clearer and more transparent than ever before, his mental state at its peak, and his spiritual power extraordinarily strong. Rising to his feet, he gazed at the small mound of Life Soil beside the pool. Despite being called soil, it was not tangible in the traditional sense; it was a marvelous manifestation of material within the Void.

The Nine Calamities Lotus was indeed absorbing the silver mist from the area, becoming more vibrant. The tender bud had grown larger, ready to unfold, and another hint of green had broken through the soil. Wang Xuan decided to sprinkle some of the silver liquid onto its roots, accelerating the process to see if any special changes would occur. Carefully using just a small amount of the celestial liquid each time, he monitored his condition closely to ensure there were no adverse effects. Fortunately, all seemed well, and the vitality of the Heavenly Medicine surged visibly, with a second tender bud emerging, translucent and gentle green.

Suddenly, a flash of silver light revealed a vague scene in the distance. With his Spiritual Eye, Wang Xuan focused intently on the hazy image slowly emerging from the mist. Astonishingly, he recognized his own Life Soil and the other two Heavenly Medicines, though they appeared distant and indistinct.

Wang Xuan was profoundly amazed. It was no illusion – he was actually seeing his own Life Soil, the starting point of his journey, now revealing itself in the distance. "Where the Life Soil goes, where the Heavenly Medicine grows, that's where my footsteps and marks are. By transporting soil and cultivating medicine, am I really paving my own path? Creating some kind of connection?" he wondered in awe.

He continued to sprinkle the silver celestial liquid onto the mound of Life Soil, not just for the Nine Calamities Lotus, but to enhance the vitality of the entire area.

The most crucial aspect was the glowing halo surrounding the small Heavenly Medicine. Although still diminutive in size, its light shielded the mound of Life Soil, covering and preserving the "water and soil." This created a life resonance, forming a beneficial cycle.

"There's a trick to this!" Wang Xuan's eyes sparkled with excitement and a hint of wonder. He looked again towards the barely visible scene, filled with hopeful anticipation. "Can it connect? Can it shorten the distance so that one day, I can instantly travel between these two places?" He pondered the possibility, now already able to vaguely see his own Life Soil and the other two Heavenly Medicines, along with the still and silent treasure.

After waiting a long time, Wang Xuan still felt a surge of vitality, his condition better than ever before. "It seems that the abundance of silver liquid won't impact much. Perhaps it's because the Heavenly Medicine and Life Soil Mound are my own. Watering them is essentially nourishing myself, so there's no problem."

Wang Xuan then began to water the soil mound extensively, drawing water directly until it could absorb no more. Simultaneously, the area underwent a transformation. The Heavenly Medicine, Life Soil Mound, and the Silver Pool, already close together, now seemed to merge into one entity, with silver mist pervading and life continuously flourishing.

"It's become much clearer!" Wang Xuan noticed that his Life Soil and the two Heavenly Medicines seemed to have been pulled closer from a great distance. He could now see the tender buds stretching out of the soil and slowly growing. The two plants appeared to be nourished, with buds transforming into leaves.

He was astonished to see that beyond these changes, the two plants were momentarily enveloped in a flash of silver light. Were they absorbing the mysterious substance from his current location? His Spiritual Eye focused intently on the scene, observing strands of silver substance floating up in his Life Soil and being absorbed by the two plants.

"They are radiating silver light because they have drawn from the substance in my Life Soil..." Wang Xuan realized, struck by the profound connection between these elements.

Wang Xuan gazed at the mound of Life Soil before him, contemplating its newfound connection with his original Life Soil. It could now transfer minuscule amounts of the silver substance. "I must delve deeper into this, exploring all potential possibilities," he thought, his mind buzzing with ideas.

The idea of a closer connection between the two patches of Life Soil, continuously transmitting the silver substance, was thrilling. The potential changes it could bring were beyond imagination. Moreover, if the connection between the two became so close that they were indistinguishable, could he instantly return to his original Life Soil, solving the problem of distant travel?

The possibility seemed real, especially considering how the silver substance appeared instantly in his original Life Soil, traversing billions of miles in a moment. Wang Xuan recalled Grandmaster Chen mentioning that during his last journey, his physical body had been hugely depleted, and the mysterious substance was nearly exhausted. At the critical moment, a flash of silver light had appeared.

This observation led Wang Xuan to surmise that the silver substance could also enter his physical body, arriving instantaneously and sparking numerous conjectures. The coarse pool's silver liquid was of an extremely high grade, providing infinite vitality and transforming into a potent transcendent force.

Wang Xuan pondered the possibilities. What if he gradually replaced his body's super-material with this silver substance? Could it lead to some astonishing transformation? "Clearly, it would be immensely beneficial," he mused. "My spirit and body would undergo a dual baptism, enhancing my strength and attack power."

He stared into the boundless void of the dark, vast Unknown, just at the beginning of his journey, and already he envisioned a broad and brilliant future. As for reaching the source, passing the deadly barriers, and stepping into the realm beyond the meteor crater, he was filled with even greater anticipation.

"There's no rush," he thought. "Step by step, just like paving my way with Life Soil. As my strength grows, I will naturally reach that place in the near future." He wasn't impulsive. No one could reach the heavens in a single step; if it seemed possible, it might just be an illusion, with a deep abyss lying ahead.

Wang Xuan understood that the false prosperity of the present world and the alluring traps of cultivation paths were interconnected, serving as a reminder to remain vigilant on his journey.

Facing the daunting expanse of darkness, Wang Xuan contemplated a more proactive approach in replacing the super-material in his body and spirit. His gaze fixed on the deep abyss, harboring thoughts of harnessing the destructive red light that intermittently illuminated the void. This place, a crucible of creation and annihilation, seemed an ideal ground for his audacious experiment, an opportunity to thrive amidst adversity and ascend to new heights.

Armed with the Slash God Banner, Wang Xuan left the Life Pool and stationed himself in the depths of darkness, patiently waiting for the return of the ominous crimson glow. Days later, it reappeared — a majestic, enveloping wave of red light, a celestial tide crashing against the shores of the void, its brilliance stark against the engulfing darkness.

Wang Xuan knew better than to recklessly dive into the maelstrom. Using the Slash God Banner as his shield, he cautiously retreated, keeping himself at the fringes of the crimson tide. He gingerly began to draw in the red substance, only to be met with excruciating pain. Just the slightest contact with the red material caused a portion of his spiritual force to disintegrate instantly, like a burning rope, the radiant red light consuming everything in its path.

Silver light burst forth from Wang Xuan as a countermeasure, clashing violently with the invasive red. In this brutal confrontation, he felt as though he was on the brink of explosion — an ordeal akin to the torments of purgatory. The destructive power of the red haze was overwhelming, a pain beyond the endurance of most beings.

"This is the agony of transcending limits," he thought, his body quivering under the strain. This was merely a test, a mere fraction of his spiritual power employed, and already he was caught between the desires for life and release from pain.

In the throes of unbearable pain, Wang Xuan's mind wandered, seeking distraction from the searing agony. He wondered if the recent events in the mortal world had any connection to his current ordeal. "What's happening to those transcendent beings who returned from beyond the veil? Have they too felt the ripples of this cosmic struggle?" he pondered while enduring the flames that seemed to consume his very soul.

"I must persevere, I am being reborn through fire!" he encouraged himself, clinging to his resolve amidst the inferno of pain.

"The pain is unbearable, beyond any mortal suffering. It's like falling into the depths of hell, but even more torturous," Wang Xuan thought, his spirit teetering on the edge of consciousness, numbed by the relentless assault.

His mind drifted further, seeking any respite from the torment. "I wonder if the shockwaves have reached 'Old Zhang' on the new moon? Has he been shaken off his celestial perch?" he mused, grasping at straws of distraction.

"And what about the Red-clothed Demoness? Has she been jolted by these tremors? Imagine her performing a bewitching dance amidst this chaos. Ah, the pain is killing me!" Wang Xuan grimaced, trying to lighten his mood with these thoughts, but finding little relief from the relentless agony.