The Stars Beyond

Chapter 538: The Path Towards Transcendent Realm

"We're here, it's just ahead," said the white-haired woman as she stopped walking. She became cautious and vigilant, her expression was extremely serious and solemn.

Just as she initially said, there weren't any dangers on the journey that couldn't be confronted. The crucial point was this final stretch of road, where everything was different, making one's Dao unstable.

Now, even Wang Xuan felt that his Dao was fluctuating, like ripples on a water surface.

Clang!

He manifested the Purple Celestial Dao Sword, the cold blade and the purple-hued sword body appearing in his right hand. He was ready to deal with unknown threats at any time. The furnace lid glowed and enlarged, being used as a shield in his left hand.

In this era, perhaps only supreme treasures still retained some transcendent power, while various flying swords, treasures, divine objects, and so on had mostly become mundane.

"Senior, do you need a weapon?" Wang Xuan asked.

The white-haired woman shook her head, traces of age showing on her beautiful face. Although her eyes still held vitality, there were noticeable crow's feet at the corners.

She stared ahead and said, "The fluctuations of power in your body are smaller than mine. Weapons are more useful in your hands. Later, I may become weak unexpectedly, or even become a mortal."

"I'll do my best!" Wang Xuan said.

The white-haired woman remained motionless, as if she had a premonition. Finally, she glanced back at the road behind them, the dark, deep void of the vast universe, the scattered meteorite fragments forming a blood-stained passage, shimmering with the last traces of transcendence in this era.

She walked forward, passing through a layer of mist. The road laid out in the void ahead had some meteorite fragments that were already broken, and there were even some remains of bones.

"Whose bones are these?" asked Wang Xuan, his expression became grave. The bones and blood were conspicuous. No further explanation was needed, indicating that conflict could arise at any moment.

"Some belong to my comrades, and some are mine. We were heavily injured back then, hastily retreating. It was quite embarrassing," she said calmly.

At that time, when transcendence was still thriving and not extinguished, although she had almost died here, she could easily recover with her level of power after retreating. But today, if she was heavily injured, there would be no way out. Heavenly Herb, the supreme rules, everything related to mythology had become ineffective.

"The Immortal Dao has completely decayed. I believe this place may also be nearing its end. Various inexplicable dangers have decreased along with it, making them less terrifying," she briefly paused and continued, "If the situation becomes untenable, and it's too dangerous, your survival is the priority. You can leave ahead of time without worrying about me."

Wang Xuan fell silent, then nodded. Regardless of the situation, he would do his best. If things truly became hopeless, then survival was indeed his only option.

From initially being somewhat resistant due to their transactional mindset, he had now come to the point of wanting to exert all his strength to assist her. Because he felt that the other party's actions hinted at mentoring and guiding him forward.

The white-haired woman allowed him to follow along the way, revealing to him that there was such a path, allowing him to witness various crises in advance and prepare for the future.

Beyond the mist, Wang Xuan's Dao, initially calm like a serene lake, was now tumultuous, with even more intense fluctuations.

When the white-haired woman was powerful, her gaze was intimidating, capable of tearing through the void with the residuals of the supreme rules. When weak, she became like an ordinary person.

This place was indeed strange, especially the darkness ahead. Even after each meteorite fragment was ignited, the emitted light became dim and flickering, with the transcendent material sometimes sparse and sometimes dense.

Around them, the space remained distorted, dark, and deep, increasingly devoid of colors. Suddenly, a dry yellow leaf swept by, falling onto the path from the twisted space. Initially light and drifting, it suddenly accelerated and plunged down like a lightning bolt.

Moreover, it enlarged, from the size of a bowl's mouth to that of a millstone. The dry yellow leaf carried a faint residual of rules as it was beginning to approach with immense speed.

With a puff sound, a blood mark was cut across the beautiful face of the white-haired woman. Despite her strength, her fluctuations in Dao were too intense, and she had failed to dodge just now.

At that moment, although her Dao had declined, it wasn't to the point of being absurdly weak. To think she was injured by a leaf, had this leaf fallen from the Great Dao Tree?

She flipped her hand and struck out, cracks appearing on the leaf, which flew away and shattered not far away.

However, suddenly, a streak of golden light flew over. It was mitting an astonishing spiritual coercion like a true dragon, rushing towards the white-haired woman to strangle her. She stumbled to avoid it, clearly being severely disrupted in her performance here.

With a swoosh sound, a purple light flashed, and the creature emitted a soul-shattering howl. Its tail was severed as it turned into golden lightning and retreated into the twisted space.

Wang Xuan saw clearly that it was a golden centipede, as thick as a person's arm and several meters long, with its tail broken off. As it disappeared, it suddenly reappeared and emitted a burst of golden mist. It was probably a highly toxic creature that was related to transcendence.

Wang Xuan shook the lid of the furnace, which emitted light, dispersing the golden mist. The poisonous creature left behind a lingering shadow as it approached again. With a puff sound, it was then beheaded by Wang Xuan with a purple sword light. They had only just approached their destination when they were attacked.

"A spirit of a poisonous insect, not a flesh and blood body?" muttered Wang Xuan. He walked ahead at that moment, ready to clear the way, as the woman's condition was extremely unstable and prone to accidents.

"Most of them are in a spirit state, as if they were lost," said the white-haired woman, nodding her head.

Rustle!　

The sound of rattling iron chains came from the depths, and ahead, there was a tall figure. He was headless, severed from the neck, with black metal chains wrapped around his arms and legs. He seemed like a prisoner, bearing shackles, but he was still ferocious. Without his head, he was emitting a piercing scream from within his body.

The clinking of cold metal chains echoed out, and a black iron cable shot straight out, causing the void to slightly distort. The spirits in this place were special, still possessing considerable combat power.

Wang Xuan swung his sword, with a clang, cutting through the black metal chains. Then, he engaged in combat with the creature, slashing it in half with a single stroke.

If the headless figure was touched by a damaged treasure before the myth was extinguished, he would surely annihilate Wang Xuan instantly. But now, it was just a miserable death, slowly cracking and shattering into pieces of flesh and blood.

The white-haired woman said, "With transcendence gone, even the lost spirits appearing here have been suppressed. But they are stronger than the outside world. After all, there seems to be a Transcendent Realm ahead. I feel faint radiation ahead."

"Be careful!" she suddenly exclaimed. At that moment, her Dao fluctuated to its peak, her brow glowing as a huge beam of light shot out.

Ahead, in the twisted space, a dazzling beast shadow pounced while carrying endless thunder. It was a species never seen before, with a fierce beast head, a human torso, golden Roc claws, and a dragon's tail.

"It's a beast formed from the fragments of thunder rules!" exclaimed the white-haired woman.

Lightning streaked through with immense speed, as it unleashed thunder strikes around the two. The attacks were accompanied by fragments of rules. This monster's lethality was formidable, posing a threat to both of them.

Wang Xuan wielded the Purple Celestial Dao Sword, colliding with the thunderous beast multiple times. The beast far exceeded the previous venomous creature and prisoner. If it was released into the outside world, it would trigger a catastrophe. Still being able to utilize residual rules in this era was indeed extraordinary.

With a clang, Wang Xuan severed one of its Roc claws, accompanied by the vibration and eruption of rule fragments. A lightning strike hit Wang Xuan, leaving his arm charred and flesh falling off.

The lid of the Life Essence Furnace crackled, blocking tens or hundreds of beams of light. If all of them fell on the two of them, the consequences would be unimaginable.

With a thud, the lid finally smashed onto the head of the beast, causing its body to shatter into halves. Then, the Purple Celestial Dao Sword slashed through it, instantly disintegrating its body that was composed of rule fragments. As the beast disintegrated, lightning shot out in all directions, triggering an energy storm.

Wang Xuan had blood on his shoulders, arms, and back. He was struck by lightning, making his complexion extremely solemn. This place was too extraordinary, still retaining residuals of transcendence.

"It's already weakened to the extreme. Initially, it was a beast fully formed by the rules," the white-haired woman said.

Ahead, it was quiet, with no spirits appearing. However, the white-haired woman sighed, saying, "You should go, turn back immediately." It was obvious that she had sensed something dangerous and difficult to confront when her Dao reached its peak.

Wang Xuan hesitated. Although they were very close to their destination, he had only made three moves so far and hadn't exerted much effort. He felt somewhat irresponsible.

"It's probably too late. Activate the supreme treasures with full force!" the woman shouted.

Wang Xuan complied. Whether it was the lid of the furnace or the Purple Celestial Dao Sword, they all radiated light, enveloping both of them.

Silently, malevolence pervaded ahead. Then, a black wind emerged, it was not violent, but the sight was extremely terrifying. In the twisted space, monsters appeared. One of them, a towering golden demon as tall as a mountain, was blown apart by the black wind as it descended, its flesh dissipating, bones breaking, and then disintegrating entirely, vanishing.

Wang Xuan felt immense pressure. The lid and the Purple Celestial Dao Sword could withstand the black wind, but the consumption of transcendent material was too great. He felt drained, as if he might be sucked dry.

He felt that he might collapse. At that moment, the transcendent materials he had invoked slowed slightly, and a piece of his flesh was immediately blown away. He was actually about to collapse!

Boom!　

The white-haired woman took action. Her right hand glowed, and when she recovered to a very strong state, she suddenly shook the black wind, tearing through the darkness. However, her right hand also shed flesh and blood, revealing the bones inside.

Wang Xuan's shoulders throbbed with pain, and a piece of his flesh was blown away by the dreadful wind, almost revealing his bones.

The place was too bizarre and terrifying. Even without the vast supply of transcendent material from the broken supreme treasures, a gust of wind could kill powerful beings invisibly. The black wind came and went quickly. In the end, both of them were covered in blood but continued to move forward.

Just like that, Wang Xuan and the woman walked together for five miles, which was not long at all, even for transcendents. Under normal circumstances in the past, they would have leaped over it. However, they kept getting interrupted, narrowly escaping death. This place was too strange.

"Ahead is the Lost Dao Cliff. Anyone who sets foot on it will experience a sudden drop in Dao. At the very least, I will become a mortal there. Supreme treasures there will probably lose their power of rules and transcendent characteristics, becoming ordinary weapons. It's very dangerous," said the woman.

Ahead, in the vast cosmic void, there was actually a cliff, very abrupt, not like a meteorite, but a steep mountain cliff.

"Take me to the cliff. You shouldn't follow me for the last stretch. It will be ten deaths without life," the white-haired woman said.

She turned to Wang Xuan and added, "On the Lost Dao Cliff, if you feel unable to resist, don't hesitate to leave immediately. Many creatures will besiege us there. Don't struggle to the death. It's enough for you to accompany me this far."

Wang Xuan smiled bitterly. Although he had exerted himself, it seemed that he was being mentored, brought to broaden his horizons. The woman intentionally let him touch the secrets here, leaving him with this path.

"I won't force it. I'll strive to stay alive!" Seeing her gaze, Wang Xuan responded in a positive tone..

The two leaped up, crossing the void, and arrived at the huge cliff. In an instant, shadowy figures appeared. There were all kinds of creatures, there were no howls or energy fluctuations, only silent battles.

Most of these creatures had never been seen before. There were humanoid ones, giant beasts, bird-like creatures resembling golden crows, and dark demons. They went mad, crawling up from below the cliff, engaging in a life-and-death battle with them, trying to kill the two.

Wang Xuan found that the Purple Celestial Dao Sword and the furnace lid had indeed turned into mundane objects, just like himself. Their Dao disappeared, and now they were grandmasters, even he himself was suppressed by the cliff.