Outside Of Time

Chapter 1745  Slipping Through the Net

The clan that governed this star was named Zhen Yi.

According to the rules of the god lineage in the Fourth Star Ring, only clans that had produced a True God could bear the honorific Zhen in their name.

From the memories of the butterfly god, Xu Qing learned that the Zhen Yi clanʼs jurisdiction extended not only to this star but also to the vast nebula surrounding it and several nearby universes.

All of these were under the control of this clan.

Originally, this arrangement should have been eternal. After all, even if a True God perished, It would eventually return. Thus, until a new True God emerged, Their rule would remain unchanging.

But something unexpected had happened to this clan.

Their True God had seemingly perished many years ago and had not yet returned…

As time passed, the consequences of this began to show. The Zhen Yi clan could no longer effectively suppress the various tribes within Their jurisdiction.

This forced Them to gradually shrink Their domain. Now, only this star and a few dozen nearby stars still responded to Their summons.

Such a situation—where a True God failed to return—was uncommon in the god system, but not unheard of.

Generally, it occurred when the True God was intercepted or blocked during Their return, leading to unforeseen complications.

Xu Qing had personally participated in such an event, and he had even been used as bait…

Back then, Jade Flowing Dust had been trying to lure a True God who was about to return.

”So, the secret of return is not foolproof. As time progresses and more gods and cultivators explore it…

Some glories remain only in the past.”

Xu Qing, in the form of a butterfly, flew through the sky, getting closer and closer to the three hundred and sixty emerald rings.

He could already sense that within the thirty-sixth ring, a large number of gods were gathering.

That was the summoning ground of the Zhen Yi clan, whose jurisdiction had severely shrunk.

It was also the place Xu Qing had chosen to blend into using the clay foxʼs secret technique, relying on the chaotic aura there!

”I hope the clay foxʼs technique works!”

Xu Qing narrowed his eyes, mentally preparing himself for the possibility of failure and the need to force his way through. With a flap of his wings, he crossed the void and appeared before the thirty-sixth emerald ring.

As he arrived, the emerald light enveloped him, and divine power descended. Without hesitation, Xu Qing flapped his wings and flew into the ring.

In the next moment, he entered the ring.

Inside, everything was emerald-colored, boundless, like a tinted void. Only in the center was there a massive scroll, unfurled and spread out on both sides.

The painting on the scroll was densely packed with lines, forming an abstract image that was hard to decipher at first glance.

One could only vaguely make out multiple forms.

Xu Qing narrowed his eyes. The painting gave him a strange feeling, so he looked more closely.

Soon, he noticed something unusual and was dazed inwardly.

”This painting…”

The painting couldnʼt really be described as abstract, as that term was only used when something was incomprehensible.

In reality, given Xu Qingʼs mental state and cultivation level, what he saw was a map of the world, depicting a universe.

However… it depicted every three-dimensional aspect of all living beings and objects in that world, all drawn onto this single canvas.

As a result, at first glance, it appeared dense, bizarre, twisted, and abstract.

”This object is definitely not something a Divine Platform could possess. It must be at the True God level. The way itʼs presented… is this the essence of how divine pressure can distort the surroundings?”

Xu Qing felt a sense of wonder. He was about to move closer to the painting when, in an instant, waves of divine sense swept out from within the painting.

Accompanying the divine sense were numerous gods emerging from the fragmented world within the painting.

There were over a hundred of Them, ranging from True Fire to Flawlessness, with a few at the Divine Platform level.

Among them, a few caught Xu Qingʼs attention.

One was a sinister bronze eye, corroded and covered in rust.

The pupil of this eye was a bronze bell, while the area outside the pupil flowed with stardust. Surrounding It were tendrils that ended in suction cups shaped like Buddhaʼs hands.

With each breath, the pupil contracted, causing the bell to ring and emit a maddening divine sound.

Another god was even more bizarre—a shriveled old woman, completely naked, Her skin covered with bumps that were actually thirty-six thousand human-faced stars flowing beneath Her skin.

Her withered hair floated in the void behind Her, pulling along thousands of ancient corpses, each reciting burial scriptures from different eras.

Yet another god embodied the cycle of life and death. The left half of Its body was covered in blooming crabapple flowers that revealed glimpses of past lives, while the right half was like charred wood, shedding ashes. Within Its chest floated nine bronze soul lamps, their flames cradling drowning souls.

Its feet were rooted in distorted space-time, with the left foot standing in an ice age and the right foot sinking into a scorching stellar core.

This god drew the most attention from Xu Qing.

He sensed a divine authority similar to his own laws within It.

This made Xu Qingʼs heart tighten. He also realized that most of these gods were not from this star, so what They were displaying now were Their divine forms.

This was also a way for gods to establish Their status among each other, similar to how cultivators used their Dao intent to assert dominance.

”This opportunity…”

Xu Qingʼs heart stirred. The clay fox understood his intention, and together they used the opportunity of displaying their divine forms to activate the technique that allowed them to blend into the surroundings.

In the next moment, Xu Qingʼs butterfly form underwent a transformation. His wings spread out, revealing a wheel of reincarnation.

Each scale on his wings was woven from the skin of unknown creatures, and his body glowed with a crimson light that pulled at the surrounding void.

Most strikingly, his forewings were embedded with ninety-six thousand blood-tear compound eyes, each pupil reflecting lightning. As his wings flapped, they emitted a mournful wail, resonating with the divine senses sweeping over him.

Responding to the divine senses of the surrounding gods.

Even more bizarrely, the butterfly Xu Qing had transformed into had two antennae, each wrapped around a crimson river. At the ends of the antennae, they split into branches, from which hung rusted lanterns floating in the void.

The butterfly flew straight toward the scroll.

Its wings flapped in a rhythm that seemed to harmonize with the cycles of calamity. The left wing stirred waves of annihilation, while the right wing sprinkled the dew of creation. The scales it shed along the way revealed the images of countless scaled oxen prostrating in worship.

This was the divine form of the butterfly god Xu Qing had taken over!

Instantly, most of the gods whose divine senses had swept over him showed signs of awe. As for the few gods Xu Qing had focused on earlier, Their auras slightly receded.

They allowed Xu Qingʼs butterfly form to land on the scroll, hovering in an empty spot.

At the same time, a divine voice echoed.

”Eternal Calamity Butterfly!”

”Itʼs been a hundred years since we last met. Youʼre not far from breaking through your current realm.”

The voice came from within the fragmented world of the scroll. Along with it, a massive black lotus rose.

Seated on the lotus was a dwarf, Its body pitch-black and surrounded by three hundred and sixty ancient husks, each exuding a formidable pressure.

A golden speck, solidified True God blood, adorned Its forehead.

Its eyes reflected the emerald rings, and in Its hands, It played with a scale. Its voice shook the entire scroll, causing all the gods within to bow Their heads.

This figure was the god of the Zhen Yi clan, the current ruler of this star.

From the memories of the butterfly god, Xu Qing recognized this figure as the current head of the Zhen Yi clan and the one who had initiated this summoning.

Thus, Xu Qing slightly bowed his head, showing respect.

The dwarf nodded slightly and closed Its eyes, meditating on the black lotus.

The surroundings fell silent as all the gods waited.

Xu Qing also retracted his divine form, but his aura, now blended with the surroundings through the combined efforts of himself and the clay fox, remained hidden.

Maintaining this state, Xu Qing waited for time to pass.

Soon, three days went by.

The appointed day drew closer, and during these three days, dozens more gods arrived. Most were from other stars, summoned for this occasion, while a few, like the butterfly god Xu Qing had taken over, were from this star.

Among Them were the lightning god worshiped by the humanoid tribe and the god formed from the burning fungal mats.

At the same time, during these three days, the divine senses of True Gods from outside swept through several times.

The most intense was when three True Godsʼ divine senses jointly scanned the area.

Despite Xu Qingʼs vigilance, the clay foxʼs technique worked. The divine senses scanning the area failed to detect Xu Qingʼs concealment.

As for the other gods here, They seemed accustomed to the frequent searches by True Gods during this period and didnʼt react much.

”As long as no more than five True Gods scan this place, the technique can hide us. In two more days… once these gods leave, it will be my time to depart!”

Xu Qing murmured to himself.

These final two days seemed to pass more slowly than usual, but fortunately, everything went smoothly. Although there were more divine sense scans, none exceeded the limits of Xu Qingʼs concealment.

And so, the appointed day arrived.

The moment the time came, all the gods in the area released Their auras, and the dwarf seated on the black lotus opened Its eyes and waved Its hand.

Instantly, black stones scattered, landing before each god, who then collected them using Their own methods.

Xu Qing also reached out and took one. Upon touching it, he realized it contained the imprint of a True Godʼs divine aspect. While it was of little use to him, for gods, it could aid in breaking through Their current realms.

”Everyone, these are the promised True God Stones.”

”After this exploration of the secret realm, the remaining True God Stones will also be prepared.”

”Now… letʼs depart!”

The golden speck on the dwarfʼs forehead flashed brightly, transforming into a golden light that illuminated the emerald rings in his eyes, causing them to manifest in the outside world and emit waves of teleportation energy.

Immediately, some gods flew out, heading straight for the rings and disappearing in an instant.

As the gods began to leave, Xu Qing was about to execute his pre-prepared plan to depart when something happened that sent a feeling of intense danger through his heart.

In the starry sky, a vast divine sense, like an ocean, swept over the nebula where this star was located. The number of True Gods within it exceeded ten!

The moment Xu Qing sensed this, his pupils contracted, and his heart skipped a beat.

He knew full well that if this scan passed over him, his concealment would undoubtedly be exposed.

At this critical moment, he didnʼt hesitate. Abandoning his plan to leave, he flapped his wings and flew straight into the emerald ring, disappearing in an instant.