The Stars Beyond

Chapter 263: Heavenly Herb

Chapter 263: Heavenly Herb

Huang Kun sighed, showing a troubled expression. He explained to Wang Xuan that he was merely a fragment of a soul, not even as powerful as Wang Xuan himself. Moreover, he couldn't stray too far or for too long from his physical remnants, as the true bone needed the true spirit for protection and integration.

He shared these details, giving Wang Xuan his first insight into the current state of various families' relics and true bones.

"What if the enemy is nearby? I feel like someone is outside the Huang family’s residence. If you don't take care of him, I might not survive these three days," Wang Xuan expressed his concern, sensing that someone was tracking him, possibly a supernatural entity.

"Alright, wait here. I'll take a look," Huang Kun, a bit reluctantly, agreed to help. Quickly adjusting his mindset to the modern era, where it seemed normal for people to be more assertive, he stepped into the mist and vanished in a flash of light.

Wang Xuan watched, impressed by Huang Kun's skills.

Meanwhile, several miles away, a woman in white, elegant and graceful, was driving up a mountain with a group. Wearing shorts and a T-shirt, she looked casual and cool, driving a flying car skillfully. The group had come to witness the 'Buddha's light', a natural spectacle.

Suddenly, Huang Kun appeared, unseen by ordinary people. The woman, trying to blend in as a normal person, was approached by him.

"A demoness? You're out of bounds," Huang Kun confronted her.

Hu Xuan, a bit helplessly, adjusted her sunglasses and replied, "I'm not here for you, I have no intention of targeting anyone."

......

"Interfering with my guest is also unacceptable. You may leave now," Huang Kun sternly told Hu Xuan. His lineage had always had conflicts with demonesses like her.

Hu Xuan, with her charming and sly fox-like allure, was the same woman who confronted Wang Xuan on the outskirts of Su City under the moonlit night. However, that was just her paper talisman avatar, which Wang Xuan had shattered with a punch.

Smiling, Hu Xuan retorted, "You seem overly concerned. He's from the present world and unrelated to your lineage. My following him is none of your concern. Don't provoke me, or I might just destroy your ancestral shrine and disturb the peace of your reviving true form."

Huang Kun responded coldly, "This is my territory. I won't tolerate your insolence, especially knowing your true form is reviving at Wangyue Cliff. If you dare touch my shrine, I will seek out your resting place."

...

Wang Xuan sensed the surge of supernatural energy in the forest outside Yu City. He astrally projected, rising high into the sky, only to witness Huang Kun clashing with a woman. The intense battle was causing the forest to silently shatter and the cliffs to corrode away.

"Are they really fighting? It's that woman, a fox spirit!" Not wanting to linger, Wang Xuan quickly returned to his physical body.

Shortly after, Huang Kun returned and informed him that the woman had left and wouldn't follow him anymore.

"Thank you for driving away the demoness," Wang Xuan expressed his gratitude.

Outside the shrine, Huang Xinghai was deeply moved, wondering why the celestial being of the Huang family had become an enforcer for this young man.

"I'll check if there's anything unusual about you, like a trace left by someone," Huang Kun offered, deciding to help Wang Xuan thoroughly since he had already intervened. He was concerned about Wang Xuan's safety, especially with the significant event approaching in three days.

Using a secret technique involving soul light as a mirror, Huang Kun reflected it onto Wang Xuan. This ancient method, barely managed by Huang Kun with the aid of the nearby true bone, utilized some of the supernatural rules.

Wang Xuan remained still, though the Slashing God Banner from the relic of the blessed land was ready to strike at any moment.

Fortunately, Huang Kun had no hostile intentions and was genuinely scrutinizing Wang Xuan for any abnormalities. The soul light mirror soon revealed a blurred image of a mechanical being, specifically Mechanical Being No. 5.

Wang Xuan frowned, recognizing the mechanical being from his battle at the Sun family. The recent anomalies in his detectors suggested that this supernatural mechanical being was monitoring him.

Huang Kun revealed, "It has observed you, but without strong intent to kill. It seems to have only watched from a distance, never approaching closely." His expression then turned unsettled as the soul light mirror reflected burning joss paper, blurring the mirror's light and causing a tremor in his soul light. He hastily ceased the technique, severing and discarding a portion of his soul light engulfed in a wisp of smoke.

Huang Kun inhaled sharply, "What have you provoked? What is that on you?"

Wang Xuan, recalling an incident, produced a yellowed piece of paper money from the relic of the blessed land. This joss paper had inexplicably appeared on him, unable to be discarded permanently. "I've been wanting someone to examine its origin," he explained, offering it to Huang Kun.

Huang Kun retreated, refusing the paper money. "This has issues, carrying the resentment of a whole world," he warned.

Wang Xuan discarded and burned the paper money, asking Huang Kun to check again for any abnormalities. The mirror light reappeared but showed no anomalies this time.

Wang Xuan mentioned that the paper money would likely reappear on him soon. This was a ruse to prompt Huang Kun to investigate the paper money, which had initially descended from a dark sky, seemingly without origin.

Huang Kun, looking serious, suggested the paper money might be related to the decline of the supernatural, recalling vague mentions by two supreme beings of mourning the demise of the mythical world. He advised Wang Xuan to be cautious, suspecting a connection with the current state of the world.

Wang Xuan then bid farewell, agreeing to meet again in three days to fish for celestial medicine at Gold Peak, located dozens of miles away.

Huang Xinghai entered the ancestral hall, conversing directly with Huang Kun, now semi-revived. "Elder ancestor, are you truly planning to collaborate with him to fish for celestial medicine from the high-order spiritual world?" he asked.

Huang Kun nodded affirmatively before returning to his true bone.

......

......

Professor Lin and Qin Cheng also left with Wang Xuan, but they switched to a hover train en route to Suzhou City.

“Smoke of war rises everywhere, with supernaturals appearing en masse. One after another, cults are emerging like bamboo shoots after a rain. With just over two years left, is this the final frenzy? The mythical world evolves, with conglomerates becoming terrifying cults. Mount Meru, Jade Lake, Mount Buzhou... encroaching upon the mortal world. I hope it's not so,” Wang Xuan mused gravely as he departed alone.

Chen Yongjie called him, conversing in the latest code language. He had used some super-material to purify Old Qin’s body and had accessed their secret vault. It was dangerous but housed many treasures, including a white conch shell believed to be left by Sakyamuni, radiating with Buddha’s light.

The Qin family's collection, rich in Buddhist texts and ancient artifacts, held numerous treasures. Chen Yongjie discovered a top-tier relic but couldn’t take it, as it already had an owner.

“Let's wait and see. If that conch is powerful enough to risk taking, then I'll go for it,” he decided.

“Sakyamuni is still alive and will eventually emerge from the curtain. Even if we get that conch from the Qin family’s vault, it'll be reclaimed eventually.”

“We can exploit the conch for a while, then return it when done!” they briefly discussed.

Chen Yongjie’s regret was still not finding the half lotus pod.

“After consulting a few more families, I’ll head to the Zhong family,” Wang Xuan informed.

“Good, the Zhong family has both a Taoist temple and a Buddhist monastery,” Chen Yongjie had already scoped out their holdings.