The Stars Beyond

Chapter 205: Ending The Journey In The Hidden Land

“The Bear Mountain,” the female immortal mentioned, revealing a significant location.

Wang Xuan's demeanor became solemn as he realized the crucial information he had uncovered about the red robed demoness Immortal. However, he was initially unsure which region of the Old World this referred to, expressing his confusion, “Where is Bear Mountain? Could she be a bear spirit?”

Given his multiple encounters with the red robed demoness Immortal, her appearance was always ethereal and captivating, enveloped in mist and rain, gracefully holding a paper umbrella, dressed in striking red. Her presence embodied the spiritual essence of a southern Yangtze woman and the alluring charm of a supernatural being.

“Is she a bear spirit?” Wang Xuan was momentarily speechless, finding it difficult to correlate her with such an image.

The female immortal shook her head, clarifying, “What are you thinking? Bear Mountain has seen the emergence of divine beings and emperors. Just because it’s named Bear Mountain doesn’t mean every being from there is a bear spirit.”

Upon hearing this, Old Chen pondered, “Could it be the Bear Mountain described in the ‘Classic of Mountains and Seas’? If so, it might refer to Shennongjia in the Old World.”

The ‘Classic of Mountains and Seas’ states, “Further east, one hundred and fifty li, lies Bear Mountain. It always produces divine beings, opening in summer and closing in winter... Bear Mountain, an emperor!”

“Old Chen, once we return to the Old World, let’s thoroughly search and try to discover traces of her past, striving to uncover her cave dwelling!” Wang Xuan conversed quietly with Old Chen.

Wang Xuan successfully obtained a jade stone, merely two inches tall, with purple mists swirling inside, sealing the medicinal soil left by the female immortal.

Old Chen obtained a pale golden jade stone, a relic left by a Buddhist sage, containing the essence of celestial medicine.

“With everything decaying in three years, are you still determined to follow this path?” the female immortal inquired.

Old Chen replied, “As long as the path is still accessible and transcendence hasn’t fully decayed, we’ll continue striving forward. One should not preemptively deny the path they tread upon.”

Old Chen couldn't help but feel a bit unwilling. In his previous cultivation plans, the best era hadn't yet arrived. It was unexpected that transcendence was about to fade away. If he truly couldn't resist the major trend, then in these three years, he would strive to nurture his flesh and spirit, rejuvenating his body back to the state of youth.

At the very least, he wanted to live another two hundred years, perhaps to witness some kind of turnaround.

Wang Xuan, convinced of the authenticity of his newly acquired Life-Nurturing Furnace, felt even more resolute. He believed that when myths decayed, he might be able to protect himself. However, he felt it was not enough; he wanted to safeguard more people.

“Immortal, is there a scripture that can still enhance the physical quality and unlock potential even after the transcendental materials dissipate?” Wang Xuan inquired.

“If there were such a scripture, the immortals would not be so anxious,” the female immortal sighed, indicating the improbability of such a scripture. The emergence of transcendence was an anomaly, and the normal universe did not entertain such elements. The present world was beginning to dismantle myths and would not allow their prolonged existence.

In the grand curtain, a Buddha figure shrouded in Buddha’s light approached. He looked at Old Chen through the curtain, nodded in acknowledgment, and then silently receded.

Old Chen, having exchanged for his piece of medicinal soil, had formed a good connection, but he did not expect to reap any rewards in the future due to the limited time left.

After Wang Xuan and Old Chen stepped down, the Zhong siblings brought up Old Zhong, explaining the situation carefully. Old Zhong only wished for an elixir that could rejuvenate his body and restore his youth.

“There’s a Dan prescription in the curtain that, when combined with the Cicada Technique, can increase the success rate by forty percent. With speed, it could revive him in half a year, at the very least ensuring his survival,” White Peacock advised.

The Zhong siblings exchanged for the Dan prescription on behalf of Old Zhong.

Wang Xuan quietly asked the White Peacock, “How long would it have taken for Old Zhong to recover if he were successful originally?”

"Most likely in a year," replied the White Peacock.

Old Chen glanced at the still body of Old Zhong and muttered, "This old guy said he would sleep for three years." He seemed displeased but decided not to dwell on it.

Wang Xuan and Old Chen shared their remaining jade tokens with Zhou Yun, Zhong Cheng, Zhong Shuang, and Zheng Rui. As the journey in the secret land was drawing to a close, they seized the opportunity to ask more questions to the female immortal and the White Peacock.

Upon inquiring about the identity of the White Peacock, Wang Xuan was stunned by the answer. The White Peacock was once a member of the immortals, following the female immortal. It was a creature that had successfully sneaked back from the curtain, paying a tremendous price that even immortals could hardly bear.

Now, the White Peacock was merely at the level of an Earth Immortal within the Transcendence realm, significantly diminished in strength. Wang Xuan and Old Chen were astounded, realizing why the White Peacock knew so much – it was once a true immortal!

The White Peacock sighed, "Even as a true immortal, I too will decay. In three years, I will degrade further, falling out of the transcendental realm."

Old Chen couldn't help but mention the Earth Immortal Grass, Destiny Pulp, and Immortality Stone, wondering if these miraculous items could extend life by over two hundred years. He was now somewhat like Old Zhong, desiring to extend his lifespan and youth to combat the impending scarcity of transcendental materials.

The White Peacock advised them not to overthink it. The Earth Immortal Grass was not yet mature, and they would need it to confront the immortals' calamity.

Wang Xuan asked if there were any effective medicines in the secret land to combat the five declines of heaven and man, having only gathered some "delaying" medicines. The White Peacock informed them that there might be some peculiar medicines near the immortals' dwellings deep in the secret land that could be effective.

Wang Xuan was slightly relieved, finding that most of what the Black Fox had said was credible. He requested the White Peacock to take his two female companions from the immortals' dwellings along when leaving the secret land, still wary of the Black Fox. The White Peacock assured him that the Black Fox currently held no malice and that the place indeed held opportunities suitable for the two women, promising they would leave safely when the time came.

The White Peacock had communicated with the female immortal and learned about Wang Xuan's situation, leading to a change in its attitude towards him. As the journey in the secret land neared its end, the White Peacock promised to send Wang Xuan and the others back.

The female immortal cautioned the White Peacock not to send them into outer space, as it could be dangerous with New World's battleships capable of annihilating Earth Immortals. Surprised by this, the White Peacock planned to set up a celestial array that would draw transcendental energy from the secret land's outer region to nurture the Earth Immortal Spring and Destiny Pulp. This would hasten their maturation, allowing people from the outside to come and retrieve them via spacecraft. This preparation would take several days.

Zhou Yun and Zhong Cheng, upon hearing they could leave in a few days, were thrilled and eager to leave the secret land, no longer wanting to stay amidst its dangers and monsters. Zhou Yun, in particular, longed for the comfortable life on New World and lamented not having taken his girlfriends on a spaceship ride in a while.

Zhong Shuang warned his brother not to follow Zhou Yun's example, while Zhong Shuang's sister cautioned him to stay away from Zhou Yun.

Meanwhile, Wang Xuan was busy packing his belongings in the Earth Immortal City. He had a large number of items, including precious mountain snails and golden mushrooms he had gathered, along with Purple Pan Peaches, Nurturing Lotus, and Earth Essence, among other spiritual medicines. Concerned about attracting attention from wealthy families if he carried all these valuable items back, Wang Xuan realized he had to be cautious.

Especially the mountain snails, which could extend life by five years with half a month of daily consumption, and even up to ten years if consumed more frequently. Such items were sure to catch the eye of the top financial families.

Moreover, the spear mixed with solar gold could also attract unwanted attention if its composition was detected upon boarding a spacecraft. In the secret land, Wang Xuan was known as Wang Radian, but once he returned to the New World, he would have to lay low, not wanting to reveal his true strength just yet.

Old Chen sighed, realizing that upon his return, some major financial families might start regarding him with wariness. He would likely need to report his movements.

Thinking about this, Old Chen couldn't help but glance at Wang Xuan, who had been misleading Zhou Yun and Zhong Cheng all this time, claiming he was fortunate to have advanced to the master level in the secret land, still far from becoming a grandmaster.

Old Chen felt like he was becoming the dark pot, attracting all the attention of the financial families, who were unaware of the real "big crocodile" lurking behind him.

"Senior, can I exchange some solar gold for that fragment of the blessed land?" Wang Xuan approached the White Peacock and the female immortal. The curtain hadn't yet fallen, and it was now the turn of the people from the three transcendent planets to make their exchanges.

Wang Xuan had his eye on a fragment of the blessed land with an internal space of five cubic meters. He thought about cutting off a small piece of his spear to trade.

"Forget it, I'll give it to you," said the female immortal.

Wang Xuan was pleasantly surprised, as such treasures were hard to come by and couldn't be replicated in the current world. They were extremely useful.

"In three years, you might not be able to open it, so remember to take out any valuable items in advance," the female immortal reminded him.

Wang Xuan took the fragment and was surprised to find it divided into three sections, allowing for separate storage of various items. This instantly solved his problem. He rushed back to his dwelling, poured the Earth Immortal Spring into it, and carefully arranged various herbs.

Old Chen watched enviously.

"Being a protector, I have high hopes for you," Wang Xuan said as he handed over his original fragment of the blessed land to Old Chen.

Old Chen had once given him a short sword, a treasure of immense value with great secrets. Wang Xuan had used it to save his life multiple times, so he was generous in return to Old Chen.

......

"I'm going out of the city before we leave, to collect some protection fees for raising children back home!" Old Chen, elated and excited after receiving the fragment of the blessed land, decided to visit people from the three transcendent planets to ask for donations. Since they were destined to be enemies, and after leaving the secret land, he and Wang Xuan were unlikely to return for a long time, if ever, Old Chen didn't mind offending a bunch of adversaries.

"I'll go with you!" Wang Xuan said, concerned about Old Chen's safety.

Soon after, Old Chen, with his majestic appearance and his Sixteen-Foot Golden Body technique, was resplendent in golden light. Chanting Buddhist sutras, he greeted the people from the three transcendent planets amicably, collecting a certain toll for safe passage.

The people from the transcendent planets were seething with frustration and anger at this audacity.

...

Four days later, the tide of extraordinary material energy outside the secret land retreated, all drawn towards the area where the Earth Immortal Grass, Heavenly Life Elixir, and other treasures were located.

The White Peacock sent an image of Zhong Qing waving her hand to a nearby space probe using its divine powers.

In fact, when the dense X-material retreated, the people at the Brown Star Base noticed immediately, as they had been monitoring the secret land to the best of their abilities these past days.

......

Unfortunately, they had damaged a lot of equipment and achieved little results. Even the two spacecraft they had forcibly dispatched had crashed. As for the small lifeboats, over a dozen had been sent, but they had disappeared without a trace.

"There are survivors! Quickly deploy a lifeboat and prepare a small spacecraft for rescue!" They couldn't afford to be negligent, as some of the people lost in the secret land were of significant importance, like Old Zhong and Old Song.

...

Contrary to Wang Xuan's expectations, in the outermost area of the secret land, a small number of people had survived. White Peacock found them and brought them together, preparing to send them off. Soon after, Zhong Qing was in tears, crying out, "I'm finally on a spaceship."

Whoosh!

The spacecraft took off, carrying a group of people who had survived their ordeal, all with complex emotions. Even Wang Xuan and Old Chen were somewhat emotional, having survived multiple brushes with death. They were finally heading back!

The silver-grey spaceship broke through the sky, activating its warp engine, rapidly leaving the secret land and entering outer space, leaving behind a lingering trail.

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