Outside of Time - Chapter 1332

Chapter 1310 Leaving the Star Ring, Looking Back at the Past:

Xu Qing and Master Bai journeyed onward.

Walking through the starry sky, walking through time.

Their figures were imperceptible to ordinary cultivators; only Xia Xian could vaguely sense them.

They talked a great deal along the way—

about the past, present stories, and future dreams.

Until, when they reached the edge of the fourth star ring together, Master Bai departed.

Before leaving, this first teacher of Xu Qing gave him two items.

The first was a seed.

“Xu Qing, when you look back to the past, if Chen Feiyuan and Tingyu are still alive, ask them if they would like to come to me.”

“If they do, help them plant this seed. On the day it blooms, they can come to me, drawn by its fragrance.”

“And if they have passed away?” Xu Qing asked softly.

“If they have passed away, plant this seed in front of their tombstone,”

Master Bai said hoarsely.

The second item he gave Xu Qing was a lantern.

The frame of this object is made from a special type of clay, with faint, strange patterns on it, seemingly naturally formed, yet also containing ancient runes, flowing with mysterious power.

The material looks very similar to Master Bai’s medicine jar.

As for the lampshade, it is woven from a mysterious spiritual thread, radiating a faint seven-colored halo.

As the light flows, it is dreamlike and ethereal, as if gathering the magnificent colors of all the heavens and the myriad worlds into one.

The way the spiritual threads are interwoven is extremely exquisite, forming a series of mysterious paintings that appear and disappear, sometimes showing a fairyland with clouds and mist, sometimes showing a vast starry river.

It is as if the lampshade itself is a miniature universe, hiding endless mysteries.

And the most strange thing is the wick inside the lantern!

It is an eyeball!

Even after going through the refining process, it still retains its charm.

It exudes an awe-inspiring majesty and mystery that makes people dare not look directly at it, and the blood vessels on the eyeball exude endless terror.

It seemed that a single glance could cause all things in the world to tremble.

According to Master Bai, the eye within this lantern came from the deity of the Fifth Star Ring!

And after Master Bai himself refined this lantern using special methods of herbal arts, it could retain a wisp of that deity’s divine authority!

“The deity of the Fifth Star Ring possessed entropy!”

“Entropy is the process by which all things move from order to chaos, and at its peak… it could change everything about matter through increase or decrease.”

“The method of refining this lantern is my application of the Way of Herbal Arts. As my disciple, I will also pass on this method to you. I hope that after further exploration, you too can refine it.”

…

Master Bai left.

He waited for Xu Qing for seven years outside the rift where the old deity once stood, and now his wish was fulfilled.

In the starry sky, Xu Qing stood at the edge of the Fourth Star Ring, watching Master Bai’s departing figure, and bowed respectfully.

After a long while, he looked at the lantern before him.

This lantern floated in the starry sky, swaying slightly, attracting gusts of ethereal wind.

A faint, ethereal melody mingled with the wind, captivating all who listened. But upon closer inspection, one could discern within this melody the whispers of the gods.

Listening to these whispers for a while, Xu Qing put away his lantern and turned to face the entire Fourth Star Ring.

A smile slowly spread across his face.

Accompanying this smile was a hearty laugh echoing from the Fourth Star Ring.

This laughter, falling into this void, formed arcs of light, creating a phantom, shimmering mirror.

From within that mirror, the figures of Immortal Lord Miming and his Daoist companion appeared.

“Brother, I know you’re going home.”

“I dare not go to the Ninth Star Ring where you are…”

“It can be said that apart from the few Divine Venerables native to your Ninth Star Ring, no other Star Ring Divine Lords or Divine Venerables dare to go.”

“Especially that Shanghuang, who recently awakened…”

“Therefore, I cannot personally assist you on this journey.”

Xu Qing nodded. He had gradually come to understand this over the years, especially now that he was a Xia Immortal, his understanding of this was even deeper. He

understood that even Immortal Venerables only dared to appear in the outer sea back then, and even then, they were inside a fish’s belly, using the power of the Golden Rat. Even so, they did not dare to linger for long, choosing to leave after a short time.

“However, although I cannot go, I have prepared a gift for you!”

Mi Ming smiled, raised his hand and waved, and the mirror he was in shrank, turning into a mirror that rushed straight towards Xu Qing.

“This is my constitution!”

“You once impersonated me. Although my constitution was sealed then, you could still sense my true Mirror Constitution, so lending it to you should be fine.”

“Furthermore, I’m still worried about you going back alone, so I brought your subordinates with me.”

As he spoke, Mi Ming raised his hand again.

Instantly, the starry sky distorted, and the next instant… the figures of Xing Huanzi, Zhou Zhengli, Xie Lingzi, Li Mengtu, Yuan Shansu, and others appeared one after another.

Qian Junpiyi, with a mournful face, was also among them.

A total of eleven!

The moment they appeared, Mi Ming’s voice was like a decree, echoing in their minds.

“I command you to follow True Lord Ji Qing for three thousand years, protecting him with your lives!”

“After three thousand years, you will return and be ranked among the immortals!”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhengli and Xing Huanzi were alright. One of them didn’t care about becoming an immortal, believing that as long as he followed Xu Qing, he would gain more in the future.

The other believed that he could advance on his own.

So although their thoughts were different, their expressions were similar.

However, the others were all moved. The so-called   ”rank of immortals” refers

to the opportunity bestowed upon those who have attained the Xia Immortal realm!

This is an immense fortune for them.

After all, not everyone can successfully step into the Xia Immortal realm like Xu Qing.

Therefore, in the next instant, everyone bowed. “We obey the Immortal Lord’s decree!”   Then, these former subordinates of Xu Qing instinctively looked at Xu Qing.   Sensing Xu Qing’s cultivation level and the vast aura he exuded, they naturally understood that Xu Qing… had become a Xia Immortal!

And in their comparisons of Xia Xianhou, they all sensed the differences.

“Xu Qing… he possesses the might of a Celestial Lord!”

Xing Huanzi’s heart trembled.

At this moment, Mi Ming’s gaze also fell on Xu Qing, smiling but remaining silent.

Looking at the mirror before him, Xu Qing felt a warmth rise in his heart, recalling the scenes from his arrival here. Finally, Xu Qing bowed deeply to Mi Ming before him.

Mi Ming’s smile became even gentler, and the Spirit Phoenix Fairy beside him whispered,

“Xu Qing, may all be well.”

In that smile, in that blessing, the two figures disappeared.

And in the instant they dispersed, a stream of light was flung out from the void by Mi Ming, the remaining sound carrying a hint of teasing, echoing in all directions.

“By the way, the goddesses I promised you, I captured three, they’re all inside.”

It was a bead.

Inside, three sleeping goddesses could be seen…

Xu Qing’s expression was strange, and he raised his hand to put it away.

This scene, witnessed by Xing Huanzi and the others around, was fine to everyone else, but Zhou Zhengli seemed thoughtful, muttering to himself.

“Young Master likes this?”

Before Zhou Zhengli could ponder, Xu Qing had already raised his hand and descended towards the Fifth Star Ring.

In an instant, his laws surged, and amidst the churning of the starry sky, a bronze tower appeared.

It was the very tower he had used to cross the Primordial Sea.

The Holy Heavenly Vine, now awakened, still entwined around the tower, wandering outside and radiating warmth towards Xu Qing.

“Going home…”

Xu Qing was about to step forward…

but the next moment, he stopped.

A giant bubble, seemingly out of nowhere, appeared in this starry sky, enveloping the universe and isolating everything.

Thus, without Xinghuanzi and the others noticing, an old man wearing straw sandals walked from the distant starry sky.

The old man was simply dressed in a coarse hemp robe, a golden rat perched on his shoulder.

Looking at this man, Xu Qing calmly spoke.

“Greetings, Immortal Venerable.”

The newcomer was none other than the Fifth Star Ring Immortal Venerable.

He stepped forward to Xu Qing, looked him up and down, and coughed.

“Young man, long time no see.”

Xu Qing remained silent.

The other party used him step by step, using him as a pawn. Although he gained some benefits in the process, overall it was just a transaction.

There was nothing to exchange.

The Immortal Venerable understood this, so he smiled and took out a small bronze cauldron.

“This contains the power of my attack; I’m giving it to you for protection.”

“Finally… before you leave, I have some news to tell you.”

“The Ninth Star Ring, due to the awakening of Shanghuang seven years ago, has caused the trajectory of the Wanggu Continent’s fate to shift…”

“Therefore, you’d better hurry back.”

Xu Qing’s eyes narrowed upon hearing this.

Without any hesitation, he moved swiftly, appearing in front of the bronze tower in an instant. With a flick of his sleeve, he swept Xinghuanzi and the others into the tower.

Then, the bronze tower trembled violently.

A huge vortex appeared in the distorted void below, emanating the aura of the primordial sea, spreading in all directions.

Each star ring contains a primordial sea.

Between the thirty-six star rings ascending to the heavens, the Primordial Sea is the most direct connecting path…

At this moment, with the appearance of the Primordial Sea, the bronze tower shone brightly, unleashing earth-shattering power from within.

That was the power of Xu Qingxian’s laws.

Under the influence of the dimensional force, the bronze tower suddenly sank downwards.

It fell into the Primordial Sea, disappearing into the whirlpool of the waves.

Then… the Primordial Sea dissipated, everything returned to normal, as if this sea had never existed, only wisps of residual aura from the outer sea spreading through the starry sky.

Gradually fading.

In the starry sky, the Immortal Venerable watched all this, finally raising his head and gazing towards the direction of the Ninth Star Ring.

After a long while, he murmured softly.

“I still don’t understand why Shanghuang lingered on the Ninth Star Ring, on that small continent that was once called Huangtian but is now called Wanggu…”

“Is He searching? Or waiting?”

“Is He heading towards death, or… welcoming new life?”

The Immortal Venerable shook his head, turned and took a step, his figure vanishing.

Only his thoughts remained turbulent.

“Is the divine umbilical cord truly the only path to transcendence?”

“Then throughout history, have any deities truly succeeded through the divine umbilical cord?”

“Beyond that… what awaits us?”

—More

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