The Stars Beyond

Chapter 357: Banner Of Severence

Old Zhang, walking through this ancient land, pondered deeply. Just two thousand years into his ascension, and a mythical civilization was nearing its end. Was this truly what becoming an immortal was about?

Perhaps, the true immortals within the curtain were merely the continuation of their spiritual obsessions. The historical figures were all dead, leaving only the seeds of revival dormant within their feathered true bones.

He moved swiftly, shrinking the ground under his step, until... he suddenly halted, divine light flickering in his eyes as three distinct fires appeared abruptly before him, each with scriptures fluttering above them...

"The infamous Three Haunting Piles?" Zhang Daoling's expression changed repeatedly. Had he been targeted as soon as he entered?

"Based on the Blood God Ape's frequent locations and territories, I can roughly guess the probable spots, though it's not entirely accurate," Chen Yongjie led the way, showcasing his knack for navigation. Recently, he'd mingled with the demon cultivators, blending in to learn all about the red-furred ape's whereabouts.

The thousand-meter-tall fire maple trees blazed like clusters of flames. This area was perilously inhabited by a flock of mad birds known as Sawtooth Birds.

Blending perfectly with the fiery forest, these red creatures, armed with gigantic saw-like beaks, would dive at any human on sight.

These beings possessed the strength of the initial stages of the Xianxia realm, and ordinary supernaturals could only flee upon encountering them, or else be torn apart.

"This alien space is peculiar; why have all the beasts and birds gone mad?" Since their arrival, they hadn't encountered a single creature with its sanity intact, crazier even than Qi Lian Dao, devoid of self-awareness.

As they journeyed, Wang Xuan continued to sort through his spoils, casually tossing a crystal containing a drop of Celestial Marrow to Chen Yongjie.

"This is too precious; you should keep it," Old Chen, feeling the item's immense value, attempted to return it.

"Keep it. I still have petals of celestial herbs," Wang Xuan insisted, unfazed.

In the Void, where the Pool of Life existed along with near-real supernatural substances, enduring torturous trials always yielded greater rewards for him than anything else.

Accepting it, Chen Yongjie treasured the gift.

Wang Xuan cringed internally, recalling Qi Chengdao's method of absorbing the marrow directly with his mouth, a rather distasteful sight, mainly because Qi Chengdao deemed the Celestial Marrow too precious to waste even a drop.

"What's this beast skin? Could it really be related to the Banner of Severence?" Wang Xuan examined the wrinkled hide, intrigued by its potential connection.

He remembered, the first time he encountered Qi Lian Dao, his Godslaying Banner had reacted oddly, and the expression on the face of the Demon Ancestor's second son seemed to hint at something.

Wang Xuan waved the wrinkled beast skin like a handkerchief in his hand towards the distance, but the passing demon cultivators showed no reaction.

It wasn't until a moment later, upon seeing the two of them, that they hurriedly clasped their fists, smiling warmly and showing great enthusiasm and respect.

"Is it not the Banner of Severence? Am I overthinking?" Wang Xuan frowned.

Eventually, he still took out the Godslaying Banner, pressing the wrinkled beast skin against it, wanting to carefully compare and observe.

"Hmm?!"

A golden grid appeared, and the pale gold beast skin along with the ancient flag surface both glowed, sticking together seamlessly without any dramatic or earth-shattering aura.

It wasn't a docking but a merging, as if they were two sides of the same coin, except the pale gold beast skin shrank, covering only half the size of the flag surface.

Wang Xuan was stunned, holding up the small flag, looking at it over and over again. Had it really just automatically merged?

Unfortunately, the newly acquired beast skin seemed incomplete, possibly a fragment of the Banner of Severence.

"But that's not right, even if complete, this beast skin seems lacking, it doesn't quite have the same Dao rhyme as the Godslaying Banner. Could it be a substitute part of the Banner of Severence?"

He examined it repeatedly; the Godslaying Banner looked worse for wear, as if patched up, quite unattractive.

"Can it actually self-repair with suitable materials? Will it absorb them?" Chen Yongjie came closer, equally curious.

"Ah..." In the distance, the demon cultivators they had just seen were fleeing for their lives, one of them bitten in half by a huge, fiery red Sawtooth Bird. The bird's beak was terrifying, more daunting than a chainsaw, dripping blood in mid-air.

"I pay my respects to your kin!" Chen Yongjie turned back, his expression changing.

Those demon cultivators had attracted at least eight Sawtooth Birds, all of them early-stage Xianxia realm monsters, mad birds that killed on sight.

Flapping their wings, they stirred up gales, howling as they came, breaking the thousand-meter-tall trees continuously, quite intimidating.

Puff, puff, puff!

The demon cultivators didn't get far before they were successively killed, their bodies severed by the mad birds' saw-like beaks

"Here they come!" Chen Yongjie hoisted an energy cannon, and with a thud, hit a Sawtooth Bird, sending feathers flying and blood splattering.

"No good, they're too fast to hit accurately, let's run!" He packed up the energy cannon and turned to flee. Despite his strength, he knew he couldn't defeat creatures of the Xianxia realm.

"Let me try!" Wang Xuan showed a keen interest, ready to test the modified Godslaying Banner.

His own power was already formidable enough to take on these frenzied birds solo.

"Be careful. Killing a few might draw the entire flock!" Chen Yongjie warned.

Wang Xuan nodded, wielding the patched-up Godslaying Banner. With a gentle wave towards the eight crimson birds, a golden grid spread out and intertwined through the air.

"Puff, puff, puff..."

The effect was explosively good, shockingly so. Cracks appeared on the bodies of the eight strange birds in the sky, blood oozed out, some had half their heads severed by the grid, hearts were shredded, and wings broken.

Their physical bodies were severely damaged, most importantly, their souls were shaken out and disintegrated by the golden grid.

"Wow, this flag is incredible!" Chen Yongjie was astounded. Those were eight early-stage Xianxia realm frenzied birds, just like that, dead.

Even though Wang Xuan was strong enough to kill them on his own, in Chen Yongjie's view, the flag was far more efficient, solving everything in one encounter.

"What a weapon of mass destruction. If the supply of supernatural materials doesn't run dry, having this flag would be enough for self-defense, invincible from the start!" he exclaimed.

Wang Xuan was both surprised and pleased with the outcome, which was stronger than the Godslaying Banner alone, capable of slashing the birds' bodies and annihilating their souls.

Yet, he frowned, believing the beast skin wasn't the actual Banner of Severence's material because the effect hadn't reached its full potential.

During his research, he learned that a true Banner of Severence, upon encounter with any physical being, would disintegrate its flesh and bones, leaving nothing but ash.

Just like how the Godslaying Banner eradicates souls, clean and

No matter how it was viewed, it still seemed somewhat lacking.

"Here comes another small group!" Chen Yongjie warned.

Indeed, from the dense forest, another five Sawtooth Birds approached, transforming into streaks of blood-red light, bringing gusty winds with them. Their massive wings shattered the nearby trees as they swooped down directly.

Any ordinary supernatural being would undoubtedly perish against such creatures.

Puff, puff, puff!

Wang Xuan tested the rudimentary replica of the Severing Body Flag again, causing all five frenzied birds in the sky to sustain flesh wounds, followed by the shaking out of their souls.

Once the souls were exposed in mid-air, before the Godslaying Banner, they were like lambs to the slaughter, instantly obliterated by the golden grid.

"Not bad," Wang Xuan nodded in satisfaction. One must be content; after all, the real Severing Body Flag had been missing for too long and wasn't easy to find.

Even if it was a crude copy, it must have been the work of an extraordinary powerhouse, as ordinary immortals and Buddhas wouldn't have the qualifications to research and forge such an item.

Whoosh, whoosh!

The two turned and ran. Having killed two small groups of Xianxia realm frenzied birds, it was too startling a feat, and they didn't wish to attract more Sawtooth Birds.

"Are you at the eighth stage now?" Chen Yongjie asked while they were running.

Wang Xuan replied, "At the complete eighth stage, ready to advance to the ninth at any moment. I'm pausing to gain more insight and will break through soon. Don't slack off, Chen."

"I... may Buddha show mercy!" Chen Yongjie wanted to curse but held back. He had watched Wang Xuan rise from a mere youngster, an ordinary enthusiast of old arts, climbing up the ranks.

"I'm at the early seventh stage, indeed I must work harder." This was his sincere sentiment; otherwise, Wang Xuan would soon surpass him by two whole stages.

Racing across the terrain at breakneck speed, they left the fiery red maple forest behind and entered an endless prairie, where the sky was clear, and the grass merged seamlessly with the heavens.

"We're close now, the general vicinity should be just ahead. If we're not mistaken, a few days of searching should reveal the ancient medicinal garden," Chen Yongjie confidently led the way. After crossing the vast prairie, they were struck with awe upon encountering a strange void where the scenery was breathtakingly beautiful, peaceful, and silent, resembling a picturesque painting.

"That's the spiritual world..." Wang Xuan was astonished, witnessing such a clear and vast spiritual realm for the first time.

Undoubtedly, this foreign domain was special, bordering the spiritual world.

At the prairie's end lay a desolate Gobi, a no-man's land that naturally merged with the spiritual world.

"Astronauts, no, specters!" Wang Xuan, wary, halted promptly, hoping those wearing ancient astronaut suits, relics of a bygone era, wouldn't notice his corporeal presence.

Now, he held two notions regarding these astronaut-suited humans: one being ancient specters from a vanished age, and the other possibly related to parallel dimensions and the future, seemingly alive yet equally elusive.

Ahead, amidst the Gobi, lay the wreckage of a colossal spaceship, crashed beyond repair for who knows how many years, with several ancient astronauts wandering like ghosts around it.

Though Chen Yongjie couldn't see them, a chilling sensation told him this was no benevolent place.

Eventually, without incident, Wang Xuan circumvented the area; the specters remained unaware of their presence, as per the ferryman Xu Fu's advice—without spiritual projection, they faced no danger.

Wang Xuan and Chen Yongjie rapidly approached that still world, a mysterious spiritual realm resembling a painting.

Suddenly, the Gobi exploded, and a figure with a silver mask emerged, launching a palm strike at Wang Xuan with incredible speed.

Even with Wang Xuan's swift reaction and timely countermeasures, the encounter left him in a cold sweat. The spiritual pressure from the assailant was terrifyingly intense, nearly immobilizing him on the spot. The figure closed in instantaneously, almost tearing apart his soul and annihilating his physical body in a blink.

The fearsome palm strike that followed caused the void itself to boom, unleashing white waves of energy that exploded like an oceanic tempest, showcasing the attacker's unstoppable might.

Wang Xuan, surrounded by a burst of sword energy, instinctively utilized the secret technique from the Sword Path Scripture—the Sword Wheel. He rose into the air, his body radiating dazzling sword light that shot out in all directions towards the attacker.

Shockingly, the person's hand shattered the unparalleled sword lights, withstanding thousands of sword beams. A faint luminescence enveloped his body, repelling all attacks. Most alarmingly, his hand reached through the Sword Wheel unscathed and grabbed towards Wang Xuan's neck with inconceivable strength.

At the same time, his forehead lit up, aiming to crush Wang Xuan with spiritual power, shaking him to the core. This move seemed intent on capturing Wang Xuan in one fell swoop, leaving no room for resistance. Chen Yongjie was astounded. Who was this individual? Not long ago, he had witnessed Wang Xuan defeating three great masters—Qi Chengdao, the Blood God Ape, and the descendant of the Demon Ancestor. Who else in this space could possibly pose a threat to Wang Xuan?

Wang Xuan was horrified, realizing that even his seemingly invincible Sword Wheel couldn't block this person's attack. The strength of the assailant was terrifying, and their realm was undoubtedly high. Could this be a peerless powerhouse stepping out of seclusion to intervene personally?

In desperation, a short sword appeared in his right hand, known for its ability to cut through anything, even the fishing lines on the dead moon. However, when the massive hand slapped the short sword, it was instantly sent flying, and the attack continued unabated towards Wang Xuan.

Wang Xuan coughed up blood, feeling excruciating pain in his fist and right arm as if struck by heavenly thunder. His bones cracked, and his fingers fractured instantly, bending unnaturally as all his fingernails fell off, leaving behind a bloody mess.

At this critical moment, Wang Xuan unleashed the Gldslaying Banner with his left hand, striking towards the attacker.

He was internally shocked, almost certain that he was being intercepted by a legendary immortal or demon!