The Stars Beyond

Chapter 510: Dawn Of The Transcendence

"So, they really have a twisted sense of revenge, wanting her as a daughter-in-law," Old Zhang commented with a mix of amusement and disbelief.

"That just brings everyone together, doesn't it? About who can establish a new pact, Sister Fang once made some vows, and that couple just went with the flow. By the way, Old Zhang, what vows did you make back in the day?" the Hades Blood Patriarch asked.

"I was a newcomer; I missed that time. When it came to making vows, I just winged it," Old Zhang admitted.

"Newbie Little Zhang, I forgot about that part," the Hades Blood Patriarch nodded.

"You looking to start something?" Old Zhang wasn’t old by their standards, just over two thousand years, but his prowess was profound, marking him as a formidable figure.

Of course, being "young" is relative, depending on whom you compare.

Wang Xuan looked intrigued. Were his "parents" really trying to use the bracelet as a sort of "betrothal gift"?

Regarding the origins of the shadow couple, it mostly aligned with Wang Xuan’s initial guesses, but he hadn’t expected that they would have killed the Demon Emperor, whose poor fourth successor was still awaiting his return.

Old Zhang sighed, "It really is keeping it all in the family. Trading the Celestial Bracelet for an Immortal Umbrella and then not letting the bracelet go either, that’s a good deal."

"What are you all discussing? Give me the details," Celestial Sword Maiden joined in, curious.

"Eh, little girl, has your true form returned?" the Hades Blood Patriarch exclaimed in surprise.

Old Zhang scrutinized the Celestial Sword Maiden. Using his Celestial Eye, he saw her true condition—her main body from the Great Veil had returned, and her strength was immense.

Now, even powerful beings like them had their earthly incarnations fall to the first level of the Exalted Realm. Apart from those beyond the extraordinary, no one was an exception. Some supreme beings fared even worse, plummeting to the mortal realm of this great boundary. However, Jiang Qingyao was now in the late stages of the fourth level of the Exalted Realm, only her undamaged main body could bear it and maintain such spiritual attainment! During the last great battle, a divine artifact had torn open the great barrier, and supreme deities had entered the realm of immortality, their main bodies around the fourth stage.

"How did you manage to return?" Old Zhang asked.

"The core of the Celestial Mirror was there in the Spirit Blood Pool. Its light cleaved through the heavens and the earth, and I seized the moment to escape," Celestial Sword Maiden responded calmly.

"A broken relic can open the great veil?" Old Zhang expressed his doubt.

"It should be possible. By now, the great barrier is decayed. Besides, the Celestial Mirror was once among the mightiest of divine relics, arguably no less powerful than the Daoist Banner," the Hades Blood Patriarch explained.

It was much later when the Demon Lord finally emerged alongside her parents, her expression unreadable when she saw Wang Xuan again.

Internally, she was tumultuous. Her parents' words had caused her spirit to flare up drastically not long ago. The idea of being betrothed as a child bride—such ferocious terms—were utterly beyond her expectations.

This was far more shocking than the idea of her parents having a child late in life, giving her a younger brother. What were her elderly parents thinking?

Still, the dignity of a supremely powerful individual must be maintained, especially when dealing with a couple, so Old Zhang and the Hades Blood Patriarch were particularly amiable, choosing not to provoke any further.

"This is the treasure Jiang Qingyao discovered in Mount Zhou and brought back from the Spirit Blood Pool. She crossed the cosmos to deliver it here for everyone," Wang Xuan said as he produced several large copper cauldrons filled with radiant red liquid that illuminated the entire spaceship.

The Demon Lord recognized the cauldrons; they were ancient artifacts from her lair, used by the previous Demon Emperor to store wine and received as tributary items from others.

She looked displeased again, her gaze lingering on Wang Xuan and Jiang Qingyao, but ultimately, the liquid in the bronze vessels drew her attention. Currently wounded, she couldn't deny herself such a potent remedy.

"Such a fine gift, little Celestial Sword Maiden, much appreciated," the Hades Blood Patriarch warmly thanked her.

"Thank you, I won't stand on ceremony then," Old Zhang also expressed his gratitude, remembering this favor.

"This is the essence of blood from a higher realm, quite remarkable. If one could find the original essence of the highest spiritual realm, that would be truly against the heavens, likely inducing a dramatic transformation," the shadow couple commented.

They then pulled Wang Xuan aside for a private conversation, which, though extensive, mostly aligned with his earlier speculations and wasn't too "far-fetched."

Soon, the spaceship quieted down, each cabin bathed in red glow and vibrating with powerful spiritual energies.

As for Wang Xuan, he was busy dealing with a mechanical bird, seizing the chance to pluck its feathers one by one, contemplating feeding it to a mechanical bear.

"Hades Blood Patriarch, save me! I've been adopted by you, Blood Demon Father, help me!" the shameless mechanical creature cried out in terror.

The primordial power from the Spirit Blood Pool proved effective for the supreme masters, bolstering their foundations. The Demon Lord's injuries healed, and she prepared to reciprocate to her main body within the great barrier.

Old Zhang and the Hades Blood Patriarch, revitalized, were brimming with martial spirit, their resonance with their main selves palpable, as if they couldn't wait to exact revenge.

Fang Yuzhu remained silent but was evidently ready; her perfect human form poised to merge into the great barrier—a risky endeavor, yet it highlighted her confidence in overcoming any crisis or foe amidst the chaos of gods and supreme wars.

The shadow couple spoke up, informing Wang Xuan of the grave situation.

"Fang Yuzhu is under pressure now, especially since that madman has appeared!" they revealed.

"It is said that the Sword Madman might have taken his earthly body to the Celestial Realm to merge with his prime spirit, which is why he's become invincible, hardly finding any resistance."

Wang Xuan frowned. He had witnessed the madman's prowess firsthand, his vital energy piercing the heavens, his mere presence dyeing the Celestial Realm red—an effortless display of his terrifying nature.

To him, cleaving stars and capturing moons were trivial feats. More daunting still was his refinement of the Mortal Sword in ancient times, left to roam freely outside.

"We've long suspected that the Roaming Ark and the Metamorphosis Banner might have once fallen into his hands for a time, though sometimes we think perhaps we're overthinking it," the Demon Lord’s mother remarked.

The Demon Lord's father added, "No matter what, now it's crucial to deal with this madman, to avoid his relentless pursuits. His past is questionable, all his contemporaries are gone, leaving only him to reap the benefits—that's truly the most terrifying aspect."

The previously light atmosphere was gone, replaced by an air of grim determination aboard the ship.

The next day, the Celestial Bracelet cleaved open the veil, and Fang Yuzhu's flawless body personally entered. The Demon Lord, Old Zhang, and the Hades Blood Patriarch resonated with their main selves, capitalizing on the cosmic fissure to draw from the Spirit Blood Pool.

"Another great battle is about to commence. Could this be the final one?" Wang Xuan mused, his expression tense and serious. He and the Celestial Sword Maiden didn't leave.

If the situation turned dire, he was ready to deploy the Life-Preserving Furnace.

"It's very likely the last battle. The age of myths will rapidly conclude, bringing about the twilight of gods and immortals," the shadow couple said, having managed to crack open the great barrier themselves since acquiring the Old Covenant Vessel.

All around, a fearsome aura churned through space. On the celestial bodies of the Immortal Lands, leaves fluttered prematurely, not yet deep autumn, yet everything was already wilting, sensing the impending dreadful mythological winter.

"Will the quake this time knock many back into their mortal forms?" Wang Xuan pondered the fates of cultivators as the end of the supernatural era approached. Some would be utterly cast down, never to ascend again.

Old Zhang spoke gravely, "It's perhaps for the best, a deliberate thinning. Repeated upheavals reduce the celestial ranks gradually. Otherwise, a brutal final shake at the very end would kill many supernaturals outright."

Without these gradual shocks, the sudden silence of myth could disastrously disrupt many, causing their supernatural essence to violently rupture, their realms to collapse in agony.

The Hades Blood Patriarch added, "Even so, some will die, but it’s far better than concentrating all quakes into one apocalyptic moment, experiencing a world-shattering catastrophe."

The situation was more dire than Wang Xuan had imagined; the end of the supernatural might also herald widespread death.

"From this perspective, the death of gods and annihilation of immortals, the vanishing of deities into the ether—is this the harsh final chapter the cosmos dictates?" Wang Xuan's heart was heavy.

Originally, it was thought there was over a month left of myth. But if a supreme battle erupted now, everything could conclude in mere days.

Brilliance would fade, an eternal winter night would cover the supernatural sky, and the tide would recede faster and more fiercely than expected, always surpassing predictions, always arriving sooner than calculated.

Thud!

The great barrier was breached, and the ultimate battle erupted.

The Roaming Ark surged against the heavens, retracing time, reversing yin and yang in a terrifying display. Was it tracing back through history? The two great ancestors from the Supreme Palace and Hook Chen Emperor’s Palace seemed to be driving it towards ancient times.

"Can it truly trace back through time to commit murder?!" Wang Xuan was incredulous. The target wasn't Fang Yuzhu in a reversal of ancient times, but the madman, Shang Yi!

The Roaming Ark, worthy of its name as a supreme treasure, tore through the sky of history.

But Shang Yi was terrifying. Forced to reveal his true form, he wielded the Sword of the Mortal World, his aura flooding much of the great barrier.

With a single sweep of his sword, he split the heavens and earth. His sword light was dazzling, illuminating the cosmic barrier of that moment, severing the sky of history, and blocking the path of the Roaming Ark.

Thud!

The cosmos split open, the great barrier shattered into pieces, fissures everywhere— a horrifying sight. With the Sword of the Mortal World, Shang Yi resisted the Roaming Ark, sending it spiraling away.

Even the two great ancestors, supreme beings themselves, were left coughing blood, nearly falling from the boat.

Then, Fang Yuzhu appeared. Her flawless earthly body had entered the great barrier and perfectly merged with her other self.

Beneath her feet shimmered a light rain, and around her, a golden bamboo forest illusion. She stepped through the sky of history, as if coming from an unknown era, approaching the madman with the Sword of the Mortal World.

"The age of myths is truly ending, the twilight of the supernaturals has arrived, everything is withering," Wang Xuan spoke, his voice tight. At this moment, he too was exceedingly tense, holding his breath, his heartbeat thunderous in his ears.

In the great barrier, majestic mountains dimmed, boundless beauty blurred, gods trembled, and many cried out, fleeing the great barrier through the tears ripped by the treasure.

"I feel like I can hear the breath of the cosmos, the funeral hymns of gods and immortals, see the vague footsteps pressing closer—are they the steps of death?"

Wang Xuan realized that everything seemed both real and illusionary, his senses and intuition thrown into disarray.