Outside Of Time

Chapter 1774  Erniu Loses It

Erniu was agitated.

When he had sensed Xu Qingʼs aura earlier, he found it utterly unbelievable. Now, staring at Xu Qing, the waves in his mind grew even more turbulent.

The sheer joy of their reunion after so long surged through his heart and soul, leaving him momentarily unable to fully process it.

After all, they hadnʼt seen each other in ages, and meeting here, of all places, struck him as beyond improbable.

So, he blurted out a question he would later deeply regret:

”Little Qing, how are you here? And those people blocking the way outside just now—who were they?”

Xu Qing thought for a moment and decided honesty was best. He replied softly,

”My subordinates.”

Erniuʼs mind quaked, his eyes widening.

He hadnʼt seen clearly earlier and didnʼt know what had happened outside, but he could sense that those people had left after Xu Qing arrived.

Having been hunted for so long, he was well aware of how terrifying his pursuer was. Trapped here, he had also sensed the companions that person had summoned—each one incredibly powerful.

Yet now, Little Qing was calling them his subordinates…

This revelation struck Erniu like a bolt of lightning, snapping him out of his earlier excitement. He immediately released his divine sense to probe Xu Qingʼs cultivation.

The sheer depth and unfathomable power he sensed sent shockwaves through his heart.

Instinctively, he wanted to suck in a sharp breath—but he stopped himself at once.

The dignity of being the senior brother flared up fiercely within him.

And so, he forcibly held back. He wouldnʼt ask where this place was, nor would he inquire about Xu Qingʼs status here or how he had arrived.

He absolutely refused to give Xu Qing any chance to agitate him.

But the changes in Xu Qingʼs cultivation were too glaring to ignore. He couldnʼt resist testing the waters, feigning nonchalance as he spoke:

”Oh, I see… Haha…

cough By the way, Little Qing, how much ʼsolitary feastingʼ have you been doing? Your cultivation… seems to have undergone some minor changes.”

Erniu put on an air of breezy indifference.

Xu Qing blinked. He knew his senior brother all too well.

”Just some minor opportunities, a few small epiphanies.”

His words sounded modest, but to Erniu, they only made his heart sour further.

ʼWhat kind of ʼopportunitiesʼ or ʼepiphaniesʼ could lead to such a terrifying leap in cultivation?ʼ

But outwardly, Erniu refused to concede defeat. The pride of being the senior brother made him lift his chin.

”Not bad, I suppose. But Little Qing, your cultivation is a bit… unrefined. Youʼll need to work harder in the future.

Also… itʼs been so long since we last met. You might not be fully aware of my current situation.”

Erniu sighed dramatically.

”Youʼve probably noticed—this is just a clone of mine. Youʼd never guess how powerful my true body is now. Let me tell you, Iʼm just half a step away from unifying Brilliant Heaven!

Your senior brother is flourishing in Brilliant Heaven!”

Erniu puffed up with pride.

Xu Qingʼs face showed a look of astonishment.

This expression soothed Erniuʼs wounded ego.

”But you know what? Iʼve missed having you by my side. So, I used my supreme divine abilities to tear through the void, severing the river of time itself, just to come here and find you.

All so you can stand beside me and witness the glorious moment when I reign over Brilliant Heaven!”

As he spoke, an aura of majesty radiated from Erniu.

Xu Qing smiled and nodded, then took a step forward.

Erniu coughed, his head floating alongside Xu Qing as they moved, continuing his grand speech:

”But Little Qing, do you know what that ʼhalf-stepʼ I mentioned is missing?”

”A peak Divine Platform corpse!”

Erniu declared solemnly.

”All I need is to devour one peak Divine Platform divine corpse, and your senior brother can activate the millions of clones and artifacts Iʼve hidden across Brilliant Heaven. Then, in one fell swoop, Iʼll conquer it all!”

”And save Wanggu!”

”Little Qing, I couldʼve done this alone, but I thought of you. After all, youʼre my junior brother. So, Iʼm leaving this opportunity for you!”

Erniu gazed at Xu Qing, his emotions surging.

”Little Qing, give me one peak Divine Platform corpse, and in exchange, Iʼll give you all of Brilliant Heaven. Worth it, right?

Once I unify it, Iʼll appoint Master as Crown Prince, you as Grand Heir, Huang Yan as the Divine Guardian Beast, Second Junior Sister as the Divine Beastʼs Dao companion, and Third Junior Brother as the Grand Eunuch!”

”Weʼll share wealth and glory as one family!”

”Weʼll—”

Before Erniu could finish, Xu Qing waved his hand and took out some remains.

Though incomplete, the aura emanating from these remnants was unmistakable—True God!

”Senior Brother, I donʼt have any Divine Platform divine corpses left…”

Xu Qing was telling the truth.

Erniu froze.

Staring at the remains, his scalp tingled, and the surreal feeling returned. He couldnʼt help but suck in a sharp breath, his eyes bulging.

”T-True God?”

Xu Qing nodded.

Erniu fell silent. But soon, he burst into laughter, swallowing hard and forcing an air of indifference. Suppressing his ravenous hunger, he waved dismissively.

”Pfft, True God? Your senior brother is sick of them. In Brilliant Heaven, theyʼre everywhere. Iʼve eaten so many Iʼve lost my appetite.”

”And that ʼpeak Divine Platformʼ I mentioned earlier? I only said that because I didnʼt want to shock you, Little Qing. So I lowered the bar.”

”Let me tell you, back in Brilliant Heaven, even gods treat me with respect.”

Just as Erniu was mid-boast, Xu Qing suddenly halted, turning his gaze toward the distant starry sky.

A cold glint flashed in his eyes as he lifted his right foot and took a single step forward.

The starry sky where he looked instantly collapsed. Cracks tore through space, and a storm of nothingness swept out. From within that shattered void, a group of gods emerged—remnants of the earlier divine army, hiding in the void to evade capture.

But under Xu Qingʼs perception, They had nowhere to hide.

Now exposed, the foremost among Them—a peak Divine Platform being—trembled violently upon seeing Xu Qing. Without hesitation, They scattered in desperate flight.

Xu Qingʼs expression remained indifferent as he raised his right hand and pressed downward.

A terrifying pressure descended, a force of absolute suppression that crushed down upon that stretch of void.

The starry sky rippled.

Then—silence.

Those remnant gods were no more, annihilated in body and soul.

With Xu Qingʼs current combat power, erasing Divine Platform beings was as easy as flipping his hand.

Beside him, Erniu watched this scene, his mind buzzing. After a long pause, he coughed.

”Not bad, not bad. Little Qing, youʼve already reached the level I was at in Brilliant Heaven!”

”But Little Qing, remember this—while itʼs important to intimidate the gods, you must also establish a high status among cultivators. This is your senior brotherʼs hard-earned wisdom, passed down to you.”

”Youʼve grown up now, so I suppose itʼs time to tell you. In one of my past lives, I stood above the starry skies, my status unmatched, worshipped by countless cultivators. That loneliness at the peak forged my icy power.”

As if by some cosmic joke, the moment Erniu finished speaking, a group of cultivators from a nearby supply star appeared in the distance, swiftly approaching.

Upon recognizing Xu Qing, their faces lit up with excitement, and they bowed deeply from afar.

Xu Qing felt a little embarrassed.

Because beside him, Erniu had gone completely stiff.

Among those cultivators were numerous Rulers and even Quasi Immortals. The sheer scale of it made the turmoil in Erniuʼs heart reach a breaking point.

But the dignity of being the senior brother allowed him to quickly mask it with another loud laugh.

Just as he was about to speak—

The entire starfield trembled. An overwhelmingly terrifying divine sense—one that surpassed even the power of a Summer Immortal—swept forth from the depths of the starry sky like a tidal wave.

Wherever it passed, even the Fourth Star Ring rippled in response.

Countless cultivators on supply stars dropped to their knees in worship.

Erniu, sensing this divine sense, felt his heart shudder uncontrollably.

If Xu Qingʼs cultivation had felt unfathomable, this presence made him feel as though a single thought from it could shatter Brilliant Heaven into dust.

”This… this…”

Before Erniu could even process it, the divine sense arrived, materializing as the voice of Immortal Lord Mi Ming:

”Little Brother, your sister-in-law said you like absorbing goddesses. I just captured one—the daughter of Lord God Minzeh. Consider Her a gift.”

The gentle voice echoed as a sealed goddess materialized from the void.

She was humanoid, radiating sacred majesty, Her cultivation at the True God level. Yet now, She was tightly bound, reduced to nothing more than a present…

Xu Qingʼs expression turned odd as he clasped his hands in acknowledgment.

Erniu was dumbfounded, muttering inwardly, A goddess as a gift?

The divine sense chuckled again.

”Just joking earlier. This goddessʼs innate divine authority is special—She can assist you in comprehending your Ordinance.”

With that, Immortal Lord Mi Mingʼs divine sense receded, as if his sole purpose in coming had been to deliver the divine maiden.

Though he had left, Erniuʼs mental defenses had already crumbled under this relentless onslaught of revelations. He could hold back no longer, turning to Xu Qing with wide eyes.

”What in the world is going on?! Little Qing, what is this place? Whatʼs your status here? And who was that divine sense just now? Whatʼs this ʼOrdinanceʼ he mentioned?!”

Xu Qing smiled. There was no reason to hide anything from Erniu—but explaining everything would take too long. So, he raised his hand and condensed all his experiences since arriving in the Fifth Star Ring into a memory imprint, pressing it toward Erniuʼs forehead.

Erniu didnʼt resist, allowing the imprint to merge into his mind.

In the next instant, a flood of information poured into his consciousness.

He saw everything. Understood everything. His expression shifted from confusion to shock, then to outright horror. After absorbing the entire imprint, he muttered in disbelief:

”Those treasures I saw when I first came here… they were all things you didnʼt want?!”

Suddenly, Erniu clutched his chest.

”If only Iʼd come with you back then! I couldʼve been a Summer Immortal by now!!”

”I CHOSE THE WRONG PATH!!”

Erniu howled in despair, convinced he had missed out on the greatest opportunity of his life. The thought of all his struggles in Brilliant Heaven now seemed unbearably unfair…

Xu Qing hesitated, about to console him.

But Erniuʼs eyes had already turned bloodshot. He glared around wildly, a strange determination burning in his gaze as he growled:

”No. I have to pull off something big here!”

”Only then can I make up for this colossal loss!”

Without hesitation—even in front of Xu Qing—he tore open a seal on his body, causing his cultivation to skyrocket. His senses expanded, locking onto every treasure trove in the vicinity.

Finally, to Xu Qingʼs surprise, Erniu fixed his gaze on a specific direction and grinned maniacally.

”Little Qing, come with me! Your senior brotherʼs taking you on a grand adventure!”