The Stars Beyond

"I can't take this heat anymore, it's cooking me!" Wang Xuan exclaimed as he traversed the meteorite passage. His spiritual essence felt like it was on the verge of evaporating from the intense heat.

His only recourse was to take refuge in the Life Essence Furnace, propelling himself upward through the fiery corridor until he reached a vast expanse swathed in red mist where real material particles and large fragments abounded.

The furnace glowed red-hot, the temperature inside high enough to melt fairy gold and refine secret silver. Wang Xuan's spirit suffered immensely in this region, further than he had ever ventured before. His spirit became hazy and indistinct, feeling as if it might burst from the unbearable heat.

Inside the furnace, the pile of divine items, including a short sword, emitted strange fluctuations before calming down again, with no signs of merging into one.

Above the meteorite passage, the realm of red mist stretched boundlessly. Wang Xuan suspected he had left the passage behind and entered a new and terrifying domain.

"Keep moving upward!" he urged himself, hoping for the resurgence of the Imperial Flag, but to no avail. Preparing for one last effort, he lamented, "It's no use. The treasure won't form, and I'm about to be reduced to ashes."

His spirit smoked as he sheltered within the furnace, hinting at the horrors outside. "Could these really not be components of the Imperial Flag? Don't force me to take drastic measures!" he thought bitterly.

Retreating a distance within the furnace, he eventually opened the furnace lid and dumped the assortment of objects into the 'Red Sea', forcing them to fuse on their own.

In that instant, Wang Xuan nearly perished. Even retreating from the most dangerous area, the moment he opened the furnace, a piercing red light still invaded.

Despite employing various spells and reciting the highest scriptures, his spirit was parched from the burn, his being on the brink of becoming a spiritual wreck. "I almost died before achieving my mission," he gasped, reflecting on the risks he had taken for the Imperial Flag. His spirit dimmed, scorched beyond recognition.

Outside, items like the Banner of Severance and the Beastskin Book nearly burnt to a crisp. Mysterious patterns interwoven among them resonated, clearly stimulated by the ordeal. However, they still did not unite, each vibrating independently as they resisted the scorching and erosion of the red mist. Their surfaces turned red, then charred black, each stubbornly maintaining their autonomy.

"In the grand scheme of things, what has separated must eventually unite," Wang Xuan muttered to himself, peering anxiously through the furnace's glowing red walls. The iron tongs seemed on the verge of melting, the Severing God Flag's golden mesh surged like waves, and the Banner of Severence's silvery beams slashed through the red mists.

The short sword remained the calmest, turned a dark red, motionless among the churning 'components'. The red mists boiled around them, yet there was still no sign of them evolving into the Imperial Flag. Resigned, Wang Xuan had to accept that this attempt was probably a failure. He reflected that in the past, some had possessed two flags but were ultimately unable to restore the supreme treasure. Perhaps the Imperial Flag was truly destroyed.

He sighed. Having recently slain the demonic embryo, acquiring the First Killing Array, and obtaining the Banner of Severance, his adventures had been thrilling yet not perfectly satisfying; something was still amiss.

"Well, one must be content with what they have; perhaps the time just isn't right," he consoled himself as he sat cross-legged inside the furnace, embarking on a journey of cultivation.

Having come this far, he was not about to waste the opportunity to improve himself. However, since achieving perfect completion at the thirteenth stage, no matter how he cultivated, even though his spiritual prowess somewhat improved, he could not surpass that final barrier. Whether advancing to the Great Realm of Free Wander or attempting to break through to the fourteenth stage, he encountered insurmountable obstacles, as if something mysterious was holding him back.

"Wait, has the barrier loosened today?" he suddenly exclaimed in surprise, noticing the sorry state of his spirit, which appeared severely burnt. The external part of his spirit was charred, emitting a decaying aura, yet the core spark within surged with vigorous life.

"Without the old body perishing, the new spirit cannot emerge. Could it be because the external spirit is damaged, the inner spirit is emerging?" he pondered, his expression changing.

He immediately recited the highest scriptures, aiming to strengthen himself right there, to become even stronger, until he realized the old spirit... was slowly healing itself.

"Am I unkillable, truly indestructible?" Wang Xuan was astonished. He began actively drawing the essence from his external spirit, channeling it into the nascent spirit within.

In the end, it slowly recovered; the spirit was indestructible, regenerating anew. "It seems that my body and internal landscape are undergoing similar transformations. The old decays and revives, unceasing, maintaining this astonishing rhythm," Wang Xuan mused, somewhat lost in thought.

However, Wang Xuan also noticed something unusual. As the saying goes, 'once, twice, not a third time.' This time, upon reviving, the old spirit carried a hint of decay, imperceptible to others but crystal clear to him. Even the rejuvenating furnace couldn't restore it completely.

"With that in mind, I should do this a few more times!" he resolved, risking his life in the process. Since the rejuvenating furnace was at hand and resonated with his unique spirit to grant an undying effect, he decided to continue this path of cultivation.

Glancing outside, indeed, the Severing Body Flag had turned charred black, and the iron tongs glowed red-hot, yet still, they did not merge together.

He gave up all hope for the Imperial Flag. Rather than pinning his hopes on it, he thought it better to focus on himself, to enhance his being and undergo another transformation and sublimation.

"If I enter the realm of Free Wander, or advance to the fourteenth stage, even facing the true form of the evil dragon, I should be able to hold my own, right?" He was aware that not all beings of the supreme transcendent realm were equal. Only those like the ancient lunatic, who had undergone more than one spiritual nirvana, could truly retain the fruits of their celestial cultivation.

As for Qi Tian, his true spiritual prowess was still unknown.

Once again, he opened the furnace lid, and flames like thunderbolts surged in, searing Wang Xuan's vision to blackness before he hastily shut it again.

He was "courting death," torturing himself to force his immortal spirit to tap into its latent potential, to push himself to the next stage.

Real materials invaded, damaging his external spirit, but also absorbing those terrifying forces. After they mingled, his spirit dimmed again, exuding a decayed aura.

At that moment, the light point—the new spirit—began to shine, vibrant with life, drawing in the essence from the outside. Inside the furnace, the aura was mysterious, the old and new spirits resonating together.

"This time, my spiritual cultivation has increased even more!" Wang Xuan mused, his life hanging in the balance as he harnessed the destructive yet renewing power of the crimson mists. The old and new spirits resonated within him, continually tormenting and cultivating his strength, which steadily grew.

There was a moment when all his senses plunged into that glowing point, leaving the remnants of his old spirit outside, experiencing the world through the core of his soul. What he perceived was a world where many materials were decaying, enveloping his old spirit, even as the divine essence from relics like the Severing Body Flag clung to them.

Yet, amidst this destructive red mist, there were threads of new life. At that moment, he even sensed changes in the outside world, his vision blurred as he glimpsed his physical body and his self-initiated inner landscape.

The light points within his body, the condensed light in his inner landscape, and the core mark in his spirit were in harmony, each enhancing the others. From his perspective, the external world was a transcendent winter, shrouded in darkness, with myth fading like a dying flame. Only the three glowing points shone brightly, awaiting rebirth in the frozen earth.

"The new spirit, the new essence of my flesh, and the new light of my inner landscape—do they really see it this way? The external transcendent world has decayed, collapsing into oblivion, with night enveloping the universe."

Ultimately, Wang Xuan did not know how many times he had "courted death," but he felt as though he might be entering a new realm entirely.

His cultivation, the very essence of his life, had climbed a notch. Now, his old spirit was somewhat decayed, unable to fully recover, while the essential substances within him maintained a balance, no longer drawing from this older source.

"Is this the completion of the task?" Wang Xuan pondered. "Waiting for the old spirit to fully decay, to fall away and become 'soil,' nourishing the growth of the new spirit seed?"

Wang Xuan felt an epiphany. Everything was progressing along a certain trajectory, and now, pushing forward forcibly was futile; his strength had greatly increased.

He was at a pivotal moment: no advancement possible, no retreat available, just waiting for rebirth, waiting for the turn of events!

Externally, the state of his physical body and inner landscape were roughly similar.

Finally, Wang Xuan, with the Severing Body Flag, short sword, and other items, returned to his physical form. His eyes snapped open, and with a slight tremor, a layer of charred skin sloughed off to reveal a robust, lustrous body beneath.

Yet, he could sense that both his external body and the old inner landscape carried a hint of decay, imperceptible to others but clear to him, similar to his spirit. Both were transferring their most primal life imprints to the light point, awaiting a great transcendence.

"You've grown stronger again?" Jiang Qingyao was almost at a loss for words. What kind of era was this, where others were falling while he advanced in reverse?

Even she couldn't help but feel the urge to analyze Wang Xuan, to study his condition.

Wang Xuan spoke, "Let me change clothes first, take a breather, then I'll take you to try exploring new mythical paths to see if they are viable. Hey, aren't you a bit too forward? Don't you find it a bit embarrassing?"

…

“I’m just checking you’re not burnt to a crisp, what’s there to look at?” Sword Immortal retorted, tapping his head twice with the Zixiao Hedaocoin before turning away gracefully.

Wang Xuan and Jiang Qingyao were wanderers in the cosmos, traveling far into deep space, far from both the new star and the old earth.

After a day and night, Wang Xuan consolidated his cultivation gains. His spirit was complete, his body robust, and he decided to take Jiang Qingyao to the Nebulous Realm to see what they could discover.

Although ancient texts recorded such actions as exceedingly dangerous, his current strength reassured him enough to try.

“Stepping briefly on another’s Fate Soil poses little risk, but lingering long on it will inevitably lead to trouble!” Sword Immortal warned seriously. “Fate Soil should not admit outsiders. Even if you trust someone enough to bring them, staying on its surface is one thing, but delving deeper? Either the intruder takes over, or the original owner kills or assimilates them. Only one can remain; such is the ‘exclusivity’ of Fate Soil.”

“I have the Life Furnace, and now I’m strong enough in this domain of Fate Soil,” Wang Xuan said. “The things I’ve discovered are nearly unmatched; it might be worth a try.”

Sword Immortal remained somber, “In the past, there were rumors that those who ventured beneath the Fate Soil occasionally did so by accident. They found it exceedingly difficult to return—not dead, then lost or dissolved into nothingness.”

…

In a far, boundless distance, an ethereal figure strolled through the cosmic starfield, holding the Ascension Banner, muttering to himself, “The curtain falls, it’s time to reap!”