"There's a problem," Wang Xuan said, his eyes fixed on the four Bodhisattvas. As a true Grandmaster, he could see things others couldn't. Undoubtedly, the physical strength of the four Bodhisattvas was formidable, but their spiritual energy was no match for a true Grandmaster.
In terms of similar-level figures, this aspect was a clear weakness. Wang Xuan felt confident that if he obtained a secret manual for the spiritual realm, he could overwhelm a Moonlight Bodhisattva's spiritual form!
Everyone was watching, particularly the special consultants and security experts from various organizations. As the four Bodhisattvas stepped forward, they seemed to glide just above the ground, covering a great distance in an astonishing manner. Their power was enhanced by the Moon's lower gravity.
A faint white mist hovered before Wang Xuan's forehead as he paid close attention, trying to verify his suspicions.
The area near the Moon Pit erupted in combat. When one reached the level of a Moonlight Bodhisattva, they could sense danger in advance. One Bodhisattva swung their alloy blade upward, while another stomped on the ground, causing the hard rock to fracture and enormous black cracks to appear. The power of a Grandmaster was extraordinary.
Wang Xuan's expression turned serious; those mysterious beings were indeed resorting to their old tricks, lunging forward to possess their targets. One Moonlight Bodhisattva swung their long knife through the air, but it was useless—the blade passed through the white light without effect, and the entity dove directly at their head.
Outside the protective barrier, there was no air to carry sound, but people could still sense the Bodhisattva's howling screams, filled with anguish. He dropped his alloy knife, clawing at his head in a frenzy, desperate to rip off his spacesuit and shatter the protective helmet.
Wang Xuan sighed; the weaknesses of the Moonlight Bodhisattvas were stark. Their physical prowess was sufficient, but their spiritual levels lagged, leaving them vulnerable to possession.
Bang!
The Bodhisattva kicked a four-meter-high meteorite into the air, shattering it mid-flight, startling all witnesses. Wang Xuan saw clearly that the glowing entity was burrowing into the Bodhisattva's head, vanishing bit by bit—a chilling sight!
"That's quite cruel!" Wang Xuan lamented. He could see the Bodhisattva's spirit dimming, extinguished slowly by the entity.
However, he also noticed a critical detail: the creature had to pay a price to possess the Bodhisattva, being burned by the Bodhisattva's flesh. The white light it emitted was fading under the heat, yet it still forced its way in, seemingly exhilarated. Eventually, it dimmed completely, fully merging with the Moonlight Bodhisattva's body.
Wang Xuan's heart raced. The latest Moonlight Bodhisattva created by the Life Research Institute must have met the entity's needs perfectly!
Crack!
The first possessed Moonlight Bodhisattva struggled in a final act of desperation, ripping his spacesuit apart. The mysterious being within him let out a furious roar, sending out a wave of spiritual energy.
Many spectators on this side of the barrier sighed. They didn't see the Bodhisattva fight any creature, but they witnessed his madness as he tore apart his protective suit, realizing his death was imminent.
Even someone as powerful as a Grandmaster couldn't remain exposed on the Moon's surface for long.
Finally, he leaped into the black abyss of the Moon Pit, disappearing.
Nearby, the other three Moonlight Bodhisattvas were also engaged in fierce struggles, going mad as they battled whatever was attacking them.
Everyone felt a chill; the unknown was the most terrifying force of all.
One Moonlight Bodhisattva exploded, scattering flesh and bone around the meteorites. The mysterious entity that flew from his body became insubstantial, as possessing a Grandmaster had exacted a heavy toll—he ultimately didn't claim a physical body.
Then, the third Bodhisattva exploded as well. The fourth leaped into the Moon Pit and never resurfaced.
In an instant, all those within the protective barrier fell silent, stunned; four Moonlight Bodhisattvas had been annihilated in such a short time!
Although the scene was tragic and weighed heavily on their hearts, Wang Xuan confirmed some important facts: the creatures in the Moon Pit could not shift mountains or fill seas, nor could they significantly influence humanity in the mundane world. Even possession required a considerable price.
He glanced toward the distant White Horse Temple and the Taoist ancestral temple; the same applied to Buddhism and Taoism.
His belief in a particular theory deepened—many ancient myths and legends might have originated in the spiritual realm.
"Immortals return to their realm, and mortals return to Wang Xuan," he murmured to himself.
Thinking this way, the roles of the Immortals and Bodhisattvas might receive a new interpretation.
Qin Hong's face was extremely grim as he personally witnessed this scene through the protective barrier. The four Moonlight Bodhisattvas entering the pit without causing any splashes filled him with agitation.
He turned away; it might be time to consider using "N-Matter," something extracted from an ancient paradise.
Yet, he dreaded abandoning his youngest son's body, hoping to bring him back from the Moon Pit. The thought of leaving him to be buried alongside those mysterious entities made him shudder.
"Based on years of observation, the creatures in the Moon Pit seem to be connected to spiritual entities. I believe to rescue Yunfeng, we need someone with powerful spiritual abilities to go in," someone beside Qin Hong suggested. They had studied various data over the past century, meticulously reviewing every terrifying incident.
Back at his residence, Qin Hong felt terrible, his expression cold. "Where do we find such a person right now?"
"Among the security experts and special consultants stationed at the Moon, there should be a few with strong spiritual powers. We can mobilize them."
"This group of martial artists, when it's time to show their worth, all shrink back! They're less reliable than the guard dog at my feet!" Qin Hong said, kicking the nearby guard dog in frustration.
His confidant remained silent; speaking up now could easily lead to mistakes.
After a long time, Qin Hong finally regained his composure and turned to the people beside him, saying, "Put more pressure on them!"
Soon, various organizations began mobilizing their internal security experts and consultants, clearly informing them that the Qin family had raised the bounty again.
The Qin family was a major client of organizations like Dingwu, so they were indeed arranging things seriously and contacting some seasoned professionals. However, no one responded.
After all, the branches on the Moon were legitimate companies, not mercenaries stationed on desolate planets, nor were they mindless pawns that could be dispatched at will. Consequently, those stationed on the Moon had no feasible solutions.
Not long after, the relevant organizations received notice that the Qin family wanted to meet with the security experts and consultants.
There were six or seven organizations capable of providing security services on the Moon, and hundreds of security experts and consultants were invited to a hall.
Even Qin Cheng, the "waste," showed up.
Of course, after he succeeded in refining his Qi and nurturing his inner strength, he barely qualified as the lowest-tier security expert.
Qin Hong arrived, filled with deep sorrow. He sighed, "I know you're all elites in this field, and some of you are top-tier practitioners. I apologize for the abruptness of bringing you all here; it truly feels like an intrusion. However, please understand the grief and pain of a father who has just lost a child…"
Qin Hong's voice was low, laced with hidden sorrow, and he appeared very sincere, humbling himself before them.
Wang Xuan was surprised; if it weren't for his own development of the spiritual realm and having heard Qin Hong's cold words from afar before, he wouldn't have been able to see through this person now.
Back then, far from everyone, Qin Cheng had called a group of martial artists useless cowards, stating they were no better than a dog.
Now, he gathered everyone together with a face full of sorrow, speaking plainly and emotionally about how difficult it was to practice the Old and New Techniques… whose life isn't precious? If it weren't for necessity, he genuinely wouldn't want to risk anyone.
Wang Xuan marked him in his mind, noting that this man was hypocritical and cold. If they ever crossed paths again, he would need to be on guard; he was not easy to deal with.
"Old Qin is very grounded; he speaks quite honestly," Qin Cheng remarked.
Wang Xuan could only sigh, "We're still young; we should learn, observe, and stay vigilant."
Eventually, Qin Hong had people lay out treasures like golden mushrooms, Earth marrow, sword manuals, ancient texts on mental training, and Aolesha's manuscripts on the table.
He also informed them that there would be bamboo slips from pre-Qin alchemists, along with moonlight silver and mountain conch—though he hadn't brought those with him.
Additionally, the bounty he prepared would reach a staggering three hundred million new star coins.
Seeing these rare items and ultimate manuals right before their eyes made some people's blood rush.
Indeed, someone couldn't help but ask, "If we die inside, will there be compensation?"
This was a matter of life and death!
Qin Hong immediately replied, quite decisively, "Yes! Whose life isn't valuable? If an accident occurs, your family will definitely be taken care of!"
Though ninety-nine percent of the people would still refuse to take the risk, they felt Qin Hong was incredibly sincere.
Wang Xuan, however, was too focused to feel much sentiment; he concentrated all his mental energy on the manuscripts on the table. With his spiritual realm formed, the so-called barriers and angles were not significant problems!
Especially since Qin Hong held the items to provide everyone with a more direct impression, showcasing them and even flipping through pages, which further aided Wang Xuan.
The ancient texts for mental training totaled only two pages, with a pitifully small word count—just a few hundred words!
Wang Xuan couldn't help but reflect, no wonder there was an ancient saying: "The transmission of a thousand volumes of books is no match for a single line of true teachings."
The sword manual contained six pages, each filled with six secret phrases paired with six illustrations.
Master Wang, not shy at all, took advantage of Qin Hong's heartfelt and moving speech to commit both texts to memory.
Around them, people whispered among themselves, praising Qin Hong as a good person, quite down-to-earth. While they couldn't assist in the expedition, they all had a positive impression of him.
Wang Xuan joined in, nodding repeatedly, affirming that Old Qin was indeed generous, and then he followed the crowd out of the hall, feeling quite pleased!
In the end, six people braved the dangers to venture into the Moon Pit, but they all perished in the attempt.
After that, no one dared step outside the protective barrier.
Clearly, the Moon Pit was unlike before; this time, there was no sign of tranquility after its revival. The future would likely be exceedingly perilous!
"The six have died!" A confidant rushed in to inform Qin Hong.
"Are the lives of martial artists so cheap?" Qin Hong stood up with a cold expression, gazing out the window. "What era is this? Those outdated techniques will eventually be abandoned!"
Finally, his face darkened as he spoke, "Contact everyone and see if they have any objections. If not, I'll proceed to abandon Yunfeng's body!"
Over the years, major organizations and financial groups on the New Star had also been researching the Moon Pit; they couldn't leave this hidden danger unresolved.
They had already confirmed that there were X-Matter within the Moon Pit, which was less dense than what was discovered back in the days of the "paradise."
This X-Matter possessed extraordinary properties that severely interfered with spacecraft and intelligent machinery, proving quite lethal.
At the same time, it could also corrode the divine particles found in the New Technique realm, causing considerable headaches.
After so many years, major organizations had carefully explored and researched, finding a rare N-Matter with extraordinary properties, capable of counteracting the X-Matter.
"Since no one has any objections, let's move forward!" Qin Hong grit his teeth and commanded.
A battleship appeared above the Moon, ready for action.
In an instant, the Moon Pit erupted in blinding light before vanishing; then, it lit up again, ultimately exploding!
"Has the Moon Pit's trouble been resolved?" At that moment, everyone gasped in shock, utterly astonished.
Wang Xuan saw luminous beings emerging but inexplicably disintegrating, with one radiant figure after another bursting apart.
"The legends of the spiritual realm can't compete with the present world," Wang Xuan lamented.
Suddenly, he felt a chill run down his spine, sensing an impending catastrophe. It felt as though an inexplicable disaster was about to unfold in the world.
"Old Wang, I feel tightness in my chest and don't know why. What's happening?" Qin Cheng gasped for air, feeling waves of palpitations; even he could sense something was amiss.
"Immortals return to their realm, while mortals seem not yet to have returned to Wang Xuan," Master Wang muttered, then grabbed Qin Cheng and ran toward the ancient Daoist temple.
"But the White Horse Temple is closer!" Qin Cheng protested.
"I'm not familiar with them. If we need to pull someone out from the ancient pit, I must find someone familiar!" Wang Xuan urged him onward, muttering, "Old Zhang, if things go wrong, this realm is temporarily yours!"