The Stars Beyond

Chapter 197: Annihilation

"Where's Old Chen now, I wonder?" Wang Xuan mused to himself.

These past few days, Old Chen had been hiding in an underground cave. After a relentless chase, he had escaped into a subterranean cavern and leaped into a dark river, not knowing where it would take him. Eventually, he found a place to climb out, in total darkness.

He didn't rush to leave, feeling safer in this seclusion. He'd been on the verge of entering the Command Soil realm while in the land of the dead, but he didn't want to be hasty.

Especially after seeing Wang Xuan connect to a corner of the first spiritual world, he realized the importance of reaching that stage; otherwise, he'd soon be calling that young man 'brother.'

...

At this time of day, the sun would normally have set. But with the overcast sky and torrential rain, it was almost pitch black.

Wang Xuan moved silently through the forest, his handsome face expressionless even as lightning streaked across the sky. He felt overwhelmed by the killing he had done that day.

He had no choice. If he didn't kill, he would be killed; these people were all coming for him.

In this hidden land, everything was brutally straightforward: the law of the jungle, kill or be killed, like being thrown into an ancient gladiatorial arena where the victor survives and the loser feeds the caged beasts.

Before coming to this land, he had longed for its opportunities and legendary herbs. Now, tired of killing, he realized he had no choice but to continue.

"The law of the jungle, a bloody race... I just want to survive," he muttered, holding his short sword as he approached another group coming to kill him.

......

"Just now, there was a fierce battle over there, with sword light soaring into the sky, even more intense than lightning. Was it a clash between Beiyun's men and the sword cultivators of Yuhua Star?" In the dense forest, Ou Yun and Ou Yuxuan stood still, surrounded by more than a dozen transcendents and a formidable Herb Gathering expert. The group looked serious.

The Herb Gathering expert, Yunfeng, spoke in a deep voice, "That kind of sword light could threaten me. Everyone, be cautious!" They speculated that the people from Yuhua Star and Heluo Star had clashed, engaging in a brief but intense skirmish.

The three parties were already competitors and had fought many times in this hidden land, resulting in numerous deaths.

They resumed their journey, now much more cautious, secretly hoping that the other two parties would fight to the death, allowing them to reap the benefits.

Wang Xuan, dressed in the black and gold armor of Eura Star and wearing protective headgear, silently approached them. He blended in well and didn't stand out.

He quietly drew near and then joined their formation. The group moved in a dispersed fan-shape, avoiding clustering together in case of ambush.

"Who's there?!" Unfortunately, Wang Xuan was detected prematurely due to their high alertness.

"Eura!" Wang Xuan shouted in a muffled voice. The nearby transcendents were stunned. Then Wang Xuan erupted into action. Now that he was discovered, there was no need for secrecy.

He manipulated his short sword with his mental powers, directing it towards Ou Yun and his sister, aiming for the Herb Gathering expert beside them. Those who tried to stop him were swiftly slain by his sword, cutting them into several pieces amidst the rain.

Everyone's expression changed upon recognizing him. It was that foreigner, daring to charge at a group of transcendents.

He had just used his sword to kill two Command Soil realm experts in one breath! How had he become so strong? And when had he learned swordsmanship?

The group was puzzled and shocked. They quickly moved out of his way, leaving the Herb Gathering expert to deal with him.

"In just a few days, he's become this powerful!" Ou Yun's face paled.

"Brother Yun, kill him!" Ou Yuxuan spoke, her cold face filled with murderous intent. She found this foreigner too terrifying.

"Each time we encounter him, he's noticeably stronger," they murmured, a mix of fear and awe in their tones. "At this rate, he'll soon become a formidable adversary for us here in the secret realm, without even waiting for years."

"Everyone, back off!" commanded Yunfeng, an authority among the late-stage Alchemy experts. He could sense the young man's lethal intent - a confidence that suggested he was certain of securing a kill, even against someone of Yunfeng's caliber.

With a swift gesture, Yunfeng conjured a thick bolt of lightning in his hand, resembling a mighty spear. He thrust it towards Wang Xuan's sword, sparks flying as electricity crackled in the air. His expertise in combating swordsmen was evident in his precise and powerful movements.

Wang Xuan's mental fortitude was remarkable, but the electric assault did shake him slightly. His body resonated with energy, brilliant secret forces from within his organs surging and weaving an energetic aura around him. He exuded an aura of immense power, with visions of mystical mountains, erupting volcanoes, and vast oceans materializing on his skin.

These visions merged seamlessly with his flesh, as Wang Xuan harmonized the two true form diagrams he had mastered, blending spirit and body into a formidable unified force.

As others tried to sneak attacks, they quickly realized the futility of their efforts. Steel needles, designed to penetrate defensive techniques, were rendered useless - bent and shattered by an unseen force surrounding Wang Xuan.

Even the mightiest of spears, hurled with deadly intent, were effortlessly twisted and snapped by the mystical scenes swirling around Wang Xuan's form.

The collision of powers resounded with a thunderous boom as Wang Xuan locked in combat with the Herb Gathering expert. Now more than ever, Wang Xuan was a force to be reckoned with. His spirit and body, infused with the mystical scenes, radiated an overwhelming power.

Each of his movements was a deadly dance of destruction. A single punch from him sent a Flame-level expert, who had attempted an ambush, flying backwards.

The confrontation was even more intense for Yunfeng, the Herb Gathering expert directly engaged in battle with Wang Xuan. He felt as though he was facing an opponent at the peak of Alchemy mastery, an overwhelming sense of pressure enveloping him.

With a resounding clash, the battle raged on.

Another ambush unfolded as two high-ranking Life Earth experts made their move. One struck Wang Xuan's back with a thunderous palm strike, resonating a loud thud. However, the attacker screamed in agony, his wrist broken, his palm a bloody mess, almost severed by the mystical visions flowing around Wang Xuan.

Wang Xuan glanced at him indifferently. He could have dodged, but with his ability to withstand steel needles and flying spears, evading seemed unnecessary, especially since it might compromise his fight with the high-level Alchemy expert.

The other attacker was more troublesome, wielding a long spear and thrusting violently towards Wang Xuan's head. Wang Xuan wouldn't allow such recklessness. Seizing the spear, he swiftly turned it against its owner. With a swift motion, he impaled the man, shattering him mid-air.

As lightning illuminated the forest, everyone witnessed the scene unfold. A Life Earth expert, shattered to pieces by Wang Xuan's counterattack.

Wang Xuan now fought with sheer brute force, his physical and spiritual powers synergizing perfectly, transforming him into a living weapon of terrifying strength. The repeated clashes took their toll on the late-stage Alchemy expert, whose palms cracked and arms fissured under the relentless onslaught.

Furious and disheveled, the Alchemy expert roared in frustration. Centuries of training, and he was being overpowered by a young man, suffering significant injuries.

"Everyone, attack together!" shouted Ouyun, realizing the gravity of the situation. If the Alchemy expert fell, they would all be in danger.

The group mobilized, but to no avail.

At that moment, the Alchemy expert Yunfeng's body, from his face down to his torso, fissured with countless cracks and suddenly exploded, unable to withstand the ferocious battle with Wang Xuan.

"Kill!" Wang Xuan moved like a phantom, his speed astounding. He eliminated several Life Earth experts, then wielded his short sword with psychic energy, sweeping through the area with a rainbow-like sword light.

"Run!" The remaining fighters panicked. How could they contend with a young man who had just slain an Herb Gathering giant?

Wang Xuan pressed in on Ou Yun and Ou Yuxuan, relentless in his chase.

......

In a sense, these people were led by Ouyun and Ouyuxuan, even the Herb Gathering expert who came to the Secret Realm was there to protect them.

"Scatter and run, fast!" Ouyun yelled, his voice tinged with fear. In just a few days, the once-fleeing extraterrestrial was now hunting them.

A terrifying sword light descended from the sky, splitting Ouyun in two.

Ouyuxuan, witnessing this, could no longer maintain her icy composure. Filled with boundless hatred yet gripped by fear, she fled rapidly.

But she was no match for Wang Xuan's speed, nor the swiftness of his flying sword.

The sword light swept through, and Ouyuxuan's head tumbled to the ground, her body collapsing in the pouring rain.

Wang Xuan continued his pursuit in the area, his sword light periodically surging.

Meanwhile, Lao Chen finally emerged from his secluded meditation, crawling out of the underground river, soaking wet. He roared, "I, Chen Yongjie, have broken through! People of Yuhua, Oula, and Heluo stars, the Patriarch Chen is back!"

Just as he appeared above ground, a thunderbolt struck, freezing him momentarily as lightning lit up the night sky. He thought he had incurred heavenly wrath.

Determining his direction, he headed towards the Earth Immortal City.

En route, braving the rain, he saw a group hurrying away, discussing the hunting of the Law Enforcer Crow. Sensing trouble, they were rushing to provide support.

...

Wang Xuan cleared the battlefield, collecting all the jade tokens and heading towards distant mountains.

In another part of the forest, Jiang Xuan and Mu Xue were extremely cautious, sensing something amiss. They decided not to make any rash moves and instead prepared to retreat.

The enemy blood on Wang Xuan was washed away by the rain as he closed in on the group from Yuhua Star.

"We need to leave!" Mu Xue and Jiang Xuan felt an ominous presence in the forest and led their group towards the Earth Immortal City.

"You can't escape!" Wang Xuan shouted, appearing and pursuing them.

"How can he, alone, chase us?" Jiang Xuan realized it was Wang Xuan. Their group even had an Herb Gathering expert.

Almost simultaneously, noise came from afar – the reinforcements from the Earth Immortal City had arrived, led by another Herb Gathering powerhouse, converging with them.

"Perfect timing, let's hunt him together!" Mu Xue shouted, her ethereal aura washed away by the rain, her clothes clinging wetly to her body, no longer floating gracefully.

"We received news in the Earth Immortal Cty that he killed the Law Enforcer Crow. Let's join forces to capture him!" the leader of the arriving reinforcement, an Herb Gathering powerhouse, declared.

"What?" Mu Xue and her group were shocked, then resolutely joined forces to kill Wang Xuan.

"Boom!"

A terrifying long spear flew through the air, its sound trailing behind its speed.

With a 'puff', a spear laced with solar gold pierced through the chest of an Herb Gathering expert, fracturing his body. Disbelieving, he gazed down at the spearhead protruding through him, incredulous that someone had directly attacked him. With a 'bang,' he exploded on the spot.

"Who dares to act recklessly? Patriarch Chen is here!" Old Chen arrived, having been ready to break through in the Departed Lands, but suppressing it until now. He had just broken through to the mid-stage of the Command Earth realm.

Now, he was fully capable of facing off against Herb Gathering experts.

Wang Xuan smiled. Old Chen's arrival was timely!

With two Herb Gathering powerhouses present and one already taken down, the outcome was already sealed.

"Kill!" Wang Xuan and Old Chen shouted together, attacking mercilessly.

'Puff!' Wang Xuan wielded his flying sword, decapitating Mu Xue. Old Chen, with his long spear, impaled Jiang Xuan in mid-air and shattered him.

This was a reversal, no longer a hunt by the people of the three extraordinary planets against two, but rather them hunting a group.

The remaining Herb Gathering expert was swiftly slain by the duo.

In the torrential rain, sword lights surged in the forest, interspersed with brilliant bursts of light from the spear like interweaving lightning.

Eventually, all calmed down. The two gathered their spoils of war and headed straight for the Earth Immortal City.

Now, nothing could stop them from entering the city.

"I wonder how Old Zhong is doing. Let's go see him. Damn Old Zhong, let's give him a surprise!" Old Chen still harbored a grudge.

He was eager to teach Old Zhong a lesson!

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