The Stars Beyond

Chapter 166: Earth Immortal Spring

Chapter 166: Earth Immortal Spring

A gentle breeze rustled through the sea of bamboo on the mountain, their verdant leaves whispering secrets in the wind, imbuing the air with a freshness that teemed with vitality. Amidst this tranquility, however, a faint scent of fresh blood permeated the air.

Wang Xuan sat shirtless, his upper body bared to the elements, as he meticulously inspected his injuries through the realm of his spirit. A bloody hole marred his chest, and his right lung bore four terrible gashes, rendering the organ torn and ragged. His back was a raw landscape of flesh, with his ribs faintly visible through the torn skin.

In solemn reflection, he acknowledged that despite the perils he had faced since embarking on the path of ancient arts, he had never suffered such grievous wounds. He hadn't even come into direct contact with his assailant and had nearly lost his life to an attack from the skies.

Had he been careless? No, he had been cautious, heeding early warnings and fleeing preemptively. In the end, it was a stark disparity in strength; even his trusted Golden Body Art had been insufficient to fend off the transcendent power of his enemy's enchanted arrows. This was the first time he had experienced such a brutal defeat.

Zhao Qinghan ground the remaining few spiritual herbs to a paste and carefully applied them to Wang Xuan's external wounds. These injuries were severe, but the more critical damage lay within—his organs were shattered in places. For an ordinary person, survival would have been impossible.

"Don't overthink it, just focus on healing," she said softly as she tended to his bandages.

Nearby, Grandmaster Ma was grunting and snorting in pain, its wings and legs punctured and bleeding. The creature's horse-like cries suggested a stream of curses in its unique language. It had memorably etched the image of its assailant into its mind, vowing that once its master nursed it back to transcendent strength, it would seek out that person for a thorough trampling into the ground.

Zhao Qinghan applied the remaining medicinal herbs to the majestic creature's wounds as well.

"How perilously close it was," Wang Xuan mused, deeply aware of his brush with death. Without the protective measures of his Golden Body Art, without diminishing the potency of the arrow's runes through Zhang Daoling's physical techniques, he would have been obliterated. He understood profoundly the chasm that lay between him and the transcendent, and even though his physique had reached the pinnacle among mortals, it still could not withstand the force of that otherworldly domain.

Perhaps, he pondered, he had not yet reached the true zenith of mortal strength.

Zhao Qinghan spoke up, her gaze stretching past the bamboo thicket to the distant woods. "A flock of black prison crows just took flight from that forest over there!" she announced, standing at the edge of the bamboo forest, looking towards the far-off trees.

The leader of the crows was of the quasi-Grandmaster level. These gregarious birds of prey hunted and feasted on carrion alike, always descending upon any carcass in sight.

"There are also some beasts fleeing from the mountainside nearby," she observed with a meticulous eye, noting that ordinarily, these areas were relatively quiet.

Wang Xuan rose to his feet, his expression changing subtly as he noticed more disturbances in another direction.

"Let's go," he said, giving Grandmaster Ma a pat to signal it was time to depart.

"Could it be those three who are following us?" Zhao Qinghan asked. The commotion in the forest, with birds and beasts stirring on a large scale, was typically caused by the passage of transcendent beings.

"Possibly!" Wang Xuan nodded.

Grandmaster Ma, despite its pain, swore in its equine language that one day, once it transcended, it would trample those people to death. With resilience, it carried the two of them on its wings, ascending into the sky.

From his vantage point in the air, Wang Xuan surveyed the land and, indeed, spotted the man with the great bow standing on a mountaintop, looking in their direction.

Soon after, the other two men appeared, joining their comrade.

Wang Xuan's gaze was cold as he watched them from afar. A flame of anger flickered in his chest; these three had set their sights on him, relentlessly pursuing him with the intent to hunt him down.

Was it the mysterious mist that enveloped him they coveted, or was it simply that they felt their reputation was at stake after a failed attempt, eager to plant that final arrow in him?

All three were of the transcendent realm, yet they had returned to the external region to seize opportunities, which, from what Wang Xuan understood, violated the rules.

He wondered if any power existed that could correct or constrain them.

A killing intent began to seethe within him. These three transcendent beings had targeted him time and again, and he felt no need for others to intervene for justice. He was preparing to settle the score himself, and soon.

Atop the mountain peak, the three men watched as the flying horse carried its passengers into the distance.

"Not releasing a transcendent aura would make us vulnerable to attacks from many beasts who might mistake us for prey," one of them mused. "But to release such an aura would send the creatures of the forest fleeing, alerting that young man."

"Do we really need to go back and kill him?" his companion inquired, his gaze fixed on the man with the great bow.

Xiong Kun, with untamed black hair fluttering in the wind, carried a fierce look in his eyes. "The glance he cast before he left... it unsettles me upon reflection. I fear he might become like my grandfather, a formidable figure. And look, he's indeed similar, having tamed a beast just as well."

The discussion shifted towards urgency. "Let's head back quickly. Although this area is under the jurisdiction of the Black Horn Beast, if our trail is discovered, the White Peacock that knows we've ventured into the outer region will pose a danger."

"Indeed, if it learns that we've hunted someone not yet of the transcendent realm, there'll be trouble," they agreed.

"In the Black Horn Beast's domain, we'll be safe. Let's go pay it a visit," Xiong Kun proposed, knowing that the metallic badges in the outer region had not yet been consolidated by one individual—there was still a chance for him.

A century ago, Xiong Kun's grandfather had also participated in the hidden land's contest, obtaining the miraculous mist left by the immortals, which altered his constitution and reformed his organs. This propelled his rapid rise on the planet Heluo, where he was now a figure of renown.

Thus, Xiong Kun was aware of the location of the Inner Landscape's treasures and understood the heaven-defying effects of the mist. Even if he could only refine his opponent's marrow to extract its medicinal properties, he was prepared to consume it directly.

His grandfather was a living testament: those who obtain the miraculous mist are destined to soar to the heavens!

It was known that his grandfather had once saved a creature on the outskirts of the hidden land—a Black Horn Beast.

......

A man and a beast had journeyed together for many years, and now, a century later, the Black Horn Beast had evolved into a formidable creature of transcendent realms, ruling over its domain. Throughout these years, Xiong Kun's grandfather had returned to the hidden lands multiple times, maintaining an unbroken relationship with the creature.

This time, Xiong Kun had breached the rules by entering the outer region of the hidden land, relying on the Black Horn Beast's tacit complicity—it turned a blind eye to his transgressions.

"At first, I didn't think much of it, but now a sense of unease creeps upon me. He couldn't possibly be aiming to replicate my grandfather's path, could he?" Xiong Kun mused, his black hair cascading like a waterfall, his eyes cold and wild.

...

Sufficiently distant from the scene of conflict, the Grandmaster Ma finally halted, its wings dripping with blood, its legs a stark crimson against the darkened wounds that had begun to fissure open. It was visibly exhausted.

Sitting upon a moss-covered stone, Wang Xuan focused on harnessing mysterious energies to mend his severely damaged right lung. Confident in his healing, he still anticipated it would require no less than five days. To any onlooker, the prospect of healing a split lung in such a short period would be nothing short of astonishing.

This accelerated healing was only possible because Wang Xuan had recently emerged from the Inner Landscape's treasure trove, laden with a plethora of mystical substances. Otherwise, his recovery would have been a far more grueling process.

Yet, even with this aid, satisfaction eluded him. He yearned to recuperate even faster. In the ever-shifting danger of the hidden lands, every day brought change and potential peril. In his current condition, he was alarmingly vulnerable.

Furthermore, the outlook for Grandmaster Ma was not promising. Weakened, should they encounter a formidable enemy, swift escape might no longer be within its capabilities.

"We're off to find the Earth Immortal Spring!" Wang Xuan declared, determined to delve deeper into the Hidden Land to baptize his flesh with the waters of the Earth Immortal Spring, to swiftly heal his wounds. With his current condition, venturing into the treacherous secret paths of the lands of demise would be akin to suicide.

"Isn't that a bit too reckless? That place is riddled with monsters," Zhao Qinghan frowned in concern.

"It'll be fine. If Old Zhong, at over a hundred years of age, can risk his life and emerge not only alive but decades younger, surely we're stronger than an old man at the twilight of his years," Wang Xuan argued confidently.

The goddess Zhao fell silent. Old Zhong was far from being a frail old man; he was a centenarian ascetic, potentially the foremost in the domain of ancient arts!

"Grandmaster Ma, do you crave the fruit of demons, the swift recovery of your body, to become a transcendent being among horses? Then let's go drink our fill from the Earth Immortal Spring!"

With those words, Grandmaster Ma leaped to its feet, its vitality restored. The horse grinned, almost crookedly, with excitement—it seemed that its master was finally going to nourish it again.

Initially cautious, Zhao Qinghan couldn't remain unmoved. To drink from the Earth Immortal Spring promised an extension of life by fifty years. For someone who had embarked on the path of ancient arts in pursuit of beauty, the temptation was boundless.

Thus, even the typically composed Zhao Qinghan ceased her cautions, now looking forward to the venture.

"Is that the Earth Immortal Spring?" Wang Xuan and his company arrived atop a mountain, peering down at the wondrous expanse. Even from a distance, they could feel the extraordinary essence of spiritual substances filling the air.

Wang Xuan was momentarily speechless; the Earth Immortal Spring was not gushing forth as expected. To his surprise, it was rather "feeble," trickling like raindrops from the eaves, seeping through the crevices of a cliff face.

Below was a small puddle, barely holding a couple of liters of crystal-clear liquid at most.

As for soaking in the Earth Immortal Spring, that was a thought to be abandoned. With such a scant amount, they would be lucky to wash their faces, or at most, indulge in the extravagance of a footbath.

The Earth Immortal Spring shimmered with clarity, emitting wisp after wisp of misty radiance. The spectacle was extraordinary, yet the quantity was disappointingly meager.

"I had hoped to invite you to bathe in the Earth Immortal Spring, but with just this tiny puddle..." Wang Xuan expressed his disappointment, the reality falling short of his expectations.

At his words, Zhao Qinghan rolled her eyes at him dramatically.

Grandmaster Ma was equally dumbfounded. The scant amount of water present could be lapped up in one go by its large tongue—hardly enough for anyone to drink!

Their alertness quickly sharpened when they spotted some creatures lurking around the base of the cliff. A black lion, with a mane incredibly long, sauntered by and effortlessly gulped down the Earth Immortal Spring's waters.

Measuring over a dozen meters in length and radiating an aura of transcendental energy, the beast was clearly a formidable monster, not to be trifled with. The meager pool was barely sufficient to moisten its throat.

"We probably couldn't defeat it even if we combined the strength of four silk snakes," Wang Xuan sighed.

Atop the cliff, the water trickled down from the crevice, slowly refilling the puddle over time, amassing a volume of a few kilograms.

This time, the black lion didn't reappear. Instead, a snow-white scorpion approached. Bathed in sunlight, it glistened like a carving of white jade, a dazzling beauty that belied its deadly venom.

It was as large as a grinding stone and drank the spring dry, then slowly scuttled away.

Once the puddle was replenished with the luminous liquid, a fiery beast arrived. It resembled an elephant, yet its tusks were sharply honed. Chewing on the flesh and blood of some unfortunate creature, its body glowed red and was wrapped in flames—an unmistakably formidable creature that radiated danger.

......

Wang Xuan and Zhao Qinghan realized that the monsters took turns drinking from the Earth Immortal Spring without conflict, each seemingly adhering to an unspoken schedule of “meal times.”

If they wished to intervene, it would be a challenge. The spring was surrounded by extraordinary monsters, each one looking more formidable than the last, and none seemed easy to contend with.

Grandmaster Ma became unusually subdued, watching the procession of beasts quenching their thirst at the spring. It did not dare to curse or complain, only glancing at Wang Xuan as if to say, "It's all up to you now!"

After observing for a while, Wang Xuan was relieved to note that there were no flying beasts in the vicinity. However, Zhao Qinghan was less optimistic. The area was perilous, teeming with too many extraordinary creatures.

She shared that the region was rumored to house an Earth Immortal’s dwelling, which was why numerous monsters were entrenched here, awaiting the day when the Earth Immortal Palace might emerge.

Some extraordinary monsters were known to communicate telepathically with humans, and such news had been circulating for a long time. Moreover, as the spring's flow had diminished over the years, the monsters had become increasingly vigilant.

Wang Xuan mused, "Old Zhong was practically buried in the ground, yet he managed to return to vigor, fought for his life amongst the creatures, drank his fill, and escaped alive."

He surmised that Old Zhong must have used some special means to distract the monsters; otherwise, he couldn’t have succeeded.

Zhao Qinghan reminded him not to take Old Zhong lightly. The man was formidable and shrewd, and they might well cross paths with him soon in the Hidden Land.

Wang Xuan nodded in acknowledgment, aware that he shouldn’t provoke Old Zhong. However, he couldn't help but wonder who would be more surprised if they were to meet after he became transcendent and ventured deeper into the Hidden Land for a confrontation.

"So, all these monsters, and Old Zhong too, just charged over and slurped up the spring?" Wang Xuan visualized the scenes.

A scheme began to form in his mind as he eyed the crevice in the cliff, "See that bulge where the crack is? I'm convinced there’s a reservoir of hundreds, maybe thousands of kilograms of Earth Immortal Spring inside. If we can quickly create a large opening and collect the water in containers to make a quick getaway, I bet we could reap a substantial bounty!"

Zhao Qinghan shook her head and said, "People have tried before. The cliff is so tough, it's almost impossible to split open. It's suspected to be made of sunstone."

Wang Xuan paused, then dismissed the concern, "It's not actual sunstone, at most it's just mixed with some. I think it won’t pose much of a problem."

He was confident; having once used his short sword to pare down Zhong Qing's steel plate with ease and even sever a sharp spike, he believed in his ability to cut through the cliff wall.

Eventually, Wang Xuan found a giant wild gourd that, once hollowed out, he estimated could hold at least fifty or sixty pounds of the Earth Immortal Spring. But the gourd was not his primary container—the fragment of his blessed land was, with its internal space of approximately two cubic meters.

They observed for a long time and chose a safe moment when the puddle below was drained and no monsters were around. With Wang Xuan and Zhao Qinghan aboard, Grandmaster Ma sped towards the cliff like a bolt of lightning. Zhao Qinghan held the split gourd ready, while Wang Xuan forcefully swung his short sword.

With a hiss, the cliff was cleaved open, releasing a fragrant liquid. Zhao quickly positioned the gourd to capture the precious fluid—after all, it was a beautifying elixir to her.

Wang Xuan, however, felt the opening was not big enough. He wielded his sword with more force, carving out a larger hole, and reached in with the shard of his blessed land to gather the Earth Immortal Spring.

Soon, he felt the shard was full.

"Why has the flow stopped?" Zhao Qinghan wondered aloud.

As Wang Xuan withdrew his hand, the Earth Immortal Spring gushed once more, filling the wild gourd to the brim.

"Let's go!" Wang Xuan commanded, aware that the noise they made might have alerted the nearby creatures.

But then, he noticed something glittering within the stone. The water inside had receded, revealing something shiny. He reached in and pulled it out!