The Stars Beyond

Chapter 200: Treasure

Is this really just a lid? Wang Xuan felt as though he was lifting a mountain; it was unbearably heavy. Barely raising it off the ground, he was already exhausted, on the verge of collapse.

Feeling the intense pressure, his spirit destabilized. Struggling, he prepared to hurl it outwards.

Outside, the sword cultivators were prepared to unleash their most ferocious attack. The air was filled with the gleam of flying swords and the killing intent that reached the heavens.

Dozens of flying swords, along with tiny spears as thick as chopsticks and short knives as long as a palm, all radiated an intimidating sharpness. If unleashed, they could level a mountain, leaving Wang Xuan no chance of survival.

In the outside world, Wang Xuan would have had no time to react. In an instant, the sword cultivators would have commanded a rain of weapons to tear him apart.

But within his Inner Landscape, everything was different.

To him, the movements of the sword cultivators were incredibly slow. They seemed to be speaking, but their words were like a stuck record, barely progressing.

The flying swords, which should have shot out like lightning, now moved at a snail's pace. The tiny spears seemed to be hibernating snakes sluggishly lifting their heads, lethargically.

The sword cultivators, using their mental powers to control their weapons, had launched a ferociously swift and brutal attack. But now, it was as if someone had pressed the pause button.

It wasn't that the people outside had slowed down, but rather, Wang Xuan's perception within his Inner Landscape was incredibly fast, existing in a realm of timeless clarity.

This difference in perception was why many believed that a minute in the real world could equate to a year or even longer in the Inner Landscape.

Wang Xuan was no longer in a rush; he had all the time he needed.

Facing this deathly assault from dozens of Cauldron-level masters, his only option was to mobilize the lid. When he first encountered it, it had torn through the Inner Landscape's divine object with its terrifying might.

"No, it's too heavy!" Wang Xuan exclaimed, dropping the lid with a resounding thud. He was utterly drained, feeling as though his very being was about to shatter under the strain.

A deep echo resounded through his Inner Landscape, a rare occurrence indeed. This domain, typically silent and eerily still, where not even a whisper of sound was heard, now vibrated intensely. It was as if this ancient and mysterious land, unchanging through eons, had suddenly come to life.

Utilizing the most powerful scripture etched on the stone slab within his spirit, the mysterious particles in the Inner Landscape cascaded down like a torrential downpour, far surpassing the effects of the ancient root methods. This unprecedented density of divine particles left him in awe, covering the sky and emerging from the void.

Taking a deep breath, his spiritual form was revitalized by the abundant mysterious particles, radiating a vigorous vitality. His spirit took on a more tangible form, appearing as a miniature version of himself.

Once more, he attempted to lift the lid. Various magnificent scenes materialized around him - vague mountains, a plummeting sun, and tumultuous ocean waves - all converging with his spirit in the Inner Landscape, creating an unparalleled strength.

The ground trembled lightly under this newfound power. Wang Xuan felt as though he was lifting the very dome of the heavens.

......

"Kill him!" shouted the sword cultivators from the outside world, their voices thundering.

Another voice warned, "Be gentle, don’t turn him into mincemeat. Just sever his limbs, pin him to the ground, and leave him barely alive. We have many questions to interrogate him about!"

The swords blazed like rainbows, a myriad of weapons forming a deadly net, whooshing as they launched forward. The cultivators were convinced of their invincible might at this level, certain that no enemy could withstand their assault. Even the most indestructible monks or demonic creatures, whose bodies surpassed even the sharpest blades, couldn't escape being torn apart by this storm of swords.

What did it matter if this young man was a genius or had opened his Inner Landscape? Without the time to cultivate an invincible physique, he would be left a cripple in the wake of their chaotic attack. "Careful... don't leave him too mangled," taunted members from the Heluo and Eura stars, chuckling among themselves.

Wang Xuan, exerting all his strength, hurled the lid towards the group of sword cultivators. True to its nature as a treasure, the lid maintained its momentum even outside the Inner Landscape, unaffected by the transition between the realms.

As the lid descended towards the sword cultivators, clashing with the airborne swords mere meters away, something extraordinary happened.

Boom!

Upon being struck, the lid released an incredible energy. Gentle ripples emanated from it, expanding outwards in concentric circles. The swords that had been bearing down on it instantly shattered, as fragile as insects hit by speeding bullets, turning to metallic dust.

As the ripples spread, they reached the sword cultivators, freezing the smiles on their faces. Cracks appeared all over their bodies, densely covering them, and then, with soft 'pop' sounds, every one of them disintegrated.

Wang Xuan was astounded. Despite anticipating the lid's power, the reality of its destructive force still took his breath away. He had witnessed its might firsthand when he first encountered it.

The edge of the Hidden Land, where Inner Landscape Treasures could be found, was a place of unspeakable terror. Not only were there Earth Immortals, but also Transcendent level powerhouses, creatures like the Golden-Winged Great Peng and Thousand-Handed True God. These formidable beings were slaughtered just at the entrance.

Yet, that powerful Inner Scene Treasure nearly crumbled just because the lid emitted light, slightly nudging it. Had Wang Xuan not been a spiritual entity and hidden in his Inner Landscape at that moment, he too would have perished without a trace.

The lid tumbled through the air, with ripples of light gently expanding in circles as it fell. "No!" screamed the people from Heluo Star in utter terror. That peaceful, almost holy aura reached them, and they couldn't escape its grasp.

Some tried to flee, but they couldn't outrun the expanding rings of light. With a mere sweep, those individuals shattered, turning into mists of blood. Even those who cultivated the "Indestructible Body," reaching towards the Transcendent level, were as fragile as sandcastles in the tide, disintegrating in an instant.

The people from Eura, farther away, frantically ran while unleashing thunder, light, and conjuring black winds in an attempt to resist the lid and shatter its luminescent waves. But their counterattacks only invited a greater disaster. The ripples swept over them, and they exploded into pieces.

"My physical body!" Wang Xuan gasped in shock, fearing he might have inadvertently killed himself. Fortunately, that dire outcome didn't occur. The lid, having been nurtured within the Inner Landscape for so long, had developed an inexplicable connection to it.

His ability to move the lid and hurl it was not solely due to his spiritual strength but rather a resonance between the lid and the Inner Landscape. This quiet domain resonated with his spirit, enabling him to manipulate the lid. His physical and spiritual forms were closely intertwined, preventing the lid from accidentally harming him.

In the Inner Landscape, Wang Xuan's spiritual form was covered in cracks. Exerting himself to the limit in throwing the lid, he had nearly burst apart even before striking his enemies. He was left speechless – what level of treasure was this? It was terrifying beyond belief!

Lying in the Inner Landscape, Wang Xuan felt utterly drained, not wanting to move an inch. Handling such a high-level object was clearly beyond his current capabilities. Just throwing a lid, even with the aid of the Inner Landscape, had nearly depleted his life force.

With a determined spirit, Wang Xuan activated the scriptures recorded on the stone tablet, once again summoning a torrential downpour of mysterious particles from the void. They enveloped and nourished his spirit, gradually restoring it from its depleted and fractured state. It felt as if he had lain there for half a year in the Inner Landscape before his spirit finally rejuvenated.

Aware of the dangers lurking outside, where merely half a minute might have passed, Wang Xuan knew he couldn't delay. The wilderness was fraught with peril, and more formidable foes could appear at any moment.

He attempted to retrieve the lid using the Inner Landscape's powers, but to his dismay, it refused to budge. It wasn't until his spirit was nearly at breaking point, with various miraculous scenes merging, that the lid finally thudded back into the Inner Landscape. Exhausted once again, Wang Xuan lay motionless.

When he finally mustered the strength to rise and check on his physical body, he found his situation grave. Despite the continuous shower of mysterious particles, his physical condition was far worse than he had anticipated. The people from Heluo, Eura, and Yuhua stars had inflicted devastating injuries.

His organs were shattered, his heart peppered with cracks, barely holding together, oozing blood with every feeble beat. Without the nourishing particles, his body would have certainly succumbed, unable to survive for more than a few days.

His lungs, liver, and other organs were similarly lacerated, even more severely damaged than Old Chen’s wounds from the battle on the Pamir Plateau. His assailants had aimed to incapacitate him, leaving him just alive enough for interrogation.

His back bore scars from thunder strikes, and his flesh was scorched by flames. There were several bloodied holes pierced through his body. In silence, Wang Xuan gingerly moved, drinking deeply from the Earth Immortal Spring mixed with royal jelly, nurturing his battered body.

Finally, he dedicated all his energy to summoning the mysterious particles, like rivulets flowing into his body, working tirelessly to repair the life-threatening injuries.

As time progressed in the Inner Landscape, Wang Xuan felt as if two years had passed. His physical body in the real world was finally showing signs of slow recovery. The severity of his injuries weighed heavily on him, unparalleled in their brutality. Yet, his body continued to mend, gradually improving.

Now with time and energy to spare, Wang Xuan turned his attention to the mysterious relic that had proved to be both a boon and a bane. In the Inner Landscape, though shrouded in mysterious particles, its true form was now visible – it appeared to be an alchemy furnace.

This furnace stood on three legs, exuding an aura of antiquity. Beneath the legs, there was a wooden base, which seemed to be part of a box that originally contained the relic. Now only the base remained, and Wang Xuan speculated that even this remnant was an extraordinary item of immense value.

The lid of the furnace was no larger than a bowl and was intricately inscribed. The exterior of the main body was adorned with complex patterns of birds, beasts, and thunder, while the interior was etched with dense text.

To his recognition, these characters matched the cryptic symbols he had encountered on the Sun Gold Nodule in the Land of Exile. “The ghostly symbols from the Golden List?” he mused, recalling the brief exposure he had to these characters when the Golden List resonated, revealing some readable text.

Realizing the importance, Wang Xuan silently imprinted every symbol from the furnace onto his spirit, memorizing them. The very thought that this artifact, coveted and fought over by top immortals like the Red-Dressed Demoness and the Pre-Qin Female Taoist, contained such inscriptions filled him with awe.

Inside the furnace, a faint fragrance wafted through the air, reminiscent of... divine medicine. This revelation was nothing short of astonishing. Wang Xuan couldn't help but wonder – had this furnace been used to refine celestial medicine, or could it nurture medicine of such exalted quality?

Wang Xuan's injuries were indeed severe, reminiscent of the dire state Old Chen once found himself in. Like Chen, he too found salvation in the Inner Landscape, devoting his entire time there to healing. The nurturing embrace of the mysterious factors gradually restored his punctured flesh, shattered viscera, and scorched skin, breathing new life into his battered body.

As time seemed to stretch within the Inner Landscape, Wang Xuan's physique steadily recuperated. Years appeared to pass, allowing his spirit and body to return to their peak conditions. He remained in the domain, seizing this rare opportunity for profound cultivation.

Every entrance into the Inner Landscape was a precious chance for him. Wang Xuan immersed himself in the most potent scriptures, consolidating his two true form diagrams. His spiritual power surged forward, and his scarred flesh and marked viscera underwent a metamorphosis. His metabolic rate skyrocketed, propelling him onto a secret path of cultivation and elevating his life essence to a new realm.

A transformative shedding occurred. His flesh was remolded, and his organs resonated in a slow, fortifying harmony, gaining a crystalline sheen and no longer exhibiting their former fragility. The remnants of his injuries vanished as a rejuvenating aura flowed through him, enhancing his vital essence.

Wang Xuan progressed from the early stages of the Illuminating Lamp phase to its middle stages, experiencing an unprecedented improvement in his condition. He knew his time in the Inner Landscape was limited and decided to practice the body techniques of Zhang Daoling, the founder of Taoism. The five pages of the golden scripture left by Zhang Daoling, he believed, were no less powerful than the combat methods recorded on the stone tablet.

On the first page of the golden scripture, there were nine diagrams. Wang Xuan managed to master the sixth and seventh diagrams in one go. He decided to name this technique "Daoist Scatter Hand," in line with the naming convention of Old Zhang's other techniques, such as the Snake-Crane Eight Style Technique.

A gentle tremor signaled the closing of the Inner Landscape. Wang Xuan returned to his physical body, feeling an invigorating surge of newfound strength. Rising to his feet, he stood in his most powerful form yet, ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead.

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