Wang Xuan felt a heavy weight in his heart, his expression more serious than ever. He had finally discerned what it was: the Veil. It loomed before him, more majestic than anything he had ever seen, as it truly approached the real world.
His first encounter with such a phenomenon had almost ended in disaster. Back then, deep within the Inner Landscape, a red-cloaked female spirit had nearly pierced through. Now, he was witnessing this in the tangible world.
The light from below continued to spread, expanding towards the Moon's surface, as the once blurry landscape began to crystallize into clarity. How could the world behind the Veil appear in reality?
Suddenly, Wang Xuan sensed something different and realized the situation's gravity. The Veil was drawing closer, the underground light was expanding, but dark voids were also emerging from the Moon Pit, gradually surfacing.
This area was silent, dim, and deep—it was an Inner Landscape! It felt like a shadow connected to the bright Veil, anchoring the real world and serving as a crucial coordinate. What lifeforms were being drawn back?
Though the Inner Landscape had not fully manifested on the surface, Wang Xuan could already see parts of the truth: a hand, a hand pushing through the Veil, reaching into the Inner Landscape, seemingly having struggled for many years to cross over.
He looked around; no one else could perceive the anomalies in the Moon Pit, not even the old Taoists at Zhengyi Guan. Everyone was oblivious to the terrifying event unfolding, one that could potentially alter the world's very fabric.
If that creature crossed over, no one could predict the consequences. The only option was to use the super battleship to lock onto it and eliminate it at once. If it escaped and adapted to this reality, the aftermath would be unthinkable.
The scene became clearer, revealing a desolate world behind the Veil: broken ruins, rubble strewn about, and fallen mountains—everything portrayed a sense of decay and silence. Life was scarce, with very few plants, most nearly withered. Despite the Veil's gentle glow, the world behind it was starkly desolate.
Islands floated in the sky, and one began to fall, with pavilions crashing down and kicking up clouds of dust. In the distance, there were cities and villages, but few people could be seen, depicting a bleak existence.
As the Veil approached the real world, this hidden world became clearer, almost as if it had been drawn closer, reflected in Wang Xuan's spiritual realm.
But what truly shocked him was what lay adjacent to the Veil. A tall, thin man stood there, with unkempt hair and bulging, slitted eyes—his features unmistakable. One of his hands stretched through the Veil into the Inner Landscape, seemingly draining all his strength, unable to pass through.
Nearby, several figures were shrouded in mist, some indistinct but identifiable as both men and women. Someone wielded a sword, striking the Veil repeatedly, trying to carve out a gap for the slitted-eyed man, but to no avail.
On the Inner Landscape side, it was dim; it felt like a shadow, yet there were people inside! Some were ancient practitioners sitting in meditation, while others donned spacesuits, and even modern casual attire.
Wang Xuan was astonished—how could modern people exist within the Inner Landscape? Upon spotting a Moonlight Bodhisattva, he realized they were later arrivals, their spiritual forms drawn into the Inner Landscape.
Undoubtedly, they were not flesh-and-blood beings but residual spiritual entities. Four Moonlight Bodhisattvas had once approached the Moon Pit, three of whom had been completely extinguished, with one seemingly absorbed by the others.
In the Inner Landscape sat a peculiar old man, perfectly mirrored by a skeleton behind him. The skeleton was real, not part of the Inner Landscape!
When Wang Xuan saw this, chills ran down his spine. He understood the truth: this old man could open the Inner Landscape, acting as a key connecting the world behind the Veil to the real world. Was he anchoring the Celestials to this reality?
Wang Xuan's scalp prickled; the old man's fate foreshadowed what could happen if he were captured and used! He might even attract more attention than the old man himself.
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He scrutinized the old man, noticing other middle-aged and young individuals in ancient garb, seemingly arranged by status. Observing closely, Wang Xuan concluded that this old man appeared to be a leader, able to open the Inner Landscape, while the others were likely talented disciples from his sect.
The modern individuals were clearly later assimilated, residing at the outer edge of this realm. The old man's physical form had long perished, but it remained significant as a real object connected to his spiritual essence, sitting just outside the Inner Landscape.
The skeleton looked powerful, its bones white and gleaming, devoid of any decaying scent, appearing almost sacred.
"Could he be nearing the level of transcendence?" Wang Xuan speculated about the old man's former strength.
"His spirit attaches to the Inner Landscape, merging with the real world through his remains, while those behind the Veil attempt to reach the real world via the Inner Landscape, seeking to return!" Wang Xuan's expression flickered between concern and resolve.
Wang Xuan snapped back to attention, realizing he needed to be more cautious and vigilant. Being targeted and captured by ancient beings could lead to a grim fate. The old man who could open the Inner Landscape was likely a leader of some sect, but how had he ended up on the Moon? Was it the work of the Celestials, or did he possess other means?
His curiosity grew—was the old man from the old earth, or was he an ancient figure from this new star? So far, he knew little about New Star's conditions, only that it was suitable for human habitation, akin to old earth, vibrant with diverse life. Were there humans there long ago?
Wang Xuan shook off these thoughts and focused back on the Moon Pit. The dark Inner Landscape was clearly problematic; as the hand in the Veil struggled, it shrank slowly like a deflating balloon. The spiritual entities inside were growing dimmer.
It was uncertain how long this Inner Landscape had been linked to the world behind the Veil, but it clearly impacted the spirits within, weakening them over the years. The mystical elements in the Inner Landscape felt extremely scarce—compared to what Wang Xuan had encountered before, this was a barren land.
The Moon Pit's Inner Landscape was being depleted by that hand; it was no longer a place of healing but a site of death!
Meanwhile, the figures behind the Veil were stirring. They aided the slitted-eyed man, attempting to force their way through, wielding weapons to strike at the Veil, creating intense vibrations. Their efforts seemed effective; after all, the man's hand had breached already, but the cost was high. Their relentless assaults left the Inner Landscape on the brink of collapse.
Eventually, the others paused, while the slitted-eyed man forcefully extended his hand, light pouring from the Inner Landscape toward the Moon base. This beam surged like a tide, crashing against the protective barrier.
Before it could fully enter, dazzling radiance erupted from Zhengyi Guan, countless talismans manifesting and coalescing into a grand seal.
Boom!
Wang Xuan felt a surge of dizziness, his spiritual realm nearly bursting as the seal smashed into the Moon Pit, shattering the incoming tide of light. Simultaneously, a swastika symbol appeared at Bai Ma Si, also crashing into the Moon Pit, its Buddha light purifying the overwhelming "tide."
The light emitted by the massive hand was extinguished!
In the Moon Pit, the slitted-eyed man let out a weary sigh, embodying a mix of resignation over the thwarted intervention and despair at the heavy price paid for no result.
"Yang Ping Zhi Du Gong Seal!" Wang Xuan was astonished, observing the small glowing seal from Zhengyi Guan. This was the very seal recorded in the "History of Taoism," preserved and not lost to time.
It was Zhang Daoling's personal seal, the most significant treasure of Longhu Mountain. Wang Xuan marveled at its preservation—how fortunate that it had not been claimed by the affluent, stashed away in a library. It seemed that over a century ago, a great master had set up such defenses here.
A low roar echoed; once again, the beings in the Moon Pit surged forth, a white light like a tide rushing in. But again, they were met with the Yang Ping Zhi Du Gong Seal and the swastika from Bai Ma Si, crashing against them.
Tragically, the Inner Landscape could not withstand the intense tremors and depletion, beginning to disintegrate. The spirits within opened their mouths, but no words escaped—they simply vanished without a trace!
This was a stunning conflict of the extraordinary, unnoticed by ordinary people, who perceived nothing.
Wang Xuan felt a deep understanding; the real world held countless inscrutable mysteries, and what he had witnessed was likely just the tip of the iceberg.
"Will they ultimately perish?" A voice echoed from the Moon Pit, and to Wang Xuan's astonishment, he understood it. He was momentarily stunned.
He soon realized that it wasn't that he understood the language; rather, the slitted-eyed man's spirit was resonating, allowing those with spiritual domains to grasp his intent.
In that instant, he found himself reflecting on Old Chen, who had once claimed to have studied the ancient dialects of Jiangnan for over two thousand years, supposedly enabling him to comprehend the words of the red-cloaked spirit. Now, it appeared he had been misled!
As the Inner Landscape dissipated, the Veil faded, and the world behind it blurred and vanished.
"The transcendence is not resplendent; the mortal realm remains vibrant…" the slitted-eyed man bellowed, his hair billowing as he filled with despair and unwillingness, his long hair transforming into a fiery red, like cascading magma, as he unleashed one final roar.