The Stars Beyond

Chapter 322: Collateral Damage

Wang Xuan writhed in excruciating pain, feeling as though he was being flayed alive. No distraction seemed to work anymore; even the thought of the Red-clothed Demoness performing an alluring dance lost its charm amidst his torment. He wished he could just scream out loud, to vent the unbearable agony.

"I want to punch that fake 'Old Zhang'!" he thought deliriously, engulfed in the searing red glow. Wang Xuan twisted and turned, desperately trying different physical movements to alleviate his suffering.

He even thought of the Sword Immortal Child, her chubby, childlike face, but the brief respite that brought was fleeting. The pain was unrelenting, and even imagining himself on the Exalted Boat, wielding the Ascension Banner, and harvesting celestial herbs did little to soothe his suffering.

In his pain, he fantasized about challenging the entire universe, fighting every creature in existence. The intense agony seemed to bolster his courage, and he even considered challenging the mighty female alchemist.

"This world is mine!" he cried out in his delirium, his mind seemingly fracturing under the strain. He felt as if he might explode at any moment. The experiment had pushed him to his limits, and the resplendent red mist threatened to engulf his very essence.

Realizing he could no longer play with fire, Wang Xuan admitted his limits. Despite the excruciating ordeal, he knew it had tempered his spirit. Converting his pain into a surge of energy, he transformed into a streak of light and swiftly retreated from the hazardous area, his experiment at its end.

Plunging into the Life Pond like a meteor, Wang Xuan felt the scorching red glow gradually extinguishing from his body, cleansed by the pond's mystical waters. At that very moment, even the miniaturized Sword Immortal Child nestled in the distant barren mountains was jolted awake by a significant tremor that seemed to agitate the very land. Disgruntled, she grumbled about being disturbed from her sleep.

Meanwhile, Wang Xuan, now fully alert, was hit by a wave of realization and relief. He had narrowly escaped death. The red miasma had almost completely consumed his spirit. Examining himself, he saw various 'scorch marks' across his spiritual form, evidence of the harrowing ordeal he had just endured. It was a relief that the copious amounts of silver substance he had absorbed earlier had infused his spirit with a vital resilience against the destructive red mist.

However, something unexpected happened. Without the aid of the Life Pond, the burnt areas of his spirit began showing signs of regeneration, sprouting tendrils of life. It was a moment of epiphany for Wang Xuan. He recognized the parallel between his experience and that of lightning-struck wood, known for its rare ability to endure and thrive following the devastation of a lightning strike.

With a hint of irony, Wang Xuan mused over his newfound similarity to the precious material. Lightning-struck wood was a coveted item among both transcendent beings and wealthy mortals due to its rarity and value. "Have I essentially become a self-cultivated treasure?" he pondered, looking at his charred spiritual form.

Despite the pain, he stood at the edge of the pond, observing his own recovery. The aura of rebirth enveloped him, signifying his resilience and the beginning of self-healing after his brush with annihilation.

Enduring torturous trials beyond human limits, Wang Xuan faced a grueling ordeal that far surpassed the hardships of even the most austere ascetics. As the life force gradually settled and dissipated, he noticed some areas of his spirit remained 'charred.' However, these damaged parts slowly healed, suggesting an increased resilience of his spirit.

"There's value in enduring boundless agony and honing oneself on the brink of death. Such extreme methods of cultivation are undoubtedly effective and toughening," he thought. But he also realized that this approach was perilous, bordering on self-annihilation, and not something everyone could withstand.

Despite his fearless heart, Wang Xuan knew such practices were not to be taken lightly. Had it been anyone else, they might have perished early in the process.

Returning to the pond, he immersed himself in its unparalleled vitality, restoring his spirit and eliminating potential risks. Wang Xuan felt confident that with repeated experiences akin to that of lightning-struck wood, he could advance to a higher realm, not just barely crossing the threshold, but reaching a later stage.

As he recuperated in the pond, cleansing the 'scorch marks' from his spirit, his physical body in the outside world was also undergoing a transformation. Initially damaged, it was now being caressed by silver light, brimming with life.

Unknown to Wang Xuan, his physical body had faced its peril as well. As his spirit endured the red miasma, his physical body attracted faint traces of the same ominous red mist. Barely visible, these traces almost flayed a layer of his skin!

Had Wang Xuan known about the risky nature of this extreme cultivation method earlier, he might not have dared to proceed. It was akin to bungee jumping at the mouth of a dark abyss.

Nevertheless, oblivious to the outside world, Wang Xuan embarked on another round of self-imposed trials. He healed himself and ventured back into the dark depths, once again courting the fine line between life and death as he awaited the red mists.

After two such trials, he carried with him the mysterious silver animal skin book, inscribed with hundreds of characters. Each character had the remarkable ability to absorb copious amounts of the silver substance, further aiding in his daunting journey of self-cultivation.

While Wang Xuan subjected himself to extreme and ruthless cultivation practices, the outside world was in constant turmoil and couldn't find peace.

In the realms of the Great Curtain, the roaming Yao Yao Boat was seen flying, and the Sword of the Mortal World reappeared, causing chaos across several celestial domains. Each realm's supreme masters were in action, pursuing these ultimate treasures.

In the real world, out in space, Chen Yongjie's spirit left his spacecraft, braving the intense solar flames. His body radiated with the light of Buddha and the aura of a golden pill, illuminating the cosmos. "It's strange, I keep getting affected by these tremors, which never happened before!" he exclaimed. After being engulfed by the intense solar fire again, he hastily retreated to his spacecraft, using his bodily vitality to extinguish the fire and escape the crisis.

"Master, did you find a way out?" asked Qingmu from inside the spacecraft.

"No, I was shaken quite badly. It couldn't really be related to that kid, could it?" Chen Yongjie wondered, suspecting that continuous tremors might cause him to lose his cultivation level.

"Let's hurry and find someone!" He decided to return, unable to withstand the disturbances that impeded his cultivation.

Meanwhile, in a city on the Old Earth, Huang Ming, driving a car, suddenly started trembling violently, causing the car to shake. "Oh no, it's happening again! I'm about to lose my cultivation level!" His face turned pale with fear, and Kong Yun, his passenger, was equally nervous.

In a car following them, the well-known celestial singer Zhou Shiqi from the New Star also struggled to maintain her balance as she stepped out of her vehicle. "Isn't that the famous fairy singer recently popular on the New Star? She's a transcendent being, what's happening to her? Quick, take photos for the news."

Back in the realm of nothingness, Wang Xuan was once again battered and bruised, refining parts of his spirit with strands of red mist. He felt a significant advancement in his strength. "My power is rapidly increasing. Time to heal and continue," he whispered to himself. "Extreme suffering and hellish cultivation naturally bring corresponding rewards."

Soon, he resumed his journey.

Back in the real world, as the spacecraft rapidly descended towards the ground, Guan Lin inside the ship felt anxious. "Old Chen, are you alright?" she asked.

At that moment, Chen Yongjie, draped in a monk's robe glowing with a soft red light, holding a white conch in his left hand and a soul-locking bell in his right, appeared serene and dignified as if in deep contemplation.

"No worries, I feel it's just the ceiling pressing down. I haven't broken through it yet. Given my profound foundation, it's not too severe," Chen Yongjie reassured everyone, despite the escalating tension due to the constant tremors in the realms.

The two groups of individuals sent by Heng Jun from the Great Curtain were utterly rattled. The last couple of hours had been a nerve-wracking ordeal, chilling them to the core.

"Is this turmoil caused by the battle for supreme treasures behind the Great Curtain?" someone asked, bitterness evident in their voice.

"Probably," another person nodded, acknowledging the grim possibility.

Another tremor struck, causing panic among them. "I'm on the brink of falling," one lamented, clearly sensing their cultivation weakening. They feared a few more such shocks would strip them of their current realm, plummeting them from their lofty status.

One of them spoke with a grave tone, "We need to negotiate with the relevant departments quickly, also with Chen Yongjie and Guan Lin. If we all fall from our current realm, we'll lose our deterrent effect against the mortals and especially against their battleships."

"Last time, we underestimated him, and I could feel his resentment. He's hostile towards us. Should we eliminate him first?" another suggested.

"Let's focus on stability and initiate talks," was the consensus. The threat of falling from their cultivated status was a nightmare they couldn't ignore. It was a brutal assault on their years of cultivation.

Meanwhile, on the New Star, the demons were in dismay. The recent events seemed terribly unfair, considering they had just survived a catastrophic upheaval. Now, even the heavens seemed to be against them.

On Old Earth, both the returned celestials and demonic beings felt the gravity of the situation, the atmosphere heavy with apprehension.

In a secluded part of the cosmos, an ancient fox gazed skyward and sighed, "Is there no end to this? After years of arduous cultivation, I was ready to dominate the celestials, but enough is enough." It then had to resort to using its powerful techniques and cleansing itself with celestial fox blood.

On Yuhua Star, among the most powerful sects, many looked towards an elderly man with a youthful complexion and snow-white hair. As he exhaled a breath of white mist, he lamented, "What is destined to decay cannot be stopped after all."

......

On the Moon, "Old Zhang" set down his trembling teacup and stood up. He began practicing an extremely potent physical technique to stabilize himself. "Why does this keep happening?" he wondered. After calming down, he experienced another slight tremor and promptly took out a rusty bronze mirror, casting its mysterious reflective light onto himself for reassurance.

Meanwhile, in a mystical realm, the red-dressed demoness, umbrella in hand amidst the drizzle, began to dance gracefully. Her movements were elegant and fluid, yet they held immense power. With each graceful motion, lightning flashed around her, enhancing her ethereal presence in the misty rain.

Back on Old Earth, in the desolate mountains, the miniaturized Sword Immortal was rudely awakened from her slumber as the ground shook beneath her. "Not again! These disturbances have been hindering my growth, even causing regression," she grumbled with annoyance. Sensing something amiss, she swiftly navigated underground with her sword, heading towards a specific location beneath the barren hills.

Soon, she unearthed Wang Xuan. At that moment, the faint red mist around him was dissipating, giving way to a rising silver glow that caught her by surprise. She took a deep breath, finding the silver mist incredibly soothing. The miniaturized Sword Immortal couldn't resist inhaling more of it, her chubby cheeks breaking into a contented smile.