The Stars Beyond

Chapter 211: Out Of Body Experience

The two continued their deep discussion, agreeing on the importance of preparing for all eventualities. They were thorough in contemplating various contingency plans.

As for the conglomerate's proposal to have Old Chen steal a dragon egg and delve into the Wizard's Universe, both he and Wang Xuan concluded that rejecting the offer was the wisest decision at this time. They understood the risks involved in such a venture; risking their lives for uncertain gains was not a necessity at this moment.

"The conglomerates are notorious for their ruthlessness," Wang Xuan commented. "They seldom share any tangible benefits with others, often making demands that are hard to satisfy."

"Maybe we should take the initiative and neutralize potential threats? I'm uneasy about the feeling of being constantly watched from the shadows," Wang Xuan proposed thoughtfully.

"If someone is plotting against us, they've likely already started planning their approach," Old Chen reflected, trying to think like their potential adversaries. Would a swift, thunderous strike be their method, or would they prefer a more calculated, long-term approach, biding their time for an opportune moment to pounce?

After a moment of contemplation, Old Chen looked at Wang Xuan. "Maybe you could serve as the bait?"

"Old Chen, you're falling back into your old ways!" Wang Xuan responded, his expression showing clear disapproval of the idea.

......

Old Chen left to converse deeply with the three elders. After all, the banquet was ostensibly held to celebrate his ascension to a Transcendent.

Zhou Yun approached Wang Xuan, gently swirling his glass of wine, releasing its aroma. He clinked glasses with Wang Xuan and asked, "Did you get a chance to talk with Ling Wei?"

"I was busy with people seeking me out; I didn't get the chance. She's already left," Wang Xuan replied, taking a sip of the amber-colored wine, his eyes contemplative as he gazed out the floor-to-ceiling windows at the city's nightscape.

Skyscrapers towered one after another, with exotic trees from deep space lining the streets. Their leaves twinkled in brilliant colors in the night, while flying cars moved ceaselessly, weaving streams of light.

Zhou Yun paused, surprised. "I just went out to escort a lady friend and didn't expect that you two hadn't met or communicated."

He decisively dialed Ling Wei's number, inquiring about her location. "She's on the rooftop, admiring the nightscape. Perhaps looking at the same view as you," Zhou Yun said, unusually serious without his usual smile.

"Let's go out for some fresh air, head to the rooftop to see the night view," Zhou Yun suggested, heading out and glancing back at Wang Xuan.

Wang Xuan nodded, following him out of the spacious hall, away from the chatter under the crystal lights.

Reaching the rooftop, Zhou Yun was taken aback to find it empty except for a few small spacecraft. Ling Wei was nowhere to be seen.

They walked toward the railing, where the space was more open. Zhou Yun, frowning, dialed again. "Weiwei, where are you?"

After putting down the phone, he looked out over the distant nightscape. Suzhou City was beautiful under the thick night, with a nearby lake hosting a light show. Waves churned, and mist spread out like a screen, illuminated by lights that created mythological scenes, resembling a fairyland.

Zhou Yun sighed softly after a moment of silence. "She wasn't feeling well and went home earlier."

Wang Xuan nodded, resting his hands on the railing, his gaze drifting over the scenery beyond Suzhou City, where faint mountain silhouettes were visible on the horizon.

"Old Wang, you've really put me in a tough spot!" Zhong Cheng arrived, complaining that Wang Xuan was a trickster. He quickly fell silent upon noticing Zhou Yun.

"You still owe me half of the scripture," Wang Xuan remarked, glancing at Zhong Cheng.

Ignoring Zhong Cheng further, Wang Xuan continued to stare into the night, seemingly lost in thought.

After a while, he noticed something unusual. Even in the darkness, he could see the mountain shapes clearly through the mist. "What place is that? The fog seems quite thick."

"Hanwu Mountain," Zhou Yun informed him. The mountain was known for its high altitude and year-round low temperatures, shrouded in a perpetual mist, making it a famous scenic spot near Suzhou City.

Something stirred in Wang Xuan's heart. For the first time since stepping into the Transcendent realm on New World, he let his spirit leave his body. "What is that?" he exclaimed in shock. His gaze traversed the neon-lit city, focusing on the distant Hanwu Mountain. The dark mountain silhouette was veiled in swirling white mist, with a faint green halo flickering, and shadowy figures seemed to be moving within it.

Then, he saw several gigantic birds spreading their wings, so vast they seemed to cover the sky, obscuring the moon itself!

His spirit quickly returned to his body, his heart pounding, utterly astounded. "Is this really a new planet?!" Who could claim this place had no traces of its ancient past was blatantly deceiving, deliberately keeping the public in the dark!

Back in his body, Wang Xuan activated the strongest scripture, his spiritual realm materializing, his eyes emitting a frightening beam as he focused again on Hanwu Mountain.

However, the mountain appeared normal, shrouded in mist with nothing unusual visible.

Only his out-of-body spirit could see it!

Wang Xuan's expression grew solemn. Was it only those with the spiritual third eye who could see these phenomena? In The Departed Lands, he had seen haunting spirits, but what were those he just saw at Hanwu Mountain? Could they be the kind of ghastly entities mentioned in the ghost stories by Chen Tuan in his scriptures?

Whatever it was, New World was far from ordinary, harboring a unique and extraordinary past.

Taking a deep breath, Wang Xuan allowed his spirit to leave his body once more. Despite feeling apprehensive, he was determined to see more clearly, to understand what was truly happening at Hanwu Mountain.

In the darkness between heaven and earth, a green moon hung in the sky, emitting a cold and eerie light. Then it blinked, startling Wang Xuan - it was the eye of a gigantic black bird, casting a glance in his direction!

The immense shadow, like a dark cloud, swept across the sky and disappeared into Hanwu Mountain, revealing the moon once again.

On the mountain, amid the swirling fog and green halos, there appeared to be a village with numerous indistinct figures moving within it. What kind of haunted place was this?

After his spirit returned to his body, Wang Xuan felt slightly rigid. He couldn't help but ponder deeply. New World, with its dazzling technology and civilization, was shining its light into deep space. Yet, this native land harbored such anomalies, like a ghostly realm bordering the real world, sending chills down his spine.

The world was becoming increasingly mysterious and frightening. With the Immortals' impending return and strange occurrences on the fringes of the city, New World was far from the pristine place he had imagined. It was hiding significant secrets.

Lost in thought, Wang Xuan was surrounded by several young people.

"Xiao Zhong, give me a drink," Wang Xuan said as he came back to his senses, noticing Zhong Qing nearby, her delicate hand swirling a crystal-clear wine glass.

Qin Cheng and others had also arrived.

Zhong Qing glared at him for addressing her so publicly.

"Old Wang, why are you sweating?" Qin Cheng quickly asked, changing the subject.

"What happened?" Zhou Yun inquired.

"Nothing," Wang Xuan replied, not daring to let his spirit leave his body again. Hanwu Mountain was too peculiar, and even New World itself seemed problematic.

He accepted a glass of wine from Qin Cheng and calmed down after drinking. "Has New World ever unearthed anything unusual?"

"Probably not," Zhou Yun shook his head.

"There have been a few relics, but not many," Zhong Qing interjected.

Wang Xuan asked for more details, but Zhong Qing's knowledge was limited; she had only heard some stories from Elder Zhong.

Staring at Hanwu Mountain for a long time, Wang Xuan eventually left the rooftop and returned to the brightly lit hall.

......

Elsewhere that night, discussions about Transcendents and mentions of Old Chen and Wang Xuan were taking place.

"In the world of warriors, someone has indeed made a breakthrough, stepping into the realm of Transcendents, even before our Qin family," a middle-aged man said, his tone laced with displeasure.

The Qin family had developed the Moonlight Bodhisattva and were at a crucial stage with the Sunlight Bodhisattva, but were stuck just below the level of Transcendents, failing in every experiment.

"My son died on New Moon. There were many warriors there, but none dared enter the moon crater to carry him out. What's the use of their strength if it's not at my disposal? Such unstable elements should be eliminated early on!" The man was Qin Hong, who had once caused a major stir on New Moon by attacking Immortals with a battleship.

Of course, there were deeper reasons behind this, not just his decision alone. Some conglomerates also shared this sentiment, wanting to test the strength of the Immortals, to see if they could be challenged.

"If we could get Chen Yongjie's Transcendent blood, send it to the lab for analysis, it could certainly bring forth our Qin family's Sunlight Bodhisattva!" Qin Hong paced back and forth, finally cursing, "These warriors, they're less useful than dogs, wagging their tails for a bone. Do cultivators think they can become significant? If they won't be controlled, what's the use of them?"

"A bunch of old men, not decisive enough. Just kill them outright, too many concerns," he muttered as he walked.

"We could find someone to kill him and study his body, perfecting the Sunlight Bodhisattva," his shadow bodyguard suggested.

"What are you thinking?!" Qin Hong shot him a cold glance. "Do you want me to stir trouble at such a critical time?"

Without the approval of the group of old men, his resources were limited; even deploying a battleship required an application.

"He's a Transcendent now, hard to kill without worrying about being assassinated. To deal with him, we'd need to use extraordinary weapons, otherwise, it's probably impossible to kill him."

He glared fiercely at the shadow bodyguard, saying, "From now on, be careful with what you say."

"Yes," the bodyguard replied, bowing his head.

"Today, someone should have contacted us about buying the micro-machines, right?" Qin Hong asked.

"They contacted us yesterday, and urged us again twice today," the shadow bodyguard informed.

"Heh, those people just returned from the Hidden Land and already someone couldn't resist. I know who they are. Sell to them, let's watch the drama unfold!" Qin Hong sneered. "Tell the people in the lab to behave themselves, to mind their own business. Don't even think about targeting Chen Yongjie, don't cause me any trouble! Later, we'll have Transcendent blood. We can buy it through underground channels. There will always be someone who can't resist making a move!"

The next day, Wang Xuan set off for Yuancheng. Most Easterners lived in Zhongzhou, with Suzhou located in the central region of Zhongzhou and Yuancheng in the far west.

Traveling by spacecraft, it took Wang Xuan only an hour to get from Suzhou to Yuancheng. When he first came to New World, he lived in Yuancheng, where he encountered a pitiful little girl suffering from the Five Decays of Heaven and Man. Each encounter with the child was heart-wrenching. Knowing she was dying, she comforted her mother, asking her to have another child, a brother, after her death. Unbeknownst to her, her father had died months before.

Hearing her innocent words had deeply moved Wang Xuan. He had decided then that if he could help, he would try. Through Zhao Qinghan, he learned that there was no cure for this illness, and patients from the major conglomerates were taking temporary relief medicines harvested from the Hidden Land.

He had managed to gather some herbs in the Hidden Land, not elixirs, but they could temporarily suppress the Five Decays of Heaven and Man.

Returning to the familiar neighborhood, recognizing some faces, Wang Xuan couldn't find Lele and her mother. No one answered the doorbell.

"You're asking about Lele? It's such a pity for that family. Half a month ago, her condition worsened severely and she was taken to the ICU. Most likely... she didn't make it. Her mother only came back once, completely distraught, crying loudly, and then she left and never appeared again."

"It's truly heartbreaking, this family's situation is just so pitiful."

......

Leaving the neighborhood, Wang Xuan canceled his house reservation. He let out a long sigh, never having anticipated such an ending. Had the little girl really passed away?

He couldn't bear to see the weak and helpless suffer so tragically. He had gathered some temporary relief medicines in the Hidden Land, hoping to lend a hand, but it was too late.

Shaking his head, Wang Xuan thought about how often things don't go as desired in life, but still, the fate of that family felt extraordinarily tragic.

He remembered the little girl, sitting alone on a bench, holding a snow-white kitten, talking to herself. She wanted to be buried by the Zhou River, where she and her mother had made a pact. Every year, when the starry fish migrated and filled the night sky, her parents would visit her there.

"Actually, I really want to see them every day. I don't want to be apart from them. But I'm afraid of making them sad, so I made a pact with Mom to visit me once a year," the little girl had said, tears in her eyes. She asked the kitten to remind her mother every year, even if she had a little brother, not to forget her entirely, just to visit once a year.

Wang Xuan remembered how the girl had looked at him with a glimmer of hope, asking him to visit Zhou River every year to see the starry fish.

When he had said goodbye that day, he walked far away, but the little girl, holding her kitten, watched him from a distance, reluctant to take her eyes off him.

"I'll go see you," Wang Xuan murmured as he arrived at the banks of the Zhou River outside Yuancheng. All he could muster was a final sigh. He was no Immortal, powerless to change anything.

......

Half an hour later, in the woods by the Zhou River, several automatons appeared. "Mr. Wang, our boss would like to have a chat with you."

"I'm not in the mood. I don't want to meet him," Wang Xuan replied flatly.

"You should consider meeting. Our self-destruct mechanism can level this area, and even a Grandmaster would likely find it difficult to escape," one of the automatons said calmly.

"Are you kidnapping me?" Wang Xuan asked.

"You can interpret it that way," one of the machines nodded.

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