The Stars Beyond

Chapter 520: For All The Transcendents Of This Era

The man known as Jiang Siyuan had lived two thousand seven hundred years ago, a figure of extraordinary talent who rose to prominence through sheer force. He had saved Fang Yuzhu’s life twice. On the last occasion, he stood in front of her, taking the fatal blow from an ancient demon emperor, his life extinguished in the aftermath.

Unbeknownst to others, Wang Xuan knew Jiang Siyuan had been resurrected, saved by the spectral spirit Shenling, who helped him escape using the Life-Preserving Furnace into a hidden realm. What happened after was shrouded in mystery; both Shenling and Jiang Siyuan disappeared, possibly dead, leaving behind only the legendary Life-Preserving Furnace.

Now, with Quotian bringing up the past, Wang Xuan was alarmed. Was there something amiss with the Life-Preserving Furnace? How else could Quotian so precisely track him all the way here?

And was Jiang Siyuan still alive, somewhere among the living?

The Celestial Sword Maiden drew her sword slowly, purple qi swirling around the blade, resounding through the void, “Don't let his words frighten you. If he really knew everything, why wait so long to show up?”

Wang Xuan nodded in agreement. The recordings Quotian sent, whether it was drinking tea with Zhou Yun, meeting Professor Lin, or appearing at the dinner with Chen Yongjie, Qing Mu, Zhao Qinghan, and Wu Yin, were all events from several days ago, indicating that he had spent considerable time and effort on these leads.

This suggested that the Evil Dragon had indeed been using these individuals to find him and did not initially know his exact location.

“Correct,” Quotian acknowledged with a nod, unfazed, “In avoiding a relentless battle with Fang Yuzhu, I devoted time to understanding her and stumbled upon some unexpected findings.”

Indeed, while analyzing Fang Yuzhu, he had uncovered a significant overlap with another thread he was pursuing intensely, leading to a breakthrough in his investigations.

He had a unique Inner Scenery, capable of resurrection and naturally given to deep analysis, also curious about whether his peers had revived. Recently, he made a startling discovery in the secret realm—the traces of Jiang Siyuan!

“Fortunately, this helped solve a dilemma. I spent vast resources to confirm he’s still alive, a fact I can use to deal with Fang Yuzhu.”

He chuckled, admitting if given a choice, he would prefer not to clash head-on with someone like Fang Yuzhu, who had undergone multiple spiritual transcendences and was a formidable Transcendent World figure.

Now, having spent his efforts analyzing a peer and studying an adversary, the two investigative threads converged, revealing a significant secret, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

“Jiang Siyuan is still alive?” Wang Xuan sensed trouble brewing, especially since this involved the Life-Preserving Furnace, stirring unease within him.

“Yes, I revived him, but his situation is precarious, like a candle flickering in the wind, ready to extinguish at any moment. He needs a transcendent being to sustain his life.” Quotian’s expression remained composed, revealing his strategic mind—his greatest fear was not Wang Xuan, but Fang Yuzhu and the shadow couple. Now he had found a way to counter one of them.

“Jiang Siyuan was a good man, I admit, morally superior to me,” Quotian conceded with a smirk. “He saved Fang Yuzhu’s life more than once. She has never gotten over the guilt of not being able to save him in return. Now, Fang Yuzhu will owe me a great debt.”

Jiang Qingyao stared at him, deep in thought. This man, adept at analyzing peers and studying adversaries, had managed to “excavate” a person long thought dead.

Quotian had discovered Jiang Siyuan, who had escaped the immortal realm by using a divine artifact to pierce through the cosmic veil and had coexisted with the Life-Preserving Furnace for a long time, leaving behind his imprint.

This was the breakthrough that led him to Wang Xuan, having traced the pathway back through the artifact. The Life-Preserving Furnace, a treasure linked to the highest laws of the cosmic barrier, resonated at the same frequency. With Jiang Siyuan’s imprint within reach, Quotian, supported by the Yuhua Fan, could faintly detect the presence of that imprint within the furnace through the cosmic laws.

Wang Xuan silently attuned himself to the Life-Preserving Furnace, trying to resonate with it, but to no avail; he still could not detect the lingering imprint, likely hidden within the inner walls of the furnace, eluding his perception all this time.

This revelation struck him like a thunderbolt; he had never before suspected any issues with this treasured artifact.

“Zhou Yun, Professor Lin, Chen Yongjie, Qing Mu, Zhao Qinghan, Wu Yin, and the others have nothing to do with this. I hope you can show some decency,” Wang Xuan finally spoke up.

The problem lay with the divine artifact, far beyond his expectations. The fact that he had been found and tracked through it, considering he had always regarded the Life-Preserving Furnace as his ultimate trump card, spelled serious trouble.

“The fate of those people is trivial. Now that I’ve found you, I wouldn’t stoop to threatening you with such tactics. However, should you attempt to flee, all bets are off.” The Evil Dragon closed off his escape routes, compelling him to stay.

"Alright, I was about to settle things with you anyway!" Wang Xuan nodded, his resolve firm. Cornered and unable to hide any longer, he decided it was time to confront his enemy head-on.

Quotian stood on his spacecraft, declaring, "Will you surrender willingly, or must I compel you? Choose the former, and I'll take what I need but spare your life. Choose the latter, and you will die!"

"You're too arrogant," Wang Xuan replied, stepping out of the airlock as he instructed the mechanical bear to navigate the ship backward.

Jiang Qingyao remained silent, her expression grave as she prepared to face this supreme being in a battle to the death.

Quotian advanced leisurely through the cosmos, the Yuhua Fan in hand, his form resonating with immortal essence. Each step through the void brought him closer, his serene demeanor belied by the profound and terrifying aura that began to emanate from him.

"Indeed, one cannot be too careless. Perhaps you might end up killing me in an unexpected turn of events," he acknowledged, his face calm but his eyes intense, his presence growing increasingly formidable.

Was this the pinnacle of the fifth level of Transcendental Freedom, or had he reached the sixth level's realm of Earthly Immortals? The energy fluctuations around him and the laws of the universe that clung to him were awe-inspiring, holding the power to annihilate anything under heaven.

Jiang Qingyao frowned, the Zixiao Hetdao Sword in her hand pointing towards him, the oppressive power emanating from Quotian tensing her entire being with the immensity of his suppressive force.

Wang Xuan retrieved the Life-Preserving Furnace, unwilling to part with it despite its betrayals. As he rinsed it repeatedly with red substance, he muttered, "Furnace, after all the care I've given you, to think you would turn on me. If you wish to leave, that's fine. Help me kill this Evil Dragon first, and then we can part ways amicably. Fair enough, isn’t it?"

The furnace remained silent, unresponsive.

Wang Xuan, unwilling to leave the furnace floating freely beside him, grasped its body with his right hand and the lid with his left, ready to wield it as a cold weapon in the impending confrontation.

He was somewhat incredulous, a faint, fragmented mark alone, and it thought to wrest the treasure from his hands?

"Just a wolf, after all this time, you'd think there'd be some attachment, don't disappoint me!" he said, clashing the furnace cover and body together, creating a thunderous ripple that expanded toward the malevolent dragon, sweeping everything before it.

Qi Tian vanished from the spot with a tear through the void, holding the Ascension Banner, reappearing in another position.

A vast field of asteroids, ranging from tens to thousands of meters in length, exploded under the wave of light from the furnace, turning into cosmic dust.

"Very powerful indeed," the dragon remarked dispassionately. "Even the unmatched masters among the immortals, standing there, would burst instantly, both body and spirit annihilated."

With a swish, a stream of purple haze soared into the sky as the Celestial Sword Maiden swung her Purple Dawn Conjoining Sword, cleaving through the cosmic void. The terrifying sword light slaughtered all, unblockable even by the transcendent.

Qi Tian snorted coldly, pointing his Ascension Banner forward, unleashing boundless light that blocked the galaxy-like purple sword radiance.

The brilliance was dazzling, the void shattered, engulfed by terrifying energy.

"A treasure remnant?!" Qi Tian showed a look of surprise, not expecting his opponent to possess such a thing.

"This world is indeed full of surprises, one must never underestimate anyone," he mused, then vibrated the Ascension Banner, summoning an unmatched force, with ripples of the Dao surging forth.

"Uh-oh!" Wang Xuan sensed something amiss. The Life-Preserving Furnace in his hand started to act uncontrollably, trying to break free, beginning to resist him.

However, it was apparent that the resistance was not very fierce; otherwise, he would not be able to suppress the rebellion of such a treasure.

Feeding it for so long had some effect. Qi Tian, having acquired part of the spiritual imprint from Jiang Siyuan and reinforced it with the Ascension Banner, resonated, attempting to gain true control of the Life-Preserving Furnace. Though effective, he had not yet managed to seize it completely.

Wang Xuan, holding the Life-Preserving Furnace, transformed into a streak of light, charging directly at the dragon. The cosmic void exploded massively—this was the treasure vibrating!

Qi Tian’s eyes deepened, continuously stimulating the Ascension Banner, trying to wrest the treasure from Wang Xuan's control, even hoping for an instant counterattack.

Clang!

The two collided with their treasures, causing terrifying fluctuations and vast energy that swept across all directions like a landslide and tsunami.

A distant field of asteroids instantly vaporized, and the wreckage of several spaceships farther away disintegrated in an instant, reduced to dust. In the presence of such treasures, all beings and spirits were negligible, obliterated in an instant.

Blood traced Wang Xuan's mouth as he staggered back, the Life-Preserving Furnace vibrating uncontrollably. Though it did not turn against him, its unruly behavior left him at a severe disadvantage, making him incredibly passive in the fight.

Qi Tian's strength was formidable, as if he possessed the Dao fruit of a terrestrial immortal, overwhelmingly powerful, standing unyielded in the cosmic void, his expression cold and his killing intent surging.

Clang!

Without looking back, Qi Tian used the Ascension Banner to block Jiang Qingyao's earth-shattering strike, deflecting the Purple Dawn Conjoining Sword that had slashed through the void.

The Celestial Sword Maiden clutched her shimmering broken sword, blood appearing at the corner of her mouth. Her sword light, capable of slaying the most transcendent beings, proved ineffectual against the dragon wielding the treasure.

"To avoid any mishaps, I should finish you off sooner rather than later. Attracting the attention of others with treasures would be troublesome," Qi Tian stated coldly.

His form was ethereal, his aura soft yet divine, truly possessing the Dao fruit of an earthly immortal, undeniably powerful and seemingly unsolvable at this level in the mortal realm.

"Who kills whom is not yet decided!" Fire flickered in Wang Xuan’s eyes, his determination clear as the dragon’s true form appeared, today was the day for a resolution.

"It will naturally be me who kills you," Qi Tian responded calmly, stepping forward with the Ascension Banner in hand.

Jiang Qingyao stood alongside Wang Xuan, her Purple Dawn Conjoining Sword in hand.

"Don't worry, let me try first!" Wang Xuan whispered.

......

"What's the situation? The clash of treasures is causing intense collisions, affecting the stability of the Great Barrier and the realm of the immortals, with the highest rules resonating," someone called out from a distant, new star, their expression changing—it was the shadow couple.

Indeed, it wasn't just them present; Fang Yuzhu, elders from the Supreme Palace and Gouchen Imperial Palace, along with other bearers of treasures, were all there.

Previously, Wang Xuan had activated a treasure in the Celestial Seascape of the new star to counter the foremost killing array, which had caused intense fluctuations of the treasure, drawing these figures to the scene.

Now, all parties were in pursuit of the Life-Preserving Furnace.

"Who took the treasure and left?" Fang Yuzhu scanned the gathering, first directing his gaze towards the Sword Madman and then settling on Qi Tian.

"Qi Tian, is this your true form?" he asked.

"Did you send someone away with the Ascension Banner? Are you planning harm against Wang Xuan?" the shadow couple suddenly stood up, their focus intensifying on Qi Tian.

"I am in my true form, and the one who departed was also in my true form; I had some minor matters to handle. I harbor no ill intentions, nor any selfish motives. Everything I do is aimed at extending the lifespan of the transcendent, for this era, for all transcendent beings on the brink of decline, to carve a new path in the mythology," Qi Tian responded calmly.