The Stars Beyond

Chapter 74: First Blood In The Inner Landscape

Old Chen wore a grave expression. "It's too late," he declared. "By the time Qing Mu returns with reinforcements, everything here will have concluded."

Wang Xuan frowned, realizing the oversight. Given their unique state in this timeless space, everything would be over by the time Qing Mu could possibly return. By then, the woman in red would likely have pierced through the barrier. If she stepped into this realm, it would turn into a bloodbath, possibly annihilating them all.

Boom!

Another fissure formed in the barrier, causing the entire Inner Landscape to quiver, amplifying the oppressive atmosphere. The identity and origins of the woman in red from over two millennia ago must be astoundingly significant. Otherwise, she would not have been so presumptuous as to assume the female swordmaster would have heard of her legend. At that moment, the white tiger, despite having one of its claws severed earlier, rose again. Seeing the woman in red's indomitable progress, it seemed invigorated and silently moved toward Wang Xuan and the others.

"The big cat is back!" Qing Mu exclaimed, his body stiff with trepidation. Several gaping wounds on him were transparent from front to back. Only because they were in the Inner Landscape was he still alive. Elsewhere, a few laps carried by the white tiger in its jaws would have left him lifeless.

Old Chen also felt a deep resentment. He had only recently transcended the level of a Grandmaster when a formidable beast had bitten into him, tearing through almost half of his body. The white tiger grinned menacingly, as if laughing, its aura malevolent. There was a savage glee in its eyes, laced with palpable malice. With its master poised to break through, it seemed increasingly unrestrained.

"Do you want another taste of my sword?" Old Chen challenged.

Wang Xuan teased, "Little kitty that's been coddled for so long, behave or do you fancy another poke with a sword?"

Qing Mu joined in, "Who ever said you can't mess with a tiger's tail? I managed to get a hit in. It's just too bad this cat's thick skin meant my blade only went in halfway."

The tiger seemed genuinely baffled. Are these three seriously taunting me? Do they want to die? It cast a glance towards the woman holding the umbrella. Memories of its glory days flashed by, a time when it stood unmatched, making even the most formidable foes bow to its might. With an air of elegance, the tiger began its approach towards the trio. Thinking quickly, Wang Xuan tried to engage the swordmaster. Their playful jabs at the white tiger were meant to get her involved. Yet, as the tiger gracefully strutted towards them, she remained unmoved.

"Sword immortal," Wang Xuan called out, "this beast has the audacity to defy you! Instead of lying down in deference to your teachings, it dares to strut about."

The tiger's stride paused momentarily at the words, but its eyes flared with more indignation. What sort of twisted logic was that? Since when was standing up a sign of defiance? But more than that, it felt these humans were getting too cocky, and they needed to be put in their place. In a flash, the tiger bared its sharp white fangs menacingly at the three.

The female sword immortal spared a brief, casual glance their way. Almost immediately, the large tiger... obediently lay down, its eyes downcast, embodying the picture of submission.

"This tiger has absolutely no backbone!" Old Chen remarked in surprise.

Wang Xuan nodded, "If this big guy had any self-respect left, it would not have let us tease it for all these years."

The tiger, seemingly trying to maintain its dignity, focused on grooming its paw, perhaps counting its whiskers.

Boom!

A harrowing noise echoed. Six simultaneous cracks spidered across the barrier, making it look like a fragile piece of glass about to shatter, pushed beyond its limits.

The red-cloaked woman radiated an effortless yet overwhelming presence. With just her right hand, the power from her pristine white fist seemed unending, threatening to rupture the barrier between their realms. The female sword immortal sprang into action, not directly at the red-cloaked figure, but aiming her blade at the white tiger's brow. With a pain-filled roar, the tiger crumpled, thrashing about. Though it did not perish, its size was noticeably reduced.

Suddenly, the woman in red disappeared, with the cracks on the barrier gradually healing. A distant silhouette, draped in red, hinted at the vast space she'd been pushed back to. She started approaching again, her gaze icy and unwavering, locked onto the swordswoman. Undaunted, the swordswoman jabbed her blade into the tiger's head once more. It cried out, shrinking yet again. Just as swiftly, the red-cloaked woman found herself relocated even further away.

Wang Xuan, Old Chen, and Qing Mu exchanged surprised glances. It soon dawned on them: the bone within the tiger was undeniably a pivotal element. Once this internal realm had been activated, the resurrected tiger became a conduit for the woman in red to draw closer to their world.

The woman in red, her eyes a haunting mix of depth and intensity, did not strike this time. She merely stared coldly ahead. The swordswoman, firmly gripping her weapon, stood tall and confrontational, refusing to be cowed by the mythical figure before her.

Out of the blue, the spectral monk reappeared. He peeked into the Inner Landscape briefly, then swiftly made his move. With surprising strength, he began dragging the wounded tiger away as if it were mere baggage. His intentions, however, remained unclear. The monk, it seemed, had an uncanny knack for timing. With the swordswoman and the legendary figure locked in a tense standoff, he opted to play his own hand.

The white tiger was enraged. Where did this darn monk think he was taking it? In the past, it had suffered at the hands of those baldies, and the last thing it wanted was to set foot in their monastery again.

It fiercely struggled, biting and rebelling, ready to face off with the old monk. Yet, the monk seemed undaunted. He was able to handle the monstrous tiger without even breaking a sweat. The tiger roared in anger, likely thinking, "Baldy, what does this have to do with you?" But then blood spurted from its every orifice. The tiger was overwhelmed and unable to break free. The monk had pinned it down, raining down blows on its large form mercilessly.

Wang Xuan was at a loss for words. He did not even know how to react. Old Chen was equally speechless. The monk was truly unpredictable, knowing how to gauge the situation and act accordingly. Having taken his time to assess, he had brazenly returned to lend his "assistance."

The female sword immortal glanced at the monk with disdain, gracefully drifting closer. Without a word, she drew her sword and swiftly severed one of the tiger's hind legs.

The monk froze momentarily, splattered with the tiger's blood. His form rapidly emitted a golden radiance, emanating an aura of serenity. The Buddha's light seemed to purify him, evaporating the blood stains from his robes.

The swordswoman gracefully lifted the enormous tiger leg. A short distance away, she swung her sword, skillfully skinning the leg. She cleansed it with a mysterious substance, then started a fire, grilling it. Soon after, she sliced off pieces, savoring each bite. Is this even possible? They were inside a spiritual realm. Even though they bled, it was not actual blood; it was a physical manifestation of spiritual energy. The wounds on Old Chen and Qing Mu were not real, but spiritual scars.

The expression on the face of the woman in red grew chillingly cold. Holding the oil-paper umbrella in both hands, she fiercely struck it against the veil, causing a blinding red light to envelop everything. A thunderous sound followed, and countless cracks appeared on the veil, which nearly burst apart. With a swift motion, the swordswoman slashed at the white tiger's head, leaving another mark. The beast shrank once more, and the woman in red, frustrated and vexed, found her connection to this realm weakened, distancing her even further.

Wang Xuan said with grave seriousness, "The white tiger beast might be one of the links that connects the woman in red to our world. Through it, she could sense everything here from an immense distance and step into this realm."

Old Chen nodded solemnly, asserting, "We must get rid of that beast today!"

"Absolutely!" Wang Xuan echoed with equal severity.

Then, to Qing Mu's astonishment, Wang Xuan and Old Chen exchanged a glance, quickly grabbed a black sword, and eagerly hacked at the injured leg of the tiger, which was pinned down by the monk. They began to slice off pieces of meat and, unbelievably, started... eating it raw!

Qing Mu was dumbfounded. Are we not supposed to eliminate the tiger beast? Why are they eating it?!

"Qing Mu, hurry up! This is not just raw meat; it's the essence of the mystery factor!" Old Chen beckoned his disciple to join the feast.

Once Qing Mu grasped the situation, without hesitation, he lunged forward, gnawing on the injured tiger leg without even waiting for it to be cut off!

He was even more ferocious than Old Chen and Wang Xuan!

The white tiger roared in anger, causing the entire spiritual realm to tremble with its anguish. Yet it was pinned down by the old monk and could not break free, even while being beaten.

The old monk observed the situation for a moment, and then, gritting his teeth, he... also tried to take a bite out of the tiger. The actions of the monk left Old Chen, Wang Xuan, and Qing Mu completely stunned!

However, a faint barrier surrounded the monk, separating him from this place. Try as he might, he could not taste the tiger meat and eventually had to resign himself to... simply beating the tiger once more.

A crisp sound echoed, and a gleaming sword flash severed the head of the white tiger. The swordswoman, with a stern expression, pointed towards the tiger's severed head, signaling Wang Xuan and the others to not touch it.

What did she mean?

After some collective pondering, Wang Xuan, Old Chen, and Qing Mu guessed that the residual spiritual energy of the white tiger might be concentrated in its head, while the body contained none. At least after they had begun eating, what they absorbed was the pure essence of the mysterious substance, without any remnants of the tiger's spiritual energy.

This realization brought them great relief!

Shortly after, both Old Chen and Qing Mu's injuries remarkably healed in full. The old monk, in silence, removed the tiger's two legs and handed them to Wang Xuan and Old Chen with a resigned sigh. In the distance, the massive head of the white tiger drooped, exuding both sorrow and resentment. It seemed eager to roar out its frustrations, lamenting its ill fate of crossing paths with such an unmerciful group. The white tiger meat was indeed a rich delicacy, but soon the trio were too sated to eat any more.

Rising, Wang Xuan quickly began practicing the third technique from the five-page golden book. Feeling overwhelmed by the energy coursing within him, he knew he needed to expend some of it. Finally, after what felt like an eternity of his organs continuously taking damage and being instantaneously repaired by a mysterious force inside him, he mastered the technique.

Old Chen approached, patting Wang Xuan's shoulder. "Do not get lost in your thoughts," he advised. "It's time to move on. While you were engrossed in your practice, time flew by. Years have passed."

He whispered closer, "We should probably leave this place soon."

Nudging Wang Xuan to look in a different direction, they saw the swordswoman elegantly float from the spiritual realm's barrier. She shot a brief glance at Wang Xuan and then, with a swift motion, cleaved the white tiger's head in two. After this, the spiritual realm started to tremble and shake, hinting at its imminent dissolution. A chilling laugh from the red-clad woman echoed throughout. Her fury magnified with the death of the white tiger in the spiritual realm. She turned away, walking deeper into the world beyond the barrier. Ahead, temples lay in ruins, walls crumbled, statues of bodhisattvas lay shattered, but she confidently strode over the debris, unfazed.

To everyone's astonishment, a petite white tiger, about a foot long, pranced beside her. It paused to shoot a defiant smirk at Wang Xuan and Old Chen, baring its teeth in a cold sneer, then playfully swiped the air with its tiny paws.

Wang Xuan looked deeply troubled. "Could it be that the White Tiger Demon had successfully ascended to immortality in its time? Or perhaps it survived the thunderous strike, only to be saved by the demonic woman, leaving a piece of its bone behind as a connection to this realm?"

The old monk brought his hands together, a profound sorrow in his eyes, before letting out a silent sigh and rushing out of the spiritual realm. The female sword immortal also departed, vanishing in a flash of sword light.

Wang Xuan fixed his gaze in the direction of their departure. "Old Chen, your theory might be on point. The passage of time seems consistent between both realms. When the female sword immortal and the monk left, they moved just as swiftly as they did within the spiritual realm. But when you exited, I noticed you moving much slower outside. It might be a matter of one's power."

"We'll delve into these mysteries later," Old Chen urged from the edge of the spiritual realm, signaling for him to leave promptly.

Soon, the trio returned, all having reaped significant benefits. Upon waking, Qing Mu hurriedly jotted down notes: "I once stood alongside the unparalleled female sword immortal. I witnessed her battle against the legendary demon from over two millennia ago. I dined heartily with a Bodhisattva, and together, within a realm graced by ancient immortals, we defeated the White Tiger Demon!"

Wang Xuan was initially amused, but his smile soon faded to melancholy. These experiences, taking place within the spiritual realm, walked the line between reality and illusion. Once in the outside world, all traces disappeared. These immortals, demons, and deities belonged to an ancient era, long passed away. Their physical forms shattered by thunder, their lingering spiritual essence manifested in the present. Wang Xuan pondered if there would ever come a day when they could genuinely meet these figures and witness the majestic world of ancient deities and immortals.

Wang Xuan could not help but sigh deeply. If the old monk had truly passed away, leaving only his desire to journey deep into the void, then everything they had just experienced might merely be the resonance of his lingering thoughts. If the swordswoman had been shattered by thunder in ancient times, with only her spirit retained in the charred bone fragment, then any future encounters would be fleeting and dreamlike within the spiritual realm. If the scarlet-robed demonic woman was indeed unique, the possibility of her reappearing in the future would be far from pleasant.

Wang Xuan hoped that the monk was still alive and wished for the swordswoman's safe return to the living world. The last thing he wanted was for a terrifying being like the scarlet-robed demon to emerge.

He gazed out of the window. The moonlight was bright and pure, the sky studded with stars. Starships journeyed to far-off places, and silver warships streaked across the horizon. A surge of determination welled up within him, rejuvenating his spirit.

This was the real world, an era of technological marvels. With advanced medical breakthroughs, even resurrection from death might be possible in the future. Navigating the old arts amidst this modern backdrop, constantly growing stronger, Wang Xuan believed that anything could happen in the future!