Outside Of Time

Chapter 1626: Reflection on the Ice Lake

Editor: Atlas Studios

The eastern part of the Aurora Immortal Palace.

Behind the academy, there was a hall called the Junior Aurora Hall.

This hall covered a large area and was protected by an array that blocked divine sense detection, which remained active throughout the year.

From the outside, the architecture seemed simple, with only an endless sea of flowers spreading across the surroundings.

Because of this, it was also known as the Hundred Flowers Hall or Hundred Flowers Palace.

However, inside…

There truly existed a place called the Palace of Hundred Flowers.

This palace was located in the south of the Junior Aurora. It was brightly lit even at night, illuminating the surroundings as though it was daytime.

The outer walls were woven from all kinds of flowers and vines.

It was colorful and fragrant.

Every time the breeze blew, those flowers would sway gently, emitting waves of fragrance.

The interior was decorated like a paradise, luxurious and dazzling.

All around, vibrant flowers were in full bloom, each vying for attention. Some were delicately dewy, others fresh and refined, some regal and elegant, while others were alluring and seductive. It seemed as if all the beauty in the world had gathered in this place.

At the center of the palace stood a massive pool of water.

Within it, exotic flowers and rare herbs danced and played, creating mesmerizing ripples that stirred the heart.

The most eye-catching of all was an exotic peony, blooming in radiant clusters, exuding a regal charm as if it were the queen of all flowers, radiating boundless allure.

At this moment, dressed in a thin veil, the peony shyly nestled beside Xu Qing, her delicate fingers placing a peeled lychee into his mouth with a soft, seductive grace.

Xu Qing quietly ate the lychee, then lifted his gaze to take in the sea of flowers around him.

Lotus blossoms radiated purity, while roses burned with passion.

Nearly every flower was a vision of unmatched beauty.

Their skin was as pale as snow and their features as delicate as a painting.

Some of these women not only possessed extraordinary beauty but also remarkable talent, skilled in music, dance, and the art of poetry. At that moment, they gracefully danced before Xu Qing, their movements synchronized with the elegant music that filled the air.

Amidst this realm of tenderness, one could easily lose track of time, forgetting the present. As Xu Qing gazed upon the scene before him, a sense of dreamlike detachment washed over him.

It was as if the beauties stood like flowers beyond the clouds.

Above was the vast expanse of the clear sky, while below, the ripples of crystal-clear waters gently surged.

“No wonder the Immortal Lord demolished the Hundred Flowers Palace…”

Xu Qing sighed softly.

In order to act as the Young Lord, he had no choice but to come to the Hundred Flowers Palace and personally experience the Young Lord’s daily life.

What gave Xu Qing the most headache wasn’t the hundred flowers surrounding him, but rather the peony by his side—the one who had just fed him the lychee.

This peony was naturally the fox beauty.

Since Xu Qing had won the competition, the fox beauty followed beside Xu Qing.

“Young Lord, how was the taste of the lychee I fed you?”

Peony asked, her tone laced with shy affection. Biting her lower lip, her voice dripped with an irresistible allure, as if it could melt into one’s heart and draw out their soul.

Xu Qing sighed inwardly once again. He withdrew his gaze from the distant view and focused on the woman before him—one moment as demure and radiant as a peony, the next as dangerous and seductive as a poisonous datura flower.

“Aren’t you worried about being discovered by appearing here?”

Xu Qing frowned.

The current him was already different from when he was in Wanggu in terms of combat strength. His improvement was so great that it could be said to be the difference between heaven and earth.

As long as it wasn’t a Divine Platform god or a Quasi Immortal cultivator,

he could fight them.

This clay fox was at the peak of the Flawlessness stage and was only half a step away from the Divine Platform. It was like the perfected peak of the Ruler realm among cultivators.

Although She was indeed very strong, he had the strength to fight Her.

It was hard to say who would win.

“Why are you looking at me like that? You look like you want to hit me.”

The fox spirit’s face flushed a deep red, and even her neck showed a hint of rosy blush. She spoke softly, her voice barely above a whisper, as she subtly twisted her waist, lifting half of her full, rounded butt toward Xu Qing.

“How about you hit it?”

Xu Qing’s gaze turned cold.

The fox beauty chuckled.

“I like your cold appearance. Alright, I know you’re worried about me, right?”

“But if I don’t come out, I’ll be too bored. Also, I’m worried that Young Lord will forget about me.”

Xu Qing was unmoved and calmly spoke.

“Never mind, your true intentions—if you’re unwilling to share them, there’s no need to say anything. But when you insisted on coming here with me back then, the words I spoke to you—you likely haven’t forgotten them, have you?”

Xu Qing glanced at the fox beauty.

The fox beauty blinked her eyes.

“What are you talking about? I don’t remember.”

“Then I’ll say it again. This land forbids gods and enslaved gods exist everywhere here. Your life and death—you must take responsibility for it yourself.”

Xu Qing calmly spoke.

When the fox beauty heard this, she laughed charmingly.

“Isn’t it just enslavement? I’ve already called myself ‘your servant1,’ haven’t I? That means I’m already enslaved by you.”

Xu Qing remained silent and no longer bothered with her. He stood up and was about to leave.

He was only here to act. He still had his own things to do.

Seeing that Xu Qing was about to leave, the fox beauty’s beautiful eyes swirled as she laughed coquettishly.

“Alright, I will tell you. The reason I appeared here is naturally because I have a certain level of confidence that I won’t be discovered.”

“After all, this isn’t true history. It’s just a mirror image refracted from the memories of this Immortal Palace.”

“However, if handled properly, the benefits can be astonishing. For example, here, if you can alter this mirrored history and stir the waves of time, you’ll essentially be controlling and comprehending it firsthand.”

“And as for my purpose, it’s to secure an identity within this process. In doing so, if you truly manage to cause a ripple in this mirrored space-time, then my identity will effectively be validated.”

“If that happens, I might be able to retain it, allowing me to avoid being rejected by the will of the Fifth Star Ring in the future.”

“Of course, whether this succeeds hinges not only on your power but also on whether that Venerable Immortal ultimately permits this mirrored history to be altered.”

“Alright, I’ve told you everything. You can go and handle your own matters. You don’t have to worry about me. Don’t worry.”

The fox beauty smiled charmingly.

Xu Qing turned his head and glanced at the fox beauty. After that, he left the Hundred Flowers Palace.

As he walked in the Junior Aurora Hall, Xu Qing pondered over what he had to do next.

“Fourth True Monarch is likely inhabited by an outsider, appearing the moment history starts to change to prevent it…”

“In that case, he and I are on opposite paths.”

“And those stars that have come to this place, each of them has their own purpose. Through the actions of Li Mengtu and that heaven’s chosen Li, it’s clear—they hope for the history to be altered.”

“Then there’s a certain chance that there are two camps!”

“One camp is upholding the order of history, and the other camp wants to disturb the history.”

“As for the specifics, I’m not certain yet. I need more clues to make a final judgment.”

“If it turns out my assumptions are correct, then gathering all those aligned with the faction that seeks to stir historical waves and secretly aiding them in achieving their goals could trigger one wave after another.”

“In the end, it will culminate in the massive ripple I desire!”

“Thus, my next step is to identify which cultivators are being played by the other stars.”

As he pondered, the sky gradually changed.

It was nighttime now and dawn wasn’t far away.

The moon in the sky was displaying the coldness of this night to its heart’s content.

Xu Qing sensed something and raised his head to look at the sky.

In this period of history, there was no blood-like crimson aurora in the sky.

There was still the moon and the sun.

It was similar to the sun and moon in Wanggu back then. The sun and moon here weren’t simple celestial bodies either. They were two lives with miraculous powers.

According to the host’s memories, the moon that was about to set was called ‘Clear Brilliance’.

It was relatively small and covered in a mystical silver glow that bathed the world in tranquility and harmony.

“In one month’s time, the moon will vanish, and the sun will follow.”

As Xu Qing mumbled inwardly. Dawn was about to arrive.

The moon in the sky was slowly disappearing, and the first rays of the sun gradually appeared on the pitch-black horizon.

The sun in the Fifth Star Ring was called ‘Blaze’.

Its surface burned with raging flames that were scorching and resplendent.

Its strength was strong and warm, providing the necessary light and heat for all life in the entire ring.

At that moment, it rose into the air.

The sky was bright.

The morning sun sent light, and also… a figure approaching with the light.

It was a middle-aged man in a plain white robe.

The robe was embroidered with elegant cloud patterns. As he got closer, the sleeves of his robe swayed gently in the wind, as though they had fused with the aura of the world.

As for his appearance, it was ordinary and extraordinary. His nose bridge was high and his lips were tightly shut, as though he would never smile.

His expression was cold, like a snow mountain that didn’t melt all year round. He looked mysterious and unfathomable, emitting a dignity that couldn’t be ignored.

His eyes were as deep as the sea and flickered with a cold glint, as though they could see through all the hypocrisy and reality in the world.

As he walked over, every step he took felt as though he was stepping in time, giving off an extremely profound feeling.

This lasted until he arrived in front of Xu Qing.

“Father.”

Xu Qing lowered his head.

The person who came was none other than Aurora Immortal Lord!

He stood there, his aura restrained and deep, like a sleeping volcano. Once it erupted, it would definitely shake the world.

As for his coldness, it was as though he had long seen through the prosperity and illusions of the human world. He was no longer overly obsessed with the emotions of the mortal world.

A cold voice rang out from his mouth.

“I’ll bring you somewhere.”

The moment the voice rang out, everything in Xu Qing’s surroundings turned blurry. The world seemed to have reversed and everything had changed.

He was no longer in the Immortal Palace.

Instead, he appeared on an ice lake.

“Follow me. This is the last thing I’ll do for you as your father.”

Aurora Immortal Lord calmly spoke and walked forward.

Xu Qing’s thoughts surged but he forcefully suppressed them and silently followed.

The ice lake here was very special. The surface of the ice was like a mirror that could refract the heavenly light and also gradually reflect the human heart.

Hence, as he walked on it, the lake showed different reflections.

Xu Qing’s slowly revealed reflection was of his main body!

This scene caused Xu Qing’s heart to tremble. However, it was as though the Immortal Lord in front of him didn’t see it. There was nothing abnormal.

Xu Qing hesitated. His gaze then landed on the reflection of the Aurora Immortal Lord on the ice lake.

The moment he saw it clearly, his eyes narrowed.

Although that reflection indeed looked like Aurora, the color of his clothes was actually black.

His expression… was also filled with evilness and gloom.

A long time later, Xu Qing retracted his gaze. There were thousands of thoughts in his mind but the Immortal Lord didn’t speak again on the way, so Xu Qing remained silent.

Just like that, time slowly passed.

On the ice layer, the white-robed Aurora Polaris and his son moved forward.

Under the ice layer, the black-clothed aurora and Xu Qing were head to tail.