The Stars Beyond

Chapter 338: The Burning End Of A Myth

"Activate!" Shouted a white-haired man that held a painted fan, with drawings of magnificent landscapes. With a forceful swing, a thunderous sound echoed, and a myriad of bright lights appeared. The majestic scenery of mountains and rivers emerged, piercing through a mountain ahead, revealing an ancient cave ruin before him.

At the ends of the earth, a red-haired youth held a nine-story pagoda, his expression filled with astonishment as he stared at the great marsh ahead. There, the legendary innate Yin and Yang energies intertwined and surged.

Shocked with the scene, he immediately summoned the immortal pagoda, intending to seize this legendary substance. With a blink of an eye, he transformed the pagoda into an extraordinary treasure.

At the time of this New World, people from everywhere discovered blessings and unearthed rare treasures, but many also perished. A wrong step could mean certain death in this world where rampant beasts roamed, and treacherous terrain abounded.

......

The round-faced girl sat across the fire, absorbing some peculiar substances that rose from the flames. She stood up and said, "This place is yours."

Unable to stand the sight of his face, she prepared herself to leave. Even though she couldn't kill him, she wanted to grab him and use his own sword to chop his buttocks!

Unfortunately, she was incapable of doing that. She could only endure it by turning a blind eye and being indifferent.

Wang Xuan asked with confusion. "There doesn't seem to be anything extraordinary about this bonfire. It's just some special substances. It's neither dangerous nor particularly auspicious. Why is everyone talking about it and trying to find it?"

"Do you know what kind of fire this is?" Said the round-faced girl, lifting her chin with pride. She did not plan to talk to him, but she couldn't help it.

"I don't know. Do you?" Wang Xuan asked while looking at her.

"The Demon Lord said this might be the remnant of the Great Tao. Do you think it's that simple? It can burn immortals to death and wipe out demon saints. It’s strong when the user is strong, weak when the user is weak. You're too weak to activate it yet, nor have you let it reveal its true blessing and danger," said the girl.

Her chin raised in confidence. She had once been taken by the Demon Lord to experience the real and terrifying flame of civilization, an experience she still vividly remembered.

She continued, "It's a kind of blessing that few people can experience. Remember, even a gifted individual who once competed with the Demon Lord died in the bonfire."

The round-faced girl finished her words, turned around then walked away, saying, "Don't think too much about it. You're still young. Accumulate more experience and strive for opportunities in the future to experience the truth in the fire."

This kind of bonfire flickered unpredictably, appearing at unknown times and in unknown places. Finding it was just the start; in order for it to be a blessing, one must truly understand it. But throughout history, not many people had such luck.

In fact, even some peerless masters had no opportunity with this fire.

"In this great era, it's already quite good if one or two people can comprehend the remnants of the old civilization......" The round-faced girl stopped abruptly. Feeling something amiss, she couldn't help but pause.

Then, she widened her eyes with her gaze sharp like a tiger’s claw. What was happening? Why did the surroundings become hazy?

It was somewhat different from her experience in the past, but the atmosphere was somewhat similar.

She quickly turned around and looked towards the bonfire. Suddenly, she saw Wang Xuan solemn and majestic, holding the Godslaying Banner to guard against her. He stared at the bonfire as if he wanted to comprehend something.

Then, some scenes appeared around her, and it seemed like the heavens and the earth were gradually changing.

She was dumbfounded. Did he......do it?

Although she knew this detestable young man was extraordinary, she had just been teasing him. She did not expect that he would truly gain something right under her nose.

This made her, the True Immortal White Tiger with her picturesque beauty, unsure of where to put herself. Just a moment ago, she was saying he wasn't up to par, but in an instant, he asserted his authority and presented a spectacle, causing the mythical civilization within the flames to reappear.

"Wait for me! The flame is extremely dangerous. I'll protect you!" Shouted the round-faced girl. She shamelessly ran over, hoping to take advantage of the situation.

"Stay away from me. I'll be more at ease that way," Wang Xuan replied, while staring at the bonfire, with the Godslaying Banner in his hand.

"No, the Demon Lord said I'm responsible for you. In order to fulfill the Demon Lord's request, I have to protect you. You can't die now!" said the round-faced girl as she rushed forward.

However, midway, she screamed, "Oh no, I'm lost! Hurry up and guide me. Let's forget our grievances and call it even. I won't hold it against you anymore!"

Quiet streets and unfamiliar cities appeared around her. It was empty, desolate, and silent.

This was a mysterious city, unlike any era she had experienced before. The buildings resembled modern architecture but permeated an ancient atmosphere.

"A Divine Demoness — Blood Peacock?!" Her hair immediately bristled when she saw a person with a broken neck hanging and dangling from a building next to the street. That person was long dead and desiccated.

She was a renowned Divine Demoness, one of the top three prodigies of her era, and yet she died here silently and unnoticed.

The empty streets, unfamiliar cities, all the buildings bore the marks of time. In the twilight, there was an indescribable loneliness, as if the world had come to an end. All living beings had perished, leaving her behind.

The round-faced girl felt afraid. This was different from her experiences in the past. Although she didn't see the same fire, it still made her profoundly uneasy.

She felt like she might die here!

This remnant of civilization created such marvels, truly demonstrating the law of the jungle, sparing none regardless of strength or weakness. There was no reasoning to be found.

Only the sound of her footsteps echoed in the quiet streets, or so she thought, until she heard another set of footsteps. She abruptly turned around, but there was nothing there.

Swish!

Her hair stood on end as she felt the icy touch of nails grazing her neck, drawing blood, almost severing her head.

Boom!

She became furious, casting spells desperately, attacking here and there. But all the beams hit the ground and crashed into the buildings without anything happening. Those areas remained unaffected and showed no signs of damage.

She quickly ran forward and saw another corpse hanging by a rope on the side of a building. With a closer look, her scalp tingled as she recognized the person.

"Formerly, there was a peerless talent among the sorcerers, rumored to have competed with Fang Yuzhu in her youth. She actually died here!" she exclaimed.

This time it was a woman with a beautiful and lifelike face. Her neck was also strangled by a black rope, swaying as she hung there, with her body not completely dried up.

The little white tiger was scared stiff, feeling like her spirit was about to leave her body. The spirituality of such individuals was absolutely extraordinary, yet they still couldn't pass through this place, meeting a tragic end here.

She felt that, if she relied on herself, she would undoubtedly die.

"Demon Lord, I...... apologize to you. I need to stay alive in order to serve you." She muttered with fear and guilt.

"Wang Xuan, hurry and guide me out. Didn't you want to see the Demon Lord dance? I have it. She does dance happily occasionally. I have a memory crystal that contains her dance. Hurry up and save me!" shouted the girl.

The round-faced girl was enraged, her heart filled with darkness. She knew deeply that even a Demon Saint might die here. The key was the inexplicable spirituality.

When the Demon Lord came in those years, her strength was not strong, far from developed. However, her comprehension was unparalleled and her spiritual brilliance was frequent, leading her to pass through without danger.

She felt that, in terms of talent, she was probably not as good as Wang Xuan, so she shouted for help.

"Is there really an Extraordinary Immortal Dance?" came Wang Xuan's voice from somewhere unknown in the sunset.

Indeed, his spirituality was far stronger than hers. He was able to hear her call for help and see her. However, when she looked in the direction of the voice, she saw nothing. She quickly shouted, "Yes!"

At this moment, Wang Xuan was also extremely shocked. He stared at the bonfire, his spirit projected outwards, using his spiritual eyes to see its essence. As he tried to read the fragments of scriptures, the surroundings changed.

In a strange street, in a city from an unknown era, the shadows gradually became real and surronded him.

He was in a square, where scriptures were burning, and countless books were thrown into the bonfire. He only saw a pair of rough and aged hands, tossing these scriptures without any reluctance, igniting all of it.

He heard the cries of the Little White Tiger, and the sight stunned him because the Little White Tiger had found a black rope to hang herself.

"Are you crazy? Why do you want to commit suicide?" asked the puzzled Wang Xuan.

He looked at the round-faced girl that was in the square which was a short distance away. She skillfully hung herself with her neck wrapped in the black rope and her tongue sticking out. Her spirit was also strangled until it withered.

"I...... I didn’t. There's a demon...... holding my hand. There's something filthy...... trying to kill me!" The round-faced girl cried out weakly. Her tongue was out and her eyes wide with fear.

Seeing that she was about to collapse, her neck was on the verge of breaking, along with her spirit. That black rope was terrifying.

Wang Xuan furrowed his brow and waved the Godslaying Banner, pointing it forward. A golden mesh spread out, slamming into the street with a bang. It cut the black rope that could sever a person's spirit, which made the White Tiger fall directly to the ground.

At the same time, Wang Xuan saw a pair of blood-drenched, white, and slender hands leaving the back of the round-faced girl's neck. It was quite a chilling sight.

"Wang Xuan, hurry up and take me over there!" The round-faced girl was in full panic mode. She felt an overwhelming sense of shame for actually seeking help from him and asking him to save her.

However, when she realized that even the Demon Saint couldn't do anything here and that there was a risk of dying. She mustered up her strength, no longer afraid of being embarrassed.

"Step to your left and avoid the black pit ahead," Wang Xuan reminded her, urging her to come over.

However, the True Immortal White Tiger stepped directly to the right. With her unresponsive legs, she jumped straight into a black pit that she couldn't even see herself.

She immediately felt something was wrong. A pair of cold hands grabbed her ankle with immense force and dragged her towards the pitch-black underground hell-hole.

"Oh no, this is terrifying! I can't see it, but it's real! How can even the physical body be attacked? Wang Xuan, quickly guide me over!"

Wang Xuan was speechless. The usually fierce round-faced girl was actually so timid, she seemed too afraid. How could he know that many powerful figures had died here in extremely tragic circumstances? He didn't understand, so naturally, he didn't have that feeling.

Swish!

At a critical moment, Wang Xuan flung out a fishing line and hook. It snagged the hairpin of the True Immortal White Tiger, suspending her in mid air.

"Ah, someone else is trying to hang me again!" She said while struggling frantically.

With a grim expression, Wang Xuan tried to reel her in, but she wouldn't even budge. His facial expression changed, and he quickly waved the Godslaying Banner again. Golden patterns intertwined, and a dull sigh emanated from the black hole. Then, the True Immortal White Tiger was reeled up by him.

Wang Xuan was disdainful of her, finding her utterly useless. The dignified True Immortal White Tiger was actually waiting for him to save her.

"It's not like what you think. Even Demon Ancestors could die coming in here, and exceptional experts could encounter accidents. Of course, I'm scared," the round-faced girl confessed.

Embarrassed and undignified, she transformed into a small white tiger that was about a foot long. She cursed in circles on the ground, then covered her face and refused to move. Today, she felt utterly ashamed.

Wang Xuan patted her head, feeling quite satisfied with the texture, and then patted it a few more times.

"What are you doing?!" the White Tiger’s fur bristled.

"Where's the memory crystal? Don't play dead!" Wang Xuan glanced at her, not forgetting about that.

Then, he looked back at the bonfire, where piles of scriptures were being thrown in by a rough and aged hand, accompanied by a voice.

"Since I can't get close to the truth, what use are you? Leaving them behind would harm future generations. I’ll burn them all," echoed the elderly voice that was filled with resignation and despair, while the scriptures burned in stacks.