Curious Artifact

Not a single cloud hung in the night sky. The Milky Way shone brilliantly, and the universe, deep and boundless, stirred endless reverie.

A flying saucer streaked over the city like a meteor and vanished in an instant, leaving behind only a faint trailing afterimage. It was too fast.

Soon, another warship cut across the sky. Its alloy hull emitted a cold, dim gleam. This was a colossal behemoth capable of roaming the depths of space, speeding toward the distance.

Wang Xuan chewed his food, holding a meat sandwich in one hand and soy milk in the other. Under the stars and moon, he hurried back to the old residential complex and happened to look up at that very moment.

He was somewhat surprised. Was some operation underway? Even large warships had been mobilized, flying off across the city.

Before he had even gotten home, he had nearly finished dinner. His mind was wholly occupied by those two stones.

Just then, his phone rang. Qing Mu was calling. They had only just parted ways—not long after; what could have happened?

Wang Xuan finished the last of his food in two or three bites and answered the call. Qing Mu's laughter immediately came through; he seemed to be in an excellent mood.

"The Gray Blood organization's bases on Old Earth have all been uprooted. Not a single spacecraft or warship got away. The Relevant Department has stepped in and issued a severe warning to organizations that refuse to obey Old Earth's rules. Starting tomorrow, those institutions and organizations from New Star will be keeping a much lower profile."

Wang Xuan was in a good mood after hearing that. He had not forgotten that night—right in the woods before him, he had been ambushed with a sniper shot. That organization had finally been wiped out.

After going upstairs and returning to his room, he immediately placed the stones on his desk and examined them carefully beneath the light. He only cared about two of them and set the third aside.

Both were about the size of fists, slightly charred, as though they had been burned by fire and struck by lightning. Their surfaces bore traces of melted crystallization.

"Such dense Mysterious Factor... and they actually couldn't sense it!" Wang Xuan muttered. This was why he had been so excited inside and had found a way to bring those two stones back.

They had clearly been right before their eyes, yet Qing Mu, Qian Lei, and the military experts had all felt nothing. As for the people from New Star, there was no need to mention them—they had stayed there for years without discovering anything.

Wang Xuan Believed it was most likely related to his having entered the Inner Scenery Realm.

The first time he encountered that Mysterious Factor had been in the Inner Scenery Realm. Though that place was empty and desolate, without a sound, as long as he circulated the Root Method of the Pre-Qin Daoist practitioners, it would draw in Mysterious Matter. Factors capable of nourishing the mind and flesh would drift down from nothingness into the Inner Scenery Realm.

When Wang Xuan had first entered the underground cave where the Female Daoist practitioner slept that day, he had sensed a thin trace of Mysterious Factor pervading the place.

He had been greatly startled then, thinking he had drawn close to the Inner Scenery Realm.

He soon discovered that aside from the wisps spreading from the woman within the Golden Bamboo Boat, another portion came from the rock wall.

At that time, Wang Xuan had noticed that the others seemed not to have noticed these things at all. They were insensitive to this Mysterious Factor produced in the Inner Scenery Realm.

Qian Lei, Qing Mu, and Jin Chuan were all very powerful, yet even they had detected nothing. Their attention had been entirely fixed on the Feathered Golden Bamboo and the Female Daoist practitioner.

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

Only in the end did he become certain: those people truly had not caught any trace of the Mysterious Factor in the underground cave, treating this special substance as air.

Wang Xuan's face remained calm, but inwardly he was extremely excited. He had set his sights on that rock wall early on and used his extraordinary senses to pinpoint its core location.

Fortunately, nothing unexpected happened, and he successfully dug out two stones.

Wisps of Mysterious Factor seeped from the entire rock wall, but only these two stones were especially unusual. Aside from confirming that their interiors contained rare, precious matter so concentrated it could not dissolve, he had vaguely seemed to touch the edge of the Inner Scenery Realm. That was the true reason his heart had raced and huge waves had risen within him.

Furthermore, he had confirmed something else. Though New Star had discovered supernatural substances and the like, they knew nothing of this distinctly different Mysterious Factor. Even with their most advanced instruments, they could detect nothing.

"Looks like the things from the Inner Scenery Realm are truly extraordinary!" Wang Xuan rubbed the two stones with his fingers. They were rough and bore scorch marks, while a comfortable substance drifted out and entered his body.

"Left behind by Ascension, a relic of immortality. I'll call you Ascension Stones." He felt the name suited them perfectly.

He thought of those middle-aged men. Not only had they followed the crowd in digging for stones, but more importantly, once they got out, they had insisted on taking the ones in his hands. They were crafty as monkeys.

A smile appeared on Wang Xuan's face. Fortunately, he had guarded against them.

Still, he believed those people had also gained something. The entire cave carried wisps of Mysterious Factor, and the stones in their hands would have been contaminated by some of it.

Wang Xuan guessed that the Female Daoist practitioner's failed ascension had triggered a massive feathered transformation explosion. The Mysterious Matter she had carried out from the Inner Scenery Realm had erupted violently because of it, blasting everywhere.

The cave itself had melted back then, and vast amounts of rare, precious matter had sunk into the rock layers. It could be said that the entire cave was a treasure trove.

Unfortunately, the cave had later suffered repeated impacts, leaving dense cracks everywhere. The Mysterious Factor that had entered the rock layers had ultimately escaped through those fissures.

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

Wang Xuan was certain that, in the eyes of someone who truly knew their worth, these two Ascension Stones were priceless treasures. Nothing could make him trade them away.

He held the two stones in his hands, anticipation filling his heart.

Even without shattering the Ascension Stones, wisps of Mysterious Factor were already entering his body, nourishing his mind and cleansing his sinews and bones.

Most crucially, he vaguely saw the edge of the Inner Scenery Realm again!

Wang Xuan took a deep breath, calmed his mind, and prepared to circulate the Root Method of the Pre-Qin Daoist practitioners. Expectation filled him, along with an intense desire to explore.

The sound of fallen leaves drifting past the window reached his ears. Then raindrops began pattering down, striking the glass. Autumn rain had begun outside.

Suddenly, Wang Xuan opened his eyes. He swiftly placed the two Ascension Stones in an inconspicuous corner, flashed onto the balcony, and crouched down soundlessly.

He had heard a different sound. A faint noise came from beneath the balcony—someone was climbing. It was so slight that Ordinary People could never have heard it, and the rain made it easier to conceal everything, but Wang Xuan's hearing was far sharper than that of an ordinary person.

Especially since the last time he had triggered Super-Sense and entered the Inner Scenery Realm, his strength had risen by a great margin. Not only had he cultivated the Golden Body Art to the third level, but his mind had become increasingly vigorous and his spiritual perception extraordinarily sharp.

Who are they, climbing up in the rainy night and approaching the balcony?

After fully extending his senses, Wang Xuan heard other faint movements as well.

In the corridor outside the door, subtle footsteps approached. The steps were light and slow. There were two people in total, and they stopped outside his door.

If the Golden Body Art had not advanced to the third level and his mind had not become so vigorous, Wang Xuan might have overlooked them entirely and sensed nothing.

But everything was different now. He caught those nearly inaudible sounds and felt danger drawing near.

Silently, a hand appeared over the balcony railing and pulled itself up forcefully. Half a head emerged, followed by a black gun barrel aimed into the room.

Wang Xuan could not see the person's face, but crouching on the balcony, he could clearly see the black muzzle emerging and pointing indoors.

If the two people outside broke in and Wang Xuan fought them while the person beyond the balcony suddenly fired a cold shot, the situation would turn terrible.

At a glance, he knew they were professionals. Someone had come to kill him, stronger than the last batch. These were three terrifyingly capable assassins.

Tonight, the Gray Blood organization's bases on Old Earth had been pulled up by the roots. Had these assassins become desperate dogs leaping over the wall?

Or had the employer raised the price again, prompting the Gray Blood organization members who had gone into hiding and escaped elimination to come kill him amid this chaotic night?

Whatever the reason, Wang Xuan could not help but have killing intent surge within him. He had always treated others kindly and asked himself whether he had ever wronged anyone, yet again and again, people had targeted him and come to his door to kill him.

The rain outside grew heavier, crackling against the window. Raindrops also blew onto the balcony, and the assassin clinging outside was clearly having a hard time. She was soaked all over.

At last, she flipped herself over and slipped onto the balcony as nimbly as a civet cat, intending to hide behind the curtains and assassinate the person inside.

However, she had thought too much. The instant she flipped in, before she had even landed on the balcony, a hand seized the arm holding her gun. With a soft crack, her arm bone broke, immediately drooping limply. She could no longer hold the gun.

She was about to open her mouth and warn the others, but at the very instant Wang Xuan crushed her arm, his other hand moved as well. A terrifying slap, powerful and forceful, smashed across her mouth, nose, and face. It not only blocked her cry but also made blood flow from her seven orifices, nearly knocking her unconscious.

Wang Xuan was somewhat surprised. He had confidence in his own strength. After mastering the third level of the Golden Body Art, his flesh had become exceptionally powerful. With that slap, an ordinary person's entire face would have caved in; they would collapse without even a groan.

Yet this female assassin had not completely passed out. A powerful force surged up within her body as she tried to break free.

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

If she had not passed out, then he would give her another slap. Wang Xuan's Golden Body Art had now taken form, and his strength was exceptionally great. Someone who had only just begun Qi Gathering was nowhere near enough to deal with him.

With one slap, the female assassin's fairly decent face directly distorted. Fine cracks appeared in her brow bone, and darkness clouded her vision. Before collapsing, her heart turned ice-cold. This man was far stronger than the intelligence report had described. He had not even struck a vital point—he had casually smacked her face, yet she could not endure it. Her head felt as though it were about to burst apart, like a fierce Northeast tiger pinning a little rabbit beneath one paw.

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

Almost at the same time, the door gave a faint sound before opening noiselessly. Two people darted inside like apes and rolled across the floor rather than barging straight in.

The gun in Wang Xuan's hand fired wide and failed to hit anyone, but the female assassin he hurled out at the same time struck one of them.

That person was ruthless enough to kick the female assassin, sending her flying away. Then he sprang up with one hand on the floor, flicking a dagger from his hand straight toward Wang Xuan's face.

The moment Wang Xuan dodged, that person lunged directly at him.

The other person arrived almost simultaneously. His movements were astonishing, far beyond what the woman just now could compare to. It was clear these were two experts in the field of Old Arts.

They had brought no firearms. One came wielding a short blade, while the other was barehanded. They intended to kill their target.

Wang Xuan sighed. When he had the chance, he truly needed to practice his shooting. He had fired several times without hitting anything; his accuracy was truly terrible.

In truth, the main reason was that these two were both extraordinarily skilled. They dodged, shifted, rolled, and sprang, their movements nimble as they had trained their physical arts to an extremely profound level.

Not only had these two long since achieved Qi Gathering, they were experts who had practiced inner cultivation for years. If it had been Wang Xuan from a week ago, dealing with them would have been incomparably difficult and even dangerous.

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

He threw down the gun and dealt with the two barehanded.

Bang!

One of them swung his palm down, but Wang Xuan fiercely slapped out with his right hand and blocked it head-on. A dull thud rang out.

The assassin was greatly shocked. No one knew better than he did how much power his palm contained. If it struck, it could break the bones and tear the tendons of someone accomplished in Qi Gathering and inner cultivation. Yet that young man before him was unharmed.

Wang Xuan was indeed slightly startled. He noticed that the man's palm was unusual—far thicker and broader than an ordinary person's. At a glance, he recognized it as the hand of someone who practiced Iron Sand Palm. The palm had become deformed, with thickened and overgrown bone. A strike on a person would absolutely be lethal.

Bang!

That person suddenly exerted force and smashed Wang Xuan's desk directly to pieces. He was certain there was nothing wrong with his Iron Sand Palm, so why could he not move the young man opposite him?

Wang Xuan's face immediately darkened. Since they had come to kill him, they could simply fight him. Yet they had actually destroyed his belongings as well. This was simply too much.

Then the two assassins were dumbfounded. His facial expression had not changed when he was fighting to kill them just now, so why was he suddenly boiling with rage, repeatedly striking them with deadly force?

They did not know that Little Wang had only just started working and had not even received his first month's salary. Now he had to compensate the landlord for a desk, and his funds were truly tight.

The two could scarcely believe it. This tall, slender young man possessed strength so great it was horrifying. Every blow that landed on them felt like being rammed by a charging rhinoceros. Several times, they were sent flying, their bones crackling as numerous bones broke.

When their Iron Sand Palms collided with that young man's slaps, he felt nothing at all. Instead, their own coarse palms split open, blood pouring out like a fountain.

Bang! Bang!

The two fell to the ground, immobilized. Their arm bones, leg bones, breastbones, and more were all fractured. They seriously suspected the organization had sent them here to die. Was this someone who had only just succeeded in Qi Gathering and inner cultivation? Were the intelligence department blind?

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

What the hell was that? How much could a broken desk possibly be worth? And what was this path to Ascension to Immortality? As their hearts turned cold, the two assassins were also utterly bewildered.