Strange Artifact

The night sky was clear of clouds, the Milky Way brilliant, the universe profound, inspiring boundless imagination.

A flying saucer streaked across the city like a meteor, vanishing instantly, leaving only a faint afterimage, its speed too great.

Soon, another warship appeared in the sky, its alloy hull emitting a cold, faint glow. This was a behemoth capable of traversing deep space, rushing into the distance at extreme speed.

Wang Xuan chewed his food, a meat sandwich in one hand and soy milk in the other, working late into the night as he hurried back to his old apartment building. He looked up just in time to witness this scene.

He was a bit surprised. Was there some operation underway? Even large warships were deployed, crossing the city sky as they departed.

Still on his way, he was almost finished with his dinner, his mind completely occupied by those two stones.

Just then, his phone rang. It was Qing Mu. They had only just parted ways; what could it be?

Wang Xuan quickly finished his last bites of food and answered the call. He immediately heard Qing Mu's laughter; he seemed to be in great spirits.

"The Gray Blood organization's strongholds in Old Earth have all been cleared out. Not a single spaceship or warship escaped. The relevant authorities have taken action, issuing stern warnings to organizations that don't abide by Old Earth's rules. Starting tomorrow, those institutions and organizations from New Star will be much more low-key."

Wang Xuan felt good hearing this. He hadn't forgotten that night in this very forest when he was ambushed by a sniper. That organization had finally been dealt with.

He went upstairs and back to his room, immediately placing the stones on his desk. Under the lamplight, he examined them carefully, focusing only on two of them and setting the third one aside.

Both were about the size of a fist, slightly scorched, as if burned by fire or struck by lightning, with traces of melted crystallization on their surfaces.

"Rich in mysterious factors... and they actually couldn't sense it!" Wang Xuan murmured to himself. This was why he was so excited and had gone to such lengths to bring these two stones back.

At the time, they were right in front of him, yet Qing Mu, Qian Lei, and the military experts were all oblivious. As for the people from New Star, they had been there for years without discovering anything.

Wang Xuan suspected it had something to do with his visit to the Inner Scenery Realm.

It was in the Inner Scenery Realm that he first encountered such mysterious factors. Although that place was empty and desolate, without a sound, as long as one practiced the Root Method of Pre-Qin Daoist practitioners, mysterious substances would be drawn in. Factors that could nourish one's spirit and body would drift down from the void into the Inner Scenery Realm.

When Wang Xuan entered the underground cave where the female Daoist practitioner was in hibernation earlier that day, he had sensed some thin mysterious factors permeating the area.

He was quite surprised at the time, thinking he was close to the Inner Scenery Realm.

He soon discovered that besides the wisps emanating from the woman in the golden bamboo boat, some of it was also coming from the cave walls.

At that moment, Wang Xuan realized that others seemed to have noticed nothing, remaining oblivious to these mysterious factors originating from the Inner Scenery Realm.

Qian Lei, Qing Mu, and Jin Chuan were all very powerful, yet they hadn't detected anything, their attention focused entirely on the Ascension golden bamboo and the female Daoist practitioner.

Wang Xuan suspected that perhaps only those who had entered the Inner Scenery Realm and absorbed these substances could detect the anomaly.

It wasn't until the end that he became certain that those people in the underground cave had truly not detected the mysterious factors, treating this special substance as if it were air.

Wang Xuan's face was calm, but his heart was filled with excitement. He had long since set his sights on that section of the cave wall, using his extraordinary perception to pinpoint the core location.

Fortunately, nothing went wrong, and he successfully dug out the two stones.

Throughout the entire cave wall, wisps of mysterious factors were seeping out, but these two were the most special. At the time, besides confirming the presence of densely concentrated, rare substances within the stones, he had also vaguely touched the edge of the Inner Scenery Realm, which was what made his heart race and his emotions surge.

Furthermore, he had confirmed one thing: although New Star had discovered supernatural substances, they were ignorant of these distinctly different mysterious factors. Even their most advanced instruments could not detect them.

"It seems the things from the Inner Scenery Realm are extraordinary!" Wang Xuan rubbed the two stones with his hand. They were rough, scorched, and emitted a comforting substance that entered his body.

"Left by Ascension, relics of Immortality. Let's call you Ascension Stones." He felt the name was very fitting.

He thought of those middle-aged men who not only followed the trend and dug for stones but, more importantly, insisted on taking what he had once they came out. They were truly cunning.

A smile appeared on Wang Xuan's face. Fortunately, he had been prepared for them.

However, he believed those people had also benefited. The entire cave carried wisps of mysterious factors, and the stones they held had been contaminated to some extent.

Wang Xuan speculated that the female Daoist practitioner's failed ascension had triggered a massive Ascension explosion, causing the mysterious substances she carried from the Inner Scenery Realm to erupt violently, scattering everywhere.

The cave had melted that year, and a large amount of rare substance had seeped into the rock strata. The entire cave was practically a treasure trove.

It was a pity that the cave was continuously impacted later, with dense cracks appearing everywhere. The mysterious factors that had rushed into the rock strata eventually escaped through these fissures.

Otherwise, there would have been far more than just two Ascension Stones; there would definitely have been more.

Wang Xuan was certain that in the eyes of those who truly understood, these two Ascension Stones were priceless treasures, not to be exchanged for anything.

Holding the two stones in his hand, he felt a great sense of anticipation.

Even without shattering the Ascension Stones yet, wisps of mysterious factors were already seeping into his body, nourishing his mind and refining his bones.

Most importantly, he was once again vaguely glimpsing the edge of the Inner Scenery Realm!

Wang Xuan took a deep breath, calmed his mind, and prepared to practice the Root Method of Pre-Qin Daoist practitioners. He felt anticipation and a strong desire to explore.

The sound of falling leaves outside his window reached his ears, followed by the pattering of raindrops hitting the glass. It had started raining outside.

Suddenly, Wang Xuan's eyes snapped open. He quickly placed the two Ascension Stones in an inconspicuous corner, then flashed to the balcony and crouched down silently.

He heard a different sound. There was a faint noise from below the balcony; someone was climbing. Although it was so faint that ordinary people couldn't hear it, and the rain helped conceal everything, Wang Xuan's hearing was incredibly sharp, far surpassing that of ordinary people.

Especially after his last activation of his Super-Sense, his visit to the Inner Scenery Realm, his strength had improved significantly. Not only had he mastered the third level of the Golden Body Art, but his spirit had also become even more vigorous, and his spiritual sense extremely acute.

Who would dare to climb and approach his balcony on a rainy night?

After Wang Xuan fully unleashed his senses, he heard other faint movements.

In the corridor outside his door, there were faint footsteps approaching. The steps were very light, totaling two people, who stopped outside his door.

If his Golden Body Art hadn't advanced to the third level, and his spirit hadn't become so vigorous, Wang Xuan might have overlooked these sounds and been unable to sense them.

But now, everything was different. He detected these almost inaudible sounds and felt danger approaching.

Silently, a hand appeared on the balcony and climbed up forcefully. Then, half a head emerged, followed by a dark gun pointed at the room.

Wang Xuan couldn't see the person's face, but squatting on the balcony, he could clearly see the dark muzzle of the gun pointed inside.

If the two people outside the door broke in and Wang Xuan fought them, while the person outside the balcony suddenly opened fire, the situation would be dire.

He knew instantly that this was professional-grade. Someone had come to kill him, stronger than the group last time. These were three terrifyingly skilled assassins.

Tonight, the Gray Blood organization's stronghold on Old Earth had been uprooted. Were these assassins desperate?

Or had the employer paid more? Had the remaining members of the Gray Blood organization, who hadn't been cleared out, taken advantage of the chaotic night to kill him?

Regardless of the reason, it made Wang Xuan's killing intent surge. He had always been kind and believed he had never wronged anyone, yet he was being targeted repeatedly, with people coming to kill him.

The rain outside grew heavier, pattering against the window. Some raindrops also blew onto the balcony. The assassin clinging outside was clearly having a bad time, completely soaked.

Finally, the person flipped over, agile as a civet cat, and entered the balcony, intending to hide behind the curtains and ambush the person inside.

However, she thought too much. The moment she flipped in and before she landed on the balcony, a hand twisted her gun-wielding arm. With a slight crack, her arm bone broke, and it went limp, unable to hold the gun.

Just as she was about to open her mouth to warn them, the instant Wang Xuan snapped her arm, his other hand moved simultaneously. A terrifyingly powerful slap landed on her mouth, nose, and face. It not only silenced her but also caused blood to gush from her seven orifices, nearly knocking her unconscious.

Wang Xuan was a little surprised. He was confident in his strength. After mastering the third level of the Golden Body Art, his physical body was exceptionally powerful. With just one slap, an ordinary person's entire face would have caved in, and they would have collapsed without even a whimper.

This female assassin had surprisingly not completely fainted. A powerful force was surging within her, and she wanted to break free.

She was actually a master of the Old Arts who had successfully achieved initial Qi Gathering. Combined with the gun in her hand, she would have been extremely troublesome if he hadn't been prepared. To kill Wang Xuan, a group of true elite assassins had come tonight.

If she hadn't fainted, he would give her another slap. Wang Xuan, with his perfected Golden Body Art, was exceptionally powerful. Someone who had just started Qi Gathering was far from enough to deal with him.

With another slap, the female assassin's otherwise decent face deformed, fine cracks appearing on her forehead bone. Her vision went black. Before she collapsed, her heart turned cold. She felt that this person was far more powerful than described in the intel. He hadn't even struck her vital points, casually slapping her face, and she couldn't take it, feeling like her head was about to explode. It was like a ferocious Siberian tiger pinning a small rabbit with a single paw.

Wang Xuan held the female assassin in one hand and picked up her gun with the other, returning to the room with light and agile movements.

Almost simultaneously, the door made a faint sound and then opened silently. Two people, like apes, flashed in and rolled on the ground, not barging straight in.

The gun in Wang Xuan's hand was deflected and missed. However, the female assassin he had simultaneously thrown smashed into one of them.

That person was ruthless enough to kick the female assassin away. Then, bracing himself with one hand, he leaped up and threw a dagger, aiming for Wang Xuan's face.

As Wang Xuan dodged, that person lunged directly at him.

The other person arrived almost at the same time, their movements astonishing, far beyond what the previous woman could match. It was clear these were two masters of the Old Arts.

They hadn't brought firearms. One wielded a short blade, while the other was unarmed, intending to kill the target.

Wang Xuan sighed. If he had the chance, he really needed to practice his marksmanship. He had fired several shots but missed. His accuracy was truly poor.

Actually, it was mainly because these two were extremely skilled, dodging, weaving, rolling, and leaping with agile movements, having practiced Body Arts to a very advanced level.

These two had not only gathered Qi long ago but were also masters who had cultivated internally for many years. If it were the Wang Xuan of a week ago, dealing with them would have been extremely difficult, even dangerous.

But after being shot at last time, he had entered the Inner Scenery Realm, and everything had changed.

He dropped the gun and faced the two unarmed.

Bang!

One of them swung his palm to strike, but Wang Xuan met it forcefully with his right hand, blocking it with a dull thud.

The assassin was quite shocked. No one knew better than him how powerful his palm strike was. Once it landed, it could break the bones of someone who had achieved Qi Gathering and internal cultivation. Yet, the young man opposite him was unharmed.

Wang Xuan was indeed slightly surprised. He noticed the abnormality of the assassin's hand, which was much thicker and larger than that of an ordinary person. He recognized it at a glance as someone who practiced Iron Sand Palm. The hand was deformed, with bone hyperplasia and thickening. Striking someone with it would definitely be fatal.

Bang!

The person suddenly exerted force, smashing Wang Xuan's desk to pieces. He was sure his Iron Sand Palm was fine, but why couldn't he damage the young man opposite him?

Wang Xuan's expression immediately darkened. If they wanted to kill him, they could fight him, but why destroy his belongings in the room? It was simply too much.

Then, the two assassins were stunned. When they had attacked to kill him earlier, they hadn't seen any change in his expression. Why was he now furious and delivering heavy blows consecutively?

They didn't know that Little Wang had just started his job and hadn't received his first month's salary yet. Now he had to pay the landlord for a desk, and he was really tight on money.

The two could hardly believe it. This tall, slender young man possessed terrifying strength. When he hit them, they felt like they had been hit by a charging rhinoceros. They were sent flying several times, their bones cracking and many breaking.

And when their Iron Sand Palms collided with the young man's palms, the latter felt nothing, but their own rough hands cracked and bled profusely.

Bang! Bang!

The two fell to the ground, unable to move. Their arm bones, leg bones, chest bones, etc., were all fractured. They seriously suspected their organization had sent them to their deaths. Were these people who had just succeeded in Qi Gathering and internal cultivation? Was their intelligence department blind!

Wang Xuan spoke, "You destroyed my desk and delayed my exploration of the path to Ascension..."

What the heck? A broken desk wasn't worth much money, and what was this "path to Ascension"? As the two assassins' hearts turned cold, they were also somewhat bewildered.