Outside Of Time

Chapter 1685: Aurora Heaven’s Beyond

Editor: Atlas Studios

This was a poisonous immortal fruit!

Xu Qing raised his head and looked at the Poison Lord. After a long time, he bowed.

“I accept!”

He wanted this poisonous fruit!

The Poison Lord wasn’t surprised.

In his judgment, Xu Qing was someone much like himself.

In order to become stronger, in order to break through, in order to walk higher, they could ask a tiger for its skin!

To Xu Qing, the Poison Lord was the tiger.

But from the Poison Lord’s perspective, Xu Qing bore his own tiger skin as well—after all, this was someone the Venerable Immortal had personally cautioned against involving in karmic entanglements.

‘However, this is more interesting.’

The Poison Lord smiled and waved his sleeve as he walked forward.

His figure gradually blurred, as though it had fused with the world. Finally, he disappeared.

Only his voice echoed in the world.

“Xu Qing, do your best.”

As he left, the world returned to normal. A wisp of golden starlight floated over from the sky and landed on Xu Qing’s body, forming a pull that caused Xu Qing’s body to rise into the air.

He rose into the sky and was about to be sent out of the star where the Material Procurement Division was located.

Xu Qing didn’t reject it and allowed the starlight to guide him. As he rose into the air, this star became smaller and smaller in his eyes. His thoughts grew larger and larger.

Although the immortal fruit was poisonous, its flesh was extremely delicious.

The pros and cons were incomparably clear.

Moreover, Xu Qing didn’t think that if he didn’t eat this immortal fruit, the other party would really put away all his ill intentions.

Such intent was deeply tied to the Poison Lord’s aspirations for advancement; future confrontations seemed inevitable.

Thus, rather than pinning his hopes on the slim chance of the Poison Lord abandoning his schemes, Xu Qing preferred to seize control of the situation himself.

Especially since he was very clear that what he lacked now was time and resources for cultivation.

He desperately needed this pretext to bolster his cultivation.

Since that was the case, rather than dwelling on the potential repercussions of the poison manifesting in the future, he might as well consume it now to accelerate his growth.

It was akin to his choice back in the city where the fragmented-face opened Its eyes—when he had yet to embark on the path of cultivation. Back then, despite knowing that cultivating would hasten the accumulation of anomalous substances, he still resolutely chose to cultivate.

His mentality was exactly the same.

To a certain extent, the Poison Lord’s judgment was correct.

Xu Qing and him were indeed the same type of people in this aspect.

“As for the poison acting up, it’s not impossible to neutralize it…”

Xu Qing squinted, his eyes narrowing as the stars reflected within them grew smaller. The vastness of the Reception Universe gradually receded from his gaze, shrinking into clarity. Finally, when the entirety of the Reception Universe revealed its full appearance before him, he was already carried away by the guiding starlight.

When he reappeared, he was in the starry sky and outside the Reception Universe. He saw Star Ring and other ascenders.

They were waiting.

The instant they saw Xu Qing’s figure and their gazes gathered over, Xu Qing paused in the starry sky.

After that, he waved his hand and the storage ring that the Poison Lord had given him opened in front of him. The identification items of Material Procurers flew out one after another.

They were gray jade slips.

Each cultivator took one, immersing their divine sense into it. With a burst of light, their forms shimmered and transformed, each donning the distinctive gray hundred pockets robe.

Xu Qing’s figure also blurred briefly, and when it became clear again, he was clad in his own hundred pockets robe.

From a distance, the uniform attire of the 89 cultivators created a striking visual unity. Together, they radiated an unspoken aura of authority.

Zhou Zhengli’s expression was solemn. He took a step forward and bowed to Xu Qing, transmitting his divine sense.

“Greetings, Captain!”

Regardless of what they thought inside, the other ascenders bowed as well.

It was the same for Yuanshan Su. Qianjun and Piyi hesitated and were about to greet when they realized that Star Ring didn’t move. The two brothers also became arrogant.

Xu Qing’s gaze swept across the assembled cultivators. He paid little attention to their unified attire and instead focused on retrieving the mission jade slip.

They had received their first mission as Material Procurers. The place they were arranged to be was called the Chaotic Sky Universe.

They had to go there to gather supplies!

However, this Chaotic Universe was somewhat special.

It wasn’t in the Nine Shores Heaven!

The location was another Heaven’s Beyond in the past.

Moreover, he wasn’t among the 11 immortal lords!

To be precise, that Heaven’s Beyond had become an ownerless realm because of the death of its Immortal Lord…

As for the name of Heaven’s Beyond, it had also been erased.

Xu Qing’s heart stirred when he saw this scene on the mission jade slip.

It wasn’t just him. Among these ascenders, the former stars like Star Ring also had strange expressions.

This was because in the entire Fifth Star Ring, there was only one place that fulfilled these conditions…

That was the former Aurora Heaven’s Beyond!

Hence, Li Mengtu and Zhou Zhengli instinctively looked at Xu Qing. Even Qianjun, Piyi, Yuanshan Su, and Star Ring… couldn’t help but look at Xu Qing.

It was really because of everything they had experienced in the Aurora Immortal Palace in history and Xu Qing’s identity as the Young Lord of the Aurora Immortal Palace.

It left an extremely deep impression on them.

Xu Qing narrowed his eyes and continued to check the mission jade slip.

The jade slip detailed that traveling to the Chaotic Sky Universe required the mission slip to access the designated teleportation site for transfer.

It explained that this particular Heaven’s Beyond was an abandoned realm, having lost its ruling master. As a result, it had become a shared and contested space. The local nonhuman races, shaped by this historical vacuum, had developed defiant attitudes and behaviors.

After all, there was an absence of direct dominion over them.

Furthermore, with other Heaven’s Beyond forces intruding over time, the realm had fragmented, giving rise to factions backed by various powers.

In essence, compared to other Heaven’s Beyonds, the Chaotic Sky Universe resembled a chaotic frontier—a lawless haven akin to the unruly wilderness, where hidden depths and unseen dangers loomed large.

It had many nonhuman races with complicated power structures. At the same time, it also had the highest number of god prisons among all of Heaven’s Beyonds.

After all, the Aurora Immortal Lord back then could be said to have the peak combat strength among all Immortal Lords.

As for this trip to the Chaotic Sky Universe, the jade slip also introduced it. This universe was located at the edge of this Heaven’s Beyond. It was managed by the Chaotic Sky Royal Family and there were 31 god prisons.

Among these 31 prisons, the largest was Prison A29, which primarily detained Divine Platform gods.

Once the jade slip’s information was fully transmitted to the group, Xu Qing put it away. His sharp gaze swept across the crowd before him, noting their reactions and composure. Without a word, his figure flickered. Following the jade slip’s guidance, he began moving swiftly toward the nearest teleportation site.

Zhou Zhengli and Li Mengtu looked at each other and immediately followed behind.

The others also had strange gazes as they moved forward together.

Just like that, their group transformed into 89 rainbows that sped through the starry sky.

Their speed was extremely fast, causing most of the cultivators who passed by to frown when they noticed them. They moved aside and circled around them.

Clearly, the Material Procurers were infamous. They were like beasts. If they could avoid provoking him, they would be unwilling to come into contact with him.

Just like that, half a month later.

In the Nine Shores Heaven, on a teleportation platform built on an ancient star, Xu Qing and the others landed one after another. As Xu Qing took out the mission jade slip, the teleportation platform rumbled.

At the next instant, the power of teleportation erupted, and vast might formed rings of ripples that spread in all directions.

Everyone, including Xu Qing disappeared from the teleportation platform.

This teleportation took a full five days to end.

When they reappeared, they were already in an unfamiliar starry sky, on a red stone platform that was filled with cracks and was filled with an ancient feeling.

This stone platform emitted a high temperature and was rapidly cooling down.

Clearly, teleportation between Heaven’s Beyonds consumed a lot of energy for teleportation arrays.

This unprecedented teleportation also had extremely high requirements for cultivators. If their cultivation was insufficient, they might even be destroyed in this teleportation. Moreover, there couldn’t be any flaws in their minds. Otherwise, they would lose themselves in the special state of teleportation and be destroyed.

The moment they appeared, dozens of people spat out blood and immediately sat cross-legged to recuperate.

There were also some who had dazed expressions and their souls seemed to be in turmoil.

Even Xu Qing and Star Ring felt uncomfortable.

Fortunately, those who could ascend were all people who had trained comprehensively. In the outside world, their cultivation and mind were top-tier among their peers.

Hence, even though the teleportation affected them, they gradually recovered and spread out their divine senses one after another to observe their surroundings.

There wasn’t much light in the starry sky here.

The starlight here was dim.

Moreover, the spirit energy was much thinner.

This was a desolate land.

“This place is the Chaotic Sky Universe.”

Xu Qing stood on the stone platform and looked into the distance. After that, he glanced at Zhou Zhengli.

Zhou Zhengli instantly understood. He stepped forward and bowed to Xu Qing before speaking.

“Young Master, this mission and the standards for the origin essence have been made clear to everyone.”

“I suggest that we all spread out.”

“Regardless of the methods employed, we’ll return with our respective shares at the end.”

“Should we encounter obstacles along the way, we can seek assistance nearby by offering a portion of the origin essence as payment.”

“Of course, if a situation arises that cannot be resolved, we will have to trouble you, Young Master. However, in such cases, it goes without saying that the amount of origin essence provided must be sufficient to justify your intervention.”

“Young Master, what do you think?”

Zhou Zhengli looked at Xu Qing.

Xu Qing nodded, showing no objection. He had no interest in micromanaging the group and understood that everyone had their own needs for source essence, making personal motives inevitable.

Since that was the case, it was better to let them search and collect on their own terms.

“I’ll be in charge of Prison A29. You guys can negotiate among yourselves for the other places.”

After Xu Qing finished speaking, his body swayed and he headed straight for the distant starry sky.

The A29 he went to was the largest god prison in the Chaotic Sky Universe.

After he left, everyone looked at each other and transmitted their voices to each other. Some chose to move alone, and some chose to stay in groups of three to five. Very soon, they spread out like locusts and rushed into different places.

At the same time, in the depths of the Chaotic Sky Universe, in a star system, an extremely luxurious huge palace floated.

Singing and dancing filled the palace.

Seated on a resplendent throne at the center of the palace was a colossal figure, its body entirely crimson, with two faces—one on the front and one on the back. Resting its head on a single hand, the giant appeared lost in contemplation.

Suddenly, a jade slip streaked through the void outside the palace, entering with a sharp whistle and shattering in front of the giant with a resounding crack. From the fragmented jade, a spectral image emerged, bowing low in utter submission before the double-faced giant.

“King, there’s a team from Nine Coasts’ Heaven’s Beyond that has barged into my Chaotic Sky Universe!”

The double-faced giant’s expression remained indifferent as its gaze lingered on the dancers below, the vibrant performances seemingly holding its interest. After a long pause, it finally spoke, its deep voice carrying an air of casual authority.

“As usual, arrange for some origin essence and let them find it. If this pack of stray dogs knows their place, they’ll gnaw on the bones and leave quietly.”

“But if they fail to recognize the rules of the game, we can always remind them who truly rules the Chaotic Sky Universe.”