Outside of Time - Chapter 1364

Chapter 1340 Old Friends

The journey to Huangtian came to an end.

Xu Qing left the Huangtian world.

He took with him the mysterious light and the key to unlocking the primordial mother planet.

What remained was the sleeping Erniu, Seventh Master, and an empty grave.

The empty grave was built by Seventh Master himself, without using any supernatural powers or asking Xu Qing for help.

Xu Qing watched his master complete the grave and saw him write a line on the tombstone:

The Grave of My Beloved Master Ling Fanzi.

Ling Fanzi was the Daoist name of that ancient immortal from the holy land.

Seventh Master built a grave here for his deceased master and

knelt before the grave, his expression filled with grief that seemed to permeate his very soul.

…

As for the Huangtian Divine Clan, with the erasure of their God Emperor’s karma and with the source light they offered being absorbed into Xu Qing’s body, they also lost their source…

Under the suppression of Zhou Zhengli and others, some perished.

Xu Qing didn’t completely annihilate the remaining ones, but left them in Huangtian, around his eldest brother.

Erniu, who had merged with the Huangtian God Emperor’s body, was still asleep, but to the remaining Huangtian God Clan, he was their new emperor.

“Eldest Brother’s slumber will take some time to awaken…”

Before leaving, in front of the empty grave, waiting for Zhou Zhengli and the others, Xu Qing looked at the sleeping Erniu in the distance.

His eyes shone with a radiant light, the overflow of the light he had absorbed into his body.

That light couldn’t be fully absorbed within him.

He, too, needed some time.

Therefore, Xu Qing already had the intention of going into seclusion.

Seventh Master looked at Erniu in the same way, but his gaze also lingered on the grave.

After a long while, he spoke softly,

“Are you planning to go into seclusion after returning?”

Xu Qing nodded.

“Now that most of the hidden dangers in Wanggu have been eliminated, I need to spend the rest of my time… visiting old friends, and then preparing for seclusion to absorb the light offered by the Huangtian Divine Clan.”

“At the same time, I must explore the secrets contained within this light multiple times.”

“Furthermore… the existence of Shanghuang, and the spying of the external gods, are still beyond my current cultivation level.”

Seventh Master, upon hearing this, patted Xu Qing’s shoulder, his expression tinged with melancholy.

“Master’s cultivation in this life, hampered by the constraints of his cultivation path, has reached its limit. What I can do is protect Wanggu for you during your seclusion.”

“So, go do your work. During this time, I will stay here, keeping my thoughts on the outside world.”

Xu Qing looked at his master, sensing his master’s emotions and understanding that the end of Huangtian had caused his master’s turmoil, and that he now desired solitude.

Without further ado, he bowed, his body transforming into a rainbow, soaring into the sky.

Zhou Zhengli and the others bowed to Seventh Master, then followed behind Xu Qing.

Soon, their figures receded further and further into the sky until they disappeared at the entrance to Wanggu.

With their departure, the entire Huangtian fell silent.

Seventh Master withdrew his gaze from the sky, walked to the grave, sat down, and took out a flask of wine.

He took a large gulp, letting the wind blow, ruffling his long hair, and murmured softly,

“Master…”

Years ago, his master left, saying before he would return.

So Seventh Master guarded Wanggu, cultivating a special Daoist thought, using the method of reincarnation to prolong his life, reincarnating again and again, reincarnating again and again, protecting again and again.

Finally, he waited for his master.

But… what he waited for was not his master anymore.

All his thoughts, in the wind, gradually became ripples in his memory.

…

Time passed.

Xu Qing had been away from Huangtian for a month.

In this month, he went to the human capital.

In that capital, he witnessed the rise of the human race under the leadership of Empress Yu; the trend of unification was like a rolling boulder, unstoppable.

As the Grand Tutor of the Human Race, he also witnessed Ning Yan’s investiture as Crown Prince.

Memories of his past with Ning Yan floated through Xu Qing’s mind amidst the auspicious omens, his gaze involuntarily falling on Ning Yan’s stomach.

He remembered a vine there.

His senior brother had used Ning Yan as a weapon, whether as a shield or thrown to strike, it seemed quite effective.

Thinking of this, a smile appeared on Xu Qing’s lips.

Ning Yan, kneeling there, was overwhelmed with emotion. Even after all this time, he still felt a dreamlike disorientation upon seeing Xu Qing.

This disorientation lasted throughout the entire ceremony.

As the ceremony ended, Xu Qing left.

He went to the Moon Sacrifice Domain. He

arrived at the old apothecary, saw the Crown Prince, Third Grandmother, Ninth Grandfather…

and even more so, Ling’er.

Upon seeing her again, the now grown and graceful Ling’er burst into tears, throwing herself into Xu Qing’s arms.

Holding Ling’er, Xu Qing’s smile was gentle.

As always.

However, time did not allow Xu Qing to linger at the Sacrifice Moon Ceremony. Several days later, amidst Ling’er’s reluctance to part, Xu Qing departed.

Before leaving, he imbued Ling’er’s bloodline with the ancient spirit clan’s fortune he had extracted from the Ancient Spirit Emperor, purifying her bloodline and allowing her to enjoy the clan’s destiny.

Afterward, he embarked on his journey to Nanhuang Continent.

En route, on the endless sea, Xu Qing appeared on the island where Yan Yan was, completely stripping away the remnants of divine will from her body,

allowing her emotions to truly return to normal.

Throughout the entire process, Yan Yan gazed at Xu Qing, her expression complex, repeatedly hesitating to speak, but ultimately… she chose silence.

In Nanhuang Continent, Xu Qing also saw many old acquaintances.

He saw Master Bai’s other two disciples, Ting Yu and Chen Feiyuan,

and gave them the seed that Master Bai had entrusted to him.

“Master has not passed away. If you are willing to seek him out, plant this seed. When the flower blooms, you can be led to him by its fragrance.”

He also saw Zhao Zhongheng.

Time changes, but Zhao Zhongheng remains unchanged. He is still obsessed with Ding Xue; over the years, this seems to have become his core belief.

As for Ding Xue… everything remains the same.

However, because Xu Qing’s level is beyond her reach, she can only keep those feelings from the past forever buried in her heart.

There’s also the little mute boy, whose spirituality is among the highest Xu Qing has ever seen. His

cultivation has reached the Great Perfection of the Core Formation stage.

Remembering his past, Xu Qing granted him the opportunity to reach the Nascent Soul stage.

Then there’s Zhang San, the investor who takes pride in betting on Erniu and then on Xu Qing. After catching up with Xu Qing, he relaxed somewhat from his initial tension and told her about his ideals.

He plans to travel throughout Wanggu in the coming days.

“I want to spread my business throughout the Wanggu Continent!”

Zhang San declared proudly.

Xu Qing smiled and blessed him, watching Zhang San set sail in the morning rain, then looked up at the sky.

Above, the Flame Phoenix circled, sending a triumphant divine thought to Xu Qing.

On his back was his second senior sister, waving to Xu Qing.

They planned to leave Nanhuang Continent for a while and travel to other major regions.

Behind them, a small bird, biting the tail of the Flame Phoenix, flapped its wings incessantly.

Looking at the fledgling, Xu Qing smiled.

After a long while, in the drizzling rain, Xu Qing stood at the harbor and turned his head.

Under the eaves behind him stood a woman in a long blue dress, holding an oil-paper umbrella, gazing at him.

“Long time no see, Qingqiu,”

Xu Qing said softly.

The woman under the eaves was the little girl from the scavenger camp back then. She walked slowly and silently, standing in front of Xu Qing, looking into his eyes.

Xu Qing raised his hand, took out a piece of candy from his spatial dimension, and placed it in front of Qingqiu.

Qingqiu’s gaze fell on the candy. After a long while, she gently took it and held it in her hand. She

glanced at Xu Qing one last time, then turned and silently left.

As they walked a hundred feet away, and her figure was about to disappear into the rain, her voice echoed in Xu Qing’s ears through the rain.

“Little brother.”

“If my brother hadn’t taken me with him at the scavenger camp, and I had gone to the Seven Blood Eyes with you, what would our future have been like…”

Xu Qing remained silent.

Qingqiu waited a moment, then put the candy in her mouth, her figure vanishing into the rain.

Watching Qingqiu leave, Xu Qing strolled through the Seven Blood Eyes, walking through streets and shops, watching the growing crowds.

There were mortals and cultivators among them.

His memories flowed with each step, and in every familiar place, he seemed to see his past self.

His heart gradually calmed in these memories.

Finally, he arrived at the 176th Port of yesteryear, retrieved the earliest magic boat from the Time Vessel, and stepped inside. He

sat cross-legged inside the boat, and amidst the flowing river and the swaying of the vessel, closed his eyes.

He began…seclusion.