Outside Of Time

Chapter 1684: Open and Hidden

Editor: Atlas Studios

As the Poison Lord’s words echoed, his voice transformed into countless multicolored butterflies. These vibrant creatures scattered and materialized into unique jade slips before Xu Qing and the other newly ascended cultivators.

They turned into special jade slips.

With every flutter of their wings, strands of information about the Material Procurement Division flowed into the minds of all present.

The Material Procurement Division was one of the 324 divisions within the Reception Universe.

Its primary duty was the preparation and collection of specialized resources for battle. At set intervals, it ventured to designated regions to gather standardized materials.

Once collected, the materials were delivered back to the division, then handed over to the Transportation Division, which ensured their dispatch to the frontlines.

Due to the ongoing war, every action of the Material Procurement Division prioritized resource collection above all else.

And the sole material it dealt with was none other than origin essence, the invaluable resource fervently sought by all cultivators at the level of Ruler and beyond.

The demand for origin essence in a battlefield was clearly greater.

Therefore, the methods of collection employed by the Material Procurement Division were vastly different from the fishing-like techniques Xu Qing had used in the Ink Yang Universe.

The division’s primary focus lay on the nonhuman races scattered across the entirety of the Fifth Star Ring.

Origin essence was extracted and refined directly from their bloodlines and life forces.

Moreover, the division’s operations extended to the numerous god prisons distributed throughout all Heaven’s Beyonds.

These prisons varied greatly in nature—some belonged to their respective universes, others to the Heaven’s Beyonds themselves, while a portion were privately owned by influential families and clans.

The suppressed gods inside were also the source of origin essence refinement.

After this information appeared in Xu Qing’s mind, his eyes narrowed. He finally understood why the material procuring teams he had seen earlier were all filled with death aura.

This was because of killing and refining.

Additionally, their domineering conduct and habitual reliance on such methods naturally led them to be imbued with a pervasive hostility in their daily demeanor.

This information also told Xu Qing and the others about the Poison Lord’s identity.

Because the Poison Lord had made a great contribution in his early years, his position was not only the guardian of the Dao Immortal Sect in the Western Starfield of the Immortal Capital but also the head of the Material Procurement Division.

After merging the information into the butterflies, allowing everyone to have a certain understanding of the Material Procurement Division, the Poison Lord, who was in the air, calmly spoke to the team that had a conflict with Xu Qing and the others.

“All of you, go and hand over your origin essence.”

When the old man who was almost at the peak of the Quasi Immortal Realm heard this, he and the cultivators in his team bowed and rose into the air, leaving this place.

Before leaving, the middle-aged cultivator who had narrowly avoided having his forehead pierced by Xu Qing’s iron stick turned back and gave Xu Qing a long, piercing look.

That gaze held lingering fear but also a tinge of resentment.

Xu Qing noticed it, and his expression turned icy as he silently committed the man’s face to memory.

After they left, only Xu Qing and the others were left on the black jelly sea. Moreover, after all of them digested the information about the Material Procurement Division, their expressions became solemn.

Although Xu Qing was vigilant and Li Mengtu was also apprehensive, the others didn’t have any previous interactions with the Poison Lord. Hence, in their eyes, he was an immortal and their future superior.

Regardless of cultivation or status, they had to treat him respectfully.

After all, in the Fifth Star Ring, disrespecting immortals was one of the serious crimes.

“From now on…”

The Poison Lord slowly spoke. After saying these words, he didn’t continue but paused.

His gaze swept across everyone below with an inexplicable pressure.

He spared not even a glance for his disciple, Li Mengtu, nor did he pay any more attention to Xu Qing.

It was as though he didn’t care about what had happened in the past.

Even the provocation arranged previously seemed to be only a normal assessment.

Under his gaze, everyone instinctively lowered their heads.

A long time later, the hoarse voice of the Poison Lord rang out again.

“You new ascenders have the responsibility of gathering materials for the war. Since you’re of the same batch, you can form your own material procuring team.”

“As for the captain…”

The Poison Lord looked at Xu Qing, then at Star Ring. Finally, he looked at Yuanshan Su and… Zhou Zhengli.

Among the four of them, two were Quasi Immortals and one had the combat strength of a Quasi Immortal. As for Zhou Zhengli…

When the gaze landed on him, Zhou Zhengli’s face immediately filled with dread. He stepped back hastily, his stance making it clear he had no intention of vying for the position.

Star Ring, on the other hand, remained calm and composed. He had already discerned the underlying intent of the situation. Everything that had occurred earlier was, in essence, a test. However, beneath the surface, there was an unmistakable attempt at division.

Yet, Xu Qing’s intervention disrupted this division, rendering it unsuccessful.

One could imagine that if the division had succeeded, they wouldn’t have been put into one team.

They would have been divided into two or even more teams.

Xu Qing’s help was something Star Ring hadn’t expected. Hence, after a moment of silence, he calmly spoke.

“I’m not interested in the role of captain.”

Almost at the same time that Star Ring spoke, Yuanshan Su silently took a step back.

Her personality in the past was different from now. After experiencing everything on the trip to the Aurora Immortal Palace, she had instinctive reverence for Xu Qing.

On one hand, she had seen Xu Qing’s methods. On the other hand… as someone who had stayed in that realm until the end before dissipating, she had obtained much more information than everyone else.

She also guessed a little.

For example, the identity of the Aurora Immortal Lord, the fact that… the Young Lord wasn’t dead, or the fact that… the person whose identity she had possessed was still alive!

All of this caused her to have many thoughts after she left the Aurora Immortal Palace.

Right now, she naturally wasn’t willing to take the position of the team’s captain.

The Poison Lord was expressionless as his gaze landed on Xu Qing.

“Xu Qing.”

Xu Qing’s expression was solemn. He raised his head and bowed to the Poison Lord.

The more he understood the potential malice of the other party, the more careful he had to be. He couldn’t afford to show any flaws that could be exploited—such as being disrespectful to an immortal.

“I hereby appoint you as the leader of this team. Proceed immediately to the designated location to gather the required materials. Your mission will last… five months!”

With that, the Poison Lord raised his hand and a storage ring flew out, floating in front of Xu Qing.

“Within it, you will find the uniform of Material Procurers, your official identifications, and the details of your upcoming mission.”

“And now, the others will wait outside the Reception Universe. Xu Qing, you stay behind.”

As he spoke, the Poison Lord flicked his sleeve and the world instantly rumbled. Everything became blurry, as though the world had changed. In an instant, everyone here other than Xu Qing disappeared.

They were directly teleported out of this star by this monstrous power.

Xu Qing’s eyes narrowed imperceptibly but his expression was still normal. He stood there and remained respectful.

Between him and the Poison Lord, one was on the sea and the other was in the sky.

The atmosphere fell into dead silence.

Both sides remained silent.

After a long time, the Poison Lord took a step forward. His figure distorted and he appeared in front of Xu Qing.

Having an immortal with ill intentions standing before him was a huge pressure for Xu Qing.

Especially when he could vaguely sense that this immortal in front of him was definitely not ordinary. Even among the Lower Immortals, he should be among the top.

With just a thought, such an existence could destroy his body and soul.

Fortunately… this was the Reception Universe, Nine Shores Heaven’s Beyond, and this was the Fifth Star Ring.

If Xu Qing didn’t make any mistakes, these would be his protective amulets.

Hence, the attitude Xu Qing displayed was still respectful.

“You are clearly extremely vigilant and uneasy, but you don’t reveal it at all…”

“Xu Qing, although this is the first time I’ve seen you, you really surprised me.”

The Poison Lord slowly spoke.

“Thank you for your recognition, Immortal. I’m honored to receive your praise.”

Xu Qing replied in a low voice.

When the Poison Lord heard this, his gaze was filled with deep meaning. He then walked forward.

Xu Qing silently followed behind and walked on the black sea.

A gust of wind blew over, and the surface of the sea rose and fell.

A long time later, the Poison Lord’s voice echoed.

“Xu Qing, I once wanted to borrow your Dao to break through to the Immortal Realm and step into the Immortal Lord Realm.”

Xu Qing remained silent.

“There has been no new Immortal Lord since the death of the Aurora Immortal Lord.”

“And yet, the pace of the war is accelerating, its momentum steadily growing…”

The Poison Lord’s voice drifted away, revealing helplessness and a hint of sigh.

“The key reason lies in the Fourth Star Ring, where, in recent years, a new Lord God has emerged!”

“Their overall strength has now reached the threshold for igniting a life-and-death battle between the Star Rings!”

“At such a time, Xu Qing, do you understand? If the Fifth Star Ring were to gain one more Immortal Lord, it would be a matter of monumental significance for everyone!”

“And me…”

The Poison Lord stopped in his tracks.

“In the entire Fifth Star Ring, I am the one with the highest chance of breaking through the Immortal Realm and becoming one of the Immortal Lords!”

Xu Qing’s expression turned solemn as he bowed again.

“I wish you an early breakthrough to Immortal Lord!”

Poison Lord turned his head and glanced at Xu Qing.

Xu Qing’s expression was sincere.

After a long time, the Poison Lord shook his head and smiled again.

“Although I didn’t manage to borrow it, you can be considered fated with me…”

“Today, I’ll assign a special job for you alone.”

“Many years ago, the Nine Shores Immortal Lord tasked the Material Procurement Division with finding a piece of mystical nine-colored ice capable of extinguishing a Lord God’s flame. This mission has always been under my charge and has not been passed on to anyone else.”

“Today, I entrust it to you. Would you be willing to take on this search?”

The Poison Lord calmly spoke as he looked into Xu Qing’s eyes.

He wanted to see if Xu Qing could understand the meaning in his words.

When Xu Qing heard this, a strange glint appeared in his eyes. He looked at the Poison Lord in front of him and thoughts rose in his mind.

He could tell the meaning behind these words.

This was giving him benefits!

There was tacit approval for the collection of origin essence. After meeting the Material Procurement Division’s required quantity, any surplus could be kept for personal use. As long as it was done cleverly and without being overly greedy, no one would challenge such an action.

Moreover, with the Immortal Lord’s task—especially the order from the ruling Nine Shores Immortal Lord—it became an unparalleled excuse, a prestigious token that could be used as a justification for anything!

With this pretext… and with the identity of a Material Procurer, in theory, he could do whatever he wanted and plunder as he pleased.

Anything could be justified with a simple statement: claiming that the place contained the nine-colored ice required by the Immortal Lord.

That was enough.

With those extra origin essence, he could speed up his cultivation!

However, at the same time, it was also a double-edged sword!

This was because the drawbacks were also extremely serious.

That was, he would be controlled!

The Poison Lord could punish him anytime and anywhere for not being able to find this item.

Therefore, once he accepted it, it was equivalent to letting others control him.

This was an open scheme and also a conspiracy.

If he understood, it would be an open scheme.

If he didn’t understand, it was a conspiracy.

Xu Qing fell silent.

— New chapter is coming soon —

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