The Stars Beyond

Chapter 380: Let’s Bankrupt Those Fishermen

Moonlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows into Wang Xuan's room, the faint white light rippling gently. Despite it being midnight, the room was not engulfed in darkness but instead was veiled in a hazy glow.

His body was saturated with blue substances, with energy so real it invigorated his spirit. Suddenly, he felt something and abruptly opened his eyes.

What was happening? A huge hook loomed before him, glaringly obvious!

He was momentarily stunned. Was he caught in a dream?

Then, his expression changed. How could he be asleep when he was bursting with energy? Irritated, he realized someone was brazenly attempting to hook him right in his own home, in his own bedroom, with a hook descending from the sky!

"This is outrageous, utterly disregarding me, daring to fish inside my house. And so stingy, not even using bait, just trying to hook me directly?!"

Anger surged within Wang Xuan. This was unbearable. The intruder was so flagrant, wielding such a large hook, weighing several pounds, aiming it right at him!

He dodged the icy hook, wanting to curse out the fisherman. "Who's there? Where are you? I'll drag you down and beat you to death!"

The hook silently flew towards him again. Wang Xuan's fingers formed a sword, sending out a sword beam to cut the line, yet the beam silently vanished into the line, absorbed!

This shifted his gaze; the assailant was malevolent, extremely powerful. Opening his spiritual eye, he was instantly on alert. The hook contained eighty percent solar metal, not ordinary by any means – it was divine iron!

This material immediately reminded him of his experience in the realm of death, where mysterious beings on the moon used this very solar metal to fish for him.

And that line, crystal clear yet thick as a finger this time, etched with dense patterns resembling stars, was of a similar material.

"Beings from the realm of death, how did they come to the old earth?" His expression became exceedingly solemn. Looking through the window up into the night sky, the moon hung centrally, tinged with a faint blood color.

Upon closer inspection, tonight's moon resembled a bloodshot eyeball, somewhat eerie and unusual, not as pristine as usual.

Whoosh!

The hook came at him again, gleaming with a cold light, narrowly missing his mouth.

"Enough is enough, where's the bait? You used to offer scriptures, and now you're not even willing to part with a single secret tome. Who are you looking down on?!" Wang Xuan dodged again, irritation clear in his voice.

This time, he summoned a short sword in his hand, not bronze but something far superior, palm-sized and without hesitation, he slashed at the fishing line. This very sword had once cut through the line that dangled into the realm of death.

Bathed in moonlight, the ancient blade in his grasp was illuminated. Now, Wang Xuan channeled the secret verses of the Dao-Cutting Sword technique, merging with the physical sword, breathing life into the short sword. It hummed and vibrated, suddenly becoming dazzlingly bright, like a rising sun, transforming into a wheel of light.

With a swift motion, the sword light swept across the finger-thick transparent fishing line, silently severing it. However, Wang Xuan felt unsettled, lacking the sensation of cutting through something tangible.

In the void, the hook glowed and, with a whoosh, vanished into the night sky. The severed line didn't disappear; instead, densely packed runes within it lit up, softening the room as if many snow-white feathers were floating down.

It was an energy rain, like feathers, like a heavy snowfall of pristine goose feathers, drifting down in what seemed like a beautiful dream.

Wang Xuan's spirit felt light, as if being drawn by a mysterious force, pulling him, attempting to separate him from his physical body. Something was definitely amiss; it seemed like an attempt to fish away his soul.

Instantly, Wang Xuan fortified his spirit, preparing for the worst. His soul donned a white robe, the silver beast-skin book, and wore the gold beast-skin with two holes burned into it on his head, holding the God-Slaying Banner and secretly armed with an iron hook.

Tonight's visitor bore ill intent, even the severed line carried such calm yet ominous energy, intent on taking him away. Yet, he remained composed. After all, Fang Yuzhu was next door, and should a formidable foe appear tonight, he could call upon the strongest among the Fang scholars for help.

He hadn't called for aid yet; this was just the beginning. How could he know he couldn't handle it without trying? Normally, men hesitate to ask women for help, too proud to show weakness, but Wang Xuan... didn't much care for such pride.

Should things go awry, he would readily summon Fang Yuzhu to join forces against the enemy, not minding who killed more or less.

"The force trying to pull away one's soul is this powerful?!" Wang Xuan frowned, realizing the situation was more dire than anticipated, as the very fabric of the void around him began to distort.

Wang Xuan's spirit was forcibly pulled out, sucked towards the window before being rapidly dragged under the moonlit, water-like night sky. With a vigorous shake of the God-Slaying Banner in his hand, its golden patterns interwove, stabilizing his soul, preventing further ascent. The presence pulling at him was malevolent and powerful, and he was not naive enough to willingly follow the line.

Beneath the night sky, over the reed-covered lake, it seemed as though large feathers were falling, or perhaps a heavy snow, with light continuously descending, entangling him, intending to lift his soul towards the pale red moon.

Wang Xuan calmed his mind, steadying himself and anchoring his soul in place, focusing on the source of the fishing line. The moon, resembling a bloodshot eyeball, grew increasingly sinister.

"Is it the real moon, or could it be an energy orb masking the true moon, hanging there?" He doubted the likelihood of someone on the moon luring him.

Firmly planted, he resisted with the God-Slaying Banner, refusing to leave and scornfully remarked, "Skimping on even a decent bait, who do you think you're looking down on? Sooner or later, I'll turn your head into a dog's!"

"Hmm, the scent of vegetation?" He was surprised, especially since he was in his soul form and still able to smell. Looking up, he realized his misjudgment; there had always been an allure, albeit from a distance. Suspended above the fishing line were medicinal herbs, undoubtedly powerful ones for the spirit.

"One plant to lure me? I've harvested divine medicines before!" Wang Xuan scoffed, unimpressed. Did they really think he was so inexperienced?

However, his demeanor quickly changed, not due to his own words, but because he hadn't noticed the variety of objects floating above earlier. High in the night sky, amidst a misty white fog, were scriptures, eggs that might belong to sacred beasts, jade stones, weapons, bottles and jars, and many herbs!

Wang Xuan was not pleased; instead, his expression turned cold. They really treated him like a fish, casting various baits as if to bait a hook in this spot, purely courting death!

His gaze sparkling, he didn't move but flicked the God-Slaying Banner, its golden patterns expanding rapidly upwards, successfully ensnaring the nearest herb and swiftly pulling it back towards him.

"It's nowhere near comparable to heavenly medicine, but after all, it is a spirit herb, which is still decent. Giving it to Qingmu and Qin Cheng, it's a tremendous fortune for them."

He didn't hesitate, directly calling out to Fang Yuzhu. There was someone above willing to throw down valuable items, so there was no need for courtesy. He decided to enlist the unparalleled fairy to escort them, intending to collect everything!

"Fang Fairy," he transmitted his voice softly, guessing that the movements in the night sky had already alerted Fang Yuzhu.

As expected, with a radiance swirling around her, Fang Yuzhu appeared, ascending into the night sky in her spirit form. In this era of scarcity, it wasn't that her physical body couldn't come up, but there would be many restrictions.

At this moment, she looked no different from her physical state, dressed in a white shirt and slacks, crisp and neat, with a figure that could break through all laws. Whatever she wore was stunning.

Of course, her clothes were formed from spiritual power.

Even in such modern attire, she still had an air of immortality about her. In the moonlit night, her black hair fluttered, her fair face and deep, beautiful eyes, the whole person enveloped in a faint halo.

Recently, flip-flops had become her comfortable choice, and what she manifested now under the moonlight was somewhat unconventional, her toes fair and glossy.

She came to Wang Xuan's side, not speaking but with a faint mist and specks of light appearing around her body, capable of concealing her aura.

Clearly, she didn't want the creatures on the moon to detect her, making Wang Xuan's eyes shine. Was this a stealthy approach to take down that creature?

"Fang Fairy, does the opponent come from the Deadlands? What's their condition?" he asked.

Fang Yuzhu nodded, saying, "In an era where myths gradually decay, they too must decline, but there is a sliver of hope for them to last a bit longer."

She didn't elaborate further, as the Deadlands held a sense of mystery even to the entities behind the grand curtain, accessible only to those of high standing like her.

In the eyes of unparalleled powerhouses, the Deadlands are one of several alternatives, though this path is not highly hopeful, rugged and difficult, especially with the unpredictable depths behind the Deadlands.

"In the future, someone will try to conquer a Deadland," she said calmly. If this were to be known outside, it would undoubtedly cause a huge uproar.

The Deadlands, powerful beyond imagination since ancient times, are said to be either the predecessor or perhaps the future of the grand curtain.

"Let's go." She and Wang Xuan, side by side, soared through the night sky, their entire beings clear and transcendent, heading towards the moon.

Wang Xuan, not one for formalities, began collecting various "curiosities" along the way—scriptures, herbs, weapons, and more. While plentiful, he found them to be just alright.

That was until an egg appeared. Upon being infused with energy, it emitted a faint golden luster, surprising even Fang Yuzhu. "A Roc's egg, rare. But in this era, it's impossible to hatch, not to mention it's inherently deficient."

Wang Xuan was moved. This fisherman wasn't stingy, releasing even such divine and holy beast eggs. It was too... infuriating. Did they think he couldn't resist temptation?

"Keep it," Fang Yuzhu suggested. "Even though it can't be hatched, you could make tomato and egg stir-fry, or steam it. Either way." Her bright eyes and white teeth gleamed as she spoke... such grounded advice.

Wang Xuan nodded. It made sense. Thriftiness is a virtue; waste not.

"That creature is constrained, situated in a special energy lunar halo. It can't come out, so there's no danger for now. You can pick as you please," Fang Yuzhu informed.

With that advice, why hold back? Plunder it is, take everything! Wang Xuan employed the Zhanshen Banner, sweeping through everything nearby and above, sparing no courtesy in collecting it all.

He noticed that as they ascended, the environment had already changed. There were no more fishing lines, only a vine ladder, glowing green with leaves, hanging from the nearby moon.

Fang Yuzhu explained, "This is a Spirit Vine. If it were just you without the Zhanshen Banner, you'd likely not escape and would be taken away by the vine ladder tonight."

Wang Xuan's expression shifted. "So, they were really set on trapping me? Luckily, my roommate... my good friend is a celestial fairy!"

"That's not quite right. It doesn't seem like a standard Deadland descent; there's something unusual." Fang Yuzhu observed the blood moon above, which now seemed very close, the vine ladder swaying there.

Wang Xuan thought for a moment and then shouted again, calling out the shameful fisherman. "Is there more scripture? Any supreme canons? Heavenly medicine? If not, I'm leaving!"

......

"Hey, Zhang Daoling, this is interesting. Look, there's a fisherman setting up his spot. Let's join in and bankrupt him!"

In the city of Ancheng, atop a hotel roof, Mingxue Jiaozu and Zhang Daoling were breaking the rules by crossing the railing to reach the rooftop. They were drinking, with the entire city's nightscape within view.

Zhang Daoling looked up, took a swig of his drink, and said, "Deadland, is it them? They've tried to fish for me before too. Let's go. If it's really them, I won't rest until I shatter that big red eyeball!"