The Stars Beyond

Chapter 356: A Rondo Of Fairy And Demons

High above, a radiant sun, woven from strands of sword energy, gently descended. At its core stood Wang Xuan, his form aglow with an indomitable sword light that commanded awe.

Below him, the earth was soaked in crimson, the once-mighty Blood Demon Ape lay defeated. Despite invoking the lineage of the Demon Emperor and manifesting its most formidable form, it met its end, overwhelmed by Wang Xuan's might.

An eerie silence enveloped the scene. Spectators were rooted in disbelief, grappling with the reality that the scion of the Demon Sage had fallen, and three titans of their age were bested single-handedly.

Wang Xuan's descent to the ground marked the dissipation of the sword wheel, a technique that, while powerful, demanded a significant toll on his reserves. He couldn't afford to wield such power indiscriminately.

Remarkably, not a trace of blood marred his figure. He emanated a serene composure, a stark contrast to the chaos around him. Approaching the fallen Qi Lian Dao, he pondered the fate of the Demon Sage's offspring, weighing the merits of delivering the final blow.

His expression shifted subtly as he delved into Qi Lian Dao's fading consciousness, uncovering a plot of madness and ambition. Qi Lian Dao aspired to usurp the Demon Sage himself, a testament to a mind unraveled. Wang Xuan, recognizing the depth of his insanity, opted for mercy, sparing him to sow discord among his own kin.

"Distinguished Wang, please, mercy!" cried some among the demonic cultivators, their voices laced with a newfound reverence. Yet, who would dare confront him now? Wang Xuan stood unchallenged, a solitary figure of unassailable strength.

He uttered softly, almost to himself, "I am still not strong enough." The words hung in the air, leaving the onlookers in a state of bewildered silence. Could the man who vanquished the Blood Demon Ape and rendered Qi Lian Dao unconscious truly believe in his own inadequacy?

Wang Xuan gazed down at the Demon Sage's son, reflecting on the vast gulf that lay between aspiration and capability. "In this era, Old Zhang could effortlessly subdue him, yet I faced a battle," he mused.

He sighed, a gesture of resolve rather than resignation. Ahead lay a path demanding relentless pursuit, a journey far from its end.

Nearby, many overheard his musings, leaving them dumbfounded. Was he truly being modest, or were his expectations for himself exceedingly high?

"Who is he comparing himself to? Do you know?" someone inquired, their awe for the man who single-handedly bested a trio of titans mingled with curiosity about the individual he mentioned.

"Some speculate it's Zhang Daoling. There were whispers about something happening on a spaceship..." another whispered.

Silence fell upon the crowd, pondering the possibility of Wang Xuan measuring himself against a legendary figure incarnate in the mortal realm.

"Don't doubt it. If he continues on this trajectory, once his realm ascends, he might well stand shoulder to shoulder with those who are revered as ancestors," someone else added.

On the other side, Qi Chengdao was not faring well. As one of the referenced, and a loser in this encounter, he found the discussion particularly disheartening.

"Apes, madmen, oranges... they all peak at the first layer of the Xianxia realm, while I'm at the complete eighth level in the mortal realm, two whole levels apart. Well, that's not too bad. I've still got untapped potential. Once our realms align, perhaps I could match Old Zhang, making them call me 'uncle' with a mere grip," Wang Xuan mused to himself, his spirits not so "heavy" anymore, buoying himself.

He speculated that Zhang Daoling must have been of a higher realm when he subdued the madman, which brought a smile to his face again.

Qi Chengdao, hearing this, felt like he had been stabbed in the heart, his misery deepening. Lying there motionless, he wished he could just pass out.

But survival instincts forbade feigning death. Seeing Wang Xuan approach, his bitterness intensified. He hastily explained, "I bear you no grudge, and I've given you the Celestial Marrow."

Wang Xuan nodded, "I keep my word. Since you've offered me the Celestial Marrow, I won't go back on mine."

He then walked towards Zhou Qinghuang, who, in her professional attire and with her slender figure, looked every bit the modern urban woman. Pushing up her glasses on her refined nose, she exuded calm.

"Wang Xuan, I'm glad I saw potential in you from the start. We were on the same side," Zhou Qinghuang said with a gentle smile, her demeanor poised and contrasting sharply with her appearance without glasses.

"Thank you for your recognition, but why did you rush over there just now?" Wang Xuan asked, nodding towards where Chen Yongjie and the blood pool were located.

"Ming Xi was worried her body would be destroyed in the battle, so she wanted to protect it," Zhou Qinghuang replied, her voice soft and serene.

Wang Xuan nodded, "Since Gu Mingxi's soul is within you, it's perfect. Hand her soul over to me, so we can make her whole again."

Zhou Qinghuang brushed her hair back, caution in her tone, "You're not planning to slay her with one strike, are you?"

She was wary; after all, Wang Xuan had a history of being ruthlessly straightforward. There was a close call earlier when he nearly dismembered Gu Xianzi's physical form.

"You intended to gift her to me, to deal with as I see fit," Wang Xuan said with a smile.

Within Zhou Qinghuang's body, Gu Mingxi's soul was fuming, practically wanting to strangle Zhou Qinghuang's soul.

Wang Xuan suspected they had been performing a double act earlier, trying to trap him and take him down, but he hesitated to accuse Zhou Qinghuang outright without proof.

Sighing, Zhou Qinghuang said, "Gu Xianzi has been making a fuss, crying and threatening to hang herself for her body back. I'm nearly driven mad by her, and her powerful family behind the scenes has been warning me. So, Brother Wang, I apologize for reneging on my word and must take her body back."

"She once attacked me, making her my enemy. In my eyes, she's either to be executed or sent to the lab for dissection. Alternatively, like the madman and the orange, she can buy her life with celestial medicine or marrow. I can't simply let an enemy go free. I hope you understand and don't put me in a difficult position."

Inside Zhou Qinghuang's body, Gu Mingxi's soul and Zhou Qinghuang engaged in a fierce argument.

......

"Zhou Qinghuang, look at the mess you've made. Why didn't you offer yourself instead?" Gu Mingxi's soul raged within Zhou Qinghuang's body.

"Ming Xi, I think he's quite decent. Why not take this opportunity to reunite with your body and stay by his side? It seems like a good idea to me," Zhou Qinghuang suggested gently.

"Zhou Qinghuang, I'll fight you on this! Do you want to see me get chopped up by him? To watch my unparalleled beauty turn to dust and bones?" Gu Mingxi's spirit was furious.

Amidst the turmoil of soulful lights within Zhou Qinghuang, she eventually conceded, deciding to offer a potent spiritual medicine in exchange for Gu Xianzi's body.

As Zhou Qinghuang's focus returned, she saw Wang Xuan tucking Gu Xianzi under his arm, gathering the spoils of war, ready to leave.

"Ah..." Gu Mingxi's soul clashed with Zhou Qinghuang's again.

"What are you 'ahhing' about? He's already touched and held you while escaping, not to mention whatever happened at the bottom of the blood pool!" Zhou Qinghuang retorted.

...

Satisfied with the spiritual medicine he received, Wang Xuan found it extremely beneficial, capable of aiding in breaking through cultivation bottlenecks.

Then, Mo Si arrived, a strikingly handsome youth with formidable strength, not only a core figure among the fourth generation of demonic cultivators but also unmatched among his peers.

"Are you alright?" he inquired of Wang Xuan, showing genuine concern.

The crowd was speechless, expecting a showdown but instead saw them come together. If these two joined forces, who could stand in their way?

"I'm fine," Wang Xuan responded, aware of Mo Si's misunderstanding but choosing not to correct it, letting him speculate.

Mo Si nodded, expressing a sense of kinship with Wang Xuan and offered his help for future endeavors before departing on his own.

The onlookers remained silent, astonished at the turn of events.

"Let's go," Wang Xuan signaled.

Chen Yongjie, shrouded in demonic aura and still flaunting his demonic stature, knew some might have guessed his identity

"Ha ha, this Demon Emperor shall take his leave too!" he laughed heartily as he departed.

Who could dare to stop him? At least, their generation seemed powerless to halt that human anomaly.

Qi Lian Dao's eyes slowly opened, his frenzied heart quieting down. Strictly speaking, he felt more embarrassed than Qi Chengdao, for his true age was indeed significant.

Compared to him, others were merely the younger generation, otherwise, their physical bodies couldn't have been brought over.

His defeat was humiliating. When he internally examined himself and realized the crumpled beast skin was gone, he let out a terrible scream and passed out once again.

"I've been mingling among the demon race and came across some crucial information. There's possibly a decaying medicinal garden located in the spiritual world, which might contain celestial herbs!"

When alone, Old Chen transmitted this message, revealing that Blood God Ape had been searching for it, planning to find and infiltrate it.

Wang Xuan was astonished. Chen Yongjie truly had a knack for finding celestial herbs, just like how he doggedly visited various secret vaults and pored over rare texts to unearth the Nine Tribulations Sky Lotus last time.

......

"Ha, this Demon Emperor shall take his leave too!" he laughed heartily, following them into the distance. Who would dare to stop him? At least, their generation seemed powerless to halt the march of this human anomaly.

Qi Lian Dao slowly opened his eyes, his frenzy cooling down. Strictly speaking, he felt more embarrassed than Qi Chengdao because his true age was indeed significant. Unlike the others, who were relatively younger successors, he was from an older generation. To have been defeated so miserably... When he discovered the crumpled piece of beast skin was missing, he let out a scream and passed out once again.

"I've mingled among the demonic tribes and have come across vital information. There might be a decayed medicinal garden located in the spiritual world, possibly containing celestial herbs!" In a secluded spot, Old Chen communicated this to Wang Xuan, revealing that the Blood Demon Ape had been exploring recently, intending to find and breach it.

Wang Xuan was astonished. Chen Yongjie truly had a knack for finding celestial herbs. The last time, the Nine Tribulations Sky Lotus was unearthed through his relentless efforts, visiting various secret libraries and poring over rare texts until he finally dug it out.

---

In the old lands of An City, at the Cooperative Hospital, Old Zhang had mixed feelings as he held his diagnosis: a level one psychiatric patient, characterized by scattered thoughts and incoherent speech. Facing such a diagnosis, Old Zhang looked to the heavens in speechless dismay. Everything he said was the truth, yet when he attempted to diagnose the elderly doctor in return, suggesting he was getting on in years and suffering from kidney deficiency requiring rest, he was instead confirmed to be suffering from mental illness.

"Do you remember where your home is? Do you need us to send you back? Don't worry, you're just mildly affected. With proper care, you can recover," said a few kind-hearted young people who had escorted him from the spaceship base to the hospital.

Old Zhang made his escape, murmuring, "I won't stoop to your level."

Now able to move freely, he removed the copper mirror from his face and once again headed for the spaceship base outside the city. Soon after, the spaceship took off at high speed towards the outer domain. Arriving at the mysterious gateways in outer space, he revisited the place after more than two thousand years.

"Are you coming too? Great, let's go see if there's anything alive left in the old haunts of the spectral beings. I'm not quite confident going alone."

At the entrance, he received a call from Fang Yuzhu, smiling at the prospect of joining forces with a peerless powerhouse. Together, they might uncover something valuable in the spectral beings' old den.

"Ask the one in Bear Mountain, the fairy in red, if she wants to come. With the three of us together, we'd be on even firmer ground," Zhang Daoling added.

In an alien space, Wang Xuan was tallying his spoils of war when he perked up at the sight of a memory crystal, a gift from the little white tiger. As he assessed its quality,

"What's that?" Chen Yongjie leaned in closer.

"Don't look. It involves great karma and concerns peerless powerhouses."

Wang Xuan pushed him away, activating the memory crystal. Then he saw a woman in red with a twirling oil-paper umbrella, slanting rain, fluttering black hair, and limbs stretching gracefully, legs stepping lightly - a vision of enchanting beauty. And then... it ended.

Just as he was getting into it, the show ended abruptly. This trickster little white tiger had Wang Xuan hooked, only for the memory crystal to cut off. There was nothing more, a classic bait and switch by the round-faced girl.

No wonder she went up against Qi Chengdao and never came back to claim her reward—the page from the psychiatric patient's book of lore. Nursing his grievances, Wang Xuan realized he'd been duped. Well, he reflected, perhaps it was just an obsession to see that formidable fairy dance. Missing out wouldn't cost him anything. Once more powerful, he could witness it in person.

From the depths of Bear Mountain, a figure in red emerged, having received a message from Fang Yuzhu. Should she venture into outer space for a nostalgic return?

Meanwhile, back at the white tiger's den, the round-faced girl was throwing a tantrum, rolling on the ground in frustration. Her realm had been shaken, and she bit into the "tiger medicine" around her in vexation.

"Forget it, let's go find that celestial herb. Are you sure about this?" Wang Xuan asked Old Chen.

"Of course, it's reliable. Do you not realize who that ape is descended from? A great demon emperor with vast knowledge, not inferior to the descendants of the demon sovereign," Chen Yongjie confidently responded, leading the way deeper towards the boundary with the spiritual world.

The ancient medicinal garden, a relic from a bygone civilization, was home to five celestial herbs at its peak. As the era of supernaturals concluded and the mythical civilization faded, the garden fell into obscurity. Whether any celestial herbs survived was uncertain.

"Logically, situated within a spiritual realm, the garden should be an ideal habitat for celestial herbs, unlikely to have all perished."

......

Old Zhang walked through the ancient lands, his heart filled with emotions. Becoming an immortal just two millennia ago, yet witnessing the end of a mythological civilization—was this truly what becoming an immortal entailed?

Perhaps, the true immortals within the curtain were merely the continuation of their spiritual obsessions. Historically, they had died, leaving only the seeds of resurrection dormant within their metamorphosed true bones.

He moved swiftly, shrinking the ground under his feet with each step. Then... he halted, his eyes sparking with divine light. Ahead, unexpectedly, three fires appeared, with scripture pages fluttering down upon each...

"The infamous Three Haunting Fires?" Zhang Daoling's expression shifted dramatically. He had just entered and was already targeted?

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