The Stars Beyond

Chapter 184: The Ferryman Is Scared Shitless

Chapter 184: The Ferryman Is Scared Shitless

This process of breakthrough filled Wang Xuan with a sense of accomplishment and joy, yet the inherent dangers soon emerged. The second true form diagram was exceedingly difficult to cultivate. Despite his ample preparation and the foundation laid by the Sixteen-Foot Golden Body, the Nine Tribulations Mysterious Body, and the Purple Mansion Nourishing Spirit Technique, he eventually encountered problems.

His skin tore, not from the blood exchange, but from genuine injury to his flesh. Fortunately, the physical wounds were not life-threatening, and he stabilized his condition by consuming the Earth Immortal Spring.

The Ferryman frowned in concern. The real challenge lay ahead. Within Wang Xuan's body, powerful secret forces flowed through his organs. If these forces were to detonate, it would obliterate his physical form.

Crucially, half of the second true form diagram's scripture related to the spirit. If his spiritual power were to spiral out of control, it would result in catastrophic consequences. The destruction of both body and spirit would mean a complete annihilation of his being.

Such was the peril of the mysterious scripture recorded on the stone slab. Even with thorough preparation, there was a high likelihood of practicing oneself to death.

"Better to stop if it's too risky," the Ferryman suggested, prioritizing safety over progress. Just affecting the superficial flesh had caused Wang Xuan's body to crack. Delving deeper would be even more hazardous.

Yet, Wang Xuan didn't cease his practice, not reaching a point of surrender. As expected, when the practice touched his internal organs, the secret forces injured his viscera, nearly grinding them to dust! The situation was critically grave, a matter of life and death.

"Stop!" the Ferryman urged.

Wang Xuan's spiritual domain began to oscillate, the fluctuations intensely turbulent. If it were to lose control entirely, the spiritual power would detonate his body in a far more terrifying manner.

Contrary to the Ferryman's expectations, a kaleidoscope of misty radiance flowed within Wang Xuan. The mystical sceneries within him, the mountains, islands, and lakes, surfaced and submerged within his flesh and organs, stabilizing his physical form against the brink of collapse.

At this critical juncture, Wang Xuan's spiritual domain connected to a small section of the first layer of the spiritual world. From the void, a cascade of colorful secret forces, imbued with the rich fragrance of grass and wood, fell upon him. This influx gently mended the minute fissures in his organs.

Upon closer inspection, the connected segment of the first spiritual layer revealed a field of medicinal herbs, from which a stream of wondrous secret forces flowed. Wang Xuan's spiritual domain captured these forces, integrating them into his body.

"This..." The Ferryman was visibly moved. At this stage, only a select few could connect to a fragment of the outer spiritual world. Success in doing so evidently brought immense benefits.

Clearly, Wang Xuan had used the first layer of the spiritual world to navigate through the most perilous phase of life and death.

When the connection to the first spiritual layer faded and finally vanished, Wang Xuan had successfully cultivated the main part of the true form diagram. However, the vitality in his flesh began to wane, indicating that the transcendent radiation in the Departed Lands was diminishing – his journey on this secret path was nearing its end.

He halted his practice, leaving a small portion of the second true form diagram uncompleted. Since it didn't involve the internal organs, he anticipated no significant issues. He planned to continue its cultivation in the outside world, confident of its eventual mastery.

With the remaining time, he consumed some Earth Immortal Spring to ensure no injuries lingered. His strength was nearing the latter stages of the Mist phase, poised at a transitional juncture.

He felt a sense of satisfaction with his progress. Given more time in the outside world to fully master the second true form diagram, his strength was poised for a significant boost.

Moreover, his spiritual domain had grown exceptionally powerful. Having connected with a fragment of the first spiritual layer, his capabilities now appeared even more extraordinary.

When he fully completes the Mist phase, stepping into the Lamp-Lighting realm would be a natural progression, given its connection to spiritual power.

"This time, the stimulation of the secret forces in the viscera delayed my progress," Wang Xuan remarked.

The Ferryman responded, "Once the Mortal World realm is fully mastered, the five viscera and six bowels will undergo comprehensive strengthening. They will not only provide an unceasing flow of secret forces but also become incredibly resilient and powerful, incomparable to their current state."

Old Chen's transcendent radiation session also concluded, and he opened his eyes, which sparkled brilliantly. At the center of his brows, it seemed as if a divine lamp was shining from within.

"Old Chen, you haven't entered the Life Soil realm?" Wang Xuan asked in surprise. At this level, he could clearly discern the true state of other transcendent beings.

"I had just stepped into the Enlightenment realm and deliberately held back. Now, I'm at the peak of the Enlightenment stage. I wanted to pause and reflect. It’s important not to rush through without gaining a deeper understanding," Old Chen replied calmly. Despite sometimes being daring enough to stake his life on the line, he knew when to exercise restraint and patience.

"I'll catch up to you soon," Wang Xuan said with a smile.

"If I wish, I can step into the Life Soil realm at any time," Old Chen said, appearing calm. However, internally, he was anything but serene. He was astounded by the anomaly that was Wang Xuan, a Mist-level expert in his twenties, advancing thirty years faster than him, the renowned first person of the Old World.

Having risen in an era when transcendent substances in the Old World were receding, making cultivation challenging, Old Chen's journey was already miraculous. Yet, Wang Xuan's rapid progress left even him speechless.

"If we were back in the New World, the major corporations would go crazy knowing Wang Xuan's age and realm," Old Chen thought to himself.

"I'm a transcendent being now. How do I project dreams?" Wang Xuan asked Old Chen, recalling a conversation from their time in the Old World.

"Your spirit leaves the body to intervene in the mortal world," Old Chen explained, a seemingly simple process, but he advised against attempting it until Wang Xuan's spiritual power was sufficiently refined.

Confident in his own spiritual strength, especially after connecting with the first layer of the spiritual world, Wang Xuan decided to give it a try.

The next moment, he was utterly astounded. This time, his spirit didn’t journey into an inner landscape but wandered in the mortal world, an entirely different experience.

What were those things?

The surroundings were pitch black, devoid of moonlight, shrouded only in thick fog. And then, those pairs of glaring red eyes, one after another, chilling to the bone, all focused intently on him!

In this eerie environment, the smallest eyes were as large as water basins, resembling blood-red lanterns hanging in the darkness, emitting a chilling aura. What was this situation? What kind of beings were these, and why were they all staring at him?

Even more pairs of eyes, larger than millstones and blood-red, looked down at him with a cold and intimidating gaze. And there were eyes as large as mountains, icy and merciless, looming in the distant fog.

Wang Xuan shuddered. Whose dream had he entered, only to find himself surrounded by such terrifying eyes, none of which seemed benign and all seemingly ready to pounce at any moment?

He was in the Departed Lands, within the azure sea. What sort of monstrous creatures were these?

With a whoosh, Wang Xuan's spirit swiftly returned to his body, and he opened his eyes, still trembling from the experience.

"How was it? Quite novel, isn’t it?" Old Chen inquired, though inwardly he was somewhat startled. How had this young man, newly transcendent, managed such an feat?

Wang Xuan spoke hurriedly, "Novel, but terrifying! The darkness around, the sea shrouded in dense fog, and those blood-red eyes everywhere. I don’t know what kind of monsters they were!"

Xu Fu gave him a stern look. "Don’t speak nonsense. The Departed Lands are filled with deathly stillness and eternal silence. There can't be so many creatures observing you."

"It's true! I was indeed being watched. You should see for yourself! It's strange, why can't I see them when my spirit is in my body?" Wang Xuan was perplexed.

"Old Chen, you try!" urged Wang Xuan, adamant he hadn't been mistaken.

Old Chen was doubtful. If there were indeed creatures, they should be visible in the mortal world. Then, he too let his spirit leave his body. He felt the bone-chilling cold in the dark, fog-covered seascape, sensing something around him, but he didn't see any eyes.

Feeling uneasy, Old Chen quickly retreated back to his body. Wiping a bead of cold sweat, he said, "I didn't see those eyes, but I felt something around us, chilling to the bone."

The Ferryman was stunned. Having spent many years here, he had never encountered anything of the sort. Were these two individuals particularly special, capable of detecting such an extraordinary "scenery"?

"I've lived here for countless years and never witnessed any hauntings. How come these strange occurrences begin as soon as you arrive?" Xu Fu, a grand alchemist of his time, had seen many wonders and quickly deduced that the two were not lying. Although he had never encountered such beings, he was aware of their existence, now startled to realize a whole nest of them had been accompanying him in the Departed Lands.

"What are those things, senior?" Old Chen asked.

"Chilling Spirits," the Ferryman said gravely. Then, a light emerged from his straw coat, sending a fragment of his spirit into the void to investigate. Like Old Chen, he sensed something but saw nothing.

When the Ferryman's spirit returned, a blurred face appeared on his straw coat, looking quite disturbed. He asked Wang Xuan about the number of eyes he had seen.

"There were countless, from near to far, like a continuous stretch of stars. Everywhere, the smallest resembling red lanterns and the largest bigger than mountains," Wang Xuan described what he had seen.

"What are Chilling Spirits, senior?" Old Chen inquired further.

"They are terrifying entities, almost ethereal, invisible and intangible to cultivators," the Ferryman's blurred face appeared troubled.

"How is it possible that even cultivators can't see them?" Old Chen was skeptical.

"On ordinary days, you can’t see or touch them, so naturally, you wouldn’t know about them," the Ferryman explained.

He then asked, "Can ordinary people see ghosts? The relationship between ghosts and humans is similar to that between Chilling Spirits and cultivators."

Old Chen replied, "They can't see them because there are no ghosts, just spirits temporarily lingering in the world after leaving the body, but they eventually fade away quickly."

The Ferryman nodded and added, "But for cultivators, Chilling Spirits do exist, yet only a rare few with special abilities can see them."

The Ferryman turned to Wang Xuan and said, “Your spirit is unique, belonging to that rare group that can see Chilling Spirits.”

Wang Xuan was lost in thought, amazed at the existence of such entities as Chilling Spirits, unheard of in his past experiences. “Even special cultivators, traversing vast territories, rarely encounter even one or two Chilling Spirits. Yet here, you've seen an entire horde?”

As he spoke, the Ferryman’s composure faltered, a sense of dread creeping over him. Legends spoke of Chilling Spirits devouring beings as powerful as Earth Immortals and even Transcendent experts. His words left both Wang Xuan and Old Chen eager to leave the Departed Lands, a place swarming with previously unknown, eerie creatures.

“Normally, if you can’t see them and there's no contact, nothing happens,” the Ferryman explained. Yet, he couldn't shake off his unease. Ignorance had been bliss, but now knowing that countless Chilling Spirits surrounded him was unsettling.

“I hope the cross-realm war starts soon. That way, I have a reason to leave. It’s an irresistible force, freeing me from the Old Covenant, so I don’t have to stay in the Departed Lands,” he said, longing for an escape.

In that moment, both Wang Xuan and Old Chen were eager to reach shore, disturbed by the thought of Chilling Spirits, an anomaly in their usual experience. “Senior, about the solar gold I gave you...” Wang Xuan began.

“I plan to use the solar gold to craft some small items to take to the cross-realm war. I can share some with Old Chen,” the Ferryman replied.

Upon hearing this, Wang Xuan resigned himself to let go of the gold, only taking his spear with him. “Could the Departed Lands be the nest of Chilling Spirits in this world?” he wondered aloud, increasingly uncomfortable.

“How can there be such entities as Chilling Spirits? It’s incomprehensible,” Old Chen said, shaking his head in disbelief.

"The world is full of things you don't understand," the Ferryman sighed, adding, "Some phenomena are beyond even the comprehension of the Immortals, not just you."

The mist over the azure sea grew thicker, casting an eerie and solemn atmosphere.

"Could these unseen, intangible Chilling Spirits possibly invade the mortal world?" Old Chen asked, his voice tinged with apprehension.

Finally, the boat reached the shore.

"Take care, senior!" As soon as the bamboo boat touched the bank, Wang Xuan and Old Chen hurried off, disappearing in the blink of an eye, eager to leave the haunted place behind.

The Ferryman stood there, somewhat dazed. He hadn't intended to rush them away and had hoped to spend more time conversing, but they hadn't given him the chance, fleeing as if their lives depended on it.

Outside the Departed Lands, several individuals from the Yuhua Star and a golden mastiff were still searching. They refused to believe that the two men had fled into the Departed Lands, suspecting them to be hiding near the misty edges of the forbidden area.

"Even if they entered the Departed Lands and survived, I will ensure they die," the mastiff declared with a cold and resolute spirit. It informed the others from the Yuhua Star that it had sent a message through a telepathic bird of prey to another enforcer, asking for assistance in eliminating the two "rule-breakers."

"But is this the right thing to do, senior? Aren't we committing a more severe breach of the covenant? Those two didn’t really do much wrong," someone from the Yuhua Star hesitated, fearing the other enforcer might target them instead.

"My friend will help us. No worries, what counts as a breach of the rules is for us to decide," the mastiff stated indifferently, revealing the cold machinations of their world.