The Stars Beyond

Chapter 147: Against A Transcendent

Inside the serpent's wet mouth, Wang Xuan found himself slipping and sliding. In his determination to survive, he reasoned that if he could not defeat these creatures, perhaps his best chance lay in willingly becoming their prey. Voluntarily placing himself inside the mouth of the younger serpent seemed a better fate than being torn apart by the larger one.

The stench inside the serpent's mouth, however, was nearly unbearable. For Wang Xuan, who was particularly fastidious about cleanliness, this experience was pure torment. He inhaled deeply several times, trying to fill his lungs with as much fresh air as possible before he was inevitably swallowed.

The woman, witnessing Wang Xuan's choice, seemed torn between despair and incredulity. Was this truly how her journey would end? In an act of desperate mimicry, she too jumped into the gaping maw of the other young serpent.

The remaining man shouted in alarm, "Have you lost your mind? While Wang Xuan might have mastered some protective technique, what do you have?" In his panic, he gestured accusingly towards Wang Xuan, hoping to divert the creature's attention.

His attempt was in vain. With a swift movement, one of the adult serpents snatched him up, ending his life in an instant. It was a stark reminder that even the most skilled practitioners stood little chance against these supernatural entities. As he was drawn further into the serpent's throat, Wang Xuan took one last look at the outside world, his emotions a tumultuous blend of disbelief and resignation. He had never imagined a day where he'd willingly offer himself as a meal to a beast.

Inside the serpent's belly, the environment was warm, sticky, and laden with corrosive enzymes capable of dissolving flesh and bone alike. Wang Xuan recognized the remains of the bear he had seen earlier, its form now a gruesome, partially digested pulp. Alongside it was another creature, a large feline, already mostly broken down by the serpent's digestive juices.

Closing his eyes, Wang Xuan reached out with his spiritual senses. Unsure of how long he could hold his breath in this treacherous, enzyme-rich environment, a faint golden glow emanated from his body, protecting him from immediate digestion.

In ancient times, it was said that Buddha, before his enlightenment, was swallowed by a peacock and later emerged unharmed to attain enlightenment under the Bodhi tree. Wang Xuan drew solace from this story, comforting himself that if even Buddha had been devoured once, what was so shameful about his current predicament?

If he could find his way out alive, he'd be renowned like Buddha. He mused, perhaps they were kindred spirits, reflecting each other's experiences across different times. Wang Xuan had always been resilient, and even now, trapped inside the beast, he refused to wallow in despair. Instead, he fortified himself with bright beliefs and reassurances.

"Were not the stories of Buddha merely tales? Perhaps he was not swallowed by a peacock but by some odd, large bird," Wang Xuan pondered. "While Buddha had a peacock, I was swallowed by a creature comparable to a mighty dragon."

Amidst Wang Xuan's internal pep talk, he suddenly felt an onslaught. An adult silk snake used its psychic power, scanning the insides of the juvenile snake, sweeping its contents. Wang Xuan froze, feeling the young snake's stomach walls contract violently, its digestive juices threatening to break him down. He dared not move or defend himself with his spiritual field for fear of alerting the larger serpent. His protective headgear was long lost, leaving him vulnerable.

The mental power of these supernatural creatures was undeniably strong. Wang Xuan felt as if his head would split open, but he knew this would not be the end of him. Faintly, he sensed movement from the belly of another serpent – the woman seemed to be struggling. On impulse, Wang Xuan too writhed and contorted within his fleshy prison, before falling silent once more.

After a moment, the probing from the large serpent ceased. It seemed the creatures were wary of some live meals and felt the need to assess their catches. Wang Xuan lay still, a hazy halo surrounding him, relying heavily on his protective skills, hoping the snake would soon move on.

In time, the lair's vibrations signaled the departure of the male serpent. Yet, the female remained, basking in the sun outside the cave, her menacing aura radiating outward, dominating the surroundings.

Minutes turned to hours.

After an agonizing wait of nearly two hours, Wang Xuan felt the strain on his body. After all, he was still just a master at the pinnacle of his training, and holding his breath for this long was a testament to his exceptional skills.

Growing increasingly anxious, Wang Xuan wondered why the mother snake still had not moved. With every passing second, he feared the worst. If he were to die and reincarnate in another form, he'd never rest in peace!

By the third hour, desperation crept in. Wang Xuan was on the verge of killing the juvenile snake from within just to end his plight. However, a glimmer of hope arose when the two young snakes began to stir, calling out and wriggling about. It seemed like they were signaling their hunger to the mother snake.

Just as Wang Xuan was bracing for a final, desperate move, he felt the ground vibrate—the mother snake was moving away. Cautiously, he extended his spiritual senses to confirm there was no longer any immediate threat.

Drawing his short dagger, Wang Xuan decided against cutting open the snake's belly immediately. Instead, he launched a fierce psychic assault on the juvenile snake's consciousness, intending to render it unconscious. If the young creature were to cry out, it could easily summon the mother snake back. Fortunately, while the snake's physical form was formidable, its psychic defenses were relatively weak. It collapsed, unconscious.

Gratefully, Wang Xuan cut through the belly and emerged, gulping down the fresh air. He had barely avoided suffocating within the snake's stomach. Noticing the other young snake observing him, Wang Xuan quickly incapacitated it with another psychic blast.

Breathing deeply, he relished his newfound freedom. "On this day, the very first day of the first month of the first year in the Mitu calendar, Wang Xuan emerged from the belly of a legendary serpent, proclaiming his enlightenment and daring to rival even the Buddha!" Despite the life-threatening ordeal, Wang Xuan's optimism shone through, putting a triumphant spin on his near-death experience.

Without missing a beat, Wang Xuan began to sprint away, sticky residues from the snake's insides dripping from his body. He knew that silk snakes were incredibly fast hunters and that it would not be long before they returned. For his survival, he needed to distance himself from the area as quickly as possible.

"Look! That bastard is still alive," someone exclaimed. "See him? He's sprinting away from that extraordinary den, covering dozens of feet in a single stride!"

From a distant mountain peak, the man who had once been forced by Wang Xuan to jump into the river yelled out, summoning his comrades. After their hasty escape, they returned in hopes of finding any survivors among their ranks once the danger seemed to have subsided.

To their astonishment, after about half an hour of observation, they saw Wang Xuan, the man with the unusual psychic strength, sprinting away from the scene.

"He's still alive? How is that even possible? I saw the giant snake leave with my own eyes; how on earth did he survive until now?" one exclaimed in disbelief.

All eyes turned to Wang Xuan, noting the slimy residues that covered him and the corroded state of the armor they recognized as their own. Their shock deepened as they pieced together his miraculous escape.

"He's ruthless! He hid inside the belly of the young snake, used his indestructible body to withstand the peril, and then escaped when the giant snake left," one surmised.

The group exchanged glances, their expressions hardening. They signaled to each other, preparing to hunt down Wang Xuan.

"You might've escaped the jaws of the snake, but you won't escape us!" one declared coldly.

......

Wang Xuan raced forward, disgusted by the stench that clung to him. His shoulder bore remnants of undigested bear flesh, a nauseating reminder of his recent ordeal. The slimy residue left a trail wherever he went, and the pungent smell could easily give away his location to the hunting serpent.

"I need to wash off this stench," he thought.

Fortunately, the dense forest was dotted with lakes and rivers. Wang Xuan soon spotted a pool of water and, with a splash, dove in, eager to cleanse himself.

From a distant peak, the men watched. "He's trying to wash away his scent. He fears the mother snake will hunt him down," one observed. "We should wait. If we run into the snake, we might inadvertently become its target instead of him."

After a quick bath, Wang Xuan emerged, feeling relatively clean. However, a residual odor still lingered. "I might as well peel off a layer of skin at this rate," he mused, flicking away the strange fish that had latched onto him during his brief swim.

Suddenly, a deafening shriek echoed throughout the forest. The enraged mother snake, finding its young ones unconscious, was on a rampage. And it was not alone; the male serpent, stirred by the female's cries, was quickly approaching. Its terrifying presence, even more formidable than the female's, seemed to fly across the trees and descend upon a nearby hill, causing a massive explosion that brought down the mountainside.

Wang Xuan's heart raced. The odds of escaping seemed slim, especially since he felt an uncanny sensation — a feverish heat enveloping his body. Upon closer inspection, he found alarming red patches forming on his skin. Strangely, his vision seemed to sharpen. In a moment of clarity, he recalled the blood-red grapes he'd consumed earlier. "Could I be transforming into a demon?" he wondered.

In the distance, the thunderous roars of the male serpent continued, its terrifying might causing even the mountains to crumble.

The male serpent unleashed its extraordinary senses, scanning the surrounding forests with precision. The mother snake's sharp, piercing cries filled the air, its fury palpable. Its distressing calls, signaling the danger that had befallen their young ones, sent all creatures, both winged and four-legged, into a chaotic frenzy, unsettling the entire mountainside.

Wang Xuan felt a chill down his spine, believing that his odds of survival were slim. The unmatched speed of the two exceptional creatures meant they would catch up to him in no time, especially if they were to track him by his scent. The bleak turns his life had taken that day weighed heavily on him. He had barely escaped death once, and it seemed inevitable now.

True to his fears, amidst the thunderous explosions in the forest and the toppling of massive trees, the male serpent, with its unparalleled agility, leaped from a mountain peak, zeroing in on Wang Xuan's location.

"Da Wu, I never had the chance to find your remains," Wang Xuan lamented, wondering if his end was near. "Qing Han, I hope you make it back to Xin Xing alive," he wished as he mustered all his strength to flee. And to his old friend, he whispered regretfully, "Old Zhong, I never got to explore your library, to see the golden bamboo scripts and the five-colored jade books. What a pity!"

......

Determination flared in Wang Xuan's eyes as he sprinted towards the enigmatic mountain region. With no other alternatives, he decided to make a last-ditch effort, choosing to face death head-on. That area, shrouded in mist, was notoriously known to be at the heart of the territory where eight exceptional creatures made their nests.

"I promised to return to my homeland within three years. I can't possibly die here," Wang Xuan murmured to himself.

As he raced, the world around him seemed to blur, with landscapes whizzing past him. He could now see the colossal figures of the two pursuing creatures rapidly approaching. Undoubtedly, they had tracked him by his scent.

"Let's see what mysteries this forbidden land holds. If I survive, I'll find an opportunity to settle the score with you beasts!" Wang Xuan vowed, taking large strides. As he neared the enigmatic area's periphery, an eerie silence greeted him. Not even the faintest chirp of insects could be heard.

Casting a glance over his shoulder, he saw the male serpent's massive form skimming the ground, its eyes cold, ruthless, and locked onto him. With a thunderous crash, the serpent landed, causing the earth to fracture and disrupting the stillness.

Soon after, the female serpent arrived, rearing up on its tail to loom menacingly over Wang Xuan.

"I won't die. The world outside awaits my brilliance," Wang Xuan declared resolutely. And with that, he disappeared into the mist.