Chapter 140 All Dust Without Transcendence
In Wu Yin's last words, the final sentence was about him, mentioning sending a scripture to him.
At that moment, Wang Xuan fell into deep silence, feeling an emptiness inside. Back on Old Earth, he had taken the alias Wang Xiao, being the only master in the Old Technique domain after Old Chen, with exceptional talent. Wu Yin had specifically sought out a scripture for him and, sensing her possible death, even mentioned it, asking her family to send it to him.
"You all go ahead out of the canyon; I'll search a bit more," Wang Xuan said, moving forward with the white horse.
This time, he ventured deep for over twenty miles until he reached a pitch-black abyss blocking his path. There was no way to proceed; this was the deepest part of the canyon, shrouded in swirling clouds and mist.
The cliff was marked with astonishing battle scars. The ground was littered with shattered silver scales and bits of black fur, while patches of dried blood still emanated a chilling aura. The cliffside had collapsed hundreds of meters, filled with narrow black fissures, indicating a fierce battle had taken place.
"Wu Yin..." Wang Xuan whispered. She had been taken by a monster, and after so long, how could she still be alive? Logically, she must have perished. If he hadn't seen her last words, it might have been easier to bear, but witnessing her farewell left him feeling heavy-hearted as he stood there, staring into the abyss for a long time before finally turning to leave.
The white horse remained silent, clearly wary of the area.
"I'm still too weak," Wang Xuan murmured in the night.
In the end, it was a matter of strength. He desperately wanted to descend into the abyss, even if it was just to bring back Wu Yin's remains. Yet, he was unable to do so, leaving him filled with resentment.
Zhong Qing, Zheng Rui, Master Yang Lin, and others hadn't left; they waited in place. Today's experience would haunt them for a lifetime. Familiar faces had been hunted down by their own kind, heads severed, one by one, falling into pools of blood, while they narrowly escaped death, as if walking through hell.
"Qing Han... is she alive?" Zheng Rui broke the silence. He had witnessed Zhao Qing Han being taken by a monster; at the crucial moment, he hesitated and didn't rush to save her, leaving him in a low mood. He wondered if he would dare to charge in if he had to relive it.
"She's alive," Wang Xuan replied, sharing what he could about their experiences as others looked on.
The group expressed heartfelt gratitude for Wang Xuan's willingness to come find them.
"Thank the little horse for me. Without it, I wouldn't have dared to come," Wang Xuan shook his head, downplaying his contributions.
Everyone was shocked; this was actually a master-level horse? Their expressions changed entirely.
Wang Xuan explained, "It was injured and collapsed in the forest. Qing Han helped stop the bleeding and treated its wounds. Then it wouldn't leave, probably out of gratitude."
Master Ma snorted, glancing at Wang Xuan as if to say, "Can I leave now?!"
Wang Xuan ignored him.
The group exited the canyon, arriving at the place where the Qin family had blocked the road, the stench of blood overwhelming. The corpses were gone, and in various places in the woods, pairs of green eyes watched them.
Clearly, a gluttonous feast had just ended, with the beasts having carried away the bodies.
"Monsters are coming!" someone whispered.
From the darkness, a white-furred creature approached, resembling a feline face with the muscular body of an ape, walking upright and dripping blood from its mouth. It had just feasted on some corpses and was still hungry for live prey.
"The Tiger-faced Ape, incredibly strong, a monster at the master level," one of the surviving veterans from the expedition gasped, his heart sinking.
However, as the creature neared and sensed Master Ma's unusual presence, it turned and fled.
Bang!
It still received a kick, as Master Ma was in a foul mood and charged after it, raising his front hoof to deliver a blow.
The Tiger-faced Ape shrieked, a bone in its arm shattered, fleeing without looking back.
In the shadows, other pairs of green eyes extinguished, followed by the sound of various creatures scampering away, and soon the entire forest fell silent.
Only then did everyone truly believe that Little Ma's strength was indeed at the master level!
"You injured ones, get on the horse," Wang Xuan noticed three people injured and lagging behind.
The three were surprised, then showed immense gratitude.
Both Zheng Rui and the recovering Zhong Qing, from wealthy families, hadn't had the chance to ride the master-level white horse.
Not long after, Wang Xuan noticed Zhong Qing lagging a bit. Unable to hold back, he asked, "What's up with you? You're swaying on your feet, your legs are weak. Want to squeeze onto the horse with them?"
Zhong Qing wasn't actually injured; she was just still rattled by the water snakes and hadn't fully recovered.
Hearing his words, she gritted her teeth; was Wang Xuan doing this on purpose? What a rude remark!
Wang Xuan didn't think much of it. After speaking, he fell into his thoughts. Today had been a rollercoaster for him.
Seeing familiar teammates hunted down and beheaded ignited a fury in him, and he ended up killing over twenty people in a single breath.
As he reflected, he knew that if he had to go through it all again, he wouldn't be able to restrain himself.
He had compassion for the weak, a soft spot in his heart. Yet when witnessing people who, devoid of hatred, ruthlessly slaughtered the innocent, his heart turned cold, and he showed no mercy.
"We need to speed up," Wang Xuan said. He feared that if they didn't hurry, they wouldn't be able to reunite with Zhao Qing Han, Zhou Kun, and others before midnight.
Then he simply picked up Zhong Qing, placing her on the back of the horse's neck.
Zhong Qing almost cried out, astounded by his actions. This was such a steel-hearted man!
She felt that, no matter what, she was a well-known beauty. Yet in the marsh, Wang Xuan had first found her distasteful, preferring to let the horse carry her instead, then tossed her into the mud, and now he just picked her up and tossed her onto the horse.
She didn't know what to say, as he was the one who saved her.
Before midnight, the group returned safely, finally reuniting with Zhao Qing Han, Zhou Kun, and the others.
"Sis, why do you look like a dirty monkey?" Zhong Cheng just opened his mouth when his sister punched him.
Even in the deep of night, the place was bustling with life; having survived the ordeal, they felt a rush of joy.
Some were in tears, mourning the loss of close friends.
Zhou Kun sighed, feeling rare melancholy. The Wu family and Zhou family had a good relationship, and now with Wu Yin dead, it would be hard to explain when they returned.
He expressed his gratitude to Wang Xuan, noting that although they hadn't found the person, the act of rescuing carried great risks.
"Brother Wang, I'll remember this favor. When we return to New Star, feel free to look for me!" Zhou Kun said earnestly.
Zhong Cheng, after being beaten by his sister, came over and formally thanked Wang Xuan, sighing, "The Wang family is no ordinary bunch. When we return to New Star, I'll gift you a treasured scripture. If you need anything, just let me know!"
As for those who had been rescued, they had repeatedly thanked Wang Xuan along the way. Of course, Master Ma was treated as a divine beast for protection, with some even bringing him bundles of fresh grass in the dead of night.
Wang Xuan quietly informed Zhao Qing Han about the Qin family's stronghold.
"After returning to New Star, several families will likely go to the Qin family to press for answers," Zhao Qing Han said, but then frowned, realizing that it wasn't only the Qin family that had a stronghold.
Upon reflection, the situation in the Secret Realm was quite complex. Such events must have occurred in the past as well, but they hadn't caused a major uproar in New Star.
In the deep of night, everyone was awakened, feeling as if a mountain had pressed down on them, their scalps nearly splitting from the tension.
The sky had darkened significantly, the stars vanishing, leaving only a blood moon hanging in the low darkness.
And it was two blood moons, hovering ominously in the low sky.
Whoosh!
A fierce wind howled, tossing leaves about, and many branches were snapped by the gusts, bringing a bone-chilling cold.
The two blood moons moved quickly, then receded deep into the Secret Realm.
For a long time, people were silent, drenched in cold sweat.
"How could there be two blood moons?!" someone trembled.
"That's a terrifying monster that passed low overhead, obscuring the stars and the moon," Wang Xuan said in a deep voice.
He felt a sense of his own insignificance once more. No wonder Old Chen had said that in ancient times, even masters weren't considered true practitioners; they were all classified as "amateurs."
This was not without reason!
Without reaching the transcendence level, one couldn't be considered to have truly begun their journey!
What had just passed was a bear-like creature, with a pair of pitch-black wings at its ribs. With a gentle flap, it stirred up a whirlwind, causing ancient trees to shake violently, and leaves flew everywhere.
It seemed to be in a hurry, passing through this area.
Not just Wang Xuan, but nearly half of the people had vaguely seen its outline, and now they all felt a wave of helplessness. A creature like that probably required a battleship to contend with!
Regardless, after that colossal being passed, the entire forest fell silent. No more howls from various monsters echoed, and once everyone calmed down, they managed to get a good night's sleep.
Early the next morning, people heard thunderous sounds; the distant forest erupted in explosions, signaling a fierce battle breaking out.
Then, the noise ceased, and two figures broke through the sound barrier, darting across the sky, leaping over ancient trees, like two large birds fleeing.
In their wake, white mist billowed, and the trees they passed through exploded, shattering into fragments.
A creature was pursuing those two, which, upon closer inspection, resembled a giant rat, but much larger.
Its fur was pure black, its body over two meters long, whiskers quivering, and its golden eyes shone brightly.
Aside from its size, it was almost identical to a rat.
Surprisingly, it ran upright, using only its hind legs, chasing the two across the tree canopy.
Thud!
The two figures and the giant rat landed on a mountaintop, and the vegetation exploded as they engaged in a fierce battle, the cliffside crumbling and falling away—this was… a battle of the transcendent!
"Old Zhong!" Wang Xuan whispered, looking at Zhao Qing Han. She had guessed correctly; Zhong Yong hadn't left and had been hiding in the Secret Realm!
Moreover, it seemed that Zhong Yong had become extremely powerful after extending his life; now, he was at the transcendent level.
What was even more surprising was that beside him, another old man was also a transcendent being. This was quite terrifying; there was someone else as hidden and powerful as Old Zhong.
"Wow, Old Zhong was always scared of dying. I didn't expect him to be so formidable, daring to fight transcendent monsters!" Zhou Kun was shocked, then his expression turned pale. "We need to escape!"
If the battlefield shifted here, they would all be doomed.
In fact, the group had already started to move, running wildly to avoid becoming cannon fodder in a transcendent battle; that giant rat was terrifyingly fierce.
"Zhong Yong, you tricked me!" the other old man shouted angrily.
"Little Song, if you think I tricked you, then don't chase after me. Let's each save ourselves," Zhong Yong replied.
Then he took off running again, prompting the ninety-year-old "Little Song" to chase after him, afraid of being killed by the rat if he fell behind.
"Is that the old man from the Song family? Didn't they say he died two years ago? There's even a grave for him; how is he appearing in the Secret Realm now, and as a transcendent?!" Zhou Kun muttered.
Then he turned to Zhong Cheng, saying, "Your Old Zhong is a real troublemaker; this mess was all caused by him. I see now, he won't rest until he gets his hands on Earth Immortal grass!"
Little Zhong and Zhong Cheng frowned, ignoring him!
"But if Old Zhong is already transcendent, how is he still being chased by a rat? What on earth has he done to deserve such wrath?" Zhou Kun gasped as he fled.
At this moment, Wang Xuan felt a deeper urge to grow stronger, wanting to enhance his own power.
Only by becoming stronger could he go to the abyss at the bottom of that great canyon to search for Wu Yin. If he couldn't even see her one last time, he wouldn't feel at ease.
He wanted to become a transcendent being!
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Old Zhong, with his long legs characteristic of the Zhong family, was actually running toward them!
Zhou Kun exclaimed, "What the heck! Old Zhong not only wants to outlive his son but also wants to doom his grandchildren, killing off his descendants! He wants to ensure that the Zhong family remains forever rooted!"