The Stars Beyond

Chapter 269: The Consequences Of Their Meddling

At Golden Peak Mountain, the once hazy veil turned ominously dark. The sky and earth were alive with the crackle of lightning, the rumble of thunder, and the deluge of torrential rain—nature's elements altering at a moment's notice. Blood-colored lightning streaked across the sky, as a downpour engulfed the forests, reminiscent of the earlier phenomena at Yuan Pond Mountain.

The fury of the Celestial Immortals made the landscapes lose their color, a fearsome sight indeed. In ancient times, the manifestation of Celestial Immortals, capable of summoning storms and commanding the weather, would have instilled fear in the hearts of common folk.

Wang Xuan, however, remained calm amidst this chaos, fully prepared for the Celestial Immortals' impending intervention in the mortal realm. He had previously witnessed a similar event on New Moon, where a formidable one-eyed man, showcasing his immense strength, had destroyed a warship with the sacrifice of his hand.

The veil subsequently vanished, and they paid a heavy price for it. Beyond this world, there isn't just one veil, but seemingly multiple ethereal celestial realms. That one-eyed man was likely a leader of one such veil, explaining his immense power.

Crucially, at that time, an ancient being who had opened his Inner Landscape sat in the moon crater, allowing the one-eyed man from beyond the veil to extend a single hand into the mortal world. Now, with no one to open their Inner Landscape for the Celestial Immortals, it's unlikely they could unleash the full extent of that one-eyed man's celestial might.

This gave Wang Xuan some confidence. He was waiting to gauge the extent of the power the Celestial Immortals could unleash upon intervening in the mortal world.

“Old Qin, care to join in? When you were on New Moon, you were ready to obliterate the Celestial Immortals at a word’s notice. Let’s join forces!” Wang Xuan instructed the middle-aged man from the Ashen Blood organization to contact the Qin family, specifically speaking to Qin Hong.

Qin Hong, who had often scorned martial artists and cultivators, seemed visibly unsettled by Wang Xuan's call. The formidable Qin family had been the ones to initiate testing the strength of the Celestial Immortals. However, Qin Hong, now wary of the murky waters, declined, "Brother Wang, this is a battle beyond the ordinary. Even if I send a warship, it won't be of much help. We're mere mortals after all, better we stay out of this."

"But you can help. Send a super warship, and we can collaborate. The fusion of myth and technology could indeed slay immortals!"

The line went dead with a series of beeps. Qin Hong decisively ended the call, unwilling to be cannon fodder. He felt that Wang Xuan’s chances were slim, especially with a host of Celestial Immortals appearing behind the veil.

"Old Chen, you should go," Wang Xuan urged Chen Yongjie to leave in the flying shuttle. The upcoming grand scene wouldn't change with one more person, and if he failed, it would mean dragging Old Chen down with him.

Chen Yongjie shook his head, "What are you talking about? In the field of medicine collection, I'm at a higher realm than you. If you can deal with them, surely I can slay immortals too!" He added, "Don’t worry, if things go south, I have no regrets. I might even have a son now. I’ve already picked out a name for him - Chen Xuan."

"What the hell!" Wang Xuan glared at him, feeling the urge to thump him.

Old Chen patted his shoulder, "See, regretting now, aren't you? Getting all worked up? You should’ve settled down and started a family. Then, you wouldn't be so anxious at a time like this, regretting your past. If we get out of this alive, you should really learn from Zhou Yun. Not asking you to get three girlfriends, but one or two should be fine, right?"

"Stop joking around," Wang Xuan retorted. "Just one thing, change that name. If you dare to use it, I'll be challenging you every day!"

Boom!

Blood-red lightning tore through the sky, illuminating the dark heavens and momentarily brightening the area around the veil. Wang Xuan finally understood why the intervention of the Celestial Immortals was often accompanied by blood - they were actually bleeding, performing some ritual at the veil, offering their blood in sacrifice.

The supreme being clad in black metallic armor remained silent, standing quietly at the back, calmly observing the Celestial Immortals piercing the veil with their blood.

"Everyone, hold on, I have something to say." Wang Xuan sent out a telepathic message. Speaking wouldn't cost him much, and if it could cause a misunderstanding and interrupt their ritual, so much the better.

Unfortunately, the Celestial Immortals paid no heed. Once the ritual had begun, they wouldn't abandon it halfway. Their conviction was firm; they were determined to forcefully intervene in the mortal realm.

Seeing no response, Wang Xuan resignedly lectured them, "Actually, you should slowly accept reality. In three years, the transcendent will cease to exist, and the Celestial Immortals will fall, ultimately becoming mortals. Slowly adapting now, returning quietly with a fraction of your transcendent powers and adjusting your attitude - what’s wrong with that? Do you think you’re above us, unable to sit at the same level, unable to let go of your pride? In reality, you'll get used to it. For instance, some of you are destined not to return to the mortal realm alive. And those who do return, what's the use of being forceful for these two or three years? In the end, you'll still become mortals, either marrying or being wed. Why not correct your path in the mortal world, settling into the ordinary and mundane?"

"Enough!" A voice coldly emanated from the veil.

"We're leaving!" Wang Xuan commanded gravely, instructing the warship to move away from the vicinity of Yucheng and Jinding Mountain. Who would just sit around and wait to be attacked by the Celestial Immortals? Let them slowly gather their strength.

"Where to?" asked the middle-aged man from the Ashen Blood organization, his heart pounding with anxiety and a longing to leave.

"To the Sun family's mothership. Can we approach it without being noticed?" Wang Xuan inquired, intending to head to the base of Number Five, the mechanical being, where there likely were weapons surpassing the era's technology.

"We'll be shot down," the middle-aged man said helplessly, indicating their inability to get close.

"Then forget it, we'll have to rely on ourselves," Wang Xuan decided, directing the warship into higher skies. He also brought out the dark-golden shuttle just in case the warship got destroyed, planning to escape on the shuttle.

Boom!

At Jinding Mountain, a bloody aurora blossomed as over a dozen beings behind the veil acted in unison, pressing their blood-dripping palms against the veil, seemingly ready to burst it open. A terrifying radiance was about to penetrate the veil, forming a colossal blood-colored flying sword. Although it would be targeted by the symbols of the Old Covenant upon its appearance in the mortal world, it would undoubtedly have a moment of dazzling brilliance, determined to either slash at Wang Xuan or bind and drag him to the front of the veil.

"Thankfully, it’s much weaker than the might displayed by the Long-Eye Man previously!" Wang Xuan sighed in relief. Without an Inner Landscape to borrow, their celestial might was significantly reduced.

He instructed the middle-aged man to fire at the veil, creating a distraction. Amidst the blinding light, the symbols around the veil flowed, radiating brilliance, and indeed, the gigantic sword formed by their combined blood sacrifice was disrupted.

Initially, Wang Xuan had thought about taking the warship into deep space to avoid their blood sacrifice ritual. However, recalling how the Long-Eye Man's severed hand had pursued them even into deep space, he decided against fleeing. He was determined to resolve the issue at its source!

"Old Chen, take a look at this silk cloth," Wang Xuan said, pulling out a three-foot-long, one-foot-wide piece of silk he had obtained from the Zhou family.

The silk was inscribed with six Buddhist characters, seemingly the Six Syllable Mantra. Even a slight activation made it shine brilliantly, casting a Buddha's light that illuminated everything around it.

"It's a powerful item, more terrifying than many rare treasures," Chen Yongjie nodded, suspecting it to be a relic left by an ancient Buddha. For this, Wang Xuan had even forsaken another treasure – a bowl – choosing this peculiar object instead.

With a cold voice, Wang Xuan declared, "This is it. Let's test its power. I'm going to teach those Celestial Immortals a lesson. If there's anything our world doesn't lack, it's strange objects and treasures. Even if we have to crush them with sheer weight, they're going down!"

At that moment, the Celestial Immortals behind the veil were powering up the massive red sword, its tip already piercing through and triggering the Old Covenant's thunderous retaliation.

Wang Xuan had the warship descend, opening its hatch to activate the Buddhist relic. He couldn't just wait for the enemy to fully unleash their giant blood sword. His plan was to block their attack right at their doorstep, forcing them to waste their efforts and celestial blood – a true lesson in humility.

Of course, this was all predicated on his belief that this peculiar item indeed possessed terrifying power.

Old Chen assisted, his Sixteen-Foot Golden Body glowing brightly, enhancing the Buddha light emitted by the artifact.

Seeing this, Wang Xuan didn't hesitate. He started circulating the Sakyamuni True Scriptures to activate the talisman.

Boom!

The yellow silk cloth fully activated, and the six intricate characters revived, casting light like the cycles of reincarnation, covering everything in its path. Vaguely, six strange forces seemed to flow, as if six blurry worlds appeared. In the background, the shadow of an ancient Buddha in a meditative pose emerged, accompanied by a vast array of Arhat figures and the resounding chants of profound Zen!

At that moment, it was as if a Buddhist realm had descended from the heavens!

Boom!

The glowing silk, with its six characters, released tremendous power. It was like a gigantic sealing strip that fell upon the veil.

The giant sword that had just pierced through was hit and cracked, disintegrated, and then exploded. At the same time, the forces of the Old Covenant surged, striking against the veil.

As the Buddha's light shone, it followed with an overwhelming suppression!

A massive roar and a terrifying backlash, like waves crashing against the shore, swept through the Celestial Immortals. The several beings who had been transferring celestial blood and pressing against the veil were overwhelmed by the surging runes, staggering back in retreat.

The Celestial Immortals were wounded, some bleeding from their mouths and noses, and even from their eyes and ears, indicative of the horrific nature of the Old Covenant's backlash.

"Come on, I've got more oddities and secret treasures here! Keep trying to intervene in our world, and I'll smash you a few more times!" Wang Xuan taunted.

In reality, he was starting to feel more confident. Without the type of Inner Landscape that facilitated the intervention from the moon pit, the Celestial Immortals' methods of meddling in the mortal world were... somewhat limited.

At least, he could rely on some powerful treasures and oddities for interference or even blocking their efforts.

The veil dimmed, and the Celestial Immortals' eyes were cold with fury. They were truly enraged now. To them, a mere mortal daring to repeatedly provoke them like this was unthinkable. In their view, any cultivator who hadn't attained immortality was still just a mortal.

Yet, they also felt a sense of defeat and chilling disappointment at their failure to intervene in the mortal world.

Behind them, the supreme being still showed no intention of intervening. He needed to maintain his peak condition, especially now, when the depths of the veil were in chaos.

As the vague light faded, the veil could not maintain its manifestation any longer. The Celestial Immortals had exerted their power to this point but could no longer keep it materialized, and it was about to disappear.

"You send me across, and I'll capture him. After my cultivation is damaged, you must protect me!" one of them said.

"My true bone is in the mortal world, I'll go too!"

"It's not reliable with just two of you, count me in!" another added.

......

Before the veil vanished, the Celestial Immortals decided to cross into the mortal realm, ultimately settling on five individuals, each with their true bones residing in the real world.

With a thunderous roar, in the final moment, lightning cascaded like a waterfall. The Celestial Immortals worked together, a large group tearing a corner of the veil. They paid a terrible price for this, essentially sharing the burden of the Old Covenant's damage for those five individuals.

Supramaterial boiled and surged skyward, destroying various detection devices, as the Celestial Immortals entered the mortal world.

Even so, upon crossing the veil, the five suffered severe injuries, much like Zhou Chong when he emerged from the Yuan Pond Mountain – utterly pitiable, with their weapons shattered or cracked and their spirits torn.

In the mortal world, the process of correction and the challenges of the Old Covenant tormented them, nearly costing their lives.

In the distance, a warship rapidly descended, still affected by the intense radiation of supramaterial despite the distance.

"Alright, you don't have to follow anymore, go quickly!" After landing, Wang Xuan instructed the men from the Ashen Blood organization to pilot the warship and leave immediately.

The middle-aged man, feeling as if he’d been granted a reprieve, activated the warship, disappearing in an instant.

On the ground, Wang Xuan and Chen Yongjie boarded the flying boat and headed towards the area where supramaterial was boiling over. The veil had disappeared, and Celestial Immortals were crossing over.

Undaunted, the two men charged forward.

Wang Xuan, having witnessed Zhou Chong's combat prowess, believed that with the aid of rare treasures, he could hunt them down, especially now when the opponents were gravely wounded and at their weakest.

The flying boat, like lightning, darted towards the Gold Summit Mountain, unimpeded by the radiation of supramaterial emanating from the area.

The veil dimmed and finally vanished!

There, several spiritual entities staggered, levitating from the ruined ground. Though terrified and having their cultivation slashed by both the Old Covenant and the mortal world, they ultimately survived and burst into laughter.

Yet, their laughter was tinged with bitterness. The correction of the mortal world was far more severe than they had imagined. It seemed the day of transcendental annihilation might come even sooner than expected, arriving ahead of schedule!

"We must hunt in this world, find that sliver of hope. How can we willingly succumb to being mere mortals?!" one of them declared.

A streak of dark golden light flashed by as Wang Xuan and Chen Yongjie arrived in their flying boat.

"Daring to actively hunt us down, are the cultivators of this era so arrogant?" a fragmentary spirit of a Celestial Immortal spoke.

The five coldly eyed the two men aboard the dark golden flying boat, acknowledging the threat posed by their potent artifacts.

But having once ascended to immortality, would they simply wait to be bombarded by those artifacts?

After returning to the mortal realm, they would be like dragons returning to the sea. After a brief period of adaptation, they would be ready to hunt the transcendents, especially the young man with the special inner landscape – he must be captured, used, and then eliminated!

Wang Xuan, without a word, brandished a palm-sized golden flag and swung it directly at them. Facing the Celestial Immortals, even in their half-dead state, he was prepared to use his strongest methods.

"Not good!"

The five, once immortals, instantly sensed the deadly threat and scattered to avoid it.

Any other transcendent would have been annihilated by that single strike, unable to react in time!

Puff, puff, puff!

In the end, three spiritual entities, three beings who crossed over, were struck by the golden patterns emitted from the God-Slaying Banner. Attempting to flee in all directions, they exploded, annihilated by the banner.

Even once listed among the immortals, now fallen to the mortal plane, they were still slain.

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